《The Fox of France》


 Chapter 1: My Brother, Napoleon

    Chapter 1: My Brother, Napoleon

    A naturally timid engineering student found himself transported to France before the grand revolution, only to be the older brother of the future Emperor Napoleon for some inexplicable reason. Now, he faced a crucial decision: would he seize this opportunity to create his own remarkable destiny or merely cling to this lifeline and drift along?

    --------------------------

    In recent days, the city of Ajio has been shrouded in relentless rain, and it seems like even the sea has been drenched by this endless downpour. The rain, thick and sticky, pours down from the perpetually overcast skies, descending upon the bay. The sea resembles a gray, soft sponge, rising in the bewildering bay.

    Despite the continuous rain, the water''s surface seems unnaturally calm. There is a subtle, broad undtion in the sea, creating a misty haze that merges with the damp city walls and blends with the mist from the bay. In every direction, it feels like one is breathing water, and the air has be something you can almost taste.

    In this misty ambiance, Joseph Bonaparte, the eldest of the Bonaparte family, tall and slender like a bamboo shoot, is walking along the sandy beach with an umbre. He''s heading towards the cliffs that extend into the sea. These cliffs, now colored the same gray-blue as the sea due to the unending rain, reach into the bay. During the dry Mediterranean summers, Joseph and his younger brothers and sisters oftene here to fish among the rocks under the cliffs or search for various seashells and oysters. At these times, their short-statured second youngest, Napoleon, would take a book and run to a natural cave in the middle of the cliffs to read.

    "But now, with all this rain, that troublesome fellow, has he gone to that cave again?" Joseph mumbles to himself as he heads towards the cliffs.

    That troublesome fellow is none other than his younger brother, Napoleon Bonaparte, who is destined to leave a significant mark on the pages of history. But at this moment, the future Emperor who will dominate Europe is just a headache-inducing child.

    Among Joseph''s seven brothers and sisters, Napoleon is the one who gives him the most trouble. Perhaps it''s because he''s always been short and subject to ridicule, his personality is somewhat peculiar. Even among his siblings, very few can get along with him. Despite his small stature, Napoleon has a penchant for violence. Whenever he''s teased or gets into a conflict for any reason, he prefers to resolve it directly through physical force.

    To be honest, Napoleon''s physique is not suited for this kind of behavior. In theory, fighting relies on strength, and strength is closely tied to one''s physique. Otherwise, why would boxing matches be categorized by weight ss? Since Napoleon''s size and strength don''t match up, he''s developed two tactics topensate for his physical limitations.

    The first tactic is using unconventional means to target vulnerabilities. For example, he might bite when someone''s not expecting it or strike someone''s vulnerable spots with his knee.

    The second tactic is ying the victim first. This tactic is usually used against his own brothers. In families with many siblings, there are bound to be fights during childhood. Every time there''s a fight, when their mother Letizia rushes in to stop it, the first toe forward and put on a convincing "I''ve been terribly wronged" act is Napoleon. And since Napoleon rehearses in his mind how to y the victim and deceive his mother many times before initiating a fight, he''s usually the one to strike first and get scolded by his mother.

    As a result, Napoleon''s siblings don''t particrly like him, but they are somewhat afraid of him and hesitant to oppose his will. There is one exception, however, someone who not only isn''t afraid of Napoleon''s tactics but can often control him: Napoleon''s older brother, Joseph. This is because, one day, Napoleon and Joseph had a conflict, and following their usual pattern, Napoleon initiated the physical confrontation. He kicked Joseph hard in the stomach when he least expected it, causing Joseph to fall over, hitting his head on a sharp stone. Hey unconscious, blood flowing, and Napoleon panicked, quickly calling for their mother...

    Joseph remained unconscious for two whole days. When he finally woke up, he didn''t recognize the family, and he couldn''t even speak. Well, to be precise, he suddenly couldn''t speak Corsican (a dialect of Italian), and when he tried, he spoke in a strangenguage that no one could understand. It sounded somewhat like English but was quite different. The family thought he was possessed, and if not for Joseph''s father Carlo being of noble lineage (albeit a minor one), his fate might have been much bleaker. Carlo called upon Bishop Minio to perform an exorcism.

    The exorcism had a noticeable effect. After the ritual, Joseph wasn''tpletely restored, but at least he stopped speaking that terrifyingnguage, which seemed toe from hell.

    "The devil has been cast out of him," Bishop Minio said. "But it''s like a house that has been set on fire. Even though we''ve extinguished the fire, what''s left might be just ruins. When the devil upies a person''s body, it can cause as much damage as a fire, or even worse. Although the devil has been expelled now, rebuilding the house is a challenging task, and whether this damage can be fully repaired depends on God''s will."

    "Amen," Carlo, Letizia, and Joseph''s siblings all said, crossing themselves.

    After ensuring Joseph''splete recovery, Bishop Minio asked Charles to bring Joseph back home. They discovered that the familiar, gentle Joseph had returned, but now he was quieter, more introverted, and had developed a passion for reading. He even started teaching himself French.

    Joseph''s mother, Letizia, was overjoyed by her son''s transformation. She believed that her son''s recovery and newfound goodness were solely the result of God''s grace. She donated for a mass to express her gratitude. Because of this, she wouldn''t entertain any negativements about Joseph. In her eyes, her son had received God''s grace, so how could he possibly do anything wrong?

    So, Napoleon''s "use your brother first" tactic no longer worked on Joseph. If Napoleon attempted to shift me or make usations against Joseph, Letizia would grab his ear and make him confess his false usations before the statue of the Virgin Mary.

    Wise young Napoleon quickly realized this and had to show respect to his older brother Joseph. However, Joseph had changed in many ways that he didn''t like. While Joseph was once easygoing, he had now be remarkably perceptive, often seeing through Napoleon''s schemes. Yet, Joseph never exposed them and always refrained from falling into Napoleon''s traps. Besides, Joseph had be well-read and knowledgeable, able to provide convincing answers to Napoleon''s clever and quirky questions.

    Of course, Joseph had acquired some unpleasant habits as well, the most irritating being his tendency to stroke Napoleon''s hair while saying, "My foolish little brother, well, the thing is..."

    Today, Napoleon has once again gotten himself into trouble. He beat up the neighbor''s child, Paul, too severely, causing the boy to faint. (One of Napoleon''s fighting strategies was to never hold back; once you started, you had tomit.)

    Paul''s father, Mr. Giovanni, is a friend of Carlo, and Paul is his only son. When he saw Paul unconscious, Napoleon immediately realized that his father might severely punish him for this, so he swiftly fled before anyone could react.

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 Chapter 2: Journey to France

    Chapter 2: Journey to France

    Just as Joseph had expected, he indeed found Napoleon in that cave. When he discovered Napoleon, the troublemaker was sitting on a rock, gazing out at the mist-covered sea.

    "Hey, my foolish brother, what are you doing here?" Joseph called out.

    "Nothing," Napoleonzily stood up. "I was thinking I should leave a book in this cave for the future, so I''ll have something to do when Ie here. Anyway, Joseph, I think there shouldn''t be any big trouble now, right? I can go home."

    Napoleon''sst statement was not a question but a statement.

    "Basically," Joseph replied, "but how can you be so sure?"

    "If things weren''t settled, I wouldn''t be able to return, and you should have brought some food instead ofing empty-handed," Napoleon answered. Then he asked, "Joseph, how did it end?"

    "You barely ran for a few minutes, and Paul woke up," Joseph said. "Of course, Carlo was still angry, and he told Giovanni that when they catch you, they''ll whip you hard. But after Giovanni left, Polina told him that you only hit Paul because he was pulling her hair. After Polina said that, it seemed like our father was not so angry with you anymore. He even said to me, ''Joseph, you''re my eldest son. Why weren''t you in the front lines when things happened? If only you could bnce things like Napoleon.''"

    As Joseph spoke, he imitated his father''s tone, making Napoleon burst intoughter. He said, "So, I shouldn''t have much trouble, right?"

    "Basically, you''re in the clear," Joseph said. "You might get scolded a bit, but this time, if it weren''t for Polina, you''d be in serious trouble. My foolish brother, your methods have their merits, but there''s always one issue  you struggle to control the situation, and it''s easy to go overboard."

    "I''d rather go overboard than be meek and get beaten up," Napoleon said nonchntly.

    "Alright,e with me now. Everyone''s hungry, but Mom and Polina insist on waiting for you to have dinner," Joseph said. "When we get back, Dad will scold you a bit, you apologize, and then we can all eat. Hurry, I''m starving!"

    The two of them returned home, and as Joseph had predicted, Carlo only scolded Napoleon briefly without using a whip. Carlo, who had made peace with Joseph earlier, made Napoleon reflect on his mistake and promise that he''d control his emotions better in the future. "As men of the family, we must protect the women, but we must also exercise restraint," Carlo said, quite satisfied. "Joseph, you seem to have been influenced by Bishop Minio in many ways. Bishop Minio is a good man, a holy man, but your mother and I don''t want to see you be a priest."

    "Alright, Carlo," Letizia frowned slightly. "Your speech should end now, and the children are hungry."

    "Very well," Carlo smiled, bringing his hands together. Everyone followed suit, joining their hands together for the pre-meal prayer. "Lord, bless us and the food we are about to enjoy. Bless all your gifts, through Christ our Lord. Amen."

    After the meal, Carlo led everyone in a post-dinner prayer, amon practice in most households during that time. Joseph couldn''t help but think, "If I were God, I''d probably be driven crazy by all these people bothering me every day."

    Entertainment was scarce in those times, and since it was winter, nights fell early. Typically, after dinner, Carlo would read a passage from the Bible or something else to pass the time before darkness enveloped thend, and everyone would wish each other good night.

    However, this time, Carlo had something different in mind. He asked everyone to sit and said, "Let''s sit here for a moment. I have something to discuss with you all."

    Everyone continued to sit in their chairs, waiting to hear what Carlo had to say.

    "Joseph, Napoleon, you''re not getting any younger, and it''s time for you to learn something. I have a friend, Monsieur Armand de Fouvas, who visited our home not too long ago. He''s returning to France, and he can take you with him to study in France, learn French, and based on your performance in school, decide what you''ll do next."

    As soon as Joseph heard the name Armand de Fouvas, an image formed in his mind  a tall, freckled, red-faced man with a beer belly, probably about his height but twice as wide. Joseph suspected that if he lowered his head, he wouldn''t be able to see his own toes.

    Armand was a rtive of the Governor of Corsica and worked in the Corsican Ministry of Justice. Just like many with "de" in their names, his job seemed to involve doing nothing and getting paid for it. He was always seen fishing around with a fishing rod. Carlo, who had been Deputy to the leader of the Corsican Resistance, Paul, should have had a hard time gaining the trust of the French authorities. However, due to his close rtionship with Armand, his "Italian noble" status was recognized, although Carlo knew that it meant nothing in France, especially in Paris.

    Now, Armand was leaving Corsica, and Carlo had asked him to introduce a prestigious French school for Joseph and Napoleon. Carlo knew that Corsica didn''t offer many opportunities, and France was the ce where real prospectsy.

    "Why learn French? French people..." Napoleon began but caught himself when he saw Carlo''s gaze.

    "Remember, the future of our family depends on you," Carlo said. "Napoleon, when you get to France, don''t stir up trouble."

    Napoleon remained silent, but his reluctant expression was obvious.

    "Joseph, talk to Napoleonter. When you get to France, make sure he doesn''t cause any trouble," Carlo added.

    No one knew what Joseph said to Napoleon that night, but by morning, Napoleon disyed a different level of interest in going to France to learn thenguage.

    "I want to go into the heart of the enemy, observe them up close, and understand them. This will help Corsica gain freedom," Napoleon confided in his sister Pauline.

    Since Armand de Fouvas was leaving for France in a month, Carlo used this time to hire a private tutor named Valentin to teach his two sons French. He wanted them to have some grasp of thenguage before their departure. Valentin was a young man under twenty who had supposedly studied at the University of Paris but hadn''t graduated. To make a living, he came to Corsica. He had fair skin, ck hair, and blue eyes, and he always smiled when he spoke, making him quite likable.

    Valentin had his own work, so he could only teach the Bonaparte brothers French after work hours. For Joseph and Napoleon, who already had a good grasp of Corsican dialect, Italian, and some French simrities, mastering basic French in just over a month wasn''t particrly challenging.

    Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was time to leave Corsica.

    Early in the morning, after breakfast, Carlo led his family to Armand de Fouvas''s residence to meet him. People in that era woke up early, and Armand''s house was bustling with servants loading things onto a carriage.

    Armand, on the other hand, stood alone to the side, showing no sign of attachment to the ce he had called home for several years or any excitement about returning to his homnd. It was as if the situation had no relevance to him at all. Only when he saw Carlo''s family did he smile and approach them, saying, "Hello, Carlo, and Joseph and Napoleon. You''re up early."

    "Good morning, Monsieur Fouvas," Joseph quickly responded in French. Napoleon remained silent.

    "Ah, Joseph, your French pronunciation still has a bit of an Italian ent, but it''s not too important. There are people with that ent in Toulon. Ah, Napoleon, you seem quite reserved. You should be more open, hahaha..."

    Evidently, Armand mistook Napoleon''s hostility toward the French for shyness. Little did he know that Napoleon''s willingness to study in France was motivated by a desire to understand the enemy and eventually lead Corsica to independence. At least for now, Napoleon was a staunch Corsican nationalist.

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 Chapter 3: Toulon

    Chapter 3: Toulon

    Joseph and his younger brother, Napoleon, sailed for a day on a two-masted ship called the "Autumn Narcissus" in the calm waters of the Mediterranean. Early the next morning, they arrived at the port of Toulon in the south of France.

    Toulon was France''srgest naval port, home to its most crucial shipyards, and more than half of the navy''s warships were stationed there. Themercial docks where ships docked were close to the naval port. Standing on the deck of the "Fleur de Lune," they could see the towering battleships lined up in the naval port, resembling castles floating on the sea. One after another, these formidable warships were anchored in the harbor.

    Napoleon stood on the deck, his gaze fixed on these massive warships.

    "They are truly impressive, aren''t they?" Joseph ced his hand on his brother''s shoulder and spoke in the Corsican dialect. "The pristine sails are like clouds in the sky, the towering hulls resemble floating castles, and the synchronized gunfire is like Zeus''s thunder... Do you feel the pressure when you see these warships, my brother?"

    "Indeed,pared to France, we are quite insignificant," Napoleon nodded. "That''s why we need a hero, someone who can ovee odds, conquer the powerful with the weak."

    "Heh," Joseph chuckled.

    "What does ''heh'' mean?" Napoleon asked, dissatisfied.

    "It means ''heh,'' my foolish brother, just ''heh,''" Joseph replied.

    By this time, the ship had safely docked. Passengers began disembarking. Mr. Fauve had not initially nned to stay in Toulon. ording to his itinerary, he was supposed to immediately board a carriage and travel to Marseilles, about sixty kilometers away. However, he had suffered from severe seasickness on the way to Toulon, so he needed to rest in Toulon for a day until he felt better before continuing to Marseilles.

    For Joseph and Napoleon, this meant they had a day to explore Toulon.

    After temporarily settling into their inn, Napoleon encouraged Joseph to go out and explore. Joseph knew that Napoleon intended to use this opportunity to carefully observe thergest naval port in France and learn about their potential future enemies.

    So, Joseph went to Mr. Fauve and expressed his desire to take his brother, Napoleon, out for a walk and practice their beginner''s French.

    Mr. Fauve was pleased with the eager young boy''s request. However, he was concerned about the safety in the Toulon area. In recent years, France had been at a disadvantage in the struggle with Ennd for overseas interests. This had put a strain on their economy, and in order to raise more funds for the conflict, King Louis XVI had increased taxes several times. The additional taxes were not exorbitant, but as is the nature of bureaucracies, officials often took advantage of every opportunity to enrich themselves, and the tax burden often fell heavily on the lower sses. This led to the bankruptcy of many farmers and artisans. In general, when a society has more bankrupt and destitute people, social unrest tends to increase. With France''s economic troubles, the social order had also deteriorated.

    Mr. Fauve thought for a moment and remembered that one of his servants was a local in Toulon. He called for a servant named Svan, who he asked to apany the two brothers and ensure their safety.

    Svan agreed and led the two brothers out of the inn.

    "Where would you like to go?" Svan asked.

    "We''d like to see the warships," Joseph said without hesitation.

    Napoleon nced at Joseph but remained silent.

    "Ah, every boy whoes to Toulon for the first time loves to see the warships," Svan said with a smile.

    "So, is there a way we can get a good look at the warships?" Napoleon asked.

    "There is," Svan replied. "For a few sous, we can rent a small fishing boat and get close to the naval port. From there, you can see many warships, but we can''t get too close."

    "Then, it''s a deal. Thank you," Joseph said to Svan.

    As a local, Svan quickly arranged for a fishing boat. They boarded the boat, and the boatman rowed them toward the naval port.

    At this time, it was around ten o''clock in the morning. The rare winter sunshine glistened on the fine waves of the bay. The boatman stopped the boat, cast the fishing bait into the sea, and pointed to the naval port not far away, introducing each ship anchored there one by one.

    "You see that? That''s the ''Boussole,'' thergest one inside. It''s a three-deck battleship with a hundred cannons. The one to the left is the cruiser ''Dreadnought.'' It''s much smaller, with only one gun deck..."

    "This is the gship ''Boussole'' of the French and Spanishbined fleet in theter Battle of Trafalgar," Joseph thought as he listened to the boatman''s exnations.

    "What''s that over there?" Napoleon pointed to a small hill that protruded into the bay on the right. Joseph looked in that direction and saw a fleur-de-lis g flying on top of the hill, with some fortifications visible beneath it.

    "That''s Fort Magreave. It has defensive artillery for guarding the harbor. Would you like to go there? Sometimes you can catch good cod in the sea over there," the boatman replied.

    "We''ll go take a look," Napoleon said.

    The boatman heard this and prepared to pull up the fishing line to head to Fort Magreave. However, at that moment, a bell attached to the fishing line suddenly rang loudly. The boatman quickly grabbed the fishing line. The line wasn''t shaking much, and disappointment crossed his face. He pulled up the line, and there was only a small mackerel on the hook.

    The boatman nonchntly ced the mackerel in the basket, reeled in the fishing line, and rowed the boat towards Fort Magreave.

    It took the boat a full hour to reach the area beneath Fort Magreave. However, the fortifications there were quite limited at this time, and there wasn''t much to see. Plus, it was already past noon, and everyone was hungry. So, they didn''t stay long and soon returned to their inn.

    Once they disembarked and found a ce to eat, Joseph took the opportunity to engage in conversations with passersby, using his rudimentary French. They discussed mundane, everyday topics,miserating about the hardships of life. On the way back to the inn, Napoleon remained silent. It wasn''t until they entered their room that Joseph turned to him with a smile.

    "How about it? Did the French warships frighten you?" Joseph asked.

    "No," Napoleon replied sinctly.

    "Why did you insist on visiting Fort Magreave? There wasn''t much to see there," Joseph inquired.

    "If an army upied that fort, they could use cannons to sink all the ships in the harbor. But... But they still have hope. Their only hope is heaven. They''re different from Spartacus. They''re people of faith," Napoleon said.

    "People of faith?" Napoleon''s words caught Joseph off guard. Though he was now seen as a divine instrument by Bishop Minione, he was well aware that the exorcism rituals had no real effect. Their supposed effects were just the result of Joseph adapting to his surroundings as a time traveler. Even now, Joseph had a tendency to overlook the influence of religion when considering matters.

    "Religion is the opium of the masses," Joseph thought silently. Then he said, "My foolish brother, remember this: future bread cannot rece the present bread. Future bread won''t fill your stomach now. Why do you think we Corsicans opposed Genoese rule in the past? Besides, rebellion and going to heaven are two different things, aren''t they? Even though it''s said that the king''s authority is granted by God, those who rebel must be acting ording to God''s will, too. God is all-knowing and all-powerful. If he didn''t want people to oppose kings, why would there be rebels? My brother, do you know what I saw in Toulon? I saw poverty and anger, just like the poverty and anger we witnessed in Corsica. Didn''t you notice the dust-covered, struggling people on Toulon''s dusty streets, almost like living mounds of dust?"

    "What are they doing?" Napoleon asked.

    "Even the lowliest ves need hope. Did you see hope in the eyes of those impoverished people on Toulon''s streets? Did you hear any hopeful dreams about the future in their words? Do you know what happens when the lowliest ves lose all hope?" Joseph continued.

    "I know," Napoleon replied. "There''s a Spartacus-like rebellion. But they''re not entirely without hope. They still have one hope, the only hope: heaven. They''re different from Spartacus; they are people of faith."

    "People of faith?" Napoleon''s words took Joseph by surprise. Although he was now treated as the embodiment of divine grace by Bishop Minione, Joseph was well aware that the exorcism rituals were futile. Their supposed effects were just a result of Joseph adapting to his environment as a time traveler. Even now, when he considered matters, Joseph had a habit of neglecting the influence of religion.

    "Religion is the opium of the people," Joseph thought to himself. Then he said, "My foolish brother, remember that future bread cannot rece present bread. Future bread won''t fill your stomach now. Otherwise, why did we Corsicans oppose Genoese rule? Moreover, rebellion and going to heaven are two different matters, aren''t they? Although it''s said that the king''s power is granted by God, those who rebel must be acting ording to God''s will. God is all-knowing and all-powerful. If he didn''t want people to oppose kings, why would there be rebels? My brother, do you know what I saw? I saw what seemed to be a powerful France, like a warehouse filled with firewood and sulfur, while its guardians were still lighting fires and roasting meat inside."

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 Chapter 4: Don Quixote and Sancho

    Chapter 4: Don Quixote and Sancho

    Mr. Fauve recovered quickly from his seasickness, as one would expect after a good night''s sleep. Such mdies fade after a restful night. So, early the next morning, they continued their journey after a full day of jolting in a four-wheeled carriage, the group finally arrived at the important town of Marseille in the south of France.

    The two Joseph brothers were enrolled in a noble school in Marseille, Otton Middle School, to study the Frenchnguage. This was a school for nobles, where students were naturally of aristocratic background, even if they were just "provincial nobles." Nevertheless, even "provincial nobles" were considered much more aristocratic than the "Corsican nobles." In terms of their way of life, they were far superior to these two poor boys from Corsica.

    At first, when the students learned that two poor noble students from Corsica would join their school, they were generally interested and weed them. Not out of hospitality, but because having two peasants in a noble school was something intriguing to these aristocratic students. It was akin to the young gentlemen anddies in the Grand View Garden. While none of them respected the poor old Liu, everyone was looking forward to her visits. These "provincial nobles" at school also needed something to mock, like their own "Liu," to enrich their otherwise dull extracurricr lives. Even though if they were among the big nobles in Paris, they would be considered "country bumpkins."

    When the two first arrived at Otton Middle School, they indeed lived up to the expectations of their noble schoolmates. Both had grown up by the seaside, and their appearances were rugged, with sun-tanned faces and rough skin. They clearly had the characteristics of lower-ss people. Besides, there was a significant height difference between the two. Joseph was tall and thin, while Napoleon was short and stocky. If they were in China, their height difference might remind people of Wudai and Erwu from the Water Margin, but here, their ssmates immediately gave them nicknames: one was called Don Quixote, and the other Sancho.

    Many yearster, when Joseph was writing letters to Napoleon, he would sometimes jokingly address Napoleon as "my dear Sancho" and sign it as "Don Quixote de La Mancha." Napoleon, in his replies, would do the reverse, calling himself "Don Quixote" and addressing Joseph as "Sancho." He felt that, in terms of character, he was more akin to the knight fighting windmills, while the rational Joseph was closer to Sancho.

    The two of them did indeed have many qualities that brought joy to the students of this school. First, their ents when they spoke. Although the noble students at school were also provincials, they could all speak French with a Parisian touch. However, Joseph and Napoleon had different stories. Joseph''s French had a significant ent issue, but it was still recognizable as French. However, Napoleon''s French, aside from a heavy Corsican ent, was filled with Corsican words and was hardly considered French. So, in ss, their bored ssmates enjoyed imitating their ents and what they saw as their rustic behaviors.

    In general, the shallower and less skilled a person is, the more they enjoy mocking others'' shorings, especially when the person they are mocking excels in something they can''t.

    Though Napoleon''s spoken French was not the best, both Joseph and Napoleon excelled in their studies. Joseph, as a time traveler from the 21st century, possessed knowledge far beyond his time and found it easy to outperform everyone at the school in most subjects. Besides art-rted subjects, he could easily outshine every student.

    As for Napoleon, although he didn''t have Joseph''s futuristic knowledge, he was naturally intelligent. After learning about the importance of knowledge, especially in subjects like mathematics, geography, history, and physics for warfare, his attitude towards learning became remarkably serious. His innate intelligence,bined with a dedicated approach to studying, made him excel in these subjects, which were closely rted to warfare. In these subjects, the "provincial noble" students were far behind Napoleon, and in almost all subjects other than spokennguage, they couldn''tpare to Joseph either.

    As they were being intellectually outshone, the noble students at the school found it less amusing to provoke Joseph. In fact, whenever they tried to provoke Joseph with their ents or imitations, they got unexpected reactions. They expected to see Joseph flustered or angry, and either reaction would have given them satisfaction. However, Joseph''s response was entirely unexpected. When they taunted him, he watched their performance with a smile, as if he was observing monkeys in a circus.

    This kind of response naturally didn''t bring them joy, so they shifted their focus more towards Napoleon. Inparison to Joseph, Napoleon had more vulnerabilities. He was shorter, had a heavier ent, and more blemishes on his face. Moreover, Napoleon''s reactions were more entertaining. Whenever they taunted Napoleon, they could easily witness his anger.

    However, they soon realized that provoking Napoleon wasn''t as enjoyable as they thought. Unlike Joseph, who might not provide the expected reaction, provoking Napoleon would lead to swift retaliation, and he used the most barbaric methods, including violence, punching, kicking, and even biting with his teeth.

    Though the noble students were taller than Napoleon, theycked training in hand-to-handbat. They did learnbat skills with swords, as dueling wasmon at the time. However, given the students'' age at Otton Middle School, they weren''t yet skilled enough to handle rapiers and mainly focused on small sword techniques. They had no knowledge of the primitive fighting techniques that involved using fists, nails, and teeth.

    So, whenever fights broke out, they were always at a disadvantage. Napoleon''s attacks were painful, but they often left no visible marks. Moreover, when a teacher intervened, Napoleon could act more miserable and victimized than the one who had been beaten.

    As a result, they discovered that Joseph and Napoleon weren''t as entertaining as they had thought; in fact, they made them ufortable in various ways. On one hand, fewer students actively provoked the two brothers, but on the other hand, the brothers found themselves isted. However, both Joseph and Napoleon couldn''t care less about this istion.

    "These are a bunch of people destined to be forgotten by history. They are not worth investing even a tiny bit of energy. Think about it; these guys will be the upper ss of France one day? I''m visiting Toulon. Seeing the anxiety created by those warships makes all these worries disappear. Besides, you know, I won''t stay at this school for too long," Napoleon wrote in a letter to his father, as found in his public correspondence many yearster.

    As the letter suggested, Napoleon''s time at Otton Middle School wouldn''tst long. Perhaps, by the end of spring, he would be transferring to the Brienne Military Academy. As for his brother Joseph, he indeed had his eyes set on the Louis-le-Grand School in Paris.

    This school was the best secondary school in all of France, and, more importantly, it offered the highest schrships in all of France for outstanding students. These schrships could fully support a student''s regr expenses for studying and living in Paris. For example, the future ruler, Robespierre, received a schrship of six hundred francs upon graduating from Louis-le-Grand School.

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 Chapter 5: The Matter of Money

    Chapter 5: The Matter of Money

    Louis the Great School not only offered prestigious schrships but also had a well-earned reputation for high-quality education. Its origins could be traced back to 1563 when it was known as the "Clment School," a church school under the Jesuits. The school''s practice of offeringpletely free education to day students drew the ire of the University of Paris right from its inception.

    For over two centuries, Louis the Great School engaged in a relentless struggle with the University of Paris. In 1762, the University of Paris emerged victorious when the Paris Parliament passed a resolution to expel the Jesuit administrators, handing over the school''s management to the University. To please the reigning King Louis XV, the school was renamed Louis the Great School. It seemed that the University of Paris had won the two-century-long marathon. However, they could not foresee that their realpetition would emerge from within the school they now controlled.

    In 1766, Louis the Great School began conducting teacher qualification exams andter established a corresponding teacher training institute to aid the candidates. This teacher training institute wouldter be one of France''s most renowned universities, the precursor to the Paris Normal School.

    Joseph was now hoping to enroll in a school like this.

    Typically, for students from other provinces, passing Louis the Great School''s qualification exam was no easy feat. First, the student needed a rmendation from a local bishop, and then they had to pass the school''s selection process. However, for Joseph, these weren''t significant hurdles. As the Archbishop of Minie''s pupil, securing a rmendation was not difficult, and passing the selection process was also achievable for a time traveler who had obtained a master''s degree in a future era. The obstacle standing in Joseph''s way was the cost of attending this school.

    Joseph knew that his father didn''t have much money. Carlo had served as a deputy officer for Paoli and fought for Corsica''s independence against the French. Although he eventually submitted to the French, he needed to maintain his noble status, which required him to appease the Corsican governor, depleting much of his savings. With six other children to support, Joseph didn''t expect his father to have much money left.

    Joseph wrote a letter to Archbishop Minie, seeking his help. He knew that Archbishop Minie was sympathetic to the Jesuits (at this time, the Jesuits had been suppressed by Pope Clement XIV, but their influence lingered, and many of Archbishop Minie''s practices were clearly influenced by the Jesuits). In his letter, he specifically referred to Louis the Great School as the "Clment School" and subtly hinted at his interest in theology.

    Soon, Archbishop Minie replied to Joseph''s letter. He praised Joseph''s devoutness but also advised against joining the Church at such a young age.

    "Child, God has many paths for people to follow. Bing a priest is not the only way to fulfill God''s will. I believe you are still too young to make such a decision. Perhaps you should experience other things like love, wealth, and power. Afterward, you might truly understand the path God has prepared for you.

    Moreover, I wholeheartedly support your desire to receive education at a better school, my child. In my heart, you are like my son. Seeing my son''s determination, what father wouldn''t be filled with joy? At this moment, when he extends his hand for help, which father wouldn''t be willing to lend a helping hand? However, you know I''m not a wealthy man, so I can only provide you with 150 francs for now.

    Considering you''re just an eleven-year-old child (I sometimes tend to overlook this), and Paris is quite far away. Leaving you alone in such a distant ce worries me. Alfonso, the missionary, has some business in Paris, and I calcted that his departure date is not far from yours. So, I''ve asked him to bring you the 150 francs and apany you to Paris.

    Living in Paris is very expensive, and 150 francs alone won''tst long. Unless you reside in those areas filled with the lower sses. In fact, living there is not a bad idea. In my youth, I also lived in such ces, where you could see even darker darkness than darkness itself and find even whiter whiteness in that darkness. Those ces can broaden your horizons and even temper your soul. If you were a bit older, say sixteen, I would think you could live in such a ce for a while. But for now... the security is chaotic, and leaving you in such a state is like throwing amb into a wolf''s den. So, I''ve found a ce for you.

    Between the Latin Quarter and the Saint-Marceau district, there''s a small chapel belonging to the Franciscans. The head priest there, Jean-Jacques, is my friend. I believe he can provide you with a simple but rtively safe ce to stay."

    On the day Joseph received this letter, his younger brother Napoleon also received an admission notice to the Brienne Military Academy. The ten-year-old Napoleon bid farewell to his older brother, eager to embark on his long-awaited journey to the school.

    "My foolish brother," Joseph couldn''t resist poking fun at Napoleon''s joy, "Do you really think the crows at the Brienne Military Academy are white? I guarantee you it''s the same as here, full of self-proimed aristocratic fools. You''re just jumping from one fire pit to another."

    "Joseph, do you even know anything? I''m going to Brienne to learn, and whether there are fools there or not doesn''t matter. Do you think just because there are fools, the sum of the angles in a triangle in their textbooks won''t be 180 degrees? As long as I can gain useful knowledge, what does it matter?"

    "Of course, it matters," Joseph remarked. "My foolish brother, even Damascus steel needs a hammer and an anvil to take shape. When you''re surrounded by a quagmire, where do you forge your sword? So, when you''re there, remember to write me often, so I can guide you properly. I don''t want to see you rusting away in a quagmire."

    "You''re the biggest quagmire in the world," Napoleon retorted.

    "Hahaha..." Josephughed heartily.

    After bidding farewell to Napoleon, two weekster, it was almost time for Joseph''s entrance exam at Louis the Great School. It was at this time that the Alfonso missionary mentioned in Archbishop Minie''s letter also arrived at Aix-en-Provence.

    After securing leave from school, Joseph joined Alfonso on the carriage heading to Avignon. It was May, the most beautiful season of the year. The carriage departed from Marseille, speeding along the road to Paris. The warm spring breeze wafted in through the window, carrying the mixed scents of wildflowers that bloomed profusely along the roadside. Looking out of the window, they passed fields of emerald green wheat, interspersed with various colorful flowers  pink wild thyme,vender, red and yellow roses. asionally, they spotted a few small lc lcs swaying in the spring breeze.

    Inside the carriage were six people, including Joseph, a priest, a child, two middle-aged men dressed as merchants, and a young couple. Everyone, except thedy, was wearing long trousers (in France, nobles often wore tight-fitting breeches with knee-high stockings, whilemoners wore long trousers).

    With not much to do during the journey, the passengers engaged in casual conversation.

    "Father, are you also going to Paris?" asked one of the skinny merchants.

    "I have some business at Notre Dame," replied Father Alfonso, "This is our bishop''s student; he''s going to Paris to take the entrance exam at Louis the Great School. I''m apanying him."

    "Ah, it must be quite challenging for such a young boy to leave his hometown for Paris," remarked the thin merchant.

    "Attending school in Paris can be quite costly," the other merchant added, "It probably costs several hundred francs per year."

    "In fact, studying at Louis the Great School itself doesn''t require a lot of money," the husband from the young couple chimed in. "The school offers generous schrships, but the requirements for students are high. First, you need a rmendation from the church, and then you have to pass the entrance selection."

    Turning to Joseph, he asked, "Child, which subjects are you good at?"

    Joseph responded, "I can read and write Latin, and I also enjoy mathematics and natural philosophy."

    "Mathematics is thenguage God used to create the world. Natural philosophy is another path to draw closer to God," the young man said. "It''s great that you have an affinity for these subjects."

    "Drawing closer to God is only through the Church, my boy!" Father Alfonso said solemnly.

    "You''re absolutely right," the skinny merchant hurriedly agreed, making the sign of the cross on his chest.

    "The Church and the Bible are indeed the only ways to draw closer to God," the young man also quickly retracted his previous statement, but he couldn''t resist adding, "But isn''t this world God''s creation? Admiring the world ultimately amounts to admiring God."

    "I like that perspective," Joseph interjected.

    Father Alfonso was about to say something more but fell silent after hearing Joseph''s words.

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 Chapter 6: On the Way

    Chapter 6: On the Way

    In thete afternoon, at nearly seven o''clock, the stagecoach arrived in Avignon. The distance from Marseille to Paris was almost two to three hundred "lieues" (a traditional French unit of length, approximately four kilometers per lieue), clearly not a journey the stagecoach couldplete in a short time. In fact, there was no direct stagecoach from Marseille to Paris. Passengers heading to Paris typically had to change coaches at various stops.

    In the twilight, the stagecoach passed through the towering city walls of Avignon, entering the ancient city. Once off the carriage, Joseph raised his head and saw the Papal Pce, perched on the hill, shrouded in the fading light. Avignon had been the residence of the Catholic Pope for a long time, and even though the Pope had long since returned to the Vatican, the city remained a direct territory of the Church. This special status would change only after the outbreak of the French Revolution.

    "That''s the Papal Pce," Alfonso, the priest, exined as he saw Joseph gazing in that direction. "Even though the Pope''s throne is no longer here, this ce remains sacred."

    "Can I go inside and have a look?" Joseph asked.

    "Oh, my child, I''m afraid that''s not possible. That ce is not open to just anyone," Alfonso replied. "I, as a messenger of the Church, have traveled between Marseille and Paris many times and always pass by here, but I can only admire this sacred pce from a distance. Bishop Minio has been inside; if you''re interested in what it''s like, you can ask the bishop in the future."

    Joseph shook his head and said, "I don''t need to ask the bishop. I think I should be able to go inside myself in the future."

    Alfonso interpreted Joseph''s words as his ambition to be a bishop and smiled, saying, "The bishop has high hopes for you."

    But Joseph''s true intentions were different. He knew that the French Revolution would break out in a few years, especially during the Reign of Terror when the Catholic Church would be overthrown and trampled upon. Almost all churches would be seized and converted into "Temples of Reason." The religious icons in churches would be reced with images of revolutionary leaders and historical heroes. The Papal Pce, as a symbol of reactionary power, would not be spared. By then, it would be easy to get inside.

    Avignon remained a direct territory of the Church, andpared to other cities of simr size, it had a much lessmercial atmosphere. The streets were not filled with noisy merchants, and most of the people were devout pilgrims.

    Of course, Joseph understood that this was only a superficial faade. When it came to greed for money and business dealings, very few institutions in the world could match the Roman Catholic Church, which had even invented indulgences and could sell a chicken''s feather as an angel''s feather. But on the surface, they still had to maintain an appearance of sanctity.

    After disembarking from the carriage, Joseph followed Alfonso along the streets for about a hundred "toises" (an old French unit of length, approximately 1.624 meters) and arrived at a dark monastery door. However, Alfonso didn''t go straight to the main entrance but turned to the right, approaching another dark, smaller door. He gently knocked on the door.

    The small door didn''t open; it had a small window with iron bars. The window was slid open, and an eye appeared.

    "I am the messenger sent by Bishop Minio of the Corsican diocese to Paris. We''ll be staying here for the night. This is the bishop''s pupil, and he''ll be going to Paris with me," Alfonso said, handing over a document.

    The eye nced at Alfonso and then at Joseph. A hand reached through the window to take the document, and then the small window was closed.

    After a while, with a creaking sound, the rusty small door was opened. A man wearing a ck robe with a hood covering most of his face stood in the dark hallway. He remained silent, but Joseph noticed that he had a slight limp.

    Alfonso led Joseph inside, and the gatekeeper closed the door, locking it. He then reached for antern on the wall, holding it up as he walked ahead to guide them.

    Inside the monastery, there were no windows facing the street, and even in daylight, the corridor was very dark, adding to the eerie silence. The only sources of light were thentern and the gatekeeper''s shadow as he walked ahead. The setting reminded Joseph of the dark underground passages in a video game, and the limping gatekeeper strangely reminded him of the "Diablo Wanderer." So Joseph couldn''t help but look around with caution, fearing that red demonic imps holding torches might suddenly appear.

    However, Joseph had to remember that he had crossed into a normal world, and there were no monsters suddenly springing up in the dark, whether impish or demonic. The gatekeeper was just a silent guardian, and wherever he walked, there were no sudden fires.

    After walking a while, the gatekeeper stopped, took out a set of keys from his waist, opened a small door along the corridor, and then turned back, speaking in a low and disjointed voice, "You... tonight... here."

    He then raised thentern, bowed, and left. Alfonso and Joseph followed him inside. At this point, the gatekeeper had already lit the candles on a candbrum in the middle of the room. The room was filled with a dim, yellowish light.

    Having lit the candles, the gatekeeper left the room, and as he departed, he again bowed his head as he passed through the low doorway. Joseph noticed a long scar on his face.

    Seemingly aware of Joseph''s gaze, after the gatekeeper had left, Alfonso sat down at the table and sighed, "He used to be a captain in the king''s army. He was wounded during those seven years of war and, after retiring, couldn''t find anything to do. He eventually became a gatekeeper here."

    He continued with another sigh, "These days are getting tougher and tougher. Healthy people struggle to survive, and what about someone like him? Fortunately, the Church won''t forget those who fought for the Catholic cause. May God bless him, Amen."

    "Amen," Joseph echoed.

    The next day, just as the day was breaking, Joseph and Alfonso left the monastery, purchased two tickets for the stagecoach to Les Tuileries, and boarded. As soon as they stepped inside, they heard a surprised voice saying, "Father Alfonso? Young Joseph?"

    They turned to see the same couple they had met on the carriage the previous day.

    "Oh, it''s you? Are you also headed to Les Tuileries?" Alfonso asked.

    "Oh, we''re going to Lyon," the husband said with a happy smile. "I found a job at a school there."

    "That sounds like a good job," Alfonso said.

    "Thank you," the husband replied.

    They all started chatting as if they had forgotten the argument that had taken ce in the carriage the previous day. However, when they reached Lyon and parted ways, Alfonso sighed and said to Joseph, "I never expected the influence of that heretic to be so great."

    "What heretic?" Joseph asked.

    "That''s the one who was dragged down to hell by the devil justst year," Alfonso replied with an umonly harsh tone. "That damned heretic, Voltaire. It''s said that he spoke sphemous words even on his deathbed, saying that he wanted to be buried half inside a church and half outside. That way, if he somehow made it to heaven, he could enter from the church''s half, and ifactually, it''s not ''if'' but ''when''he''s condemned to hell, he can escape from the outside half. Ha, where can he escape to when facing the eternal hands of the Lord? I''m sure he''s quite cozy in that fiery pit now. Hahaha..."

    "But Mr. Gricault didn''t mention Voltaire just now," Joseph said. "And what he said didn''t seem particrly unreasonable."

    "You''re right," Alfonso said. "He didn''t directly mention that heretic. But many of his viewpoints, well, they might seem reasonable, even very logical to you, but they actually originate from that heretic. Joseph, you have to understand, that''s the terrifying part of the devil."

    "The devil will never reveal its true face to people. Instead, they masquerade as prophets, saints, using their seemingly radiant ''truths'' to lure you onto the wrong path. That''s what makes heretics, devils, false prophets, and antichrists the most frightening and dangerous. Child, you should know that Lucifer, originally the most glorious archangel beside God, also possessed the deceptive brilliance. So, if we don''t put our faith in the Church, we can easily be deceived by them. May God punish them, Amen!"

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 Chapter 7: Becoming The Devils Advocate - (1)

    Chapter 7: Bing The Devil''s Advocate - (1)

    In the days that followed, their routine remained the same. They would buy two coach tickets, travel for a day to a town closer to Paris, rest in a monastery (or a hotel if necessary), and then buy another coach ticket. It was on the evening of the tenth day when Alphonso and Joseph finally reached the capital of France, Paris.

    The coach traversed dusty streets and came to a halt on a street called Rue des Neiges, whichy on the outskirts of Paris. On one side of the street was the solemn Convent of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, resembling a tomb. On the other side, there were shabby houses inhabited by the lower sses.

    Their journey ended here. To reach their final destination, passengers would either need to pay for public carriages or rely on their own legs, as it was quite far and not particrly safe in this area. Alphonso led Joseph onto a public carriage and, after about half an hour, they arrived at the grand Saint Genevive Cathedral.

    In the future, this cathedral would be seized by the Revolutionary government after the outbreak of the French Revolution, transformed into a burial ground for great men, known as the "Pantheon." However, at this time, the Saint Genevive Cathedral remained an important church under the control of the Catholic Church. Although this wasn''t Joseph''s destination, it was where Alphonso, the monk, intended to go. He escorted Joseph into the church and left him in a waiting room while he went to deliver a message to the bishop.

    After a short wait in the waiting room, Joseph saw Alphonso return.

    "Alright, I''ve delivered the message. Now, I''ll take you to meet Father Jean-Jacques," Alphonso said.

    Father Jean-Jacques''s small chapel was a bit of a trek from here. As there were no public carriages avable at this time, they had to walk along themplighted streets. It took them nearly an hour, and by the time they arrived, the moon had risen high, casting its silvery light on the steps in front of the small chapel.

    Alphonso led Joseph up the steps and knocked on the door gently. After a while, they saw light spilling through a narrow gap in the door, followed by heavy footsteps from inside the building, as if a bear were approaching.

    "Just a moment; I''ll open the door... st it, doortch is stuck... Ah, please wait a bit; I''ll fix it...," a coarse and breathless voice came from inside the door.

    However, the door didn''t open as quickly as expected. It rattled and was sometimes pulled hard from the inside, but it didn''t open. Moreints came from within: "What''s going on? Why can''t I open it... Ah, please wait a bit more..."

    After about ten minutes, there was a loud click, and the door finally swung open, a rush of air spilling out.

    Joseph peered inside and saw a man who was about his height but at least twice as wide at the waist. He had a stocky build, and if he were transported to the future, he wouldn''t need any makeup to y the role of the King of the Hill. Beside him was a nanny-like figure holding a candlestick, one hand cupped near the me to protect it from the wind.

    "Alphonso! Haha, you''ve finally arrived. Is the old man doing well?" the King of the Hill boomed, causing birds resting in the nearby trees to take flight.

    "Father Jean-Jacques, the bishop is in good health," Alphonso replied. "Aside from bringing Joseph here as instructed by the bishop, I also have a message for you."

    "What does the old man say?" the King of the Hill inquired.

    "The bishop instructed me to tell you that gluttony is a sin," Alphonso answered calmly.

    The King of the Hill''s voice lowered, and he grumbled something inaudible. "Alright, enough of theints. Joseph, let me introduce you. This is Joseph, the bishop''s protg. He''s the one preparing to study at the School of King Louis."

    "Ah, I know. Well,e in, both of you. This darned door... Nell, go get that cab from over there; we''ll use it to block the door for the night."

    "Father, I know, but it would be better if you helped me with it..."

    "Oh, really... I''ve told you to eat more. How can you have the strength if you don''t eat? Even for a cab..."

    This ce would be Joseph''s home for the next few years.

    ...

    Joseph easily passed the entrance exam for the School of King Louis. He intended to study there for a few years, make some connections, and then leave Paris before the outbreak of the French Revolution, which was bound to bring chaos. He nned to go to the provinces and take advantage of the Girondins'' time in power to specte and amass wealth, ensuring his family''s prosperity.

    He also had to prevent his "foolish brother" from making disastrous decisions in Spain, especially in Russia. To do that, he needed to have a strong position and not be the useless brother who relied entirely on his brother''s sess, as history portrayed him.

    "My foolish brother is prideful and arrogant, thinking he''s above everyone else. It won''t be easy to put a stop to his reckless actions."

    Joseph''s days passed as he had nned. He excelled in school, earned a full schrship, and built a good reputation among literary and scientific circles. He also took up some trantion and other odd jobs to earn extra money. Everything was going smoothly until he received a letter with unfortunate news: his father was gravely ill, and the family''s financial situation had be dire.

    Joseph''s schrship and living in the church had kept him self-sufficient until now. However, with the added financial burden of supporting his siblings, he needed to find a way to earn more money.

    "Ah, how could I forget the hereditary stomach cancer in the Bonaparte family?" Joseph pondered. The Bonaparte family had always been threatened by hereditary stomach cancer, especially among the males. Out of all his siblings, Joseph was the only one who hadn''t been afflicted by it. He knew that just because he had avoided it in the original timeline didn''t mean he was safe in this one.

    Now, he needed to consider how to shoulder the family''s responsibilities while maintaining his studies. But what could he do to increase his ie effectively? Working a regr job was out of the question. He couldn''t afford to quit his studies, as it would derail his entire n. So, he had to find opportunities to make more money at the various salons he frequented.

    "Joseph, what are you looking at? You don''t seem well," a voice broke his thoughts.

    Joseph turned to see a freckled young man named Armand Ren de Lavasse, his fellow student, and friend. Armand had a certain artistic ir and even had an uncle who was well-known in history. Unlike his famous uncle, Armand had no talent in the natural sciences but excelled in the arts, particrly as one of the pirs of the Louis School''s student theater.

    "Oh, it''s Armand. I received a letter that my father is seriously ill. This might affect my financial situation," Joseph said, cing the letter away.

    "Joseph, I believe your father''s illness must be quite severe," Armand said, sitting down beside Joseph on the bench, their conversation illuminated by the noon breeze rustling the leaves of the ne trees above.

    "I know you have a full schrship, and you live in the church, so you probably don''t spend much. Your family''s financial situation shouldn''t be a concern," Armand continued. "So, I suspect it''s not about money."

    Joseph blinked, surprised by Armand''s perceptiveness. Armand then took out a small bottle, unscrewed the cap, and poured some liquid into the cap. He looked at Joseph and asked, "Would you like some?"

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 Chapter 8: Becoming a Translator

    Chapter 8: Bing a Trantor

    "What is this?" Joseph furrowed his brow and asked. When it came to unknown substances, Joseph didn''t have much of an appetite for trying them. It was clear that he wasn''t one to indulge in extravagant feasts, even before his time-traveling adventures.

    "Let me tell you, this crystalline liquid is the ambrosia that the Goddess of Youth, Hebe, served to Zeus, the Thunder God, during their time. It''s the divine nectar bestowed upon His followers by the Muse. Try it; it can bring you various dreams and inspirations, making you forget all your worries," Armand replied in an exaggerated tone, reminiscent of a Shakespearean performance.

    "Come on, Armand, you''re not on stage, and you''re not reciting ''The Aeneid.'' Just tell me inly, what is this stuff?" Joseph''s tone grew impatient.

    "Ah, you ordinary mortal, endless treasures lie before you, but youck the eyes to see them," Armand continued with a melodious voice, "Do you love gold? With this, you could open the treasures of Ali Baba and Alexander the Great before your very eyes. Do you cherish fantasies? Drinking this elixir, the boundless cosmos and deep oceans will open their arms to you. Do you covet power? Sip it, and you''ll be Caesar, Augustus, or Alexander. Isn''t that enticing enough?"

    "What is it, really?" Joseph furrowed his brow. He was aware that this era was marked by the widespread abuse of various psychoactive substances.

    "Have you heard of hashish?" Armand asked.

    "Of course, I have, and I know about the Assassin''s Creed too," Joseph thought, then said, "Certainly, I''m familiar."

    "Then you should know the old man from the mountains who wanted to assassinate Philip Augustus. Legend has it that he ruled over a prosperous valley between towering mountains - that''s where his legendary namees from. It''s said that in that mysterious valley, he had a garden where he cultivated a sacred herb. His followers, the Assassins, believed that consuming it could transport them to heaven prematurely. After experiencing the joys of paradise, they all believed that serving that old man would secure their ce in heaven forever. So, whoever hemanded them to kill, they did, no matter how far they had to travel or how much suffering they had to endure. They feared nothing because they saw it as a means to rejoin the heaven they had briefly experienced. My friend, the key to this heaven is right in front of you."

    "Indian hemp!" Joseph eximed.

    "Yes, that''s it!" Armand replied with an exaggerated smile. "So, do you want to give it a try?"

    "No, no, no," Joseph hastily responded. "Armand, you know, I''ve always been resistant to these unusual things when ites to consumption."

    "Well, Joseph, how much joy you miss in your life because of that! But maybe you don''t need it, considering you''re never short of sparks of inspiration. Besides, your attitude toward food is somewhat simr to my uncle''s."

    "Well, what''s wrong with my father?" Joseph said sadly. "But the doctors suspect he has a tumor in his stomach, causing constant ulcer bleeding. It''s very dangerous, and the doctors have almost no way to treat it. They think he might not have long left. I might have to leave school soon and go back to Corsica."

    "Will youe back?" Armand asked.

    "I hope toe back," Joseph replied. "Who would want to leave Paris? But you know, I have several siblings. My sisters are fine, but my brothers are all in school, and that''s a considerable expense. If something really happens to my father, as the eldest in the family, I''ll have to step up and take on the family''s responsibilities."

    "Joseph, you''re not even fifteen yet," Armand said. "Even if you wanted to work, it''s too early. You''re still a year away from graduation. If you drop out now, it would be a pity, and the sry you can get by going to work directly after graduation will be much less. Your family is noble, well, I know there''s a big difference between Corsican nobility and French nobility. I mean, I''m talking about the economic difference, not the other aspects. But, noble is noble, even if it''s rtively less prosperouspared to other nobles. So, I think your family can find a way to support you for one more year."

    Joseph shook his head and said, "My friend, our family''s financial situation is much worse than you imagine. The impoverished nobility you''re talking about is the French impoverished nobility. But the impoverished nobility in Corsica is even poorer. You know, Corsica has just gone through a war, and war wreaked havoc on our wealth. Additionally, at the beginning, France didn''t recognize Corsican nobility as noble. Even though theyter conditionally recognized it, obtaining that recognition required a lot of money, a lot of money that nearly drained our family. So, now, we''re much poorer than you imagine."

    "Alright, alright," Armand said. "But I still think... By the way, how''s your English?"

    "It''s pretty good, maybe even a bit better than my French," Joseph replied. "Why do you ask?"

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 Chapter 9: Friends of the Youth Club

    Chapter 9: Friends of the Youth Club

    Shortly after this conversation, Armand handed over two scripts, Shakespeare''s "Timon of Athens" and Milton''s "Samson Agonistes," along with various poems and other materials to Joseph.

    "These have been piling up in my ce for the past two years, almost half a year... You know, I don''t have that much time to work on these. Anyway, it''s been dyed, so take your time. They''re in no rush on that end." Armand told Joseph after giving him the materials. Joseph had just taken leave and was preparing to return to Corsica.

    "Joseph, I hope your father is fine, and you cane back as soon as possible," another ssmate named Raphael said. "In our discussions, you always provide us with a lot of inspiration. Without you, our club meetings have be rather dull."

    "Raphael is right; our club can''t do without you," another student named Oronore, who relied on schrships just like Joseph, chimed in. Emotionally, he was closer to Joseph due to their shared financial struggles.

    The club that Raphael mentioned was called "Youth Companions." It was a small group of young people who had different lifestyles and attitudes but shared amon discontent with the present and a variety of idealistic aspirations for the future. In fact, such idealistic youth were quite numerous in various schools in contemporary France.

    Joseph knew that many of these seemingly naive and idealistic youth wouldter be prominent figures in the French Revolution. Their seemingly childish gatherings in the eyes of contemporary people would evolve into political parties. For example, the famous Jacobins had started as a club.

    "Youth Companions" was, in fact, the precursor of such a political party. Its members were a diverse group, including those who livedfortably like Armand, those with meager means like Joseph, prosperous merchant''s sons like Raphael, and impoverished families like Oronore. Although their personalities varied - Armand was outgoing and mboyant, Raphael was mature and easygoing, and Oronore was reserved but resolute when it came to action - they all shared amon view: that the current French system was unjust and needed reform. However, they had not yet fully agreed on how that reform should take ce.

    Armand''s influence from Voltaire was evident. Like Voltaire, he enjoyed using sharpnguage to satirize the church, but he admired the British-style constitutional system and often brought up the Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights when discussing political matters.

    Oronore, on the other hand, opposed any monarchy. One of his uncles had fought alongside General Lafayette in North America and had told him numerous stories about the United States. This made Oronore a staunch supporter of a republic. He believed that France should be a republic and opposed any form of monarchy.

    Raphael believed that, in theory, a republic was the best, as it aligned with the principles of equality for all. This, in fact, was consistent with the teachings of Christ. "Even the prophet Moses was against monarchy," Lucien said. However, Raphael also recognized that monarchy was a part of France''s tradition, and themon people were ustomed to being ruled by kings. Thus, he thought a constitutional monarchy was an eptablepromise.

    Joseph, on the other hand, appeared less concerned with the form of government and more focused on individual rights.

    "I don''t care who is ruling the country, whether it''s a king or a president," he said. "What matters to me is that their power must be constrained, and they shouldn''t arbitrarily interfere with my freedom and rights. In the Deration of Independence of North America, there is a point I strongly agree with: the people have the right to overthrow tyranny. Only power recognized by the entire people is legitimate power. In this regard, I respect whatever choice the French people make."

    This statement was quite smooth, especially thest part. However, the youth of this era, who hadn''t been exposed to the diplomatic jargon of a certain future foreign ministry, found Joseph''s words quite reasonable. They overlooked the crucial point: who represented the people.

    Joseph, after all, had traveled through time and had experience in discussing various forms of government on inte forums. He could present the strengths and weaknesses of different political systems logically and make others think he had a point.

    In fact,pared to people in the future who were more experienced and knowledgeable, the young members of the "Youth Companions" club were much more naive and easier to influence. Therefore, Joseph sessfully turned his viewpoint into the club''smon ideology. He became the spiritual leader of the club. Now, he had to leave Paris temporarily, and several ssmates had taken leave to see him off.

    "Joseph, don''t worry too much about financial issues," Raphael reassured him. "Finding an opportunity to make money in Paris is easier than in the provinces. Come back as soon as family matters are settled. We will find a way together. If you''re really short of money, I can ask my father for some funds. It won''t be much, but a few hundred francs should be no problem, and it''s interest-free."

    "Raphael, didn''t you say your father is quite stingy?" Oronore asked.

    "That''s true. But when ites to spending money where it''s really needed, he''s generous," Raphael shook his head. "You see, he strictly controls every penny of mine, and I can''t even have an extra ss of beer after a full meal. ording to that old man, drinking beer is less efficient than eating dark bread."

    "But on the other hand, that old man said to me when he sent me to school: ''Raphael, you know Louis the Great School is one of the best schools. People who can study here fall into two categories: those who are wealthy and have high social status, and those who are very talented. Raphael, you know I''m frugal, and I believe frugality is a virtue. But do you really think I''ve be rich because I''m more frugal than others? No, it''s because I know where to spend money most effectively. I invest money and time to send you to Louis the Great School for two reasons. First, you can learn many skills here that I can''t teach you. Second, you can meet many capable people there, make friends with them, and it will be more convenient for you in the future no matter what you do. So, I''ve never been stingy when ites to such matters.''"

    "Raphael," Armand eximed, "Your father is truly an extraordinary man! Perhaps I should introduce my uncle to your father. They''ll definitely be friends."

    "Oh, Armand, if you can arrange for my father to meet Mr. Lavassee, he''ll probably be willing to spend money to treat us all to champagne. But you should consider that my father will likely use this opportunity to make more money," Lucien replied. "Also, my father will definitely not be friends with your uncle; his only friends are wealthy people."

    "Raphael, are you sure your father would consider me a worthwhile investment?" Joseph inquired.

    "Of course, because I believe so, and my father thinks that first, my loyalty to him is unquestionable. Second, among the people he knows, there are very few who are both loyal and capable of identifying talent and potential. I''m certain to be one of them. Besides, my father has said: ''In business, you won''t always make a profit, and you will certainly incur losses. Taking risks is a part of doing business.'' I think that although it''s not certain, Joseph, you may be a figure of historical significance in the future."

    "Ah, Raphael, I''ll be remembered in history too. How about giving me some investment?" Armand joked.

    Lucien looked at Armand and burst intoughter. "Armand, I believe you might also be remembered in history one day. But my father has said: ''A poet, even one remembered in history, is not a good investment, at least not while he''s alive.''"

    "Damn, that sounds just like what my uncle said," Armand feigned annoyance.

    "Joseph, make sure toe back," Oronore said as he held Joseph''s hand.

    "If possible, I will return as soon as I can," Joseph replied.

    With these words, he lifted his hat to the group and boarded the carriage.

    ...

    Carlo''s illness progressed rapidly. By the time Joseph returned to Corsica, Carlo was already in a terminal state. For most of the day, he remained in aa, with no more than two hours of wakefulness. At this point, the doctors werepletely powerless.

    In this era, European doctors had only one method for dealing with severe illnesses, bloodletting. Even in the future, stomach cancer would be fatal if not detected early. In this era, there was no technology for early detection, let alone treatment once the disease was found. So, at this point, the doctor simply told everyone, "Mr. Carlo now needs a priest, not a doctor."

    Napoleon had also returned, arriving a day before Joseph. When Joseph came back, the whole family was reunited. On this evening, when Carlo temporarily regained consciousness, the priest began the final prayers for him. Carlo''s wife held his hand, and the children gathered around him. His gaze shifted from his wife to his children and finally settled on Joseph.

    "Joseph..." Carlo spoke in a weak voice.

    "Father, I''m here," Joseph replied.

    "Take care of the family..." These were Carlo''sst words to Joseph.

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 Chapter 10: Arrangements

    Chapter 10: Arrangements

    The Bonaparte family was a very traditional Corsican family. This meant that in their household, women didn''t meddle in affairs much. Letizia was a good wife and a good mother, always enduring even the toughest times silently. But she was also a very traditional Corsican woman, and when it came to making decisions, she remained silent.

    So, after Carlo''s death, almost all decisions in the family were left to Joseph. Whenever his younger siblings had questions for their mother, she would always say, "Go ask your brother and see what he says," just like she used to say, "Go ask your father" when Carlo was still alive.

    Thus, Joseph suddenly became very busy. First, he arranged his father''s funeral, and then he dealt with the inheritance and debts. Fortunately, his uncle helped with these matters, and the presence of Bishop Minio also made many people think twice before trying to take advantage of the family in the absence of adult males. So, these matters went quite smoothly.

    On the third day after the funeral, most of the lingering issues were resolved. That evening, Joseph gathered his mother, uncle, and several younger siblings together.

    "Mother, uncle, and my brothers and sisters, the funeral and rted matters regarding Father are basically wrapped up," Joseph began. "After losing Father, our family''s situation has changed significantly. Our previous way of life is certainly going to change as well. We must adapt to these changes and prepare in advance. Now, I''ll exin the possible changes our family might undergo."

    Everyone listened attentively to Joseph''s words.

    "After Father''s passing, his sry naturally ceased. You all know that our family owns very littlend, and the yield is limited. Without Father''s ie from the governor''s office, our family''s ie will be reduced to one-third of what it was before, relying solely on the meager produce from our remainingnd. This means we''ll barely make ends meet. Your allowances, and even your education funds, will be in jeopardy.

    Napoleon, you''re studying at the military school, and after graduation, you''ll naturally join the army. Military school doesn''t require much money. However, your allowance may have to be cut."

    "That''s not a problem," Napoleon replied.

    "I''ve looked into your performance these past years," Joseph continued. "Your math, geography, and history are impressive. But I''m disappointed with yournguage skills."

    "Math, geography, and history are all useful in warfare. Language..." Napoleon hesitated.

    "My dear brother,nguage is also a weapon in battle!" Joseph nced at Napoleon and said, "Do you not know how Wellington defeated Soult? The ability to usenguage has always been indispensable for a great general."

    Hearing Joseph use Emperor Wellington as an example, Napoleon stopped arguing.

    However, Joseph was not ready to let Napoleon off the hook yet. He continued to address him, "For example, now our family is facing temporary difficulties. To earn more money to support our younger siblings'' education, someone must step up to fill Father''s shoes.

    You see, I''m graduating in a year, but we''re currently in a tight spot. If I drop out of school now, I can find work, although the ie will be much lower than what Father earned. If we can hold out for a year until I graduate and find a job, our ie will roughly double, though it still won''t match Father''s. But this figure can barely sustain our family''s living expenses.

    Clearly, in the long run, dropping out of school is not the best choice for me or our family. However, we can''t ignore the present situation either. So, I havee up with an alternative n. I have a ssmate named Armand, who is Mr. Lavasseur''s nephew, as I mentioned in my letter to you, Napoleon. He has several trantion scripts and poems he can pass on to me. This way, I can continue my studies while earning some ie. Besides, my ssmate Lucien can lend me some money. If we tighten our belts at home, we should manage to get by for a year.

    Of course, Napoleon, if you improved yournguage skills a bit, perhaps you could join in and help out in some way, lightening my load. However, with your current performance, I can''t entrust such tasks to you."

    "I understand. I''ll work on it," Napoleon replied, lowering his head.

    Joseph then turned to his other younger siblings.

    "Lucien, although you''re still young, you need to know that you''re also part of this family, and you need to study hard. Our family may carry a noble title, but we''re not like those idle nobles in France who don''t lift a finger. Men in our family must have skills. Lucien, do you know where the abilities of outstanding individualse from? Theye from learning, from oveing difficulties. You''re at an age where you should receive an education. I''ll do my best to ensure your education isn''t affected by our financial difficulties, but you also have to work hard.

    Louis, the same goes for you. When I graduate next year and find a good job, if possible, I''ll take both you and Lucien to Paris for better education. In terms of the educational environment, Paris is much better than Corsica."

    "Joseph, I''m graduating at the end of this year. Right now, I have an opportunity to be selected for the Paris Military Academy. After graduating from there, I can secure a higher position and better prospects. I don''t know..." Napoleon began.

    "My dear brother, what''s there to hesitate about? Do you doubt your brother''s ability to provide for the family with your meager intelligence?" Joseph interrupted.

    "Napoleon, do your best to get into the Paris Military Academy, and leave the current matters to me," Joseph responded.

    "Joseph, where am I foolish? I''m just..." Napoleon, rarely protesting against Joseph''sbel of "foolish," began to argue.

    "Oh?" Joseph immediately retorted, "Napoleon, your mathematics is outstanding among all subjects. Do you want me to give you a problem to prove it to yourself?"

    Napoleon was taken aback and, after a moment, reluctantly said, "Joseph, you''re not a kind person."

    ...

    After spending a few days arranging family matters, Joseph set off for Paris once again. During these days, and even on the journey, he would seize any spare moment, even if it was just ten minutes, to trante the materials he had on hand. The day after he returned to Paris, Joseph first reported back to school and then found Armand, handing over a manuscript to him.

    "This is the trantion of ''Themistocles in Athens.'' Please take a look and let me know if any revisions are needed, and I''ll make the changes," Joseph told Armand.

    "Joseph, youpleted this so quickly?" Armand was surprised. "For me, this would take more than half a year at least."

    "You''re slow because you''re thorough. I''m fast but rough," Joseph exined.

    "Joseph, I appreciate your kind words. However, I know the reason I''m slow isn''t due to thoroughness but because I''mzy. I''m like the idle kings of history who neglect their duties. As for you, you''re a hardworking person. In fact, for literary trantions, it''s best toplete them in one go. This way, you can maintain the emotional and stylistic consistency. Well, I''ll take a look when I have the time. As for your fee, I''ll give it to you in a few days."

    Armand had a habit of procrastination, and when he said he''d pay in a few days, Joseph prepared for a dy of at least two weeks. But to his surprise, after just three days, Armand handed over themission for the trantionfifty francs in total.

    "Joseph, the quality of the manuscript is excellent. If you can maintain this quality and speed, you could earn six hundred francs annually. With your schrship and, by the way, how many younger brothers do you have?"

    "Four, of which three are of an age to be educated. However, the eldest is in the military academy, so like me, he doesn''t require funding," Joseph replied.

    "Ah, in that case, only two of your brothers will need your financial support..." Armand calcted in his mind. "Oh my, this amount of money is simply not enough. Joseph, you''ll have to give up beer, let alone foie gras. You can''t even spread butter on your bread, and you''ll have to eat onemb chop per month. That single chop shouldst you for three days, with the meat on the first day, the fat on the second, and the bone on the third. When you work, you can''t smoke to stay awake, nor can you use ck tea for a pick-me-up. You''ll have to stick with the cheapest coffee, and the quantity will be limited... Oh, you can''t afford to lose one brother, can you?"

    Joseph replied, "In Corsica, there''s a saying, ''Only when you have to deal with foxes do you realize there aren''t enough hunting dogs. Only when you have to deal with enemies do you realize there aren''t enough brothers.'' So, we Corsicans neverin about having too many brothers or friends."

    "That saying is quite interesting," Armand said. "However, it''s a bit long. It could be condensed further. Maybe when you tranted it from Corsican dialect to French, the vor changed. I find that your trantions, while precise, tend to be a bit verbose. If it were me, I would trante the saying like this: ''In Corsica, there''s a saying, "Dogs are never enough when you need them."''"

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 Chapter 11: The Playwright

    Chapter 11: The ywright

    Joseph''s life had indeed be as challenging as Armand had predicted. He survived on nothing but ck bread and cold water, enduring this harsh existence for approximately two months. During this time, Joseph managed to transform his physique into something resembling a twig.

    "Joseph, there''s a theater troupe preparing aedy called ''The Ind Governor.'' It''s adapted from ''Don Quixote.'' I think your current physique is perfect for ying the role of Don Quixote," Armand said with a mischievous smile.

    "Good Lord!" Joseph eximed. "In this y, Don Quixote isn''t the main character, right? The protagonist should be Sancho."

    He observed Armand and added, "I must say, you''d have to put in a lot of effort if you want to y the main role."

    "Who said I want to y the main role? How is that even possible?" Armand retorted. "Sancho is a short, chubby character, and I, although slightly shorter than you, have nothing inmon with short or chubby. Joseph, are you losing your mind, or is it your eyesight that''s failing you? Or maybe you''re so immersed in the role that you''re already seeing windmills as giants?"

    Joseph burst intoughter. "Ah, Armand, your brain is incredibly rigid. Comedy is absurd precisely because of its absurdity. You should understand that the world is absurd, life is painful, my friend. That''s the reality of the world."

    He continued, "In the past, King Midas searched for thepanion of the god of wine, clever Silenus, for a long time in the forest. When he finally caught Silenus, the king asked, ''What is the best thing for a human?'' Silenus, bewildered, remained silent. After the king pressured him, Silenus finally spoke with a boomingughter, ''Miserable creatures of brief and troubled existence, why do you force me to tell you the best thing you should avoid hearing? The best thing in the world is to never be born, to not exist, to be nothing. But for the second best, you can still seek it - hurry up and die!''"

    What a dreadful story! When we lift the veil of the fog shrouding the towering Mount Olympus, we can see the terrifying forces of nature that govern all knowledge. These forces torment Prometheus, the great lover of humanity, and bring misery to the house of Atreus, whichpels Orestes to kill his mother. Behind the divine and majestic Greek gods, we discover the dreadful Titans. To survive, the sensitive Greeks had to create a dream to shield themselves from the terrifying reality. Just as Apollo raised the severed head of Medusa, scaring away all other monsters. Comedy and all forms of art serve as this dream.

    Dreams can be absurd, even must be absurd. Only the horrifying Medusa can fend off other horrifying monsters. So why fixate on whether Sancho is short and chubby?"

    "Joseph, you rascal," Armand said. "You''re just using your knowledge to confound people. My head is spinning from talking to you. While what you say seems to make some sense, the audience needs a beautiful dream, not a nightmare that startles them. I doubt they''d ept a Sancho as tall and handsome as me."

    "Indeed, the contrast between Sancho''s appearance and his wisdom creates an interesting dynamic that amuses the audience. If you take the main role, that contrast disappears. However, my friend, have you forgotten that there''s a way to make Helen look like a Gorgon, even if it can''t turn Gorgons into Helens?" Joseph smiled.

    "You mean makeup, right? But how can makeup turn a tall person into a short one?" Armand asked in confusion.

    "Why not? In this world, there''s always a solution to problems; we justck clever minds to think of them," Joseph said while picking up a pencil and a sheet of paper covered with math problems from the nearby table.

    He continued, "You see, we can use a technique like making a whalebone skirt to create a..." Joseph exined as he drew on the paper.

    "This is..." Armand''s eyes widened. "Well, it seems like it could work, but it might be quite challenging for the actors."

    "Yes, it''s a bit challenging, but finding a dwarf actor who can act is not easy. But an actor who can act and endure hardship is easier to find," Joseph remarked. "Moreover, there''s an advantage to this approach. When the y ends, and the actorse on stage to bow, the actor who yed the dwarf suddenly stands up straight. That would be quiteical."

    "Hehe, hehe," Armandughed as he pocketed the drawing Joseph had made. "Joseph, you should patent this design in Ennd. Although it may not be recognized in France, Ennd is known for its patents, and they do have patentws."

    "So, Ennd excels in technological inventionspared to France," Joseph replied.

    ...

    Two days after this conversation, Armand came to find Joseph again.

    "Joseph, your idea fromst time is excellent, especially the final act with the audience erupting inughter. The effect is fantastic. I believe, Joseph, you could be a ywright. You know, the scripts of ancient Greek and Roman ys, even the Renaissance works, often feel too antiquated for modern audiences. Even modern literature often imitates the ancients too much, making it challenging to perform without modifications. So, many theater troupes need a ywright."

    Armand exined further, "These ywrights are often former actors who understand the stage well but mayck a deep appreciation of art. So, many theaterpanies look for ywrights who have both theatrical knowledge and artistic sensibilities to coborate. Just like the ''Dragon and Rose'' theater troupe that performed ''The Ind Governor''st time, they are also looking for a ywright with your skills. Additionally, many artists start their careers in this role."

    "They did ask me to be their ywright, but you know, I''m busy, and now you need money. Joseph, my friend, do you have the energy and time to take on this job?" Armand asked.

    Joseph expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you so much, my friend. As for energy and time, they''re like water in a sponge - you can always squeeze out some if you apply pressure."

    Armandmented, "You know, Joseph, one fascinating thing about talking to you is that I always hear profound and philosophical statements. You''re quite an interesting person. If you didn''t deliberately put on a priestly facade, you''d surely be popr with thedies. Although,pared to me, maybe you still have some catching up to do. But definitely better than Lucien. You see, Lucien already has a mistress."

    "Lucien has a mistress now?" This news surprised Joseph because even though Lucien''s family had some money, he had limited personal funds, and his father would never support him in keeping a mistress.

    "Of course," Armand replied, with excitement in his voice. "I saw Lucien near the Saint-Genevive church earlier, wearing a new coat, a new hat, polished shoes, and holding a bouquet of flowers. He had a wooden, clueless expression, and he didn''t even notice me when I greeted him. I looked at the anxious yet eager expression on his face, which resembled someone preparing for a dissertation defense and a general ready for battle. Ah, that expression is familiar to me because I''ve seen it so many times. I''ve given it a name in biology - ''in heat.'' Lucien has fallen into this state. I''m sure he has a mistress now. There''s no doubt about it!"

    Joseph inquired, "So, you''re not certain?"

    Armand exined, "I did follow him, thinking he''d meet his lover in the small garden behind the church. I even thought, ''This guy knows where to find a quiet spot.'' But to my surprise, he got on a public carriage and..."

    Joseph finished his sentence, "And then you lost him, right?"

    "Exactly. But I''ll find out for sure who this enchantress is, who managed to bewitch our Lucien into such a state," Armand dered with a chuckle.

    "Oh, by the way, Mr. Denard, the director of the Dragon and Rose troupe, would like to meet you for coffee. Can you make time for that?" Armand asked.

    Joseph responded, "How about next Sunday afternoon? I don''t have anymitments that afternoon."

    "Great. I''ll arrange a meeting with Mr. Denard then. Any specific location you prefer?" Armand inquired.

    "Any ce will do," Joseph replied.

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 Chapter 12: The Foolish Brothers Arrive in Paris

    Chapter 12: The Foolish Brothers Arrive in Paris

    On a Sunday afternoon, just after lunch, Armand took Joseph to a caf near the Archbishop''s Pce. The Archbishop''s Pce was the private domain of the Duke of Orleans, a high-ranking noble, and the eldest son of the Duke, who also happened to be named Joseph, had transformed the pce''s corridors into various shops and cafes. Since these ces were the private domains of the nobility, the royal police had no jurisdiction here, making it a haven for ordinary citizens  a ce where thew did not apply.

    As a result, this area became a hub for all kinds of "illegal activities" in Paris, and there was nothing quite like it. Smuggling, trading in contraband, and gatherings of organizations conspiring against the church and the king often took ce here. Itter became a significant meeting ce for the famous Jacobin Club.

    The man responsible for all this, Charles, Duke of Orleans ter inheriting his father''s title and bing the new Duke of Orleans), was a rtive of the king and one of France''s most prominent feudal lords. Yet, he was a staunch liberal, a devoted follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and a firm believer in the Enlightenment. He advocated for the establishment of a democratic, constitutional monarchy in France, with a clear separation of church and state. He also believed in abolishing the feudal system and very, and he counted many "conspirators" among his friends.

    Armand and Joseph took a seat by the window in the caf. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, illuminating a bright red rose ced in the center of their table.

    "It seems we''ve arrived earlier than Mr. D''Ennade," Armand said with a smile.

    A waitress approached them and asked, "What can I get for you, gentlemen?"

    "Two cups of coffee, please," Armand replied.

    The waitress retreated and soon returned with a tray, cing two cups of coffee in front of them.

    "Six sous," she said.

    Charles, the Duke, rented the shops at a low cost, but he had a condition: the prices of goods in these shops had to be rtively affordable. Sometimes, the Duke himself would disguise as amoner, wearing trousers, and wander through these cafes, bars, and other shops.

    Armand ced eight sous on the waitress''s tray. She thanked him and left.

    "Joseph, you can''t stay cooped up in your room all the time. You shoulde here often, mingle, and meet various people. You''ll learn a lot," Armand remarked, taking a sip of his coffee.

    Joseph was about to respond when the caf''s door swung open once more. A man in his forties, wearing a gray woolen short coat, entered. He craned his neck, scanning the surroundings.

    Armand waved his arm, trying to get his attention. Then he said to Joseph, "That''s Captain D''Ennade. His eyes are as blind as a bear''s in the Ardennes forest, and he can''t see very well from a distance."

    D''Ennade had obviously spotted them and made his way over, pulling a chair to sit beside them.

    "Armand, it''s true my eyes are as blind as a bear''s, but my ears and nose are as sharp as a bear''s too. I heard everything you said," D''Ennadeughed. "Well, is this Mr. Bonaparte, I presume? I am Henri D''Ennade, the director of the Dragon and Rose Theatre. You can call me Henri."

    As he spoke, D''Ennade extended his hand to Joseph. Joseph shook it and said, "Joseph Bonaparte. I''m Armand''s ssmate..."

    "Close friend," Armand added.

    "You can call me Joseph," Joseph said.

    "Well, Joseph, my purpose for being here, Armand should have told you," D''Ennade said. "For a long time now, our theaterpany has been in need of a well-educated ywright. I''ve been trying to convince Armand, but he''s azy fellow and always takes his time. Thest idea you provided us was splendid, especially the apuse during the final curtain. The audience nearly tore the roof off with their pping. After reviewing some of the scripts you tranted, along with Armand''s rmendation, I believe you can easily rece Armand as the ywright. I just wonder if you''re interested in working part-time for my theaterpany."

    As they discussed their coboration andpensation, the caf''s door opened once again. It was amon urrence in a ce like this, peopleing and going, and nobody paid much attention to it. A man in his thirties, wearing a ck hat, green eyes, and a light red beard, walked in. He nced around and spotted Armand and hispanions. He walked over.

    "Armand, I never expected to run into you here," he said.

    "Ah, Mr. Philippe," Armand''s words noticeably faltered when he saw this Mr. Philippe. He hurriedly stood up and introduced the other two, "This is my ssmate Joseph, Joseph Bonaparte. And this is Mr. D''Ennade, the director of the Dragon and Rose Theatre."

    Joseph and D''Ennade stood as well, offering their greetings to Mr. Philippe.

    "No need to be so formal. Please, have a seat," Mr. Philippe said. "I''d like to introduce myself. I''m a friend of Armand''s uncle, Mr. Lavaux, so I know Armand. I had some free time today, saw Armand here, and decided to say hello. So, what were you all discussing?"

    "Mr. D''Ennade is the director of the Dragon and Rose Theatre, and he''s looking for a ywright with a good sense of art. My ssmate Joseph here fits the bill, so I introduced them," Armand quickly exined.

    "The Dragon and Rose Theatre?" Mr. Philippe smiled. "Ah, the one that staged ''The Governor of the Ind,'' right? I watched it. The performance was impressive, especially during the final curtain when your Sampson suddenly stood up and turned out to be the tallest actor on stage. It was quite amusing. But what I liked most was your message  the noble are not always wise and upright, and the humble can be noble. The script was excellent! Who wrote it?"

    Although Mr. D''Ennade didn''t know Mr. Philippe''s background, he could tell from Armand''s attitude and Mr. Philippe''s im of being Mr. Lavaux''s friend that Mr. Philippe was far from ordinary. He was likely a person of high status, or perhaps a theory suddenly emerged in Mr. D''Ennade''s mind.

    So he respectfully replied, "Mr. Philippe, I originally drafted the script myself, and then Armand helped me refine it. As for the idea to have the tallest actor y Sampson, that was Mr. Bonaparte''s creative touch."

    "Ah, Armand, it''s good to hear that you''ve been doing something meaningful," Mr. Philippe said with a smile. "Mr. D''Ennade, well, Joseph, I''m sure you both will create more remarkable works in the future."

    With that, he stood, tipped his hat slightly, and said, "I see a friend of mine has arrived. I must take my leave."

    After saying this, he walked away from their table and moved to another part of the caf.

    Seeing Mr. Philippe depart, Armand lowered his voice and said, "Joseph, this Mr. Philippe"

    Armand lowered his voice as well and said, "He''s the owner of this ce, Louis Philippe Joseph, Duke of Orleans, Charles Duke. I never expected to run into him here."

    "This is the Duke of Orleans?" Joseph was taken aback. "He doesn''t look like a high-ranking noble at all."

    "The Duke is an unusual noble. He''s theplete opposite of the queen," Armand whispered.

    Joseph was not well-versed in history, but he knew some basic facts about the uing French Revolution. He understood the dangers of getting too involved with influential figures, especially during the turbulent times ahead. He even considered finding an excuse to return to Corsica before the Revolution started.

    The three of them continued to discuss their coboration andpensation before bidding each other farewell.

    Upon returning to their lodging, they found Father Jean-Jacques with a letter in his hand. "Ah, Joseph, you''re back? Your brother sent you a letter."

    Joseph eagerly took the letter, thanked Father Jean-Jacques, and retreated to his room. He sat at the small table by his window, used a small knife to open the envelope, and read the contents.

    The letter contained information Joseph was already aware of  Napoleon had secured the rmendation he needed, and in about a month, around November 20th, he would be ready to set out for Paris.

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 Chapter 13, Napoleons Plan

    Chapter 13, Napoleon''s n

    In terms oftitude alone, Paris was actually a bit further north than Harbin. But thanks to the influence of the North Antic Current, the winter here was quite mild. Even at the end of November, the sunlight in Paris still felt warm and inviting.

    Joseph walked along the leaf-strewn streets, with a small figure trailing behind him.

    "Napoleon, your idea is intriguing. However, I don''t think your actions will have much effect, and in fact, they might lead to resentment from others," Joseph said as he shook his head gently. "Napoleon, do you know what I admire most about you? I admire your courage. You see something, and you boldly act on it. You believe you can ovee any challenge, and nothing can stand in your way. You never let ''I can''t'' follow ''I want.'' This is a fantastic quality, and many heroes throughout history possessed it, enabling them to conquer obstacles and achieve great deeds, bing immortal legends."

    "But you must remember, confidence and arrogance are just a thin line apart. Often, when you''re doing something, you should think more. First, understand where your goals lie and what''s genuinely in your best interest. Then, consider where your limits are, what you cannot achieve with your current abilities, and avoid pushing yourself too hard."

    "I''m not worried that you''ll lose your courage by overthinking, but I''m concerned that you might suffer due to overestimating yourself and underestimating others, like in this case. Tell me, what''s the purpose of your actions?" Joseph asked.

    Napoleon listened and gave a proud smile, "My dear brother, do you really think I''m worried that the French military academy will turn those French nobles intozy swine? No, no, no. It would be a disaster if these French noble officers were as smart and courageous as I am. Our cause would have no future."

    "Then why are you doing this?" Joseph asked, and he even forgot to reproach Napoleon for daring to encroach on his patent rights.

    "My foolish brother, is your intellect truly socking that you cannot fathom such a simple matter?" Napoleon quickly seized this rare opportunity to return the favor of all the things he had received from Joseph before.

    Joseph stopped and turned to stare at Napoleon. Napoleon proudly met his gaze.

    "Hahaha..." Joseph suddenly burst intoughter, "My foolish brother, do you really want to graduate early using this method?"

    "What?" Napoleon''s proud smile suddenly froze, "How could you think that?"

    In his previous life, Joseph had watched a film about Napoleon, which briefly mentioned that the independent-minded Napoleon had only studied at the Paris Military Academy for a year due to outstanding performance. At the time, Joseph didn''t think much about it. But now, thinking about it in detail, given Napoleon''s current temperament and his obvious hostility towards French nobility, early graduation might not be a reward, but rather...

    "Your usations, as harsh as they sound, are logically sound. It''s like telling a Catholic priest to remain chaste. So, while your usations may offend them, they cannot use them as a reason to punish you."

    "Then, your academic performance shouldn''t give them any reason to criticize you. Well, from what I know, most of the students at the Paris Military Academy are noble-born..."

    "Not most, but nearly all," Napoleon corrected.

    "Many of them indeed leadvish lives, indulging in pleasures, spending their precious time on drinking, bragging, gourmet food, showing off their carriages, servants, and mistresses. Although your intelligence isn''t exceptional, it should be a piece of cake to outperform them academically."

    "Because alcohol and pleasure have already damaged their already limited intelligence. Their intelligence might not even surpass that of a red-haired orangutan now. Defeating these red-haired orangutans is a given. But nobles aren''t all red-haired orangutans. The Paris Military Academy is quiterge, and there might be one or two outstanding individuals. So, don''t be toocent."

    "I''m well aware of that. My studies are to improve myself as much as possible, not to crush others. So, I won''t let my guard down wherever I go," Napoleon replied.

    On this point, Joseph hadplete faith in Napoleon. In terms of "loving learning," Napoleon was indeed a role model. Throughout his life, whether leading armies across the snow-capped Alps or being imprisoned on Saint Helena, he never stopped learning whenever he had the chance.

    "So, I believe you have a good chance of early graduation. But your prospects after graduation might not be too bright," Joseph said.

    "Someone like us from Corsica, even if I were to serve them every day as ackey, what good prospects could we have? Besides, our future is in Corsica, not in France," Napoleon replied nonchntly.

    Upon hearing this response, Joseph nearly burst intoughter. He knew that in hister life, during the French Revolution, Napoleon would turn against Corsican independence, leading to a falling out with his current idol, Paoli, which would even escte into armed conflict.

    "However, Corsica is just too small," Joseph sighed.

    "You''re right," Napoleon said, "That is indeed a serious issue. Even if we could win one against ten, it would be hard to defeat France with our own strength. But now, France is grappling with serious internal problems, and perhaps we can gain support from other nations in the future."

    "Like Mr. Paoli in Ennd?" Joseph asked.

    "Yes. But I don''t entirely trust the English," Napoleon said. "The English have betrayed others more than once. Helping them trouble the French is possible, but making Corsica bleed for them? They''d probably prefer to see Corsica bleed for their sake. They might provide some money, at most. In the Seven Years'' War, the English helped Prussia in the same way. But Corsica is so small, how much blood does it have to shed? Nevertheless, it''s precisely because of these difficulties that I''m filled with determination."

    "My brother, when you say such things, you sound like a character out of Virgil or Homer," Joseph remarked.

    "Ah, my dear brother, this is the most pleasing thing I''ve ever heard from you," Napoleon eximed. "You''re right; I''m not one of those weak and mediocre men of this era. I''m a hero from the time of Virgil."

    "My foolish brother, remember that a person''s abilities are like the numerator of a fraction, while their self-esteem is the denominator. Therger the denominator, the smaller the fraction''s value," Joseph couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "Hmph!" Napoleon didn''t mind Joseph''s habitual sarcasm; he had long grown ustomed to it.

    "Well, Joseph, you''ll be graduating soon. What are your ns for the future?" Napoleon inquired.

    "Me? I might return to Corsica and be a priest," Joseph replied.

    "You''re lying," Napoleon retorted. "Your eyes tell me that your thoughts have already strayed, that Corsica has be too small for you. Besides, I don''t think you have much faith in the church''s future."

    "Alright," Joseph sighed. "I n to leave Paris for a while and go to Corsica to bide my time while keeping a close watch on Paris, waiting for changes to happen."

    "Changes?" Napoleon asked. "What do you mean?"

    "Of course, a rey of Ennd''s story in France," Joseph said.

    "Ennd''s story?" Napoleon questioned. "What story are you talking about?"

    "Of course, it''s the story of Lord Protector Cromwell," Joseph replied. "Have you seen the recent disclosures about the royal finances?"

    "No," Napoleon said. "I don''t socialize much with my ssmates, and I don''t go out much."

    "If the information is urate, the royal finances are in shambles, and they are on the brink of bankruptcy," Joseph exined. "The royal family is drowning in debt, and even the nobles and wealthy individuals are reluctant to lend more money to the royals. I believe the royals will have to increase taxation, and with the current sentiment throughout France, a revolution is imminent."

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 Chapter 14: The Plan

    Chapter 14: The n

    "Well, my dear brother, since you''ve made such a judgment, you must have further ns, right? The French Revolution is a significant event, and I can''t believe you intend to sit idly by. You must have more ns in mind," Napoleon inquired.

    "This is a French affair," Joseph replied. "I don''t want to get deeply involved. I n to seize some advantages opportunistically. Do you understand what a revolution signifies?"

    "Massive internal strife, much like what happened in Ennd," Napoleon responded.

    "No, it''s not just that. France''s issues are much more significant than Ennd''s, and its people are much angrier. Moreover, France is a continental power. In a way, it''s the heart of the entire European continent. Any change in France will set off a chain reaction in Europe. If the French crown were to fall, it might take many other crowns with it on the European continent. War will persist for a long time, and the mes of battle may spread throughout Europe.

    Countless people, regardless of their nobility ormonness, will be crushed. Like insects in front of a rolling carriage wheel, whether it''s a tiny beetle or a mantis that preys on it, they will all be equally pulverizeddeath is the great equalizer, don''t you think, Napoleon? As for me, I want to stay away from that wheel, wait until it has passed, and thene to feast on the corpses of those crushed, like vultures or hyenas."

    "Ah, my dear brother, that''s truly you!" Napoleon said with a disdainful expression. "You have the eyshes that can brush away the dust of time and eyes that see through the fog of society, but youck the courageous heart to control the currents of your era. I''m different; I want to jump onto that chariot, steer it, and make it move ording to my will."

    "You''re like the foolish son of Helios, my naive brother," Joseph retorted. "You aspire to ride your father''s zing sun chariot into the sky, but have you ever considered if you possess such power? You''re a wretched creature subject to life''s uncertainties and woes. Have you forgotten the Delphic maxim ''Know yourself''? Oh, how unfortunate I am to have a brother as foolish as you. I must always be ready to catch you when you fall after overturning the sun chariot from the heavens, just like a vulture or a hyena."

    Napoleon found amusement in Joseph''s words because he hadpared him to the ancient Greek hero Phaethon, the son of Helios. This hero, without proper authorization, tried to drive his father''s sun chariot and caused a severe crash, ultimately costing him his life. Nevertheless, he was an extraordinary and daring hero.

    "Arrogant brother of mine, you also need to ''know yourself.'' When the sun chariot plummets, you actually think you can catch it. Who do you think you are, Zeus?" Napoleon chuckled. "But, my dear hyena, let''s get back to the specifics of your n."

    "Whatever we do in the future, it will require some material preparations. So, I intend to amass some wealth when the revolution arrives," Joseph exined.

    "Well, if you can urately judge the timing of the revolution and war, you can indeed make a substantial profit. Many things be scarce after the outbreak of war," Napoleon remarked. "However, it''s like Archimedes trying to move the Earth; you need a long lever and a fulcrum. Until that opportunity arises, the more money you have in hand, the more you''ll reap. How do you n to obtain your lever and fulcrum?"

    "That''s indeed a big question," Joseph furrowed his brow. In pre-revolutionary France, it was extremely difficult for a poor person to amass wealth, even if they were a time traveler. Besides, if a poor person could earn money based on their skills, why would they want to engage in a revolution? Revolution urred because the current French system had blocked the path to a good life for many.

    "True, if getting rich were easy, there would be no need for a revolution," Napoleon concurred. "So, you won''t have a very long lever or a sturdy fulcrum. You''ll continue to eat ck bread without butter, maybe amb chop once a month."

    "Just relying on that won''t be enough," Joseph shook his head.

    "The Academy of Sciences is offering prizes for research papers recently," Napoleon suddenly suggested. "The rewards are quite handsome. I n to write one. Joseph, you should consider it too."

    The Paris Royal Academy of Sciences, founded by Cardinal Richelieu during the reign of Louis XIII, was the highest academic institution in France. The prizes they offered for research papers were generous, up to six hundred francs. Moreover, winning such a prize would bring great honor. To someone like Napoleon, thetter might be even more appealing. In his eyes, it might be a symbol of heroism, much like an Olympic crown in ancient Greece. Joseph also found this to be a good idea. As a time traveler, he possessed a wealth of scientific knowledge far surpassing this era, which he could use to secure funding and enhance his reputation, benefiting him in the future.

    "However, considering the scientific foundation of this era, it''s challenging to create something both groundbreaking and without extensive preliminary work," Joseph couldn''t help but ponder. "What if I prematurely present the famous double-slit diffraction experiment in the history of physics to baffle them?"

    In the debate over the nature of light, there had long been two opposing theories represented by British scientist Robert Hooke''s wave theory and Sir Isaac Newton''s particle theory. Due to Sir Isaac Newton''s immense influence, his theory held sway for a long time until the double-slit diffraction experiment, a monstrous challenge to the entire field of physics, was conductedmore than onceseveral decadester.

    The first person to release this monstrous experiment and challenge the prevailing particle theory was British scientist Thomas Young in 1801. However, he faced resistance due to his nationality. Despite Sir Isaac Newton having passed away more than seventy years prior, his reputation had only grown. Challenging Newton''s theories was considered "absurd" and "illogical." Additionally, Young failed to provide aprehensive mathematical exnation, as he mistakenly treated light as a longitudinal wave, resulting in a series of inexplicable problems. Consequently, this monstrous challenge in physics was ignored by the British scientificmunity.

    It wasn''t until more than a decadeter that French scientist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, building on Huygens'' principle and the principle of interference, treated light as a transverse wave and established a new quantitative formtion. He used this method to tackle the double-slit experiment, challenging the prevailing particle theory. Nevertheless, Fresnel, who was French, faced resistance as well, primarily because of Newton''s enduring reputation in Britain.

    "Executing this experiment isn''t difficult from a technical perspective," Joseph reasoned. "In fact, in the future, it''s amon experiment in high schoolboratories. As for Fresnel''s proofs, the necessary preparatory work is rtively minimal. Of course, there''s still some preparation, mainly in mathematics, but it''s not insurmountable. I could even throw in the Poisson spot experiment to further confound them."

    Thinking about it, Joseph chuckled, "My foolish brother, you actually came up with a good idea. It seems that even a fool can generate a brilliant idea after a thousand times of contemtion."

    "My arrogant brother, you know, I''ve been preparing for this for some time. I believe my chances of winning are much greater," Napoleon responded.

    "Alright, then let''s each prepare a research paper and see whose paper demonstrates higher proficiency," Joseph suggested.

    "Agreed," Napoleon said, but he quickly realized and remarked, "Wait a minute, Joseph, your words are suspicious. You said we''d see whose paper shows higher proficiency, not who wins. My dear brother, your words leave room for debate regarding the quality of the paper. So, even if I win, you could easily im that your paper was far superior, and it was only because those old fogies at the Academy had no vision. Then you wouldn''t have to admit defeat. Are you nning something like that, Joseph?"

    Joseph took a step back, looking at Napoleon, and shook his head with a tone of deep sadness, saying, "Oh, Napoleon, how could you suspect me like that? You disappoint me so. And..." He adopted a mncholic tone as if he were Medea abandoned by Jason. However, he suddenly changed his tone, saying, "You know, in the Academy of Sciences and any other ce, there are plenty of fools. The likelihood of them misunderstanding your foolish paper whilepletely failing to grasp my paper is high. Their judgment cannot be the standard for evaluation."

    "But, my brother, how about this, you can be the judge of whether my paper is more proficient than yours. Even though you''re a foolish fellow, you wouldn''t stoop to speaking untruths in such matters," Joseph said with a sorrowful tone.

    Napoleon paused for a moment, then retorted, "I''m the judge, but I sense a trap in your words, Joseph. You want to trap me into admitting that your paper is better in terms of proficiency, right? Well, let''s go on this scientific journey, my dear brother."

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 Chapter 15: The Paper on Poissons Spot

    Chapter 15: The Paper on Poisson''s Spot

    Joseph didn''t worry too much about winning or losing the bet with Napoleon. In his past life, he had seen movies about Napoleon submitting an article to the French Academy of Sciences. It seemed that Napoleon had written an article analyzing social issues, but it had disappeared without a trace. So Joseph felt reasonably confident that he wouldn''t lose this bet.

    However, preparing this paper required careful attention. In a normal research endeavor, experiments woulde first. But for Joseph, who had time-traveled, experiments could wait. He needed to prepare mathematical tools for the subsequent arguments and calctions.

    This was where things gotplicated. Thete 18th and early 19th centuries were a period of great mathematical advancement in France. During this time, there were mathematicians who sent shivers down Joseph''s spine, even as a time traveler. Just thinking about Fourier, Lace, and Lagrange filled him with dread, as if he were haunted by their mathematical prowess. And Fresnel''s perfect exnation of double-slit diffraction was closely tied to these great yet terrifying individuals. If he attempted to replicate Fresnel''s work directly, he would need several groundbreaking mathematical breakthroughs.

    "Isn''t this like the proverb ''To solve the problem of Korea, we need to solve Manchuria; to solve the problem of Manchuria, we need to solve China; to solve the problem of China, we need to solve the United States''? When did my approach start resembling the mindless methods of a Showa-era staff officer, creating bigger problems to solve smaller ones?" Joseph couldn''t help but mock himself. Yet, considering the historical impact of this experiment and driven by his vanity, Joseph decided to write this paper. He would attempt to use the existing mathematical tools as much as possible. In principle, it was feasible, but the entire process would be cumbersome and convoluted, like trying to solve a multiplication problem with addition.

    After several days of trying, Joseph realized that avoiding the yet-to-be-developed mathematical tools would likely require a muchrger paper.

    "Some necessary mathematical tools must be developed, or we can''t really use addition to multiply, can we?" Joseph thought.

    After nearly a month of painstaking work, bypassing some advanced tools and inventing some "simpler" ones, Joseph finallypleted his paper. He looked at the thick document, satisfied, and said to himself, "At least I''ve managed to condense it by half. A single paper with both a breakthrough in physics and mathematicswhat a worthwhile experience. The only regret is not receiving real-world feedback."

    Joseph transcribed another copy of the paper and sent one to be reviewed. The other he took to show Armand.

    As soon as Armand saw the plethora of mathematical symbols in the paper, he furrowed his brows. "Joseph, what have you been up to all this time? So, it turns out you''ve been working on this. Well, I can make some sense of the beginning; you argue that light should be a wave, not particles, which is quite different from Sir Isaac Newton''s view. Your experiment is intriguing. But all these symbols put together? To be honest, I don''t understand a thing. Of course, this isn''t meant for me, right? It''s for my uncle?"

    Joseph replied, "Yes, I''d like to hear Mr. Lace''s evaluation."

    "Well, that''s fine. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I''ll take this paper to him."

    ...

    "Good morning, Mr. Lace. Is there anything you need?" A waiter held the door open and asked the famous chemist and member of the French Academy of Sciences, Lace.

    "Ah, Marbeuf, is Mr. Lace here today?" Lace handed his cane to the waiter and inquired.

    "Yes, Mr. Marbeuf, Mr. Lace is in his office," the waiter replied.

    "Very well, please bring a teapot of red tea to his office in a moment," Marbeuf requested before walking down the corridor toward Lace''s office.

    "Of course, sir, I''ll bring it to you soon."

    Marbeuf reached Lace''s office door and knocked gently, but there was no response. He smiled slightly, knocked again, but still, no response.

    He gently pushed the door, and it swung open. Inside, Lace was sitting at his desk, bent over, shaking a quill pen and deep in thought, surrounded by scattered used pieces of paper.

    Marbeuf didn''t say anything; he walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat across from Lace, waiting in silence.

    After a while, Lace dipped his quill into the inkwell once again but failed to write any numbers on the paper because the inkwell had run dry.

    "Damn it! I should''ve gotten arger inkwell." Lace muttered, lifting his head, only to realize that Marbeuf was sitting across from him.

    "Marbeuf, how did you get in here? How long have you been here?" Lace asked.

    For quite some time, Marbeuf had been Lace''s assistant, working together on determining the specific heat of various substances. In 1780, they had proven that the heat needed to dpose apound into its constituent elements was equal to the heat released when those elementsbined to form thepound. This marked the beginning of thermochemistry and another milestone toward thew of conservation of energy after ck''s work ontent heat. So, their rtionship was quite amicable.

    "Oh, I''ve been here for a while. I see you''ve been calcting the ''Poinsot spot,'' right?"

    "Yes, Mr. Marbeuf," Lace stood up, "Have you seen that paper? It''s quite against our intuition. But, darn it, those experiments are impressive, especially the ''Poinsot spot.'' Well, it seems this young fellow, a ssmate of Joseph Poinsot, submitted this paper to the Academy. I think he''s looking for the prize money. The conclusion, despite being counterintuitive, is supported by the experiments. I''d say, based on the experiments alone, it''s worth at least six hundred francs, if not more."

    "Just the new mathematical tools he introduced in the paper are worth something," Marbeufmented, "But the notion of light as waves might be hard for many to ept."

    "Hard to ept? Just because Sir Isaac Newton said light is made of particles?" Lace shrugged, "Aristotle had plenty of misconceptions too. Do we expect Newton to be infallible like a pope forever? You know, I''ve got a lot on my te. The mathematics in this paper is extensive, and though he employed some shortcuts, the calctions are still daunting. I also have my own research, so I only verified his experiments and took a general look at his arguments. I haven''t had a chance to delve into the mathematical details. In mathematics, I''m not as proficient as you, and when ites to calcting speed, I doubt there''s anyone in the world faster than you. So, I nned to ask you to verify it thoroughly. I didn''t expect you were already on it."

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 Chapter 16, The Devils Advocate - (2)

    Chapter 16, The Devil''s Advocate - (2)

    "At least for now, I haven''t found any mathematical issues. His mathematical tools are quite impressive," Lace said. "It''s just that exining light with waves still has some unexined phenomena, like what properties the ether must possess to transmit waves as fast as light. And if he interprets light as a transverse wave, why aren''t there longitudinal waves in the ether?"

    "Ah, my friend, you have too many questions, and I don''t think we''ll see answers to any of them in our lifetime, or even hope for it," Lavosier said. "It''s indeed a significant problem in the wave theory. Ether is such a unique thing, almost as mysterious as God. It can transmit light at incredible speedsif light is indeed a wave. This means it''s incredibly rigid, harder than diamond by many orders of magnitude. It fills the entire universe, yet it''s so rigid, but it doesn''t obstruct anything in the universe. It doesn''t impede even the tiniest speck of dust''s movementindeed, we can''t find any resistanceing from the ''ether.'' It''s a real puzzle... Ah, my friend, I suggest we don''t think about that cursed ''ether'' problem for now. Our knowledge and means are too far from it. Studying it now is like a kitten that just weaned, trying to catch a whale."

    "Mr. Lavosier, a whale is not a fish," Lace chuckled.

    "I know that, of course," Lavosier also chuckled, "but... but the kitten doesn''t know."

    "Yes, the kitten doesn''t know," Lace said. "In fact, aren''t we all kittens? We don''t know either."

    "So, I''ve always believed that experimentse first. All theories ultimately need to be tested with experiments. At least his calctions work quite well with the ''Bab''s shadow.'' As for the ''ether,'' or whether there are other interpretations from a particle perspective, that''s up to others to decide," Lavosier said. "But even in this matter, even if he is ultimately wrong, the error itself has value."

    "I agree with that," Lace said. He then lowered his head to look at the paper and added, "I''lle up with a new exnation. But for now, please allow me to finish my calctions on this paper. Then we can take this paper to show it to Mr. Monge, Coulomb, and Mr. Condorcet..."

    However, things took a different turn when they reached Monge and Coulomb.

    "To be honest, those mathematical tools in this paper are interesting, and there are even more interesting thingster on. It would have been a great paper if it stuck to discussing mathematics," Monge frowned, "but he uses it to prove such absurd views; it''s just..."

    "If he''s willing to revise this paper, it would be better," Coulomb also said.

    "We should invite him for a discussion and have him modify the paper; then we can give him the prize," Lace suggested, ncing at Lavosier, and added, "After all, just those few mathematical tools are worth six hundred francs."

    "It''s not about six hundred francs," Monge said, "it''s about his incredibly strange imssaying that light is a wave, the ether that transmits it should have crushed us to dust a long time ago! If something as absurd as this can win an award, we''d be aughingstock! Unless he revises the paper, I''m against awarding him the prize."

    "I think awarding the prize right now is not prudent. After all, this is not a definitive piece of evidence; I mean, there should be other, better exnations for those two experiments. I believe we should be more cautious in this matter..." Coulomb said.

    "Enough, Coulomb! Do you have a better exnation? Have you found ws in his argument?" Condorcet asked, wide-eyed. "The wave theory certainly has many unresolved issues, like the ether problem you mentioned. But does the particle theory have no problems? Let''s not forget how particle theory exins the double-slit interference and ''Bab''s shadow.'' One of the meanings of science is discovering the unknown, posing questions. Posing questions, especially valuable ones, is sometimes more important than reaching conclusions! Since the birth of science, we''ve seen how many times old ideas and beliefs were overturned. Can we say that those now-overturned ideas and beliefs were worthless? Even if the views in this paper are provenpletely false in the end, even if tomorrow morning Coulomb, you provide a new exnation thatpletely overturns his views, the error itself can still inspire thought, reveal the truth. So, even if it''s an error, it''s still valuable. Moreover, it''s not necessarily an error! Is Sir Isaac Newton beyond doubt? Is this the spirit of science? If such a paper can''t even win an award, it would be a disgrace to the Academy!"

    When it came to eloquence, there were few in the Academy who could match Condorcet, and Coulomb was certainly not an exception. Knowing that he couldn''t win against Condorcet in an argument, Coulomb simply stayed silent.

    Seeing Coulomb''s silence, Condorcet turned to Monge. "Monge, what do you think?"

    Monge had less influence in the Academy than Condorcet and was not as articte. However, he was quite stubborn. Hearing Condorcet''s question, he replied, "I can''t agree to award him the prize until I''ve talked to him in person."

    He then fell silent, and Condorcet knew Monge''s personality. This was the most significant concession he could make.

    Condorcet looked around and then said, "Very well, let''s invite Mr. Bonaparte here. We''ll talk to him, and then we can award him the prize."

    ...

    Although the Academy was in the heart of Paris, the postal service''s efficiency was quite low at this time. It wasn''t until three dayster that Joseph received the invitation. In fact, he had received the news from Armand two days ago.

    Now that he had the invitation, Joseph made preparations and dressed in formal attire that he hadn''t worn in a year, taking a public carriage (mainly to avoid getting dust on his shoes). He headed toward the Louvre.

    The Louvre was located on the north bank of the Seine River, dating back to the 12th century, making it one of France''s oldest royal pces. During the reign of Louis XIII, Richelieu established the Royal Academy of Sciences and ced it within the Louvre. Later, during thetter part of Louis XIV''s rule, the pce was expanded, and the king moved to Versailles. From that point on, the French kings no longer resided in the Louvre, but the Academy of Sciences remained.

    Arriving at the Louvre''s entrance, Joseph got out of the carriage, straightened his clothes, and approached the grand entrance. In this era, the modern ss pyramid at the Louvre did not exist. Instead, the entrance was a conventional door.

    Joseph reached the entrance and presented his invitation to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper, peering through his reading sses, inspected the invitation, didn''t raise his head, but nced at Joseph through the gap in the sses'' frame. He then said, "Mr. Bonaparte, please wait here briefly. I need to verify the situation."

    Joseph nodded and waited outside for a moment until a liveried servant, wearing a red coat and a wig, approached. He opened the door and gestured for Joseph to enter.

    Joseph followed the servant inside the Louvre. The servant led him through one hall after another until they finally reached a small reception room.

    "Mr. Bonaparte," the servant turned around and, with a slight bow, said, "Mr. Condorcet, Mr. Lace, and Mr. Monge are waiting for you inside."

    With that, he opened the door, which was covered in calf leather, indicating that Joseph could enter on his own.

    Joseph walked in and found three people already sitting in the room. As he entered, they stood up. One of them, a lean middle-aged man with a high forehead, spoke, "Is this Mr. Joseph Bonaparte? I am Lace. This is my friend, Mr. Condorcet, a member of the Academy, and this is my friend, Lace."

    Joseph exchanged greetings with each of the men. Condorcet was stockier than Lace and had a broader face, appearing to have a gentler temperament. Lace, the younger of the three, had a slightly hawkish nose and was the mathematician who had terrified Joseph in his previous life.

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 Chapter 17: The Devils Advocate - (3)

    Chapter 17: The Devil''s Advocate - (3)

    Joseph couldn''t contain his excitement as he greeted them one by one. But when he faced Lace, he couldn''t help but clench his fist discreetly and mentally berate himself  just like modern-day science students facing difficult questions on an exam paper. They''d gaze out the window in frustration and make a wish upon a passing shooting star.

    Years ago, Joseph never had the chance to berate Lace, but now that this troublesome fellow stood before him, Joseph couldn''t resist extending a warm wee. "Mr. Lace," he said, "I''ve read some of your works, and they have provided me with a lot of inspiration. It''s such a stroke of luck to meet you!"

    While saying this, Joseph extended both his hands for a handshake, just like a president greeting another world leader, giving a firm grip before pulling Lace''s hand towards him abruptly. Lace stumbled and nearly tripped.

    "Lace, it''s an honor to meet you. I have so many questions I''d like to ask you, such as..." Joseph continued speaking with a broad smile, all the while biting his lower lip and using all his strength to squeeze Lace''s hand.

    "Ah... Mr. Bonaparte... Mr. Bonaparte... You really are... Why don''t we sit down first and talk slowly," Lace managed to say as he struggled to pull his hand back.

    "Oh, Mr. Bonaparte, let''s sit down and have a chat. You''re too enthusiastic; you might have hurt poor Pierre''s hand," Lavasse quipped, observing Joseph''s exuberance. However, he stopped Joseph from further squeezing Lace''s hand.

    "Huh?" Joseph feigned surprise and quickly released Lace''s hand. He began apologizing profusely, "Mr. Lace, I''m so sorry, I got too carried away. I''m just so excited to meet you. Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

    Lace shook his right hand to ease the difort and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, how do you have such strength?"

    "Pain and hatred grant me strength," Joseph thought, but he said, "I often help Father Jacques with carpentry work, so my hands might be a bit strong."

    "Well, it''s more than just a bit strong," Lacemented, "But let''s not discuss this now. You see, we''ve read your paper, and both Mr. Fourier and Mr. Condorcet appreciate it a lot. However, your paper attempts to challenge a widely supported theory with many experimental observations. This is a significant matter, and everyone feels it''s better to be cautious. Mr. Fourier, Mr. Condorcet, and some other gentlemen hope to discuss some aspects of your paper with you..."

    "To be honest," Condorcet interjected with a gentle smile, "Joseph, your paper is of high quality, unlike many we''ve seen in recent years. Your mathematical tools alone might win you thepetition. But your conclusions are disputed by some, at least Coulomb and Monge aren''t very fond of your conclusion. They are on their way here and may have a lot of questions for you. Be prepared."

    "Mr. Condorcet, you can just call me Joseph," he replied. "I''ve considered this issue before writing the paper. Frankly, I was worried that I might be wrong when I reached that conclusion. I wrote this paper to discuss the matter with others."

    "Ha-ha, young people these days are really something," Lacemented. "Joseph, are you prepared? Well, don''t be nervous; actually..."

    Before Lace could finish his sentence, the door to the small living room swung open.

    Joseph saw several more people entering, and he quickly stood up. Everyone else followed suit. Leading the group was Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans, whom Joseph had met once in a caf. He was followed by two men in military attire. One was older, in his fifties, while the other was slightly shorter, with a tannedplexion and a pair of intense eyes.

    "Duke, you''re here too?" Condorcet said.

    "Oh, Mr. Condorcet, I was passing by and intended to visit Monge. He mentioned something about this ce, and it turned out that this ''Bonaparte'' causing a stir is someone I know, a young fellow named Joseph, just like me," Louis-Philippe said as he walked over, shook Joseph''s hand, and added, "Joseph, it''s really you."

    Lace stared at their hands, but before he could react...

    "Ah, Joseph, thest time I met you, I thought France would have gained another ywright, not a mathematician. But it seems that not everyone agrees with your ideas, especially Mr. Coulomb and Mr. Monge. They are on their way here, and they probably have many questions for you. You should be prepared," Louis-Philippemented, taking a seat.

    Monge was straightforward and immediately asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, in your paper, you posit that light is a transverse wave. Your mathematical derivations are impressive, but have you considered the characteristics that such a medium, or the ''ether,'' would need to have if light were indeed a wave?"

    Joseph had prepared for this question, as the controversy over the existence of the "luminiferous ether" was one of the main arguments used by supporters of the particle theory against the wave theory in future history.

    "When ites to the ether''s properties and the speed of light, I''ve thought about it," Joseph began. "I proposed an experiment to measure the speed of light more precisely. Considering the Earth''s constant motion, the ether should be in motion rtive to it. Therefore, the speed of light might be different when measured from different directions..."

    "More precise measurement of the speed of light?" Condorcet became interested.

    "We could use a rotating octagonal mirror," Joseph exined. He was referring to the Michelson-Morley experiment, a rtively simple method with good uracy.

    While Joseph outlined his experimental idea, he picked up a piece of paper and a pen, sketching the design of the necessary equipment. Joseph was ustomed to creating three-view drawings, amon practice in the future, which made his diagrams more intuitive and easier to understand. But as soon as Monge saw his drawings, his eyes widened.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, where did you learn this drawing technique?" Monge asked.

    "What?" Joseph was surprised, thinking this technique wasmon. But upon seeing Monge''s stern expression, he realized that perhaps this drawing method didn''t exist in this era.

    "I just drew it by myself, thinking it''s more intuitive and easier to understand. Is there a problem with this?" Joseph asked.

    Monge thought for a moment and replied, "Mr. Bonaparte, you probably... no, you definitely don''t know that I''ve been using a simr drawing technique for almost twenty years. But because it has significant military implications, and I believe that, given your intelligence, you can understand this, it has been kept strictly confidential. It''s only taught at military academies, and every officer who learns it must swear not to disclose the technique. I once expressed that perhaps it wouldn''t take long before others independently discover simr techniques, much like how Newton and Leibniz separately developed calculus. However,

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 Chapter 18: The Devils Geometrical Drawing

    Chapter 18: The Devil''s Geometrical Drawing

    Joseph knew that Cullen was quite skeptical about what he called "geometric drawing," and perhaps the true pioneer of "geometric drawing" was Montgri, who, being a child prodigy himself, was less doubtful about others of his age creating simr techniques.

    In his previous life, Joseph had indeed studied geometric drawing. He believed that over hundreds of years of development, the geometric drawing of the future would certainly have seen more progresspared to what was known at this time. However, he had no idea how advanced Montgri''s original geometric drawing had be. Joseph thought for a moment and realized that some of the techniques involving projection transformation were probably developed in the future. He carefully recalled them and began to exin.

    The Duke of Orleans listened with great interest, and when Joseph temporarily paused, he turned to Montgri and asked, "Mr. Montgri, how does Joseph''s methodpare to yours?"

    "It''s quite simr," Montgri replied. After he finished, he nced around and suddenly realized that his words might imply that Joseph didn''t create the geometric drawing. He quickly added, "But there are some differences. For example, his approach to handling maps using projection transformations is very interesting, something I hadn''t thought of before. Maps created this way are more practical. Mr. Bonaparte, though his principles are fundamentally simr to mine, his method is even more practical than mine. Mr. Bonaparte, you are truly a mathematical genius!"

    Montgri''s geometric drawing had always been a well-kept secret, so even the few others in the room who hadn''t had much contact with it before were now less suspicious after hearing Montgri''s words.

    "Joseph, I never thought you were a mathematical genius. I think I heard you were still in secondary school thest time," the Duke of Charles suddenly struggled to remember which school Joseph attended.

    "It''s the School of Emperor Louis, Your Grace. Joseph and my nephew Armand are ssmates," Lavasse added with a smile.

    "Yes, that''s right. I saw him with Armand thest time," the Duke of Charles said appreciatively, looking at Joseph. "To have young people like you emerging continuously is France''s fortune. But to achieve such results and not receive the recognition you deserve, even living in poverty, that''s unfair. I think we shouldpensate Joseph for this."

    Condorcet nodded, "I believe Joseph''s thesis is highly debatable, and he should at least win thispetition and receive the 600 francs prize."

    Because the Duke of Orleans mentionedpensation, not even Cullen and Montgri opposed it.

    "That''s too little," the Duke of Charles was not satisfied.

    "Your Grace, you need not worry. Talent like this won''t be buried," Condorcet said, "Once this thesis is published, and the experiment on the speed of light ispleted, I think Joseph can secure a teaching position at the University of Paris, or even here. Joseph, I heard you''re about to graduate. Interested? I can provide you with a letter of rmendation."

    Before Joseph could reply, Montgri interjected, "Joseph has great talent in geometric drawing, but it''s a closely guarded technique. If he goes to the University of Paris, he won''t be able to conveniently research it. That would be a pity. The Paris Military Academy is looking for a teacher to instruct geometric drawing, and they''ve asked me for a rmendation. Why don''t I and Mr. Lace rmend him to the Paris Military Academy to teach mathematics? I think that''s even better. I can also secure more funding for him, and he''ll have a higher iepared to the University of Paris. Joseph, what do you think?"

    In terms of reputation alone, the University of Paris was undoubtedly more prestigious. However, when it came to ie, it was true, as Montgri said, that teaching at the Paris Military Academy would be more lucrative. Additionally, Joseph knew that a revolution was about to break out, and in a revolution, various factions jockeyed for power, with today''s royalists hanging banners onmpposts and tomorrow''s revolutionaries using the guillotine. Paris University was the center where all political currents converged, and going there might mean getting involved in uncontroble political struggles for some reason. Inparison, the Paris Military Academy was much safer. Furthermore, entering the military system would prepare him for the future.

    Thinking about all of this, Joseph said to Montgri, "Thank you very much for your rmendation, Mr. Condorcet. However, I''m more inclined to Mr. Montgri''s suggestion. My father just passed away, and I have several younger brothers who need education. I''m in great need of money right now. Besides, my younger brother, Napoleon, is at the Paris Military Academy. He''s a troublemaker, and I think I can keep a closer eye on him there."

    Upon hearing this, everyone burst intoughter. The Duke of Charles even said, "It seems like all older brothers always think their younger brothers are troublemakers. I can imagine that for the younger brother, entering the ssroom and finding that the teacher is his own older brother would be quite an experience..."

    "Let''s get back to the experiment on the speed of light," Lace interrupted.

    "Of course, let''s continue..."

    ...

    Two days after this visit, Joseph received a letter from the French Academy of Sciences, informing him that his thesis had won thepetition and awarded him 600 francs.

    This prize money made Joseph''s life considerably morefortable. Two more days passed, and he received a letter from Montgri. In this thick letter, Montgri informed Joseph that the Academy of Sciences hadpleted the preparations for the speed of light experiment. They nned to conduct the experiment ten dayster, on a moonless night, at a castle owned by the Duke of Orleans.

    At the end of the letter, Montgri told Joseph that he and Lace had rmended him. They believed that in a few days, he would receive a letter from the Paris Military Academy. Once he graduated, he could report to the academy.

    Joseph was ted upon receiving the letter, but unfortunately, Napoleon was not with him to share in his joy. However, the thought of appearing in uniform in Napoleon''s ssroom and challenging him withplex problems on the chalkboard made Joseph even happier. Just the thought brought joy.

    In addition to this, with money in hand, Joseph immediately recalled the ssic line from "Water Margin" by Lu Da: "The taste of meat is still in my mouth!" Joseph calcted that he could afford a good meal in a restaurant for just two francs. However, considering Napoleon was not around, he couldn''t leave his younger brother behind to dine alone. So, he had to endure a bit longer since the weekend was just a few days away. By the weekend, he and Napoleon could enjoy a great meal together.

    The only unfortunate part was that Joseph passed by several restaurants on his way to school, and by the standards of the time, they weren''t too expensive. The delicious aroma of meat soup wafting from those restaurants was increasingly irresistible. Joseph tried to walk faster, but the scent seemed to transform into stic ropes, pulling him back. He struggled to break free and finally arrived at school, nearlyte for ss for the first time in his life. Fortunately, the teacher, with his extremely poor eyesight, didn''t notice him and allowed him to sneak into the ssroom.

    So, he managed to endure until the weekend. Typically, Napoleon would walk to Joseph''s ce after school to save money. Considering the distance, he should arrive around 5 PM, which would be the perfect time for a good meal. Joseph had already informed Father Jacques that he and Napoleon would go out for a meal together tonight, so nobody, including Father Jacques, would need to eat dry ck bread today.

    However, Napoleon arrived quitete, nearly around 7 PM, and by this time, all the restaurants on the street had already closed. This was not an era known for its vibrant nightlife. Father Jacques, who had been too hungry to wait, had already eaten half a piece of leftover dry bread with water.

    "Why are you sote?" Joseph asked, trying to suppress his annoyance.

    "Some guy invited me to dinner," Napoleon said.

    "Damn, you actually had dinner?" Joseph, who was starving, was almost unable to contain his anger. "Wait a moment... someone actually invited you to dinner? I heard your poprity at school is quite low."

    "I helped him with his math homework," Napoleon proudly said.

    "But I''m starving," Joseph said, his hunger preventing him from even being interested in showing off his prize money to Napoleon.

    "You''re waiting for me to eat together?" Napoleon was surprised. "Isn''t it just two pieces of ck bread? Do you really need to wait?"

    "Fine, you''ll eat ck bread tomorrow!" Joseph said through gritted teeth.

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 Chapter 19: Brothers

    Chapter 19: Brothers

    The next day, even before the sun had risen, Joseph had already developed the habit of waking up early. In this age, there was no inte, no video games, not even electric lights. Most ordinary households couldn''t afford candles or oilmps, so the evenings were pitch dark. In his previous life, Joseph was used to staying up past eleven, but now he had adopted the habit of going to bed and rising early. In fact, most people in this era followed a simr routine.

    Joseph dressed and walked out of his room, stepping into the courtyard of the church. The sun had yet to rise, and even the eastern horizon hadn''t revealed a hint of pale light. A crescent moon and a few stars still hung in the velvety ck sky. It was mid-December by the Gregorian calendar, and though Paris hadn''t seen snow yet and the weather wasn''t particrly cold, the rooftops and courtyard were covered in a thinyer of frost in the early morning.

    A sturdy figure was in the courtyard, swinging an axe to split firewood. Joseph knew him as Father Jacques, who exercised this way every morning.

    "Good morning, Father!" Joseph greeted as he approached.

    "Ah, Joseph, good morning," Father Jacques set the axe aside and smiled at Joseph. "Heading out for a run?"

    "Yes, I''m going to jog around the church," Joseph replied. "Twentyps, and then it''ll be time for breakfast."

    "And what about your brother?" Father Jacques asked.

    "He''s up too, just washing his face. He''ll join me for a runter. By the way, Father, we''d like to invite you for a nice meal at noon. I promise there won''t be any mishaps this time," Joseph said somewhat sheepishly.

    "Sounds good! I''ll be there," Father Jacques agreed.

    At this point, Napoleon emerged from behind them. His personality was not as easygoing as Joseph''s. He nodded to Father Jacques and then followed Joseph out the door.

    The two of them began running along the path next to the church. Since entering military school, Napoleon had improved his physical fitness despite still being short. He decided to increase his pace in an attempt to outpace Joseph and win.

    But Joseph wasn''t willing to let him seed so easily.

    "With those short legs of yours, do you really think you can outrun me?" Joseph picked up his speed as well. After crossing over to this era, Joseph knew that the medical knowledge was far less advanced. Even a minor illness could be life-threatening. Therefore, strengthening his body through exercise and boosting his immunity became Joseph''s way of ensuring his survival. Although the Louis-le-Grand School didn''t ce as much emphasis on physical fitness as military academies, Joseph never neglected his physical training. Moreover, with his longer limbs, he had a natural advantage when it came to running. He wasn''t about to let Napoleon, who had always been in his shadow, outrun him.

    So Joseph sped up, and in a few steps, he was ahead of Napoleon. In response, Napoleon decided to elerate as well.

    "Damn... If your legs were just a bit shorter... this time..." Napoleon panted and spoke in short bursts, his breath turning white in the chilly morning air.

    "You can''t outrun me, can you? No excuses this time," Joseph replied between breaths.

    Joseph believed he needed to excel in as many aspects as possible to keep Napoleon in check, not out of a sense ofpetitiveness but to have enough influence to keep Napoleon in check in the future.

    "All right, caught your breath?" Joseph asked. "I have something to tell you."

    "I''m fine now," Napoleon said as they continued running.

    "I just won a major award for my research paper," Joseph announced casually. "The prize money is 600 francs, so we can celebrate with a nice meal at noon."

    "Your research paper won an award?" Napoleon was surprised and stopped in his tracks.

    "Of course, when your big brother is involved, is there any problem he can''t solve?" Joseph said with pride.

    "What did you write about? And why didn''t I win the award?" Napoleon inquired.

    "Because I might have refuted one of Sir Isaac Newton''s principles."

    "What? How is that possible?" Napoleon stared at Joseph, attempting to find any signs of joking on his face. However, Joseph''s expression was nothing but smugness.

    "I discovered a phenomenon that suggests light''s true nature is closer to Hooke''s idea - that it''s a wave, not a particle," Joseph exined.

    "Is that all?" Napoleon sounded unimpressed. "I thought you had refuted the threews of motion."

    "The threews of motion won''t budge for a while," Joseph shook his head.

    "Not for a while?" Napoleon was surprised again. "So, you mean you''ve found a w in them, but you don''t have evidence to disprove them yet?"

    "No," Joseph shook his head. "There aren''t any obvious ws in Sir Isaac Newton''s threews. I simply refuse to believe them."

    "Refuse to believe them? Does that mean you couldn''t ept the concept of determinism within thosews? You''re a pseudo-believer," Napoleon teased.

    "No, it''s not that," Joseph shook his head. "I just can''t ept total determinism. It makes life seem utterly meaningless."

    "What does that have to do with determinism?" Napoleon clearly couldn''t grasp Joseph''s point.

    "Well, my dear brother, you really don''t have the aptitude to be a schr. Based on Newton''s threews, we could consider the universe''s current state as the result of its past and the cause of its future. If a wise person hadplete knowledge of the positions and forces of all the natural bodies at a certain moment, and if they could analyze these data, they could express the motion of everything from thergest celestial body to the tiniest particle in a single, simple equation. Nothing would be uncertain to this person, and the future would unfold before them just as the past does. Everything is predetermined, just like Oedipus facing that dreadful prophecy. There''s no room for free will because even resistance is a part of the n. If I truly believed in Newton''s threews, what purpose would life have?"

    Napoleon was taken aback by this exnation. He frowned and thought for a while before shaking his head. "I don''t see the issue with your argument yet. But there must be something wrong with it. Otherwise, this conclusion is too hard to... Wait! Joseph, aren''t you a devout believer? Isn''t God the all-knowing, all-powerful one? And yet you can''t ept even His omniscience. You''re a hypocritical believer."

    As Napoleon continued, he burst intoughter, apparently pleased with himself for catching his brother off guard.

    "It''s not the same thing," Joseph replied. "Besides, from what you''re saying, I detect a scent of Calvinism, you heretic!"

    Calvin was a prominent leader in the Protestant Reformation and a staunch supporter of predestination in philosophy and theology. France, on the other hand, was predominantly Catholic, and in the eyes of Catholics, Calvinism was heresy. So now, when Napoleon spoke about God''s omniscience and predestination, Joseph countered by using him of being a Calvinist heretic.

    The two bantered for a while before heading back to the church.

    After breakfast, Joseph casually checked Napoleon''s studies and then showed him the award-winning research paper, along with two rted experiments.

    "I''m starting to believe your point of view," Napoleon said. "Are there any more issues with this conclusion?"

    "Of course," Joseph replied. "Any wave requires a medium for propagation, but there are many questions surrounding what the medium for light''s propagation is. For instance, light is incredibly fast, although the exact speed is yet to be measured, it''s undeniably very fast. A wave propagating at such a speed would require an incredibly rigid medium, yet we''ve never felt any resistance from the luminiferous aether. In short, there are numerous issues to tackle, but I believe that with further research, we''ll eventually find solutions, even if they''re not what we initially imagined."

    "Unfortunately," Napoleon sighed, "although I''m quite interested in this, I have to admit that I don''t have a clue about it, at least not yet."

    "My dear brother, you should know that everyone has different talents. Some people might excel in one area while falling short in another. For example, in mathematics and the natural sciences, I think you''ll likely be inferior to me, but in other areas, you might surpass me. If there''s a small hole, you can crawl through it, something I probably can''t do."

    Listening to Joseph''s sincere words, Napoleon was actually quite touched. Though he considered himself exceptional and believed he had strong aptitude for mathematics and the natural sciences, he wasn''t one to delude himself. He knew deep down that he couldn''t match his brother in these areas, and that often left him feeling frustrated. Joseph''s words were indeed heartwarming, but then came thement about crawling through small holes, which made Napoleon want to punch him.

    "Joseph, you''re not a good person," Napoleon said.

    "Haha..." Josephughed triumphantly. "Also, considering our difference in height, I bet you won''t be able to eat as much as I will when we have meat for lunch."

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 Chapter 20: The Invitation

    Chapter 20: The Invitation

    During dinner, Joseph told Napoleon that in nine days, he would be participating in an experiment to measure the speed of light at the French Academy of Sciences. He invited Napoleon to join him and see the world if he was interested.

    Napoleon''s face showed indifference, but Joseph could sense some excitement in his eyes. His words were just a faade. While Napoleon contemted the invitation, Joseph quickly helped himself to more meat.

    After bidding farewell to his brother, Joseph continued his final sses at the School of Emperor Louis. On this particr morning, he had just finished a rhetoric ss when he ran into Armand.

    "Ah, isn''t this our great scientist?" Armandughed as he approached. "Hey, I never thought you could write such a paper! My days have been quite miserabletely because of you. You see, my uncle keeps praising your talent every day, and my father lectures me about you 24/7... All because of you, my inner peace has been greatly disturbed."

    "Ah, Armand," Joseph said, "I sympathize with you, but as I''ve said before, parents always like to praise other people''s children in front of their own. However, when ites to writing wills and dealing with their inheritance, they always remember their own not-so-bright kids. So, this isn''t really a big deal, and you don''t need to fret over it."

    "I''m not just talking aboutpensation for that," Armand shook his head. "I''ve seen this kind of situation before! But, darn it, yesterday, my beloved Fanny actually inquired about you and said she would love to meet you. Even the old man didn''t object. My goodness! It breaks my heart... No, you must make it up to me."

    Fanny was Armand''s sister, and Armand doted on her. He loved to unt her in front of others. But if any of his friends expressed a desire to meet her, he would immediately turn against them. Armand knew that his friends were just as unreliable as he was, and they should have the self-awareness to know which kind of girl they shouldn''t approach. So, when Armand''s friends, knowing that Fanny was Armand''s sister, dared to express a desire to meet her, it wasn''t just a matter of ill intentions towards his sister; it also meant they didn''t consider Armand a true friend. Thus, Armand would unhesitatingly sever ties with such individuals.

    "My friend," Joseph said, "Since this involves your sister, it''s a reasonable request. Alright, tell me what kind ofpensation you need."

    "Is it that easy?" Armand widened his eyes, grabbed Joseph''s shoulder, and suddenly asked, "You want to meet my Fanny?"

    "No, not at all," Joseph immediately replied.

    "Hmm," Armand let go of his shoulder, but then he suddenly realized and said, "You''re not honored? You don''t want to meet the lovely Fanny?"

    "You''re insane!" Joseph retorted.

    "You''re right, my friend," Armand didn''t argue but sighed instead. He continued, "I know I have issues with my attitude in such matters, but I can''t help myself."

    "It''s not a big deal, Armand," Joseph consoled him. "You can change. Don''t give up on yourself. Actually, I wanted to say that your sister is lucky to have a brother who cares so much for her. But in this age, there are too many irresponsible yboys."

    "But I have to admit, among my friends, you are a rare one. Not too much of a scoundrel or a danger, more like an upright person. So, if you get a bit closer to Fanny, I might tolerate it a little..."

    "That''s not like you, Armand," Joseph said. "Aren''t you the one who hates ''upright'' people? Haha..."

    "Alright, I''m inconsistent," Armand didn''t argue but sighed again. "I know, it''s just hard to control myself."

    "It''s not a big deal," Josephforted him. "You can change. Don''t give up on yourself. Well, what do I need to bring as a gift?"

    "No need, no need," Armand said. "Your presence is enough."

    ...

    Regarding the invitation from Armand''s father and the subtle hint from Armand, Joseph carefully considered it, and it made sense.

    The Lavasse family was a noble family in Paris, although their title was not high, just a viscountcy. However, Parisian nobles were known to be proud. Even "provincial nobles" were considered ignorant country folk in their eyes. If this had been a few decades ago, someone of Joseph''s status would never have been qualified to be a guest in their home.

    But times had changed. In recent years, France''s economic situation wasn''t great, which affected the nobility''s ie. Living in the expensive city of Paris was a real challenge. Even Parisian nobles, especially minor ones like Armand, were struggling. Armand''s father was a cousin of the famous chemist Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier. Compared to the sessful chemist, the financial situation of Armand''s family was less stable, and their limitednd holdings couldn''t support their expenses, especially with two spendthrift sons. If not for regr assistance from their cousin, Armand''s family might have been buried in debt by now.

    Armand''s younger sister Fanny had grown up. In noble families of this era, to secure the family''s property and status, sons other than the eldest often received no inheritance and had to make their living aswyers, businessmen, or artists. As for daughters, their future was even more uncertain. Noble families had to provide substantial dowries for their daughters to marry men of equal status, and this was a heavy burden for many noble families. To save on dowry expenses, some noble families married their daughters off tomoners in the provinces or sent them to convents.

    From previous conversations, Joseph knew that Fanny was beloved in the family. In noble families of this period, to find a suitable husband for their daughter was a major concern. If Armand''s family wanted to marry her into a family of equal status, they wouldn''t be able to afford arge dowry. However, Joseph was a noble, and his future prospects were promising. If Armand''s family married Fanny to him, they wouldn''t have to provide a substantial dowry. Moreover, Joseph was a trustworthy person known to Armand, and he had the endorsement of the great chemist. All this considered, Joseph thought that Armand''s invitation was quite reasonable.

    Two dayster, Joseph dressed in his only suit, took a public carriage, and arrived at Armand''s house on Le Pardieu Street. Not far from Armand''s house, he spotted the ruins of the famous Royal Opera House.

    This opera house was the same one featured in the famous musical "The Phantom of the Opera." It was built in 1671 but burned down in 1763. It was only rebuilt during the Second Empire. Now, it stood as a charred ruin.

    Armand''s house was right next to these ruins. Being a noble, their residence was rather spacious, with a two-story building and front and back gardens.

    Joseph followed the address and arrived at the entrance. By this time, music was faintly heard from inside. A servant was waiting at the door to greet guests. Joseph approached him and announced his identity. The servant immediately went inside to announce, and soon Armand appeared, wearing a smile on his face.

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 Chapter 21: The Gathering

    Chapter 21: The Gathering

    Joseph followed Armand into his family''s courtyard and up the steps. He noticed that Armand''s house was a typical Rococo-style building. The walls were adorned with various ornate carvings, decorated with gold and various other colors of paint. Such a building must have once been filled with extravagant grandeur, but now, the golden and colorful paint had weathered and peeled, leaving the entire facade mottled and faded.

    Armand noticed Joseph observing the wall and said, "This house has some history to it. It''s long overdue for some restoration, but my father and I are both hopeless dandies, too preupied with other matters. So, the house... how should I put it?"

    Armand furrowed his brow.

    "I think it''s not so bad," Joseph replied earnestly in a contemtive tone. "It has a unique beauty. It''s like an unfurled scroll of time, filled with the weight of history. When you look at it, you see the capriciousness of fate, the unpredictability of life."

    "Joseph, your words... I''ll take that as a genuinepliment," Armand said. "You know, one of my greatest qualities is appreciating such things. Also..."

    Armand paused, looking up and examining the mottled wall in detail. "Joseph, one thing you said is right. This is capriciousness, this is fate. Underneath the splendor, there''s solitude and despair, and that''s the essence of Rococo!"

    "O Fortuna, velut Luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut decrescis; vita detestabilis nunc obdurat et tunc curat ludo mentis aciem, egestatem, potestatem dissolvit ut ciem," Joseph softly recited in Latin. ("This is a passage from the Latin work ''Carmina Burana'' known as ''O Fortuna,'' meaning: O Fortune, like the moon, ever-changing, you wax and wane; detestable life now oppresses and then soothes as game of sharp mind, poverty, and power melts away like ice.")

    "Goodness! You immediatelyposed a poem in Latin!" Armand yfully scolded. "You''re already outperforming me in the natural sciences, and now... you, my friend, are making it impossible for anyone to live!"

    "This isn''t mine," Joseph shook his head. "I don''t know who wrote it, maybe some nameless poet from the eighth century or even earlier. Well, I''ve told you, my godfather is a bishop, and I found this in one of his church''s scrolls."

    "The terrifying Middle Ages must have buried many talented poets," Armand said. "Anyway, let''s not stand here chatting on the steps. Let''s go inside."

    They entered the house, and Joseph looked around the living room. A crystal chandelier with over a dozen candles illuminated the hall, even as night had fallen. On either side of the hall were several chairs, with a dance floor in the center. The marble floor was dimmed with age, losing its former luster.

    The sofas in the hall were empty, and Armand said to Joseph, "We haven''t invited too many people this time, just a few close friends. They are all in the small living room."

    Following Armand, they turned to the right and entered the small living room. As Armand had said, everyone was in the small living room.

    Armand introduced Joseph to the people in the room, starting with his father, Charles de La Vauguyon.

    "Thank you for your hospitality," Joseph said, bowing.

    "Come on, Armand, why are you making it so formal?" Charles de La Vauguyon shook his head. "This is just a casual family gathering."

    Then he turned and pointed to a high-backed chair, saying, "Mr. Bonaparte, please have a seat here."

    "Thank you," Joseph replied. "I''m a friend of Armand, so you can just call me Joseph."

    Armand continued to introduce Joseph to other family members.

    "This is my mother, Madame de La Vauguyon."

    "I''m pleased to meet you, madam," Joseph nodded in greeting.

    "I''m happy to see you young people," Madame de La Vauguyon responded. "It reminds me of the good old days when I was young."

    "Mom, you''re young too," Armand said.

    "This is my cousin, Samuel de Fermat. He''s excellent at fencing and shooting, and he served with Marquis de Lafayette in North America. He''s a great guy." Armand introduced another short man sitting there. Joseph noticed a long scar beneath his right ear, extending down to his lip. Perhaps to conceal the scar, he intentionally wore a big mustache simr to a character fromterics. It made it hard to determine his age.

    "Hello," Samuel stood up and nodded.

    "Pleased to meet you," Joseph replied.

    Armand then introduced several other people, most of whom were rtives. Finally, Armand led Joseph to a girl in a pale yellow dress.

    "This is our most precious pearl, my sister Fanny," Armand said.

    "Pleased to meet you," Joseph said quickly.

    "Nice to meet you too," the girl lowered her head slightly, curtsied with her hands holding her skirt, and then raised her head, opening her big green eyes to quickly nce at Joseph. She then lowered her eyelids and said, "I''ve heard a lot about you from my brother. I heard your paper received a major award from the Academy of Sciences. Not only that, my uncle said you''ve made significant contributions in mathematics. And you''ve been rmended for a teaching position at the Paris Military School. You''re not even twenty yet, and you''ve received such a rmendation. That''s quite remarkable!"

    "Miss, it''s not as difficult as you imagine," Joseph replied with a smile. "I''ve just been lucky."

    "My brother said, luck is only for those who are prepared," Fanny smiled softly and whispered.

    "Well, everyone, please take a seat. Let''s not stand and chat," Charles de La Vauguyon said.

    Joseph sat in a chair next to Armand. A servant brought a cup of tea and ced it on the small table beside Joseph.

    They continued their conversation.

    "What were you all discussing before I arrived?" Joseph asked.

    "We were discussing the recent performance of ''The Marriage of Figaro,''" Armand replied.

    "The Marriage of Figaro" was a work by Beaumarchais. However, for those in the future, they might be more familiar with the opera version adapted by Mozart. But the opera version of "The Marriage of Figaro" wasn''tpleted until 1786. The recent performance was not the opera most people today know; it was a y adaptation of "The Marriage of Figaro."

    "Mr. Beaumarchais'' satire in this y is sharp and highly ironic. It''s quite audacious that he had the courage to do it," Armand said.

    "Beaumarchais is one thing, but the ywrights of theedy troupe have even more guts. They altered the plot and even made fun of Her Majesty, the Queen. That''s real audacity!" Charles de La Vauguyon said.

    "Isn''t it?" Fanny smiled, her voice low. "They even made Count Almaviva say such things. That''s bold! But aren''t you worried about the Queen? She might not take it as a mockery. Maybe she''ll think Count Almaviva''s words are praise!"

    Armand chuckled with a disdainful look. "Mary Antote, the Queen, is from the Habsburg family and has received a good education. She can definitely grasp simple metaphors. So the changes made by theedy troupe do require courage. But truth be told, the risks they''re taking aren''t as great as they might imagine. Because even if they see these satires, the King and Queen probably don''t care."

    "Someone publicly uses them, how could they not care?" Samuel interjected.

    "Ah, well. Let me give you an analogy," Joseph began. "You fought in North America. I heard that some Native Americans and the British fought against you. It''s said that those Native Americans used their sorcery to curse you. So, Mr. Fermat, do you care about their curses?"

    "Of course not, because I know their superstitions are useless. You see, there''s no sorcery that a bullet can''t dispel," Samuel replied.

    "If one bullet can''t, then we''ll use another," Joseph smiled.

    "You''re right, Mr. Bonaparte," Samuel agreed,ughing. "But in general, dealing with Native Americans, one bullet is usually enough."

    "In the eyes of the King and Queen, such usations are no different from the curses of the Native Americans," Joseph concluded.

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 Chapter 22: Inspiration

    Chapter 22: Inspiration

    "Arrogance! Such a cursed arrogance," Joseph eximed. It was evident that Armand understood Joseph''s words.

    "Perhaps it''s not just arrogance," Joseph pondered, "but rather a disconnectthe divide between the upper and lower sses. The French people are filled with anger towards the upper ss, but the upper ss may not even be aware of it, or they simply don''t feel it. The king and queen are surrounded by sycophantic courtiers, living in a world far removed from the lower sses, and any other voices cannot reach their ears. So, they continue as they wish. This is dangerous because it could lead to explosive consequences. If the umted anger is not channeled properly, once it erupts, it will inevitably have destructive consequences, just like a flood breaking a dam. Art should y two roles during this time: to warn the upper ss, making them aware of the danger, as art is one of the few ways to get their attention. The other role is to pacify the lower ss. For example, Monsieur Beaumarchais'' ''The Marriage of Figaro'' attempted to fulfill these tasks. His satire of Count Almaviva serves as a warning to the upper ss, while letting Figaro find happiness in the y can be seen as a form of constion to the lower ss. However, it seems that his warning was insufficient, and its pacifying effect is still uncertain. So, the members of theedy troupe have increased the satirical content further, but so far, after several months of performances, nothing significant has happened. It seems to have had little effect."

    Everyone nodded in agreement. Only Fanny seemed not to understand and asked, "So, Monsieur Bonaparte, if something does happen with theedy troupe, does it mean it has been effective?"

    "No matter what happens, even if they were all arrested en masse and thrown into the Bastille or executed one by one, it would at least show that the upper ss cares about these matters. However, after this long, with no sign of any action, it can only mean that those above simply don''t care," Joseph replied.

    "In that case, ''The Marriage of Figaro'' may not have been sharp enough," Samuel remarked.

    "Joseph, maybe we should write a more provocative script. Let me think about what we should write," Armand contemted.

    "Perhaps we should write the story of Charles I? The English king who was beheaded," Joseph suggested. He knew that if history didn''t change significantly, the French king, Louis XVI, might meet a simr fate and be executed for treason.

    "That would be too explicit," Samuel shook his head, "If we write that, you and Armand might end up in the Bastille, or worse. Not many theater troupes would dare to perform such a sharp piece. I think it''s better to write about the American Revolution. That''s a rebellion against tyranny."

    "That sounds like a good idea," Armand agreed, "Samuel, you have personal experience, which can help us."

    "But North America is so far away. And considering France''s role in the American Revolution, if we write about it, the king might think we''re just praising him," Joseph said.

    "How is that possible? The king is not a fool," Samuel insisted.

    "It''s not impossible. The king is not, but some of those around him can mislead and confuse him. Even what the king sees as the script and the performance might not be urate," Joseph exined. Such means to manipte those in power were too simple in his view.

    "God, how did youe up with this idea, Joseph? You have a chance to be a courtier," Armand teased him.

    "You can''t insult me like that. You should know someone like me could never be just a courtier. At the very least, I''d be a grand courtier," Joseph retorted, and everyone burst intoughter, even Fanny, who had been initially concerned due to Joseph''s stern tone.

    Armand, still chuckling, said, "Alright, enoughughter. Seriously, do you have any other suggestions for my new y?"

    "What if we write about Spartacus?" Fanny suddenly spoke up. "Spartacus represents the lower ss rebellion, and that can''t be changed. Moreover, there are limited historical records about him, allowing for creative freedom."

    Since Fanny had spoken, Armand immediately voiced his support. "I think that''s a good idea. I''ve already thought of a series of exciting scenes. For instance, how Spartacus fought a tiger in the arena, or..."

    "And we can show how Spartacus, despite earning his freedom through victory in the arena, refuses to be satisfied and dedicates himself to the struggle for the liberation of all ves, believing that every person should be born free, and that it''s every good person''s duty to overthrow the system that oppresses and exploits others," Joseph added with a yful smile, just enjoying the lively discussion.

    "Yes, and through Spartacus'' voice, we can convey the words, ''All men are born equal, have the right to liberty, happiness, and the sacred, unalienable right to resist oppression,''" Samuel chimed in.

    "Are you nning to have Spartacus recite the American Deration of Independence from a few thousand years in the past? That seems a bit much," Fanny interjected.

    "Then what''s the alternative? Have him recite the Gospel?" Samuel retorted. "Although Spartacus lived thousands of years ago, our purpose in writing about him is to make him speak the words we need in the modern context."

    "Flix is right," Joseph agreed. "Perhaps we can be even more daring. After the Battle of Appia, Crassus crucified over six thousand captured ves. We could stage that scene, with ves crucified like Christ on the cross. We could even prepare a choir to sing an anthem of resistance during this moment."

    "Joseph, I remember your godfather is a bishop," Armand eximed in amazement.

    "The bishop also believes that the Church has deviated from the spirit of Christ in many ces today," Joseph replied calmly.

    "I think Monsieur Bonaparte''s idea is creative. If Voltaire were alive, he would surely love this concept. Well, Monsieur Bonaparte, are you skilled in music?" Fanny asked with a gleam in her eyes.

    Joseph smiled and replied, "I''m nearly illiterate in music."

    "I see," Fanny said with a hint of disappointment. "We''re all a bunch of music illiterates here. So, who willpose this anthem of the resistance?"

    "Fanny, that''s not difficult. We just need to write the lyrics and then find a musician topose the music. Of course, good lyrics and good music aren''t easy toe by. Right now, I''m filled with the desire to create," Armand exined.

    "Brother, your creative desire usually doesn''tst even a week," Fanny teased with a smile.

    "You''re right, Fanny. If it weren''t for this w of mine, I would have be the new Sophocles. But I''ll do my best to control myself. Joseph, you''ll help, won''t you?" Armand said.

    "If I have the time, I''ll do my best," Joseph replied. "But at least for now, I''m afraid I won''t be of much help. You know, I''m quite busy recently."

    "Monsieur Bonaparte, what have you been busy withtely?" Samuel inquired.

    "Joseph has an important experiment to conducttely. It''s rted to measuring the speed of light. My uncle praised the ingenious design of this experiment. Additionally, he''s preparing to be a mathematics teacher at the Paris Military Academy. Joseph, your younger brother is studying at the same academy, right? Does he know you''re going to be his teacher? How did he react?" Armand asked.

    "I haven''t told him yet," Joseph replied. "I want to see his reaction when he suddenly discovers that his math teacher is me."

    "I can imagine that it will be quite interesting," Fannymented with a smile.

    And so, the conversation turned to how to y tricks on Joseph''s brother. Fanny offered some suggestions, many of which she imed were tricks Joseph had used on her.

    Everyone got into the spirit of things and began providing their ideas on how to tease Joseph''s brother. If it hadn''t been for the butler''s reminder that dinner was ready, they might have continued brainstorming devious ns.

    "All right, let''s head to the dining room," Viscount Lavoisier stood up. "I managed to get a few bottles of excellent wine..."

    Armand''s household had different dining customspared to Joseph''s. There were no strict formalities, and even during the meal, everyone continued to chat andugh. The conversation meandered from Lavoisier''s red wine to various topics, such as Ceylon tea and Mediterranean tuna, and somehow ended up discussing Nile crocodiles and hippos. French people, it seemed, had a lot inmon with Chinese when it came to their love for discussing food: Can we eat it? Is it tasty? How should it be prepared? In this aspect, they were quite alike.

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 Chapter 23: The Experiment

    Chapter 23: The Experiment

    A few dayster, on a sunny morning, Joseph once again donned his formal attire, while Napoleon wore his military uniform. They boarded a light two-wheeled carriage bound for the Bertonne Castle on the outskirts of Paris, where they were set to participate in an experiment to measure the speed of light.

    The Bertonne Castle was an estate belonging to the House of Ons, perched atop a small hill. It was originally a military fortress built in the 12th century but had lost its military significance over time. Its defensive modifications had made it ill-suited for habitation, and it nowy in a semi-abandoned state. However, for conducting experiments, the location was ideal. It was far from the city, with few nearby residents, and virtually no light pollution. From the high castle tower, they could clearly observe the reflected light from mirrors set about four or five miles away.

    Given the remoteness of the location, and the absence of public transport, Joseph had rented a light two-wheeled carriage to reach the castle.

    The journey in the light carriage took most of the morning, and it was around three in the afternoon when they arrived near Bertonne Castle. There was an estate of the House of Ons below the castle, where the participants of the experiment gathered. The carriage came to a halt at the estate''s gate, and a servant approached to inquire about their identities. Joseph identified himself, and shortly after, the ornate iron gates of the estate swung open. They entered the estate, and the carriage came to a stop in front of a grand, Baroque-style mansion. A wig-wearing steward guided them inside.

    The steward led them through a grand hall and into a small garden at the rear of the mansion. In the garden, there was a modest ss greenhouse. While such structures might not be extraordinary in the future, during this era, it was a luxury beyond the reach of most. Several people were inside the greenhouse, sipping tea and admiring the blooming roses. Joseph noticed Ampre, Lace, Biot, and Monge among them. However, the host, Duke Charles, was conspicuously absent.

    "Ah, Joseph,e over here," Biot waved when he spotted Joseph. He approached and greeted each of them one by one. He expressed his gratitude to Monge and Lace for their rmendation. Napoleon, whom Joseph introduced as his brother, was also acknowledged.

    Joseph inquired about the absence of the Duke, and Biot exined that he had been summoned by the King. The Duke''s butler, Mr. Will, was left to assist them with the preparations, and everything was in order, awaiting the night''s experiment.

    In the past few days, the Academy of Sciences had worked in coboration with the House of Ons to precisely measure the straight-line distance from the Bertonne Castle''s watchtower to the mountaintops of two nearby, unnamed hills. To ensure a clear line of sight, they had even cleared the trees from those mountaintops - they were, after all, part of the Orleans'' estate.

    Now, everything was ready, and they only awaited nightfall. They engaged in scientific discussions as they had nothing else to do. Lace and Monge delved into the gravitational potential function for any mass point outside a celestial body. Napoleon, though interested, listened more than he participated, in contrast to Joseph''s active engagement.

    Soon, the Orleans family''s staff invited everyone for a meal. It was a working dinner, modest by Orleans'' standards, but Joseph and Napoleon experienced several culinary novelties, including truffle slices sandwiched in goose liver paste and various other delicacies.

    After dinner, they returned to their carriages and made their way to the nearby castle. The carriages navigated winding roads until they arrived below the castle.

    Exiting the carriages, they found the sun setting in the western sky, casting a warm, red glow. Servants lit torches, and with the Academy members, they entered the ancient castle. These fortresses, built for defense, often had thick stone walls and few, typically small, interior windows. This resulted in poor venttion and lighting, even in broad daylight, necessitating artificial lighting. Many nobles had abandoned these castles, and they were in a state of disrepair, often serving as settings for ghost stories. The Bertonne Castle had its own share of such legends.

    Joseph, with Napoleon, followed a servant carrying a torch up a spiraling stone staircase. The servant warned them about the slippery moss-covered steps, but they reached the castle''s topmost watchtower without incident. It was a small tform, about twenty meters in length. One end had a brazier with a fire fueled by whale oil-soaked wood. The fire, when lit, emitted a remarkably bright me, visible from a considerable distance even in the dark. At the other end of the tform, there was a set of revolving eight-sided mirrors.

    A telescope was positioned on the tform, allowing them to view the mirrored setup on the distant hill. Joseph asked if the mirrors were properly adjusted, and they confirmed that the reflections were precisely aligned. Their experiment depended on a beam of light sent from the rotating mirrors on one hill and then reflected back.

    As the darkness deepened, Lace dered, "It''s time to start."

    One of the servants ignited the brazier, and a rocket wasunched from the distant hill. The rocket served as a signal to inform them that they could clearly see the firelight from their position.

    With their attention now focused on the other side of the revolving mirrors, they awaited the return of the reflected light. However, at first, there was nothing but darkness. The mirrors rotated faster, but still, there was no sign of the firelight.

    "Faster, even faster," Joseph urged, watching the spinning mirrors.

    The speed increased, and finally, the flickering firelight began to appear on the side they were watching. "Hold it steady! Hold the rotation speed! Excellent! Quickly, record the speed!" Monge shouted.

    An assistant quickly recorded the rotation speed. Once the data was avable, Joseph, Lace, and Monge gathered around to perform calctions. Lace was the first to arrive at an answer, followed by Monge. Joseph took a bit longer, and when he finished, he found himself subjected to good-natured ribbing.

    Napoleon also couldn''t resist a teasing smile, and Joseph knew what he was thinking: "My dear, slow brother, you''ve be the subject of some gentle mockery."

    Joseph defended himself, "These calctions are far moreplex than my previous life, where we could solve them with a single keystroke. My speed is already quite impressive, and if anyone else were to attempt this, they might not evenplete half as much as I did."

    The room burst intoughter, and Joseph continued, "My calctions might not be fast, but they''re thorough, and I''m meticulous. I can''t help it."

    In the midst of theughter, Josephpleted his calctions. The three of them cross-checked their results and found them to be nearly identical. Joseph quietly converted the figure into kilometers, and they realized that their measured speed of light was remarkably close to the modern-day value.

    "How astonishingly fast!" Lace murmured. "If light is indeed a wave, one wonders about the unique properties of this ''aether.'' It''s truly beyond imagination. However, if light isposed of particles, how would one exin phenomena like the double-slit interference and Poisson''s bright spot?"

    Napoleon, leaning forward with a glint of curiosity in his eyes, chimed in, "What if we consider a more radical idea? What if the medium through which light propagates isn''t some conventional substance but the fabric of space itself?"

    "Space itself? Light as a wave in the fabric of space?" Ampre responded. "Ah, Napoleon, you possess a philosophical imagination. But as a scientific hypothesis, itcks substantial evidence. Science demands evidence, just like your brother''s hypothesis  it''s supported by a mathematical model. However, this notion, intriguing as it is, has no practical method for study since weck any tools to probe the fabric of space."

    Joseph, quite startled by Napoleon''s statement, knew that light wasn''t a wave in the fabric of space. While space itself could exhibit wave-like properties, these waves weren''t light but gravitational waves.

    "He''s quite imaginative. With proper nurturing, can we cultivate him into a physics emperor?" Joseph mused, while Napoleon''s eyes sparkled with curiosity and a touch of mischief.

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 Chapter 24: The New Teacher

    Chapter 24: The New Teacher

    After the recent experiment, Joseph''s days returned to being both fulfilling and boring. His daily routine now revolved around studying the mathematics of this era. This was twofold: to avoid identally introducing futuristic concepts into the curriculum due to insufficient knowledge of the era''s math and to prepare for future teaching.

    Amid this busy schedule, winter gradually passed. The past winter had been cold and dry, with not a single snowfall, which was not good news for France. It hinted at potential agricultural problems in theing year. Across the English Channel, Britain faced a simr issue, but the loss of North America and India during the Seven Years'' War left France unable to rely on colonial resources, making the risk of crop failure much more significant for them than for the British.

    However, Joseph didn''t pay much attention to this. Even if there were soaring food prices in the future, the teachers at the Paris Military Academy wouldn''t go hungry. Their family still owned somend in Corsica, where droughts were rare. They could probably produce something there and, if they managed to transport it to Paris, even make a profit, despite the substantial taxes involved. Paying these taxes honestly would be profitable enough.

    "Unless we find a way to smuggle food with warships in the future, making money won''t be that easy. But for now, I can stockpile a bit early. I remember that old Gellon Dumartrat in Balzac''s novels made a fortune by hoarding." Joseph thought.

    However, this was just a thought because Joseph had very little money on hand. Some of it had to be sent back home, and what remained barely covered his expenses. Even if he wanted to specte, he didn''t have the money to y.

    "And spection is risky. Even if you have a rough understanding of history, the specific operations are still risky. My risk tolerance is a bit low. So, for now, I can''t do much except wait for my sry." This was the sorrow of the poor. For the wealthy, a failed spection was just a learning experience. But for the poor, the consequences of a failed spection might lead to drastic measures, such as trying to escape to America or India. Or worse, they could be caught by creditors and forced into various old and illegal businesses to repay debts.

    In economic activities, the risks for the poor were always greater than those for the rich because they had no capital, just their lives. Joseph, overall, was not someone who wanted to take unnecessary risks.

    "Anyway, there are still a few years until the French Revolution. I can umte slowly," Joseph thought.

    Once winter had passed, Joseph had only one more semester of high school. In fact, in thisst semester, there were hardly any sses left. Those nning to continue their education were already in the university preparatory program at the School of Emperor Louis. Those not nning to continue their education had already started looking for jobs in Paris. Joseph, on the other hand, neither intended to attend university nor seek employment, so he continued to go to school every day, spending his time in the library reading.

    But he wouldn''t be staying much longer. He had already passed his graduation exams during the winter. So, shortly after, Joseph received his graduation certificate from the School of Emperor Louis, and he could now report to the Paris Military Academy.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, even though I''ve heard from Mr. Montgolfier and Mr. Lace that you are quite young, I never expected you to be this young. But with their joint rmendation, your abilities should be beyond doubt, especially Mr. Montgolfier, who believes your future achievements will surpass his. You may not be aware, but we are in great need of a teacher capable of instructing geometric art here," said Count Dupont, the school principal, when Joseph reported for duty.

    "Thank you for your trust," Joseph nodded.

    "Young man, strictly speaking, I am not trusting you. I just have a lot of trust in Mr. Montgolfier. Although he can be stubborn at times, he is undoubtedly a very reliable person. Initially, I wanted to transfer him from the Royal School of Military Engineering to our academy. But he''s quite stubborn... and he''s not very fond of some of the students here. Perhaps I should remind you; our school is quite different from the Royal School of Military Engineering. Many of our studentse from noble backgrounds, and many of them attend merely due to family tradition. Mr. Bonaparte, do you understand what I mean?"

    Joseph clearly understood the meaning behind Count Dupont''s words. It was well known that the Paris Military Academy had the best faculty but the worst students. Many of these noble students attended just for the prestige, intending to enter the army as officers and rapidly rise through the ranks, either bing generals or leaving the military for other positions. The military knowledge taught at the academy was of little importance to them. For these students, sess was achieving their life goals, not mastering military science. It was clear to Joseph that this was one of the reasons Mr. Montgolfier had not transferred from the Royal School of Military Engineering to the Paris Military Academy.

    "I understand," Joseph replied.

    "Well, that''s good," Count Dupont nodded, but then added, "Mr. Bonaparte, even for those noble students, we must not be too indulgent. We need to make an effort to ensure they learn something, or else it won''t reflect well on the school''s reputation."

    Joseph also understood the implication behind Count Dupont''s statement. It meant that, in any case, they had to make sure the noble students learned something. They couldn''t graduate asplete ignoramuses. It would tarnish the school''s reputation.

    "I will focus on teaching the conceptual aspects," Joseph replied.

    Focusing on conceptual teaching meant reducing quantitative analysis in mathematics to a minimum, so students only needed to grasp the concept. This approach would suffice for most of these students since they likely wouldn''t go to the battlefield. Even if they did, the quantitative analysis would be handled by non-noble staff officers.

    "Furthermore, the French Revolution is not far off, and most of these nobles won''t escape the guillotine. The final imperial wars won''t rely on them either. Right now, I just need to earn money steadily. If I can make use of these people destined to hang frommpposts, I can earn some extra money," Joseph thought.

    "Very well," pleased with Joseph''s understanding, Count Dupont continued, "We have prepared a dormitory and an office for you. You can also receive an advance payment for a month''s sry, and you''ll receive two sets of uniforms annually. You can arrange these with Marcel in our logistics department."

    "Thank you for your assistance," Joseph responded.

    After leaving the principal''s office, Joseph visited Mr. Marcel, the logistics officer, spending an afternoon settling in. Then he spent an evening preparing the course materials, ready to start teaching his students in a few days.

    ...

    Napoleon sat at the front, his short stature preventing him from being visible from the back. The new semester''s timetable included a new subject: "Military Geometry." Napoleon knew that this course contained ssified information. All students taking this course had to take an oath to maintain secrecy, and the school made it clear that leaking this knowledge would lead to charges of treason in a military court.

    Many of his noble ssmates didn''t take this requirement seriously, but it piqued Napoleon''s interest. He had always been very interested in geometry, excelling in it. Moreover, geometry was crucial for artillery, a branch he held in high regard. Thus, he had arrived early at the ssroom. It wasn''t until ss was about to begin that his fellow students started to trickle in, gradually taking their seats. The ssroom came alive with chatter, resembling a bustling market.

    As the ss bell rang, everyone hushed. This was a new subject, and they weren''t sure what to expect from their new teacher.

    The moment the bell ended, a young man in a brand-new military uniform strode onto the tform. He ced his lecture notes on the lectern and surveyed the students. Then he began, "I am your teacher for Military Geometry, Joseph..."

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 Chapter 25: Moments of Tranquility

    Chapter 25: Moments of Tranquility

    "Hey, Napoleon, aren''t you supposed to be good at math? Howe you couldn''t solve a single problem today?" On the way to the library, a ssmate caught up with Napoleon from behind, yfully shouting at him.

    Napoleon furrowed his brow but remained silent. Hispanion beside him, however, responded with irritation, "Bonnav, those problems were really tough. I dare say, even if Mr. Joseph exined them at the end, you still wouldn''t have been able to do them. Because you can''t even understand the questions!"

    "Well, what''s your point? I''ve never bragged about being good at math," Bonnav chuckled, "We have military geometry ss in a couple of days; let''s see if our math genius can solve a single problem then!"

    As Bonnavughed, he took a different path, as students like him, aspiring nobles, wouldn''t usually spend their time in the library studying after sses.

    "Napoleon, you don''t have to pay them any mind. They are just ipetent and need..." Napoleon''spanion gazed at Bonnav walking away in the distance and continued.

    "Andersen, I don''t really care about them. It''s you, you got too worked up," Napoleon replied, "If a dog is barking at you, what do you do? You either ignore it or pick up a big stick and beat it soundly. Right? But what did you do just now? You were actually trying to outshout a dog, which is..."

    "You make a valid point," Andersen scratched his head, "If I had a big stick in my hand, I would have given it a whack without a second thought. But the problem is, I don''t have a big enough stick. You see, even though he''s a vicious dog, he''s a titled dog, and I... the stick in his hand is bigger than mine. If I charge at him, I''d probably lose to that vicious dog, and that would be humiliating. So, I chose to exchange harsh words."

    "My brother once said," Napoleon mused and furrowed his brow slightly, "Don''t argue with a fool because they will drag you down to their level and beat you with their experience in foolishness. Even though that guy is a jerk, he had a point."

    Napoleon couldn''t help grinding his teeth.

    Indeed, Joseph was a real jerk. During ss, he used the pretext of assessing everyone''s current math level to present a series of questions. Then, he "randomly called on students" to answer them. The initial questions were quite straightforward, and even the dullest students didn''t make mistakes. But at the end, Joseph introduced a tricky problem. It wasn''t that hard, but it contained a subtle trap within its conditions and some misleadingnguage. When Napoleon was called up, he overthought the problem under the pressure and failed to solve it within the given time. Joseph then politely sent him back to his seat and promptly demonstrated the correct solution in a straightforward manner, making even the dull students feel as if they could have solved it themselves ("I understand it as soon as I hear it, I can do it as soon as I see it, but I get it wrong as soon as I try it" is amon feeling for mediocre students when faced with many math problems).

    Just before the end of the ss, Joseph presented another problem, iming it was a test of their grasp of the day''s lesson. He used the excuse that Napoleon was the "only one who couldn''t solve the previous problem" to call him to the front again. This time, the problem was genuinely challenging, and Napoleon failed to solve it by the time the ss ended (and with just two or three minutes remaining, how could he possibly have solved it?).

    "This guy is a real jerk! I have to study hard so that he can''t be so smug anymore!" Napoleon whispered to himself.

    As the two continued their conversation, they entered the library.

    While it was still daylight, they borrowed two books from the library and headed to the reading room. To ensure the safety of the books, the library strictly prohibited candles. So, once darkness fell, the library became inessible (in an era before electric lighting, most libraries around the world operated this way). However, the reading room at the Paris Military Academy provided free lighting  students with ID cards could request a white wax candle mounted on an iron candlestick, making it usable at night.

    Napoleon and Andersen took candles and proceeded to the reading room, intending to find a well-lit spot near a window to read. After all, a single candle''s duration was quite limited.

    At that moment, a person sitting at a table near arge French window suddenly raised their head and called out to them, "Napoleon,e over here!"

    Napoleon looked in the direction and saw Joseph smiling at him.

    "Joseph, hello," Andersen greeted politely with a bow.

    "Andersen, did you understand everything I taught today?" Joseph asked with a smile.

    "At first, I thought I did, but when I saw thest problem, I feltpletely lost. Even now, I have no clue about that one," Andersen replied.

    "Mastering the basic knowledge and being able to apply it practically are two different things," Joseph nodded. He then turned to Napoleon and asked, "Napoleon, have you figured out how to solve that problem now?"

    "I know how to solve it now," Napoleon replied, somewhat defiantly. "In fact, with a bit more time back then, I could have solved it."

    "The speed at which you solve problems is also an indicator of your grasp of the subject," Joseph remarked.

    "So, for the same problem, your speed is only two-thirds of Mr. Monge''s?" Napoleon couldn''t help butment.

    This response caught Joseph off guard. He frowned and said, "In terms of calctions, Mr. Monge is indeed far superior to me. However, in my opinion, my calction speed is sufficient for my research. But, Napoleon, if you want to graduate early, your problem-solving skills are not up to par yet."

    "Napoleon, do you want to graduate early?" Andersen asked in surprise.

    "Yes, my family is going through financial difficulties, and they need me to start earning money as soon as possible," Napoleon exined. "I also want to enter the military sooner rather than spend my days with the Parisian nobility."

    "I agree with your perspective, but I won''t go easy on you in my subject. If you truly want to graduate early, you should meet the standards of a real graduate," Joseph emphasized.

    Napoleon understood that Joseph''s notion of a "real graduate" excluded not only those from noble families seeking a veneer of education but also many ordinary graduates. The "real graduate" probably referred to an "outstanding graduate." This high demand didn''t breed resentment in Napoleon because, in his view, meeting these standards was only natural.

    "Napoleon, if you want to graduate early, you must excel," Joseph continued. "I''ve heard about your n, so I''ve prepared a set of practice problems for you."

    As he spoke, Joseph reached into a bag nearby and pulled out a small notebook, handing it to Napoleon.

    "Work on it diligently," Joseph said before lowering his head to continue reading.

    The days that followed were rtively peaceful. Joseph either gave lectures or worked on his own research and studies. asionally, he corresponded with Monge, Lace, and others about mathematical problems and published several papers. Furthermore, having resolved his own financial difficulties, Joseph brought his younger brother Lucien to Paris and enrolled him in the school.

    As for Napoleon, he had already requested to take the early graduation exam, and he was now immersed in intense studying.

    The days passed quietly, with the goddess of spring''s hemline swaying, and not a single decent spring rain showering down. Following the dry spring, a dry summer descended upon the city of Paris.

    The price of bread in Paris had increased again, rising by a quarterpared to the end of the previous year.

    This price hike was within Joseph''s means, but it posed a serious threat to themon people. In this era, Parisians didn''t have the habit of frequently taking to the streets in protests. Some who couldn''t find a way to survive in Paris left for the countryside, or even chose to seek opportunities in America. Others who couldn''t make ends meet through honest means turned to more illicit ways of life, such as theft or even robbery.

    However, these issues didn''t affect Joseph; he rarely left the school, and the hands of these thieves couldn''t reach him. In fact, both thieves and robbers could only truly harm those living at the lowest echelons of society. As for the upper ss, let alone the high-ranking nobility, even the so-called "middle ss" wasn''t easy prey. This was one of the reasons why some modern-day leftists continue to downy the various problems resulting from declining social order and maintain their high-minded stance.

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 Chapter 26, The Fort of Calais

    Chapter 26, The Fort of Cis

    In that summer, Napoleon smoothly passed his graduation exam and sessfully graduated from the Military Academy. He was assigned to the Raphal Legion and received the rank of Second Lieutenant in the artillery. On the day he left Paris, Joseph went to the stagecoach station to bid him farewell. Napoleon was dressed in a new gray-blue military uniform, a sword hanging at his waist, looking exceptionally spirited, except for being a bit short.

    "You look quite like an officer," Joseph remarked, patting Napoleon''s shoulder. "Work hard and be a general sooner."

    "What''s so great about being a general in France?" Napoleon whispered.

    "Don''t say that in front of others," Joseph advised. "Do your best in the army, hone your skills, and it will benefit you no matter what you do in the future."

    After bidding farewell to Napoleon, Joseph returned to school. He had just sat down at his desk when the school principal''s secretary, Will, entered.

    "Monsieur Bonaparte, the principal would like to see you," Will said.

    Joseph quickly stood up and followed Will to the two-story building where the principal''s office was located.

    "Will, what does the principal want?" Joseph asked as they walked along a path beside the flowerbed.

    "It seems to be rted to some engineering matter. I don''t have all the details, but you''ll find out when you meet with the principal," Will replied.

    As they entered the Count of Dupont''s building, a wig-wearing servant opened the door for them and took Joseph''s hat, saying, "Monsieur Bonaparte, the Count is waiting for you in his office upstairs. Please follow me."

    Joseph followed the servant upstairs and into the office of the Count of Dupont.

    "Ah, Monsieur Bonaparte, you''re here," the Count said.

    "Principal, what can I do for you?" Joseph inquired.

    "Yes, it''s about some engineering matters. Have you ever been to Cis? The town known force production?" the Count suddenly asked.

    "No, I haven''t," Joseph replied.

    "Cis is a decent town in the provinces, and it''s a nice ce to take a mistress or two for a vacation. But my mention of Cis is not rted to that; it''s about a military assignment. Would you be willing to go?" the Count asked with a smile.

    "I''m willing to serve the country," Joseph quickly replied. "May I know more about the task?"

    "It''s about the aging forts in Cis. They need to build a new fort to protect the harbor, and they require a mathematical consultant. Originally, Monsieur Montresor was supposed to take on this task, but he has othermitments, so he rmended you. Joseph, may I call you that?"

    "Of course, that''s fine," Joseph said.

    "Well, Joseph," the Count continued, "the school''s sry is limited, enough to keep you from starving, but it won''t provide afortable life. However, such assignments, though demanding,e with good ie. A few of these tasks, and you can save a substantial amount. Look at Montresor; his sry is actually slightly higher than yours, but he earns at least six or seven times more through such work."

    Joseph knew that Montresor had rmended him for this task not only because of his busy schedule but also as a way to help him. Gratefully, he said, "Thank you, Principal."

    "Why thank me? You should thank Monsieur Montresor," the Count smiled. "However, he''s a bit old-fashioned. If you want to show gratitude, sending him a substantial gift might offend his sensibilities... You''d be better off writing him an appreciative, schrly article. Joseph, this time, when you take on the role of a mathematical consultant, both Montresor and I hope you''ll use this opportunity to advance academically. While the task in Cis isn''t urgent, if you have no other pressing matters, please get your current work in order and report to Cis as soon as possible."

    Joseph knew this was the cue to leave, so he thanked the Count once again and exited the office. With the semestering to an end and his schedule rtively light, he made arrangements and, three dayster, set off for Cis with a letter of introduction from the Count.

    In modern times, a high-speed train connects Paris and Cis, taking less than an hour to travel between the two. However, in this era, the journey took two full days, and Joseph arrived in Cis as the sun was setting.

    As it was alreadyte, Joseph decided not to go directly to the naval camp at the harbor. It was unlikely that anyone would receive him at this hour. Instead, he found an ordinary inn near the harbor and settled in for the night. After a night''s battle with bedbugs, he woke up early the next day, determined never to stay in such a cheap inn again.

    Following the cobbled streets, Joseph made his way toward the harbor. The Cis harbor was divided into two sections: one was the bustling civilian dock, with several docked merchant ships and other vessels. Although it was still early, sailors were already busy cleaning the decks. On the other side was the French Navy''s military dock. It was much smaller than the civilian dock, with only one pier. Parked on the pier was a single-deck escort ship and a patrol boat with only two masts. The French Navy''s main fleet was traditionally deployed in the Mediterranean, as Cis was too close to Ennd. Standing at a high point on the shore and looking westward, on a clear day, you could even see the cliffs of Dover on the opposite side. Cis was only about thirty kilometers from the English military port of Dover in a straight line, and both the French and the British likely feared that one day they might be blocked in their own ports by the enemy''s navy.

    Joseph headed towards the military dock. He arrived at the guardhouse where a sentry with a red nose shouted, "Halt! This is a military zone. No entry!"

    "I''m Joseph Bonaparte, a mathematics teacher from the Paris Military Academy, here to report to Commander Verluf," Joseph replied, presenting his introduction letter.

    The sentry shifted his musket to his left hand and took the letter with his right. After a quick nce at the cover, he looked at Joseph and said, "Monsieur, please wait here for a moment."

    He then turned and walked inside the gate, leaving Joseph waiting outside. After a while, he saw the sentry return with a captain.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, I am Captain Saisse of the French Navy. Commander Verluf is not currently at the harbor; he is in the fortress on the hill. I can arrange for someone to escort you there."

    "That would be appreciated," Joseph replied.

    "Do you know how to ride a horse?" Captain Saisse asked.

    "I have some experience," Joseph answered.

    "Good," Captain Saisse said. He then turned to the sentry and ordered, "Pierre, go get two horses for us."

    Pierre left and returned with two horses. These were regr military horses used formuting and pulling, not for charging into battle.

    Captain Saisse handed the reins of a gray mare with white spots to Joseph and said, "Monsieur Bonaparte, follow me, and I will go at a slower pace."

    Joseph thanked him and took the reins, mounting the horse without assistance. Captain Saisse stood by, ready to lend a hand if needed. Seeing Joseph mount the horse effortlessly, he nodded and mounted the other horse, then urged the horses forward.

    The fortress was not far from the military dock, situated on a small hill just beside the harbor. They rode for only a few minutes before approaching the fortress.

    As they arrived at the fortress, Captain Saisse dismounted, and Joseph followed suit.

    "Wee to the headquarters of the fortress. Commander Verluf is here," Captain Saisse said. He led Joseph along a stone path, past the front gun emcements, through a maple grove, and to a small, two-story white building.

    "This is the headquarters of the fortress. Commander Verluf is here," Captain Saisse said, leading Joseph to the building.

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 Chapter 27: The Fort of Calais (2)

    Chapter 27: The Fort of Cis (2)

    The fortressmander, Colonel Antoine de Verluf, was a tall man in his forties. He was quite pleased with Joseph''s visit.

    "Ah, Mr. Bonaparte, I thought you''d take a few more days to get here," Commander Verluf said. "I didn''t expect you so soon. Well, do you need some rest?"

    "Thank you, but I don''t need it," Joseph replied. "In fact, I arrivedst night. It was quitete when I got here, so I rested at the inn. I don''t need more rest now."

    "Youth is something to envy," Commander Verluf chuckled. "When I was your age, I never felt tired no matter how busy I was. Since you don''t need rest, we can begin the work on expanding the fort. Captain Sais, why don''t you take Mr. Bonaparte to settle in and then apany him to the library for research and an on-site inspection? Mr. Bonaparte, if you need anything, feel free to ask Captain Sais."

    "Thank you for your hospitality," Joseph replied.

    Leaving the small building, Captain Sais asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, where is your luggage?"

    "It''s still at the inn," Joseph answered.

    "Which inn?" Sais asked. "I can send a couple of men to bring your luggage here. We''ve arranged for you to stay in the officers'' dormitory on that side. The conditions here can''tpare to Paris, but we''ll do our best to amodate you."

    "It''s a small inn called ''ude''s Inn,''" Joseph replied. "By the way, you can call me Joseph."

    "Ah, ''ude''s Inn''?" Sais chuckled. "Joseph, you must have chosen it for its proximity to the port and its decent appearance, not to mention the affordable price, right? Well, you probably didn''t sleep wellst night. That inn is known for having a lot of bedbugs!"

    Seemingly concerned that Joseph might think he was mocking him, Sais added, "Well, I fell for it in the past too. The owner, ude, is quite a character, but he doesn''t put his heart into running the inn. Let''s get you settled in the officers'' dormitory..."

    The officers'' dormitory in the Cis fortress had slightly better conditions than the teachers'' quarters at the Paris Military Academy, mainly because the cost ofnd and other things was much cheaper in this region than in Paris.

    Once Joseph was settled, it was already noon. Sais took Joseph to the officers'' mess for lunch. Cis, being by the sea, offered a much wider variety of fishpared to Paris, and it was much more affordable.

    "If you ask me, you have a better life here than in Paris. The money we receive in Paris is no different from what you get here, but the prices in Paris are much higher," Joseph said as he took a bite of fish.

    "But Paris is Paris after all," Sais replied. "The prices in Paris are indeed higher, but most people here would still prefer to go to Paris. These provinces are better suited for retirement, not particrly ideal for young people. If young folks want to achieve something, they should go to Paris. If I could go to Paris, I''d endure the higher prices. If it''s just about money, there''s more money to be made overseas. It''s just that for people like us with no connections, going to Paris isn''t easy."

    Indeed, Paris offered more opportunities, and for ambitious individuals, Paris was unmatched by any provincial city.

    "Maybe, uh, Sais, you''re a captain of artillery, right?" Joseph suddenly asked.

    "Yes, I am. What''s on your mind?" Sais inquired.

    "I''d like to consult with you about some matters rted to the fortifications," Joseph exined. "After all, I''m just a mathematician, and there are many aspects of artillery that I''m not very familiar with."

    "Oh, I thought you had some connections in Paris and could help me get to Paris," Sais joked.

    "Well, to my knowledge, the Paris Military Academy has alwayscked an expert in naval matters. If you''re capable..." Joseph added yfully.

    "Oh, I get seasick!" Sais said. "Aren''t there any other ces in need of people?"

    "I haven''t heard of any for now," Joseph shook his head. "And you''re in the navy, aren''t you? How can you get seasick?"

    Sais''s face blushed slightly. "In the navy... well, not everyone in the navy has to be on ships. The garrison here at the fortress is also part of the navy. I serve in the coastal artillery, and I don''t have to board ships. I''m quite skilled in artillery, and you won''t find many better gunners in the entire navy than me. If it weren''t for my seasickness... By the way, doesn''t your school need an artillery instructor?"

    "I haven''t heard of that for now," Joseph said. "And, as you know, even if there were a need, the position would most likely be filled by an army officer."

    Unlike across the sea in Ennd, France had always been and-based power. In the French military, the army held more influence and prestige than the navy.

    "I see," Sais sounded somewhat disappointed, but he continued, "Joseph, you have a lot of connections in Paris and a lot of knowledge. If you find any opportunities, please remember me."

    "I''ll definitely remember," Joseph assured him.

    Joseph''s response wasn''t just a polite gesture; he also needed to establish connections in the navy. In theing years, the northern regions of France experienced poor harvests, while the south had no shortage of food. However, due to the country''s feudal structure, there were numerous barriers to internal trade, causing the cost of transporting goods to rise. If he could use his navy connections to bring food from the south to the north and deliver it to the northern ports, he could make a substantial profit. Smuggling from across the sea in Ennd could yield even greater profits.

    "In fact, Cis is a good ce," Joseph continued. "It''s one of the most important ports in the north. There will be many economic opportunities here. Maybe, in the future, I''ll need your assistance too. Anyway, we''re friends, and if the opportunity arises, we should help each other, don''t you think?"

    "You''re right. It''s a deal," Sais said.

    In the following days, Joseph discussed the ns for renovating the fort with the designer Michel and the artillerymander Sais. As themander of the artillery on the fort, Sais was also involved.

    "The primary requirement for the fort is to control the shippingnes into and out of the harbor. Our current fort is insufficient to control the entire channel. So, we n to build a new fort at this location, and with these two forts working together, we can control the entry and exit of ships..." Michel exined, pointing at the blueprint.

    "Sounds like a good location," Joseph said as he looked at the blueprint. "Is there anything specific you need me to calcte?"

    "It''s mainly about the ballistics data for the cannons. We also need your input on the specific design of the entire fort," Michel replied.

    "Unfortunately, with the existing cannons, and theck of suitable high ground nearby, our cannons have a limited range. Although they can barely protect the shippingnes, they are far from sufficient to protect the fleet when it deploys from the harbor. If the fleet is blocked in the harbor, there''s no way for them to engage inbat," Joseph added.

    Naval warfare required well-organized formations. This allowed for the efficient deployment of firepower and prevented friendly fire when maneuvering, as well as collisions between ships. The limited space in naval ports made it impossible for fleets to form their formations inside the harbor. If enemy ships blocked the harbor entrance before the fleet could finish forming its formation, they wouldunch an attack before the fleet couldplete its formation. If the cannons on the harbor fortifications had sufficient range, they could provide protection for the fleet when forming its formation.

    To achieve this, there were generally two methods. One was to install giant cannons on the fortifications. Fortifications had the advantage of being built on solid ground, eliminating concerns about them being sunk by heavy cannons. As a result, they could amodate muchrger cannons than those on ships, andrger cannons typically had longer ranges.

    However, this approach had its drawbacks. First, the cost of producing giant cannons was high. Second, the rate of fire for these cannons was quite slow. For example, the Turkish-made Dardanelles guns of the 15th century could fire at most seven shots per day. Although technology had advanced since then, the rate of fire for giant cannons remained limited. This slow rate of fire was insufficient for the task of protecting the fleet''s deployment.

    The second method was to ce cannons in the highest position possible. This significantly extended their range. Additionally, the stability of cannons on fortifications meant that their effective range was naturally greater. This allowed for a more open space for naval ships to deploy their formations.

    However, Cis and its vicinity did not offer a natural high ground. To achieve this, they would have to build an artificial high ground by piling up earth. This required more manpower and resources, or, more inly put, more money.

    "The navy believes there won''t be any need for warships to form battle lines inside Cis Harbor. So, the fortifications only need to ensure the blockage of the channel and prevent enemy attacks on the harbor," designer Michel exined. "After all, Cis is not Toulon. There will be at most one or two patrol ships here. Cis is primarily amercial port, andmercial ships don''t require battle formations. Look at Dover on the opposite side; it has natural high ground, making it easier to build fortifications, but even then, the British haven''t stationed many warships there."

    Because of the limited scale of the new fortifications, the project''s difficulty was rtively low. For Joseph, who was getting involved in such matters for the first time, this wasn''t necessarily a bad thing.

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 Chapter 28: The Rising Star of Science

    Chapter 28: The Rising Star of Science

    The design of the Fort of Cis and its associated calctions were not particrly difficult, and Montreuil had entrusted this task to Joseph more as a means for him to earn some extra money. However, Montreuil soon realized that Joseph was gaining much more than just a few coins from this endeavor.

    One day in July, while Montreuil was on a business trip to Nice, he received a thick letter from Joseph. The envelope was hefty and, had it not been sent through military channels, it would have cost Joseph a significant amount in postage. Montreuil opened the letter to find a stack of papers covered with various numbers and symbols.

    Montreuil nced briefly at the contents and understood that the letter discussed problems rted to the limits of mathematical functions. However, he was about to head out and had no time to thoroughly examine the letter. So, he slipped it into the pocket of his coat and left.

    After finishing his work, it was already past four in the afternoon. Some colleagues invited Montreuil to join them for dinner in the evening. He declined, citing personal matters that required his attention. The colleagues did not press him further and left on their own.

    ording to Christian beliefs, there are seven sins that can lead a person''s soul to hell: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. If this were true, then in Europe, the French, particrly the nobility, had the highest probability of descending into hell due to their gluttony. Like the great eating nations of the East, the French, especially the French nobility, were renowned for their extravagant feasts that extended well into the night. Compared to Paris, Nice had rtively lower prices, and its seafood offerings were abundant. A group of friends indulged in an eating and drinking spree from the afternoon until deep into the night, with their stomachs and throats fully satisfied. As they returned to their amodations, they noticed that Montreuil''s room, which was usually well-disciplined, had a litmp.

    "What is Montreuil doing?" one of them mumbled.

    "Who cares? That stiff guy doesn''t seem like a real Frenchman," another intoxicated fellow replied.

    These inebriatedpanions weren''t genuinely interested in what Montreuil was doing, so they merely muttered somements and went to sleep.

    Montreuil, oblivious to the spections outside his door, sat at his desk with a stack of draft papers, meticulously filled with various mathematical calctions. He furrowed his brow and continued his work, even after one candle burned out and the sky outside began to lighten.

    "Joseph''s research is quite impressive. I haven''t found any issues with it so far. Well, he must have been inspired while working on the construction of the fort. Ah, youth is truly a wonderful thing. In my younger days, my thoughts flowed much more swiftly," Montreuil sighed as he put down his quill.

    "Joseph probably submitted this paper to the Academy of Sciences. I wonder how those folks at the Academy will evaluate it," Montreuil pondered.

    Indeed, Joseph had submitted the paper to the Academy of Sciences. However, what Montreuil had not anticipated was that, within a week, Joseph would send another paper to the Academy, in which he derived a significant inequality. This inequality, originally known as Cauchy''s inequality in history, might need a new name now.

    But this was just the beginning. Six monthster, Joseph published a physics paper titled "Research on Frictional Heat." In this paper, Joseph conducted an experiment where he ced two ice blocks of equal mass and temperature in a ss container submerged in water. The ice blocks were rubbed against each other, causing them to melt. In contrast, another set of ice blocks, also of equal mass and temperature but left untouched, naturally melted as well. Joseph recorded the temperature changes of the water in both cases. Surprisingly, the water in the frictional heat group did not cool as rapidly as expected. Instead, its temperature decrease was more gradual and gentle. Joseph pointed out that this phenomenon contradicted the predictions of the traditional caloric theory, a concept widely epted in Europe.

    Caloric theory posited that heat was a substance called "caloric" - an immaterial, non-spatial substance. When an object absorbed caloric, its temperature would rise, and caloric would flow from a warmer object to a cooler one or through the pores of solids and liquids.

    Caloric theory sessfully exined many physical phenomena, including the cooling of hot tea at room temperature: the tea''s high temperature indicated a higher caloric concentration, causing caloric to flow to the cooler surrounding air. It could also ount for the expansion of heated air, as air molecules absorbed caloric, increasing their volume. Despite some challenges, caloric theory remained the dominant scientific hypothesis until the mid-19th century.

    However, caloric theory had its ws. It required that caloric could neither be created nor destroyed but only transferred between objects. Therefore, if one object''s temperature rose, another''s had to fall by an equivalent amount, and this posed difficulties in exining phenomena like frictional heat. In Joseph''s experiment, there was no clear source of caloric to melt the ice into water.

    Unlike Humphry Davy, the scientist who initially conducted the experiment, Joseph fully grasped its significance. He apanied the experiment with rigorous mathematical analysis and showed that, in this context, caloric theory and the kic theory of heat were not equivalent.

    "To be honest, this paper almost spells doom for caloric theory!" Lace said to Carnot, his face contorted in anguish. "This Joseph, he''s such a headache! There are so many fascinating things to explore in this world, but he seems to derive joy from demolishing others'' theories. He... he''s just..."

    "Yeah, I remember your distress when he first introduced the wave theory of light," Carnot replied, his face equally troubled. "Actually, I''ve justpleted a study based on caloric theory."

    "Me too," Lace replied. "I had an idea recently. Perhaps by considering changes in caloric, I can refine some aspects of Newton''s form for the speed of sound. However, right now, the research has only just started, and I might have to pause it for a while."

    "That''s not a big problem," Carnot said. "Your research is still in its early stages, and now you can consider it from the perspective of kic theory instead. ording to Joseph''s arguments, although caloric theory and kic theory are not entirely equivalent, in most cases, they can be considered interchangeable. So, the changes you need to make should be minimal. But my research is alreadyplete..."

    "Well then, Teacher, how do you view Joseph''s paper?" Lace asked.

    "What can I say?" Carnot replied. "Just likest time, I haven''t found any problems with his paper, at least not yet. Of course, his viewpoint surely has some issues, but how can caloric theory be wrong? At most, it might need some adjustments, some supplements. He also acknowledges that there may be alternative exnations besides his. Currently, caloric theory does have its shorings when ites to exining frictional heat, but that doesn''t mean it''s entirely finished. It merely indicates that for it to remain valid, we need to make further modifications. However, at the moment, I haven''t found a way to do that... This Joseph, he always enjoys causing trouble for us."

    Lace noticed that despite the trouble Joseph''s research had caused Carnot and the numerous conflicts with Carnot''s own work, Carnot''s attitude toward Joseph was unexpectedly lenient. While Carnotined aloud, his tone conveyed more a sense of "this child is mischievous" than any genuine malice.

    "This teacher is surprisingly magnanimous, isn''t he? It''s so unlike him!" Lace couldn''t help but think. "And he doesn''t even fully agree with Joseph''s views. If someone else had proposed such ideas, maybe even myself, the teacher might have been furious. Why, then, is he so tolerant this time?"

    "Thatd, he''s truly intelligent, but he enjoys stirring up trouble. Imagine if he could channel his cleverness into something more productive, rather than exclusively unsettling our theories. Well, when he returns, I''ll have a good talk with him," Carnot remarked, still smiling and oblivious to Lace''s thoughts.

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 Chapter 29: Leaving No Way for Nobels

    Chapter 29: Leaving No Way for Nobels

    After leaving the Academy, Lavoisier didn''t head home but instead took a carriage out of Paris towards one of the Duke of Orleans'' estates. A few days ago, he had borrowed a piece ofnd from the Duke for his new scientific experiments.

    Perhaps it was due to the king''s long struggle to have a son (Queen Marie Antote gave birth to her first child eleven years after marrying him), which had led many of the king''s close noble rtives to believe that he might be heirless and that the crown might fall to them. The Orleans family, as close rtives of the king, might have entertained simr thoughts. A few years ago, after the king underwent surgery and finally impregnated the queen, they had two sons. However, ambition, once kindled, is hard to extinguish naturally. Just like Macbeth, who harbored ambitions for the Scottish crown because of the witches'' prophecies. Although the old king had clearly stated that his crown would go to his son, not Macbeth, Macbeth''s ambition for the crown did not diminish; instead, it grew stronger and eventually drove him to regicide. Some great nobles, including the Orleans family, shared this ambition, which had not faded away with the birth of the princes. Moreover, with the king''s weak character and the queen, despite her strong-willed nature,cking much political education and being politically immature as a woman, these nobles felt that "they could take his ce."

    To achieve this, over the years, great nobles, including the Orleans family, worked both overtly and covertly to undermine the king, making sure he couldn''t do anything right. They also deliberately created public opinion to discredit the royal family. Of course, they wouldn''t directly target the kingit was too direct and would reveal their ambition too easily. So, they all unanimously focused their efforts on Queen Marie. Marie, while strong-willed, was also vain and had little concept of money, so it was easy to trap her. They ttered her, lured her into hosting various balls year after year, and swindled millions of francs from her in "gifts." Meanwhile, they spread rumors about her "extravagance," even giving her the nickname "Madame Deficit." The recent scandal of the peculiar ne incident had further tarnished her reputation. (A female con artist managed to escape from a heavily guarded prison after orchestrating such a grand spectacle that ensnared even the queen. Whether there was a problem here, only heaven knew.)

    Of course, the nobles were measured in their approach. Their propaganda seemingly aimed to exonerate the king, but in terms of its impact, it was actually better than directly attacking the king''s greed and cruelty. Because while people might hate a greedy and cruel king, they also feared him. But a kind and weak "good-hearted" king, controlled by his own wife, was scorned.

    Machiavelli believed that the weakest and most easily overthrown kings were not tyrants hated by all, but kings generally despised by their subjects. Through this kind of propaganda, the great nobles steered people''s hatred toward the queen while leaving the most dreadful thingcontemptfor the king.

    If Louis XVI were a strong ruler, or even just a tyrant, he could have swiftly quelled these discussions with forceful measures. At least, he could have turned people''s contempt into fear and hatred. In rtive terms, a king''s crown worn by a feared tyrant would be more secure than one worn by a king who was scorned.

    However, Louis XVI was a man of weak character, always looking back and hesitating, unable to make the ruthless decisions needed to cut off the heads of these great nobles. His concessions only made the great nobles, including the Orleans family, believe that the French crown naturally belonged to them.

    Machiavelli also argued that kings should show benevolence to their subjects, making them grateful and hopeful. While undermining the king with various snares, the nobles eagerly portrayed themselves as "friends of the people," "enlightened gentlemen," and "pioneers of democracy." In the words of a great teacher toe, they waved the begging bag of the proletariat as a g to win over the people. Of course, these tricks would eventually be exposed, but for now, they were enough to have the people follow them.

    To appear as "friends of the people," "enlightened gentlemen," and "pioneers of democracy," the nobles all put on a show of loving science, loving their country, and loving the people. Supporting academic research and academic freedom became a badge of honor among these nobles. Thus, supporting Lavoisier''s research, which had be a source of pride for France, was the kind of thing that "friends of the people," "enlightened gentlemen," and "pioneers of democracy" should do.

    Duke Philippe had some free time and was waiting for Lavoisier. He was genuinely interested in Lavoisier''s experiments and asked about their content when he had lent him thisnd.

    "Master, you know, I''m just curious, no other intentions. Can you tell me what experiments you''re doing here?" Duke Philippe asked when he lent him thend.

    "Oh, Joseph wrote me a letter. In it, he mentioned a special way to handle glycerin using concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid, creating a highly powerful liquid explosive. Well, perhaps we shouldn''t call it gunpowder anymore; we should call it explosive. There are still many problems with this liquid explosive, but Joseph is busy with mathematics now and not particrly well-versed in such matters. So, after some preliminary experiments, he told me about it. I gave it a try, and it turned out that this stuff is incredibly powerful, just as Joseph said, probably dozens or even over a hundred times more powerful than ck powder."

    "Is it really that potent?" Duke Philippe eximed.

    "It sure is," Lavoisier replied. "You see, Joseph described it as powerful as Zeus''s thunderbolts. He suggested that when I experiment with it, I should never exceed one gram at a time. So, I tried it, and it exploded for real. And its power far exceeded my expectations. Well, my lord, this stuff is quite dangerous. To conduct full-scale experiments, it''s impossible within the city of Paris."

    "Such a powerful substance should be studied by the military, shouldn''t it?" Duke Philippe asked.

    "Ah, Your Highness, you might not know, but this substance, while immensely powerful, is not suitable for military use, at least not currently," Lavoisier exined. "You see, this stuff is highly unstable. A slight vibration, exposure to light, or even a little heat, and it will explode. Imagine using it for military purposes; during transportation, a small bump in the road could cause an entire cartload of explosive to blow up, with the power equivalent to over a hundred carts of gunpowder exploding at once."

    "My God!" Duke Philippe eximed. "If it''s that dangerous, how can this substance be used?"

    "It''s unsuitable for military use," Lavoisier continued. "This stuff is difficult to transport and often needs to be prepared on-site. In military operations, it''s impossible to prepare this explosive on the battlefield. However, for civilian use, like mining, we can prepare it directly at the mining site and use it immediately, which is rtively safer. My lord, this substance is incredibly valuable. It can be very useful in mining and civil engineering projects, potentially bringing about revolutionary changes. The cost of raw materials is not high, and if we can solve the preparation problems, this substance should bring in a substantial ie. Are you interested, Your Grace?"

    "If the preparation issues can be resolved? My Master, does this mean there are problems with making this substance?" Duke Philippe inquired.

    "Yes, currently it can only be made in aboratory, and the quantity produced is quite limited. If it''s to be used on arge scale, the production method will need to change. Moreover, even during production, there are considerable risks. Mass production under different conditions and environments will require careful study," Lavoisier exined.

    "Then, Mr. Lavoisier, may I join this research?" Duke Philippe asked.

    "Of course, I wee your participation. In the future, you can even name this product. Furthermore, your name can be added as an author of future papers," Lavoisier said.

    The Dukeughed, "Ah, that won''t do. People will say I shamelessly pursued honors that don''t belong to me. So, my name can''t appear as an author on the papers. However, if you mention in the paper that I provided some insignificant help for this research, I''d be very pleased."

    "That''s not a problem," Lavoisier said with a smile. "Also, this research is somewhat hazardous. While you can certainly participate, please maintain a safe distance during dangerous operations."

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 Chapter 30: Is Napoleon Becoming a Philosopher?

    Chapter 30: Is Napoleon Bing a Philosopher?

    Nitroglycerin, in the original course of history, was invented by the Italian chemist Sobrero in 1846. However, the raw materials for its production, such as glycerin, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid, had already existed. At this point in time, producing nitroglycerin was no longer a significant technological challenge. In fact, the manufacturing process of nitroglycerin wasn''t too difficult; it mainly required maintaining a low temperature throughout the preparation.

    But in the original history, it was precisely this detail that cost a tremendous, even bloody, price for people to grasp. Lu Xun once sighed, "The history of humanity advancing through bloodshed is like the formation of coal. It consumed a vast amount of wood at the beginning but ended up with only a small piece." Technological progress follows a simr pattern. Many techniques that were acquired at a great cost are, in essence, quite simple.

    Joseph, of course, didn''t want Lavoisier to perish in a nitroglycerin explosion. That''s why he explicitly mentioned temperature control in the letter he wrote to Lavoisier. Joseph reasoned that more vigorous molecr motion would intensify the reaction, making it more dangerous. Therefore, by maintaining a low temperature throughout, despite slowing down the reaction, it significantly increased safety.

    However, even with this crucial guidance, achieving perfection was challenging. Just two dayster, Lavoisier experienced his first explosion on the Duke of Orleans'' property. An assistant failed to follow the operational procedures strictly, injected the acid too rapidly, and caused a serious ident, resulting in one death and five injuries. This wasrgely due to the rtively small amount of nitroglycerin being produced; otherwise, the other five individuals might not have survived.

    This explosion frightened Lavoisier considerably. He was present at the time, but he had momentarily left to quench his thirst. Of course, if he had been there, it''s hard to say whether the assistant would have been equally careless. However, the Duke of Phillips seemed particrlyposed and even more interested in this matter. Having witnessed the power of this substance, he immediately realized its great potential. As for casualties during the research process, well, they sacrificed themselves for the advancement of science, a death of greater significance. People are bound to die, but the meaning of their deaths varies. Sacrificing themselves for the advancement of science, like them, means dying for a cause greater than the Alps. As for whether people might die during production in the future, well, industrial idents are challenging to entirely avoid; people also get run over by carriages while walking. Moreover, even if those workers were to die, they would be dying for the construction of France, so what''s the problem? In any case, they won''t die at the Duke''s residence, just as the Duke would never be run over by a carriage when he walks in the street.

    While periodic explosions resounded at the Duke of Phillips'' estate, Josephpleted his business in Cis and returned to Paris. His brother Napoleon, along with his younger brother Louis, had also arrived in Paris.

    "I took leave from the army and made a trip to Corsica to bring Louis to you. Do you have any water here? I''m dying of thirst," Napoleon eximed upon seeing Joseph.

    "The water is over there. Pour yourself a drink," Joseph said. Then he approached Louis and said, "Louis, you''ve grown taller again; you''re even taller than Napoleon now. Haha. In our family, including the girls, you might be the shortest one."

    Napoleon didn''t like others making fun of his height, but he knew that the more he showed his anger, the more Joseph, that annoying guy, would be pleased. So, he simply ignored him and poured himself a ss of water, then drank it down.

    "How is everything at home?" Joseph asked.

    "Not good," Napoleon replied.

    "There''s nothing wrong, it''s the same as before," Louis said.

    "The same as before is the worst kind of ''not good,''" Napoleon retorted.

    "What''s wrong? Have youe out into the world, seen it, and now you''re not satisfied with Corsica? Can''t stand Corsica anymore?" Joseph asked, reclining in his chair and propping up his legs.

    "Why would I dislike Corsica? It''s just that Corsicacks change. In France, in Paris, you can always feel the dynamism, new ideas, new science, new opportunities; everything changes and progresses daily. But in Corsica, today is the same as yesterday, and yesterday is the same as the day before. I talked to people, and their thoughts haven''t changed in ten years, even a hundred years, or two hundred years. Even the patriotic idealists are the same; they only want independence and then lock themselves away, continuing to live as they did hundreds of years ago. This is not a good thing; Corsica shouldn''t be like this."

    "What do you think Corsica should be like then? Napoleon, it seems like you used to think the same way," Joseph said, a mocking smile on his face.

    "That shows that I''ve progressed beyond the others," Napoleon replied. "As for how Corsica should be, I believe the future Corsica should be a country of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule ofw, just as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu depicted."

    "Napoleon, you''ve indeed progressed!" Joseph chuckled. "So, what are your ns?"

    "During my time in Corsica, I''ve been thinking about this. Firstly, I believe that Corsica''s fundamental problem is not France''s upation but the people''sck of awakening. To truly change Corsica, we must educate our people and awaken them."

    "What?" Joseph was taken aback, his eyes widened as he stared at his brother. "Does this guy have a problem? Does he not want to be a great general anymore because of our time-travel and the butterfly effect, and now he wants to be a Lu Xun who awakens the masses?"

    Joseph hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Napoleon, what are your specific ns?"

    "I n to write a history of Corsica, just like ''The Gallic Wars,''" Napoleon said.

    Upon hearing this, Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Napoleon was still Napoleon. ''The Gallic Wars'' was a work by Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor. This meant that Napoleon''s role model remained political and military leaders like Caesar, and writing the history of Corsica was merely a means to achieve his political goals.

    "I''m not entirely optimistic about your ns," Joseph shook his head. "You know, the literacy rate in Corsica is even lower than in France and Italy. Few people can read."

    Napoleon opened his mouth, ready to argue, but Joseph didn''t give him the chance and continued, "Napoleon, don''t rush to argue. I know what you want to say. You want to say that even though few people in Corsica can read, as long as these people realize the problem and understand the new, correct ideas from outside, they can not only change themselves but also influence others. Because these individuals are natural leaders in Corsica. Is that what you''re thinking?"

    Napoleon stared at Joseph for a while before answering, "Yes, that''s what I think. What''s wrong with that?" He answered somewhat reluctantly, likely due to his prediction based on his old habits when dealing with Joseph, expecting his brother to respond with sharp sarcasm immediately.

    Indeed, his prediction turned out to be quite urate. Joseph immediately retorted, "My naive brother, you''re too young and naive! You actually believe you can persuade people with reason! It''s quite amusing."

    At this point, Joseph suddenly leaned forward, bringing his face close to Napoleon''s and stared into his eyes. "My brother, you must remember that the primary driver of most people''s actions is not their brains but their behinds! The key isn''t what''s right or moral, but what''s advantageous for them, where their behinds are positioned! Do you understand?"

    With that statement, he straightened up again. "Think with your head for a moment. In a ''free, equal, just, and legal state,'' what impact does it have on the people you need to coborate with to achieve your goals? Is it beneficial or harmful? Forget about morality and ideals; consider them all as Machiavellian individuals. Then think, will they support a ''free, equal, just, and legal state''? Not to mention, in France, who opposes this ''free, equal, just, and legal state''? Napoleon, do you remember what the primary question in every revolution is?"

    Napoleon shook his head.

    "Who is our enemy? Who is our friend? This is the foremost question in a revolution," Joseph exined, shamelessly presenting great thoughts as his own. "In the past, most failed revolutionary struggles had many reasons, but the fundamental one was their inability to unite true friends to attack true enemies. Revolutionaries are the guides of the masses, and no revolution has seeded without the leadership of revolutionaries. If you want to be certain of not straying and seeding, you must unite our true friends to attack our true enemies."

    Napoleon remained silent for a while, and then he finally spoke, but this time, there was a sense of longing in his eyes.

    "So, how do we determine who our friends are and who our enemies are?" Napoleon asked.

    ....

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 Chapter 31: The Corsican Society Survey and Armands Script

    Chapter 31: The Corsican Society Survey and Armand''s Script

    "How do we determine who our friends are and who our enemies are?" Joseph chuckled. "My brother, you''ve finally asked a question that''s not entirely foolish. Well, Napoleon, think about it. What kind of people desire change in their lives? And what kind of people want to maintain the status quo?"

    If it weren''t for their previous conversation, Napoleon might have immediately responded, "Those brave, adventurous, and heroic souls want change, while the mediocre, aimless individuals hope to maintain the status quo."

    But now, Napoleon had grasped Joseph''s line of thinking and wouldn''t give such a simple answer. So, after a moment of reflection, he replied, "Those dissatisfied with reality and who believe they should have arger share wish for revolution, while those content with the current distribution hope to preserve the status quo. Is that what you meant, Joseph?"

    "Ah, Napoleon," Joseph smiled, "although I often call you a fool, in reality, you are quite intelligentpared to most. Your thoughts are correct. Well, now you should consider who your allies will be in your revolution and who will be your enemies. I think writing ''The History of Corsica'' is not a bad idea."

    "What do you mean?" Napoleon asked thoughtfully.

    "Writing ''The History of Corsica'' will provide you with an opportunity to interact with allyers of Corsican society, from the upper echelons to themon people. Through this, you can conduct aprehensive survey of Corsica, allowing you to gain a full understanding of the ind. My brother, you must understand that without thorough investigation, there can be no urate judgment, and without judgment, there can be no authority."

    Napoleon pondered for a moment and nodded. "Joseph, your point is well taken. I''ll get started on this."

    "Well, let me tell you," Joseph began, ready to offer some advice on conducting a social survey, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

    "Who is it?" Joseph asked while making his way to the door.

    "It''s me, Armand," came Armand''s voice from outside.

    Joseph opened the door to find Armand standing there with heavy bags under his eyes, looking like he hadn''t slept or had perhaps indulged in too much "Herb''s Elixir." He also carried a bag in his hand.

    "Armand,e in," Joseph weed him, pulling out a chair for him as he said, "My ce is a bit messy; I hope you don''t mind."

    "No problem. My ce is messier," Armand replied with a smile. "Do you have any wine here? I''m parched from the journey."

    "I''m afraid not," Joseph shook his head with a smile, "you know I don''t drink much. I only have water. Is that alright?"

    "Damn! Alright, as long as it''s a liquid. I knew not to expect much here," Armand said.

    "Oh, Napoleon, would you mind getting the water jug?" Joseph turned to Napoleon.

    Napoleon fetched the water jug.

    "Is this your brother?" Armand asked.

    "Yes, that''s my not-so-bright brother," Joseph casually replied.

    "I think if he wore ancient clothes, he''d look like the living Emperor Nero or even Alexander the Great," Armand said. "You might be too harsh on your brother."

    Upon hearing this assessment, Joseph couldn''t help but scrutinize Armand from head to toe several times, leaving Armand puzzled.

    "Is there something on my face?" Armand asked.

    "No," Joseph replied, "I was just checking if you''ve sobered up from ''Herb''s Elixir.''"

    "Ah, do you think I''m rambling because I''ve never seen your brother before?" Armand responded in a melodramatic tone. "Mere mortals, you should know that the greatest prophets in the world, Apollo''s favorites, spoke the truths of the world while under the influence of mysterious intoxication. Do you think I''m babbling because I''ve never seen your brother? Foolish mortals, you should know that these divine intuitions are at work, and it was in this divine frenzy that I saw the light and the fire in your brother''s eyes. In that moment, I even thought of the statue of Alexander the Great! Believe me, my friend, your brother will be extraordinary in the future. Truly!"

    At this moment, Napoleon returned with the water jug, and upon hearing Armand''s praise, he wore a wide grin on his face.

    "Alright, Princess Cassandra," Joseph responded in a simr melodramatic tone, "you do have a point. But tell me, did you foresee my brother''s presence here and the need to make this prophecy to him, as if a witch foretold Macbeth''s prophecy?"

    Cassandra was a legendary Trojan princess and a priestess of the god Apollo. She refused Apollo''s advances, and he cursed her to see the future clearly but never be believed when she spoke her prophecies.

    "Ah, you still don''t believe," Armand said. "But wait and see. As for the reason I''m here, well, I didn''t foresee meeting your brother here and making this prophecy. Joseph, do you remember the script we discussedst time? Spartacus?"

    "Of course, I remember. Have you finished it?" Joseph asked in amazement. "This isn''t like you, Armand. You usually write no more than twenty words a day."

    "Well, you''re right. But this time is different," Armand acknowledged his usual daily output. "I had a sense of a mysterious forcepelling me, and I couldn''t stop writing. The ancient Greeks believed that tragic ywrights weren''t creating on their own; rather, the gods worked through them. When I was writing Spartacus, I felt that way, as if the Muses themselves were guiding my hand, making me write without pause. Joseph, this is not my creation; it''s the Muse working through me. I''m just a vessel driven by divine inspiration. So, even though I''ve written this y much faster than anything before, the quality surpasses all my previous work. Compared to what I wrote before, it''s likeparing the Graces to Helen. Do you want to take a look?"

    "Alright, enough self-praise," Joseph interjected. "You sound like a chatan selling indulgences. Let''s see the script."

    "Here you go!" Armand handed over the bag.

    Joseph took the bag and, inside, found a neatly bound manuscript.

    "Feel free to enjoy yourselves, and I''ll take a look first," Joseph said while opening the script.

    "You go ahead," Armand replied.

    Napoleon leaned in to read it alongside Joseph.

    Armand, leaning back in his chair, began to yfully engage Louis, who had been rather quiet all this time.

    Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a warm glow on Joseph''s desk. As time passed, this patch of sunlight crawled across the table like a snail, gradually shifting from one end to the other. By the time Joseph had finished reading the entire script, the sunlight had already moved from one end of the desk to the other.

    "So, how is it?" Armand asked eagerly when he saw Joseph put down the manuscript. He had been keeping an eye on Joseph and Napoleon while yfully interacting with Louis.

    Joseph, however, remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh and turning to Napoleon. "Napoleon, I''ve told you before that even with talent, one must work hard to achieve sess. Look at this example before you. This guy named Armand, he''s aplete scoundrel, a yboy who''s wasting his life away. You see how good this script is, right? That''s because you haven''t seen the trash he wrote before. Compared to this, everything else he wrote was utter garbage! If this scoundrel were serious and put in effort, he might even catch up to Aeschylus, or even touch the heels of Homer, Euripides, and Sophocles. But this guy spends most of his time drinking and fooling around!... Speaking of drinking, Armand, your script actually makes me want a drink. It''s about time for dinner; why don''t you treat us, and we can go out for a drink?"

    This transition was quite abrupt, catching even Armand off guard. However, he quickly understood that Joseph held his script in high regard.

    "Very well, I''ll treat," Armand agreed. "We can drink and chat. I know a ce where they serve excellent Poitou brandy."

    The group left Joseph''s home, hailed a horse-drawn carriage, and soon arrived at a tavern called "Lcs in May." Armand seemed to be a regr there, as he greeted the owner and the considerablyrger proprietress with ease. Then he said, "Prepare a quieter spot for us, and bring another round of brandy!"

    "Of course, Armand, and your usual spot where you can see the Seine," thendy called out. The owner personally led them to their table.

    As they sat down at the table, Armand said to the owner, "Philip, just bring us something to drink, and I''m not interested in your age-old menu."

    The ownerplied and left. Soon, a variety of dishes and a bottle of brandy were served.

    "Napoleon, you can have a bit of brandy, but not more than one ss. Louis, you can''t have any," Joseph instructed his brothers as he poured himself a full ss.

    "It''s unfortunate to have a big brother," Armand said.

    "Armand, there''s a major problem with your script, and it''s a big one," Joseph stated.

    "What problem?" Armand asked anxiously.

    "It''s too sharp. If you don''t make some changes, it will be banned. But if you do make changes, it will lose its powerful impact," Joseph answered.

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 Chapter 32: Revisions

    Chapter 32: Revisions

    Upon hearing Joseph''s words, Armand became rather proud. "What''s there to fear? It''s just a ban on performing, isn''t it? Even Gauny''s ''Xi De'' was banned once. To be banned just like ''Xi De'' is nothing less than... why should we change it? No! Even if it''s banned, even if they throw me in the Bastille for this, it''s worth it! You must know, this is the immortalurel crown of Apollo!"

    "Well, this y will only be able to perform one or two times before they figure it out," Joseph remarked.

    "No, that won''t happen," Napoleon interjected suddenly. "Just like ''Xi De,'' even if it''s banned for a while, it will be performed again one day. And once it''s performed again, it will be a timeless ssic."

    "I like the sound of that," Armand chuckled. "Napoleon, I''ll toast to you!"

    After saying this, Armand raised his arm and poured arge ss of brandy into his mouth. Napoleon, seeing this, wanted to imitate him, but his arm was stopped by Joseph.

    "Armand can hold his liquor; drinking for him is like drinking water. Don''t drink like him, or you''ll fall before you can even say a few words, and that won''t be any fun. When we used to drink with him, he''d drink as he pleased, and we''d just sip along," Joseph advised.

    Napoleon nced at Joseph and then at the thin-looking Armand. He seemed a bit skeptical but decided to follow Joseph''s advice, taking a small sip.

    "Alright, that''s enough," Armand said. "I hope you can give me more sober opinions. So, how does your drinkingpare to Joseph''s?"

    "Not as good as mine," Joseph replied.

    "Not much worse," Napoleon almost immediately answered.

    "Well, then you''ve taken a bit too much," Armandughed. "Joseph can do some fuzzy math after just two sses of brandy. Since you''re about the same, take it slow."

    "Lavaux, I have an idea," Napoleon said.

    "Oh, you can just call me Armand, like Joseph does. ''Mr. Lavaux'' is too formal, and it makes me ufortable. So, what''s on your mind, Alexander?"

    "I think, since this y has be so intense, intense to the point where it''s almost certain to be banned, why not make it even more biting?" Napoleon suggested.

    "Napoleon, you have a way of seeking excitement without fear of consequences. If we go that route, this y''s fate won''t be just banned and unbanned. It will turn into a cycle of being banned, unbanned, banned again, and unbanned again. And Armand will be at real risk of being thrown in the Bastille," Josephmented as he sipped his brandy.

    "Well, that''s even better!" Armand eximed. "That would surpass Gauny! As for being thrown in the Bastille,pared to such an achievement, what''s a trip to the guillotine? Napoleon, what do you think to make it more intense?"

    Napoleon pondered for a moment. "Armand, you know, after the Battle of Apulia, Spartacus was killed in action, and Pompey had all six thousand captured rebel soldiers crucified. How about we include an image of one of the crucified rebel soldiers in the y, making him look like Jesus?"

    "Oh, that''s a brilliant idea! It''ll infuriate the clergy!" Armandughed.

    "We can also have three crucified rebel soldiers engage in dialogue, just like in the Bible when Jesus was crucified with two other thieves," Napoleon continued enthusiastically.

    "Ah, great idea! Great idea!" Armand agreed. "My previous ending was too sad and gloomy. This change will add a touch of brightness to the conclusion. Maybe I should revive the Greek chorus. In the final scene, Spartacus''s lieutenant can rally the other crucified soldiers, saying, ''We may die, but we die as free warriors, not as ves and puppets for others to y with. The name and legacy of Spartacus will live on forever!'' Yes, perhaps I should make a major adjustment, reviving the Greek choir. At the end, Spartacus''s lieutenant can shout to the other crucified soldiers, ''Let''s sing our war song onest time!'' Some soldiers start singing, and the whole choir joins in, creating a grand finale. This is fantastic! Napoleon, you''re a genius! Much better than Joseph, really!"

    Joseph listened, his lips slightly curved, but he didn''t say anything. As for Napoleon, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of pride and looked at Joseph.

    "The lyrics for this song shouldn''t be a problem; you can write them yourself. But can you find aposer good enough to create the music you want? Even if you find a talentedposer, it''s not guaranteed that they''ll be able topose the suitable music, and you''d also have to worry about whether they''d risk their necks to create it," Joseph cautioned. "With these changes, the fate of the y might shift from being performed soon to an uncertain dy."

    In this era, there were indeed some talentedposers, such as Haydn and Mozart. However, they weren''t in France, and they might not be willing topose a song for a y that praised a ve rebellion and was considered sphemous. Perhaps only Beethoven dared to do such a thing, but at this moment, Beethoven was still an unknown teenager. His mature period was still a few years away. Of course, France had some musicians and even revolutionary musicians, like Franois-Joseph Gossec. However,pared to other countries, especially Austria, France''s musical achievements paled. To the point that in 1788, during his visit to Paris, Mozart wrote to a friend, saying, "Regarding music, I am in the midst of savages... Ask anyone, just as long as they''re not French, and if they''re somewhat knowledgeable, they''ll say the same... If I can escape with my life, I''ll thank God..." So, finding aposer to meet Armand''s demands wouldn''t be easy.

    "No worries," Armand reassured. "For a perfect y, it''s worth waiting. Let''s toast to a wless tragedy... Ah, I''ll toast, and you can follow... Haha..."

    The concept of a "perfect tragedy" originally hailed from Aristotle''s praise of Sophocles'' ''Oedipus Rex.'' However, Armand''s words were a clear revtion of his ambition.

    In the following days, Armand frequently visited Joseph, his enthusiasm reced by a sense of dissatisfaction with the y. He felt that many aspects were inadequate, needing adjustments, even significant ones. After every modification, Armand often found himself unsatisfied with the result, feeling that the previous version was better.

    Of course, the most troublesome matter remained the war song. Now, this song yed a more significant role in the script, appearing at least three times: when Spartacus and his followers initiated the revolt, when they escaped from the cliff of Mount Vesuvius, and during the final crucifixion scene. The lyrics and music for this song had not been finalized yet. Armand had written more than ten versions of the lyrics, but he dismissed them all.

    Joseph''s "research" progressed smoothly during this period. He had already published several valuable papers. His coboration with Lavaux was sessful. Although nitroglycerin remained highly dangerous, the on-site production techniques had matured, and they were even being used in the mines owned by the Orleans family. This significantly increased the productivity of the Orleans family''s mines, leading to a modest profit for Duke Philip. If France''s industrial development could match that of Britain, the Duke would have earned even more.

    As Duke Philip made money, Lavaux naturally earned his share and gained more recognition. Thanks to his crucial contribution, Joseph had also made some money, along with Lavaux''s gratitude and support. Currently, Lavaux was proposing to give Joseph a provisional membership in the French Academy of Sciences.

    This proposal had the support of Lavaux and Duke Philip, which meant that, despite some opposition, everyone knew that, based on Joseph''s performance, he would eventually gain a position in the French Academy of Sciences. Even the strongest opponents realized that dying this matter wouldn''t change the inevitable oue, so the opposition was mostly mild. Therefore, unless something unexpected happened, in a few months, or at most by next spring, Joseph would secure a provisional membership in the French Academy of Sciences.

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 Chapter 33: Armands Friends

    Chapter 33: Armand''s Friends

    It was the chilly month of April 1787, when the willow trees along the Seine River had just begun to sprout tiny buds, no bigger than grains of rice. In other parts, the cold of winter still lingered.

    "Do you know, Joseph, I actually prefer April to the full bloom of May," Armand said as he strolled along the Seine''s banks, with Joseph walking beside him.

    "Why''s that?" Joseph inquired.

    "Because April is the season of budding, the most hopeful time of all. Though the cold hasn''tpletely receded, and patches of snow can still be seen on the shaded slopes outside the city, the arrival of spring by the river is unstoppable," Armand exined.

    "You make a good point," Joseph replied. "But April can be quite harsh too."

    "Why do you say that?" Armand asked.

    "Do you know, Armand?" Joseph nced around and pointed to a bare lc tree not far away. "Take this lc tree, for instance. Last year, it produced thousands of seeds. Armand, all these seeds try to sprout in April."

    "What''s wrong with that?" Armand asked, puzzled.

    Joseph walked over to the bare lc tree, ran his hand along the rough trunk, and turned back to say, "Armand, out of the thousands of seeds this tree produced, how many do you think can grow even a small shoot? And of those fortunate enough to sprout a tender bud in April, how many can grow into a magnificent tree that blooms with flowers in spring? Think about it, even in the harshest of winters, all those thousands of seeds are still alive. But in April, most of them silently die in the soil. Think about how many lives quietly fade away in April, how many hopes are crushed. Even now, beneath our feet, in the soil, countless lives may be dying... April is the cruelest month. It resurrects lcs on barrennd, mixing memory and desire, and urges the dull roots to stir. Winter warms us, covering the earth in forgetful snow, sustaining the withered roots for a while."

    "Wait a moment," Armand interjected. "Joseph, I must say you''re wasting your talents not being a poet. Your perspective is intriguing. However, I''ve heard a simr sentiment from someone else, though their conclusion differed from yours. They said that in a revolution, many will pay a price, even with their lives. But it doesn''t mean there''s anything wrong with the revolution. Because without it, if we have an eternal winter, life might fade away a bit slower, but the prolonged harsh winter will eventually wither all life. After all, dry roots can only sustain for so long. Revolution may cause us to lose a lot in the short term, but in the long run, it can bring us more."

    "Who told you that?" Joseph asked.

    "Marat, a doctor," Armand replied.

    "Marat? Is that the one who was assassinated in a bathtub, then briefly enshrined, only to be moved again shortly after?" Joseph wondered. "Is he the author of ''A Study on the Properties of Fire''? I recall your uncle mentioning him."

    "Ah, I''m sure my uncle didn''t speak kindly of him," Armand chuckled. It also confirmed that the Marat Armand mentioned was indeed the same Marat that Joseph was thinking of.

    "Lavoisier only mentioned his views when discussing erroneous ideas. In fact, besides the word ''absurd'' to describe his conclusions, Lavoisier had no other opinion about him. Did he have any conflicts with your uncle?" Joseph asked.

    "Not really a conflict," Armand replied. "Just academic disagreements. But my uncle did mock him rather harshly, so their rtionship wasn''t great. Nevertheless, that''s between him and my uncle. This person is indeed quite talented. I hope to introduce you to him, as he might be among your friends."

    With that, Armand looked ahead and said, "We''re almost there. Abel''s Tavern is just ahead, and the friends I mentioned are waiting for us there."

    "Why choose such an out-of-the-way ce?" Joseph questioned.

    "It''s not for any other reason but the cheap drinks here," Armand exined. "These are all private brews, untaxed."

    As they continued walking, they took a right turn down a narrow alley and walked about twenty steps to arrive in front of a building. This area was close to the poor neighborhoods of Paris, so the houses were mostly small and dpidated, all gray and gloomy, much like the expressions of the impoverished. This particr building was no exception. It had a closed door, with no signs or any distinguishing features. From the outside, it was nearly indistinguishable from the neighboring structures.

    Armand walked up to the door and knocked. The door didn''t open, but a voice from inside inquired, "Who is it?"

    "I''m a friend of Albert''s," Armand replied.

    The door opened slightly, revealing darkness inside. Joseph could only make out a pair of eyes seemingly assessing them. After a while, a voice from within said, "It''s a friend." The door then swung open fully.

    Armand, with Joseph in tow, entered the building, and the door closed behind them. The sudden darkness enveloped them, and it took Joseph''s eyes a while to adjust to the dim light. He also got his first clear look at the person standing before them.

    He was a young man, roughly the same age as Armand, with ck, slightly curly hair, and eyes that shone like lightning, even in the darkness.

    The young man clearly knew they had just entered and waited for their eyes to adapt, standing quietly. Then, he said, "Armand, and this is..."

    "Joseph Bonaparte," Joseph introduced himself hastily.

    "In that case, Mr. Bonaparte, pleasee in," the young man said, turning and walking further inside.

    They followed him through a corridor, and he pushed open a door, leading them into a slightlyrger room. The room was positioned towards the back of the building and had rtivelyrger windows, allowing more light to filter in. In the center of the room stood arge round table, and several people were seated around it.

    Upon hearing the door open, all eyes turned in their direction. One person even stood up and waved, "Hey, our great scientist and writer have finally arrived."

    Joseph recognized the person  it was his fellow student, Ons, who had gone on to be awyer and left Paris for a provincial town after graduation. They had kept in touch through letters, but their in-person meetings had been few and far between. It was a pleasant surprise to see him back in Paris.

    "Ons, you''re here too? You didn''t send me a letter in advance," Joseph eximed, pleasantly surprised.

    "Because this trip to Paris was ast-minute decision due to some work-rted matters. I thought my messenger might not be as fast as I am. After finishing my work, I intended toe find you, but Armand said you wereing here today, so I decided to wait for you directly," Ons exined. "Joseph, wee."

    After weing Joseph, Ons and Armand began introducing the others present.

    "This is our esteemedwyer, Danton," Ons began, introducing a slightly overweight man in his twenties, seated next to him. "He was one of my mentors and has taught me a great deal during this time."

    Joseph knew that this was Danton, one of theter-to-be-famous Jacobin giants. He couldn''t help but observe him closely.

    Danton had an unrefined appearance, wearing a loose, bright red overcoat with an open shirt revealing his neck. The coat''s buttons were missing, and he wore high boots. His hair was untamed, and his wig was visibly made from horsehair. His face had a few blemishes, but a friendly smile yed on his lips. He had thick lips,rge teeth, powerful fists, and bright eyes.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you," Joseph said, giving a slight bow.

    "It''s an honor to meet a future great scientist," Danton replied.

    Joseph also noticed that, indeed, as Armand had mentioned, Danton was quite the unrefined character. He couldn''t help but nce at him a couple more times.

    "This angelic-looking fellow, who can make me jealous to the point of sleepless nights with a single nce, is our friend, Louis," Armand introduced the young man who had brought them inside. "Joseph, Louis is just like that  even a simple nce from him is enough to steal any maiden''s heart. But he rarely smiles."

    "Hello, I''ve read some of your works, and if you have time in the future, I''d like to seek your guidance on some mathematical questions," Louis said. Joseph responded with a greeting while noticing that, indeed, as Armand had described, Louis had the face of an angel. His slightly wavy xen hair, velvety skin, and crystal-clear, lively blue eyes were striking. Even if he were to offer a slight smile, just like a gentle breeze in May, it would be enough to sweep any maiden''s heart away. But Louis''s face was almost devoid of a smile, resembling a marble sculpture.

    "If he were born in ater era, he wouldn''t have to do anything  just with that face, he wouldn''t have to worry about food," Joseph thought, feeling a touch of envy.

    The story of their gathering continues, and the group''s discussion,ughter, and shared camaraderie unfold as they explore the dynamics of this unique assembly of friends.

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 Chapter 34: Amateur Scientist Mara and Color-Blind Danton

    Chapter 34: Amateur Scientist Mara and Color-Blind Danton

    If Louis was the epitome of beauty, almost as if the golden apple had been handed to Prince Paris of Greek mythology by the goddess Aphrodite, or like the Archangel sounding the trumpet of the Last Judgment descended with fire and thunder from the clouds, then the next friend introduced to Joseph by Armand was theplete opposite in terms of appearance.

    He was a short, skinny man with a waxen-yellow face. His eyes were of unequal size, and his nose wasrge but t, as if someone had pped it forcefully, ttening it. His forehead was also t, but his jaw was strong and protruding, making his mouth appear unusuallyrge and to some, like a toad. With his skinny frame, slightly protruding finger joints, and dry, ky, ck-yellow skin due to some skin condition, he looked like a creature that had escaped from a nightmare.

    "Joseph, this is my friend Mr. Mara," Armand introduced.

    "Pleasure to meet you," Joseph nodded, extending his hand.

    Mara also extended his hand but with a light, almost imperceptible grip on Joseph''s fingers. Joseph noticed that Mara''s hand was quite cold.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, I''ve read your paper. You believe that light is a wave?" Mara said calmly, his voice as cold as his handshake.

    "It''s not just my belief; the existing evidence leans toward that conclusion. I don''t have a bias toward whether light is a particle or a wave. I rely on experimental evidence and mathematical exnations," Joseph replied.

    "Why don''t you confidently support your own view instead of using such a weak statement to hide your position? Is it because youck confidence in your judgment?" Mara said with a mocking tone.

    Joseph couldn''t help but furrow his brows, a thought crossed his mind, "Ugly people often act peculiarly." Indeed, ugly individuals often faced discrimination, which could make them angry and prone to hostility. Joseph saw Mara as a typical example of this.

    However, Joseph didn''t want to offend Mara at this moment, as he appeared to be quite dangerous. Although Joseph wasn''t very knowledgeable about the history of the French Revolution (after all, wasn''t this foreign history before his time travel?), he knew that Mara might be responsible for many horrifying acts during the revolution, some of which might be motivated by personal vendettas. Joseph didn''t want to provoke such a madman.

    "Anyway, this guy won''t live for long. Let''s just give in for now," Joseph suppressed the urge to retort and told himself that.

    "I have no strong opinion on whether light is a wave or a particle. My viewpoint is that it depends on experimental phenomena and mathematical exnations. If we can exin interference phenomena from a particle perspective, I would be equally pleased. In a world soplex, the only reliable thing is mathematics," Joseph exined.

    "Ah, Joseph, your view has a touch of Pythagoras, doesn''t it? ''All is number,'' isn''t it?" Danton chimed in.

    Pythagoras was a famous ancient Greek mathematician who founded the Pythagorean school. A fundamental belief of the school was that "all is number." They believed that mathematics was the only way to describe the essence of the world and that everything could be exined using numbers.

    "I''m not as enthusiastic as they were," Joseph smiled slightly, "I wouldn''t throw someone into the sea just because they discovered irrational numbers. But, my friend, perhaps you should consider this as well. Is our vision reliable? Not necessarily. For instance, some people im to see colors differently from others."

    "Wait... What did you just say? You said some people see colors differently from others? Are you sure such people exist?" Mara interrupted.

    "Yes, what''s the matter?" Joseph asked.

    "This might be a new disease that people haven''t noticed before," Mara said. "Can you tell me how you discovered this?"

    "When I was a child, a friend of mine came running to tell me that the hibiscus flowers in my garden appeared different colors during the day and evening. In the daytime, they were sky blue, but in the evening, they turned bright red. However, to me, those hibiscus flowers were always pink. When I told him, he was astonished and even suspected that my eyes were the problem. So, we asked a few more people, and everyone, except his brother, agreed that the hibiscus flowers were pink. Later, we found that his uncle also believed the hibiscus flowers were blue during the day and bright red in the evening. But I was envious of them because they could see two different colors in the same flower."

    "Can your friend bring them for me to see?" Mara asked.

    "He''s from Corsica, and it''s not easy for him toe here now," Joseph said with an open hand.

    "Ah..." Mara sneered sarcastically, "Mr. Bonaparte, do you know I have a friend with extraordinary jumping ability? He can jump directly to the moon."

    Joseph quickly told himself not to engage in a verbal battle with this guy and held back the urge to retort. However, at that moment, Danton spoke up:

    "Could it be that hibiscus flowers don''t change colors during the day and evening? Is it just my eyes? Is my vision the problem?"

    Everyone''s attention turned to Danton.

    "Why are you all staring at me?" Danton asked.

    "Danton, do you see the hibiscus flowers change color during the day and evening?" Mara fixed his gaze on Danton, as if observing a precious specimen.

    "Yes... Isn''t that what you see?" Danton replied.

    "What color do you see?" Mara asked again.

    Danton widened his eyes, stared at Armand''s hat for a while, and said, "It''s green, of course."

    "Take another look," Mara said.

    Danton looked intently at Armand''s hat and then said, "It''s definitely green."

    "My God! There really are people whose eyes see colors differently from others! Armand''s hat is obviously a light red!" Mara pped his hands and then turned to Joseph. "Mr. Bonaparte, do you realize how dull you are? Don''t you know this is a significant medical discovery?"

    "I''m not a doctor after all. I''m almost illiterate when ites to medicine," Joseph smiled. "Let''s go back to our original topic. I believe our vision is unreliable, just like our hearing. Some people im they can hear sounds that others can''t..."

    "That''s just a trick used by chatans," Mara interrupted.

    "Even ordinary people experience this at times," Joseph said. "For example, when we dream, we can hear many sounds that don''t exist, see things that aren''t there. Our vision can deceive us, our hearing can deceive us, and even our imagination can deceive us, such as 0.9999... equaling one. But mathematics doesn''t lie. I remember a certain priest once said, ''When the world is turned upside down, the cross still stands.'' Whether the ''cross'' stands is debatable, but I''m sure that even if the entire sr system is in chaos, two points can still define a straight line. So, when everything else is unreliable, I can rely on mathematics

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 Chapter 35: Arrangements for the Brothers

    Chapter 35: Arrangements for the Brothers

    Adhering to this principle, after that, Joseph adopted a policy with Mara''s entric discussions, not only not opposing but even praising them.

    However, anything is easier said than done. Deciding to follow the policy of "agree with him, encourage him, and cultivate him into a great know-it-all" is not difficult, but going against your own conscience to support a rather absurd perspective is truly ufortable. Joseph even remembered a joke he had heard in his previous life about the Republic-era poet Zhang Zongchang.

    It was said that General Zhangpiled a collection of his own poems (such as the masterpiece that went, "Great Bright Lake, Bright Lake Great, On Great Bright Lake, there are lotus flowers, and on the lotus flowers, there are toads. Poke one, and it leaps."). He then sought out an old schr to have him appraise it. This old man, unaware that Zhang Zongchang was the author, read the poems and blurted out, "Iprehensible nonsense!"

    General Zhang, upon hearing this, was furious: "Dare you call my poems ''iprehensible nonsense''? I think you''re looking for trouble! Guards, take this old man away and execute him!"

    The old man, realizing he was in deep trouble, quickly knelt down and begged, "General, General, my eyesight is failing, I didn''t see it clearly earlier... Let me take another look..."

    Zhang Zongchang let the guards release the old man temporarily and, patting the small cannon at his waist, said, "Old man, you''d better look carefully this time!"

    The old man carefully read Zhang''s poetry collection twice and then sighed, put down the collection, and stood up, saying to Zhang Zongchang, "General, you should have me taken away and executed."

    Now, Joseph couldn''t help but think that he wanted to say something simr to Mara, who was spouting nonsense.

    Fortunately, Danton seemed to have a rather dismissive attitude toward Mara, so he stepped forward to argue with him. This led Mara to spare Joseph, focusing his energy on debating with Danton.

    Armand introduced Joseph to the others, exining that Joseph was a rising star in science and had a keen eye for art. He mentioned that some of Joseph''s suggestions had even influenced his unfinished work, "Spartacus."

    So, they all engaged in conversation. When young French people gathered, their discussions typically revolved around women or politics. Joseph was surprised to find that the future Jacobin leaders (excluding the most famous one, Robespierre) present at the meeting didn''t have extremely radical political views at this time.

    Mara advocated for constitutional monarchy - probably influenced by his time studying in Ennd. Danton, on the other hand, was more conservative, believing in an enlightened monarchy, aligning his views with those of Voltaire. Louis leaned more towards Mara''s views but seemed to have a particr dislike for him. Their host, Abel, didn''t seem to care much about the specific political system. He was more concerned with protecting the rights of themon people.

    In reality, there was almost only one person who supported a republic, and that was Ons, albeit not very firmly. In his view, if a republic couldn''t be established, a constitutional monarchy was an eptable alternative. In general, if they were suddenly transported a few years into the future, they would undoubtedly bebeled "counter-revolutionaries" and face the guillotine or even being hung frommpposts.

    "It''s normal that they''re rtively moderate now. In fact, at this time, even the most radical young people are only this radical," Joseph thought to himself. "So the Duke of Ons and his associates think they can use these people and their spark in the powder keg to propel themselves to the throne. They don''t realize that once the fire starts burning, the situation may be uncontroble. They are ying with fire."

    Handling such gatherings was not too difficult for Joseph. He hade from the future, where he had seen a plethora of political theories, systems, and experiments. Dealing with these immature future leaders was not a problem. His casual ideas inspired these young men, even making the usually stoic Louis exim, "There are actually people as talented as Bonaparte in the world."

    Initially, Joseph was somewhat hesitant about epting Armand''s invitation to attend these gatherings with the "radicals." These individuals had a tendency to lose their heads during the impending revolution, figuratively and literally. Being too involved with these dangerous elements could indeed be perilous. However, considering that the great revolution was inevitable, not knowing these radical figures and having no association with them would be equally dangerous. So, Joseph decided that he must engage with these people, but with some distance. He needed to maintain a favorable impression without getting too entangled in political struggles.

    In general, Joseph felt that his performance was quite good. Even Mara''s attitude toward him improved after Joseph handed over the study of color blindness and the honor that came with the discovery to him. Although Mara continued to use a habitual mix of praise and criticism in his speech, Joseph felt that Mara didn''t hold much malice toward him.

    In this era, outstanding scientists were somewhat akin to ancient Chinese Confucian schrs. While they might not wield political power, associating with such individuals was an honorable endeavor. So, everyone sincerely invited Joseph to attend their gatherings more frequently. However, this didn''t align with Joseph''s ns. Therefore, he had to apologize to everyone, exining that he wished to attend their gatherings but was currently engrossed in an important mathematical problem.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, what kind of problem have you encountered?" Mara was particrly interested.

    Joseph raised his hands and said, "This problem may sound simple, but it bes quiteplicated when you delve into it. Perhaps, I need a spark of inspiration to tackle it. Well, a student mentioned to me that it seems that all maps can be colored using only four colors to differentiate different regions. However, he doesn''t know how to mathematically prove it. I found this problem quite intriguing at the time, and it didn''t seem too difficult. I attempted to prove it, but so far, I''ve made no progress."

    This problem was the famous "Four Color Theorem," considered one of the four great unsolved problems of mathematics in Joseph''s future time. It sounded simple, and even a child could understand it. However, proving it was incredibly challenging. Even in Joseph''s time, it took the use of electronicputers to confirm the theorem after performing around a hundred billion individual checks. In this era, it was almost an unsolvable problem.

    Joseph brought up this problem partly as an excuse, and partly to bait the pseudo-scientific Mara. Usually, problems that sounded easy and could be solved with a spark of inspiration were the kind that pseudo-scientists loved.

    As expected, Mara immediately became interested in the problem. "Is this problem difficult?"

    "Yes, it''s quite difficult. In my opinion, its difficulty is on par with cubing the cube, squaring the circle, and trisecting an angle. I''ve already presented this problem to the Academy of Sciences and suggested that if no one can prove it in a short time, we should make it a public problem and offer a reward."

    Mara''s eyes lit up with excitement. He took out a notebook and a pen and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, could you please repeat the problem?"

    ...

    Using this excuse, Joseph could maintain a certain distance from these individuals. Besides, apart from Napoleon, both of his brothers were with him now, and he needed to focus more on their education.

    Louis was still very young, not even ten, so it was too early to give him specialized training. However, Lucien had already begun to disy some talent in public speaking and the arts. Joseph, not being a history enthusiast in his past life, didn''t know that Lucien had once been the President of the "Five Hundred People Society" during the events leading to Napoleon''s rise to power. But since Lucien had already shown promise in these areas, encouraging him in this direction seemed like a good idea.

    "In the future, Napoleon will be devoted to the military. As for me, I''ll ensure the family''s good name and the overall direction of French development. The greatest advantage of time travelers lies in knowing the broad course of history, right? As for Lucien, if he has a talent for oratory and the arts, he can handle public rtions and propaganda in the future. In a way, a rose is also a weapon of war."

    Joseph didn''t have much connection with the world of art, so he had to rely on Armand for many aspects of this n. However, he was concerned about Armand''s lifestyle. Lucien was at a critical stage in forming his values, and having him learn from Armand was... Well, Armand''spany had improved somewhat recently after mingling with those radical elements, so that was a relief.

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 Chapter 36: Troubled Waters in the East and the Shadows of Revolution

    Chapter 36: Troubled Waters in the East and the Shadows of Revolution

    Joseph submitted the "Four-Color Problem" to the Academy of Sciences, and sure enough, it left everyone, including Lace, stumped. They studied it for a while but couldn''te up with a solution, not even a viable approach. Everyone, including Lace, had their own research to attend to, and they couldn''t afford to spend all their time on such a problem. So, as Joseph suggested, the Academy decided to make the problem public and solicit solutions from all around the world.

    Joseph originally posed this problem to trap Marat. Based on his past experiences, he knew that amateur scientists were more inclined towards physics and chemistry than mathematics. However, he didn''t anticipate that in the future, the mathematical problems would be soplex that amateurs wouldn''t understand them. So, the scarcity of amateur mathematicians in the future wasn''t due to their reverence for math but because they couldn''tprehend the problems.

    However, the "Four-Color Problem" happened to be a question that everyone, including amateurs like Marat, could understand. So, as soon as the announcement was made, the Academy received a perfect solution from Marat. But when Lace nced at it, he found numerous errors, and the paper found its way to the bin where it belonged.

    Marat, however, didn''t give up and sent the "paper" to Joseph, believing that Joseph would recognize its value. This was when Joseph realized he had dug himself into a hole.

    Marat''s "paper," like all "amateur papers," was riddled with problems, from incorrect deductions to wed concepts. Joseph, after a cursory look, found seven or eight issues.

    "If this were written by Napoleon or any of my other students, I''d have given them a good scolding!" Joseph muttered through gritted teeth, pondering how to respond to Marat.

    "Finding something ''valuable'' in this ''paper'' is not easy. If I must point out something ''valuable,'' it''s the audacity. Ignorance truly has no fear," Joseph sarcastically thought.

    "However, I can''t keep praising his ''audacity'' in my reply, right? Marat may take it as a mockery," Joseph reasoned. So, he had to study Marat''s wed paper meticulously to find something praiseworthy. "Well, this section''s deduction, while not rigorous, has some interesting ideas. Let''s focus on that for now," Joseph decided.

    With that in mind, Joseph startedposing his response to Marat''s letter. In this letter, Joseph dedicated two full pages to praising the small section Marat had analyzed. The tone of his praise gave even himself goosebumps.

    "I''ve sunk to such levels just to make a living. Well, business is business," Joseph muttered while working on his response.

    "Now, it''s time to change the tone a bit," Joseph thought. So he wrote, "However, this paper does have a few minor issues, such as... Mr. Lace believes that the logic in this part is wed, and it overlooks... You may not know this, but mathematicians tend to be quite stubborn about these matters. Mr. Lace, in particr, is very rigid when ites to such issues, and he thinks this paper fails to sessfully prove this conjecture."

    He concluded the "but" section, slyly shifting the me toward Lace. With that, Joseph hadpleted his letter, which he then carefully blotted to remove excess ink and sent back. As for how Marat would react to the letter and how he''d hold a grudge against Lace, that wasn''t Joseph''s concern. Considering the headaches Lace had caused him in his previous life with his theories, Joseph felt that his conscience was clear this time.

    This strategy worked. Shortly after, Marat sent a response, expressing gratitude for Joseph''s affirmation and expressing anger towards the "conservative old men" in the Academy. He hinted at his future ambitions, saying that one day he would expel these individuals from the Academy and rece them with young, forward-thinking people like Joseph, believing they would revitalize France''s scientificmunity.

    "Is this ''If I be the young emperor in years toe, I will repay the peach blossoms''?" Joseph couldn''t help but chuckle.

    Marat did indeed rise to prominence, but that was a story for another day. For now, Joseph''s attention shifted back to his younger brothers.

    Napoleon didn''t require Joseph''s help anymore and had returned to Corsica. He wouldn''t being back anytime soon. Louis, still a child, attended a decent primary school. Joseph arranged for Lucien to enter his alma mater, the College of Louis the Great.

    Lucien didn''t shine academically like Joseph, but he did reasonably well. He also demonstrated talent in public speaking and acting. Joseph had left his role as a ywright for the Dragon and Rose Theatre, but he still maintained connections. Using these connections, he asionally had Lucien y minor roles in the theatre. ording to the troupe leader Denard, "He''s a natural actor." Joseph had never seen Lucien perform, so he wasn''t sure if Denard was exaggerating.

    In addition, Joseph hired an Austrian musician named Fraser to teach Lucien the piano. ording to Fraser, Lucien started learning the piano a bitte, but he showed promise. With effort, he might reach a level where he could perform on stage.

    Joseph didn''t expect Lucien to be a piano virtuoso. In his vision, Lucien would handle artistic and cultural promotion, not necessarily mastering all the arts. Nevertheless, Lucien disyed some innate talents, and he recently started creating a few short scripts andposing some melodies. Joseph had seen and heard them; they weren''t remarkable but still decent.

    Thanks to these aplishments, Armand invited Lucien to his "Spartacus" creative group. On weekends, they discussed script issues.

    Time passed, and before they knew it, it was 1789. In the past two years, France''s finances had reached a critical point, forcing King Louis XVI to propose new taxes to prevent aplete government bankruptcy. France was divided into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and themoners. The first two estates held a significant portion of the country''s wealth but paid minimal taxes. They vehemently opposed any tax increases on them and used their political power to resist. Consequently, themoners, the third estate, became the primary target for increased taxation.

    To address the financial crisis, King Louis XVI reluctantly convened the Estates-General, which had been dormant for 175 years. He hoped to find a solution.

    "France''s king is a fool! Can''t he see the discontent and anger among the third estate? Opening the Estates-General at this time is a ridiculously foolish move!" Napoleon wrote in a letter to Joseph. "Doesn''t he realize how much resentment and fury have built up among the third estate? If he doesn''t call the Estates-General, these grievances will remain dormant and not pose a significant threat. But now, he''s given these opposition groups an opportunity to organize. He''s foolishly provided them with a chance to unite, transforming them from crickets into locusts. The king probably believes that the third estate will submit to higher taxes or, at worst, make some noise. Yet, there are others watching from the sidelines..."

    Josephpletely agreed with Napoleon''s assessment. As the third estate''s representatives gathered in Paris, the entire city grew restless. Pamphlets began circting among the citizens, introducing them to the Estates-General and subtly directing their focus towards the king''s intentions to raise taxes. These pamphlets, while informative, were also designed to provoke a specific reaction, feeding the poption''s worries about their already challenging lives.

    Meanwhile, due to a spring drought affecting many provinces in the north, some grain merchants, mostly under the patronage of aristocrats, began withholding grain to hedge against potential crop failures. As more and more merchants joined this strategy, the avability of grain in the market diminished, causing prices to soar. The rising prices further incentivized grain hoarding, making the situation worse and intensifying public discontent.

    In these circumstances, Armand once again sought Joseph''s counsel.

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 Chapter 37: Dress Rehearsal

    Chapter 37: Dress Rehearsal

    Armand informed Joseph that his y "Spartacus" was getting ready for a performance in Paris.

    Joseph asked, "Is your battle song ready?"

    Armand shook his head and replied, "No, not yet. We still don''t have a song that satisfies everyone. But everyone agrees that now is the best time to stage this y. Missing this opportunity would be a great loss. So, for now, we''ll use Edgar''s song."

    Edgar was a young poser" in Armand''s circle. Just like inter times, Paris was teeming with struggling young artists who imed to be posers," and Edgar was one of them. He had a few songs circting in the bars of the Saint-Antoine district, but writing a battle song for "Spartacus" was a challenge beyond his abilities.

    Josephmented, "This is indeed the best time from a sensational perspective. However, staging this work at this time might be risky. You might end up... in the Bastille."

    Armand waved his hand dismissively and replied, "So what? That would make me a part of history. I wouldn''t mind spending a few years in there for the chance to be remembered."

    Since Armand had this attitude, and Joseph knew that even if Armand were thrown into the Bastille, he wouldn''t stay there for long. The Bastille was stormed at the beginning of the French Revolution, and its prisoners were released. Furthermore, if Armand were to enter politics in the future, having spent time in the Bastille would be a valuable qualification.

    Joseph said, "Well, if that''s how you feel, then I won''t try to dissuade you. When is the dress rehearsal? I''d like toe and see it."

    Armand replied, "The day after tomorrow, at the Peterson Theater, starting at 8 in the morning."

    The Peterson Theater was located between the Saint-Antoine district and the City Hall, not far from the Bastille. The conditions at this theater were not as luxurious as those in the wealthy districts to the west, but it was more suitable for staging Armand''s y.

    Joseph agreed, "I''ll be there for sure."

    Two dayster, Joseph took Lucien with him to watch the dress rehearsal of "Spartacus." The rehearsal went smoothly, including Edgar''s song. However, Armand appeared troubled, furrowing his brows.

    Joseph asked, "What''s wrong, Armand? Isn''t everything going smoothly? The actors are performing well."

    Armand sighed and replied, "Yes, they are, damn it! If it weren''t for that brilliant idea you had given me before, I''d bepletely satisfied now. But whenever I hear Edgar''s song, I can''t help but feel like... like I''m having a grand feast with unseasoned dishes. It''s all your fault, Joseph. Damn it, if it weren''t for you, I''d be as cheerful as those fellows... no, even more cheerful. Damn it!"

    Armand stamped his foot and then turned to Joseph, half-jokingly saying, "Joseph, you have to help me..."

    Joseph widened his eyes and said, "What can I do?"

    In all honesty, Edgar''s song wasn''t bad. Its melody was uplifting and beautiful, but, as Armand hadined before, "It''s a bit too light. I need a thundering Urbane cannon, and he gave me a small trumpet."

    Armand paused for a moment, then smiled wryly, "Well, maybe there''s no solution to this in the time we have."

    He turned to Lucien and jokingly said, "Lucien, you''re learning music too. How about trying to write a good song?"

    To Armand''s surprise, Lucien responded, "Sure, after watching today''s rehearsal, I was actually thinking of giving it a try."

    This answer caught Armand off guard. He was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "Well, if you can do it quickly, it would be great. This y is scheduled to premiere in just two weeks."

    Unbeknownst to Armand, four dayster, Joseph suddenly brought Lucien to him.

    "Armand, take a look at this," Joseph said, handing Armand a piece of paper.

    Armand took the paper and examined it closely. Then he started humming the melody written on it. Finally, he looked up, grasped Joseph''s sleeve, and asked, "Joseph, this is amazing! Where did thise from?"

    "The music wasposed by Lucien," Joseph said, casting a nce at Lucien, "and the lyrics were written by me. Armand, what do you think?"

    Armand eximed, "This is incredible! It''s like a dreame true. No, it''s even better than what I could have dreamed of. I''ve never heard a song like this, not even in my dreams. I love it!"

    Joseph inquired, "Armand, can we use this song?"

    "Of course, this is perfect. There''s nothing better than this," Armand replied with great excitement.

    "But, Armand, I have a request," Joseph said.

    "Go ahead, my friend. Right now, I''d agree to anything. Even if you wanted me to run naked in the streets or offer up my chastity, I''d say yes!" Armandughed.

    "Don''t be absurd; you''re corrupting the child!" Joseph scolded.

    "Alright, my friend, tell me your request."

    "Until I give my consent, do not tell anyone that I wrote the lyrics for this song, and that Lucienposed the music," Joseph requested.

    Armand understood Joseph''s request. He didn''t mind being thrown into the Bastille, but that didn''t mean Joseph felt the same way. If Armand were arrested and put in the Bastille, Joseph would be responsible for his two younger brothers. Moreover, Joseph''s main life goal was in the realm of science, and he didn''t want other matters to interfere too much with his research. As for Lucien, he was talented, but he was still a child of less than fifteen, and such involvement in a possible Bastille situation was out of the question.

    "No problem. I give you my word of honor that I won''t reveal it, not even at the Day of Judgment," Armand assured earnestly.

    "My friend, there''s no need to be so serious," Joseph said with a smile. "I just want to avoid unnecessary trouble."

    "I understand. I don''t mind going to the Bastille, but I don''t want to see any of my friends there," Armand replied.

    Armand didn''t immediately take the song to the theater for rehearsal because, if he did, even if he didn''t disclose the authors, people might immediately suspect something was up since he had recently seen Joseph and Lucien. So, Armand was being cautious.

    It wasn''t until two dayster that Armand finally brought out the song for the theaterpany to try, and this time, the effect was said to be excellent. However, Armand still wasn''t satisfied. He felt that some lines in the y didn''t match the song, and there were many areas that needed modification. Actors also had suggestions regarding the stage and performance. So, Armand became even busier.

    A weekter, Armand invited Joseph and Lucien to watch the dress rehearsal of his y once again. This time, Joseph had to go on a business trip, so only Lucien went to see the rehearsal with Armand. When Joseph returned to Paris a few dayster, Armand''s rehearsals were mostlypleted. At least, in Lucien''s opinion, the y "Spartacus" was now on par with the works of Molire.

    However, Armand still seemed dissatisfied. He spent his days at the theater, hesitating over trivial matters, and his cheekbones seemed higher than ever. Joseph knew that Armand was obsessing over things that weren''t real problems, and no matter what decision he made, it wouldn''t make much difference. Armand was simply trapped in indecision.

    "Armand, have you heard this story? There was a man who put two identical piles of fodder on either side of a donkey, equidistant from the donkey. Can you guess what happened to the donkey?" Joseph asked, cing his hand on Armand''s shoulder.

    "I know, the donkey starved to death standing in the middle. Joseph, you''re a wicked man forparing me to that foolish donkey! But, are you sure the piles of fodder were truly identical?" Armand replied.

    "The donkey! If they weren''t identical, would you have hesitated so much?" Joseph asked.

    "Well, of course they weren''t identical. There were some differences between them. I just didn''t know which one was better."

    "Then it''s simple. Let''s use this," Joseph said, taking out an irregrly shaped silver coin (Roman denarius). "This side has the image of Bhus, and the other side has a bunch of grapes. My friend, you know that tragic art originated from the worship of this deity. Let''s let him help us make the decision. You''ll toss the coin. If the head is up, it means Bhus approves of this, and if the grapes are up, it means he disapproves. What do you think?"

    Bhus is the Roman name for the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. His divine responsibilities didn''t include art, but considering that ancient Greek tragic art originated from the worship of this deity, it was quite appropriate to invoke him for judgment.

    "A Roman denarius?" Armand took the coin from Joseph and examined it closely. "This is probably from the time of the Roman Republic. It''s possible that Crassus (one of the first triumvirs of Rome and the general who eventually suppressed the Spartacus ve revolt) once held this coin. It''s a pity the condition isn''t great; I could barely recognize the head of Bhus on the obverse if it weren''t for the grapes on the reverse. But, it''s a nice find. Alright, let''s do as you say."

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 Chapter 38: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (1)

    Chapter 38: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (1)

    Afterforting Armand, Joseph left the Peterson Theater and hopped into a lightweight horse-drawn carriage to head home. The two-wheeled carriage moved slowly along the road under the pleasant weather. Joseph folded the roof of the carriage and looked around.

    At this point, the carriage was nearing the le de Cit, the heart of Paris and the birthce of the city itself. The Notre-Dame Cathedral stood on this ind. Joseph looked around and could spot the towering spire of the cathedral and the new bridge that stretched across the Seine. Despite its name, the "new" bridge was, in fact, a bridge dating back to the 15th century and was the oldest one on the Seine.

    As the carriage''s pace slowed down due to the increasing crowd of people and vehicles on the streets, Joseph understood that this was the bustling heart of Paris, and such congestion was quite normal here. But as the carriage continued forward, the streets grew even more crowded, to the point where people were practically shoulder to shoulder.

    The carriage driver reined in the horse and turned to Joseph, saying, "Sir, it seems there''s something going on up ahead, and we won''t be able to pass through. If you''d like to take a detour and cross the river using another bridge, it''ll be quite a distance and take more time, not to mention extra cost. I think it might be better for you to disembark here, walk through this stretch, cross the river, and find another lightweight carriage on the other side. That way, you''ll save some time."

    Joseph peered ahead, and it was clear that the new bridge waspletely congested with people. Joseph knew the carriage driver was right, so he nodded, took out two sous from his pocket, handed them to the driver, adjusted his hat, grabbed his cane, and alighted from the carriage. He began walking along the street toward the other side of the bridge.

    As he advanced, the crowd grew denser, and various voices became increasingly morous. Joseph noticed that nearly everyone''s faces expressed a mix of anxiety and excitement. His ears caught snippets of conversations:

    "The Third Estate is what? The Third Estate is France, it''s everything..."

    "We, the Third Estate, can''t be silenced with just one vote..."

    "Exactly, we won''t let them..."

    "We need our own..."

    "We must defend ourselves..."

    "No National Assembly, no constitution, and no one''s taking a sou from us!"

    Joseph grabbed the arm of a young man nearby and asked, "What''s happening?"

    "The king has closed the Menin Hall, and there are rumors he wants to dissolve the National Assembly. We can''t allow him to do that!" the man replied.

    Before Joseph could respond, another handtched onto his arm, belonging to a simrly anxious but excited face. "Sir, we can''t let the privileged sses trample over us anymore. We''re not lowly soil; we are the true France, don''t you agree?"

    Clearly, at this moment, it wasn''t wise to express any disagreement. Joseph immediately replied, "You''re right. We can''t let them trample us."

    "We need a constitution!" someone nearby shouted.

    "Yes, we need a constitution. We won''t let the king and the privileged ss do as they please!"

    "The king is preparing to send troops to crush us. I heard he''s quietly amassing an army, and he ns to kill us all, just like the St. Bartholomew''s Day Massacre," another voice suddenly chimed in.

    The crowd fell silent, and fear was visible in everyone''s eyes.

    "They...they are capable of such things..." one person said.

    "We can''t let them do it."

    "The soldiers are also part of the Third Estate; they won''t..."

    "But soldiers follow orders, and they can buy mercenaries with the money they seize from us. They''ll use our own funds to hire mountain people to kill us!"

    "We need to be prepared; we can''t just sit idly..."

    Listening to these cries, Joseph knew that history had finally reached this point.

    A few days ago, at the Estates-General, the king had agreed to the Third Estate''s request to increase their representation from 300 to 600 delegates. However, he insisted on the traditional one-vote-per-estate system. In France, 98% of the poption belonged to the Third Estate, yet they only had one vote. The clergy of the First Estate and the hereditary nobility of the Second Estate also each had one vote. Such a setup practically meant that, no matter how you yed the game, the privileged sses could use their numerical advantage to have their way. The interests of the vast Third Estate would receive no protection.

    While this voting system was indeed a traditional one in France, at this moment, King Louis XVI was deluding himself to think that the Third Estate, economically empowered and influenced by Enlightenment ideals, would let themselves be manipted just as serfs were over a hundred years ago. His thinking seemed utterly out of touch with reality.

    The representatives of the Third Estate could not ept this arrangement. The entire Third Estate saw this meeting as an opportunity to gain more rights. In simpler terms, they wanted taxes, but they also wanted corresponding rights. They were willing to pay, but they wanted something in return.

    When the king called for the Estates-General, the Third Estate saw this as their chance to gain more rights. The news of the uing Estates-General had prompted Abb Sieys to publish his political pamphlet, "What is the Third Estate?" where he clearly stated that the Third Estate should have a higher status. The king''s insistence on "tradition" had put him squarely against the entire Third Estate.

    The representatives of the Third Estate, and by extension, the entire Third Estate itself, could not and would not submit to the king''s terms. They took matters into their own hands and dered themselves the "National Assembly," iming absolute legitive authority and announcing their intention to draft France''s first constitution.

    This audacious move, of course, wasn''t something the king could tolerate. Louis XVI ordered the closure of the Menin Hall, which had been provided to the Third Estate for their meetings, and there were rumors that he intended to forcibly dissolve the "illegitimate" "National Assembly." This news reached Joseph at this moment.

    As the days passed, Paris itself began to boil. Almost everyone took to the streets, and people could be seen engaging in spirited debates or hushed conversations. Every street was as crowded as a market, and the bustling atmosphere continued until nightfall when Joseph finally reached his home.

    The next day at noon, Joseph heard more news: the "National Assembly" representatives had braved the rain to head to the Menin Hall to continue their discussion on drafting a constitution. However, they were blocked by the king''s troops. Led by their first president, Jean-Sylvain Bailly, the representatives decided to defend their nascent National Assembly and gathered at the royal tennis court nearby. The Third Estate representatives there took an oath, pledging to work toward a constitutional monarchy and never to separate from the National Assembly.

    Many people were concerned that the king would send troops to the royal tennis court to arrest these audacious Third Estate representatives. However, for several days, there was no sign of any action from the king. In a surprising turn of events, a group of First and Second Estate representatives, led by the Duke of Ons and the Marquis de Lafayette, joined the National Assembly. The House of Ons was one of the most prominent families in France, and Lafayette had been themander-in-chief of the French forces during the American Revolutionary War, ying a crucial role in the Battle of Yorktown. This earned him the title of "Hero of the New World" from the Americans, and his victory was one of France''s rare triumphs over Britain in many years. As a result, Lafayette was highly respected in the military as well. The actions of the Duke of Ons and the Marquis de Lafayette significantly boosted the morale of the National Assembly and strengthened their legitimacy. They could now im to represent not only the Third Estate but also the entire French nation, including the First and Second Estates.

    A few dayster, the National Assembly officially changed its name to the "National Constituent Assembly" as they prepared to formally draft the "Constitution of the Kingdom of France." Meanwhile, rumors began to circte that the king was sending arge number of troops, especially mercenaries, to Paris. Many supporters of the Third Estate started arming themselves in preparation for a potential conflict.

    In the midst of this fervor and apprehension, Armand''s "Spartacus" finally had its premiere.

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 Chapter 39: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (2)

    Chapter 39: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (2)

    The Peterson Theater was packed with people, all eagerly awaiting the start of the premiere of "Spartacus." Located near the Saint-Antoine district, the theater was rather small, with a narrow backstage. Toplicate matters, Armand had included a choir in the script for musical apaniment, and there was no room for them backstage. In fact, the space was so tight that they had to ce some instruments in the dressing rooms. As a result, Armand had no choice but to seat the choir in the audience area. The Peterson Theater''s audience section was also quite modest, with just over three hundred seats, and there were no boxes to speak of. The choir upied more than twenty seats, leaving not even three hundred for the audience.

    Of course, the small size of the theater had its advantages. It filled up quickly. Armand had been boasting about his new script for a while, and his wide circle of friends ensured a substantial audience. In addition to his friends, he''d mobilized some people, and with a little sponsorship from the Duke of Orleans, he had announced free admission. Consequently, what was originally a theater that could only hold three hundred people was now crammed with nearly six hundred, and more people were still trying to squeeze in. To amodate them, the theater manager decided to remove all the seats and let everyone stand. However, because it was free, the theater was packed to the brim. Moreover, the lower-ss audience members weren''t too concerned about decorum, so the whole theater buzzed like a marketce. One woman even brought a live chicken she''d just bought from the market.

    And so, "Spartacus" began amidst all this chaos. The first scene opened with Spartacus and a small group of diators facing off in the arena, with Spartacus on one side and his friend Enomaius leading another group. The master of ceremonies announced, "The generous sus has decreed that the victor who ys his foe in this battle shall be a free man!" The battle for "freedom" began, and the two sides shed. People fell one by one, and soon only Spartacus and Enomaius were left standing. However, Enomaius had been wounded and could barely stand. He had also lost his small shield in the earlier fights, rendering him almost defenseless. In contrast, Spartacus, his best friend, was almost untouched. The oue seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

    "Kill him, kill him!" shouted the actors portraying the diatorial spectators.

    "Spartacus,e on, kill me, and you''ll be free," Enomaius said. He knew that, even at his best, he was no match for Spartacus, who had won over a hundred battles in the arena. Moreover, he was wounded.

    "This is a rare opportunity," Enomaius continued, "sus has been unusually generous. If you miss this chance, you won''t have another opportunity to be a free man, especially with your new owner, the stingy Aquinus."

    "No," Spartacus replied, "I won''t kill my friend. If I''m willing to wield a sword against a friend, I might as well be a Roman citizen by now."

    With those words, Spartacus ignored the cries around him, sheathed his sword, and prepared to leave.

    "Kill him! Or you''ll be flogged!" someone yelled.

    "You wretched ve!" someone cursed.

    "I knew he was a sissy!" an audience member sneered. Louis, a friend of Armand, yed Spartacus in the premiere. He had the physique, but his face was too handsome, almost resembling a girl, making him an odd choice for the role of Spartacus.

    "Go to hell!" Enomaius suddenly shouted, wielding his short sword and stumbling toward Spartacus, who had his back to him.

    Spartacus made a deft move, evading Enomaius''s sword and elbowing him in the chest. Enomaius dropped his sword and fell in agony.

    "Kill me!" Enomaius gasped.

    "No, I won''t be fooled. I won''t wield a sword against a friend," Spartacus said.

    The story continued, with Spartacus and the surviving diators receivingshings and banding together. They questioned why Spartacus didn''t kill Enomaius, who would have granted him freedom. Spartacus continued to answer, "I won''t wield a sword against a friend." But another diator named Cressus coldly pointed out that Spartacus''s persistence was futile. Enomaius would soon die in the next round of entertainmentbat: "It''s said that very few diators have a chance to be free or leave the arena. I''ve never seen such a lucky one, not even you, Spartacus, who''s won over a hundred battles, against men and beasts. But do you really think you can survive in the arena indefinitely?"

    This statement left everyone silent, and finally, someone said, "Unless we escape!"

    "But who can lead us in our escape?" another asked.

    In the second act, Spartacus led a group of diators in an escape from the diator school. They attempted to flee north, out of Rome, but Roman soldiers pursued them. Many diators died in the escape, and they were forced to turn south and hide in the mountains of Vesuvius.

    During their escape, Spartacus came to a realization: "Mere escape won''t truly grant ves their freedom. Only by overthrowing the oppressive Roman system, which pits man against man and enves man, can ves truly be free. Our goal shouldn''t be merely evading pursuit by Roman soldiers; it should be the destruction of Rome, liberating all the ves. Only when all the ves are free can we truly achieve our own freedom!"

    As Spartacus addressed his exhaustedrades with these words, the orchestra in the background began to y Joseph''s new war song. It began with a somber and solemn prelude, much like the dark clouds before a storm, pressing down heavily. Then the mncholic main theme started, resolute and steady. At the end of each segment, there was a weighty ent, like heavy raindrops falling from the sky and the beat of a war drum.

    In this musical backdrop, Spartacus''s speech continued: "I know, my friends, my brothers, you may have doubts. You may say, ''Rome has so many well-trained, well-equipped, and organized soldiers. How can we, so few in number, stand against all of Rome?''"

    "But I say, don''t be afraid, my brothers. What do we have to fear? What do we have to fear? For what could be more painful, more frightening, than the days we''ve spent as pigs, trampled upon like dirt? What is there left to be afraid of? Can we lose anything more? Is there anything in our lives worth clinging to?"

    "Friends, brothers, if we have something to lose in battle, then it''s only the chains that shackle us. But once we win, what we gain will be the entire world! A new world where no one oppresses or enves another. Take heart, my brothers. Rome should be afraid; the vampire ve owners should be afraid. We, we need not fear!"

    The theater fell silent. Even the uncultured, lower-ss people stopped talking, their eyes fixed on the actor ying Spartacus, listening to his powerful speech, nodding in silence. Someone whispered, "He''s right. What are we, kings? What are we, nobles? Besides chains, what do we have left to lose?"

    The remaining diators regained their spirits. They continued to raid nearby estates to liberate the ves, and ves from other regions flocked to Vesuvius. Spartacus and his friends gained victory after victory. Their numbers swelled to thousands. Even Spartacus''s friend Enomaius joined the rebellion. Under Spartacus''s leadership, they established a true democracy based on equality for all.

    "This is just like a dream, too good to be true," someone in the audience murmured.

    "It''s as if an archangel is speaking. I get it now, why they chose a girl to y a general," another audience member remarked.

    "It''s like heaven itself. Nothing can be better than this," another audience member whispered. He quickly crossed himself and said, "Forgive me, Lord."

    "Everyone being equal is great, but making men and women equal... Does that mean women can dominate men?" someone else remarked.

    However, tension returned to the plot. In an attempt to annihte them, Rome sent a military officer named udius with three thousand well-equipped soldiers to besiege them. With the help of local ve owners, they infiltrated Vesuvius. The rebellion had little weaponry and supplies and struggled to face the Roman soldiers head-on. They retreated step by step, finally ending up cornered on a steep mountain peak, with Roman soldiers in front and a cliff behind them. Spartacus and his rebels appeared to be at a dead end. Even Cressus admitted, "It seems these will be thest days of my life. At least in these days, I''m a free man."

    But in their dire straits, a female ve named Agnippe proposed a solution: "There are many wild grapevines on this mountain. We can weave these vines into ropes, and you men can use them to descend from the mountain''s rear and attack the Romans from behind."

    "Hah, just a while ago, you looked down on women. Without us women, you men would be..." ady in the audience couldn''t help butment, still clutching the chicken.

    Spartacus epted Agnippe''s suggestion. He led his warriors to descend the mountain using these ropes at night, thenunched a surprise attack from the rear, crushing the Roman army. Spartacus waved his short sword, leading the ves in pursuit of the Roman soldiers. He shouted, "Brothers, let''s sing our song!"

    So, in the midst of the deep and majestic music, the ves on stage sang a song that went like this:

    Debout! les damns de terre! "

    "Debout! les forats de faim!...

    [Note: The lyrics are from "The Internationale," a famous socialist anthem.]

    "Stand up, you wretched of the earth"

    "Stand up, you prisoners of hunger"

    The audience was captivated by the performance, as the powerful words and emotions filled the air. The story of Spartacus was unfolding in a remarkable way, and the audience was swept away by the drama, music, and the powerful message of freedom and equality. It was a night to remember in the Peterson Theater, as the audience was carried away to another world by the performance.

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 Chapter 40: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (3)

    Chapter 40: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (3)

    The choir had been strategically ced in the audience, without any borate costumes. So when the song entered its chorus, these individuals suddenly began to sing, leaving the surrounding audience astonished.

    In this scene, they had only sung the first part of the song. As the song concluded, the choir members promptly silenced, instantly blending back into the audience.

    "Hey, buddy, can you guys sing this song?" A young man with faint freckles on his nose gently tugged on the sleeve of a nearby choir member, whispering.

    "Yes, we can sing it," the choir member replied simply.

    "This song is amazing!" the young man eximed.

    "There are several more verses to this song. We only sang one here. I live nearby and have heard them practicing this song for days," another person chimed in.

    "Shh, I can''t hear the lines!" someone elseined.

    Onstage, the drama continued to unfold. Spartacus had be too small to contain the rebel forces. Spartacus and another rebellion leader, Crixus, had different ideas about the future of the rebellion. Spartacus believed the Roman legions were too powerful, and it was no longer sustainable to stay in the region. The rebellion should leave Rome, head north, cross the Alps, establish their own free nation to the north of the Alps, and return to Rome after strengthening their forces to liberate all the ves. On the other hand, Crixus thought Spartacus was being too cautious and believed that the Roman legions were not as formidable as Spartacus perceived. The rebellion should stay in the area, capture Roman cities, free the ves, and continuously fight to expand their forces, ultimately eradicating the evil of very.

    Neither leader could convince the other, so they resorted to a democratic vote. Most of the rebel fighters chose to support Spartacus, leaving Crixus frustrated. In the end, when Spartacus led the army north, Crixus volunteered to be the rear guard. However, once the rebellion began its journey, Crixus and a group of fighters left the main army andunched an attack on a Roman city. Unfortunately, they fell into a Roman ambush, and by the time Spartacus arrived, they had all been killed. The Romans executed all the prisoners in a cruel manner. Witnessing this, the rebel fighters were enraged, and many demanded revenge. Spartacus couldn''t convince them and had to hold another vote, where they all decided to stay and fight in Rome.

    "Staying in Rome is risky. Why is Spartacus submitting to democracy?" one audience member couldn''t help butment. "What do these ves know?"

    "That''s not fair," another person retorted. "If only Crixus could have followed democracy like Spartacus, we wouldn''t be in this situation. Besides, you say, ''What do these ves know?'' The priests and nobles would say the same thing about us!"

    Spartacus'' rebellion remained in Italy, led by Spartacus himself, and they achieved numerous victories. But Spartacus was increasingly worried because he knew that victory was only temporary. The Roman main forces were closing in, and he repeatedly tried to persuade his fighters to head north. Still, his rmendations were consistently rejected.

    Crassus led the Roman legions to block Spartacus''s path north. As they closed in, Spartacus led the rebellion south and contacted pirates, hoping to escape to Sicily by sea. However, when they arrived at the agreed location, the pirate fleet did not appear. Instead, they found themselves surrounded by Crassus''s forces. Crassus sent Spartacus a letter proposing surrender. He promised that if Spartacus surrendered, he would be a Roman citizen and a general. However, when Spartacus inquired about the fate of the other ves, Crassus replied, "They will return to the estates and diator schools as ves."

    Spartacus refused Crassus''s offer and led his forces to break through. They managed to escape but were pursued by more Roman armies, forcing Spartacus to confront Crassus in a decisive battle in Apulia.

    Before the battle, Spartacus and Crassus met. Crassus once again offered terms to Spartacus, who again declined. They agreed to fight a final battle on the next day.

    On the battlefield, the rebel forces, outnumbered, were finally defeated. Spartacus died in battle. His deputy, Enomayi, and over six thousand fighters were captured. Crassus ordered all of them to be crucified.

    The final scene of the y featured Enomayi and two other rebel fighters being crucified. They were forced to carry their own crosses and erect them. Then the Romans nailed them to the crosses. The two fighters were crucified on the sides, while Enomayi was in the middle.

    "This is a sphemy against the sacred!" a priest held his cross tightly, muttering with a sinister tone.

    Indeed, this scene was an obvious imitation of the crucifixion of Jesus in the Bible. Just as in the Bible, Jesus had carried his own cross and was crucified alongside two criminals, with Jesus in the center.

    The two fighters, hanging on the crosses, wept, and even the onlookers were moved. Suddenly, Enomayi looked to his left and right, then shouted, "What''s wrong, my brothers? Is death worse than living as ves? Yes, we may have lost our lives, but we''ve at least won freedom from this day forward, never to be enved again! We may have lost this battle, but in the long run, our cause will never fail. Oppression will be overthrown, and the system of very will be dismantled! Spartacus''s name and legacy will endure forever! Brothers, let us sing our battle song onest time!"

    Enomayi began to sing, "Debout ! les damns de terre, Debout ! les forats de faim"

    In his singing, the two crucified fighters stopped crying, raised their heads, and joined in, singing, "La raison tonne en son cratre : Cest lruption de fin."

    Roman soldiers with spears were shocked, looking up at these crucified ves and shouting in panic, "No singing! Stop singing!" One soldier even jabbed Enomayi in the side with his spear, drawing blood.

    "This is... this is a dreadful sphemy! May the Lord unleash his wrath" the priest muttered through clenched teeth.

    In the Bible, after Jesus was crucified, a Roman soldier named Longinus, to ensure Jesus was dead, thrust his spear into Jesus''s side. Later, this spear became a holy relic in Catholicism, known as the Spear of Longinus. Legends surrounding it imed that whoever possessed it could subdue anyone within a range of 120 feet and control the fate of the world, but if they lost it, they would die instantly. These legends even deceived people inter times, with even Hitler fervently seeking it. It was said he briefly possessed the holy spear, but it didn''t secure his victory in World War II.

    Yet, Enomayi''s singing continued, undeterred. This part of the song had been sung before, with a simple melody and lyrics. Many members of the audience joined in this time, carried away by the song''s powerful anti-religious message. As the chorus started, even more people joined the choir, stirred by the song''s call to rebellion.

    Following that came the more explicit and passionate sixth stanza:

    By now, the priest had quietly slipped away, disappearing into the streets.

    After the song finished, the entire theater fell into a moment of silence. Then a voice broke the stillness, "That was incredible! Can you sing it again?"

    Soon, the whole theater was filled with simr requests:

    "Sing it again, please! I haven''t memorized all the lyrics yet!"

    "Please, sing it again."

    "Once more, please!"

    The curtains had already descended, and the actors and choir were ready to leave. However, in response to the audience''s demands, they werepelled to sing the song again. And again. In the end, they performed the song six times in total. Clearly, this debut had achieved unprecedented sess.

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 Chapter 41: The First Fateful Meeting

    Chapter 41: The First Fateful Meeting

    The day after their sessful debut, Armand, Long, and the Rose Theater Company received several new performance invitations. Among them, one invitation stood out, not originating from a theater but from a member of the "National Convention" - Mr. Robespierre.

    If Joseph had seen this invitation, he might have been taken aback, for Mr. Robespierre wouldter be infamous as the "Mad Killer." ording to some ounts, during his rule in France, guillotines stood tall in every city square, andmpposts had "enemies of the people" hanging from them. Future generations even fabricated an epitaph for him: "I, Robespierre, rest here, passersby, do not mourn me, for if I were alive, none of you would be."

    Joseph believed that after Robespierre''s downfall, hardly anyone, from the Jacobins to Napoleon, would like this "Incorruptible, Defender of the People, Creator of the Nation''s motto: ''Liberty, Equality, Fraternity''." So, it was almost certain that there would be mudslinging at him. Just as during the Bourbon Restoration, various entertaining stories were fabricated about Napoleon, portraying him as a blend of "Tartuffe" (the main character in Molire''sedy) and "Don Juan" (a byword for a libertine in Europe). Therefore, most of the tales about Robespierre''s erratic behavior and pleasure in killing were unreliable. However, one thing remained true: Robespierre did kill quite a number of people, many of whom had beenrades in the trenches with him. If he enjoyed killing, it was probably an exaggeration, but if he had a habit of "getting rid of people causing problems," that was likely not false. In summary, bing Robespierre''s enemy was extremely dangerous, but bing his friend might not be much safer.

    Armand, on the other hand, was unaware of theseplexities, and at the time, Robespierre''s reputation was at its peak. He had spoken over two hundred times during the Estates-General and the National Convention, ranking twentieth among the representatives. In his speeches, he supported universal male suffrage, opposed the king''s veto, advocated for Jewish rights, called for the abolition of very and the death penalty, and opposed censorship. Yes, you read that correctly; "Mad Killer" Robespierre was once an advocate for abolishing the death penalty. Odd, isn''t it? Well, it''s not that strange; it''s just an example of how one''s position can influence their stance. When Robespierre was a proponent of abolishing the death penalty, the executioner''s tool was still under the control of King Louis XVI, posing a threat to "troublemakers" like Robespierre. So, as a "troublemaker" himself, Robespierre naturally opposed it. But when that tool fell into Robespierre''s hands, the situation naturally changed. At this time, King Louis XVI had justpleted his one and only technical innovation in his lifetime - an improved design for the guillotine, making it more efficient. The ironic twist was that Louis XVI became the first user of this upgraded guillotine. As the poet Ronsard put it, "A wide face turns thin, heads roll more. Suddenly down, may he rest in peace."

    Robespierre''s suggestions were mostly not passed, but they earned him the moniker "Incorruptible." Now that Armand had received his invitation, he was delighted. Furthermore, the location Robespierre suggested was quite unique - the Royal Pce.

    The Royal Pce was initially built for Cardinal Richelieu, the Prime Minister of Louis XIII, and was known as the "Pis-Cardinal." Later, it became the residence of the Duke of Orleans. In an attempt to win over the Parisian popce, the Orleans family opened it to the public in 1780. Since then, this private garden pce gradually transformed into a public square for the people of Paris. Orleans''s political ambitions were well-known at the time.

    During the 1789 French Revolution, there were two political centers in Paris: Versailles, where the Estates-General was deciding France''s fate, and the Royal Pce in the city center. During this time, it served as a barometer of Parisian political fervor. These were two seats of power, and after July 14, 1789, it was the Royal Pce that led France, as Versailles had no influence over it; on the contrary, the Royal Pce could control Versailles.

    The Royal Pce was a grand pce that could amodate tens of thousands of people. It was a ce brimming with various political pamphlets, orators, audiences, and rumors. Since the Estates-General, people exchanged all kinds of information here, including news from Versailles, and spread it further. If Armand''s y could be performed here, even just once, it would certainly make his name resound.

    After a brief consideration, Armand epted the invitation. That evening, he took the lead role, Louis, to visit Robespierre.

    At that time, Robespierre was staying in an inn near the City Hall. He could have had a better residence; many members of the National Convention had epted the generosity of the Duke of Orleans or the Marquis de Lafayette for safety reasons and moved into their properties. But the "Incorruptible" paid for a room in a regr inn. Nevertheless, his financial situation was good due to his past sess as awyer, and the inn was decent. In addition to the bedroom, it had a small living room with a sofa.

    Armand, along with Louis, was led to the third floor by a waiter. This was the top floor of the inn, rtively quieter than the first and second floors, likely one reason for Robespierre''s choice.

    The waiter brought Armand and Louis to a door and knocked gently.

    "The door is open. Pleasee in," came a cheerful voice from inside.

    The waiter opened the door and said, "Mr. Robespierre, Mr. Lavache and Mr. Saint-Just are here to visit."

    Yes, Louis''sst name was Saint-Just. If Joseph had known hisst name when he met him earlier, he would have surely looked at this reticent, strikingly handsome young man in a different light. Though Joseph, a former engineering student, wasn''t particrly well-versed in the history of the French Revolution, he had at least read Victor Hugo''s "Ny-Three" and learned from its footnotes about Saint-Just, the most loyalrade of Robespierre, known as the "Great Angel of the Revolution" or the "Terrifying Angel."

    "Pleasee in, gentlemen," Robespierre''s voice sounded, but there was no one in the living room.

    "I''m sorry, I''m in the middle of drafting a document, just a few more sentences to finish. Please wait on the couch for a moment. Henry, could you offer them some tea, please? Thank you," the voice came from the study.

    The waiter ushered the two men into the living room, where they sat on the couch, and tea was poured. The tea was Indian ck tea, although its quality was mediocre. Joseph knew that this era''s low-grade tea leaves were often adulterated with copper to mask spoge. Drinking this stuff had no health benefits.

    Armand and Saint-Just, however, had no such concerns. They sat on the couch, picked up their tea, and sipped it.

    After two minutes, the voice from the study said, "Finally done! I apologize for keeping you waiting."

    With that voice, a young man stepped out. His face was slightly pale, perhaps due to consecutive sleepless nights, but he appeared serious. His lips were thin, and his gaze was calm. His cheeks twitched nervously at times, making his smile appear somewhat unnatural. Following the custom ofwyers, he had powdered his face, wore gloves, and his clothing was impable. His jacket had no wrinkles, and his buttons were neatly fastened. He wore pale blue upper attire with a decorative crisscross pattern on the front. Below, he had on beige trousers, white stockings, silver-buckled shoes, a high-necked tie, and a crotch decoration on the front.

    "I''m sorry; I didn''t expect you to be so patient," Robespierre extended his hand to shake hands with them. "I attended your premiere yesterday, and I couldn''t sleep all night afterward. Your war song and Spadini''s exhrating speeches were in my ears the entire night. I even forgot about my work until not long ago when I remembered I have a speech to deliver in the assembly tomorrow. I checked the time and realized you might be an hour or two away, so I went ahead to draft my speech. I have a habit that once I start writing, I can''t break it in the middle. So, I had to ask you to wait here. I hope you don''t think I deliberately snubbed you."

    "I understand," Saint-Just replied, almost instinctively. "I don''t like to interrupt my tasks either when I''m working."

    "Do you know the purpose behind inviting you to perform at the Royal Pce?" Robespierre asked directly.

    "You hope to exert pressure on the king through this y," Saint-Just responded almost without hesitation.

    Saint-Just''s rapid response clearly caught Robespierre off guard. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "You''re right; that is indeed one of our goals with this y. Obviously, there are political considerations behind our invitation, and if you ept, it may involve some political risks. I don''t want to involve you in the political whirlwind without your knowledge. You know, the current situation is quite tense and dangerous."

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 Chapter 42: The Brittany Club

    Chapter 42: The Brittany Club

    "Regarding this matter," Armand began, "our y itself carries strong political undertones. When I was creating it, I knew that staging this work involved political risks."

    At this point, Armand paused and continued, "Moreover, we chose to perform it during such a time, which itself is a politically charged choice. We have already considered the political risks. Even if something does happen, it would be nothing more than a stint in the Bastille."

    When people spoke of going to prison, it was generally called ''feeding the rats,'' but Armand referred to it as ''eating rats,'' a small linguistic difference that carried significant implications. Both Armand and Robespierre knew that because the Bastille was often used to incarcerate nobles, there was likely no other prison in all of France that couldpare to its conditions.

    "And I believe, if our king were even slightly intelligent, we wouldn''t be at risk of going to the Bastille," Saint-Just chimed in. "If our king decides to suppress the people, he should use decisive measures, swiftly arrest all the representatives of the Third Estate, and send them straight to the guillotine. Although this may lead to some chaos, the rebels would be leaderless, and they can be picked off one by one."

    At this point, Saint-Just, with his handsome features, allowed a faint, mocking smile to creep onto his lips. "Moreover, most of these representatives are wealthy individuals  Mr. Robespierre, you''re among the poorest among them, but even you,pared to most people in the Saint-Antoine district, are considered ''rich.'' Some of them have hundreds of times more wealth than you. Eliminate these representatives, seize their assets, and use that money to recruit more troops and gain the loyalty of nobles and the impoverished who would support the king, and perhaps our king could survive this. Of course, such actions might lead to a civil war in France. He must be prepared for failure, like Charles I, who ended up on the guillotine. Nevertheless, considering theck of leadership on the other side, I believe our king''s position would be better than that of Charles I. If our king genuinely intends to do this, we''ll likely be executed directly, and there will be no need for the Bastille."

    With this, Saint-Just even lightly caressed his slender neck, exuding an air of "A fine head, who will sever it."

    "Do you think the king would do such a thing?" Robespierre asked.

    "He won''t," Saint-Just said, his face wearing a scornful smile. "If the king had the audacity to be a tyrant, he wouldn''t let that Austrian woman have her way. He also wouldn''te away empty-handed from the ''Assembly of Notables.'' Overall, our monarchcks both the courage of a despot and the wisdom of an enlightened ruler. He''s not a king to be feared. So, I don''t believe we''re in any danger."

    "Mr. Saint-Just," Robespierre praised, "you possess a remarkable level ofposure and courage for someone of your age and appearance. Honestly, when I saw you perform as Spartacus just yesterday, I was quite surprised, but your performance was outstanding. I was astonished that someone as young as you could possess such strength. However, today''s conversation has made me understand that a person''s thoughts and abilities cannot be measured solely by age. Mr. Saint-Just, indeed, as you''ve said, our kingcks the audacity for tyranny. We are not fools, willing to let him have his way. These years of privilege and excess have drained the nation''s treasury. The army is simrly starved of funds, rife with discontent. Moreover, the army is made up of the people of France. The army isposed of the people; it is not a soulless tool. If the king truly intends to take risks, he can only rely on mercenaries. However, if he can afford to pay mercenaries, he can certainly fund the French army. What do you think the French army would prefer? In fact, we are not entirely unprepared; many nobles and military officers are in contact with us. The king won''t be able to hide any major actions from us. So, while your performance has its risks, they are not uncontroble. After all, I invited you, and even if you didn''t make the request, I would have considered your safety. So, you can rest assured; while there is some risk, the possibility of going to the Bastille is very small."

    "Don''t even mention the Bastille; we''re not afraid of the guillotine," Armand said.

    The group discussed the y further, and Armand and Saint-Just prepared to take their leave. Robespierre escorted them to the door but suddenly mentioned, "Oh, I almost forgot. We have a club,prised of good friends who hope to bring about reform. I believe our philosophies align, would you be interested in joining?"

    "What kind of club is it?" Saint-Just inquired.

    "The Brittany Club. Originally, it was a club for representatives from the Brittany region, but after the Third Estate convened, more people joined. They are all friends who support constitutionalism, so we are considering changing the club''s name to ''Friends of Constitutionalism.'' How about it? If you''re interested, I can introduce you."

    "Sure," Armand replied, "I have a friend who would be a great fit. You may have heard of him  his name is Bonaparte, Joseph Bonaparte. He''s a scientific genius."

    "I''ve heard of him," Robespierre nodded. "Although I can''t understand his writings. Well, can you wait for a moment? I will write an invitation letter and you can deliver it to him."

    "We''d be happy to help," Armand said.

    Robespierre went into his study to write the letter, while Armand and Saint-Just made themselvesfortable in the living room, sitting on the couch, waiting.

    "Armand, do you think Mr. Bonaparte would be willing to join this club?" Saint-Just asked.

    "Don''t worry, I know Joseph and his political views. In fact, you know, many ideas in the script of ''Spartacus''e from him. He''s definitely a progressive young man who supports constitutionalism," Armand replied, barely refraining from revealing that the song ''ve''s Song'' was written by Joseph for him. He vaguely sensed that he might have made a mistake when Joseph handed him that song, considering Joseph''s attitude at the time.

    "I''m aware of that," Saint-Just said. "But I still have the feeling that Mr. Bonaparte may not be too eager to get deeply involved in politics. He seems more interested in his scientific pursuits. Well, I don''t doubt his passion for constitutionalism, but I think he might love science more."

    "Damn it! I didn''t consider that," Armand shook his head. But then he immediately added, "This guy might really have that possibility. But it''s just an invitation to a club, it shouldn''t take up too much of his time. If he''s really busy, he doesn''t have to participate."

    As they were talking, Robespierre returned from his study and handed a sealed envelope to Armand.

    "I''ve written the invitation letter. I look forward to meeting this genius scientist at the club."

    "Very well, Mr. Robespierre," Armand hesitated for a moment, then said, "Joseph has been busy with an important studytely, and it''s been taking up a lot of his time... He might not be able to fully participate in the club''s activities..." Armand hesitated.

    Robespierre paused for a moment, then smiled, "Ah, Mr. Lavoisier, that''s not an issue at all. It''s just a club. No club expects all its members to be present all the time. After all, everyone has their own business, right? So, it''s not a problem."

    "If that''s the case, then there should be no problem," Armand said.

    ...

    Leaving Robespierre''s ce, Armand looked at the sky and said to Saint-Just, "Louis, Joseph lives not far from here, just across the street. I think it''s about time for him to return home. I n to go to his ce directly and deliver the invitation letter. Would you like toe with me?"

    Saint-Just thought for a moment, then shook his head, "Time is running out for the next performance, I should go back and prepare."

    So, the two parted ways at the street corner. Saint-Just took a hired carriage back to the theater troupe''s location, while Armand walked to Joseph''s residence.

    When Armand knocked on Joseph''s door, Joseph was having dinner with his two younger brothers. Typically, if a time-traveler from a big eating country found themselves in the West, they''d cook Chinese food whenever they could because, generally, they wouldn''t find Western food very ptable. This was especially true for those unfortunate time-travelers who ended up in a country where all they could find was potatoes, eggs, and sardines. However, Joseph enjoyed a genuine Western meal  bread and roastedmb. This wasn''t just because he was lucky to have ended up in a big eating country; it was because, in this era, the ingredients required for Chinese dishes were basically unavable in France. Besides, Joseph had now achieved a certain status, and someone of his status was expected to avoid doing his own cooking. Furthermore,bor was cheap, so Joseph had hired a maid to help with the household chores.

    Hence, when Armand entered and sniffed the air, he raised his eyebrows, deeply inhaled the aroma, and eximed, "Smells delicious! Is that roastedmb? Well, Joseph, your life has improved significantly!"

    Joseph inquired, "What brings you here at this time, Armand? Is there something you need?"

    "Ah, I''vee to deliver a letter, an invitation," Armand replied.

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 Chapter 43: The Brittany Club (2)

    Chapter 43: The Brittany Club (2)

    "I thought you were being pursued and seeking refuge here," Joseph chuckled, "but your timing is perfect. Let''s have dinner together."

    He ushered Armand inside and then called out to a maid busy in another room, "Sophie, please fetch a set of utensils for my friend."

    Seated now, he looked at Armand and asked, "So, did you receive another high-profile invitation, or should Ie and show my support?"

    "I did indeed receive a special invitationto perform at the Royal Pce," Armand proudly boasted.

    "Well, now you''re truly making a name for yourself," Joseph remarked.

    Sophie brought the utensils just in time. Joseph cheerfully said, "Sophie, please fetch the bottle of brandy from my cab. We need to celebrate."

    "Of course," Sophie replied and went to fetch the brandy.

    "However, Armand, I might not be able to attend your performance this time," Joseph expressed with a tinge of regret. The outbreak of the Great Revolution was imminent, and Joseph knew that during the turbulent period leading up to his younger brother Napoleon''s rise in politics, the French politicalndscape would be chaotic. Today, they might hang nobles and royalists onmpposts, and tomorrow, they might do the same to merchants and traitors, and the day after that, it could be the turn ofmoners and rogues. In this tumultuous time, political changes were too rapid and perilous, so Joseph felt it best to keep a certain distance from political figures.

    "No, no, Joseph, you''ve got it wrong," Armand replied. "I wasn''t referring to the invitation for the performance. I know you''re busy, and this isn''t your debut, so I didn''t prepare as many invitations for friends."

    Joseph, with a sense of foreboding, asked, "Then what invitation are you talking about?"

    "It''s an invitation to a club," Armand said, handing him the letter.

    Joseph took the letter, nced at the envelope, and read, "Mr. Joseph Bonaparte, in person," signed with florid cursive, "Maximilien Franois Marie Isidore de Robespierre."

    Joseph still hadn''t quite figured out who that was when Sophie brought the brandy.

    "Thank you, Sophie," Armand said, taking the bottle and pouring a ss for himself and a half-ss for Joseph.

    "Maximilien Franois Marie Isidore de Robespierre... Robespierre!" Joseph finally understood. The surname at the end of that long string of names made him break into a cold sweat.

    "Indeed, a representative of Robespierre, the Incorruptible," Armand sipped his drink while replying.

    Joseph lowered his head and pulled the letter out of the envelope, using it to hide his shock.

    "What''s the matter, Joseph?" Armand somewhat noticed Joseph''s unease and asked, "If you''re too busy, you don''t have to go. After all, it''s just an invitation from a club, what''s the harm?"

    Joseph thought to himself, "Who wants to go if they can avoid it?" He knew that at this time, Robespierre probably wouldn''t be too angry if he didn''t attend due to being "busy with research." However, not making Robespierre angry now didn''t guarantee he wouldn''t be angry in the future.

    Robespierre wasn''t powerful enough to do anything to Joseph at the moment, but in the future, when he had wealthy cities at his feet and a powerful nation in his hands, when one word from him could send those who had offended him to the guillotine, would he still be as forgiving when he thought of this? Joseph had no way of knowing, because that was the infamous "Reign of Terror" Robespierre!

    However, this invitation was to join the "Britannia Club," not the "Jacobin Club." (Joseph''s historical education was given by a physical education teacher, so he had no idea that the "Britannia Club" was the precursor to the "Jacobin Club.") Joining it shouldn''t be too much of a problem. Furthermore, not everyone who joined the Jacobin Club ended up on the guillotine. However, if you got on the bad side of the "Great Demon," the chances of avoiding the guillotine were slim.

    "I can attend some of the meetings, at least," Joseph said. "Of course, I''m not like the representatives; I''m unlikely to attend every one of their gatherings."

    "That''s perfectly fine; it''s not a problem at all," Armand said, not realizing the trouble he had caused Joseph by inviting him.

    "Very well, I''m honored to receive this invitation," Joseph replied.

    "Shall we have a drink then?" Armand never missed an opportunity to share a drink with someone.

    "Alright," Joseph put on a smiling face and raised his ss.

    After bidding farewell to Armand, Joseph couldn''t help but mutter to himself, "Gosh!" This friend of his was certainly trouble-prone, and now he had even attracted the attention of the "Great Demon." This was...

    However, cursing wouldn''t solve the problem now. So, Joseph had to calm himself down first and then carefully consider how he should handle this.

    ...

    Soon, it was time for the appointment specified in the invitation. Joseph changed into appropriate attire, hopped onto a lightweight carriage, left Paris, and arrived near the Royal Tennis Court of Versailles. This was where the Constituent Assembly met, and the "Club of Constitutional Friends" now used one of the halls here as their meeting ce.

    Joseph got out of the carriage at the entrance of the Royal Tennis Court, handed the invitation to the gatekeeper, and shortly afterward, he saw a well-dressed young man approaching him.

    "Are you Mr. Bonaparte? I''m the representative of the Constituent Assembly, Robespierre," the young man extended his hand to Joseph.

    "It''s a pleasure to receive your invitation," Joseph replied.

    Robespierre then led Joseph inside the Royal Tennis Court. As they walked, he pointed out various buildings in the vicinity.

    When the two of them entered the hall of the "Club of Constitutional Friends," it was already filled with people. Robespierre asionally chatted with others, introducing Joseph to his friends. He appeared friendly, and there was no hint of his "Great Demon" aura.

    "Ah, Bonaparte, I didn''t expect to see you here," as Joseph was conversing with Robespierre and his friends, a voice called out.

    Joseph turned to see the Duke of Orleans striding over.

    "Your Highness, I''m surprised to find you here as well," Joseph greeted, bowing.

    "No need for such formality; we''ve known each other for a long time," the Duke of Orleans said warmly, patting Joseph on the shoulder. "What brings you here? Finding it strange to see me at the Club of Britannia? There''s nothing odd about it. I, too, support constitutionalism and am a member of the Britannia Club."

    Indeed, the Duke of Orleans and Marquis de Lafayette, figures of the nobility, were both members of the Britannia Club. In fact, for the historical record, the Britannia Club,ter known as the Jacobin Club, didn''t be a radical left-wing organization until the trial of Louis XVI. Due to differences in their attitude towards the king, the Jacobin Club split, with Robespierre, who advocated the king''s execution, being elected as the chairman. Those who supported the king left the club under Lafayette''s leadership. After that, the Jacobin Club became the radical left-wing organization. The Duke of Orleans continued to be a member of the Jacobin Club, hoping to leverage the Jacobins'' power to dispose of Louis XVI and make himself the king of France. But, things didn''t go as nned, and he found himself on the guillotine.

    "Joseph, let me introduce you to a friend," the Duke of Orleans said. "He''s been eager to meet you for some time."

    Then, he looked around and whispered something to a servant apanying him, instructing him to bring Gilbert over.

    The servant walked over to the left, and Joseph followed him with his gaze, noticing a tall middle-aged man wearing a wig engaged in conversation. After the servant ryed the message, the man finished his conversation and looked over in Joseph''s direction. He had clearly noticed Joseph and smiled in acknowledgment before striding over.

    "Gilbert, let me introduce you to a friend," the Duke of Orleans said. "This is our brilliant scientist, BonaparteJoseph Bonaparte. You might know him as the one who urately measured the speed of light."

    Joseph, recognizing the name from his knowledge of the future, knew that Lafayette was a French general who had achieved victories in the war against the British during the American Revolutionary War. He had a high reputation in the military.

    Joseph, showing respect, bowed and said, "It''s an honor to meet you, Marquis."

    Armand also made his greetings, and Lafayette responded with warmth.

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 Chapter 44: The Jacobins of the Royalist Party

    Chapter 44: The Jacobins of the Royalist Party

    "It''s an honor to meet our young scientist. You know, all the glory and grandeur in life are but fleeting, and time will wash them all away. Even great emperors like Alexander and Caesar leave behind empty names. Only schrship is truly immortal. Just like Greece and Rome, their most precious treasures for us are not their conquests but their knowledge andws. You have the talent to explore what''s truly eternal, and that''s what trulymands respect and admiration," the Marquis de Lafayette replied with a smile.

    "Just like the immortality of Rome, much like theirws. Your involvement now, Your Excellency, isn''t it an equally immortal and enduring achievement for the ages?" Joseph replied with a smile.

    "You make a valid point. What are your thoughts on the constitution?" the Marquis de Lafayette asked.

    "I don''t know much about politics," Joseph replied, "but I believe, just as ancient Greek geometry is built upon nine undeniable axioms and posttes, our constitution should rest upon simrly self-evident principles. Your Excellency, you''ve led in the American War of Independence. The logic in the Deration of Independence is quite intriguing."

    "Please continue," Robespierre urged.

    "The Deration states: ''We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.'' These two sentences serve as the foundation for the entire Deration, and almost all arguments in the North American Deration of Independence are built upon them. If we aim to create a truly enduring constitution, we need to identify its foundational principles. In my opinion, these two sentences from the North American Deration of Independence can serve as the cornerstone of our constitution. Therefore, when drafting our constitution, we should first define the rights it must protect and then build around how to safeguard those rights. Anything conflicting with this objective should be deemed unconstitutional and, subsequently, uwful and invalid."

    "That''s an interesting perspective," the Duke of Orleans interjected. "But Joseph, when you said, ''Greek geometry is built upon nine undeniable axioms and posttes,'' wasn''t it supposed to be ten axioms and posttes? Do you also think we should expel the Fifth Axiom from the axioms'' ranks?"

    "Who wouldn''t want to?" Josephughed. "Since ancient Greece, every mathematician dreams of proving the Fifth Axiom and elevating it from an axiom to a theorem. If I could truly solve such a problem, I''d undoubtedly gain fame, perhaps even as famous as Monsieur Lavoisier."

    Here, when Joseph mentioned "Monsieur Lavoisier," he was, of course, referring to the eminent chemist Lavoisier. However, because of this surname, it triggered some additional thoughts.

    "Monsieur Lavoisier?" Robespierre asked. "Well, Monsieur Lavoisier''s academic achievements aremendable, and he is truly a shining light in French science. His nephew, on the other hand, is talented in the arts. His recent y gained fame, and some believe he might be a high ywright."

    "His y ''Spartacus'' is indeed a fine tragedy, but it''s overly radical. Especially that ''ve''s War Song,'' itpletely denies the existing order," Lafayette seemed unenthusiastic about the y. He furrowed his brow and continued, "The current order does have many issues that need to be addressed, but this change should be a gentle and gradual reform rather than a catastrophic war, like a sh flood."

    "We all hope to avoid such a deluge," Robespierre added. "However, our king is rather obstinate. Regarding this matter, I spoke with young Lavoisier. He agreed that reforming the current order, establishing an English-style monarchy, is more favorable than creating a North American-style nation, simr to the Glorious Revolution. But he said achieving such changes in France isn''t easy. Sometimes, exaggeration is necessary to make an impact. It''s like telling our king, ''Your room is too dark; we need to add more windows.'' He refuses. So you say, ''Your room is too dark; I''ll dismantle the roof.'' Then, His Majesty might be willing to discuss how to add windows."

    This analogy brought smiles to the group, and Joseph''s borrowed metaphor from his previous life reading Lu Xun''s works found its way into the conversation. Now, it seemed like Armand was using this metaphor, taken from Joseph, in his conversation.

    "This idea makes sense," Lafayette said with a smile. "But I''m a bit concerned that this y is inciting the citizens, especially the underprivileged, to be more emotional. Once their emotions are stirred, they might not settle for merely adding windows."

    "But if we don''t, the king won''t feel any pressure and won''t agree to any reforms," the Duke of Orleans argued.

    Lafayette raised his head, gazed intently at the Duke of Orleans, but didn''t respond.

    The Duke of Orleans continued, "Furthermore, Gilbert, you know that the king has mobilized the army, applying pressure on us. Damn it; you were the one who told me this. How can we not respond?"

    "The French army won''t turn against its own people. Our military is meant to protect the homnd, not ughter its citizens," Lafayette replied.

    "Can you guarantee that?" the Duke of Orleans pressed.

    "Of course," Lafayette answered without hesitation.

    "What about those mercenaries? Can you ensure they won''t harm the people?" the Duke of Orleans inquired.

    Lafayette remained silent.

    "If those mercenaries open fire on the people, what will the French army do? Will they defy the king''s orders and engage in a battle with the foreign mercenaries, or will they stand by and watch?" the Duke of Orleans continued to push for answers.

    Lafayette still didn''t respond.

    "You know, the military is uncertain about how to proceed," the Duke of Orleans continued. "If the army battles the foreign mercenaries, it means war has begun. This is not what you want. If we allow them to massacre the people, I believe that''s not what you want either. Besides, military interference in politics is not a good long-term solution. Once this precedent is set, it could lead to endless trouble."

    Lafayette secretly agreed with the Duke of Orleans on this point. However, he couldn''t bring himself to speak up because, although he had no desire to be king, he did have thoughts of sidelining the king, holding the kingdom''s power tightly in his hands, and perhaps ascending to a position simr to Mazarin or Richelieu. So, tarnishing the king''s reputation, turning the people against him, would also serve his interests. Thus, he couldn''t argue against it but asked, "What kind of power can a y demonstrate?"

    The Duke of Orleans smiled and said, "A group of ves, if determined, can shake the mighty Roman Empire. Today, the French people are stronger than Roman ves, but France is much weaker than Rome. At least the Roman legions would go all out to suppress the ves, while our army won''t. The king knows this. The only ones he can rely on are the hignders and the German mercenaries. If our king is smart, he should grasp the message conveyed by this y. If he''s willing topromise, we can achieve constitutional goals."

    "But what if the king remains unwilling topromise?" Lafayette inquired.

    "Then we arm the National Guard to create a bnce of power against the mercenaries," Robespierre suggested. "The National Guard may not match the mercenaries in skill, but in numbers, they can easily outnumber them several times or even tenfold."

    "Let''s hope our king understands the message conveyed by this y. Does he really want to follow in the footsteps of Charles I?" the Duke of Orleans added.

    Lafayette furrowed his brow. The Duke of Orleans had been quite explicit.

    "It''s as Shakespeare said, ''The nearer in blood, the nearer in bloody deeds,''" he pondered and then finally spoke, "Our king is not as stubborn as Charles I. He will adapt to the tide of the times and be a monarch respected by the people."

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 Chapter 45: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (1)

    Chapter 45: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (1)

    At almost the same time, in the not-so-distant Pce of Versailles, King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antote, were engaged in a conversation about a simr topic.

    "Your Majesty, do you know that there are people openly advocating rebellion?" his queen, Marie Antote, widened her beautiful eyes, staring at her husband.

    "In the Pce of the Tuileries, when has there not been someone advocating rebellion?" Louis XVI responded indifferently.

    Marie Antote shot her husband an exasperated look and continued, "Mr. Lavoisier''s nephew has be a rebel! He performed a y at the Tuileries that promotes rebellion, especially that song in it. It not only promotes rebellion but even sphemes the divine. Don''t you think we should do something about it?"

    Louis XVI raised an eyebrow, "What would you have me do? Should I order them arrested and ban the performance? Paris is already in chaos, and such actions could easily incite a real riot."

    "Isn''t the current situation already a real riot?" Marie Antote asked without hesitation.

    "At least they haven''te to attack Versailles with weapons," Louis XVI replied.

    "You are the king; how can you say such things?" Marie Antote was visibly upset by her husband''s weak response.

    "Your Majesty, we must face the reality," Louis XVI lowered his head, appearing somewhat ashamed of their predicament. "The Parisian police system is nearly paralyzed, and due to financial problems, our army hasn''t received their pay for a long time. They are just as discontented with the kingdom as the rebels. Additionally, the Parisian-based troops have long been infiltrated by those opposed to us. We can''t rely on them now. If something happens, it''s hard to predict whom their weapons will be pointed at. The provincial armies are a bit more reliable. Currently, weck the means to suppress these rebels."

    "What about the mercenaries? The Swiss, the Germans? They''ve been paid; aren''t they supposed to do their job? And aren''t there more reliable provincial armies?" Marie Antote inquired.

    "The mercenaries and more reliable armies are not fully in ce yet. For now, they can only be used to protect us, not enough to quell the situation," Louis XVI exined.

    "How long will it take for them to be fully in ce, then?" Marie Antote asked.

    "That''s hard to say. It requires funds and we can''t act too quickly, or it may provoke them to rebel. If they really take action, our existing forces won''t be able to withstand them. The provincial armies are somewhat more dependable now. That''s why we need to stay in Versailles," Louis XVI hesitated.

    "But if we stay in Versailles, won''t we be hostages?" the queen asked.

    "Not to that extent, but our power here isn''t dominant," Louis XVI admitted with a sigh.

    "Then why are we staying here? Why don''t we move to a ce where our power is dominant, like the provinces? We could gather our strength there," the queen suggested.

    "Because once we leave, it means there will certainly be a civil war. Even if we ultimately win, our country will be devastated by civil war. To avoid this, at least to prevent a destructive civil war, we must stay in Versailles," Louis XVI exined.

    "But what can we achieve by staying in Versailles?" Marie Antote wondered.

    "We need to stabilize them first, and then slowly shift our power here. We must lull them intocency, not let them despair immediately. Until our forces are concentrated and we have an advantage," Louis XVI said.

    "Perhaps..." the queen pondered. "Perhaps, if things escte, I can contact my family."

    "It''s not necessary at the moment," Louis XVI replied. "Even your normalmunication with your family should be cautious, neither increasing nor decreasing it."

    "This is absurd!" the queen protested. "Are they going to inspect our mail now?"

    "I didn''t mean that, but messengers leaving Versailles will be closely watched by others. This could lead to rumors," Louis XVI furrowed his brow.

    "Rumors," the queen scoffed. "Do you think such actions can dispel rumors? No, because rumors don''t need facts. Your Majesty, the more you indulge them, the stronger they be. If you truly wish to buy time, then do not be too permissive."

    However, Louis XVI merely shook his head.

    "Your Majesty, if you continue to allow these actions, even the Church will be disappointed in you," Fersen, who had been silent, spoke up.

    "In that case, issue the ban. But do not enforce it," Louis XVI decided.

    "If it''s not enforced, it might as well not be issued at all," the queen argued. "If we issue the order but do not enforce it, it will only make us look weak and encourage further unrest."

    "If we enforce it, what if conflicts arise?" Louis XVI countered. "Should we send the Swiss Guard to suppress them? We do not have the force to quell them, and if conflict erupts, our weaknesses will be exposed. So for now, my queen, we must avoid any direct conflict, even if it means enduring humiliation, just like King Henry IV."

    Henry IV was an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century. He had his emunication order issued by Pope Gregory VII due to power struggles with the Papacy. During that time, the Holy Roman Empire was unstable, and after the emunication, theoretically, all those who were loyal to him were no longer bound by allegiance. Some local nobles dered that if Henry IV did not receive the Pope''s forgiveness, they would not recognize his authority.

    In the midst of domestic and external crises, Henry IV had to bow before the Pope. He personally went to the castle of Canossa, where the Pope stayed, with his wife and son to repent and seek absolution. After enduring humiliation, he was forgiven by the Pope. Later, Henry IV managed to quell internal rebellions and, with his army, marched into Rome, expelled Pope Gregory VII, and appointed an antipope. This story was mentioned now to serve as an example for enduring humiliation in the present. After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

    After a while, the queen said, "So, let''s pretend we know nothing. I''ve heard that sometimes you either do something or not at all. If we take no action, at least it will make you seem mysterious. If we act but appear weak, people will look down on us."

    Louis XVI quickly nodded, "I think the queen has a point."

    "But, Your Majesty," the queen suddenly added with a mocking tone, "I''ve always been curious about one thing: where is your limit, Your Majesty?"

    ...

    While King Louis XVI did not decide to ban the y "Spartacus," rumors that the y was about to be banned spread increasingly wildly. Initially, these rumors were merely about the king''s intention to ban the y. Later, they imed that the king had sent secret orders to arrest the author and all the actors. Subsequently, it was rumored that anyone involved in the y would be emunicated. Various rumors emerged and evolved, keeping people on their toes.

    During this time, Armand showed some of his uncle''s wisdom. He regarded these rumors as free advertising. Leveraging the rumors, he used them to promote the y, iming, "This may be thest chance to see it; if you don''t watch now, you won''t see it again!"

    Just like Adam and Eve couldn''t resist the temptation of the "forbidden fruit," their descendants always seemed to be even more interested in things with the word "forbidden." So the tantalizing headline "about to be banned" was indeed very effective. Now, the Dragon and Rose troupe''s performances were consistently sold out, and other theater groups followed suit, staging the same y. It was due to this that the sphemous song, "The ve''s Anthem," became popr throughout Paris.

    Initially, when these rumors first emerged, the actors in the troupe were nervous. However, the packed audiences brought them increased earnings, which were particrly persuasive in a time when food prices were soaring. Therefore, the actors came to embrace the rumors and even started fabricating some themselves, such as an actor being attacked by unknown individuals.

    As conflicts, bothrge and small, continued to ur in Paris, the rumor that the king was nning a massacre of the city''s residents became more popr. The rumors manufactured by Armand and his group found many believers.

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 Chapter 46: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (2)

    Chapter 46: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (2)

    Just as Armand had spread a new rumorhimself suddenly gone missing, perhaps imprisoned in the Bastillea more astonishing piece of news arrived: the King''s finance minister, Necker, had been dismissed and expelled from the country.

    Necker''s departure was seen as a sign that the King was about to crush the Third Estate''s resistance, as he had served as France''s finance minister twice.

    During his first term as finance minister, he gained widespread favor among themon people of the city for opposing free grain trade. (Free grain trade would lead to inevitable price hikes, particrly in the face of recurring natural disasters, greatly harming the interests of the poorest of the poor.)

    He introduced a method of keeping the national finances running through debt rather than raising taxes, which also pleased the wealthier members of the Third Estate.

    However, in 1781, to defend his fiscal policies, he shockingly published the financial report of the French government, revealing the budget deficit and thevish privileges of the nobility. The disclosure of these two figures caused a political storm. The sight of the astronomical expenses, especially by Queen Marie Antote, who had spent seventy-six thousand six hundred francs just redecorating her Trianon pce, and the Queen''s gift of half a million francs to her favorite, Madame de Polignac, in just one year, angered the poor who had never even seen a single Louis coin in their lives, especially considering their empty rice bags.

    So, Marie Antote, who had initially won the cheers of all of Paris when she became queen, was now called "Deficit Queen," and Necker, the cause of this uproar, was dismissed from his post.

    However, as time went on, the fiscal deficit became more severe, borrowing became increasingly difficult (at the time, French government bonds had an interest rate as high as almost twenty percent, yet they still couldn''t raise funds), and the debt repayment pressure became an insurmountable burden in the national budget. Meanwhile, the privileged ss adamantly refused to pay taxes. (In this regard, it seems a bit simr to what''s happening with the current government, doesn''t it?) Louis XVI had no choice but to call back Necker. However, Necker was not a miracle worker; he couldn''t just summon gold from thin air, and so they resorted to issuing assignats.

    Necker had no choice but to propose taxing the privileged ss. Then, the clergy and nobility used tradition as a shield, iming that taxing the privileged ss required authorization from the "Estates-General." The privileged ss assumed that Louis XVI would never dare to convene the Estates-General, but they never expected that the desperate Louis XVI would indeed do just that.

    In the Estates-General, Necker helped the Third Estate sessfully increase their representation and gained the power to vote on fiscal matters ording to the number of representatives, not by estate. To the people of Paris, Necker''s dismissal meant that the King had decided to stand against the Third Estate. In their eyes, it was a signal that the King was preparing to suppress the people with force.

    "We can''t sit around and wait for the King''s foreign mercenaries and those bandits toe ughter and plunder us. We must stand up, take up arms, and wear our cockades for identification. We must defend ourselves, our wives, our children, and our property," a man delivered an impassioned speech in front of the Royal Pce.

    "It''s strange, isn''t De Mran usually stuttering? How is he speaking fluently today?" The person speaking seemed to be familiar with the speaker, De Mran.

    "Yes, De Mran always struggled with his speech. He would even prefer to write rather than speak. Let''s listen to what he has to say today," another person remarked.

    "This dismissal is a warning for the patriots who will face a Saint Bartholomew''s Day Massacre! And today, our friend Armand Lavache, the ywright who created the immortal ''Spartacus,'' has disappeared! We all know what happened to him; he won''t be anywhere else. He must have been captured by the King''s spies and those hounds and taken to the Bastille!" the passionate De Mran continued, pulling out two pistols from his green coat pocket. "Follow me; we will arm ourselves!"

    The crowd responded enthusiastically.

    "Let''s go, let''s go together!"

    So they went together.

    Where did they go? To a weapons store, of course. De Mran led the people to the nearest weapons store. When the shopkeeper saw so many people approaching with such determination, he quickly tried to close the door. But De Mran was faster; he took a step and reached the door, blocking it with the board that was about to close. Everyone rushed in.

    "Are you a member of the Third Estate, a citizen of Paris?" De Mran asked loudly.

    "Of course, of course," the pale-faced shopkeeper answered.

    "Good! The tyrant is plotting to crush the Third Estate with force, to plunder and ughter Paris! Shouldn''t you use your strength to defend the people of Paris?" De Mran asked.

    Everyone looked at the shopkeeper.

    The shopkeeper, holding two pistols, looked around and replied in a shaky voice, "Of course... what you said... of course... I..."

    "Good," De Mran patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder and turned to the others, shouting, "You see, this citizen understands the righteousness! He is willing to support us, to join us! Come on, let''s all arm ourselves! We must fight for Paris, for freedom!"

    So, they all grabbed the weapons in the store. One person took a shotgun, another grabbed a spear... The shopkeeper watched, wanting to stop them but not daring to, and then De Mran handed him a hunting knife. "Citizen, thank you for your generosity. Let''s go, we will defend Paris together!"

    The shopkeeper held the knife and, escorted by the others, headed towards the next block. After about half a street''s walk, he began to realize something.

    "Citizens, citizens! There''s another weapons store to the right; many of us still don''t have weapons. Let''s go there to arm ourselves!" he shouted.

    "That''s right; we need weapons to stand against the tyrant! Open the door quickly!" someone yelled.

    "Indeed, we must be armed to fight the tyrant! Open up!" another person added.

    "I won''t open today... This is all my hard-earned money; I can''t just give it to you like this!" came the voice from behind the door.

    "Are you siding with the tyrant, opposing the people?" someone scolded.

    "Break down the door, we''ll break it down!" another person shouted.

    So, people started breaking the door down.

    "Stop!" came the voice from inside. "If you don''t stop, we''ll open fire!"

    However, the people didn''t stop.

    "Bang!" A gunshot sounded from inside, and one of the men trying to break down the door fell to the ground, clutching his leg.

    The men immediately scattered.

    "That damned fellow; he must be a supporter of the tyrant!" someone yelled.

    "Kill such scoundrels!" more people shouted.

    Several rifles were aimed at the door and fired haphazardly. The door was riddled with bullet holes. Someone sneaked around the side and gave the door a kick. The door was pushed openthose earlier shots had damaged the door''s lock.

    Everyone rushed inside and saw a middle-aged man trembling, trying to load his rifle. But his hands were shaking so badly that the gunpowder spilled outside the barrel. Upon seeing the crowd burst in, he dropped the rifle and turned to run. However, a spear pierced through his back, pinning him to the wall.

    "Damn henchman of the tyrant!" one man cursed as he charged forward, grabbing the man''s hair and waving a knife. He aimed the de at the man''s neck, but his technique wascking. The first strike didn''t sever the spinal cord. So, he continued to hack at the man''s neck, and it wasn''t until several more blows that he finally decapitated him.

    The man lifted the bloodied head, just like Perseus had held the head of Medusa, and proimed, "Look, this is the fate of the tyrant''sckeys!"

    "That''s right, this is how theckeys of the tyrant should end!"

    "His whole family should be killed!"

    Somebody called out, "Over there, it seems there are more people!"

    The crowd moved towards the inner room, but the shopkeeper stayed behind. He heard someone crying, "Oh God, save us!"

    Then another voice shouted, "Among theseckeys, there are women and children!"

    "Kill them all! They deserve it!"

    The result was a series of screams, and several people emerged from the inner room, their faces smeared with blood, triumphantly shouting, "Arm yourselves, defend Paris!"

    In truth, people don''t necessarily need to be drunk to be fanatical; they just need to be part of arge group with a noble cause.

    "Theseckeys and their whole families deserve to die!" someone shouted.

    "Exactly, this is how the tyrant''sckeys should be dealt with!"

    As the crowd''s fervor grew, somebody else yelled, "Over here, it looks like there are more people!"

    So, they all moved forward, leaving the shopkeeper behind. He heard the cries for help, and then there was silence. The atmosphere was heavy with tension.

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 Chapter 47: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (3)

    Chapter 47: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (3)

    Joseph stood by his window, gazing at the rising columns of smoke in the distance.

    "Looks like something''s burning over there," Lucien said, standing nearby.

    "It''s the Honorable Artillery Company," Joseph replied. "They say there are a lot of weapons therethe revolution has already begun."

    "Shouldn''t we do something?" Lucien asked. Joseph turned to him, seeing the eager anticipation in his eyes.

    "No, there''s nothing we need to do right now," Joseph shook his head. "Lucien, remember, the first one to step onto the stage isn''t necessarily the main character. The main character will only appear at the most opportune moment. It''s too chaotic right now, and it''s not our time to step in."

    Indeed, it was incredibly chaotic at the moment. Almost all of Paris was in mes. Rumors of the impending Saint Bartholomew''s Day Massacre were spreading like wildfire, and almost everyone was busy searching for self-defense weapons. But Joseph lived in the military academy, so he was temporarily safe.

    Even in the military academy, they were prepared for the chaos. Instructors had been allowed to carry firearms with them and, after paying a certain deposit, take these weapons out of the school to protect themselves at home. Joseph had ced four rifles and two handguns in his rented house.

    Joseph had decided to keep his two younger brothers from going to school for the time being. Paris was too unsafe at this moment. The streets were filled with fervent and chaotic crowds, some genuinely filled with revolutionary zeal, while others were just taking advantage of the chaos. Moreover, in these two days, the Parisian police system hadpletely copsed. The police officers were too scared for their own safety and refused to go outside. In these two days, quite a few "spies of the tyrant" had already been lynched frommpposts.

    These police officers were generally disliked, but without them, Paris had descended intoplete anarchy, and public safety had gone to hell. Walking on the streets now, being robbed or even killed suddenly was highly possible.

    The neighborhood where Joseph lived had built barricades to protect against the mercenaries who mighte to massacre and loot the Parisian people. In practice, the main purpose of these barricades was to protect the neighborhood in such a state ofwlessness.

    On the barricade at the street corner, a dozen young men in blue uniforms stood guard with rifles. In front of them, there were makeshift chevaux-de-frise, and no one could enter the neighborhood except for the residents.

    Because they acted quickly, the neighborhood was still rtively safe.

    "Stay at home, and don''t open the door to anyone," Joseph took out his pocket watch and told his two younger brothers. "Understood, you two. Don''t worry; we''re not helpless little rabbits. We won''t let the big bad wolf in," Lucien said nonchntly.

    "Well, Lucien, you know how to handle firearms. I took you to practice not too long ago. You take good care of your little brother, but be careful not to identally fire a shot. I need to attend a meeting now and will be gone for an hour or two. You need to protect yourselves and your little brother."

    Joseph put on his coat, donned a hat with a blue and red badge, and inserted two handguns into the holsters hidden under his coat.

    "I don''t need Lucien to protect me; I can handle a gun too," Louis chimed in. "I''m not worse than Lucien when ites to shooting."

    "You''re still too young. Just listen to Lucien and behave yourselves. Don''t cause trouble," Joseph said sternly.

    "Yes, if something happens, I''ll protect you. You can stay behind me and help me load bullets," Lucien said, clearly excited after Joseph''s approval.

    "Alright, I need to go now. Stay home and don''t be reckless. If I''mteing back, there''s bread in the cupboard. Sophie is not here these days, so you can make sandwiches for yourselves."

    Joseph was now dressed and picked up his cane. After a few more words of caution to his two younger brothers, he left the house.

    He walked along the empty streets for a while until he reached the location of the meetingthe house of the banker Charles.

    Joseph approached the gate and showed his invitation to the gatekeeper, who then led him through the Louis XV-style courtyard to arge hall.

    Joseph handed his cane to the servant and walked in.

    The hall was already filled with a number of people. Most of them were familiar to Joseph, and they were the wealthiest residents of the neighborhood.

    "Quiet down, everyone!" Banker Charles took out his gold pocket watch on a long chain and checked the time. He then shouted, "It''s about time, and our people are almost all here. Let''s not waste any time and get started!"

    Everyone quieted down.

    "Gentlemen, you all know what has been happening these days," Charles said. "Mr. Necker has been dismissed, which may signify a change in the king''s stance and has brought a lot of uncertainty in the financial sector. Therefore, we''ve temporarily closed the stock exchange. You also know that Mr. Necker''s dismissal has created too much uncertainty. Meanwhile, we''ve sent a representative to Versailles to gather information."

    "How''s it going?" someone asked anxiously.

    Many of the people here were wealthy, and quite a few of them were creditors of the French government, more precisely, creditors of the French royal family. Over the years, a significant portion of the French government''s expenses had been supported by loans. Now, everyone was concerned that His Majesty the King might default on his debts or forcibly lower the interest rates on the national debt.

    "The dismissal of Mr. Necker has been confirmed. While the king''s side ims there won''t be any defaults or forced reductions of interest rates on the national debt, this statement was not made by the king himself, so its credibility is in question. Besides, he found out that there have been military movements near Paris."

    This statement immediately caused an uproar below.

    Charles seemed quite satisfied with everyone''s reaction, and he observed for a moment before continuing, "Everyone, calm down. Don''t panic. We''ve also consulted with the Marquis de Lafayette, who has revealed that the king indeed brought in a legionposed of mountain people, but it''s for enhancing the security of Versailles. This legion is small in number andcks heavy weapons; they are in no position to threaten Paris."

    "But there are over twenty legions near Paris," someone shouted.

    "The Marquis de Lafayette assures us that the French army will nevery a hand on Paris," Charles replied.

    "Will they confront the mercenaries?" another person asked.

    "That''s highly unlikely," someone in the crowd replied. "Just yesterday morning, the Royal Guard of France retreated to the ce des Victoires. In other words, no matter what happens in Paris, they won''t get involved."

    "Yes," Charles said. "Considering the real dangers, not just the mercenaries, but also thewless looters outside. You should also be aware that in these past two days, many legitimate businesspeople have been robbed or even killed by these hooligans. Almost everymppost in the Saint-Antoine district has a grain merchant hanging from it. If these hooligans enter our neighborhood, it will be a nightmare."

    "We''ve already built barricades and organized guards. Are we doing this just for a few hooligans?" someone disdainfully remarked.

    "If we were only dealing with scattered hooligans, our current measures would be sufficient. But we also need to consider the possible presence of mercenaries. Furthermore, these hooligans might gather in groups. Therefore, we cannot rely solely on individual neighborhoods to confront the entire mob of Paris. Gentlemen, why can a single army easily defeat multiple hooligans and ruffians? It''s because the army is organized. We need to organize our strength to form a genuine army. This way, we can protect our interests in these turbulent times."

    "But where do we find military experts?" someone asked.

    "The Marquis de Lafayette has suggested that during his time in North America, he gained experience in organizing militias. He can provide us with some assistance," Charles said.

    Joseph listened and smiled slightly. It was clear that the Marquis de Lafayette held a significant influence within the French military, but his ability tomand French troops was quite limited. If a militia force could be organized in Paris, given the size of the city, they could easily assemble forty to fifty thousand militiamen. If such a force could be controlled or at least made to appear under his control, it would undoubtedly bring him more political benefits.

    "Now it''s good; with the Marquis de Lafayette, we can rest easy," someone belowmented.

    "The Marquis de Lafayette also believes that we should unite with the respectable gentlemen from other neighborhoods and establish a unified National Guard. Only by pooling the strength of decent Parisians can we address various dangers and protect ourselves more effectively," Charles continued. "In line with his suggestions, our neighborhood''s self-defense force can be organized into apany. As thergest sponsor, I am willing to assume the responsibility ofmanding thispany. Who agrees and who disagrees?"

    Everyone remained silent.

    Charles, satisfied with everyone''s response, was about to continue speaking when suddenly, someone spoke up. "Charles, may I ask you a question?"

    Charles looked and saw an elderly man named Ondi. Charles knew that even though this man ran a tavern, he had connections to the House of Orleans. So, although he furrowed his brow slightly, he kindly asked, "Mr. Ondi, do you have any questions?"

    "Gentlemen, I greatly admire Charles''s character and his dedication to our neighborhood. I just wanted to know if Charles has any military service experience. If it''s about leading apany of Gold Louis, no one is more suitable than you, but leading inbat"

    "So, Mr. Ondi, do you have a suitable candidate?" Charles asked in return.

    "I don''t either," Ondi said candidly. "I''m not against you bing thepanymander, Charles. I just want to rmend an advisor to you."

    At this point, Ondi turned to Joseph and said to everyone, "Mr. Bonaparte, could youe over here? Mr. Bonaparte, I believe you''re familiar to all of us. He''s an instructor at the military academy and an active-duty soldier. When ites to military strategy, he has more experience than any of us. The fortifications we''ve built were designed by him. However, Mr. Bonaparte is an active-duty soldier and cannot hold a formal position in the militia. But I believe he should also contribute to our neighborhood, as a member of our neighborhood. Therefore, I''d like to invite him to be the military advisor to our neighborhood''s National Guardpany. What do you all think?"

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 Chapter 48: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (4)

    Chapter 48: Rumors and the National Self-Defense Militia (4)

    For this suggestion, Charles couldn''t find any reason to oppose it. Even though Joseph wasn''t a military instructor, everyone could sense that the military expertise of an instructor from a military academy far exceeded that of an amateur like himself when guiding the construction of barricades.

    "Of course, there''s no problem at all, as long as Mr. Bonaparte is willing, we would wee your assistance with open arms," Charles smiled. "I wonder if Mr. Bonaparte is willing to help us?"

    "As a member of themunity, it''s my duty. However, you all know I''m an active-duty soldier. If I receive military orders from above, I must prioritize those. As long as it doesn''t conflict with those orders, I''m willing to contribute," Joseph replied.

    "Well then, let us all express our gratitude to Mr. Bonaparte!" Charles said.

    And just like that, Joseph became the military advisor to the National Guard in the district. They also agreed to start reorganizing the neighborhood militia into the National Guard andmence military training the next day.

    However, this n was almost immediately shattered because, in the middle of the day, new rumors started spreading.

    This rumor imed that the cannons of Montmartre Heights and the Bastille were already aimed at the heart of Paris. The royalist forces, loyal to the king, were about tounch an attack on Paris.

    Of course, this was just a rumor, but the vast majority of Parisians believed it. What made it even more dangerous was that this rumor couldn''t be easily dispelled. Not only because "it''s easier to create a lie than to refute it" but also because, at this moment in time, refuting such rumors was a political mistake. Anyone attempting to disprove them would be seen as "henchmen of the tyrant" by the angry popce, and they would face severe consequences.

    Since no one dared to refute the rumors, they only gained more credibility. The existing ws in these rumors went unmentioned, and any discrepancies were quietly patched up during their spread. In any case, this rumor was widely believed by almost all Parisians.

    In the past few days, a significant number of Parisians had armed themselves, especially after taking the unguarded Hotel des Invalides, where they found over 30,000 rifles and over ten cannons. However, there wasn''t enough gunpowder to go around.

    This led to another rumor based on the previous one: that the Bastille contained a vast supply of gunpowder. This rumor seemed "usible" since, if the king nned to use the Bastille''s cannons to suppress Paris, it made sense for them to store ample gunpowder there.

    For the untrained militia in Paris, attacking the heavily fortified Montmartre Heights was a daunting task, but the Bastille seemed much more manageable byparison.

    The Bastille was built as a fortress outside the city gates during the Hundred Years'' War between Ennd and France. It had eight towers, each around 30 meters high, connected by 30-meter-wide, 3-meter-thick walls, equipped with 15rge cannons. It was surrounded by a 26-meter-wide, 8-meter-deep moat that connected to the Seine River, with only one drawbridge for entry. It was an imprable castle.

    However, with the expansion of Paris, this fortress, once located outside the city gates, became an internal structure. Its military role was diminished, and it transitioned from a military fortress to a royal stronghold.

    By thete 14th century, the Bastille was converted into a royal prison, housing the most important "prisoners of state," many of whom were political prisoners. Therefore, in the minds of the French people, this prison became a symbol of the absolutist monarchy.

    The Bastille garrison consisted of 82 men, but in early July, 32 Swiss mercenaries were deployed to reinforce its defenses. Still, when it came to the number of defenders, the Bastille couldn''tpare to Montmartre Heights. Moreover, due to neglect, the moat surrounding the Bastille had dried up. This further reduced the fortress''s defensive capabilities, making the militia feel confident about taking it.

    So, the next morning, an uncountable number of armed, disorganized citizens began to approach the Bastille. This development forced Charles to postpone his ns for organizing the National Guard in the district.

    The Bastille was surrounded by tens of thousands of armed Parisian citizens, but those armed only with rifles had limited means to breach it. The fortress walls were too high, and the dried moat was still too wide and deep to cross easily.

    But the Bastille''smander, De Launay, saw things differently. The seemingly impregnable Bastille, although a 14th-century fortress, had design ws and concepts that had be outdated. In 1453, the siege of Constantinople had demonstrated that tall, vertical fortress walls were highly susceptible to copse under cannon fire. Consequently, modern fortifications featured lower, thicker walls that sloped inward to prevent widespread copse due to cannon fire. However, the Bastillecked these improvements.

    The Bastille''s walls were 30 meters high,pletely vertical, and just 3 meters thick. Such walls couldn''t withstand cannon fire. Moreover, theck of clear lines of sight due to surrounding buildings hindered the guards'' vision.

    So, De Launay had no certainty about defending the ancient fortress.

    When the citizens started to approach the Bastille, De Launay ordered his soldiers not to open fire on the approaching crowd and asked for negotiations.

    The citizens took some time to select representatives to enter the Bastille for negotiations. However, during the negotiation process, a new rumor began to spread among the citizens due tomunication difficulties and the prolonged negotiations.

    This rumor imed that the representatives who had entered the Bastille had been ruthlessly killed by the "henchmen of the tyrant" in a cruel and heartless manner. This rumor immediately inmed the tens of thousands of armed citizens outside. The crowd began to chant:

    "Take the Bastille, kill those evildoers!"

    "Kill them! Kill them!"

    "Charge! Charge!"

    Someone even started singing the "Song of the ves," initially just one or two people, but soon, more voices joined in, forming a roaring river of song, as they surged toward the Bastille. Tens of thousands of militiamen, armed with rifles, chanted, "In the old world, we''ll conquer everything; ves, rise up!" They inched closer to the Bastille, and some quick-thinking militiamen even crossed the dried moat, climbed to the drawbridge, and attempted to sever the chains holding it.

    In the chaos, a Swiss guard, in a panic, fired a shot at a militiaman wielding an axe. This action immediately ended any prospects of peaceful negotiations, and the militiamen opened fire in response, resulting in a chaotic gunfight.

    The battle didn''t favor the militiamen; the Bastille, originally built as a fortress, offered significant defensive advantages. Guarded by defenders who had the higher ground, cover, and experience with rifles, they easily picked off many militiamen. Those with no training, despite their vast numbers, struggled to aim and shoot, with many never having held a rifle before. Their gunfire was sporadic and rarely hit the mark. While the scene appeared intense, they achieved very little. In the actual historical ount, only one guard was lightly wounded until the Bastille surrendered. However, the effectiveness of the defense was much greater.

    The following period saw an intense standoff. De Launay, the Bastille''smander, raised a white g on multiple asions, hoping to negotiate a ceasefire with the besiegers, but the citizens outside unequivocally rejected his gestures. They believed De Launay''s actions were deceptive, and after his men opened fire on their own people, he had forfeited any right to surrender.

    But rejecting negotiations was one thing; breaking into the Bastille was another. The militiamen attempted various methods, including some imaginative ones. For instance, they proposed using ming tarred cloth to start a fire, even to burn the cannons. However, they soon realized they couldn''t get the burning tarred cloth past the 30-meter-high walls.

    Some also considered using cannons, as they did have cannons, but theycked gunners. Their initial artillery fire from a safe distance wasrgely ineffective. Although, theoretically, the Bastille was arge target, they struggled to hit it. However, the militiamen, inexperienced in handling cannons, managed to avoid hitting the massive fortress in their multiple attempts. They fired several rounds, but not a single cannonball found its target on the Bastille''s walls.

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 Chapter 49: The Arrival of a Great Era

    Chapter 49: The Arrival of a Great Era

    The militiamen had limited gunpowder, and this kind of wastefulness couldn''t continue for long. However, they had plenty of hot-blooded lives to spare, so wasting a few wasn''t a big concern for them. They decided to brave the enemy bullets and push the cannons close enough to Bastille, close enough that making the cannonballs fly required the skill level of a world-ss Chinese ser forward clearing the ball against the opposing goal, and then they''d open fire, shattering this "fortress of tyranny."

    But ideals are plump, and reality is often quite bony. The cannon had only been pushed forward a couple of steps when it drew the attention of the defenders. Among the defenders, there were Swiss mountain men, armed not only with standard rifles but also with their hunting rifles with rifled barrels.

    In fact, rifled firearms had been around in Europe for quite some time, and their advantages in uracy were well-known. However, their slow rate of fire made it challenging for them to find a ce in the military (during the firing line era, after the first volley, soldiers faced a thick battlefield fog, and they either had to charge with bays or quickly reload and fire another round of probabilistic shooting. In the first case, long range didn''t matter; in the second case, rate of fire was more critical than uracy).

    So, these weapons were generally only useful in ces where precision mattered, but speed was not a high requirement, such as hunting. Consequently, the military rifles of this era were mostly smoothbore, and the more high-end hunting rifles were often rifled.

    Switzend was full of forests and mountains, so rifled barrels were quitemon among the Swiss. Swiss mercenaries often provided their own weapons, and many of them had rifled hunting rifles.

    Several Swiss soldiers armed with rifled hunting rifles immediately opened fire on the militiamen struggling to push the cannon. The military quality of these Swiss soldiers in this era was actually quite good. Their shooting was quite effective, and they quickly brought down three or four militiamen. However, the rifled firearms of this era loaded very slowly. Compared to standard smoothbore rifles, they had a much slower rate of fire. So, while the Swiss soldiers were busy reloading, the militiamen pushed the cannon forward a bit more. Then, the guns fired again, and several more people fell.

    The militiamen disyed true fearlessness. They positioned the cannon under the Swiss fire and loaded it with powder and the cannonball. With the help of trained gunners, the cannon''s rate of fire was actually much higher than that of rifled rifles; in the hands of well-trained British Royal Navy crew, their rate of fire might even be faster than smoothbore rifles.

    However, the problem was that the individuals controlling the cannon had never operated one in their lives. The majority of them had never touched a cannon before. So their loading process was naturally very slow, so slow that during the time it took them to load a cannonball, the rifled rifles on the opposite side fired three rounds, killing over ten people. Only then did they finish loading.

    Then, when the cannon fired towards Bastille, the cannon burst open because they had packed double the amount of powder to ensure that it could copse the walls with a single shot.

    "We need real gunners, real gunners!" The militiamen cried out, "Anyone among you who has been a gunner before, please step forward! France needs your strength!"

    However, no one stepped forward. Among the thousands of militiamen besieging Bastille, there were no gunners.

    The situation had reached a standstill again. The militiamen continued to take cover behind buildings, shooting haphazardly at Bastille, while the defenders of Bastille remained calm, seldom returning fire but achieving significant results when they did. In the exchange of fire, it was the militiamen who were being hit, and the defenders remained nearly unscathed.

    ...

    The National Guard in Joseph''s neighborhood did not participate in the siege of Bastille; instead, they strengthened their defenses. The leaders of the National Guard closely monitored the progress of the battle.

    "Bastille is not that difficult to capture. The key is that the militiamenckpetent gunners. If a few cannonballs urately hit the same spot at the base of the walls, it could lead to the copse of the wall. Once the wall is no longer protecting them, what can a hundred defenders do? Unfortunately, the militiamenck skilled gunners," said a plump shopkeeper-like man.

    "Among the militiamen, there are indeed skilled gunners, but they are not among themon rabble," Charles said. While theoretically, everyone belonged to the "Third Estate," in practice, the people in this neighborhood, including Charles himself, had no respect for the militiamen currently besieging Bastille.

    Joseph knew what Charles meant. There were indeed skilled gunners among the militiamen. These gunners had been part of the French royal army just a few days ago, but various circumstances had led to their dismissal, and they had immediately joined the militiamen. However, although they were also militiamen (just like Charles and his group), they were not the same as the militiamen currently besieging Bastille. They were part of the more organized National Guard.

    Joseph also knew that these gunners were ultimately controlled by someone. A prominent figure in the army, who wielded great influence, controlled these genuinelybat-capable National Guard. In history, when the attack on Bastille reached a deadlock, it was this figure who brought a cannon to the scene and used continuous and precise artillery fire to force the defenders to surrender. It was this decisive action that allowed this figure to be themander-in-chief of the Paris National Guard and a significant figure in the early days of the revolution.

    This prominent figure was the Marquis de Lafayette.

    "However, this time, Marquis de Lafayette might not get what he wants. Even without his support, the Duke of Orleans has other means," Joseph thought.

    The Duke of Orleans and the Marquis de Lafayette were both nobles who supported constitutional monarchy. However, this didn''t mean they were allies. The Duke of Orleans was of royal blood, and he aspired to be the suitable candidate for the monarch in the constitutional monarchy he hoped for. But the ideal candidate in the mind of the Marquis de Lafayette was not him. Perhaps the Marquis de Lafayette didn''t particrly appreciate the locksmith (Louis XVI had an amateur hobby of making various high-difficulty locks), but he believed that any member of the royal family would be more suitable for the French crown than the Duke of Orleans. Because if the Duke of Orleans became king, with his power and influence, he would never settle for being a mere figurehead.

    Therefore, the Marquis de Lafayette had always seen the Duke of Orleans as the "greatest threat to democracy." In the original history, after the Marquis de Lafayette came to power, he immediately used abination of threats and bribes to exile the Duke of Orleans to Ennd when the attack on Bastille reached a stalemate. This decisive action allowed him to be themander-in-chief of the Paris National Guard and a key figure in the early stages of the revolution.

    But now, unlike in history, the Duke of Orleans didn''t have artillery, but he possessed something that he didn''t have in the original historyhigh explosive powder.

    With Joseph''s help, Lavoisier had created a rtively safe explosive by mixing diatomaceous earth with nitroglycerin. Of course,pared to the highly insensitive explosives of the future, they couldn''t even be detonated by shooting, but they were much more potent than the ck powder of the time. With this substance, they could create a straightforward and violent weapon to deal with various fortificationsa bomb.

    The rate of fire of firearms in this era was quite limited, and the number of defenders at Bastille was limited. Even if they reached the base of the walls, regr militiamen wouldn''t be able to do much against this 30-meter-high, 3-meter-thick wall. However, the Duke of Orleans'' men were different. They had a weapon capable of instantly destroying this wallthe bomb.

    At this moment, a group of National Guard soldiers passed through Joseph''s neighborhood, pulling a cannon. Their well-organized equipment, precise steps, and the well-fed horses pulling the cannon indicated that they were a well-trained unit, not something themon rabble of militiamen could match.

    "Marquis de Lafayette has already taken action," Joseph thought. "The Duke of Orleans'' people should be taking action soon as well."

    Just then, there was a massive explosion that caused the ss windows in the area to vibrate and rattle.

    "Did a gunpowder magazine explode somewhere?" someone asked in panic.

    "It seems to being from the direction of Bastille. Could it be that they''ve really blown up all that gunpowder?" Charles furrowed his brows.

    It was rumored that there were tens of thousands of pounds of gunpowder in Bastille. Of course, this was a rumor; Bastille didn''t have that much gunpowder. But earlier, when the warden of Bastille was negotiating for surrender with the besieging militiamen, he had threatened to ignite tens of thousands of pounds of gunpowder and take everyone with him. So now, everyone believed that there was arge amount of gunpowder in Bastille.

    "It shouldn''t be," Joseph gazed eastward and then shook his head. "If it were a gunpowder magazine exploding, we should be able to see thick smoke rising by now. The smoke we see is not significant enough."

    The gunpowder of this era produced a lot of dense smoke when it exploded. So, this explosion was definitely not a gunpowder magazine.

    "There isn''t much smoke after the explosion, but it made buildings shake from this far away. This must be the Duke of Orleans'' men using high explosive powder. It seems that Marquis de Lafayette''s troops arrived toote. But with such a big shake, how much explosive powder did they pack in those bombs?" Joseph wondered.

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 Chapter 50: The Blunder

    Chapter 50: The Blunder

    De Launayy on the ground, his head ringing like a bell. He tried to get up but found his body limp, devoid of strength. He wanted to call for help, but the people around him were all lying on the ground, immobilized. And to make matters worse, he couldn''t even hear his own voice.

    "This is a disaster; the gunpowder magazine must have exploded," De Launay thought.

    The Bastille''s gunpowder storage certainly didn''t contain enough explosive material to destroy the entire fortress, but the explosion of even the rtively smaller amount could be catastrophic.

    "Damn it, I wonder if the walls have copsed," De Launay pondered.

    After some time, De Launay managed to regain some strength. He struggled to his feet, using a nearby table for support, and staggered to the city wall.

    A long crack had appeared in the wall, wide enough to fit a fist. Most of the soldiers on the wall were still lying on the ground, with only a few attempting to climb to their feet, leaning against the battlements.

    "What happened? What''s going on?" De Launay shouted.

    No one answered him, not even a soldier who had managed to stand up. They all gazed at him with puzzled expressions, unable to understand his words. De Launay realized that he couldn''t hear his own voice; the explosion had damaged his hearing. In fact, he couldn''t even hear himself speak clearly.

    De Launay stumbled to the edge of the battlement and peered down.

    Not far from the moat, there was a massive crater, and smoke billowed from it. Within a radius of about thirty to forty meters around the crater, all the buildings had been toppled. Even further away, on the streets and the rooftops of buildings that hadn''t copsed yet, peopley scattered.

    "What... what is this? Did a meteor fall here?" De Launay''s mind entertained such a bizarre thought.

    It wasn''t a meteor; it was the result of a collision between arge explosive package and a bullet.

    Just moments ago, a group of people had arrived in a carriage, iming to be followers of the Duke of Orleans. They had brought a "new type of explosive" purportedly used for mining.

    "We''re the Duke of Orleans'' men, and this is the mining explosive we use. We''ve packaged the explosive, attached the fuse, and all we need is a brave soul, a true hero like Enomaie (a character from "Spartacus," who sang the "ve''s Anthem" on the cross). They need to brave the tyrant''s bullets and ignite this thing under the city wall. It can blow a whole section of the wall sky-high," dered the person who arrived in the carriage.

    "These things can destroy the walls?" someone questioned with disbelief.

    "As long as there''s enough explosive, even a mountain can be blown to pieces," the carriage driver replied.

    At this point, a burly man approached, shouting, "I''ll do it, I''ll do it," as he reached for one of the explosive packages on the carriage.

    "Is this thing too light?" he scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Is there enough gunpowder in here for anything significant?"

    "We have explosives inside, much more potent than gunpowder, and it''s not that light. There''s twelve pounds of explosive in there!" the carriage driver exined.

    "Don''t be stingy; give me more," the burly man insisted. "Who knows, it might take several of us to get this thing to the wall. If the power isn''t enough, cing just one won''t suffice, and we''ll need to sacrifice even more people. So, the more powerful, the better, the more explosives we pack in, the better. How about we gather everything from these packages into one and send the entire Bastille into the sky at once? What do you say?"

    The surrounding people responded in unison.

    "Right on!"

    "Send them all to the heavens!"

    "Let them personally seek forgiveness from God up there!"

    The burly man smiled, "All right, my brothers, no need to rehearse lines anymore; we''ve all got them down. If you have the courage, follow me. If I go down before reaching the city wall, you can take the explosive and torch from my hands and continue the fight in my ce. Any objections?"

    "None!" the scruffy-looking guy yelled loudly.

    "Excellent! Let''s go!" the burly man dered.

    "Wait! Wait!" the carriage driver suddenly shouted. "You can''t just charge in like that; you need cover. Let''s get a few more people from different angles to distract the guards'' attention. Others can start shooting at the Bastille to provide cover for them."

    "Hey, your idea is good!" everyone shouted together. "Let''s do it this way!"

    "I''m charging too!"

    "Give me a fake explosive; I can divert their attention as well!"

    So, the militia began firing randomly at the Bastille, and a dozen people charged toward it.

    The guards on the city wall returned fire, and the burly man, being a big target, had several rifles aimed at him. However, he ran so fast that bullets narrowly missed him, hitting behind him instead. The scruffy guy following him was not as lucky; he was struck by a stray bullet.

    "Big guy, keep going!" the scruffy guy shouted as he fell.

    But by then, the burly man had reached the moat and needed to slow down to jump safely. Just as he slowed down, a rifled shotgun was aimed at him.

    "Bang!" The shotgun fired. In the Swiss soldier''s eyes, the towering burly man resembled arge brown bear from the Alps. He expected that his shot would make the burly man fall over like the bears he had shot before, possibly even rolling a couple of times.

    However, much to his surprise, the bear didn''t fall over but exploded.

    Yes, the bullet he fired hit the explosive package the burly man was carrying.

    The explosive''s tremendous power was unleashed in an instant. A massive visible shockwave swept through the area, and those who had been close to the burly man were torn to shreds and scattered in an instant. Following the shockwave, the surrounding buildings, in the face of the powerful explosion, were dismantled as if they were card structures facing a super typhoon. When the shockwave reached them, the buildings were immediately shattered into fragments that scattered in all directions.

    Next, this shockwave violently mmed into the Bastille''s city wall. The massive wall shook violently, like a small boat in a stormy sea.

    The soldiers standing on the wall were quickly overturned by the shockwave and were then stunned by the ensuing explosion.

    If, at that moment, another group of militia warriors had charged forward, they could have easily cut the iron chains holding the drawbridge, smashed the gate, and entered the Bastille. However, the militia''s condition was even worse than that of the defenders because they were closer to the explosion. They suffered greater casualties, and the buildings destroyed by the shockwave concealed militia members behind them. After the explosion, most of them were no longer standing.

    Even those militia fighters further away had been shaken to their senses, making them unfit for immediate action. As for those even farther away, they had no idea what had just happened. The militiacked a clearmand structure, and at that moment, they were in disarray, with no thought of seizing the opportunity. Consequently, the chance slipped through their fingers.

    ....

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 Chapter 51: Playing with Fire (1)

    Chapter 51: ying with Fire (1)

    By the time the militia besieging the Bastille realized what had happened, the garrison inside had recovered. The previous explosion had terrified them, but it also fueled their resolve to fight back. As a result, the militia suffered further casualties in the ensuing confrontations.

    Just at this moment, cheers erupted from behind the militia lines.

    "The artillery is here! The real artillery has arrived!"

    It turned out that a contingent of the National Guard, prepared by the Marquis de Lafayette, had finally arrived.

    The arrival of the National Guardpletely changed the situation. While the previous explosion had caused significant casualties among the militia, it had also damaged the Bastille''s walls. The already fragile structure couldn''t withstand artillery fire any longer.

    As the National Guard artillery was brought into position, Monsieur de L''Orne wasn''t too worried. He had witnessed the militia''s artillery skills earlier and knew they couldn''t hit anything beyond the Earth at such a range.

    However, when the artillery on the other side opened fire, Monsieur de L''Orne knew he was in trouble. The first cannonball precisely hit the base of the Bastille''s wall.

    The impact raised a cloud of dust, but fortunately, the wall didn''t copse.

    "Did they really hit it? Are they just lucky?" Monsieur de L''Orne widened his eyes.

    Yes, Monsieur de L''Orne still attributed the National Guard''s sessful artillery fire to luck at that moment. But soon, he changed his mind as another cannonball was fired, hitting its mark once again and causing a part of the wall to crumble.

    "Quick, raise the white g! We surrender!" Monsieur de L''Orne shouted. It was evident that the ones firing at them were not mere "militiamen." They could fire so urately within such a short time, and it wasn''t the work of amateur militia; these were professional artillerymen.

    The state of the Bastille''s walls couldn''t withstand further artillery fire. Monsieur de L''Orne only needed to nce at the crack that could fit a fist through, stretching across the entire wall, to understand this. A few more rounds of artillery fire would surely crumble the wall, allowing the tens of thousands of "rebels" outside to storm in. The mere hundred or so inside wouldn''t stand a chance. They had to surrender before it was toote; otherwise, they''d face a dire fate.

    The white g was raised, and the gates were opened. The soldiers tossed their rifles down from the walls. The surrounding militia erupted in cheers.

    The main body of the militia rushed in through the opened gates, met with the prisoners (in fact, these people hadn''t faced any real persecution), and dragged the "king''sckeys" out. They bound all of them and intended to transport them to the City Hall for trial.

    However, as the group escorting them had only moved a few hundred meters, more people converged on them. These neers shouted insults at the captured prisoners, including Monsieur de L''Orne. One of the men, a cook, was especially vicious.

    Monsieur de L''Orne had never been insulted by such lowlymoners. He immediately retorted.

    "You damned peasants, you lowly vermin! How dare you speak so rudely to a nobleman! Someday, you thugs will all face punishment! His Majesty the King will hang you all frommpposts like dogs!"

    Monsieur de L''Orne seemed to have forgotten the dire situation he was in. He believed that, even as a captive noble, he would receive special treatment. His words incited the anger of the surrounding moners," and the cook took out his knife.

    "You parasitic scoundrel!" the cook roared. "You''ve caused the death of so many people, and you want to continue riding on the backs of the people, oppressing them? You want to keep ughtering the people? Hanging us frommpposts? I''ll hang your head high today!"

    The cook grabbed Monsieur de L''Orne''s hair and forcefully pulled him to the ground.

    "You can''t do this. I am a noble..." Monsieur de L''Orne shouted. But his voice soon fell silent as the cook pressed his foot against Monsieur de L''Orne''s chest, depriving him of breath.

    "Help..."

    "Kill this wretch!"

    "Kill him!"

    The crowd was seething with anger.

    The cook used his knife skillfully. Though it was a small de, he quickly severed Monsieur de L''Orne''s head. A militiaman with a pike approached and said, "Put his head on the pike for everyone to see the fate of the tyrant''sckeys."

    The people cheered in agreement. The militiaman ced Monsieur de L''Orne''s head on his pike, raising it high.

    "Let''s parade through the streets of Paris, so everyone can see the fate of the tyrant''sckeys!"

    "And these guys, they''re tyrant''sckeys too, they shouldn''t be spared!"

    In the original historical ount, after the Bastille''s capture, apart from the governor Monsieur de L''Orne, the surrendered garrison was not killed. But this time, the extensive casualties among the militia due to the idental explosion resulted in a far greater death toll than in the original history. Over three hundred people died in the explosion alone, whereas in the historical ount, there were only around a hundred casualties.

    Greater casualties brought more fear, anger, and violence. Dozens of the captured soldiers, most of whom were Swiss mercenaries, were killed because people believed they hade to Paris to massacre and plunder the citizens.

    Their heads were severed and impaled on pikes as well.

    Lieutenant Yves, the former artillery lieutenant nowmanding the National Guard artillery, looked on coldly, neither participating nor preventing the violence.

    "One more person deserves to die!" someone shouted.

    "Who?" people asked.

    "Flesselles! He gave us false information, iming there was plenty of gunpowder at the Bastille. But the Bastille had so little! He must be ackey of the king, luring us to the Bastille with some hidden agenda!" someone yelled.

    "Let''s kill him!"

    "Kill him!"

    Flesselles was the mayor of Paris, born a noble, and some said he had close ties to Count Artois (Louis XVI''s brother, one of the extreme conservatives). Of course, these were mere rumors without any substantiated evidence. However, at this moment, people were inclined to believe these rumors.

    Lieutenant Yves and hisrades continued to watch from the sidelines. Flesselles was not a friend of the Marquis de Lafayette, and having someone like him in control of the City Hall might not be favorableespecially for the Marquis de Lafayette, who was preparing to consolidate the power in Paris.

    ...

    "What are these people doing?" Lucien looked in astonishment at the militia outside the barricades, parading with pikes raised high, each bearing a human head.

    "They''re venting their fear with terror," Joseph said, covering Louis''s eyes to shield him from the gruesome sight.

    "Venting their fear with terror?" Lucien didn''t understand Joseph''s exnation.

    "Think about it, Lucien. Where did the recent terrifying rumors most likelye from? Do you truly believe these vivid tales originated from those sans-culottes who can''t even write their own names?" Joseph didn''t answer the question directly but countered with another one.

    "How could that be? The rumors are so vivid, involving many intricate details only known to insiders. Some seem impossible formoners to concoct," Lucien replied, shaking his head. "There are even suggestions that the king wille with mercenaries to ''cleanse'' Paris. But it''s just a scare tactic. France relies heavily on Paris; without it, France means nothing in Europe."

    "But the sans-culottes don''t know that. They believe it''s all true. They''re filled with fear and anger, fearing they''ll be ughtered and plundered, yet angry because they don''t deserve such a fate," Joseph exined. "This fear and anger are what''s driving them. Some think they can harness, control, and exploit this power to achieve their goals."

    "What''s so amusing?" Lucien asked when Joseph chuckled.

    "I''mughing at those who are ying with fire," Joseph said. "Using rumors to spread fear and then manipting that fear to make people act. It''s a cost-effective strategy in terms of resources, but it gives birth to irrational power. And irrational power is difficult to control, like Mr. Lavoisier''s nitroglycerin. Mishandle it, and it can explode, reducing everything to rubble."

    "What should we do, then?" Lucien asked.

    "We should observe more, think more," Joseph replied.

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 Chapter 52: Playing with Fire (1)

    Chapter 52: ying with Fire (1)

    After the fall of the Bastille, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the city of Paris. People whispered that the king was furious and would soon mobilize his forces to suppress the Parisian popce. It was said that the enraged king had ordered, "The great tree shall be set on fire, the stones shall be sharpened, and people shall be reced." Paris was gripped by tension, with crowds building barricades in the streets. Some, in their fear, even began to tear down houses (though most of the time, it was the houses of "minions of the tyrant" that were demolished, and the number of these "minions of the tyrant" depended on the amount of material required for the barricades).

    Almost overnight, all the carriage drivers for hire in Paris found themselves jobless, as the streets were blocked with barricades. Some inexperienced individuals, in their haste to construct roadblocks and barricades, didn''t even consider leaving openings for passage.

    To defend against a potential attack, the Parisian militia members believed they should unite under a single banner for a unifiedmand. Representatives from various neighborhoods gathered to discuss the matter.

    Every militia member in each district genuinely hoped for unity, a natural instinct of humans as social beings when facing a crisis. However, unity required amand structure, a leader. The militia members soon realized that finding such a person was no easy task.

    Because most militia members didn''t know each other, and most of them were aware of theirck of military skills. The circumstances of the siege of the Bastille made them realize the vast gap between themselves and the regr army. Although they verbally belittled the King''s forces in the Montmartre area, they were actually trembling inside, and some even had nightmares about the guillotine or the gallows.

    In this situation, a "good nobleman" who was not even present at the meeting but was considered "honest, kind, loved the people, and was proficient in military matters" was chosen by the majority of the representatives as themander of this unified militia force. This "good nobleman" was none other than the Marquis de Lafayette.

    It was said that during the meeting, some mentioned the name of another "good nobleman"  the Duke of Orleans. However, other representatives unanimously stated that His Highness the Duke of Orleans was indeed a "honest, kind, people-loving" good nobleman, and inparison to the Marquis de Lafayette, he had the "more generous" advantage (because the Duke of Orleans was much wealthier than Lafayette). But the Duke of Orleans had no understanding of military matters. If they let him takemand, it would be detrimental to everyone.

    Some representatives even said that during the siege of the Bastille, the well-intentioned actions of the Duke of Orleans had actually hindered the effort and caused more casualties than the tyrant''s artillery.

    "In any case, the Duke of Orleans is a trustworthy man. But when ites to militarymand, it''s beyond his capabilities." This statement became the general consensus.

    After Lafayette was elected, messengers were sent to invite him to take office. This was somewhat simr to a certain uprising in arge eastern country inter years, where the leader of the rebels, who had not participated in the rebellion, was appointed asmander-in-chief. However, the representatives of the Paris militia did not storm Lafayette''s home with guns; they simply went to his doorstep and delivered the invitation letter. Lafayette, in contrast to the leader in the eastern country who hid under his bed and cried, "Don''t hurt me, don''t hurt me," openly epted the invitation and became the overallmander of the Paris militia.

    Once in office, Lafayette immediately began to reorganize the Parisian militia, with the intention of converting them all into the National Guard.

    To do this, he immediately introduced military uniforms designed for the National Guarduniforms that included blue trousers. He also introduced the badges and gs of the National Guard, all of which wereposed of the colors red, white, and blue. Red and blue were the colors of the Paris city coat of arms, while white represented the Bourbon dynasty.

    These badges and gs clearly disyed Lafayette''s political leanings; he was a constitutional monarchist. To be honest, despite the fact that themon people in Paris were constantly calling the king a "tyrant," they actually very much approved of these gs and badges at this moment.

    Themoners in Paris had never imagined they could overthrow the king. After capturing the Bastille, they were actually very afraid of the king''s potential punishment. They also believed that Lafayette, as theirmander, could speak on their behalf to the king.

    In their view, Lafayette was the best person for this role. Some even mentioned the name of the Duke of Orleans, another nobleman with simr qualities. However, it was unanimously agreed by the other representatives that His Highness the Duke of Orleans was indeed a "honest, kind, people-loving" good nobleman, but Lafayette was more suitable for militarymand. When it came to negotiating with the king, nobody would think of the Duke of Orleans.

    Lafayette skillfully used this psychological advantage. He assured them that he would defend everyone, as long as they supported his leadership.

    The feared massacre did not happen, and the king''s army did notunch an attack on Paris. In fact, the king had no faith in his own army, and those around him vehemently convinced him that the army was not reliable.

    For constitutionalists like Lafayette, the only way to convince the king to ept constitutional monarchy was to make him believe that the army was loyal to the nation, not to the king personally. To conservative nobles like the Count of Artois, the standing army was not a good thing at all. Why did the nation need a standing army? Shouldn''t the king call upon the nobility''s private forces when needed? To counter their political rival Lafayette, they also disparaged the French army.

    In this particr matter, at least in terms of the unreliability of the army, both conservatives and constitutionalists had foundmon ground. King Louis XVI was known to be somewhat indecisive, and he naturally believed their words. So the king never even considered using the army to bloodily suppress Paris at this time. In fact, when the "rebels" captured the Bastille, and the Count of Artois'' people imed that the army had actually participated in the rebellion, the king was so frightened that he almost considered fleeing to the provinces. Like the citizens of Paris who were filled with fear of the king, the king was also terrified of the Parisian mob.

    However, themon people in the city of Paris were unaware of all this. In their eyes, the legendary massacre had not urred, thanks to Lafayette. The radicals believed that it was because of the National Revolutionary Army he organized that the king had backed down, while the more moderate ones thought that Lafayette had yed the perfect role as a bridge between the citizens and the king.

    Lafayette indeed served as that bridge. A few dayster, he arrived at Versailles with a detachment of the National Guard to meet King Louis XVI. It was said that the king and his subjects had a pleasant conversation, and Louis XVI even wore the cockade of the National Revolutionary Army that Lafayette had brought with him on his hat.

    At this point, it seemed like Lafayette had achieved a resounding victory. An English-style constitutional monarchy for France appeared within reach.

    The situation appeared calm, and Lafayette was reportedly busy drafting a historic deration, inspired by the American Deration of Independence, while establishing parliamentary and administrative systems influenced by Ennd and North America.

    Although the situation had eased, the Paris Military Academy had not returned to normal. So, Joseph continued to stay at home and watch ys.

    "If the revolution could stop here, it might be a good thing for France," Joseph looked out the window. Outside, a group of National Guards was busy dismantling the barricades.

    "Hasn''t the revolution ended yet?" Louis said. "Joseph, I don''t like the revolution at all. I can''t go out, can''t go to school, can''t y with my friends, and Aunt Sophie hasn''te, and Lucien makes me do chores... I don''t like the revolution at all!"

    "At first, when I heard that school was canceled, you didn''t know how happy I was! Now that Joseph is at home, you pretend to love studying!" Lucien sat with his chin resting on the high back of a chair, looking at him with disdain.

    "That''s because you took advantage of Joseph''s absence to push all the household chores onto me!"

    "It was a fair bet, and I made you both a knight and a bishop. You still lost. What more is there to say!"

    So Louis fell silent. However, Lucien spoke up, "Joseph, from what you said earlier, do you think the revolution hasn''t ended yet?"

    "Ended? How could it possibly have ended?" Joseph sneered. "My brother, this is not the end, nor is it the beginning of the end, or even the end of the beginning. Until those who are dissatisfied with the current reality, yet believe they have the power to change it, or until they exhaust their strength, how could this revolution end? Moreover, on today''s stage, there may not necessarily be heroes capable of achieving great things, but there is certainly no shortage of individuals who can''t aplish anything if they do it themselves but are first-rate troublemakers when causing chaos for others. Just wait and see."

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 Chapter 53: Intrigue and Manipulation

    Chapter 53: Intrigue and Maniption

    In the aftermath of the recent turmoil, Paris seemed to have settled down somewhat. Barricades were gradually dismantled, and previously closed shops had reopened. Other than slightly higher prices and scarcer goods, it appeared that not much had changed.

    Aunt Sophie had returned, and Louis was finally free from his heavy household chores. Louis had recently picked up chess, and he was getting addicted to it. With the school temporarily closed and no other way to pass the time, he had resorted to ying chess with Lucien.

    Lucien took advantage of this opportunity to use household chores as their wager during their chess matches, sessfully shifting his share of the work to his younger brother. The Bonaparte family seemed to produce exceptional elder brothers.

    Schools had started to return to normal, but curiously, Joseph''s Paris Military Academy was still suspended. This wasn''t entirely unexpected. Louis and Lucien attended private schools, while Joseph''s academy was funded by the state, and the king was far from pleased with the state of the military.

    So, Joseph found himself with more leisure time. Seeing Sophie just finishing her cleaning, he struck up a conversation.

    "Sophie, in these tumultuous days, I hope everything is alright at your home," Joseph inquired.

    Sophie shook her head and replied, "There''s nothing good about it. The days are just as tough, if not tougher. Bread prices have risen, and what''s worse is that even if you have the money, it''s hard to find bread to buy."

    Joseph thought to himself that it seemed like some people couldn''t sit still. "Sophie, is it really that difficult to buy bread now?" he asked.

    "You''re a respectable gentleman, sir. You don''t need to worry about such matters. You might not know, but I had to run through four different neighborhoods just to buy today''s bread. I even tore my apron in the rush. It''s unbelievable. Wasn''t everything supposed to get better, and our lives easier?" Sophiemented.

    Joseph shook his head. Since the start of the Estates-General, there had been an influx of people into Paris. Not only were there representatives from all over France, but also a considerable number of farmers and vagrants who hade to Paris. This had put additional strain on Paris'' already limited food supply.

    In such a situation, a revolution had urred. However, the revolution had not increased the avability of food; it had disrupted existing orders. When established orders were disrupted, and new ones hadn''t yet taken hold, the transportation and sale of food were bound to be disrupted, and efficiency would drop. So, rising bread prices and even the inability to buy it became natural consequences.

    Moreover, in these conditions, panic buying and hoarding took ce, further driving up prices and making it even more difficult to obtain bread. If certain individuals took advantage of this situation and deliberately increased panic, the problem would be even more severe.

    Joseph suddenly recalled a historical incident from his time, which had simrities to this situation. In a certain East Asian country, after the liberation of their most important city, there had been a simr surge in prices and economic chaos. How had the first mayor of their city, Chen Leshan, dealt with it?

    Chen Leshan had used two strategies: economic measures, such as raising the price of grain and importing it inrge quantities from grain-producing regions, and political measures, including seizing and shutting down the currency exchange run by spectors. These actions had quickly stabilized the situation.

    However, Joseph realized that these strategies were impractical in Paris. Massively importing grain required efficient control over the entire country, which didn''t exist in France. In this era, even if France had such a system, would there have been a revolution? During the Seven Years'' War, the French might have experienced the greatest joy in life that Genghis Khan talked about: "The greatest happiness in life is to relentlessly chase your enemies, invade theirnds, plunder their wealth, and then hear thementations of their wives and children." What revolution would there have been then?

    As for the second strategy, it also required a strong, centralized state apparatus. Currently, although General La Fayette controlled the National Guard and parts of the French Army, his grip on these forces was not absolute, and he couldn''t employ such measures.

    With all this in mind, Joseph said to Sophie, "Sophie, I''m afraid that in theing days, bread prices may rise even further. If you have any savings, I''d suggest you exchange them for more bread as early as possible."

    A despondent Sophie replied, "Sir, you''re a respectable man. You don''t need to worry about such matters. You may not know that, just to buy today''s bread, I had to run through four neighborhoods. I even tore my apron during the scramble. Oh God, I can''t understand what''s happening! Weren''t they saying that everything was getting better, and that everyone''s lives would improve?"

    Meanwhile, there was someone else in a simr predicament to Sophie, deeply concerned about the rising bread prices. This person was General La Fayette, who had recently gained the upper hand in the political turmoil.

    Although General La Fayette had considerable influence in the military, his economic power was limited. He held a high-ranking title, but he wasn''t from an ancient aristocratic family, and hecked substantial wealth or lucrative channels for ie. In this respect, the gap between him and the Duke of Orleans was as wide as the gap between the Duke and La Fayette in terms of military leadership.

    As a seasoned military leader, La Fayette remainedposed despite these challenges. His years of experience in war had taught him that when victory seemed unattainable, it was time to consider a strategic retreat.

    "We must control the various atrocities happening in Paris; we cannot tolerate innocent bloodshed any longer. Some people, they are not revolutionaries, they are simply thugs! They chant democracy, but their true interests lie in plunder and murder. They use others of being ''enemies of the people'' in the name of revolution and then proceed to kill and rob. How many honest shopkeepers in Paris have been hung by these ruffians? Their motives have nothing to do with democracy; they''re after robbing others''wful property. This chaos must be stopped! General, the people of Paris have entrusted you with themand of the National Guard, and one of your main tasks is to prevent potential looting. Are you saying that looting by mercenaries is looting, but the looting by these ruffians isn''t?" in a room adjacent to the assembly hall, a representative named Barnave vehemently argued with General La Fayette, who was seated across from him.

    "The point you make is valid, but this matter cannot be rushed," La Fayette replied, leaning back slightly. "You see, there are still many weapons in the hands of those ruffians, and they operate in organized groups. There are even sympathizers and members among them within the National Guard. We haven''t yet been able topletely remove them from the National Guard."

    Barnave inquired, "How long will it take to rid ourselves of these troublemakers?"

    "Soon. I don''t want to resort to violence to remove them, but their economic conditions won''t allow them to stay in military service without working for long. The National Guard has established discipline, and those who consistently miss their duties will be discharged. It won''t be long before these ruffians can''t remain in the National Guard."

    "Even if they''re removed from the National Guard, they still pose a threat to order," Barnave argued.

    "Do you want us to suppress them immediately?" La Fayette asked.

    "Isn''t there something we can do to..."

    "We shouldn''t attempt things beyond our capabilities; it will only weaken our strength needlessly," La Fayette interrupted. "At times, it''s eptable to retreat a little. You all know that King Louis is still indecisive. He doesn''t want to let go of the old system and ept the new one, but he also dares not take the path of Charles I. We believed that King Louis was a monarch suited for constitutional rule, didn''t we? However, some individuals are intent on delivering him to the guillotine. This prince, despite his revolutionary image, isn''t a suitable constitutional monarch."

    The assembled representatives nodded in agreement, knowing exactly whom La Fayette was referring to.

    "In the current situation, I don''t think this prince can remain still either. We should quietly watch his performance. We can use him to exert pressure on the king and, at the same time, use the king to challenge him. I understand him, and he''s bound to reveal his ws. When the time is right, we can take action, which will be more effective than hasty decisions."

    After this speech, La Fayette nced at his friends. They sat in silence, as though he had convinced them.

    "There''s one more reason I invited you all today," La Fayette continued.

    "What is it?" asked Sieyes.

    "I''d like to introduce you to a new friend, a progressive bishop," La Fayette replied.

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 Chapter 54: The Chameleon with Convictions

    Chapter 54: The Chameleon with Convictions

    As the Marquis de Lafayette spoke, a middle-aged man of about forty, dressed in a ck bishop''s robe and with a slight limp, entered the small meeting room and bowed to the others.

    "Bishop Talleyrand!" Several people in the room immediately recognized the clergyman.

    Bishop Talleyrand was a prominent figure in the salons and social scenes of Paris. He came from a fallen noble family and had been sent to a theological school for his education, a path many noble-born children often followed.

    In general, noble-born children had several paths to choose from:

    First, they could inherit their family''s wealth and live a life of leisure and indulgence. However, Talleyrand''s family''s wealth had been squandered by previous generations of hedonistic heirs.

    Second, they could join the military and enjoy the king''s pay as officers. However, a crippled officer like Talleyrand was not in high demand.

    Third, they could be civil servants and enjoy the king''s sry, embezzled public funds, and bribes from others. But to secure a civil service position, one needed to bribe their way in, and Talleyrand''s family couldn''t afford it.

    So Talleyrand was left with the only option - bing a clergyman.

    The path of a clergyman wasn''t all that bad, theoretically speaking. All believers were equal in the eyes of God. But in reality, some people were more equal than others. Typically,moner-born clergymen would, at best, be parish priests, while clergy above that rank were predominantly from noble backgrounds.

    The Church possessed vast resources, and bing a bishop allowed one to live afortable life.

    In Bio''s "Decameron," there''s a story about a devout Christian who tried to persuade his friend, a Jew, to convert to Christianity. The Jew was tempted and decided to visit the Christian world''s capital, Rome.

    When the Christian heard of this decision, he was horrified, thinking his mission would surely fail because there was no virtue in Rome, only sin and corruption. There, people were deeply mired in wrongdoing.

    However, after the Jew''s visit to Rome, he immediately converted to Christianity. He thought, "The Catholic Church is so corrupt and depraved, yet it stands strong. There must be true divine power behind it."

    Unlike the Jew in the story, Talleyrand was already a devout Christian. He had studied theology at the College of St. Sulpice for five years, although this education didn''t bring him closer to God. It made him something of an atheist. But, for the sake of the Church''s financial support, he put on a faade of devotion.

    With this pretense, he secured the position of Abbot of the Saint-Remi Abbey in Reims and an annual pension of a staggering 18,000 livres (a type of silver coin thatter became the franc) when Louis XVI ascended the throne.

    With this money, Talleyrand led a secr nobleman''s life in Paris. His position as the abbot was merely a well-paid sinecure, allowing him ample free time. He had bought afortable house in Paris, alternating between living in Reims and the capital, indulging in drinking, gambling, and the pleasures of the flesh.

    Through his connections, he also gained ess to bankers who provided him with information about the inner workings of the Church and even the government. In return, Talleyrand helped them find opportunities for profit through financial spection, amassing wealth.

    Talleyrand was no miser; he made money quickly and spent it just as rapidly. With the help of his friends, he came close to usurping the position of the Archbishop of Lyon after the Affair of the Diamond Ne, only to be thwarted by the Queen''s interference.

    Though he didn''t be the Archbishop of Lyon, he managed to secure the position of the Archbishop of Autun. Since Talleyrand had climbed the ranks through the favor of the king, most people considered him a staunch conservative and a royalist. However, his presence in the current meeting raised eyebrows.

    "Gentlemen, it''s an honor to see you," Bishop Talleyrand said, addressing the others.

    "Bishop, what brings you to our gathering all of a sudden?" asked Sgur.

    "Count d''Artois is preparing to leave France with his family for Italy," Bishop Talleyrand replied.

    "Count d''Artois?" Louis XVI''s brother and a staunch conservative. The historian Tocqueville oncemented about him:

    "We have seen many leaders in history whose knowledge, culture, political judgment, and value choices remain frozen at some stage of their youth. Regardless of how long they live or how much the world changes, they act as if stuck in a particr moment. They persist with obstinacy, self-confidence, and the delusion of defending certain values that would chart a new direction for the nation. In reality, their beliefs and policies are nothing but outdated relics."

    "Count d''Artois is going into exile?" Sgur smirked. "The one who wanted to suppress us relentlessly? Now he''s fleeing?"

    "He has fled, and perhaps His Highness will be even more delighted," Barnave said, furrowing his brows.

    "But this could be a good thing, couldn''t it?" the Marquis de Lafayette said. "The king''s power is waning, and apart from us, His Majesty has no one else to rely on."

    "But we have the same problem as that prince''s instigated mob," Barnave remarked.

    "Then let him continue his act," Lafayette suggested. "The mob wants things we can''t give them. Can that prince give them what they want? He never thought about the fact that when he set fire to his brother''s house, it was connected to his own."

    "Our houses are adjacent to theirs too," Barnave pointed out.

    "Mr. Barnave, you''re right," Bishop Talleyrand chimed in. "In truth, the three estates are a false concept. The division into three estates is utter nonsense. It''s just that some fools believe in it."

    "What do you mean?" Sgur frowned. He had gained fame for his work "What Is the Third Estate?" Now, Talleyrand was iming that the concept of the Third Estate was false, and it didn''t sit well with him.

    "Mr. Sgur, please consider our neighboring country to the west, the most sessful nation in the world today. Think about what privilege really is," Talleyrand said.

    "I don''t understand your point," Sgur admitted. He couldn''t follow Talleyrand''s line of thought, which made him even less pleased with the bishop.

    "At its core, privilege is the right to a good life," Talleyrand exined. "Traditional nobility once enjoyed this privilege simply because of their birth. But in modern times, this hereditary privilege hasrgely be obsolete. Even without a revolution, birthright has transformed into a privilege of wealth."

    With a pause to let his words sink in, Talleyrand continued, "Let''s take me as an example. I was born into a minor noble family, but my family was impoverished when I was born. Our wealth, except for a noble suffix in our name, had disappeared. Our family''s life was no better than that of an ordinary third estate person and was even worse because they were wealthier. Money is privilege."

    Talleyrand paused again, allowing everyone to digest his words. After a moment, he continued, "Let''s look at the English. Do they have nobility? Yes, they do. Do they have respectable non-noble people? Yes, they do. Do they have a horde of penniless rabble? Of course. Why, then, can they have a ''Glorious Revolution'' without bloodshed?"

    "Why?" Sgur asked.

    "Because the English understand that money is power, and power is money. These two things can be mutually exchanged. A person can be a noble, a clergyman, and a wealthy man simultaneously. There is no unbridgeable gap between these roles."

    "Like you, Bishop?" Sgur asked, with a sarcastic smile.

    "Yes," Talleyrand replied, unapologetically. "Only poverty creates a profound gap between privilege and theck thereof. The nobility should realize this and open the gates of power to wealthy non-nobles. The well-off should join forces with the nobility to share power, and the nobility should share wealth. In the end, everyone will get what they want, which is why Ennd is strong and stable."

    "I''ve been trying to convince the king and other nobles for a long time, hoping they would follow the English example and unite all respectable people," Talleyrand continued. "But in France, there are too many fools. In the nobility, you have someone like Count d''Artois, who lives in the Middle Ages, thinking he can rule France as if it''s still the Middle Ages and unwilling to share any benefits with the wealthy. He doesn''t realize that money is power. The wealthy, or more precisely, the powerful non-nobles, won''t allow him to manipte them."

    "Then there''s the Duke of Orleans, a self-proimed smart fool. He recklessly opened the bottle containing the devil without considering the consequences. Should we really share power and wealth with these unlettered masses? France may be wealthy, but we can''t evenly distribute it among the rabble. Yet the Duke of Orleans set them free and let them see their own power. Once they realize their power, they won''t hesitate to use it for their benefit. But what they want, we can''t provide because they want to live just like us. That''s impossible!"

    Nobles, as well as wealthy individuals, should naturally form a sacred alliance, Talleyrand argued. Due to their stubbornness, ignorance, and damn arrogance and ambition, they all had gone down the wrong path. An obstinate refusal to progress, even when progress could provide a better life, and an irresponsible release of the devil had plunged France into immense danger. Talleyrand believed that the king could no longer save France, but those present could. That''s why he hade to them.

    Sgur stared at Talleyrand, wide-eyed, for a long moment. Finally, he sighed, "Bishop Talleyrand, you are the Machiavelli of France, a man without faith."

    "No, Mr. Sgur," Talleyrand said earnestly. "You''re prejudiced against me. I may not truly believe in God, but I love France."

    "Your faith doesn''t interest us," Barnave added. "We know you were reprimanded for visiting Voltaire (who had been emunicated for vehemently opposing the Catholic Church), and youter repented to the Red Archbishop. It was a sincere repentance, they say. But we''re not concerned with that. What matters is how we can deal with the devils that have been let out of the bottle. Do you have any guidance for us on that?"

    "There have always been two ways to put the devils back in the bottle," Talleyrand immediately replied.

    "Which two ways?" Sgur asked.

    "The first is Solomon''s way, overpowering the devils by one''s own strength and forcing them back into the bottle. The other way is the fisherman''s way, deceiving them with lies and luring them to enter the bottle on their own."

    "As a bishop, you''reparing us to the stories of non-believers," Sgur interjected.

    "Seeking the truth, even in a distantnd," Talleyrand replied.

    "That''s another pagan saying."

    "France has already allied with the pagans."

    "Let''s get back to the point, gentlemen, Bishop," Barnave said. "Bishop Talleyrand, which method do you think we can use?"

    "Both methods simultaneously," Talleyrand answered. "However, before we prepare to put the devils back in the bottle, we must find a way to deal with the person who released them from their prison due to his ambition. Otherwise, this prince, though limited in ability, has been causing trouble for the king for years. He knows very well how to create chaos in France, and there are few who understand the art of creating chaos in France better than him. If we don''t deal with him first, our mission will be difficult to aplish."

    "How should we deal with him?" Sgur inquired.

    "Let''s not rush. Wait for him to make a mistake," Talleyrand advised.

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 Chapter 55: The Tree Wants Peace, but the Wind Persists

    Chapter 55: The Tree Wants Peace, but the Wind Persists

    In the months that followed, life was somewhat "peaceful," at leastpared to the days when Bastille was under siege.

    Order had been restored in the higher echelons of Paris. The newly formed National Guard patrolled day and night, ensuring that troublemakers dared not create havoc in these areas. The poorer citizens had been mostly weeded out from the National Guard since they needed to focus on earning a living rather than receiving military training.

    But if one ventured outside these neighborhoods and inadvertently crossed into the regions where the less fortunate resided, they would immediately notice that the restoration of order was nothing more than an illusion. The chaos here was even worse than it had been before the revolution.

    As Aunt Sophie put it, the streets were now infested with thieves and robbers.

    "I wouldn''t dare walk the streets with a loaf of bread," Aunt Sophie remarked when Joseph suggested she take some bread for her children. "Mr. Bonaparte, you have no idea how chaotic it is outside these neighborhoods! My word, for a woman like me to walk the streets with a loaf of bread, it''s more dangerous than wandering in a forest with tigers. Not just me, even someone as sturdy as you, if you were alone, I''m sure you wouldn''t take a hundred steps before someone robbed you. If it were young Monsieur Lucien, well, he wouldn''t even make it ten steps before being shot. And as for little Louis, well, he and the bread would both vanish without a trace."

    "In that case, how do you bring the bread home?" Joseph asked.

    "We go in groups," Aunt Sophie replied. "If you men hadn''t stirred up trouble with your Estates-General and kings and meetings and revolutions, we thought, ''Life is already tough enough, a bit of excitement won''t make it any harder.'' But look at us now... Mr. Bonaparte, they said once the Estates-General was convened, everyone would have enough to eat. But there are some bad folks who won''t let us hold our meetings. So we all went to fight those bad folks. But even after we fought them and the meetings were held, bread became more expensive. When the Estates-General wasn''t in session, we couldn''t afford bread; when it was in session, we still couldn''t afford it. What''s the use of that Estates-General then?"

    Joseph sighed and said, "Aunt Sophie, the Estates-General itself can''t produce bread."

    In his mind, he added, "And the representatives don''t really think about how to ensure the lowest rungs of society have enough bread."

    This thought wasn''t unfounded. In fact, most of the representatives were wealthy and had no worries about bread. Some evenpared French and British wages, concluding that French wages were too high, harming the economy, and proposing legal restrictions on high sries.

    "But wasn''t it said that once the Estates-General convened, everyone would have a good life? They can''t just deceive people like that," Aunt Sophie grumbled.

    "In reality, it''s not just you," Joseph sighed. "Even for me, these days are tougher than before. Everything has be more expensive besides sries. My life has be harder."

    While this statement was partly true, Joseph''s life would indeed have been challenging if he relied solely on his schoolteacher''s sry. Even someone like Joseph, a "skilled professional" (as he self-deprecatingly referred to himself), could find himself in difficulties. For ordinary people, life was even tougher.

    However, without the Estates-General and the revolution, even if the lives of ordinary people were slightly harder, there might not have been any upheaval. In Europe, the French, even the lower sses, had rtively decent lives. Compared to British workers with an average life expectancy of less than three years or Russian serfs whocked personal freedom, the French''s standard of living was significantly higher. As for the Germans, Heinrich Heine even imed, "One percent of the suffering experienced by the German people would be enough to trigger a thousand uprisings in France."

    The issue was that the Estates-General''s convening had given the lower sses great hope, and all French, even people like Aunt Sophie, were aware of it. Continuous propaganda only inted this hope, making it seem as though once the Estates-General was convened and the king supported constitutional rule, all problems would be solved. It was almost like, "After the Estates-General, we''ll have everything  foie gras on the table and a sweetheart to embrace at night."

    However, in the face of reality, this hope, magnified beyond belief, burst like a soap bubble. The Estates-General convened, the Constituent Assembly was established, and Bastille was taken, but there was not even ck bread, let alone foie gras. The agony caused by this disparity far exceeded the suffering of going hungry and consequently fueled hatred. This is why the grand revolution erupted first in France rather than in the most oppressive nations.

    "That''s why the king''s decision to convene the Estates-General was his biggest mistake," the Marquis de Mirabeau dered at the Royal Pce, conversing with the Duke of Orleans, the host of the gathering.

    The Marquis de Mirabeau was quite a character, known for his scandalous reputation. He had spent the earlier part of his life either embroiled in scandals or locked in prison.

    The young Marquis had always disyed a penchant for debauchery. His father had sent him to the army for discipline, but he preferred gambling, pursuing women, and even attempting desertion. This ultimately led to his incarceration in the Chteau d''If. After his release, he participated in suppressing the Corsican rebellion, where he excelled and was promoted to the rank of captain before returning to Paris.

    Upon his father''s arrangements, he married Emily, the daughter of the Marquis de Morieu, hoping to gain ess to her substantial wealth. However, the couple was ill-suited for each other, mutually disliking one another and sharing a love for extravagant living that led to insurmountable debt. In an attempt to preserve the family''s reputation, the elder Marquis imprisoned him and prohibited him from handling any finances. Nheless, Mirabeau continued his reckless behavior and was incarcerated in the Chteau d''If once again in 1774, the same fortress featured in "The Count of Monte Cristo."

    In 1775, Mirabeau was released from prison. However, immediately upon his release, he seduced the young wife of the Marquis de Morieu, then eloped with her to Hond.

    This behavior led to his fatherpletely cutting off his financial support. Mirabeau was forced to make a living through writing. Mirabeau hailed from the upper echelons of society and was well aware of the corruption within the French aristocracy. Consequently, he became a prominent critic of the old French system.

    However, the ie he earned from writing wasn''t sufficient to maintain hisvish lifestyle. Mirabeau was notorious for his extravagant living and overspending. During this period, he faced numerous financial disputes and was once again imprisoned due to debt. He imed that the reactionary French authorities were persecuting him.

    However, Mirabeau was soon released from prison, and miraculously, he managed to clear his debts, living even more extravagantly. Surprisingly, he didn''t get into trouble over financial disputes again. He credited this to his various sessful investments, which he imed brought him substantial returns. He insisted that achieving financial independence was just one small achievement. Many believed that he had found a wealthy patron, someone wholly dedicated to tarnishing the king''s reputation  the Duke of Orleans.

    Mirabeau''s continued critique of the old French system gained him a good reputation among the dissatisfied Third Estate. When the Estates-General convened, Mirabeau became one of its representatives and eventually a leader of the National Assembly.

    "However, in situations like this, the Parisians have experienced many times before," the Duke of Orleans mused. "Besides, this year''s wheat is growing splendidly, and everyone believes that if there are no unexpected natural disasters, we''ll have a harvest like we haven''t seen in nearly a decade. When that happens, the price of food will surely decrease. This isn''t within anyone''s control. Once food prices drop, the people''s dissatisfaction will diminish, and the mes of the revolution will die down. If we don''t seize the moment, the old regime will persist."

    The Duke of Orleans furrowed his brow.

    Mirabeau chuckled, his jowls shaking.

    "Don''t worry, Your Grace. With the current situation, how can we wait for the autumn harvest? It''s different now. The Estates-General and the revolution have given them hope. If reality shatters that hope, the resulting anger won''t be easy to suppress. Moreover, no one can suppress such anger these days. Even in the rural provinces, unrest is brewing. The peasants are desperate to rid themselves of feudal rents and the tithe. They can''t wait anymore, and revolts are breaking out everywhere. To pacify them, the Constituent Assembly is preparing a neww. This neww will face resistance from the king, and we''ll use it to raise prices. Then we''ll redirect the people''s anger toward the king. This will work in our favor."

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 Chapter 56: The Womens Army

    Chapter 56: The Women''s Army

    "Joseph, the Constituent Assembly has passed a new decree," announced Lucien as soon as Joseph returned home, shaking a newspaper in his hand.

    "Lately, Lucien seems to be getting more interested in politics," Joseph thought. He inquired, "Did they pass the Deration of the Rights of Man?"

    Joseph''s knowledge of the history of the French Revolution from his past life was minimal, mostly due to his focus on sports and ack of interest in history. He knew about a document called the Deration of the Rights of Man.

    "No, it''s not that," replied Lucien. "It''s a decree that abolishes all feudal rights."

    "What? Let me see," Joseph said, surprised. He knew that rural areas were erupting in uprisings and riots. With France nearly on the brink of anarchy, the Constituent Assembly aimed to pacify the peasants, but passing such a significant decree so quickly and with such force was astounding.

    "This is absurd!" Joseph eximed. "This involves numerous interests and is asplex as the Gordian knot. Without Alexander''s sword, no one could unravel it. The Constituent Assembly doesn''t have an Alexander the Great, so how did they manage this? Hand it over; I want to see."

    Lucien handed the newspaper to Joseph, who sat on the couch and started reading.

    After a while, Joseph couldn''t help but burst intoughter. "Lucien, why are youughing?" Lucien asked.

    "I''mughing at the spineless king and the shameless Constituent Assembly," Joseph said sarcastically. Unfortunately, Lucien didn''t catch the reference. Joseph continued, "Look at this decree; it treats the peasants like fools. ''Abolish all feudal obligations,'' it says, but when ites to money, likend rents and dues, they must be redeemed, and the entire sum must be paid at once  the equivalent of thirty years'' worth. If peasants could produce that much money in one go, I''d be a farmer! Moreover, look here, redemption is on a vige basis, meaning if one household in a vige can''t pay, none of them can redeem. And here, redemption requires mutual consent  if the lords disagree, even if they have the money, they can''t redeem. It''s like offering a loaf of bread to a starving person. It''s tantly taking peasants for fools. Do you find it amusing?"

    "Well, it is certainly a way to deceive them. But, Joseph, I wonder if some people don''t really want to quell the rural chaos. After all, as long as it''s not them suffering," Lucien mused. "Besides, this decree still needs the king''s approval to take effect. I doubt he''s in any position to address this issue right now."

    "Lucien," Joseph eximed in surprise, "did youe up with that yourself? Nicely done! You might be catching up to that other dummy, Napoleon!"

    Lucien knew it was apliment, even if it implied that he was still behind the other "dummy." Lucien considered his older brother an absolute genius.

    "You once said that some people might not be capable of aplishing much themselves, but they are adept at causing trouble. This might be the time they want to create chaos," Lucien replied.

    As Lucien had suggested, King Louis XVI was facing concerns about the unofficial submission of the "August Decrees" by the Constituent Assembly.

    "Your Majesty, you cannot approve such a thing!" Queen Marie Antote''s face turned pale with anger. "If you approve something so absurd, you''ll lose the support of the nobility. This is essentially a death sentence for all of France''s traditions!"

    "I am aware of that," said the man theoretically the most powerful in France. "But if I reject it outright, it will only incite further violence. Some people are eagerly awaiting such events!"

    But this response only infuriated the queen further. "You''re always fearful, always afraid! The more you act this way, the less they respect you. Your loyal supporters will lose morale due to your dy and fear, and the rebels will revel in your weakness. You constantly undermine your own side and strengthen the enemy. I genuinely don''t understand how someone like you became the King of France!"

    "I never wanted to be the King of France in the first ce," Louis XVI said in a low voice.

    "Yes, you only wanted to be a hunter and a locksmith. Maybe someday, when we''ve lost the crown of France and are in exile, you can use your locksmith skills to support the family," the queen sarcastically remarked before storming out of the room, mming the door shut.

    Louis XVI sighed and rose from his seat, heading to a small room on the right, where he studied various locks. It was the only ce he could find a moment of happiness during these times. After all, this decree was informally submitted by the Constituent Assembly, which meant it could be dyed.

    King Louis XVI adopted an ostrich-like policy toward the "August Decrees." He left the Constituent Assembly''s submission of the "August Decrees" unacknowledged, neither openly opposing them nor granting approval.

    As Queen Marie Antote had predicted, some nobles who had been supporting the king began leaving the country to seek European support. They imed to be doing so to secure European support for the king, but in reality, the departure of these key figures significantly weakened the king''s power.

    In Paris, food prices continued to rise, apanied by a barrage of rumors. Among the most widely circted rumors were these:

    The first was that Paris was suffering from a shortage of food due to widespread rural uprisings. The reason for these rebellions was supposedly the king''s refusal to approve the "August Decrees."

    Another rumor imed that someone was intentionally preventing food from entering Paris and driving up prices. Who were these culprits? The answer, of course, was the "reactionaries" who supported the tyrant. They were obstructing the food supply to Paris and causing the price hikes.

    ording to Vte de Ver, the key to deception was to tell the truth in most areas, except for the crucial points. Both rumors adhered to this principle.

    While it was true that rural areas were in turmoil and there were uprisings, the fact was that the Constituent Assembly did not submit the "August Decrees" for the king''s approval until October 1. Thus, before that date, there was no official "August Decrees" that required the king''s approval. Moreover, these rural uprisings had already started in July, and the situation in the provinces was not significantly worse nowpared to July.

    As for someone deliberately blocking food from entering Paris and driving up prices, that was true too, but it wasn''t the king doing it. It was a certain nobleman and a group of respectable third estate people who had joined his efforts. They were profiting from the situation while shifting the me onto the king.

    In the midst of this turmoil, it was now October 1789. Typically, July and August were the harvesting seasons for wheat in France. Byte August, wheat should have been fully harvested. That year, France had experienced a bountiful wheat harvest, and this news had already reached Paris. People expected that a bumper wheat harvest would lead to a drop in bread prices, yet, by October, bread prices continued to rise steadily and sustainably.

    As the nobles supporting the monarchy left one by one, the royal family felt increasingly unsafe. At the end of September, the king moved the nders regiment near Versailles. The nders region was rtively conservative and had a stronger royalist presence. In the eyes of the people, these troops were more inclined to support the king.

    On October 1st, the king hosted a dinner for the officers of the nders regiment. It was after this banquet that a rumor spread throughout Paris:

    Towards the end of the banquet, the king and his family appeared. The officers of the nders regiment cheered for the king and trampled on the red, white, and blue tricolor cockade, symbolizing Paris and the National Guard.

    This news quickly spread in Paris, rekindling fear. The people didn''t know that the king''s power had already significantly diminishedpared to July, and he was unlikely to pose a real threat to Paris. In their eyes, after months of careful preparation, the troops the king had called to suppress Paris must be more numerous, and Paris was in danger. They believed it was their duty to stand up and defend themselves with their weapons.

    On the afternoon of October 4th, after serving dinner to Joseph and others, Aunt Sophie announced that she needed to take a day off the next day.

    "Is something happening in your family?" Joseph asked.

    In this era, for the household maids responsible for chores, Joseph was undoubtedly the best employer. He genuinely cared about their well-being.

    "Oh, sir, nothing is wrong at home. But us women, yes, some women from the Halles district and the Saint-Antoine district have made arrangements. Tomorrow, we''re going to the city hall to request their help in solving the bread issue."

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 Chapter 57: Building Up High (1)

    Chapter 57: Building Up High (1)

    Joseph, who had no knowledge of historical details, had no idea how the march that Aunt Sophie was about to attend would leave a deep mark in history. He was just surprised that someone like Aunt Sophie, who seemed quite indifferent to politics, would be willing to participate in a protest march.

    "Sophie, didn''t you say you have no interest in these things?" Joseph hadn''t even spoken yet when Louis chimed in. "Can''t you just skip it? If you''re not there, Lucien will dump all the household chores on me."

    "Oh, my little Master Louis," Aunt Sophie wiped her hands on her apron, "I can''t skip it. If I don''t go, others will be upset. It''s like if your friends invite you to a gathering, and you don''t show up, won''t they be disappointed?"

    "But, Sophie, it''s different. Your gathering is a protest, and Joseph says things are quite chaotic and dangerous outside now. The City Hall area is especially messy and perilous," Louis continued.

    "Don''t worry, it''ll be fine," Aunt Sophie reassured, patting Louis''s head. "Mayor Bayi and Marquis Lafayette are good people, and I won''t be at the front lines. If anything happens, I''ll run fast."

    Aunt Sophie didn''t understand politics, but her simple wisdom told her that if everyone went and she stayed behind at a time like this, she would stand out and be conspicuous. And being conspicuous at such times often came with various risks.

    The next day, Aunt Sophie indeed didn''t show up. It wasn''t until thete afternoon of the third day, after Joseph had alreadye back from work, that she appeared at Joseph''s doorstep, looking excited and exhausted.

    "Sorry, Monsieur Bonaparte, I''m backte. But I think it''s just in time to make dinner now," Aunt Sophie said.

    "Oh, that''s not a problem," Joseph weed Aunt Sophie inside. "These days, unexpected things happening are no longer unexpected. In fact, if something ispletely expected, that''s what''s truly surprising. Yesterday, when you didn''t return, little Louis was really worried about you. Now that you''re back safe, that''s all that matters."

    "Sophie, Sophie..." Louis came running out of the kitchen at this point, shouting, holding a bread knife covered in breadcrumbs, indicating that he was being bossed around by his two older brothers.

    "Ah, my little Master Louis," Aunt Sophie quickly went to him, taking the knife covered in breadcrumbs from Louis. "Missed me, didn''t you?"

    "Yeah," Louis said with wide, curious eyes. "I heard people say you stayed in the pce yesterday?"

    "Yes, I did. This morning, I even rolled on the Queen''s bed!" Aunt Sophie answered in a boasting tone as she headed towards the kitchen.

    "Sophie, tell me, did you see the Queen? Is she beautiful? And is her bed covered in gold, like everyone says?" Louis grabbed onto Sophie''s apron, following her to the kitchen, bombarding her with questions.

    "The Queen is indeed beautiful, but her bed isn''t covered in gold. She''s not a dragon, she doesn''t like to sleep on a pile of gold coins..."

    At dinner, Aunt Sophie went into detail about her experiences from thest two days. It was only then that Joseph realized how important these events had been.

    The women had originally gone to City Hall to petition, but when they arrived, they were informed that Mayor Bayi was conveniently absent, and so was Marquis Lafayette.

    Aunt Sophie thought that if they couldn''t find anyone, everyone would disperse, but unexpectedly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Then we''ll go to Versailles to find the King! He can''t let us starve like this!"

    Many others came forward to support the idea, and a man named Mayar, who was said to have taken part in the storming of the Bastille, stepped up, iming he knew the way to Versailles and was willing to lead everyone there.

    It was said that a bored scientist conducted a rather boring experiment. He removed certain parts of a fish''s brain and then put it back into the school of fish. This brain-deprived fish only swam forward incessantly, leading the entire school. It became the leader of the school of fish.

    In many ways, crowds of people were quite simr to schools of fish. Often, especially in chaotic and uncertain times, it was not the deeply wise individuals who led the crowd but the ones who acted decisively, even if their actions were rash and thoughtless.

    So, everyone followed Mayar to Versailles. The journey from City Hall to Versailles took about four hours, but the women, eager to resolve the food issue, pressed on tirelessly.

    After a while, the Mayor and Marquis Lafayette arrived at City Hall. The National Guard quickly assembled, preparing to go to Versailles to defend... the King or the people, who knew? The Paris Commune (yes, after the capture of the Bastille, the new municipal institution was called the Paris Commune. This was version 1.0. The one we''re more familiar with is version 2.0.) sent two representatives to apany Lafayette to Versailles. Their orders were to bring the royal family back to Paris.

    The women''s march was not particrly fast, so they hadn''t arrived by the time the Constituent Assembly in Versailles learned of these events. The Assembly immediately dispatched its president, Mounier, to see the King. The King interrupted his hunting and returned to Versailles. Mounier presented his request for the immediate approval of the "August Decree" and the removal of the nders Regiment. The King expressed that he needed more time to consider.

    Meanwhile, the Queen urged the King to leave Versailles to avoid the "mob," but the King felt that fleeing Versailles just because some women had shown up would make him aughingstock. Little did he know that behind those women, the fully armed National Guard had alreadye to "protect" him.

    In thete afternoon, the women reached Versailles. The King received them, disyed great amiability, and promised to ensure the supply of provisions to Paris. Of course, the King had no power to fulfill these promises; he was just appeasing the women.

    This statement seemed to have an effect. Some women, upon hearing the King''s promise, believed that all their problems were solved, and some even turned to go back to Paris. However, more women stayed behind, exhausted after walking for hours. They would most likely return satisfied the next morning.

    But at around 10 PM, Marquis Lafayette arrived at Versailles with the National Guard and the representatives of the Paris Commune. Surprisingly, the National Guard was slower than the women''s march. However, it was understandable, as they were carrying cannons. The reason for bringing cannons, of course, was to protect the King. Later that night, at around 11 PM, Lafayette met with the King and presented two representatives who boldly demanded the immediate relocation of the King''s family to Paris. Lafayette assured the King of the National Guard''s loyalty.

    This request took the Kingpletely by surprise. But upon learning that Lafayette had brought a substantial force of the National Guard with him, the King didn''t dare refuse outright and asked for more time.

    It''s said that on that night, someone went to the nearby nders Regiment, but they remained passive. This might have been because they hadn''t received an official order from the King.

    In any case, from that day forward, the royal family found themselves in the hands of revolutionary crowds and were officially prisoners of the Revolution, even though the King still wore his crown.

    "Alright, that''s it. We brought back the bakery owner, his wife, and the little baker. From now on, we won''t have to worry about not getting bread anymore!" Aunt Sophie concluded her story with these words, believing that all problems had been solved.

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 Chapter 58: Building Up High (2)

    Chapter 58: Building Up High (2)

    Joseph''s grasp of history may not have been great, but he understood that Aunt Sophie''s optimism was perhaps a bit premature. There were still plenty of challenges ahead.

    On the 19th, the Constituent Assembly left Versailles and returned to Paris.

    As soon as the Constituent Assembly returned to Paris, a member named Mirabeau proposed the following idea: "Let the king abdicate and pass the throne to the dauphin. Considering that the dauphin is still young, in ordance with French tradition, a noble and esteemed aristocrat should be appointed as the regent to handle affairs on his behalf."

    Everyone knew exactly who this noble and esteemed aristocrat was referring to. The king''s two brothers were already in exile, and given their stance on the revolution, they were not viable candidates for this position. So, the only option was the Duke of Orleans.

    This proposal gained support from many members of the assembly because they had no faith that the king, who had been forced to return to Paris, would genuinely support constitutional rule. They believed that having such a person on the throne would introduce too many uncertainties into the new government.

    For a moment, Louis XVI''s position became precarious, and chants of "Long Live Louis XVII" were heard in the streets.

    In theory, the Duke of Orleans had been waiting for this moment for a long time. However, something unexpected happened. The Duke of Orleans suddenly epted an offer from the Marquis de Lafayette and left France to be the ambassador to London.

    Conventional wisdom would have expected the Duke of Orleans to stay in France, as leaving the country at this point was almost akin to exile. But it was rumored that after a secret meeting with Lafayette, the Duke of Orleans agreed to this request. Other rumors suggested that the Duke of Orleans had engaged in some unsavory activities behind the scenes, which were discovered by the Marquis de Lafayette. It was said that a priest friend of Condorcet had found evidence of his less-than-honorable actions and ryed this information to Condorcet, who then provided it to the Marquis de Lafayette. However, Lafayette, being an honorable man, chose not to publicly expose these actions and tarnish the Duke''s reputation. Nevertheless, Lafayette believed that the Duke''s continued presence in France would be detrimental to the nation, and he thus pressured the Duke into leaving.

    There were also other spections, such as the Duke''s sense of responsibility and his understanding of the potential disruption he might cause to democracy if he assumed the regency. However, Joseph couldn''t help but think that the first rumor might contain more truth than meets the eye.

    After sessfully deterring the Duke of Orleans, Lafayette turned his attention to Mirabeau. He used simr tactics in an attempt to convince Mirabeau to leave France and be the ambassador to Constantinople. However, Mirabeau stood his ground and refused the offer. Yet, Lafayette struck a heavy blow by rallying the assembly to not only reject Mirabeau''s proposal for members of the government to be ministers but also to pass a resolution prohibiting members of the assembly from bing ministers. This effectively blocked the path for Mirabeau to hold any ministerial position.

    At this point, it seemed that Lafayette had gainedplete control over the situation. The only significant challenge remaining was the issue of finances.

    One of the main reasons Louis XVI had called the Estates-General in the first ce was the pressing financial crisis. While the politicalndscape had changed dramatically, the financial troubles remained.

    It was like the problem described byter scientists usius and Kelvin in the secondw of thermodynamics: there is no way to decrease the entropy of a closed system without increasing the overall entropy. While the royal expenses had been reduced, new expenses had emerged.

    First, conservative aristocrats who were unwilling to relinquish their past privileges were fomenting rebellion throughout the country. Suppressing them required more funds. For years, France had been the dominant power on the European continent, but many neighboring countries were now eyeing the opportunity to challenge that position.

    For instance, the Habsburg family of Austria had always sought to restore the so-called "Holy Roman Empire" to its former glory. Despite the empire''s name, it was neither holy nor Roman, and it was far from an empire. Apart from producing numerous princesses, it had little to boast about.

    In the Seven Years'' War, Austria and France had been on the same side, but the oue had been disastrous for France. Interestingly, France had achieved significant sess when it had previously allied with the Muslim Turks against the devoutly Catholic Habsburgs and when it had allied with Protestants against Catholic Habsburgs during the Thirty Years'' War. However, once they joined forces with the Catholic Habsburgs, they suffered a crushing defeat. It seemed that, in God''s grand design, France was meant tobat Catholics. Although France had imprisoned the Pope, allied with non-Christians against Christians, and joined forces with Protestants against Catholics, Joseph believed he was still a good child of God.

    Nevertheless, if France showed any vulnerability, the Habsburgs might seize the opportunity to exploit it.

    Additionally, there were the Low Countries, Prussia, and Russia. Nearly every neighboring country on the European continent hoped to gain an advantage should France falter. Not to mention the perennial troublemaker in the westthe United Kingdom. If they didn''t pounce on France and tear off a few pieces of its flesh while it was vulnerable, they wouldn''t deserve the nickname "John Bull, who never meddles."

    To protect against these neighbors, France needed to strengthen its military. However, both King Louis XVI and the assembly had doubts about the reliability of the French army.

    The high-ranking officers in the French army were predominantly aristocrats, many of whom had fled the country and were now potentially guiding foreign armies against France. Some were even rtives of Princes of the Blood, as Victor Hugo wouldter describe in his novel "Ny-Three." For example, themander of the Republican Army, Guhneuc, was the great-grandson of the royalist Marquis de Lantenac. In "Ny-Three," Guhneuc was portrayed as a loyal supporter of the Republic. However, in reality, who could guarantee the loyalty of those noble officers in the army? Who could assure that, should the Count of Provence or the Count of Artois return with foreign armies, these officers would not change sides?

    Some impatient members of the assembly even suggested that all aristocratic officers be reced with third-estate officers. But such a thoughtless proposal was unworkable. The so-called third-estate officers were not only few in number, but they were typically junior officers at bestfew had even attained the rank of lieutenant. These officers, with very few exceptions, were not well-versed in military tactics or strategies. They might bepetent atmanding a toon or apany, but leading a whole army in battle was a different matter altogether.

    In fact, even the members proposing such ideas understood the impracticality of this proposal. However, they presented it to demonstrate their loyalty to the people and their willingness to take bold measures to win popr support.

    This was amon w in a representative system: in order to gain the support of the electorate, you had to appear more radical than your opponents, even if it meant making unworkable proposals. This trend persisted through the generations. For example, if environmental protection was a concern, politicians had to support shutting down dangerous nuclear power nts, dismantling air-polluting coal-fired power nts, demolishing hydroelectric dams that altered river ecosystems and geology, and scrapping wind turbines that caused infrasound pollution and threatened bird poptions. Eventually, they had to support "clean, natural, love-powered energy."

    To address the unreliability of the military, more funds were required. First and foremost, the army''s pay needed to be guaranteed. The reason King Louis XVI had gradually lost control over the military was often due to the failure to pay the soldiers'' wages on time. If the assembly wanted to maintain control over the military, they had to ensure that the troops were well-fed and paid.

    Secondly, they needed to establish a military force that was loyal to the assembly. The British Parliament''s control over the country wasrgely because they had a "parliamentary army." Ennd''s parliamentary army had evolved from Oliver Cromwell''s New Model Army. The National Assembly, or the Constituent Assembly, was eager to create its own version of a New Model Army.

    The closest thing to a "New Model Army" at the moment was the "National Guard." However, the National Guard was still essentially a militia. Despite Lafayette''s best efforts, it was still a ragtag force. Transforming this ragtag militia into a "New Model Army" required not only time but also money.

    Then there was the issue of various new and old debts, totaling up to 45 billion livres. The interest alone was a staggering sum. This ced an enormous burden on the assembly.

    Defaulting on the debt was not an option, as much of this debt had been incurred from the wealthiest third-estate bourgeoisie, who now formed the backbone of the nation.

    Faced with this dilemma, some members had begun discussing privately whether it was time to consider increasing taxes, even though it was a politically incorrect move. However, no one had openly proposed this yet. Lafayette, however, was not concerned because his friend, Bishop Talleyrand, had a solution in mind.

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 Chapter 59: The Victorious Organizer

    Chapter 59: The Victorious Organizer

    At the National Assembly meeting on October 10th, the former first-tier representative and now the Member of Parliament for the Ons district, Bishop Talleyrand, requested to speak.

    Amidst a mixture of genuine and feigned apuse, the Bishop in his solemn ck robe ascended the pulpit. Unlike his equally seminary-educated and ever-mutable counterpart, known for his changing allegiances, Talleyrand excelled at delivering speeches. After all, the skills to sway the faithful from the pulpit could also be applied to sway the masses in a speech.

    "Everyone knows that even though a new system has been established, and His Majesty the King has recognized the ''Deration of the Rights of Man'' and pledged allegiance to the constitution, France still faces a grave crisis. Some conservative nobles have fled abroad, making connections with other despotic monarchs in Europe, attempting to use their power to overthrow the revolution. At home, there is rebellion, banditry, and insurgents running amok, recklessly damaging our beloved France. These crises are severe. Can we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to them?"

    "We cannot!"

    "We cannot!"

    The members of parliament chimed in, and from the left side of the pulpit, a voice even eximed, "Hang those viins! String them up onmpposts!"

    Despite his dislike for the radicals sitting on the left side, Bishop Talleyrand remainedposed.

    "However, we face another enormous difficulty: weck funds," Talleyrand continued, "Due to the royal extravagance, France now owes as much as 4.5 billion livres, and just paying the interest will deplete our coffers. Without money, how can we arm our soldiers to defend our revolution?"

    "So, what''s your solution then?"

    "Are you suggesting we can conjure up livres out of thin air?" someone from below shouted.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, please, let''s calm down," Bishop Talleyrand raised his voice, "I do indeed have a workable solution."

    The room fell silent.

    Many were thinking, "Is this guy out of his mind, nning to propose higher taxes?"

    "Everyone knows that over the years, the Church has umted immense wealth," Talleyrand continued, "To my knowledge, the Church ownsnd worth over 3 billion livres, among other riches. If we can use this wealth for themon good, we will have a solution to our current crisis."

    As soon as he spoke, the entire assembly erupted into cheers.

    Some shouted, "Yes, those bloodsuckers should''ve given up these treasures a long time ago!"

    Others yelled, "This is sphemy!"

    Thetter were mostly representatives of the clergy, but they didn''t garner much support. In times of financial crisis, contemting raiding religious institutions had a long tradition in Catholic France.

    Back in the day, one of the three great orders of knights, the Knights Temr, lost the Holy Land and had to return to France. Besides theirbat skills, they were masters at making money, and they even invented the European banking system. King Philip IV of France owed them a considerable sum. When they returned to France, they brought back immense wealth, much to the envy of King Philip IV.

    Philip IV was known to be a shameless character when it came to money. He never cared for religious fervor. Under his rule, at least two popes met their demise, and he forcibly brought the papacy within France, making several sessive popes "prisoners of Avignon."

    So, one Friday, Philip IV, using the pretext that the Temrs were "heretics," ordered the arrest of all their members in France and confiscated all the Temrs'' possessions. He even controlled the pope who dered the Temrs as heretics and condemned them for their emblema symbol of two knights, one behind the other. Originally, itmemorated the two founders of the order, but the lesiastical courts twisted it into a symbol of homosexual conduct.

    In this way, King Philip IV eliminated his creditors and gained a substantial fortune. It is said that the Temrs had prepared for this day, transferring or hiding much of their wealth, leading to numerous legends about the Temrs'' hidden treasures that persist in Europe to this day.

    As devout Catholics, the people of France had no qualms about despoiling the Church. However, another voice made them hesitate.

    "But we just enshrined the principle that ''private property is invible'' in the ''Deration of the Rights of Man.'' Are we to trample our own principles so soon? If we can seize Church property today, whose property will be next tomorrow?" someone shouted.

    So, everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on Bishop Talleyrand.

    Bishop Talleyrand seemed unfazed by the sudden pressure. He smiled and then spoke slowly, "A gentleman earlier mentioned the principle of ''sacrosanct invibility of private property.'' I wholeheartedly agree with this principle. But may I ask, who does the Church''s property belong to?"

    This question caught everyone off guard. Indeed, who was the rightful owner of Church property? Certainly not the Pope, and not even the bishops. If someone had to be designated as the owner...

    "From a theological perspective, the Church''s true owner is the Almighty God," Bishop Talleyrand continued, "But God has no need for earthly riches, and anyone who thinks otherwise sphemes the divine. Furthermore..."

    Bishop Talleyrand intentionally paused, then smiled as he continued, "The ''Deration of the Rights of Man'' protects the rights of humans, and God, truly, is not human. Therefore, this matter lies beyond the purview of the ''Deration of the Rights of Man.''"

    Laughter erupted below. Condorcetughed as he pounded the table, and Barnave burst into such intense coughing fits he couldn''t speak. Even the usually serious Robespierre joined in theughter.

    "This guy is a genius!" Robespierre said.

    "This damned heretic!" some priests muttered through clenched teeth. Their voices had lowered as they realized the current situation was unfavorable for them.

    "Damn it, why didn''t I think of this? Letting this traitor steal the show," some people in ck robes thought.

    Other individuals dared not propose this idea, as it would surely offend the Church, turning a usually neutral institution into an enemy of the revolution. However, for clergy like Bishop Talleyrand, their actions would only further divide the Church, diminishing its influence. Clearly, Bishop Talleyrand had managed to sell the Church at a good price.

    "If Church property belongs to Godpersonally, I find this idea sphemousthen the only legitimate owners of Church property can only be all the faithful. The legitimate owners of all Church property in France are the French people. If that''s the case, why can''t the National Assembly, representing the French people, manage these assets that rightfully belong to us? Why can''t we use these assets for the service of France?" Bishop Talleyrand continued to ask.

    Bishop Talleyrand achieved unprecedented sess, with his speech repeatedly interrupted by apuse. His proposal quickly passed in the assembly. That evening, the resolution and Bishop Talleyrand''s speech were disseminated through various newspapers for the people of Paris to read.

    The next day, as Bishop Talleyrand left his residence, the surrounding crowd cheered him. Newspapers showered him withvish praise, almost elevating him to the status of the greatest saint since Jesus. Bishop Talleyrand relished this feeling; he believed his long-desired rise to power was within reach.

    Now that the financial issue was temporarily resolved, he could focus on training his "New Model Army." The revolutionariescked military expertise, and Joseph had previously excelled in assisting the National Guard''s training at the district level. Therefore, he received an invitation to serve as a military instructor for the Paris National Guard. For this asion, Marquis de Lafayette even wrote a letter inviting Joseph to his mansion for a meeting.

    At this time, ignoring Marquis de Lafayette''s summons was not an option. Meeting the hero of both continents was far safer than encountering Robespierre or Marat. So, Joseph quickly attended to his domestic affairs and dressed appropriately before leaving his home.

    Riding in a light carriage, Joseph arrived at Marquis de Lafayette''s mansion.

    Lafayette''s mansion was now bustling with activity. Since bing one of the most influential figures in France, his home had be a hub for those seeking favors and connections.

    Joseph handed the invitation to the gatekeeper, who inspected it and then addressed Joseph, "Mr. Bonaparte, the Marquis is currently meeting with guests. Please follow me to a sitting room to wait."

    This was to be expected. In fact, when Joseph saw the multitude of carriages outside Lafayette''s residence, he realized he might have to wait for quite some time.

    A servant led Joseph into a sitting room. He noticed another man, roughly in his thirties, wearing a military uniform, already waiting there.

    The servant brought Joseph inside, served him a cup of tea, and then left.

    Seeing the servant exit, the man in the military uniform rose to his feet and looked at Joseph, his gaze sharp and appraising. He extended his hand and greeted him, "Hello, I am Joseph Bonaparte, a mathematics teacher. It''s a pleasure to meet you."

    The man quickly returned the greeting, "Hello, I''m Army Captain Lazar Carnot. I''ve heard about you from my teacher, Mr. Monge, and my friend Robespierre."

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 Chapter 60: The Toughest Way to Keep Yourself Safe

    Chapter 60: The Toughest Way to Keep Yourself Safe

    Lazare Carnot, a name Joseph had heard before, but not in his history ss. After all, Joseph had studied history with his sports teacher in his past life. In fact, Joseph first heard of Lazare Carnot from his math teacher and his physics teacher.

    The math teacher had mentioned him in the context of the "four-color theorem" but didn''t provide much information. The physics teacher, on the other hand, mentioned another Carnot - Sadi Carnot - while discussing thermodynamics and went on to mention that Sadi Carnot''s uncle was a mathematician and a military strategist, and his nephew even became the President of France (referring to the third president of the Second Republic, Marie Franois Sadi Carnot).

    Later, Joseph saw Lazare Carnot''s image in a movie about the French Revolution. In that movie, Lazare Carnot was portrayed as a significant figure in a conspiracy against Robespierre. He was the only one openly opposing Robespierre in that group. Strangely, the infamous Robespierre never sent him to the guillotine, or even considered it. In the movie, it was the new government that almost executed Carnot after they had dispatched Robespierre to the guillotine. It was only when someone said, "If we kill Carnot, who will organize our army for us?"

    That was the extent of Joseph''s knowledge about Lazare Carnot. Inparison, Joseph knew even more about the yet-to-be-born son of Lazare, who would go on to establish the principles of thermodynamics.

    However, those who truly understood the history of the French Revolution knew that Lazare Carnot was a pivotal figure in those turbulent times. He was one of the rare individuals who held power steadily from the monarchy to the republic and then to the empire, all while remaining deeply unpopr among the ruling factions.

    During this time, there were only three individuals who could stand as firmly as Carnot did. Two of them were famous chameleons who thrived on diplomacy and opportunism.

    But Carnot was different. He remained an unlikable republican throughout. He openly opposed Robespierre when he was in power, and he openly criticized the empire when Napoleon dered himself emperor. Neither Robespierre nor Napoleon liked him, but they had to rely on him. The entire French military was organized under his watch. Some even said that without Carnot''s efforts, there would be no grand army for Napoleon to sweep across Europe. In a way, Lazare Carnot was the father of the modern French military.

    Carnot also had a strong interest in mathematics, and since they had some free time, the two of them began discussing mathematical problems. During this conversation, Joseph realized that Carnot had fallen into the same trap he had set for Marat.

    "Monsieur Bonaparte, have you made any progress on the ''four-color problem'' recently?" Carnot asked.

    Joseph was taken aback because he hadn''t thought about the problem since he first posed it. He knew the problem was theoretically solvable, but the proof was exceedinglyplex, far beyond what a human could aplish. (The solution required aputer, which performed a hundred billion checks in the process.) Carnot''s sudden question caught him off guard.

    "I had some ideas, but I hit a major roadblock in the process, and I haven''t made any progress since," Joseph replied. "Otherwise, I would have written a paper and collected the prize. You know, bread was unusually expensive for a while."

    "I had some thoughts as well, but I encountered a simr issue right at the start. I was thinking..." Carnot began, dipping his finger into his teacup to draw on the coffee table.

    Joseph took a closer look and realized that Carnot''s approach wasn''t bad. He believed that the essence of the problemy in the impossibility of constructing five or more mutually adjacent regions on a ne or a sphere. However, he soon found an insurmountable problem: there were too many configurations to deal with, and it was impossible to address them all.

    "That''s pretty much in line with my thoughts," Joseph said. "But I also have another idea..."

    Joseph introduced the concept of "reducibility" and exined it at length. Then he added, "But facing the vast number of configurations, it''s nearly impossible to prove them one by one. It''s like trying to remove the Alps with a single pickaxe."

    They bothughed at this point. They understood that this problem was not going to be solved in the short term. They shifted the conversation to other topics.

    During their chat, Joseph learned that Carnot came from amon background. He had graduated from the military academy a decade ago and had earned the rank of lieutenant, now holding the rank of captain.

    Bing a captain immediately after graduating from the military academy was no small feat. Most military academy graduates started as second lieutenants at best. Carnot''s rapid advancement showed how exceptional he was during his time at the academy. However, more than a decadeter, he had only moved up one rank from lieutenant to captain.

    This wasn''t due to any other reason, but rather because the French military of that era had a ss ceiling. In general, for amon officer, bing a captain was the highest achievement. Carnot''s promotion to captain indicated his exceptional abilities.

    "These days, the National Convention is quite uneasy about the military, especially regarding aristocratic officers. This is when a capablemon officer like you bes extremely valuable," Joseph thought.

    They continued to talk for a while. At that point, a servant entered and addressed Carnot, "Mr. Carnot, the Marquis would like to see you. Mr. Bonaparte, the Marquis apologizes for the dy and asks you to wait a bit longer."

    Carnot rose to his feet, bid Joseph farewell, and followed the servant outside. Joseph remained in the sitting room, sipping tea as he waited.

    This time, he didn''t have to wait long. Shortly after, another servant came to escort him to meet the Marquis de Lafayette.

    Joseph stood up, straightened his clothes, and followed the servant through a corridor into the formal reception room.

    Lafayette''s reception room wasn''t as grand as the Duke of Orleans'' where you could practically host a ball. It was simr in size to the sitting room andcked ornate decoration. It had an almost in and down-to-earth feel to it. Joseph wondered if this was by design or had been the case all along.

    Lafayette was in the middle of a conversation with Carnot. When he saw Joseph enter, he stood up and came over to wee him. After Joseph took a seat, Lafayette smiled and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, I''ve invited you here today because there is something I hope you can help with."

    ording to Lafayette, he had noticed Joseph''s performance in organizing the National Guard in the district. Many of his friends had mentioned Joseph, praising his talent in organizing and training troops. Joseph was modest and exined that he was not being humble but rather honest. He pointed out that he had no military education, despite wearing a military uniform, and was just a technician with a background in mathematics. He questioned how he could shoulder such a responsibility.

    Lafayette, however, informed him that the National Convention had already made the decision, and it was him they wanted. Moreover, Joseph wouldn''t be carrying the weight alone. The person primarily responsible for this was Lazare Carnot, and Joseph would be his deputy. Carnot had just spoken highly of Joseph during their conversation and believed he had valuable insights into military matters. He had made it a requirement to have Joseph on board. Would Joseph be willing to contribute to France''s cause?

    At this point, Joseph didn''t have much to say. He was concerned that refusing might turn him into an enemy of the powerful Lafayette. He had initially thought of reciting a poem, but he realized that the two lines he had in mind, when tranted into French, would have the wrong meter and rhythm. So, he suppressed the urge to summon his magical powers and answered, "I am willing to serve France."

    As he left Lafayette''s mansion, Joseph couldn''t help but mull over the decision he had made. Was it the right choice? Lafayette was indeed on the rise, but with his limited knowledge of history, Joseph knew that Lafayette was not the central character of this era. He was merely a supporting actor in the grand drama of this time. Joseph had identally crossed his path, and he wondered if this was the right move.

    Many yearster, when he looked back on this decision, Joseph would reflect on how this night''s actions had been incredibly correct. By following Lazare Carnot, he embarked on a path to be an indispensable "technocratic bureaucrat." In the original history, even Lazare Carnot''s reckless actions did not lead to his death. Joseph, essentially a coward, was not fond of risking his life like Carnot. Therefore, his position would prove to be much safer.

    ....

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 Chapter 61: Preparing for Military Reforms

    Chapter 61: Preparing for Military Reforms

    In the following days, Joseph was tirelessly busy, working alongside Carnot to manage all aspects of the military: recruitment, organization, equipment, and logistics.

    Prior to this, most European nations relied on voluntary enlistment for their armies, which was expensive and limited in scale. Even during the early years of the Thirty Years'' War, European armies remained rtively small. It was only when King Frederick II of Prussia introduced conscription that the small Prussian state turned into a military powerhouse.

    However, to build a formidable army, the king needed to ensure that his soldiers were content. Frederick II heavily invested in national education and patriotism to transform his subjects into citizens. This allowed Prussian soldiers to fight bravely in the Seven Years'' War, despite receiving minimal pay, against the major European powers.

    But this approach had its trade-offs. Subjects had few rights and responsibilities, while citizens demanded more. To turn citizens into a powerful force, one must feed them well.

    During Frederick II''s rule, Prussia reaped significant profits from sessful wars, expanding the cake, so to speak. This led to a peaceful coexistence among different sses. However, after Frederick II''s death, the situation changed. Prussiacked leaders who could continue expanding the cake, and conflicts arose. The rulers soon realized that subjects were far easier to manage than citizens. By the time of the Napoleonic Wars, the once-feared Prussian army had be a shadow of its former self.

    Yet, France didn''t face these worries of converting subjects into citizens. Through the revolution, the concept of "subjects" had vanished. So, why not transition from voluntary enlistment to universal conscription? This would significantly boost the size of the army. Given France''s poption, the possibility of fielding a million-strong army was not far-fetched. If France could mobilize such a force, the rest of Europe would tremble under the radiance of the French g, and no king would dare to meddle in French affairs.

    Nheless, merely conscripting soldiers wouldn''t suffice. There were many other factors to consider. Conscripted soldiers served for a limited period, which meant theirbat skills might be less advancedpared to other nations'' armies.

    Moreover, conscripts received lower pay, which could affect their morale. To maintain high spirits among underpaid soldiers, patriotic education, improved social status, and other incentives were essential. For example, inter years, the armies of the Qing Dynasty in China received modest pay, but many had to use connections to secure a position. All these factors yed a role.

    "There must be no ss ceiling formoners within the military," Joseph stated. "Even a private who excels should have the opportunity for promotion. Soldiers who demonstrate exceptional skills during training and missions should have a chance to attend military academies."

    "ss ceiling?" Carnot chuckled. "That''s a vivid way to put it. We''re in a new era, and such a ss ceiling has no ce here. But if everyone has the opportunity to attend military academies, we''ll need more institutions."

    "We can establish military academies at different levels," Joseph proposed. "The lowest level can be integrated into the firstpany of each regiment. Companymanders will be responsible for basic education of their subordinates. At the very least, they should be able to understand military orders. With the implementation of conscription, we''ll see soldiers joining who might not even recognize letters or numbers. Just like the strength of the Roman legions heavily relied onpetent decurions, if our sergeants are illiterate, their understanding and execution of orders will suffer, impacting the overallbat effectiveness of the army. So, I believe the firstpanies need to provide basic literacy training."

    "Good n," Carnot agreed. "But there might beints from thesepanymanders."

    "No, they''ll beining about you," Joseph said, "You''re the boss; I''m just your deputy."

    "Let themin," Carnot shrugged.

    "Then, we can have military schools for squad leaders who excel in their duties at thepany level, and we''ll call them the Basic Officers'' Training School. They will receive training in fundamental military knowledge. Once theyplete their training, they can take onpany-level positions. For higher-ranking officers, we''ll need dedicated academies with instructors. Well, some senior officers could serve as teachers," Joseph added, emphasizing the word "senior."

    Carnot immediately understood the implication. He smiled and said, "Senior officers? You mean sending those politically unreliable officers there. That''s one way to do it. Besides this, do you have any other ideas?"

    "I have one more idea," Joseph said. "Perhaps we can reduce the length of military service..."

    "How is that even possible?" Carnot widened his eyes. "Mr. Bonaparte, I understand you want to save money, but conscripts already serve for a short duration. If we further reduce it, the time spent on military training would be insufficient, potentially lowering theirbat skills. If we keep shortening the service period, we''ll have to continuously train new soldiers, which can be more costly."

    "Mr. Carnot, retirement isn''t the end," Joseph exined. "All retired soldiers will be registered as part of the National Guard, bing members of the National Revolutionary Army. This way, we won''t need to spend excess funds to maintain arge standing army. These trained soldiers can serve in the National Guard without government expenses but still maintain a certain level of training and skill. In times of war, we can recall them to the regr army from the National Guard."

    Carnot listened, took a moment to think with his head lowered, and then said, "Your idea is quite innovative. It involves manyplex aspects that need thorough consideration. However, I believe this method is worth exploring..."

    Joseph, while teaching at the military academy, was not a military expert by trade. Still, he found opportunities to showcase his brilliance to true specialists, thanks to his knowledge from future experiences. His suggestion,monce inter times, was an extraordinary concept for this era.

    Creative ideas and practical solutions often had a wide gap in between, and building a bridge required detailed work. Josephcked expertise in these areas, but Carnot excelled in them. He had a sharp and delicate mind, rich experience, and a knack for handling various tasks effortlessly. Many challenges that seemed impossible to others, Carnot managed skillfully. Additionally, his physical strength and boundless energy allowed him to work nearly twenty hours a day.

    "This man''s work capacity is naturally strong, and with such effort, he alone can rece at least ten people! They should be ten experts! This guy is not human!" Joseph described his superior in a letter to Napoleon.

    "Joseph Bonaparte is the most talented person I''ve ever met, and his mind is a treasure trove! I dare say that even Alexander the Great''s famed treasury doesn''tpare to the wealth within his mind. Whenever and whatever the problem, he can pull a solution from that treasury. But Joseph Bonaparte is also theziest person I''ve ever met. If there''s a chance to bezy, he''ll seize it.

    But I wouldn''t consider thisziness negatively. He always finds simpler ways to avoid tedious work. For instance, he uses mathematical models to manage various tasks efficiently, freeing up time for other activities. To be honest, seeing him work this way makes me both envious and admiring. I work over ten hours a day, and there are always tasks left undone. However, this guy, working a maximum of eight hours, still has time for mathematics, and asionally even publishes a paper or two!

    Joseph Bonaparte has another rare quality: integrity. You know how much mischief one can make when dealing with logistics. If someone else held Joseph''s current position, who knows how wealthy they might be? But Mr. Bonaparte is incredibly disciplined, and even the benefits he should rightfully receive ording to the grey rules, he epts them reluctantly. I dare say that if he wasn''t worried about arousing others'' discontent and causing trouble for his work, he might not even ept those..."

    This was Carnot''s evaluation of Joseph in a letter to their teacher, Monge. (Of course, the part about integrity was a misunderstanding. Joseph''s "integrity" was primarily driven by fear and the fact that, through his position, he legally earned enough money. Simr to a county governor in New York State in the future, who reportedly didn''t take a sry throughout his term, yet saw his personal wealth multiply legally. Nevertheless, Joseph did his best to avoid taking these things. He thought, earning more money legally would risk revealing too much inside information. Just as a county governor in New York State in the future refused to take a sry, yet multiplied his personal assets legally during his term.) In conclusion, both Joseph and Carnot were highly satisfied with their coboration. Their efforts were paying off. By May of the following year, theirprehensive n, including conscription, military academies, and the reserves, was in trial operation in Paris. Marshal Lafayette was very pleased with their work and intended to expand this model to other regions nationwide.

 Chapter 62: A Pleasant Surprise

    Chapter 62: A Pleasant Surprise

    Ever since Bishop Talleyrand sold the Church''snd, the financial crisis of the new government seemed to have temporarily abated. However, selling billions of livres worth ofnd all at once wasn''t an easy task. If it was too expensive, no one could afford it, and if it was too cheap, it would be a significant loss. So, a new idea emerged: issuing a form of paper currency backed by thesends.

    ording to the initial n, the issuance of this paper currency was supposed to correspond to the value of the Church''snd. Theoretically, the government could gradually recover these notes by selling the Church''snds. So, in theory, the value of these notes was still guaranteed.

    These notes were called "assignats," and Joseph''s wages were mainly paid in this form of currency nowadays.

    Carnot believed that Joseph must spend his time after work studying mathematical problems, or else, it couldn''t exin how he could make discoveries amidst such a heavy workload.

    But in reality, Joseph''s main focus aftering home every day wasn''t academic research. Instead, it was figuring out how to quickly convert the assignats in his hand into silver coins or other, more reliable assets in his eyes, such asnd and food.

    If this were a few yearster, during Robespierre''s reign, doing such things would practically be like cing your head on the guillotine. However, at this moment, it was something everyone was involved in. It was said that Robespierre proposed to limit the maximum price of grain in parliament, but this proposal was unsurprisingly rejected and didn''t even make it to the formal discussion stage. That''s because, at this time, almost everyone in the parliament, except Robespierre, was taking advantage of the situation to make money.

    Joseph wasn''t working alone. In fact, he had enlisted a few partners. One was his long-time partner, Lavache, and the other was a man he had met through Armand, named Danton.

    Both of these partners would face the guillotine a few yearster. However, Joseph believed that as long as he acted cautiously, didn''t be too ambitious, and withdrew at the right time, plus the fact that he was "useful," he should be fine.

    With their connections and information, the deals made them a tidy sum.

    In the midst of this eventful life, Joseph suddenly received a letter from Corsica sent by Napoleon. The letter mentioned that Paoli had returned to Corsica.

    Paoli was the hero of Corsica''s independence movement. Joseph''s father had served as his deputy and fought alongside him and the French against the Italians. After the resistance failed, Paoli went into exile in Ennd, while Joseph''s father pledged allegiance to France. Joseph knew that for a long time, Paoli had been an idol in Napoleon''s heart. Napoleon had always yearned to lead Corsica to independence and freedom alongside him.

    However, from the letter sent by Napoleon, Joseph could sense that Napoleon''s mood wasn''t great. Although the letter didn''t contain many words, the sense of disillusionment could be easily felt between the lines.

    "What''s wrong with this guy?" Joseph wondered. "Maybe I should go see him."

    But with his busy affairs, Joseph couldn''t find the time. Instead, he sent another letter to Napoleon,forting him on one hand and inviting him toe to Paris. In Joseph''s view, Corsica was too small, and there was no future on that tiny ind.

    A week after sending the letter, Joseph returned home from work. As he walked in, he saw a short man sitting at the table, ying chess with Lucien. Louis stood beside them, offering advice, "Napoleon, Napoleon, move your bishop here, attack his knight..."

    Hearing the door open, Napoleon put down the chess piece in his hand and looked up. "Joseph, you''reter than what Lucien said," Napoleon said with a smile. His face was full of smiles, and there was no sign of the disappointment from his previous letter.

    "Why did youe so quickly? You didn''t receive my response to your letter, did you?" Joseph asked, as he took off his coat and handed it to Sophie, who hade to greet him.

    "How could I have received it?" Napoleon shook his head. "I heard about your letter a week ago. By that time, I was already on my way to Paris. If I had stayed in Corsica, maybe I would have received it by now."

    "Napoleon, are you ying or not? You promised to help me get revenge!" Louis chimed in.

    "Napoleon, don''t y anymore. Louis is just making excuses; he''s already losing this game," Lucien added.

    Napoleon didn''t seem to mind. "Joseph, do you remember the investigation I conducted?" he asked.

    "Of course, I remember."

    "Do you know what the investigation revealed?" Napoleon shook his head.

    Joseph didn''t need to ask because he knew Napoleon would tell him.

    "Most of Corsica''s nobles are like Paoli, stuck in the past. It''s understandable, as their good times were a few decades ago when the Italians left, and the French hadn''t arrived yet. But now, their desire for independence is stronger, not for any other reason but because they''re afraid of what''s happening in France. They fear that such changes might affect them. If Corsica could sail away like a boat, they''d want to hide the ind somewhere secluded to protect it from the waves of time.

    As for Corsican peasants, they''re mostly foolish. Corsica''s nobles at least understand their interests, while they don''t. They''re like ignorant animals, still living in the haze of the Middle Ages. Perhaps a great storm is needed to wake them up.

    In short, if I join forces with Paoli, considering the current situation in France, there might be a war. Achieving independence might be possible, but the independent Corsica would be a mere puppet like Paoli himself. I don''t want that kind of Corsica.

    If Corsica is to keep up with the times, the revolutionary storm from France has to reach Corsica. So, now I believe that seeking independence for Corsica might not be a good thing."

    "So, have you and Paoli fallen out?" Joseph asked.

    "No," Napoleon replied. "How could I argue with a corpse? Besides, it''s in Corsica. Our mother and sister are still in Corsica. It''s a stagnant ce, butpared to Paris, it''s quieter and better suited for women. As for me, I won''t follow an illusion anymore. In this matter, I should thank you, Joseph. Without your methods, I might not have seen the truth or made up my mind so easily."

    "Let''s put that aside for now," Joseph said. "Napoleon, what are your ns now?"

    "I still have some leave left. I n to stay here in Paris for a while, get to know the city, and then return to the army," Napoleon said.

    "So, you want to stay here, freeload off me, eat my food, and be a parasite?" Joseph taunted.

    "Are you nning to enve me, just like when Sophie was away, you handed the household chores to Lucien, and Lucien passed them to Louis?" Napoleonughed.

    "Isn''t that only fair?" Josephughed as well. "I''m currently working with Captain Carnot, advising Lafayette, to reform the military structure of France. Based on your performance in Corsica, I think you''ve made significant progress and are no longer exceptionally foolish. So, I believe there are some things you can manage with difficulty."

    Joseph was openly nning to exploit his younger brother as cheapbor, but Napoleon found it amusing. To think, as a lieutenant, he would intervene in the military structure of one of the most powerful countries in Europe. It was a delightful prospect.

    "How could someone allow a fool like you to get involved in something as significant as this? There''s bound to be mistakes. And when they trace the responsibility, fools like you will surely be taken out and shot. Joseph, you might be a fool, but at least you''re a Bonaparte''s fool. I have to watch over you, so you don''t mess things up and lose your head," Napoleon said.

 Chapter 63: General Joseph of the Red Army

    Chapter 63: General Joseph of the Red Army

    While there were ns to exert some pressure on Napoleon, Joseph also knew that Napoleon wasn''t cut out to be a staff officer. In this regard, he fell several notches short of Carnot, let alone Joseph. He could handle the meticulous nning of various military details if needed, but it wasn''t where Napoleon''s true talentsy. Joseph had a different n in mind for him.

    On the second day of Napoleon''s arrival in Paris, Joseph called Carnot to his office on the second floor of the city hall, presenting a new idea.

    "Lazare," Joseph handed him a folder, "I''ve been thinking about a new approach to military training. I came up with a rough conceptst night, and I''d like to hear your thoughts." After a period of coboration, they had be close friends, addressing each other by their first names and using "tu" instead of "vous."

    "Ah, Joseph, you always have the most innovative ideas," Carnot remarked as he took the folder and began examining the contents. "I can''t help but wonder, considering the size of our heads, mine is practically a whole circumferencerger than yours, but..."

    As Carnot reviewed the document, Joseph skillfully poured himself a cup of tea and sat at his desk to work. After some time, when Joseph was refilling his cup with water, Carnot finally finished reading.

    "Joseph," Carnot began, "this idea, overall, is excellent. There are, of course, many details to be ironed out, but investing in this is definitely worthwhile."

    He then rang a bell on his desk, and a duty officer entered the room.

    "Major, what can I do for you?" the duty officer asked. Carnot had been promoted to the rank of major due to his outstanding performance a few days ago.

    "Ah, Yubel, could you find out when Mr. Lafayette is avable?" Carnot requested.

    "Yes, Major," Yubel replied with a salute and left the room.

    "Joseph, this idea is brilliant," Carnot continued. "Creating a small, elite force to simte the enemy in military exercises is an excellent approach. Each unit can engage in exercises against them, and then the adjudication department, let''s call it the ''directorate,'' can evaluate their performance. These evaluations can also be a basis for rewards and punishments for the units. Moreover, this kind of training will allow our soldiers to gain valuable experience facing a formidable opponent during peacetime. It''s a fantastic idea!"

    "We can''t send all our soldiers to Africa to gain experience by fighting barbarians," Joseph replied. "This way, even though it may not be as valuable as realbat experience in Africa, it''s better than having none."

    "Joseph, you misspoke earlier," Carnot shook his head. "Even if we had the funds, we shouldn''t send all our troops to Africa to fight barbarians. The experience gained from fighting barbarians doesn''t have much relevance to building a professional army and may even be detrimental. The experience gained through high-level military exercises is far more valuable and effective. Fighting barbarians is like ying chess with beginners who don''t even know the rules for capturing en passant. The more you y, the worse your skills be. During the Seven Years'' War, the troops sent back from Africa didn''t perform well for this reason."

    In fact, simr urrences weremon inter times, but Joseph was unaware of them. For instance, some units that had gained bat experience" by fighting insurgents abroad, returned to their home country and faced a simted Red Army. They were defeated swiftly, hanging by a thread. In another country, a military advisor with "realbat experience" hesitated for over an hour whilemanding a unit to cross a bridge, thoroughly checking it for potential roadside bombs. As a result, the unit was exposed to a massive enemy artillery barrage before even seeing the enemy, rendering itbat ineffective.

    As Carnot spoke, there was a sudden knock at the door.

    "Come in," Carnot said.

    The duty officer entered and said, "Major, Count Lafayette is avable now. You can find him in his office."

    "Thank you, Yubel," Carnot acknowledged. He stood up, collected the documents Joseph had given him, and turned to Joseph. "Joseph, let''s go and meet with Count Lafayette to discuss your idea. I believe we should move forward with this as soon as possible."

    "Very well, Lazare," Joseph agreed.

    "Oh, by the way, Lazare, do you have someone in mind for themander of this unit?" Just as they were about to leave, Joseph inquired.

    "Not yet," Carnot paused, "This unit won''t berge at first, perhaps only around two hundred soldiers. So, it should bemanded by a captain. Joseph, do you have any good candidates in mind?"

    "Well, Lazare, the thing is, I wasn''t the one who came up with this n," Joseph hesitated, "It was my younger brother, Napoleon, who proposed it. He''s a young artillery lieutenant in our army, and I believe he has tremendous potential in military matters. However, he''s quite ambitious and aspires to lead this experimental unit. What are your thoughts?"

    Carnot chuckled, "Joseph, this is the first time I''ve seen you use your influence. Your brother, considering your circumstances, must have considerable talent. But you know, your brother... what''s his name again?"

    "Napoleon," Joseph reminded.

    "Ah, Joseph, you know, Napoleon is just a lieutenant," Carnot remarked. "Persuading Count Lafayette to let a lieutenantmand such a unit could be challenging. However, his noble background may work in his favor. But Joseph, you''re already a lieutenant yourself... Shall we go and discuss this with Count Lafayette and see what he thinks?"

    Joseph understood the significance of having a noble background. To most Frenchmen, Corsican nobility was hardly distinguishable from themon people, if not inferior to respectable citizens. Therefore, the parliament didn''t consider them true nobility. In the military, though, nobility had influence that couldn''t be ignored. While apletemoner like Carnot might be eptable to the parliament, the military might have reservations. On the other hand, a Corsican noble like Napoleon, despite hisck of prominence, could be more readily epted.

    Joseph and Carnot then proceeded to Count Lafayette''s office. Upon entering, after exchanging greetings, Carnot handed him the folder.

    "General, we have a new proposal, and we hope to have your support," Carnot exined.

    "Another brilliant idea, Lazare?" Lafayette inquired, a smile on his face, as he put on his sses. "Let me take a look."

    Lafayette examined the proposal for a while before looking up and saying, "A very valuable suggestion! Extremely valuable! Furthermore, it is highly feasible. Lazare, we left together yesterday evening, and you didn''t drop a hint about this. Today, you spring it on me all of a sudden. You are quite the character."

    "General, Joseph submitted this proposal to me this morning. I''ve only just seen it myself," Carnot rified.

    "Is that so?" Lafayette seemed a bit surprised. "Joseph, you''ve always imed to be a novice in military matters. But this n shows a remarkable understanding. Not just the idea, but the intricate details are something that only someone with in-depth military knowledge would think of. I believe that, now, you couldmand a French army battalion or even a brigade with ease. If you were in North America, you might evenmand a division. You''re too modest."

    "General, it''s not modesty," Joseph replied. "I''ve been trying to learn as much as I can during this time, and I''ve made some progress. However, the details of this n were not entirely my work. It was developed with the assistance of my younger brother, Napoleon. He''s a lieutenant in our artillery."

    "From what I see in the proposal, Lieutenant Napoleon seems to be quite talented and has a promising future," Carnot added.

    "I believe that," Lafayette said. "If your brother is anything like you, then he must have quite a bright mind. About themander for this unit, do you have anyone in mind?"

    "This unit doesn''t need to be veryrge at the beginning, perhaps only two hundred soldiers. Since this idea is originally Joseph''s, and the refinement was achieved with Napoleon''s help," Carnot exined, "let''s have Joseph lead this experimental unit and have his brother assist him. How does that sound?"

    Lafayette looked up and nced at Carnot, then Joseph. He said, "Very well. We will promote Mr. Joseph Bonaparte to the rank of captain, and he can oversee the formation of this unit. Now, what should we name this unit?"

    "This unit will specialize in simting the enemy during exercises, and our most dangerous adversaries are the British in their red coats," Carnot remarked. "So, let''s call this unit the ''Red Army.''"

 Chapter 64: Division

    Chapter 64: Division

    To be honest, when Lafayett heard the introduction of Joseph, Napoleon''s brother, by Carnot, his first reaction was, "Joseph wants to scheme for personal gain." However, Lafayett wasn''t angry about it at all. In fact, he was somewhat pleased.

    Firstly, because, in this era, this was quite amon thing to do. On the contrary, if someone didn''t do so, it would be considered abnormal. And if Joseph was willing to tread his own path, then in Lafayett''s eyes, he was, in a way, aligning with him. Of course, Joseph''s approach was slow and hesitant, but he had finallye around now that the situation had be clear (at least in Lafayett''s view). Lafayett still felt he should ept his allegiance with enthusiasm because Joseph was undeniably talented. Generally, people tended to be more generous towards talented individuals.

    As for whether Joseph and his brother would mess things up, Lafayett wasn''t particrly concerned. Firstly, he believed in Joseph''s abilities. Even if Joseph wasn''t particrly skilled in military matters, he wouldn''t be worse than the many gilded noble officers in the French army. Furthermore, it was just a small force, and even if it were to be given a little golden shine by the Bonaparte brothers, it wasn''t such a big deal. So, the matter was settled.

    After approving this matter, Lafayett put it out of his mind because there were more pressing matters at hand.

    For Lafayett, the most important thing was the reorganization of the French army. While Lafayett had considerable prestige in the French army, having prestige didn''t mean the army would follow you. Look at Feng Yuxiang in the Northwestern Army in the future, no matter how much prestige he had, when General Chang shot his silver bullet, his men followed General Chang without hesitation. That Northwestern Army was essentially built from the ground up by Feng Yuxiang.

    The current state of the French army was quite peculiar. The royalists didn''t trust the army, the parliament didn''t trust the army, and what was even more disastrous was that the army itself didn''t trust the army. The mid-to-high-ranking officers in the French army were all nobles, but the lower-ranking officers and soldiers were primarily from the third estate. Even among them, there was mutual distrust.

    Lafayett knew that if this situation continued, the army would split. A divided army would undermine his power base, leading to civil war and chaos.

    "This will utterly ruin France," Lafayett thought.

    However, some were willing to ruin France to fuel this division. In their view, the France of today was not their France.

    Some of the former nobles were dissatisfied with today''s France, including some nobles who had joined the third estate during the Estates-General. When the parliament, under the guidance of Bishop Talleyrand, confiscated the wealth that belonged to the Church, some clergy who had joined the revolutionary cause during the Estates-General, and who were now staunch supporters of the third estate, also stood against the current France.

    Bishop Morry, Senator Cassans, and a group of clergy and noble senators organized a club known as the "ck Party" (because it had many clergy dressed in ck robes). They vehemently opposed the revolution, started various newspapers like "Friends of the King," "Acts of the Apostles Gazette," and "Petit Gaule Gazette," freely insulted those in power, including Lafayett, and med all of France''s difficulties on the "rebellious and ambitious adventurers" in parliament. They even appealed to themon people, pretending not to care about their interests but instead acting as if they were deeply sympathetic to the poorest citizens.

    These tactics were not particrly effective, but they were not entirely fruitless either. Because the new government indeed did not care much for themon people. Whether in the cities or in the countryside, the living conditions were not better than before the revolution. Many people were asking the question, "We were hungry before the revolution, and we''re still hungry after. Was the revolution in vain?"

    They provided an answer to this question, that the revolution was worse than no revolution at all, and that returning to the monarchic era would bring peace to the country. This kind of rhetoric was less popr in Paris but found resonance in some rural areas.

    In addition to this, some mid-to-high-ranking officers in the military were frequently in contact with these people, and they might be plotting something, which worried Lafayett.

    On the other hand, some of Lafayett''s formerrades who used to stand by his side had changed. Perhaps they felt that their glory had been overshadowed by Lafayett, so some of them distanced themselves from him. Perhaps, to attract attention, these people had be more radical than before. Some of his old friends, like Duport, Lamourette, and others, had be more radical. And some new friends were even more radical than the old ones. Here, we are mainly talking about Bishop Talleyrand.

    Bishop Talleyrand and some of his religious friends proposed the "Clergy Civil Organization Act" in parliament. ording to thisw, France would establish eighty-three bishoprics (one for each province), which would belong to ten major archbishoprics. Like civil officials, the clergy, bishops, and archbishops would be elected by citizens. Elected officials should be confirmed by higher-level religious authorities, and archbishops would be appointed by the chief archbishop. New religious authorities no longer needed to report to the Pope, but only had to dere their faith in the same religion. They no longer needed to buy their canonicals from the Pope, and the Pope''s approval was no longer required. Furthermore, thisw abolished the "first year lesiastical tithe" (where new clergy members had to send their first-year ie to Rome) and stipted that clergy sries would be paid by the state. It reced the privileged lesiastical meetings with archbishopric meetings and had them participate in the religious administrative affairs of the archbishopric.

    This essentially severed most of France''s connections with the Catholic Church, a significant rupture. The Pope immediately condemned thisw and emunicated Talleyrand. However, Talleyrand dismissed it and continued to dress in archbishop''s robes, engaging in various religious activities. As a response to the Pope''s action, the parliament prepared another neww, requiring all clergy in France to swear allegiance to the French nation. Any clergy members refusing to swear allegiance would be removed from their positions.

    This requirementpletely contradicted the tradition of the Catholic Church. It essentially turned clergy into ordinary civil servants. ording to religious doctrine, clergy''s only allegiance should be to God. Thisw further exacerbated the tensions between the Church and the parliament.

    Lafayett attempted to moderate the parliament, to not be too aggressive in such matters. But the parliamentarians needed suchws to show their "firm stance," and the clergy members leaning towards the parliament also needed this opportunity to control the pulpit (after all, unless they removed those guys, when would Lafayett be a bishop?).

    So, Lafayett''s efforts were in vain, and thew passed. Subsequently, things spiraled out of control. Most of the bishops and archbishops nationwide refused to swear allegiance to the government and the constitution, resulting in their forced removal. Meanwhile, many of the lower-ranking priests chose to swear allegiance to the government and the constitution and were promoted to be bishops and archbishops.

    However, the appointments and dismissals issued by the parliament werergely ignored in many districts outside of Paris. On the contrary, in many districts outside of Paris, the bishops openly used the parliament of sphemy and encouraged their followers to fight against these "anti-Christ" forces.

    The involvement of these religious forces bolstered the power of the ck Party. In ces like Lyon, they effectively controlled the region, organized their own militias, and even turned the local garrisons to their side. Civil war was imminent.

    Lafayett believed that the key now rested with the king. If the king was willing to firmly stand by his side and support the constitution, then the activities of the royalists wouldn''t amount to much. On the other hand, if the king wavered and leaned towards the royalists, it would be a serious problem.

    For this reason, Lafayett constantly visited the king, trying to persuade him to wholeheartedly support constitutional monarchy. He attempted to make the king and queen understand that times had changed, and the absolute monarchy of Louis XIV''s era, the "L''tat, c''est moi" kind of rule, was no longer possible. The British-style constitutional monarchy was the best choice for the nation and the royal family. The royalists weren''t truly loyal to the king; they were acting in their self-interest, using the king as a banner to rally followers. In a way, both the royalists and the radical republicans were hoping for the king''s downfall.

    Honestly, Lafayett''s viewpoint was indeed quite reasonable. He also believed he had sessfully convinced the king.

    "In reality, our king is a very rational and educated person," Lafayett said to his adjutant Pierre as he left the Pce of Saint Cloud.

    This assessment wasn''t far from the truth. Louis XVI had been reluctant to resort to harsh measures before because he understood that the times had changed from his grandfather''s era. However, can rationality always triumph over emotions and desires? Moreover, the queen wasn''t as knowledgeable.

    But Lafayett failed to notice that shortly after he left Saint Cloud, a messenger left the royal pce with a secret letter from the queen, addressed to the seemingly radical parliamentary member, Mirabeau.

 Chapter 65: Unsettled Matters

    Chapter 65: Unsettled Matters

    "My respected Queen, you must exercise extreme caution when dealing with the Marquis de Lafayette. What the Marquis says may indeed have a certain truth to it, and one could argue that, overall, what he says can be considered an unassable truth.

    However, Your Majesty, you should be aware that, when ites to deception, the truth can be more potent than lies. Often, individuals as naturally perceptive as yourself, dear Queen, can easily discern falsehoods. But the truth is different; it can be more misleading when emphasized and insinuated properly. Lafayette is a master of using the truth to deceive, a false Caesar, if you will.

    ''Times are changing,'' ''constitutional monarchy is the future''these words hold some merit. But what Lafayette may not have mentioned, my dear Queen, is who precisely presides over this constitutional monarchy!

    Under the current constitutional monarchy, forgive my bluntness, the King is a mere hostage,cking genuine and universal respect. I''m sure Your Majesty has noticed the various newspapers in Paris, some of them radical, like ''Friend of the People,'' proiming the establishment of a republic, seeking topletely end Bourbon rule in France and transform it into a republic. Such theories have supporters even within the parliament. Some moderate individuals are also inclined to lean towards them. This is a perilous situation.

    Why do these people make such choices? The reason is simple: the mob has disyed its power, people know they possess it and are willing to use it. But, my Queen, our King, because of his leniency, has never been willing to exert his power or even show it.

    If a King, while wearing the crown, refuses to disy his power, what awe does the crown inspire? Your Majesty, often, refusing to demonstrate power is nearly as ineffective as having no power.

    Furthermore, Lafayette is partially correct on one point: the royalists are not entirely reliable. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but, as in ''Macbeth,'' the more blood-rted people are, the more they thirst for our blood. You must be cautious of them, even if they are your kin.

    But, my Queen, on this matter, Lafayette still employs his usual tactics. He tells you the truth, but he never reveals the entire truth. The truth and the whole truth are entirely different. The royalists and the republicans differ fundamentally on one point: the royalists depend on the King. The King, for them, holds natural authority. They might plot against the King through conspiracies or even assassinations, but they cannot confront the King directly. The King is their natural leader, whether some of them like it or not.

    As for Lafayette, my wise Queen, I call him a ''false Caesar'' because he presents himself as if he has control over the army, dressed as someone who can, like Caesar,mand thousands with a single word. In reality, Lafayette has no control over the army, unlike the real Caesar.

    The true Caesar had a legion that had served under him for a long time, and every aspect of that legion, including logistics and officer promotions, was entirely at Caesar''s discretion. Therefore, Caesar could easilymand them to do anything, even march on Rome. However, Lafayette does not possess such an army. He only has so-called ''prestige.'' But how can this ''prestige''pare to the legitimate authority of Your Majesty? Today, he can control the situation only because of Your Majesty''s legitimate position as the King. Only when Your Majesty is under his control can he control France''s army.

    Currently, this ''false Caesar'' is enacting ''reforms'' within the army. Your Majesty, this is Lafayette''s attempt to remedy his own weaknesses. If he can control Your Majesty for a long time, he might genuinely control the army one day. Then, the false Caesar can be a true Caesar. Perhaps Lafayette genuinely hopes for a constitutional monarchy, but the constitutional monarchy established in these circumstances is highly detrimental to Your Majesty. The sustainability of any agreement depends on mutual respect. The parliament has already demonstrated its power, while the King has never disyed any power. In this agreement, the parliament takes the superior position, and the King almost bes a beggar. Such a constitutional monarchy cannot endure. In the parliament, there will always be those who seek to attract attention through more extreme means, and humiliating the King will be their most effective way to gain poprity. Eventually, they will ask, ''Why do we need a King?''

    But the constitutional monarchy in Ennd is different. The British monarchy has disyed its power in many ways, and the parliament and the King respect each other''s power and interests, ensuring a stable and reliable constitutional monarchy.

    My Queen, in response to your inquiry about how the royal family should navigate the current situation, I, your humble servant, offer the following suggestions.

    First, both you and His Majesty should feign utmost trust in Lafayette and disy submission to the parliament to lull them intocency. However, you must also make His Majesty understand the current perilous situation. He must take action.

    In my opinion, staying in Paris offers no benefit to the King or the entire royal family. So, whenever the opportunity arises, the King should leave Paris immediately for a safer location. I believe such a ce should have the following characteristics:

    First, it should be broadly supportive of the monarchy and the legitimate order.

    Second, it should be distant from the borders, for several reasons. First, it would send a message to the entire nation that the King is not colluding with foreign powers, as imed by the ruffians in newspapers like ''Friend of the People.'' Second, it would prevent opportunistic individuals who are not genuinely loyal to the King from using foreign forces to further their interests by infiltrating the royalist faction.

    Taking all these considerations into ount, I personally believe that Lyon would be the most suitable location.

    Your loyal servant,

    Honore Gabriel Riqueti"

    Honore Gabriel Riqueti is the President of the National Assembly, a staunch revolutionary leader, and one of the prominent figures of the French Revolution. He is renowned for his unwaveringmitment to revolutionary ideals. If this letter to Queen Marie Antote were to be discovered by others, it would undoubtedly stir up a significant controversy. In actual history, after his death, Riqueti was initially honored with burial in the Pantheon for his contributions to the Revolution. However, not long after, with the arrest of the King and the discovery of his correspondence with the Queen in the pce, it was revealed that Riqueti had sided with the royal family. This led to an angry mob exhuming his remains from the Pantheon and throwing them in a trash heap.

    Riqueti was known for his extravagant lifestyle and a plethora of mistresses, which strained his finances. His legitimate ie was insufficient to sustain such a lifestyle. After his close friend (and benefactor), the Duke of Orleans, was exiled from France by Lafayette, Riqueti''s financial situation deteriorated further. It is said that he had to resort to borrowing from Jewish moneylenders once again.

    As the royal family was effectively held hostage in Paris by the National Guard, they desperately needed someone with influence in the Assembly to advocate for their interests. At this juncture, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a schr and biologist with connections to the court, rmended his friend Riqueti to the Queen.

    Lamarck is known for his contributions to the theory of evolution, notably publishing his "Philosophie Zoologique" in 1809. This work presented Lamarckian evolution, which posited that acquired characteristics could be inherited. Although this theory hasrgely been discredited, Lamarck''s contributions to the field of biology remain significant.

    With Lamarck''s intervention, Riqueti, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, ndestinely contacted the Queenst July after the storming of the Bastille. However, at that time, the Queen held him in contempt and dismissed his proposition as if he were an annoying fly.

    But now, to win his assistance, the cost had increased substantially. It is said that the Queen prepared four checks for him, each with a face value of 250,000 livres, to secure his support. It was under Riqueti''s subtle guidance that the royal family moved from the less defensible Tuileries Pce closer to the city center to the more easily escapable Saint-Cloud Pce.

    "My dear, do you think what Riqueti is saying is true?" Queen Marie Antote inquired. However, the person she addressed as "dear" was not King Louis XVI but another man named Axelde Fersen, a Swedish nobleman. He was a member of the Swedish Riksdag and Marie Antote''s secret lover and confidant.

    "Riqueti is an extraordinarily talented and cunning man," Fersen sighed, "but precisely because of that, I wonder whether we can trust him."

    "You''re right," the Queen nodded. "Lafayette mayck loyalty to the King, but at least he has ideals and some boundaries. But Riqueti, he is a wretched scoundrel! I find it very hard to trust him. Moreover, if it weren''t for them..."

    Fersen let out a sigh; he knew that both he and the Queen were no match for Riqueti''s cunning. The Queen was still haunted by the anger she felt when Riqueti had led the rebellion against the monarchy. While everyone understood that now was not the time to hold such grudges, the lingering resentment was hard to shake.

 Chapter 66: Escape (1)

    Chapter 66: Escape (1)

    Due to their suspicion and fear of Mirabeau, the King and Queen did not follow his advice. In hindsight, this may have been their best opportunity.

    Whether it was Mirabeau or Lafayette, they both reminded the King and Queen of one thing: their rtives couldn''t be trusted. When choosing a location for their escape, Mirabeau emphasized that the King must not run too close to the border. One reason for this was to avoid harm from those who shared the King''s blood.

    Some believed that besides their distrust of Mirabeau, another reason the King and Queen didn''t heed his advice was their reluctance to ept a constitutional monarchy. Fleeing to Lyon, relying solely on the power of Lyon, wouldn''t be enough to counter Paris, let alone subdue it. Perhaps they could eventually reach apromise, but it would still be apromise in favor of Paris.

    However, the Queen gradually convinced the King to escape from Paris. Still, various circumstances kept dying their escape.

    Louis XVI and Marie Antote were both typical products of a sheltered pce life, and they had no experience in nning an escape. If they could have trusted Mirabeau, a man who frequently fled due to extramarital affairs and debts, he could have been quite helpful.

    However, the King and Queen both distrusted Mirabeau. Besides, it seemed that God had turned away from the French royal family, who had always been pious - Mirabeau suddenly died.

    Of course, Mirabeau wasn''t poisoned by Pierre Blck''s bedonnaced wine. However, his death was connected to alcohol. In his final days, after receiving a new source of wealth, his bad habits became even worse, including heavy drinking, gluttony, and other indescribable activities.

    It was said that Mr. Mirabeau would spend entire nights with prostitutes, feasting and binging. To keep enjoying fine food and wine without the constraints of a limited stomach, he followed in the footsteps of ancient Romans - after they had eaten their fill, they would induce vomiting to continue feasting.

    Inter times, people with a bit of health knowledge knew how harmful this practice was, but those in that era were ignorant of such matters. So, after another night of revelry, Mirabeau suddenly fell ill. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and not long after, illness imed him.

    Despite his libertine lifestyle, Mirabeau was knowledgeable, insightful, and skilled in managing rtionships. His death left a void in the various factions within the Assembly.

    However, Mirabeau''s death didn''t have a significant impact on Joseph and the others for the time being. During this period, Joseph and Napoleon devoted nearly all their time to building their small army.

    The size of this "Red Army" exceeded their initial estimates. Initially, Joseph and the others had nned to form a small force of around a hundred men, but they quickly realized that due to the unique nature of this force, they needed more support personnel than expected. When the numbers were tallied, including support personnel, the force would exceed six hundred.

    The increase in personnel naturally led to increased expenses, as was often the case in such projects, with budgets at the beginning and actual costs differing significantly.

    Fortunately, after carefully reviewing the project, Lafayette believed that the money was well spent, and the project continued. However, he made a yful remark, "Joseph, you have over six hundred men in your team, but you only have a little over sixty soldiers who can line up on the battlefield properly. Add artillery and cavalry, and you have fewer than two hundred men. Yet, you have almost four hundred support personnel. If I send a two-hundred-strong force, and you fight them, people will say, ''You used over six hundred against our two hundred.'' If I send a two-hundred-strong force, and you have this few soldiers..."

    At that moment, Napoleon interjected, "Our unit can handle at least a thousand."

    Lafayette heard Napoleon but only gave him a passing nce, clearly regarding his words as the usual arrogance of a young man. However, Lafayette was a lenient person and didn''t want to quarrel with the young Napoleon, so he smiled and didn''t say much.

    With Lafayette''s support, the formation of this army went smoothly. Two monthster, most of the personnel and equipment were in ce, and Joseph and Napoleon began to focus on their intense work.

    This army consisted of multiple branches: infantry, and a rtivelyrge artillery force with eight cannons. Joseph and Napoleon believed that modern warfare relied heavily on artillery. In most cases, battle ns should revolve around effectively utilizing artillery firepower.

    The soldiers and junior officers in this unit were mostly selected by Lafayette from the French forces near Paris. After over a month of training, the unit was ready. However, what Joseph and Napoleon didn''t anticipate was that their first mission wasn''t to reinforce other units but to retrieve the King.

    Joseph received orders one morning, signed by General Lafayette. The order stated that enemies of the revolution had "kidnapped" the King and his family and had left Paris with them. The general ordered Joseph''s unit to be on high alert, ready for battle.

    "The King has been kidnapped?" Upon receiving this order, Napoleon couldn''t help but respond with a sarcastic question, "By whom? I bet he did it himself."

    "Napoleon, this isn''t what we should be thinking about right now," Joseph said while exchanging a knowing look with Napoleon.

    Napoleon understood that Joseph had something to say but couldn''t discuss it openly in front of others. So he remained silent.

    "Do we know which direction the King and his family went?" Joseph asked the messenger.

    "Some say they might be heading to Lyon, while others suggest Montmdy. The Assembly has sent representatives in both directions. General Lafayette requests your readiness to act at a moment''s notice," the messenger replied. "You should be prepared to move as soon as he gives the order."

    "Very well. Please inform the General that we can be ready in ten minutes to follow hismand," Joseph replied.

    The messenger saluted and left. Once he was gone, Napoleon eximed, "Joseph, we''re on the brink of war!"

    "Keep yourposure. The King hasn''t escaped yet. There''s a chance they might bring him back," Joseph replied. Although his knowledge of history wasn''t extensive, he knew that Louis XVI had ultimately been executed. If the King had escaped so easily, why would he have ended up on the guillotine?

    However, Napoleon didn''t share Joseph''s view. He said, "Joseph, you''re too naive! Why would you even entertain such fantasies? Have you thought that a lightweight carriage drawn by two horses can travel a considerable distance in a single night? I believe the King was well-prepared beforehand. Along the way, there must have been people ready to assist him. These people wouldn''t have to do anything other than have another lightweight carriage prepared. As soon as the King arrived, they''d switch carriages and speed away. If they left in the middle of the night, by now, they should be near the border, in alliance with royalists and Austrians. Even if the National Assembly''s representatives sprinted, they couldn''t catch up. This is simple math, so basic even a fool like you should understand. I can''t fathom how you still entertain such fantasies..."

    "I don''t know," Joseph shrugged.

    However, by the afternoon of the third day, new orders arrived, confirming Joseph''s suspicions: the King had indeed been intercepted!

    "Representatives of the Assembly intercepted the King''s family in Varennes. Some mercenaries are active in the area, and there are only a few local National Guards responsible for protecting the King. General Lafayette orders your immediate departure to protect the King''s family and bring them back to Paris."

    The messenger delivered the signed order from Lafayette to Joseph and then departed. Joseph immediately ordered the cavalry under Captain Robert to depart first, with infantry following behind. Napoleon wanted to apany the cavalry, but Joseph prevented him, exining that they needed to keep a low profile at this time.

    "The situation is still chaotic. At this moment, we should try to hide our political stance as much as possible. We''re different from others. While they have to y the game of alliances and corruption to climb thedder, we can rely on our talents and cunning. We should avoid dangerous alliances as much as possible," Joseph exined to Napoleon.

    "My brother, you''re too cautious," Napoleonmented, a hint of sarcasm in his slightly upturned lips. Joseph could tell that Napoleon probably wanted to say something like, "Joseph, you''re a coward."

    "Joseph, you''re indeed overly cautious," Napoleon remarked.

    However, Joseph''s caution was justified. They needed to be careful not to reveal their political leanings during these tumultuous times. They were different from the others; they could climb the ranks using their talents and cunning, rather than through corrupt alliances. So, they had to avoid risky alliances.

    Now, their mission was clear: to protect the King''s family and bring them back to Paris.

 Chapter 67: Escape (2)

    Chapter 67: Escape (2)

    As the cowardly group slowly made their way towards Varennes with Napoleon and the infantrymen, they received continuous updates along the journey.

    It was said that the King''s carriage had been exposed in the town of Saint-Menehould on the evening of the second day of their escape. They rested there at a post station and were discovered by the local municipal council and the National Guard when they reached Varennes.

    "What on earth is happening? How could they have taken until the evening of the second day to reach Saint-Menehould?" Napoleon was still baffled by the situation. "If it were me, I could have made a round trip between Paris and Montmdy in this time!"

    However, this question was soon answered. On the morning of the fourth day, Joseph and Napoleon finally caught up with the King. By then, there were already thousands of people surrounding the King''s carriage. Most of them were members of the National Guard and ordinary citizens from towns along the way, armed with various weapons, "protecting" the King''s carriage, while the cavalry under Bouill''smand followed behind.

    "They really went all out with this carriage! Are they fleeing or on a pleasure trip?" Napoleon was dumbfounded, gazing at the King''s luxurious carriage.

    Indeed, the King''s carriage was utterly unsuitable for an escape.

    It was an enormous, opulent four-wheeled carriage requiring twelve horses to pull it. The carriage was not onlyrge but also exquisitely adorned with ornate carvings on the panels and golden-adornednterns, exuding luxury. The King, along with his family, their tutor, and the governess, made a total of nine people inside this grand vehicle.

    "Who nned this for the King? They even used this kind of carriage? It''s like they might as well have embedded golden fleur-de-lis on the carriage doors! Are they afraid people won''t notice them? God, what kind of fools are around the King!" Napoleon couldn''t help but exim to Joseph.

    "Napoleon, don''t get agitated. You must understand, human intelligence knows no bounds," Joseph shook his head. "Some people can astound you with their foolishness."

    Indeed, Louis XVI''s escape was organized quite clumsily. After the decision was made to leave Paris, the King''s family had been preparing for the escape. Marie Antote was in charge of the operation, and it was orchestrated by her lover, Fersen. ording to Fersen''s original n, they were supposed to escape using several lightweight two-wheeled carriages, taking different routes.

    If they had followed this n, it would have been nearly impossible for the National Assembly to capture the escaping King. However, Queen Marie Antote strongly opposed this method as it meant they would have to separate from their children during the escape. What if the children fell ill? What if they got lost? What if... So, the Queen firmly insisted, "We must stay together as a family, not be separated."

    Clearly, it was impossible to fit the entire royal family into lightweight carriages. The Queen remained stubborn in her decision, and nobody could convince her. In theory, the King had more say in this matter, and he understood that the original n had a higher chance of sess. But the King remained silent and did not express his opinion. Thus, the n with lightweight carriages was scrapped, and the only choice left was arge four-wheeled carriage.

    Even with the four-wheeled carriage, it could have worked without major issues. Many four-wheeled mail carriages ran on the roads near Paris. Choosing a discreet mail carriage and arranging proper support, the chances of a sessful escape remained high.

    However, Queen Marie Antote still wasn''t satisfied with this n. The conditions in the mail carriage were miserable: hard seats, cramped space, and a rough ride. What if the children fell ill during the journey? What if they needed the care of their governess, Madame de Tourzel? Plus, the King''s sister, Madame Elisabeth, and the guards added up, they needed a carriage that could amodate at least nine people.

    In reality, a four-wheeled mail carriage could indeed amodate this many people. In fact, with some creativity, you could fit even more into a limited space. However, fitting the royal family and their attendants into such a space was impossible. So the only option was tomission a massive carriage. Fersen had a colossal carriage custom-made tofortably amodate nine people.

    This carriage was exceptionallyrge, and to ensure its reliability and prevent any breakdowns on the road, itsponents had to be reinforced. However, this had a consequence - the carriage became so heavy that a regr number of horses couldn''t pull it. Therefore, they had to prepare twelve horses to pull this massive carriage.

    Even so, with proper organization, the escape could still have had a high chance of sess. However, there were some issues on the Austrian side responsible for the rendezvous, leading to continuous dys. In the process, de Bouill''s cavalry, responsible for receiving the King, was moved several times, raising suspicions among the locals. This wouldter contribute to the failure of the escape.

    Nevertheless, even with these setbacks, the escape still had a high chance of sess.

    However, on the nned night of the escape, Lafayatte suddenly visited with Bailly. The unexpected visit startled King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antote, thinking that their operation had been exposed. However, Lafayatte and Bailly were unaware of the King''s intentions; they were there to mediate the ongoing disputes between the King and the National Assembly, a result of recent conflicts with the Church. The King was eager for them to leave but dared not show any difference in his behavior. So, they stayed until 11:30 pm.

    Once Lafayatte left, the King immediately returned to his room, pretended to go to bed, and extinguished the lights to deceive any spies within the pce. He quickly jumped out of bed and proceeded to his son''s room, where his disguisea set of clothes, a wig, and a servant''s hatwas already prepared. His son had already quietly left. The King changed into his disguise and sneaked downstairs. Fersen''s equerry guided him, and the King, dressed in a green jacket and a servant''s hat, easily passed through the scrutiny of the guards stationed within the pce. One guard evenmented, "This fat one is definitely the cook who''s been secretly eating the King''s good food."

    The King boarded the carriage, and everyone was ready. Fersen released the brake, and their escape began.

    However, the escape faced problems from the very start. Because the carriage was enormous and the roads around Paris were rtively narrow, every turn required the carriage to slow down to a near stop, which was far beyond what Fersen had expected. After all, no one had driven such a massive carriage before. It took an additional two hours to leave Paris than nned.

    Finally, the carriage left Paris. Here, the horses were changed, and the King, needing to catch a breath, got off the carriage. No matter how luxurious the carriage, sitting in it for a prolonged period was still exhausting.

    However, the King seemed to forget his situation. After he got off the carriage, he unexpectedly began chatting with some local peasants by the roadside. He didn''t consider that his actions might reveal his whereabouts. Remember, the carriage was already conspicuous, and the King''s likeness was featured on portraits in various town halls and on Louis d''or coins. In fact, the representatives from the National Assembly whoter tracked him down used information provided by these witnesses.

    The carriage stopped multiple times along the way to allow the esteemed passengers to rest properly. This further slowed down their journey beyond the nned schedule.

    Around 4 o''clock that afternoon, the carriage reached Chlons. ording to the n, the Duke of Choiseul was supposed to meet the King there with German mercenaries (as the French cavalry was unreliable due to their leanings toward the National Assembly). However, at this location, the King did not encounter these troops. Instead, their conspicuously grand carriage raised suspicions among the locals.

    At the prearranged rendezvous point, the King only met one horseman. He informed them that the Duke of Choiseul, along with the German mercenaries (as the French cavalry was suspected of disloyalty and couldn''t be trusted), had been waiting there for hours. The presence of so many mercenaries had naturally drawn attention from the locals. To avoid further suspicions, the Duke had left with his men. However, he told the King to keep moving and that another group of cavalry was waiting for them in Saint-Menehould, about two hours ahead.

    By this time, it was already dark, and the horses were tired. They continued for two more hours and reached the next meeting point. However, there was no cavalry awaiting them at this location, as they had moved to a different road due to a mimunication in orders.

    Without meeting the cavalry, the King and his family had no choice but to continue in the carriage. However, this time, the conspicuous nature of the carriage had drawn suspicion from the local people. When the King stopped to rest in Varennes, the postmaster, Drouet, noticed his resemnce to the man on the Louis d''or coin and quickly informed the municipal council. The carriage had left Varennes by the time they responded.

    The municipal council sent Drouet to pursue the King. He rode a horse, took a shortcut, and arrived in Varennes, a town on the only road leading to Montmdy, before the King. The citizens of Varennes, upon hearing this news, rang the rm bells and blocked the King''s party. This was the end of the road for the King''s escape. He was still two hours away from his destination.

    At this point, having received the message, the Duke of Choiseul arrived with his cavalry. However, they were confronted by the outnumbered National Guard of Varennes. While they could see the King''s luxurious carriage in the distance, at this moment, the gap between them was unbridgeable. The Duke''s cavalry did not engage the National Guard and retreated. Perhaps they feared fighting could endanger the King, or perhaps returning the King to captivity would have been preferable to some. Who could say for sure?

 Chapter 68: The Vote (1)

    Chapter 68: The Vote (1)

    The king''s escape, though initially seen as .a farcical drama,pletely altered the nation''s course. Before this incident, even though there were some, like Marat, vehemently attacking the king in the press, the moderate faction still held sway in the Assembly. This was especially true after the king''s swearing of the constitution. In fact, even the radicals like Robespierre and Danton were shouting "Long Live Louis XVI" at that time. The difference between the radicals and moderates back then was merely technical, like whether the clergy should pledge allegiance to the state or whether they should use democratic elections to appoint bishops. But everything changed after Louis XVI''s flight.

    Upon discovering the king''s escape, Lafayette immediately dered that the king had been "kidnapped by enemies of the state." This im managed to deceive many, albeit briefly. However, soon after, a letter left by the king was found in the pce. In the letter, the king imed that he had been abducted to Paris and that everything he had signed after July 1789 was done under duress and was therefore null and void.

    When this letter was discovered, Lafayette was busy nning the "rescue" of the king and other post-escape arrangements. He hadn''t anticipated that they would manage to bring the king back at all. Thus, there was no time to keep the letter a secret, and word of it quickly spread. Although Lafayetteter vehemently imed the letter was a forgery and that the king had been coerced into writing it, this exnation lost all credibility as soon as the king returned to Paris because, apart from the king himself, there was only one adult male in the group who had apanied the king  his valet, which meant the king had not been coerced at all!

    However, the intricacies of politics often hinge on willful blindness. Even though they knew that the king was fundamentally opposed to the revolution and constitutional monarchy, many members of the Assembly found it in their interest to maintain the constitutional order. So, they pretended not to know about the king''s opposition to the revolution and continued to support constitutional monarchy, ostensibly protecting the king.

    But the king''s prestige among themon people waspletely shattered by this event. The angry mob vandalized everything rted to the monarchy and the fleur-de-lis (the Bourbon dynasty''s symbol) in the streets, either smashing them or covering them up. As most members of the Assembly still supported constitutional monarchy, the frustration of the lower sses was redirected toward them. In their eyes, these people and the king were in cahoots, oppressing the people. It was because of these individuals that, after the revolution, the people''s lives hadn''t improved in the slightest.

    This anger had always been simmering beneath the surface, but for two reasons, it had remained dormant like moltenva. The first of these reasons was their expectations from the National Assembly. At that time, they still believed that the National Assembly could represent their interests and speak for them, and that good days woulde if they waited patiently. However, during this time, that patience was wearing thin.

    In the "Constitution of 1791" passed by the Assembly, citizens were categorized as "active" or "passive" based on their property status. Only those who paid a certain amount of taxes were granted the right to vote and be elected, thus being deemed "active" citizens. In a way, this was a limitation on citizens'' rights based on their wealth. Just a few days before the king''s escape, the Assembly had enacted the infamous "Le Chapelier Law." ording to thisw, workers were strictly prohibited from forming unions and going on strike, with vitors facing a fine of 500 livres and a one-year loss of citizenship rights, and ringleaders being fined 1000 livres and sentenced to three months in prison.

    Thesews not only failed to protect the interests of the lowest sses but also increased their constraints. This quickly eroded the trust the lower sses had in the Assembly.

    The second reason was the absence of leaders among these people.

    However, the king''s escape resolved both of these issues. The National Assembly''s prior actions,bined with the impact of the king''s escape, significantly diminished the Assembly''s standing among the lower ss. The National Assembly, at that time, had lost the trust of themon people.

    Following the king''s escape, the demonstrations of the lower sses also presented a new opportunity for some radical deputies. They astutely noticed that by standing with the lower ss, they could gain significant political capital. Brissot, Bonaire, and Condorcet openly suggested that France should consider adopting a republic.

    And so, things started to get moreplicated.

    Nevertheless, this chaotic situation didn''t seem to affect Joseph and Napoleon. On the contrary, with the likelihood of war increasing, their responsibilities grew even more pressing. The newly formed army was undergoing drills and exercises against them. In these drills, Napoleon repeatedly employed tactics like ambushes and artillery ambushes, rendering their forces ineffective. In no time, even as a mere lieutenant, Napoleon had gained recognition in the Paris National Guard.

    But soon, an unexpected event disrupted Joseph''s work yet again.

    On the 16th day, the Assembly officially dered the king and queen innocent, iming that they had been abducted. Of course, they also hypocritically vowed to severely punish the "kidnappers."

    This decision enraged the sans-culottes. On the 17th, led by some republicans, a group of sans-culottes marched to the ce de Rvolution near the City Hall for a demonstration. There, they were brutally suppressed by the National Guard under Lafayette''smand, resulting in numerous casualties.

    Lafayette exined that it was the mob that had first attacked the National Guard. He maintained that the National Guard had only opened fire after raising the red g on City Hall and issuing three warnings to the mob. ording to prior Assemblyws, City Hall had to disy the red g and issue three warnings before using deadly force to quell a riot. However, the republicans and sans-culottes used Lafayette of lying. ording to them, Lafayette''s National Guard had only raised the red g and opened fire without issuing a single warning.

    Since they had already resorted to violence, they decided to keep going.

    Lafayette announced in the Assembly that the sans-culottes were thugs, and behind them were conspirators  the members of the Cordeliers Club. Consequently, the Assembly issued arrest warrants for several prominent members of the Cordeliers Club, including Danton and Desmoulins. Danton, upon hearing the news, promptly fled Paris. When it came to fleeing, he was far better at it than Louis XVI, and he sessfully made it to Ennd. As for Desmoulins, he found a hiding ce.

    In reality, since the police system hadn''t fully recovered yet, their ability to apprehend anyone was quite limited.

    On the surface, it appeared that Lafayette had the upper hand. However, this series of actions tarnished his reputation significantly. Especially within the National Guard, there were many sympathizers of the Cordeliers Club. Soon, even within the National Guard, voices opposing Lafayette emerged. These voices greatly undermined Lafayette''s position. While his allies, Dumouriez, Barnave, and the Lameth brothers, didn''t differ much from Lafayette in terms of their political views, they were content to see Lafayette''s standing damaged. A series of Assembly actions afterward was essentially orchestrated by them, but people believed that Lafayette was manipting everything. So, not long after, Lafayette''s reputation shifted from that of a hero to an executioner and conspirator.

    Reputation is a fickle thing, often more fragile than pristine paper. Mark Twain''s experience in running for governor is a prime example of this.

    One afternoon following the ce de Rvolution incident, Joseph was about to leave work when he coincidentally ran into Lafayette returning from outside. Lafayette wore an exhausted expression, and upon seeing Joseph, he called him over, saying, "Tomorrow night, the club will have an important meeting. I hope you can attend."

    Joseph knew that when Lafayette mentioned "the club," he was referring to the Jacobin Club. Since the "Breton Club" had moved to Paris and set up its meetings in the Jacobin Monastery, it had officially changed its name to "Society of Friends of the Constitution."

    Joseph had always done his best to keep his distance from the Jacobin Club''s activities. Especially in such tumultuous times. So, he quickly made up an excuse, saying he was very busy and had some vital matters to attend to, preventing him from participating in the meeting.

    "Is it a matter concerning the army?" Lafayette asked with a furrowed brow, as this was Joseph''s usual excuse for missing club activities.

    Joseph immediately replied, "No, it''s a personal matter." He knew that if he imed it was due to official business, Lafayette, his superior''s superior, would likely order him to temporarily set aside his duties.

    He then inquired, "General, may I ask what important matters are at hand for the club that necessitate the presence of members like me, who seldom attend?"

    "The club is holding new elections to select a new club president. Can''t you spare some time for that?" Lafayette replied.

    At that time, the Jacobin Club was not yet a radical organization, but it had been growing more radical recently. Today, many of the club''s voices no longer aligned with Lafayette. However, for Lafayette, the club was an essential tool for gaining political influence that he couldn''t easily give up. Perhaps Lafayette hoped to use these elections to cleanse the Jacobin Club.

 Chapter 69: The Vote (2)

    Chapter 69: The Vote (2)

    As soon as Joseph heard what this was about, he felt even more reluctant to participate. Although he wasn''t very active in the club''s activities, he was not entirely unaware of the current situation within the club. Ever since the King''s flight, the club had been divided. Previously, most members of the Friends of the Constitution Club were staunch supporters of constitutional monarchy. However, after the King''s escape, some had shifted their allegiance to supporting a republic. And with the events at the ce de Bastille, this division was bing even more pronounced.

    As for the election of a new club president, the current president was Lafayette. Although he had been less active in club activitiestely due to official duties, he was undoubtedly one of the candidates. Joseph could easily guess that the other contender at this club meeting would be Robespierre. He was also quite certain that Robespierre had won this election, as Lafayette seemed to have lost confidence; otherwise, he wouldn''t insist on dragging Joseph into this.

    "Participating in this is really not an option. If it goes wrong, it might cost me my head," Joseph thought. He quickly said, "General, I''m not trying to avoid my duty, but I..."

    For a moment, Joseph couldn''te up with a particrly convincing reason and began to sweat.

    "What''s the matter?" Lafayette furrowed his brow, forgetting Joseph for a moment. "Do you have a date with ady? But this matter is important, and I hope you can find a way to attend."

    At this point, Joseph finally came up with a n: he would feign illness. He decided to agree now and then pretend to be very ill as soon as he got home in the evening. He had to be so sick that he couldn''t move, and Lafayette couldn''t possibly carry him to the meeting on a stretcher.

    With this strategy in mind, Joseph replied, "Very well, General, I will make time."

    "Good, I''ll be waiting for you," Lafayette smiled at Joseph. As for whom Joseph would vote for, who he would choose between himself and Robespierre, Lafayette thought that was a foregone conclusion and didn''t need to ask.

    After Lafayette left, Joseph quickly found Napoleon on his way home and told him about the situation, and they coordinated their approach.

    However, as they approached the front door of their home, Joseph was taken aback. He saw two people waiting at his doorstep.

    The two people waiting at Joseph''s doorstep were Armand and Robespierre!

    If he could, Joseph would have turned and run immediately. But Armand and Robespierre had already spotted him. Armand waved at him, and Robespierre nodded in acknowledgment.

    "No escaping now!" Joseph looked at Armand''s sincere smile and felt a shiver down his spine. He felt exposed, as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the snowy fields of Siberia. In that moment, he could almost see the imposing figure of the guillotine.

    Joseph could guess why Armand and Robespierre were here: it was about the vote.

    "I''m such a fool!" Joseph thought. "I knew I''d be called upon to vote, but I didn''t expect Robespierre toe as well. If I were a little smarter, I''d find a ce to hide and spend the night away..."

    But now, it was toote to think about it. The guillotine  no, Robespierre  had already approached.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, I''m sorry to disturb you at this time," Robespierre said with a smile.

    "Joseph, why did it take you so long to return? Your brother refused to open the door for us, as if he thought we were the Big Bad Wolf!" Armand said, wearing an innocent smile, as if she didn''t realize they had brought the Big Bad Wolf into their home.

    "Lucien has gone to a ssmate''s house, and only Louis is at home. He''s a bit rigid, so I told him not to open the door for anyone," Joseph replied with a forced smile.

    Once inside, Joseph brought Napoleon and the troublesome Little Red Riding Hood (Armand) and the fearsome Big Bad Wolf (Robespierre) into the house. After everyone was seated, Robespierre asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, is this your brother, Napoleon? I''ve heard he''s quite talented in military matters."

    Napoleon didn''t speak, but Joseph could tell he was rather pleased.

    "Napoleon has been doing welltely," Joseph replied. Robespierre had veered off the main topic, and Joseph hoped he would continue to do so, giving him more time to think.

    In theory, the same methods that could be used against Lafayette could also be applied to Robespierre. But Joseph was a bit hesitant. He knew that deceiving Robespierre was a different matter. If he ever grew suspicious, it would be troublesome.

    "Maybe there''s a way to have the best of both worlds," Joseph thought while continuing to engage in the conversation.

    Robespierre finally got to the point, asking, "Joseph, what do you think about the King''s escape and the events at the Champ de Mars?"

    "The King''s escape?" Joseph replied. "I think he came very close to seeding, but he was captured and brought back, which shows that even God supports the revolution."

    At this point, mentioning God in front of Robespierre wasn''t a problem, as not long ago, Robespierre had considered piety as one of the most important virtues in his writings.

    Robespierre smiled but wasn''t swayed by Joseph''s answer. He continued, "Ah, Mr. Bonaparte, what I meant to ask is, do you believe the King was ''kidnapped''?"

    "I''m not a fool to believe such nonsense," Joseph said with a wry smile. He didn''t want to appear foolish in front of Robespierre. If he had to choose between offending Lafayette or Robespierre, Joseph would certainly choose to offend Lafayette, as it seemed unlikely that Lafayette would send him to the guillotine. This illustrated Machiavelli''s point that it''s better to be a feared ruler than a loved one.

    "But our King does seem quite foolish," Napoleon interjected. "Look at how he tried to escape in style. He even had a carriage, as if he feared no one would recognize him."

    Now that Joseph had made his stance on the King''s escape clear, Napoleon felt that he didn''t need to hold back.

    "But Lafayette still insists that the King was ''abducted,'' Joseph, what do you think of this?" Robespierre asked.

    Joseph thought for a moment. He knew that many people believed he had benefited greatly from Lafayette and were beginning to see him as a supporter of Lafayette. With this question, Robespierre was likely trying to assess friend from foe. On this matter, if he continued to support Lafayette, it was clear that Robespierre would consider him a Lafayette ally and political enemy.

    However, immediately opposing Lafayette might seem unscrupulous. Joseph knew that anyone who acquired a reputation simr to Machiavelli''s would encounter numerous problemster on. So he intentionally hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lafayette probably has his reasons for saying this. He might be trying to prevent a war."

    Seeing that Robespierre appeared deep in thought, Joseph continued, "Lafayette may be worried that if we were to investigate the King''s escape, it could lead to internal unrest and foreign interference. Mr. Robespierre, you are aware of the precarious state of the French army, as the senior officers are not reliable. However, we can''t simply rece them all at once. Therefore, Lafayette might be concerned that a war would put France in a very unfavorable position."

    Robespierre finally got to the point, "So, Mr. Bonaparte, do you share Lafayette''s views? Do you agree with him?"

    Joseph shook his head. "I understand Lafayette''s concerns, but I don''t agree with his approach. I believe that Lafayette has made two mistakes in this matter."

    "Please borate."

    "First, Lafayette''s perspective is too focused on the military," Joseph exined. "He fails to see that the greatest strength of France is not its army but its people. Allowing someone who has lost the people''s trust, who has betrayed them, to continue sitting on the throne would severely damage the morale of the people.

    "Second, he underestimates our enemies. He thinks that if we make concessions, we will receive the same goodwill from our enemies. But our enemies will not rx their attacks because of our weakness. On the contrary, our vulnerability will encourage them to take risks.

    "Furthermore, the King has already expressed his opposition to the revolution. After that, the royal family has no way out. They understand that the people will never trust them again. In the future, whether it''s our actions or theirs, it will all be seen as expedient by the other side. They will never believe that we still want to preserve his rights. Instead, they will see this as our fear of domestic and foreign counterrevolutionary forces.

    "Lafayette may hope to buy time by keeping the King in power to rebuild the military. But the royal family won''t be oblivious to this. From their perspective, giving Lafayette this time is equivalent to signing the death warrant for the monarchy. So, they won''t grant Lafayette this time."

    "I see," Armand chimed in. "Joseph, there''s an important club meeting the day after tomorrow, where we''ll be electing a new club president. This will determine the direction of the club. I believe our club can''t continue down Lafayette''s mistaken path."

 Chapter 70: The Vote (3)

    Chapter 70: The Vote (3)

    Joseph raised his head and nced at Armand, then at Robespierre, and said, "Armand, Mr. Robespierre, you both know that I am friends with Lafayette..."

    "Joseph, we are all friends with Lafayette. But Joseph, Amicus to, sed magis amica veritas," Armand said, quoting a Latin phrase: "I love my friend, but I love truth more."

    Robespierre smiled as he observed the exchange.

    "Alright, Armand," Joseph said, his brow furrowed. "While I cherish my friendship with General Lafayette, I cannot betray my principles. However, I suggest a different method for the club''s elections."

    "What do you mean by a different method?" Robespierre asked.

    "Currently, the club votes by a show of hands, right?" Joseph continued. "What if we change it to a secret ballot? Think about it, Lafayette has been the president for a long time, and he wields a lot of influence. With an open show of hands, some may sumb to pressure and vote against their will. We can list the candidates on a ballot, and voters can simply check the name they prefer. Then, they ce their ballots in an empty box, and when the voting is done, we can open the box in public to count the votes. This way, we avoid theplications of open voting while ensuring fairness."

    Joseph''s words hadn''t even finished when Armand expressed his dissatisfaction. "Joseph, isn''t it honorable to openly support or oppose something? Why be so secretive?"

    Joseph furrowed his brow, about to retort, but to his surprise, Robespierre spoke first.

    "Armand, I find Joseph''s proposal quite reasonable. It''s a good idea," Robespierre said slowly.

    "But as representatives of the people, shouldn''t we be transparent in our choices? Why be so ndestine?" Armand seemed unconvinced.

    "Armand," Robespierre frowned, "the club is not a parliament, and its members are not representatives of the people. Furthermore, do those who don''t quite meet the standards of sainthood not have inherent rights? Morality is something we use to hold ourselves ountable, not to impose on others. For instance, I don''t believe that carousing with a bunch of women every night is a proper way to live, but I still consider you and thete Mr. Mirabeau as my good friends."

    "You''re right, Maximilien," Armand lowered his head.

    Robespierre''s words surprised Joseph. Such a reasonable statement from "The Incorruptible" Robespierre was unexpected. Amidst his astonishment, Joseph couldn''t help but think that Robespierre was a dangerous individual who could artfully find justifications for his political interests.

    With this visit from Robespierre, Joseph couldn''t afford to miss the club meeting two dayster. That evening, he finished his dinner and boarded a lightweight carriage, heading to the Jacobin Club.

    Joseph entered the club, exchanging greetings with people he knew, both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Suddenly, a familiar figure caught his eye.

    "Hey, Bonaparte, long time no see!" the person greeted him with a smile.

    "Duke of Orleans? You''re back?" Joseph was surprised, as the person he was talking to was the Duke of Orleans, who had been sent as the ambassador to Ennd recently.

    "Yes, I''m back," the Duke of Orleans replied, his attitude reminiscent of a sly fox.

    Although the Duke of Orleans had been in Ennd, his sources of information remained strong. As soon as he noticed the damage to his political rival Lafayette''s reputation, he promptly returned.

    "With Lafayette''s current reputation, even if he publicly reveals the conspiracies he had against you, I doubt anyone would believe him anymore. However, being away from the country for so long, I wonder how much influence the Duke still wields," Joseph silently pondered.

    The meeting was about to begin when the room was nearly full. Lafayette announced the start of the meeting.

    As the chairman, Lafayette began by defending himself, stating that he had always acted in the interest of France. He went on to use "extremist ideas" of aiming to destroy the country and its traditions. After a lengthy speech, he acknowledged the prevalence of these ideas within the club and implored the members to support him and resist these dangerous thoughts.

    After Lafayette''s speech, Robespierre stood up and asked if he could share his thoughts.

    "Yes!" came the response from the crowd.

    Robespierre then made his way to the podium, passing by Lafayette, who wore a scowling expression filled with disdain. In contrast, Robespierre had a polite smile on his face.

    Robespierre began his speech by expressing his respect for French tradition. He asserted that some radicals were trying to turn France into a republic, a notion that he found unptable and destined to fail. He even said, "Republic? What is that?"

    But then he stated that King Louis XVI''s hostility towards the revolution and his opposition to the constitution were evident. Even if he now dered his support for the constitution, it could not be trusted. Allowing such a person to continue as king would only harm France. Everyone had to acknowledge this fact and refrain from self-deception.

    "The truth never harms us; it is our attitude toward the truth that does. If we ignore everything and bury our heads in the sand like ostriches, telling ourselves, ''None of this exists,'' that is when we truly harm ourselves. Clearly, the current king is no longer trustworthy! I oppose a republic, but I also oppose Louis XVI continuing as king."

    With these words, Robespierre raised his eyes, casting a nce at the Duke of Orleans, who immediately began to apud.

    If Louis XVI were to abdicate, his son, Louis XVII, would be the first in line for the throne. Louis XVII was still a minor, and ording to French tradition, a regent from the royal family needed to take over as the king''s proxy. Currently, the only eligible candidates for regent were Louis XVI''s brother, the Count of Provence (historically known as Louis XVIII), Louis XVI''s other brother, the Count of Artois, and the Duke of Orleans.

    The first two were staunch royalists who openly opposed the revolution, so the only viable choice for regent was the Duke of Orleans. When Robespierre expressed his stance, the Duke of Orleans naturally found it agreeable.

    Robespierre then went on to argue that while he opposed extremist republican ideas, he believed that thoughts should be free. He stated, "Opposing one idea can only be done with another idea, not with swords."

    Joseph found Robespierre''s words rather pointed andden with dark humor, a quality he had not expected from him.

    Finally, Robespierre proposed a secret ballot to ensure that club members'' votes in the uing elections would not be influenced by those in power.

    This proposal exceeded Lafayette''s expectations. He knew this voting method would be detrimental to him, but if he openly opposed it, he would practically confirm the usations of "interfering with voting through power." So, he remained silent, wearing a stern expression.

    The vote followed. Although it was a secret ballot, Joseph still voted for Robespierre. There was no other choice for a prudent man like him.

    Then came the vote count, with one person announcing the votes while several others supervised. The two candidates were neck and neck, with Lafayette taking the lead at times and then Robespierre surging ahead. In the end, the results were announced: Robespierre won by a two-vote margin, bing the Jacobin Club''s chairman.

    Lafayette''s face was grim, likely pondering who had betrayed him. But Robespierre''s expression wasn''t particrly jubnt either, as he had expected one more vote ording to his calctions.

    "We have a traitor among us," Robespierre couldn''t help but think.

    Lafayette took the stage again. Everyone assumed he would deliver some remarks as the outgoing chairman. However, he dered, "Regrettably, I''ve noticed that extreme ideas have taken hold in the Jacobin Club. The club''s principles have diverged greatly from what they were when we established it."

    He scanned the room and continued, "Now that our political beliefs have changed so drastically, I announce my departure from the Jacobin Club. Those who, like me, oppose these political beliefs, please join me in leaving."

    Joseph waspletely stunned by Lafayette''s unexpected move. Lafayette had turned his secret vote into a farce, and now the question was which side he should stand with.

    At that moment, one person took the lead and walked over to join Lafayette. Seeing this person, Robespierre''s smiling face suddenly stiffened.

    "Fouch, I didn''t expect it to be you!" Robespierre gritted his teeth.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 70 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 71: The Vote (4)

    Chapter 71: The Vote (4)

    Fouch was indeed a prominent figure in the history of France. From the French Revolution to the First Empire, during that time, there were only three unyielding political figures: Talleyrand, Carnot, and Fouch.

    Like Talleyrand, Fouch came from a theological college. However, unlike Talleyrand, Fouch was ofmon birth, so naturally, he never rose to the position of dean, bishop, or archbishop. Moreover, Fouch wasn''t a skilled speakera significant weakness for a priest. So, he couldn''t even secure the position of a parish priest. Until he left the church, he remained a novice priest.

    However, his years at the theological college left a deep mark on him. The impression it left on Fouch was almost identical to the one Talleyrand had: ack of faith and an utter disregard for means. Therefore, in theter course of history, he was often mentioned alongside Talleyrand as a chameleon.

    He was once a close friend of Robespierre, so close that he nearly became Robespierre''s brother-inw. However, he chose to follow the more influential Lafayette. After Lafayette began to lose power, he became friends with Girondin leader Condorcet. On the night before the trial of Louis XVI, he publicly advocated for clemency towards the king. Yet, the next day when the vote came, he supported the death penalty, proiming, "To save France, we must cut off the tyrant''s head!" During the Reign of Terror, he was even more radical than Robespierre, and more so than Danton. In Lyon, he ordered the beheading of thousands of individuals and proposed almostplete abolition of private property, advocating the equal distribution of all wealth.

    However, Robespierre never forgot his past betrayals. After suppressing Danton, Robespierre intended to eliminate Fouch as well. But he considered D more dangerous, so he temporarily spared Fouch and focused on dealing with D. This gave Fouch time. After D''s death, Fouch used people''s fear and his extraordinary abilities to weave a web of rebellion. He finally defeated the great demon Robespierre in the Thermidorian Reaction. Many people, including Lazare Carnot and Napoleon''s benefactor Barras, yed significant roles in this conspiracy. However, all the threads ultimately led to Fouch; he was the mastermind.

    But Robespierre''s fall did not lead to Fouch''s rise to prominence. People couldn''t forget his actions in Lyon. While Fouch managed to keep his head (in contrast, Carnot came close to losing his), he lost all his positions.

    Still, Fouch did not give up. Over the years, he secretly assisted Barras in investigating his political enemies'' various secrets. Because of these services, he was eventually reinstated by Barras and appointed as head of the police department.

    In Fructidor, he assisted Napoleon in overthrowing the Directory and continued as Minister of Police. He then helped Napoleon sideline Barras and retained his position as Minister of Police even after Napoleon''s coronation as Emperor. After the restoration of Louis XVIII, he astonishingly retained this position until the "Law of the Regicides" finally ended his political career.

    However, if one considers him just a chameleon or a clown due to these shifts, it would be underestimating him. In fact, whether Robespierre, Barras, or Napoleon, none of them trusted Fouch, but they had no choice but to rely on his unparalleled abilities. If Carnot was a military logistics genius, then Fouch was a genius in covert operations and public security control. He established one of the most intricate surveinceworks in the world at the time, with even Josephine, the Queen, serving as one of his informants.

    Every ruler, from Robespierre to Napoleon, doubted, feared, and were wary of Fouch, but they couldn''t afford not to use him. Even Charles X, who loathed everyone remotely connected to the Revolution, is said to have eximed, "How I wish I had a Fouch." Of course, when he said this, he probably didn''t realize that if he had a Fouch in his service, the cunning and greedy Fouch would have betrayed him long ago, with a little extra pocket change.

    Fouch led the way, and more people followed. Joseph counted and saw that those standing with Lafayette far exceeded his vote count. After all, at this moment, Lafayette''s influence far exceeded Robespierre''s.

    Lafayette''s eyes turned to Joseph, who was still standing in ce. Joseph knew he couldn''t hesitate any longer.

    He stepped forward, but instead of heading toward Lafayette, he walked towards the podium.

    "May I say a few words?" Joseph asked, looking solemn, addressing the new club president, Robespierre.

    "Of course, the club is a ce for free expression," Robespierre replied.

    Joseph nodded and ascended the podium, gripping its edges. He looked out at the audience, then began to speak, "Today, I''m truly astounded to witness such a shameful spectacle! Yes, a shameful spectacle! I noticed that in the recent vote, Lafayette received far fewer votes than the number of people now standing by his side. I have to ask, what made those who initially voted for Mr. Robespierre change their stance in such a short time? What changed your beliefs? Look at your feeble expressions, are you still people of morals? You should be ashamed!"

    Joseph then turned to Lafayette, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke firmly, "Your Excellency Lafayette, my political stance has always been clear to you. But please forgive me for what I''m about to say. Today, Mr. Robespierre proposed an anonymous vote because he believed that some may fear your power and not express their true opinions. Unfortunately, this fear became a reality. However, your actions after the vote, even though I believe it wasn''t your intention, are effectively using your power to coerce people. I believe your actions are hasty and improper. Furthermore, among the people standing by your side, there are some I despise. Therefore, please forgive me, I cannot stand by your side. I don''t want to be associated with these people. I''m sorry!"

    Having said this, Joseph bowed to Lafayette and then descended from the podium, returning to his previous position.

    "p, p, p," Robespierre led the apuse, and the others who had not joined Lafayette also began to apud. Lafayette gave Joseph a nce and then left with those by his side. At that moment, someone began to whistle.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, you spoke so well!" a voice said to Joseph as he stood by.

    Joseph turned and saw Saint-Just standing beside him.

    ...

    After ying his part, Joseph didn''t linger at the Jacobin Club. He quickly left, using the excuse of having many other matters to attend to, and returned to his residence.

    "How did it go?" Napoleon asked.

    "Lafayette left with most of the club members; the Jacobin Club has officially split," Joseph said. "Even though we had an anonymous vote, when Lafayette left, he directly said, ''Those who want to follow me,e to my side.'' Damn it, I had to pick a side, even though I hate taking sides."

    "Did you stand with Robespierre?" Napoleon asked. "Joseph, I don''t understand why you''re so... afraid of someone like Robespierre."

    Napoleon seemed to struggle for the right words, and then continued, "You know, there are plenty of representatives like him. In terms of weight, he''s nowhere near Lafayette. Why would you risk offending your superiors to stand with him?"

    Joseph shook his head and said, "Napoleon, you don''t understand. These two are different. Lafayette may have more weight now, but the future is with Robespierre."

    At this point, he lowered his voice and continued, "I need to tell you something, and you have to remember it, but don''t tell anyone."

    "What is it? You''re making a big deal out of this!" Napoleon pretended to be nonchnt, but he leaned in closer and lowered his voice as well.

    "I have a strange feeling, Napoleon, my brother. I don''t know if you can understand this; it may sound irrational. But Robespierre gives me this feeling. It''s like a poisonous snake hidden in the bushes... no, that''s not urate. If he were just a snake, we could easily crush it, like the young Heracles did with the serpents near his cradle. But Robespierre isn''t a snake; he''s not that insignificant. He''s... he''s a lurking Nidhogg."

    Napoleonughed, "You''re exaggerating, Joseph."

    Joseph replied, "You''ll see. There wille a day when he rises like Nidhogg, with wingsden with the dead and spewing the venomous mes of centuries of French resentment that have umted beneath the ground. He will sweep across all of France, bringing a true twilight of the gods. Most of therger-than-life figures, god-like, will lose their heads in this feast, until the earth grows tired of this excess of blood, and he will plunge headfirst into the bottomless abyss, just as Nidhogg did when the world was born anew. Before that, we must stay out of his mes, and under no circumstances should we stand in opposition to him, at least not until the earth is sated, or even weary, of the blood of gods."

    "In that case, Joseph, why stay in Asgard? Why not hide in a tree hollow in advance?" Napoleon asked.

    Asgard is the location of Odin''s temple in Norse mythology and the most intense and deadly battlefield during Ragnark. It is said that after the end of Ragnark, some people hid in a hollow of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, to escape death and rebuild the new world.

    "My brother, the twilight of the gods is not a brief event. I must prepare enough reserves for the days in the hollow and for the new era. Besides Asgard, where else can you obtain them? Napoleon, if you only want to be amoner in the new world, the requirements are simple. But if you want to ascend to the Golden Pce and sit on Odin''s vacant throne after the twilight is over, then now is not the time to hide."

    "You sound like a fanatic, just like a priest," Napoleon said.

    "What, you don''t believe me?" Joseph asked.

    "I believe you''re quite the showman, that''s what you are," Napoleon replied. Joseph knew that Napoleon probably believed at least some of what he had said. With his ir for ssical and Norse mythology, Napoleon was prone to be attracted to the mysterious and fantastical "intuition."

 Chapter 72: The Royalist Support for Jacobins

    Chapter 72: The Royalist Support for Jacobins

    The next morning, Joseph went to work as usual, pondering what Lafayette''s reaction would be. Would he inform Joseph directly that his position had been canceled due to the changing circumstances? Or would he put a seal on Joseph''s office door?

    However, when Joseph arrived at work, he found that he had been overly concerned. His position remained intact, and all the tasks he needed to handle were waiting for him.

    At lunchtime, Carnot from the neighboring office entered Joseph''s workspace.

    "Joseph," Carnot said, "I heard about what you didst night. You did an amazing job!"

    "Lazar, I..." Joseph hadn''t had a chance to say much when he heard Carnot continue enthusiastically:

    "You know, Joseph, I used to think of you as a great logistics organizer and an excellent staff member, but not a greatmander. You were sharp and detail-oriented,ing up with many good ideas, butcked the courage to make tough decisions. Your brother, Napoleon, is the one with determination. He''s a born leader."

    "What''s this? Youe up with many good ideas butck the courage to make decisions? Isn''t that like saying I''m ''all talk and no action''? Wasn''t that a joke by Prime Minister Cao?" Joseph thought but heard Carnot continue:

    "But based on your decisiveness yesterday, my perception was entirely wrong. You do have perseverance and the ability to make tough decisions. You''re cautious and meticulous in everyday matters, but when it''s crucial, you''re brave and resolute! Joseph, you have the potential to be an exceptionalmander."

    "But I still don''t know how to face General Lafayette," Joseph said, feeling a bit uneasy.

    "I haven''t seen the General today either. But I believe he''s a reasonable man," Carnot said. "You were right to do what you did yesterday. Even if the General has some thoughts about it, you had to act that way. But General Lafayette is a good man, and I''ve always respected him. I don''t want to lose his friendship."

    Joseph knew that Lafayette held Carnot in high regard, so he tried to use Carnot to help mend his rtionship with Lafayette.

    Carnotughed heartily and said, "If General Lafayette puts the interests of France before his own, he won''t hold yesterday against you. And to be honest, his actions yesterday were rather ungracious. If he puts personal grudges ahead of France''s interests, do we need a friend like him? Don''t worry too much. Let''s do our work with integrity, and as long as we can answer to our own conscience, that''s enough. Why worry so much?"

    "This is definitely a typical Carnot response. He wouldn''t waste time exining such things," Joseph thought.

    At that moment, a messenger walked in and said to Carnot and Joseph, "The General requests both of you toe over."

    Joseph, still a bit nervous, followed Carnot and the messenger to meet Lafayette. Carnot smiled at Joseph and said, "See, I told you the General wouldn''t mind."

    Joseph smiled back but thought, "Why is Carnot so straightforward? Lafayette not mentioning the incident yesterday probably means he cares a great deal about it."

    Of course, if Lafayette had mentioned it andforted Joseph, he would probably think Lafayette was being overly considerate.

    "''Can an ordinary man associate with a king in his service? Is it not a joy, having no uncertainty?'' Confucius seems to be talking about me. This saying makes sense; Confucius is indeed wise. If Carnot knew what I was thinking, he''d probably say the same about me. But at least one thing is certain, Lafayette won''t take any action against me in the short term," Joseph mused.

    The following weeks remained rtively calm. Lafayette and his friends seemed to have the situation under control. The King swore allegiance to the constitution, and Lafayette, along with the pro-royalist "ck Party" and those who could afford the election deposit, formed an alliance, seemingly firmly in control.

    The remaining democrats, the remnants of the dissolved Cordeliers, and marginalized left-wing figures in the government and parliament all joined Robespierre''s Jacobin Club. While the right formed a grand alliance, the left quietly formed its own.

    Lafayette and his friends aimed to consolidate their position. In Duperre, Barnave, and the Lameth brothers'' proposal, they attempted to use their majority in the parliament to amend the constitution, granting the King more power, restoring certain noble privileges, establishing an upper house, and ensuring that only "respectable" citizens could participate in elections. They also allowed parliamentary re-election and dual mandates for members, securing long-term benefits for their supporters.

    Although they had the numbers on their side in parliament, these proposals didn''t pass any votes. Both Jacobins and a section of the "respectable" citizens, who leaned toward republicanism, were opposed. Even the entire ck Party rejected these ideas.

    It was rumored that King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antote believed Lafayette to be a more dangerous enemy than the Jacobins. After all, at that time, the Jacobins didn''t wield much power, and their leader was just amoner (in the eyes of the royal court, allmoners were ignorant fools). What influence could he possibly have? The Duke of Orleans, who had connections with them, had also lost much of his former power. During his absence from France for over a year, his influence had dwindled. Besides, he was a typical do-nothing yboy. If he were capable, Lafayette would not have been able to force him out of the country, and amoner would not have be president. Hisst name is Bourbon? How is he even rted to the Bourbons? Does he deserve that name?

    King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antote were right to think this way. The Jacobins had little power at that time. Their leader was just amoner, and it was unlikely that they would create much trouble. They were just like those unruly mobs, with no significant difference. As for the Duke of Orleans, his influence had diminished over the years, and upon his return, most of his former supporters had scattered. Moreover, he was a typical ipetent. If he were truly capable, he wouldn''t have been expelled from France by Lafayette, and amoner wouldn''t have assumed the presidency. Why should he even bear the name Bourbon?

    The King and Queen held this view, but Count Artois (King Louis XVI''s younger brother) yed a significant role in the royalist camp. Count Artois was the first among the emigrs and the most fervent counter-revolutionary among the nobility. In a sense, he was one of those closest to them by blood who most eagerly desired their downfall. However, at this point, the King and Queen had no one to rely on, and they had never trusted Mirabeau.

    Indeed, the Feuints offered many benefits to the King and nobility. Still, from the perspective of the ck Party, these things were already rightfully theirs. The Feuints simply returned a small portion of what had been taken from them. Like those unruly mobs, the Feuints'' folks were all damned rebels. Since they were all rebels, it was better to let these two rebellious groups fight each other and weaken themselves. Standing with the stronger side to let them eliminate the other was the best course of action. With France''s size, a war wouldn''t end quickly, and neighboring countries would divert their resources to this war. This would give Russia the opportunity to act freely in Eastern Europe.

    This scheme couldn''t escape Emperor Leopold II of Austria''s notice. He was not enthusiastic about going to war against France because he knew that Empress Catherine II of Russia was very eager to intervene militarily in the French Revolution.

    The European royal families were all rted by blood. If you looked through their genealogies, any king could find distant or close blood rtions with another. Catherine II, the Great Empress of Russia, could likely find some distant blood rtion with Louis XVI. Still, her enthusiasm for intervening in the French Revolution was not about France itself, but about Pnd.

    At this time, the Grand Duchy of Pnd was in a state of chaos. Gone were the glory days of vanquishing the Turks. Thanks to the bizarre elective monarchy and the nobility''s veto power, the once-powerful Grand Duchy of Pnd had be a lovable fatmb, known and loved by everyone. However, there were more wolves circling around it, and a few wolves could only restrain each other, allowing the fatmb to barely survive. Russia was one of the wolves yearning for this fatmb. If there were a war in Europe due to the French Revolution, considering France''s size, the war would not end quickly. The countries bordering France would get embroiled in it. Russia would then have a free hand in Eastern Europe.

    Emperor Leopold II was well aware of this n, and he did not want to wage war. He also believed that if a constitutional monarchy could be established, the situation in France would be entirely eptable. He did not want to engage in a war that might result in mutual destruction, only to find outter that Pnd had been divided up by the Russians and Prussians, leaving nothing for him.

    For this reason, the royalists were determined to prevent the sess of a constitutional monarchy.

 Chapter 73: Promotion

    Chapter 73: Promotion

    General Lafayette was indeed a broad-minded man. Over the next few months, Joseph''s work wasrgely unaffected. When payday arrived at the end of the month, Joseph and Napoleon received a bonus for their outstanding performance.

    A few dayster, Carnot approached Joseph with a question, "Joseph, if we were to transfer Napoleon to abat unit as itsmander, what are your thoughts?"

    Joseph''s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly inquired, "Lazare, isn''t Napoleon doing well in the Red Army? Where do you n to transfer him?"

    Carnot nced at Joseph, understanding his concerns about what had happened that day. He smiled and said, "It''s not decided yet. Here''s the situation: just yesterday, Emperor Leopold and King William II of Prussia issued a joint deration in Pilnitz. In that deration, they threatened to use force to ''assist France in restoring order.''"

    Carnot then sneered, "Do these Habsburgs think their empire was built with swords and guns? And as for William II, who does he think he is? Does he think he''s his father? If he were his father, it might be worth taking notice, but William II? Hah... Who have we French ever feared onnd? Even if he were his father, had it not been for the treachery of the Russians, his father would have been defeated just the same!"

    After expressing their disdain for Austria and Prussia, Carnot sighed, "But Joseph, you also know that our army is in a dire state. There are significant conflicts between the ranks, and there have been mutinies in several ces recently. Generals had to take disciplinary measures against certain individuals, but those measures, while suppressing the conflicts temporarily, didn''t truly resolve them. Joseph, you also know that a divided army, with mutual distrust and even animosity between the ranks, is a recipe for disaster on the battlefield."

    What oue could be expected from a divided army with such trust issues? It was clear. Back in the days, a mere coachman in a certain Eastern Empire, just because he didn''t get a taste ofmb soup, delivered his general straight into the enemy''s camp, where he was taken captive. Given the current state of the French army, mutinies and rebellions were not out of the question.

    "Therefore, the general believes that, in terms of their attitude towards battle, the National Guard might be more reliable than the regr army. However, you also know that the National Guard''s soldiers have mediocre training, and, more importantly, theyck qualified officers."

    "Why not transfer some reliable officers from the regr army to the National Guard?" Joseph suggested. However, as soon as he spoke, he realized he had made a foolish statement.

    "In that case, the general is concerned that problems will arise within the regr army," Carnot replied.

    The concept of problems arising within the regr army was straightforward. Nowadays, the senior ranks of the army were mostly in favor of the king, while lower-ranking officers tended to lean towards the revolution. This created a natural bnce, which was why the army had remained neutral and refrained from direct political interference. If these lower-ranking officers were transferred inrge numbers to the National Guard, it would disrupt this bnce, and sooner orter, the army, under the control of those aristocratic officers, mighte out to "eliminate the rebels." Therefore, this approach was definitely not viable.

    Furthermore, if National Guard officers were mostly those lower-ranking officers from the regr army inclined toward the revolution, it wouldn''t necessarily be beneficial for Lafayette''s control over the National Guard. These individuals could easily be influenced by the Jacobins, and one day, they might even rebel with them.

    So, the approach of transferring a significant number of junior officers from the regr army to serve as officers in the National Guard was undoubtedly unworkable.

    "Now, it seems that war may be imminent," Carnot said. "For this reason, the general has an idea to appoint Napoleon as themander of the National Guard. Based on his performance during this period, the general believes he should be able to serve as a regimental staff officer, and the National Guard''s rank requirements are rtively lower. So, he has this idea. But when he asked for my opinion, I opposed it. I think in his current position, you can elevate more officers, which would be more advantageous for France. However, I have also presented a new suggestion to the general, something I thought of on the spot and didn''t have time to discuss with you, but it involves adjustments to your work."

    "What is your suggestion?" Joseph asked.

    "The general thinks that Napoleon is still too young to serve as the suprememander of the Red Army, as it is a military force, not the National Guard. So, the general believes promoting him by one rank is sufficient. Furthermore, since most of the Red Army''s affairs are already on the right track, and tactically, I believe Napoleon is stronger than you. He can handle all your current responsibilities in the Red Army. Of course, I have a personal motive. You see, since you''ve devoted most of your energy to the Red Army, my workload has increased significantly. If your brother can take care of those matters, it would ease my burden."

    "What does General Lafayette want?" Joseph thought and then asked, "So, what does the general mean?"

    "The general feels that promoting Napoleon to the rank of second lieutenant, to serve as the Red Army''s operational staff, would be enough," Carnot exined. "Additionally, he ns to find a more experiencedmander for the Red Army. Of course, Joseph, in the past period, you''ve excelled in organizing the Red Army, so the general also ns to promote your rank by one level, which would increase your sry significantly."

    Joseph now seemed to understand Lafayette''s intentions. Lafayette promoted his brothers, but removed them from the positions of militarymanders.

    "It seems Lafayette no longer trusts me. But to maintain a magnanimous appearance, he still wants to promote Napoleon and me. However, isn''t this a favorable situation?" Joseph thought.

    Joseph''s idea of this being a favorable situation was not mere wishful thinking; he recognized that the Jacobin faction''s rise to power was inevitable. Although it appeared that he had no actual military authority now, once the Jacobins took control, these powers would return to him. Moreover, with the Jacobins in power, the war with the Coalition forces almost never ceased. During those times, he and his brothers couldmand forces abroad while conveniently avoiding the terror that might descend upon Paris. In his current position as a pure technical officer, he could also avoid many troubles. And promotion with a raise in sry was certainly a good thing. Joseph decided that tonight, he would treat himself to a nice meal to celebrate.

    "This consideration is very prudent and correct. And I''ll earn more ie as well. It''s a great thing!" Joseph sincerely said to Carnot. "Thank you, Lazare. If you have time, how abouting to my ce for dinner?"

    "Haha, there''s no reason for a bachelor to invite someone with a family to dinner. You don''t even have a hostess, how would you entertain me?" Carnot replied, feeling at ease. "Besides, I''ll be getting a promotion and a raise soon too. In any case, my ie will still be higher than yours. If I hadn''t been so busytely, I would have invited you to my ce long ago."

    ....

    "In general, do you n to promote Joseph and his brothers?" Fouch asked in Lafayette''s office.

    "They are all capable, and it would be a waste not to promote them. The promotions are well-deserved," Lafayette replied indifferently, as if he had no other thoughts.

    "But Joseph''s speech at the Jacobin Club has had a very negative impact on us," Fouch pointed out.

    This was not a lie. Lafayette had sessfully convinced a significant portion of the Jacobin Club''s members to leave, which dealt a significant blow to the club. People were quick to perceive those who remained as abandoned and disreputable. However, Joseph''s words at the club meeting had elevated these individuals to the status of moral defenders. As a result, those who followed Lafayette became suspected traitors. Lafayette''s own followers were seen as opportunists. This was a significant blow to Lafayette''s reputation, which he valued greatly. But because he was so concerned with his reputation, he couldn''t enact any obvious retaliation.

    "Joseph is simply too honest. He has little interest in politics and doesn''t quite understand the intricacies involved," Lafayette chuckled, as if he truly bore no ill feelings toward Joseph.

    Fouch sighed inwardly; he knew Lafayette didn''t entirely trust him. He was aware that before the club''s vote, Robespierre had visited the Bonaparte brothers. But he felt that now was not the right time to reveal this information. This piece of news might fetch a high price someday, depending on the circumstances.

    "You are truly magnanimous," Fouch ttered. "By the way, I''ve heard that Mr. Barnave has been getting close to the court recently. I also heard that the king intends to have Mr. Petion rece Mr. Bailly as the Mayor of Paris."

    "What? This is... What is the king thinking?" Lafayette was both surprised and somewhat angry. Petion was known to have republican inclinations.

 Chapter 74: The Carrot of Peace (1)

    Chapter 74: The Carrot of Peace (1)

    Over the next few months, Paris appeared calm and everything seemed to be falling into ce. On October 1st, the new National Assembly elections concluded, and the results left Lafayette disappointed. His Feuints club secured 264 seats, while Robespierre''s Jacobins won 136 seats. The remaining half of the seats were divided among royalists and unaffiliated members. Lafayette''s control of the seats didn''t constitute a majority, and he had to find a way to maintain the unofficial alliance between Jacobins and royalists (a secret alliance both sides vehemently denied, often attacking each other with harsh words, yet they wished each other a swift demise). To do so, he needed to gather more support.

    Robespierre, however, did not seek re-election this term. Although his proposal that members should not be allowed to serve consecutive terms didn''t pass, he voluntarily abstained from this round of elections. Some praised his integrity, while others spected that he might have struck a deal with the royalists and smaller moderate factions to support Ption''s election as the Mayor of Paris in exchange for his decision not to run for re-election. Without the constraints of being a member of the Assembly, Robespierre increased his public visibility by frequently publishing articles in various newspapers.

    However, these political developments did not directly impact Joseph and Napoleon''s lives. Their days continued much as usual, with a slight decrease in their standard of living, despite their promotions and increased sries. Recently, their sries were paid in assignats, a situation affecting all, including Carnot, and even Lafayette. So, when Carnot had previously mentioned inviting them to his home, he now exined that due to economic difficulties, he needed to postpone the invitation.

    Carnot, though financiallyfortable, had many friends among the lower-ranking soldiers, who were struggling due to the assignat payments. He couldn''t bear to see his friends suffer, which, in turn, affected his own finances.

    Joseph and Napoleon did not have friends in need of financial assistance, but they still lowered their living standards to avoid drawing attention to themselves. This modest lifestyle enhanced their reputation for honesty.

    Armand came to see Joseph, having be the editor of a democratic newspaper called "The Voice of Paris." Although it was apact publication, it received support from the Jacobins. A significant portion of the newspaper''s funding came from the Jacobin Club, and some articles were contributed by its members. Robespierre, however, believed that the paper was too "Jacobin" and suggested that Armand find contributors from outside the Jacobin Club to attract moderate factions.

    Armand approached Joseph to write articles on scientific topics for the paper and also tried to persuade Lucien to contribute. Lucien was tempted but refrained from making a directmitment, considering the timing to be inopportune. Joseph, aware of the risks involved at this juncture, cited his busy schedule as a reason for not being able to ept the request.

    After Armand''s departure, Joseph gathered his brothers for a meeting to analyze the current situation and determine the family''s next course of action.

    "Joseph, Napoleon, do you know where a political force like the royalists draws its strength?" Joseph asked his brothers.

    This was a basic question, but Napoleon showed disdain, ignoring Joseph''s query with a disdainful snort. However, Lucien dutifully responded, "The foundation of any political organization lies in its financial base. Finances are the mother of all politics. Without money, no political organization can function. The strength of an organization depends on its financial resources and how efficiently it uses them, all of which rte to its political goals."

    Joseph nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Now, let''s take the first political force in France, the royalists. Where does their moneye from?"

    Napoleon, showing interest in this question, replied, "Primarily, ites from feudal rents, and some royalists are also involved in business. Some of the aristocracy has umted wealth. Additionally, foreigners may provide them with some funds. But now, collecting rents is out of the question, as peasants won''t pay. Except in the most remote and isted areas, no noble can expect rent. As for business, if they were capable of it, we wouldn''t be in this situation today. Their primary financial sources are umtion and foreign aid. Both are unsustainable, so their strength is, in fact, quite weak. They must change the situation before they exhaust their resources, or they''ll be out of the game."

    Joseph then posed a hypothetical question, "So, my dear brother, if you were Louis XVI, what would you do?"

    Napoleon pondered for a moment and replied, "Firstly, given the current circumstances, I would have lost trust from others. I would have no choice but to align with the royalists. As for fleeing, it would be much harder now, but not entirely hopeless. The pce guards can''t be vignt forever. This is not a prison. I''d wait for an opportunity to escape, ride out of Paris, and have someone ready with a light carriage on the outside to ensure a sessful escape. Afterward, I''d head to Lyon and initiate a war  that''s the best option in my view."

    Joseph then inquired, "What about the queen?"

    Napoleon quipped, "Leave that Austriandy in Paris. She won''t get far on her own. Besides, if the Parisians killed her, it would definitely attract the intervention of other nations. Parisians aren''t that foolish. So, what''s there to worry about?"

    Lucien raised a question, "Would the king do that?"

    Napoleon responded, "Hecks the judgment and courage for it. Besides, he''s not the leader of the royalists."

    Joseph then asked, "And if you were the leader of the royalists, what would you do?"

    Napoleon chuckled, "You mean, if I were the Count of Artois? God, how could I have such a foolish elder brother? Well, if I were the Count of Artois, I''d have to find a way to provoke war. Only through war could I have a chance of victory. Any other oue would be slow suicide for the royalists."

    Lucien chimed in, "No wonder I saw an article by Robespierre in Armand''s newspaper a few days ago, where he advocated avoiding war as much as possible."

    Joseph noted, "So, my brothers, analyze the situation and response of our superior, General Lafayette."

    Napoleon said, "Lafayette and his associates have profited immensely from this revolution. They prefer the situation to remain stable. But by looking at the assignats, we know that this stability is unsustainable. He hasn''t realized this yet and still harbors illusions. If heprehends the situation, his only way out is to start a war."

    Joseph asked for more details.

    Napoleon borated, "If the king hadn''t fled, if he had trusted Lafayette, the best course of action in that situation would be to form an alliance with Lafayette. However, Lafayette faces challenges since he cannot stabilize the situation internally, the royalists won''t cooperate, and the king has lost the support of the people. His only option is to use the military and war to establish a military dictatorship simr to Caesar. However, our superior mayck Caesar''s determination, courage, and military talent. He even epted the proposal to pay the military with assignats, a decision that baffles me. He''s almost as bad as our king. He doesn''t consider what he has left without the military."

    Joseph then inquired about the Jacobins.

    Napoleonmented, "The Jacobins have the most favorable position. As the opposition party, the worse the political situation bes, the better for them. Although they have a small presence in the assembly, they control the Paris Commune. This means they can easily incite uprisings. If the current situation continues, the Parisians will eventually revolt again. So, for them, having enough parliamentary seats to disrupt proceedings is sufficient. If the present situation persists and there''s no war, their chances of victory are the highest."

    Lucien added, "That''s why I saw Robespierre''s article in Armand''s newspaper a few days ago, in which he urged to avoid war as much as possible."

 Chapter 75: The Carrot of Peace (2)

    Chapter 75: The Carrot of Peace (2)

    Robespierre had recently published several articles vehemently opposing the war rhetoric of some hardliners in the parliament who were advocating a preemptive strike against Austria.

    At any time, the parliament was filled with radicals. Generally, members of the parliament did not have to bear political responsibility for their words and actions, as they had no decision-making power. As a result, the parliamentarians could sometimes be like the imperial censors of the Eastern Empire, freely spouting nonsense without any restraint.

    On the other hand, among arge group of parliamentarians, if someone wanted to stand out, be a leader among them, they needed a way to make their presence clear in the midst of the crowd and make their voices heard in the midst of the mor.

    To achieve this, the first method was to be like Mirabeau, towering a head taller than others, with a height of eight feet and a waist circumference of eight feet. Even when hiding in a crowd, they would stand out like a firefly in the dark night. With their natural booming voice, they could easily drown out others.

    However, this method had high demands on innate conditions, and not every parliamentarian had the abilities of a Mirabeau. In fact, since Mirabeau had been defeated by illness, there had been no one like him in the French parliament. So, the remaining parliamentarians had to resort to the second method, which was to court poprity by raising sensational topics and shocking proposals to catch people''s attention. After all, if parliamentarians didn''t have to take responsibility, why not spout nonsense? Who wouldn''t? The more irrational their arguments and the more audacious their actions, the more they could lead the trend.

    Just like in the future United States, when a certain senator whoter became a president proposed severing ties with the Eastern Empire and reestablishing diplomatic rtions with Frog Ind, but when he became the president, hepletely forgot about these ideas, treating them as mere greenhouse gas emissions. Only our divine Emperor, when he says to withdraw, he withdraws, and when he says to build a wall, he builds a wall. He is truly one of the few sincere gentlemen in the history of the United States.

    Given the situation in the parliament, irrational viewpoints naturally had the upper hand. In such times, from an institutional perspective, it required a king with a veto power to act as a brake. However, the king had no intention of applying the brakes in this matter because he too desired war. In the eyes of the queen, if a war broke out, the divided France would be utterly defenseless. They could then rebuild the monarchy under the protection of Austrian bays. So, the king had no intention of applying the brakes. Moreover, since the incident of his escape, even though the parliament had confirmed that the king was held captive and restored all his powers, he had lost the trust of most parliamentarians. Going against the parliament would not be in his best interest.

    ording to Napoleon''s analysis, those who truly loved peace and were sincere about it were the members of the Jacobin Club. However, the Jacobins had too few seats in the parliament. Previously, they had managed to obstruct the Feuint''s ns several times through an unspoken alliance with the ck Party. But even so, in the parliament, they could only achieve partial sess and repeated failures. Now, on this issue, the ck Party would not support them, so relying solely on them meant they couldn''t even achieve partial sess.

    To address this problem, Robespierre gathered a few of his close friends to discuss a strategy.

    "You all know that a war at this time will only benefit a few," Robespierre said. "If the war fails, it''s a given that all the gains of the revolution will be lost, and France will return to its former state. And if the war seeds, some individuals can establish their military dictatorship under the guise of ''saving France as heroes.'' So, our most crucial task now is to prevent the war as much as possible."

    "Maximilien," Marat spoke, "I can write articles exposing the royal family and warning the people about the conspiracy for war. But I''m not sure how effective it will be. You see, my articles hardly influence the parliament."

    Marat''s newspaper, "The People''s Friend," was well-known in Paris. Especially before the king''s escape, he had repeatedly cautioned the people in his newspaper to be vignt and guard against the king fleeing. At first, most people regarded his statements as baseless fears, and Marat was seen as a demagogue seeking poprity. However, history had proven his foresight, so now "The People''s Friend" had gained much more influence in Paris. However, due to his political stance, this influence remained limited to the middle and lower sses of Paris. In the parliament, Marat did not have enough influence.

    "Unless there is another revolution..." Saint-Just said.

    "The timing isn''t right," Robespierre shook his head.

    "We can find ways to expedite the timing," Saint-Just continued.

    "Tell me your ideas."

    "We can propose a series of measures in the parliament that are beneficial to the people of Paris but are sure to be rejected by the parliament, such as limiting food prices, banning spection, controlling the issuance of bonds, and preventing over-issuance. (Actually, when the Jacobins came to powerter, they did not refrain from issuing bonds either)," Saint-Just said. "They will definitely reject these proposals, and with each rejection, the people will be educated, bing more disappointed with the aristocrats in the parliament, and their anger will grow. Eventually, when they fully understand that the current parliament cannot represent France, they willunch another revolution."

    "But, Louis, doing this may elerate their march toward war," Robespierre said. "We should carry out these measures, but right now, we urgently need a way to dy the war, even if only for a while. Lafayette is already giving bonds to his troops as pay. This has undoubtedly led to a series ofints within the army and the National Guard. This will harm his influence over the military. If we can dy him for a bit, he won''t be able to be a Caesar!"

    "Joseph Bonaparte serves under Lafayette, and he is a very clever man. We can go talk to him. Maybe he has a solution," Saint-Just suggested.

    "Contact him?" Robespierre furrowed his brow. "I think Mr. Bonaparte is not very eager to get involved in our affairs. Besides, he helped us a lotst time and suffered some losses as a result. Recently, Lafayette transferred him and his brother from crucial positions."

    "Mr. Bonaparte won''t mind that," Saint-Just said. "Mr. Bonaparte may not be very interested in getting deeply involved in politics. His interests lie more on the side of nature, which is natural considering his exceptional talents in those matters. But as you''ve seen from thest incident, Mr. Bonaparte is a man of morals and integrity. His loyalty to France and the revolution is unquestionable. I believe if we reach out to him, and if he''s able to help, he will definitely assist us."

    "Are you talking about that Corsican nobleman?" Marat asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "A nobleman, and you trust him?"

    "Can Corsican nobles even be considered nobles?" Saint-Just responded. "Besides, not all nobles are untrustworthy, just as not allmoners are loyal to the revolution, for example..."

    "All right, Louis, I know that even though you''re not a noble, there''s a ''de'' in your name. But do you really think he has a solution? Is he some kind of wise Solomon? If he were that clever, he wouldn''t be stumped by the ''four-color problem'' (apparently, Marat was still sore about the setbacks he faced regarding the ''four-color problem''). The solution may not necessarily be with him; I have my own ideas!"

    When Marat mentioned the ''de'' in Saint-Just''s name, Saint-Just was initially inclined to argue with him, but when Marat imed to have a solution, he suppressed his anger and asked, "What''s your idea?"

    Marat rolled his eyes at Saint-Just but decided to speak. Marat was very ugly, and he knew it. Like many ugly people, he despised good-looking folks, especially Saint-Just, who was unnaturally handsome, making Marat even angrier just by looking at him.

    "Mr. Robespierre," Marat began, "Lafayette is a hypocrite and a coward. If we expose his conspiracy directly, he won''t dare to proceed..."

    At this point, Marat chuckled like a night owl, "Hehehe, who knows, to clear his name, this hypocrite might even pretend to work with us to avoid war. Mr. Robespierre, doing this kind of thing, my newspaper has limited impact, so it''s best if you personally publish some of these articles. Trust me, it will work. I''m best at dealing with these hypocrites."

    ...

    After the meeting, Marat quickly left, and Saint-Just bid farewell to Robespierre. Robespierre noticed that Saint-Just''s mood didn''t seem to be very high and said to him, "Louis, Marat is like that, full of thorns. He can make anyone furious with his words. But don''t take his attitude too personally. He has good abilities, and he is very loyal to the revolution, and he''s upright and disciplined. The more you get to know him, the more you''ll see that Marat is actually a good person."

    "Mr. Robespierre," Saint-Just said, "I don''t have any particr thoughts about Marat because of his attitude. I''m just wondering if his method will really work."

 Chapter 76: The Carrot of Peace (3)

    Chapter 76: The Carrot of Peace (3)

    Following the nned strategy, Robespierre began publishing articles in numerous newspapers, vehemently attacking Lafayette for conspiring to start a war, undermine democracy, and be a dictator. He urged the people of Paris and all of France to open their eyes and thwart the ambitions of this schemer.

    "If Lafayette''s conspiracy seeds, France will plunge into a more disastrous state than under past feudal monarchs. After all, Louis XVI was a legitimate king, but what is Lafayette? A pretender! So, are the lives sacrificed by the people in the Bastille and in the struggles that followed meant to serve this pretender? This is intolerable! Well, that Robespierre may be a rabble-rouser, but in this statement, he has been sharp in exposing Lafayette." Count Rodolphe looked at the article in his hand and smiled at a young man nearby. "Let''s publish this article in ''Orthodox France.''"

    "Count, publishing such a rebellious article in ''Orthodox France,'' won''t it harm our..." The young man hesitated.

    "So, Phibs, I''ll trouble you with this. Provide an editorial introduction to this article. Criticize the errors and transgressions within it and make people see the true face of these rebels. Even in the parts where they speak some truth, offermentary. Can we not use one article to expose two types of rebels? " Count Rodolphe chuckled.

    "You''re right, Count," Phibs replied. "I hope that one day, we can hang all these rebels frommpposts!"

    "There will be such a day, Phibs, don''t worry. Believe me, there will be such a day. Everything will get better. There will be a day when Jacobins and Lafayette supporters are left hanging frommpposts, stinking up the ce! But for that day toe, we must get to work immediately."

    ...

    "The Austrians dare to threaten mighty France; this is absolutely an intolerable affront to France''s majesty. These Austrians seem to have forgotten what the bays and military boots of France look like. I don''t understand, with France being insulted like this, how can some cowardse out and call for peace..." Robespierre read this and couldn''t help butugh.

    "Mr. Robespierre, others are tarnishing your reputation like this, and you''re stillughing?" Saint Justined.

    "Reputation? Robespierre''s reputation?" Marat, who was present, burst intoughter. "Does Robespierre even have a reputation left? Robespierre''s reputation has long been that of a rebel and a bandit, hasn''t it? I think the words used in that passage were quite gentle towards him. If I were to insult him, it wouldn''t be just like this."

    "Mr. Marat, this is not an article in a royalist newspaper, nor is it an article in the Lafayette Club''s newspaper. It''s an article from those moderate newspapers," Saint Just said.

    "Those fence-sitters," Guesman chimed in. Guesman was a close associate of Marat, just as Saint Just was with Robespierre.

    "Yes," Saint Just said, "but often, we need those fence-sitters on our side."

    "Stop dreaming!" Marat said. "Let me guess, the name of the newspaper you have is ''Paris Business,'' right? Its owner is vier, the banker, isn''t it? How can a banker not like a war? Since Robespierre openly opposes the war, to be honest, they are being quite lenient with him. Besides, didn''t you suggest that we propose measures to limit the price of food? If we do that, we''ll be cursed even more."

    "This is a necessary sacrifice, Louis," Robespierre calmly said. "The key now is how Lafayette ns to react."

    ...

    How would Lafayette react? In fact, Lafayette had not reacted yet. He had too much on his te, and he had not had the time to respond to this. Moreover, Lafayette had found that since Robespierre attacked him for conspiring to start a war, it seemed that many moderates were helping him counter Robespierre. So, he felt that he should pause and see how people would react before making a response.

    So, Lafayette postponed for two more days. After these two days, he suddenly found that something was amiss. He discovered that many people were attacking Robespierre, but they were criticizing him for being too weak and for fearing the military threat from Austria, without realizing that France was the most formidable Catholic nation. They didn''t know that France excelled at defeating Catholic nations. It was truly a disgrace for the French people!

    And what Lafayette cared about the most, his intentions to avoid bing a military dictator and undermining democracy, had not been mentioned at all. They not only refrained from mentioning it, but some even said that if it meant defeating foreign enemies, having a Caesar wouldn''t be a bad idea.

    But Lafayette knew that when they said "having a Caesar wouldn''t be a bad idea," it was just a means to persuade themselves to support the war. If he really tried to be a Caesar, these same people who were now saying this would probably stab him in the back and deliver a eulogy at his corpse, shedding tears while giving a speech titled "I love Lafayette, but I love France more"  no, it should be "I love Lafayette, but I love France more." Then they would turn France into a republic.

    Moreover, Lafayette also knew that the current state of the army was not ideal, and it wasn''t the right time for war. In a way, Lafayette did need a war, but unlike the Royalists, he needed a war that he could win, a war that was properly prepared for. If the debate became too heated, and the National Assembly immediately passed a deration of war, it would be detrimental to him.

    "We must stop this situation immediately," Lafayette knew the importance of public opinion because he had learned during his time in North America how crucial public opinion was to prepare and organize for a war.

    So, Lafayette''s controlled media went into action. They attacked Robespierre on one hand, but on the other hand, they propagated that while France never feared war, "we will not abandon peace until it is absolutely hopeless, and we will not lightly make sacrifices until thest moment." Furthermore, Lafayette had no desire to be a military dictator.

    Although Lafayette''s hatred for Robespierre grew stronger, in practice, at least in terms of dying the war, Lafayette had be an ally of Robespierre.

    This caused both Lafayette''s and Robespierre''s standing among the moderates to decrease significantly. This was normal, as the moderates, essentially the future Girondins, were mostly big businessmen and bankers. For them, war was an opportunity for great wealth. As long as the final oue wasn''t the destruction of the nation, war wasn''t a bad thing for them. Therefore, those who openly opposed war as they were now were obstructing their path to wealth.

    However, Lafayette also knew that war was inevitable. Even the members of the Feuints Club, in their hearts, were anticipating war. Perhaps Lafayette truly did not want to be a military dictator, but many people in the Feuints Club were following him because they hoped he would be a military dictator like Caesar. If Lafayette disappointed them too much, they might...

    Banker vier was receiving a guest at his residence on Svres-Dauphine Street. This guest was named Joseph, but he went by Fouch.

    "Thank you, Mr. Fouch," vier said. "The information you''ve provided me is of great importance. His Excellency Lafayette is truly..."

    At this point, vier shook his head and didn''t continue with his sentence.

    "Lafayette is overly concerned about the bigger picture," Fouch said.

    "But we don''t need to maintain the current state of affairs. I need a change in the bigger picture. Mr. Fouch, I wonder if you can provide me with some assistance? Everyone knows I''m a man of ethics, and I''ve never mistreated anyone who''s helped me." vier looked at Fouch and said slowly.

    "Do you need a war?" Fouch asked.

    "Yes," vier replied briefly.

    "But I''ve heard that due to the possible war and the turmoil, there are difficulties in recovering some of your bank''s loans rted to agriculture, influenced by the uprisings in the provinces. So, it''s quite possible that you won''t be able to withdraw money from your bank  meaning that even with your deposit slips, you can''t get your money from there!" Fouch asked again.

    "Oh, you''ve heard those rumors too?" vier chuckled. "That''s why I need things to be even more turbulent as soon as possible."

    "This is a bit challenging, but your operation doesn''t require such great turbulence," Fouch said. "In addition, I can help you make a connection with another friend..."

    ...

    One morning, Joseph went to work as usual and happened to run into a worried-looking Lazare on the way.

    "What''s the matter, Lazarus? You seem to have something on your mind?" Joseph asked.

    "Joseph, where do you have your money in the bank?" Lazare asked in return.

    "I have some in vier''s bank and some in..." Joseph replied.

    "Oh my!" Lazare said, "Have you heard? vier''s bank has just announced that due to difficulties in recovering loans rted to agriculture and the uprisings in the provinces, they have temporarily suspended withdrawal operations  in other words, even if you have deposit slips, you can''t withdraw money from there!"

 Chapter 77: Unexpected Fortune

    Chapter 77: Unexpected Fortune

    Joseph didn''t panic upon hearing the news. He furrowed his brow in thought and said, "Carnot, it''s not convenient to talk here. Let''s go to my office."

    Joseph and Carnot entered the office together.

    Carnot sat at the table next to Joseph''s desk, while Joseph closed the door and took a seat in front of Carnot.

    "Carnot, has someone already bought the vierel Bank''s certificates at a discounted price?" Joseph asked.

    "Do you know about this? Yes, someone is buying the bank''s certificates at a 30% discount. Joseph, should I sell some of mine? I don''t want to incur a 30% loss, but I''m worried that the losses might grow if I don''t act," Carnot said, frowning.

    Joseph didn''t answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Carnot, do you have any spare cash on hand?"

    Carnot didn''t quite follow Joseph''s line of thought and assumed Joseph was offering financial assistance. He replied, "Not much, but I can manage for now. Joseph, I remember you have several siblings to support  of course, Napoleon can help you to some extent now..."

    Joseph chuckled, "Thank you for your concern, but I think you may have misunderstood me."

    Joseph nced around to ensure no one else was in the office, and then he lowered his voice and continued, "Carnot, what I mean is, if you have any extra funds beyond what you need for daily expenses, including money in other banks that you can ess, withdraw it all and try to buy vierel Bank''s certificates as much as possible."

    "What?" Carnot widened his eyes and stared at Joseph. Finally, he reached out to touch Joseph''s forehead as if checking for illness. "Joseph, are you feeling okay?"

    "Don''t worry, I''m perfectly fine," Joseph assured him. "Carnot, my point is, who knows better than us about which regions the uprisings are affecting the bank? Have the uprisings in various ces grown significantly in the past few months?"

    Carnot seemed to catch on. "The uprisings have increased somewhat in thest few months, but not significantly."

    "Yes, and with uprisings happening everywhere for almost a year now, Mr. vierel should be quite familiar with the market situation," Joseph said. "While he might not be the Napoleon of the financial world, he''s at least a respectable Viscount. If there was a sudden crisis due tomon and foreseeable risks, leading to bankruptcy and the inability to honor deposits, Carnot, do you think it''s likely?"

    Carnot was taken aback, "So, you''re saying all these rumors are false? vierel Bank isn''t really in trouble? Then why is Mr. vierel doing this?"

    "Because many of the people buying those certificates are Mr. vierel''s own associates! Wait and see; it won''t be long before certificate prices drop to 60% or even 10%. Mr. vierel will buy them back at those low prices, and then the certificates can be redeemed as usual. And then do I need to exin further?" Joseph said.

    "Is that even allowed?" Carnot trembled, clenching his fists. "Aren''t they robbing the people? What about justice and thew?"

    "Stay calm, Carnot. We... we won''t be breaking anyws," Joseph reassured him.

    "No, I can''t stand idly by and watch such unscrupulous actions!" Carnot eximed. "Joseph, let''s go find General; he should be able to stop this."

    Joseph hesitated. He knew that going with Carnot would likely make General Lafayette suspicious, believing Joseph was instigating Carnot''s involvement in military matters. Yet, he had already fallen out of favor with Lafayette, and another offense wouldn''t matter much. In his mind, if further offending Lafayette meant gaining Carnot''s friendship, it was worth it.

    "Carnot, calm down," Joseph said. "Do you think the General is unaware of all these events happening throughout Paris? Do you think he''ll interfere in such matters? Mr. vierel is a man of influence, and the General needs his support to control the current situation. If the General takes action against this, he''ll stand against a significant number of people who support Mr. vierel, and it wille at a considerable political cost. The General cannot afford to do that."

    Carnot paused, realizing theplexity of the situation. Finally, he said, "Joseph, what you''re saying makes sense. But I can''t just sit back without trying."

    "Then I''ll go with you," Joseph offered.

    Carnot had already calmed down and said, "Joseph, you stay behind. There''s already some misunderstanding between you and the General. Going now might only worsen it. I''ll go alone."

    Joseph sighed and sat back at his desk to resume his work.

    About half an hourter, there was a knock at the door.

    "The door''s unlocked,e in," Joseph called out as he lifted his head from his paperwork. Carnot pushed the door open and entered.

    Joseph stood to greet him and then closed the door behind Carnot.

    "So, how did it go? What did the General say?" Joseph asked.

    Carnot replied, "Just as you estimated. But his reason is that Ick evidence."

    They both fell silent for a moment. Then Carnot said, "Joseph, you mentioned earlier that we could buy those certificates. Well, how much money can you put in?"

    "Carnot, you?" Joseph questioned.

    "Rather than letting those unscrupulous people take all the money, why don''t we intercept a portion? With money in our hands, we can at least do some good. In Mr. vierel''s hands, it can only harm more people," Carnot exined. "I used to read ''Friend of the People'' in the past, and that man named Marat used to say we should hang all the bankers frommpposts. I thought he was too extreme at the time, but now it seems he may have had a point. Our government is too lenient with these people!"

    Carnot wasn''t an expert in financial matters, but he was exceptionally skilled in mathematics, so he quickly grasped the concept. In the end, he told Joseph, "Joseph, I can contribute around 4,000 livres. But I''m too busy to handle the logistics, so I''ll leave that to you."

    Joseph replied, "Carnot, are you saying that I''m not busy? Your workload is about half of what I used to manage when I led the Red Army. Back then, you had time to spare for writing research papers, and now you''re saying you''re too busy?"

    "Maybe I''m pursuing a youngdy," Joseph joked.

    "Really? What kind of youngdy?" Carnot inquired.

    "No, no, I was just joking," Joseph quickly denied.

    "I see. Well, maybe it''s time for you to find a youngdy. With your talents, hasn''t anydy fallen for you yet?" Carnot asked. "Do you want me to introduce someone to you?"

    Joseph declined, "Not for now. I think it''s not the right time for romance until the political situation in France stabilizes."

    From Carnot, Joseph obtained 4,000 livres. He also borrowed 6,000 livres from Lavasix  the chemist, not his nephew. Adding his existing 5,000 livres, Joseph had a total of 15,000 livres to invest in the spective activity.

    The subsequent events unfolded just as Joseph had predicted. In the following two weeks, vierel Bank''s certificates rapidly devalued in the market, dropping from 80% to 70%, 60%, and finally causing a panic, falling below 20%. At the lowest point, certificates were worth only about 14% of their face value.

    Joseph seized the opportunity and invested his 15,000 livres when the certificates dropped to 20%, which wouldter be 14%. Dayster, Mr. vierel announced that he had sessfully navigated the crisis and could fully redeem all the certificates. Joseph''s original 5,000-livre certificates had transformed into 75,000 livres. After deducting the 20,000 he gave to Carnot and the 6,000 he owed Lavasix (including interest), Joseph had quietly earned 44,000 livres.

    "In times of chaos, making money is too easy," Joseph remarked. "No wonder people risked the guillotine for it."

 Chapter 78: Declaration of War (1)

    Chapter 78: Deration of War (1)

    While Robespierre and Lafayette were trying to slow down France''s march towards war, the influence of the Girondins and the moderate factions pushed France closer to conflict.

    Interestingly, it wasn''t the original moderate members who started to unite on this issue. The one who rallied the moderates was not even originally part of their faction; it was Jacques Pierre Brissot de Warville, a member of the Jacobin Club.

    Brissot had started his career as a journalist and had followed the Duke of Orleans for a time. After the Duke''s diplomatic mission to Ennd, he briefly aligned with Lafayette. However, after King Louis XVI''s flight, he shifted his support toward the Republic and shed directly with Lafayette in the Jacobin Club. During the split in the Jacobin Club, he sided with Robespierre.

    In the new elections, he became a representative of Paris in the National Assembly. It was there that he formed a friendship with someone who would be of great significanceter  Georges Danton.

    The National Assembly was an unusual ce where the more radical a representative was, the more attention they received, and the more "influential" they became. This environment led Brissot to radicalize his political views in two main aspects.

    The first was his endorsement of the Republic. In the National Assembly, most of the moderates had lost their trust in the king, making it easy to apud any attack on him. Brissot introduced the "Emigre Act," which targeted the nobles who had fled the country. He used these nobles of plotting to kidnap the king, conspiring to incite rebellion, and dered them enemies of France. He proposed measures like ordering their return for trial (though it was highly unlikely they would return). If they didn''t return, they could be tried in absentia, convicted, and face various penalties against their persons (which couldn''t be enforced) and their property (which could).

    Brissot made people believe that the "Emigre Act" would significantly alleviate or even resolve the crisis caused by the excessive issuance of assignats.

    Assignats, initially backed by church property, would have been fine if the government had strictly controlled their issuance ording to the quantity of churchnd avable. However, once the printing presses started rolling, the temptation of unlimited money became too irresistible. Many governments, especially those living hand-to-mouth, couldn''t resist the allure of unrestrained money printing. The exact amount of assignats in cirction was unknown, but rumors suggested it was enough to buy the churchnd several times over. This rapid intion of assignats put immense pressure on the nation.

    If the government could seize thend of emigrated nobles and use it as coteral for assignats, the crisis could be temporarily alleviated. Of course, if they kept printing assignats, it would eventually lead to a catastrophe, but who cared about the future?

    This proposal easily passed in the Assembly. The Feuints, of course, opposed it, and Lafayette didn''t want to press too hard on the nobility. However, the moderates, along with the Jacobins, had the majority in the Assembly.

    Then, as Brissot hoped, the king vetoed the bill. ording to the constitution, the king had the power to vetows passed by the Assembly. The king knew that vetoing such a bill would anger the Assembly, but with the Feuints now his only reliable allies, he had no other option.

    Interestingly, the veto increased Brissot''s reputation. If this tactic worked, it could be used again. Brissot quickly introduced a bill to stop paying sries to priests who refused to pledge allegiance to the Republic. Naturally, the king vetoed this bill as well.

    Through a series of maneuvers, Brissot established his reputation in the Assembly. With the support of Danton and others, he united many moderates around him and earned Louis XVI the nickname "Mr. Veto," reinforcing the image of an unyielding monarch.

    As for the second aspect of his radical direction, it was war.

    With the support of Mr. Danton and his associates, Brissot had to speak for their interests. However, he couldn''t express this externally. His slogan for promoting war was "Export the Revolution."

    Lafayette had been emphasizing the issues within the French army and itsck ofbat readiness, using it as a reason to dy war. Meanwhile, Robespierre continually attacked the possible "military dictators."

    In response to Lafayette, Brissot argued that while the French army had its problems, other countries'' armies had even more significant issues. He believed that the French Revolution had inspired all of Europe, with people in most European nations hoping for their own revolutions. They looked to the French revolutionary army with great anticipation. Once war broke out, the French army would be invincible, ording to Brissot.

    Regarding Robespierre''s concerns, Brissot mockingly suggested that he actually believed in the goodwill of foreign feudal monarchs and underestimated the patriotic fervor of the French people.

    Under Brissot''s leadership, the moderate factions quickly gathered strength. A significant number of individuals, including Varennes and the Rnd couple, rallied around Brissot. Once they united, war was just one step away.

    On November 29th, the Assembly passed a resolution, demanding that the king immediately warn the Elector of Trier to disband the armies of French emigrant nobles in his territory. If he refused, France would use any means necessary, including force, to protect its security.

    This time, "Mr. Veto" didn''t veto the resolution. Instead, he approved it and sent the warning to the Elector of Trier.

    The Elector of Trier was a member of the so-called "Holy Roman Empire." In theory, threatening to use force against him meant threatening to use force against Austria. Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antote had previously hoped for the Emperor to invade France, but he had fled after some bluster and had never mentioned an invasion again. Thus, the Assembly''s resolution was a pleasant surprise for the king and queen.

    However, things took a turn that no one expected.

    The feudal monarchs across the Rhine were terrified by France''s warning. They were as afraid of the chaos within France as the French were of their internal divisions, and they were apprehensive of the French revolutionary ideas spreading to their own territories.

    Moreover, it wasn''t entirely baseless. In some of these countries, people had shamelessly vited France''s intellectual property rights by forming their own "Friends of the Constitution" clubs. While it was unclear how many royalists there were in France (despite emigres'' ims about the prevalence of royalist sentiment), there was no doubt that these neighboring states had their own royalist sympathizers.

    Consequently, the Electors immediately backpedaled. They sent envoys to Vienna to ask for the Emperor''s protection and dispatched representatives to France to rify the misunderstanding.

    In reality, if the Holy Roman Emperor had disyed some backbone and led the charge against France, they might have been able to intimidate the revolutionaries. However, the Emperor was constrained by the Eastern Roman Empress, who, although the most fervently anti-French ruler in the world, had assumed the role of protecting France in this particr instance.

    Interestingly, it was the King of Spain who issued some words of warning. After all, he was a Bourbon, too. Yet, his protest was feeble, merely requesting that France respect other nations'' sovereignty and avoid threatening them with force. This appeal did little more than disy his own timidity.

    The "Roman Emperor" had to urgently consult with the King of Prussia to devise a n. They also dispatched envoys to Ennd to seek assistance. However, Ennd made it clear that it understood and respected the Emperor''s position in this matter. It was willing to remain neutrally benevolent.

    This was a reasonable stance for Ennd. If it had joined the chorus against France, it might have indeed deterred the French from acting rashly. After all, the English were staunchly anti-Catholic. However, the English knew that the Holy Roman Emperor didn''t want war with France. With this assurance, the French were emboldened, and war was now on the horizon.

    In Europe, the French loved food and beautiful women, the Italians cherished art and beautiful women, but the English? The English had no other interests except witnessing the congration on the European continent.

    Until the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia came to an agreement, Austria had to maintain restraint, which further encouraged France''s bellicose elements.

 Chapter 79: Declaration of War (2)

    Chapter 79: Deration of War (2)

    Emperor Leopold''s actions were seen by the French, or at least most of them, as acts of fear towards France. This sudden show of confidence among the French had a significant impact. It cast both Robespierre, who opposed the war, and Lafayette, who advocated caution, in the light of cowardice.

    After voluntarily withdrawing from the parliamentary elections, Robespierre''s reputation took a hit. For someone without much personal power, the loss of reputation weighed heavily. After such a loss, Robespierre had little room for change and had to rely heavily on the support of themon people.

    Simrly, Lafayette suffered significant damage. As a general, his power and prestigergely depended on his victories. Now, he was perceived ascking courage, which was almost intolerable for a general. Consequently, Lafayette''s influence was greatly reduced. The Paris Commune, controlled by the Republicans, took the opportunity to infiltrate the National Guard, which theoretically was under the jurisdiction of the Paris municipal government. This wasn''t an issue when the Commune was in the hands of the loyalists, but the situation had changed.

    With both anti-war figures weakened, the pace of war naturally elerated.

    On the other hand, Emperor Leopold did not remain idle. He engaged in bteral negotiations with Prussia, seeking to form an alliance against France. The Prussians, aware of the Emperor''s predicament, took advantage of the situation, and both sides continued to negotiate. However, the French''s appetite for war was increasing.

    To curb France''s adventurous impulses, just after the New Year, Emperor Leopold issued another promation. He threatened France, iming that if France didn''t behave, they would be crushed. He also insisted that France must guarantee the king''s legal status and remove the extreme Republicans from the assembly.

    Naturally, this deration had the opposite effect. In response, the French Assembly immediately proposed the formation of three armies for a war against Austria. The king and queen, who were eager for war, wouldn''t veto such a decision, especially since it meant they could finally get rid of Lafayette, whom they loathed.

    With Lafayette''s status, he was naturally appointed as themander of one of the three armies. A year ago, he would have undoubtedly been made the overallmander of the French forces. However, now he was only assigned to lead one of the three armies, which would march to the borders of France and Belgium. The crucial position of overallmander went to a neer, Dumouriez.

    Dumouriez had earned merit in the Seven Years'' War, earning a promotion to colonel. Later, he entered the diplomatic service and engaged in various diplomatic activities. In 1790, he joined the "Society of the Friends of the Constitution," and was a close friend of Mirabeau. Mirabeau had even rmended him to the king in their correspondence, praising his loyalty and courage, suggesting he could rece Lafayette.

    On the night of the split in the "Society of the Friends of the Constitution," he stood firmly against Lafayette. But he did not side with Robespierre, and soon he became a close friend of Brissot.

    So, at this moment, Dumouriez had support from almost all sides. He suddenly became a pivotal figure in the French politicalndscape.

    Seeing that the French were getting serious, Emperor Leopold quickly made concessions to Prussia, and both countries reached an alliance to protect the Rhine region. ording to this alliance, both nations would send fifty thousand troops each to resist a potential French invasion.

    However, Emperor Leopold still hoped to avoid war with France, as the risks were enormous. He was trying to resolve the situation through diplomacy and hadn''t yet issued a mobilization order.

    It''s said that the emperor asked his close advisors, "Have the French ever suffered in wars against Catholic countries?"

    However, the emperor had never been in the best of health, and suddenly fell ill from all these efforts. Soon, he passed away, and his son seeded him as Emperor Francis II. The new emperor had been quite dissatisfied with his father''s hesitancy. Upon ascending the throne, he promptly issued a mobilization order.

    Though the mobilization order was issued, it would take time for the armies to be truly mobilized. As soon as the French received news of Austria''s mobilization, they passed a resolution to dere war on Austria.

    This resolution was long-awaited by the king and queen, and they signed it without hesitation. On March 16th, Louis XVI addressed the Assembly and officially dered war on Austria.

    At this point, Prussia hadn''t had a chance to mobilize, and Austria was the only nation directly facing France. To protect themselves, Austria moved the fifty thousand troops initially designated for attacking France to Belgium to guard against a French invasion, and began mobilizing additional troops for an offensive into France.

    Prussia immediately protested Austria''s diversion of troops and dered that they wouldn''t mobilize for war until Austria''s fifty thousand troops arrived. After negotiations with Austria, Prussia lowered its demands and began military mobilization on May 4th. However, they wouldn''t be ready until at least July. In this era, armiescked the ability for "quick-start," "campus attack," and "rapid response."

    On the other hand, Austria wanted to bring Sweden into the war as well. However, this time, it seemed that God favored France, as the King of Sweden was assassinated, plunging Sweden into chaos and halting any interference in French affairs.

    All these events effectively gave the French three months to prepare militarily. However, during these three months, the French achieved very little of significance.

    The French field army had significant shortages and low morale, while the National Guard faced different issues. It wasposed of local militias who were reluctant to leave their hometowns to fight.

    Now that France nned tounch a preemptive attack, the National Guard was less relevant. This left the French field army, with a total of over sixty thousand troops, to begin their invasion of Belgium. Although they outnumbered the Austrian garrison, the French forces were disorganized. They pinned their hopes for victory on the Belgiansunching an uprising against the feudal system. As for the revolutionary elements in Belgium, they hoped to rely on the French army to defeat the Austrians and then incite their rebellion.

    Everyone relied on each other, but the oue was tragic. On April 29th, the French and Austrian armies met. As soon as they made contact, the French realized that the Belgian support they had expected had disappeared. The French noticed that the Austrian defenses were strong, leading them to believe that an attack was futile. Themanding officer ordered a retreat, but due to the confusion, it turned into a rout. The Austrians were left dumbfounded as the numerically superior French army suddenly disintegrated. The French troops were in disarray, littering the battlefield with weapons and the white fleur-de-lis gs of the Kingdom of France. Themander, also died mysteriously in the chaos.

    When news arrived, General Charles Dumouriez immediately led his forces in retreat. Karl, another French general, retreated even earlier. Lafayette, with his exposed nk, had no choice but to withdraw as well.

    This defeat was a humiliation for France, and the reputations of themanders at the front were utterly destroyed. Lafayette, who was once remembered as a hero of the American Revolution, was now ridiculed as a coward who ran back like a shot rabbit without even seeing the Austrians.

    In reality, Karl had retreated earlier than Lafayette, but Lafayette received more attention due to his greater fame.

    To salvage the situation, the French government resorted to frantic money printing, resulting in staggering intion. This intion made life even more challenging for the urban citizens. By the way, vire took advantage of this opportunity to reuse the same tricks, and they miraculously seeded again. It seemed that human memory was not fundamentally different from that of fish. Of course, Joseph and Carnot took the opportunity to catch a free ride on the train again.

    Robespierre knew that his chance hade. Along with his friends, Danton (who returned after Brissot came to power and canceled the pursuit of him), and Marat, they began to create public opinion, iming that the French army''s defeat on the frontlines was the result of internal saboteurs, royalists, and enemies conspiring. They directly used the king of being their leader and demanded his trial, transforming France into a republic.

    Lafayette realized that the situation had be extremely dangerous and decided to make a desperate attempt. He dispatched an envoy to negotiate a truce with the Austrianmander, hoping to return to Paris with his troops andunch a military coup to rescue the king and save constitutional monarchy. However, one of Emperor Leopold''s orders to the Austrian generals was to stall Lafayette. They knew that Lafayette was thest person the French king would trust, so his truce request was naturally ignored.

    Lafayette abandoned his troops and secretly returned to Paris, attempting to mobilize the National Guard in the affluent western part of the city for a coup. However, the king opposed his actions, and without the pce''s cooperation, he had no way to employ this military force. In the end, he had to leave disappointed.

    At the same time, Dumouriez, knowing that the revolution was imminent, resigned from his position as Minister of War, left Paris, and personally tookmand of the northern frontlines. However, upon his departure, he made an unusual request:

    "I want Joseph Bonaparte and his brother Napoleon Bonaparte, the formermanders of the Red Army, to join me in the north as my aides."

    Is there anything specific you''d like to know or any part you''d like to focus on further?

 Chapter 80: Valmy (1)

    Chapter 80: Valmy (1)

    In addition to dealing a heavy blow to the Bonaparte brothers, Dumouriez had also taken the entire Red Army with him. Despite Carnot''s furious protests (Carnot believed that sending Joseph to the front would severely hamper the efficiency of their rear war preparations and that sending the "Red Army" to the front was akin to killing the goose thatys the golden egg), Dumouriez knew that his political life hinged on the oue of this battle. If he were to lose, what use would there be for others to keep the mother hen? So, Carnot''s protests were naturally ignored.

    Moreover, Joseph felt that leaving Paris was a good idea. Firstly, the situation in Paris was bing increasingly unstable, and a revolution could erupt at any moment. He believed that if a revolution broke out this time, the danger it posed would be much greater than thest. There would likely be a situation where "the pce was reduced to ashes, and the streets were hung with the bones of nobles." Staying in Paris was too dangerous, even more so than being at the front lines. As they say, a wise man doesn''t stand under a copsing wall, and leaving Paris at this moment was a blessing for Joseph.

    As for Lucien and Louis, Louis was manageable; he was young and obedient. But Lucien was showing signs of troublemaking potential. He was neither a child nor an adult, understanding some things and pretending to understand others. He had a bold spirit, in other words, he was in the phase of a troublesome teenager.

    Unfortunately, to nurture him, Joseph had imparted a considerable amount of politically urate knowledge, but his elder brother Napoleon hadn''t been of much help. He had filled Lucien''s head with a lot of romantic and rebellious thoughts. In summary, Lucien was a teenager with some newfound knowledge.

    Teens with knowledge could be trouble. A teenager who hadn''t learned chemistry might y with fireworks at home. But a teenager with knowledge of chemistry might be found concocting thermite in their garage or trying to make their friends inte like balloons by feeding them gas-producing pills. (Don''t hide, Edison, we''re talking about you!)

    Lucien was precisely one of these knowledgeable troublemakers. Joseph thought that if they didn''t keep an eye on him, who knew what kind of trouble he might stir up? Joseph could return from the front lines to find Lucien leading a group of people, waving gs in front of Doyel Castle and shouting, "Down with the feudal system, long live the Republic!"

    So, they needed someone reliable to look after him.

    Among the people Joseph knew, only one person was both reliable and trustworthyLazare Carnot. So, he entrusted Lucien and Louis to Carnot with great solemnity. He spoke frankly to Carnot, saying, "Lazare, Lucien has made some active friends during his art studies. I''m not saying these people are bad. If they were, I would never allow Lucien to associate with them. But... you know, Lucien''s friends are all hot-blooded youths, ready toy down their lives for noble ideals, the kind of people who are willing to fight for their beliefs. They''re good people, but... Lazare, you know that everyone has their own interests. I''m more than willing to sacrifice for France, and Napoleon is the same. But... Lucien is still too young, his thinking isn''t mature yet, so I hope..."

    Carnot interrupted him, saying, "I understand what you mean, Joseph. The situation in Paris is very unstable now, and who knows what might happen any day. The environment is harsh, people''s behavior is unpredictable, some have joined the royalists, some are fighting, and some are waiting. Lucien is just a child; he should wait. Honestly, I''m not afraid to sacrifice for France either. But the reason we''re willing to sacrifice for France is so that those children don''t have to. I''ll take care of them."

    "Why does that sentence sound so familiar? Like I''ve heard it in a movie somewhere; it seems a bit ominous," Joseph''s thoughts seemed to drift in an odd direction. "Maybe I should entrust Lucien and the others to someone else?"

    However, although Joseph knew people who were morally upright, able to care for orphaned children, and trustworthy, like Armand, Saint-Just, or even Robespierre, he believed that they were the ones who needed to be isted the most. If he entrusted Lucien to them, who knew what would happen? So, after some thought, he decided to trust Carnot.

    "But Joseph, you know I''ll be very busy during this time, especially after you leave," Carnot continued. "I suggest you have Lucien and Louis take a break from their studies and stay at my house. I''ll have my wife look after them and keep them from going out."

    "That''s a good idea," Joseph agreed, nodding. "And they should have something to do. I''ve prepared some math problems for them. It''ll not only exercise their minds but also consume some of their excess energy."

    While saying this, Joseph took out a folder from his bag and handed it to Carnot. "But the orders came suddenly, and I didn''t have time to prepare more questions for them. Lazare, if you have time, you can alsoe up with some questions for them."

    "That''s an interesting idea," Carnot nodded. "Don''t worry; I''ll check their homework every night."

    And so, Lucien and Louis began their dark days.

    Dumouriez left Paris, but he didn''t immediately head north tomand the counterattack. He hadpletely lost trust in the French army, so he decided to rely more on the volunteer army to defeat the enemy. Although the volunteerscked training, their morale was high, and they wouldn''t inexplicably copse like the regr army. As the failures continued in the front, the National Guard also realized that France had to defend itself. Many patriots joined the volunteer army, providing Dumouriez with over ten thousand troops in the short term, just in the vicinity of Paris.

    The morale of these volunteers was quite high, but their military skills werecking. Therefore, Dumouriez had Joseph and Napoleon intensively train them while praying to God for the enemy''s movements to slow down.

    Perhaps it was France''s longstanding piety that touched God. The enemy''s movements did indeed slow down.

    Until Austria and Prussia began their war mobilization and continuously shifted their troops toward France, the great Empress of the East Roman Empire, after scolding the French rebels and expressing moral support for Austria and Prussia''s military actions, gently waved her hand, and a hundred thousand gray cattle surged across the border.

    The Polish army rose to resist, and they were doing well, but while they were bravely fighting, King Stanisaw led the way to surrender. "We were ready for a life-or-death battle, Your Majesty, why did you surrender so soon?" Surrendering, while they fought valiantly, was demoralizing for the Polish army. By July, the whole of Pnd was in the hands of the Empress.

    The Empress''s actions surprised Austria and Prussia. They thought she would consult with them on how to divide the Polish spoils, but the Empress simply grabbed the whole of Pnd for herself and put it on her te.

    Austria and Prussia immediately proposed that all three parties sit down together to discuss how to divide Pnd. But if you don''t have troops, why would the Empress negotiate with you? So Prussia immediately halted the troops it was sending to France, hoping for a peaceful resolution. After all, even if they didn''t send troops, they would still have limited repercussions as they didn''t share a border with France.

    Upon seeing Prussia''s conciliatory stance, the Empress made a counter-proposal. She suggested separate negotiations with Prussia and Austria to discuss the division of Pnd.

    Her intention was clear; she wanted to divide and conquer. Prussia had sent troops, so they could get a share of the spoils, but what about Austria? Could you move your troops from the border with France? Could you dare?

    Austria naturally couldn''t, so why should the Empress share the spoils with them?

    After much negotiation, the Empress had the meat, the King had the soup, and the Emperor, well, he could smell the meat.

    And time passed as they haggled.

    It wasn''t until July 30th that the Austro-Prussian coalition crossed the border into France and encountered relentless heavy rain. In this era, almost all roads were dirt roads, and in heavy rain, they turned into mud pits. Carriages and cannons couldn''t move an inch in these mud pits, which gave Dumouriez more time to prepare. The coalition''s supply lines became difficult to maintain, and a significant portion of their troopsgged behind.

    Following Joseph''s advice, Dumouriez had already relocated a significant number of French artillery units to the Sedan region in preparation to intercept the coalition here, allowing them to rest while the coalition suffered from endless negotiations and muddy roads. This further increased the number of troops under Dumouriez''smand. Not long after, he had more than a hundred thousand troops. However, Lafayette, realizing the grim situation, failed to persuade the army to follow him back to Paris to support the king, so he left the army and attempted to reach North America. Unfortunately, he was captured by the Austrian army while on his way through Hond.

    By August 19th, the Austro-Prussian coalition had crossed the border into France, but then they faced a continuous downpour. With most roads turned into mud, their vehicles and cannons struggled to move through the quagmire, giving the French the upper hand in both numbers and artillery.

    ....

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 Chapter 81: Valmy (2)

    Chapter 81: Valmy (2)

    On August 29th, the Prussian-Austrian coalition surrounded the gates of Paris at Valmy. By the morning of September 2nd, royalists in Valmyunched a rebellion, killing themander of the city''s defenses. Valmy surrendered to the Prussian-Austrian coalition, and the gates of Paris were opened.

    The fall of Valmy due to the rebellion took the Frenchpletely by surprise. In their ns, Valmy, with its formidable terrain, was supposed to serve as an unbreakable anvil, with the French army as a heavy hammer. They would cooperate, smashing the enemy to pieces. However, Valmy, this anvil, was easily captured due to internal traitors. This infuriated and terrified the French, as they began to fear that there might be traitors around them ready to betray their homnd.

    The National Assembly quickly reacted, and their first important task now was to suppress the counter-revolution. Danton, recently a wanted criminal and now the Minister of Justice in the new government, led the efforts to eliminate traitors. In the National Assembly that afternoon, he delivered a famous speech, "Be Brave, Be Brave, Be Brave!" and began overseeing the repression of counter-revolutionaries in Paris.

    Many nobles, or those with connections to nobility, or suspected of sympathizing with the king and nobles, were imprisoned "preventively" without any investigation or trial.

    If this were the extent of it, it wouldn''t be too extreme. After the attack on Pearl Harbor inter times, even the beacon nation imprisoned Japanese-Americans in concentration camps.

    In the midst of fear and anger, this "preventive" arrest policy naturally followed the principle of "guilty until proven innocent," with the motto of "better to arrest a thousand wrongfully than let one escape." Parisian prisons quickly filled up, and more "traitor" suspects were being brought in.

    At this point, a rumor started circting. ording to this rumor, royalists wouldunch a rebellion, storm the prisons, free the "traitors," and join forces with the nearby Prussian-Austrian coalition to suppress the Parisian revolution. The Austrians had already dered their intention to cleanse the streets of Paris with blood in retaliation for their perceived humiliation of the king.

    The people of Paris quickly armed themselves, prepared to counter a royalist uprising. But at this point, the royalists were either imprisoned or had escaped Paris, making a rebellion unlikely. However, an unexpected event would soon spiral out of control.

    One prison became overcrowded, so the National Guard decided to transfer the "suspects" to another prison with more space. When they left the prison, some citizens saw them. Nervous citizens, thinking they were royalists attempting to free the "traitors," began shouting. Parisians armed with various weapons surrounded them.

    The National Guard had no desire to confront the "traitors" for the sake of these hated individuals, so they simply abandoned them.

    The citizens couldn''t catch up with the National Guard, but they at least stopped the "suspects" who attempted to flee. In their anger and excitement, the citizens killed them all. Someone shouted, "Why keep these traitors locked up? They all deserve to die!"

    The crowd then moved on to other prisons, storming in and killing everyone held within, regardless of whether they were "traitors." Queen Marie Antote''s confidante, Princess de Lamballe, was killed by the enraged mob, her head severed and ced on a pike, paraded outside the tower where the king and queen were imprisoned. People shouted towards the tower, "You will end up like this one day!"

    Some Girondin deputies approached Justice Minister Danton and proposed restoring order and stopping the massacres. But while Danton didn''t openly oppose the idea of restoring order, he took no action.

    "We can''t stand against the people," Dantonter exined.

    Many Girondin deputies believed Danton was intentionally allowing this behavior to mobilize all of Paris against the Prussian-Austrian coalition. By eliminating potential threats in one fell swoop, Paris could thenmit more forces to the fight against the foreign intervention.

    Indeed, after this frenzy of killing, the government rapidly mobilized 20,000 volunteers to support the front lines.

    Following Napoleon''s advice, General Dumouriez positioned his army near the Valmy heights of Sainte-Menehould. This location was not on the main road from Valmy to Paris. However, if the Prussian-Austrian coalition dared to advance directly toward Paris, Dumouriez''s army could easily cut off their retreat from this position.

    Napoleon estimated that, due to continuous rain, the coalition''s logistics must have been strained. Once their retreat was cut off, they would surely copse. Therefore, before eliminating the threat from Valmy''s French forces, they wouldn''t dare to advance on Paris.

    "Our army is courageous butcks training, makingplex offensive operations difficult. Defense, on the other hand, is rtively easier when taking advantage of the terrain," Joseph supported his brother''s n. "In most cases, defense is a more effective strategy than offense. If the enemy initiates an attack, we will surely defeat them in a defensive battle."

    Things were ying out just as Napoleon had judged. The coalition did not dare to march on Paris before removing the threat to their retreat. However, they knew that the longer they dyed, the more favorable it would be for France. Every minute, every second, the French army was growing in size and bing more organized.

    So, Duke of Brunswick decided to concentrate his forces first, crush General Dumouriez''s army, and then push towards Paris.

    On September 17th, the Prussian-Austrian coalition approached Valmy. Initially, Duke of Brunswick hoped to force the French to retreat by threatening their supply route, Vitry Road. However, before this, the revolutionary government had managed to gather significant provisions for General Dumouriez''s army through price controls. So, at least for a considerable time, Dumouriez was not concerned about his supply line being cut. On the contrary, the coalition''s own supply line was vulnerable due to constant attacks from French volunteers.

    This situation forced Duke of Brunswick to vite military principles andunch a direct assault on therger enemy force.

    Most of the French army consisted of volunteers. These volunteers were poorly trained, unable to form a proper formation, and thus could only fight in a scattered manner. However, their high morale and fiercebativeness made them useful as skirmishers.

    Generally, during this era, skirmish formations were not the primary force because they would easily crumble against heavy cavalry. Heavy cavalry theoretically could effortlessly break these formations and decimate them in pursuit.

    But in these preliminary skirmishes, the French volunteers'' skirmishing abilities surprised the Austrians and Prussians. When they found that the French didn''t maintain strict formations and had limited cavalry (since many nobles were in the cavalry, which was not considered very reliable, and the volunteer infantry wasn''t yet skilled enough for this kind of work), they naturally sent in their cavalry. They believed their cavalry could easily scatter and destroy these rabble in blue uniforms, who they didn''t even consider a proper army. However, during the attack, they were astonished to discover that the French troops, despite their loose formation,ck of a traditional square formation used against cavalry, and the absence of much cavalry, stood their ground, advanced boldly against the cavalry, and began firing at them instead of fleeing as expected.

    Although the uracy of these musket shots was not high, they still inflicted casualties on the Prussian cavalry. The infantry nevertheless rushed forward, as in most cases, the enemy should have dropped their weapons and fled, allowing the cavalry to easily catch and kill them from behind. But these volunteers didn''t retreat; they stood their ground, brandishing bays, and charged at the cavalry.

    Warhorses could easily knock over infantry in a charge, but such collisions still injured the horses, especially when the infantry was armed with bay-equipped muskets. The cavalry, although prevailing in such meleebat, still suffered considerable losses. While it took killing four or five of these blue-d rabble for one cavalryman to die, this exchange rate was causing considerable heartache to Duke of Brunswick.

    It''s important to note that the French had conscripted these blue-d rabble for a fraction of the costpared to their own cavalry. Such exchanges, in terms of manpower, favored the Prussian-Austrian coalition, but in terms of cost, it was a heavy loss. Don''t forget that even the horses themselves were more valuable than these French rabble.

    Nheless, Duke of Brunswick believed that his well-trained infantry would destroy the French rabble''s lines.

    After repelling the French skirmishers, the Prussian-Austrian coalition''s artillery began to pound the French positions relentlessly. Following a brief but intense bombardment, the coalition''s infantry lines started advancing towards the French positions.

    Napoleon stood behind a trench, watching the approaching coalition forces, and muttered, "They''vee charging after just a few shots. It seems their supply lines indeed have significant issues."

 Chapter 82: Valmy (3)

    Chapter 82: Valmy (3)

    The first tounch an attack were the Austrian infantry. They marched in neat formation, following the rhythmic beats of their drums, steadily advancing towards the French positions.

    The French cannons began to fire. Shells rained down on the Austrian lines, creating small gaps in their formation. However, the Austrian soldiers quickly filled the gaps, and the line was restored in the blink of an eye. The artillery barrage seemed like tossing a few pebbles into a pond, creating ripples but not significantly altering thendscape.

    "General, it seems the enemy doesn''t have many cannons," a young officer in his twenties remarked to the Duke of Brunswick, lowering his spyss.

    "Ah, Karl, you''ve noticed that too," the Duke of Brunswick nodded. "In theory, the French should notck cannons, but their army is gued by desertions, and the technical branches are no different. They might notck cannons but well-trained gunners."

    By this time, the Austrian infantry was closing in on the French trenches. The French, in response, started firing haphazardly. Their shooting was uncoordinated and inefficient.

    "Their range is too far, and they can''t maintain a proper volley. It''s clear theyck training," the Duke of Brunswickmented. "The French army, loyal to the monarchy, is reluctant to engage with us. They rely on these mobs, and while thesemoners may have courage, war requires more than just bravery. Well-trained gentlemen can easily defeat these disorganized masses, even in greater numbers. Your country''s army might achieve a good result with this attack."

    The French gunfire wasn''t enough to halt the Austrian advance. In fact, their ineffectual counter-fire only emboldened the Austrian troops. Eager to get closer to the French and fire before them, they quickened their march, following the rhythm of the drums.

    "Perhaps we''ll get there before the French can fire another round," the young Karl muttered as he strained to see ahead from his horse.

    However, at that moment, he saw a sudden sh on the French lines, like stars had descended to the ground. Then, he witnessed numerousrge gaps appearing in the advancing Austrian formations. This was no longer a matter of tossing pebbles into a pond; it was like a group of shooting stars falling into the water.

    "What''s happening? What''s going on?" Karl was taken aback, struggling toprehend the situation.

    The Duke of Brunswick quickly raised his spyss and looked in the direction of the recent sh.

    The ces that had just shed were now veiled in thick smoke. Judging from the shape of the smoke, the seasoned Duke of Brunswick could tell that it was canister shot being fired from cannons. From the location of the smoke to the Austrian lines, the distance was no more than sixty or seventy meters. The French had concealed these cannons so well that the Austrians hadn''t noticed them until they fired.

    Napoleon watched the Austrian forces, thrown into chaos by the simultaneous volley of his dozens of cannons, with excitement. Then, he muttered to himself:

    "Amazing! This is truly... magnificent! War, how beautiful you are! Compared to you, all other human arts seem pale. Minerva, you are the most beautiful goddess! I can''t understand why anyone would refuse to award you the golden apple!"

    At this moment, Napoleon indulged his inner romantic in the midst of the battle, as at least for the time being, his artillery''s mission was aplished.

    Napoleon''s cannons were not ced directly on the ground. They had dug deep trenches where the cannons were concealed. All theponents were hidden underground. From the front, nothing was visible. In front of the cannons, there was a sloping earth mound. When the enemy approached, gunners pushed the cannons, loaded with shells, up the slope. This revealed the cannon barrels, allowing them to fire at the enemy. After firing, the cannons would recoil and disappear from view due to the recoil. In fact, if needed, they could keep firing in this manner.

    In this battle, Napoleon''s cannons only needed to fire one synchronized volley. This was also a signal. After this volley, the French volunteers in blue uniforms would charge, bays fixed, andunch a full-scale counterattack against the enemy. They took advantage of the enemy''s disarray, aiming to crush thempletely.

    The fog of war created by the synchronized volley of cannons had yet to clear when a tide of blue surged forth from the French trenches. Chaotic and relentless, it charged headlong toward the Austrians.

    The French volunteerscked training, and in a disciplined firefight, they might not have been a match for the Austrians. However, seizing the opportunity while the Austrian lines were in disarray, they surged forward. In the heat of the moment, tactics and formations no longer mattered; courage and numbers ruled the battlefield. The volunteers, with numerical and courageous superiority, almost instantly overwhelmed the Austrians. Those Austrians who were slower were skewered with bays, while those more agile dropped their weapons and fled. The French pursued them relentlessly, only stopping when Prussian cavalry arrived to rescue the Austrians.

    The Prussian cavalry, after their previous skirmishes with the French irregrs, were hesitant to pursue the French any further. When they saw the French give up the chase, they quickly retreated.

    This attack left the coalition forces in a dire situation. Their attack had faltered, and the Austrians, in particr, had suffered heavy losses. In just this round of fighting, they left over six hundred corpses on the battlefield. Their morale was shattered, and for the entire day, they were unable tounch any more attacks.

    The Duke of Brunswick now found himself in a dilemma. His army was no longer capable of driving the French away through an offensive action. The Austrians were demoralized, and the Prussians were not much better. Although the Prussians had not suffered significant losses in this battle, they had witnessed the Austrian defeat in front of the French lines. They knew they might not fare any better. So, they were also hesitant to engage in battle.

    In addition to the difficult marches and supply issues they had faced, the soldiers were hungry and fatigued. Their morale had held up due to consistent victories and minimal losses in previous engagements, as well as the anticipation of plundering the reputedly rich city of Paris after capturing it.

    However, now that they had suffered heavy losses and couldn''t defeat the French in front of them, the prospect of entering Paris seemed uncertain. In this situation, their army was barely holding together. The Duke of Brunswick even wondered if forcing his soldiers to continue the offensive might lead to a mutiny.

    On the other hand, he couldn''t afford to continue facing the French in a standoff. His supply lines had always been a major issue. Adverse weather conditions, mud, and constant harassment from French irregrs had made logistical support increasingly difficult.

    Rationally, the best option for the coalition forces was to retreat. However, retreating in the face of the enemy was a more challenging and dangerous endeavor in warfare thanunching an attack. A poorly executed retreat could turn into a rout, and then it could lead toplete disaster. Recent history offered examples, such as the French defeat in Belgium not long ago or the Battle of Fei River in ancient China.

    So, the Duke of Brunswick was also hesitant to order a retreat. The Prussian-Austrian coalition found itself in an extremely perilous situation, even teetering on the brink of destruction.

    But on the other side, General Dumouriez, who had just won a defensive victory, faced his own dilemmas. The victory in a defensive battle had ignited the people of Paris. They were eager to see the invading army driven out of France. They sent continuous requests for immediate action, as if a meremand from Dumouriez could eliminate the German invaders entirely.

    "Unbelievable! Do these Parisians have any sense at all?" Dumouriez couldn''t help butin to Joseph. "I have troops who can''t even march in formation, and they expect me tounch an attack against a simrly sized enemy force! It''s nothing short of a suicide mission!"

    "Paris has shown restraint so far," Joseph replied. "They''ve sent requests and suggestions, not orders. That''s already quite remarkable."

    "I know," Dumouriez said, "Some of them just want to see me make a fool of myself. They''re worried... If it weren''t for Carnot restraining them, who knows what foolish things they might do! Well, Joseph, do you have any suggestions for the current situation?"

    Joseph did have a solution, but he chose not to reveal it to Dumouriez. He knew that, for political reasons, Paris needed to see the invaders expelled from France, and the Prussian-Austrian coalition was actually quite willing to retreat. There was room for negotiation. However, this was politically incorrect, so why should Joseph tell Dumouriez?

    "General, in this situation, there''s not much I can do. We''re facing not just the enemy, but also our own government and parliament they''re much more challenging to deal with than the Austrians and Prussians," Joseph replied.

    "You''re right, Joseph," Dumouriez furrowed his brow. "But I muste up with a solution."

 Chapter 83: The Battle of Jemappes

    Chapter 83: The Battle of Jemappes

    Although Joseph hadn''t given Dumouriez any advice, Dumouriez was a clever man. He quickly realized that his current goals were simr to those of the Duke of Brunswick across from him. So he began secret discussions with the Duke of Brunswick about the withdrawal of the Prussian and Austrian coalition forces.

    Afterward, the Duke of Brunswick began a slow retreat, and Dumouriez followed discreetly, almost escorting them from Verdun to Valenciennes.

    The recapture of Valenciennes was another great achievement, and for this, Dumouriez received high praise from the government and the assembly. His reputation was now rivaling that of the infamous Lafayette from years past.

    The Duke of Brunswick, on the other hand, swiftly withdrew his Prussian forces to Coblentz. It was said that young Duke Charles had suggested to the Duke of Brunswick that redirecting their forces in that direction would give the Austrians in Belgium more freedom of action. Still, the Duke of Brunswick did not adopt his advice. Because if they followed Charles''s suggestion, while it might provide more help to the Austrian forces in Belgium, it would also expose the Prussian army to greater risks. After all, the Duke was a Prussian general, and he had to prioritize Prussian interests.

    Following the retreat of the Duke of Brunswick''s army, Dumouriez allowed his forces two days to rest and then prepared to join the battle in Belgium. Everyone took the opportunity to rest.

    Napoleon, never one to sit still, had been studying maps for hours, and he sought out Joseph to discuss his insights. However, when he entered Joseph''s temporary residence, he saw Joseph''s grim expression, as if something had upset him.

    "What''s wrong? Has something happened?" Napoleon asked. He noticed a letter on Joseph''s desk and added, "Did Lucien get himself into trouble again? Did he cause some mischief?"

    Joseph shot Napoleon a sideways nce and thought to himself, "Lucien causing trouble? Isn''t that your doing? You taught him to ''be bold and act decisively'' every day. His behavior is your influence, isn''t it?"

    "In my opinion, Joseph, you turned Lucien into a troublemaker. You know he''s mischievous, and you''ve taught him a bunch of skills. It''s no wonder he causes trouble..." Napoleon didn''t care about Joseph''s thoughts and went on the offensive, shifting the me beautifully to Joseph.

    "Lucien is fine," Joseph replied, shaking his head. "Mr. Carnot promised to watch over him, and I trust he''ll do a good job."

    "True, with Lucien''s foolishness and Mr. Carnot''s guidance, there''s no need to worry," Napoleon admitted. He had great respect for Carnot''s abilities and character.

    "Then why are you not happy?" Napoleon inquired further.

    "vier has taken advantage of the Austrian upation of Valenciennes to repeat his tricks and make some more money, while we''re not in Paris, and Mr. Carnot is too busy to catch a ride..." Joseph grumbled.

    Napoleon knew about Joseph and Carnot hitching rides with vier on his public carriage for profit. He knew how much they could earn. He frowned and said, "That heartless guy. He didn''t even wait for us to catch the ride... One day, I''ll put his head on amppost!"

    Two days of restter, Dumouriez led his army towards Belgium. With high morale, the French army made rapid progress, entering Belgium inte October. By early November, they reached the vicinity of the primary Austrian defensive position at Jemappes Heights. Capturing this strategic high ground would secure all of Belgium for the French.

    At this point, the Austrian forces defending the high ground numbered around 25,000 troops, supported by over 40 pieces of artillery. Dumouriez had approximately 45,000 troops avable for the assault, ounting for those used elsewhere. The French outnumbered the Austrians and had more artillery.

    However, these advantages didn''t guarantee victory. As Joseph put it, "In most cases, defense is a more powerful strategy than offense."

    The French army, particrly the volunteer forces, had high morale butcked training. Their military skills were far from impressive, bordering on dreadful. Maintaining formation while advancing was a challenge. If they followed the conventional approach, they would need to stop and reform ranks every twenty to thirty paces, slowing down their advance. In a situation with limited artillery and musket fire, this might be eptable, but here, it exposed them to more rounds of cannon and musket fire and greater casualties.

    During their march towards Belgium, Joseph, Napoleon, and Dumouriez proposed a new tactical approach known as "column assault."

    Column assault involved advancing in multiple columns rather than a single line. Maintaining columns was simpler than lines, even for poorly trained volunteer forces. Columns presented a smaller target area for enemy fire, making them less vulnerable to cannon and musket fire.

    Nevertheless, the column assault required a high level of morale because the lead soldiers were almost certain to die. In this tactic, the lead soldiers bore the brunt of enemy fire, making their courage and determination essential for the entire assault to seed. Joseph, Napoleon, and Dumouriez didn''t reveal the extreme danger of being a lead soldier, and they emphasized the glory of being at the forefront for the fathend.

    For the French of that time, it wasn''t a significant issue. The volunteer forces already had high morale, and their ignorance of the risks involved in leading a column made it easier for them to volunteer for this task. Joseph, Napoleon, and Dumouriez had no intention of enlightening them. Moreover, they highlighted the expectations of the fathend and the honor of leading the column.

    Of course, immediately forming columns and charging forward wasn''t the answer. Such an all-or-nothing approach required perfect timing.

    "We must deliver the decisive blow when the enemy is rtively exhausted," Dumouriez told Joseph as he prepared a force of 4,000 for the assault.

    The next morning, the Frenchunched one attack after another against the Austrian forces on the high ground. But thanks to the terrain and well-positioned artillery, by around 2 p.m., they had repelled five or six consecutive French attacks.

    "Joseph, have you tallied the number of shots fired and the frequency of fire for each of the enemy''s cannons?" Dumouriez asked as he sat on arge stone, gazing at the Austrian defenses, addressing Joseph.

    "I have taken a count. If they haven''t concealed some of their cannons, they should have around 45 cannons. By now, each cannon has fired many times. The lowest count is 20 shots, and the highest is 43. All their cannons are firing at a slower rate now," Joseph reported.

    "They''ve fired so many times; their barrels should be overheating. It''s time," Dumouriez dered, rising from his seat. His guards brought him his horse.

    Dumouriez mounted the horse and rode to the front of the assault force. He delivered a speech to the troops.

    "Children of the fathend, children of France, before you stands the army of Europe''s most despicable feudal lords. They fear that the winds of French freedom will reach theirnds, and they dread their people saying, ''Why can''t we be as free and equal as the French?'' So these wretched men have united, saying, ''Let''s destroy France, let''s crush their revolution, let''s make them ves again, let this world remain in perpetual servitude!'' My children, they want to subdue us, destroy us, trample us underfoot, take ourbor''s fruits, and steal our wives and children! Can we allow that?"

    "No!"

    "No!"

    "Down with the feudal lords, down with all tyrants!"

    First, the drummer, a child ced among the soldiers, shouted loudly. Then, the soldiers followed suit, chanting enthusiastically.

    Dumouriez waited for the chants to subside a bit before continuing, "So, children, children of France! For France and for the freedom of all French people, for the wives and children of all French people, Imand you, Francemands you, march with me, follow the seasoned French soldier before you."

    With those words, Dumouriez spurred his horse forward and raised his sword. "Advance! Advance!"

 Chapter 84: France, Onward!

    Chapter 84: France, Onward!

    Dumouriez rode at the forefront, with Joseph and Napoleon on horseback, brandishing their swords and leading the soldiers towards the smoke-covered heights of Jemappes.

    Perhaps due to exhaustion or the obscurity of the battlefield, the Austrians did not react immediately. Dumouriez took the opportunity to press forward with his soldiers.

    As the troops neared the range of the Austrian cannons, Dumouriez shouted "Forward!" and waved hismand sword. The soldiers picked up the pace, but Dumouriez slowed his horse, falling to the rear.

    Joseph followed suit, recognizing that the earlier show of bravery was merely to boost morale. Actual battle wasn''t aboutmanders charging forward like in "Three Kingdoms" or knight duels from chivalry novels; that wasn''t how it worked.

    However, as Joseph looked around, he realized that Napoleon was missing. Where had he gone? He was right behind them a moment ago, and they hadn''t crossed a river. How could he disappear?

    Anxiously, Joseph scanned the surroundings and spotted a figure riding a horse at the front, brandishing a gleaming sword, leading the charge. "Damn, this guy''s over the top!" Joseph muttered to himself.

    "Joseph, how did your brother end up in the front? He''s so small, yet incredibly brave!" Dumouriez also noticed Napoleon had raced ahead.

    "Brave my foot! He''spletely out of his mind!" Joseph cursed, determined to give that troublemaker a good talking-to when they got back, so he''d understand why things were the way they were.

    Austrian forces began to react, and their cannons opened fire. The cannonballs of that era moved slowly, and Joseph could almost see the small ck dots rising into the air, seeming to pause briefly at their apex before rapidly descending, kicking up dust on impact, rebounding like bouncy rabbits. One of them whizzed dangerously close to Joseph, nearly making him shrink into his own body.

    "Napoleon is even closer, and therefore in more danger, this damned troublemaker!" Joseph thought.

    "I can''t let him be alone in that ce!" Joseph shouted to Dumouriez. He whipped his horse and galloped after Napoleon.

    "Ah, Joseph, you, usually so bookish, are surprisingly brave," Dumouriez shook his head. He didn''t chase after them; he was themander, and he needed to oversee the big picture.

    Joseph, fueled by anxiety, caught up and grabbed Napoleon''s reins. "You idiot, are you out of your mind? I called you here just to show your face to the soldiers. Why did you run off? You can''t just run around! Get back with me quickly!"

    Napoleon turned around, giving Joseph a peculiar look. "Joseph, is there something wrong with your head? We''vee this far; we can''t turn back now, can we?"

    Joseph was momentarily perplexed, but then he understood what Napoleon meant. Dumouriez had boosted morale with his show of bravery earlier, but now he had fallen behind the formation. If Joseph and Napoleon turned back, it could demoralize the troops.

    "You rascal!" As Joseph grasped the situation, his anger grew. He now had to apany this troublemaker into the heat of battle.

    "Haha... Maybe I should be touched that you came all this way for my safety. Really!" Napoleon teased.

    "Touched, my foot! You''re not a woman!" Joseph retorted but rxed his grip on the reins.

    A cannonball struck nearby, hitting a small detachment. The g bearer at the front was obliterated, and the gpole split in two, causing the g to soar into the air, then tumble down. A hand reached out and caught the falling gpole, raising the tricolour g high. It was Napoleon, who had caught the plummeting g and raised it high, then jumped off his horse, shouting to the stunned soldiers, "French soldiers, for our homnd, charge!"

    The soldiers, inspired by his actions, followed his lead, shouting and advancing.

    Joseph gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and urged his horse onward. "Idiot! Get off your horse! You''re too conspicuous, like a ma for bullets!" He scolded Napoleon while pulling him off his horse.

    Joseph felt a strange mixture of emotions. He had never imagined that he would be charging into battle alongside his younger brother. Yet, in a matter of moments, he had gone from cursing Napoleon to feeling moved by his courage.

    "Joseph, you''ve shown more bravery than I ever expected from you," Napoleon said, taking in Joseph''s iron-willed determination. He chuckled, his usual mischievous self showing.

    "You dare to call me a coward, you troublemaker!" Joseph replied, but at that moment, another cannonball whizzed by. Joseph realized that his life had taken a wild turn.

    In this battle, the French suffered over 600 casualties, with more than 1,300 wounded, totaling around 2,000 casualties. The Austrians, on the other hand, had approximately 300 killed, over 500 wounded, and about 600 taken prisoner, totaling roughly 1,500 casualties. If you only considered the numbers, it seemed like the Austrians had a slight advantage.

    However, this was a defensive battle that relied on terrain and fortifications. The French were mostly inexperienced volunteer soldiers. Even with these factors against them, the Austrians couldn''t hold their ground against the French assault. Without the terrain advantage and fortifications, they would have been even more vulnerable.

    This battle demonstrated that even with less-experienced French troops, the Austrians were still vulnerable to various forms of French warfare.

 Chapter 85: The Accursed Safe

    Chapter 85: The ursed Safe

    After the victorious Battle of Rheims, the Austrian defenses in the region of Belgium crumbled. The Austrian forces fled in haste, and the French effortlessly upied Aachen, moving swiftly towards the River Roer. Due to this string of victories, Dumas had risen to the status of a hero, a savior of France. However, at this very moment, unsettling news arrived that soured his mood.

    The source of his displeasure, even hatred, was Carnot. After the Battle of Valmy, Carnot had been instrumental in shielding Dumas from unnecessary Parisian meddling. At that time, Dumas held Carnot in high regard. Yet, as he led his army into Belgium, he began to find Carnot increasingly irksome.

    Now, his supply lines had grown longer, requiring goods to be transported from France via roads, a less efficient methodpared to local procurement. So, ording to the customary practice, the French government merely had to send him the funds, while Dumas would handle the supply purchases.

    Even a fool would understand the immense profit potential in supplying nearly a hundred thousand troops. Dumas exploited this opportunity by inting the numbers of troops, exaggerating their consumption rates, and engaging in corrupt practices such as overpriced, subpar supplies. He had amassed significant wealth through such means.

    This method wasmon inter times as well. For instance, not long ago, nc purchased 13 sets of MK-45 127mm naval guns from the Bald Eagle for a staggering $1 billion. Everyone knew these guns were among the worst-performing 127mm naval guns worldwide, notably inferior to Italy''s Otto 127 guns. There was noparison, as there were numerous disparities in performance. Apart from being rtively lightweight, these guns had no other merits. Their lightweight nature was due to skimping on every possible aspect, to the point that their sustained firing rate was on par with the army''s goods. When selling to other nations, these guns were rtively inexpensive, but when nc was buying, they demanded exorbitant prices. The reason was quite simple: if the price wasn''t high, how could nc''s procurement personnel pocket kickbacks?

    Dumas was thriving with his newfound wealth when Carnot presented a so-called "military reform n," which included a vital point: stripping frontlinemanders of their financial authority and having specialized personnel sent by the War Department handle procurement. They even considered establishing amittee to scrutinize procurement bills. Carnot argued that this would help reduce costs and strengthen the government''s control over the military. But this... it was tantamount to killing his parents!

    Yet Carnot''s absurd proposal, contrary to France''s noble traditions, garnered widespread support in the parliament. This was understandable; it was a major source of wealth, and who in the parliament wouldn''t want to control that power?

    However, Dumas soon discovered that this was merely a minor inconvenience. The real crisis was King Louis XVI''s treacherous safe!

    Just a few days ago, a remarkably intricate safe was discovered in the Tuileries Pce. After violent attempts to crack it open, a trove of letters was found inside, exchanged between the queen, her brother (the Holy Roman Emperor), and her nephew (the current Emperor of Austria). These letters conclusively proved that the royal family had been conspiring with foreign powers. Even after the war began, they had been providing Austria with intelligence about France.

    Furthermore, it was discovered that some individuals who had previously seemed like revolutionaries were, in fact, royal agents. For instance, Mirabeau, who had suggested the king escape Paris and incite a civil war, was revealed to be one of the king''s informants. Outraged citizens dragged Mirabeau''s corpse from the Pantheon and tossed it into the garbage heap.

    Dumas was deeply troubled by this news, as he knew that Mirabeau had written letters to the queen rmending him as a loyal and valorous patriot, suggesting he could rece Lafayette. Even when he proposed the king leave Paris andunch an internal war, it was he who rmended themander for the military. It was rumored that on August 10, during the Parisian revolutionary upheaval, the king and queen had hastily burned a portion of documents. But...

    "Damn these imbeciles! Can''t even burn documents properly! If they wanted to keep them, why not just keep them? Did they think their personally designed lock mechanism could withstand violent tampering? Do they want to meet the guillotine? And to lock them in a safe, as if your specially crafted lock could thwart a break-in? You want to die, don''t drag me into it!" Upon hearing this news, Dumas immediately pushed Carnot''s problems aside and worried about this more perilous issue.

    However, Dumas did not yet know if Mirabeau''s rmendation letters were among the recovered documents. After all, many documents had been burned. Dumas could only pray that these letters had been incinerated.

    "If I had known this would happen, maybe it would have been better to let the Austrians march into Paris," Dumas thought, unable to contain his apprehension.

    At this point, the people of Paris were oblivious to Dumas still being in Belgium. Revolving around the contents of Louis XVI''s safe, a new political struggle had erupted.

    After the August 10 Revolution, the Brissotins appointed Danton as Minister of Justice to win the support of the lower sses. This position was originally intended for Rnd. As a result, Rnd and his wife (the one who wouldter proim ''liberty, oh liberty, how many crimes aremitted in thy name'' on the guillotine) bore a deep grudge against Danton.

    Following the resolution of the crisis in Paris, the Rndsunched an all-out attack against Danton. With the safety of Paris now secured, the people were repelled by the terror and used Danton of being responsible for the September Massacres. Theypelled Danton to resign as Minister of Justice.

    Danton still desired reconciliation with the Brissotins, particrly the Rnds. To achieve this, he publicly opposed the "Land Law" on September 25 and, on October 4, proposed ending the state of emergency in parliament. Ending the state of emergency also implied a gradual removal of price controls. Subsequently, when speaking with Lamarche, he even suggested that, for the sake of peace, he was willing to continue a constitutional monarchy, recing the king with the Duke of Chartres (the son of the Duke of Orleans). In theory, this should have led to reconciliation with the Brissotins.

    However, for some reason, Madame Rnd had a peculiar loathing for Danton. They had no intention of letting Danton off the hook. They were adamant about persecuting Danton. They first used Danton of embezzlement, demanding an audit of his ounts. However, Danton couldn''t produce detailed ounts.

    They then charged Danton with stealing royal assets during the upheaval of August 10 when the pce was in chaos. To safeguard himself, Danton had to lean towards Robespierre.

    But Robespierre, too, was under attack from the Brissotins. They used Robespierre of inciting violence during the August 10 revolution. In response to this allegation, Robespierre delivered a speech in parliament, asserting that the legitimacy of the current government and parliament was derived from the events of August 10. Any denial of the August 10 uprising amounted to a denial of the Republic itself. This usation ironically elevated Robespierre''s prestige.

    So they changed their approach, using Robespierre of being responsible for the September Massacres and attacking him for attempting to be a dictator or even a usurper.

    However, at this crucial juncture, on November 20, the safe incident erupted. The documents found in the safe undeniably proved the king and queen''s treason, as well as someplicity of certain Brissotins with the king.

    Armed with this evidence, Robespierre and his allies immediately went on the offensive, demanding the punishment of the king and other traitors for high treason.

 Chapter 86: The Vote (1)

    Chapter 86: The Vote (1)

    The Brisotists were not ones to sit idle. Their proposal, in response to the events unfolding in France, was to expel all members of the Bourbon family from the country.

    This n wasn''t solely aimed at Louis XVI; it was more focused on the Duke of Orleans, who had renamed himself Philippe galit, and his son, the Duke of Chartres. They were currently aligned with the Robespierre faction. In the eyes of the Brisotists, Robespierre would undoubtedly support them, allowing them tobel the Duke of Orleans and his son as "royalists" or "conspirators against the Republic."

    However, times had changed, and the Duke of Orleans'' standing in the Jacobin Club had significantly dwindled. Though he had changed his name, the current leaders of the club knew that his true aim was not a republic but the Orleans monarchy. Even though they stood together now, they were not on the same path. Robespierre and his faction were unwilling to go to great lengths to defend them.

    The Duke of Orleans was aware of his declining position. To increase his influence, he sent his son, the Duke of Chartres (who was originally the only king in the historical Orleans monarchy, Louis Philippe I), with a group of armed volunteers he funded to join the forces of Danton. The Duke of Chartres performed well in the army, and in the reports returned by Danton, his name was frequently mentioned. However, some envious individuals suggested it was only because Danton took his money.

    The Duke of Orleans, or rather, "Philippe galit," as he was now called, could not afford another exile. The previous exile had inflicted heavy losses on him. The Brisotists, realizing that Robespierre and his faction wouldn''t speak on their behalf, took the initiative to propose the trial of King Louis XVI, or rather, the trial of Louis of Bourbon for treason. This way, while Louis XVI would likely lose his head, he wouldn''t be expelled.

    The Brisotists were well aware that the evidence was overwhelming, making it almost impossible for the King to be acquitted once he was put on trial. And if he were found guilty, the punishment for treason was only one: the guillotine.

    The question of whether to behead Louis XVI was not their primary concern, but they knew that such an action would lead to even more intense conflicts. The monarchies of Europe might unite to attack France, and within France, there would be no room forpromise between the conservatives and the republicans. Once the struggle escted, so-called "moderates" or "centrists" would be abandoned. Thus, from the Brisotists'' perspective, sending the King to the guillotine was equivalent to cing the radical Mountain faction or the conservative royalists on the throne of power.

    Since the Duke of Orleans couldn''t hold back the Mountain faction, the Brisotists had no choice but to involve all of Europe, potentially leading to a prolonged war to avoid the trial of the King.

    But as soon as this reason was brought up, the Robespierrians ridiculed it. After all, it was the Brisotists who had been pushing for war from the beginning, and now they suddenly cherished peace? Moreover, the earlier wars had demonstrated that the armies of the European feudal lords were not as formidable as they seemed. If they dared to intervene in France, it would only trigger a revolutionary response, leading to their downfall. By the way, that was something Brisot himself had said!

    In any case, Robespierre used Brisot''s own words to criticize him mercilessly. Typically, a politician''s most durable part is their face, and having their face tarnished doesn''t have much impact.

    However, the truly fatal consequence was the storm that arose in the Paris Commune.

    Since the departure of the Girondins from City Hall, the Paris Commune had fallen into the hands of the republicans. After the uprising on August 10th, the Mountain faction gained overwhelming dominance within the Paris Commune. During the September Massacres, many members of the Commune were somehow involved, and some even directly instigated and organized these acts of violence.

    After their victories on the front lines, the constitutional monarchists were defeated, and the Girondins intended to purge their former allies, the radical Mountain faction. One of their focal points was the Paris Commune because many members of the Commune could be implicated in the September Massacres.

    However, with the exposure of the "Safe Box" incident, the situation took aplete U-turn. Parisians had initially believed, through propaganda, that they or others had been overly zealous during the September Massacres. But as soon as these documents were revealed, their attitude shifted to, "If we hadn''t acted decisively, the Republic would have been lost!"

    Amidst such sentiments, the Girondins were immediately seen as royalists, trying to subvert the Republic by supporting a lenient approach and advocating clemency for the King. If the King were not put on trial, the Paris Commune might rise up again, with the citizens and National Guard joining another rebellion.

    In this situation, the National Convention had no choice but to decide on the trial of the King.

    On December 11th, Louis XVI appeared in court for the first time. He denied all the charges brought against him.

    Louis XVI''s defensewyer, Desechets, questioned the National Convention''s authority, saying, "ording to the Constitution, the National Convention has no right to try the King, as the Constitution stiptes that the King''s person is invible. If we insist on trying the King, it will lead to a problem. The issue is one of the legitimacy of the trial. Law is the foundation we must respect and rely on. If we vite thew today for this reason, we will vite it again tomorrow, and thew will be a dead letter. Our legal rights, including yours and mine, will no longer be protected..."

    This argument indeed resonated with some people, and they apuded him warmly.

    After the apuse died down, a young man stepped forward. He asked the host, "May I say a few words?"

    "Citizen, your name?" the host inquired.

    "Louis Antoine Lon Florel de Saint-Just, representing the department of Aisne," the young man replied with an air of grace.

    "Very well!" the host said. "Citizen Saint-Just, pleasee to the tform..."

    Saint-Just ascended the tform, surveyed the crowd, and began speaking:

    "The gentleman who spoke earlier gave a brilliant speech on legal matters. However, I believe he may have misunderstood the essence of this matter. Indeed, in terms of thew, the King cannot be tried. But what we are currently engaged in is not a legal case; it is a political event. Louis of Bourbon is not a defendant; he is an enemy. There is only onew that can be applied to him, and that is thew between nations, or in other words, thew of war. Louis was at war with the people. He has been conquered. He is a barbarian captive taken by us. He is a foreign prisoner of war! You already know of his treacherous schemes, you have seen his armies! He is the one who orchestrated the massacres at the Bastille, Nancy, the Champ de Mars, Tuileries, and Duillier, among others. Who else, what other enemy, what foreigner has caused you more harm?

    Certainly, in the eyes of thew, the King is invible, and thew, being of utmost importance, safeguards the rights of each and every one of us. Therefore, it must not be broken. However, esteemed gentlemen, do not forget that in the eyes of thew, there is another entity even more invible than the King, one that is supreme: the people of France! When Louis of Bourbon conspired with foreigners, when he plotted those horrifying betrayals and massacres that we all know of, he vited the supreme, invible entitythe people of France. From the moment Louis of Bourbonmitted this vition against the people of France, he ceased to be a king and became an enemy, an enemy of all of France..."

    Saint-Just walked down from the tform amid the apuse of the Mountain faction''s deputies and took his seat beside Robespierre.

    "Louis, your speech was excellent," Robespierre said, "and it has given me a lot of inspiration."

    "Well done, that was an amazing speech!" Danton added, "It''s hard to believe this is your first public address."

    "But my speech hasn''t changed their attitude," Saint-Just said, ncing to his right and continued, "They can''t defend the King because the people are not on their side."

    "Them? They can''t defend the King because the people are not on their side," Robespierre said confidently.

    In the following days, the National Convention engaged in several rounds of debate on how to handle the King. Robespierre delivered his famous speech, "Louis must die because the nation must live." His speech was immediately printed and widely circted by the Paris Commune. More and more people, spontaneously, gathered around the National Convention. When a deputy who supported sending the King to the guillotine passed by, the people cheered. When a deputy advocated clemency and mercy for the King, the crowd hissed and threw garbage at them.

    Time passed day by day, and the day of the vote finally arrived.

    "Joseph, how are you nning to vote?" one of the Brisotist deputies, the renowned philosopher Condorcet, asked Joseph Fouch, another deputy from their faction, as they both sat in a carriage on their way to the National Convention.

    "I will definitely vote for clemency," Fouch replied without hesitation. His gaze shifted through the carriage window, where a group of citizens had already erected a 1:1 scale model of a guillotine along the road leading to the National Convention...

 Chapter 87: The Vote (2)

    Chapter 87: The Vote (2)

    With Paris preupied by the trial of the king, nobody had time to trouble Dumouriez for now. Even the dispatch of officials responsible for military supplies had been dyed. But Dumouriez sensed that trouble was brewing and that he needed to seize thisst opportunity. Whether or not the king''s trial would implicate him in the end, having more money on hand was always helpful. Take Tallerand, for instance; if he didn''t have money, how could he possibly escape to Ennd?

    Adopting the mindset of "use your power or lose it," Dumouriez became more creative in his military procurement schemes, filling his coffers. However, this came at the expense of the soldiers under hismand, as their supplies dwindled. Dumouriez deflected me onto Paris, telling his troops that the folks there were too embroiled in infighting to tend to their needs, which is why they faced shortages. While this exnation temporarily pacified his soldiers, it inevitably led to a decline in their morale.

    Besides the supply issues, another problem significantly contributed to low morale  the core of Dumouriez''s army was the National Guard. Their high spirits had originally stemmed from a sense of duty to defend their homnd. They were local militias who had never intended to leave their homes; they only joined the army to save the nation. They had continuously defeated the Prussian-Austrian coalition, driving them out of the French borders. In the eyes of these National Guard soldiers, the homnd''s crisis was resolved, so they believed they should return home. However, the government kept them abroad, battling the Austrians and Prussians. This situation further dampened their spirits.

    Lack of supplies and a loss of a clear mission led to a sharp decline in morale for Dumouriez''s army. Their once unyielding courage and determination faded away. And this army...

    "Now we must prepare for defeat," Napoleon told Joseph. "You know, our army is quitecking in military quality, to the point that aside from morale, we''re almost empty-handed. Now that even morale is gone, losing battles shoulde as no surprise. Joseph, I''m about to lead us into Austrian Nethends. I think we''ll have a tough time there. When we''re in battle, you should be cautious and not recklessly charge into the front lines."

    "Huh?" Joseph eximed, wide-eyed. "You... You just stole my line, didn''t you? Shouldn''t I be the one saying that to you?"

    "Because I''m more clever than you on the battlefield. I should be the one to remind you," Napoleon smugly said. "But... never mind, it''s better for you to stick close to me. This Dumouriez guy is quite self-centered; he might sell out hisrades to save himself."

    Following the mischievous Napoleon around like a puppy? That was a blow to Joseph''s self-esteem. But after some contemtion, he realized that he was nowhere near as skilled as Napoleon in battle, so he decided to put his ego aside.

    "Alright, when it gets real, I''ll stick with you."

    But, he added, "I need to keep an eye on you and prevent you from causing more trouble."

    Meanwhile, another man named Joseph was facing a critical decision in his life. In the National Convention, the voting that would determine the fate of Louis XVI had begun. Outside the Convention''s chambers, crowds surrounded the building, their chants audible even inside:

    "Off with Louis''s head!"

    "Eliminate the enemies of the homnd!"

    "Anyone who protects Louis, we''ll destroy them!"

    To protect the safety of the National Convention, the Paris Commune dispatched a unit of National Guard troops with cannons. However, their arrival only increased the sense of insecurity for many.

    Joseph Fouche was equally uneasy, but he had ater voting slot, giving him a chance to assess the situation first. In the Jacobin Club elections, Robespierre had supported secret voting, but when it came to voting on Louis XVI''s fate, he insisted on a public vote.

    "You were elected by the people of Paris or other regions in France. You''re not voting for yourself but representing the citizens who elected you. They have the right to know how you voted," he argued.

    This reasoning waspelling, and the Girondins retreated again. The voting process now involved each deputy taking the stand, stating their decision, and having it recorded by a clerk, who would then hand it to the deputy for their signature and print it for public view.

    The first to step up to vote was Pierre-Victorien Vergniaud, one of the leaders of the Girondins and the President of the National Convention. The night before, he had called on everyone to resist the pressure and pardon the king. He even announced that he would use this opportunity to deliver a speech calling for tolerance and reconciliation. Yet, his actions were unusually slow, his head lowered, unable to meet the eyes of the others. In a nearly inaudible voice, he uttered a single word. The recording clerk couldn''t even make it out and asked him to repeat it.

    "La mort..." (Death penalty), he said in a hushed tone.

    Although his voice was barely audible, it was clear enough for everyone to hear. The clerk recorded his vote and handed the record to him for his signature. Vergniaud signed and slinked off the stage like a defeated dog.

    "A good start," Robespierre apuded andmented to Danton, who was sitting beside him.

    "Vergniaud likes to y the hero, but I know that this guy''s courage is as big as a rabbit''s. A few people with pikes, shouting slogans outside his residence, would be enough to intimidate him," Danton said, with a hint of disdain. Since the Girondins had rejected his offer of reconciliation, they would have to face his hostility.

    With this beginning, the Girondins'' resolve was beginning to crumble. Fortunately, Condorcet followed, and with his lead, other Girondin deputies began voting for clemency.

    However, the next few voters were Jacobins, and their stance was unwavering. Without hesitation, they loudly proimed, "La mort!"

    The vote tally seesawed back and forth, with only a few votes separating the two sides at most. Time passed, and it was evening, yet the crowd outside had not dispersed. On the contrary, more people had joined after finishing their work. They lit torches and surrounded the Convention, alternating between cheering and cursing, singing songs like the "Song of the ves" and the recent hit from the September Massacres called "Everything Will Be Fine."

    In this cacophony, the voting continued, with only a few deputies left to vote. The difference in the number of votes favoring the death penalty had widened slightly, but there were still more Girondin deputies left to vote. If these remaining deputies voted for clemency, the bnce might shift.

    Fouche pondered the current vote count and the remaining deputies on both sides. The oue remained uncertain. However, he couldn''t watch much longer; his turn to vote wasing up soon.

    He knew he had betrayed Robespierre, who wasn''t known for his forgiveness. He had also offended Danton, as most of the information against Danton and the Rnd couple hade from his investigations. Danton undoubtedly held a deep grudge against him. But...

    Fouche surveyed the hesitating Girondin deputies who still had time to vote and saw their pale faces and wavering expressions. He knew these people were on the brink, unable to withstand the pressure from outside.

    "Ten people are hesitating, and at least half of them will betray the cause. With every one out, one in, Louis''s fate is sealed," he concluded, observing the wavering deputies.

    "Joseph Fouche," the presiding officer called his name.

    Fouche stood up, smiled as he nced at his former allies, and confidently made his way to the tform. Without hesitation, he loudly dered, "La mort!"

 Chapter 88: Crisis

    Chapter 88: Crisis

    With Fouche''s vote, the fate of Louis XVI was essentially sealed. Fouche cast the three hundred and fifty-fifth vote in favor of the death penalty, only six votes away from the three hundred and sixty-one needed to behead Louis XVI. And behind Fouche, there were still many Montagnards who had not yet voted, and their resolve was almost unwavering. The remaining Brissotins, on the other hand, were less predictable. The die was cast. Shortly thereafter, some new turncoats among the Brissotin deputies appeared behind Fouche. In the end, out of the seven hundred and twenty votes, three hundred and eighty-seven were in favor of the death penalty, and three hundred and thirty-three were in favor of clemency. Louis XVI''s death sentence was approved, making him the second European monarch to be sentenced to death.

    In fact, there were economic reasons for trying the king. As the king was sentenced to death, the property of the exiled nobles was immediately confiscated and used as coteral to issue more assignats. Under normal circumstances, thesends and assets would provide France''s finances with a significant buffer. However, in any era, war is a financial abyss, and the war between France and Austria and Prussia had not yet ended.

    ...

    After taking over Belgium, the French army began to reorganize. Joseph, with time on his hands, strolled through the streets of Aachen with his brother.

    Though they were merely strolling, both brothers noticed different things. Napoleon meticulously observed theyout of the streets of Aachen, mentally simting urban warfare strategies over and over again. As for Joseph, he made a simple observation: the prices in Aachen had significantly increased, and shopkeepers seemed reluctant to deal with the French, especially those in military uniforms. For instance, when Joseph and Napoleon went to a small tavern without their uniforms, Joseph asked in German, "Do you have brandy?" The innkeeper immediately replied, "Yes, we do. Will you pay with marks?" The innkeeper''s face lit up.

    "Isn''t a livre eptable?" Joseph continued.

    "A livre? Silver, right? Silver is also eptable, but we don''t ept assignats," the innkeeper replied.

    "Silver," Joseph said while cing a few silver coins on the counter.

    "Very well," the innkeeper, seeing the silver, cheerfully responded, "One livre for a ss."

    "What? Wasn''t it two livres for a ss before?" Joseph asked in surprise.

    "That was before the French arrived," a voice chimed in from the side. Joseph turned to see a red-haired young man holding a foamy beer. He raised his ss with a slight smile when he met Joseph''s gaze.

    "Yes, that was before the French arrived. Ever since the French came, everything has gone up in price," the innkeeper added.

    It was a normal urrence. Soldiers, living with uncertainty, were often willing to spend their money. Whenever arge group of soldiers arrived in an area, it would often lead to booming businesses in certain sectors, such as alcohol and other less reputable trades, causing prices to rise.

    "So, innkeeper, you must be making quite a bit of money," Joseph said with a smile.

    "Not really," the innkeeper shook his head. "At first, it was okay, but now, theye with these small pieces of paper and demand drinks. Isn''t that cheating? Of course, I refused, and they even threatened to hang me from amppost, calling me a counter-revolutionary. Nowadays, we can''t afford not to ept their paper, but we have to hide the good stuff in advance so they don''t see it."

    In France, to ensure the eptance of assignats, the National Convention had issuedws prohibiting shopkeepers from refusing them. Those who insisted on rejecting assignats could face consequences, including being hanged. However, this wasn''t France.

    Soldiers had no choice but toe out and rx, spending their money.

    Initially, in times of great peril on the frontlines, to boost soldiers'' morale, the French government paid them in real metallic currency. But after the Battle of Valmy, assignats began to appear in soldiers'' pay, and after the victory at Jemappes, assignats reced metallic currency in their payments. By the time Louis XVI was beheaded, there was no metallic currency left in their pay.

    Of course, this was Danton''s version of events, and there was another ount suggesting that, even in this special moment, to maintain stability, the government continued to pay the troops in metallic currency. However, General Dampierre had allegedly exchanged this metallic currency for assignats himself before distributing it to the soldiers.

    Rumors abounded that some soldiers were engaging in a particr type of trade near the French military camps, exchanging coins for assignats. This exchange rate was even more favorable than the one in France. Unwilling to be exploited, a group of irate soldiers not only beat up a merchant but also took around two hundred silver livres from him, giving him four hundred paper livres in return.

    General Dampierre, who typically paid little attention to such matters, was furious and dered that suchwless behavior was unforgivable and stirred up public resentment. He asserted that these practices were heinous crimes, arousing public anger to the point where the people were calling for the miscreants'' execution. As a result, the soldiers who hadmitted the theft were hanged, setting a precedent for military discipline.

    Many soldiers suspected that the reason General Dampierre had reacted so strongly was because he was allegedly connected to the merchants involved in the coin-to-assignat exchange. These unsubstantiated spections quickly spread throughout the entire army, further dampening troop morale.

    Joseph tossed two livres to the innkeeper and took two sses of brandy. He continued to scan the street outside, contemting how to set up an ambush there with a cannon and st Napoleon to hell. He sat down by the street-side window.

    As the two brothers had just taken their seats and sipped their brandy, chaos erupted outside. There was shouting, followed by gunshots, cries, and screams, all mingled together in a tumultuous cacophony.

    "What''s happening?" Joseph stood up and looked outside.

    A man rushed in, his face pale, and shouted, "The French are robbing and killing people!"

    ...

    In a short span of time, the French had lost the support of the people in Belgium. Initially, most ordinary Belgians weed the arrival of the French army. However, the French army''s actions turned their dreams into nightmares. Many individuals who had once flirted with the French while under Austrian rule now found themselves cooperating with the Austrians again. It was even conceivable that once Austriaunched a counteroffensive, the entire of Belgium might rise against the French.

    Yet, to address their financial difficulties and prepare for the looming second wave of intervention, which was costly, France needed more funds from Belgium.

    The National Convention dispatched a host of envoys to Belgium with the aim of extracting additional funds from these regions.

    Revolutionary measures were expected to apany any military campaign. These measures called for the confiscation of all property belonging to those who despised the revolution, including the church, nobility, and their loyalists, to be used for the revolutionary cause, primarily as coteral for assignats. Furthermore, all taxes and seigniorial rights in liberated areas were to be abolished, with old tax systems reced by levies on local wealthy individuals. Administrative systems in these liberated areas were to be reformed, and only those who pledged allegiance to liberty and renounced their privileges would have the right to vote and be elected. To prevent coins from flowing into these areas and out of France, the use of metallic currency in these regions would be prohibited, and assignats would be enforced.

    The leaders of the National Convention believed that these measures would create a division between the lower sses and the aristocracy in the upied regions.

    The delegate who proposed this n, Cambon, dered, "Fire on the pce, peace to the cottages. This way, we can stand our ground anywhere."

    Most of the Convention deputies supported this proposal, and it was swiftly approved. However, Robespierre privately expressed his concerns to Danton, saying, "Cambon''s idea sounds beautiful, but I worry that it might go awry in practice. Weck the means to ensure thisw is enforced as intended. I fear this seemingly beautifulw could be a nightmare in execution. Furthermore, even in France, not many people are willing to ept assignats."

    "The road to hell is often paved with good intentions," Danton replied. "But for now, we have no choice."

    To effectively implement thisw, the Convention sent thirty envoys to Belgium. Cambon, who had proposed the n, was among them.

    However, as Robespierre had feared, policies often transformed significantly when executed. Many times, when policies were tranted into action, they took on a different form. These envoys wielded considerable authority and could make unteral decisions on most matters, exceeding the power of previous intendants. But not every envoy was as incorruptible as Robespierre feared. In fact, the vast majority of these envoys were exploiting the situation for personal gain.

    In just a few months, Cambon''s envoys alone raised as much as sixty-four million livres for the Republic in the Belgian regions. However, the entire of Belgium, including those living in "cottages" whom the French sought to win over, harbored deep resentment towards the French.

 Chapter 89: Letters

    Chapter 89: Letters

    No matter how much the envoys sent to Belgium had made the Belgians despise France, they had at least aplished one thing: they had helped the French government acquire much-needed funds. This led to the dispatch of more envoys to other regions within France where the revolutionary fervor had not yet fully taken root, but where the potential for funding was abundant.

    Time was of the essence. In France, the royalists and constitutionalists who had been overthrown were gaining momentum in the provinces. Internationally, with the fall of Louis XVI''s head, the hatred of France by the monarchies of Europe deepened further. The actions of France in Belgium and the Austrian Nethends also raised concerns among the British.

    The British had initially hoped that Austria and Prussia would engage France in a lively battle on the continent, allowing Britain to stand on the sidelines, watching the drama unfold and seizing any French colonies that were left unguarded. If France suffered severe defeats, Britain might even reim New York, stringing up the American rebels on the gallows. However, much to the surprise of British Prime Minister Pitt, the Austro-Prussian forces proved to be ineffective. Instead of advancing into France, they were pushed back into Belgium, threatening the Nethends.

    Britain also had territorial interests on the European continent, notably in Hanover, which was ruled by the Hanoverian dynasty, the same dynasty that governed Britain. Moreover, after their victory in the Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch had be a crucial gateway for British industrial goods to enter the European market. Thus, British interests were greatly threatened. Additionally, the influence of French revolutionary ideas had begun to take root within Britain, leading to the emergence of groups like the "Equality Society," causing anxiety among British aristocrats and dignitaries. Consequently, what was once a "neutral" stance quickly changed as Britain severed diplomatic ties with France when Louis XVI''s head rolled.

    Now, France faced its most dangerous adversary: Britain.

    Although the British army was small and posed no immediate threat to the French maind, Britain was the wealthiest country in Europe at the time and excelled in forming alliances. Without Britain''s diplomacy, many of the anti-French nations in Europe would likely have turned on each other rather than focus on France. With Britain''s involvement, a formidable coalition was starting to take shape.

    On March 1st, General Dumouriez led his army into the Nethends, but not long after his forces entered, the enemy breached his rear. The enemy quickly crossed the River Roer and swiftly captured Lige, threatening Dumouriez''s army from the rear.

    To address the crisis, Danton personally inspected the situation in Belgium. He found that Belgium was in dire straits, so he hurriedly returned to Paris, urging an urgent mobilization.

    However, at that moment, Danton''srades in the trench, Marat and br, made a point. They reminded Danton that the sessful mobilization in September 1792 had a prerequisite: before sending out arge number of volunteers, Paris had to eliminate internal "traitors."

    Marat spoke first, "If we can''t act decisively as we did in Septemberst year, eliminating all potential enemies, Paris can''t send outrge numbers of volunteers. Because as soon as we leave, those folks willunch a rebellion in Paris. So, unless there''s another bloody September, we won''t agree to send out volunteers."

    "Our enemies are already at the gates of France," Danton said.

    "No, our enemies have already infiltrated Paris, and some are even hiding in the assembly!" Marat replied.

    "Do you have any evidence?" Danton asked.

    "No concrete evidence, but my friend Joseph has noticed many unusual activities. Some people are even getting too cozy with that Austrian woman!" br said.

    The "Austrian woman" referred to the imprisoned Queen Marie Antote, and "Joseph" was undoubtedly Joseph Fouch.

    Ever since he had cast his vote in favor of the execution of the king in the previous vote, Joseph Fouch had unhesitatingly taken a seat on the left side. However, Robespierre had not forgotten that Fouch had betrayed him once. Moreover, Fouch''s betrayal this time, especially considering Robespierre''s moral rigor, had left him disdainful. So, Robespierre maintained a cold attitude toward him. Danton knew that Robespierre disliked Fouch, and he wasn''t too fond of him either.

    To secure his position among the Mountain faction, Fouch had acted more radical than most of the Mountain''s members on certain issues. In some matters, even Marat and br couldn''t match his radicalism. This allowed him to establish a connection with Marat and br.

    Upon hearing that the information came from Fouch, Danton fell silent for a moment. He knew that, despite Fouch''sck of scruples, he had an exceptional ability to gather information. Even though Fouch was unreliable, he didn''t spread falsehoods. He always used genuine information to manipte his enemies.

    After a moment, Danton spoke, "France needs order; we can''t afford another September likest year. It may hurt our enemies, but it will also harm us. Let''s establish a Revolutionary Tribunal to handle these matters, but we can''t allow unchecked anarchy."

    "Why should we trust your Revolutionary Tribunal?" br asked.

    "This tribunal will be ountable to amittee," Danton said. "We''ll form a ''Committee of Public Safety,'' and its members will be staunch patriots. You can see..."

    Danton''s warning in the Assembly didn''t receive much attention. Some Girondins even suspected that Danton''s rming statements were merely a ploy to secure more power for the Mountain. After all, the situation had significantly improvedpared to the events of ''92. Danton''s proposal to create a "Committee of Public Safety" only solidified their suspicions, causing chaos in the Assembly.

    However, the subsequent developments took nearly everyone by surprise. On March 18th, Dumouriez''s army suffered defeats by the smaller Austrian forces, first at Neerwinden and then at Louvain on March 21st. His retreat almost led to the loss of all of Belgium.

    Someone had to be held ountable for such failures. In the National Convention, various pieces of incriminating information regarding Dumouriez were revealed: embezzlement of army funds, exploitation of soldiers, and conspiring with the king against the revolution.

    Yes, the letters found in the king''s safe were brought to light, containing various conspiracies involving Dumouriez and the king. Although the evidence was limited and vague, some had seen these letters a few months earlier. However, at that time, Dumouriez was on a winning streak, bing a hero defending the republic, so everyone had silently ignored these letters. Nevertheless, they had not been entirely forgotten, and now they resurfaced.

    The Girondins med the Mountain, especially Danton, for supporting Dumouriez and held them responsible for the situation. The Mountain, in turn, used the Girondins of opposing the creation of the "Committee of Public Safety" and the national mobilization, which had led to the current crisis.

    During the debates, the newly elected Mountain deputy, Carnot, provided a detailed analysis of the military situation, concluding that if France didn''t achieveprehensive and efficient nationwide mobilization, it would inevitably fail in the ongoing war.

    Although the Girondins opposed the Mountain''s motions, they were aware of Carnot''s military expertise and his impable character. This made them appear increasingly passive when countering the proposals.

    To salvage the situation, the National Convention decided to send a delegation of five members, led by Borlve, to Dumouriez''s army. They were to inquire about certain matters, and if necessary, arrest him and bring him to Paris for trial.

    Philippe galit, formerly the Duke of Ons, left the National Convention and returned to his home. The changes in the situation hadpletely deviated from his initial expectations when he initially joined the revolution. At first, he had hoped to overthrow the Bourbon dynasty and establish an Ons monarchy. However, while the Bourbon dynasty had indeed been overthrown, the Ons monarchy had vanished without a trace. In fact, not only the Ons monarchy but even the Ons family''s ducal titles had been abolished by the revolutionary government. For self-preservation, he had even adopted a rather ridiculous new name.

    But now, the former Duke, with a sheet of paper before him, gazed at a map for a long while. He then entered his study and busied himself for a good half-hour before emerging with a sealed letter in hand. He pulled a cord beside his desk, ringing a bell outside. A servant came in and asked, "Your Highness, is there something you require?"

    "Philippe, there''s a task I''d like you to undertake," the former Duke said.

    "Assisting Your Highness is an honor," Philippe replied.

    "I need you to personally visit Louis and deliver this letter to him," the former Duke said. "Act quickly, discreetly, and ensure this letter doesn''t fall into the wrong hands. Do you understand?"

    "I understand, Your Highness. You can rest assured; I will ensure that this letter reaches the Duke of Chartres''s hands in a timely manner," Philippe replied.

 Chapter 90: The Mutiny (1)

    Chapter 90: The Mutiny (1)

    After putting the artillerymen through a rigorous exercise, the newly-promoted Major Napoleon walked towards his tent with a stern face. To his surprise, he found Joseph waiting for him there.

    "Joseph, what are you doing here?" Napoleon''s mood was already soured by the string of defeats they had experienced. While these losses were expected, they still weighed heavily on his mind.

    "I need to talk to you. Let''s take a walk," Joseph said.

    Napoleon nced at Joseph, realizing that something important must havee up. He nodded and replied, "Alright, let''s go for a walk."

    Both of them were currently residing in the military camp, and while tents provided some privacy, they didn''t muffle sound well. So, if they had any secrets to discuss, it was better done outside where they wouldn''t risk being overheard.

    They walked towards a small hillock nearby. Along the way, they encountered severalzy soldiers who half-heartedly saluted them. It was clear that the current situation had sapped the soldiers'' spirits. The lowered morale was evident in the rxed discipline and courtesy. Soldiers offering salutes was a sign of respect, given the circumstances. Some officers received no acknowledgment from the soldiers, but at such a time, they were hesitant to discipline the men for theirck of etiquette.

    Although the soldiers'' salutescked enthusiasm, Napoleon and Joseph returned the salutes crisply and correctly. Napoleon even extended his hand to pat one of the soldiers on the shoulder. "Pierre, you''re a fine warrior. You were very brave in thest battle," he encouraged. "Julien, buck up! We will surely prevail."

    They reached a quieter spot, and Joseph began, "Napoleon, you''re remarkable. I''ve noticed you can recall the names of almost every soldier and share something rted to them. It''s an impressive quality, and it makes the soldiers willing to fight for you. I can''tpete with you on this."

    Napoleon was taken aback and stared at Joseph for a moment. "Are those words reallying from you, Joseph? It''s like a one-eyed giant singing a song about mermaids. Are you not mocking me or plotting something?"

    Joseph chuckled and replied, "Napoleon, you should know that strong people never hesitate to praise others. Think of it this way: we all genuinely praise a child for being smart and cute, without any jealousy or ulterior motives."

    "You rascal, you''re making me sound like a child!" Napoleon retorted.

    "Do you want to say, ''I''m not a child anymore?''" the mischievous Joseph inquired.

    "Enough of this nonsense. Let''s get to the point. Why did youe looking for me?" Napoleon kicked at the grass that had just sprouted.

    "Very well," Joseph said. "Have you noticed...?" He nced around and lowered his voice. "Have you noticed some unusual actions on General''s part?"

    "Unusual actions from the General?" Napoleon was surprised.

    "Yes, he reced his entire guard with German mercenaries. The French guards have been gradually reassigned to other units. Moreover, did you notice he relocated the Duke of Chartres'' men near themand headquarters?"

    Napoleon paused, pondering. "Joseph, are you being overly cautious? The General can''t be that foolish. How could this happen? Even Lafayette couldn''t do such a thing..."

    "Who knows? But considering the situation in Paris, can you imagine how long Paris can tolerate him? It''s like we all know that goats would die if they jumped off a cliff. But if a pack of goats is being chased by hunters and runs to the edge of the cliff, they might take the risk of jumping off. If one goat jumps, and another jumps onto its back, they might jump over the cliff, right?"

    "Nonsense. If goats had that kind of intelligence and discipline, they could form a line like Frederick the Great and make hunters consider jumping over them one by one. But... I understand what you''re getting at. You mean the General is running out of options?"

    "He might not be entirely out of options, but he''s certainly at a point where he needs to take risks," Joseph exined. "Napoleon, if something unexpected happens, can your soldiers follow your orders?"

    "Those from the Red Army background surely can. They just need to be gathered. That''s quite easy because they should have returned to the Red Army after the war. Maintaining contact with them is entirely reasonable," Napoleon said. "The Red Army still has over three hundred soldiers. The General''s German mercenaries number a hundred, and the Duke of Chartres'' volunteers amount to five hundred. But theyck artillery. If ites to a fight, I can easily defeat them!" Napoleon replied in a hushed tone, excitement written all over his face.

    "Carnot has written to me, mentioning that he might send some envoys to the army to inquire with the General about certain matters. He''s worried this could lead toplications. Additionally, if the General seeks you in theseing days, be cautious. Our ties with Carnot are widely known, so we''ll be perceived as staunch republicans and Montagnards. If I were the General, I''d first want to control these two destabilizing factors before doing anything," Joseph cautioned.

    "Our General is a proud man. He has unrealistic self-assessments of his charisma. I don''t think he''d take such actions. But I understand the need for caution, and you should be careful as well. After all, I''m an artillery officer, and you''re a staff officer, making it more convenient for him to approach you," Napoleon thought for a moment.

    "The envoys haven''t arrived yet, but be ready to establish contact with the Red Army at any moment," Joseph concluded.

    Interestingly, the actions of the envoys were far slower than those of the messengers. After Carnot''s messenger delivered the letter to Joseph, it took another two days for the Parisian envoys to reach the army. This was expected, as sending envoys required the proper parliamentary process. Messengers were dispatched before these processes werepleted.

    After receiving news that the envoys had reached the camp, General Dumouriez immediately ordered some of the officers to gather for their inquiries. However, the messengers sent to find Napoleon and Joseph were unable to locate them. It was reported that they had both left their posts, their whereabouts unknown.

    This news made General Dumouriez uneasy, but he had no time to take further action because the envoys from Paris had reached the camp''s entrance. He had to attend to them promptly.

    Several envoys entered the office, but before they could speak, General Dumouriezunched into usations. He first med Paris for not providing sufficient support at the front. After a rebuttal from the envoys, he dered that the current government was an illegal rebel regime and that he and his army considered it necessary to restore the 1791 constitution and return France to a constitutional monarchy.

    The envoys immediately issued orders in the name of the Revolutionary Government and the National Convention to arrest General Dumouriez. However, this wasn''t Paris, and they hadn''t brought a significant number of National Guards with them. In contrast, Dumouriez''s German mercenaries swarmed forward upon hismand and immediately restrained the five envoys.

    "Traitors! You won''t get away with this!" one of the envoys cursed.

    "Muffle their mouths!" General Dumouriez ordered.

    A few German mercenaries hurried forward and stuffed cloths into their mouths, silencing them.

    "General, what do we do next?" the Duke of Chartres inquired.

    "We''ll send some men to deliver them to the Austrians," Dumouriez said.

    A group of German mercenaries then dragged the envoys out of the room.

    Dumouriez proceeded to garner support from the officers who were taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He required them to sign a promation against the Republic and in favor of restoring a constitutional monarchy, as well as ensuring Dumouriez''s leadership. Some officers who hesitated to sign were immediately ced under arrest.

    "Once we control the officers, we can control the army," Dumouriez told the Duke of Chartres. "Your Highness, trust me; we will seed."

    After receiving the Parisian envoys and preparing to arrest himself, Dumouriez and the Duke of Chartres made contact with the Austrians. Initially, they hoped that the Austrians would ept the Duke of Chartres as the King of France and provide their support. However, the Austrians rejected this proposal, insisting that Louis XVII should ascend the throne. Consequently, the Duke of Chartres'' role shifted from king to regent.

    "I''m just worried that the Bonaparte brothers are absent," the Duke of Chartres remarked.

    "We control most of the officers; that should suffice," Dumouriez said. "Now, let''s gather the soldiers."

    A few messengers rushed out. However, as soon as they left, gunfire and shouts erupted in the distance.

    "What''s happening?" the Duke of Chartres asked.

    "Greene, take a few men and check it out," Dumouriez ordered his captain.

    Greene quickly saluted and led a few men outside. Shortly after, the sound of galloping hooves indicated that they had mounted horses and ridden toward the source of the gunfire.

    "Vie, go ring the bell and gather the soldiers. I need to address them," Dumouriez knew there was no time for hesitation. The gunshots hade from the road leading to the Austrian camp. The distance of the sound suggested an ambush. Perhaps the envoys had already been rescued, and now, he needed to quickly regain control of the situation.

    Lieutenant Vie acknowledged and headed out.

    Some time passed, and the sound of galloping horses reached them again. Several German mercenaries rushed in, one of them with a wounded shoulder.

    "What''s going on, Fritz?" Dumouriez recognized the injured man, a captain of the German mercenaries'' cavalry unit. He inquired urgently.

    "General, we were ambushed," Fritz replied.

    "Who attacked you? What about the envoys?" Dumouriez asked.

    "It was the Red Army. The Red Army ambushed us, and they''ve rescued the envoys!" Fritz reported.

    The Red Army, responsible for simting foreign forces, hadn''t been provided with the regr blue or white uniforms of the former French Kingdom. They still wore their distinctive red uniforms, making them easily identifiable.

    "The Red Army? Damn the Bonaparte brothers!" Dumouriez gritted his teeth.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 90 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 91: The Mutiny (2)

    Chapter 91: The Mutiny (2)

    Curses couldn''t solve anything. The most crucial task at hand was to regain control over the army. The sound of gathering soldiers outside reached their ears. Dumouriez adjusted his military cap, straightened his sword, and turned to Duke Chartres, asking, "Your Royal Highness, would you like to apany me in addressing the soldiers?"

    Duke Chartres hesitated for a moment, still shaken by the recent turmoil. Observing the Duke''s pale face, Dumouriez sighed and refrained from insisting on hispany. It would do more harm than good for the soldiers to see the Duke in his current state.

    The Duke had received credit for many victories in previous reports, but many of these achievements had been orchestrated by Dumouriez himself.

    "Your Highness, watch over the officers who refuse to yield. Don''t stir up any more trouble," Dumouriez told the Duke before leaving with the officers who had signed their support.

    "At least I have these officers under my control. I still hold a significant advantage," Dumouriez thought.

    The soldiers had gathered in the courtyard. Dumouriez ascended the reviewing stand and addressed them. In his speech, he began by ming the National Assembly and the government for not providing sufficient military pay. He then criticized the extreme corruption in the National Assembly and the cruelty of the Paris Commune. Finally, he suggested that a republic was unsuitable for France, and the best system to bring peace and prosperity to the nation was a constitutional monarchy based on the 1791 Constitution. He announced his n to return to Paris with them to rebuild a stable, peaceful, and prosperous French Kingdom.

    Dumouriez had prepared this speech carefully, believing it would sway the soldiers. With his prestige and thispelling speech, he expected them to follow him wholeheartedly.

    However, the speech did not have the desired effect. Most soldiers appeared bewildered rather than cheering for him.

    Dumouriez sighed and was about to say more when a voice rang out loudly, "Soldiers,rades, have you forgotten why we left our beloved homnd toe here and fight against the Austrians, Prussians, and various turncoat traitors?"

    Amidst the cheers, a man jumped onto a cannon beside the parade ground. He waved to the crowd and continued, "We remember how Brunswick threatened us. They said that if we didn''t willingly make ourselves ves to Louis XVI, they would march to Paris, raze it to the ground, and ughter its people, our parents, brothers, wives, and children. We didn''te here for anything else, not for military pay, not for glory, and certainly not for General Dumouriez. We''re here for one reason"

    "To defend Paris!"

    "For our families!"

    "For my little Pierre and little Franois!"

    The soldiers chanted.

    Dumouriez''s face turned pale. He knew the situation was slipping out of his control, especially when that ursed name, "Brunswick," was mentioned.

    "Damn Brunswick! Damn Joseph Bonaparte!" Dumouriez cursed internally, then turned to the captain of his guard and asked, "Hankson, can you hit him from here?"

    "General, it''s too far. It''s almost impossible to hit at this range, unless we use a rifled hunting gun. Besides, I don''t think it''s the right moment to start shooting now," Lieutenant Hankson replied.

    Dumouriez understood Hankson''s implication. Opening fire at this moment could trigger an immediate counterattack from the entire army, which was too dangerous. But admitting defeat? No way!

    "Soldiers, Brunswick, the Duke of Brunswick, has retracted his statements. As long as we can restore the French Kingdom" Dumouriez began, hoping that another effort might still sway the soldiers. It was like being a hopeless suitor who entered a sacred church, desperately trying to win back the affection of his beloved. Life was full of illusions; otherwise, how could those poor souls endure it?

    However, like all forlorn suitors, the words that touched his heart had no effect on the goddess. Instead, Joseph Bonaparte across from him chuckled and said loudly, "Do you all remember what our General told us at Valmy? Either he lied then or he''s lying now. Do you believe a liar?"

    The crowd remembered. "No!"

    "Then do you remember, when we charged the enemy''s positions, who was leading us, the one who vowed to charge with us?" Joseph asked.

    "Not Dumouriez!"

    "Definitely not Dumouriez!"

    "In front of us, carrying the g, it was Napoleon!"

    "The Bonaparte brothers led us!"

    The soldiers chanted.

    "So, tell me, myrades, do you trust the ones who carried the g, brandished their swords, and charged into enemy fire alongside you, risking their lives as brothers? Or do you trust a general who has grown rich but left us hungry?" Joseph dered.

    "We trust you, Joseph, my brother!"

    "Of course, we trust you!"

    "We trust you!"

    The soldiers'' cheers echoed.

    Although the situation seemed increasingly hopeless, Dumouriez refused to give up. He wanted to say more, like a backup n or ast-ditch effort to win over the soldiers. But his chief of staff, Hankson, stopped him, saying, "General, we must leave immediately. Look over there!"

    Dumouriez nced in the direction indicated and saw a group of soldiers in red uniforms escorting several civilians on horseback, heading their way.

    Dumouriez knew these were envoys rescued by the Red Army. If the soldiers were swayed by Joseph due to their fear of Brunswick''s threats, these envoys from Paris held even more authoritative power.

    "It''s over," Dumouriez sighed. Even if he didn''t want to, the bride had donned her pristine gown, the handsome groom had taken her hand, and the rings had been exchanged. There was no room for hope. So he could only cast one final, wistful look at the army that had once been his and said to those around him, "Let''s go!"

    The group left the reviewing stand, mounted their horses, and rode towards themand post.

    Seeing Dumouriez leaving, Joseph couldn''t contain his relief, but anger soon reced it. "Damn Napoleon! Why hasn''t he arrived yet?"

    As Dumouriez hurried back to themand post, he found Duke Chartres awaiting him with a worried expression. "General, the situation..."

    "It''s out of control. We must leave immediately, for Austria," Dumouriez said without stopping, urging the Duke to prepare and leave everything behind. Time was running out.

    "Alright," the Duke said, suddenly awakened.

    "Take all the officers with you," Dumouriez instructed. Surrendering to Austria would require a substantial offering. If the army lost so many officers, it would be almost impossible to fight. Dumouriez''s gift should be of value to Austria.

    Soon, Dumouriez''s German mercenaries and Duke Chartres'' volunteer troops were in motion. They led the officers they had as hostages and ran towards the direction of the Austrian army. Until they encountered a unit of cavalry wearing red uniforms.

    "It''s General Bonaparte and his Red Cavalry!" The mercenaries slowed down their horses and stopped at a distance. They had learned from their past encounters that Napoleon was skilled at hiding cannons in unexpected ces. After the defeats at Valmy and the recent retreats, the sight of Napoleon made them vignt, scanning their surroundings for hidden cannons.

    Seeing the soldiers halt, Napoleon turned to Bourrienne, who was riding alongside him, and said, "Monsieur, it seems we''ve intercepted the traitor."

    Dumouriez, likewise, had no idea where Napoleon had hidden his cannons, and he didn''t dare charge forward. In the past, he had seen Napoleon ambush others with cannons, and he didn''t want to be a victim himself.

    "General, what do we do? They don''t have many men. Should we charge at them?" Duke Chartres asked.

    "No, it''s Napoleon. He''s very clever, and charging headlong would be disastrous," Dumouriez shook his head.

    "So, what''s the n?" Duke Chartres was running out of ideas.

    "Let''s talk to him. We have hostages, and most of the junior officers are under our control. Tell him that we have hostages, and we''d like to negotiate for safe passage. If he allows us to pass, we''ll hand over half of the officers," Dumouriez proposed.

    "You''re dreaming! You and your treacherous general have only one road, and that''s to hang from thempposts!" Bourrienne retorted angrily.

    "Unless you leave all the officers here, we won''t let you through," Napoleon stated.

    "That''s impossible. If we..." Hankson began.

    "I have a proposal. Hand over Duke Chartres to us and half of the officers, and we''ll let you pass. Then we''ll release the remaining hostages on both sides. If you can''t decide, go back and discuss it with Dumouriez," Napoleon suggested.

    Hankson returned to his group with the offer. "What should we do?" Duke Chartres inquired.

    "Send Hankson to negotiate," Dumouriez instructed.

    So, Hankson approached the enemy slowly, dismounted, and raised his hands to show he was unarmed. He walked closer cautiously, and then spoke, "General Dumouriez has sent me to convey his message. He has hostages, and he wishes to negotiate for safe passage. He proposes to hand over half of the officers if you allow us to pass. We can also release the remaining hostages from both sides. If you can''t make the decision, you can return and discuss it with Dumouriez."

    "Colonel Dumouriez and his traitor general want to talk to us?!" Bourrienne responded with disbelief.

    "Hankson?" Napoleon asked.

    "I am responsible for the vanguard. I suggest we ept their proposal," Hankson replied.

    "Colonel, how can you...," Bourrienne started.

    "Mr. Bourrienne, if we lose this many officers all at once, we will lose ourbat capability for the short term. Between the Austrians and Paris, there are no other armies but us. We must consider the safety of Paris," Napoleon said.

 Chapter 92: The Mutiny (3)

    Chapter 92: The Mutiny (3)

    Bourlonville was well aware of the importance of junior officers in an army. However, his mission wasn''t tomand the troops; it was to bring the traitor Dumouriez back to Paris for the people''s judgment. Allowing Dumouriez to escape would mean failure, and even though he didn''t have a strange wristwatch on his arm or a voice reminding him of the consequences of failure, he knew that the oue of failing the mission might not be much different.

    But now, the short lieutenant colonel in front of him seemed more concerned about the safety of the bound junior officers than catching the traitor. Bourlonville understood that from a broader perspective, this lieutenant colonel''s considerations aligned better with the interests of France. However, if anyone should be concerned about the bigger picture, it should be him, Bourlonville, as the special envoy. Despite the fact that this same lieutenant colonel had rescued him not long ago, any gratitude he had felt evaporated in an instant. He even felt that this short officer wasn''t steadfast enough in the revolution. At the same time, he used a euphemism to describe his own behavior  "upromising."

    However, even if Bourlonville wanted to be "upromising," he didn''t have the luxury at the moment. The soldiers around him weren''t firmly aligned with the revolution, and to his surprise, they had joined the side of the short lieutenant with the name Bonaparte.

    After the envoy from the traitor returned and discussed with them, he came back once more.

    "General agrees to your proposal," Hankson said. "But he has some conditions."

    "Go on," Napoleon replied.

    "The general requests that your hidden troopse out so we can ensure you haven''t set an ambush ahead of us," Hankson continued. "Additionally, the general doesn''t agree to handing Duke of Chartres as a hostage to you, but he proposes to be the hostage himself."

    Napoleon pondered for a moment and responded, "I can bring out the main force of our troops, but Dumouriez muste to me first. He should know we don''t have the advantage in numbers. Without the element of surprise from our hidden troops, you might attack us directly, and that would be detrimental to us. You can convey my terms to Dumouriez, and this is the final condition. If he agrees, he cane over himself. If not, we''ll settle the matter with cannons and bays."

    Hankson immediately went back. He needed to save time because the pursuers might be arriving soon.

    In a short while, Hankson and Dumouriez arrived. When they reached Napoleon''s soldiers, he ordered his hidden troops to reveal themselves and cleared a path after releasing half of the hostages. The rebels quickly passed the ambush and stopped, preparing for the second phase of the hostage exchange.

    "We can''t let this traitor go!" Bourlonville suddenly eximed. "We should send this traitor back to Paris and hang him on amppost!"

    "There will be many who would die with me," Dumouriez replied.

    "They''ll have died for the revolution, and our homnd will remember them," Bourlonville said.

    "No," Napoleon intervened. "They are our brothers, and we can never abandon them, no matter the circumstances."

    Then he nced at Dumouriez and added, "The life of ten thousand traitors doesn''tpare to one loyal soldier for the revolution."

    "Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte, obey orders!" Bourlonville shouted.

    "Sir, I cannot obey your orders until I receive valid identification documents proving your authority," Napoleon said calmly, casting a nce at this special envoy.

    When Bourlonville and others were rescued, they didn''t have their identification documents on them, so Napoleon used this as an excuse to reject him.

    "Very well," Bourlonville''s face turned grim.

    "Hahaha!" Dumouriez burst intoughter, pointing at Napoleon and then at Bourlonville. "Bonaparte, have you ever thought that after all your efforts, you saved something like this? Are you fighting for something like this?"

    Then he spoke in a more serious tone, "Bonaparte, you''re of noble birth, and with your talent, why would you mix with the likes of this? Come with us; with your talents, you can surely be someone of great importance."

    His words seemed sincere, as if he didn''t me Bonaparte for ruining his cause. Of course, Napoleon didn''t buy into his sweet talk. He had seen enough of people who spoke nicely but turned hostile behind one''s back.

    "We''re all fighting for the ideals of the revolution," Napoleon said. "Even if we have disagreements and differing views, it''s all for France. We can''t betray our mothend."

    Napoleon had be skilled at speaking convincingly, and when he mentioned "Mothend France," he did so fluently.

    "Mothend France?" Dumouriez scoffed, looking at Napoleon mockingly. "You, a Corsican, whose father was once a rebel, dare to talk to me about loving France?"

    "Corsica is an integral part of France since time immemorial, and every Corsican is a citizen of the French Republic. They all have a sacred duty to defend the unity of the homnd," Napoleon confidently stated.

    "Bonaparte, you will seed!" Dumouriez said in conclusion.

    The rest of the hostage exchange proceeded smoothly. Although Bourlonville wanted to disrupt everything, he was practically ignored by everyone. This also deepened his hatred for Napoleon, even more than Dumouriez.

    With the suppression of the mutiny, Joseph and Napoleon had at least temporarily gained control of this army. The special envoys who failed their mission, after confirming their identities, didn''t get themand. They were eager to return to Paris before another round of failure, although they didn''t admit it. Their official reason was, "We must quickly inform Paris about the dire situation here to prepare for your support. Additionally, due to the traitor''s actions, your army is critically short on supplies, and this must be reported to the National Convention immediately."

    So, the special envoys departed quickly.

    However, they didn''t leave empty-handed. Because they rushed to leave, the Duke of Chartres forgot an important letter in the camp. This letter was written by Philippe galit to his son. It was quickly discovered, bing the most significant acquisition for these special envoys. They might not have captured the traitor Dumouriez, but they had sessfully identified another traitor within the revolutionary ranks. It was considered an aplishment, no matter what.

    The Duke of Chartres, having narrowly escaped, sought refuge in the Austrian camp and stayed there temporarily. General Cobourg had many questions for him, and they spent a full three days in the camp before being allowed to leave. The Duke of Chartres knew that as an exiled royalist, his hatred for the Jacobins might be as fierce as his hatred for the "rebels." Thus, he decided not to stay in Austria, where royalists were widespread, and instead, he nned to head to Ennd. However, on that day, he realized he had left his father''s letter back in the French camp. By now, the special envoys had returned to Paris, reported Dumouriez''s betrayal to the National Convention, and presented evidence of the Duke of Ons'' involvement in the rebellion, attempting to restore the monarchy.

    After Dumouriez''s desertion, the Montagnards hadunched an attack on the Girondins, leading to usations flying in the Convention, with each sidebeling the other as traitors to the Republic. Seizing this opportunity, Danton once again proposed the Revolutionary Tribunal and the Committee of Public Safety. This time, the Girondin deputies dared not oppose the proposal, for to do so would be seen as confirming the Montagnards'' usation of their own treachery. Therefore, the most vital institution of the French Revolutionthe Committee of Public Safetywas swiftly established, bing the true center of power in the French Republic.

    Danton naturally became a part of thismittee, and given the importance of the military, Carnot was selected as amittee member responsible for military matters.

    The Revolutionary Tribunal quickly swung into action, and the guillotine was erected once more. This time, it imed the head of Philippe galit.

 Chapter 93: Crisis (1)

    Chapter 93: Crisis (1)

    The National Convention quickly appointed a man named Camacho to takemand of the Northern Army. Camacho was a regr attendee at the Rnd couple''s salon, which is to say he was a Brissotin. It was said that he had participated in the Seven Years'' War and had held positions like a sergeant during the war. Later, after the revolution, he had also served in the army and recently led troops to suppress a church rebellion in Brittany.

    With such a background, he was not really suited for the position of Northern Armymander. Carnot even thought that it would be better to let Napoleon or Joseph take the role directly. However, the Brissotins strongly opposed this idea. They believed that the Bonaparte brothers had too much of a Jacobin vor, and if one of them became the Northern Armymander, it wouldn''t be good for the Brissotins. Their main reasons included: first, the Bonaparte brothers were too young; second, they had a close rtionship with Carnot. If they took on such an important role, Carnot might have the opportunity to be a dictator in the future. Perhaps the series of recent failures were all part of Carnot''s conspiracy; third, the Bonaparte brothers had released Dumouriez, casting doubt on their loyalty to the revolution.

    On the other hand, Danion also supported the Brissotins. This was strange because the Brissotins had attacked Danion for not detecting signs of Dumouriez''s betrayal when he had personally visited Belgium. This was probably due to Danion taking money from Dumouriez. But Danion surprisingly supported them. Some believed that Danion wanted topromise with the Brissotins, while others thought that Danion saw the Northern situation as dire, with the next failure being unavoidable, and so he agreed to let a Brissotin takemand.

    In any case, this guy named Camacho became themander of the Northern Army. This appointment left Carnot very dissatisfied because he thought that the reasons against having the Bonaparte brothers as Northern Armymanders were baseless.

    First, the Bonaparte brothers were indeed young, butmand in warfare didn''t depend on age. How old was Alexander the Great when he led his army into Persia? Younger than Napoleon is now. As for the Bonaparte brothers releasing Dumouriez, it was necessary for the overall situation. If the Northern Army lost those mid-level officers, it would have copsed. It was Napoleon''s decisive action that saved the entire Northern Army.

    As for the notion that he would be a dictator, it was an insult to his character. Hot-tempered Carnot couldn''t take it anymore and threw his glove at a guy named Galiot who made these usations, and said to him, "Choose between a pistol, a sword, or a dagger; if you''re a real man, resolve this matter like one."

    However, Galiot immediately backed down, apologized, and imed he didn''t mean it that way. Even worse, after his apology, he turned his back, and when people mocked him for being cowardly, he said, "Mr. Carnot is from a military background, and he''s an expert in all sorts of duel techniques. Challenging him to a duel, no matter what weapon, is unfair, and even amounts to murder..."

    Carnot was about to lose his temper, "Tomorrow, I will propose that I tie one hand behind my back and duel him!"

    "Mr. Carnot, I don''t think you should duel someone like that. Dueling is an honorable thing, at least in the eyes of us Corsicans. If you challenge him to a duel, it will only give him honor. But does he really deserve the honor of a duel? I don''t think he does! He deserves a good whipping, like azy donkey that the master flogs!" As soon as Carnot said this, Lucien, who was always ready for chaos, dropped the mathematics problem he was working on in his study and rushed out.

    "Tomorrow morning, Mr. Carnot, take me with you to the doors of the National Convention, and I''ll hold two pistols to stop others while you give him a good beating, whip him hard with a horsewhip!"

    Carnot''s anger left Lucien increasingly incoherent, and he asked, "Lucien, are you done with your homework? Show it to me."

    "Not yet, just a little bit left. It''ll be done soon. I''m going to finish my homework now." Lucien immediately rushed back to the study.

    Lucien went into the study and seemed to work on his homework diligently, or at least it looked like that. But after Carnot sat down and contemted, he found Lucien''s words made sense and were quite feasible. He couldn''t sit still any longer, stood up, took his coat and hat, and prepared to leave.

    "Lazare, dinner will be ready soon. Where are you going?" his wife hurriedly asked.

    "I have urgent business. Don''t wait for me," Carnot said as he headed for the door.

    Early the next morning, Carnot, apanied by two friends, Deputy Espa and another Deputy Deron, blocked Galiot at the doors of the National Convention. Carnot didn''t waste any words and struck him with a punch right on the nose, causing blood to gush, making it look like a sauce shop had just opened, with vors of salt, sourness, and spiciness all pouring out.

    Galiot screamed loudly, staggered backward, clutching his nose with one hand and pointing at Carnot with his other, speaking incoherently, "Carnot, you... you can''t be so... so brutal... we should talk... properly..."

    Carnot was unfazed and moved forward again,nding another punch on Galiot''s eye socket, causing his eye to swell and burst like a fireworks disy, disying shades of red, green, and purple.

    Galiot lost his bnce, fell backward, and sat on the ground.

    The surrounding Brissotin deputies wanted toe to Galiot''s aid, but at that moment, a gunshot rang out. Espa held a smoking pistol pointed to the sky with one hand while Deron had drawn two pistols and ced them between the deputies and Carnot and Galiot.

    "Everyone, this is a personal matter. I hope you don''t interfere," Espa politely said, holding his pistols.

    Perhaps because Espa''s words were quite persuasive, even the Brissotin deputies were convinced. They stood by and madements like, "Oh, Mr. Carnot, can''t we talk this out nicely?" and "Oh, don''t do this..."

    After beating Galiot for a while, and after one punch too many, Carnot identally hit too hard, causing the whip to snap. He withdrew his hand and pointed at Galiot''s nose, saying, "If you dare to spread rumors behind my back again, I''ll hit you every time I see you. Remember that!"

    Galiot curled up on the ground, answering repeatedly, "I remember, I remember..."

    "Hmph!" Carnot dropped the broken horsewhip and walked away.

    Once Carnot left, Espa twirled the pistols on his fingers and then put them away, saying to the onlooking deputies, "Thanks for your cooperation."

    Then, together with Deron, he followed Carnot and left.

    "Such a barbarian, really... too barbaric!" the shocked Brissotin deputies eximed.

    "Good job, Carnot! Scum like him should be beaten to a pulp!" the Mountain faction deputies, especially those from ''The People''s Friend,'' cheered.

    Carnot didn''t care about the consequences. He may have lost his rank and had his pay cut, but it didn''t bother him. Lowering his rank didn''t change his job, and restoring the rank wouldn''t take long. As for the lost pay during this period, it was a small price to pay for peace of mind. Even his motivation for work seemed to have increased.

    After a day of work, Carnot returned home. He hung up his coat and hat, and his wife and Lucien greeted him.

    "Mr. Carnot, many people sent you gifts today," Lucien called out to Carnot.

    "Gifts for me? Today is not my birthday. What''s going on?" Carnot asked.

    "Lazare..." His wife''s expression was strange. "It''s a pile of horsewhips."

 Chapter 94: Crisis (2)

    Chapter 94: Crisis (2)

    Carnot worked tirelessly, attempting to send more personnel and supplies to the north. However, the northern army did not immediately receive sufficient personnel and provisions. The reason was simple: a massive rebellion had erupted in the Vende region.

    Vende was a region full of hills and forests, one of the most traditional, backward, and isted areas in all of France. The way of life there had changed very little over the centuries.

    However, this closed-off and backward Vende was not a stronghold of the monarchy. The peasants there didn''t have much affection for the king, which was quite normal. Just like the peasants in the Eastern Great Eats, as sung in the "Rice-Pounding Song": "We work at sunrise, rest at sunset. We dig wells to drink, plow fields to eat. What does the emperor''s power matter to us?" So, to the peasants in Vende, what did the king matter to them?

    The revolutionary government had beheaded a fellow named Louis XVI, which wasn''t a big deal for the peasants in Vende. As long as their crops were growing, what did they care about the king? And as for the nobles who had their heads on the line, the peasants in Vende didn''t care about them either. If the nobles were hung frommpposts, it had nothing to do with them. As long as their crops were growing... So, with a constitutional monarchy, Vende was stable; with the king''s execution, Vende remained peaceful.

    But recently, the peasants in Vende had begun to feel that the current revolutionary government was causing some problems.

    The government''s first annoying move was their attempt to expel the clergy. After the revolution, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed, which required priests to swear allegiance to the government, leading to a split in the church in France. But in Vende, the priests who had not sworn allegiance to the government continued to operate their churches, perform their religious duties, and hold the keys to heaven for every poor peasant. The French government in Paris couldn''t really reach these remote ces. So, the impact of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy on Vende was limited.

    But after the king was beheaded, the situation changed. Many of the priests who refused to swear allegiance to the government became the backbone of the rebellions in various regions. Therefore, the National Assembly passed aw dering that all priests who had not sworn allegiance to the government should be expelled from the country.

    ording to this neww, all priests who had not sworn allegiance to the government had to leave France within a certain time frame. Any priest found in France after the deadline, without having sworn allegiance to the government, would be considered a rebel and could be sentenced to death without trial.

    Some priests in Vende initiated some rebellions after the king''s execution. Initially, these rebellions seemed no different from those in other regions. Most of the peasants in Vende maintained their "What does the emperor''s power matter to us?" attitude and didn''t actively participate. So, these rebellions were quickly suppressed.

    However, the subsequent action of expelling "unlicensed" priests created significant discontent among the Vende peasants. In the closed-off region of Vende, there were virtually no "licensed" priests. Therefore, the government''s actions in Vende were, in a sense, an attempt to eradicate Christianity from Vende.

    If the priests'' rebellions did not receive much support from the peasants, the government''s expulsion of priests escted the anger throughout Vende.

    But if it were just this issue, the Vende rebellions might not have be so severe. Because of the crisis in the north, the revolutionary government passed a conscriptionw proposed by Carnot, calling for a nationwide draft. Special envoys were sent to various regions to enforce conscription and taxation.

    Due to limitations in their production methods, generally, rural poptions were reluctant to leave their hometowns. Vende peasants were no different. In fact, even the National Guard in the cities was generally unwilling to leave their cities to fight in distant regions. Add to that the priests, nobles, and foreigners inciting the situation, and the Vende rebellion quickly escted.

    The revolutionary government mobilized some National Guard troops to suppress the rebellion, thinking they could easily crush the disorganized and uncooperative rebels. However, the situation in Vende was entirely different from what they had imagined. The Vende peasants proved to be incredibly brave when defending their homnd, not inferior to the National Guard. Moreover, their leaders were former high-ranking officers in the French army.

    Vende was located near the sea, and the English noticed that during the early stages of the rebellion, providing an excellent opportunity to strike at the French. So, they recruited individuals from the French exile nobility who both despised the republic and had military experience, gathered them in Ennd, organized them, and then transported them to the Vende coastline by warships. With the guidance of local church members, they formed separate units and took charge. The Marquis de Lantenac in Victor Hugo''s final novel, "Ny-Three," was one such person who set foot on Vende''s soil.

    As a result, when the poorly experienced National Guard generals from the revolutionary government, leading their troops into Vende, thought they would easily suppress the peasant uprising, they were met with a true army. Vende peasants disyed the same high morale, better leadership, better coordination, and more soldiers as they did.

    The oue of the battles was self-evident. The government forces were defeated by the peasant army, and the entire Vende region fell. At that time, most of France''s military forces had been sent north to confront the coalition of Prussia and Austria, leaving the entire south vulnerable. If the rebels took advantage of this situation and headed north, the republic would find itself in a perilous two-front war.

    Since joining the ranks opposing France, the English had yet to deploy even a single infantry battalion on the ground. Nevertheless, in terms of the threats and losses inflicted on France, they were no less formidable than Austria and Prussia, who had mobilized tens of thousands of troops. Quite the legend of stirring the pot!

    Of course, being a master of stirring the pot could lead to other problems, such as relying too much on others to y the game of "fighting fire with fire" and being unwilling to invest a single penny of your own strength. With France implementing a nationwide draft and continuous mobilization by Austria and Prussia, the English even managed to trim a quarter of the army, thus saving costs.

    This brought up another problem, namely, while the leaders of the Vende rebellion and the English hoped that the English army wouldnd in Vende and join forces with them to march north and defeat the rebels, restoring the Bourbons, the English refused to send a single soldier and hoped the rebels could solve the problem on their own. The English calcted that if the Vende rebels were to strike north at this time, it would be enough to achieve their goal.

    However, an unexpected situation arose that neither the English nor the Bourbon supporters had anticipated: the Vende peasants weren''t really loyal to the monarchy.

    In fact, just like the urban National Guard troops who were reluctant to leave their hometowns to fight in distant regions, the Vende peasants were simrly unwilling to leave their viges and farnds. Their attachment to their hometowns even exceeded that of the city dwellers.

    Once the urbanites who had forcibly dragged them hundreds of miles away to fight were expelled, the peasants dispersed, each returning to their homes, leaving the nobles and a few cats and dogs behind.

    Watching these scattered peasants, whether from the republican side, the Bourbon side, or other foreigners, they were all dumbfounded, feeling like their eyes were ying tricks on them.

    So, the northern march to Paris was naturally off the table, and the peasants were just too... too honest, weren''t they?

    But leaving Vende unattended was not an option either. What if, what if the British army really came from that direction? The British had not sent troops so far, but who could guarantee that they wouldn''t send troops in the future? If they were engaged in a heated battle with Austria and Prussia in the north, and the British stabbed them in the back, it would be a disaster...

    So, the revolutionary government had no choice but to hope to hold the north, then transfer the troops sent to the north back south to resolve the Vende issue. Fortunately, Austria and Prussia were rtively cooperative, especially Austria. They saw the pressure on the battlefield ease a bit and immediately remembered that the queen had eaten such a big piece of meat but only let them smell its aroma. So, they turned their heads and got entangled in the special interests of the Holy Roman Empire in Pnd.

    In addition, Austria thought that if they fought too hard in the north now, it would only attract more French troops, and in the end, they would lose all their gains to the British and the Spanish. If it turned out that way, they would be left sniffing the aroma from the other side, wouldn''t they?

    As for Prussia, they also thought it was better to wait and let the French fight amongst themselves. It would be even better if the French fought the British, and then they could take action to maximize their gains.

    As a result, the little schemes of two kings and one emperor created a temporary calm on the decisive northern battlefield. The French were given a rare chance to catch their breath.

    During this lull, Carnot quickly recalled Joseph and Napoleon, as well as the Red Army. One of his ideas was to have them deal with the Vende rebellion. However, when he mentioned this to Joseph, Joseph strongly opposed it.

    "The situation in Vende is not a military problem but a political one. If political problems have to be solved militarily, Lazar, then I have to say, you have prepared too few troops."

 Chapter 95: Crisis (3)

    Chapter 95: Crisis (3)

    "What do you mean?" Carnot furrowed his brow.

    "Lazare, to defeat our enemies, we must understand them. Only byprehending our enemy''s situation can we effectively counter them. Some of our officers, however, are going into battle without any knowledge of the enemy, even of themselves. Lazare, this is not warfare; it''s sending our soldiers to their deaths, or even a crime against the Republic! I''ve always believed there should be a principle in the military: never fight an unprepared battle," Joseph said.

    "Your principle is sound, but the current situation is dire, and we can''t ignore Vende," Carnot replied.

    "Lazare, why do you think Vende''s peasants revolted? What made those honest farmers take up arms? What are the characteristics and weaknesses of the rebels in Vende?" Joseph inquired further.

    "Why?" Carnot pondered, "They were probably incited by priests and manipted by the aristocracy."

    "No, that''s not it," Joseph shook his head, "When we beheaded Louis XVI, they had no reaction; when we ordered the expulsion of the clergy, their rebellion was limited. But when we called for conscription, theyunched arge-scale revolt. It was conscription that made them rise. Only conscription damaged their interests significantly and drove them to unite against us."

    "But we can''t forgo conscription or turn a blind eye to Vende," Carnot replied.

    "Of course," Joseph said, "I''m pointing this out to illustrate a specific trait of our enemy, the Vende rebels. Lazare, do you remember how most of the National Guard in Paris refused to leave the city?"

    "I certainly do... Joseph, are you suggesting they..." Carnot began to realize.

    "They are, in essence, like our own National Guard, unwilling to leave their homnd, with the courage to defend their homes and lives. If we fight in Vende, they are like the immovable As, nearly invincible. If we approach this problem solely with military means, we won''t achieve true victory unless wepletely eradicate Vende''snd. To do that, Lazare, I must say the number of troops you''ve prepared is far too few. I believe we need at least ten times as many."

    "Joseph, if I had that many troops at my disposal, why would we even go to Vende? Why not head straight to Vienna?" Carnot questioned.

    "So, a direct military solution is a pipe dream! Dealing with Vende must involve both military and political approaches," Joseph stated.

    "It seems you''ve been nning this for a while, Joseph!" Carnot said, "Tell me, how do webine both approaches?"

    "Let''s start with the military aspect. Political matters are beyond our control," Joseph began, "Militarily, I don''t have aplete n yet, but I can offer a direction. We need to find a way to lure As away from hisnd. The Vende peasants will certainly not leave their soil willingly, but the nobles leading them, along with the English backing them, won''t let them stay idle in Vende. They''ll try to get them toe out and attack us. If we can entice them somehow, they''lle out faster. Then, on a battlefield outside Vende, we''ll find an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow, eliminating their elite troops beyond Vende. This will make many things easier in the future."

    "Hmm," Carnot nodded, "This direction is intriguing. Now, what about the political aspect?"

    "Politically..." Joseph''s pace slowed, "Politically, ites down to the distribution of interests. Lazare, why are Vende''s peasants rebelling against us? Because we''ve harmed their interests, right? If we can offer them a suitable, even very attractivepensation, we mightpletely resolve the Vende issue."

    Carnot listened but then shook his head in disappointment. "Joseph, if we had enough topensate them for their losses, why would we need conscription? Why not simply recruit volunteers? What can we offer them? We can''t print more banknotes for them; they''re not fools. Even fools today know not to trust banknotes."

    "Have you ever read Machiavelli''s ''The Prince''?" Joseph asked.

    "The Italian schemer?" Carnot responded.

    "His views can be ufortable, but some of his techniques are interesting. Honestly, if our previous king had possessed Machiavellian skills, France might still be a kingdom today," Joseph remarked.

    "I''ve read that book before, but I''ve forgotten many things. Joseph, just tell me what you mean," Carnot urged.

    "We don''t need topensate them with our resources. As Machiavelli said, a shrewd ruler should excel at ''milking the generosity of others,''" Joseph exined.

    "Oh, I remember this part. Alexander the Great, Caesar, and Augustus had a reputation for generosity, but they were actually generously distributing others'' belongings to their soldiers... Is that what you mean?" Carnot recalled.

    "Yes, Lazare, think about what those peasants desire most. It''s theirnd, isn''t it? We''ll entice the nobles first, bring them out of Vende, defeat them there, and ensure their descendants flee. Then, we''ll confiscate theirnd and redistribute it to local peasants, with the best plots going to those willing to serve as soldiers for us. If we can really do this, Lazare, I believe the Vende rebellion isn''t insurmountable, and the Vende region might be a strong base of support for us in the future," Joseph concluded.

    "This approach seems feasible, but such a significant decision must be approved by the National Convention," Carnot hesitated. "Today, passing such a resolution in the Convention will surely face opposition."

    "Why? We won''t be spending anything," Joseph questioned.

    "Because... because the Convention has already confiscated thend of Vende''s nobles as coteral and issued banknotes," Carnot hesitated but replied.

    "What? They''ve done that too?" Joseph was taken aback.

    "But your earlier military advice is good. Joseph, I think entrusting you with this task is a good choice," Carnot once again tried to assign Joseph the responsibility.

    "I''m not being modest, nor do I shy away from serving France. If it benefits France, I don''t mind risking my life. Why would I push the responsibility aside for personal gain? However, designing such a strategy is quite different from the improvisationalmand on the front lines. Don''t be fooled by my words here; facing the enemy in actualmand might lead to unpredictable problems. In reality, Lazare, you and I are more alike, both better suited for service within the War Ministry. Well, not exactly... you''re more suitable for working in the War Ministry than I am. My true ce is in theboratory. Damn, it''s been so long since I left theboratory."

    "In truth, I also prefer theboratory," Carnot patted Joseph''s shoulder and said, "I understand you. However, we must both work for France now. If you can''t go, how about sending Napoleon? I think he''s quitepetent in tactics."

    Joseph didn''t oppose this appointment, but he had two requests, "If you want Napoleon to take on this responsibility, I don''t object. He''s indeed better suited. However, I have two requests. First, you should help him strengthen the middle-levelmanders among his subordinates. Second, if Napoleon makes any special moves, I hope everyone will trust hismand."

    "I understand," Carnot said, "Although my influence is limited, I won''t let ignorant meddling into militarymand."

    And so, Napoleon quickly became the overallmander of the anti-rebel forces. Though the anti-rebel forces were limited in number, consisting of only one division, this marked the beginning of his emergence as a true leader.

    As for Joseph, he returned once again to Carnot''s side, bing his deputy. He also took charge of a new institution, the "Tactical Research Institute." Carnot had briefly considered convincing him to join the Committee of Public Safety, but Joseph politely declined. Nevertheless, Joseph remained a harmless but highly valuable asset to the Republic.

    As Joseph had predicted, the Vende nobles couldn''t bear staying idle in the rural backwaters of Vende. They used their umted wealth from generations to raise an army of over 40,000 men through recruitment and began moving northward. Facing them were only Napoleon''s newly formed division of around 5,000 troops and some local National Guard units.

    Based on thebat capability shown by the peasant army in previous battles, General Franois Athanase de Charette believed they could defeat the French forces in front of them and advance on Paris.

    Of course, Charette also knew that with such a small force and weak logistics, he couldn''t actually conquer Paris. But he believed that if he achieved one or two victories and threatened Paris, the northern front woulde alive, and the Republic would be surrounded, facing threats from all sides.

 Chapter 96: Crisis (4)

    Chapter 96: Crisis (4)

    In order to bluff, General Dcroix announced that he had an army of up to a hundred thousand soldiers under hismand. He hoped to use this number to intimidate his enemies and, at the very least, dent their morale. But Napoleon was not one to be easily intimidated. In fact, when he heard that number and saw the terrified expressions on his subordinates'' faces, he couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "Why are youughing, General?" a slightly graying young officer named Louis-Nics Davout asked.

    Davout was a year younger than Napoleon, but due to his brave actions in battle, he had already risen to the rank of captain. He was one of the "stronger" mid-levelmanders specially assigned to Napoleon by Joseph and Carnot.

    Napoleon smiled and replied, "Davout, Vandzia is one of the poorest regions in all of France. How can it support an army of a hundred thousand? If Dcroix really had a hundred thousand soldiers, we wouldn''t need to prepare for battle like this. Everyone should go back to sleep. Because before his army reaches us, they''ll have starved to death without food."

    Although this answer didn''tpletely ease the tension among his officers, it did alleviate it somewhat.

    "So, General, how many rebels do you think Dcroix has?" Davout asked again.

    "Ah, that''s a good question," Napoleon said, crossing his arms and pacing. "If I were Dcroix, I would bring at most twenty thousand men that''s already the limit Vandzia can support. If there were more, they might hold up for a short while, but in the long run, their logistics would fail. And if they ventured too far, their supply lines would be a problem. But from the intelligence I''ve received, that fool has brought forty thousand men."

    "Forty thousand? General, we only have five thousand men, and from previous battles, the rebel forces have proven to be formidable," another lieutenant named Charles Ons spoke up.

    "Ons, you''re right. At least in Vandzia, the rebels have shown goodbat capabilities. They''re like our own gueris, fiercely brave when fighting in their home territories. But if they leave their homes, it''s a different story. Moreover, they have some clear and hard-to-ovee weaknesses."

    Napoleon surveyed the room before continuing, "The rebels'' training level is far below ours. In previous battles, they''ve mostly been able to engage in ambushes and skirmishes. Their equipment is limited,cking in cannons and qualified artillery. This means their ability to break through fortifications is quite limited. Their supply lines are insufficient, so as long as we hold key positions and constantly harass their supply lines, defeating the rebels is only a matter of time."

    "What if the British support them?" Ons asked.

    "The British would find it hard to assist them because although Vandzia is near the sea, itcks any decent ports. With only those little fishing ports in Vandzia that can amodate small boats, how much can the British really bring ashore? Of course, troops cannd, but the more troopsnd, the more strained their supplies be. So, we are certain to hold them off here in Angers."

    This analysis boosted the morale of the officers. Napoleon then arranged the defensive preparations and adjourned the meeting.

    After the meeting, the officers returned to their respective units to prepare for the defense, while Napoleon kept Davout and Ons behind.

    "Davout, Ons, you both did well today," Napoleon said with a smile. It was clear that today''s conversation had been nned between the three of them.

    "General, the Constitutional Friends'' Club reports that royalist activities in the city are increasing. To counter external enemies, we must ensure internal stability. With the enemy forces approaching, should we first clear out the royalists in the city?" Davout brought up another matter.

    "Let the municipal council handle such matters; we are a fighting force and should not get involved in these affairs," Napoleon shook his head.

    Davout furrowed his brow slightly, thinking, "If the Constitutional Friends can control the municipal council and address this matter, why involve the military? There are probably many royalist sympathizers in Angers. But, with the General''s intelligence, he must understand this. Why is he taking this approach?"

    Davout was still young and as he pondered, his expression changed unintentionally.

    Napoleon, though young, was astute. He saw Davout''s suspicious look and then said, "Davout, Ons,e and look at the map."

    Napoleon led the two to the map, pointing to it, and asked, "From a purely military perspective, where do you think we can strike the enemy to inflict the most damage?"

    Davout and Ons were momentarily stunned. What did this mean? Hadn''t they agreed to defend Angers?

    However, Davout quickly understood and thought, "This guy is really audacious, and... cunning!"

    Angers was too close to Vandzia, and even if they held off the enemy here, a well-organized retreat was possible. But if the rebels continued to advance north and were halted around Le Mans, they might not have a safe retreat. If the battle went poorly, relentless pursuit might leave the enemy with very few survivors.

    But to lure the rebels north to Le Mans, Angers had to be sacrificed. Politically, that was almost uneptable. Davout immediately grasped the reason for Napoleon''s decision to allow royalist activities to continue in the city.

    "General, are you suggesting we abandon Angers?" Davout asked after thinking it through.

    Napoleon did not answer but continued, "Our troops are still in the city; the royalists won''t dare to act recklessly. We''ll rely on the city''s defenses for a while, and when our supplies are running low, we''ll hand over the city''s defense to the National Guard. We''ll move outside the city, preparing tounch a counterattack. It''s at that point that who knows what might happen...

    Then our army will turn towards Le Mans. The enemy will have some cannons due to the capture of Angers, which might give them a false sense of ''we have siege capabilities.'' Capturing Angers alone isn''t enough to alter the overall situation, so they''ll likely continue moving north.

    Then we can confront them here, defeat them, and pursue them relentlessly, leaving them with no way to return!"

    "General, will higher authorities approve such an operation?" Ons asked with wide eyes.

    "This n has been personally approved by General Carnot but must remain strictly confidential. Furthermore, there are many royalists in Angers. Let them show their true colors first. Besides, there are many royalist sympathizers in the city. Think about it; once the rebels suffering from logistic shortages enter the city, what might they do? Let them experience royalist education and the care from the Bourbon family, isn''t that a good thing? So General Carnot fully supports this n," Napoleon said, spouting a series of nonsense.

    If Carnot knew what Napoleon was up to, he would probably rush over overnight and give Napoleon a stern lecture. Even Joseph, who was technically his superior, didn''t anticipate Napoleon''s maneuver. He''d be thinking, "You''re no longer a staff officer, why are you more scheming than when I was a staff officer?"

    However, both Davout and Ons were just mid-level officers, unaware of Napoleon''s fake royal order. Instead, they felt a strong sense of determination from Paris topletely resolve the Vandzia rebellion. Simultaneously, they felt an inexplicable satisfaction and happiness knowing that their superior was just as audacious as they were.

    A few dayster, General Dcroix''srge army approached Angers, and the battle erupted. In the initial skirmishes outside the city, the rebel forces pushed back the defense led by Napoleon, gradually advancing towards Angers.

    Although the rebels suffered heavier losses in the outside battles, thanks to the intelligence provided by the royalists within the city, Dcroix learned that the government forces numbered only slightly over five thousand and their supplies were dwindling. So, despite the minor setbacks outside the city, he wasn''t too concerned.

    However, the subsequent siege of Angers posed a challenge for Dcroix. Part of the defending forces was stationed within the city, while the rest was on a small hill outside. Both positions were well-fortified and could support each other. The presence of these forces prevented aplete encirclement of Angers, meaning that even if his assaults seeded, the enemy would probably manage to escape. Given the marching capabilities of his troops, pursuing a retreating enemy would be challenging.

    "These rebels are cowards. We haven''t even fought much, and they''ve prepared such a secure escape route!" Dcroix couldn''t help butin. He also realized that, with an enemy force several times his own, no one would disregard securing a retreat.

    The other challenge was the poor siege capabilities of his troops. Dcroixcked sufficient artillery, and his soldiers were poorly trained for siege warfare (in fact, they had hardly received any training at all). In contrast, the government''s blue-coated forces had an abundance of artillery and fired as if gunpowder were free. Therefore, despite their low hit rates, his troops had suffered losses in the past few days, while their progress was limited.

    "Keep fighting like this for a few more days, and their gunpowder will run out. A poorly trained army tends to waste ammunition recklessly. Maybe while I''mining about the training of our troops, their little kid general is alsoining about the poor marksmanship of his troops," Dcroix thought.

    Inexplicably, General Dcroix began to feel a strange sense of camaraderie with Napoleon.

 Chapter 97: Joseph, the Special Envoy

    Chapter 97: Joseph, the Special Envoy

    Joseph was awakened in his bed by a messenger.

    "Colonel Bonaparte, Colonel Bonaparte, General Carnot requests your immediate presence at the War Department. There''s trouble in the south," the messenger urgently conveyed.

    "What? Trouble in the south?" Joseph leaped out of bed like a coiled spring. He hastily donned his uniform, carelessly plopped a hat on his head, and followed the messenger out the door, mounted his horse, and raced towards the War Department.

    On the way, Joseph couldn''t help but wonder, "Could something have happened to Napoleon? Could my time travel have altered the course of history, leading to Napoleon''s downfall?" After all, events on the battlefield often relied on luck. Napoleon had a penchant for leading from the front, and one stray cannonball

    As Joseph''s anxiety grew, his hands trembled to the point where he could barely hold onto the reins. Fortunately, his residence wasn''t far from the War Department, and within moments, he arrived.

    Leaping off his horse, Joseph went straight to Carnot''s office.

    "Lazare, what''s going on?" Joseph immediately asked upon entering.

    "Angers has fallen," Carnot replied.

    Joseph let out a long sigh, then widened his eyes. "What? Angers has fallen? What did Napoleon have to say about this?"

    "Napoleon hasn''t sent a report; the news came from the Jacobin Club in Angers," Carnot exined. "I apologize for waking you at this hour, but I was just woken up as well. Catch your breath, and I''ll fill you in on the situation."

    Carnot then gave Joseph a brief overview of what he knew. The situation was as follows:

    In the days leading up to the recent battles, Napoleon had sessfully repelled rebel attacks. Just two days ago, Napoleon had dered that he noticed a drop in enemy morale and a weakening of their attacks. In response, he decided tounch a full-scale counteroffensive and had withdrawn his main force from the city.

    However, the moment his forces left, royalist sympathizers within the city initiated a revolt. Some of the National Guard troops had been infiltrated by these royalists. As a result, the royalists swiftly seized key positions within the city, leading to the fall of Angers. Napoleon tried to counterattack, but it didn''t go well, and he had to retreat.

    "Well, it seems the me might not solely rest on Napoleon''s shoulders in this case," Joseph immediately began strategizing, hoping to deflect responsibility away from Napoleon.

    "Carnot, regardless, this is a severe setback. I suspect that by dawn, Paris will be in an uproar. I might be called to testify before the Parliament. But rest assured, if you examine the situation closely, although Angers has fallen, it hasn''t changed the overall picture significantly. I can handle it in Parliament."

    "General, indeed..." Joseph started.

    "Wrong, I''m still a colonel for now," Carnot chuckled. "I''ll probably have to wait until Napoleon emerges victorious before I can be promoted again. Well, Joseph, let''s work through the situation together."

    "Very well," Joseph agreed. "I wonder when that idiot Napoleon will finally send the battle report."

    "That might take a day," Carnot said. "We just don''t know about his casualties."

    ...

    When daylight came, Carnot was indeed summoned to Parliament. It was reported that a certain Gallio had been causing amotion, using Napoleon of treason and suspecting collusion between Carnot and Napoleon. In response, Carnot gave Gallio a withering re, causing him to unexpectedly lose control of his dder.

    "Nevertheless, Joseph, you should know that some in Parliament are panicking. Dealing with these irrational individuals and discussing issues rationally can be quite challenging. Ultimately, they passed a resolution to send a special envoy to Napoleon."

    Joseph had anticipated this oue and inquired, "So, who are they sending?"

    "I initially wanted to send Congressman Saint-Just. He''s young but courageous and willing to learn. He doesn''t meddle in matters he doesn''t understand, and he''s had experience with these kinds of missions. Unfortunately, due to the delicate situation in Paris, he can''t leave. So, we had to look for an alternative."

    "So, who are they sending in the end?" Joseph asked.

    "A man named Joseph Fouche, much like you, but with the surname Fouche," Carnot replied.

    "Joseph Fouche, the one who initially had good rtions with Robespierre, then followed La Fayette,ter aligned with Brissot, and now supports Marat?" Joseph inquired.

    "Yes, that unscrupulous fellow," Carnot scoffed. "He''s even more radical than Marat himself."

    Though Carnot leaned toward the Mountain faction, he was disdainful of the fervent radicals like Marat and Fouche.

    "Fanatics change allegiances when they join a new group. To gain recognition, they have to be more radical than the others. But could this person interfere with militarymand once he''s in the army?" Joseph wondered.

    "I spoke with Fouche, and he assured me that his role is to document Napoleon''smands for Parliament to determine if he''s been negligent. He won''t meddle in military operations," Carnot reassured.

    "I hope that''s true," Joseph said. "General, Napoleon''s battle report has arrived, and I have a feeling that he might be up to something behind our backs..."

    ...

    When Joseph Fouche arrived with approximately two hundred militiamen at Napoleon''s camp, Napoleon had retreated to near Le Mans. Le Mans, in modern times, was known for racing, but at this time, there were no automobiles, only horse-drawn carriages shuttling to and fro.

    Le Mans was strategically advantageous for Napoleon''s decisive battle. Firstly, Le Mans had excellentnd and water transport, allowing supplies from Paris to reach Le Mans directly through the canals connecting the Seine and the Loir rivers.

    Secondly, Le Mans had formidable city walls, a legacy from the Hundred Years'' War, making it a much-favored prize in the constant struggles between the English and French armies. These well-preserved walls were slightly outdated with the advent of widespread artillery, but they were still better than having no defenses. Considering the mediocre quality of the enemy forces, these walls yed an important role. For General Dcroix, taking Le Mans was the key to cutting off water routes and truly threatening Paris.

    "Wee to my camp, Mr. Fouche," Napoleon greeted him along with his officers. "I''m d to see you here. I''ve been informed of your mission to assist me."

    "Very pleased to meet you, General Bonaparte," Fouche replied. "I''ve been assigned to witness this battle, for which I only need my eyes and ears. As for my other task... I''ve been instructed to root out hidden rebels within Le Mans. It seems that their subversive activities led to the fall of Angers, which is uneptable in Le Mans. If necessary, General Bonaparte, I hope to have the support of your troops."

    "That won''t be a problem," Napoleon assured him.

    Fouche had been honest; although he attended many of Napoleon''s military meetings, he never uttered a word. Most of his time was spent running through Le Mans, though his exact activities remained a mystery.

    On thest day of May, another revolution erupted in Paris, driven by popr discontent over the economy. The sans-culottes rose in rebellion again, holding certain parliamentarians responsible for the dire situation. They surrounded the National Convention and demanded the surrender of those they deemed "traitors." The Convention capitted once more, leading to the arrest of over twenty members. From that night on, the bnce within the Convention shifted. The Montagnards gained the upper hand, and their dominance was evident in most debates.

    Subsequently, many moderate parliamentarians left Paris. During Convention sessions, often over a third of its members were absent.

    Overall, Paris always led the provinces in the course of the Revolution. When Paris advocated for constitutional monarchy, the provinces hoped for the king''s benevolence. When Paris embraced the republic, most provinces were just beginning to ept constitutional monarchy. And when Paris chose the more radical Montagnards, most provinces leaned towards the Girondins. This deepened the divide between the provinces and Paris.

    As a result, the power of the Republic declined, and royalists sparked new revolts in other regions. As the Vendan rebels approached, rumors ran rampant in Le Mans.

    The more credible rumors suggested that the Vendan rebels numbered in the thousands, with well-equipped, trained British and Spanish troops among them. They were said to be formidable, and they believed that Napoleon, with his mere division of 5,000 men and a shortage of cannons due to his earlier retreat, stood no chance.

    While these rumors were half-true, they baffled those with more discerning minds. For instance, it was true that Napoleon had lost some cannons during his retreat, but he had intentionally left those cannons behind to encourage the enemy''s advance. In fact, he had stockpiled a substantial number of cannons in Le Mans, with the support of his brother, who favored him.

    As for the less credible rumors, they were absurd. Stories circted that the twelve Pdins of Charlemagne had risen from the dead, wielding divine thunder, to aid the royalist army. These rumors held no sway over those with a more educated perspective but sessfully misled many less-educated individuals. Thus, in Le Mans, tensions began to simmer.

 Chapter 98: Night of Blood and Fire

    Chapter 98: Night of Blood and Fire

    On June 5th, the Vende rebels were closing in on Le Mans, just a day''s journey away. It was on this fateful afternoon that Fouch appeared before Napoleon.

    "General Bonaparte, I need the cooperation of your army," Fouch stated.

    "Tell me, how can I assist you?" Napoleon responded promptly.

    Fouch retrieved a map of Le Mans from his coat and spread it on the table.

    "General Bonaparte, do you see these residences marked with red crosses?" Fouch inquired.

    "Are these the houses of the rebels?" Napoleon asked.

    "Yes," Fouch confirmed, "they are conspiring tounch a rebellion, joining forces with the Vende insurgents."

    "Do you want me to arrest them?" Napoleon asked.

    "No, you don''t need to worry about arrests," Fouch revealed a predatory smile, "You and your officers are not locals, and apprehending suspects might not be your strong suit. Your task is to secure these critical locations and enforce a strict curfew in the city. You can issue orders that anyone seen on the streets after dark, except our own people, can be shot. Le Mans is an ideal ce; it has intact city walls. As long as you watch over these key areas, none of these traitors can escape!"

    Napoleon lowered his head and studied the map carefully before saying, "Where do you anticipate the fiercest resistance from the rebels?"

    "It would be here," Fouch pointed out. "I know they''ve hidden a cache of weapons and gathered around a hundred men."

    "The streets in that area are narrow and winding. Engaging there would result in unnecessary losses," Napoleon supported his chin with his hand, gazing at the map. "I suggest you strike here first. They will certainly be alerted, and they''ll have two choices. One is to reinforce this area."

    Napoleon pointed at a spot on the map, "I''ll station apany and two cannons here. If theye to support, they''ll have to pass through this spot, and that''s where we''ll eliminate them. Alternatively, they might choose to flee, and they''d go this way."

    Napoleon''s finger traced the streets on the map, then stopped at a bend in the road, "Here. I''ll station two more cannons and twenty cavalry here. As they turn the corner and move forward, they''ll suddenly be hit from behind... heh heh."

    "Excellent, General Bonaparte, that''s the n!" Fouch agreed.

    After nightfall, Le Mans quickly fell into silence. Due to the imminent war, the city had already imposed a curfew, and people were forbidden from being outdoors after dark.

    Around 1 o''clock, the sound of footsteps and the creaking wheels of wagons suddenly echoed through the streets. Many residents by the street were awakened by these noises and peered outside, witnessing soldiers carrying torches running along the roads.

    "What''s happening?" they wondered, calling their families and preparing for the worst.

    Mayor Constantine de Lorne, too, was startled by the noises outside and had just sat up in bed. Amotion ensued outside the front door, followed by an urgent knock on his bedroom door.

    "Sir, it''s Commissioner Fouch. He''s with a detachment of soldiers and requests your presence to lead the operation against the rebellious insurgents."

    Lorne was taken aback. He had sympathies leaning toward the Girondists. The recent events in Paris had left him anxious, and now this sudden crisis left him bewildered about how to respond.

    "Sir, Commissioner Fouch is waiting downstairs," the servant repeated when the master didn''t respond.

    "Ah, tell him I''ll be down shortly. Ask him to wait," Lorne regained his senses and hastily replied.

    The servant left, and Lorne got out of bed. His wife quickly helped him dress.

    "Constantine, will everything be alright?" his wife asked.

    "Julie, don''t worry; everything will be fine," Lorne reassured her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He then opened the door and descended the stairs.

    In the living room, he saw Fouch and a detachment of soldiers waiting.

    "Mr. Mayor, I apologize for the inconvenience at this hour," Fouch said, though his tone and expression did not reflect any remorse.

    "It''s an urgent situation; some traitors are nning a rebellion, and we must take action to stop them. Now, pleasee with me to the town hall to oversee the situation."

    "Well, what about...?" Lorne began to ask.

    "Mr. Mayor, I will leave a detachment of soldiers to protect your family. Now, please,e with me. Our time is precious," Fouch urged.

    The two men left the house. Just as they stepped outside, there was a gunshot from the direction of the city. A volley of gunshots followed.

    Lorne was startled, but Fouch seemedpletely unperturbed. He opened the carriage door with a smile and said, "Mr. Mayor, please get in. Don''t worry; my coachman is very experienced, and this carriage won''t tip over."

    When they arrived at the town hall, gunfire had erupted all around. Looking out of the town hall''s second-floor window, they could see mes rising in the west.

    "Is that...?" Lorne pointed to the west.

    "Yes, that''s some of the wealthiest folks in the city. The people of France granted them a good life, but they still weren''t satisfied and even dreamed of keeping the French people under their feet. So, they conspired with the royalists. It''s quiteughable, wouldn''t you say, Mr. Mayor? The rich are always unreliable."

    "Mr. Commissioner, do you have evidence?" Lorne inquired.

    "We have some evidence, though it''s not enough to build aplete case, it''s sufficient to raise suspicions. We will have more evidence soon. And in times like these..." Fouch smiled, "in times like these, do we really need evidence? For the sake of protecting the interests of the people of France, isn''t suspicion enough?"

    "But aren''t those people also part of the people of France?" Lorne mustered his courage to ask.

    "Are they the people of France?" Fouch smiled and shook his head slowly. "Mr. Mayor, you have a misunderstanding of the term ''the people.'' The revolution is for the people, and the people should not be understood as a ss that, due to its wealth, possesses privileges and enjoys all the pleasures of life and all the social wealth. The people are the sum of all the citizens of France, but first and foremost, they defend our country''s borders with their lives and sustain the toiling masses of society with theirbor. Our revolution, if it only cares about the wealth of a few hundreds while leaving two and a half million in poverty, would be a political and moral atrocity  the greatest in the world! We must correct this atrocity and use revolutionary means when necessary. Do you understand? We are now correcting this atrocity with our own means."

    Seemingly in line with Fouch''s rhetoric, a series of cannon shots suddenly sounded from outside.

    "What''s happening? Do we need artillery for the arrests?" Lorne''s face turned as pale as a corpse.

    "Don''t you understand yet? This isn''t about arrests; it''s a war, a war between one ss and another!" Fouch revealed a chilling smile. "In essence, the wealthy will never be true revolutionaries or true republicans. The foundation of the republic is the equality of citizens, and those wealthy individuals will always consider themselves a special ss. No citizen should possess more wealth than their survival requires. If someone with such wealth were a true republican, they would donate it to the state to fight the enemies of the people."

    At this point, Fouch paused and then said to Lorne, "Mr. Mayor, do you understand now? You must know that the rich are unreliable; many of them, in pursuit of excessive wealth, are in contact with our enemies. The wealthy also tend to stick together, with numerous connections among them. That includes connections with you, Mr. Mayor. But now, you must choose to stand with us or with them."

    At this moment, several cannon shots were heard from outside, but the sounds seemed toe from a different direction.

    "The rebellion has been crushed!" Fouch said with a smile. "I''ll personally interrogate those traitors shortly. These shameless individuals often indulge in idle talk  you must make your choice as soon as possible."

    "I..." Lorne swayed and seemed on the verge of copsing. He reached out to support himself against a nearby table to prevent himself from falling. His face alternated between pale and red, but atst, he seemed to have made a firm decision. He lifted his head and said to Fouch, "I am loyal to the republican system."

    "Very well, I''m d to see you make the right choice," Fouch said with a gentle smile.

    The next morning, the town hall''s bell rang, summoning the citizens who had endured a night of terror. Fouch delivered an enthusiastic speech, and then in the town square, erected a contraption improved by His Majesty the King. One by one, he severed over a hundred noble heads, reuniting many families.

    Inspired by Fouch''s speech and led by Mayor Lorne, a group of wealthy individuals loyal to the republic donated their excess wealth and aided Fouch in uncovering more hidden riches belonging to the insurgents. Using a fraction of these riches, Fouch rapidly organized a militia in Le Mans, with a force of up to five thousand men.

    (Note: Fouch''s remarks, resembling the rhetoric of the Jacobins, are not the author''s invention but were directly published by Fouch in his "Instructions" during the French Revolution when he served as themissioner in Nantes. Some phrases may have undergone slight changes from formal to informalnguage, but the meaning remains unchanged.)

 Chapter 99: Siege Looming

    Chapter 99: Siege Looming

    The actions of the rebels were rather sluggish. It had been over two weeks since Napoleon had reached Le Mans, and General Dcroix''s army had only just arrived near Le Mans. It wasn''t that General Dcroix intentionally dyed, but he simply couldn''t move rapidly.

    Firstly, what held him back was the dwindling morale of his troops. To persuade those peasants to leave their homes and join the rebellion, Dcroix had promised them generous pay. However, this left him with very little money to procure supplies.

    General Dcroix had hoped to capture some resources once they entered Le Mans. However, upon taking the city, he discovered that the situation wasn''t as promising as he''d imagined. They did capture several cannons, but essentials like food and gunpowder were in short supply.

    Theck of supplies naturally led to a breakdown in discipline. The rebel forces initially managed to control themselves for the first couple of days in Le Mans. However, before long, discipline started to crumble. The streets were filled with rebels engaging in theft and extortion. Some even broke into the homes of the city''s more prominent figures, including those who had yed a significant role in the recent events, and looted extensively.

    Theposition of the rebels that General Dcroix had recruited had shifted significantlypared to the original group that had defeated the government forces in Vende. The initial rebels were mostly honest, simple farmers. However, the currentposition had fewer farmers and more troublemakers.

    This was natural, as most of the honest farmers had returned home to tend to their fields. Those who were willing to leave their homes for the nobles'' paychecks weren''t necessarily the most upstanding citizens. Thus, enforcing discipline became even more challenging. These individuals not only invaded homes and stole money but alsomitted unspeakable acts against the women in those households. It was almost as if the Huns had stormed into Rome.

    General Dcroix took extreme measures against those who had gone too far, especially those who had invaded the homes of nobles andmitted heinous acts. He had them hanged in the town square, finally putting a stop to this wave ofwlessness. However, what he didn''t anticipate was that as discipline was restored, it led to new problems.

    The first problem was desertion. Some soldiers fled because they longed for home, while others fled because they couldn''t freely engage in looting under supervision. Once desertion urred, it often involved not just one individual but groups from the same vige or region. As a result, General Dcroix had to implement strict measures, hanging any soldier who attempted to desert.

    Such harsh measures led to another problem: soldier rebellion. In less than two days, three military judges were assassinated, losing their lives. One of them was even General Dcroix''s nephew. He realized that applying pressure through the gallows had reached its limit, and continuing the hangings could lead to a vtile situation.

    At this point, discipline waspletely unenforceable, and the only thing General Dcroix could do was to restrain the soldiers from harming the nobles and respectable citizens. Eventually, even this became impossible, and his only remaining order was to prevent the soldiers from harming the personal safety of the nobles. As formoners, there was really nothing he could do.

    Violence sometimes became addictive, much like drinking. Initially, the rebels'' violence was for sustenance, but now, it had evolved into a more profound level of enjoyment - for pleasure.

    The respectable people of Le Mans could no longer bear this situation. They sent representatives to find General Dcroix, offering to donate supplies to support the royalist cause and get rid of these "gue carriers" who were ruining their city. In simpler terms, they were willing to pay to get rid of the troublemakers.

    If this had happened a few days earlier, the rebels would have dly epted the generous offer and moved towards Le Mans. However, by now, they had evolved into a force with higher aspirations, intending to thoroughly enjoy themselves in Le Mans before leaving.

    "Today, I nned to visit the innkeeper''s daughter and try some new moves. How can we leave now?"

    "His brother is quite good-looking too, and their mother... We nned to have a family celebration with them. How can we leave now?"

    "Yes, yes!"

    As a result, the generous offer was rejected, and the "Royalist and Divine Army" chose to stay in Le Mans and continue their revelry for a few more days.

    The people of Le Mans, pushed to their limits, decided to resist. One night, some citizens suddenlyunched an attack on the "Royalist and Divine Army." The result was a devastating fire that consumed Le Mans in one night.

    One nobleman who managed to escape the mester recalled in his memoirs,

    "...Before their arrival, the Republic had already taken away my privileges, but I still had money, property,nd, and my family. Now, I have nothing left..."

    After the inferno, the "Royalist and Divine Army" had no choice but to move on, leaving Le Mans. Due to their disorderly discipline and the slower pace caused by these events, they only reached the vicinity of Le Mans at this point.

    With the morale at an all-time low, General Dcroix decided to announce a three-day leave to boost their spirits.

    When Napoleon heard this news, he could hardly contain his amusement. He called upon his division and brigademanders to start nning for the battle.

    Under the encouragement of the "three-day leave," the rebels managed to muster some spirit andunched an attack towards Le Mans. However, their stories of "revelry" in Le Mans and their ns for a "three-day leave" were widely known among the poption of Le Mans, thanks to the efforts of Mayor Fouch and Ren.

    So, when it came to defending the city, the people of Le Mans showed exceptional determination. Nobody wanted to "revel" with those outsiders. As a result, the Le Mans National Guard fought valiantly. Inparison, the enemy, perhaps because they wanted to preserve their lives to enjoy the uing vacation, withdrew as soon as they faced resistance. After a day of fighting, the rebels had made no progress.

    Napoleon had entrusted almost all of the defense tasks to Fouch''s National Guard. While their military training wascking, their high morale came from protecting their homnd. When faced with the enemy''s advances, they managed to counterattack using bays, easily pushing back the rebels.

    As for Napoleon''s main forces, they remained hidden and behind the National Guard, ready to plug any gaps orunch a counterattack.

    Meanwhile, under Davout''smand, Napoleon''s cavalry continuously struck at the rebel''s supply lines. The rebels indeed had a numerical advantage, but it only extended to their infantry. They had few cavalry, making it challenging to counter Davout''s actions effectively.

    As a result, the rebels had to dispatch more troops, establish more stations along their supply lines, and allocate more soldiers to ensure their safety.

    While this strategy did secure their supply lines, it significantly reduced the number of troops avable for frontlinebat. Even though General Dcroix initially had over 40,000 troops, after the battles in Le Mans and deploying significant forces to protect the supply lines, the number of troops avable for the main offensive had dropped to around 20,000.

    Napoleon''s forces, aside from his own division of over 5,000, included Fouch''s National Guard of over 5,000, and at this point, the numerical difference between the two sides wasn''t as significant as General Dcroix believed. Plus, the defensive fortifications gave the Le Mans defenders an advantage, making it almost impossible for the rebels to capture Le Mans.

    However, since Napoleon had concealed his main forces and hadn''t used them in battle, General Dcroix had no idea about the actual size of the enemy army. Based on his previous intelligence and the recent battles, he estimated that the enemy couldn''t have more than 6,000 or 7,000 troops. He thought he could still give it a shot. Considering the difficulties in logistics and the declining morale of his troops, he decided, "Tomorrow morning, after a good meal, we''llunch a full-scale assault!"

 Chapter 100: The Final Assault

    Chapter 100: The Final Assault

    Early the next morning, just as the sun began to rise, General Dcroix''s troops had finished their breakfast and were forming up for battle. Meanwhile, Napoleon, on his part, had already learned of the enemy''s movements and was observing them closely from a vantage point using a spyss.

    This vantage point was a castle just outside the city of Le Mans, a relic from the Hundred Years'' War, where French knights may have once shed with English longbowmen many years ago. Although the castle had long fallen into disrepair, its sturdy stone walls were still standing, offering amanding view of the surroundings. Napoleon had chosen it as hismand post because of the excellent visibility it provided.

    "It seems the rebels are preparing for a final assault today," Napoleon remarked as he handed the spyss to a nearby aide, speaking to himself.

    Then, he looked towards the direction of the front lines and muttered, "Today should be our turn tounch the final assault."

    At that moment, a glint of light could be seen in the distance on the rebels'' side. It was the rebels firing artillery towards Le Mans.

    In this era, cannons primarily used solid projectiles, and their firepower was far less threatening than inter centuries. The rebel artillery was mainly aimed at the temporary defensive earthworks and obstacles constructed outside Le Mans. If these earthworks and obstacles were not sufficiently damaged, it would put Napoleon''s troops at a disadvantage when they advanced.

    The artillery bombardment continued for a considerable time, indicating that the rebels were trulymitted to this battle, even under challenging logistical conditions.

    By around eight o''clock, the rebel defenses  the earthworks and obstacles outside Le Mans  had been significantly damaged. The rebel soldiers began to advance.

    One notable feature of the French army after the revolution was their extensive use of skirmishers. This was due to two main factors. First, the post-revolution French army had inadequate training, leading to a poor ability to executeplex formations on the battlefield. The other factor was the generally high morale of their soldiers.

    The first factor meant that they had difficulty forming orderly lines, so they opted for smaller, more flexible formations. The second factor ensured that even without strict formations, their soldiers wouldn''t scatter and run off the battlefield as soldiers from some other countries did (looking at you, Austria). While Archduke Charles recognized the advantages of skirmishers early on, the Austrian skirmishers often scattered to the winds.

    In the earlier days of the Vende rebellion, when rebel morale was high, they primarily relied on skirmishers as well. However, in recent days, it became apparent that the Vende rebels no longer had such high morale. Once they scattered, they disappeared from the battlefield. You couldn''t count on seeing them again until mealtime.

    Therefore, in this final assault, General Dcroix had to abandon skirmish tactics due to inadequate training and transition to more traditional linear formations. At least, with soldiers in line formations, anyone trying to run could be disciplined immediately.

    However, due to their limited training, the rebel formations were far from neat. They marched in long horizontal lines, not straight, creating a wavering front. Often, the line would break due to varying walking speeds.

    These horizontal formations were evolved from square formations, changing from squares to rectangles and gradually elongating while narrowing. This transition was made to reduce the casualties from cannon fire and increase firepower when firing in volleys. However, in the current situation, the rebel formations showed a tendency to revert to a thicker formation, with a depth of up to six ranks.

    This was done out of necessity. Thinner formations meant longer lines, making formation control more difficult. Furthermore, thicker formations prevented soldiers in the middle from easily fleeing or feigning death in battle, as the crowd behind would trample them.

    However, this came at the cost of higher casualties when hit by artillery fire. Indeed, as they approached within 300 meters of the outermost fortifications, they started to take artillery fire. Unlike in previous battles, the artillery fire from the defenders was not only intense but also surprisingly urate. The defender''s artillery positions were seven to eight hundred paces behind them, yet this volley of fire was hitting the rebel formation urately.

    Except for a few shots, most cannonballs created bouncing shrapnel that pierced through the sixyers of the rebel formation. In just one round of artillery fire, hundreds of rebels were killed or wounded. Such precision had not been seen in previous battles.

    This was not a stroke of luck in favor of Napoleon, but a result of careful preparation. In previous days, the cannons were operated by National Guard artillerymen, whom Napoleon had prohibited from entering the battle to hide his true strength.

    Certainly, even under Napoleon''smand, the better-trained artillerymen could hardly achieve such precision in normal conditions. But this was not a normal situation. The battlefield had been carefully mapped out, and the cannon positions and firing angles had been precisely calibrated. So, even in the first volley, this level of uracy was attainable.

    The rebel forces were thrown into confusion by this first artillery barrage. Some attempted to reform their lines, some tried to charge forward, and others turned to flee, leading to chaos in their ranks.

    Amid this chaos, a second round of artillery fire urately struck dozens of cannonballs into the heart of the rebel formation. Now, the rebel formation was inplete disarray, with soldiers scattering, most turning to run back towards their camp. With the control over the formation lost, rebel officers were unable to restore order, and many soldiers retreated uncontrobly.

    "It''s time," Napoleon had already left hismand post and was now on the front lines. Near the fortifications, he watched the disorganized rebels fleeing and then turned to a nearby messenger, saying, "Go inform Colonel Orelot to lead his troops out immediately!"

    Napoleon then mounted his horse, apanied by a few guards, and quickly arrived at the nearby National Guard units. General Fouch was waiting there.

    "Commissioner Fouch," Napoleon said, "I''m takingmand of the National Guard now."

    "You are the supreme military authority, and you may issue orders at any time," Fouch replied.

    "Very well," Napoleon said.

    He then mounted his horse, addressing the National Guard troops. "You all know what happened in Angers," he began. "Now, the beasts that threatened Angers are right in front of you. Tell me, why did theye here? To have a pic? No, they came to loot the fruits of ourbor, to take our wives and children from our arms. Can we let them seed?"

    "No! We can''t!"

    "Let them die!"

    "Kill them all!"

    The soldiers shouted in response.

    Napoleon continued, "Soldiers, because of our valiant resistance in recent days, they now want to run away. Can we let them escape, so they can return to theirirs, heal their wounds, and threaten our families again?"

    "No!"

    "No!"

    "That''s right, we can''t let them escape like this," Napoleon dered. "Soldiers, are you willing to follow me to eliminate these snakes and beasts so they can''t harm our loved ones in the future?"

    "We are willing!"

    "We are willing!"

    The soldiers'' voices became a chorus of determination.

    Napoleon was satisfied as he looked at the troops. He then imitated Dumas'' stance, a move he had practiced privately for a long time, and with a tug of the reins, his horse reared up on its hind legs, lifting him into the air. He shouted, "Soldiers, follow me, onward!"

    As the retreating rebels left General Dcroix in astonishment, he soon realized that things were taking a dire turn. The disorganized rebels were rushing back towards their camp, and the enemy was seizing the opportunity to chase them down. What was even more rming was that the enemy''s numbers exceeded his expectations. He understood that the situation was critical. If he couldn''t halt the retreating troops, and the enemy breached the camp, his army would copse entirely.

    "Retract the drawbridge, open fire on the routed troops, drive them to the side!" General Dcroix shouted.

    Soldiers frantically withdrew the drawbridge and took cover behind the breastwork. Rebel soldiers who had retreated to the trench were frantically pleading to be let in, while theirrades inside the camp raised their guns to allow them entry. Some jumped into the trench, attempting to enter the camp.

    "Fire! Fire!" General Dcroix ordered.

    Bang! Bang!... Gunshots filled the air, and thick blue-gray gun smoke quickly enveloped the area. In no time, visibility became severely limited.

    Bang! Bang!... Rebel forces outside the walls also opened fire, and several rebels fell to the ground with agonizing cries.

    Moments ago, these people had beenrades, but now, they were blindly shooting at each other in the chaos of the gun smoke. After a while, the gunshots gradually subsided.

    "Have those outside run away?" General Dcroix thought, squinting as he tried to peer through the dense gun smoke to see what was happening. But there was no wind on the battlefield to disperse the thick smoke, and he couldn''t make out what was beyond it. However, he suddenly felt the ground shaking, and the rapid sound of galloping hooves reached his ears.

    "It''s cavalry," General Dcroix yelled, "Prepare..."

    At that moment, a spirited horse burst through the gun smoke, leaping over the trench and then the breastwork. The rider raised his sword and expertly cut down a dumbfounded rebel soldier.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 100 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 101: Headhunting and Blame-Shifting

    Chapter 101: Headhunting and me-Shifting

    Aurelio rode his horse, the first to leap over the enemy''s trenches and breastworks, swiftly shing down a terrified rebel. More cavalry soon joined, and chaos ensued among the enemy forces as they scattered in disarray.

    Aurelio knew he had to seize this moment,unching a continuous assault to prevent the enemy from regrouping. Napoleon''s orders were clear: "Keep a watchful eye on the battlefield. If you spot any signs of the enemy attempting to regroup, attack immediately, disperse them before they can reform!"

    Aurelio surveyed the area from horseback, peering through the smoke. In the distance, he spotted a general in full uniform, riding away. He shouted, "The one with the tasseled hat up ahead is General Dcroix!"

    The riders behind him heard and charged after the general in uniform. They didn''t care about the distance and began firing wildly with their muskets.

    Dcroix, upon hearing the shouts, looked back and heard phrases like, "The one with the tasseled hat is Dcroix; don''t let him escape!" and "We must not let him get away at any cost!" He realized his tasseled hat made him too conspicuous, so he spurred his horse, tearing off his hat and throwing it on the ground.

    Aurelio watched closely and was about to shout, "The one without the hat is Dcroix." But he quickly noticed that many riders ahead had lost their hats, and his words would hardly distinguish Dcroix. Fortunately, Dcroix, in a show of bravado, also wore a bright red cape. So Aurelio continued to shout, "The one in the big red cape is Dcroix!"

    Dcroix heard this and immediately discarded his cape. Over time, he got rid of his wig, his sword, and more. Finally, he managed to shake off Aurelio''s pursuit. However, because Aurelio was constantly on his heels, he never had the chance to regroup his forces. The rebel army copsed entirely, from General Dcroix down to the stable handsall scattered in a frenzy.

    Many yearster, armed forces driven by ideals and beliefs would disy an extraordinary trait: even if the units scattered, every soldier would know their objective and willingly continue to fight independently. Dispersed by the enemy''s relentless onught, they would be guerri fighters, carrying on the fight behind the front lines. However, in this era, such armies did not exist. Most armies lost their cohesion and with it, their will to fight when their structure copsed. In this state, even a child wearing the enemy''s uniform and armed with a stick could capture several acres of the enemy''snd (as demonstrated by a young warrior from a certain children''s group in the East, following the Crossing of the River campaign). The rebel army found itself in this state.

    For example, Aurelio, after losing a long-distance horse racingpetition to General Dcroix (no surprise, as Dcroix, a nobleman, was an expert in fox hunting), met at least two hundred fleeing rebels alone on his way back to his unit (as he had left hisrades behind). With a whip as his weapon (as he had discarded his weapons while pursuing General Dcroix), he managed to capture all these fleeing rebels.

    Bringing these two hundred captives back did not pose much of a challenge for Aurelio. In general, herding a group of people was much easier than herding sheep, not to mention pigs. Had these not been over two hundred people but over two hundred pigs, not even with three heads and six arms could he have managed to escort them all back.

    However, Aurelio had chased too far, and bringing back thisrge number of captives took some time. When he finally returned, it was already evening.

    Upon seeing Aurelio return with this multitude of captives, Napoleon was astonished to the point of nearly injuring his jaw with his own heel. He immediately bestowed upon Aurelio the nickname "the Shepherd."

    After defeating the rebel army, Napoleon ordered his troops to chase down the enemy as much as possible. However, his own forces had also dispersed. Thus, he had to wait an entire day on the battlefield to regroup his troops. The troops that did return did not achieve the spectacr feat that Aurelio did, capturing over two hundred captives alone, but they brought back approximately three thousand captives in total. Napoleon believed that many more scattered rebels were nearby, although he didn''t have the time to pursue and capture them as he had been preupied with Aurelio.

    Victorious news spreads quickly, and Napoleon believed that other French forces in nearby cities would soon learn of the victory. If they were intelligent, they would realize that the rebel forces currently stationed in Angers must have retreated toward Le Mans. So, Napoleon decided not to waste any more time herding "pigs."

    He handed these three thousand captives over to Joseph to handle, and he took his troops to rush to Angers.

    Halfway there, Napoleon encountered Dauv, who had been sent to execute a raiding mission earlier. Dauv was returning with a cache of captured horses, apanied by a group of young, spirited soldiers named Pch, George, and Bonna.

    Napoleon didn''t hesitate to hand over most of his troops to Dauv''smand and mounted a horse with the cavalrymen to head towards Angers.

    Napoleon rode day and night, pushing his horse to its limits, eventually reaching Angers. However, Angers had turned into an empty city by thenthere were no enemies, no citizens, just ruins and unburied bodies.

    On the morning after Napoleon "liberated" Angers, another French cavalry unit appeared in Napoleon''s spyss. Napoleon ordered his men to hoist the tricolor g prepared on the town hall and, using the astronomical telescope set up on the town hall''s third-floor window sill, smugly observed the reactions of his fellow soldiers who hadgged behind.

    "General, why are you twisting your neck like that while looking?" a soldier asked.

    "Oh, of course, it''s because this damn spyss is inverted!" Napoleon replied, squinting with one eye and twisting his neck.

    Although themander of that unit was indeed surprised and disappointed upon seeing the tricolor g, he arrived at the town hall and graciously congratted Napoleon on his remarkable victory.

    The day after the victory, around noon, Davout arrived in Angers with the main force. He was apanied by the Parisian special envoy, Joseph Fouch.

    "Fouch, I didn''t expect you to arrive so soon," Napoleon said, "They arrived quickly here. Have you dealt with those captives? Did you have them executed?"

    Fouch seemed to sense Napoleon''s concerns and smiled as he responded, "I believe there is much work to be done in the recently recovered cities here, so I expedited the process there and came here promptly."

    Napoleon refrained from asking how he had expedited the process; it was within Fouch''s authority.

    "I''ve sent all the peasants among the rebels into the mines, making thembor to atone for their crimes. As for the nobles, these traitors to the country aren''t worthy of living in this world. After their trial by the revolutionary court, they all met the guillotine," Fouch said with a cold expression.

    Napoleon responded, "Thisnd is now fully under the rule of our Republic. We should set an example so that all the people here know what they''ll face if they betray us."

    Upon hearing Fouch''s words, Napoleon nodded. He then noticed the bag at Fouch''s feet.

    "What''s in the bag?"

    Fouch lifted the bag. "This is the head of Dcroix, the leader of the rebels."

    Napoleon, who had been gazing at Fouch''s bag absentmindedly, suddenly broke intoughter.

    "What a sight that Dcroix must have been, fleeing with his head in a sack! Let me see that head!"

    Fouch emptied the head onto the ground in front of Napoleon, whoughed even harder upon seeing it.

    "How absurdly stiff his expression is! Fouch, you''re really excellent at your work!"

    Fouch was happy to have Napoleon''s praise. "General, we have already purged the city of all rebels. We should clean up the city, restore order, and make sure the people are ready to ept our rule."

    In the following days, the people of Angers suffered a great deal under Fouch and Davout''s reign of terror, enduring unending executions, forcedbor, and other forms of oppression. For the local people, the entry of the French troops didn''t seem like a liberation at all.

    However, the fact was that their actions managed to extinguish the remaining remnants of rebellion. While this did instill fear and animosity among the local poption, it also seeded in ensuring that they wouldn''t resist the French forces again.

    By this point, Napoleon had already received a letter from Joseph Bonaparte, who reported the rapid fall of Lyon and the resounding defeat of the rebels. He had expelled all the counter-revolutionary elements there and established a revolutionary administration in Lyon.

    At the same time, Joseph Bonaparte mentioned that General Massna, who had been dispatched to Lyon, had detected the subtle movements of the main rebel forces in the country and was pursuing them.

    Napoleon was d to learn of Joseph''s sess. However, the question that was weighing most heavily on his mind was how the enemy forces had managed to amass in such a way.

    At night, Napoleon was racking his brain, trying to figure out the answer. Then his thoughts wandered toward his meeting with General Delmas in Paris. Had the enemies not been backed by foreign powers and provided with money, materials, and weapons, he couldn''t see how such a small number of rebels could haveunched such arge-scale rebellion. This scheme had been deeply entrenched and well-prepared long before the rebellion wasunched. Now, it seemed that only an intervention from foreign powers could have made all this possible. But how? And which foreign powers had supported the rebels?

    Napoleon was suddenly struck with inspiration as the truth dawned on him. He decided to send a message to Joseph immediately.

    "Joseph, I believe the rebels were supported by a foreign power. What if there were more foreign powers involved than we initially thought?"

    Napoleon had sent a simr message earlier and received a reply from Joseph: "No one hase forward to help the rebels, except for the British."

    Joseph''s response only deepened Napoleon''s suspicions. He didn''t believe the British would be so daring as to intervene directly. Instead, Napoleon suspected that the British were using an intermediary to support the rebels, a neutral country or a group of mercenaries. The entire conspiracy was nowing together in his mind.

    As Napoleon delved into his thoughts, he heard that Joseph''s troops had also encountered the British in Lyon and that a British force had recentlynded in Le Havre.

    Napoleon was sure he had found a clue. There must be something in Le Havre that the British had prepared for the rebels. Napoleon now believed that to uncover theplete truth, he needed to send a message to General Massna, who was pursuing the rebels.

    "Massna, the rebels who revolted in the provinces must have been backed by foreign powers. After crushing the rebels in the provinces, try to discover any signs of foreign intervention. See if you can find any relevant documents, secretmunications, or any foreign spies. Then, determine which foreign powers were involved. Capture any British agents who may be involved. You have my full authority to take any actions necessary to expose this plot."

    Although Napoleon was sure that the British were behind this plot, it was essential to obtain solid evidence. If the British were indeed involved, this would be an excellent opportunity to secure a diplomatic victory. He would use this situation to put pressure on Britain and potentially extract some concessions.

    That night, Napoleon couldn''t sleep. His thoughts raced as he contemted this far-reaching conspiracy. Napoleon knew that solving this mystery would have significant implications not only for France but also for the future of Europe. He had to find answers to these questions and uncover the truth behind the rebellion''s foreign support. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into ce, and the picture they revealed was bothplex and dangerous. Napoleon was determined to navigate this intricate web of intrigue and emerge victorious, whatever the cost.

 Chapter 102: Turmoil

    Chapter 102: Turmoil

    Joseph shared his thoughts with Carnot. Carnot pondered for a moment and replied, "Joseph, we don''t currently need someone like Napoleon in Italy. While the Kingdom of Sardinia has allied with Austria and joined the coalition against us, they''re merely offering verbal support. The Alps separate us, and the Italians won''t easily cross them. They are not the Romans under Caesar. As for us, we can''t spare forces for an Italian campaign at the moment. But I understand your point..."

    Carnot chuckled and continued, "There won''t be any heroic epicsing from Vende anytime soon. Although the region may not stabilize in the short term, the rebellions will be minor andck glory. It''s nothing but trouble. So, where do you think I should assign him? Perhaps it''s best to bring him back to Paris for now? Give himmand of the newly formed Fifth Legion. What do you think? This way, his promotion and responsibilities will be sorted out. Napoleon can also handpick some of his trusted subordinates for the new legion."

    To be honest, Joseph wasn''t too keen on having Napoleon return to Paris right now. It wasn''t because Carnot''s proposal for Napoleon''s role wasn''t suitable. Joseph knew that these newly formed legions, despite being mainlyposed of recruits, were more politically reliable than the existing forces. These units were the core of the National Convention''s military. Leading such a force would undoubtedly benefit Napoleon.

    Joseph''s hesitation stemmed from the unrest in Paris. The power struggle between the Jacobins and the Brissotins had escted rapidly. The Jacobin Club had recently expelled Brissot, and their opponents were primarily Jacobins'' splinter factions. The Brissotins, on the other hand, hadunched several offensives against Jacobin members. For example, they had recently ousted Danton from the Committee of Public Safety.

    However, this didn''t mean that the Brissotins had an upper hand; in fact, they were at a disadvantage. Because they had pushed for the Committee of Public Safety''s reformation and ousted the vulnerable Danton, they had unintentionally allowed Robespierre and Saint-Just to join. Danton was a skillful politician, known for being cautious, and willing topromise when necessary. In contrast, Robespierre and Saint-Just were less likely topromise.

    Thus, from any perspective, the Brissotins had made a grave mistake.

    Additionally, in their effort to support the expansion of the military, the revolutionary government had ramped up the printing of assignats, leading to confusion in the economy and further deterioration of the financial situation. Paris faced another food shortage, and Joseph knew that this was the most critical issue, one that could easily lead to a revolution. So, Joseph wasn''t too thrilled about Napoleon''s return to Paris at this time.

    However, Joseph understood that rejecting Carnot''s suggestion wouldn''t be wise. Carnot had be closer to Robespierre and was widely seen as one of the core figures of the Jacobins. There might be political considerations behind Carnot''s move to bring Napoleon back to Paris and put him in charge of a newly formed, loyal legion. Refusing such a request could create a rift between Joseph and Carnot.

    "Regardless, even if there are unforeseen circumstances, the Jacobins will undoubtedly emerge as the victors," Joseph thought. "So, perhaps it''s not such a bad idea to bring Napoleon to Paris. As long as he''s controlled and doesn''t create any trouble."

    "Currently, Paris is in turmoil," Joseph cautiously replied, "But if you, Lazare, think it''s fine, then I believe it''s a good decision. However, you know, many people have their reservations about Napoleon, especially after the loss of Arras. And Napoleon, that man, is known for being audacious and acting on his own."

    Carnotughed heartily, "Many people have reservations about Napoleon? Are you referring to the Brissotins? They can say what they want, but everyone can see Napoleon''s achievements. His actions are undeniable. As for Arras, it wasn''t his fault. The records of the trials for the rebels in Vende and their leader, Dugast, prove that. In fact, some individuals closely linked to the Brissotins were ineffective during the Vende uprising. Furthermore, Fouch''s report on the suppression of the Le Mans revolt also confirms this. So, you don''t need to worry about your brother. Besides, Paris has me, and you think I''d let anyone bully Napoleon?"

    With the conversation having reached this point, Joseph couldn''t say much more. He expressed his satisfaction with Carnot''s arrangement for Napoleon''s future.

    "Lazare, who will rece Napoleon?" Joseph inquired.

    "General Cartaux will take over as the militarymander," Carnot replied.

    "Him? Is he capable enough?"

    "He may not be on par with Napoleon, but many people support him. As long as he doesn''t make too many waves, there shouldn''t be a significant issue. He''ll be responsible solely for military matters. Other affairs can be handled by Frron."

    Carnot furrowed his brow slightly, revealing his dissatisfaction with this appointment. However, it seemed that even if Joseph had disagreed, Carnot would still have brought Napoleon back.

    As Joseph had anticipated, Paris soon plunged into chaos. Just a week after Napoleon''s return, another uprising broke out, led by Marat.

    Marat''s rebellion organization and preparations were far from meticulous. The National Convention and the Committee of Public Safety had been monitoring Marat''s activities for a while. In fact, he had been arrested again two weeks earlier and swiftly sent to the Revolutionary Tribunal.

    However, the Revolutionary Tribunal had many Jacobins as judges. So, they suddenly remembered the fundamental principle of "innocent until proven guilty" and, just as swiftly as they sentenced others to death, dered that the evidence against Marat was insufficient and the case unclear. Marat was acquitted and released within a day.

    This turn of events emboldened Marat further, and he relentlessly used some Brissotin-aligned deputies of coborating with big merchants or being merchants themselves, holding them responsible for the country''s economic difficulties.

    "It''s the greed of these enemies of the people that makes life so hard, and the Republic''s future so dim. If we don''t purge our internal enemies, we can''t resist external threats!"

    He reminded people not to forget that when the war had just begun, the enemy had upied Verdun. But as soon as the French people arrested the traitors hiding in the pce, they saw a turning point and victory on the battlefield.

    "So, as long as we apprehend those traitors hiding in the National Convention, the Republic will be saved!"

    Of course, Marat was known for his fiery rhetoric. He had once proimed that to secure the Republic, we should cut off the heads of a hundred thousand profiteers.

    However, two events quickly changed the situation. First, the revtion of arms dealer Espagne''s involvement in producing subpar weapons, with close ties to many deputies. Second, some Brissotin deputies proposed a motion to cease the activities of the Paris Commune.

    Both these events caused widespread anger. As for the second event, it made the entire Paris Commune feel threatened. Thus, an uprising erupted.

    The National Guard of Paris wholeheartedly sided with the Paris Commune, while the army, led by Napoleon, would not support the Brissotins. Consequently, the National Convention found itself surrounded. The Paris Commune aimed its cannons at the Convention, threatening to bombard it. This was mostly a show of force because the Convention consisted mainly of Jacobin deputies.

    In reality, the Convention had no military strength of its own, and the Paris Commune wouldn''t need cannons to arrest its members. However, it was reported that, after discussions with Marat, Robespierre had suggested the Paris Commune provide a list of traitors and evidence and have the Convention vote on arresting them.

    So, Marat provided the list and "evidence" and personally read out the usations in the Convention. The Convention began voting on the charges.

    Over twenty deputies, primarily key figures of the Brissotins, including Brissot himself and the Rnd couple, were on the list. However, during the vote, several deputies who had previously supported the Brissotins switched sides and cast votes in favor of finding these deputies guilty. They had realized that their names were not on the list, and they feared that if they voted against the charges, their names might appear on the next list.

    As a result, the Convention, under the threat of the cannons and bays of the Paris Commune, swiftly rendered a verdict. They found that Marat''s charges against these deputies were clear and supported by sufficient evidence. Consequently, these over twenty deputies were handed over to the Revolutionary Tribunal. Just like that, they were condemned to death and swiftly executed, just as Marat had been acquitted.

    Shortly afterward, Marat imed that there were even more internal enemies in France.

    "Only this many?" he remarked. "We haven''t even reached a hundred thousand yet."

    With this statement, many former Brissotin deputies started fearing for their lives, and they began to flee. The purge against the Brissotins continued. Previously, only the top leaders of the Brissotins had faced the guillotine, but now anyone who had supported the Brissotins could be used of being a traitor and promptly sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal. The bloodshed around the ce de Concorde, where the guillotine was set up, was so intense that residents nearby protested, saying that the smell of blood was affecting their sleep.

    As Victor Hugo once said, "Downstairs, a man is dying, and next door, a family is listening to a phonograph; across the street, children are ying. Upstairs, two men areughing and another is ying cards. On the river, a woman is crying for her deceased mother. The joy and sorrow of humanity are out of tune; I only feel that they are noisy."

    The residents near the ce de Concorde seemed to share a simr sentiment.

    During the intense activity at the guillotine, the core countries of the anti-French coalition, led by the troublemakers from "Shit-stirrer Land," finally took action.

    They took advantage of the infighting among the French republicans, including the conflict between the Brissotins and Jacobins. With the support of the British, they nned a series of betrayals.

    This time, they set their sights on Toulon, thergest naval port in the Mediterranean, where they had contacts with royalist sympathizers. With British support, they quickly organized a rebellion, taking control of Toulon.

    During this period, the French navy lost nearly half its fleet in the uprising. Toulon''s fall was a significant blow to France since it was the country''s most important naval base, fully equipped to support arge number of ships. With the resources of Toulon at their disposal, the coalition could now potentiallyunch an expeditionary force.

    Moreover, the capture of Toulon meant the interruption of France''s connection to North Africa. In the midst of economic hardships, this was a heavy blow to France.

 Chapter 103: Toulon 1

    Chapter 103: Toulon 1

    When the news of Toulon''s fall reached Joseph, he immediately realized he was in trouble. Because once Toulon was lost, France''s control over Corsica would be almost reduced to zero.

    "Damn it, my family is still in Corsica!"

    Compared to France, Corsica was, in some sense, safer. At least the holy relics of the improved Great Revolution hadn''t been shipped to Corsica yet. But now, the brilliance around Napoleon was starting to emerge. Though not as dazzling as it wouldter be, it was at least... a firefly, right?

    "Once Toulon falls, it''s just a matter of time before Corsica ends up in British hands. Well, Paoli had close dealings with the British. He''s not likely to let this opportunity slip. But Napoleon hasn''t severed ties with Paolipletely, and Paoli is a bit smarter... Anyway, we need to get them out of Corsica. But the trouble is, France seems even more dangerous than Corsica right now."

    With these thoughts in mind, he was suddenly interrupted by a songing from outside the window: "Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, the profiteers are hanging frommpposts..."

    Joseph furrowed his brows and turned to look outside, where a group of men with spears, dressed in rags, sang as they walked down the nearby street. At the front of the group, a head was impaled on the tip of a spear.

    "I wonder who that unlucky soul is. Probably a flour shop owner," Joseph thought, and then realized that bringing his family to Paris might not be such a good idea after all.

    "They haven''t seen all of this before, and it''s enough to terrify anyone. But leaving them in Corsica isn''t a solution either. This is a headache! Maybe I should discuss this with Napoleon."

    However, Napoleon had returned to Paris, but he wasn''t staying in the city. His army couldn''t be stationed in the heart of Paris. Napoleon''s Fifth Corps was now stationed near the Montmartre Heights to the north of the city. In the years toe, this area would be one of the most charming in Paris, home to famous establishments like the Moulin Rouge. But for now, it was just an ordinary hignd.

    During lunch, Joseph told Carnot that he needed to go to Montmartre to meet with Napoleon. He entrusted his two younger brothers to Carnot''s care temporarily. They had already gotten used to getting free meals at Carnot''s ce.

    "Why are you going to see Napoleon at this time?" Carnot asked.

    "Lazare, you know that our entire family, my mother, and several sisters are in Corsica. With Toulon in trouble, Corsica might face turmoil as well, so I''m worried."

    "That is a problem," Carnot said. "You should take a leave and discuss it with Napoleon. Corsica will likely fall into the hands of the British for a while. Find a way to bring them to France, but both you and Napoleon shouldn''t go there."

    "I understand the stakes, Lazare," Joseph said. "If we go, it would only increase the danger for them."

    "Alright, take my carriage then. I''ll also send some guards with you. The roads aren''t very safe these days."

    ...

    Napoleon also agreed to bring the entire family out of Corsica, but he believed they shouldn''te to Paris. They needed to find a safer ce for them.

    "Let Lucien go get them," Napoleon said. "He''s old enough to do something useful. Once they arrive, we''ll buy a secluded estate in the provinces and have them stay there for a while, with Lucien taking care of them."

    "Lucien?" Joseph was still hesitant. "He''s not the most reliable."

    "Come on, Joseph," Napoleon shook his head. "You''ve always believed that no one is reliable except yourself. Lucien might not seem dependable, but it''s because he thinks he has a safety. If we entrust him with a real task, he''ll handle it."

    Joseph thought for a moment and realized that he had to involve Lucien in this. But he wanted to find a reliablepanion for him. So he asked, "Do you have someone in your ranks who is particrly clever?"

    "There are a few bright young officers, but most of them have be captains, even majors or colonels by now. To have them help us in our personal matters..."

    "Don''t worry," Joseph said. "We can use our connections to have one of them transferred to the south. They can take care of our affairs."

    "I think Captain Chrysler would be a good choice. He''s cautious and canplement Lucien''s shorings. What do you think?"

    "He''s your subordinate, so you know him better than I do. All right, you decide and give me the list. I''ll take care of the rest."

    In the vicinity of Toulon, the French had only recently formed new units, and due to the recent chaos, these units were not even fully equipped. As a result, the French struggled to organize an effective counterattack.

    At this moment, if the British could quickly assemble a substantial force andnd in Toulon before marching north, it would pose a significant threat to France, considering the influence of the royalists in the south. However, the British Prime Minister, Pitt, had recently cut the army by a quarter to save expenses. Therefore, raising arge army wasn''t an easy task. Furthermore, the British had little interest in French maind territory. They were more focused on capturing French colonial territories.

    Although the French had lost their colonial holdings in India to the British during the Seven Years'' War, they still had significant colonies in North Africa and North America. Now that the British controlled Toulon, they effectively severed France''s connection to North Africa. It was a strategic move that would provide significant benefits for the British. While the British had no intention of moving north and aiding the Austrians and Prussians in the fight against France, they were eager to secure the North African colonies.

    In light of this, the British government and Pitt decided not to allocate significant additional troops to Toulon. However, under pressure from Austria and Prussia, they did make some efforts to persuade Spain and the Kingdom of Sardinia to send troops to Toulon.

    Spain initially agreed to send 10,000 troops, but upon their arrival in Toulon, they found that British troops were disembarking and embarking simultaneously. The ones disembarking werebat troops, while those embarking were mostly hastily recruited engineering units. The Spanish realized that this was a sign that they could use the opportunity to shift their forces to North Africa to seize territory, especially since the British presence in Toulon cut off the French connection to North Africa. Consequently, the Spanish stopped their reinforcement efforts to Toulon.

    The Kingdom of Sardinia had also initially agreed to send 5,000 troops, but by the time they were ready to embark, they noticed the unusual movements of both Spain and Britain. They realized that it would be unwise to engage the French on the maind, as there was no chance of territorial gain. The French, on the other hand, held significant colonies in North Africa and North America. Therefore, the Sardinians decided not to send troops to Toulon and instead focused on the Mediterranean and ind territories.

    As a result, during a critical period, the number of foreign troops in Toulon not only didn''t increase significantly but the truly effective foreign forces inexplicably decreased.

    Of course, the three countries were ying their cards close to their chests to avoid alerting the Austrians and Prussians. They shared the roster of the troops sent to Toulon, but they conveniently omitted the fact that most of these troops were stationed on the Mediterranean side of France.

    This strange time dy gave the French more time to react. Carnot first sent a corps under General Poup aimed at attacking Toulon and ordered Napoleon''s Fifth Corps to prepare to move south to support the Toulon front.

    Seizing this opportunity, Joseph proposed to Carnot that a "vanguard" should be dispatched to Toulon to assess the situation.

    This request was quickly approved by Carnot, although he knew that both Joseph and Napoleon were using this opportunity to help their families still in Corsica.

    The vanguard was dispatched, with Lucien serving as their "guide." Napoleon began preparations to lead his troops south, while Joseph suggested another n to Carnot.

 Chapter 104: Toulon 2

    Chapter 104: Toulon 2

    "Joseph, would you like to be in charge of managing military production?" Carnot raised his head from the documents and looked at Joseph.

    "Yes, Lazar." Joseph replied, "Right now, things are gradually getting back on track in other military aspects, but our military production is still inplete chaos. There are issues like cutting corners, poor quality, and various problems popping up one after another. It has seriously hindered our army. Although the Committee of Public Safety has dispatched some envoys to supervise military production, most of these envoys are ignorant of technology and production, and it''s challenging for them to be of much help."

    "More than just not being of much help? We should be thankful they don''t make things worse. What can they do besides chasing after troublemakers and causing chaos?" Carnot remarked. He had a more straightforward and truthful character. Carnot''sment was grounded in recent events where a Committee of Public Safety envoy was sent to a munitions factory, and upon arrival, they started hunting down saboteurs, leading to the hanging of a significant portion of the factory''s engineers. Before the envoy arrived, the factory''s issues were limited to slow production and unstable quality. But after their intervention, the factory stopped production altogether. Of course, it wouldn''t be fair to say the envoy aplished nothing  at least, after their visit, the factory never produced any subpar cannons.

    "So, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Carnot asked.

    "I propose establishing an organization like this." Joseph handed a document to Carnot. "This organization would consist of the ''Military Technology Laboratory'' and the ''Military Technology Inspection Department.''"

    Carnot epted the document and began to read it carefully. Joseph found a chair and sat down, even signaling for Carnot''s aide to pour him a cup of coffee.

    Carnot was a fast reader, so by the time Joseph leisurely finished his coffee, Carnot raised his head from the document.

    "This is a good idea," Carnot said, "Setting up a ''Military Technology Laboratory'' for technical research and standard development and a ''Military Technology Inspection Department'' with dedicated technical representatives stationed in military production enterprises to oversee the process. All products must be approved by the representatives of the inspection department before they can be sold to the army. This idea is excellent, much better than sending clueless envoys to military factories. But... Joseph, have you thought about the fact that weck enough people in our military who can handle these responsibilities?"

    "There is a solution," Joseph replied. "We can recruit and train individuals capable of this work. With so many students in Paris University, their level of knowledge, with a bit of training, will be sufficient for such tasks. The critical issue, however, is keeping these technical representatives in check. Lazar, I''ve heard that anyone with power will naturally try to expand their boundaries and is prone to abusing their authority. Judging product quality involves a significant exercise of power, with significant economic interests at stake. So, we need a way to supervise these technical representatives."

    "They are military personnel. If the technical representatives fail to identify quality issues and the military discovers them, they can be dealt with through militaryw," Carnot exined. "Does theboratory have enough researchers?"

    "Not yet, but we can recruit more," Joseph replied. "You know, the Academy of Sciences has been dissolved, and some academicians are not in a good position anymore."

    Carnot fixed his gaze on Joseph for a moment, then said, "Joseph, your intuition is quite keen. You''ve even noticed that Lavoisier''s situation isn''t looking good. He might not even be aware of it himself. I know Mr. Lavoisier is your friend, but there''s an economic case involving him, and ''Le Pre Duchesne'' is attacking him. You know the background of that newspaper..."

    ''Le Pre Duchesne'' was a far-left, radical newspaper associated with Hbert, who took over from Marat after Marat''s death. In this new role, Hbert reced the previously popr ''Friend of the People'' newspaper, bing the most significant voice of themon people.

    Compared to Marat, Hbert was less capable. Marat, despite his extreme and abrasive character, possessed profound insights and a keen political sense. Hbert, in these aspects, paled inparison to Marat. So, while Marat imed that saving the Republic required chopping off the heads of a hundred thousand merchants, Hbert insisted that the entire ss of businessmen were parasites on the people and should be hung frommpposts. Marat argued that the proportion of malefactors among the educated ss was high (as at the time, educated individuals were typically the wealthy); Hbert contended that the educated were all scoundrels, and the revolutionary France didn''t need scientists.

    This made Lavoisier a target, as he was well-known, and taking him down could bring significant attention. However, he alsocked much political influence, and due to his imprudent financial activities, he had left numerous vulnerabilities. It was said that, during Marat''s time, many people encouraged him to go after Lavoisier. But, despite his personal grudges, Marat understood Lavoisier''s value. Now, eager to inherit Marat''s legacy, Hbert pointed his guns at Lavoisier.

    "I''m doing this not only because Lavoisier is my friend. Lazar, you should know that Mr. Lavoisier used to be our political opponent. He was a Brissotin, and even among the Brissotins, he was considered rtively conservative. I also know that Mr. Lavoisier is quite greedy. In the chaotic market, he has engaged in some disruptive activities. But... but, Lazar, Mr. Lavoisier is the greatest scientist in all of France. A mind like his could be taken in a second, but to grow another one like it might take a hundred years. Mr. Lavoisier is invaluable! Think about it  if his explosives can be further developed and loaded into artillery shells, all the feudal lords in Europe will tremble under our guns. Even now, if we calcte Mr. Lavoisier''s contributions as positive and his wrongdoings as negative, I dare say the total would still be a vast positive number, much greater than most revolutionaries!"

    "Joseph, don''t get too excited. I understand your point, and I agree with your thoughts," Carnot said. "But do you really believe that hiding him in the ''Military Technology Laboratory'' will save him? Do you think that, once the Committee of Public Safety issues an arrest warrant, the doors of the ''Military Technology Research Institute'' can stop those people?"

    "In that case, let Mr. Lavoisier die in aboratory ident, without a trace," Joseph said. "After all, research rted to explosives can easily lead to such results."

    Carnot knew that when Joseph suggested Mr. Lavoisier''s death in aboratory ident, it wasn''t a genuine wish to see him dead. Instead, it was a way to turn him into a nameless, faceless figure, thus offering him protection.

    "Joseph, I understand your intentions. But you must know that anything you can think of, Hbert... Hbert probably can''t think of. However, your actions won''t be aplete surprise to him. When he figures it out, he will hate you with a passion," Carnot said in a hushed voice.

    "Let him hate me! A man must have his enemies. If he has no one who hates him, he is a failure!" Joseph replied firmly.

    Carnot stood up, his eyes fixed on Joseph, and the intensity of his gaze left Joseph wondering about his true intentions.

    "Well said, Joseph. I''m too weakpared to you. A true warrior doesn''t unt his bravery, like a fierce fighting dog, not barking everywhere  just like Hbert! As long as I''m in this position, Hbert, the rabid dog, won''t be able to infiltrate our military!" Carnot proimed.

    In truth, Carnot overestimated Joseph because he was unfamiliar with the historical context of the previous world. Joseph feared Robespierre, Danton, and Marat but wasn''t aware of Saint-Just (never heard of him before) and had no knowledge of Hbert (who are you?).

    After saying this, Carnot took a few brisk steps in the room and then stopped, turning to Joseph. He said, "Find a suitable location for theboratory, preferably far from Paris. And find an opportunity to arrange a secret meeting between Mr. Lavoisier and me. He probably doesn''t even know he''s be a target."

    "Thank you, General. There are no words to express my gratitude to you," Joseph hastily saluted.

    "Joseph, your gratitude is not necessary for others'' affairs. You''re a man of morality and trustworthiness!" Carnot thought to himself, but he said, "Joseph, I recall you''ve mentioned that your fondest wish is to stay in theboratory. Now, your scheme has seeded! You are a hypocrite who abuses your power for personal gain!"

    "Hahaha, Lazar, you''ve seen through me! I just love seeing you envy me," Josephughed heartily.

 Chapter 105: Toulon 3

    Chapter 105: Toulon 3

    Ever since the downfall of the royal family, the Pce of Versailles had been all but abandoned. Carnot found a spot within the pce and repurposed it as the headquarters for the "Military Technology Laboratory" and the "Military Technology Inspection Department." With a location established, there was a heap of work to be done. Joseph was busy as a bee, and he often invited his younger brother Louis over to Carnot''s ce to share meals. The only difference was that in the past, they used to dine with Lucien, but now, Lucien had gone south.

    Lucien, along with more than ten others, including Chrysler, headed south and quickly arrived near Toulon. They reported to General Popham and showed him the war department documents.

    Popham nced at the documents and smiled faintly, saying, "General Carnot is quite cautious. My soldiers and I are enough to retake Toulon. However, I wee General Bonaparte to share in my glory, if he arrives in time. As for your reconnaissance of the enemy''s situation, well, I''ve already prepared tounch attacks against the invaders and traitors recently, so your actions better not interfere with ours."

    With that, Popham drew a circle on the map. "Hmm, for the time being, I suggest you avoid entering the area within this circle."

    Chrysler lowered his head to study the map. Popham had essentially drawn a radius of at least 15 kilometers around Toulon. If their mission was indeed reconnaissance, avoiding this area would severely limit their options.

    "Very well, General," Chrysler nodded.

    After leaving Popham''s presence, Chrysler and his team changed into civilian clothing and left the military camp, heading east towards the Riviera. Among the group was a young man named Lavenelli, who had been a member of the Marseille Volunteers before joining the Fifth Army. He was from a vige on the Riviera. Before joining the army, he had been a fisherman. ording to him, he could arrange for a fishing boat for their journey.

    The Riviera, a popr tourist destination in the future, was currently a remote and impoverished ce. Neither the British nor the French armies paid attention to this region. The group followed Lavenelli to a small fishing vige and quickly acquired two boats.

    However, both boats had only one mast, and they were more like small dinghies than proper vessels.

    "Lavenelli, are you sure these boats can take us to Corsica? There isn''t even a shelter on them," Chrysler hesitated.

    "Oh, that''s not a problem. You see, the Mediterranean is not like the Antic; it''s as calm as a pond here. As long as it''s a boat with a mast and a sail, with enough fresh water and food, we can even sail all the way to Algeria. As for a shelter, well, these boats originally had one, but since it''s not winter yet, and we don''t usually venture too far, they haven''t been fitted," Lavenelli exined.

    The Mediterranean climate and geography were different from other regions, and one of its defining features was the mismatch between rainfall and heat. The rainy season hadn''t arrived yet.

    "But how will you navigate on the sea? Do you know how to use a sextant?" Lucien asked, raising a more critical question.

    "What''s a sextant? We navigate by looking at the stars, the sun, and using apass," Lavenelli replied.

    "Well, never mind then," Lucien said. "As long as you can find Corsica at sea by looking at the stars and the sun."

    "We''ll first sail east along the coast to Nice, and then turn south to reach Corsica. We''ll follow Corsica''s coastline, and we''re bound to find a suitable ce to dock. Once we''re onnd..."

    "As long as we make it tond, we''ll be fine," Lucien said.

    ...

    At the same time Lucien and his team were preparing to smuggle themselves in small fishing boats, Joseph weed an old friend at his end, Lavassic.

    "This is unbelievable, truly unbelievable! Joseph, look at these people, what have they done to this country! Good Lord, Versailles has turned into this! I remember when I first became an academician at the Academy of Sciences, I visited the pce. It was still... But look at it now, it''s in shambles! It''s like it''s been ransacked by Mongols!"

    Indeed, the once grand Pce of Versailles had almost turned into a ruin. Since the king had been taken to Paris, no one had taken care of it. Local farmers would often sneak in, rummaging for anything valuable or useful and then carting it away. Initially, they were taking metals and wooden items, but gradually, their plunder extended to bricks and stones, construction materials. If this continued, they''d probably repeat the feat of the medieval Romans, who had torn down half of the Colosseum.

    "Mr. Lavassic, don''t me me for this," Joseph chuckled. "If we hadn''t moved here, it would probably have been even more destroyed. Come on, Mr. Lavassic, let me show you to your ce."

    "ce? Isn''t this yourboratory? Let''s see theboratory first!" Lavassic said. "Oh, by the way, Carnot promised me to pay my sry in silver coins, not assignats!"

    Joseph smiled slightly but remained silent. These were minor matters, and Lavassic was mostly just venting his frustration.

    "That Carnot, always exaggerating things, as if it''s all true. But, I agree, Paris is just too noisy; there''s no peace to conduct scientific research. Coming here isn''t a bad idea. Recently, I had an idea, and I thought I could work on it here..." Lavassic continued grumbling.

    Of course, Lavassic knew Carnot wasn''t exaggerating. He wasn''t a fool, and he understood the consequences of such allegations in today''s climate. The guillotine on the ce de Concorde was in constant operation!

    But even after being rescued by Carnot, Lavassic wasn''t thrilled. In his eyes, Carnot and the so-called savages were of the same ilk. He may have read many books, but fundamentally, he was a barbarian. Just look at the brawl he got into with other members of the Convention in the past. He was a mathematician, a brute!

    So when Carnot asked him if he''d be willing to work at the "Military Technology Laboratory" and assured him that he could protect Lavassic and his family, Lavassic hesitated for a long second before reluctantly agreeing.

    ...

    In the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre was questioning Carnot. "General Carnot, I heard you recently established an institution called the ''Military Technology Laboratory'' and sent some very conservative-minded people there. Is that correct?"

    "Yes," Carnot did not deny it, and there was no denying it, but he provided a reason for his actions. "I believe it''s a very appropriate course of action. It''s simr to sending some of the rebel soldiers to quarries or mines."

    "The people at the Committee of Public Safety have significant concerns about this. They believe that criminals, whoever they may be, should receive equal punishment, even if it means sentencing them to hardbor. They should first be judged by them," Robespierre continued.

    Carnot had already discussed with Joseph how to address this question. He said, "Mr. Robespierre, you must realize that how to handle these people is not a legal issue but a political one. People like Lavassic are not criminals but enemies. He, along with the others in his group, are our enemies, except they''ve been defeated and captured by us. These people are not protected by ourws, so we should treat them ording to the principles of war. For captured barbarians, we can either execute them or turn them into ves, send them to various ces to work until they die. As for who we execute or sentence to hardbor, the only principle is what is favorable for France and beneficial to our military in defeating the enemy.

    Furthermore, where did these enemies get their knowledge and skills? Of course, it was developed through the money they plundered from the people. So, their knowledge and skills are ill-gotten gains and also our spoils of war. I''ve never heard of catching a thief and, under the premise of being able to recover stolen property, not doing so. Nor have I ever heard of us having to destroy something that was originally the enemy''s just because we captured it. I believe the people at the Committee of Public Safetyck political awareness; they''re reaching too far."

    "General Carnot, the Committee of Public Safety only wishes to follow due process," Couthon chimed in.

    "Ha...," Carnotughed, "these are captured barbarians, not protected by thew, so there''s no due process to speak of. And all of their time belongs to us, we can''t let the folks from the Committee of Public Safety waste it!"

    Carnot''s words were full of craftiness, but neither Robespierre nor Couthon wanted to dispute his logic. After all, this logic came from another important member of the Committee of Public Safety, who was currently absent - Saint-Just. In the past, Saint-Just had used this logic to deny the invibility of the king''s person under thew. So, who were they to object?

    "Well, General Carnot," Robespierre said, "can we at least request to have people sent to monitor thebor of these captives at all times?"

    Robespierre paused for a moment and added, "To monitor their work at all times?"

 Chapter 106: Toulon 4

    Chapter 106: Toulon 4

    Robespierre and Couthon couldn''t convince Carnot, but at least they managed to get him to agree to send observers to the research institute. (Carnot referred to the residential area of the institute as a "military prison.") As for the test area...

    "I''m sorry, but many of the experiments conducted in the test area are strict military secrets that require strict confidentiality. I''m not doubting the loyalty of the observers, but the fewer people who know the details of some things, the better. In fact, even I only know the purpose of the research and the general progress. As for some technical details  you know, I''m not incapable of understanding them, nor am I uninterested  but I''ll also try to avoid knowing too many technical details. Because these things, if I see them, I might unintentionally leak them, which could lead to significant losses for the army," Carnot said.

    "Even you don''t know some details, so there must be someone who understands the entire research rtively well," Robespierre asked.

    "Joseph Bonaparte is responsible for the entire process. He''s a very reliable soldier. For the sake of secrecy, he voluntarily put himself in a semi-imprisoned state. He can''t leave the test area casually, and if he does, he must inform me of his whereabouts and have security personnel apany him. If it weren''t for his deep love for the homnd and belief in the revolution, no one could endure such conditions," Carnot replied.

    "Joseph... That''s really not easy," Robespierre sighed. In reality, Robespierre had a favorable impression of Joseph, at least better than Carnot. Sometimes he even thought that if Joseph could rece Carnot, that wouldn''t be bad. But that was just a thought because Joseph Bonaparte had a brother who led troops into battle. So, in any case, he couldn''t take Carnot''s position.

    Everyone admitted that besides Joseph, there was no one else who could rece Carnot''s role, and even Joseph might not be able to do so. Therefore, Robespierre could only tolerate some of Carnot''s offenses, as long as they weren''t too outrageous. As for what would be considered too outrageous, Robespierre hadn''t had time to think about it yet.

    Today was the first day for Observer Charles to enter the heavily guarded "Military Technology Laboratory." He arrived at the War Department early in the morning. In a small room, he underwent strict measurements and records, including palm prints and other physical characteristics. An artist even painted a frontal portrait of him for some reason. Charles felt that the portrait made him look like a corpse.

    "Because it emphasizes that the person in the portrait should not have any expression," the artist exined.

    After the portrait was finished, it was already noon. Charles, apanied by a group of cavalry, boarded a four-wheeled carriage headed for Versailles.

    It took about four hours to travel from the War Department to Versailles. So when they arrived at the "Military Technology Laboratory," the sun was already setting.

    The military had dug a deep trench in the area where theboratory was located. Along the trench, guard towers were built at intervals. In some more remote ces, there was even a four-meter high wall. So, from the outside, nothing inside could be seen  it was a highly guarded appearance.

    The carriage stopped in front of a drawbridge. An officer approached, checked their passes, and said to Charles inside the carriage, "ording to the orders, only observers are allowed to enter. Others and the carriage cannot cross the trench. So, you must get off the carriage and enter theboratory on foot."

    Charles already knew this when he departed. So he nodded and said, "Please lead the way." He got off the carriage, and a soldier from inside followed, helping him with his luggage.

    Charles followed the officer into theboratory. As they walked, the officer said to him, "Mr. Observer, you are allowed to move in the employee living area and the prisoner living area. In the employee area, you have 24 hours of free movement. In the prisoner area, you must inform the guards of your activities in advance to avoid misunderstandings. You know, the security here is extremely tight, and any unauthorized activities that are unknown to the guards could result in gunfire without warning."

    "I understand," Charles said. He already knew this rule, but in the current situation, seeing all the guard towers and heavily armed guards made him nervous.

    "Boom!" A loud explosion was heard in the distance.

    "What is that?" Charles couldn''t help but ask.

    "Mr. Observer, everything about the experiments is ssified, and nothing about the test area should be questioned. Whatever you hear or see, you can''t mention it to anyone," the officer replied, emphasizing the confidentiality once again.

    At this point, a few people arrived at the gate, and when Charles looked inside from the entrance, all he saw was a narrow alley with high walls on both sides; nothing else was visible.

    The officer and the gatekeepers exchanged a few words, and the gate opened. Then, a few people walked in, and the sound of the iron gate being closed and locked was heard.

    A thought suddenly popped into Charles'' head: "Who''s in prison here?"

    ...

    On the Toulon front, Popham was plunged into great anxiety. These days, he hadunched attacks on Toulon, but the results were quite poor. The British, though not very interested in moving north, were very serious about holding the port of Toulon. As long as Toulon remained in their hands, the French navy had no foothold in the Mediterranean, giving them free rein in North Africa.

    Therefore, the British quickly reinforced various defense works in Toulon, and they even dismantled the cannons from the captured French warships to bolster their defenses. Popham''s soldiers were brave, but the crafty British hiding behind fortifications proved formidable. His initial attacks resulted in heavy casualties and no progress.

    Incensed, Popham decided to concentrate his forces for a final assault to break into Toulon and show the invaders and traitors the might of France.

    However, what they didn''t anticipate was that the British had set up an ambush with artillery. They had predicted Popham''s direction of attack and buried arge number of cannons in a manner reminiscent of Valmy. The difference was that they had more cannons and heavier firepower. What was even more deadly was that their cannons were not just in the front but also on the nks, creating a crossfire.

    They first baited the French into this predetermined battlefield with a tactical retreat. When Popham saw that he was making progress, he eagerlymitted his main forces to the attack. The result? A torrent of artillery fire from the British, followed by a bay charge by the British and Spanish. The French were forced to retreat all the way back to their starting point. If the British hadn''t been overly conservative, using too few troops for the counterattack, Popham might not have been able to hold his own camp.

    After this disastrous failure, Popham tallied his losses. He found that in the past few days, he had suffered nearly three thousand casualties, and the morale of the entire army had hit rock bottom. He knew that with such a resounding failure, he was in danger of beingbeled a traitor to his homnd.

    However, at this point, he had no other options but to request "tactical guidance" from the higher-ups. (Tactical guidance is a term from the Japanese military, simr to reinforcements.)

    ...

    At the same time, while Popham was writing a letter requesting "tactical guidance," Lucien and his group had finallynded on Corsica.

    Their journey had gone rtively smoothly, as the weather in the Mediterranean had been good in recent days. However, uponnding, they realized that they had veered off course quite a bit. They hadn''tnded near Calvi as nned but had ended up farther south in Galeria. It took them an extra day to reach Calvi.

    Corsica was a rtively closed-off ce, and the sudden arrival of outsiders could easily attract attention. Following Lucien''s guidance, they sailed into a secluded harbor to hide. Most of the crew stayed on the ship, while only Chrysler and Lucien slipped into Calvi after dark.

    Lucien hadn''t returned to Calvi in several years, but that didn''t cause him any problems. Compared to Paris, Calvi seemed frozen in time, unchanged since Lucien had left. In the dark, Lucien and Chrysler moved through the streets they knew so well, making their way to Lucien''s home.

    Knock, knock. Lucien gently rapped on the door, knowing that his mother likely hadn''t gone to sleep yet.

    Upon hearing the knock, the house first rang with a couple of aggressive barks from a dog, but quickly, the fierce barking turned into friendly, eager whimpers. Then, footsteps were heard, and a woman''s voice asked, "Who is it?"

    "Mom, it''s me, I''m Lucien!" Lucien pressed his mouth against the door and spoke softly.

    The door opened, and Letizia, who had aged a bit more, appeared with an oilmp in hand.

 Chapter 107: Toulon 5

    Chapter 107: Toulon 5

    After Popham''s request for "tactical guidance," Carnot ordered Napoleon to lead the Fifth Army south. Napoleon had been well-prepared; he had studied the map of Toulon countless times. As soon as he received the order, he gave themand, and the entire Fifth Army immediately sprung into action. In just half a day, the Fifth Army left their encampment and began their march south.

    However, just as the army had started its journey, a messenger caught up with Napoleon.

    "General Bonaparte, General Carnot has new orders for you," the messenger said.

    Napoleon took the orders and couldn''t help but wonder, "What is Carnot up to? Why couldn''t he have given these orders a bit earlier? The timing of this is suspicious..."

    As he pondered this, Napoleon opened the envelope and examined the orders. He then put the message away and turned to his messenger, saying, "Go fetch Major D''Artois for me."

    In no time, D''Artois appeared before Napoleon.

    "General! Major D''Artois reporting for duty," D''Artois dismounted and saluted Napoleon.

    "Louise, I''ve just received orders that require me to temporarily leave the army for a while. You will takemand in my absence and continue with the original n. If everything goes as expected, I should be back with the army early tomorrow morning. If I haven''t returned by then, I will have a messenger bring new orders. Do you understand?" Napoleon asked.

    "Understood!" D''Artois replied enthusiastically. It was evident that being entrusted with themand of the entire army, even if temporarily and just for half a day, excited him greatly.

    Leaving the army temporarily in D''Artois''s care, Napoleon set out to the west with a regiment of cavalry. At sunset, they arrived at their destination - the "Military Technology Laboratory."

    After identifying himself, Joseph arrived with three heavy carriages, crossing the drawbridge and appearing before Napoleon.

    "Is this little stuff so important that I had to make this long journey to collect it? And with a whole regiment of cavalry? Besides, Carnot''s orders were so unclear; what exactly is this?" Napoleon inquired.

    "It''s Mr. Lavoisier''s new toy," Joseph replied. "It has quite some power, and you should find it useful."

    As he spoke, Joseph handed an envelope to Napoleon. "Here is the user manual for this thing. Once the trial is sessful, we''ll start mass production immediately. However, you should know that theb''s production capacity is limited, so there are only this many for now. You''re heading into battle, so try it out and provide us with a feedback report once you''re done."

    "Damn, it''s Lavoisier''s creation!" Napoleon couldn''t help but nce at the three carriages. "Is it safe? Won''t it explode during transport?"

    Knowing that one reason Lavoisier was brought into theb was his work with explosives, Napoleon couldn''t help but think that if this was "Lavoisier''s new toy," it was likely explosive. Considering his experience with nitroglycerin, he preferred to keep a safe distance from the carriages.

    "Don''t worry; it''s quite safe. You can even burn it in a fire without major issues," Joseph reassured him. "The specific instructions and usage are all in the manual. You can take a look at itter. Also, I''ve prepared an instructor for you on how to safely use this. This is Sergeant Clment, and he''ll apany you to the south and teach you how to handle this new device securely."

    "General, Sergeant Clment reporting for duty," a tall soldier stepped forward, saluting Napoleon.

    "Very well, Clment, you''ll be with me for now," Napoleon said.

    After this, Napoleon turned to Joseph and asked, "Is there anything else?"

    "I''ve been in theb for a while, and my information is limited. Do you have any news about Lucien?" Joseph inquired.

    "How could there be news? Where they are now, they probably don''t even know if they''ve reached Corsica yet. How could there be news at this point?" Napoleon replied. "You should use your own brain. If you can do some simple arithmetic, you''d realize that they still don''t know if they''ve arrived in Corsica. How could there be news at this point?"

    "Enough of your sarcasm. What I meant was, as you head south, if you hear anything, please inform me immediately," Joseph exined.

    "Alright, it''s needless to say, isn''t it? Well, if there''s nothing else, I''ll be on my way," Napoleon said as he prepared to mount his horse. However, he turned back to Joseph and added, "I''ve heard that winters in Paris can be quite cold; make sure you don''t catch a cold."

    "Alright, alright, take care of yourself. I don''t need your concern," Joseph replied with disdain, but he felt a tiny bit touched deep down.

    ...

    Everyone at home gathered in the living room, with the curtains drawn tightly to prevent any light from escaping and attracting attention from outside.

    "Mother, that''s how it is. Joseph, Napoleon, and I all believe that it might be too risky for you to stay in Corsica any longer. So, I secretly returned to take you to France," Lucien exined.

    "Go to France? That''s wonderful; I''ve wanted to go to France for a long time," a young girl whispered with excitement. Her voice was hushed, but her enthusiasm couldn''t be contained.

    "Pauline, mind your manners; you''re not a child anymore, and we have guests," Letizia admonished in a hushed tone.

    The mischievous girl stuck out her tongue and then quickly lowered her head, feigning adylike demeanor. The candlelight illuminated a soft halo on her forehead where her bangsy.

    "Lucien, do you have to leave for good? We have so many things to take care of here..." Letizia voiced her concerns.

    "Mother, don''t worry about the things here. Joseph and Napoleon are doing well financially in France. Compared to that, the possessions in Corsica don''t matter much. The crucial thing is your safety. You should know that both Joseph and Napoleon hold important positions now, and the English are known to be shameless and capable of anything," Lucien stated.

    While he spoke, Lucien discreetly nudged Clment with his foot, hoping he would contribute to convincing Letizia to leave for France promptly.

    However, Clment remainedpletely oblivious. Ever since Pauline appeared, his brain had entered a state of suspension. He never expected to encounter such an astonishingly beautiful woman in this remote ce, and his entire cognitive capacity was now dedicated to appreciating her beauty. This resulted in all other cognitive threads being shut down to save processing power and storage space for the most important task - admiring the beauty.

    As Clment was seated toward the back, and his face was shrouded in the shadow of the candlelight, the others didn''t notice his mesmerized expression. Only Lucien was quietly fuming, "Why did Napoleon send this guy?"

    Just a while ago, when Pauline descended the stairs and caught his eye, even Lucien had momentarily been taken aback. He tried to convince himself that the reason for his reaction was the vast difference in her appearance from what he remembered due to the years of separation.

    Upon returning to Corsica, Lucien felt as if time here had frozen, and everything remained unchanged. Even in their home, everything was just as it had been when he left, except for the inevitable aging of his mother, Letizia. However, Pauline disrupted that image. His mother remained as he remembered, but his sister was no longer the same.

    In front of him now stood an enchanting young woman, mature enough to be considered an adult but still possessed the innocence of a girl. Her long, beautiful chestnut hair was adorned with threads of gold, her forehead smooth as porcin, her cheeks as rosy as roses, and her neck reminiscent of a nymph carved by Jean Goujon or the face of the Virgin Mary painted by Raphael.

    Lucien had expected to see the yful little sister he remembered, but she had transformed into a captivating youngdy. Such a transformation was amon urrence. Therees a time when young girls appear to bloom suddenly, much like roses. One day, they''re overlooked as children, and the next, they capture hearts.

    As Lucien contemted this, he delivered a silent, firm kick to Clment.

    The kick sessfully brought Clment back to reality. He didn''t cry out as seen in TV dramas but simply lowered his eyelids.

    "Major Clment is Colonel Bonaparte''spanymander. If you have any questions about this matter, you can ask him," Lucien exined.

    "Oh, I see," Clment quickly added. "General Bonaparte believes that you are all in great danger, and any dy will only increase the risks. You must leave Corsica as soon as possible, the sooner, the better. Ideally, tonight."

    "Tonight? How is that even possible? We still need to pack our belongings, gather our documents, change into clean clothes, and..."

    "Just one person is enough," Lucien interrupted. "We''ll leave quietlyter, and our ship is where Napoleon used to hide it. Well, Mother doesn''t know about it, but Pauline does. Once we''re on the ship, we''ll be safe. As for your belongings, we''ll have everything in France. Joseph and Napoleon have already bought an estate for you there."

    "Really, an estate? That''s wonderful!" Pauline couldn''t contain her excitement once more.

    After her statement, she nced at her mother and quickly lowered her head, resuming herdylike demeanor.

    "Very well, but I''d like to at least pack our luggage, bring our deeds, some clean clothes, and..."

    "Mother, please don''t worry about these things," Lucien reassured her. "Joseph and Napoleon are doing well financially in France. Compared to that, our possessions in Corsica don''t matter much. The crucial thing is your safety. You should know that both Joseph and Napoleon hold important positions now, and the English are known to be shameless and capable of anything."

 Chapter 108: Toulon 6

    Chapter 108: Toulon 6

    General Popham had just lost his eldest son in a recent unsessful assault. It saddened him deeply, but it also relieved him in a way. No one could now use him of ipetence in his previous actions, or of any treachery.

    So, after the loss of his son, General Popham immediately ceased most of his offensive operations and engaged in a standoff with the British. When Napoleon arrived with the Fifth Corps, both sides had been in a state of static warfare for some time.

    Napoleon''s progress wasn''t particrly swift, as he had been training his troops along the way with the new toys Joseph provided him. However, once his army arrived, Napoleon swiftly set his ns in motion.

    Napoleon first paid a visit to Popham to gather information about the enemy''s dispositions he had acquired at the cost of his soldiers'' lives in previous engagements. Popham provided the information readily, knowing that General Napoleon had influential connections. It wasn''t the time to provoke anyone, even if it meant losing his eldest son and his second son.

    After obtaining this intelligence, Napoleon politely bid farewell to Popham. But as he left the general''s camp, he couldn''t help but mutter to the guards apanying him, "I really don''t understand how he couldunch such a poorly prepared frontal assault. How did he be a general?"

    However, Popham couldn''t be solely med for such tactics, as it was a widespread phenomenon. Most French generals during the Republican eracked experience and skill, and the inadequately trained Republican soldiers struggled withplex tactics. They often resorted to reckless and impulsive actions in the face of uncertainty, amon trait among Republican-era French military leaders. What''s more, they achieved several victories with this approach, reinforcing its legitimacy as the orthodox strategy for the French military.

    Back in his own camp, Napoleon carefully studied the maps he had brought back and summoned leaders like D''Artois to assign reconnaissance tasks. After several days of scouting, he gathered his division and brigademanders to discuss the uing assault.

    Napoleon believed that capturing Fort Marguerite was key to the battle. If they could take the fort, they would have a direct line of fire to Toulon''s harbor with therge cannons stationed there. Once Toulon''s harbor was exposed to artillery fire, the British would be unable to maintain their supplies. Their only option would be to retreat.

    "General Popham''s previous actions may have seemed foolish, but even the most foolish actions have a purpose. He attempted a direct assault on Toulon''s front, which was undoubtedly unwise. However, this foolishness prompted equally foolish responses from the British. ording to the intelligence we''ve received, the British have concentrated their main force on the front of Toulon''s harbor. Consequently, they have somewhat neglected the defense of Fort Marguerite. Look at this map, representing Toulon under our control, and this new one we''ve created through reconnaissance."

    As Napoleon spoke, he unveiled a newer map beneath an outdated oneid out on the table.

    "Since Toulon fell into British hands, the scale of Fort Marguerite has significantly expanded. With its current size, it could host over thirtyrge cannons. In addition, to defend it, the British have constructed smaller forts here and here, eachplementing Fort Marguerite. If these forts are adequately garrisoned, taking them will require a significant sacrifice. However, the gs on these forts changed recently, recing the British g with the Spanish g. This means the British have moved more of theirbat forces to the front, assuming this is not our main focus."

    "General, are you nning a feigned attack on the front?" Davout asked with a furrowed brow. "But the degree of feint attacks can be hard to control. Few troops won''t attract the enemy, while too many will lead to heavy losses."

    Napoleon grinned mischievously. "Do you think I''m that foolish? Let me tell you a method."

    After breakfast, Lieutenant Herault, as usual, ascended the lookout post at the fort, facing the French side. Although the French had stopped their incessant charges, vignce was still essential.

    There seemed to be movement on the distant horizon. Herault quickly raised his spyss to see what was happening.

    "French! The French are back!" Herault shouted.

    The French had returned, but they stopped outside the range of the cannons'' fire. Herault saw the French soldiers wielding shovels and pickaxes, as if they were digging trenches.

    Digging trenches around a fortified city to cut off itsmunication with the outside wasmon in Europe, but Toulon was a harbor. Could the French dig a trench in the sea?

    Herault was perplexed, but he promptly reported this information to his superiors.

    A group of officers soon arrived at the lookout tower. They raised their spysses to observe.

    "What are the French doing?"

    "They''re digging trenches, but... it''s not horizontal; it''s vertical," one officer suddenly said. "They want to dig straight toward us!"

    "A bunch of rats!" Another officer sneered. In an era where warfare was considered noble, this rat-like behavior was indeed looked down upon.

    However, more thoughtful minds refrained fromughing. This rat-like approach made sense. It significantly reduced the effectiveness of the cannons, and if the French dug right up to them and suddenly charged with bays, it would be problematic. The British and Spanish forces were limited in number, whereas the French had a vast pool of manpower. In such a melee, Toulon could be in grave danger.

    "They should need at least three or four more days to reach an attackable distance," an officer said. "We must prepare for a fierce battle."

    The speed of the French trench diggers exceeded the expectations of the British. Even at night, they continued their work, lighting torches and digging forward. The British fired a few shots, but hitting the trench was challenging, and the trench had bends that made it difficult to hit anyone. Seeing the ineffective artillery fire, the British decided to prepare for the impending melee. The French army was enthusiastic, and their performance in baybat wasmendable, but the British "lobsters" weren''t to be trifled with.

    Given the number of trenches dug by the French, their assault could involve over a thousand men. Therefore, the British concentrated all avable forces on the front to face the French charge.

    "General, we''ve observed that about two Spanishpanies have left Fort Marguerite. They seem to have been reassigned to the front," an officer reported to Napoleon.

    "Good. Davout, your forces should be within attacking distance by tomorrow morning, right?" Napoleon turned to ask.

    "If we dig through the night tonight, we should reach attacking distance by early tomorrow," Davout replied.

    "Very well, Davout, you''ll lead your forces to their attack positions early tomorrow morning and make it look like you''re ready to attack. Herault, we''llunch a full-scale assault on Fort Marguerite at first light. Davout, keep the appearance of an attack on the front to draw the British in and buy us time."

    "Understood, General!" Davout and Herault responded in unison.

    That night, the British and Spanish forces remained on high alert as the French trench diggers approached. In a more distant area, the French began constructing fortifications. The British and Spanish knew that tomorrow would be the decisive moment.

    ...

    In the darkness, Lucien and Chrysler, along with the Bonaparte women, sneaked out, dressed in boys'' clothes for ease of movement. They reached the seashore, where several fishing boats came into view.

    "These boats, are they suitable?" Letizia asked.

    "Don''t worry, Mother! They should work just fine. We came over on simr boats," Lucien reassured her and then turned to Chrysler. "Mr. Chrysler, do you think my brother and the others have already engaged the British in Toulon? We''re rushing there now, but I wonder if we''ll get to see the battle."

    "I''m not sure," Chrysler replied. "General Bonaparte is still in Paris for now. Even if he decides to head south, it shouldn''t happen this quickly."

    "I really hope we get to see a battle," Pauline chimed in.

 Chapter 109: Toulon 7

    Chapter 109: Toulon 7

    Unlike their journey to this ce, things took a troublesome turn for Lucien and hispanions on their way back. Typically, the Mediterranean was as calm as a serene pond, where practically anything that could float could be used for navigation.

    As far back as ancient Egypt, people could navigate the Mediterranean''s nearshore waters using boats made of woven reeds. Later on, Greek galleys could roam freely throughout the Mediterranean. However, the Mediterranean was still a sea, not entirely devoid of winds and storms. There were historical records and legends of sea storms in the Mediterranean.

    One of the oldest tales was the "Odyssey." When the Greeks sessfully plundered Troy and returned with riches and ves to Greece, they encountered a rare storm that nearly spelled the doom of their entire fleet. In the Bible, Apostle Paul also faced a storm in the Mediterranean while on his way to Rome. Lord Byron''s Don Juan, too, was driven by a Mediterranean storm to meet Haidee. So, even in the Mediterranean, if luck wasn''t on your side, you might find yourself facing the wrath of Poseidon.

    When the two boats left Corsica, everything seemed normal. The sky was filled with countless stars, showing no sign of impending weather changes. However, at sunrise, everything changed.

    The morning sun was unusually red, painting half the sky and half the sea crimson. While Lucien and Pauline were delighted by this beautiful sunrise, Lavineli expressed concern, "Maybe, just maybe, we should turn back. Seeing such a sunrise at sea is a sign of changing weather."

    Lucien considered and asked, "What do you think are the chances of bad weather?"

    "About fifty-fifty," Lavineli replied uncertainly.

    "We shouldn''t take unnecessary risks. Let''s get closer to them and have Chrysler''s boat follow us back to Corsica for shelter," Lucien decided.

    Lavineli maneuvered the fishing boat closer to Chrysler''s boat and shouted loudly, conveying his judgment to Chrysler.

    Chrysler then told Letizia on his boat, "Madam, the weather might change, so we should temporarily return to seek refuge from potential storms."

    Naturally, Letizia had no objections. So, both boats turned around and headed back to Corsica.

    By noon, they spotted the coastline of Corsica again, but at that moment, a strong wind blew in from the east, catching both boats. They lost control, and the ships were carried westward by the wind.

    The weather changed abruptly, and in the blink of an eye, the sky filled with sudden clouds. Heavy rain poured down.

    Lucien, Pauline, and Alice were on one boat, while Letizia, Jerome, and Carolina were on the other. Both boats lost control quickly and disappeared from each other''s view.

    In the context of the open sea, the storm would be considered just a gust of wind. However, for a small fishing boat near the coast, it was undoubtedly a storm. This storm raged throughout the night and finally subsided at dawn the next day.

    As the sun rose the next day, Lucien counted the passengers on his boat, and they were all ounted for. However, the boat''s canvas and some other equipment had been blown into the sea. More critically, they had lost contact with the other boat, and they had no idea of their current location.

    "Lucien, what do we do? Our mothers are gone; they might" Alice burst into tears.

    "Mom will be fine, just like us. They will be fine," Pauline reassured her.

    "Can we determine our current location?" Lucien asked Lavineli.

    "No, I don''t know where we are now," Lavineli replied.

    Lucien considered their geographical knowledge and said, "Can the boat still be controlled? If so, let''s head north."

    The Mediterranean wasn''t that vast, so whether they sailed south or north, they should reachnd soon.

    "Mast and sails are intact," Lavineli checked the boat''s equipment and replied, "We can head north, and we should reach France."

    With their exact location unknown, the small boat turned north.

    The boat sailed on the sea for three days. During thete hours of the third day, Pauline, who had fallen into a drowsy sleep, heard Lucien''s excited voice, "Land! There''snd over there!"

    ...

    In the early morning, a thick fog enveloped the sea. It started at sea and gradually covered thend.

    "General, the fog has set in. Should we still attack?" asked Orozco.

    "Of course, fog is an advantage. It allows us to get closer," Napoleon replied.

    The fog made the British and Spanish soldiers equally nervous. They were afraid that the French might take advantage of the fog to approach. So, the fog simplified Davout''s task. He ordered the drums to be beaten, and random shots were fired, leading the British and Spanish to fire blindly into the fog. The front line became chaotic.

    Under the cover of fog, while the attention of the British and Spanish was drawn to the front line, Napoleon and Orozco led over three thousand men quietly approaching the fortress of Marguerite. Thanks to the fog, they reached a point just a hundred meters away from the fortress, and the Spanish defenders hadn''t noticed them.

    As the sun gradually rose, the fog started to dissipate, revealing Marguerite Fortress.

    "Charge!" Napoleon ordered. Orozco led his men in a furious rush towards the fortress.

    ...

    At dawn, Lucien''s boat reached the shore. By this time, a fog had begun to form around them. They saw distant lights through the mist, so they headed in that direction to find someone who could tell them where they were. After walking for a while, the fog thickened, and their visibility dropped to around ten meters. Lucien knew they couldn''t proceed further; they might get lost or separated from each other. He decided they should wait for the sun to rise and disperse the fog. They rested by arge stone, taking a break while waiting for the fog to clear.

    The days of drifting at sea had left everyone feeling tense. Finally reaching the shore, they were now exhausted. Pauline leaned against the stone, resting her head on Alice''s shoulder. Within moments, she fell asleep, and the others soon followed suit. Lucien drifted into a series of dreams, from one scenario to another.

    He dreamt of Napoleon bringing news that their mothers'' ship had sunk, and everyone had perished. Then, he dreamt that they had all safely arrived in Paris, joining Joseph as they dined at the Carnot family''s home. Just as a te of foie gras on bread was being brought to them, a loud noise jolted him awake.

    "What''s going on?" Lucien asked, opening his eyes. He saw the fog had dissipated somewhat, and the others had also woken up. But the thundering sounds continued from a distance. Lucien, having witnessed cannon fire with his brothers, quickly realizedit was the sound of artillery!

    "This is all wrong. It''s the sound of cannons, and it''s very close. We''ve walked into a battlefield!" Lavineli whispered urgently.

    "What do we do?" a just-awoken Pauline asked.

    "The cannon fire ising from that direction," Lucien said. "Let''s head this way and get as far away from the battlefield as possible."

    Pauline looked toward the direction of the cannon fire, her eyes filled with excitement. She started to take a step that way, but Lucien grabbed her wrist and said, "Pauline,e with me this way."

    Lucien led Pauline away in the opposite direction. Pauline asionally turned back to look at the battlefield, but the fog had not entirely dissipated, making it challenging to see. However, the constant rumbling of artillery fire came from that direction.

    At that moment, more footsteps became audible around them. Lucien stopped and looked around through the thinning fog, seeing soldiers in blue uniforms holding rifles with fixed bays, marching forward in a hurry. Due to the morning mist, he couldn''t discern their numbers, but there were certainly many. They seemed to be charging into a battle.

    "Something''s amiss! These are soldiers heading into battle," Lucien eximed.

    As the defenders on Marguerite Fortress noticed the approaching French, they began firing haphazardly in their direction. A cannonballnded near Pauline, startling both her and Lucien. She struggled free from his grasp, screamed, and ran in the opposite direction.

    By now, the bugle sounded for a charge, and the soldiers began to rush forward. Lucien attempted to go after Pauline, but a charging soldier bumped into him, causing him to sit abruptly on the ground. By the time he got up, he couldn''t find Pauline.

 Chapter 110: Toulon 8

    Chapter 110: Toulon 8

    In the midst of the fog, Pauline dashed about, surrounded by the sounds of gunfire, artillery, and shouts. Initially, she felt terrified, but soon, after a series of intense explosions, she realized that the gunfire seemed to diminish. After a while, the cries of "Long live the Republic" echoed all around her.

    At this point, the fog began to dissipate gradually. Pauline saw a group of soldiers in blue uniforms not far from her, celebrating. Obviously, they had won the recent battle.

    An old bearded soldier noticed Pauline and walked over to her.

    "Hey there, little one, what are you doing out here?" the soldier asked.

    "My brother and I got separated. Our ship encountered a storm at sea, drifted for days, and ended up here on the shore, and then..." Pauline quickly exined, "Have you seen my brother?"

    "Ah, you''re quite unlucky to end up on the battlefield like this. I haven''t seen your confused brother. How could he leave his little brother in a ce like this? But I can have our men help you look for him," the old soldier said.

    At this moment, Pauline was just a thirteen-year-old girl dressed in boy''s clothes, her hat hiding her long hair. (If we were talking about a young Napoleon''s clothing, it would fit her just fine.) Consequently, the old soldier mistook her for an unvoiced boy.

    "Come with me, I''ll ask around for you," the old soldier said, leading Pauline to the side of the fort and shouting to a soldier on the fort''s wall with a tricolor g, "Eugene, have you seen another civilian, a boy about this one''s age, running onto the battlefield?"

    "What are you saying?" Eugene asked. "I can''t hear..."

    Perhaps due to ack of concentration, the tricolor g in his hand slipped and fell from the fort. Everyone''s faces changed because not being able to rehang the g was an extremely bad omen. In general, the more dependent on luck a profession is, the more superstitions are associated with it. The military, in particr, was a ce with a high concentration of superstitions. For instance, when the navy ate fish, they''d never flip the fish to eat the other side first because they dreaded the action of "flipping." As for the army, there were a host of superstitions about gs. Everyone believed that if a g fell to the ground, it foretold setbacks for the army.

    The tricolor g slowly floated down in the morning breeze, and everyone ran to catch it in mid-air, trying to prevent it from touching the ground. Even the old soldier abandoned Pauline and joined the race.

    "Catch it, catch it!" everyone shouted.

    But for some reason, a sudden gust of wind shifted the falling tricolor g in Pauline''s direction, and she reached out and caught it.

    "That kid, that kid caught the g! Fantastic!" someone shouted.

    "Truly fantastic!"

    Simrly, based on superstition, if a g fell due to the wind and someone caught it midway, that person had to personally hoist the g back up, and the ill omen would pass, ushering in good fortune.

    So the old soldier walked up to Pauline, bent halfway, and said, "Thank you, youngd, for catching the battle g. Would you be willing to help us hoist this g again?"

    ...

    With Pauline gone, Lucien was terrified. He knew that if Napoleon found out about this, he''d get a severe beating, and maybe even his backside would be beaten into pieces. When he returned to Paris, Joseph wouldn''t spare him either, to be precise, he wouldn''t spare him or Napoleon. Joseph had long thought Lucien was unreliable, and it was only Napoleon''s support that had saved him...

    So Lucien was running around the battlefield like a headless fly. The soldiers were all cheering, and Lucien kept asking them, "Have you seen my sister? Have you seen my sister?" But no one paid him any attention.

    At that moment, the soldiers suddenly began to cheer towards the fort. Lucien looked over, and he was stunned.

    "What the devil! What am I seeing? That''s... that''s..."

    It was Pauline, standing boldly at the highest point of the fort, hoisting a tricolor g. The soldiers cheered loudly for her, and Pauline was caught up in the excitement. She hadpletely forgotten about finding her brother. She even imitated the soldiers below who were waving their hats, took off her hat, and waved it at them. Her long hair floated in the morning breeze alongside the tricolor g.

    A few yearster, when the Bonaparte family had climbed to the heights of power, this story of Pauline was spread by various interested parties. The narrative evolved from Pauline getting lost, identally catching the g, and leading French warriors to victory, defeating the English (the English argued that they were actually Spanish) and recapturing Toulon. Some even gave Pauline the title of "Joan of Toulon." Of course, Pauline responded, "What? People actually think I have any ''Joan'' qualities?"

    (Originally, in the historical timeline, Pauline had a very bold lifestyle, known as the "good-time girl" of her generation. It was said that when the sculptor Canova was sculpting her statue, he once considered portraying her as a hunting goddess. But Pauline said, "Let''s go with the Venus look instead because the hunting goddess is also a chaste goddess. Does anyone in all of Europe really believe that I have any chastity?")

    However, at this moment, while the soldiers were cheering for her, they did not consider her any kind of "saint." At most, they saw her as a symbol of good luck. Meanwhile, Lucien desperately made his way towards the fort.

    Near the fort, a few soldiers stopped him. "Who are you, and why are you running here? Are you an English spy?" one of them asked.

    "I am General Napoleon Bonaparte''s brother. My sister is inside the fort, and I need to see her!" Lucien hurriedly shouted. He knew that on the battlefield, mere suspicion could lead to death. But with this shout, whether they believed him or not, at least they wouldn''t shoot him until they were sure.

    "You''re General Bonaparte''s brother?" The soldiers clearly didn''t believe him, but as Lucien had hoped, they wanted to verify first.

    "If you''re lying to us, you''ll have a miserable death," one of the soldiers said.

    At that moment, a cavalry unit approached. A soldier ran over and spoke to an officer on a horse, and the officer rode over.

    "Lucien? What are you doing here?" he asked.

    "Ah, Napoleon! Our ship was blown here by the wind... Pauline is inside the fort right now..."

    ...

    Following this, the soldiers witnessed aedic scene. Their general, brandishing his riding crop, was chasing his brother, and Lucien was running around Pauline.

    "Lucien, be a man, don''t hide behind a woman!" Napoleon said.

    "A real man needs to have his own mind, how can you decide everything?" Lucien replied, catching his breath.

    "Pauline, step aside and let me thrash this unreliable fool!"

    "Napoleon, don''t beat Lucien, this situation..."

    Just then, Augereau arrived. "General, the English cavalry ising!"

    Napoleon stopped, red at Lucien, and said, "We''ll deal with youter!"

    Then he threw down his riding crop and went with Augereau.

    The English had sent only a small reconnaissance unit. This was quite normal because Front National had just withdrawn, and they wouldn''t have been able to mobilize their forces immediately for a counterattack. But the presence of the English cavalry meant that a new battle was about to begin.

    "The English must know the significance of this fort. If they lose it, they can''t hold Toulon. They''llunch a counterattack immediately. Augereau, find a few people to take Pauline and that foolish boy to a safe ce. Battle is imminent here," Napoleon said.

    As Napoleon had predicted, the English quickly realized the situation. They quicklyunched a massive attack on Fort Malgrve, even though their preparations were not entirely sufficient. The French defenses were also ill-prepared, without firing tables and not fully understanding the fort''s details.

    The English deployed nearly all their cards, sending about five to six thousand troops in a single massive assault. However, the fort''s defensive bonuses were still formidable. Even without firing tables, which affected the effectiveness of their cannon fire, French artillery still inflicted significant damage on the approaching English. But the lobsterback soldiers pressed forward under the cannon fire.

    "English! The fort of Malgrve is well fortified, but we''re getting closer!" the English officers shouted.

    The fort of Malgrve was a modern fort, and its walls, less than two meters high with a steep slope, were designed to withstand cannon fire. However, when enemy infantry reached the walls, they could charge up directly after a running start.

    Napoleon''s army had just captured Fort Malgrve, so they were not entirely familiar with the details of the fort, and they had no avable firing tables. Hence, the English assault was somewhat unprepared, and so was the French defense.

    The English threw everything into this attack, rushing nearly five or six thousand troops towards the fort. The French defense was unprepared, and it was a chaotic scene. Nevertheless, the fortified walls of the fort remained a significant advantage for the French.

    At first, the French artillery''s impact was significant, even without urate firing tables. The English cavalry had suffered casualties while approaching the fort. The French forces on the walls had managed to hold their ground and inflict losses on the English. The battle was in full swing, and Fort Malgrve was under heavy pressure.

    But with English reinforcementsing in, the battle was about to reach its climax, and the oue remained uncertain.

    ....

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 Chapter 111: Toulon 9

    Chapter 111: Toulon 9

    "Indeed, the British are stronger than the Austrians and Prussians," Napoleon said to Oloron as he watched the approaching British army.

    "If it were a field battle, these fellows could inflict significant casualties on us," Oloron nodded in agreement. "Look at them; after such a beating, the Austrians would have turned back home to their mothers."

    "Austrians? At Valmy, just one round of artillery fire killed hundreds, and the rest of them, tens of thousands, froze in fear. But look at the British, they charge right at us," Napoleon admired.

    "Fortunately, we now hold the initiative," Oloron sincerely stated, "General, as you mentioned earlier, in most cases, defense is a stronger strategy than offense, but in war, victory often requires an offensive approach. So, a good general, even in an offensive operation, should seize the crucial moments on the battlefield, capture the key positions, and force the enemy to attack our well-defended lines. Transform a strategically offensive operation into a tactical defensive counterattack. I used to think this was impossible, but now, haven''t we achieved just that? We are the ones on the offensive, but because we hold the key positions, the defensive enemy is forced to leave their fortifications to attack us. General Bonaparte..."

    Oloron raised his thumb in admiration. "Brilliant, simply brilliant!"

    Napoleon, pleased with the praise, listened with satisfaction. He knew Oloron wasn''t one to tter, and even though this principle wasn''t originally his idea, why split hairs among brothers? Besides, Joseph was all talk, and in this situation, he might not have grasped this key. So, Napoleon was quite content with his actions. However, he didn''t disy his satisfaction and simply said, "Let''s discuss it further after we repel the British''s current attack."

    The British were now within musket range, and the cannons on the fortifications began to fire grape shot. Row after row of British soldiers fell, but those behind them continued to advance steadily, maintaining their uniform pace.

    Compared to the European practice of walking a few steps and then firing or employing three-stage volleys, the British had a different approach. Their discipline was to advance directly, moving within bay reach, extending their muskets under their enemy''s noses, and firing in unison. Then, they would follow with a bay charge, cutting down the opposition. While the British had a smaller army, theirbat effectiveness was at a higher level than the foes that the French had faced before.

    The British left behind several bodies, but they continued to close in. As long as a courageous force moved forward, it could always make progress. ording to their tradition, they would approach within ten yards, halt, fire a volley, and then charge with bays.

    However, this time, things took a different turn. Just as the British halted, something resembling a barrage of explosive stones came from the French side andnded among them, exploding violently.

    These were the special weapons Joseph had advised Napoleon to bring, hand grenades.

    In fact, throwing explosives at the enemy in battle wasn''t a new concept. People had done it before, but those early grenades were filled with ck powder, and to be effective, they needed to be quiterge. Large enough that ordinary soldiers couldn''t throw them far, and even the strong ones couldn''t throw them very far. If the size was reduced to the point where regr soldiers could throw them far, their power would be closer to that of firecrackers.

    But the grenades carried by Napoleon''s soldiers were not filled with ck powder but a new substance, nitrocellulose, developed by Lavassier. Nitrocellulose was more stable than nitroglycerin, requiring mercury fulminate for efficient detonation. However, it had an inconsistency issue; some nitrocellulose had higher explosive power than TNT, while others had only half of TNT''s power. Nevertheless, these grenades'' killing effect was beyond anyone''s expectations, especially since Joseph had added pre-formed fragments to the grenade casings.

    This barrage of grenades knocked down a significant number of advancing British soldiers, causing chaos in their formation.

    Witnessing this, Napoleon immediately ordered a countercharge.

    "For France, charge!" The French troops, bays fixed, rushed towards the British.

    In this era, French and British troops had a clear difference: the British required formations to fight effectively, while the French excelled in disorder.

    This countercharge pushed the British back. After repelling the British''s counterattack, the British rapidly withdrew from Toulon. Napoleon assessed that it was unlikely the British wouldunch another assault on Fort Magne anytime soon. His focus could now shift to the ships in Toulon Harbor.

    Of course, bombarding Toulon Harbor required some time. Soldiers had to adjust the cannons on the fortifications and transfer more cannons into Fort Magne, which took time.

    "As long as we have these preparations in ce before nightfall, we can deal with the ships in Toulon Harbor," Napoleon contemted. "But if these tasks aren''tpleted in time, maybe we should pay Lucien another visit. It''s raining, and there''s nothing else to do."

    Despite the decisive victory, Napoleon wasn''t too angry anymore. Anger was like a storm; it came and went quickly. Besides, Lucien was quite adept at fleeing, and Pauline was causing trouble, so Napoleon didn''t have the chance to be a good brother.

    By the next morning, the cannons in the fortifications were all set up, and Napoleon gave the order to bombard Toulon Harbor. The shelling continued all day until night fell and reduced the efficiency of the French bombardment. During that day''s shelling, over a dozen ships were damaged to varying degrees, and hundreds of sailors were killed or wounded. But what hurt even more was the fact that Toulon had no means to respond to the artillery fire from Fort Magne.

    "Toulon is lost," the Spaniards were the first to realize. At nightfall, they abandoned their posts and nned to board the ships and escape. However, they were blocked at the harbor by arge group of British soldiers. The British were boarding their ships, and when it was impossible to stay any longer, they were excellent at retreating.

    The British and Spanish spent two nights and a day, braving the artillery fire from Fort Magne, to withdraw from Toulon.

    In fact, by the morning of the second day, the British had already evacuated most of their troops. Davout wanted Napoleon to use this opportunity tounch an attack, recapturing Toulon and eliminating the invaders who hadn''t left yet.

    But Napoleon vetoed this suggestion. He believed that attacking a fortified position of the enemy, while already having a decided victory, would result in unnecessary casualties, which was not cost-effective.

    Davout was convinced by this reasoning. His only concern was whether the traitors of their homnd would escape with the invaders.

    "The British and Spanish are barely saving themselves right now; they won''t have time to worry about those traitors. Don''t worry; they won''t get away!" Napoleon assured.

    The final ships were preparing to leave the harbor, but the docks were crowded with people - former royalists who had served the British. They realized that if they remained in Toulon, they would surely face the guillotine once the British left. So they flocked to the docks, hoping for mercy from their British protectors, hoping for a chance to board the ships and leave Toulon.

    Napoleon watched this from Fort Magne and ordered, "Aim at those folks on the docks, fire with all you''ve got! Davout, prepare to enter the city!"

    Davout acknowledged and rushed down. Napoleon continued to observe the artillery''s results with his spyss.

    A cannonballnded in the crowd on the docks, creating a path of blood. More people, in a panic, leaped into the water, attempting to swim to the British ships.

    Napoleon saw a British officer shouting something to the people below, perhaps, "God save the King" or something else. It didn''t matter because the next moment, several British soldiers pulled out their bays, fired anothermand, and a thick smoke emerged on the ship''s sides - the British soldiers were firing at the royalists swimming towards their ships.

    One by one, the royalists were shot and sank into the sea. Napoleon watched, a satisfied smile on his face.

    At that moment, a figure caught his attention. Gasping for breath, the person slipped into the water, avoiding the volley of shots, and swam towards the British ship. Like a spider, he crawled up the ship''s side.

    "This man is quite agile," Napoleon remarked. "But, unfortunately..."

    The man had finally climbed up to the ship''s side, extended his head, seemingly shouting something - perhaps "God save the King" or something else. It didn''t matter because the next second, several British soldiers thrust their bays into his abdomen, and with a final push, they threw him back into the sea. This time, he didn''t resurface.

    "This is the fate of traitors!" Oloron, who was also watching, sighed.

 Chapter 112: Toulon 10

    Chapter 112: Toulon 10

    Almost synchronized with the departure of the British and Spanish, Davout and his army had entered Toulon. Davout had expected that the rebels might put up a stubborn resistance, but as he entered the city, people came forward willingly to show him the way. They imed to be loyal to the revolutionary republic and had long awaited the arrival of the army, whether it was the King''s forces or, oops, I mean the Republic''s army from Britain and Spain. However, Davout didn''t trust these self-appointed guides. Who knows if they had weed the invading forces from Britain and Spain in the same manner?

    However, such matters were not Davout''s concern. He only needed to control the crucial points in Toulon. As for tracking down traitors and suppressing counter-revolutionaries, special envoys from Paris were handling that. Davout didn''t care about how the envoys would deal with them.

    Napoleon, on the other hand, didn''t care about the fate of the people of Toulon either. With the battle over, his attention was now focused on finding his other family members. Lucien, Pauline, and Elisa were safe, but the situation with the other ship remained uncertain. Napoleon decided to put on a facade and sent out arge cavalry force to search for their whereabouts, iming to be chasing fleeing traitors.

    A dayter, Napoleon received news that his other family members had been found. It turned out that Charles''s ship hadnded near Toulon, almost at the same time as the others. However, Charles correctly assessed that their location was very dangerous, so he decided to take them back to sea for another day before makingndfall again. Once ashore, he sent a group of men to establish contact with nearby French forces. Only after ensuring that Toulon was no longer a risk did he bring Letizia, Jerome, and Caroline to Toulon, where they were able to reunite with Napoleon''s group smoothly.

    After learning about their experiences, Napoleonmended Captain Charles for his caution. He couldn''t help but remember Lucien''s recklessness andmented, "Joseph really knows how to judge people, that Lucien guy is just not reliable!"

    However, he couldn''t take the whip to Lucien anymore because, in this matter, he and Lucien had to be on the same page.

    "Lucien, Joseph mustn''t find out about these things," Napoleon frowned. He didn''t want Joseph tosh out when they returned because of this. Considering that Joseph was increasingly giving him face, and this incident didn''t lead to any irreparable consequences. Moreover, the main responsibility for this matter didn''t lie with him. Perhaps Joseph wouldn''t whip him like he had whipped Lucien. But even if that were the case, Joseph would certainly mock him, undermining his reliability by a significant percentage. If that happened, "it would be too embarrassing!"

    "As long as you don''t tell, I won''t be itching to say anything," Lucien said, "Joseph may not be as brash as you, but if he finds out about this..."

    At this point, Lucien suddenly remembered Joseph''s pile of math problems and shuddered.

    "Then there''s Pauline and Elisa, they mustn''t say a word either," Lucien quickly added.

    "Pauline brought this upon herself, she probably won''t talk... As for Elisa, we''ll have a talk with her, and she probably won''t either," Napoleon sat back in his chair, resting his chin on the backrest, furrowing his brows.

    "That''s hard to say," Lucien said. "Others are one thing, but Pauline... you don''t know her yet! She''s quite the handful, a real troublemaker. She''s quite proud of her antics. Even if you tell her, she might brag to Joseph like showing off a treasure."

    "That''s true. We need to emphasize the seriousness of the matter to her so she bes highly alert and develops a sense of responsibility from deep within," Napoleon said.

    "Come on, Napoleon, that won''t work. The most important thing is to make Pauline realize how terrifying Joseph can be when he''s angry. Only when she truly understands that point, will she keep the secret."

    "Well, Joseph has always been kind to Pauline. She doesn''t know..."

    "That''s because when Joseph left home, Pauline was still very young. He didn''t have the chance to impose his will on her then. But now it''s different..."

    "Hmm... what are you implying?" Napoleon straightened up.

    "Napoleon, I mean Joseph didn''t have the opportunity to give Pauline math homework. I think we should let Pauline experience it, so she understands how scary Joseph can be. Only then will she keep her mouth shut."

    Listening to Lucien''s exnation, Napoleon nodded with a rueful smile, "That makes sense... Let''s gather all the math exercises Joseph assigned us and show them to Pauline. It will give her a profound understanding."

    "I''ll do that right away..."

    An hourter, cries of Pauline could be heard from Napoleon''s temporary residence study, "Sob... Sob... Lucien, you''re a wicked person! If I had known, I would have let Napoleon whip you to death!"

    So, the alliance dedicated to concealing the truth was officially established.

    When Napoleon marched south, the Committee of Public Safety did not immediately send a special envoy with his army, as they were preupied with other matters. Moreover, Napoleon''s military actions progressed rapidly, and within a few days, he had captured Toulon. Therefore, it was only after Toulon was taken that the special envoy arrived, albeit btedly.

    Although the special envoy arrivedte, just by looking at the envoy''s name, Napoleon knew that Toulon was of great importance to the authorities in Paris.

    The special envoy assigned to Toulon was Couthon, a member of the Committee of Public Safety. His appointment as the special envoy to Toulon showed the significance the Committee attached to the city.

    Couthon was confident that he would achieve sess and gain more influence within the Committee of Public Safety in the same way Saint-Just had in the north. However, Carnot had been hesitant to send him to Toulon. This dy wasted precious time, and when Couthon finally rushed to Toulon, he was shocked to find that Napoleon had already taken the city.

    "What a surprise! Weren''t they saying that Toulon had a strong defense, numerous well-trained troops, and was challenging to conquer? How could..." Couthon felt like he had prepared extensively for a grand banquet, but when he arrived, the party had ended, and everyone had left. There were only leftover scraps of food in the tes, and people were heading home with satisfied burps.

    Couthon, of course, couldn''t me Napoleon for acting too quickly and not waiting for him. However, he needed an outlet for his frustration. So, he initially directed his anger at Popo. From his perspective, it made perfect sense. You see, Napoleon had taken Toulon in just a few days with minimal casualties, indicating that Toulon''s defenses were not strong. But facing such an easily defeatable enemy, Popo had still suffered heavy losses... didn''t he seem suspicious of coborating with the enemy?

    Fortunately for Popo, the fact that his eldest son became a martyr helped clear him of suspicion, and Napoleon also acknowledged Popo''s significant role in his victory (as many of the troops who dug trenches were under Popo). So, Couthon couldn''t directly arrest Popo on charges of treason. However, Couthon did assert that Popo''s previous performance could only be understood as ipetence. Popo was either notpetent or just in foolish, and it was up to him to choose.

    Popo readily chose "foolishness," leading to his honorable retirement.

    With his anger unable to vent on Popo, the people of Toulon bore the brunt of Couthon''s wrath. Couthon began mass arrests of "traitors." Anyone with "De" in their name or who had ever worn a ck robe (priests) was thrown into prison. He then promptly organized a "Revolutionary Tribunal" to swiftly try these individuals.

    The trials were essentially like running a batch processing program. All the suspects were found guilty, and all those found guilty received the same and only punishment - the guillotine.

    Toulon did not have a revolutionary symbol - the guillotine - within the city. The original guillotine had been used when the royalists upied Toulon and had beheaded many Jacobin sympathizers. However, when the British arrived, an English officer, considering the device unique and valuable, had it transported back to Ennd. Consequently, Couthon had to wait for several more days for a new guillotine to be brought in.

    Of course, he wasn''t idle during these days. Couthon continued his work, discovering many counter-revolutionaries who, at this time, had once again disguised themselves as revolutionary enthusiasts, attempting to evade punishment. Some had even infiltrated the Revolutionary Tribunal! Without Couthon''s keen eye, these individuals would not only escape punishment but might even infiltrate the revolutionary ranks, causing greater chaos in the future.

    As a result, arge number of people, including several members of the "Revolutionary Tribunal," were sent to prison to await the arrival of the guillotine.

    In the prison, one condemned man asked another, "Why were you arrested too?"

    "Because I raised my hand too slowly when we voted on whether the Marquis should be beheaded. They said I sympathized with the aristocrats."

    "And what about you?"

    "I... I was arrested for raising my hand too quickly. They said I had ulterior motives and was trying to hide something."

    The two condemned men turned to the one who had been silent all along. "Hey, buddy, what about you?"

    "I was arrested because I''m the Marquis."

    A few dayster, the guillotine arrived, and Couthon, as the special envoy, used it to behead nearly two thousand people in quick session.

 Chapter 113: Internal Challenges

    Chapter 113: Internal Challenges

    As Napoleon rapidly resolved the Turin issue, the French mobilized more armies and turned their attention to the north. Their timing was impable because, at the very moment theyunched their offensive, the anti-French alliance faced internal discord.

    Much like the fable of the swan, the salmon, and the shrimp pulling a carriage together, each country in the anti-French alliance had its own agenda, leading to ack of cooperation and even undermining each other.

    The British were primarily concerned with their interests in the Nethends. They strongly advocated focusing their main force on the attack on Dunkirk, surrounding it by sea andnd and requesting the Prussians and Austrians to join the assault.

    However, Dunkirk wasn''t an attractive target for the Austrians and Prussians. Instead, they urged the British to shift their forces quickly to the Belgian border tounch a decisive attack on the French, considering Dunkirk a "secondary target."

    The British army was limited and heavily engaged in securing their more visible interests in overseas colonies. The Austrians and Prussians tried to persuade the British to mobilize more troops swiftly. However, Prime Minister Pitt was reluctant to disrupt the nation''s development rhythm. As apromise, Britain provided funds and weapons, while Italy contributed troops to fight alongside the French.

    The British recruited a mercenary force of over ten thousand men in Italy and used Austrian roads to transport them to Belgium. However, when this force arrived in August, the British imed that, due to changes in the battlefield situation, they needed to deploy these mercenaries in the battle for Dunkirk.

    The Austrians and Prussians argued that they had already factored this mercenary force into their ns. While they didn''t intend to use the Italian mercenaries as a primary force (theirbat effectiveness was questionable, and they were more affordable), they could have been employed for defensive purposes, allowing more troops to be freed up. Now, the British''s sudden change of ns left them unable to proceed with their attack.

    But the reality was different from what the British had stated. Recently, Empress of Eastern Rome had fallen ill due to the loss of her beloved Duke Bohemond. Her illness had caused unrest in the areas controlled by Prussia. The illness of the empress, on one hand, emboldened Prussia and Austria to consider gaining more benefits from Pnd. Still, on the other hand, it required military support to realize these ns.

    Austria and France shared a border, making it challenging for Austria to recall its troops. However, Prussia saw an opportunity to redeploy its forces eastward since it believed the Rhine Confederation was currently secure, and its interests in France were limited. The Prussians had long contemted moving more of their troops eastward, but Austria had used various means to keep them engaged.

    When the news of over ten thousand Italian mercenaries joining the Belgian front reached Austria, it became increasingly difficult to retain the Prussians. The Italians had yet to arrive when the Prussians began withdrawing the bulk of their forces. They reasoned that the Italian mercenaries would fill the gap left behind. However...

    On the opposing front, the French situation was entirely different. Envoys from various regions quickly executed those with "De" in their names on the guillotine while sending vast amounts of wealth and conscripted soldiers to Paris. By the end of September 1793, France had organized an army of up to one million soldiers. Yes, most of these troops were inadequately trained and poorly equipped due to the inability of military production to match the pace of conscription. But their morale was high.

    While most of these units couldn''t be deployed forbat, the newly trained forces (though their training was quite limited) were continuously sent northward by the revolutionary government. Unlike the situation during the Dumouriez defection, the French army had regained its morale and had a significant numerical advantage.

    Using the hesitancy of the anti-French alliance to their advantage, Carnot concentrated arge number of troops in the Nord department and, under the supervision of Saint-Just,unched a counterattack in early September. They first defeated the British forces led by the Duke of York at Hondschoten, then turned their attention to the direction of Moberg, where they routed the Austrian army under General Coburg.

    The military danger for France seemed to be temporarily resolved, but as the military tension rxed, many problems that had been suppressed by the military crisis resurfaced.

    The first issue that arose was economic.

    After the Jacobins took power, they implemented various measures like the requisitioning of resources and price controls to support the war effort. While these quasi-war-timemunist methods helped the country consolidate its strength against external enemies, they also brought about numerous problems.

    ording to a decree on September 29th, each county was responsible for setting price limits on grain, while municipalities were tasked with determining wage caps. Under these constraints,pared to 1790, grain prices had generally risen by one-third, and wages had increased by half. Things seemed fine on the surface.

    However, price and wage standards set by different regions of France were significantly imbnced. Each county strived to increase the prices of local products while lowering the prices of goods from other regions. This caused fragmentation in the national market.

    On the other hand, the massive conscription causedbor shortages, especially in rural areas. Despite a bountiful harvest that year, the slow pace of harvesting and threshing due to theck ofbor,bined with the high demand for military provisions, led to food shortages in many regions, especially in the south of France, where these issues were exacerbated due to the war.

    In simpler terms, the problem was that the Committee of Public Safety''s control over the country and their understanding of the economy couldn''t match the requirements of a nned economy that went beyond traditional market economics. But once they abandoned these nned aspects, it would almost be political suicide.

    Therefore, the Committee of Public Safety had to continue deepening the revolution to truly control the country and survive the current crisis.

    However, they needed pressure. Earlier, foreign intervention had provided this pressure. But now, an absurd situation had emerged where their series of victories had fundamentally undermined the legitimacy of the revolutionary government.

    Without pressure, they had to artificially create it. At the very least, they needed to take on a significant enemy. That''s when Robespierre chose the Church.

    Before this, the Revolutionary Government had already taken measures against the Church with the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Now, the remaining clergy were those who had sworn loyalty to the parliament. However, the Republic needed an internal enemy to unite the people, so the remaining clergy and Christianity itself, including Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and even any form of Protestantism, became the enemies of the Republic.

    On October 24th, the National Convention passed aw that implemented the Republican Calendar in France. In practice, it was a deration of war against Christianity, a signal to expel religious beliefs entirely from France.

    Carnot returned home in a sour mood, unenthusiastic about this new Republican Calendar. While it might seem exciting and sophisticated to some inter years with names like "Foggy," "Frosty," "Snowy," "Budding," and "Blooming," he found it to be unnecessary. Although he was the prime contributor to the recent string of French victories, his position had also diminished as a result. Hence, he had little influence regarding the Republican Calendar or the anti-Christian campaign.

    "These people are getting crazier by the day! Especially those power-hungry thugs in the Paris Commune! If France allows them to continue like this, we''re doomed sooner orter!" Carnot vented his frustration to his wife.

    His wife turned pale, looking around anxiously. She whispered, "Are you out of your mind? Can you say such things so casually? Do you have a death wish?"

    "What can they do to me?" Carnot asked, his voice lowered. "Honestly, this is all getting out of hand. And even though I''m the one responsible for the recent victories, the series of triumphs has undermined the authority and legitimacy of the Committee of Public Safety. My position is no better."

    "Can''t you go to Joseph''sboratory and discuss the research situation with him? Or ask him toe to the War Department and report to you?" his wife suggested.

    "Hmm, that might be an option. Joseph certainly has more ideas, given his diverse research. Maybe he''ll find a solution," Carnot conceded.

    In contrast to Carnot, who had seen his standing fall due to the victories, Joseph''s position had actually improved. He was responsible for theboratory that had developed the hand grenade, which had proven highly effective in the Battle of Toulon and the northern battles. Napoleon praised it as the "infantry''s artillery" and "Jupiter''s lightning," acknowledging that without these grenades, their victories and the capture of the critical fortress of Maastricht would have been much harder, if not impossible.

    Up north, at Saint-Omer, Saint-Just was simrly impressed with the products from Joseph''sboratory. "This new weapon has yed a decisive role," he reported. "Well-trained soldiers can throw it fifty or sixty meters, ensuring rtively urate targeting. This distance is not much different from the usual range of enemy musket fire. In Hondschoote, the British, as usual, wanted to rush us with bays. They were halfway there when they were scattered by grenade explosions. The grenades also yed a decisive role in Moberg. The grenadiers, especially those equipped with grenades, were the enemy''s nightmare. Therefore, I rmend that grenade production be treated as the most urgent and critical military task. Everything rted to grenades must be kept as the highest state secret."

    Due to this achievement, Joseph was promoted to brigadier general. However, his rank was still below Napoleon''s. During the promotion ceremony, Joseph emphasized Lavassier''s contributions to the research, informing the Committee of Public Safety''s observer, Charles, that Lavassier''s research team had been instrumental in the development of the grenades and explosives. Joseph even suggested naming the explosive after Lavassier.

    However, the Committee of Public Safety argued that Lavassier was an imprisoned enemy and that all his research results were obtained by taking what rightfully belonged to the people. They believed he didn''t deserve the honor. As a result, the explosive was named the Republic''s No. 1 explosive, and the hand grenade was named Equality No. 1 hand grenade. To the outside world, it was proimed as the collective achievement of the Military Technical Laboratory. However, soldiers preferred to call it the "Bonaparte''s Little Melon."

    It was said that after Joseph informed Lavassier of the Committee of Public Safety''s decision regarding the naming of the grenades, Lavassier muttered, "It doesn''t matter. I''ve contributed enough to science to have a substantial chapter in scientific history. Besides, a weapon that defends these tyrants, if named after me, is just an irony! Well... that''s how it is!"

    However, after some time, he remarked, "Well, Joseph, if I were an Englishman, I could earn a fortune just from the patent for the nitration of starch. In France, we don''t even have the power to name things, let alone im patent rights."

    Joseph could only console him, saying, "Mr. Lavassier, as long as you take care of your health as I suggestedmaintain a healthy diet and run regrly every dayyou''ll have the opportunity to receive patent fees in the future."

    Speaking of running, Lavassier said, "You know, running has seemingly improved my health. It''s made me eat more. But when I run every day in the sunlight, I can see that thug named Charles peeping at me from behind an iron window."

    "I told him it''s part of your disciplinary training," Joseph said. "Of course, I was just trying to cate him."

    "I understand that," Lavassier said. "What I was actually thinking is that when I''m running in the sunlight and he''s lurking behind a dark iron window, I wonder who looks more like a prisoner."

 Chapter 114: Watching Tigers Fight on the Mountain

    Chapter 114: Watching Tigers Fight on the Mountain

    In the southern regions, Napoleon was busy with the retraining of his troops and the development of new battle ns. The introduction of the "little melon" had dramatically changed the way battles were fought. Previously, firing at a formation with muskets posed limited threat, as one musket ball could only take down one person, and the formation could retaliate effectively. Most of the time, skirmishers were considered more valuable than regr infantry because of their ability to fight independently. However, now, with the introduction of the "little melon," the damage it could inflict far surpassed a single bullet.

    ording to the "Military Technology Research Institute," each "little melon" explosion produced over thirty cast-iron fragments, each with the killing power of a bullet within a range of twenty to thirty-five meters. This meant that a single "little melon" thrown by a skirmisher could lead to casualties of several, even dozens of soldiers. Moreover,unching a "little melon" was much faster than firing a bullet. In the time it took to load a single bullet, skirmishers couldunch dozens of "little melons." If an army continued to use dense formations rigidly, they would be crushed by a small group of skirmishers armed with "little melons."

    Consequently, nearly all French generals who had witnessed the "little melon" in action, whether in the South with Napoleon or in the North with Joubert, realized that skirmishers armed with "little melons" would be the primary mode ofbat on the battlefield. However, they stillcked a clear understanding of how to efficiently utilize these troops. Thus, Napoleon, who had previously overseen the development of the "Red Army," was tasked with researching an efficient way to employ skirmishers and creating aprehensive battle n for the entire French army''s future operations.

    Apart from this, Napoleon had another important task: coordinating testimonies with his family, ensuring that Joseph remained unaware of certain events transpiring outside Toulon. Joseph had been relieved that his legions were not being recalled but stationed in the South, tasked with suppressing local uprisings and studying new tactics.

    During this time, Napoleon and Joseph corresponded via letters, but due to Joseph''s unique situation, all hismunications had to pass through the scrutiny of the "Committee of Public Safety." Each letter required the signatures of threemittee members before being dispatched. Additionally, every letter sent by Joseph was treated as a highly ssified document, with the safe supposedly crafted by the former King.

    As a result, Joseph''s letters to Napoleon mainly contained general greetings, with the bulk of their content focusing on tactical details and discussion.

    Joseph might not have had a military education before crossing over, but after his arrival, he had been continuously involved in military matters for years. He had, by now, be a genuine expert in the field. His insights had garnered respect, even from Saint-Just.

    Joseph took refuge in the "Military Technology Research Institute"rgely to escape the turmoil outside. Recent times had seen internal divisions arise within the Jacobins, with external adversaries defeated. Carnot summoned Joseph to the War Ministry for a report, primarily to gain insights into the current situation.

    They reportedly held a lengthy discussion in the War Ministry''s office, but the specifics of their conversation remained closely guarded, deemed a matter of high importance.

    Carnot''s withdrawal from political discussions had led to an unexpected consequencehis influence in the "Committee of Public Safety" seemed to rise. Even Robespierre and othermittee members appeared somewhat wary of him. Carnot had stopped participating in political discussions but always brought up the same topic when he spoke: the need for funds.

    "I must remind you all that the ''equality grenades'' are excellent, but if we allow the current situation to persist, we''ll soon run out of grenades! You muste up with a n as soon as possible!" Carnot blustered, directing his frustration at Robespierre.

    "What''s the matter, General Carnot?" Robespierre leaned back slightly to keep a safe distance from Carnot''s tirade.

    "What''s the matter? By all that''s holy!" Carnot mmed a document onto the table. "Take a look at our current stock of saltpeter and caustic soda! I''ve brought up this issuest month, and you promised to address it. But here we are, another month passed, and you still haven''t fixed it. By all that''s holy, if this continues, our troops will have to fight with cold weapons! I tell you, we can''t afford to dy any longer, every dy is an act of treason!"

    Saltpeter and caustic soda were vital ingredients for producing explosives, and France didn''t produce enough of them domestically. Both of these substances were imported. Saltpeter came primarily from France''s traditional ally, Turkey, where there were numerous saltpeter mines. As for caustic soda, the French had previously relied on Spain for sodium hydroxide and the Baltic region for potassium hydroxide. However, these supply routes had been disrupted.

    The loss of half of the French fleet at Toulon meant that France had lost its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. British, Spanish, and even Italian naval forces had cut off France''s traditional ally, Turkey, from contact. Consequently, saltpeter shipments ceased. The Revolutionary government was left with no option but to resort to smuggling. However, smuggling was limited and couldn''t support the enormous wartime consumption.

    "We are doing our best, Carnot, but you must understand we can''t create something out of nothing," Robespierre replied. "We''ve ordered the entire country to collect saltpeter, but the production is limited and takes time. This is the best we can do for now."

    "Very well, tell me, how many saltpeter mills have we established, and what''s the estimated production?" Carnot questioned. "This is crucial for our next phase of troop development. If we can guarantee production, we can manufacture more ''little melons.'' Otherwise, we may need to suspend production or evenpress it."

    "We are doing our best within our means," Robespierre responded. "But you know, we can''t perform miracles."

    Carnot fell silent. He knew that Robespierre and his colleagues were making sincere efforts. They had even dispatched teams to every vige to collect saltpeter from farmers'' barns and animal sheds, along with ash from their kitchens, used to purify potassium salts. Farmers were allowed to use these materials as partial payment for their taxes.

    "In essence, we must rebuild the navy," Carnot finally said.

    "Yes, we need to rebuild the navy, but that''s not easy. Weck much of what''s necessary," Robespierre remarked.

    "I suggest we establish a ''Materials Management Committee'' to coordinate the management of essential resources. We should also restart trade with neutral countries," proposed Barere. "We should suspend the ban on trade and conduct trade with neutral countries using hard currency, foreign exchange, and other resources."

    "Hard currency? Where do we get so much hard currency?" Robespierre asked.

    "Confiscate the property of these traitors, including not only money but also various luxury goods, art, and other things they need, like wine and other items. Their ships won''t return empty; we can exchange goods for goods," Barere replied.

    "The Paris Commune might not be happy about this," Cambon noted.

    Naturally, they wouldn''t be pleased, as conducting this trade would mean many resources being diverted for foreign trade, which France could ill afford. Despite Barere''s mention of wine, everyone understood that wine alone would be insufficient. What he didn''t explicitly state but was understood by all was that the other valuablemodity was grain.

    This year had seen a bountiful harvest. Supporters of the Paris Commune, representing the poorest segment of society, believed that grain prices would drop. Yet exporting this grain inrge quantities would practically create a famine. Those who supported the Commune would be hit the hardest by this policy. So, it was clear that the Commune would react with great dissatisfaction.

    "Yes, they will be unhappy. If we do this, it will lead to hunger and maybe even deaths. Paris might fare better, but in rural areas outside the capital, there could be tragic cases of people who grow grain during a harvest year starving to death. However, if we don''t do this, our economy willpletely copse. Economic copse would lead to military and political copse. At that point, we would see more deaths and a higher cost," Barere argued.

    "This is something I believe we must do, even if it carries risks," Robespierre said. "As for the reaction from the Paris Commune, I''ll talk to Ebel about it. They should understand the Republic''s difficulties."

    Although Robespierre expressed his intent tomunicate with the Commune, few believed he could truly persuade Ebel and the others. Particrly Carnot, who immediately recalled Joseph''s words during his "work report."

    "The scarcity of resources, especially strategic materials, will be the most challenging problem moving forward. If we don''t solve it, all the victories the Republic achieved earlier will lose their meaning. However, to address these issues, we must rely on trade with neutral countries. The Republks hard currency, so to a significant extent, we can only rely on barter trade. And the only goods we can provide inrge quantities are grains. Consequently, there will undoubtedly be damage to farmers and the urban poor who support the Commune. They certainly won''t agree.

    Thus, the Committee of Public Safety is likely toe into conflict with the Paris Commune. Ebel is an ambitious man, and he probably believes he hasn''t received the recognition he deserves. He certainly won''t ept this.

    He will attempt to use the situation, the discontent of the urban poor, to start a revolution, behead all the people in the Committee of Public Safety, and establish direct rule of the Paris Commune over France. However, this situation is different from the time when the Brissotins controlled the National Convention. At that time, the National Convention was not united, and no effective measures could be taken. But the Committee of Public Safety now won''t be as easy to deal with. So, prepare for a good show..."

 Chapter 115: Josephs Reappearance

    Chapter 115: Joseph''s Reappearance

    On the neenth of December, which should have been a frosty day in Frimaire, Napoleon encountered an old acquaintance in MarseilleJoseph Fouch, amissioner dispatched by the Convention. Fouch had been sent to Marseille to rece Couthon, tasked with investigating the counter-revolutionary activities in the south and overseeing requisitioning of various supplies.

    When Couthon had arrived in the south, he was full of ambition, believing he could achieve the same glory as Saint-Just. Little did he know that the people of the south proved to be more challenging to suppress. His actions were slightly dyed, and he missed out on the victorious battles.

    As for his efforts in suppressing the counter-revolution, he believed he had done a decent job. However, even in Paris, his achievements in suppressing the counter-revolution were not appreciated. It was said that Robespierre privatelyined:

    "Couthon only knows how to kill, yes, he has eliminated quite a few counter-revolutionaries. But, if we''re only looking to get rid of that bunch, anyone could do it. Why send him? He must organize production, umte wealth. Look at him, though, he has beheaded two thousand, but he hasn''t collected much. The number of heads he has cut off,pared to the amount of wealth he has confiscated, doesn''t even meet the average formissioners. This is... he''s just wasting heads..."

    Due to this, the Committee of Public Safety convened a special meeting to discuss Couthon''s performance. Everyone, except Carnot, believed Couthon had not been effective. As for Carnot, he maintained his habit of not directly evaluating Couthon''s performance during this time. But as soon as he spoke, it was, "I need money, a lot of money, a whole lot of money!" This statement, more vehement than others'' usations of Couthon''s ineffectiveness, caught everyone''s attention.

    So, it was decided that Couthon had to return immediately, and a more resourceful person should be sent to the south. Among the Jacobins, there were two people recognized for their financial skills, Danthon and Fouch.

    In terms of personal preference, Robespierre had more reservations about Fouchafter all, Fouch had betrayed him. But when it came to choosing between these two individuals, Robespierre did not hesitate to select Fouch. There were two main reasons for this choice: one could be spoken aloud, the other could only be thought but not expressed.

    The reason that could be stated aloud was as follows: Danthon was indeed skilled at umting money, but at the same time, he was adept at keeping a portion of it for himself. If Danthon were tasked with this mission, he could probably contribute more to the treasury in terms of wealth and resources than Couthon. However, he would likely embezzle a considerable amount for himself, which would tarnish the reputation of the revolutionary government.

    The reason that could only be thought but not spoken was this: Danthon held a much higher position and influence than Fouch. Even though he had recently been pushed out of the inner circle, if given the responsibility for this task and it went awry, he might make a powerfuleback.

    As for Fouch, despite his talent and danger, he had a lower starting point and limited influence. Even if he achieved remarkable sess, Robespierre believed he could still control him.

    Most others shared simr thoughts on this matter, and given Fouch''s recent performance in Le Mans, Vende, and Lyon, where he had not imed the highest number of headsalthough there were still manytheir deaths were calcted and not excessive. This was an important quality in amissioner.

    In terms of acquiring funds, Fouch excelled above all. Among all themissioners, he was the most effective at raising money for the government. Moreover, his sess was not like those sent to Belgium, who offended all the locals and destabilized society. Fouch managed to gather resources while maintaining social stability, which was a considerable achievement.

    If one were to calcte the amount Fouch raised for the government for each head he beheaded, his efficiency was frightening. This ratio was almost double that of Couthon.

    Currently, the government was in dire need of funds and resources, making individuals like Fouch invaluable. So, everyone unanimously agreed to let Fouch rece Couthon. Even Carnot, who had always looked down on him, gave his support after asking, "Can this guy handle money?"

    Fouch was indeed a diligent worker. Upon arrival, he greeted his old acquaintance, Napoleon, and then locked himself in his office for three full days. During this time, he did not leave his office except to eat and use the restroom.

    During those three days, Fouch meticulously reviewed the documents left by Couthon. When he got hungry, he had some bread and a bottle of milk brought in. When he got tired, he ordered strong coffee or ice-cold water. When it got dark, he requested candles. For three days, Fouch did not lie down for even half an hour. With astonishing energy, he studied, analyzed, categorized, and made notes on Couthon''s records.

    Afterpleting this work, Fouch told his guards, "I need some rest. During this time, you must guard this room diligently. No one is allowed near it, remember, not to enter, but to approach."

    Fouch''s voice was not loud, and it carried a tone of fatigue. However, the guards did not take the task lightly; they understood that any mishap could result in fatalities.

    Fouch went to his room,y down, and immediately fell asleep. After three days of work, he had gained a general understanding of the current situation.

    Fouch slept for four hours, then rose with a renewed spirit. He devoured three people''s worth of bread and found Napoleon to inform him that he needed to visit Toulon in person and requested some soldiers to assist him.

    Napoleon handed him a battalion and told him to contact Dawe, stationed in Toulon, after his arrival.

    "If you need any support, you can request it directly from Dawe. He''s the young man who used artillery to repel the counter-revolutionaries in Le Mansst time. You know him," Napoleon said to Fouch.

    "General Bonaparte, thank you for your help. We had a very pleasant cooperation in Le Mansst time. I hope that this time, we can both contribute to the republic''s restoration," Fouch replied politely.

    Fouch then mounted his horse, waved to Napoleon, and departed.

    Napoleon knew why Fouch had gone to Toulon. Couthon had beheaded two thousand people in Toulon, but he did it too quickly. He hadn''t had time to figure out where the aristocrats had hidden their money before he beheaded them.

    Couthon probably believed he could search the aristocrats'' estates in the countryside and find all the gold louis and silver cus they had hidden. However, in those times, even the provincial nobles knew to invest their wealth in interest-bearing ounts. Hiding bank documents was not an easy task.

    Fouch''s trip to Toulon was likely an attempt to recover some of this money. Napoleon, however, had reservations about the sess of this endeavor.

    Fouch spent a little over two days in Toulon before returning to Marseille. Upon his return, he sought out Napoleon.

    "General Bonaparte, I''ve obtained some leads in Toulon. These leads indicate that there were individuals in Marseille who either participated in or at least observed the rebellion in Toulon."

    "Observed?" Napoleon inquired.

    "Meaning they knew about it but didn''t report it," Fouch replied with a cold smile. "Knowing without informing is collusion, it''s joining the traitors. In this struggle, no one has the luxury of staying neutral."

    Napoleon understood Fouch''s intentions. His trip to Toulon wasn''t merely about uncovering the aristocrats'' missing funds; it was about connecting the Toulon rebellion to the aristocracy and the wealthy in Marseille. If he seeded, there was no need to worry about the money.

    Napoleon decided it was best not to intervene in these matters and smiled, saying, "These individuals have hidden their secrets well, and I can''t do much about it. I hope you achieve sess, and if you need any assistance, don''t hesitate to ask."

    "If there''s ever anything I need your help with, I will definitelye to you," Fouch replied courteously.

    The day after Fouch returned from Toulon, he initiated a massive search operation. Over a thousand people were arrested in one fell swoop, and the prisons in Marseille were almost bursting at the seams.

    However, Fouch didn''t immediately hand these people over to the "Revolutionary Tribunal," nor did he use them of any crimes. Even during the arrests, he referred to them as "assisting with the investigation."

    Fouch presented enough evidence to potentially send some of these people to the guillotine, then stated he was tracing the money hidden by the rebels in Toulon. He knew some of that money had been concealed by wealthy individuals in Marseille. Fouch also made it clear that if these individuals helped the Republic in this matter, he was a generous man, and his memory wasn''t the besthe might forget some of their actions.

 Chapter 116: Bountiful Years and Famine

    Chapter 116: Bountiful Years and Famine

    Fouch''s method of coercion was essentially extortion through kidnapping. However, it differed from regr kidnappings in one key aspect - he didn''t demand ransom from his captives. Instead, he required them to "expose the people hiding money that belongs to traitors of the Republic." He told each captive that if they could provide information within the first fifty to prove their loyalty to the Republic, they would be set free from prison and even receive a reward from the money Fouch confiscated from the traitors.

    This was clearly a maniptive ploy to sow discord, but the prisoners in the jail were genuinely trapped in a "prisoner''s dilemma." They understood Fouch''s true intentions, yet they feared that someone else might betray them, causing them to suffer losses. Falling behind could mean not just losing money but potentially losing their heads!

    Nevertheless, one''s own head was always more important than anyone else''s. So, even though everyone understood Fouch''s sinister motives, they raced to "expose" others. Fouch then swiftly dispatched his agents to confiscate the wealth "legally" based on these tips. With the coboration of the "aristocratic traitors," he proved highly efficient in seizing assets. In just a few days, Fouch had umted even more wealth than Robespierre had imagined. He then proceeded to behead hundreds of "undeniable traitors" and seized their possessions. Simultaneously, he posted amendation order in Marseille, recognizing the "citizens of the Republic" who had remained loyal and contributed to thwarting the aristocrats'' conspiracy.

    Subsequently, these "citizens of the Republic" demonstrated exceptional revolutionary spirit. They volunteered to donate their wealth to the Republic, iming it was shameful to possess excessive riches during times of national crisis. They pledged to embark on a self-sustaining and honorable life henceforth.

    The guillotine''s falling de was undoubtedly terrifying, but Fouch believed that a de perpetually hanging overhead was even more effective in making people yield.

    At this point, Fouch had achieved significant sess in his mission. The new municipal administration had been established, sidelining the nobility and "respectable" citizens, and it appeared that Fouch should return to Paris. Furthermore, Fouch''s friends, Eber and Chaumette, needed him now more than ever because the situation in Paris seemed to be going awry.

    The "Committee of Public Safety" had passed resolutions opening the ports and promoting trade with neutral nations, involving a significant portion of barter trade. The most crucialmodity in this barter trade was food. However, the consequences of exporting vast quantities of grain soon became evident. In some regions, previously subdued rebellions reignited, and despite strict price controls and supply guarantees, people noticed significant changes in the quality of the flour.

    In this era, Europeans primarily used "whole wheat flour" to make bread. This meant that the entire wheat, including the bran and germ, was ground together in millstones, resulting in flour containing bran and germ.

    Inter times, whole wheat flour became a sought-after health food, and modern whole wheat bread seemed to taste good. But in those days, whole wheat bread did not have the same vor. Nevertheless, having flour to make bread was considered a blessing by many impoverished folks.

    However, this newfound blessing was hard to sustain. People began to notice that the flour they purchased was bing heavier, but its volume was decreasing. The bread they made from it also tasted worse and was less filling.

    When they bit into these loaves, they often experienced a strange greasiness or encountered rough textures that could scratch their teeth. This was normal since millstones of the time were used to grind flour, and some grit or sand would inevitably mix with the flour. People had be ustomed to this. But the flour was genuinely awry now, and rumors circted among themon people that the flour was being adulterated with various substances like chalk, talc, or sawdust.

    In truth, adding such substances to flour wasmonce in that era, and mostmoners had never eaten flour without these additives. But today, even they felt something was off. It was clear that more than the usual adulteration was taking ce  flour was being mixed with all sorts of random materials.

    This behavior naturally sparked discontent among themoners. Following their usual practice, they prepared to hang the flour merchants frommpposts. However, this time, those attempting to hang the merchants were quickly arrested and sent to the "Revolutionary Tribunal," where they were assured a life free from hunger.

    This, of course, stirred widespread dissatisfaction among themoners and, secretly, some jubtion among their advocates, such as the leaders of the Paris Commune. In their view, an opportunity for someone who could "truly represent themon people" to control France was within reach.

    Fouch, fresh from his significant contributions to the Republic, had also be a prominent figure in Eber''s circle. If Eber''s faction had any ns, the resourceful and capable Fouch would be of great help.

    However, Fouch had taken ill due to the intense work he had been doing recently. It wasn''t that he had overexerted himself; Fouch had a peculiar constitution. When he wielded power and remained tirelessly busy, his body remained remarkably healthy. Conversely, when he had nothing to do and had idle time, he genuinely fell ill. In the original history, Fouch never suffered any severe illness during his busiest periods. But after he was forced to relinquish all his power in 1816 due to the "Regicides Act" and went into exile, illness overtook him rapidly.

    For Fouch, holding and using power was the best form of self-care.

    The reason for Fouch''s "illness" was because he felt that the situation in Paris was not as optimistic as Eber had imagined.

    Now, it was entirely different from 1789, even from just a few months ago. When the Brissotins held power, there were plenty of opponents within the National Convention. They hindered them from passing any resolutions against the Paris Commune, or even measures that would diminish the power of the Commune. For instance, when the Commune surrounded the National Convention,pelling them to pass a resolution to hand over more than twenty Brissotin deputies, one Brissotin representative had proposed forming a guard to protect the Convention. Still, that proposal was swiftly rejected in the Convention.

    But now, in the "Committee of Public Safety," while there were factions, they were far more united than the previous National Convention. Additionally, they directly controlled the French military, making them more formidable and unified.

    Furthermore, the Paris Commune''s own power had diminished significantly. The incessant use of the guillotine and the terror it symbolized had wearied many. The most energetic and fearless individuals had enlisted in the military during repeated conscription rounds. Even the old veterans of the National Guard who became "volunteers" had gone to the front, taking their cannons with them. So now, the Paris Commune had fewer military assets at its disposal.

    Eber had tried to replenish the National Guard with new recruits, but most of themcked revolutionary fervor, physical fitness, and proper training. In previous times, such individuals wouldn''t have been admitted to the National Guard.

    All these changes led Fouch to believe that continuing to align with Eber might not lead to a favorable oue. But if he were to return to Paris at this moment, it would signify his allegiance to Eber and the "Committee of Public Safety" publicly. In a sense, he would be trapped between them. Given the absence of specific orders preventing his return, Fouch suspected that Robespierre wanted to ce him and Eber in the same predicament.

    Therefore, feigning illness became Fouch''s choice for now.

    Of course, he couldn''t pretend to be ill for too long. However, for Fouch, this period would be sufficient to determine which side he should align with. If Eber''s faction emerged victorious, he would remain an important figure within their ranks. If the Committee of Public Safety triumphed, Robespierre would likely not spare him. But perhaps, through Napoleon, he could forge a connection with Carnot  an appealing option indeed.

 Chapter 117: The Naval Research Institute

    Chapter 117: The Naval Research Institute

    The situation with saltpeter shortages had finally eased, and on the snowy day of December 21 in the Republican Calendar (which didn''t correspond directly to the months of the conventional calendar  it had slightly fewer days in each month, simr to the Chinese lunar calendar), a significant deposit of saltpeter was discovered in the Douran region of France.

    To say it was a discovery wasn''t entirely urate. The presence of saltpeter in Douran had been known since the time when France was still a kingdom, and it had been documented. However, the French had never considered it a valuable resource during the kingdom''s era.

    Compared to the saltpeter from India or Turkey, the quality of Douran''s saltpeter was mediocre. Saltpeter from India and Turkey could be used with minimal purification, and even for making gunpowder for bullets and artillery, it didn''t need extensive refinement. But Douran''s saltpeter required significant purification, significantly increasing production costs. Hence, during the kingdom''s time, when they had a steady supply of saltpeter from long-term allies, the French didn''t bother with Douran''s resource. Over time, they even forgot about it.

    It was only recently that someone rediscovered Douran''s saltpeter while collecting grapes for wine.

    Now, the "Committee of National Salvation," responsible for everything from saltpeter mines to pigsties and even toilets, had no qualms about the quality of the saltpeter mines in Douran or the high refining costs. Douran had convenient transportation and wasn''t a logistical challenge, so the Committee marked out twenty-eight areas in Paris for building saltpeter refining facilities.

    Even so, relying solely on Douran''s saltpeter was not enough to equip a million-strong French army with an abundance of "little sweet melons," as the Chinese called them. Due to the urgency of production, various idents continued to ur in Douran''s mines and Paris''s refining facilities, slowing down the increase in production.

    "We have saltpeter mines, which is good news, but the bad news is that our enemies are gradually regrouping, and our production speed is not fast enough. Moreover, without enough caustic soda, we can''t mass-produce ''Republic No. 1'' explosives," Carnot said to Joseph, who was reporting on his work. "Joseph, do you know anything about shipbuilding?"

    "What?" Joseph was taken aback. "Lazare, I was born by the sea, but I''ve never been involved in shipbuilding."

    "I see. It''s a shot in the dark, I admit. Well, I had this idea because some time ago, you published a paper on calcting fluid resistance using mathematical methods, right?"

    "Yeah, but that was a year ago," Joseph replied.

    "Has there been any progress in that research?"

    "Not really. That research has been on hold for a while now. First, there was the war, then the explosives, and I couldn''t spare time for such purely academic matters."

    "Damn it!" Carnot eximed. "We still rely on smuggling for our caustic soda. Foreign smugglers charge exorbitant prices, and our own smuggling is expensive, as it''s easy to get caught with both the ship and the crew. So, we need a fast ship, preferably faster than any ship the British or Spanish have. Well...? What can you do right now?"

    Joseph pondered for a moment and then said, "Lazare, I understand your point. Tomorrow, I''ll provide you with a list of the personnel and materials required."

    "People are easy; materials..." Carnot mused, "let''s try to be as economical as possible."

    Joseph remembered a type of ship that might fit Carnot''s requirements  the Flying Clipper. In his previous life, Joseph had built a model of a Flying Clipper with his son, so he had some knowledge of the type of ship that hadpeted with early steam-powered cargo ships in the Antic.

    Joseph stood up, preparing to leave, but then he remembered something. "Ah, Lazare, do we have enough wood for shipbuilding? Keep an eye on it; make sure it''s not being repurposed for something else."

    "You''d better give me that list first!" Carnot said impatiently.

    Carnot was in a tough spot. Robespierre and others had forcibly redirected French sailors into smuggling, which Carnot felt was a heavy loss because sailors were not like infantry  you couldn''t just recruit them from the countryside.

    But Robespierre imed that unless Carnot had some new solutions, they were out of money. Joseph returned to the research institute, spent two days preparing a proposal, and then came back to Carnot''s office.

    After closing the doors and windows, Joseph handed over his proposal to Carnot. "Lazare, have a look. This is the basic n."

    Carnot examined the document closely. Joseph couldn''t help but ask, "Where''s the coffee, Lazare? I was nning to have a cup before leaving."

    "We''re running low on supplies," Carnot replied, not even looking up.

    "Ah, I was hoping to take some with me from here."

    "Your allocation is already quite generous. For now, only the research staff get coffee. There''s none left for anyone else."

    "Damn, I thought I could make up for some of my losses here."

    "Well, you''ll have to drink water; I''m busy."

    After a while, Carnot put down the papers. "What do you think?"

    "The n has potential, but, Lazare, we''re friends, aren''t we? Don''t you think the budget is a bit high in your vision?"

    "What? You think I''m asking for too much money? Joseph, let''s be honest," Joseph''s eyes widened, and he countered vigorously, "Look at it; is there any part of my n that''s unnecessary? Is there anything that hasn''t been calcted for the best cost-effectiveness? All the relevant calctions are in the appendix; have you looked at them?"

    "I have, of course."

    "So, is my math wed?"

    "Of course, it''s not. But..."

    "The only problem is that we can''te up with that much money," Carnot said.

    "Can we ease the schedule''s demands a bit?"

    "Well, how is that possible? Joseph, don''t haggle, okay?"

    "Ugh... Lazare, you''re treating me like just another researcher. This won''t work. I think, with your abilities, at the very least, the schedule and costs should be halved."

    "Do you understand science?" Joseph was getting impatient. "In science, sometimes things can''t be clearly exined, and there''s a significant element of luck. Take Archimedes; if the servant filling his bath hadn''t put too much water, how long do you think it would have taken him to discover thew of buoyancy? How can you suggest a fifty percent cut? If Robespierre and the others believe your nonsense and my luck isn''t good, if the money runs out before we have results, how many people will use me of negligence or even sabotage?"

    "Oh... I understand," Carnotughed. "Joseph, you''re so... you''re so cautious. Well, I promise that if things go south, I''ll cover for you."

    "Nonsense! You think you can cover everything, who do you think you are? As?" Joseph scoffed, "Do you really think this is a matter where you need to ''cover'' for me?"

    "You should hand this n over to them and let them handle the pressure," Joseph advised. "Put the pressure on them! If they see we have a staged approach, first validating the most critical and likely sessful aspects, then, if it works, they can consider halving the budget. If it doesn''t work, they''ve reviewed and approved the n; we''re not responsible. Understand?"

    Carnot was briefly taken aback, but after a moment, he nodded. "That''s not a bad idea; let''s do it this way. So, Joseph, where do you think it''s best to build the new shipyard?"

    "It''s better to ce it on the Mediterranean side. Spain is one of our smuggling targets, after all. Our envisioned ships will prioritize speed, and other performance aspects will likely be affected, including some of the maritime capabilities. Using these in the Mediterranean would be rtively safer."

    ...

    A dayter, at a meeting of the Committee of National Salvation, Carnot criticized all the penny-pinchers, including Robespierre, until themittee finally approved the new research n. Shortly after, Joseph received orders to go to Toulon, where he would establish the Naval Technology Division of the Military Technology Research Institute.

 Chapter 118: The Collaboration of Two Josephs

    Chapter 118: The Coboration of Two Josephs

    The decision had been made, but its execution required more time. Establishing an institution was no easy feat, and preparations involving personnel and resources took time. Additionally, many matters in the Paris Institute needed to be organized. Therefore, it wasn''t until mid-Rainmoon that Joseph was finally ready to depart for Toulon.

    If we only considered the research aspect, having Lavoisier oversee the Paris Institute would have been the best choice. However, given Lavoisier''s "prisoner" status and some of his quirks, it was unlikely that this idea would be epted, not only by the "Committee of Public Safety" but even within Joseph''s own circle.

    Furthermore, Lace also wanted to join the "Military Technical Research Institute." However, due to Lace''s close associations with certain individuals, Joseph had always maintained that Lace was more suitable for theoretical research rather than practical technical research. Therefore, appointing him to lead the institute was out of the question.

    So, to rece Joseph and temporarily manage the Paris Institute, Monge took the role.

    In terms of academic standing, Monge was naturally not on par with the previous two individuals. However, Monge had a military background, was reliable, and had a good rtionship with Joseph. Hence, Joseph readily rmended him to Carnot.

    Carnot was also satisfied with this choice. Monge had been his teacher, and he knew that Monge was a reliable individual. Although Monge''s abilities might not match Joseph''s, it also meant that his spending habits wouldn''t be on par with Joseph''s. These days, he chased Robespierre every day for funds, and then Joseph chased after him. Perhaps, they could temporarily rx a bit now.

    Carnot breathed a sigh of relief. However, in the South, another person, or rather, a group of people, had a very different reaction. This group was none other than Joseph''s unreliable siblings.

    "Lucien, Lucien..." Napoleon shouted.

    "Here, what''s up?" Lucien, sweating, rushed in from outside.

    "What were you doing?" Napoleon asked.

    "Nothing much, just taking a walk with Pauline outside," Lucien hadn''t realized that something seemed amiss.

    "Ah, Lucien," Napoleon suddenly smiled. "I have a surprise for you. Want to know what it is?"

    At that moment, Pauline entered the room, holding a small ivory-handled umbre, just in time to hear Napoleon''s words. She asked eagerly, "What''s the surprise? Napoleon, tell us, what is it?"

    Napoleon didn''t continue but changed the subject, "Lucien, when you came south, Joseph gave you a stack of exercises. How many have youpleted?"

    "I''ve done quite a few; don''t worry. We''ll finish them before returning to Paris. What''s the fuss about..." Lucien said, still not realizing that something wasn''t right.

    Napoleon didn''t say anything but just stared at Lucien with a smile.

    Lucien, seeing the mischievous expression on Napoleon''s face, began to sense that something was a bit off. He hesitated and asked, "What''s going on? Napoleon, what do you mean?"

    "I have a surprise for you," Napoleon said. "Joseph ising to Toulon very soon. Surprised, isn''t it? Unexpected, right?"

    "What?" Lucien was momentarily stunned. "How is that possible? Joseph is supposed to be... busy."

    "Surprised, aren''t you? Unexpected, right?" Napoleon grinned mischievously. "The army is establishing a Naval Technical Research Institute in Toulon, and Joseph ising here temporarily to oversee the work. But don''t worry, your exercises are almost done, even though they''re notplete yet. That should be enough, right?"

    "Damn!" Lucien eximed. "What kind of surprise is this? Napoleon, exin to me, what kind of surprise is this?"

    Napoleon replied, "When did Joseph arrive?"

    "On Rainmoon 15th, so you have three more days," Napoleon answered.

    "Great!" Lucien shouted. "What a relief! What a surprise, indeed!"

    Sessfully frightening Lucien, Napoleon felt quite pleased. During lunch, he even had an extra piece of bread. As for Lucien, he didn''te downstairs to eat at all. Letizia had to personally bring him some bread and milk in the study.

    Lucien didn''te down for lunch, and he didn''te down for dinner either. Around ten in the evening, while Napoleon was sound asleep (there were no video games like King of Glory or yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds in this era, not even electric lights), he suddenly felt someone lightly shaking his arm.

    "Who is it?" Napoleon opened his eyes.

    "Oh, it''s me, Lucien."

    "Goodness, what time is it? What are you doing?" Napoleon was quite annoyed.

    "Napoleon, I have a few problems, and I don''t know how to solve them. Can you help me?"

    "Are you serious? Can''t we do this tomorrow?"

    "Tomorrow, when it''s light out, who knows where you''ll be? You''re not like Mom; she can always find people no matter the time. Please help me now!"

    "Fine, fine! I want to sleep! We''ll look at it tomorrow during dinner," Napoleon said.

    "Please, Napoleon, just help me," Lucien implored. "These problems are quite challenging. If Joseph asks, I might embarrass myself..."

    "Nonsense! How could Joseph give you problems I can''t solve?!" Napoleon said in his mouth, but he was thinking, "Joseph is quite nasty when hees up with these questions. They can''t be approached with ordinary thinking. I can''t predict if he might leave Lucien with one or two genuinely challenging problems."

    "Show them to me," Napoleon said.

    "Okay, but let me light a candle first."

    ...

    "This is so simple! Lucien, you''re not... I can''t believe that you''re my and Joseph''s brother. How can you be so clueless? Look, draw an auxiliary line here... then... and then... Well, you wait for me to think... There''s no way. Lucien, let''s try a different approach. Let''s establish a coordinate system here... All right, do you understand?"

    "Not at all," Lucien said, looking puzzled.

    ...

    Three dayster, Joseph arrived in Marseilles. He first went home to visit his mother and other siblings. His mother was still in good health, though she had aged a bit, her health remained robust. His siblings were also doing well, especially his sisters who were bing more and more beautiful. However, they seemed to have developed some distance, perhaps due to growing up and Joseph''s prolonged absence. Even Pauline, who used to stick to him or Napoleon, now appeared somewhat reserved. She seemed to be avoiding him.

    "Girls grow up this way," Joseph consoled himself. Then he told Napoleon, "I can''t stay in Marseilles for too long. Tomorrow morning, I''ll set out for Toulon. I''ve brought an order for Mr. Fouch. You should find someone to take me to visit him."

    Joseph had been well-prepared for his visit, thanks to prior notice. He was pleased with this assignment because it meant he wouldn''t be recalled to Paris at the most critical moment. Although Joseph had been in the provinces, he closely monitored the situation in Paris, which he believed would be very dangerous in theing month or two.

    Once Joseph left, several people breathed sighs of relief.

    "Lucien, why are you so nervous? Haven''t youpleted your assignments?" Pauline asked.

    "I have, but some of the questions were done by Napoleon, and he didn''t exin them well. If Joseph asks me about them, I might embarrass myself..."

    Joseph had been in Marseilles for a short time, but they had used his limited time to discuss various issues. By the time they looked outside, it was already dark.

    "Oh, it''s thiste?" Joseph said as he nced at the sky. "I had intended to check Lucien''s homework, but by now, he''s probably asleep. I need to leave early tomorrow... Oh well, I''ll check itter. Toulon isn''t too far from Marseilles; I''ll have plenty of chances..."

 Chapter 119: The Flying Clipper and the Maiden of Toulon

    Chapter 119: The Flying Clipper and the Maiden of Toulon

    As Joseph and his entourage departed, Lucien let out a sigh of relief. He patted his chest and said, "Thank goodness, Joseph was in a hurry. Well, we can take a break now. It''s finally daylight!"

    After uttering those words, he suddenly turned to Napoleon and asked, "Napoleon, Joseph''s visit to Toulon and the matter of Pauline in Toulon, almost everyone there knows about it. Do you think..."

    Pauline grew nervous upon hearing this.

    Napoleon reassured them, "Don''t worry. Joseph is a cautious and rule-abiding person. He''s responsible for highly confidential matters, which means he can''t easily interact with the locals. Normally, he only deals with the researchers at the institute and the soldiers responsible for security. Those researchers are from out of town, so they don''t know about this matter. As for the soldiers, I''ve already ordered them not to engage in any non-work conversations with anyone involved in the research. Furthermore, I''ve advised Joseph that, due to the inefficiency of the Kudon administration in Toulon, there are security risks, so it''s best if he stays within the research institute. You know how cautious Joseph is, so this adds an extrayer of security. Besides, his institute isn''t even located within the actual city of Toulon..."

    "Napoleon, you are truly impressive!" Lucien genuinelymended Napoleon with a thumbs-up. "Now I can sleep in peace."

    Napoleon replied, "So can I... But Lucien, don''t rx too much. ording to the current schedule, Joseph takes a day off every ten days. Toulon and Marseille are so close; you never know when he might suddenly return to check on your work."

    Lucien shivered and said, "At least not today. Ah, I''m going back to sleep..."

    As Napoleon had anticipated, Joseph had very limited interaction with the locals in Toulon. He didn''t even enter the city; instead, he went straight to an estate in the suburbs.

    The previous owner of this estate had already gone to meet his maker, and the Republic''s government had naturally confiscated the property. There were many such estates in Toulon. When the "Naval Research Institute" needed a location, this estate was chosen for its suitability.

    Suitability included several factors. First, the estate didn''t produce much, so converting it into aboratory wouldn''t harm production. Moreover, the estate was located by the sea and had a nearly enclosed small bay nearby. A small harbor was constructed there for ease of experimentation and secrecy.

    Once the location was determined, the rest of the work involved modifying the estate, erecting high walls around it, and preparing various supplies. All of this had been prepared before Joseph''s arrival. Joseph''s current task was to quickly get the institution up and running and produce one or two efficient smuggling ships.

    Upon taking up his post, Joseph immediately immersed himself in his work. In just one week, hepleted the first model of the world''s first flying clipper. After undergoing testing in a water tank, it received unanimous praise from the Navy''s engineers.

    This model differed significantly from other ships of the era, with the most significant distinction being its extreme length-to-beam ratio. In this era, ships generally had a length-to-beam ratio of around 4. For instance, the British Royal Navy''s "HMS Victory" warship had a length-to-beam ratio of approximately 4.3, and even fast cruisers, designed for speed, usually had a length-to-beam ratio of about 4.6. However, Joseph''s ship model had an astonishing length-to-beam ratio of 6.5.

    ording to Joseph''s calctions based on his experimental form, this high length-to-beam ratio significantly reduced resistance. Additionally, the longer length allowed the ship to amodate more masts and hoist more sails, resulting in greater power.

    Less resistance and more power naturally meant higher speeds. If Joseph''s calctions were correct, this ship should be at least one-third faster than British cruisers under the same wind conditions, making it nearly impossible to capture at sea.

    Of course, to achieve such performance, this ship was designed to the extreme and came with significant drawbacks in many other aspects.

    Firstly, it had reduced cargo capacity. Anyone with basic knowledge of geometry knew that the more elongated a ship''s body, the lower the ratio of volume to surface area. This meant that for the same discement, such ships could carry significantly less cargo.

    Moreover, the increased number of masts and sails raised the ship''s center of gravity, reducing its stability and making it prone to capsizing. To address this, the ship''s design involved lowering other parts of the ship, using a deep V-bottom hull, which increased draft and guaranteed a wet deck. Large stabilizing fins were also added, further diminishing maneuverability.

    The high length-to-beam ratio, coupled with the massive stabilizing fins, made the ship challenging to maneuver. Despite these deficiencies, the design had its extreme advantages and disadvantages.

    "Since this thing isn''t meant for warfare anyway, it''s not a problem if it''s not agile. As long as it can achieve high speeds, who can catch something that''s one-third faster than anything else out there?" Joseph reasoned.

    So, at least for now, if this ship could demonstrate the performance shown in the model in the testing tank, it was precisely what France needed. It could effortlessly evade interception by the British and Spanish, smuggling in essential supplies for the Republic quickly.

    The first ship, however, was rtively small, with a tonnage of about 200 tons and a pitiful cargo capacity of just 100 tons. Considering the need to carry people and provisions, the avable payload was even smaller.

    To expedite the testing and development, this ship was constructed somewhat haphazardly. Even so, it would still take less than a month toplete.

    Since Joseph wasn''t well-versed in shipbuilding, he found himself with some spare time now. However, the presence of rebels hiding near Toulon made him too wary to rx or venture into the city.

    One day, the weather suddenly cleared up. In the Rainy Month, especially near the Mediterranean, such clear weather was a rare sight. Joseph gazed at the rising sun and had a sudden urge to go outside. If he couldn''t go into the city, then how about visiting the military camp near Toulon to rx? It seemed like a good idea. He remembered the time he and Napoleon hade to France and took a boat to the sea near Fort Malgrve, which offered beautiful scenery and was now a military-restricted area where no one else could enter. Resting there, fishing amidst the rocky bay, sounded quite appealing.

    With this thought in mind, Joseph couldn''t sit still any longer. He had a pass signed by Fouche, Napoleon, and Dawoo, allowing him to travel freely to any location in the vicinity of Toulon. He took a few people with him, ostensibly for a topographic survey, and, under the escort of a cavalry unit, set off in a carriage towards Fort Malgrve to go fishing.

    The journey from the "Naval Research Institute" to Fort Malgrve was short, taking about half an hour. When Joseph arrived near Fort Malgrve, there was a g-raising ceremony taking ce.

    The g-raising at Fort Malgrve was different from elsewhere. At the highest point of the fort, a tall gpole stood, and a soldier dressed in civilian men''s clothing but with longdy''s wigs was in the midst of raising a three-colored g, under the watchful gaze of other soldiers.

    "Hmm? Why are they raising the g like this here?" Joseph couldn''t help but find it peculiar as he watched from a distance. However, there was no one around to provide an answer.

    The carriage arrived at the fort''s entrance, and Joseph''s aides showed the pass to the guard. After a brief inspection, the barriers were lifted, and a major came to receive him.

    Joseph stepped out of the carriage and, apanied by Major Andr, entered the fort. As they walked, he inquired casually, "Ah, Major, I saw your g-raising ceremony just now, and it seems different from other ces. Can you exin why there''s such a ceremony here?"

    Major Andr hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Monsieur General, General Bonaparte has issued orders that your work is of the highest secrecy. To maintain this secrecy, we are not permitted to converse with you. I can only apany you inside, and after that, I''ll have to remain silent."

    Joseph listened and felt somewhat baffled. He couldn''t shake the feeling that Napoleon''s order was suspicious, carrying a scent of favoritism. He wondered what Napoleon was up to.

    But he knew that asking directly wouldn''t yield any answers, so he decided not to press the matter further.

    After a tour of the fort, Joseph told Major Andr that he didn''t need an escort any longer. Once the major left, Joseph sent his aides to inquire about the peculiar g-raising ceremony and then set off to find a fishing spot. He brought fishing gear and sat on arge rocky outcrop behind the fort, ready to enjoy a day of fishing.

 Chapter 120: Joseph is Indeed Terrifying

    Chapter 120: Joseph is Indeed Terrifying

    A few dayster marked the start of the "Ten-Day Holiday." Ever since the French Republic adopted the "Republican Calendar," this holiday system seemed to align with the ancient customs of the East, where officials would enjoy one day off every ten days. This system was humorously praised in "Tengwang Pavilion Ode" with the line "ten-day holidays, friends aplenty." Meanwhile, in the Western territories, the tradition of resting one day every seven days, influenced by Jewish customs, was changed to one day every ten days after the introduction of the "Republican Calendar" to distinguish it from Christian practices.

    Joseph had never been a fan of this quirky holiday system.

    Today marked the second ten-day holiday for Joseph since arriving in Toulon. During the previous one, he had been too engrossed in work and ended up spending it in overtime. But this time, with some free time and a few other reasons, Joseph decided to take this holiday to rx with his family. For this purpose, he had prepared by getting a good night''s sleep a few days in advance.

    Early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, Joseph hopped into a carriage, apanied by a cavalry escort, and left the "Naval Research Institute" headed for Marseille. The distance between Toulon and Marseille was quite significant, and ideally, they should have departed in the evening, slept in the carriage, and arrived in the morning. But due to safety concerns, Joseph opted for a daytime journey. After all, they had half a day to spare, and it was ample time to reunite with his brothers.

    After a hasty journey, they reached Marseille around noon, just in time for a family meal.

    Joseph''s arrival was greeted with genuine enthusiasm by the entire family. After lunch, he addressed everyone, "You all know that I have only one day for this holiday, so I''ll have to return in the evening. It''s ridiculous that most of my time is spent on the road."

    The family members echoed their agreement, but Joseph noticed a glint of satisfaction in Lucien''s eyes.

    "Lucien,st time I visited, I wanted to check on your schoolwork. Unfortunately, I spent too much time with Mr. Fouch, and when I returned, you were already asleep. I didn''t want to wake you, and I had to rush off early the next morning. Is there anything you don''t understand?" Joseph inquired.

    "Nothing, Napoleon exined everything to me," Lucien replied.

    "Good, let''s go to the study together. Bring your exercise book," Joseph said as he stood up.

    "Joseph, if Lucien hasn''t performed well, don''t be too harsh, and don''t beat him," Ltitia suddenly interjected.

    "Mother, am I such a rough person? Lucien, tell your mother, when have I ever beaten you? I''m not a violent man like Napoleon," Joseph replied nonchntly.

    "Joseph rarely resorts to violence," Lucien obediently added, while thinking to himself, "But he has more tricks up his sleeve than violence..."

    With that, Lucien apanied Joseph to the study, and Napoleon followed. It was unclear if he intended to support his brother or watch Lucien''s antics.

    Since Napoleon followed, Pauline and the others followed suit.

    Joseph took a seat at the desk and examined Lucien''s exercises. Lucien had performed well this time, and he had indeedpleted many questions. In the past, Lucien had been less diligent.

    "It seems he''s trying to cover his tracks," Joseph thought to himself, but he put on a friendly smile and said, "Lucien, this time you''ve done well. Your self-discipline has improved significantly. And, when you solved this particr question, the knowledge you used was something I hadn''t taught you yet. Did Carnot teach you before?"

    "No, no," Lucien said, "Napoleon taught me."

    "Napoleon, you''ve done quite well," Joseph smiled. "I know you''re busy just like me, always in a rush. In such circumstances, finding time to teach Lucien ismendable. I assume it was quite challenging for you. Lucien isn''t as efficient as you in learning mathematics."

    Napoleon nodded and continued, "Yes, indeed, it''s just a limit problem, but it took me several days to exin it to him. Even Pauline understood it while listening, and she doesn''t even study math."

    Joseph nodded and continued, "However, Napoleon, there''s actually a simpler solution for this question. You don''t need to do it the way you did; it''s tooplicated. Look, all we need to do is... Do you understand?"

    "Yes, yes, I understand!" Napoleon quickly nodded, while Lucien remained baffled.

    "Alright, let''s finish the assessment here," Joseph said.

    Lucien immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly put his exercise book away.

    "Lucien, your performance ismendable," Joseph said, "You can also rx a bit. When you have time, you can go nearby and enjoy yourself. But I heard from Mr. Fouch that the suppression of counter-revolutionaries in Coudon was not sessful, and while many were killed, many rebels evaded capture. Even the ce we currently live was their estate. They must hold a deep grudge against our family, so if you go out, be cautious and visit safe ces. There''s a beautiful and secure ce near Toulon, the Marguerite Fort..."

    Lucien and Pauline''s faces changed.

    "When Napoleon and I first came to France, we took a boat trip near there; the scenery was truly breathtaking. Besides, this is where Napoleon achieved a decisive victory. He''s quite the show-off, and I assume he''s already taken you there, right?" Joseph continued, as if he were simply rmending a nice tourist spot.

    "No, no," Lucien hurriedly replied, "I''ve been busy with math, I didn''t have time."

    "In that case, Napoleon, since you''ve been there, take him to enjoy," Joseph said with a smile. "Pauline, you can also take him to raise the g. After all, you are the Saint of Toulon."

    "Ah..." Lucien sat down abruptly, and Pauline turned pale. However, Pauline had only heard about Joseph''s terrifying reputation from others and hadn''t personally experienced it. Although she was startled, she didn''t lose herposure like Lucien.

    "Joseph, I...," Pauline began.

    "Pauline, to be honest, you are not at fault in this matter. You are also a victim," Joseph said. "These two troublemakers are to me for this nonsense, even threatening my sister. I have no intention of ming you for this."

    "I knew it, Joseph, you''re the best! You''ve always been so kind to me," Pauline quickly responded.

    "But I''m saddened," Joseph said. "Pauline, I''ve always been good to you, haven''t I? So why did you assist these two rascals in deceiving me?"

    "They... they frightened me," Pauline burst into tears. She saw an opportunity to get herself out of a tight spot, and she wasn''t about to let it slip. "They threatened that if you found out about this, you''d punish me and make me do math problems non-stop. Then Lucien told me that if I didn''t help, you''d drown him in math problems. So I..."

    "Napoleon, you''re quite a character!" Joseph gritted his teeth. "You even threatened your own sister. Today, I must teach you a lesson."

    Joseph stood up as if searching for a riding crop or some other substitute.

    "Joseph, spare Lucien. In reality, it''s not entirely his fault. If not for that storm, if not for the heavy fog..." Pauline continued.

    "Lucien, look at Pauline. You threatened her, and she''s still trying to defend you. Aren''t you ashamed? It''s infuriating! Lucien, tell me, how should I punish you?" Joseph inquired.

    "I... I''ll do another set of practice exercises..." Lucien quickly replied.

    "No, that''s not enough!" Joseph said firmly. "First, you must write a reflection."

    "Alright, alright, I''ll write it," Lucien replied promptly.

    "This reflection must touch your soul. It must explore the root causes of your mistake and trigger a genuine transformation from within. It must be sincere, with a minimum of five thousand words, no spelling errors, no misuse of words, no repetitive sentences, and no attempts to pad the word count with redundant phrases. It must be submitted to me before dinner tonight. Do you understand?"

    Lucien stared nkly, nearly on the verge of copsing.

    As Joseph mentioned the "Saint of Toulon," Napoleon knew something terrible was about to happen. While Joseph was scolding Lucien, Napoleon saw an opportunity to escape. Sneaking out of the room, he intended to go inspect the troops, staying away until Joseph returned to Toulon. However, just as he was about to cross the threshold, Joseph''s voice stopped him in his tracks.

    "Where are you going, Napoleon?" Joseph asked.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 120 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 121: The Black Pearl

    Chapter 121: The ck Pearl

    Joseph had a busy schedule, so he set offter that afternoon. Napoleon, being thoughtful, even arranged for a cavalry escort from one of his regiments to apany him. Yet, as they bid him farewell, there was an air of uncertainty, as if they were watching a paper boat being set alight.

    Joseph hadn''t criticized Napoleon too severely; he simply pointed out that while his intentions to protect his younger brother were admirable, his methods were wed.

    "A truly moral person demands and guides others through moral means when showing care, only the unwise resort to indulgence and leniency in expressing their affection. You, and Pauline, have both erred in this. Pauline is still a child, but Napoleon, you are not. You should reflect on your actions and avoid repeating such mistakes. As for the recent incident, the me doesn''t lie solely with you; Lecroix, whom you dispatched, performed admirably. However, you allowed personal desires to cloud your judgment concerning Lucien. You must realize that the world doesn''t revolve around our personal wishes. But Napoleon, you are a clever man and excel in many aspects. I believe you can understand this lesson."

    As a result, both Napoleon and Pauline were let off lightly, while poor Lucien was not only ordered toplete a 5,000-word self-critique but was also assigned a mountain of extra work. He was still busy rewriting his self-critique when Joseph departed, following Joseph''s instructions to have Napoleon receive it in an official manner once it waspleted.

    Back at the research facility, Joseph immersed himself once more in his work. Time swiftly passed, and the first hastily constructed smuggling ship was finally ready.

    It was a makeshift vessel, and its imperfections were evident in many areas. But considering its sole purpose was to test technical specifications, there weren''t many stringent requirements.

    Nheless, even for a vessel of this nature, a secretunching ceremony was in order.

    One morning, the small ship, painted in a dark gray color, gently slid into a small bay along a buttered wooden slide. It stirred up some white foamy waves in the calm bay.

    "This ship must be very fast, faster than any ship we''ve ever seen,"mented a slender naval captain, gazing at the white sshes.

    "Captain Sparrow, are you sure about that?" Joseph inquired while observing.

    "The sshes during theunch were minimal, much less than other ships of simr size," Captain Sparrow replied.

    At this point, the freshlyunched ship had stabilized. Captain Sparrow informed Joseph, "General, we must test this ship now. Please allow me to depart temporarily."

    "Wish you a smooth voyage," Joseph said.

    Captain Sparrow led a group of sailors onto two small boats and rowed toward the new ship.

    Captain Sparrow had originally been the bosun on the naval escort ship "Tirena" during the revolutionary era. He had led soldiers in preventing a mutiny by the ship''s captain, Lebron, earning the trust of the revolutionary government. Subsequently, he was appointed tomand a smuggling ship, responsible for smuggling various critical strategic resources between France and Spain.

    During these operations, he had evaded British and Spanish warships multiple times. In an encounter with a Spanish cruiser, he had lured the Spaniards into a reef area, causing severe damage to their cruiser. In Richet''s words, "No smuggling ship captain is more reliable and capable than Sparrow."

    Typically, small ships of around 200 tons had only one mast, and the mast''s height was rtively limited. In addition, a forward nting mast was used for triangr sails.

    These were the mainstay of smuggling ships. They had shallow drafts, operated along the coast, and could reach ces whererger vessels couldn''t. If the captain was familiar with the local waters, they could use reefs and shallow banks to evade enemy warships. They were agile in turning and excelled at sailing against the wind. Sometimes, even when facing enemy warships in open water, they could seize the windward position, then use their windward advantage to escape.

    However, this ship was different. Due to itsrger length-to-width ratio, it could amodate two masts. Coupled with its deep V-shaped hull and low freeboard structure, this ship''s two masts were slightly higher than those of typical vessels of the same tonnage.

    The sailors quickly hoisted the triangr sails between the main mast and the nting mast. These gray-ck sails, like the ship itself, unfurled gently in the morning breeze, carrying the ship out into the open sea. The sailors then unfurled the sails on the two main masts and set the ship on a course against the wind.

    Sailing vessels using these sails could exploit the Bernoulli effect, enabling them to sail against the wind in a zigzag pattern. Even from Joseph''s vantage point, it was clear that the ship had rapidly elerated within a short period.

    Joseph watched as the length of rope used to measure the ship''s speed was rapidly pulled into the sea.

    Next, they retracted the sails on the main masts and began turning the ship using the triangr sail at the bow. The ship drew arge circle on the sea, turning with the wind.

    By now, the sailors had retrieved the ropes used to measure speed, which had all been pulled into the sea within a short time. Then they unfurled the sails again, increasing their speed when sailing with the wind. Even from Joseph''s viewpoint, it was apparent that the ship was even faster when sailing downwind.

    "It''s almost like flying," eximed Bernard, the shipbuilding engineer. "I believe it''s going at more than ten knots! Anyone up for a bet?"

    Laughter echoed from nearby, and someone retorted, "Bernard, isn''t it obvious? What''s there to bet on? I''d say it''s doing at least twelve knots. Bet or not?"

    "No bet," Bernard responded without hesitation. "It''s still elerating. I''m certain it''s more than twelve knots now."

    By now, the ship had covered a significant distance. From afar, the gray-ck hull, gray-ck sails, and the sea and sky blended into a blue-gray mosaic.

    This was the very reason Joseph insisted on painting the ship in this color. Compared to the stark white sails of military vessels, this ship was inconspicuous. Even in good lighting conditions, it would be challenging to spot from a distance. In dim mornings or evenings, it might slip by unnoticed. For smuggling ships, this was crucial.

    When the ship''s speed test with the wind waspleted, they retracted the sails and turned the ship around. It returned to the bay.

    In the bay, the ship retracted its main sails and triangr sails, relying solely on a small triangr sail at the bow to approach the dock. The ship''s docking appeared somewhat clumsy, taking much time toplete.

    Once the ship was securely docked, Captain Sparrow led the way as they went to wee the crew.

    "How was it?" Joseph asked first.

    "The ship is incredibly fast, particrly against the wind. It reached a remarkable nine knots, faster than most cruisers sailing with the wind. When sailing downwind, it reached a top speed of thirteen knots. I think it could go even faster; I''m still notpletely familiar with this ship."

    "In any case, even at this speed, it''s already the fastest ship in the world, isn''t it?" someone remarked.

    "That''s right, at this speed, no warship can catch it," Captain Sparrow replied.

    "Excellent. Apart from speed, what are the other characteristics?" Joseph inquired.

    "Other characteristics? Well, when it slows down, it''s quite clumsy and challenging to maneuver. It feels like I''m controlling a first-rate battleship when turning this small ship. Even a first-rate battleship is more agile at low speeds. But once it unfurls its main sails, it''s like a racehorse. So, I suggest not getting too close to the shore or smuggling docks while in operation. It should stay offshore, using skiffs to transfer cargo. It will be much safer that way."

    Captain Sparrow paused for a moment and added, "We expected the ship''s seaworthiness to be subpar. But based on the recent experience, it appears better than we anticipated. The ship sways quickly, but the amplitude isn''t significant. I even think that for use in the Mediterranean, we could raise the masts a bit higher. This way, we could potentially achieve even greater speed."

    "This speed is sufficient. Raising the masts further to increase speed has limited practical value," Joseph replied. "It''s better to retain some redundancy."

    In history, flying clippers were predominantly used on routes from North America to Europe. These vessels could brave the rough winds and high waves of the Antic Ocean, and their seaworthiness was not bad. However, due to their high frequency of rocking and the significant waves on deck, they were extremely ufortable. Even for ve transportation, they were not the vessel of choice, as the high death rate among the ves resulted in diminished profits.

    "Well, the sea trial of this ship can be considered a sess. We should give it a name. Captain Sparrow, as the first captain of this ship, you should be the one to name it," Joseph suggested.

    Captain Sparrow gazed at the dark gray vessel and thought for a moment. "This ship is entirely ck. How about we call it the ''ck Pearl''?"

 Chapter 122: Turmoil in Paris

    Chapter 122: Turmoil in Paris

    The maiden voyage of the "ck Pearl" had been a resounding sess, and in the following weeks, they conducted several more trials. However, the revolutionary situation did not allow for a leisurely pace. As soon as the Committee of Public Safety received word of their initial sess, they demanded the mass production of this type of ship.

    So, less than half a month after the first voyage, the ship''s blueprints were dispatched to several naval shipyards, and rapid production began.

    As for the experimental ship "ck Pearl," it was sent on a realbat mission to Spain, smuggling caustic soda.

    In fact, the "ck Pearl" was a bit overpowered in terms of speed, but its limited cargo capacity hampered its efficiency. Joseph shifted his focus to further refining these ships to achieve a better bnce in performance.

    Time passed quickly, and spring arrived. On the day of May''s flowering chestnut trees, Joseph received a special guest - Joseph Fouch. As a special envoy, Fouch had the authority to discuss matters rted to the Naval Research Institute with Joseph. In fact, many things at the institute required Fouch''s cooperation, and he had been a great help to Joseph in many ways.

    Fouch hade to inform Joseph that he had received orders to return to Paris to report to the National Convention. He also informed Joseph of recent political changes in Paris - conspirators like Eberl had been arrested by the Revolutionary Tribunal and, after swift trials, dozens, including Eberl and Chom, had been sent to the guillotine.

    Joseph was well aware that Fouch''s words were the official narrative. It was possible that Eberl and others were involved in other activities, but the idea that they were conspiring to restore the monarchy wasughable. If Robespierre had once supported constitutional monarchy and said, "What is the Republic?" then Eberl, who inherited Marat, was the staunchest opponent of monarchy from beginning to end.

    Fouch knew he was seen as an associate of Eberl, and now that Eberl''s faction had be a target, his return to Paris would likely not end well. He hade to Joseph, seeking support.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, your family knows me very well, and they are aware of my loyalty to the Republic. But the current situation is baffling, and the rumors are frightening. I know General Carnot is capable of stabilizing the situation, but it seems he has some bias against me. Well, of course, it''s because of my previous radical actions... but I still hope to have the opportunity to meet with General Carnot and exin."

    Joseph found this request quite challenging. He knew that the Reign of Terror was reaching its climax, and intervening at this moment could be very dangerous. However, he also knew that the climax signaled its end, and without action at this time, there would be no share of the spoils. Acting now might be grabbing the chestnuts from the fire, or it could be plucking ripe peaches from a tree.

    Joseph''s understanding of the history of the French Revolution from his past life was not the best. But regarding the fall of Robespierre, he vaguely remembered from his history books that the struggle within the Jacobin faction had been intense, and Robespierre had suppressed both the left and right wings. This undermined his own power base and led to the copse of his regime.

    Back then, Joseph had memorized this for exams, but now, looking back andparing it to the present, he found the connections clearer.

    "The left-wing within the Jacobins, that would be Eberl. The right-wing, apart from Danton, was Carnot. It appears Robespierre dealt with Eberl first. Next, it will be Danton''s turn. Well, Carnot is on the right, but considering that the Carnot I''m more familiar with from my previous life, the Carnot of the Carnot cycle, isn''t born yet (Sadi Carnot was born in 1796), he should be fine. As for Fouch..."

    Joseph didn''t know what kind of character Fouch would be in this world, but he did know that he was a person with remarkable abilities, someone worth recruiting.

    "Mr. Fouch, you know that, under my current circumstances, I cannot easily write letters."

    Fouch looked disappointed but didn''t say anything. He merely nodded, well aware that he had seen many people in simr situations. Besides, his rtionship with Joseph was only an acquaintance.

    "However, General Carnot has a mathematical problem that we discussed. Recently, I had a new idea and put it in writing. If you happen to be going to Paris, I hope you can deliver it to General Carnot."

    Fouch stood up, and since there was no one around, he grasped Joseph''s hand. "General Bonaparte, thank you. Thank you. You are a good man, and you will surely receive the Lord''s blessing."

    Fouch knew that, in this era, speaking of divine blessing was politically incorrect. Christianity was under attack, and Robespierre was promoting his rationalist creed, removing Christian icons from churches and recing them with worship of "reason" and historical figures. Saying "God bless" at this time was highly improper.

    But Fouch knew that Joseph had a close rtionship with the church. The Bonaparte family had never made any anti-church statements. He took the risk of saying this to further gain their trust.

    "No need for that, Commissioner Fouch. In fact, I have a personal favor to ask of you. I have a friend named Armand, Armand Lavoisier. He''s a bit of a fool, but he''s also my friend. If possible, I hope you can look after him."

    Fouch readily agreed, at least on the surface. He showed gratitude and left. Joseph, however, grew increasingly anxious and couldn''t sleep. He got up, lit a candle, and began further perfecting his escape n.

    Joseph''s escape n also involved a ship. This was a design called the "High-Speed Communication Ship," ostensibly for delivering crucial orders and information to overseas colonies. But in reality, Joseph''s primary purpose in designing it was to serve as an escape vessel for his family. In this world, no other ship could catch up to it, not even the "ck Pearl."

    So, this ship was entirely different in design from the "ck Pearl." It was a catamaran.

    Each hull of the ship had a torpedo-shaped float underneath, fully submerged in the water. They were connected to the upper hull by several solid masts. This configuration reduced the ship''s waterline considerably. Most of a ship''s resistance when moving through water came from the bow wave it created, which consumed a great deal of energy. A ship with a small waterline like this one would create smaller waves and thus consume much less energy. As a result, it could travel faster than the "ck Pearl."

    The catamaran''s twin-hull structure also provided superior stability, seaworthiness, andfortpared to the "ck Pearl." If there were any drawbacks, it was that the design required high-quality materials, making construction more challenging, and the ship couldn''t be built veryrge.

    "But what''s the use of that? It''s like King Louis XVI''s 12-horsepower four-wheeled carriage. Speed is what matters most."

    Joseph thought as he contemted the design. After leaving Joseph''s, the next morning, Fouch set out on his journey to Paris. On the way, he carefully analyzed the situation. First, he believed that Robespierre was unlikely to spare him. With Eberl''s faction in ruins and Fouch isted, only General Carnot had the power to influence the situation. However, Carnot was not surrounded by many allies, at least not in politics. Fouch decided that he might need to find a way to reach out to Danton.

    Fouch had shed with Danton in the past, and they had been on opposing sides in politics. But Danton was a rational man, capable of letting his reason triumph over his emotions. Fouch believed that Danton wouldn''t overlook the danger he faced.

    "Perhaps it''s better to repair my rtionship with Danton and join his ranks. Of course, mending ties with Carnot is also necessary."

    Fouch thought as he sat in the carriage. Then he remembered Joseph Bonaparte''s mention of a friend named Armand. He knew a bit about this person.

    "Armand Lavoisier has a good rtionship with Demoulin. Demoulin is a close friend of Danton. If I can get in touch with him, it could be a good connection."

    While Fouch pondered how to establish connections with Danton and join his faction, Danton had just been woken up.

    "Mr. Danton, you must escape!" The person waking him up shouted, "Mr. Demoulin and others have been arrested! Robespierre, Robespierre, and Saint-Just, they havee after us! You must run for your life. I''ve prepared a horse for you; hurry!"

    Danton was initially startled but quickly calmed down, at least on the surface.

    "Demoulin has been arrested?" Danton inquired.

    "Yes, along with his wife," the person replied, then urged, "Hurry, Mr. Danton! If you don''t run now, it''ll be toote!"

    "Run?" Danton suddenly chuckled. "How can I run? Escape to another world like Condorcet, or flee to another country like Talleyrand? Can I even take my homnd with me under my shoes? No, I won''t run."

    "You''ll be executed!"

    "Then let them execute me. I think my head is still worth showing to everyone."

    Danton''s brave words echoed through the room, signaling the turbulence and perilous times in the history of France thaty ahead.

 Chapter 123: Fouchés Decision

    Chapter 123: Fouch��''s Decision

    When Fouch''s carriage arrived in Paris, he realized that all his ns during the carriage ride had been in vain. Both Danton and Desmoulins had already been sent to the guillotine. That night, the lights in Fouch''s residence stayed on, and no one knew what he was up to.

    Early the next morning, Fouch headed to the National Convention. He was one of the first to arrive, finding the hall almost empty, except for a janitor tidying up. The entire hall was silent, and the delegates didn''t speak to him or greet him. This eerie silence was unusual for the National Convention, which usually buzzed like a marketce. Delegates whispered to each other, discussing the current situation or a socialite''s appearance. When someone gave a speech, apuse, hisses, and even the sound of shoes on the tables echoed through the hall. But now, the hall resembled a solemn and eerie graveyard.

    As time passed, it was time to start the session, but a significant portion of the seats remained empty. Many familiar faces were absent, including Robespierre, Danton, Desmoulins, Saint-Just, and others. Fouch noticed this, and his heart sank. He also spotted Robespierre in the hall, a man with a pale, waxy face and beady eyes, who smiled at Fouch like a predator eyeing its prey.

    Fouch''s heart tightened as he saw the malevolence in Robespierre''s smile. He couldn''t help trembling, cold sweat trickling down his body. Fouch felt oppressed in this society, like a hapless chameleon in a world filled with relentless predators. He had to fight back tears, although hisrge eyes almost betrayed him. Hell felt empty, and demons roamed the earth.

    Fouch knew he couldn''t wait any longer. He stood up and addressed the presiding officer, "I am Citizen Joseph Fouch, special envoy from the Marseille region, tasked with reporting to the ''Committee of Public Safety.'' However, I believe it may be better to address these matters here."

    Fouch''s move was a challenge. He had been sent by the ''Committee of Public Safety'' to report to them, not to the National Convention. By requesting to speak before the National Convention, he was defying the ''Committee of Public Safety,'' a challenge to Robespierre.

    He met the presiding officer''s gaze, and the officer hesitated for a moment, then looked towards the seating area  probably in Robespierre''s direction. Finally, he said, "Very well, Citizen Fouch, you may take the stage and speak."

    Fouch ascended the stage, surveyed the room, and noticed Robespierre still eyeing him, much like a cat staring at a caught mouse.

    Fouch took a deep breath and began his speech. Although it was emotional and lengthy, if summarized, it came down to one simple message: "I shed blood for the Jacobins, I contributed to their cause, and I want to continue serving them. You can''t..."

    The assembly listened in silence, no apuse, no jeers, no pounding of shoes on tables. Fouch''s voice echoed through the empty hall, resembling an echo in a deste cemetery.

    When Fouch concluded his speech, the silence persisted. It seemed as though all the delegates had turned into lifeless puppets.

    Fouch didn''t know how he managed to step down from the stage, but he returned to his seat, trembling with fear. He knew he had lost this battle. The National Convention was no longer the vibrant assembly he once knew; it had lost its courage amid the turmoil.

    Robespierre stood up. Fouch paled, trembling. He was sure that Robespierre would denounce him,bel him a traitor, and demand his arrest. Then the cycle of arrest, trial, and execution would begin.

    "Regarding Citizen Fouch''s report, I suggest that the National Convention entrust this matter to the ''Committee of Public Safety,''" Robespierre said.

    This suggestion surprised Fouch, as Robespierre could have simply dered him a traitor, and the delegates would have apuded. However, Robespierre proposed this...

    Fouch was left to wonder about Robespierre''s intentions. He had two guesses. One, Robespierre did want him dead, but he wanted to savor Fouch''s fear and despair first before delivering the final blow, like a cat toying with a mouse. The second possibility was that Robespierre wanted Fouch to submit, to repent, and then to serve him obediently, like a loyal dog.

    Fouch thought the first possibility was more likely, given what he knew of Robespierre. Nevertheless, he believed he could be useful as a dog. Fouch was a man of action. He couldn''t afford to panic. He knew he had to fight to thest moment.

    In the dark and cold streets of Saint-Honor, Fouch''s footsteps gained resolve. He couldn''t wait for his execution; he had only one choice  to behead Robespierre before Robespierre could behead him.

 Chapter 124: Fouchés Last Stand

    Chapter 124: Fouch��''s Last Stand

    Fouch had rushed to visit Carnot under the cover of night. Carnot eyed him with disdain, but Fouch, unfazed, pointed out the significant regression in the principles of freedom and democracy that Paris once held dear, and he believed it was abnormal and unsustainable.

    Carnot, not a fan of Fouch due to his unpredictability, wasn''t too fond of his presence. However, he knew Fouch wasn''t entirely wrong. Still, he replied, "You may have some valid points, but you''ve arrived toote. The army, the police, the Committee of Public Safety, the Committee of Public Security, the National Convention, and the Jacobin Club all bow to him, and they''re all scared of him. Many legitors don''t even dare sleep in their homes at night anymore His power now is unshakable."

    "No, General Carnot, I see it differently," Fouch responded. He had walked to Carnot''s ce, analyzing the situation thoroughly during the journey, trying to find a crack in the dark storm clouds. Now his task was to point out this gap for others to see and encourage them to work together to let some sunlight through.

    "You said that many parliamentarians in Paris, many influential figures, dare not sleep in their own beds at night. They fear that when they wake up in the morning, their first sight will be an arrest warrant bearing the crimson stamp of the Committee of Public Safety or the Committee of Public Security. Fear may bringpliance, but it also breeds hatred!"

    Fouch paused, gazing at Carnot, before adding, "But, General Carnot, you''re a scientist. You''re familiar with Sir Isaac Newton''s threews. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Fear is a force, and it has its own reaction!"

    Carnot asked, "So where is this reaction?"

    "Earlier, you mentioned that many legitors and influential people in Paris are afraid to sleep at home and opt to find other ces. They fear that if they sleep in their own beds, they might wake up to a warrant from the Committee of Public Safety or the Committee of Public Security. Fear bringspliance, but it also breeds hatred."

    Fouch took a deep breath and continued, "Now, if a person lives for months, or even longer, in endless fear, depriving them of sleep, weakening their spirits, crushing their will, making them feel like lifeless zombies, wouldn''t that person harbor hatred? Would you forgive them? Those who dare not sleep in their beds every day, wouldn''t they loathe Robespierre?"

    Fouch stopped and stared at Carnot. After a moment, he said, "Furthermore, Robespierre, is he really that powerful? If his allies were still with him, then yes, he would be formidable. But he executed DantonI know you had your disagreements with General Danton''s views but it was Danton who secured support from themon people. A few months ago, if anyone had wanted to overthrow him, he would''ve called upon themon people, and they would have encircled the National Convention, forcing them to submit. But now, themon people have suffered because of some issues, and he couldn''t resolve them. Now, themon people merely grumble, and he, out of ipetence, resorts to handling them the same way he dealt with Danton. Now, themon people don''t see him as a traitor; they don''t want to shed blood for him anymore. If Danton were still here, as his friend, he could pacify the National Convention and shift all the hatred onto Danton and themon people. But he crushed the hopes of many others with his own hands. Robespierre is now a giant with y feet, and if we unite to oppose him, he has no extraordinary power. If we can make everyone aware of their shared resentment towards him, his end is near!"

    "But how will you make everyone aware?" Carnot asked. "If you attempt to address the Convention directly, it won''t end well. You must provide me with evidence that you can indeed achieve this."

    "General," Fouch said, looking into Carnot''s eyes, "I have been tasked with returning to Paris to report to the Committee of Public Safety. In a few days, the Jacobin Club will hold its new presidential election, traditionally an anonymous vote. If you can assist me in dying my report to the Committee until after the Jacobin Club''s election, I will be able to provide you with evidence."

    "Very well, I look forward to your proof," Carnot agreed.

    Fouch knew that he had aplished his mission at Carnot''s residence that night and took his leave. As he departed, Carnot unexpectedly warned, "Citizen Fouch, you''d do well to change your sleeping location every day."

    Carnot cited some technical reasons to dy Fouch''s report.

    Robespierre did not object to this. Perhaps in his view, it was just a minor matter. Robespierre had always held Fouch, a morally bankrupt chameleon, in low regard. He couldn''t see, or chose to ignore, Fouch''s qualities. As a result, in Robespierre''s eyes, Fouch was nothing more than a inconsequential figure. The reports of Fouch''s recent mysterious activities did not raise much suspicion.

    However, Fouch wasn''t nning to flee, and he had never considered it. Fouch continued to change his residence, alter his appearance, and impersonate various roles, such as aborer, a merchant, an elderly man, or a woman. He eluded the spies from the Committee of Public Security, one by one, and met with members of the Jacobin Club. He persuaded them to vote for him in the presidential election.

    "Votes are anonymous; nobody knows who cast them. Robespierre''s anger and oppression may be directed at me, but you can use this to gauge how many share your sentiments. Isn''t it worth a try?"

    Many people found Fouch''s wordspelling and inspiring.

    A few dayster, following the regtions, the Jacobin Club held its presidential election. Robespierre was personally present and was shocked to see Fouch''s participation. At this point, Fouch had not been apprehended and was a legitimate member of the Jacobin Club.

    Votingmenced, with members writing their choices on ballots and cing them in a boxa system created and perfected by Robespierre and Saint-Just.

    After all members had cast their votes, one member lifted the ballot box and shook it vigorously to mix the ballots. Then, in full view of everyone, the box was opened, and the counting began.

    "Joseph Fouch."

    "Joseph Fouch."

    "Joseph Fouch."

    After reciting a dozen "Joseph Fouch" votes in a row, they finally found one "Maximilien Robespierre."

    Everyone was both startled and excited, exchanging nces. Robespierre, on the other hand, had a grim expression. It was the first time he realized he had underestimated Fouch, the ever-changing chameleon, the snake with a forked tongue. For the first time, he felt a shiver of fear and apprehension as he recognized that his foundation had been hollowed out.

    The final results of the vote were announced: Fouch had an overwhelming victory over Robespierre, bing the new president of the Jacobin Club. Not a single vote was cast in favor of Robespierre!

    If even the Jacobin Club, seen as the heart of Robespierre''s support, had so many dissidents within, how could he continue to dominate everything?

    Following this night''s vote, Carnot, who had been silent for a long time in the Committee of Public Safety, suddenly became vocal again. He openly opposed some of Robespierre''s policies, beginning with his military decisions and eventually extending to numerous political measures.

    With Carnot leading the charge, those who had previously unquestioningly followed Robespierre suddenly started forming their own opinions. Several of Robespierre''s proposals were consistently voted down. In the Committee of Public Safety, only Saint-Just and Couthon remained firmly in Robespierre''s camp, but their numbers were insufficient to push through any resolutions.

    Robespierre seemed to have lost significant control over the entire situation.

    The night''s victory for Fouch was indeed astonishing. After seeing the evidence he had presented, Carnot''s silent Committee of Public Safety suddenly became emboldened. They began openly challenging Robespierre''s policies, starting with military matters andter expanding to his political decisions.

    If even in the heart of Robespierre''s domain, the Jacobin Club, there were so many who secretly disapproved of him, how could Robespierre continue to maintain his absolute control? After this night''s vote, a deep fissure had formed between Robespierre and the Jacobin Cluba chasm of mutual distrust. This was the proof Fouch had given to Carnot.

 Chapter 125: Robespierres Counterattack

    Chapter 125: Robespierre''s Counterattack

    The series of blows seemed to have dazed Robespierre. In protest of the Committee of Public Safety''s perceived defiance of him, he decided to feign illness and stop attending their meetings. Meanwhile, his key supporter, Saint-Just, was dispatched as a northernmander due to the growing threat of an attack by the anti-French coalition forces. In the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre''s loyalists dwindled down to just Couthon. To many observers, it appeared that Robespierre was losing his grip on power.

    However, those who truly understood Robespierre knew that he would not surrender easily. He was undoubtedly nning a formidable counterattack.

    Robespierre wasn''t actually sick, and during the day, he could be seen smiling as he moved about various impoverished neighborhoods, conversing with and inquiring about the lives of themon people. In the evening, he would return to his modest attic, write letters, and meet with people who came secretly to see him.

    Normally, Fouch would have kept a close watch on Robespierre, monitoring his every move to uncover his schemes. But in this critical moment, a crisis struck Fouch''s own home.

    Fouch''s six-year-old daughter fell seriously ill, possibly with pneumonia.

    In those times, pneumonia was a deadly killer, iming more lives than even the guillotine that Robespierre wielded.

    No matter how future generations would satirize and criticize the chameleon Fouch, such as Chateaubriand describing him as a "man without tears and a heart," they still had to acknowledge that, for his wife, Fouch was a good husband, and for his children, he was a loving father.

    Fouch remained faithful to his wife throughout his life, even though she was just a "poor, humble, in, and short"moner. After achieving a prominent position, many like him would often indulge in countless extramarital affairs, even swapping mistresses with one another, as Paul Barras didter. But Fouch, who had long held high office, had never been involved in such affairs.

    Fouch also kept his children sheltered from the tumultuous politics outside, shielding them from these harsh realities. While outside, he exuded a stern and imposing presence, his face devoid of any hint of a smile. A single nce or gesture from him was enough to send shivers down the spines of countless people, leaving them sleepless as they spected about the meaning behind his enigmatic expressions.

    Yet, even in the most perilous and challenging moments, when he returned home, that perennially icy poker face melted away, and he revealed the warmest smile in the world.

    He would cradle his children, his bristly face brushing against their small cheeks, making them giggle with delight. He called them "my little darlings," "my sweethearts," and indulged them in the silliest of games, thoroughly enjoying every moment. He never brought the concerns of the outside world into his home, but as soon as he stepped out the door, he transformed back into the sinister, unpredictable head of the secret police.

    His daughter''s illness disrupted Fouch''s life, and although his reason told him he couldn''t let his guard down at this crucial juncture, his emotions and knowledge reminded him that his daughter might not have much time left, and he might soon have to prepare a small coffin for her.

    "Perhaps there won''t be any abrupt changes," Fouch reassured himself, knowing he was deceiving himself, but for the first and only time in his life, he allowed himself this irrational behavior.

    He delegated more of the responsibilities to others and found time to be by his daughter''s side during her final moments. To prevent contagion, he kept his wife and other children at a distance and cared for his daughter alone. The people who took his ce in various roles were far from matching his capabilities, which allowed Robespierre''s actions to go unnoticed.

    During this period, Robespierre met with many members of the Jacobin Club. He warned them that if he were to fall, the oppressed forces from the days of the Jacobins, the Feuints, the Girondins, and even the Dantonists, would rise and seek revenge. Would they spare those who now inhabited the Jacobin Club?

    "Blood has been spilled, heads have rolled, hatred has festered. Each of you has blood on your hands. Do you really think you can change allegiances at a time like this? If I fail, their fate from the past will surely be repeated in your lives!"

    These chilling words frightened the assembly, and they knelt before Robespierre, tears streaming down their faces. In their prayers of repentance, they used the most venomousnguage to curse the snake known as Joseph Fouch, who had tempted them into his web of deceit.

    A few dayster, during another Jacobin Club meeting, former President Robespierre suddenly appeared. He dered his intention to expose a viper, urging everyone to see its true face.

    The name of this snake was none other than "Joseph Fouch." This man concocted a litany of baseless usations against Fouch, including organizing orgies with numerous men and women, fathering a horde of illegitimate children, and recounting sordid tales about Fouch and his illegitimate daughters, without realizing how young those daughters must be, given Fouch''s age.

    Stunned, Fouch hadn''t had the chance to refute when Robespierre joined in. He imed that scoundrels like Fouch had infiltrated the Jacobin Club, which was a disgrace to the club''s honor. He suggested an immediate vote to expel this morally corrupt impostor and snake from the Jacobin Club.

    So, the Jacobin Club swiftly held a vote, and the result was a resounding victory for Robespierre''s faction, expelling Joseph Fouch from the club.

    It was a thunderous blow. Fouch''s previous advantages in his machinations had almost entirely evaporated in that moment. The guillotine, once far from his reach, seemed to inch closer again. Considering that just one day before beheading Danton, Robespierre had also executed Danton''s wife, and Robespierre had been their wedding witness and the godfather of their daughter, Fouch could hardly imagine what fate awaited his own wife and children if he were sent to the scaffold.

    Having regained control over the Jacobin Club, Robespierre knew how precarious his situation was. He was fully aware of the growing resentment toward him and that his base of support was unstable. He couldn''t trust anyone, not even those who groveled at his feet, confessing their sins and begging for forgiveness, whether they were from the Jacobin Club or the Committee of Public Safety. He knew that should he reveal any vulnerability, they would undoubtedly betray him. Once a traitor, always a traitor!

    So, Robespierre needed a reliable foundation. He believed that the only potential foundation for him could be the sans-culottes, the working-ss people.

    As a result, Robespierre controlled the National Convention and passed increasingly extremews favoring the sans-culottes. He didn''t mind disrupting the entire economy, even if thesews were detrimental to the interests of the "respectable" citizens. Robespierre knew that his actions would only fuel more resentment from those in the National Convention and the Jacobin Club. However, these people had proven to be unreliable, even if he were to take their interests into ount. Would they truly remain loyal to him?

    "You''ve betrayed Robespierre once," Fouch whispered to Paul Barras. "Robespierre will never trust you again. That''s why he''s courting the sans-culottes. He''s not sure if they''re still on his side as they were before. But let me tell you, people have short memories, especially when they''re bribed with material wealth. If the sans-culottes stand by him, you and everyone else will walk the same path as the Dantonists!"

    "But everyone is too afraid to take action," Barras replied.

    "So, let''s make them even more afraid. That fear will eventually drive them to action," Fouch said in a low voice, wearing a sinister smile, "Monsieur Barras, do you know of someone, like a Charlotte Corday, who can perform the task of assassinating Couthon? The assassination must be in a public ce, the attempt must fail, and the assassin must take their own life immediately."

    Barras fell silent. After Fouch voiced this request, Barras understood the implications. If the assassination failed, it would still cause significant repercussions. If an investigation were conducted, it would put everyone from the sans-culottes to the National Convention on edge. Threats and ckmail would follow.

    "Perhaps you should speak with Tallien; he may know someone suitable," Barras suggested.

    Tallien, a lowly-born revolutionary, was once a trusted aide of Georges Danton. When the Dantonists were executed, Tallien was fortunate to escape. He had connections with criminal elements before the revolution, and his loyalty to Danton made him a potential candidate for this dangerous mission. In these circumstances, he was the best option.

 Chapter 126: A Dark Heart, Two Kinds of Preparation

    Chapter 126: A Dark Heart, Two Kinds of Preparation

    As the struggle in Paris was reaching its boiling point, Joseph decided to take a day off in Toulon. He brought his mother and all his siblings to Fort Malgrve for a day of fishing to celebrate the family reunion. A few days earlier, Napoleon had arranged for Louis to be brought to Paris from Toulon.

    Since thest punishment meted out to Lucien, Joseph''s standing among his brothers and sisters had considerably improved. However, he could sense a slight distance growing between them.

    This was amon urrence as the saying goes, "Those who are amiable need not be revered, and those to be feared cannot be made dear. To not inspire aversion is difficult, but to inspire affection is even more challenging." Being the eldest, Joseph understood that if he remained an object of fear in the eyes of his siblings, it could lead to resentment. To rebuild an image of himself as amiable and dear, Joseph decided to arrange this family gathering.

    Of course, following Joseph''s habit, this family gathering had its private motives. Therefore, though it was portrayed as a family get-together, it was documented in many ces as a "technical experiment" to im reimbursable expenses.

    Naturally, the experiment''s description couldn''t be about fishing and grilling fish but had to be about "high-speed navigation of a high-speedmunication ship at low speed, and rted experiments to enhance maritime self-sufficiency."

    By looking at the experiment''s name, one could tell it would be conducted on this newly built,pact ship. Although it appeared rather short from a distance, it had two hulls, and a deck extended between them, making the deck quite spacious. From a bird''s eye view, the ship''s square deck even resembled a raft.

    However, this ship was far from the cost of a raft. It was more expensive than even therger "ck Pearl."

    For instance, the connecting structures supporting the tworge pontoons beneath the water''s surface, all had to be cast in bronze to ensure durability and resistance to seawater corrosion. The cost of casting molds and creating these structures was significant. Additionally, the pontoons were constructed using lightweight wood, known as "lightwood," which had half the density of ordinary timber and excellent corrosion resistance. This wood provided substantial buoyancy.

    Lightwood wasn''t particrly rare, but it originated from South America, and the French didn''t have significant stockpiles of it. Smugglers were involved in bringing it in from the Spanish. Even among the Spanish, it was umon to find unprocessed, well-dried lightwood. The unscrupulous smugglers sold it at prices even higher than Brazilian mahogany. Each pontoon was then coated with ayer of copper to reduce resistance, which added to the overall cost.

    The ship''s nks and materials were of the highest quality, regardless of the slight performance improvements they offered. Joseph didn''t mind the cost; it wasn''t his money, after all.

    The entire family boarded the ship, unfurled the sails, and sped off like an arrow.

    Napoleon asked, "How fast can this ship go?"

    "Over fifteen knots," Joseph replied. "Faster than any other ship out there. No ship can catch us at sea. And this ship is rtively easy to handle. It only needs two people to control, or even just one. Besides, have you noticed? This ship may be small, but it''s more stable than manyrger ones."

    As they talked, the ship sailed into the bay beneath Fort Malgrve. Lucien volunteered to help furl the sails and watched as the sailors dropped the anchor. Then, everyone took out their fishing rods and began fishing. It was, in essence, an "experiment to enhance maritime self-sufficiency."

    Napoleon''s thoughts weren''t focused on fishing. He absentmindedly threaded a small herring on a hook and cast it into the sea. Then he turned to Joseph and said, "Joseph, something doesn''t seem right in Paristely."

    Indeed, the situation in Paris was rming. As per the information they had received, Robespierre had initially joined forces with Danton to eliminate the radical Jacobins like Hebert. Later, he turned against Danton, instituting a series of extreme economic policies that even surpassed the Hebertists'' extremism.

    "Something is amiss," Joseph agreed. "In theory, our ''Incorruptible'' is close to his downfall. Napoleon, have you heard the saying, ''Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad''? Do you know why he''s going mad?"

    "Why?" Napoleon asked.

    "Because he''s run out of options," Joseph exined with a smile. "He eliminated Hebert, losing the support of the Enrags. Then he got rid of Danton, losing the backing of the merchants and industrialists. Now, he can only rely on terror to maintain his rule. So, he''s gone mad out of necessity. He''s surrounded by enemies everywhere, and if he shows the slightest sign of weakness, they''ll pounce and tear him to pieces. With his current madness, he won''tst long. But if he doesn''t go mad now, he might not even survive today."

    "Then why don''t you go back to Paris?" Napoleon inquired.

    Before Joseph could respond, Napoleon chuckled. "Ah, Joseph, I forgot, you''re not me. If I were in your ce, I''d go back at a time like this. You, on the other hand, avoid risks at all costs."

    "It''s not the right time to return yet," Joseph replied. "It''s not about taking risks or not; it''s about risks outweighing the rewards. Napoleon, first, we must admit that Robespierre is indeed a formidable character. I assume you wouldn''t disagree with that?"

    Napoleon stayed silent.

    "Formidable characters are formidable because they excel at utilizing their limited resources to achieve extraordinary results," Joseph continued. "Robespierre''s current madness is fueled by hisck of economic resources to support his policies. His actions are driven by a desperate attempt to appease the lower sses, but his policies are unsustainable, meaning he''ll soon face economic resource depletion. Without funds, it''s like not being able to solve a math problem; it''s impossible. He''ll inevitably take massive risks before his financial support copses and attempt another round of purges. If he seeds, the resources gained will sustain him for a while longer. So, going back to Paris at this moment carries significant risks."

    "What about the rewards?" Napoleon asked.

    "Don''t you see?" Joseph raised an eyebrow. "If you return to Paris now, could you be the most prominent figure in overturning him? Do you have enough resources to control the government in turmoil? You don''t. So, why rush back? Napoleon, do you remember what I told you? We don''t need to take sides. True powerful people never need to take sides because wherever they stand, that''s where the party is. The ''Incorruptible'' has reached a dead end. But is there anyone remarkable who can rece him?"

    "Ha," Napoleonughed, revealing his clear stance.

    "In that case, don''t hurry," Joseph said. "Even if Robespierre wins, he won''t be able to manage the current situation. We just need to wait until France needs a real hero."

    "Alright," Napoleon said. "But what if Robespierre is defeated?"

    "Then we should join the victors," Joseph replied with a smile. "In that case, you''ll be able to gain wealth and influence. The key is to be opportunistic without taking unnecessary risks. For now, let''s catch some fish. We might need them for our ''maritime self-sufficiency'' experiment. I heard that food prices in Paris are on the rise. It''s wise to be prepared."

    While Joseph and Napoleon discussed the situation in Paris, they continued to fish with their family in the tranquil waters of Fort Malgrve. With every catch they made, they celebrated,ughed, and enjoyed their time together, seemingly unaffected by the political turmoil brewing in the capital.

 Chapter 127: The Turning Point

    Chapter 127: The Turning Point

    It took Robespierre the entire night to prepare his speech, in which he listed the names of Fouche and over a dozen other members of parliament secretly associated with him. These were the individuals who would soon lose their parliamentary status and find themselves on the guillotine the following morning.

    With everything in ce, Robespierre retired to his bed. Days of anxiety and internal conflicts within his camp had taken a toll on his health, causing frequent, severe coughing spells. Robespierre had consulted a few reliable doctors who all concurred that his ailment stemmed from ack of rest. They assured him that with proper rest, in conjunction with the prescribed medication, he would recover. But how could he rest at a time like this? Fortunately, the crucial battle was tomorrow. Perhaps afterward, he could finally find some respite.

    On the same night, Fouche and his family embarked on a mission to visit parliament members, not just a dozen, but nearly all except Robespierre and his most loyal supporters. During those days, Fouche informed them that the "Prairial Decree" had been crafted with them in mind. He exined that Robespierre had executed more people in the past month than in the previous year, and at this rate, it wouldn''t be long before they too faced the guillotine. He emphasized that Paris'' food supply could no longer sustain current economic policies, and unless they were purged and their assets seized, Paris would soon go bankrupt.

    Every parliament member listened with dread to Fouche''s words, paralyzed with fear. These seasoned politicians knew that while Fouche''s im of "your name is on the next list" might be a bluff, they were well aware that Paris''s food supply was indeed in dire straits. They also understood that in this situation, beheading and asset confiscation were virtually Robespierre''s only means to navigate the crisis.

    Moreover, they recognized the vast divide between Paris and the provinces and the severity of the food shortage in the capital. The former indicated that food scarcity wasn''t a short-term problem, and thetter implied that the number of heads to be severed would be exceptionally high.

    Even if their own names were not on Fouche''s alleged "next list," there was a high probability they''d be on a list sooner orter, as long as reason prevailed.

    "The final battle is upon us!" Fouche would say as he bid farewell to each parliament member.

    The next morning, apanied by Saint-Just, Robespierre arrived at the National Convention.

    Robespierre first applied for permission to speak, which was naturally granted. He ascended the podium, dressed in his customary sky-blue coat and white knee-high stockings, holding a lengthy scroll  his prepared speech.

    As Robespierre stood at the podium, he unfolded the scroll with the solemnity of a Roman magistrate unrolling his fasces. All eyes fixated on the parchment, knowing that any name it bore meant an invitation to the guillotine.

    Robespierre noted that Fouche was absent. Fouche wasn''t known for his oratory skills, especially whenpared to the parliament members, so he often avoided such public gatherings whenever possible. Even when attendance was mandatory, he sought the least conspicuous corner.

    Robespierremenced his speech, which, for unrted listeners, might have induced slumber. But on this asion, everyone was captivated by his words. He discussed the dire domestic and international situations, the conspiracies of certain traitors to the revolution, and concluded by stating that he possessed a list of republic traitors who followed a shameful serpent, undermining the republic. Here, he paused deliberately, allowing the fear to settle within the hearts of the assembly.

    All eyes were fixed on Robespierre, but he saw something different from before in those gazes. Alongside fear, he detected despair and madness.

    "So, who is this serpent?" Suddenly, a trembling voice asked. It was Bourdon de l''Oise. A few nights earlier, Fouche had visited him.

    "Yes, who is the serpent? Speak his name!" others joined in.

    Robespierre realized that he had miscalcted. Instead of a mere ten or twenty conspirators, it seemed almost the entire Convention was implicated in Fouche''s web. At this moment, revealing Fouche''s name would mean condemning nearly all parliament members to the guillotine.

    In theory, the National Convention held the highest authority. All his power stemmed from the Convention''s authorization. If the Paris Commune were as strong and united as it was when he and Danton were allies, the Convention wouldn''t be significant. However, the present Paris-Provinces rift meant that the food scarcity issue wasn''t transient, and many heads would have to roll.

    He knew that, even though he might not be on Fouche''s alleged "next list," as long as there was reason, he knew the probability of his name appearing was high.

    "Investigations are ongoing; I cannot reveal the name at this moment," Robespierre replied.

    "Why wait for investigations? Suspicion and inference should be enough!" Tallien shouted, "Don''t evade, Robespierre, who is this person?"

    "Is it Fouche?" Barere coldly inquired.

    Barere''s words struck like a chilling wind from hell, freezing everyone''s hearts.

    "Is it Fouche?" Barere pressed, "Robespierre, tell us, is it Fouche?"

    "As I said, I cannot" Robespierre tried to maintain hisposure but suddenly coughed violently.

    "Tyrant, it''s the blood of Danton choking your throat!" someone in the crowd shouted.

    At this point, parliamentarians, who had been terrified moments ago, turned against Robespierre in an instant.

    Saint-Just shouted, "Please listen"

    But no one would let him speak. Barere yelled, "Down with the tyrant!"

    Almost all parliament members echoed, "Down with the tyrant!"

    Saint-Just tried to lead Robespierre away, but they were blocked.

    "I use!" someone from the crowd shouted, "Robespierre and Saint-Just have betrayed the Republic, conspiring to restore the feudal system!"

    "Let''s vote!" Barere rushed to the podium, "Raise your hands to vote, raise your hands to vote! Robespierre and Saint-Just have betrayed the revolution, attempting to restore the feudal system!"

    As Barere shouted, he raised his hand.

    More hands followed, and eventually, nearly everyone raised their hands.

    Facing the forest of raised arms, Barere eximed, "It''s passed! It''s passed!"

    "Lock them up, imprison them!" more people shouted.

    Suddenly, the individuals who had been paralyzed with fear by Robespierre moments earlier were now turning him into a prisoner. It felt like a surreal dream to everyone.

    It wasn''t until nearly an hourter that Fouche learned of the events in the Convention. The nightmare that had loomed over him for so long was now imprisoned, awaiting trial by the Revolutionary Tribunal and the guillotine the next morning.

    "In which prison are they held?" Fouche inquired.

    "They are in the nearest one, the Luxembourg Prison," came the reply.

    "That''s terrible! The security at Luxembourg is quitex. Robespierre''s allies will" Fouche began, rmed.

    "Well, that''s perfect. We can round them all up!" another voice chimed in. Fouche turned to see Barere and Carnot, brimming with determination.

    As they expected, Robespierre''s alliesunched an assault on the prison, rescuing Robespierre, Saint-Just, and others. They sought refuge in the City Hall where the Paris Commune was based, issuing orders to the National Guard to defend the revolution.

    However, only troops from a couple of districts answered the call, joining them near City Hall. In contrast, more forces were gathering at the National Convention. Robespierre could only hope for reinforcements from more distant districts.

    But by around 10 p.m., no other troops had arrived, indicating there would be no further reinforcements. Even the National Guards who had been stationed near City Hall began dispersing.

    Around 11 p.m., the National Convention''s forces initiated an assault on City Hall. The National Guards near City Hall refrained from firing a single shot and scattered. Even the cannons, loaded with shells, were abandoned. Loyalists to the National Convention used these cannons to break down the doors of City Hall.

    Robespierre tried to take his own life, but a soldier first wounded his arm. This injury caused his shot towards his own head to miss, hitting his face instead. His face was shattered, but he didn''t die.

    The next morning, without any trial, Robespierre, Saint-Just, Couthon, and over twenty others were transported to the same guillotine that Louis XVI, Marie Antote, Danton, and Desmoulins had ascended.

 Chapter 128: The Jovial Kings

    Chapter 128: The Jovial Kings

    When the news of Robespierre losing his head reached Toulon, Joseph had justpleted all the tests for his new ship. The ship''s performance was outstanding in every aspect, with one minor issue - it was now rendered obsolete.

    The message was personally delivered by Napoleon himself.

    "Joseph," he said, "Are the carriages ready for your departure?"

    "Everything is prepared," Joseph replied. "A four-wheeled carriage and a detachment of cavalry. I''ve asked Lecleire to escort you. You should leave immediately."

    "Very well," Joseph said. "Wait here; I need to collect something before I go."

    Joseph went inside and changed into travel-friendly attire. He emerged carrying arge chest.

    "What''s in there?" Napoleon inquired.

    "Some experimental data," Joseph replied. "It''s valuable. Keep it safe, don''t lose it or let the little ones get their hands on it."

    "I understand. I won''t even let Lucien see it," Napoleon assured.

    "Better not let him know at all," Joseph emphasized. "Napoleon, what I meant earlier is, you should also avoid looking..."

    Joseph was in a hurry to return to Paris for a reason.

    Firstly, in Paris, there was no longer a guillotine-wielding tyrant, and he believed it was now safer than Toulon. After all, there were still rebel factions operating in Toulon.

    Of course, that was the least important reason. The most significant was that he needed to get back quickly to acquire a treasure that very few would notice at first, but it was the most valuable - the personnel of the "Military Technology Research Institute."

    Joseph knew that in the aftermath of Robespierre''s fall, Paris was about to witness a period of turmoil. The once-repressed Jovial Kings would surely turn the city into chaos. In such a scenario, even Carnot might not be able to protect the "Military Research Institute." Returning early could secure the most precious treasures.

    As Joseph anticipated, the Jovial Kings in Paris wasted no time causing havoc. They immediately abolished all price controls, causing prices to soar. The people of Paris were in uproar, but individuals like Barras and his associates were profiting handsomely. Barras, who was seen as the key figure in toppling Robespierre, saw his status rise, and with the newfound power, he became a millionaire.

    Another hero, Talien, gained a position within the "Committee of Public Safety." Although its power was no match for the Robespierre era, it was still significant.

    But among these victors, two individuals who yed crucial roles in their victories met unfortunate fates.

    The first was Fouche, who yed a pivotal role in the struggle against Robespierre. Yet his work was mostly behind the scenes, so his contributions were easily overlooked. What''s worse, everyone had forgotten his contributions in toppling Robespierre but remembered his notorious speech in the National Convention, proiming his loyalty to the Jacobins while dering himself willing to be their pdog." Fouche was branded as a "surviving Jacobin leader."

    Fouche tried to seek Carnot''s help, but their mutual disdain and Fouche''s straightforward nature hindered their coboration. Left with no choice, Fouche actually tried to revive the remaining Jacobins and be a legitimate "Jacobin leader." Even though there were still Jacobin sympathizers, most were either nning uprisings or fleeing Paris, fearing Fouche was a provocateur. They refused to trust him or believed he was trying to lure snakes out of their holes.

    Fouche was expelled from the National Convention, losing his parliamentary status and ie. In the original history, Fouche had no option but to work as an informant for Barras, gathering private information about Barras'' political opponents to make ends meet.

    As for the second unfortunate individual, Carnot, even with his visible contributions, faced a different problem - he attempted to block others from profiting.

    The ongoing war between France and the Coalition offered opportunities for lucrative businesses rted to the military. The most profitable of all was anything connected to military production. However, during the tyrannical rule of Robespierre and the Jacobins, they imposed strict quality controls that reduced everyone''s profits. These wicked policies had to be abolished immediately. Carnot, however, absurdly argued that these policies were excellent and should be maintained.

    Moreover, the Military Technology Research Institute, highly confidential and funded by the state, continued to independently develop essential weapons. Wasn''t this against the principles of basic economics? These projects were created by the Jacobins - shouldn''t they be shut down?

    Carnot was unyielding in his stance, even resorting to threatening to resign.

    In Robespierre''s time, Carnot had often butted heads with the Committee but was tolerated due to his indispensable abilities. Robespierre had even omitted Carnot''s name from the list of individuals who had been secretly meeting with Fouche, except for one - Carnot. Robespierre knew that Carnot was indispensable, and he possessed some political cunning, even in his wildest moments.

    However, the Jovial Kings were not as lenient. With Carnot obstructing their path, they had him removed from the Committee, which was a severe blow to his authority and influence.

    With Carnot gone, the new "Committee of Public Safety" quickly passed resolutions to eliminate anything blocking their path to wealth. Thus, before Joseph arrived in Paris, the Military Technology Research Institute became a ruin. The contents were divided among the Jovial Kings, and as for the researchers, they had no intentions of paying for the group of scientists. Instead, they generously "donated" these experienced high-level researchers to society.

    Lavasie also regained his freedom, while his guard, Charles, ended up in prison. Life''s fortunes were strange and ever-changing, but Charles should adapt to prison life quite well.

    With his newfound freedom, Lavasie discovered that his property had been seized by Robespierre and his associates. His movable assets were gone without question, but Lavasie had lost several immovable properties. He searched everywhere and spent a considerable sum, but none of his real estate was returned. Fortunately, with his status, Lavasie managed to secure a decent job at the University of Paris, which he now depended on to support his family.

    The various military technologies from the institute were shared without charge with the newly prosperous arms factories. This included even the technology for nitrocellulose. The leak of these technologies became inevitable, and some factory owners suggested selling "petite melons" to neutral countries interested in buying them in exchange for other goods to alleviate France''s economic hardships.

    This proposal faced staunch opposition from Carnot, but his influence and authority were no longer what they used to be. Despite his protests, the bill passed smoothly. However, thew included a crucial use: "Prohibited from selling to non-neutral countries."

    This gave rise to a new trading method in Europe. Ships would hoist the g of a neutral country, transport goods to France, exchange them for "Bonaparte''s little melons," and then take the cargo to Ennd, Spain, or Italy to sell to the anti-French coalition countries.

    Initially, the trade was dominated by English and Italian merchants, but they were soon overtaken by a morepetitive group of businessmen - the French.

    By the time Joseph arrived in Paris, he was confronted with this new reality.

 Chapter 129: Lets Get Rich Together!

    Chapter 129: Let''s Get Rich Together!

    Joseph arrived in Paris, and his first order of business was to find Carnot.

    He entered the grand building of the War Department and followed the familiar path to Carnot''s office. The office door was slightly ajar, and Joseph lightly knocked on it.

    "Come in, the door is open," came Carnot''s weary voice from inside.

    Joseph pushed the door open and, as he walked in, eximed, "Lazare, I''m back! Surprise, surprise... Oh, Lazare, you don''t look too good. Are you ill?"

    "It''s nothing, just dealing with those idiots," Carnot replied. "But let''s not dwell on that. Why have you returned so suddenly?"

    "I heard that Robespierre is done for, and I thought Paris might be in turmoil. I was worried about the Institute and whether it would face any issues, so I didn''t wait for orders and came back on my own. Well, Lazare, you''ll need to issue a new order for my return to make it official," Joseph said, pulling a chair and sitting in front of Carnot.

    "Joseph..." Carnot''s expression was strange. "You don''t know yet, do you? Ah, I''m sorry; I couldn''t save the Institute. It''s been shut down! I wish I could drag Robespierre out of his grave to decapitate those rascals!"

    "The Institute is gone?" This news indeed caught Joseph by surprise. He had anticipated that some people would try to cause trouble in the absence of Robespierre''s authority and might tamper with the Institute. But he hadn''t expected them to act so quickly and decisively.

    "What happened?" Joseph asked urgently. He needed to understand the situation and minimize the damage.

    "It''s all those scoundrels'' fault!" Carnot''s anger red. "Those who''ve been causing trouble since Robespierre''s fall! They closed down the Institute! Right now, I wish Robespierre could rise from the grave and decapitate them all!"

    "Lazare, calm down, calm down..." Joseph said, trying to soothe him. "We need to salvage what we can now. Stay calm. Come, Lazare, have a drink of water." Joseph quickly poured a ss of water and handed it to Carnot. "Lazare, you need to hydrate."

    Carnot took the water and drank it all in one go. After a moment ofposure, he recounted the situation to Joseph, concluding with a self-deprecating remark, "Joseph, I''m sorry; I couldn''t protect our..."

    "Lazare, pull yourself together," Joseph said. "We still have a chance to recover. Those scoundrels are just thatscoundrels. They caused destruction but didn''t understand what was truly valuable in the Institute: its talents. They''ve taken our talents and put them to work for the nation. We must bring them back. Lazare, I''ve earned some money. When I add it all up, it''s over a hundred thousand livres, and you know where it came from. You might have less, with your expenses, but we can use it. Also, about Napoleon... I must apologize for not keeping a closer eye on him. He''s been involved in smuggling activities in the south, using my smuggling ships, and has amassed over three hundred thousand livres. We can work together to bring these people back and rebuild our own Institute and arms factory in the south. At the moment, it''s the best way to minimize our losses."

    Carnot considered this and said, "We have no other choice. Joseph, you''re remarkable! You''ve remained calm and quickly found a solution. Actually, you''re better suited to oversee everything. If you were in my position from the start..."

    "Come on, Lazare," Joseph shook his head. "You know me well. If you can''t handle it, how could I?"

    "Alright, let''s not dwell on that. Let''s address the current issues," Carnot said. "We need to expand Napoleon''s smuggling operations. It''s going to be costly in the initial stages of our n, so we need more money. We shouldn''t restrict ourselves to legal smuggling anymore. We''ll smuggle whatever makes money, including weapons, but only to genuine Americans. If we don''t, those scoundrels will do it!"

    Joseph added, "Besides Americans, we can sell to the Native Americans too."

    "Let''s get to work," Carnot said. "Secure the Naval Research Institute before those scoundrels get their hands on it. There''s valuable stuff in there!"

    "I already told Napoleon about it beforeing here," Joseph said.

    "Good. Let''s not waste any time. Here''s my suggestion: you have the money ready?" Carnot asked.

    "I''ve got about three hundred thousand livres ready," Joseph replied.

    "Excellent. If you trust me, give me one hundred twenty thousand livres, and I have eighty thousand livres. I''ll go negotiate with Labas to buy the ''Naval Research Institute'' right away," Carnot said. "Regarding personnel, I have a list of all the staff, but they''re scattered now. It''ll take time to bring them back. As for you... Joseph, it''s a shame you can''t be in two ces at once. I''d have one of you stabilize the Institute in Toulon, and the other can help me with some tasks here."

    Joseph knew why Carnot was concerned about him handling affairs in Paris, which often involved making connections and using influence. Carnot wasn''tfortable with such tasks, and having Joseph in Paris could fill that gap. However, Carnot was also worried that without Joseph in Toulon, there might be potential losses.

    "Many things in Paris don''t necessarily require our direct involvement," Joseph said. "Lazare, there''s someone who can act as our go-between."

    "Who?" Carnot inquired.

    "Joseph Fouch. I know you don''t have a favorable impression of him," Joseph replied. Seeing Carnot''s raised eyebrow, he continued, "But Fouch is capable, especially in finding people and using his connections. Let him handle these tasks. Lazare, I respect your abilities, but different people are better suited for different roles. I believe Fouch can handle these matters more efficiently than you."

    Carnot nodded, acknowledging Joseph''s point. He was proud and a bit stubborn, but he wasn''t someone who refused to see the reality. "You''re right, Joseph. Fouch is indeed better for these tasks than me. However, I do have some reservations. You know what? Shortly after Robespierre''s fall, Fouch came to meback when I was in the Committee of Public Safety. He urately pointed out the dangers I might face and wanted to join forces with me. But I turned him down. Do you know why?"

    Before Joseph could reply, Carnot continued, "I was afraid of him. He yed a significant role in bringing down Robespierre, and he excelled in conspiracies and intrigues. Robespierre called him a snake, and I agree. If he secures a strong position within our ranks, I fear he might be even more dangerous than Robespierre. I think Labas and others deliberately suppressed him, but they didn''t realize they could achieve what they wanted without Fouch..."

    Joseph couldn''t help but think of a remark he hade across in a past life while reading "Dream of the Red Chamber": "A person should notck talent; if one has talent but is conceited about it, they will likely cause harm. Conversely, a person should notck talent, and if they misuse their talent, they will cause even more harm." The saying seemed to hold true now.

    "It''s precisely because he''s so dangerous that we should keep a close eye on him," Joseph said. "Lazare, do you know where to find him?"

    "Yes, that makes sense," Carnot nodded. "I know where he lives. After work, shall we go find him together?"

    "All right," Joseph agreed.

    At the end of the workday, Joseph and Carnot, apanied by a dozen cavalrymen, boarded a carriage and headed to the Saint-Antoine district.

    The Saint-Antoine district was thergest slum in Paris, with narrow and chaotic streets. In recent days, due to skyrocketing prices and the worsening conditions for the lower sses, the area had be even more disorderly. People like Joseph, who preferred stability, wouldn''t dare toe here without some protection.

    The carriage stopped outside a crooked alley, as it couldn''t go any further. Joseph and Carnot got off, and Joseph discreetly gripped the handle of a pistol concealed in his coat. The cavalrymen dismounted and surrounded Joseph and Carnot as they ventured deeper into the alley.

    After navigating the dirty, meandering alley with a foul-smelling stream running alongside it, they arrived at a dpidated building. A soldier who had been leading the way said, "This is the ce."

    Joseph nodded, cast a nce at Carnot, and then approached the door, where he knocked.

 Chapter 130: Joining Forces

    Chapter 130: Joining Forces

    After a while, amidst the creaking of the door, the door slowly opened, and Fouch appeared before Joseph.

    Ever since joining the bels, Fouch had moved his residence to this ce. It was mainly to show his camaraderie with those unrulyrades. Plus, since his affiliation with the bels, Fouch had maintained a high level of integrity. If you didn''t consider his history of shifting allegiances, during this period, he was almost a moral exemr, just like Robespierre.

    However, after the fall of the bels and the need to deal with Robespierre, Fouch didn''t have the time to consider moving. After Robespierre''s fall, Fouch lost most of his sources of ie, so he had to continue residing here.

    At this moment, some people began to gather around, asking, "Joseph, what''s going on?"

    "Nothing, there''s no issue. They''re our friends," Fouch replied loudly.

    Upon hearing this, the people gradually dispersed. These people were the bels, Robespierre''s followers. In their eyes, Fouch was not a treacherous snake but a hero who had avenged the bels.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, Mr. Carnot, it''s quite a surprise to see you here," Fouch said with a smile.

    "Ah, Mr. Fouch, we''ve always been friends, haven''t we?" Joseph replied with a smile. "How about inviting us inside, even if the house is messy?"

    "The house is a mess, so please don''t mind," Fouch gestured for them to enter.

    Several people entered the house, which was dimly lit. It was almost evening by now, and Joseph couldn''t see much inside. He could barely make out a few figures and hear Fouch say, "Take the child to the back to y."

    After a while, Joseph''s eyes adjusted to the darkness.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, Mr. Carnot, what brings you to see me?" Fouch smiled.

    "Mr. Fouch, the people on the stage now are a disgrace. What do you think?" Joseph said.

    "Do you want to start a revolution to overthrow them?" Fouch asked. "If that''s the case, as a friend, I would advise you that now might not be the best time for that."

    "No, no, my friend, where did you get that idea?" Joseph hurriedly replied. "I just want to help our country recover as much as possible."

    Fouch lowered his head, thinking for a moment, then said, "Do you want me to retrieve something from the Military Research Institute?"

    "It''s not something, it''s someone," Joseph said. "Mr. Fouch, you should know the most crucial part of the institute is the researchers. I have a list here, and I hope you can help us locate these individuals. You can inform them that if they are willing to join me in Toulon, their ie will be based on the previous standards with a significant increase. The upper limit of this increase is also indicated on the list."

    Joseph handed Fouch a list, but Fouch didn''t look at it. In fact, it was too dark in his house to see anything clearly.

    "So, Mr. Bonaparte, do you n to rebuild the Military Research Institute? But do you have the government''s authorization for this?" Fouch frowned.

    "No," Joseph said. "We n to establish a private research institute. Of course, the scope of the work will be the same as before. Mr. Fouch, considering the current trend where everyone is open about making money, why let those people make money when we can do the same? So, Mr. Fouch, do you have any interest in joining us and making money together?"

    Fouch stared at Joseph for a while and then asked, "Rebuilding the institute, establishing a military industry enterprise, is indeed profitable now. However, it requires substantial startup capital. Do you have that money?"

    "That''s not a problem," Joseph replied.

    "Ah, I see," Fouch said. "While I was still in Toulon, you and your brother had already set up a smuggling route to Spain. These months must have been profitable for you. But, since this is business, allow me to ask impolitely, what''s in it for me in this deal?"

    "If you can find all the people on this list, I will pay you two thousand livres, in silver. Additionally, the difference between the monthly sry you negotiate with these people and the maximum limit I''ve specified on this list will be your earnings. Besides, there''s an even more crucial task: convincing the government to approve my acquisition of the Naval Research Institute. For that, I''ve allocated two hundred thousand livres. As long as you can help us navigate the bureaucracy within that budget, any leftover money will be your reward. You can choose to receive it in cash, not in bonds, or convert the money into shares and join us."

    Fouch asked, "What can I do if I join you?"

    "I''ve already learned about your capabilities in Toulon. You see, the former Military Research Institute relied on the state''s power to maintain security and confidentiality. But now, we don''t have that kind of power. Even if I use my brother''s influence, it won''tpare to what we had before. To make the kind of money we''re envisioning, we must ensure secrecy. I believe you have a talent for that."

    Fouch listened quietly without saying a word.

    "In addition, we need to gather intelligence on other manufacturers, which is crucial for our business," Joseph continued. "Mr. Fouch, I understand that wealth might not be your primary concern. But, my friend, with your keen sense, haven''t you realized that the times have changed? The era of revolution and fiery speeches has passed. Today, to make a political impact, you need substantial financial support. Mr. Fouch, are you interested in joining us?"

    Fouch raised his head and looked at Joseph. Finally, he said, "I can take care of the task you''ve entrusted to me for now. As for whether to join you, I need to think about it."

    "Very well," Joseph said. "At least for now, we''re in cooperation. I might be leaving Paris soon, and for the Paris matters, you can contact General Carnot."

    "Alright," Fouch said. "Can you provide some advance funds? You know, the tasks you''ve given me will require money."

    Joseph looked around and then said, "That''s a very reasonable request. I can pay you a thousand livres right now, and of course, you can choose an equivalent value in pounds or marks."

    "Let''s stick with livres," Fouch said, "but not in bonds."

    "Agreed," Joseph took out a check from his pocket and said, "Could you light amp? And do you have a pen?"

    "Of course," Fouch quickly agreed.

    Fouch lit an oilmp and brought a pen and ink. Joseph signed the check, dried the ink with blotting paper, and handed it to Fouch.

    Fouch took the check, nced at it, nodded, and put it away.

    "By the way, Mr. Fouch, I entrusted you to inquire about my friend..."

    "You mean Armand Lavasix, right? He sacrificed himself on the northern battlefield," Fouch said. "But that''s not a bad thing; otherwise, he would have surely faced the guillotine recently..."

    The next day, Joseph returned to the University of Paris and found Lavasix, who was now teaching there. He asked Lavasix to go to Toulon to help him rebuild a research institute.

    "Is that so?" Lavasix understood Joseph''s intention and thought for a moment before replying, "Joseph, you protected mest time, and I''m grateful for that. Otherwise, I might have been executed by Robespierre. However, that was a matter of national duty, and there was an obligation involved. But this time is different, and if..."

    As soon as Joseph heard this, he understood that Lavasix wanted to negotiate better terms for himself.

    "Mr. Lavasix, you make a valid point, but you should know that this time I don''t have government funding," Joseph began by feigning poverty and then presented a proposal.

    "Mr. Lavasix, you see, we are now engaged in a profit-driven business, but you know I have many connections. This business should be profitable. Why not convert your technical expertise into money and be a shareholder in our venture?"

    "Well, that''s an interesting idea, but how much equity would my knowledge trante to?" Lavasix asked.

    The two engaged in an open conversation about this issue, exchanging views until Joseph was ready to say that the discussion had deepened mutual understanding and was beneficial. However, Lavasix eventually relented.

    "Alright, let''s do it as you suggested earlier. After all, you helped me, and without you, I might have faced the guillotine by now. I''m someone who repays kindness..."

    Joseph was satisfied with the agreement he reached with Lavasix. In his perspective, using such terms to bring Lavasix on board was a good deal. (After all, Joseph came from the future, and his estimation of the value of knowledge was much higher than that of people in this era.)

    As soon as Joseph left, Lavasix immediately called out to his wife, who had been eavesdropping behind the door, "Marie, get ready; we''re going to Toulon! Oh, this is too good! To conduct experiments freely and have such high wages, along with a share of the profits... Hahaha... Joseph is such a generous man! We''re going to live the life of the wealthy again!"

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 130 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 131: Fanny

    Chapter 131: Fanny

    Having convinced Lavoisier, Joseph was ready to return to Touraine, but before that, he wanted to visit Amant''s house. Amant was the only son in the family, and losing him must have been devastating. As Amant''s good friend, Joseph felt that it was only right to pay a visit, especially since he was in Paris.

    So, the day after signing the contract with Lavoisier, Joseph, apanied by two attendants, made his way to Amant''s neighborhood. It was an affluent area with good security, so taking twopanions and a four-wheeled carriage made the journey quite safe.

    The carriage came to a stop near Amant''s house. Joseph got out and gestured for his attendants to stay in the carriage. He held a bouquet of white lilies and made his way towards Amant''s home. He knocked on the door lightly, and after a while, he heard hurried footsteps approaching. The door opened slightly, revealing a green eye peering through the crack. Then, the door opened wider, revealing Fanny''s face.

    "Is it Mr. Bonaparte? Are you here..." Fanny began to say, and she noticed the bouquet in Joseph''s hand.

    "My parents don''t know about my brother yet..." Fanny whispered.

    "Oh," Joseph said, looking at the bouquet in his hand, unsure whether to ce it on the ground or behind his back.

    "Give it to me," Fanny whispered. She took the bouquet from Joseph and hid it behind a table with a broken leg in the hallway. Joseph noticed that Fanny had slimmed down since theirst meeting, but it made her figure even more striking.

    "Later, you can say you came to visit your brother, as if you didn''t know what happened. Please," Fanny said, "My mother is not feeling well."

    "I understand," Joseph quickly agreed.

    At that moment, a middle-aged man''s voice came from inside the house, "Fanny, is there a guest? Who is it?"

    Fanny turned and called into the house, "Dad, there''s a guest, it''s Mr. Bonaparte, my brother''s friend."

    Then she turned back to Joseph and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, pleasee inside."

    Joseph followed Fanny into the Rococo-style building. Perhaps due to neglect, the house appeared even more rundown than thest time Joseph had visited. With some renovations, it could easily be transformed into a haunted house in the future.

    Inside the hall, Joseph was surprised to find it neat and spacious. The marble floor, though worn, was clean, and the curtains, although old and faded, had been meticulously cleaned. However, the space felt empty as many of the furnishings had been removed.

    Fanny seemed to notice Joseph taking in the surroundings and exined, "These days, bread is too expensive, so we had to sell some things to make ends meet."

    "Indeed," Joseph replied, "These are difficult times for everyone. After the revolution, even though I wasn''t hungry, I couldn''t sleep, fearing the guillotine."

    "My father is in the small sitting room. His legs are not in good shape; he has severe rheumatism and can barely walk. So, he''s waiting for you there. Please understand; it''s not because we''re being arrogant," Fanny exined as she led Joseph toward the small sitting room.

    Joseph nodded and said, "I understand. My father also had health issues in the past."

    At the same time, Joseph noticed that there seemed to be no servants in the entire house.

    Fanny led Joseph into the small sitting room. Charles Lavoisier was sitting in an old elm rocking chair, looking much older than thest time Joseph had seen him. His hair had turned mostly white, and his beard was sparse. An old, moth-eaten nket covered his knees, and over time, the wool had be sparse, with visible holes where insects had bitten through.

    "Wee, Mr. Bonaparte. Please forgive me for not being able to stand and greet you. You are the first friend to visit us in the past six months. Please have a seat," Viscount Charles greeted Joseph with a smile.

    Joseph took a seat in a high-backed chair next to him.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, I heard you now hold a high position in the War Department," Viscount Charles said, looking at Joseph.

    "Yes, I work in the War Department," Joseph replied.

    "Ah, that''s good. That rascal Amant has gone to join the Northern Army, in the Fourth Corps, under General Joubert. They recently repelled the Austrians," Viscount Charles said, a hint of embarrassment on his face. "Mr. Bonaparte, you''re Amant''s friend. When Amant first left for the North, I didn''t oppose it. Men must make their own decisions. At that time, I thought that despite the dangers in the Northern front, there was no safer ce in the world than Paris. Wouldn''t you agree?"

    To be honest, Viscount Charles''s support for his son''s decision wasn''t entirely wrong. At that time, Paris was indeed very dangerous, especially for those with noble status deeply involved in politics.

    "You''re right," Joseph replied.

    "Well, Paris is safe now. Robespierre has finally met his end. Speaking of which, Robespierre did do some good things. If it weren''t for him getting rid of those Jews, I might not have a single piece of furniture left in this house. Now, my creditors are all gone, so I should cheer for Robespierre," Viscount Charles chuckled and then erupted into a fit of coughing. Fanny quickly went to fetch him a ss of water.

    "Oh, Fanny, do you see? You are..." Viscount Charles started to say but was interrupted by Fanny.

    "You''re talking nonsense again! Aren''t you afraid of people making fun of you?" Fanny scolded her father.

    "Talking about dreams and all. Aren''t you afraid people willugh at you?" Fanny continued. "I told you before, dreams are all fake. Besides, a few days ago, didn''t you receive a letter from your brother, along with the money he sent back? He''s doing well in the North. Why do you want to bring him back?"

    As Joseph took the teacup, he noticed calluses on Fanny''s hands. Clearly, she was the one carrying the weight of the entire family on her shoulders.

    "Sigh, I can''t understand the thoughts of you young people," Viscount Charles sighed. "One is reckless and does whatever is dangerous, while the other is getting older but still acts like a maiden. They don''t make it easy for me."

    "Dad!" Fanny said, handing Joseph his tea. She stood upright and had a stern expression on her face.

    "Alright, alright, my dear Fanny is upset. I''ll stop," Viscount Charles shook his head. "Sigh, Mr. Bonaparte, forgive me for embarrassing you. Since the revolution, my house has been a mess. The only good thing is that we don''t have to worry about nobility anymore. It''s just... Well, Mr. Bonaparte, you''re quite an important person now. Could you talk to Amant and convince him..."

    "If I can, I will," Joseph said. "But you know, Amant can be quite stubborn at times. He''s also very romantic, and I''m afraid my persuasion may not be effective. Even my own brother, who is a general, still likes to rush into battle. I can''t control him either."

    "Young people, they never listen," Viscount Charlesmented. "Amant is getting older too. When we were his age, he was already crawling around. But this rascal is still causing trouble. Because of him, some of our friends no longer associate with us. Many of my old friends no longer visit, and they can''t visit anymore because they''re no longer alive. If they were really here, even with my rheumatism, I could jump up and run quickly."

    Viscount Charles suddenlyughed.

    "Dad, you''re bing improper," Fanny said, raising her eyebrows.

    "Fanny, my dear, it''s been half a year since I''ve seen anyone other than you and your mother," Viscount Charles said. "I rarely get to be happy. More than a decade ago, when you couldn''t walk, and Charles couldn''t even count, our house was never this quiet. Back then, your mother''s salon was the talk of all Paris..."

    "Come on, Dad, no more bragging. If you keep going, you''ll start saying it''s Madame Dubarry''s salon," Fanny teased.

    "Alright, Fanny. I didn''t mean that, but it was indeed a time worth remembering," Viscount Charles said. "Mr. Bonaparte, look at our home now; it''s so empty, and our friends are gone. Amant''s friends, except for you, don''t visit anymore. You see, it''s so lonely here that even my Fanny is bing a spinster."

    "Dad..."

    "Fanny, let me speak. When your mother was your age, Charles already called her ''mama''..."

    Viscount Charles rambled on for quite some time, and Joseph listened patiently. It was almost noon when Viscount Charles showed signs of fatigue. Joseph took this opportunity to bid farewell. Fanny walked him out, and as they left the small sitting room, they heard Viscount Charles''s voice from behind, "Mr. Bonaparte, do you think Fanny is a good girl..."

 Chapter 132: The One Whom Your Parents Raised

    Chapter 132: The One Whom Your Parents Raised

    Old Charles'' words caught Fanny off guard, nearly causing her to stumble over her own feet.

    "Don''t mind him; my father''s mind has been a bit muddled since the revolution. He tends to talk nonsense. Please don''t take it to heart," Fanny blushed as she reassured Joseph.

    "I understand," Joseph replied, though he wasn''t entirely sure what his own words meant. Did he understand it as, "I know your father''s entric," or as, "I know he wants me to pursue you and get you married off quickly"?

    Joseph couldn''t help but steal a nce at Fanny with a sense of curiosity. Fanny noticed Joseph''s gaze and felt a slight shyness, but she didn''t turn away, nor did she resort to the techniques some high society women employed  such as fainting.

    During this era, many noblewomen were ustomed to wearing corsets. It was a peculiar practice, akin to foot binding in the Far East, and it was equally harmful to the body. Foot binding led to foot deformities and impaired mobility, but corsets were far more dangerous, with the potential to be fatal when tightened too much.

    Just as foot binding in the East was rumored to originate from the imperial court (attributed to Emperor Li Houzhu), the habit of wearing corsets in Europe was also said to have royal origins, possibly traced back to the French court.

    The extreme tightcing of corsets intensified during the reign of Louis XV. It was believed that cinching the waist made the bust appearrger, and a slim waist was a symbol of beauty. Even today, people engage in games like trying to touch their belly buttons from behind.

    However, the waists that could touch the belly button with ease in modern times would be considered excessively wide in this era''s Europe. What was the standard waist size for European beauties during that time? Well, ording to the French court, it was fourteen inches, which is approximately 35.56 centimeters. If we simplify it, envision the cross-section of a woman''s waist during that period as a standard circle, and the diameter of that circle would be just over 11 centimeters.

    It''s easy to imagine that when the waist was constricted to such an extreme extent, the internal organs couldn''t fit within this tiny 11-centimeter diameter space. This led to various health problems, from dizziness and fainting to death. Many ssical European ys depicted youngdies fainting at the slightest excitement, and this was not an exaggeration but amon urrence. Of course, intentional fainting in the arms of a loved one was a tactic employed by some youngdies.

    Fanny''s waist, however, did not conform to the standard, not even close. Perhaps her parents'' excessive indulgence during her childhood had made them reluctant to cinch her waist tightly. As a result, her waist likely exceeded twenty inches, a slender figure by contemporary standards but a significant deviation from the norms of her time. Fanny had not yet found a suitable match, which might be partly attributed to this. Although her brother Armand often praised her beauty, in this era, Fanny couldn''t be considered beautiful. Furthermore, her slightly thicker waist had deprived her of the ability to faint when necessary, a trait admired by some men of this era.

    Joseph,ing from a future time, could not appreciate such a peculiar beauty. Whenever he encountered high-society women, he was baffled by their excessively slim waists, finding them aesthetically unpleasing and even disturbing. This might be one of the reasons why Joseph, despite numerous opportunities, remained single.

    "Ah Miss Fanny, I mean" Joseph hesitated, "Oh, by the way, are you nning..."

    Joseph stopped abruptly, fearing that Old Charles might overhear the rest of his words. So, the two continued walking in silence until they reached the entrance hall. Only then did Joseph finally ask, "Miss Fanny, did you forge Armand''s letter?"

    Fanny replied, "Yes. I used to help my brother with his writing, so I''m familiar with his handwriting and choice of words. My parents'' health is not great. You saw my father earlier. My mother is even worse; she can''t even get out of bed anymore, and she can''t receive visitors. Ever since she learned about our uncle''s execution, she''s been like this. I can''t let them know about my brother''s fate."

    Perhaps Fanny had been suppressing too much grief while concealing her brother''s death and had been putting on a happy face in front of her family after receiving her brother''s letter. This girl was holding back an overwhelming sorrow in her heart. Now, she had someone with whom she could discuss the unspeakable, and her tears began to flow.

    Fanny didn''t dare cry aloud, only silently weeping. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her shoulders trembled, much like a young sapling in a storm.

    "Such a girl, if she were in modern times..." Joseph found himself inexplicablypassionate and tried to console her, "Miss Fanny, you shouldn''t be too sad... There are some things..."

    "Goodness, I have no idea what to say," Joseph thought. He reached into his pocket, but he didn''t carry a handkerchief, so he found nothing. Helplessly, he watched Fanny cry. But when he saw Fanny crying so deeply, he couldn''t help but extend a hand to stroke her xen hair.

    Fanny quivered slightly but didn''t push Joseph away or throw herself into his arms. She stood silently, weeping.

    After some time, she managed to stop crying and, feeling embarrassed, said, "Sir, I''m sorry I couldn''t control myself..."

    Joseph awkwardly tried to console her, "It''s alright. I''m a friend of Armand''s; you can think of me as a brother..."

    As soon as he said it, Joseph regretted it; it seemed like he had touched upon her grief. So, he quickly adopted anothermon approach  changing the subject.

    "Miss Fanny, um... You can write and create, right? Have you read many books?"

    "Well, I haven''t read many books," Fanny replied.

    "In that case, there''s a job I''d like to entrust to you," Joseph said, while he wracked his brain toe up with something suitable for her. "Ah... I have some documents at my ce that need reliable sorting. It''s not too difficult, but it''s quite tedious. Uneducated people can''t handle it, and educated people aren''t willing to do it. I don''t have the time to do it myself. Ah, could you help me with this kind of work? I can pay you 300 livres per month. How does that sound?"

    "Well, sir, I know that this sry is rather high," Fanny said, "but... I won''t hide it from you. Due to my parents'' illnesses, I really need money right now. I''ll work hard, but I can''t leave home."

    "No problem. I''ll have someone deliver the materials you need to sort. I''m leaving Paris in a few days and heading to London. Can I write to you?"

    "Oh, of course. That''s perfectly fine, sir."

    "Also, um, Fanny, I don''t want to bring up painful subjects, but do you know where Armand''s grave is? If you have some free time in the next few days, could you take me to visit him?"

 Chapter 133: A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

    Chapter 133: A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

    Back at his residence, Joseph pondered a question. What documents could he entrust to Fanny for handling? ssified files were out of the question; they could endanger her. But as for non-ssified documents, Joseph realized that he didn''t have many on hand.

    After thinking for a while, Joseph had an idea. He remembered the set of exercise books he had prepared for Napoleon, Lucien, and Louis. These exercises, tailored for kids of different ages and abilities, had an excellent educational impact and could serve as a powerful tool. If he organized them well, he could publish a "Joseph''s Mathematics Exercise Book" for the benefit of society. It sounded like a good idea.

    So, Joseph decided to leave Lucien and Louis in Paris and gather the math exercises he had done before. Coupled with any materials he had left in Carnot''s ce, it should be sufficient. Besides, he thought, when Napoleon, Lucien, and Louis joined him in the future, he could provide further training. That settled it; he would focus on nurturing these young "rascals."

    Joseph and Fanny had made ns to visit Armand''s grave in a suburban cemetery two dayster. In 1786, due to health concerns, Paris had banned burials within the city, leading to the proliferation of small cemeteries on its outskirts, whichterbined to form the three major cemeteries of Paris.

    Armand''s remains had been returned and buried in one of these suburban cemeteries near Montmartre. It took quite some time to reach the spot, even back when Fanny had attended Armand''s funeral. Joseph, however, didn''t think it wise to bring a stack of exercises to such a ce. He decided to entrust them to Fannyter, perhaps on the day they were about to depart. In the meantime, he''d take a day to rest.

    Yet, Joseph didn''t get to rest as he wished. Just as he was contemting this, there was a knock on the door.

    "Who is it?" Joseph inquired.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, it''s me, Fouch," came Fouch''s voice from outside.

    Joseph opened the door and saw Fouch standing there, holding a package. He looked sweaty from the heat during his journey.

    "Please,e in, Mr. Fouch," Joseph weed him and poured arge ss of water.

    "Thank you, I was quite thirsty," Fouch said as he epted the ss and downed it in one gulp. He extended the empty ss to Joseph and asked for more.

    Joseph poured another ss of water and handed it to him. "Mr. Fouch, why have youe to see me now?"

    After finishing the second ss, Fouch replied, "I''ve resolved the two tasks you entrusted to me."

    As he spoke, Fouch took a stack of papers from the ck leather bag he had brought with him. "Here are the people I found on the lists. Apart from a few exceptions, most have epted the terms you offered."

    Joseph furrowed his brow slightly. "Why did they agree?"

    "Several, like Gaston and Dominique, have health issues. Edmond, on the other hand, has amassed wealth and doesn''t wish to continue with strenuous work. The ones to really watch are Franois, Henri, and Otto; they''ve left Paris, and though their whereabouts are unknown, it appears they had contact with royalists before their departure."

    "Heh, even the royalists seem more forward-thinking than some folks in our government," Josephmented sarcastically.

    "For the remaining individuals, I''ve made contact and, with your authorization, renegotiated their contracts," Fouch continued.

    "Mr. Fouch, I appreciate your assistance," Joseph said.

    "Furthermore, concerning the privatization of the Naval Research Institute, that''s no longer an issue. Well" Fouch handed over a document, "if you sign here, the Naval Research Institute will be sold to you."

    "So fast?" Joseph was surprised. He epted the document and examined it briefly. "Why is the total price 200,000 livres? You won''t earn a single livre from this."

    "The price in the document is to be paid with bonds," Fouch exined with a smile.

    Since the downfall of the guillotine tyrant, bonds had spiraled out of control. Now, one livre in silver was worth at least twenty in bonds.

    "Selling it so cheaply?" Joseph was taken aback.

    "For this, Mr. Barras took an extra 120,000 livres from me. Of course, that money doesn''t belong to him alone," Fouch replied. Without Fouch needing to exin, Joseph knew that the 120,000 livres Barras received were not in bonds.

    "Very well, thank you for your help. That leaves us with one final matter," Joseph looked at Fouch. "Now, can you tell me, have you made your decision?"

    "Mr. Bonaparte, as per our previous agreement, I should be entitled to 70,000 livres in silver, plus mymission of 2,000 livres, and the amount I saved from negotiations with the others is 1,215 livres. In total, I should receive 73,215 livres from you. If I use 73,000 livres as an investment in your enterprise, how much equity can I obtain?"

    The two of them began discussing the details of the partnership. Fouch proved to be more agreeable than Barras in this matter. They quickly reached a broad consensus. Joseph felt that they were on the verge of forming aprehensive strategic partnership, but at that moment, Fouch asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, how do you perceive the current political situation?"

    Joseph knew that Fouch was different from Barras; he valued political standing over wealth. Even so, he asked, "Mr. Fouch, why do you ask me this question?"

    "In recent days, while handling these matters for you, I took the opportunity to study your various actions in recent years," Fouch replied. "Your actions have been quite cautious over the years, but now, they''ve be bolder. That''s why I''d like to understand your thoughts."

    "Mr. Fouch, it''s quite evident that the current government''s governance has led to chaos in France," Joseph began. "A regime can only persist if it has support. Who supports this government today?"

    "Who?" Fouch inquired.

    "Those who are making a fortune and wish to make even more. But do they truly believe in those who once cheered for the Jacobins and hailed Robespierre?" Joseph chuckled. "So, to secure their support, the government must not only guarantee their interests in policy but also ensure that those truly trusted by these people hold key positions in the government. Whom do these people trust the most?"

    "The followers of Brissot," Fouch answered.

    "Not just Brissot''s followers, but also those of Fayou and, as a bacsh against the Jacobins, anyone who fundamentally distrusts a strong government. This will inevitably lead to the resurgence of the royalists. These respectable folks, the Brissotists, the Fayouists, they don''t trust the current giants at all. Moreover, due to the liberalization of the market and the rejection of the Jacobins, it''s bound to have adverse effects on the military''sbat capability. So, in the future, France is likely to face continuous military failures, even if there are asional flickers of hope. Politically, the country will be restless, with frequent uprisings."

    Here, Joseph paused and looked at Fouch. Then he continued, "During this time, the respectable folks will realize that the weak government of today cannot secure their interests. They will need a strong government that can genuinely protect and even expand their interests. That''s when the real opportunity arises."

    Fouch smiled and said, "Back then, Robespierre was deeply concerned that prolonged wars would lead to the emergence of military dictators. But now, it seems this trend is irreversible, isn''t it? Your brother is a remarkable general, and you, sir, are an outstanding figure. With financial difficulties and the military beginning to starve, isn''t this the perfect moment to privatize the national army? Well, I hope we have a fruitful partnership from now on."

    Thus, the two of them smoothly formed aprehensive strategic partnership.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, I recall you wanted me to assist with security and confidentiality matters," Fouch said. "I reviewed the security regtions of the ''Military Research Institute'' from the past, and those rules were already quiteprehensive. However, they were costly to implement. I''ve made some simplifications based on the existing system. If you follow these, it should be sufficient. You also tasked me with keeping an eye on other manufacturers. For that, I need to remain in Paris. Furthermore, our real business needs someone in Paris. General Carnot can handle some military matters, but I believe there are aspects that I can manage better."

    "You make a valid point," Joseph agreed. "Alright, you can stay in Paris, overseeing intelligence matters. If you need anything, feel free to reach out to me. When I''m away, you can write to me or approach General Carnot directly."

    "Very well, that''s the n," Fouch said as he prepared to take his leave.

    "Ah, Mr. Fouch, when I''m not around, there''s someone else I''d like you to look after," Joseph added.

    "Who would that be?" Fouch inquired.

    "Armand''s sister, Miss Fanny," Joseph replied.

 Chapter 134: The Date

    Chapter 134: The Date

    Upon hearing Joseph''s request, Fouch paused for a moment and then smiled, "I understand. But Mr. Bonaparte, you''ll be returning to Toulon soon, and this seems a bit far for a meeting, doesn''t it?"

    Joseph also smiled and replied, "It''s a bit far, but there''s not much we can do about it."

    "Mr. Bonaparte, I saw that girl at Armand''s funeral, and she seemed like a good person. To maintainposure in such a situation, she''d make a good wife. But, Mr. Bonaparte, why don''t you find a way to bring her back to Toulon?"

    "She still has her parents in Paris, and they are ill," Joseph shook his head. "We''ll figure something outter."

    "Oh, by the way, I need something from you," Fouch said.

    "What do you need?"

    "I need some ''sweet melons''," Fouch said. "Don''t look at me like that; I don''t n to cause trouble in Paris. You know, the work I''m doing now often involves dealing with some gangsters, people who can do things that ordinary folks can''t. But many times, you have to let them know that you have the ability to cause trouble. Otherwise, they won''t take you seriously, and sometimes they might even want to eliminate you."

    "I see," Joseph said. "Come to my ce the day after tomorrow, and I can provide you with some. But Mr. Fouch, you need to be careful when dealing with these people."

    "I need ''sweet melons'' mainly for intimidation. The best form of intimidation is to do nothing," Fouch chuckled.

    "You''re an expert in that regard. Oh, by the way, does Miss Fanny know you?"

    "I saw her at Armand''s funeral, but I doubt she noticed me."

    "I have something for her the day after tomorrow, and I''d appreciate it if you could give it to Miss Fanny. You''ll have a chance to meet her, and I''ll rely on you to take care of her in the future," Joseph said with a smile.

    After bidding farewell to Fouch, Joseph''s business in Paris was almostplete, with only the date the following day remaining. For Joseph, going on a date with a girl was not an unfamiliar experience, but meeting a girl in a cemetery, whether in this life or thest, was indeed a first. In the previous life, if he had asked a girl out and sent her a message saying, "Are you free? If not, would you like to take a stroll in the park?" he would have probably been blocked immediately.

    The next morning, Joseph brought a bouquet of flowers and arrived at Fanny''s home in a light carriage. He parked the carriage and knocked on Fanny''s door.

    It wasn''t difficult to take Fanny out of her home, and in fact, the Marquis was pleased that someone was interested in dating his daughter. Though by modern standards, Fanny was still quite young, in this era, she could already be considered a spinster.

    As Joseph led Fanny, they quickly found Armand''s grave under Fanny''s guidance. The grave was still rtively new, with a gravestone that read: "ywright, Republican Soldier, Author of Spartacus, Armand Lavasie."

    Joseph removed his hat, ced the bouquet of flowers in front of the gravestone, and stood by Fanny, who was silently shedding tears.

    "Armand, I''m sorry it took me so long to visit you," Joseph said. "The situation in France right now, to be honest, isn''t very good. Everyone''s struggling, but rest assured, I''ll take care of your family for you."

    As he spoke, he reached out and held Fanny''s hand.

    Fanny didn''t say anything but continued to cry silently. Joseph didn''t know how tofort her, so he offered her a handkerchief.

    Fanny took the handkerchief but suddenly burst into tears.

    Joseph understood that she had been holding back for too long, and this outpouring of emotions was likely a relief for her. He reached out and gently stroked her hair. Unexpectedly, Fanny hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest and sobbing uncontrobly.

    Joseph felt a bit awkward, but he looked at Armand''s gravestone and reached out to embrace Fanny. After crying for a while, Fanny gradually stopped and raised her tear-stained face from Joseph''s chest.

    "Sir, I''m sorry, I..." she began.

    "It''s okay; you can think of me as your family, as a brother," Joseph said sincerely. However, when a man tells a woman to think of him as a brother, it usually means there are no ulterior motives. But if he says he hopes she thinks of him as a brother, that''s a different story. He might be harboring less-than-noble intentions.

    Joseph likely had some of these less-than-noble intentions, so he continued to stroke her hair and said, "Look at your tear-streaked face. You cried like a little kitten. When we go back, your father might think I''ve been mistreating you."

    While saying this, Joseph took the handkerchief from her and wiped away her tears. Then he hugged her again.

    Fanny cried for a while before gradually stopping. She pulled away from Joseph''s embrace, and Joseph knew she needed that release. She had leaned her head on his broad shoulder, a safe ce to lean on.

    After a while, they heard somemotion nearby. It seemed that someone was approaching. Fanny was startled, and she quickly pulled away from Joseph. They both looked in the direction of the noise and saw a few people heading elsewhere.

    "It''s probably others here to pay their respects, like us," Joseph said.

    "Not like us... we''ve been here for a while already," Fanny whispered. "We should go back."

    "Alright," Joseph said. He turned back to Armand''s grave and said, "Armand, we''re leaving now. We''ll visit you again in the future."

    Then he took Fanny''s hand and turned to leave the cemetery.

    Joseph thought, "If Armand, this overprotective brother, could see someone hugging andforting his sister by his grave, he would probably be furious enough to crawl out of the grave." He couldn''t help but nce back, but of course, he didn''t see anything out of the ordinary. After all, we''re writing a historical novel, not "From Dusk Till Dawn."

    The two of them left the cemetery and got back into the carriage. The midday sun was strong, so Joseph raised the carriage''s canopy and drove back.

    Perhaps tired from crying, Fanny fell asleep quickly on the swaying carriage. She rested her head on Joseph''s shoulder and held onto his arm.

    After a while, the carriage reached the city hall area, where it became more crowded and slowed down. The noisy surroundings woke Fanny, and she quickly sat up, adjusting her appearance. They were close to her home.

    At that moment, a newsboy ran past the carriage, holding a stack of newspapers and shouting, "News, news! Victory on the Belgian front, our forces win, General Joubert wounded."

    Joseph saw that it was crowded up ahead, so he stopped the carriage and called the newsboy to buy a newspaper from him.

    "What''s happened on the front?" Fanny asked.

    "I''ll check... Ah... the news is not very clear, but it seems our forces have defeated the Austrians again, though General Joubert was wounded in the battle. It doesn''t specify the extent of his injuries. Let''s hope it''s not too serious," Joseph said.

    The news in the newspaper was urate, but the details about Joubert''s injury were indeed not clear. In reality, Joubert had been wounded by a "sweet melon" thrown by one of his own men.

    After the Thermidorian coup, the production of military supplies had been severely disrupted and damaged. Joubert''s army was increasingly short of "sweet melons." On the other hand, the Austrians always had plenty of "sweet melons" to throw. So, Joubert had suffered a series of defeats.

    However, more recently, new munitions factories had started operating, and new "sweet melons" with various brand names began to flow into the army. With a sufficient supply of "sweet melons," Joubertunched a counteroffensive and once again defeated the Austrians, forcing them to retreat. However, it was in this battle that a French soldier, not surnamed Bonaparte, threw a "sweet melon" toward the enemy. Unfortunately, the fuse of this particr "sweet melon" seemed faulty, and it exploded in his hand as he pulled the fuse, killing him instantly. Even General Joubert was injured, as a piece of shrapnel hit him.

    Of course, Joseph learned these details from Fouch after the events.

 Chapter 135: Difficulties

    Chapter 135: Difficulties

    Joseph escorted Fanny back home, and the old Marquis couldn''t help but wonder why they had returned so early.

    Then Joseph informed them that he would leave Paris the next day and go back to Toulon temporarily.

    "Oh? Monsieur Bonaparte, why go to the countryside like Toulon? Paris isn''t what it used to be," the old Marquis eximed in surprise.

    Joseph was well aware that regional prejudice was a universal phenomenon, present throughout the world and throughout history. Just as in the future, the citizens of the imperial capital of East Big Eat Nation saw all other regions as "backwater," and for the city dwellers of all great cities, every other ce was considered the countryside. To most Parisians, except Paris itself, everywhere else in France, whether Lyon or Marseille, was both "backwater" and the countryside. Themon people there were all country bumpkins, and even the nobility was no exception. A viscount living in Paris was considered nobler than a count living in the provinces. Some people would rather die of poverty in Paris than go to the "provincial countryside."

    "It''s work-rted. After all, I am still a soldier," Joseph replied.

    "Ah, there''s no helping it then," the old Marquis sighed. "I wonder when peace wille. So, do you n toe back to Paris often?"

    "Yes, I wille to Paris regrly," Joseph replied, casting a nce at Fanny.

    "That''s good. Young people always want to venture out. It''s nice that you remember toe back, unlike that scoundrel, Armand, who only writes letters but never returns."

    After a few more words, Joseph bid farewell and left. Fanny apanied him to the door, and when Joseph saw there was no one around, he embraced Fanny and nted a kiss on her cheek.

    "What are you doing? Father might see us..." Fanny blushed and weakly protested, her voice as soft as a mosquito''s buzz.

    "Your voice is too low; your father won''t hear," Joseph said, kissing her again. Fanny made feeble attempts to resist, but she couldn''t use too much force. She wanted to say something but was silenced by his lips. She reluctantly allowed him to take some liberties.

    After a while, they separated.

    "It''s your fault; my father could have seen us," Fanny said.

    Joseph just smiled.

    "Promise to write to me often and don''t forget about me..."

    "Mm..."

    "And visit often..."

    "All right."

    "By the way, you mentioned some documents you wanted to give me?"

    "Tomorrow morning, I''ll send them over with someone. He''s a well-connected person; if you have any difficult matters, you can seek his assistance."

    Fanny sensed Joseph''s hesitation when he mentioned this person and asked, "Who is he? Is he your friend?"

    "Friend? No, he and I aren''t friends; we''re just partners. His name is Fouch, and he''s quite powerful, even dangerous. But don''t worry; his danger is rted to politics and has nothing to do with you."

    "But, isn''t he a danger to you? How can you say it has nothing to do with me?"

    "Ah, at least for now, he and we are on the same side, and his danger doesn''t target me," Joseph said, reaching out to touch Fanny''s cheek. "I''ll give you things that aren''t very important. Take your time; there''s no rush. We won''t need these things for quite a few years, at least in the short term."

    "Mm..."

    Joseph kissed Fanny again and then boarded the carriage.

    Fanny watched the carriage disappear at the street corner, closed the door, and returned to the living room. She heard the old Marquis calling her, "Fanny,e over..."

    Early the next morning, Joseph met up with Fouch as nned at his residence. Joseph handed a small bag to Fouch, and it felt quite heavy.

    "Genuine ''Bonaparte Melons,'' a total of twenty pieces," Joseph said. "Do you want to count them?"

    "No need," Fouch replied.

    "Alright, let''s go visit Fanny together, so you can meet her. When I''m not in Paris, I''ll need you to take care of many things," Joseph said.

    The two of them got into a carriage and soon arrived at their destination. Joseph and Fouch both got out, and Joseph knocked on the door, which was promptly answered. Fanny appeared before Joseph.

    With an outsider present, both Fanny and Joseph maintained the utmost politeness. Joseph introduced Fouch to Fanny and handed her a handbag, saying, "Take your time with this; there''s no rush."

    After a few more words, Joseph bid his farewell and left. However, he didn''t leave Paris immediately; he first visited the War Department.

    Inside the War Department, Carnot was troubled by the issue of military pay. France had conscripted nearly a million troops, resulting in substantial expenses. While Robespierre was still around, they managed to ensure the army''s supplies, by any means necessary. Now, with the newly established Conste, even that guarantee was bing challenging. Although, on paper, they allocated several times more funds to the military, the disbursements were all in promissory notes.

    Carnot had to make do, reallocating resources. The troops that weren''t engaged in battle had to endure and the ones on less critical fronts had to be patient, with the priority given to the armies fighting in the north.

    Even so, the military supply situation remained challenging.

    Without military representatives, the quality of military supplies became uncontroble, leading to widespreadints among the soldiers. For instance, some bays produced in certain arsenals had skipped essential heat treatment processes to cut costs, and the materials used were subpar. Some bays could be bent by hand, but at least they could be straightened with a foot. Others, while not as easily bent, broke after just a few thrusts in training. However, some even had a positive side: they couldn''t be bent at all, but during training, they broke so easily that one could assume they didn''t need any maintenance.

    Then there were muskets that exploded due to poor craftsmanship and "little melons" that exploded unpredictably due to fuse issues. Apart from General Jourdan''s encounter with the one that exploded instantly, there were cases where "little melons" thrown from French positions to Austrian positionsy on the ground smoking but didn''t detonate. They continued to emit smoke until French troops charged across and they exploded.

    However, considering the technology behind items like "little melons" was no longer a well-kept secret, with so many knowledgeable people, sooner orter, the French would be the only ones using counterfeit and inferior products. That was a worrisome prospect.

    So, when Joseph arrived, Carnot said, "Joseph, why are you still in Paris? You need to return to Toulon and establish a reliable weapons factory for me. At the very least, produce a batch of dependable ''little melons''! It''s unbelievable! We need to act quickly, or the north might not hold much longer!"

    "Is it that serious?" Joseph asked. "We have a muchrger number of troops than they do."

    "That''s only on paper," Carnot replied. "Right now, we''re short on funds, and we have even fewer troops we can use!"

    "What''s more, tell Napoleon that starting next month, his troops'' pay will be reduced," Carnot added.

    "Good Lord, how much are you cutting it by?" Joseph hurriedly asked.

    "One-third of the current amount," Carnot said.

    "Are you trying to starve our troops? Lazar, this tiny amount won''t even feed a bird! With this little money, not to mention training, we won''t even have enough for meals! Other armies might endure hardship, but we can''t undermine the foundation of our own troops, can we?" Joseph argued.

    "Other armies that are not on the front lines are being cut to a quarter of the previous amount or even lower," Carnot exined. "We''re running out of money."

    "Lazar, this will destroy our troops'' morale. High morale is one of our army''s most crucial advantages. If we lose that, a single nation like France won''t be able to stand against almost all of Europe," Joseph said, frowning.

    "You''re right, you''re right; you make a valid point. But I''m not God. I can''t just say, ''Let there be money,'' and suddenly we have money. Keeping one-third of the pay is the best I can do," Carnot said.

    Joseph sighed and said, "Lazar, if that''s the case, we''ll have to figure it out ourselves. Remember, the army is an institution of force with weapons in hand. They aren''t like regr people; they won''t endure hunger quietly. If ites to that, and we don''t act appropriately, our troops might turn into marauders."

    "That''s absolutely uneptable," Carnot said.

    "Lazar, what if weunch an attack on Italy from the south?" Joseph suddenly suggested. "Even if the troops go mad, let them do so on someone else''s territory."

    "Do you want our army to be like Genghis Khan''s nomads?" Carnot asked.

    "No, no, we won''t be nomads. We''ll go to Italy to fight the oppressors and distribute thend," Joseph rified.

 Chapter 136: Patience and Little Toys

    Chapter 136: Patience and Little Toys

    Cano paused for a moment, pondering the weight of the matter. "This is a significant decision, and it shouldn''t be made by just the two of us."

    He continued, "I will seriously consider this. If it proves feasible, I''ll write to you about it. However, it wouldn''t hurt to be prepared in advance."

    Joseph nodded. "I understand. But for this, I need your assurance of priority purchases for the weapons we produce. Besides, you know that genuine qualityes at a higher cost, and, in turn, a higher price. You must ensure that our products won''t lose the market to cheap imitations."

    Cano replied, "I''ll do my best."

    "Very well," Joseph said. "If there''s no other way, I''ll handle it myself."

    "Please, don''t be reckless," Cano sensed an odd tone in Joseph''s voice and cautioned him.

    Joseph chuckled, "You don''t know me well, do you?"

    ...

    Leaving Cano''s ce, Joseph gathered his guards and boarded a four-wheeled carriage, departing from Paris.

    The researchers who had signed contracts with him had already left Paris, heading for Toulon, a day before Joseph''s departure. They were traveling with a slower postal carriage, so Joseph''s cavalry caught up with them three days after leaving Paris.

    A few dayster, they arrived in Toulon. By this time, word had already reached them that Napoleon had expanded the "Naval Research Institute" - correction, it should now be called the Bonaparte Research Institute - just outside Toulon, awaiting their arrival.

    The newly expanded Bonaparte Research Institute had ayout quite simr to the old "Army Technology Research Institute." It was surrounded by high walls with drawbridges over moats. The basicyout closely mirrored the Army Technology Research Institute, so the researchers quickly found their ces and settled in.

    That day, Napoleon had prepared dinner for them. They gathered for a meal and then retired to their quarters.

    Joseph took Napoleon aside and they walked along the beach. Joseph began to exin the situation in Paris to Napoleon.

    "Are you nning to march with us to Italy?" Napoleon asked. "Why not head straight to Paris? What are those idiots doing over there?"

    "Napoleon, it''s not the right time to return to Paris just yet," Joseph replied. "You''ve had some victories, but has your standing among the French people risen significantly? Have you be a household name? Will the people think, ''If only General Napoleon were here'' in times of crisis? If not, how can you maintain a stable government even if you overthrow the current one by force? If you can''t, you''ll only be clearing the path for someone else."

    Napoleon listened and smiled wryly, "I know, but watching those fools jumping around is frustrating. It''s like watching amateurs y chess."

    "You might see them as amateurs, but others may not. It''s like watching a game of chess; you may think someone is making a losing move, but bystanders with lower skill levels may think it''s a good move. What we need to do now is elevate your prestige among the French people. When they hear about war, they should think, ''If General Napoleon weremanding, things would be better.'' Additionally, with the government providing less funding and lower-quality equipment, we should take the opportunity to win over the army, making it truly ours," Joseph exined.

    "So, you''re suggesting I go to Italy, use the wealth we seize to support the army, and then use a series of victories to highlight the ipetence of the Parisian leaders?" Napoleon quickly grasped Joseph''s n.

    "Yes, but not now. We must make the army feel the pain of an inept government first. They must grow to despise or even hate this government. Only then can you use the spoils of war to win them over and make them truly ours. Until then, we must be patient. In the meantime, I''ll be preparing some little toys for you," Joseph said cryptically.

    "What kind of toys?" Napoleon eagerly asked, remembering how effective the "little musketeers" Joseph had provided were. His expectations were already high.

    "It''s a secret," Joseph replied.

    From that day on, Joseph immersed himself in the research institute. Some of the things he had informed Napoleon about began to take shape in reality.

    First, the military pay was reduced, and though the nominal numbers seemed to increase, the soldiers received payment in the form of certificates whose value depreciated rapidly. Refusing these certificates becamemon, leading to further depreciation. Although the government restrained the printing of certificates to appease the upper ss, their value continued to plummet. The soldiers'' daily bread rations decreased in both quantity and quality.

    Napoleon reduced the frequency and intensity of training and stayed in the camp, eating the same food as the soldiers. He spent his days chatting with them, assuring them that the hardships were temporary, and led them in singing, "Things will get better, things will get better," with the added line, "We''ll have buttered bread."

    Despite grumbling about their reduced living standards, the soldiers grew fonder of Napoleon.

    A decline in living standards alone wouldn''t have eroded the image of the government so quickly, but the government''s provision of weapons and ammunition added fuel to the fire. The "little musketeers" that the soldiers had once loved were now a cause of concern, as this batch was not marked with the Bonaparte name.

    In the northern frontlines, a situation emerged simr to the one between the opposing armies'' equipment.

    During a live ammunition exercise, one musketeer''s shot remained silent for an extended period, leading the curious soldier to approach the "musketball." However, as he got closer, the musketball suddenly exploded.

    Luckily, this substandard "musketball" had omitted even the pre-made shrapnel, and the explosion only cracked it in two. The soldier was thrown off by the st but miraculously escaped unhurt.

    Several other "musketballs" failed to fire during the exercise, and lessons from the earlier incident prevented soldiers from approaching them. Napoleon even had the affected area cordoned off with ropes, forbidding anyone from getting near. Still, these "musketballs" remained silent.

    The other equipment was simrly subpar. The cannon''s gunpowder had absorbed moisture, the sulfur had not been properly crushed, and small stones used for weight measurements had slipped inside. The swords were in terrible condition, prone to notches and rolled edges. The soldiers even joked that they were afraid to use them for fear of cutting bread, but it was partly due to the bread''s excessive additives.

    Uniforms also deteriorated; the fabric became thinner, and buttons were loosely sewn, easily pulled off.

    With such issues, the soldiers'' grievances became hard to contain. Lower-ranking officers and their fellow soldiers in the northern frontlines corresponded through letters, vividly recounting dark tales of the situation. The story of the unfortunate General Joubert quickly spread.

    Napoleon tried to defend the government as much as possible, shifting the me onto unscrupulous merchants. He argued that the current government officials weren''t necessarily bad people; they were just young and naive, susceptible to maniption by cunning businessmen.

    However, this narrativecked persuasiveness. The soldiers were not naive; they did not believe that a group of naive young men had risen to such positions.

    "They could only be fools if they got fooled by a few unscrupulous merchants," one soldier said.

    "They''re either foolish or corrupt!" someone concurred.

    "They''ve climbed to those positions; they can''t be foolish. Their positions aren''t inherited. If we''re talking about dirty dealings, I won''t deny being a Mitterrand!" another soldier cursed.

    "Maybe some merchant offered them pretty women," one began to specte.

    "How do you know those ''women'' are indeed beautiful? Maybe they just washed their own sons and delivered them to those people. You know, some of them have a taste for that" the conversation took an even stranger turn.

    "Well, either way, the ones dying on the battlefield aren''t them. They''re not foolish; they''re corrupt!" someone concluded.

 Chapter 137: Poland Shall Not Perish

    Chapter 137: Pnd Shall Not Perish

    On a September morning, a man arrived at the gates of the "Bonaparte Institute" and presented a letter signed by Fouch and Carnot, requesting a meeting with Joseph.

    The letter was promptly delivered, and the man waited outside.

    "Vibitsky? Sounds like a vic name," Joseph mused as he examined the introductory letter. Although the letter contained almost no information apart from the bearer''s name, Joseph had a rough idea of the visitor''s purpose.

    "Very well, take him to the meeting room, and I''ll be there shortly," Joseph instructed.

    A whileter, Joseph met a man named Joseph, with the surname Vibitsky, in the meeting room.

    "Hello, General Bonaparte, I am a representative of General Kociuszko, and we hope to purchase some weapons from you for the just cause of the Polish people," the man exined in somewhat broken French.

    Joseph recognized the name Kociuszko. He knew that Kociuszko was a Polish military officer, and after the second partition of Pnd in 1793, Pnd was on the brink of annihtion. In March 1794, General Kociuszko, seizing the opportunity presented by the French victory over the Austrians and Russians, initiated an uprising in Krakw to reim Polish territory and establish a new Pnd. With the chaos in France after the Thermidorian Reaction, there was rtively little military pressure from the north, and much of it was attributed to General Kociuszko.

    To suppress his uprising and to prevent Russia from taking the rest of Pnd, Prussia and Austria, despite British opposition, transferred troops from Belgium to Pnd. General Kociuszko had hoped that France would divert enemy forces, but instead, he ended up drawing them to support France.

    "What kind of weapons are you looking to purchase?" Joseph inquired directly, as the visitor had been.

    "Bonaparte muskets, the authentic ones," Vibitsky replied.

    "Well, we''ve just resumed the production of those weapons," Joseph said. "So, how many do you need, and how will you pay for them? Regarding transportation, will you handle it yourself, or would you like us to deliver the goods?"

    Vibitsky provided a number and added, "If the price is right, we may ce additional orders."

    Joseph shook his head internally at the mention of "additional orders." Given the precarious situation in Pnd, it was unclear how long they could sustain themselves.

    After considering, Joseph quoted a price. "Is this price too high?" Vibitsky seemed surprised. "Other manufacturers offer much lower prices."

    Joseph was prepared for this question. He smiled and replied, "Mr. Vibitsky, to be candid, our products are indeed priced higher than those of other manufacturers, but there''s a reason for it. Our production costs are significantly higher."

    He gestured to a nearby guard and said, "Fetch a sample of the ''Bonaparte musket,'' and bring a few samples of the cheaper ''muskets'' too."

    The guard left to retrieve the samples. Joseph continued, "I noticed that you emphasized the need for authentic ''Bonaparte muskets'' when making your purchase request. You must be aware of the issues with the ''muskets'' produced by manufacturers near Paris. You might also know about the injury to General Joubert. Furthermore, in the Prussian army, the use of cheaper firearms has caused problems."

    Joseph exined the differences between the weapons,paring the authentic "Bonaparte musket" to the cheaper alternatives. He emphasized the importance of the deep grooves on the authentic musket, which allowed it to fragment into deadly projectiles when it exploded. In contrast, the cheaper versionscked these grooves, resulting in less lethal shrapnel.

    However, Vibitsky still seemed hesitant. "Mr. Joseph, isn''t this price a bit too high?" he asked.

    Joseph had an answer ready. "Mr. Vibitsky, it is true that our products are more expensive because they are of higher quality. Our manufacturing process is more refined, and the performance is superior, but that alsoes with higher costs. To be frank, we don''t make much more profit from these high-quality weaponspared to the cheaper alternatives."

    At this point, the guard returned with samples of both types of muskets. Joseph presented them to Vibitsky, highlighting the differences.

    Vibitsky examined the samples but struggled to discern the distinctions.

    "Mr. Vibitsky, the authentic ''Bonaparte musket'' has deep grooves on its surface. These grooves serve two purposes: they provide a better grip, making it less likely to slip in the hands of nervous soldiers on the battlefield, and they prevent idents like dropping the musket on one''s foot. The grooves are crucial for ensuring the weapon''s effectiveness and safety," Joseph exined while demonstrating with the samples.

    Vibitsky had a better understanding now. Joseph continued, "Besides, the authentic ''Bonaparte musket'' explodes into numerous deadly fragments when it detonates, creating a wide killing radius. Even one of these musketsnding in the enemy ranks can take down a line of soldiers."

    Joseph then turned to the cheaper musket, highlighting itsck of grooves and less effective explosion. He exined that the cheaper musket''s grooves were shallow and created using etching, which made them less effective in preventing slippage. He also mentioned that the cheaper musket''s materials and manufacturing were inferior.

    Vibitsky seemed more convinced, though he was still hesitant about the price.

    Joseph smiled and said, "Mr. Vibitsky, if you increase your order quantity, we can arrange to deliver the goods for you."

    This offer immediately piqued Vibitsky''s interest. "Can you deliver to Pnd?" he asked.

    Joseph shook his head, "Unfortunately, we can''t do that directly due to the scrutiny of ovend routes from France to Pnd. However, we can have the goods delivered to Denmark. You can then transport them by sea to Gdask, and from there, cross into Pnd through Prussia. This route is less closely monitored and should be easier for you."

    Vibitsky corrected Joseph, "There is no ''Gdask,'' only ''Gdynia'' (the Polish name for Gdask)."

    Vibitsky inquired about the order quantity required for this service. Joseph responded, "If you double your order quantity, we can deliver the goods to Denmark for free. But I must be honest, your enemies are formidable, and while I admire your courage, your struggle may not have a favorable oue."

    Vibitsky''s face changed, and he seemed ready to challenge Joseph to a duel. "Bonaparte, what do you mean?" he asked, his eyes burning with anger.

    Joseph reassured him, "Mr. Vibitsky, please, do not be upset. I have no ill intentions. I merely wish to offer advice as a friend and as a friend of the Polish people in the current situation. You should know that in all of Europe, there is no more reliable friend for the Polish people than France."

    This statement calmed Vibitsky, who apologized for his emotional outburst. He asked Joseph whether he genuinely believed their struggle had a bleak future.

    Joseph confirmed his belief, attributing it to the internal issues in France that were diverting its attention from Pnd''s plight. He said, "Even if this uprising does not immediately reim your territory, it can inspire national spirit. With such spirit, even if Pnd faces temporary setbacks, it will not truly perish."

    "Thank you for your encouragement," Vibitsky replied.

    Joseph then rmended that they prepare for the future. He advised against direct confrontation if the enemy was too powerful, suggesting a guerri warfare strategy. Joseph exined that if the resistance remained strong and united, Pnd could prevail. He encouraged Vibitsky to organize a resistance and to undermine the invaders'' efforts by making their costs exceed their gains.

    Vibitsky stood up, excited by Joseph''s words, and dered, "Pnd shall not perish as long as the me of resistance burns."

    Joseph proposed another weapon called "Bonaparte''s Mousetrap," which was essentially andmine with a fuse. Vibitsky eagerly epted the offer to see it.

    Joseph exined that they were selling only the fuse, as Vibitsky''s forces could easily create the body of thendmine using stones and ck powder. He assured Vibitsky that, even though they would have to assemble it themselves, the cost would be much lower.

    Vibitsky was delighted and dered that he would acquire the fuses.

    "Mr. Vibitsky, for this sacred cause, we must work together," Joseph emphasized. "And remember, as long as the me of resistance burns, Pnd shall not perish."

    Vibitsky was now invigorated and determined to return to Pnd and lead the resistance. He thanked Joseph for his support and advice.

    Joseph concluded the meeting by saying, "Remember, we are friends of the Polish people, and as long as we stand together, Pnd''s spirit will endure, and Pnd shall not perish."

 Chapter 138: The Smuggling Ship

    Chapter 138: The Smuggling Ship

    Under Joseph''s persuasive talk, Vebitzki emptied his pockets of all the money he had within his authority. Vebitzki alsoined about how remote Toulon was, making it nearly impossible to find a Jewish moneylender who would lend money at high interest rates. (In reality, there were some in Toulon, but they had been purged by Kudon and harvested by Fouch, and were yet to regrow.)

    Joseph then introduced Vebitzki to the guerri warfare training they offered at their institute. He suggested that if the Poles were willing to pay, they could provide military training services. Vebitzki was very interested in this idea. They signed a contract, with Vebitzki paying half of the deposit. They agreed on the approximate time and location of delivery and left their contact information. Then, Vebitzki took his leave.

    Joseph went on to arrange production and sent for Napoleon.

    After Napoleon arrived, Joseph exined the situation in detail to him. Napoleon responded, "Sending the goods to Denmark won''t be difficult. Although your ''ck pearls'' might experience some turbulence at sea, our people have sailed to Norway a few times (to purchase caustic soda). The North Sea can be rough, but it''s not impossible to traverse. But about providing military training, do we have such a project?"

    "We don''t," Joseph admitted, "but, Napoleon, when you see an opportunity to make money, shouldn''t we seize it? Besides, we really need the money right now, don''t we?"

    "Are you suggesting that we assemble a team now?" Napoleon asked. "But time might not be on our side. I have my doubts about those Poles. Even if you cram their heads with all that knowledge, I don''t believe they have what it takes to achieve these things. What you''re talking about might sound simple, but we both know that it takes a high level of organization to make it happen. Can we count on these Poles? I don''t think they can rival Suvorov."

    Napoleon shook his head as he spoke.

    "I know that," Joseph acknowledged. "Maybe in a few more months, at most until next year, they will copse militarily. But if we can start guerri warfare, even if it''s not sessful, it will distract our enemies and create more wealth for us. As for training the personnel..."

    Joseph thought for a moment and continued, "After the Red Army is disbanded, do you still have contacts with your formerrades?"

    "We do, they''re our old subordinates. How can we not have contact?" Napoleon replied.

    "Their lives must be quite difficult now, and Carnot doesn''t have the budget to let them hone their skills through actualbat exercises. He can''t afford to send them into battle either. So, we can propose to him that we provide the funds to hire some Red Army soldiers to carry out this task. See, that way, the problem is solved, isn''t it?"

    "Well, Joseph, that''s indeed a good idea!" Napoleon''s eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed.

    ording to the contract they had signed, over a monthter, Vebitzki returned to the "Bonaparte Institute." He would apany the smuggling ship to Denmark to deliver the goods.

    This was the first significant foreign customer for the "Bonaparte Institute," so both Joseph and Bonaparte attached great importance to this operation. They arranged the best smuggling ship and the most skilled sailors for the task.

    "Mr. Vebitzki, this is our best captain, Captain Van der Deken. He''s Dutch and doesn''t speak much French, only Low German and English. But he''s our best captain, always, when ites to sailing, the Dutch are the best in the world," Joseph introduced Captain Van der Deken to Vebitzki, showing him the "Flying" ship.

    "Hello, Captain Deken," Vebitzki greeted the Dutchman in English, noting that the captain had only one eye.

    "Nice to meet you, sir. On behalf of all the sailors, wee aboard," the one-eyed captain said with a friendly smile, and heughed heartily, the sunlight gleaming on hisrge golden teeth.

    Vebitzki knew that many of the French smuggling ships were formerly pirate ships. From the captain to the sailors, they were all ruthless pirates. Later, the revolutionary government needed to engage in smuggling activities and pardoned them. Now, looking at Captain Deken''s one eye and the sailors next to him, who didn''t seem like the most righteous of men, Vebitzki couldn''t help butbel them as "pirates" in his mind.

    With Vebitzki''s witness, the cargo was loaded onto the ship. He followed Captain Deken aboard the ship. This ship was a typical clipper ship. It was slightlyrger than the original "ck Pearl" but still had a tonnage of only about five to six hundred. The ship was notrge, so Captain Deken took Vebitzki around the full ship in less than ten minutes.

    Finally, Captain Deken led Vebitzki to his cabin.

    "Mr. Vebitzki, this is your room," Captain Deken said as he opened the door. "Our ship is small, and space is limited, so it''s cramped. You''ll have to bear with it."

    To lower the ship''s center of gravity, almost all the cabins were below the deck. It was especially dark inside. With the help of antern, Vebitzki saw that the so-called room was as small as a pigeon cage. There was only a bed about a meter wide, and if someone sat on it, the door couldn''t be closed.

    There were also two conspicuous red straps on the bed.

    "Our ship can be quite turbulent at sea. Sometimes it can toss people up. So when you sleep, you need to tie yourself to the bed with these two straps for safety," Captain Deken exined.

    "Will the little cantaloupes be okay then?" Vebitzki asked, thinking of the little cantaloupes on the ship.

    "Oh, those little cantaloupes are securely fastened; after all, we''re afraid of death too," Captain Dekenughed.

    Seeing that Captain Deken was in a good mood, Vebitzki asked, "Why haven''t I seen any cannons on the ship?"

    In this era, nearly all ocean-going ships were equipped with a certain number of cannons. Because it was a time when pirates roamed freely. Although there werews and order onnd, the vast sea was still a dark forest. Even ordinary merchant ships, when encountering obviously weaker ships, would sometimes y pirates just for fun.

    So any cargo ship sailing on the open sea had to carry several cannons to protect themselves.

    "We don''t need cannons on our ship. And we can''t install them even if we wanted to. After we set sail shortly, you''ll understand," Captain Deken replied.

    "Can I go see how the ship operatester?" Vebitzki asked.

    "You can. You can go to the deck now. But if we pass through the Strait of Gibraltar, you''d better not go up to the deck casually," Captain Deken warned.

    "Then, please show me the way."

    ...

    That afternoon, the "Flying" ship left the dock and headed out to sea. Vebitzki stood on the deck and looked at the countless seagulls flying over his head.

    He had brought Joseph to Toulonst year and left a bit early, so this was the first time he had boarded a ship. And it was still a smuggling ship at that. Vebitzki stood there watching the flying seagulls, and the other sailors were at a loss, as they had never seen a person entranced by seagulls in this way.

    This ship, from its name to its sailors, was all very strange. Captain Deken was just the beginning. He could barely speak French, and the way heughed was even stranger. Vebitzki had never met such a character before.

    And the ship was no ordinary cargo ship, it was actually called the "Flying" ship.

    Vebitzki then saw Captain Deken and a few other sailors carryingrge bags of wine to the deck. Then they broke the bottles of wine and sprinkled the wine on the deck.

    As the wine was poured, Vebitzki saw the clear sky be darker and darker.

    "Is it going to rain?" Vebitzki asked. It was all wine on the deck now, and it looked like the dark clouds that announced the arrival of rain.

    "No, Mr. Vebitzki," Captain Deken said with a chuckle. "It''s just that we''re soon going to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. And after the passage, there will be no seagulls. So we invite the seagulls to stay with us for a little longer. Let them apany us on this short journey. This wine is a gift from us to them."

    Looking at the now dark and somewhat confused sky, Vebitzki had a premonition.

    As he watched the dark clouds receding, Vebitzki had a more intense feeling.

    This was the first time he had ever heard of people sprinkling wine on a ship''s deck to say goodbye to seagulls.

    "Sir, have you decided?" Captain Deken turned to Vebitzki, still chuckling.

    Vebitzki sighed as he thought of the ce he hade from, and then of Joseph, Napoleon, the preparations for this voyage, and finally, the soldiers. Then he said to Captain Deken, "I''ve decided, Captain. I''ll apany the ck pearls on the trip to Denmark."

    This voyage was the first voyage for both Joseph''s "Bonaparte Institute" and Vebitzki. A new force had appeared in the world''s arms trade, which would shake the worldter.

 Chapter 139: The Grand Order from North America (1)

    Chapter 139: The Grand Order from North America (1)

    Orders for weapons, especially those rted to the French army, were few and far between. Despite Carnot''s efforts to direct orders towards Joseph and his associates, Carnot''s influence had dwindled. He no longer held sway even in military matters.

    On the other hand, the Naval Research Institute, located far from Paris and seized quickly by Joseph''s team, retained some critical technologies. As a result, they were the sole producers of flying clipper ships in all of Europe.

    During this time, the advantage of flying clippers in smuggling had be evident. Since their introduction, not a single flying clipper had been caught in illicit activities.

    Though the cargo capacity of flying clippers was not ideal, after ounting for the shorter round-trip times due to higher speeds, it was concluded that these vessels were more efficient in transporting goodspared to conventional cargo ships of simr size. Consequently, more orders for flying clippers came pouring into Joseph''s hands.

    Joseph realized that the shipyard attached to the research institute was struggling to keep up with the increasing demand. Expanding the shipyard became necessary, but it was arge project that required substantial funds, and Joseph''s resources were not sufficient.

    However, the economic situation of the Bonaparte family remained healthy, with almost all of their businesses turning a profit, and Joseph''s wealth was steadily growing. To most people ustomed to building a family business over generations, his rate of earnings was remarkable. Yet, from Joseph''s perspective as a modern-day individual, the pace of expansion was frustratingly slow.

    "This era is sorelycking reliable financial instruments," Joseph muttered to himself. The banks of this time provided limited funds at shockingly high interest rates, with 20% annual interest rates considered friendly. Given the meager economic growth typical of the era, even in peacetime, a 1% growth rate was a rarity. Most businesses could not support such interest rates. Despite the impressive profitability of Joseph''s enterprises, he found it exasperating to borrow loans at 20% interest rates.

    If borrowing was not an option, the alternative was to attract more investors. However, this would result in the dilution of equity, something Joseph was reluctant to do. Thus, expanding production became a vexing issue.

    "It seems I''ll have to pressure the customers," Joseph thought, as he was left with no other option.

    Initially, to attract customers and facilitate sales, Joseph offered installment payments for the flying clippers. However, he hade to realize that he could change this approach and require full prepayment.

    High-quality customers could still receive some discounts. Joseph even considered establishing the "Bonaparte Shipping Bank" specifically for providing favorable-rate loans to customers purchasing ships.

    However, the profitability of flying clippers couldn''t be sustained for long since their technology was primarily based on their appearance, making long-term secrecy nearly impossible. In a short time, other countries, particrly the British, would likely master the manufacturing technology of flying clippers.

    At the end of December, the flying clipper "ck Pearl"pleted a round trip from Marseille to New York in just over a month, with an average speed exceeding ten knots. This speed was twice that of ordinary cargo ships, turning the ship into a legend.

    Apanying the "ck Pearl" from America to France were not only the much-needed French goods but also a few American visitors.

    As soon as they arrived in Marseille, these Americans made their way to the Bonaparte Research Institute''s recruitment office.

    The recruitment office of the Bonaparte Research Institute differed from others. It was a curiously shaped counter in the street, disying various short firearms and rted essories, as well as models of cannons and ships. The counter had one or two attractive female attendants and a few burly men behind it.

    Most of the time, when a smuggling ship docked, merchants from the ship would casually approach the counter, order a few crates of "small melons," and other items, exchange a few jokes with the female attendants, pay promptly, and have their goods loaded onto their ship.

    If a wealthy shipowner came to buy a ship, a female attendant would escort them to an upstairs meeting room, serve freshly brewed Turkish coffee, and then have the managere over to discuss matters.

    The group of Americans entered the recruitment office and approached the counter.

    "I''ve heard that you can order ships here," said the middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, using a Bordeaux dialect. His hair was slightly graying, perhaps due to frequent travels at sea, which had left his face weathered and tanned.

    As soon as they mentioned ordering ships, both female attendants stood up.

    "Sir, we do indeed ept ship orders here, and we can manufacture various ships, including the fastest vessels in the world. If you have such a need, you''vee to the right ce. Please follow us upstairs for a detailed discussion."

    The two female attendants led the Americans upstairs to the meeting room. One of them poured coffee for them, while the other found the manager responsible for this type of business, Du Thierry.

    Du Thierry, apanied by a young clerk, arrived in the meeting room. They sat down on the sofa in front of the Americans.

    "Gentlemen, how can I assist you? I''m Du Thierry, the manager of the Bonaparte Research Institute''s recruitment office," Du Thierry introduced himself.

    The graying man, Stephen Girard, looked at the young clerk next to Du Thierry. He noticed that when the clerk interjected during their conversation, Du Thierry did not react at all.

    "Normally, managers don''t appreciate a clerk interjecting during negotiations. However, in this case, the manager seems unfazed by the clerk''s interruption. This young clerk must have a significant role."

    "Sir, we''ve heard about the stories of your brother," Stephen Girard said with enthusiasm, "and we''vee all the way from America to purchase flying clipper ships. I''m particrly interested in these high-speed merchant vessels. If you can meet my requirements, I might buy seven or eight of them in one go. However, I''m not looking for flying clippers the size of the ''ck Pearl.'' Ships of that size have limited usability and high operating costs. I needrger flying clippers, ones that can transport ordinary goods. Do you have flying clippers of arger size, or can you build them?"

    Du Thierry asked, "Currently, we manufacture flying clippers that are slightlyrger than the ''ck Pearl,'' such as the ''Skyborne'' ss, which has nearly double the cargo capacity. Does that meet your needs?"

    "Only twice the size of the ''ck Pearl''?" Stephen Girard shook his head, "That''s still too small. Are there norger options, or is it impossible for you to buildrger flying clippers?"

    "I''m sorry, I''m not certain about this, but I believe" Du Thierry was about to find a way to persuade the Americans when the young clerk by his side suddenly interjected, "We can buildrger flying clippers, even ones asrge as battleships. It shouldn''t be a problem."

    Stephen Girard looked at the young clerk with great interest. He noticed that when the clerk interjected, Du Thierry, the manager, had no reaction at all.

    "Sir, you mentioned that you can build muchrger flying clippers?" Stephen Girard asked.

    "In theory, it should be possible. At least, that''s what my brother said. Of course, he''s never built suchrge flying clippers before, so there may be some technical details that need to be worked out. But major issues should not exist. My brother, Joseph Bonaparte, said that the primary problem would be funding," the young clerk replied.

    "Ah, may I ask who your brother is?" Stephen Girard inquired.

    "Oh, my brother is Joseph Bonaparte, the owner and controller of the Bonaparte Research Institute, the measurer of lightspeed, and the inventor of flying clippers and small melons. I''m his younger brother, Lucien. It''s a pleasure to meet you."

    Lucien had been assigned some social practice tasks by Joseph during this period, one of which was to assist at the recruitment office and serve as a clerk to gain more social experience. It just so happened that he met Stephen Girard and his group, who were interested in purchasingrge flying clippers.

    "I see, you''re Mr. Bonaparte," Stephen Girard said quickly. "I''ve heard various stories about your brother back in America. Could you arrange a meeting for us? I hope to discuss the construction ofrge flying clippers with you and your brother."

    Lucien considered this and thought it should be eptable since buildingrger flying clippers was not a significant secret. Additionally, if this American could genuinely buy seven or eight ships at once, it would mean substantial profits for Joseph.

    "Of course, you can. However, you might not be aware that my brother has been upied with somethingtely, spending most of his time in theboratory. I''m not sure when you''ll be able to meet him. It might take a day or two," Lucien replied.

    "Thank you. I believe ''ck Pearl'' has already saved us a lot of time, and we have other purchases to make as well. Waiting for a day or two won''t be a problem for us."

 Chapter 140: The Grand Order from North America (2)

    Chapter 140: The Grand Order from North America (2)

    Joseph was deeply engrossed in hisboratory, working on a new creation. It was a gift he intended to present to Napoleon, a new toy for the Italian campaigna Mini ball rifle.

    During this era, rifled muskets already existed, but their slow reloading speed made them nearly useless outside of hunting. The early rifled musket bullets were slightlyrger than the barrel, requiring the shooter to hammer and ram the bullet down the barrel, aborious and time-consuming process. In contrast, smoothbore muskets could fire seven or eight rounds in the time it took to load a single shot with rifled muskets.

    However, the Mini ball changed everything. In the original history, this bullet was jointly invented around 1849 by French captains ude-tienne Mini and Henri-Gustave Delvigne. The Mini ball had a slightly smaller caliber, eliminating the awkwardness of loading due to oversized bullets.

    The bullet had threads around the body to engage the rifling, with animal fat lubricated in the grooves. This innovation waster adopted by the British, who unknowingly used bullets lubricated with pig or cow fat, leading to the Indian Rebellion.

    At the base of the bullet, a soft material was used. When fired, the pressure of the gunpowder gas expanded the soft material, creating a tight seal in the barrel. This solved the problem of gas leakage in old-style muzzleloading rifles, enhancing their speed, range, and safety.

    Although the Mini ball was invented decadester, its implementation was rtively simple at this time. The advantages it brought in terms of tactics were immense.

    Firstly, it allowed rifled muskets to match smoothbore muskets in terms of reloading speed, rendering smoothbore muskets almost obsolete. A typical smoothbore musket had an effective range of less than one hundred yards, but a rifled musket using Mini balls could urately engage targets up to five hundred yards away.

    Before the Mini ball, both the British and the Russians believed that "bullets are for fools, bays for heroes," often advancing to close quartersbat on the battlefield. However, if their enemies were equipped with rifles capable of effectively firing at five hundred yards, the valor of the British and Russian armies would be a joke. Hand-to-handbat would no longer hold its esteemed ce.

    In the age of smoothbore muskets, infantry had to form tight formations on the battlefield to counter the threat of cavalry. However, with the introduction of the Mini ball, cavalry charging infantry was practically suicidal. The cavalry''s role diminished significantly.

    In addition, artillery tactics were heavily impacted. In the smoothbore musket era, cannon fire with canister or grape shot had an effective range that exceeded infantry muskets. Therefore, cannons could be positioned at the front of formations for offensive purposes.

    But with the arrival of Mini balls, the effective range of infantry weapons surpassed that of cannons firing canister or grape shot. While solid shot fired from cannons had a longer range than Mini balls, it was inefficient for firing at dispersed infantry due to uracy issues. cing cannons at the frontlines for attacks was impractical, as it made the gunners vulnerable to enemy infantry. Thus, artillery had to be positioned further back and mainly used for support.

    Even the game-changer of history, who altered the course of events, would see his role shift from a primary weapon to a secondary one due to the limitation in throwing distance.

    This type of weapon had a significant w, though. Its technological barrier was so low that anyone who looked at it could easily understand how it worked. Once it was used, the relevant technology would undoubtedly be obtained by others, be they France''s enemies or business rivals of the Bonaparte family.

    So, the use of this innovation would have to wait until Napoleon entered Italy. The Bonaparte family would seize victory and ascend to political power with the help of this weapon, using that position to suppress and defeat their business rivals.

    Of course, as a time traveler, Joseph knew that eventually, this weapon would be reced by breech-loading bolt-action rifles. He wasn''t trying to dy progress deliberately, but the technology for these bolt-action rifles was difficult to achieve at this time. For instance, these rifles required steel, not wrought iron, but the most advanced steel-making technique in this era was crucible steel, which couldn''t meet the requirements in terms of production and efficiency.

    Bullet development had already achieved sess early on, but the design of the riflegged behind. Mini balls required faster-burning gunpowder, leading to two problems: rapidly rising and falling chamber pressure. To avoid chamber ruptures, the barrel had to be made thicker, resulting in a heavier rifle and increased production costs.

    Joseph designed the rifle barrel to be thicker towards the rear and thinner towards the front in a conical shape, but determining the exact thickness of the barrel at various points required time and experimentation. So, these seemingly simple principles upied a considerable portion of Joseph''s time, causing him to send letters with fewer words to Fanny.

    Nevertheless, even during busy times, one must maintain a work-life bnce, especially for those engaged in intellectual pursuits. Joseph established that researchers would have one day of rest every ten days, and their daily work hours wouldn''t exceed twelve. For himself and advanced researchers like Lavasie, they would enjoy two days of rest every ten days, with a maximum of six hours of work per day. As forborers, they were abundant in the streets, and unless their skills were exceptionally advanced and irreceable, Joseph didn''t have time to attend to them.

    Today was not a resting day, but Joseph received a letter from Lucien, stating that a millionaire wanted to discuss a substantial business deal. Consequently, Joseph entrusted Lavasie with the affairs of the research institute and hurried back to Marseille. There, in his estate, he met with Stephen Girard.

    Joseph had only a vague understanding of history and was unaware of the legendary figure in American history before this time. The man before him, a French-speaking American with a distinct Bordeaux ent, was none other than Stephen Girard, who would go on to be North America''s shipping magnate and the first individual in American history to umte wealth exceeding one million dors. But, these aplishmentsy in the future, and at this moment, he was just starting his impressive career.

    Stephen Girard had a sailor''s background and had a particr fascination with various types of ships. When he first saw the "ck Pearl" in New York''s harbor and learned about its performance, he immediately realized that if the ship''s cargo capacity could reach five hundred tons, it would be far more efficient than the average sailboat. With his sharp instincts, this French-American returned to France to study this vessel further.

    Over the next two days, Joseph and Stephen Girard engaged in grueling negotiations, with both sides pretending to be impoverished, trying to motivate each other, and professing that the discussions had deepened their mutual understanding. Finally, they reached an agreement on a strategic partnership.

    ording to the agreement they signed, Stephen Girard would ce a one-time order for seven five-hundred-ton clipper ships at the Bonaparte Research Institute''s affiliated shipyard. He would prepay the full purchase price for five of these ships, with the remaining amount to be paid upon delivery.

    The Bonaparte Research Institutemitted to transferring theplete technology required for constructing these clipper ships to Stephen Girard. They also pledged to send technical advisors to Stephen Girard''s shipyard in New York, guaranteeing that these advisors would be paid a sry at least 1.5 times the wages of their French counterparts. The Bonaparte Research Institute also vowed to ensure that the Girard Shipyard in New York would master the technology for clipper ship construction within two years.

    Stephen Girard promised that for the next fifteen years, for each clipper ship produced by Girard Shipyard, he would pay a technology usage fee to the Bonaparte Research Institute, at a rate of one dor per ton of cargo capacity.

    The Bonaparte Research Institute pledged not to sell this technology to other manufacturers during this period. However, if they did sell clipper ships to other North Americanpanies, they would bepensated by Stephen Girard at a rate of 1.5 dors per ton of cargo capacity.

    ....

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 Chapter 141: Luciens New Role

    Chapter 141: Lucien''s New Role

    Within the contract signed with Stephen Girard, the most important aspect, as perceived by Joseph, was Girard''smitment to prepay the full cost of the first fiverge clipper ships. Considering that clipper ships were significantly more expensive to build than ordinary vessels, this was indeed a substantial sum of money.

    With this financial infusion, Joseph could proceed with the expansion of the shipyard. Of course, this meant Joseph had more tasks on his hands and became busier than ever.

    Lucien and Louis were pleased with this development because it meant Joseph wouldn''t be monitoring their activities as closely. However, Lucien''s satisfaction was short-lived as Joseph soon found new tasks for him.

    "Lucien, you''ve been doing welltely," Joseph said. "Your assistance in the American deal was a great help to me. It seems like you''ve grown and improved."

    Lucien immediately became proud and responded, "Of course... I believe I''ve made significant progresspared to how I was before."

    "Well, you know, both Napoleon and I are quite busy these days, and we need someone to share our workload. We believe you have the reliability and capability. After all, you are our brother, and that naturally makes you the most reliable choice. As for your abilities, both Napoleon and I think you''re quitepetent. So, we hope you can help us shoulder the family''s responsibilities. However, you must know that after the incidentst time, we had some doubts about your reliability. But recently, you''ve shown improvement, and upon reflection, I realized we made a mistake by entrusting you with significant responsibilities without adequate training."

    Lucien''s initial happiness waned when he heard the words "without adequate training." He interrupted Joseph sincerely, saying, "Joseph, I don''t think thest incident had anything to do with inadequate training. It was mainly due to my owncency andck of vignce."

    "It''smendable that you can self-critique so honestly and identify your shorings. However, no genius grows without training. Just like Napoleon, without his education at the military academy, he wouldn''t possess the leadership skills he has today. Necessary training remains essential. Now, my business has grown, and the institute demands more of my time. I''m overwhelmed, and I can''t manage everything alone. Lucien, I''d like you to work with me, at least for a while, as my confidential secretary. This will allow you to develop your abilities and gain an overall understanding of our family''s operations."

    Lucien initially thought that working as a confidential secretary for Joseph was a good arrangement. However, he quickly realized that the role of a confidential secretary meant...

    "Lucien,e help me here... The crucial processes here arepleted, and now it''s about the calctions. Take over and provide me with the data."

    "Lucien,e here... I think there''s an issue with this data. Gather the relevant materials and verify it, find out where the problem lies."

    "Lucien, this is the agenda for thetter part of the month. Organize them and create an optimal execution sequence."

    "Lucien..."

    While Joseph didn''t deceive Lucien regarding his responsibilities, working as a confidential secretary expanded Lucien''s understanding of the family''s operations and notably improved his analytical skills. Still, he couldn''t help but feel like he was continually solving mathematical problems.

    Despite that, Lucien was generally satisfied with Joseph''s arrangement because it allowed him to ess information he never could have otherwise. This made him feel genuinely valued.

    With a reliable confidential secretary like Lucien, Joseph had more free time to focus on honing his skills in French writing  especially for the letters he wrote to Fanny.

    Joseph shared most of his other correspondence, particrly those with people in Paris, with Lucien, who assisted him in analyzing the situation in Paris and devising strategies. Participating in these matters was intriguing, but there was a catch:

    "All right, Lucien, we''ve analyzed our response. Now, draft a reply on my behalf..."

    Then Joseph would go off to rest, and Lucien would get to work on writing the reply.

    Typically, the issues discussed in these letters were within Joseph''s expectations, making his responses less challenging. However, a recent letter from Fouch presented a dilemma for Joseph.

    "Fouch mentioned that the government is preparing for new elections to form a new parliament. After all, the previous National Convention had significant vacancies."

    "That''s natural. The original parliamentarians either got executed by Robespierre or had some Jacobin affiliations. Of course, they have to rece them. But aren''t they concerned that these elections might bring a flood of royalists into power at this time?"

    Ever since the downfall of Robespierre, the Thermidorian Reaction, the Thermidorians, as they were known, had been trying to undermine the Jacobins. However, their hold on power was fragile, and without the support of the sans-culottes, they couldn''t maintain their authority. The sans-culottes had even attempted two unsessful uprisings, backed by the remnants of the Jacobins, to overthrow them. In opposition to the sans-culottes, the petite bourgeoisie wasn''t necessarily supportive either. The Thermidorians depended on big capital.

    In the Jacobin period, the bourgeoisie had been subjected to various forms of price controls and requisitions, which were meant to curb their power. However, the French bourgeoisie, despite being called "big capital," didn''t have substantial power. Their inability to suppress the feudal forces was why the Jacobins came to power in the first ce. During the Jacobin regime, the bourgeoisie had their power greatly diminished, no less than the royalists.

    As a result, the counterrevolutionary royalists, who had been repressed by the Jacobins, suddenly reemerged as soon as the Jacobins were toppled. In fact, they did so with a vengeance. They were even more intent on hanging the rebels, much like they had sung in the song "Everything Will Be Fine" during the height of the revolution. They just altered the lyrics slightly. ("Everything Will Be Fine" was a popr song during the French Revolution. The most revolutionary lyrics went, "Everything will be fine, oh yes, everything will be fine. The aristocrats will be hung frommpposts." This rhythmic song was also appreciated by royalists, but when they sang it, they changed the words "aristocrats" to terms like "rebels," "Jacobins," or "the mob." Hugo also mentioned this in "Les Misrables," stating, "The song was like the guillotine; it didn''t care whom it decapitated.")

    Now, Joseph asked, "So, what''s your n if the royalistse to power?"

    "Well, I believe elections must be held. It''s essential to maintain the semnce of a legitimate government. But we can''t allow the royalists to take power. The royalists, after all, also sing ''Everything Will Be Fine,'' but they modify the lyrics slightly. (In this context, Lucien is referring to the song mentioned earlier.)"

    The royalists had suffered greatly during the revolution, and their hearts were filled with hatred. If they returned to power, they might indeed start hanging the rebels, just as they sang in the song. The Thermidorians were no less unpopr in their eyes.

    Joseph asked, "How can we prevent the royalists from taking control, then?"

    Lucien thought for a moment and then replied, "We need to find a way to manipte the elections. If we can ensure that the candidates we support are elected, we can indirectly influence the parliament''s decisions."

    Joseph smiled and said, "Lucien, you''re absolutely right. If we can control the elections, we can dictate the parliament''sposition. You''re already well-versed in my strategies for managing elections in the United States. Use the same principles here. It will be your task to draft and dispatch the relevant instructions to our agents in France."

    Lucien understood that the responsibility of managing the elections in France was a significant task. He realized that if he seeded, it could strengthen the position of the big bourgeoisie in France and counter the royalist resurgence.

    The prospect of having such a profound impact on French politics excited him. Despite the pressure and responsibility, Lucien felt like he was part of something crucial, and it added a new sense of purpose to his role as Joseph''s confidential secretary.

 Chapter 142: Luciens Advice

    Chapter 142: Lucien''s Advice

    Lucien carefully absorbed the ink from his n document with blotting paper, then reread the entire n thoroughly from start to finish. Satisfied with his work, he muttered to himself, "This should do. At the very least, there won''t be any ring absurdities to catch the eye. It may be a bit verbose with numerous adjectives and adverbs, making the text seem less concise, but the meaning is clear and precise. I believe it should pass muster with Joseph."

    Sitting there, he closed his eyes and imagined Joseph, wide-eyed and searching for ws throughout the paper but ultimately finding nothing, leaving him disappointed. Lucien found immense satisfaction in that mental image.

    "Let''s call it a day!" Lucien said. "If Joseph manages to find any issues, I''ll... I''ll do Louis''s math homework for him!"

    With that, Lucien opened his eyes, stood up, stretched with a long yawn, and extinguished the candles on his desk, preparing to share a night of rest with his beloved pillow. However, to his surprise, he noticed the faint light of dawn seeping through the curtains. Soon after, he heard the wake-up call from the training ground across the street.

    "Damn!" Lucien eximed. He knew that Joseph would soone knocking on his door, summoning him for their morning run.

    "Health is the capital of the revolution, and running is the most effective way to keep fit," Joseph always said, both to himself and to his brother. Back in Paris, they used to join their fellow students at the training grounds of the "Paris Military School" every morning for a run. The students in that school may have been somewhatx in other respects, but they took their running exercises seriously. The school believed that good running ability was the most important quality for the French military. Even aftering here, Joseph would drag Lucien to the training grounds for their daily three-kilometer run.

    Thanks to this regr exercise, Lucien had developed impressive long-distance running skills. If our army were to suffer a defeat on the battlefield, he could bolt and leave most pursuers in the dust. As for Joseph, well, if one day he was visiting Fanny in Paris, and news suddenly arrived that Robespierre hade back to life, Joseph could probably run all the way from Paris to the New World without breaking a sweat.

    His chance for a peaceful night with his beloved pillow had vanished. Lucien started counting in his mind, "1, 2, 3..." He was certain that Joseph would appear at his door before he reached twenty.

    As expected, when he reached fifteen, there came a knocking on his door. "Lucien, get up, it''s time for our run!" Joseph''s voice called.

    Lucien opened the door, nced at Joseph, and said, "Let''s go."

    However, Joseph stopped and asked, "What time did you go to sleepst night?"

    "What''s it to you?"

    "Have you been up all night?" Joseph looked at Lucien. "Your eyes remind me of some animal."

    "What animal?" Lucien rubbed his eyes.

    "A roon, of course, the kind with dark circles around the eyes that Stephen Girard mentioned. We used to say that when we got a better ship, we could transport some animals never seen before by people for exhibition... Did you work on this n all night?"

    "How did you know?"

    "I can see the satisfaction in your eyes. Well, you should eat something first, thene back and take a nap. As for the run, we can catch upter tonight... By the way, let me see your n," Joseph said, furrowing his brow. After all, this was his brother, not one of those programmers who could be reced if they messed up.

    Lucien had slept through the morning, even missing lunch. It wasn''t until his stomach grumbled in protest that he reluctantly rose from bed and left his room.

    He decided to head to the cafeteria and order a light meal. After all, as the chief secretary, he still had some privileges.

    After filling his stomach and enjoying a nice meal, Lucien thought about his n and then made his way to Joseph''s office.

    Pushing the door open, he found Joseph sittingfortably at his desk, sipping coffee with a smile on his face, and a book lying in front of him.

    "What are you reading, Joseph?" Lucien approached.

    "Oh, nothing much. I pulled out ''Don Quixote'' and read it again," Joseph said with a smile.

    "You have time for this?" Lucien was somewhat surprised.

    "I normally wouldn''t, but now that you''re helping, I do." Joseph replied.

    Lucien''s face showed some concern, and Joseph added, "Well, Lucien, it means you''re ready to take on more responsibilities with me and Napoleon. Now that you''ve had enough rest, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "First, don''t workte into the night anymore. It shortens your shelf life  makes you age faster. The three of us brothers have to carry on for decades. Even from a short-term perspective, it''s uneconomical because the fatigue from staying upte requires even longer rest to recover. Of course, it''s an exception if you have a brilliant idea. Well, from the look of you, you seem to have recovered nicely, right?"

    "Completely recovered..." Lucien stretched his arms and legs. He was about to boast about his physical condition when he suddenly realized that if he did, Joseph might say something like, "Good, there''s an important and challenging task for you," and he''d be trapped. So he stopped himself mid-sentence.

    Joseph, however, didn''t notice his brother''s internal thoughts and continued, "Since you''re taking over this matter, we''ll need you well-rested. What time do you go to sleep? Is itte?"

    Lucien replied, "I usually go to sleepte but notst night."

    Joseph noted, "That''s good. Now, I want to talk about your n. It''s clear you''ve got a lot of bright ideas..."

    In Joseph''s view, Lucien''s n had a shining aspect in the way it analyzed problems from the fundamental level. Lucien first pointed out that the underground order was fundamentally no different from the above-ground order. Both were based on violence, and this violence was the foundation of their rules. The reason the underground order existed was that the above-ground order''s power was insufficient, and there were ces it couldn''t reach. This created opportunities for underground factions. Establishing an underground order meant having a violent organization.

    However, the underground order had its unique characteristics. Its violence was distinct from the above-ground order''s violence in terms of usage. It had to be covert, small-scale, and easy to use. This violence organization had to be different from the military, the primary violence organization on the surface. However, in some aspects, it had simrities with the police. Lucien believed that he didn''t have enough knowledge to specify the differences, but he suggested Joseph consult experts in the field when dealing with this matter. He pointed out that technological advancements would affect both underground and surface violence, suggesting that the institute conduct targeted research, which he called "Civil Arms Research."

    Of course, developing specialized weapons for their limited underground organization wasn''t cost-effective. Lucien rmended selling these weapons outside of France. Both Pnd and North America were good markets for France. Pnd was France''s ally, while North America was a weak country located nearby. So selling weapons there could weaken it and affect France''s rival, Great Britain. However, it had to be approached with care. The weapons had to be inpliance with internationalw, and they had to take care of the local French citizens. By creating apany, the FFL Corporation, this could be aplished. The FFL Corporation would operate out of North America and Pnd, while the FFL College would manage the education and training.

    Moreover, Joseph''s newly established secret service, the BRI, would be in charge of security affairs in France. As the central region would have the highest level of risk, Joseph had previously arranged for thergest and most powerful part of the BRI to be stationed there. He also made use of the Britishwork. In the end, Lucien rmended that Joseph organize some sort of unified and specialized force.

    In summary, Lucien''s n focused on creating a research institute for underground and surface violence. It aimed to use technological advancements to provide suitable violence organizations for the underground, with the sale of surplus weapons in France''s favor. This entirework was aprehensive scheme, and with the establishment of the Central Security Bureau, Joseph could integrate the enforcement ofw, making it highly efficient. This was Lucien''s idea.

    Joseph couldn''t help but nod in agreement, "Lucien, your ideas are quite inspiring. So you''ve been sleeping in peace for most of the night, which is a good thing, as you have enough rest. Napoleon asked me to talk to you about this because you''re a secretary of the Central Committee now."

    Lucien felt proud and pleased with his brother''s trust. He said, "No problem. I''ll work harder."

    "Good. Your pay will also go up," Joseph said.

    Lucien blinked. His sry was going up, and it made him rather pleased. In that case, he was willing to dedicate himself to the work.

    "Your n still has some ws," Joseph pointed out.

    "What ws?"

    "Your n doesn''t touch on the underground politicalndscape. We need to know more about it."

    "I agree. I''m not qualified to talk about this," Lucien admitted.

    Joseph exined, "For this reason, you''ll have to study this for the next few months. You can''t know too much about it."

    Lucien nodded. "I will."

    Joseph continued, "You also didn''t think about the organizations that are currently in charge of security. What will they think when they learn of your idea? The police will be the Central Security Bureau, and that''s a direct impact on them."

    Lucien felt somewhat dumb, as he had indeed neglected this aspect.

    Joseph patted Lucien on the shoulder, saying, "Don''t worry, you can think about this for a while. In the future, the BRI and the Central Security Bureau will be our underground organizations. As a security agent, your first duty is to act with precision. When yourmand is properly executed and sessful, your organization will have great prestige and grow even stronger."

    "Precision, prestige, strength. I understand," Lucien replied.

    Joseph then began discussing the details of the n. They were almost done when Napoleon entered the room.

    "Joseph, what''s the matter?" Napoleon asked.

    "Lucien wants to take on a little more responsibility," Joseph said.

    Napoleon smiled and said, "That''s great. He''s the best choice for the Central Security Bureau and has the support of the Central Committee. He knows more about underground organizations and their operations than anyone else."

    Lucien could only smile awkwardly in response.

    Then, Napoleon asked, "Where''s the n?"

    Joseph handed it to him, and Napoleon carefully read through it, asking for rification on certain points.

    After a while, Napoleon said, "The surface and underground orders are linked. If we create arge organization and recruit too many members from the underground, the surface order may attack us. At the same time, the underground may be stronger and make its move. It''s a dangerous situation, as both sides might target us."

    Joseph and Lucien nodded in agreement.

    Napoleon continued, "The most dangerous part of this n is the FFL Corporation and the FFL College. There might be powerful forces that intend to make a move here. After all, we are weakening the military monopoly. Of course, France has also gotten more powerful, so this kind of operation could be carried out."

    He handed the n back to Lucien and said, "You''ve got talent, and you''re a secretary now. You''ll have to learn quickly. As for the rest of the n, don''t rush it. To take that step, we''ll need to gather more talent. Let''s start by forming the Central Security Bureau."

    After he left, Joseph patted Lucien''s shoulder and said, "I hope you''ll be able to meet Napoleon''s expectations and do a good job."

    "Don''t worry, I''ll do my best," Lucien replied.

    Joseph looked at the ns on the table and said, "This will be quite a headache for you."

    As Joseph spoke, Lucien noticed the volume on the table. He wondered if he should pick it up and read it, but since Joseph didn''t suggest it, he decided against it.

    Lucien left Joseph''s office. While walking down the corridor, he considered the responsibilities thaty ahead. Lucien had grown and matured in the underground order, and now he was bing an integral part of its new structure. He was excited about the future, eager to face the challenges thaty ahead, and determined to contribute to his brothers'' cause.

    The Central Security Bureau, the FFL Corporation, and the FFL College were set to be essentialponents of this ambitious n to reshape the underground and the surface order. The future was uncertain, but Lucien was ready to face it with dedication, precision, and a clear vision.

 Chapter 143: Special Tactical Training Camp (1)

    Chapter 143: Special Tactical Training Camp (1)

    Joseph handed Lucien a set of documents outlining weapon development ns. These weapons were not just abstract ideas; they cameplete with detailed blueprints. Lucien couldn''t believe that Joseph hade up with all of this in just a little over a morning, right after seeing Lucien''s ns. He knew that it was impossible for Joseph to create so much in such a short time, even if he were to resurrect da Vinci from the depths of the earth.

    So, the appearance of this document folder meant only one thing: his brother had been preparing for this for quite some time.

    However, Lucien overestimated Joseph in some ways. These designs were mostly adaptations of future concepts, and the relevant blueprints had already been drawn. They were merely waiting to be put into practical use. Lucien''s suggestions prompted Joseph to dig them out to impress Lucien.

    Among these designs, the first to align with Lucien''s vision was the revolver.

    In this era, handguns were flintlock pistols, which shared the same loading difficulties as muskets. Loading a flintlock pistol was a time-consuming process, and after firing a shot, it might take over a minute to reload. Handguns had limited range, and in a realbat situation, there was no time to reload.

    Compared to rifles, handguns were less urate due to their grip style. Since they could only fire one bullet at a time, many people believed that a swift sword was more useful inbat. Even those who intended to use handguns typically carried two of them, just like Carnot''s two friends.

    Therefore, a firearm capable of firing multiple shots was a game-changer. Imagine holding a revolver and firing a shot at someone, missing the target. The enemy would assume you were out of bullets, exposing themselves with a malicious grin, and that''s when you''d fire again. In an urban setting, a few individuals carrying two revolvers each could easily cause mayhem.

    Furthermore, revolvers had a rtively simple design and could be manufactured even with the technology of the time. Unfortunately, metallic cartridges were still under development and couldn''t be used yet. Joseph had no intention of immediately introducing them, as he nned to release an older version first, let people buy it, and then unveil a new model for more profit.

    So, the first version of Joseph''s revolver still required the traditional loading process with priming, pouring gunpowder, and loading the bullets, which was painstakingly slow after firing six rounds.

    Besides the revolver, there were other special melee weapons. Small, dismanble crossbows were popr for assassination when suppressors weren''t avable yet. However, these didn''t sell well in the end; a more sessful melee weapon was the folding knife.

    Joseph designed two types of folding knives: a side-opening spring-assisted knife and a butterfly knife, which would be popr in the future. In a way, both were just variations of daggers. Surprisingly, these two knives were highly appreciated by criminal organizations worldwide. Although they were more expensive than regr daggers, they quickly reced them as standard equipment among criminal circles.

    These knives had two distinct advantages over regr daggers:

    First, they were easy to carry. You could fit spring-assisted and butterfly knives into a small pocket without the risk of injuring yourself. Regr daggers were almost twice as long and, with a sheath, weren''t as convenient. Even if you removed the sheath to make them shorter, pocketing them could lead to idents.

    Second, they offered enhanced concealment during attacks. Regr daggers were conspicuous because the de was visible, even when held normally. Spring-assisted and butterfly knives concealed the de until the moment of attack. This made it difficult for the target to react properly. Changing defensive postures was hard, and this increased the chances of a sessful surprise attack. Therefore, these knives were more sinister and dangerous than regr daggers, to the point where many ces banned them even in the future, where firearms weren''t restricted.

    Lucien didn''t initially consider these factors; he simply thought that these knives were unique. However, he understood why Joseph had to keep their designs highly confidential  they were deceptively simple and easily copied.

    Lucien spent the entire night in Joseph''s office working on the basic budget for these new designs. Surprisingly, Joseph was satisfied with it, without any nitpicking.

    "Well, about establishing the rted organization, I think the first thing to do is to gather talent. You''d better handle this yourself. I''ll write a letter to Carnot for you to take with you. While Carnot''s status is not as high as before, he should be able to obtain a list of recently discharged personnel from the Paris police. You can also contact Fouch, but try not to get too involved with him. In the long run, you''ll bepetitors. Frankly, I think he''s more capable than you, especially in this field. Our family doesn''t have anyone better. Be careful when dealing with him; he might sell you out and count the money."

    Lucien''s heart was lightened by the thought of going to Paris. It felt like a vacation. He burst intoughter. Joseph noticed but didn''t think much of it, considering it a typical daydream of a young teenager. Joseph went on to discuss various details and matters to be cautious about when he arrived in Paris.

    Joseph, although rather unscrupulous, was highly efficient. He wrote the letter that evening, and the next morning, Lucien took the letter and, apanied by two assistants, boarded a carriage headed to Paris.

    When Lucien arrived in Paris, it was already evening. He didn''t go to Joseph''s residence in Paris since the original owner of the house had met the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. Joseph had acquired the property at a rtively low price from the government. Instead, Lucien went directly to Carnot''s house, a ce he knew well.

    Upon arriving at Carnot''s house, it was nearly dinnertime, which was an opportune moment to enjoy a free meal. Lucien got out of the carriage and knocked on the door.

    ...

    A dayter, Carnot handed a list to Lucien, saying, "Lucien, this is a list of police personnel who were expelled from the Paris police force after the events of Thermidor. I suggest you pay particr attention to a few of them. First, there''s Javert, the former police chief. He''s highly capable and has thwarted numerous royalist conspiracies, earning the enmity of royalists. After the Thermidorian Reaction, some of his colleagues used him of being a Jacobin, leading to his dismissal. He has a son and a daughter and used to live at 25 Peacock Street.

    Next is Maniere, simr to Javert, he''s an excellent detective. However, he was wounded in one operation against spectors, leaving him crippled. You know that being injured in an operation against businessmen is no longer an honor. He''s in a worse position than Javert, as he''s disabled. He''s currently living in an unknown ce. But the name on the list, Henry Durand, is his friend. You can contact Maniere through him. Henry Durand resides at 45 Bernard Street."

    Carnot continued, introducing a few more individuals from the list, and he also expressed his concerns about the current state of Paris. Lucien learned that Paris was teetering on the edge of chaos, with the republicans and royalists constantly butting heads.

    After dinner, Lucien left Carnot''s house, determined to find Javert and Maniere. They seemed to be suitable candidates for Joseph''s ns, but finding Maniere, who was without a fixed residence, might prove challenging.

    As Lucien walked through the dimly lit streets of Paris, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of foreboding. The city was a powder keg, and any spark could set it off. Lucien had a nagging feeling that his visit to Paris was not just for recruiting new talent; it might lead him into a situation much more dangerous than he anticipated.

 Chapter 144: Special Tactical Training Camp (2)

    Chapter 144: Special Tactical Training Camp (2)

    Javert''s residence on Peacock Street had an interesting feature. From the second-floor window of the building, you could clearly see anyone knocking at the door below. The house also had a back door leading to the adjacent street, providing an escape route for Javert''s family. Javert had chosen this residence initially because of its affordable rent and its suitability for his family''s safety. Now, he remained there to elude his creditors. Since losing his job, Javert had struggled to find alternative means of ie. He had spent most of his life as a police officer, and aside from policing techniques, hecked other survival skills. Given his age, switching careers was not easy. Consequently, he umted debts, and his financial situation worsened.

    However, Javert had not run out of options entirely. He had spent the first half of his life catching various criminals and had witnessed various criminal methods. If he chose, he could have resorted to crime to make money, utilizing his extensive knowledge of criminal techniques. It was perhaps this potential that led moneylenders to continue lending him money. The lenders weren''t in a hurry because they believed that the pressures of life would eventually make him make rational choices.

    When Lucien and his team arrived at Javert''s residence and began knocking on the door, Javert was contemting whether he should descend into the criminal world he had always despised.

    Lucien ascended the steps and gently rang the doorbell.

    The doorbell''s chime made Javert jump from his chair as if he were a spring. He signaled for his wife, who had been incessantlyining, to be quiet, and cautiously approached the window. He opened the curtain slightly and peered below.

    Three young men stood outside, and the one in the middle was ringing the doorbell. He appeared well-dressed, likely from an affluent family. The two next to him seemed to be trained guards, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. They were not debt collectors, but their presence puzzled Javert.

    "They''re not debt collectors," Javert informed his wife.

    "Not debt collectors?" His wife, upon hearing that they weren''t there for debt collection, reverted to her previous topic. "I must have been blind to marry a useless man like you. Now, our children are hungry and scared because of you!"

    Though they had both sworn before God at their wedding to love,fort, honor, and remain faithful to each other in poverty or prosperity, in sickness or health, the God they had sworn to seemed to have taken a backseat in their lives in the current state of France.

    "Let''s not talk about that right now," Javert said. "Let''s open the door and see why they''vee."

    "Do you want to run away at this opportunity? You always try to avoid problems. Look at how our family is suffering because of you," his wife continued to berate him.

    "Alright, enough! Maybe it''s an opportunity," Javert retorted. "As long as they''re willing to pay me for something, I''ll do it."

    With that, Javert strode out of the room and pounded up the wooden stairs outside.

    Lucien waited for a moment, and the door slowly opened before him. A middle-aged man with a troubled expression stood in front of him.

    "Sir, who are you looking for?" the man asked.

    "I''m looking for Mr. Javert. I''m here to see Mr. Javert," Lucien replied politely, taking off his hat.

    "That would be me," the man said. "But I don''t know you, sir. What brings you here?"

    "I''m Lucien Bonaparte, and General Napoleon Bonaparte is my brother," Lucien replied.

    "But... sir, I don''t know General Napoleon Bonaparte either," Javert responded, his surprise evident. Napoleon''s name was well-known, and he knew of him from newspaper reports, but the general was a high-ranking figure, far removed from Javert''s world. He couldn''t fathom why the general''s brother had suddenlye to find him.

    "I heard about you from General Carnot. Would you mind inviting me inside so we can talk?" Lucien asked politely.

    "Of course," Javert said, opening the door for Lucien. "I don''t recognize you, sir, but if General Carnot mentioned me to you, I''m at your service."

    Lucien followed Javert into the house, climbing the steep, dark wooden stairs to the second floor, where they entered a room that was roughly seventeen square meters.

    "Mathilde, we have a visitor. Can you fetch some water?" Javert said as he approached his wife. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "This is a high-ranking person, a friend of General Carnot."

    Mathilde knew who General Carnot was and was startled by the news. She quickly went to get water.

    "Mr. Javert, we''vee to find you because of your extensive experience over the years. We''d like to employ you," Lucien said as he observed his surroundings. From Javert''s appearance and their earlier conversation, he knew that Javert''s life was not in a good state.

    Lucien knew that individuals like Javert, known as crime-fighters, were well-versed in various criminal techniques. If they were willing to abandon their principles, they could easily be formidable criminals. Yet, many of them found themselves in difficult circumstances. This, however, indicated that they were principled and steadfast individuals. The pressure of life seemed to be pushing Javert into this predicament. Moneylenders had confidence that life''s pressures would lead him to make rational choices eventually.

    When Lucien exined the purpose of their visit, Javert''s eyes welled with tears. He was deeply touched and hastily wiped his face. He asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, can you tell me what you need me to do?"

    Lucien exined that they were looking for people to protect the secrets of the French army, which were crucial in restoring France''s military superiority. Additionally, they needed to train individuals in other countries who were fighting against the invading forces. The sess of these people''s struggles was France''s sess.

    After exining this, Lucien said, "Mr. Javert, you are wee to join us in the fight for France."

    "I am willing," Javert replied immediately, standing up.

    "From today, you are one of us," Lucien said, shaking Javert''s hand. "Your sry will be based on your previous earnings as a police chief."

    Lucien also suggested that they could provide an advance on several months of his sry.

    After discussing the matter, Lucien informed Javert that he needed to find Henry Durand to locate Maniere and others.

    Javert, now standing, put on his hat and coat and took arge cane from the rack. He smiled at Lucien and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, let me be your guide."

    With Javert''s assistance, their efficiency improved significantly. In just one day, they located more than half of the people on their list. Most of these individuals were also in difficult circumstances, and some had even turned to a life of crime. However, Lucien still weed them into their group. He told Javert, "People who are suffering are the most valuable to us. We are all of one heart, and we will surely defeat the invading forces."

    After a few days, they were able to locate almost all the individuals on their list, with the exception of one, Marius, a formerwyer who had gone into hiding.

    Lucien said to Javert, "I hear Marius is a formidable individual. Could you help us find him?"

    Javert pondered for a moment and then replied, "I have some connections that I can rely on."

    Lucien took a step forward and said, "Javert, I believe you can find him. The goal of the French army is at stake, and we need every person we can find."

    Javert smiled and said, "I will find him."

    Now, the team had almost all the members they needed. They began the second phase of their operation by instructing these individuals to prepare for a meeting where they would be informed of their mission. Their training began in earnest as they prepared to take on the challenges thaty ahead.

 Chapter 145: Special Tactics Training Camp (3)

    Chapter 145: Special Tactics Training Camp (3)

    The next day, Lucien and Javert spent the whole day running around Paris. However, it wasn''t as smooth as the first day, and many people were still missing.

    "Napoleon, don''t worry. The remaining individuals on this list are the hard ones to find. But in another two days, we should have them all," Javert reassured Lucien after another fruitless search.

    "I know that. When I first received this list, I had nned to take about a month to gather these people. Yesterday, with your help, it all went so smoothly that it raised my expectations. Today''s progress, in fact, exceeded my original expectations," Lucien said. "A few years ago, my brother brought me out from Corsica to study in Paris. I''ve been in Paris for several years, and while I can''tpare myself to the true Parisians, I always thought I knew Paris. These past couple of days walking through the alleys with you in Paris, I''ve realized I don''t know Paris at all."

    "Even people who''ve lived in Paris their whole lives can''t im to know itpletely," Javert sighed.

    "Mr. Javert," Lucien continued, "in two days, we need to prepare to leave Paris."

    "So soon?" Javert was surprised.

    "Yes, the sooner we return, the sooner we can begin our work," Lucien replied. "As for the rest of the people, we can leave one or two individuals in Paris. They can continue recruiting and get to know the situation in the city."

    "Mr. Lucien, our people in Paris can''t gather high-level information," Javert said.

    This was normal; Javert''s associates were mostly low-level police officers, and the upper echelons were far removed from them.

    "You don''t need to worry about high-level matters; we have other channels for that. What weck is knowledge of the streets," Lucien exined. "So, are you a little reluctant to leave Paris?"

    Javert sighed, "Yes, I am. After all, I''ve been here for half a lifetime. Nearly every street and alley in Paris bears my footsteps."

    "My friend, we are only temporarily leaving," Lucien said. "We will definitely return to Paris!"

    Two dayster, after another visit to Fouch, Lucien left Paris with about twenty people, and they would be the first group of instructors for the Special Tactics Training Camp.

    Fouch had already noticed Lucien''s actions a while ago. To be honest, Lucien''s actions had a hint of something else, so Fouch''s reception of Lucien was quite cold. However, he also knew that diversifying and not putting all the eggs in one basket was the right choice for any mature organization. Although Lucien was a pure-blood Bonapartist, Fouch had the confidence to surpass him with his own abilities.

    During these days, Napoleon had found an estate near Toulon to serve as the training base for the "Special Tactics Training Camp."

    The estate mainly consisted of hills and forests, originally used by a local noble for hunting. After the Toulon rebellion, the noble and his son had fled with the British, leaving behind what they couldn''t take, which was then confiscated. The farnds suitable for cultivation were put to use by the local farmers. However, this hunting estate, being remote and unproductive aside from wildlife, had fallen into disuse. It was now being repurposed for the "Special Tactics Training Camp."

    While they had the location, they didn''t have students yet. At the moment, the Polish insurgents were fiercely fighting the Russian army near Warsaw. Their situation was far from optimistic. Their militarymander, Kosciuszko, had been seriously injured in previous battles. Despite some initial victories due to sudden uprisings and various smuggled supplies, their situation had worsened significantly.

    Now, the Russians, Austrians, and Prussians had essentially agreed on how to divide the spoils. The good times for the Poles were over. With the three parties reaching an agreement, the smuggling routes within Prussia were almost immediately cut off. Subsequently, the Poles faced attacks from three directions. Though they were still resisting, their defeat was only a matter of time.

    Vebitzki had begun contacting Lucien to inquire about training underground resistance fighters.

    So, even though they had no students at the moment, the people in the training camp remained busy. They needed to prepare the various courses before the Polish insurgents arrived.

    ording to Lucien''s n, these courses would primarily include the following:

    Firstly, reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. Without training in this area, underground work would be extremely challenging. Even Joseph himself took time out of his busy schedule to provide suggestions on setting up these courses. Many of his ideas were rejected for being impractical, but some of his suggestions received admiration from the instructors. Some of them even said, "I didn''t know such operations were possible," or "It actually seems feasible," prompting Javert to say, "If Mr. Joseph Bonaparte had be a policeman, he would have been a legend in the police force." Of course, others joked that what Javert really meant was, "If Mr. Joseph Bonaparte had be a criminal, we wouldn''t have been able to live in peace."

    Joseph, however, didn''t think there was anything extraordinary about it; after all, he had watched hundreds of episodes of children''s detective series.

    Secondly, various weapons usage and rtedbat techniques. Undergroundbat techniques were entirely different from conventional warfare, with unique demands like stealth and speed. This required many distinctive skills. Some individuals even proposed using death row inmates to verify the effectiveness of certain rumored techniques, but Joseph promptly rejected such a cruel suggestion. After all, the organization was established to promote European revolution and the liberation of European people. Therefore, such a proposal was against its principles.

    Nheless, Joseph, who had studied "Bring''em Back Alive," understood the importance of "keeping the opium but not publicly smashing it, to ensureplete revolution, and delivering it to the pharmacy for medicinal use."

 Chapter 146: Liberation of Italy (1)

    Chapter 146: Liberation of Italy (1)

    After discussing these matters, Napoleon continued to inspire his troops. He told them, "In Italy, you''ll find greedy and ruthless nobles and clergy everywhere. The former have umted immense wealth through centuries, if not millennia, of exploiting their people unjustly. Thetter have gathered staggering riches by selling indulgences and amassing guilt on an unprecedented scale across all of Europe.

    Now, they use this ill-gotten wealth to oppose us because they fear the revolutionary France. They fear that revolutionary France will be a beacon of democracy and freedom for all of Europe. They are afraid that those people they''ve oppressed for hundreds, even thousands of years, those they''ve trampled on like mud, will rise just as our fellow citizens in France did and overthrow these oppressors.

    My brothers, this wealth originally belonged to the people, especially that of the clergy, and it belongs to all of Europe, including the French people. It was meant to be used for the liberation of the European people, but now it''s being used to suppress their freedom. Can this continue?

    So, we should march into Italy, seize this wealth, and use it where it rightfully belongs. We''ll confiscate the assets of the reactionary nobles and clergy, distribute a portion to the localmoners to gain their support, and use the rest, including gold, silver, and various artworks, to fund our military operations and reward our heroes."

    These words certainly boosted the morale of the officers, as it essentially meant they''d share in the wealth by going to Italy, enjoying food, and iming gold, just like Robin Hood. As for the soldiers'' morale, the officers present reassured them, exining that once they understood the significance of this mission, they would be on board. After all, going to Italy meant good food.

    The next phase was pre-battle training. New, allegedly diverted firearms quickly reached the hands of the soldiers.

    "Are these all rifled barrels? Are we going to hunt wild boars in the Alps?" Many soldiers had this question when they received the new weapons initially. However, after the "Bonaparte Research Institute" technicians demonstrated how to use these new firearms with custom ammunition, the soldiers'' skepticism turned to enthusiasm.

    "This is excellent, anything with the ''Bonaparte'' brand is top-notch! Look at ''Bonaparte Little Melon,'' and this ''Bonaparte Riflepared to these, the government-issued ones are just fire sticks! Why didn''t they give us these rifles earlier instead of selling them to the Americans?"

    "Is it because these rifles are more expensive?" another soldier spected.

    The "technicians," anticipating this question, responded, "Yes, they are somewhat more expensive. After all, the barrels have to be rifled, and the ammunition is custom-made. If we calcte based on the price we export them to the Americans with over a 100% profit, they be significantly pricier. But I''ve heard that the purchase price for your old rifles wasn''t much lower than our offer to the government. You know, we always keep our prices low for weapons sold to our country''s army. As for why the government refused to buy our rifles, we don''t know. Maybe they didn''t trust these innovative gadgets."

    The "technicians" were instructed not to directly me the government but to subtly guide the conversation. As for the soldiers, they weren''t nave and could easily pick up the implied message.

    "Oh, if only they''d grease some palms, we would have had these rifles long ago! I''m sure there''s some dirty business going on," one soldier immediately said.

    "Even if they are pricier, these weapons could save many lives. For a few coins, they left us with these lousy sticks. I say some heads in the government should roll," another soldier said.

    "Bouvier, you can''t spread such talk in the camp; you need to amend your words," Captain Stanis Joubert interjected. But his tone wasn''t too stern, because deep down, Private Auguste Bouvier''s words reflected his own sentiments.

    "Alright, Captain," Bouvier scratched his head and said, "You''re right. I''ll correct my previous statement about the government. Some people in the government don''t deserve the guillotine."

    The soldiers burst intoughter, and even Captain Stanis Joubert couldn''t help but join in.

    "Alright, alright. Without that mouth of yours, you''d have been promoted to sergeant long ago..."

    After receiving the new weapons, Napoleon organized his army for more targeted training, such as collective shooting at targets 400 yards away and precise marksmanship at 300 yards. Napoleon had consistently increased the ratio of light infantry in his army, making it easier to adapt to these new firearms.

    After nearly a month of preparation, Napoleon led his forces westward toward Italy. One monthter, in November 1795, Joseph received the first war report from Napoleon. His army had crossed the Alps in winter, entered Piedmont, and engaged Austrian and Sardinian forces.

    To navigate the mountainous terrain, they left behind most cannons weighing over six pounds. However, the winter campaign was unexpected, and theck of response from the Austrian and Sardinian forces caught them off guard.

    Historically, by April 1796, when Napoleon crossed the Alps, Austria and Sardinia had prepared an army of 80,000 soldiers to face Napoleon''s 40,000. Yet, theck of coordination between the two allies almost led to a different oue.

    The unexpected winter campaign took both the Austrian and Sardinian forces by surprise. In this scenario, theck of manpower proved beneficial for Napoleon. Austrians had around 20,000 troops in Italy and were scattered throughout the region, making centralization difficult.

    Sardinia, with a better response, could quickly mobilize around 50,000 troops, although their distribution was dispersed across the nation. Napoleon''s army, equipped with Mini rifles, improved firepower significantly. It enabled them to conduct small, specialized operations, given that their size and firepower allowed for better security. In contrast, the Austrians and Sardinians couldn''t pose a significant threat with dispersed forces.

    Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan wrote to Victor Amadeus III, King of Sardinia, requesting immediate action and concentrating their troops. However, their efforts took time, and Jourdan''s subsequent letter advised patience and avoiding a hasty battle with the French.

    However, the French didn''t attack the Sardinian positions, bypassing them and infiltrating the ins of Piedmont. French troops began to sweep the estates of nobles across the countryside, confiscating whatever portable riches they could find. Some nobles who couldn''t escape were captured and held trials in their own estates, establishing "revolutionary courts." Nearby peasants were gathered to witness the hanging of these nobles. French soldiers then publicly burned the nobles''nd deeds and dered that thesends would be distributed for free to the peasants cultivating them.

    Napoleon was aware that the mere redistribution ofnd wasn''t sufficient to gain the support of the baffled Italian peasants. Still, for now, these actions would prevent them from opposing him. The raids on these estates also temporarily solved the issue of supplies.

    Sardinia was not nave; they began preparing for scorched earth tactics when Napoleon''s forces entered the Piedmont in. Still, their preparations were slowpared to the fast advance of the French troops. Napoleon''s scorched earth tactics were more brutal and creative.

    French soldiers destroyed the dikes and water supplyworks, turning fertile ins into wends. Trenches were dug on roads, and trees were felled. The entire region turned into an impassable swamp.

    As Sardinian and Austrian troops arrived, they realized it was impossible to intercept the French army, as the French had already moved away, leaving behind nothing useful.

    Sardinia lost most of its army, around 30,000 troops, during this campaign of winter 1795, but they still had troops ready and were gathering them around Turin, preparing for a siege. Yet, the French army entered the city with unexpected ease, catching Sardinians off guard.

    The siege of Turin was quick, as the defenses were weak due to a shortage of defenders and supplies. In April 1796, Turin fell into French hands.

    Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia fled with his family. His nephew, the Duke of Aosta, surrendered and was taken captive, along with his sister-inw, Maria Teresa, to France, while the rest of the royal family and loyal nobles escaped to Spain. To ensure a morefortable journey, the Duke and Duchess of Aosta offered to cover their expenses. After reaching the border, Napoleon, who had been polite throughout the journey, handed the Aosta couple some French coins and said, "Keep the change."

    As the rulers fled, Piedmontese cities were instructed to cooperate with the French army. Napoleon managed the region well; he issued decrees to rx oppressive taxation and promoted industries. These steps aimed to gain the support of locals, but the true objective was to strip wealth from the clergy and the nobles.

    Yet, despite their initial reluctance, many wealthy and influential families in the area found it more convenient to cooperate. They had, after all, benefited from Sardinian oppression and believed that siding with France was a less risky option.

    The strategic actions taken by the French army in this winter campaign essentially isted Sardinia and Austria. They ended up dividing thebined armies, making them easier to deal with, while capturing the economically vital regions of the in of Piedmont, the heart of Sardinia. Napoleon, utilizing the Mini rifle''s superior range and uracy, could engage in skirmishes without requiring arge, continuous line of supply.

    In a letter to Joseph, Napoleon imed his advances, although sessful, were costly due to the long supply line. He expected that he would need Joseph to apply diplomatic pressure to persuade Austria to back down or, if possible, force them to negotiate.

    Meanwhile, Napoleon, aware of the circumstances in the Austrian Nethends, desired to recruit Joseph''s diplomatic skills to initiate peace talks. However, he was cautious about involving his brother directly in the military operations.

    Joseph replied to his brother, acknowledging the gravity of the situation and assuring him that he would use his diplomatic skills to the utmost.

    While Napoleon was campaigning in Italy, Joseph Bonaparte began his role as the French ambassador in Madrid. The threat of a French invasion loomedrge, and many in Spain were aware that war with France was inevitable. Therefore, Joseph''s diplomatic mission was to dy that eventuality while securing Spain''s support.

    To gain Spanish support, he initially offered a deal. In exchange for Spain''s neutrality, France would promise not to interfere with Spain''s expansion in Portugal, Brazil, and the Rio de ta region, a gesture weed by many in the Spanish court.

    However, King Charles IV and his son Ferdinand VII remained skeptical of the French, even as their country struggled with an economic crisis. Spanish ambassadors in Vienna and London began negotiations for a possible alliance with Austria or Britain, prompting Joseph Bonaparte to take a more aggressive stance.

    Determined to bring Spain under French influence and aware of Napoleon''s n to remove King Charles IV in the future, Joseph initiated a campaign of propaganda, using contacts in the Spanish court. His efforts painted a picture of an alliance between Spain and France as a great opportunity to revitalize Spain''s declining power and economy.

    In the following months, Joseph Bonaparte actively sought to control the influence of other foreign powers in Spain, limiting their ability to undermine the alliance with France. British and Austrian diplomats found their efforts less effective as Joseph increasingly controlled the levers of power.

    While facing opposition from various Spanish factions, Joseph skillfully managed to steer the country toward a pro-French alliance. In thetter half of 1795, Spain formally dered its neutrality in the ongoing conflicts in Europe, a significant victory for France.

    Joseph, during his time in Madrid, took several steps to strengthen the French-Spanish rtionship. He worked with Spain''s government to modernize its army and implemented reforms to improve the country''s finances. His work on a bteral treaty, the Treaty of Pardo, solidified the alliance between France and Spain, even though he had to make substantial concessions to secure Spain''s support.

    By the end of 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte''s campaign in Italy was progressing well, as he sessfully captured key territories in Piedmont and defeated or isted the Austrian and Sardinian armies. Joseph Bonaparte, in Madrid, secured Spain''s neutrality and eventual alliance with France, marking significant developments in Napoleon''s European strategy. These sesses paved the way for further expansion of the French Empire in the years toe.

    The French Revolution and its impact on Europe were ongoing. As Napoleon expanded the French sphere of influence, he faced challenges and opportunities on multiple fronts. In Italy, the campaign had just begun, and in Spain, the alliance was taking shape. Meanwhile, tensions with other European powers, especially Austria and Britain, remained unresolved, foreshadowing further conflicts and diplomatic maneuvers. Napoleon''s strategic vision, along with his family members'' support and diplomatic skills, yed a crucial role in shaping the course of history.

 Chapter 147: Liberation of Italy (2)

    Chapter 147: Liberation of Italy (2)

    Speaking of it, the Kingdom of Sardinia was also a member of the anti-French coalition. However, once the war began, they hadn''t really engaged with the French army seriously. For the most part, their responsibilities included a bit of naval blockade alongside the British and Spanish, but their main activities were talking big and minding their own business. When their navy discovered they couldn''t handle the lightning-fast French ships, they discreetly joined the lucrative business of smuggling goods to France.

    Because they had never truly shed with the French on the battlefield, the Sardinian Kingdom''s military had little insight into how strong or weak they really were. They weren''tpletely ignorant of the significant changes in warfare tactics these days. They were equipped with the new "musket," understanding the benefits it brought in terms of "skirmisher advantage." They even validated these advantages in their own military exercises. However, these things hadn''t been tested in realbat.

    The Sardinian Kingdom''s skirmishers performed reasonably well during these exercises. While they did exhibit some sluggishness andziness, it wasn''t significantly worse than regr infantry. In fact, they were on par with Austrian skirmishers.

    Generally, the Austrians, out of jealousy, liked to baselessly belittle the Sardinian Kingdom''s army. Nevertheless, they would say, "Sardinian skirmishers seem decent."

    The Sardinian generals, however, filtered out the "seem decent" part and were quite satisfied with their mastery of the new tactics. They modestly made the judgment, "Our skirmishers might have a slight gappared to the acknowledged best, the French skirmishers, but they should still be top-notch in Europe."

    The Sardinian Kingdom''s 50,000-strong army gradually assembled, with General Colli as itsmander. Colli believed they should wait for the Austrian allies to arrive beforeunching a full assault on the French, but the Austrians were taking their time. (Field Marshal Beaulieu believed the entire Italian army was not elite enough  Austria''s elite forces were in Belgium and Pnd, and as for the Sardinian Kingdom''s army, Beaulieu thought they were less elite than Austria''s non-elite forces. So, for now, it was best to take a defensive stance and wait for reinforcements.) Plus, the pressure from the king and nobility was too great, so General Colli decided to initiate a small skirmish to buy some time.

    So, he dispatched a cavalry unit to attack a French garrison in Count Coney''s estate. The cavalry safely returned to the camp and reported that they had retaken the territory, killing five or six Frenchmen and several Italian turncoats who had joined the French. To prove they weren''t lying, they brought back the heads of these Italian traitors.

    General Colli had some doubts about this victory''s significance, but at this point, he needed a victory to ease the pressure. However, the victory seemed too small, as it only resulted in the deaths of five or six Frenchmen.

    Colli summoned the cavalry unit''s captain and inquired about the battle''s details. After their conversation, the entire situation became clearer.

    The cavalry unit, numbering less than a hundred, encountered over a thousand French troops and more than two thousand Italian rebels who had shamelessly joined the French near Count Coney''s estate. The Sardinian cavalry immediately unsheathed their sabers, shouting "For God and the King," and fearlesslyunched a brave charge against these invaders and traitors.

    The French instantly fell into chaos, fleeing in all directions, while the Sardinian cavalry pursued and killed countless invaders and traitors. This victory was as glorious as the Battle of Montgisard, where King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, known as the "Leper King," had triumphed with only a few hundred horsemen against Sdin''s army of twenty thousand.

    General Colli reported this news to the king and informed the nobles who had been forced to abandon their estates and take refuge in the city. The entire city of Turin erupted in celebration.

    Almost simultaneously, Napoleon received a simr report:

    "Our troops encountered a group of about a hundred Sardinian cavalry near the Count Coney''s estate and opened fire upon them. When our troops fired, those cavalry quickly retreated."

    This report piqued Napoleon''s interest because it marked their first encounter with a fully organized Sardinian cavalry.

    "It seems the Sardinians are getting impatient, don''t you think?" Napoleon thought. He decided it was time to shrink his forces in preparation for a possible major battle.

    The next day, however, Napoleon received another report from that very location, along with several Italians.

    Count Coney, upon learning that his estate had been retaken, was anxious to assess the extent of his losses. He sent his nephew and a group of servants to return to the estate overnight for inspection. Sadly, they all became prisoners of the French, including his nephew, Viscount Toldo.

    Napoleon handed the viscount over to the Revolutionary Tribunal but released his entourage.

    General Colli had to defend himself. He imed that his cavalry had indeed achieved victory and retaken the estate, but once his cavalry returned, the French returned as well. So, he couldn''t be med for it; it was just that the count was too impatient.

    While General Colli could force such an exnation, it left him with no room for further dy.

    At the same time, General Colli believed that his side had the upper hand and could fight. The enemy had no more than thirty to forty thousand troops, while he had a full fifty thousand. Furthermore, thanks to the Alps'' barrier, the Frenchcked significant artillery, but his side had over a hundred cannons. The enemy was alsocking in cavalry, while his side''s cavalry outnumbered theirs by several times. In this light, the advantages seemed significant, enough to warrant a battle.

    On January 14, 1796, the main forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Napoleon''s Fifth Army Corps took up their positions in Cuneo, preparing for a decisive battle.

    General Colli knew that their greatest advantage was artillery, and he intended to use it to the fullest. Therefore, the Sardinian army lined up more than a hundred cannons in a single row in front of their position. Then, General Colli sent out his skirmishers.

    This tactic was a routine strategy that General Colli had practiced in multiple exercises. He believed that his army had be quite adept at using this tactic. They would use artillery''s grapeshot to suppress the enemy skirmishers, support their own skirmishers'' advance, and then rely on the skirmishers'' "musket" and the artillery''s solid shot to break through the enemy''s formation. After that, they''d deploy their cavalry to finish the fight.

    During exercises, this strategy had proven to be quite effective, earning General Colli a fair amount of praise. He hoped that this meticulously researched tactic could also win him more glory on the real battlefield.

    The Sardinian Kingdom''s skirmishers began to advance, and through his telescope, General Colli saw the French skirmishers moving forward as well.

    "Artillery, get ready! Use grapeshot to suppress the enemy skirmishers," General Colli ordered methodically.

    However, the cannons hadn''t fired yet, as the enemy was still out of range.

    The Kingdom of Sardinia, albeit a member of the anti-French alliance, hadn''t truly engaged the French forces in battle since the war began. Their contribution had mainly been naval support, following the British and Spanish in blockading the French. Their primary activities had involved trading with the French secretly after realizing their naval forces were no match for the nimble French privateers.

    Due to thisck of direct confrontation with the French, the Sardinian military had little knowledge of its ownbat capabilities. While they were not entirely ignorant of the changes in warfare, having adopted new "musket" rifles and understanding the advantages of dispersed infantry tactics, theycked battlefield experience.

    During military exercises in Sardinia, their infantry had shown satisfactory performance, despite asional indiscipline and sluggishness. They didn''t fare any worse than the Austrian infantry, and some even thought they looked better than the Austrians. General opinion was, "Sardinian infantry seems decentpared to the French."

    The Sardinian army of fifty thousand gradually assembled under themand of General Colli. He initially intended to wait for the arrival of the Austrian allies beforeunching a full-scale attack on the French. However, the Austrians were slow to mobilize, mainly due to their belief that the Italian army was not as well-trained as the Austrian troops in Belgium and Pnd. Colli, feeling pressure from the king and nobility, decided to stage a minor skirmish to relieve this pressure.

    He dispatched a cavalry unit to assault a French-held position in the estate of Count Corni, which was followed by their return to camp with a report of sessfulnd recapture, iming they had killed five to six French and several Italian turncoats. To prove this, they brought back the heads of the Italian turncoats.

    Colli had reservations about this small victory, but with the pressure mounting, he felt the need to show some sess. Nevertheless, this victory felt insignificant since they had only killed a few French soldiers. Colli''s dissatisfaction made him summon the cavalry captain to inquire about the battle''s details, resulting in a moreprehensive understanding of the situation.

    This cavalry unit of fewer than one hundred men had encountered over a thousand French troops and more than two thousand Italian rebels who had joined the French. The Sardinian cavalry immediately drew their sabers, shouting, "For God and the King," andunched a courageous frontal charge against these invaders and traitors. The French scattered in disarray, fleeing, while the Sardinian cavalry pursued them, killing numerous intruders and rebels. This victory was hailed as a brilliant sess, akin to the Battle of Monsgur, where Baldwin IV, the "Leper King," defeated Sdin''s twenty thousand troops with only a few hundred cavalry.

    Colli reported this victory to the king and informed the nobles who had abandoned their estates and sought refuge in the city, raising spirits throughout Turin.

    Almost simultaneously, Napoleon received a simr report:

    "Our troops encountered a Sardinian cavalry unit at the Corni estate and engaged in a firefight. Following our volley, the enemy quickly retreated."

    This report caught Napoleon''s attention. It was the first time they had encountered well-trained Sardinian cavalry.

    "It seems the Sardinians are losing patience," Napoleon mused. He decided to redeploy his forces in preparation for the uing major battle.

    The next day, Napoleon received another report from the same estate. This time it included several Italians who had been captured. It turned out that Count Corni, upon hearing of his estate''s recapture, sent his nephew with servants to investigate the situation. Unfortunately, they all fell into French hands.

    Napoleon handed the nephew over to the Revolutionary Tribunal but released the servants.

    Colli found himself in a difficult situation due to the sudden change in circumstances. He believed the best course of action was to proceed with the battle. The French faced a smaller force of thirty to forty thousand, with superior Sardinian artillery (over one hundred cannons) and significant cavalry numbers. Colli assumed they could engage and exploit their advantageous position, given that the French werecking proper artillery because of the Alps'' terrain.

    Colli was optimistic about his army''s chances and believed that, while the French might have noticed their tactics, they still had the upper hand. He intended to maximize the use of their superior artillery, a strategy that had been practiced during their military exercises. The n was to use cannon fire to suppress the French infantry and then deploy their own infantry to advance, aided by artillery. The Sardinians would rely on their "musket" rifles and artillery to open breaches in the enemy lines beforemitting their cavalry to the fight.

    Their strategy had been well-rehearsed during exercises, and Colli was confident in its effectiveness. His confidence grew as the Sardinian infantry started advancing towards the French positions.

    "Prepare the artillery! Suppress the enemy infantry with grapeshot," ordered General Colli, sticking to his well-practiced n. However, the cannons remained silent as the enemy troops were still outside of their range.

    The Sardinian infantry continued advancing but slowed down. They couldn''t push forward too quickly to avoid entering the effective range of the French infantry without their own artillery support. Their role was to keep the French infantry, which was proud of their "line infantry" tactics, at a safe distance while allowing their artillery to eliminate them.

    Unexpectedly, the French infantry stopped about three hundred yards away from the Sardinians.

    "The French seem to have noticed our setup," General Colli exined to Count Corni, who was watching the battle alongside him. "They know that advancing will expose them to our artillery fire. However, if they keep advancing, I believe the brave French soldiers can endure the bombardment. Our infantry is stopping them, preventing them from closing in, and allowing our artillery to eliminate them."

    Corni hade to push Colli''s forces to rescue his nephew, the legitimate heir to his brother''s legacy. He frowned as he observed the halted French infantry and asked, "What if they stay put and don''t advance?"

    "Simple. If the mountain won''te to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain. We can move some of the artillery forward like this..."

    As General Colli exined, he noticed that the French infantry had started generating puffs of blue smoke at their positions.

    "How can they open fire at such a range? What are they hoping to achieve?" Colli eximed, surprised.

    Even more surprising was the result: with the French infantry''s first volleys, a considerable number of Sardinian soldiers fell.

    "General, what''s happening?" Count Corni asked, stunned. He also realized that, at this distance, achieving such uracy was impossible.

    "Maybe... perhaps they''re using rifled guns," General Colli suggested.

    In that era, only rifled guns could engage targets at such long distances. However, rifled guns were challenging to load, taking four to five minutes for each shot. If the entire French infantry was armed with these weapons, it meant they''d be defenseless for a significant period. Colli believed that as long as the Sardinian infantry quickly advanced, they could engage the enemy at closer ranges and gain the upper hand.

    Thinking along those lines, General Colli issued the order for his infantry to advance. However, before his orders could be carried out, the messenger hadn''t even reached his horse yet when the French infantry fired another volley. This time, even more Sardinian soldiers fell.

    "How is this possible?" General Colli was shocked and then turned angry. Evidently, the French couldn''t be firing rifled guns at such rapid rates. The only exnation was that these cowardly men were ying dead to escape the battle.

    The following volley from the French infantry further confirmed these suspicions, and General Colli watched with a growing mix of astonishment and anger. One of the French soldiers had stood motionless, gazing around, while the Sardinian soldiers fell around him. After several seconds, he dramatically dropped his rifle, clutched his chest, and slowly crouched before lying on the ground.

    "These damn cowards! After this battle, I swear I''ll hang them from the gallows to dry!" General Colli had erupted in anger, feeling the bitterness and darkness of the world around him.

    What followed was not only infuriating but heartbreaking. After the French infantry''s continued firing, more Sardinian soldiers fell one after another. In an instant, over one thousand carefully trained Sardinian infantrymen disappeared from the battlefield.

    This change left General Colli shocked and disheartened. Meanwhile, Napoleon watched with a sly smile. He was aware that his infantry had indeed struck their targets, but they couldn''t possibly have killed that many Sardinian infantrymen. It was clear that the Sardinian soldiers were feigning death and fleeing the battle.

    With their infantry routed, the French infantry advanced swiftly.

    "Don''t be afraid. This is just a minor technical setback; don''t be afraid," General Colli consoled himself, "at least we have the advantage of artillery. If they daree any closer, we''ll st them to smithereens!"

    The French infantry continued to move forward, drawing near to the Sardinian artillery positions.

    "Don''t be afraid, just don''t be afraid," he reassured himself, as the enemy infantry approached the range of their cannons.

    However, as the French infantry halted, they raised their rifles...

    "This... how is this possible? How can they have such range and firing speed?" General Colli was dumbfounded, now that the enemy was well within their effective range.

    In the first volley from the French infantry, the Sardinian artillery was utterly silenced. The Sardinian gunners, who had survived the first volleys, had lost the courage to stand their ground and fled. Some even dropped to the ground, pretending to be dead.

    "Cavalry! Charge and drive the enemy infantry back!" General Colli shouted.

    Sardinia had a significant cavalry advantage, and during the Austrians'' ounts of their battles against the French, they had stressed the importance of employing light cavalry to counter the French infantrymen. Light cavalry was rtively inexpensive and could move quickly. After all, no armor could withstand musket bullets.

    Sardinian cavalry, thest hope, was now called into action.

 Chapter 148: Liberation of Italy (3)

    Chapter 148: Liberation of Italy (3)

    Over a thousand Sardinian cavalrymen rapidly prepared to charge the French skirmishers.

    However, there were always signs when cavalry prepared to charge. If it were a dry, sunny day, they''d kick up dust, but with the recent rain, the ground remained moist. Nevertheless, coordinating such arge cavalry unit required clearing a path through the other troops, and this sign couldn''t be concealed. Napoleon, ever watchful, noticed this signal before the Sardinian cavalry even advanced.

    "Where''s the shepherd? Where''s the shepherd?" Napoleon shouted. "Take your cavalry and support the skirmishers!"

    "The Shepherd" was Napoleon''s nickname for Joseph. Joseph was proud of this nickname since not everyone had the chance to capture over three hundred Peppino Giorgio with a whip.

    "Understood!" Joseph replied enthusiastically. He checked his four revolvers hanging from his belt and his trusty sword. He mounted his horse and headed toward the cavalry.

    Napoleon stood there, one foot on a rock, raising his spyss to scan the opposite side.

    By this point, the Sardinian cavalry was ready. Since they weren''t aware of the French skirmishers'' rifle range, they had stayed behind their main formation. Their orders were to charge the French skirmishers, but no one had informed them that the French rifles had a range of three to four hundred yards. As the Sardinian cavalry advanced, they maintained a rtively tight formation, as wasmon practice. A close formation was better for maintaining discipline. Besides, they weren''t too close to the enemy yet, so there was time to spread out.

    As for moving at a slow pace, it was because their horses couldn''t maintain their top speed continuously. To avoid entering the enemy''s rifle range too quickly, they advanced at a walk and then gradually increased their speed, reaching their top speed when approaching the enemy''s rifle range. This minimized the impact of the skirmishers'' "Little Melons."

    As Daniel, the skirmisher, finished loading his bullets, Captain Amy''s voice rang out, "Prepare, aim at the enemy cavalry..."

    Everyone raised their rifles. Captain Amy seemed to be showcasing his incredible lung capacity, dragging out his words deliberately. He had be a captain because Colonel Lanna appreciated his booming voice, even on noisy battlefields. A big voice was necessary but not enough to reach every skirmisher. At this point, his enormous lung capacity came into y. He stretched out his words to give other captains time to follow his lead and maintain consistency when giving the finalmand.

    Amy finally finished his melodramatic "cavalry"mand, took a deep breath, mentally counted, and then shouted, "Fire!"

    The other captains gave their firemands within a simr timeframe. Over two thousand skirmishers fired a synchronized volley at the still-distant Sardinian cavalry.

    Despite the long distance, almost reaching the limit of Mini rifles, this volley was surprisingly effective. The Sardinian cavalry fell from their horses, like leaves falling in the autumn breeze.

    "What the hell! How far can their guns reach?" General Colli started contemting how to exin this defeat to the king and shift the me to ipetent arms manufacturers.

    This unexpected blow left the Italians disoriented. Many of them were not aware of the French skirmishers'' superior rifle range. They charged forward, keeping their formation tight, which was the typical practice. Maintaining a tight formation helped preserve discipline, and they believed that they could spread out closer to the enemy. After the widespread use of the "Little Melons," there were no cavalry units in any nation that still used the old, tight formation charge.

    As they approached the skirmishers, they faced another volley. However, since they were moving faster, the casualties were lower than in the previous volleys.

    Count Vivaldi, the cavalry division''smander, struggled to maintain order. He yelled orders, trying to keep the formation intact andmanding a full-speed charge. But at this moment, the second synchronized volley resounded.

    This second volley caused even more chaos among the Italians. They realized the skirmishers were too far to be so effective, yet they couldn''t grasp the full extent of the French rifles'' range. Some tried to rein in their horses and stop, while others spurred their horses to run faster. Some remained oblivious and continued with their previous formation.

    People wanting to stop collided with those who wanted to charge ahead, leading to chaos. Those who wanted to charge took a few steps before abruptly pulling back, while others tried to turn their horses to the side. The entire cavalry force was in disarray.

    The skirmisher captain, Jean Lanna, watched the cavalry chase with anticipation. When he saw that the Italians didn''t break through their formation as he had hoped, he shouted in delight, "Brothers, I told you, don''t be deceived by appearances! To win battles, you have to rely on our skirmishers! Now, forward, let''s crush their infantry!"

    Skirmishers equipped with Mini rifles against Italian infantry was a lopsided contest. With their greater range, they systematically picked off the Italian infantry like peelingyers of an onion. The Italians were taking a beating, and they couldn''t effectively retaliate.

    Furthermore, the cannons abandoned by the Italians were now under French control. When the Italians had abandoned the cannons, they had neglected to destroy them. The French quickly turned them around, ready to fire. However, the Italians broke intoplete disarray before the French could shoot. Soldiers ignored their officers''mands, scattered, and the officers soon joined the rout. They ran faster than the soldiers.

    Over fifty thousand Italians scattered, and catching them proved difficult. The Italians were more familiar with the terrain and could disappear into the countryside, so Napoleon didn''t capture many prisoners. On the other hand, General Colli, retreating to Turin, also failed to gather many stragglers. About half of the soldiers didn''t die or get captured but simply went their separate ways.

    After gaining over a hundred cannons, the French army advanced toward Turin. In Turin, the city experienced three shocking events in one night. The people of the city spread various rumors, saying that the French would behead all the nobles if they entered Turin. Others narrated tales of the French "robbing the rich to help the poor." Some were terrified of the French and shook with fear, while others hoped the French would enter the city so they could share in the spoils.

    At the nobles'' unanimous request, the king dered his withdrawal from the war and sent envoys to negotiate with the French. Facing the Sardinian envoys, Napoleon initially disyed indifference, followed by various threats. Finally, under the threat of the French army, Sardinia had to ept the following terms:

    Sardinia would withdraw from the anti-French alliance and promise not to allow anyone to use its territory for actions against France. The Sardinian army had to hand over the forts of Coni, Ceva, and Tortona. They temporarily surrendered Alessandria before giving it to the French. The people in the French-controlled area would haveplete autonomy and the right to establish a self-governing body to implement revolutionary policies. Sardinia couldn''t interfere. The French army could move freely within Piedmont and had the right to cross the Po River at Valenza. All local police in Piedmont were to be disbanded. France would help administer the region. French agents would have the right to travel freely within Piedmont. The French army had the right to confiscate all Sardinian army property. Sardinia had to pay one hundred million gold francs in indemnities to the French army.

    In the Italian War of 1796-97, the French won yet another victory without shedding much blood. They captured Turin and acquired another one hundred million gold francs. They also held several Sardinian generals and officers. As for the citizens of Turin, they rejoiced at the French arrival, as they no longer had to worry about the war''s destruction.

    The Sardinian King Charles Emmanuel IV led his family and fled Turin, moving south. The Holy Roman Empire dered war on France, Britain continued to wage war, but on the European continent, things became calmer.

 Chapter 149: The Bane of Royalists (1)

    Chapter 149: The Bane of Royalists (1)

    While Napoleon was waging his battles in Italy, significant changes were unfolding in Paris. The first-ever parliamentary elections under the rule of the Thermidorians had concluded. Despite a historically low voter turnout, the royalists had managed to secure more than half the seats in Paris.

    The Thermidorian government promptly dered the elections invalid, citing various irregrities that hadpromised their fairness. They scheduled a new round of elections to take ce in ten days.

    During those ten days, the Thermidorians went all out in their efforts to persuade themon people, warning them of the consequences they would face if the royalists came to power. They hoped that these threats would motivate the citizens to vote for them.

    However, when the second round of elections took ce, the people of Paris remained apathetic. Voter turnout was even lower than before, yet the royalists once again emerged victorious, iming the majority of seats in Paris. The situation in the provinces couldn''t be tallied in time, but it was widely assumed that it didn''t favor the Thermidorians either.

    Acknowledging these results would only be a matter of time before the Thermidorians faced retribution. Therefore, they promptly dered the second election invalid as well.

    But what constituted a valid election? The Thermidorians, who still controlled the National Convention, passed aw stipting that, in the next parliament, they must hold a two-thirds majority.

    This decision stirred up amotion in Paris. The royalists, who had gathered strength, were now openly dering, "If we can''t ascend through legal means, we''ll resort to revolution!" They began preparing for a semi-public uprising, and the Thermidorians found themselves with few options.

    To eliminate the influence of the Jacobins, the Thermidorians reorganized the Parisian National Guard. Those who leaned towards the lower sses were purged from the National Guard and reced with more "respectable" individuals. The overall number of the National Guard was significantly reduced, and the guard in the poorer districts was disbanded entirely. Additionally, the National Guard''s funding was no longer a government responsibility, meaning only property owners could join.

    While this measure helped eliminate the risk of a Jacobin-led uprising, it also meant that the main armed force in Paris, the National Guard, fell into the hands of those less loyal to the revolutionary cause. With most of the National Guard now leaning towards the royalists, the situation was dire for the Thermidorians. It seemed that if the royalists initiated a rebellion, the Thermidorians would be in grave danger.

    Some Thermidorians had already started preparing for exile. Crucial positions, such as themand of the Paris garrison, were left unupied because no one was willing to take them.

    In this environment, one night, a visitor quietly made their way to the residence of Paul Barras, a prominent Thermidorian figure.

    Barras was already in bed, but due to the visitor''s urgent insistence, he reluctantly got up to meet them.

    "Mr. Fouch, why have youe to me at this hour?" Barras asked, furrowing his brows upon seeing the visitor. It wasn''t that he disliked Fouch, but recently, Fouch had been a bearer of only bad news.

    "Your Excellency," Fouch said with a smile, "I''m amazed you can sleep at such a time."

    "What''s the matter?"

    "One of your servants took money from someone else and betrayed you," Fouch stated. "He has sold information about your daily activities and other arrangements to Viscount Thierry. You are, of course, well aware of who Viscount Thierry is."

    Barras'' expression darkened immediately. He had arranged various ns for exile, and did this mean...

    "Who is it? What did he tell them?" Barras demanded to know.

    Fouch slowly reached into his pocket, retrieved an envelope, and handed it to Barras.

    Taking the envelope, Barras removed the letter inside. He put on his sses and, by the candlelight, started reading the letter with hands that trembled ever so slightly.

    "So, it was him... this ungrateful serpent... I must have been blind..."

    "Barras, now is not the time to curse," Fouch said. "The revolt is imminent, and we don''t have much time. Moreover, devising a new escape n isn''t a viable solution. Forgive my bluntness, but in the current situation, those around you aren''t very reliable. Don''t think that just because I''ve found one traitor, there''s only one around you. The situation is clear, and for the sake of your life and wealth, some will be willing to switch sides."

    At this point, Barras had regained hisposure. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Joseph. Since you''vee to me at this time, I assume you''re not here to tell me my fate is sealed. What do you suggest?"

    "To deal with a rebellion, there''s only one effective method: crushing it with force," Fouch said. "The current Paris garrisonmander has no one willing to take the position except the royalists. If you take this position, you can legally mobilize the troops to suppress the rebellion."

    "But most of the National Guard now leans towards them."

    "You''re mistaken. Most of the National Guard merely leans toward what they perceive as the stronger side. Moreover, near Paris, the National Guard is not the only military force."

    "You mean the army... but there aren''t many troops near Paris, and mobilizing them will only trigger the royalists prematurely."

    "No additional mobilization is required; there is already a military force in Paris  the Red Army," Fouch reminded.

    "The Red Army? Are there enough of them?"

    Barras, not well-versed in military matters, took a moment to recall that there was a force known as the "Red Army," officially named the "Educational Troops." However...

    "But, aren''t there only a few of them?"

    During the Jacobin era, the Red Army had at one point expanded to over a thousand soldiers, but as the Thermidorians came to power, the military budget was significantly reduced, and the Red Army''s numbers were cut back to around five hundred. This was an achievement of Carnot''s.

    "But the Red Army has five hundred seasoned warriors," Fouch said.

    "But their side has thousands!"

    "They are a disorganized mob," Fouch scoffed. "In recent years, warfare has evolved significantly, and old tactics are no longer effective. Faced with the most advanced Red Army in the world, those mobs, no matter how numerous, won''t stand a chance. Furthermore, most of the National Guard currently leaning towards the royalists are doing so because they believe the royalists are already victorious. A resounding blow will make most of those who leaned towards the royalists hesitate, and the neutrals will shift to our side."

    Fouch''s words gave Barras much encouragement, and he said, "If that''s possible, it would be great. But can the Red Army be controlled by us?"

    "You are the Paris garrisonmander; if you make the request, as long as the Ministry of War doesn''t object... Besides, truth be told, the army doesn''t have a good impression of you. You''d better find someone they trust to serve as your liaison. They might trust them, but make no mistake, they won''t follow orders if it doesn''t suit them."

    Barras nodded in agreement. "And you''ve already arranged for someone, haven''t you?"

    "I came here straight from their camp, and their representatives will arrive soon."

    That night, Barras assumed the role of Paris garrisonmander and got to work, preparing for the imminent showdown with the royalists.

 Chapter 150: The Bane of Royalists (2)

    Chapter 150: The Bane of Royalists (2)

    The grand halls of the National Assembly stood in solemn silence, appearing devoid of any human presence from the outside.

    "Hahaha" A royalist sympathizer burst intoughter. "I knew these rebels would flee early! Cowards! Hahaha"

    He waved a massive white g in his hand (well, the Bourbon dynasty''s g was white, after all) and shouted back to the others, "Brothers, follow me! Hoist this white g atop the National Assembly building!"

    The crowd rushed toward the National Assembly building, many of them firing haphazardly at the walls, their bullets sparking as they hit the stonework, shattering windows in a cacophonous symphony.

    The crowd drew closer to the building, within a mere forty meters. Just then, explosions erupted from all directions.

    Countless fireballs emerged from underground tunnels beneath the square in front of the National Assembly, along with a barrage of fireballs in mid-air.

    "What is this?" Barras, hiding behind a window on the second floor of the building, peered outside with a trembling voice. Despite the winter chill, his brow was already damp with sweat.

    Barras knew that if he had chosen to hide elsewhere at this moment, he would likely be safer. However, when it came to sharing the spoilster on, his share would be significantly smaller. So, after a sleepless night of contemtion, he decided to close his eyes and take the risk. After all, Fouch and Lucien were here. If they weren''t certain, they wouldn''t

    But just a moment ago, when the mob swarmed toward them, Barras was genuinely frightened. He recalled the various imaginative and gruesome ways the nobility met their end during the September Massacres. His legs went weak, and he almost forgot that he had a small vial of poison prepared.

    However, this series of massive explosions changed everything. After the explosions, the entire area surrounding the National Assembly, including several streets leading to it, had been swept by shockwaves and shrapnel. Most of the rioters had be lifeless, sprawled every which way, while the few survivors moaned in agony. There was no one left standing in the vacant square and streets.

    "These are electrically detonatedndmines," Lucien exined. "They are our enterprise''stest creation."

    In the original history, in 1799, Volta developed the first practical battery, known as the Voltaic pile. In that same year, E.C. Howard created an essential explosive, fulminate of mercury. But in this alternate timeline, Lavasie had inadvertently discovered fulminate of mercury while producing nitrocellulose for military purposes. Recently, to develop various explosives, especially timed explosives, Joseph had sessfully replicated a battery. He began with more advanced starting points than Volta, immediately producing consumer-friendly carbon-zinc batteries and rechargeable zinc-copper batteries with dilute sulfuric acid as the electrolyte.

    Combined with Lavasie''s invention of electric sting caps, and with the addition of a timer, a widely-appreciated and highly efficient household, travel, and assassination essential, the timed bomb, was created. If these devices were given to the European revolutionary zealots, especially Napoleon and Russian enthusiasts for ndestine killings, they would wreak havoc on the European nobility.

    Of course, these technologies had applications far beyond assassinations, ying critical roles in various fields. In this context, they merely slightly modified the technology used for safe mining explosions (as fuses were unreliable andparatively dangerous). They had transformed it into a massive weapon.

    The so-called "electrically detonatedndmine" consisted, conscientiously, of a packet of nitrocellulose wrapped in oil paper and cloth, covered with ss shards and iron nails. Then, they attached an electric sting cap with wires. Those less scrupulous affixed a long nail to the ground and ced the explosive parcel on top. They inserted an electric sting cap with wires, securing a small melon on top, rigged to pull a cord attached to a nail below. Upon detonation, the melon wouldunch into the air, its fuse also pulled. As long as the explosive quantity was correct, the melon would explode in the air, leaving the target with no escape.

    In a single night, the Red Army buried over three hundred of these mines on the square and main roads leading to the National Assembly, turning the entire area into a massive deathtrap.

    "Counterattack! Crush them while we have the chance!" the currentmanding officer of the Red Army and Carnot''s chosen sessor, Colonel Berti, yelled.

    Suddenly, hundreds of soldiers, donned in their red uniforms and armed with bayed rifles, surged from windows and doors, charging from the entrances, jumping out of windows, and sprinting toward the bewildered rioters who hadn''t yet grasped the gravity of the situation.

    The rioters had been utterly paralyzed by the recent explosions. Their scattered, directionless escape wasn''t due to their courage but rather their shock. Now, seeing a squad of soldiers brandishing gleaming bays charging toward them, they snapped out of their stupor, turned tail, and fled while shouting, "We''re defeated! Run, quick, run! Damn it, don''t block my way!"

    The mob descended into chaos, their panicked escape slowed by the fact that there was no ce to run. The Red Army quickly closed in, first with a volley, followed by the melon bombs, and then... well, there was nothing left after that.

    The rioters hadn''t even considered fighting back; they were merely desperate to flee. The smarter ones abandoned their weapons, deserted the main streets, and scurried into alleys. Since the Red Army had no intention of pursuing them here, they converged where the mob was densest.

    "Mr. Barras, you can now issue orders to the National Guard in the name of the city''s defensemander. I''m confident they''ll obediently follow yourmands now," Lucien looked outside for a moment, then turned to Barras.

    In truth, Barras didn''t need to issue orders. After news of the failed royalist siege of the National Assembly, the National Guards from previously "neutral" districts had voluntarily joined in the counter-revolutionary efforts. Even those who had initially leaned toward the royalists and were a bitte to the scene promptly dered, "We''re here to suppress the rebellion and defend the Republic!"

    Indeed, the "redrawing" had already begun, and the most significant matter was rewarding those who had earned it. Failure to recognize the valiant would be uneptable, and the Red Army wouldn''t stand for it.

    In the past, no matter how chaotic Paris became, the military had never truly intervened in the city''s political struggles. But this time, the military made an abrupt entrance, demonstrating to all that, "Don''t misunderstand our intentions. We''re not targeting any of you. We''re here to tell you that if you''re nning to flip the table, you''re all amateurs!"

    The Red Army of five hundred soldiers effortlessly defeated over forty thousand rioters with minimal casualties. The only soldier who gained an honorable injury during the fight had sprained his ankle while pursuing the rioters. As for the number of rioters who perished, that was anyone''s guess. It was said that wagons hauling the corpses had been busy all day.

    Since the uprising had been quelled, the most crucial matter was rewarding the deserving. Barras, with newfound enthusiasm, addressed the government assembly to discuss the country''s new leadership and policies.

    First, those who had aplished significant feats in this event needed to be acknowledged; otherwise, it wouldn''t sit right. And... the Red Army wouldn''t ept it.

    In the past, Barras had been a broker between the factions, but now, he shifted his allegiance swiftly. He represented the interests of the military on the political stage.

    "Over the past period, our arms procurement management has been aplete mess, delivering far too much junk to our military! I''m telling you, our soldiers are dissatisfied! They suspect there may be royalist plots in these terrible arms we''ve been feeding them. They''re suspicious that someone among us is selling them out for money, betraying France. They believe this situation cannot continue!"

    "So, we must pass a resolution to restore the military representative system and reintroduce quality control and ountability measures for arms procurement. Anyone attempting to deliver these shoddy products to our military ismitting high treason and should face severe punishment!"

    "Arms procurement for the military, with the exception of ssified projects, should be conducted transparently. The military should establish open technical standards, and only products meeting these standards from qualifiedpanies should be epted into our military..."

    "Barras has turned to the military side quite quickly," a member of the assemblymented quietly as Barras delivered his speech.

    "Indeed, he has, Mr. Rn," another member whispered back. "But what concerns me more is the standards for military procurement. It''s likely that certain scientists have already developed something and are dictating the standard to the military, tailored to their product."

    "Ah, Barras, this fellow, is quite the visionary. He was the one who managed to sell the navy and the Institute of Technology to that family at a low price. And I''ve heard Barras just sold his two gunpowder factories, which are now said to be part of the ''Military-Industrial Consortium.'' He''s a shareholder now."

    "That''s quite enviable... he''s getting rich like this, and he didn''t even tell us beforehand..."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 150 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 151: Return to Paris

    Chapter 151: Return to Paris

    In the parliamentary session, Barras proposed several key points. First, to hold new elections ensuring a majority for the Thermidorians. This idea received unanimous support. Second, to have military representation in the parliament, considering the presence of the Red Army outside. Again, this was widely epted. Third, to form the Directory with esteemed members who had demonstrated their loyalty to the republic in the vote to execute the king. This proposal was also met with approval.

    Barras suggested including General Carnot in the Directory, representing the military, which garnered no opposition. Furthermore, due to ack of technical expertise among parliament members, there was a need for individuals well-versed in military technology. This idea found support as well. Lastly, given the poor performance of the police during the recent uprising, Barras argued for a reorganization of the Parisian police system and rmended Fouch for the task.

    Notably, Fouch''s appointment as head of the police department faced resistance, as it was a crucial department with significant political influence. Many believed they couldpete for this powerful position, while others feared the growing imbnce of power under Barras''s faction.

    In this matter, Barras encountered resistance for the first time. To ovee it, he resorted to revealing that the families or subordinates of several vocal opponents had leaked state secrets to the royalists, providing concrete evidence. In contrast to the Reign of Terror in 1793, Barras did not suggest executing these opponents immediately. He attributed their actions to the cleverness of the royalists and believed they had been deceived. However, Barras argued that the opponentscked the cunning to deal with the royalists effectively. Therefore, he rmended Fouch for the position of Minister of Police, emphasizing the importance of this role.

    Meeting with some initial discontent, the parliament ultimately understood and approved Barras''s proposal. No one wanted to risk their own secretsing to light, as almost no one in the National Convention had clean hands. In the days when Robespierre ruled, many would have faced the guillotine.

    While the discussions in the parliament heated up over these positions, Joseph arrived with a few bodyguards wearing holstered revolvers. Apanied by Fanny and her family, they arrived at the Fanny family''s residence.

    Several days earlier, as the situation in Paris grew perilous, Fouch had arranged for Joseph to personally escort Fanny''s family out of the city for their safety. Now that the situation had calmed down, they could return.

    During the carriage ride, Baroness Maniere expressed her concerns, wondering if thieves had ransacked their home. Fanny reassured her, saying, "Don''t worry, Mother. If thieves did break in, we should be d because there''s nothing valuable in our home. It''s possible that while searching for something to steal, a thief might identally drop their wallet in our house."

    "Don''t jest," even the Baroness chuckled, "We''re not that destitute. At the very least, we can afford your dowry, dear Fanny."

    Fanny blushed and cast a shy nce at Joseph, then fell silent.

    Fortunately, they arrived at their doorstep, and the servants began unloading their belongings. Joseph, apanied by Baron Lavasie and his family, proceeded to the garden to sit and chat.

    "Baron, in theing days, Paris should finally stabilize. At the very least, the worst of the turmoil is behind us," Joseph remarked.

    "Does that mean we can expect peaceful days ahead?" the Baroness inquired hopefully, "And it would be even better if Armand were to return."

    Joseph, with aposed demeanor, replied, "Indeed. Things are bound to improve. But, it will take time to prepare for the move. Paris is the heart of France, offering the best schools and research resources. Naturally, my research institute will return there. However, this is a significant endeavor and not a quick task. Currently, I''m scouting locations near Paris with my friends to find a suitable ce for the new institute. Additionally, your brother, Master Lavasie, is starting to miss Paris. After all, Toulon is quite small inparison."

    They continued chatting casually, and Joseph eventually took his leave. The Baron, citing his poor leg condition, opted not to apany Joseph outside, instructing his daughter Fanny to see him off.

    Fanny bid Joseph farewell, and it took her quite some time to return. As she strolled through the front yard, humming a tune, preparing to go to her room, she heard her father calling her from the small sitting room, "Fanny,e here for a moment."

    Fanny walked into the sitting room to find her elderly father sitting in a sunlit corner by the window.

    "Dad, what''s going on?" she asked.

    "Ah, Fanny,e and sit next to me," the Baron said.

    Fanny walked over and took a seat in a chair near his rocking chair.

    "He proposed to you, didn''t he?" her father suddenly asked.

    Fanny blushed. "Uh..." she hesitated.

    "What''s this? Is that scoundrel not being honest? Well, he''s friends with that obnoxious little rascal. Fanny, no, this won''t do. If he dares toe again, I''ll..." her father began.

    "Dad..." Fanny scolded, "He did bring it up, but he''s too annoying. He doesn''t even consider whether I''d say yes. He just talks about what we''ll do after we get married. I told him I haven''t decided if I want to marry him!"

    "Oh, my!" her father eximed, "This is not right, Fanny! You have to know that young men like Joseph are not easy to find. He has a bright future and will be one of the most important figures in all of France. For your happiness, you should hold on to him tightly. Otherwise, who knows when some shameless, deceitful harlot mighte and snatch him away?"

    "Dad, you''re making it sound like I won''t find a husband otherwise!"

    "How could my daughter not find a husband? Paris has more men than fish in the Antic. But, Fanny, you must realize how important it is to marry the right person. It''s like fishing, catching a marlin is not the same as catching a sardine. Also, you really need to hold on. You see, although the sea is full of fish, if the bait stays in the water too long..."

    As Fanny and her father shared this heart-to-heart talk, Joseph arrived at his residence by carriage only to find Lucien missing.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, Lucien went out; it seems he was invited to a feast. He left a note for you." Sophie, the housekeeper, handed Joseph a piece of paper.

    "Oh," Joseph replied, taking the note.

    The note mentioned that Lucien had gone to La Basque, instructing Joseph not to wait for him.

    "Damn, this scoundrel went to enjoy a feast on his own!" Joseph said. Nheless, he wasn''t too keen on appearing at such social gatherings, so having his brother represent him wasn''t a bad idea.

    Since Lucien was absent, Joseph asked Sophie to prepare dinner for him. After the meal, he retired to his study to contemte the various ns for relocating his research institute to Paris.

    "Should we establish it directly within Paris? It would be more convenient in many ways, but the city is too crowded and limited in space for certain experiments. Orleans Duke''s estate? It''s not too far from Paris, and it has ample space. However, it''s a bit distant from the Red Army''s garrison. There''s also this location, slightly further from Paris, but closer to the Red Army, offering more diverse terrain. Maybe this one; we might need to widen the roads, which would require additional expenses..."

    While pondering these options, he heard the sound of keys turning in the lock from outside. Joseph left his considerations behind, exited his study, and discovered Lucien entering, smelling strongly of brandy.

    "Going to these kinds of gatherings and actually drinking this much, are you brave or just foolish?" Joseph frowned, contemting how to provide better guidance for his younger brother.

    "I didn''t drink that much, I swear," Lucien responded, trying to sound sober, "Do you want to smell? The alcohol is all on my clothes. Going to dine with those old schemers, I couldn''t risk getting intoxicated for real."

    "Really?" Joseph approached and, indeed, detected most of the alcohol on Lucien''s clothes.

    "Yeah, you think I''m not adaptable? But, you can''t be sure that no one tried to spike my drink. Onedy at the gathering kept talking to me and pouring wine; I don''t understand how she had such a high tolerance."

    "And you were drinking with women and pretending? Well, was she pretty?" Joseph''s mind suddenly ventured a guess.

    "Very pretty," Lucien confirmed.

    "What''s her name?" Joseph spected.

    Lucien''s response suddenly raised a suspicion in Joseph''s mind.

 Chapter 152: The Old Bull and the Tender Grass

    Chapter 152: The Old Bull and the Tender Grass

    "Baronne de Boisarnaud." Lucien said, "I promised to help her with a favor, and she''s very grateful."

    "Baronne de Boisarnaud? Wait, Boisarnaud? That name sounds familiar," Joseph pondered.

    "Do you forget? In ''94, in Belgium, the Baron de Boisarnaud lost his head due to the unsessful battles," Lucien exined.

    "Oh," Joseph nodded, "What does she want you to help with?"

    "She hopes I can find a way to retrieve her husband''s sword," Lucien replied.

    "Ah, I remember now. After her husband''s death, does she have any family left?" Joseph inquired.

    "She has a son in his early teens and a daughter," Lucien answered.

    "Tell me, Lucien, what do you think of that woman?" Joseph asked again.

    Lucien replied, "What do I think? She''s a beautiful woman."

    Listening to Lucien''s casual response, Joseph felt somewhat relieved. In truth, Joseph didn''t harbor much ill will toward Josephine Bonaparte from history. After living in France for so many years, he had been influenced by the French perspective. To the French, a little green on top of one''s head didn''t seem like a big deal. Compared to Napoleon''ster wife, Josephine hadn''t caused significant trouble. Honestly, Joseph did have some biases against Habsburg women.

    But that didn''t mean Joseph thought Josephine should be his sister-inw in this timeline. Leaving aside the fact that she couldn''t have children, Joseph believed it would create family problems to choose her as a wife for any of his brothers. In a family with several brothers who started a fortune, having legitimate heirs for each of them ensured the stability of the family''s wealth and power structures. If one brothercked a legitimate heir, he would have to adopt a child from another brother as an heir, effectively strengthening that brother''s branch. This would inevitably lead to conflicts and fractures within the family.

    "Lucien, do you know how she managed to survive after her husband''s death?" Joseph asked.

    "Why do I care? Wait... Wait a minute, Joseph, why are you suddenly so interested in her? Could it be... I should talk to Fanny, but..." Lucien began to counterattack.

    "Good Lord! I''m worried about you! That woman''s intentions are as clear as day. You need to understand that. Why wouldn''t she just ask Barras to retrieve her husband''s sword? She must know Barras, probably better than you. Are they not close? My naive brother, this is a trap, can''t you see?" Joseph exined.

    "What''s there to be afraid of? If she has tricks, I have tricks. Armand taught me numerous tricks back then. Besides, you once said, ''Since ancient times, true feelings can''t be kept, only tricks can win hearts,''" Lucien retorted. "And anyway, what do we have to lose? We''re both in your position, and you don''t even have a lover. You''re being too Corsican!"

    In Corsican nobility, having a lover was quitemon. So, when Lucien referred to "being too Corsican," he meant "being too old-fashioned."

    "Having a little too much to drink and not knowing your own limits!" Joseph eximed, feeling irritated. "Look, since you''re not drunk, that''s good. Come to my study and help me budget these ns!"

    So, Lucien spent the entire night working on the budget.

    The next morning, Joseph, in his sleepwear, received the budget from Lucien and waved him off, saying, "Well, good job. You can go to sleep now."

    Before Lucien created the budget, Joseph had already estimated the approximate costs of the ns. After a quick review, he found that Lucien''s figures aligned closely with his own estimates.

    "It''s just that widening the road costs too much," Joseph muttered to himself. Though, for the sake of safety, he had decided to stay where the Red Army coulde to his rescue at any moment.

    "But it''s not just the research institute; other factories and facilities can also be located here, right? This can be called the North Paris Industrial Park, and it can be considered a government achievement, can''t it? If that''s the case, shouldn''t the government pay for the road expansion?" Joseph realized.

    Joseph pped his thigh and shouted, "Lucien, Lucien!"

    Lucien, who had just washed his face, was about to embrace his beloved pillow when he heard Joseph''s call. He rushed over, looking nervous. "What''s wrong? Did I make a mistake? That''s impossible; I double-checked every data..."

    "It''s not about that," Joseph said. "The data is correct. I just wanted to remind you that the elections are approaching. You should be ready to enter the parliament. Once you''re in, you can propose this n..."

    A few more hours passed, and Lucien finally went to bed.

    With these arrangements in ce, Joseph left Paris once again and returned to Toulon, where there was still much work to be done. He had to entrust the affairs of Paris to Lucien for now. Considering Lucien''s good performance during this time and with Fouch by his side, Joseph believed Lucien wouldn''t create any major problems.

    However, since Lucien was temporarily handling Paris, some tasks that were originally Joseph''s responsibility had to be managed by him personally. For example, the special tactical training camp. Joseph couldn''t help but sigh, "You don''t realize the value of something until youck it."

    Before leaving Paris, Joseph took the opportunity to visit Fanny once more. This time, her warmth and hospitality surprised him. When he was about to leave, Fanny finally expressed her desire for them to set a wedding date.

    Upon hearing this request, Joseph''s heart skipped a beat.

    Fanny could help organize the educational materials for his younger brother, and from their interactions, it was clear that her mathematical skills were more than decent, certainly better than that fellow Armand. If she were to marry into the family, it seemed that many rtively straightforward yet somewhat cumbersome and confidential matters could be entrusted to her. This would essentially add another capable secretary to handle sensitive matters.

    Thinking about this, Joseph quickly assured Fanny that he had been considering this matter for a while. He had just been unable to return to Paris due to his other responsibilities. Now that he was nning to settle in Paris soon, they should expedite discussions about their engagement.

    "I''ll be in Toulon for about two more months. When I return, I will propose to your father and try to bring you over as soon as possible," Joseph said.

    Fanny couldn''t help but kiss Joseph, not realizing that this man was already considering how to employ her in various roles, much like a man would do.

    After Joseph''s departure, Lucien was finally able to take a break. He began actively participating in various political activities and preparing for the uing elections. He sessfully helped Baronne de Boisarnaud retrieve herte husband''s sword, and they became quite close during this time.

    Joseph was informed that Lucien had already taken on three or four lovers within a week. "Good Lord, no wonder he''s spending so much money," Joseph thought.

    However, Joseph didn''t criticize Lucien for his spending habits. He understood that Lucien''s lifestyle was a tradition in French politics. If he appeared too different from others in his position, it couldplicate many matters.

    "Furthermore, it won''t be long before he bes a member of parliament. He''ll receive a government sry, which will help cover these expenses," Joseph thought.

    As Lucien prepared for his new role as a member of parliament, he received a message. He had been sessfully elected and became a prominent member of the "Committee on Military Production." Though he wasn''t yet the President, he was making progress, and Joseph believed it wouldn''t take long for Lucien to attain that position.

    Around the same time, a group of Polish nationalists arrived in Toulon. These Poles were freedom fighters, and their recent uprising had failed, leading to the division of their homnd. They hade to France seeking technical support.

 Chapter 153: Hopes of the Poles

    Chapter 153: Hopes of the Poles

    Over a hundred Polish individuals had arrived, led not only by Vebitzki but also by a man named Dombrowski.

    Dombrowski was a robust and burly figure. As Vebitzki introduced him, it was revealed that he had been a cavalry officer in the Polish army, having received training at the Dresden Cavalry Academy. He had also served in the Saxon army. However, heter joined the Polish uprising, distinguishing himself and earning the trust of hisrades.

    "Nevertheless, it hasn''t made much difference; we still can''t defeat the Russian and Prussian aggressors. When we were at our lowest, I heard about your theories on sustained resistance and guerri warfare from my friend Vebitzki. It inspired me and gave me direction in our darkest moments. The French Revolution and Polish independence are not two separate issues but interconnected, mutually supportive endeavors. Vebitzki mentioned that you not only have advanced weaponry but also cutting-edge tactics and ideas. So, we''vee here, hoping to receive your assistance."

    Upon their first meeting, Dombrowski tightly shook Joseph''s hand and spoke earnestly, as if a long-lostrade had finally found his organization.

    Joseph withdrew his hand from Dombrowski''s grip and said, "Mr. Dombrowski, please take a seat and have a drink of water. As you said, the cause of the French people''s revolution is closely tied to the liberation of all of Europe. I have always deeply admired the courage of the Polish people in resisting oppression, and I feel genuine sympathy for their long-standing sufferings."

    He looked at Dombrowski, who had now taken a seat, and seated himself across from him.

    "Mr. Dombrowski, if you''vee seeking our help, there are some things I must rify upfront. It may not be pleasant to hear, but for the sake of Polish independence, I hope you and yourrades will listen to what I have to say. I know that some in your country harbor unrealistic hopes that we, the French, will first defeat the main forces of the Russian and Prussian invaders on the battlefield, allowing Pnd to regain its independence. I must tell you that if Polish revolutionaries hold onto such hopes, the eventual oue may be disappointing."

    Dombrowski said, "Please continue."

    "Prussia, Austria, and Russia are formidable nations. France''s enemies are not limited to them alone; we also contend with the mighty British and Spanish. In fact, our struggles against these foes have already been exhausting. Prolonged warfare has ced a significant burden on the French people. Therefore, since the outset of this war, we have been eager for an undisturbed peace. Presently, this longing for peace has grown even more urgent. So, even if we defeat the enemy on the battlefield, as long as they propose peace to France, it would be challenging for us to reject it and impose too many conditions. I understand my words may not be easy to hear, but for the cause of Polish independence, I hope that you and yourrades canprehend."

    Dombrowski inquired, "Are you suggesting that Pnd''s independence will not be part of the peace conditions France agrees to with its enemies?"

    Joseph responded, "Yes, just as the sess of the French Revolution primarily relies on the French people themselves, the freedom and independence of Pnd ultimately depend on the Polish people themselves."

    Dombrowski expressed his concern, "But our enemies are overwhelmingly powerful."

    "Strength and weakness can be transformed," Joseph countered, "Wasn''t Pnd strong in the past? When Pnd defeated the Teutonic Knights, captured the Russian Tsar, and vanquished arge Turkish army, wasn''t she strong? If Frederick the Great of Prussia, Sigismund III Vasa, and Sobieski knew about the strength of their descendants, would they fear the Teutonic Knights, the Russians, or the Austrians?"

    Dombrowski was nearly speechless.

    "Weakness can be strength through unrelenting effort. My friend, I can impart various methods to make a nation strong, but we French cannot magically make Pnd a powerful nation. An independent and powerful Pnd can only be achieved through the efforts of the Polish people themselves. If Pnd can only regain its independence through external forces, it will always be at risk of being divided again due to changing circumstances. Your own swords, your own soldiers, are your only hope on the battlefield. It may not be pleasant to hear, but I bear no ill will towards Pnd. I hope you understand this."

    Dombrowski conceded, "Mr. Bonaparte, you are correct. Only those who genuinely care about you will point out your problems. After hearing your words just now, I am certain that you are a true friend who genuinely cares for the Polish people. I came here to learn the path to self-improvement."

    "Very good," Joseph said. "Speaking of which, I would like to ask you a question. How did Pnd weaken, and where is the problem?"

    Dombrowski had initially wanted to me the so-called "traitors," but considering Joseph''s question, he realized that this exnation, whilemonly propagated, might not be entirely urate. If he responded in this way, he might risk appearing too simplistic. After some thought, he said, "Pnd has weakened because we are too conservative, clinging to outdated traditions, and our people are too apathetic."

    "That is merely the surface," Joseph shook his head. "The nobility in your country clings to tradition because they believe it protects their interests. Simr to the situation in our country before the revolution, the nobility wanted to shift all burdens onto the people without regard for the people''s interests. This led to a revolution in our country. However, in your country, the nobility is so strong that the people cannot stage a revolution; they are left apathetic. For the people, a country that doesn''t consider their interests cannot truly be their country."

    Joseph continued, "Look at Prussia, for instance. After the Battle of Kunersdorf, what was Prussia? But during the reign of Frederick the Great, Prussia rapidly ascended to be a significant European power. Why? Because Frederick the Great transformed his subjects into citizens. Prussian citizens shared rights and responsibilities. They saw the state as an extension of themselves, and they were willing to fight for the nation because they believed it was their own."

    Joseph then turned his attention to the French army and its tactics, asking Dombrowski, "Have you noticed how important light infantry is in the battles of the French armypared to other nations? Mobile and agile light infantry is one of our most potent assets when defeating foreign intervention forces. But why can''t our enemies, the Austrians and Prussians, utilize light infantry the same way?"

    At this point, Joseph paused, gazing at Dombrowski, who had fallen into deep thought.

    Dombrowski soon replied, "Because their armiesck the morale that the French army has. If they use light infantry extensively, those troops, without proper discipline, would easily flee the battlefield."

    Joseph probed further, "So, are you suggesting that French soldiers inherently possess high morale? During the Seven Years'' War, did the French army exhibit such morale?"

    Dombrowski responded promptly, "Of course not. If the French army during the Seven Years'' War had possessed the morale it does now, Prussia would have been wiped off the map long ago."

    Joseph then asked, "So where does the morale of today''s French soldierse from?"

    Dombrowski had an epiphany, "Because today''s French soldiers believe that France is theirs, that the nation and their interests are inseparable, and they fight not just for the country but also for themselves. If Pnd wants to be a powerful nation, it must first be a state that genuinely cares for the interests of its people."

    Joseph agreed, "Exactly! Pnd is currently subjugated, and in the upied territories, you must emphasize that your fight is always for the people''s benefit. Those people are not just the nobility but alsomoners, even serfs. I heard that your country still has serfdom. The invaders are not in Pnd to do charity but to exploit and oppress. They will inevitably infringe on the people''s interests. This is determined by their aggressive nature, and it''s unchangeable. This is your chance to win the people."

    Dombrowski hesitated, "But, Mr. Bonaparte, the extent of oppression by the invaders"

    Joseph interrupted, "Nonsense! Mr. Dombrowski, are you trying to say that the invaders'' oppression of the people is currently less severe than the exploitation carried out by your country''s nobility in the past?"

    Dombrowski was red-faced and avoided eye contact, "Mr. Bonaparte, youyou''re absolutely right, it''s just thatthat it''s a sensitive issue"

    Joseph concluded, "Sometimes the truth is ufortable, but it''s crucial to confront it. If you truly want to lead a strong and independent Pnd, you must first build a nation that serves the interests of its people. This is the path to resilience and strength. And remember, the strength of a nationes from the unity of its people, their shared interests, and their shared destiny."

    Dombrowski nodded, understanding that the path to rebuilding Pnd would not be easy, but it was a path worth pursuing.

 Chapter 154: The Choice of Paths

    Chapter 154: The Choice of Paths

    Joseph couldn''t help but feel perplexed. "How did ite to this?" he wondered.

    "Indeed, even in a country as grand as this one, there are ws," Joseph thought to himself, "This Temo, a natural mage worse than the invaders, should be the least of our concerns."

    "In fact, many nobles have joined our uprising because they feel that the Russianws oppress the peasants too much," Dombrowski, with a resigned tone, made it clear.

    "But Mr. Bonaparte, Vebitzki told me something different," Joseph countered.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, Vebitzki... He''s a man of the city. He left Pnd early, spending more time in France and Italy than in Pnd. Some things, I doubt he truly understands," Dombrowski responded.

    "Polish serfs and themon people didn''t directly join your enemies, unlike the peasants in Sardinia. That, in itself, is a miracle. But, look at your troops. What kind of people are they? They don''t even know what their own country looks like, yet they are part of the leadership. It''s like a child trying to bake bread," Joseph pondered internally while saying, "If that''s the case, Mr. Dombrowski, your cause will face many challenges. Now, let me ask you a question."

    "Please, go ahead," Dombrowski hurriedly responded.

    "Who do you n to rely on to rebuild the nation in the future? Will it be the nobility or themon folk? Which path will you choose?" Joseph inquired.

    "What''s the difference between these two paths?" Dombrowski asked.

    "If you choose the path of the nobility, you will have to protect their interests to gain their support. But they all ownnd. You see, even priests have donkeys, but the church has no legs. To keep the church, they''ll have topromise with the invaders. So, unless your struggle continually leads from one victory to another, there will always be those who, to safeguard their churches, collude with the invaders, even after a minor setback. I believe you must have faced such situations during this uprising," Joseph said.

    Dombrowski nodded reluctantly. That''s precisely what happened. Once the rebel army started facing military setbacks, internal issues began to arise. There were spies everywhere. Sometimes, a joke told at a military meeting to lighten the mood would appear verbatim at another meeting chaired by Suvorov the next day.

    "Of course, they won''t sell you outpletely. They might even support your cause now and then to make the invaders realize that ruling Pnd on their own is costly and troublesome. They''d prefer to delegate the governance of Pnd to Polish nobles, as long as these nobles pay their taxes on time. In return, they may tolerate some ''autonomy'' for Pnd and might even allow the establishment of a ''puppet government'' under their control. They know that with Polish nobles in charge, Pnd will forever remain a weak nation, posing no threat to them," Joseph exined.

    Evidently, this was not the oue Dombrowski desired. So, he asked, "What about relying on themon people?"

    "Ah, relying on themon people? That would require a strongmitment," Joseph replied with a smile. "Have you witnessed the revolution in France? Our nobility is rtively enlightenedpared to yours, yet even they lost their heads in the revolution. If you don''t have the determination to send the feudal aristocracy to the guillotine, like in France, this path is not an option."

    Dombrowski fell silent. After a while, he spoke, "Is there no third path, where both sides canpromise?"

    "The third path, why does that term sound familiar?" Joseph wondered to himself. "But trying to have everything without giving anything, wanting everything without paying a price, that can never lead to a good oue. However, it''s not my concern if the Poles themselves don''t advance. As the Bible says, ''His blood will be on his head.''"

    With these thoughts, Joseph continued, "I don''t know if there is a third path, but perhaps you can find one on your own. As far as I know, there are only those two paths I mentioned earlier. Choosing the right path is a crucial decision, and you can go back to your amodations to discuss it as a group. We can provide different training depending on your choice."

    The conversation ended there, and Dombrowski returned to his quarters to convey Joseph''s message to the over one hundred people who had apanied him. This led to a heated debate among the group.

    The discussion continued among the Poles for two days. Eventually, they split into two factions: the majority, who advocated relying on Polish nobility to preserve traditional Polish culture, consisted of over ny people, and the minority, who believed in relying on themon people, consisted of just over ten individuals.

    Interestingly, the majority were mainly Polish natives, while the minority were primarily long-term students who had been influenced by France. However, they might not have fully grasped the situation in Pnd itself.

    It is said that when the formal split urred, Vebitzki, representing thetter faction, shook hands with Dombrowski, who had sided with the "reactionary feudal aristocracy," saying, "Yang, this is our final handshake. We cannot reconcile our differences. We''ll meet on the battlefield from now on."

    As a result, the Polish group that hade together was divided into two separate groups, each learning different tactics.

    The Dombrowski faction, strictly speaking, didn''t entirely support the reactionary nobility. Many in their faction, like Dombrowski himself, hoped for a so-called "third path." Since Joseph hadn''t pointed out this third path, they spent two days brainstorming and developed a so-called "new path."

    Their main focus was on learning various assassination techniques because their envisioned "new path" involved continually increasing the cost of direct Russian, Prussian, and Austrian rule in Pnd through "low-cost" resistance. This strategy aimed to force these foreign powers to adopt a more indirect rule, granting some rights to the Polish people, eventually achieving Polish autonomy, and umting power gradually. Perhaps if the world underwent significant changes in the future  even though Joseph had mentioned that Pnd was not included in France''s peace demands  if other nations were significantly weakened by then, Pnd might have an opportunity.

    However, Dombrowski knew that if Pnd didn''t reform, even if it temporarily regained independence, its future would be bleak. But once Pnd was independent, the nobles were not entirely unreasonable. They might agree to reforms, such asnd issues that could be addressed through state redemption and social reforms that could be introduced gradually. Just as Russia, a backward feudal nation, had be a powerful nation through the reforms of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. Therefore, it seemed that the third path was indeed viable, while the French approach was...

    On the other hand, Vebitzki''s faction believed that Dombrowski''s so-called "third path" was fundamentally about preserving the interests of the reactionary feudal nobility, perpetuating their oppression of the Polish people. The promised "reforms in the future" were nothing more than self-deception. If they couldn''t muster the determination to reform in the face of the nation''s extinction, how could they reform after regaining independence? Pursuing "autonomy" first meant colluding with the invaders, essentially being traitors to the country! Supporting those nobles who would harm the nation for their own interests was akin to beingpdogs to traitors! Therefore, Vebitzki''s faction believed that for a sessful Polish revolution, not only should the nobles be sent to the guillotine but also theirckeys.

    Vebitzki''s faction was smaller in number, but their learning tasks were more substantial. In addition to learning various surveince and counter-surveince techniques, they had to study organization building and propaganda. Joseph even arranged for them to intern in Italy, assisting Napoleon''s Italian legion in constructing "democratic autonomous zones" in the controlled areas. Training in variousbat tactics took a backseat. Nheless, Joseph didn''t have high hopes for the future of either of these two factions.

    "But it doesn''t matter; they are all just cannon fodder," he thought.

    So, the Poles settled into the training camp, but a significant schism had urred among them. As for the future consequences, well, in Pnd, they experienced widespread and profound struggles. Josephter humorously quoted a saying: "I came not to bring peace but a sword. For I havee to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-inw against her mother-inw. A man''s enemies will be the members of his own household." At least in Pnd, he had indeed achieved this.

 Chapter 155: The Distant Bridge

    Chapter 155: The Distant Bridge

    In thend of the East, Durovski''s people remained in Turin, undergoing technical training, while Vebitzki''s men, havingpleted their theoretical studies and reconnaissance training, left France and headed to Italy for their practical experience.

    Napoleon had already established himself in Italy andunched an offensive against the Austrian territories in Lombardy. With the deadly uracy of the Bonaparte rifles and captured Italian cannons, he pushed the Austrian General Beaulieu into a series of retreats. During negotiations with the Kingdom of Sardinia, Napoleonpelled them to open the crossing at Valenza on the Po River. This condition was shared with the Austrians, as the Kingdom of Sardinia had lost confidence in its ability to regain lost territory and relied on the Austrians. They realized that unless the Austrians won, Piedmont would be forever separated from them.

    Upon receiving this news, General Beaulieu wasted no time and concentrated all avable forces near the Valenza crossing. In earlier skirmishes, he had already grasped the significant disparity between his forces and Napoleon''s. Thus, the Po River became hisst hope to halt Napoleon''s advance.

    Napoleon also brought hisrge army near the Valenza crossing, frequently dispatching small units to reconnoiter the river. He portrayed an image of preparing for a full-scale crossing, and the intermittent small-scale conflicts between the two sides never ceased.

    These smaller confrontations greatly dampened the Austrian soldiers'' morale. Firstly, the enormous gap in weaponry heavily favored the French, as their rifled muskets were quick-firing and highly urate, making it nearly impossible for the Austrians to lift their heads. Furthermore, following their victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia, Napoleon''s cavalry weaknesses were addressed. French reconnaissance cavalry, armed with revolvers, left the Austrian cavalry bewildered in these small skirmishes.

    Since their entry into Italy, the army''s morale had soared, not just due to victories but also because half their pay could now be received in silver coins rather than paper notes. In the years prior, their pay had been primarily in notes, which had suffered heavy intion, rendering them almost worthless. With half their pay now in silver, it felt like suddenly being able to exchange French francs at a two-to-one rate for silver dors. Soldiers received more substantial pay, and their spirits soared. Many of them couldn''t resist writing letters home, encouraging their brothers to join them in Italy as volunteers to assist the French army in its battle for the country. The content of these letters varied, but one phrase was almost always identical:

    "Here, the enemy is clueless, and the pay is excellent. Come quickly!"

    Under this pressure, in order to guard the riverbank, General Beaulieu had no choice but to concentrate every avable force near the Valenza crossing. On one hand, he sought to intercept the French at Piacenza, but when he realized his troops couldn''t match the speed of the French advance, he quickly decided to retreat across the Adda River and use it as a defensive line.

    General Beaulieu''s decision was highly regarded by his subordinates. Through the series of small-scale confrontations with the French, everyone hade to realize one crucial fact: the French infantry, with their rapid-firing muskets, excelled in open field battles, and they were not to be underestimated.

    Furthermore, the Adda River offered superior defensive terrainpared to the Po River. With its swift currents and treacherous shallows, there were hardly any suitable crossing points for arge army. The most suitable bridge forrge-scale troop movement was the sole crossing. Once the army had retreated across the river and the bridge destroyed, they might have lost a substantial portion of the Lombardy region, but at least they could temporarily secure half of Lombardy.

    Napoleon, however, had realized the bridge''s significance. As soon as he crossed the Po River, he sent Dagu with a unit of cavalry infantry to capture the bridge. He anticipated that General Beaulieu would directly confront him and nned for the French to achieve victory, cutting off the Austrian retreat route. But he didn''t expect General Beaulieu to retreat so decisively.

    So when Dagu and his cavalry infantry arrived at the bridge, they found the Austrians had already crossed it.

    Dagu assessed his small force of merely five hundred soldiers against the Austrian group of at least twenty thousand, including Italian mercenaries. Furthermore, the retreat of the Italian mercenaries seemed disorganized.

    Dagu realized this was their opportunity. If the Italians crossed the bridge and the Austrians blew it up afterward, it would be a much more challenging task to cross the river. Thus, he quietly descended from the small hill, gathered his soldiers, and ordered them to immediately form a skirmish line to engage the Italian mercenaries.

    The French swiftly attacked the Italian mercenaries, and gunfire erupted. However, something unexpected urred. Initially, the Italians held their ground for a brief moment, but then, abruptly, they fired shots into the air. Confusion spread among the Italian mercenaries, and they didn''t resist but instead rushed toward the bridge, eager to cross it.

    "Are these Italians perhaps a bit too adorable?" Dagu couldn''t help but exim, witnessing this bizarre scene. The Italians on the bridge pushed and shoved each other, cursed, and inexplicably fired shots into the sky. Taking advantage of this chaos, Dagu''s troops easily reached the bridge.

    Most of the Italians guarding the bridge either fled across it or surrendered. Dagu found an Italian mercenary officer who spoke French and asked him why the Italians behaved this way.

    "The Austrians had nted explosives on the bridge, and they ordered us to cross it immediately. Our task was to ignite the explosives. But after the gunshots earlier, a group of Austrian cavalry suddenly approached the bridge. They were not here to defend it, the cursed Judas; they intended to blow up the bridge without caring if we crossed. Those ursed Judases!"

    Upon receiving the report that the French had secured the bridge, General Beaulieu was almost overwhelmed. However, he quickly regained hisposure, realizing that his artillery was just behind him. He ordered the artillery to be pushed forward and started pounding the bridge with solid shots to cover the retreat.

    The uracy of the solid shot was far from ideal, but General Beaulieu managed to concentrate over fifty artillery pieces, creating a tremendous barrage directed at the bridge. The French forces who had just crossed the bridge couldn''t withstand the assault, and they retreated back to their side of the river. However, the French rifled muskets were too sharp for the Austrians to ovee. Every time the Austrians attempted tounch a suicide mission to cross the bridge, they were pushed back.

    Dagu coordinated his troops, blocked the bridge''s surroundings with rifle fire, and deployed a squad to defuse the explosives nted beneath the bridge. However, due to the Austrian artillery blockade, reaching the other side of the bridge proved exceedingly difficult.

    By evening, Napoleon''s main force had finally arrived at the bridge. The sun was setting, and the two armies stood face to face across the river.

    That night, Napoleon gathered his officers and assigned them tasks for the next day''s battle, preparing for a breakthrough of the Austrian defense. Despite controlling the bridge, he was surprised to discover that General Beaulieu had moved ahead of him once again. In the dead of night, Beaulieu had ordered the firing pins of therge cannons to be removed, leaving behind over fifty heavy cannons. With his troops, he retreated.

 Chapter 156: Sweeping Victory

    Chapter 156: Sweeping Victory

    Marshal Boliere swiftly left his cannons behind, running as fast as he could. Napoleon estimated the distance between the two armies and their respective speeds,ing to a conclusion: the enemy was advancing at an incredible pace, and his forces were falling behind.

    Indeed, the French army had justpleted a grueling fifty-mile forced march along the Po River, followed by another swift march to reach the bridge. Pursuing the Austrians at such a relentless pace took a toll, not only on the soldiers but also on the horses. Once the horses couldn''t keep up, not only the cavalry and artillery suffered, but the crucial suppliesgged behind as well.

    Napoleon predicted that Marshal Boliere would retreat to Mn. Losing so many cannons, he couldn''t possibly defend the city with his remaining forces. From their previous encounters, Boliere didn''t seem like the kind of leader who would stubbornly fight a battle he knew he couldn''t win. Napoleon''s only concern was how much Florins (amon Italian currency) Boliere would take with him during his retreat.

    Considering the condition of his army, Napoleon decided to let his troops rest for a day before marching towards Mn, the capital of Lombardy.

    The following afternoon, French reconnaissance cavalry approached Mn, and the city''s representatives appeared before them. They informed themanding officer, Ojero, that the Austrians had left Mn early in the morning, leaving it defenseless. The citizens of Mn eagerly weed General Napoleon.

    After peacefully upying Mn, Napoleon''s army halted for rest and recuperation. Napoleon himself addressed the Mnese council, assuring them that he wasn''t an oppressor like the Austrians. He hade to bring freedom and liberation to the people of Lombardy.

    This speech initially relieved the Mnese, who feared they''d be subjected to looting and extortion by the French. However, they would soon learn the true meaning of "freedom and liberation" as defined by the French.

    After a brief respite, Napoleon''s forces resumed their pursuit of the Austrian army, following them to Mantua, the most vital fortress in Italy. Boliere and his remaining troops, around ten thousand in number, sought refuge behind the formidable walls of Mantua, awaiting reinforcements. Napoleon stationed his forces near Mantua, nning toy siege and await relief.

    Meanwhile, in the territories under Napoleon''s control, the ideals of freedom and liberation were being vigorously implemented.

    In Mn, some individuals supported by the French organized a group known as the "Freedom Club." They adopted a slogan that terrified the local aristocracy: "Just like Piedmont!"

    They imed that Lombardy should implement measures simr to those in Piedmont, confiscating all noblends and distributing them freely to the peasants. Soon, conflicts erupted as armed mobs attacked the estates of nobles in the countryside. They burned "seizednd deeds" and dered thend would be distributed to local farmers. The nobles were in distress; theycked the military force to protect their wealth, and the French dismissed these events as "internal Italian conflicts."

    Thisissez-faire approach had two consequences. Some nobles left Lombardy, spreading stories of terror and atrocitiesmitted by the "French thugs," while others covertly contacted the enemies of the French, such as the Austrians and the Papal States, seeking to use their influence to drive out the French and restore the "divine order."

    In reality, most of these actions were anticipated by Napoleon. As he prepared to face the urgent reinforcements sent by the Austrians from the Rhine front, he sent General Ojero back to Mn to maintain order among the local nobility.

    Simultaneously, with the support of the spoils acquired in Italy, new weapons were being mass-produced in Joseph''s armament factories. These weapons, loaded onto frigates, were delivered to the neutral city of Genoa in Italy and continuously transported to Napoleon''s army. Initially, when the Italian campaign began, only a few soldiers were equipped with new breech-loading rifles, but now most had thetest weaponry. In this way, Napoleon possessed a truly advanced army that outssed the entire era.

    On the night of April 10, 1796, General Ojero and his troops unexpectedly raided the home of Count Leonard de Patri, a prominent local noble in Mn. They arrested the entire Patri family and discovered a wealth of correspondence linking them to anti-French forces.

    Soon after, the French began a mass arrest operation throughout Mn based on the list they found in Count Patri''s possession. That single night led to the capture of over a hundred people by the French. Later, some sympathizers of these nobles would refer to it as the "Night of Terror."

    Subsequently, an expedited revolutionary tribunal conducted swift trials in the French fashion. Within a week, over a hundred nobles were publicly hanged. Their assets were seized and distributed amongndless peasants and impoverished city dwellers. Of course, it was rumored that the French also took away numerous artworks and gold coins from these nobles, although these items were not officially registered.

    After being besieged for over twenty days, Marshal Boliere finally received reinforcements from Emperor Austria, led by Marshal Wurmserforty thousand troops in total.

    Despite Marshal Boliere''s repeated warnings about the extraordinarybat capabilities of the French army and their advanced weaponry in his pleas to the Emperor, these warnings were viewed as excuses for his consecutive failures. The Emperor''s stance was supported by various othermanders engaged in conflicts with the French, like Archduke Charles, who, upon reading Boliere''s warnings about the "exceptional quality of French infantry" and "a French army is invincible even if outnumbered," nearly suggested that Boliere should face a military court-martial. Meanwhile, old Marshal Wurmser threatened to "whip this coward''s behind in public" after he relieved the siege.

    Nheless, the Austrians disyed a degree of caution. Their forty-thousand-strong army consisted of elite forces, and, with the ten-thousand trapped in Mantua, they had numerical superiority, even when faced with Napoleon''s entire army. Moreover, Napoleon was forced to leave a significant portion of his troops as upation forces in the recently captured areas. As a result, he could only concentrate around thirty thousand troops for the forting battle, giving the Austrians a numerical advantage.

    Historically, Napoleon had relied on the astonishing mobility of his army and exploited a division made by the old marshal to defeat the Austrian forces in previous campaigns. This time, however, Napoleon was confident that his army''s absolute strength far surpassed that of the Austrians, rendering such tactics unnecessary. He simply aimed to obliterate the enemy in a direct confrontation.

    On May 2, Napoleon''s French troops and the Austrian army shed in a major battle not far from Mantua, at Castiglione. Employing rifles with three to four times the range of the Austrian muskets and employing maneuverable skirmisher tactics, Napoleon, with less than twenty thousand troops, managed to defeat Marshal Wurmser''s forty-thousand-strong Austrian reinforcement in half a day. Wurmser himself escaped with his personal guard, while the rest of the Austrian troops were either killed, captured, or scattered. French casualties amounted to less than two thousand soldiers.

    On the morning of May 3, Napoleon dispatched an envoy, presenting over fifty Austrian gs captured during the battle to Marshal Boliere, who guarded Mantua. The Austrian troops in Mantua, from the marshal downward, were struck with fear. The following day, Marshal Boliere sent an envoy to Napoleon''s camp to discuss the terms of surrender.

    Upon securing victory, Napoleon disyed an unusual generosity towards Marshal Boliere, offering him favorable terms. The Austrian troops were allowed to retain their personal belongings and even a limited number of weapons for self-defense while leaving the fortress. In exchange, they were to ensure the preservation of the fortress facilities, cannons, and umted supplies, a gesture that astounded the Austrian defenders.

    Such benevolence led General Davout to express his dissent, concerned that Napoleon was letting the tiger back into the mountain. "These are still over ten thousand trained soldiers. Allowing them to return will only strengthen Austria."

    However, Napoleon dismissed the concern, saying, "They''ve already been terrified by our forces. Sending them back will make them sing our praises as if we were gods, seriously damaging Austrian morale. It''s not a bad thing for us."

    Napoleon''s leniency greatly relieved the Austrian garrison within Mantua. They readily epted his terms and surrendered the fortress.

 Chapter 157: Selling Out Allies

    Chapter 157: Selling Out Allies

    Napoleon''s victories in Italy sent shockwaves throughout Europe. The feudal rulers of Europe trembled before the might of France, especially those nations still at war with the French.

    After the capture of the Mantua fortress, instead of immediately marching north to Vienna, Napoleon decided to return to Mn with his army, leaving a portion of his forces as garrisons.

    In Mn, General Napoleon listened to General Augereau''s report on crushing the counter-revolutionary uprising by the Mnese nobility. He praised Augereau for his bravery and resolve in quelling the rebellion, saying, "Those reactionaries must be defeated, just like you sweep away dust from a house!"

    When he learned that some nobles involved in the revolt had fled to anti-French, reactionary nations to escape justice, Napoleon was furious. He stated, "Wherever they run, they cannot escape the hand of justice!" He also warned countries that supported the rebels in secret, emphasizing that the French people were kind but not weak. Those who insulted French dignity and interests would face the wrath of the French, no matter how far they fled.

    Napoleon acted on his words, immediately sending diplomatic notes to the Duchy of Parma and the Republic of Venice, demanding exnations for their involvement with the rebels.

    Parma and Venice were in a state of turmoil. These two neutral countries had never been particrly friendly towards France, having historical ties to Austria. However, their actions during the French-Austrian conflict had been somewhat neutral. As for the nobles who had fled to their territories, in those times, it wasmon for Italian nobles to move from one city to another. How could anyone im they were secretly supporting the rebels?

    But they knew that in the age of artillery, the French were clearly more formidable. They quickly sent representatives to apologize to General Napoleon, admitting their oversight in allowing the nobles to seek refuge and escape justice. They offeredpensation for the inconvenience caused to Napoleon.

    "Damn!" Napoleon said when he met the representatives, "What are you doing here now? You conspired with those rebels and now you''re pretending to be the good guys?" Augereau quickly expressed his anger as well.

    "Oh, we were truly fooled by them," one of the representatives replied. "They came to our country, iming to do business. How could we have known they were criminals on the run? Now they''ve escaped to other countries that oppose the great French people, evading justice. We apologize, General Bonaparte. This was a mistake on our part. Fortunately, you, the French, and especially you, General, have always been generous and do not hold grudges against small countries like ours. We are willing topensate to make up for your losses."

    "However..." Napoleon said.

    So, both countriespensated Napoleon (not France, which means the money didn''t go into the treasury), paying him millions of florins. Napoleon''s reputation as a conqueror was enough to scare the various Italian states.

    Napoleon sent the money directly to Joseph. In a letter, he bragged about his sess and asked, "You''ve been doing business for so long, how much have you earned? Look at me, I say a few words, and I''ve earned so much. So, you''re not as good in business as I am."

    After reading the letter, Joseph was reportedly infuriated and sent a reply. Napoleon''s staff then noticed that the general hadn''t slept well for several nights.

    "General, is there something bothering you? You haven''t been sleeping well these past few days," his aide asked.

    "Oh, it''s nothing," Napoleon replied nonchntly. "There''s just a little scrooge who gave me some very interesting math problems. You know, when I''m bored, I like to exercise my mind with math problems and rx a bit."

    Joseph sent Napoleon several math problems. As soon as Napoleon opened the letter, he knew it was Joseph''s revenge. But Napoleon, who never believed in bad luck, just smiled slightly and said, "A few math problems? Since there''s nothing else to do, I''ll let you win this one." He willingly fell into Joseph''s trap.

    "Have you solved those problems, General?" the oblivious aide asked.

    "Oh, I''ve got some ideas," Napoleon said, his eyes gleaming.

    Napoleon''s victory also created pressure for the Spanish. Spain had some interests in Italy, and with Napoleon''s sess, nearly all of Italy had closed its doors to Spain, even so-called "neutral" countries. Nobody believed that Spain could protect itself. With no hope of victory in this war, Spain found itself in a tough spot.

    Napoleon''s triumph in Italy had left the entire anti-French coalition in despair. The British were still holding on, thanks to their powerful navy and their isted ind. But Spain was different. It shared a border with France.

    Spain had a formidable navy, but its army was nowhere near as strong as Austria''s. They used to console themselves by thinking that the Pyrenees Mountains would protect them, but after seeing Napoleon''s performance in Italy, their confidence was shattered. If the mighty Alps couldn''t stop the French, what chance did the Pyrenees have?

    Additionally, Spain had some disputes with the British over their overseas colonies. Through various channels, they hinted at willingness to make peace with France based on equality and mutual respect.

    During this time, Talleyrand, who had just returned from Italy to Paris and became Foreign Minister with Barras'' support, saw his opportunity. He quickly contacted the Spanish through his connections and made a bold demand for war indemnities and colonialpensation. He informed them that Austria was also in talks with France and had even proposed trading Lombardy for the Rhinnd. He warned Spain that if peace was achieved between France and Austria, Spain would have to pay more for peace with France.

    Talleyrand''s terms were quite harsh, and Spain found them difficult to ept. But with the bleak outlook of the war, they couldn''t outright refuse. They knew that Austria was genuinely considering peace with France and had asked Britain for financial support. If the British couldn''t provide the funds due to their ongoing economic crisis, Austria might seek a separate peace with France.

    The timing was unfortunate for the British, as they were experiencing their own economic crisis. Although not as severe aster global crises, it still left them with limited financial resources. Italian banks, which they could have borrowed from under normal circumstances, had also be hesitant due to the situation in Italy. So when Talleyrand threatened that Austria was ready for peace, Spain believed him.

    Since everyone was willing to sell out their allies, Spain decided to go all in. Talleyrand''s initial demands were too steep, so the Spanish paid him arge sum of money. The exact amount remained undisclosed. In any case, Talleyrand was a man of integrity. As soon as he received the money, he changed his tone. He quickly informed the Spanish that he had secured a peace deal without territorial cessions or indemnities. Spain would dere an alliance with France, working together to maintain peace and order in Europe and the world.

    Amidst the astonishment of the Spanish delegation, they realized that the n actually made sense. Since they were already betraying their allies, why not do it more thoroughly? So, the deal was sealed. In early July, Spain announced its withdrawal from the anti-French coalition and formed an alliance with France, jointlymitted to preserving peace and order in Europe.

 Chapter 158: The Technical Alliance

    Chapter 158: The Technical Alliance

    Just as Talleyrand had disclosed to the Spanish, the Austrians were indeed attempting to negotiate with the French, and their conditions were simr to what Talleyrand had suggested: Austria was willing to exchange the Rhenish region for Lombardy.

    In fact, the government was quite intrigued by the Austrian proposal. Acquiring the Rhenish region would mean extending the French borders to the banks of the Rhine, providing a rtively secure natural boundary to the north. On the other hand, Lombardy, separated from maind France by the imposing Alps, would be administratively challenging.

    Even Joseph acknowledged that the Rhenish region held more value than Lombardy. It wasn''t just about the natural border; it was also about valuable resources. In this era, the Industrial Revolution had not fully taken hold, and the significance of crucial resources for the nation was not yet evident. However, as a time traveler, Joseph knew that Italy was a resource-poor country,cking the essential coal and iron mines crucial for the first wave of industrialization.

    If there was one country in Europe with abundant mineral resources, it was Britain. They possessed both coal and iron mines. France had rtively significant iron deposits in Lorraine, but coal resources were not ideal. Lorraine had a small coal mine, a mere vestige of the Saar coal mine, and it was thergest coal mine in all of France.

    If an agreement with Austria were to be reached, it would mean that the abundant coal mines of the Saar region would fall under French control. This would essentially provide France with the necessary resources for the first industrial revolution.

    However, at this moment, both Joseph and Napoleon were against this proposal. The reason was simple: even if the Rhenish region were gained, it would belong to France and not the Bonaparte family. On the other hand, Lombardy, while not bing part of France, would remain under the control of the Bonaparte family.

    Joseph couldn''t voice this reason openly, but any matter could have a noble pretext if one wanted. So, Lucien stood up in the council and delivered the following speech:

    "For too long, the people of Italy, like the people of France, have suffered under the oppression of the Church and the feudal aristocracy. Now, we have defeated the priests and nobles who rode roughshod over them and have brought freedom and liberation to the peasants andmoners.

    The entire Italy, the people of all Europe, they all await us, just as fields parched by a long drought yearn for dark clouds and thunderstorms. It is for this reason that when our armies advance in Belgium, the Belgian people rise in revolt in response to us. When our armies pursue the fleeing Austrian forces in Italy, the Italian people wee us with bread and wine. They provide us with food, act as guides - why do they do this? Because they see us as their liberators! Why have we achieved resplendent victories? It''s not only because the entire French people stand behind us, but also because our armies, wherever they go, gain the support of the local people!

    If, at this time, we abandon the Lombard people who have just, with our help, gained freedom and liberation, and push them back into the furnace of feudal despotism, I must ask, how will the people of Europe view us in the future? When those feudal states unite again to attack us in the future, can we expect the people of Europe to stand by our side?

    Moreover, how reliable is this so-called ''peace''? Do our enemies genuinely desire peace?

    No, they do not! I believe any reasonably intelligent person can see that our enemies harbor the same hatred for the French Revolution as they always have. They still shelter the traitors and exiles of France, they still support that pretender who calls himself the King of France, and in their propaganda, they stillbel us rebels. Anyone with eyes can see that they do not desire peace; they only want a respite to lick their wounds and regain strength. Once they feel they have healed, they will bare their teeth against us once more!

    Gentlemen, I, like all of you, love France deeply; I also, like all of you, love peace. Because we, the French, are lovers of peace. But we, the French, are not fools! To betray our loyal friends for a peace that is destined to be torn apart, a peace that betrays every moral and military principle, is not something that the French can ept.

    No, never! To ept such a peace is not only a betrayal of our allies, but also a betrayal of the ideals of France, a betrayal of France itself!"

    Lucien''s speech was indeed remarkable, but what truly made it influential was the attitude it represented. This attitude was clear: "The Rhenish region is ours, and Lombardy is ours. We will not give up either! If they want peace, they must ept this peace; otherwise, let the war continue!"

    Of course, since this faction opposed this peace and demanded a "what''s mine is mine, and what''s yours is mine" kind of peace, it was up to them to achieve it.

    As for how to achieve it, some suggested that it would be best to prioritize equipping the Northern Legion''s troops with new weapons to enhance theirbat capabilities and secure greater victories.

    Alfred, a parliament member, proposed this idea, and it gained substantial support. Obviously, these individuals did not want to see Napoleon alone achieving too much glory, and they wanted to bnce his aplishments with those of Joubert and Mureau in the north.

    Joseph and Lucien understood this, but they had no reason to oppose the proposal. Firstly, the northern front was indeed the primary battleground, and the equipment should have been prioritized there if not for the intense fighting in Italy. Secondly, Carnot also supported this view. Lastly, it was a matter of business, which meant money!

    However, Joseph''s military-industrialplex had a far less impressive production capacity than its grand name suggested because its production methods were still quite outdated. Steam engines and the Industrial Revolution had not yet made their way into military factories.

    Joseph from the previous life had witnessed steam engines, at least the cylinder steam engine, being phased out. He only had a general idea of how they worked, and he was mostly ignorant of everything else.

    This led to a paradox where the weapons produced by the "military-industrialplex" were incredibly advanced, but the methods used to manufacture them were still quite outdated, at least in Joseph''s eyes.

    To address this issue, Joseph instructed Lucien to suggest that other armories should be allowed to produce the new rifles under a licensing arrangement. In reality, the technology behind the Mini ball was rather simple, and once these rifles became widespread in the army, the secret couldn''t be strictly guarded. Not just domestic manufacturers, even the Austrians, Prussians, and British would eventually learn about this technological secret. It would just take some time for them to equip their armies.

    Furthermore, at this point, France didn''t have a patent system. This meant that Joseph''spetitors could also, over time, produce rifles that met military requirements. Even though Joseph could ensure that he profited the most from this arrangement through his influence in the military, others could still find ways to court non-Bonapartist generals, securing a share of the market.

    Therefore, Joseph, with his knowledge from the future, devised a n. He would use their technological advantage to create a cartel alliance, a n that would ultimately help him build an industrial monopoly.

    In general, the establishment of a technological cartel alliance requires a patent system. For someone like Joseph, a time traveler, patents were extremely crucial. Lucien had already proposed the establishment of a patent system in parliament. However, the proposal failed to pass, with a difference of about a dozen votes more against it than in favor.

    This was a setback for Joseph, butunching a military coup over this defeat would be excessive. Joseph had a n - he wanted to first attract some influential arms dealers who had the power to influence parliamentary voting through a technological alliance. Once these arms dealers joined the alliance, establishing a patentw would be a matter that greatly benefited them.

    Once the patentw passed, this alliance would be tied even more closely, and the Bonaparte family, holding the source of the technology, would undeniably be the leaders of this cartel. Combined with Napoleon''s influence in the military, Joseph believed he could transform this technological cartel into a conglomerate unified by technology patents and sales channels.

    At that point, because there was no independent source of technology and sales channels, even if thepanies within the alliance remained legally independent, all their economic activities would be subject to the headquarters'' will. At that time, the "military-industrialplex" might truly live up to its name.

 Chapter 159: Slaughtering the Yearling Pig

    Chapter 159: ughtering the Yearling Pig

    As Joseph continued to rally others into the alliance, he tirelessly pushed his factories to work overtime, producing weapons for Joubert and his troops, all the while updating Napoleon with every piece of vital information.

    In the eyes of the two brothers, the French forces equipped with Minie rifles were now a formidable adversary, one that the Austrian army couldn''t hope to counter. Even though the Northern Legion was far from matching the Italian forces in terms of funding, leading to a decline in their morale, they were not to be underestimated by the Austrians.

    However, the process of re-equipping and transforming the Northern Legion into an effective fighting force wasn''t something that could be aplished overnight. Joseph, who had extensive experience as a staff officer, could gauge the readiness of the Northern Legion just by examining the orders, and he couldn''t be fooled, not even by Joubert.

    With this knowledge in mind, Napoleon decided that while Joubert initiated the attack, serving as a distraction to the Austrians, he would cross the Alps once more and advance directly towards Vienna, forcing Austria into submission.

    But before he could proceed with his n, he had another task in mind  to extract some wealth from the Holy See.

    If anyone in the world despised revolutionary France, it was undoubtedly Pope Pius VI. In 1791, when the new regime demanded that clergymen swear allegiance to the government, Pope Pius VI officially condemned the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, using the revolutionary authorities. In 1793, when the anti-French alliance was formed, Pope Pius VI yed a significant role in it.

    Even after Napoleon''s consecutive victories against the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian armies in Italy, the various small states on the Italian Penins, which had fallen under French influence, remained apprehensive and cautious. However, the resolute Pope Pius VI maintained his hostility towards the French Republic.

    Napoleon dispatched a message to the Papal States simr to those he sent to the Duchy of Parma and the Vian Republic. But the Pope was not willing to send an envoy to exin the situation to a bandit like Napoleon. Not only did he refuse to offer any bribes to secure his safety, but he also took the drastic step of emunicating Napoleon and expelling him from the Church.

    To be emunicated or not didn''t particrly concern Napoleon. After all, revolutionary France had already been emunicated in its entirety. However, the Pope''s defiant attitude did not sit well with Napoleon.

    "Why does the Pope dare to act so arrogantly in front of me? Does he think he can take a nice vacation in Avignon? Does he forget that he only has a few regiments under hismand?" Napoleon grumbled.

    At that time, the Pope, unlike his sessors, was a formidable figure. The Papal States included not only the small Vatican City but also a substantial portion of the Italian Penins. The Pope''s military force wasn''t limited to a hundred Swiss Guards; he possessed a small butpetent army.

    Yet,pared to Napoleon''s grand army, the Pope''s forces were truly inconsequential. With a single order, Napoleon''s troops swiftly assembled. They vented their outrage at the Pope''s actions, cursing him to fall into the same fiery pit that Dante had described. Simultaneously, they spected on how much plunder they would acquire during this expedition. Their spirits soared.

    "Bring the Pope back to Avignon!"

    Such cries resonated throughout the army. The soldiers were determined to obliterate the stronghold of reactionaries and raise the banner of the revolution atop the dome of St. Peter''s Basilica.

    Upon receiving the news that the French army was preparing to march south, the Papal States fell into disarray. Clergymen fervently preached, urging people to fight bravely for their homnd and faith. Pope Pius VI eventually managed to assemble an army of over ten thousand to resist the French demons.

    He blessed this army and prophesied that, under God''s protection, they would surely annihte the French devils. However, Pope Pius VI forgot one crucial fact: whenever there was a conflict between France and the Holy See, God unequivocally stood by France! After all, France was God''s obedient son, while the Holy See, at best, was the gatekeeper to God''s house. Why else did the Papal banner feature two crossed keys?

    As expected, as soon as the Papal States learned that the French army was nearing, their people revolted. The army, which had just been formed with great effort, dered its long-standing desire to stand with the revolution. Consequently, the French army approached Rome without any resistance, and Pope Pius VI had to flee the city, sending an envoy to surrender to Napoleon.

    If the Pope had surrendered earlier, Napoleon''s demands might have been far more reasonable, possibly just a couple of million francs (the currency had reced the livre). But now, the Pope''s intransigence had incurred additional costs, as employing the army required funds. Moreover, military expenditures had to be documented and reported, which meant sharing a portion with the French government.

    Hence, Napoleon made a bold demand. He extended five fingers toward the Pope''s envoy.

    "Five million?" the envoy eximed in shock. "General, isn''t that too much?"

    "Five million?" Joubert chimed in. "Only five million? We''ve brought a hundred thousand soldiers all the way from Paris. Are you suggesting we settle for fifty francs per soldier? You must be dreaming!"

    Of course, the French army didn''t have a hundred thousand troops, even when including the Italian auxiliaries and the newly "converted" troops. They couldn''t field such a vast force.

    "But, Your Excellency, the Holy See doesn''t have that much money at the moment."

    "That''s your problem."

    "No money? Valuable items, then?"

    "Paintings, sculptures, precious metals, and various relics  we''ll ept them. But don''t try to deceive us with fakes!"

    The French officers enthusiastically aided the envoy in calcting how to raise the five million francs, acting as helpful individuals.

    Finally, the Holy See agreed to pay three million francs in cash (all in gold and silver coins of equivalent value) and provided numerous artworks. A peace agreement was reached with Napoleon, and the French army departed from the Papal States satisfied.

    The soldiers sent back any surplus funds they received from the expedition to their families. This sparked tales in their hometowns, where they wereuded for following General Napoleon, fighting in foreignnds, and returning home to purchase houses andnd and marry.

    Some soldiers, having made enough money, left the army to return to their hometowns. However, more soldiers, motivated by the victory and the prospect of plunder, flocked to join Napoleon''s forces. When Napoleon crossed the Alps for the first time, he had around forty thousand troops, but now, considering only the expedition-readybat troops, he had amassed an army of fifty thousand.

    Based on the information provided in Joseph''s letters, Napoleon assessed that Joubert''s offensive was about tomence. He initiated his own preparations.

    In September 1796, with the autumn winds whispering through the barrenndscape, Napoleon''s grand army left Lombardy and embarked on an assault toward Vienna, the capital of Austria.

    In the Battle of Castiglione, with less than twenty thousand soldiers and fewer than two thousand casualties, Napoleon annihted four times as many Austrian troops within half a day. Following this extraordinary victory, Archduke Charles was transferred from the Rhine front to Lombardy to prepare for a possible invasion.

    After hearing firsthand reports from officers and soldiers who had retreated in defeat, Archduke Charles couldn''t sleep, stricken by anxiety. The information he had received was no longer regarded as mere hearsay; it was now undeniable. If this intelligence was urate, then the French forces, when confronting him, wouldn''t need any sophisticated tactics  a direct assault would be nearly insurmountable.

    "Even the ancient sages'' strategy cannot withstand this French army. What use are castles when facing the unstoppable?" Archduke Charles mused.

    With the belief that the "wild field battles are absolutely hopeless," his only alternative was "infant city defense." Fortunately, the route from Lombardy to Vienna also involved crossing the Alps. This meant that Napoleon couldn''t transport heavy artillery with him, which limited the magnitude of his assault. Thus, "infant city defense" appeared to be a reasonable strategy.

    Of course, Archduke Charles couldn''tpletely brick up the city gates. He knew that this would be self-destructive, rendering his counterattack capability useless. If the enemy could easily bypass the city, it wouldn''t have significant repercussions.

    Instead, he set up strongholds along the mountain paths, although these were no match for Napoleon''s army. The steep terrain made it difficult for the Austrians to move their cannons to these positions, and they could only store limited supplies, which wouldn''tst long.

    Additionally, Napoleon had experienced guides, willing Italians, and even some Austrians eager for a "share of thend," all of whom helped navigate the treacherous terrain. French skirmishers excelled in suchndscapes, causing the Austrian forces to scatter.

    "These strongholds may dy the French, granting the Austrian forces more time," Archduke Charles thought.

    Once out of the mountains and onto the road leading to Vienna, the Austrians had done their utmost to construct a series of fortifications, big and small.

    In Archduke Charles''s opinion, if Napoleon attempted to conquer each fortification one by one, it would be costly. However, if Napoleon dared to bypass them, the cavalry stationed at these forts could harass the French army continuously, possibly even cutting their supply lines.

    Capitalizing on the wealth Napoleon had acquired during his Italian campaigns, the Austrians barely managed to construct thiswork of fortifications, although their quality was subpar. Yet, these structures did provide Archduke Charles with some confidence to thwart Napoleon.

    "I hope that these fortifications can dy the French, and together with our mounted troops, they may give us a chance to prevail," Archduke Charles pondered.

 Chapter 160: Holding the Line

    Chapter 160: Holding the Line

    Napoleon''s army encountered some minor Austrian strongholds as they crossed the Alps. However, in the grand scheme of things, these strongholds didn''t pose much of a threat.

    Considering the rugged terrain, these strongholds could have held out if they were determined. The Archduke Charles even made an effort to transport some small cannons to these positions. However, "the city is not unattainable, the moat is not too deep, the soldiers are not exceptionally fierce, and there''s plenty of provisions..."

    Most of these strongholds simply fulfilled their most critical duty once they spotted the French armysending a warning. To ensure a sessful message delivery and avoid having their messengers intercepted by cunning French allies, everyone rushed to perform their most vital task: delivering the message safely.

    And because they were in such a hurry to deliver the message, many of them hadn''t even had the chance to destroy their supplies. After all, they weren''t retreating; they were returning to send a message, and once that was done, they''d return to defend. Why would they burn their storerooms?

    As a result, Napoleon unexpectedly acquired a bit of extra supplies.

    Soon, Napoleon led his army out of the Alps. He knew that by this time, the Austrians had received word and were preparing for a serious showdown with him. Napoleon hoped for a grand battle with the Austrians, with the intention of dismantling their entire empire.

    Therefore, Napoleon quickly dispatched a group of reconnaissance cavalry to survey the area and expand their understanding of the battlefield.

    A few hourster, the scouts returned with ever-evolving information, now represented by new icons on the map.

    "Is this really happening?" Napoleon was quite surprised as he studied the map.

    On both sides of the road leading to Vienna, they discovered numerous strongholds. Due to the presence of Austrian cavalry and the fatigue from crossing the mountains, Napoleon''s reconnaissance couldn''t venture too far. As for the conditions further ahead, they remained uncertain.

    Before the departure, Napoleon had inquired about the situation from the traders who traveled between Austria and Italy. Strangely, none of them mentioned such fortifications in Austria.

    "How could theyplete such extensive works in such a short time?" Napoleon decided to inspect the situation in person.

    So, Napoleon personally led a group of cavalry to the nearest stronghold.

    "What kind of shoddy construction is this!" Napoleon eximed as he saw the so-called stronghold in front of him. Its outer walls were not made of well-ced bricks and stones but simply stacked wicker baskets filled with stones. The interior of the walls was likely not well-packed earth but more of these wicker baskets filled with soil.

    This kind of construction could even bypass the need for foundations. While it was undoubtedly a quicker process, it resulted in flimsy structures.

    "Structures like these would crumble within a year, perhaps even a few months, after a few heavy rains or just regr wear and tear," Napoleon judged after a closer look through his spyss. Nevertheless, for the time being, these "strongholds" served their purpose.

    As Napoleon was studying the stronghold with his spyss, a group of Austrian cavalry suddenly emerged and circled within firing range of the stronghold''s cannons. They didn''t charge, however.

    Napoleon frowned. "Let''s go back."

    The Austrian cavalry near the stronghold watched as Napoleon''s group retreated, but they didn''t pursue.

    On the way back, Napoleon had already figured out the Austrians'' intentions. They no longer had the confidence to engage in a straightforward battle. Their aim was to force the French to siege each of these strongholds one by one.

    In Italy, Napoleon wouldn''t have been concerned about such tactics. Apart from the vast number of Italian cannons he had capturedwhy worry about these strongholds when he had plenty of Italian artillery? Furthermore, he had countless Italian conscripts at his disposal.

    Withnd redistribution, Italian-speaking veterans stationed as vige chiefs in newly "liberated" viges, and daily wage payments, Napoleon could easily muster arge Italian workforce. Constructing longer walls than the Austrians was child''s y. Then, just like the great Caesar, he could demand money from the Austrian Emperor for building the walls.

    However, this was Austria, and Napoleon had limited artillery due to the Alps crossing. Furthermore, even thergest of his cannons had rtively small calibers. The six-pounders were in the minority, and the majority of his cannons were three-pounders.

    Though the Mini rifles had a range advantage, the Austrians remained mostly concealed behind the parapets, often showing only their heads or briefly during their volleys. The range advantage of the Mini rifles was thus negated. Engaging in theborious task of taking these strongholds one by one would lead to significant losses for his army.

    But bypassing the strongholds and marching directly to Vienna would risk his supply lines being severed by the troops garrisoned inside the strongholds, especially Austrian cavalry. This was a risk Napoleon couldn''t afford.

    Nheless, Napoleon''s resolve remained firm, and he even felt a touch of amusement. Back at camp, he gathered his generals and began discussing their strategy.

    "The Austrians have employed a clever strategy, but it requires aplementary tactic," Napoleon exined his understanding of the enemy''s intentions. "That tactic is strict scorched earth policy. The Austrians probably don''t know how we''ve handled our logistics since crossing the Alps into Italy."

    The officers chuckled.

    It was currently the harvest season in Austria. This put the Austrians in a bind since it was impossible to effectively employ scorched earth tactics. If they abandoned their fields of wheat and retreated into the cities, famine would striketer in the year. Transporting the unharvested grain to the cities required an enormous amount of time and storage space. Furthermore, the wheat had to be thoroughly dried to prevent spoge or sprouting. The cities didn''t have the necessary space to dry so much grain. Consequently, the harvest season was the biggest vulnerability in the Austrian strategy.

    Napoleon swiftly assigned tasks. The following day, he personally led his troops to the area near the Austrian strongholds.

    This move also alerted Archduke Charles. He personally visited the front lines and stood on his newly constructed but shoddy stronghold, nervously scanning the approaching French forces through a telescope.

    Through his telescope, he noted that the French cannons were indeed scarce and mostly three-pounders. There weren''t many six-pounders, which relieved some of the Archduke''s anxiety. However, the confident expressions of the French soldiers revealed their high morale. Such high spirits hinted that this wouldn''t be an easy fight.

    Nheless, the French army didn''t immediatelyunch an attack but halted near the strongholds. Archduke Charles observed this with growing apprehension. They seemed to be building temporary quarters not far from the strongholds.

    "What are they up to?" Archduke Charles wondered.

    His quick thinking led him to a possible answer. "They must be trying to loot our farms, to seize our wheat! They are keeping us under surveince here to make it difficult for us to act, while they have certainly sent their cavalry to plunder."

    He climbed a high watchtower and scrutinized the French force''sposition. There appeared to be a rtively small proportion of cavalry.

    "It seems they did indeed send their cavalry to raid. But at least, I''ve prepared for that," Archduke Charles thought.

    By evening, General Oudinot, who had led the cavalry, returned to the newly established French camp with disheartening news. "General, these Austrians are truly ruthless! They set fire to viges within dozens of miles around us!"

    "What about further away?" Napoleon inquired.

    "We don''t know yet, but I doubt they would set the entire country aze."

    "Move farther tomorrow," Napoleon instructed.

    The next day, General Oudinot led his cavalry brigade almost forty kilometers north and finally came across a rtively untouched estate. The estate''s owners had long fled, leaving behind burned granaries. However, extensive unharvested fields of wheat still remained.

    General Oudinot gathered the local peasants and had them inspect the burnt granaries. He then delivered a speech, exining that the nobles''ckeys had set fire to the granaries to force the French into looting them. He organized the peasants to harvest the fields, agreeing to a distribution of 70% for the locals and 30% for the French.

    "We might not be here for long," General Oudinot told them. "After we leave, hide the grain, and when the Austrianse, tell them that the French took all your crops. This way, you''ll have enough to eat during the winter."

    The peasants nodded in agreement.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 160 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 161: Light Cavalry and a True Understanding

    Chapter 161: Light Cavalry and a True Understanding

    Orelot''s position was quite a distance from Napoleon''s main force, and their food supplies were limited. Orelot knew that their actions had to be swift to prevent more aristocrats from burning the food stores. So he immediately divided his cavalry into groups of fifty, led by their guides, and charged towards the nearby estates.

    However, most of these estates had already seen the thick smoke rising, and some had begun to set fire to their own granaries. In these estates, there were Austrian soldiers stationed, not to protect the estates but to oversee their managers and ensure that the granaries were set on fire when the French army approached.

    But not all Austrian soldiers were loyal to their posts. Upon seeing the smoke, some of them would shout, "Quick, set fire to the granary!" and then ride away. As they left, those who remained in the estates, closely associated with the fleeing aristocrats, quickly followed the retreating soldiers, leaving the task of burning the granaries to others.

    However, when the higher-ups had fled, those who remained in the estates and saw the food inside the granaries had a different thought: Why burn it? What was the benefit in doing so? So, naturally, they refrained from setting the granaries aze.

    In this way, Orelot swiftly acquired a significant amount of food. He sent messengers back to suggest to Napoleon that the main army move closer to the areas where they could easily gather supplies. It would be more advantageous to control the nearby viges, umte enough provisions, and cause trouble for the Austrians, even making it appear as if they aimed to turn Austria into Italy. Then they could observe the reactions of the Austrian forces.

    Napoleon gathered his othermanders to discuss Orelot''s suggestion. In the end, Napoleon, with far-reaching vision, stated, "Austria has a significant weakness, which lies in its diversity of ethnicities,nguages, and internal contradictions. Even in peacetime, internal uprisings are frequent  it is essentially a conglomerate nation with no true cohesiveness. Their army is their most crucial and almost sole means to hold the country together. So long as we prove the feebleness of the Austrian army to the Austrian people, the foundation of this nation will continue to weaken."

    "How can we prove the weakness of the Austrian army?" Napoleon continued. "Directly attacking their fortresses would only expose our vulnerabilities. Instead, we must provoke them, force them into open field battles with us. Starting now, let us temporarily forget about Vienna and go to the Austrian countryside to rouse, arm, and organize the local farmers. As long as the Austrians have some political awareness left, they will understand that they cannot allow us to do this. I anticipate a series of small-scale cavalry and infantry skirmishes ahead. If we consistently inflict damage on the Austrians in these battles, they will have no choice but to submit to us."

    Napoleon''s speech gained widespread support from themanders. So the next morning, the French army left their camp. Archduke Charles immediately ordered all his soldiers to prepare for the imminent French attack.

    However, the French forces did notunch any assaults. Instead, they left the main road to Vienna and headed north.

    "Archduke, should we send our cavalry to pursue them?" a officer named Fritz asked.

    "Let the cavalry follow them, but do not engage the enemy too easily," Archduke Charles replied. "You take a thousand light cavalry and follow them."

    So Fritz took a thousand light cavalry and followed.

    Napoleon, of course, noticed the Austrian cavalry following them. He turned to Mura and said, "I''ll give you two hundred cavalry. Can you drive them back?"

    Mura looked at the Austrian cavalry and smirked, "No problem."

    With that, Mura led two hundred riders to the rear.

    Mura''s cavalry came to a halt on a small hill. The Austrian cavalry gradually approached. Archduke Charles did not order Fritz to directly attack the French forces. Attacking a force of thousands with only a thousand cavalry was a daunting prospect, and Austrian morale was not at its highest. But seeing only two hundred French riders, they felt there was nothing to fear. If they didn''t confront these cavalry now, how could they keep tracking the main French army?

    Fritz observed the French cavalry and noticed that they were just like their own light cavalry, armed with sabers, and pistols. He recalled how cavalry retreating from previous battles mentioned that the French had pistols capable of continuous firing without reloading, even until the end of the world.

    Fritz didn''t fully believe these ims and thought that the so-called continuous firing pistols must be a double-barreled or even triple-barreled pistol. Such a weapon would be cumbersome and not necessarily effective. Given the numerical advantage of their one thousand strong force against the two hundred French riders, there was no reason to hesitate.

    Thinking this, Fritz led his troops toward the French. In the midst of the gunfire, Mura calmly judged the distances and speeds of both sides. As the Austrian horseman raised his saber high and prepared to charge, Mura fired two shots when they were only about three meters apart.

    This approach had been proven most effective in numerous drills on the training ground, though it was not the rmended tactic in the cavalry manual. The manual suggested firing at a distance of about fifteen meters, shooting the horses with the first two shots and the riders at closer range. However, Mura believed that at such a distance, not only were the enemy''s sabers out of reach but his continuous firing pistols could maintain precise uracy. With two quick shots, he could significantly increase his chances of a sessful hit. However, this approach required excellent judgment of both speed and distance, and a small mistake could lead to a disastrous oue.

    Fritz, having been hit by Mura, tumbled from his horse. But Mura had no time to check on him as another Austrian cavalryman charged toward him. Mura calmly assessed the distance, fired two shots as the Austrian horseman raised his saber high.

    The cavalrymen of both sides passed each other. Fritz held his horse, turned around, and saw that the battlefield was littered with scores of dead and a significant number of horse carcasses, but he could still see around two hundred French riders.

    This was, of course, an illusion. The French cavalry had not escaped unscathed, but in terms of casualties, the Austrians had suffered significantly more. Fritz did not stay to examine the oue this time. He quickly turned back and galloped away. Mura led his riders in pursuit.

    Both were light cavalry, and neither side had a significant speed advantage. Fritz''s direct retreat meant he didn''t need to make any turns, while Mura had to turn around to chase. This made it impossible for Mura to catch up to Fritz. However, Mura continued to follow, with the aim of pursuing the Austrian cavalry until they were near their own fortresses. This would help the observing Austrians gain a more urate understanding of their strength.

 Chapter 162: Negotiations

    Chapter 162: Negotiations

    Murat, leading his cavalry, pursued the Austrian cavalry relentlessly until they reached the vicinity of an Austrian redoubt. The cannons on the redoubt opened fire fiercely, forcing Murat to halt the pursuit.

    Murat and his cavalry withdrew out of range of the redoubt''s cannons. They took a moment to regroup and disy their prowess before turning their attention to catching up with Napoleon''s main force.

    When he caught up with Napoleon, Murat, with an air of self-importance, recounted the recent battle to him in detail.

    "Ah, Murat, why do you persist in such thoughtless actions?" Napoleon remarked. "Why didn''t you consider escaping first to draw them into pursuit? It would be easier to control the distance and engage in rangedbat. In the pursuit, they would be more zealous and less aware of their losses. By the time they realized, their casualties would be significant, and they''d have to retreat. This way, not only are they slower, but you could catch up and eliminate even more, then continue pursuing, minimizing your losses while increasing theirs. Isn''t that better? You, my friend, really..."

    Napoleon had initially thought about using ament like "too young, too naive" on Murat, but then he remembered that Murat was a few years older than himself, so he bit his tongue.

    Although Murat''s performance in the battle wasn''t as wless as Napoleon had hoped, the fact that two hundred French cavalry had defeated five times their number of Austrian cavalry still left the Austrians highly unnerved.

    Under Archduke Charles''s orders, the Austrian cavalry set out again to search for Napoleon''s main force. This time, they thoroughly dispersed their cavalry, with ten men in each squad, to search. They were instructed not to initiate attacks unless they encountered isted French cavalrymen. When the French cavalry showed aggression, the Austrians were allowed to withdraw at their discretion.

    The information received by the Austrians indicated that Napoleon''s main force had not entered any cities but had rapidly taken control of vast stretches of the countryside. They obtained plentiful supplies in those areas and gathered the vigers to educate them on revolutionary principles.

    Archduke Charles knew that he couldn''t allow the French to continue this chaos, as any area visited by the French would likely be a hotbed of rebellion. However, he was wary of a direct confrontation with the French army. Luckily, the Austrians had a clear numerical advantage in cavalry. They decided to use this advantage to attack the scattered French forces and the locals who supported them.

    As a result, both sides engaged in a series of small-scale battles continuously. Each side imed victory in these skirmishes, depending on their perspective.

    ording to the French, they had sessfully repelled Austrian forces in most battles and achieved favorable exchange rates. On the other hand, the Austrians emphasized their ability to rapidly concentrate their forces and encircle French troops at a numerical disadvantage. Thus, they imed more victories.

    Both ims had some truth to them. The French had a clear advantage in weaponry and, thus, an overall advantage in the exchanges. Nevertheless, in terms of tactics, the Austrian cavalry''s ability to rapidly concentrate superior forces was an advantage. Both sides suffered losses during these skirmishes, which reflected in their subsequent actions.

    The French began constructing rtively simple fortifications in the manors they upied. They demolished the nobility''s houses and used the materials to build two to three-story circr fortifications that resembled watchtowers. At the top of the fortifications, they added signal fires. The French took this defensive measure after experiencing some losses in skirmishes.

    The Austrians changed their narrative. They now focused on eliminating rebels as well as invaders. They argued that if they couldn''t defeat the invaders, how could they eliminate the so-called "rebels"?

    After some time, both sides had established an operational pattern. French and "rebel" observers were ced on elevated positions to signal any movement. Upon receiving a warning, small groups of French soldiers and even local peasants, regardless of their "rebel" status, would take cover in the fortifications. The French cavalry also maintained a state of alert, ready to provide support.

    Initially, the warning signals were simple and could only indicate the presence of Austrian troops, without detailing their direction or numbers. However, the warning system rapidly improved. More "rebels" joined, using horses to transmit messages between various manors. As a result, Austrian attacks became increasingly challenging and prone to failure.

    In the process, the Austrians learned about the secrets of French weaponry. They captured Minie rifles and revolvers during previous skirmishes. While manufacturing these weapons inrge quantities was not an immediate possibility, it was a significant discovery.

    While Napoleon stirred up the Austrian countryside, General Joubert led the Northern Army in a fresh offensive against the Austrians and the beleaguered Prussians. With new rifles and tactics, Joubert achieved a series of victories, capturing the entire Rhine region.

    Although the Austrians were trying to produce new weapons quickly, their recent defeat in the Rhine region and their growing concerns about the expanding territories controlled by Napoleon made them reconsider. They decided to reach out to France for peace once again.

    This time, the Austrians agreed to France''s control over Lombardy and the Rhine region. They asked only for Napoleon to withdraw from Austrian territory as quickly as possible.

    However, Napoleon wasn''t satisfied and demanded additionalpensation. "How can I abandon my Austrian brethren?" he argued. "So... they must pay."

    The negotiation over the price was heated, but eventually, both sides reached an agreement. The Austrians not only gave up the territories they had already lost but also paid France apensation of ten million francs. Napoleon grumbled, "For a nation as vast as Austria, they only managed to squeeze out so little. Compared to the riches of the Papal States, the Emperor is truly stingy."

    Such a price was equivalent to selling his own brethren, how could Napoleon agree? However, as a soldier, he had to obey orders, and so, he reluctantly prepared to depart from Austrian soil.

    During this time, Napoleon continued to meet with representatives of the peasants in his controlled regions. He assured them that, upon his departure, he would leave a portion of the weaponry with them. He had already taught them how to use various weapons.

    "My brethren, I must leave you now. Once we depart, the nobles will surely attempt to reim what was lost. They will desire to reim their possessions and may even be more relentless. However, as long as you hold a weapon in your hand, they cannot oppress you as they did before.

    My brethren, remember all that we have taught you and hold on to the weapons we leave behind.

    In the future, when the nobles see you armed, they will approach you with a friendly smile, reduce your taxes, and act as if they are your friends. But my brethren, remember, it''s not because they have grown kinder or genuinely like you; it''s because they see you bearing arms. As long as you hold a weapon, even a ck bear will appear gentle.

    They may pretend to care for you, saying, ''Friend, why carry such a heavy weapon? This ce is safe, and we are all friends. Why do you need to bear this heavy burden?''

    But my brethren, nevery down your arms. For once you do, they will shed their sheepskins and reveal the wolves they truly are. They will devour youpletely.

    My brethren, be vignt against those who want you to disarm. They are all serpents, wolves in sheep''s clothing. While they speak with oily tongues, their hearts are filled with a hunger for destruction.

    Our brethren, how do we deal with these wolves? When a friend brings wine, wee him. But if a wolf approaches, the only wee he''ll receive is from the barrel of a gun. So, my brethren, hold your weapons close, for they represent freedom, and they shape your destiny."

    As Napoleon''s army began its gradual withdrawal, he left behind a substantial amount of weapons for the peasants. He even assisted them in forming their own associations. Napoleon believed that, for a considerable time, this region would remain a thorn in the side of the Austrians.

 Chapter 163: Peace and Business (1)

    Chapter 163: Peace and Business (1)

    After Austria withdrew from the war, the entire anti-French alliance essentially fell apart. Following Austria''s request for peace, the Prussians immediately chimed in, saying, "We don''t actually bear any ill will towards France; we were only fighting due to misunderstandings. So, we should sit down and talk, after all, we all love peace."

    At this point, France and Prussia didn''t share a border yet, and after Austria withdrew, there was no feasible way for the French and Prussians to fight unless they crossed through neutral countries. Therefore, both countries began negotiations, but due to their limited military options, the talks dragged on.

    Prussia was willing to exit the war, but they demanded assurances from the French not to take any action in Hanover. However, the French saw Hanover as a crucial tool to threaten Ennd and force them out of the war.

    At that time, the ruling family of Ennd was also the Hanoverian royal house. While legally, Ennd and Hanover were two separate countries, they shared amon monarch.

    For a long time, the French navy had been no match for the British navy. After the losses suffered during the Toulon revolt, the French navy was even less able to challenge British naval power. As for a potential invasion of Ennd, that was even more dauntingafter all, the English Channel wasn''t so narrow that one could simply float a bathtub across.

    Thus, the only viable option for the French was to strike at British interests on the European maind. After Napoleon conquered Northern Italy and extorted various Italian states, not even the Pope''s territory was spared, other countries grew fearful. They dared not have any dealings with the British. This was a heavy blow to British interests.

    General Joubert, after seizing the Rhine, moved into the Nethends, forcing the entire country to join the French camp. The Nethends was a crucial gateway for British goods entering the European maind, so this was another blow to the British.

    However, the British remained stubborn. They didn''t oppose peace talks but set a condition that France must return to its original borders while keeping the colonial territories they had seized during the waressentially treating France as a defeated nation.

    Hence, the French had to use Hanover to pressure the British. But if they truly upied Hanover, they''d share a border with Prussia, which was not in Prussia''s interest. Therefore, negotiations with Prussia were dyed.

    Nevertheless, Prussia''s objections were not enough to prevent the French from taking action in Hanover. Shortly after Napoleon left Austria, the Frenchunched an offensive against Hanover and quickly upied it. Prussia, despite some protests, didn''t dare to act.

    So, while some issues remained unresolved, the war was effectively over. Thest conflict now was on the seas.

    In fact, after the French took control of Hanover, the British stance slightly rxed. It was because they couldn''t find any substantial allies on the continent anymore, and their economic situation had worsened due to the loss of markets on the European maind.

    The British offered to recognize French control over the Rhine region, but on the condition that the French must withdraw from Hanover. Dutch independence had to be guaranteed, and European nations, including France, would reopen their markets to British trade.

    This condition was open to discussion, but the military establishment in France opposed it. Ostensibly, their reasons were, "Why should we easily give up what we''ve conquered?" But the deeper reason was that, for some individuals, continuing naval conflicts at sea was more profitable.

    The British had been effectively blockading French overseas trade routes, although they showed restraint towards some neutral vessels, French ships on various routes suffered relentless attacks.

    One type of French vessel, however, remained unharmed: the clipper ship. These ships easily evaded British naval interception with their remarkable speed and reached foreign ports. As long as the British continued their blockade, the demand for clipper ships remained high, and their profit margins were substantial.

    Due to the blockade, conventional French ships couldn''t sail overseas, or if they did, they might never return. Shipowners who wanted to continue maritime trade had to sell their old ships at low prices to foreign buyers and then order new clipper ships from certain individuals. This meant shipowners had to buy new ships to continue their trade.

    With France now controlling Northern Italy and the Nethends, most of Europe''s major seaports were in French hands. This gave certain individuals even greater ambitions.

    "Ennd is France''s most dangerous enemy. We canpromise with other foes, but as long as we wish for France to be the king of Europe, there is no possibility ofpromise with Ennd. Well, of course, that''s just the surface reasoning. Do you understand, my dear?" Joseph said to Lucien, crossing his legs.

    By now, Joseph had moved part of his research institutions back to Paris, which meant he had more time to educate his younger brother.

    "I understand, of course. You want to use the English to your advantage, not only blocking French ships but also ships from Italy and the Nethends. This way, you can sell clipper ships at higher prices," Lucien replied.

    "No, no, no. Lucien, you are too young and naive. I don''t want that, as it would lead to significant bacsh. I just need you to create a buzz in the Parliament; I don''t need you to pass resolutions like prohibiting British goods from entering other countries'' ports. This kind of rumor, in itself, can exert considerable pressure on various people from different angles. If Parliament doesn''t pass it this time, what about next time? Will the next Parliament pass it? Once such a resolution is passed, will the British start blocking other countries'' ship routes in response? With such concerns, who will purchase those old-style ships that are difficult to evade British blockades? Do you understand now?"

    "In this way, Europe''s traditional shipbuilding industry will be in crisis, and we can buy it cheap. I''m excited," Lucien said.

    "You''re my foolish brother!" Joseph shook his head. "You''re so dense. Even if those shipyards are cheap, buying them will still cost a fortune. Why should we spend money? What are we spending it for?"

    "What do you n to do, then? Is it that alliance thing again?" Lucien said. "I honestly don''t see the appeal of this alliance. I think it''s better to handle things on our own."

    "This situation is created by political circumstances. Politics is fickle, and considering too far ahead brings risks. I believe that, if we want France to be the king of Europe, there''s no room forpromise with the British. But, of course, this is just the surface reasoning. My dear brother, do you understand?"

    "But only the British would see through this immediately, right?"

    "This doesn''t affect our ability to outperform their ships. We''ll cut off their trade routes, and it will be profitable."

    "Oh, I see it now! If we spend too much on buying shipyards, it''s the same as establishing an alliance and rapidly gaining profits through it. I think you..." Lucien''s voice faded. He had indeed overlooked this variable.

    "That''s not the most important variable you''ve overlooked," Joseph continued. "Our business isn''t just one-dimensional. We have multiple lines of business, and the allocation of funds among them results in different ie fluctuations. The same amount of money invested in shipbuilding can bring in some ie, but investing it in another business can bring in equivalent ie. It''s a much moreplex problem to figure out how to coordinate these limited funds to maximize efficiency. I think it''s not any simpler than solving the four-color problem. And you im you can calcte it all in a second!"

    Joseph set his leg down and sat up, staring at Lucien. "So, Lucien, stop arguing. Your mathematical abilities have clearly deteriorated recently. Well, it might be time to help you regain your intellectual faculties."

    "Fine, but I have other work too," Lucien said with a pale face.

    "Don''t worry; it won''t be too difficult or too tiring for you," Joseph said. "Actually, it will help you gain a deeper understanding of the direction our business is taking."

 Chapter 164: Peace and Business (2)

    Chapter 164: Peace and Business (2)

    Joseph didn''t make Lucien work too hard this time. He simply had Lucien organize some of the family''s current investments, giving Lucien a moreprehensive understanding of Joseph''s strategic vision.

    "Joseph, what is this ''Zeus'' project? Why is it consuming so much funding, and it looks like there will be more investment in the future?" Lucien inquired.

    "This project," Joseph began, "is a revolutionary one, something that could put us decades ahead of thepetition. Its impact can bepared to Watt''s steam engine, perhaps even more profound."

    In this era, James Watt had already improved the steam engine. In 1776, Watt''s improved steam engine was already being used in mines to power pumps. In fact, there were several Watt steam engines imported from Ennd in the Duke of Orleans'' mines. Over time, Watt''s steam engine had found widespread application in the textile industry, giving British textiles a dominant position in the global market.

    However, the true potential of the steam engine had not been fully realized. Trains and ships were yet to be invented. So when Joseph likened the ''Zeus'' project to Watt''s steam engine, Lucien raised an eyebrow and responded, "Compared to the steam engine, it doesn''t seem that remarkable."

    Joseph shook his head and said, "You, my friend, are not a true scientist or an industrialist. You can''t see the direction in which things are developing. This is of utmost importance. If sessful, it could bury all existing modes of production in the annals of history."

    Lucien recognized Joseph''s credibility in matters of science, and he rarely boasted about such things. So, his curiosity was piqued. "Alright, Joseph. What is this ''Zeus'' project?"

    "Your security clearance is high enough," Joseph replied, "but remember, you must not breathe a word of this to anyone, especially those questionable women of yours. Do I make myself clear?"

    "Crystal clear," Lucien affirmed. "I have plenty of other topics to discuss with those women. After all, there is no shortage of things to brag about, but who talks to women about academic matters? Although, I must say, there''s one entric individual in this world who does."

    "You know what? If you talk to her about science, she actually listens attentively, which only proves your charm," Joseph retorted.

    "Alright, enough of this. For the sake of your pride," Lucien said, "let''s get back to the main topic. What is this ''Zeus'' project?"

    "Well," Joseph began, "after Armand Lavasie developed the electric detonator, we conducted an underwater explosive test. Someone left apass nearby, and I observed that when the wire was electrified, thepass needle suddenly moved. Though it might have been due to the ship''s rocking in the sea, I repeated the experiment in theboratory. I found that when current flowed through the wire, it indeed caused thepass needle to move."

    "And how is that significant?" Lucien asked.

    "Significant?" Joseph smiled. "Very significant. In the afternoon, I''ll take you to theb to see for yourself. But for now, let''s deal with this issue."

    "Damn, this seems like aplicated issue," Lucien said. "Although it involves some secrecy, Armand Lavasie should be able to handle this level of secrecy. Why am I being dragged into it? Joseph, you''re heartless!"

    After lunch, Joseph took Lucien to the newboratory. Theb was a bit far from Paris, and they arrived at sunset.

    Joseph led Lucien into a room with two machines on a table, both covered in wires. One had a crank handle, and the other was connected to a water pump with three wires.

    "Go and crank that handle," Joseph instructed.

    Lucien approached and began turning the handle.

    "Faster, have you not eaten?" Joseph remarked.

    "I really haven''t eaten; my stomach is grumbling!" Lucienined, increasing the speed of his cranking.

    As Lucien cranked, the other machine connected by wires started to turn, and the water pump came to life, water flowing vigorously.

    "How do you like this, my friend? Isn''t it marvelous?" Joseph asked proudly.

    "Well, it''s entertaining," Lucien replied while continuing to turn the handle.

    "Do you understand its significance now?" Joseph inquired.

    Lucien paused and thought carefully. Then he nodded and said, "This is more useful than a steam engine."

    Lucien had been with Joseph long enough to grasp the value of these two machines. Steam engines requiredplex transmission systems, clutches, and variable systems when used as industrial power to drive machines. To facilitate cement, multiple steam engines had to be set up in areas where steam engines weren''t originally intended to be, such as textile factories. In the textile workshops, for fire safety reasons, steam engines shouldn''t be present, but the transmission shaft couldn''t be too long, resulting in machines and steam engines being only a meter apart.

    Furthermore, different machines required different power and operated at different speeds, which meant either one machine per steam engine or a set of clutches and variable systems for each working machine.

    This made the entire machine system highlyplex. The moreplicated the mechanical system, the more expensive and inefficient it became. However, the system showcased in theboratory, transferring power from one machine to another, was much simpler and more efficient. This one advantage alone made it more suitable for use in various applications.

    "If we widely use this machine to drive all our various machines, our production can greatly increase, and costs will decrease to unimaginable levels. No one will be able topete with us," Joseph exined.

    "I see," Lucien said, "but what are the main problems with the current n?"

    "Problems? They''re everywhere," Joseph sighed. "First, we need a power source. I can''t use you as a power source, can I? Using steam engines is good, but it requires a lot of fuel. France''s coal mines are not under our control, and currently, there are no excellent coal mines in France. I''ve sent quite a few people to search for minerals on our newly acquired territories. If Providence blesses France and we find such a ce, we''ll need a significant sum to purchase thesends."

    "Well, if we find it, the expense is certainly worth it. I understand, we need to make financial preparations," Lucien said.

    "Of course, I have a backup n. In the era before the steam engine, textile factories had to be situated along rivers withrge waterfalls to harness hydraulic power for machinery," Joseph continued. "So, inspired by this, I proposed building a dam on a river with a significant drop, raising the water level, using the flowing water to drive a waterwheel, which powers the generator. Then, we use conductors to deliver electricity to the required electric motors."

    "That''s a good n!" Lucien eximed.

    "It is, but electric currents still suffer losses in conductors, which means the machines cannot be too far from the power station. Additionally, many aspects of this n are still experimental. To make it practical, we don''t know how many issues will arise and how much money will be needed. So... Lucien, do you understand why we need a lot of cash right now?"

    Lucien nodded, "This will indeed require a substantial amount of money. But if sessful, it will be worth it. Damn it, we need money for so many things... that scoundrel Napoleon, he only got a small amount of money from Austria!"

    "The Austrian indemnity goes to the government, and Napoleon didn''t receive much from it. Despite plundering Austrian viges during his conquest, the Austrian nobility was prepared. They quickly moved their wealth, such as gold, silver, and jewels, and didn''t leave such valuables on their estates. So, the loot from the nobles was quite limited."

    "Austria and Italy are notparable," Josephmented. "Especially the Crown Under the Sun, he''s a great guy. So, for now, we have to make as much money as possible on our own. Damn this peace! By the way, any progress in your dealings with the Irishtely?"

    "They want to purchase weapons, but... the Irish don''t have much money," Lucien said, shaking his head.

    The Irish, after over a century of exploitation by the English due to King Henry VIII''s split from the Papal Church, were quite impoverished.

    "They share ourmon enemies," Joseph stated. "France and Britain''s war is ongoing, and our government should support the just struggle of the Irish people without charge. I believe the government should fund the purchase of weapons for the Irish."

    "Agreed!" Lucien said. "Let the government provide us with funds, and we can supply weapons to the Irish. Then we can tell the government that our ships ran aground and encountered storms near Irnd, so they need to order more weapons to effectively support the just cause of the Irish people."

 Chapter 165: Peace and Business (3)

    Chapter 165: Peace and Business (3)

    After a month of tireless efforts in France, Sean, the representative of the Irish resistance organization, finally had the opportunity to meet a significant figure in Madame Rousseau''s salon, the Member of the National Convention, Lucien Bonaparte.

    At that time, the beautiful Madame Fleurette made him wait at the entrance of the ballroom while she gracefully walked through the brilliantly lit hall, making her way to a row of sofas where two people were seated, one of them a young man.

    "Lucien, do you remember the Irishman I told you aboutst time? The one with so many stories that broke my heart," Madame Fleurette said, casting a seductive look towards Lucien. "I want to help him, and among all my friends, only you have the power, kindness, and sympathy to assist the poor Irish. So, I brought him here. Would you like to meet him?"

    Lucien knew that Madame Fleurette''s willingness to speak for an Irishman was likely driven by motives other than pure sympathy. His gaze shifted from Madame Fleurette''s slender, graceful neck, adorned with an unfamiliar, rustic-looking ne. At the bottom of the ne hung a gem almost asrge as a pigeon''s egg. If these impoverished Irish people had truly given her this, they had invested quite a sum.

    "Well, can I bring him over?" Madame Fleurette asked, her enchanting smile intact.

    "Of course, my dear!" Lucien raised his wine ss toward Madame Fleurette. "But after a while, you must sit next to me, so I can properly admire your new ne."

    "Is there a problem with that?" Madame Fleurette leaned closer, her hand embracing Lucien''s arm, gently pressing her chest to make her assets appear closer, allowing him a better view of the gem nestled in the valley between them.

    "Unique design, beautiful gem, and a perfect match with you, my dear," Lucien leaned in, his lips almost touching Madame Fleurette''s earlobe. "But, my dear, have you had enough?"

    "Not at all. How could I get enough in such a short time? I still need to examine it carefullyter," Lucien whispered, gently biting Madame Fleurette''s earlobe. "But for now, my dear, you can let your friende over."

    With Lucien''s permission, Madame Fleurette straightened her posture and waved Sean over from the doorway.

    Sean hurriedly approached, and Madame Fleurette slightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows as she introduced him to Lucien. "Lucien, this is Mr. Sean from Irnd, the one I mentioned to you. He''s a man with many stories, some of which have broken my heart. I want to help him, and among all my friends, only you have the power, kindness, and sympathy to assist the unfortunate Irish. So, I brought him here. Would you like to get to know him?"

    "Hello, Mr. Bonaparte," Sean said quickly. Clearly, a luxurious and ambiguous French salon was ufortable for Irishmen ustomed to simpler surroundings.

    "Hello, Mr. Sean," Lucien gestured towards an empty seat beside him. "You can sit down, and we can talk."

    As Sean took his seat, Lucien continued, "Allow me to introduce my friend sitting beside me. This is Armand, Armand Duson. He''s my best friend and business partner, one of the wealthiest bankers in Paris. He is a man of great reputation, entirely trustworthy. You don''t need to hold anything back in his presence."

    "Hello, Mr. Duson," Sean quickly stood up again.

    In this dim corner, Lucien and Sean conversed for quite some time. Later, Sean would recall this part of history:

    "Mr. Lucien Bonaparte is indeed as Madame Fleurette described - a man of greatpassion. After learning about the Irish people''s suffering, he showed profound sympathy. He promised to provide me with an opportunity to appeal to the honorable members of the National Convention. However, I am not skilled at public speaking, and my French is heavily ented. For this, Mr. Bonaparte even helped me find a teacher to train my speaking skills and personally guided me in drafting speeches. The most famous part of that speech was actually written by Mr. Bonaparte. Behind the scenes, he made countless unknown efforts to support the Irish people''s quest for independence."

    With Lucien''s efforts, the National Convention passed the "Irish Rtions Act," dering an unbreakable alliance with the Irish people to jointly confront theirmon enemy, the English. The Convention urged the Directory to immediately take practical action and allocate funds to support the just struggle of the Irish people.

    Taking money from the "Military-Industrial Consortium," the Directory acted swiftly. Soon, a substantial sum of money was allocated to support the Irish revolution. However, rumors circted that at least a third of these funds never left Paris and were used as a lubricant for government actions.

    The "Military-Industrial Consortium" was exceptionally efficient. On the day the funds were allocated, Sean received word that the "French Military-Industrial Consortium" would produce and ship the first batch of weapons to the Irish brothers free of charge within two weeks. Now, they needed Sean to make immediate contact with the Irish people so they could deliver these precious weapons to those who needed them most.

    A monthter, the "Flyer" clipper ship, loaded with various weapons and Sean, along with another Irishman named Liam, set sail.

    The dy wasn''t due to slow action on the French side, but because the Irish had to arrange things on their end.

    "Would you gentlemen get seasick?" Captain Van der Deken asked as they boarded the ship.

    "No, we don''t," Sean replied.

    "That''s good. Do you know how to swim?" Captain Van der Deken inquired.

    "Yes, is there a problem?" Sean felt that something was not quite right.

    "You see, our ship has to risk breaking through the English fleet''s blockade. Therefore, this ship''s design is solely focused on speed. Everything else can be sacrificed, including safety. Do you understand what I mean?" Sean nodded in acknowledgment, realizing the high-risk nature of smuggling.

    "We understand," Sean said.

    Sean believed he understood the danger of this ship, but once they were at sea, he realized he had underestimated the peril. The ship rocked violently, and even Sean and Liam, who had never been seasick before, found themselves vomiting. It was important to remember that the weather was still rtively calm. This was a clear sign of how treacherous it could be if they encounteredrger wavesFrench support for the Irish people was truly a perilous endeavor.

    The "Flyer" clipper ship, despite its intense rocking, had decent resistance to rough seas. Captain Van der Deken''s warning had been to make the Irish believe that many of the items they were transporting had "disappeared."

    Dayster, on a dark night, the "Flyer" arrived in the vicinity of Irnd. Looking from thend towards the sea, everything was pitch ck, impossible to see. But looking from the sea towards thend was different. Beneath a cliff close to the sea, two fires were lit - the agreed-upon signal between those on the shore and the ship. Due to the cliff''s cover, the fires couldn''t be seen from thend.

    The "Flyer" responded with twonterns as agreed, and after a while, the left fire disappeared. A bit further to the right, two fires were ignited, signaling that everything was safe onshore.

    In the darkness, the sailors lowered a small boat into the water, followed by packages tied to inted leather floats and wrapped in oiled paper, all connected by ropes. After all the packages were in the water, Sean, Liam, and the sailors boarded the small boat, using oars to slowly row towards the shore.

    By the time dawn was approaching, the sailors returned to the "Flyer." The ship retrieved the small boat and immediately hoisted its sails, leaving the dangerous area. Meanwhile, below the silhouette of the cliff, Sean, Liam, and a group of others were busy inspecting the weapons that had been delivered.

 Chapter 166: Peace and Business (4)

    Chapter 166: Peace and Business (4)

    It''s great when the French government foots the bill, and they do it promptly. Negotiating prices with them is also a breeze. You know, the French government has a peculiar trait  they always choose the expensive option, not necessarily the right one. Even for a simple coffee cup, they opt for the priciest choice. If you dare to set a high price, even 1,500 francs, they''ll go for it. Cheap prices, on the other hand, make them unhappy because it messes up their bookkeeping.

    In contrast, the Polish people are a bit stingy. They buy simple versions of revolvers without rifling, the "Little Melons" without engravings, orndmines without explosives  they''d rather chisel their own stones.

    So, boat after boat filled with weapons continuously shipped to Irnd. Meanwhile, members of the Irish resistance organization kepting to France for special operations training.

    The French government may be generous with money, but they''re eager to see a return on their investment. They want to witness a spectacr oue. Only then will they have a reason to increase their investment.

    On the morning of May 7, 1797, as the sun rose, Dublin woke up like any other day. People started filling the streets, and the British soldiers were changing guard outside the Governor''s residence. Inside, Duke Anderson Russell, Governor of Dublin, was receiving a report from the sheriff, Darcy.

    "Are you saying that some rebels are actively operating, and they might be getting help from France?"

    "Yes, Your Excellency. Some time ago, our patrol found signs of fires under some cliffs on the west coast. Sometimes, we also find many footprints on the nearby beaches. Your Excellency, we believe these fires are used for nighttimemunication with ships at sea, and the footprints indicate that either many peoplended here, or a lot of cargo did. Your Excellency, you know there are no strategic supplies from France that are crucial for Irnd, so I suspect the French are secretly aiding these rebels."

    "Darcy," Duke Bedford said, "I just noticed you said you found signs of fires ''under some cliffs'' and sometimes footprints. That means people are engaging in illegal activities at night. Have you taken any action?"

    "Your Excellency, soldiers are highly reluctant to act at night. It''s unsafe, and idents can easily happen when patrolling these areas."

    "What kind of idents? Are they being attacked?" Duke Bedford''s eyebrows twitched.

    "Yes, Your Excellency, the security in those areas has never been good."

    "These cursed Irish. Well, I know this situation didn''t happen overnight, and it''s not all your fault. Darcy, you reported this to me for a reason. What kind of assistance are you seeking from me?"

    "I believe that to curb this situation, we must rely on the naval power. I know that if the French are involved, they likely use cutters. In normal circumstances, our warships can''t intercept these vessels. However, I think when they load or unload cargo, they have to stop. If our navy could show up at that moment, we might catch them."

    "Darcy, you''re thinking right," Duke Bedford, who regarded Darcy as family due to their shared English nobility, said. "Our coastal defense is already working on such matters. The problem is the long coastline, limited personnel, and minimal results."

    "Your Excellency, could we allocate more ships to the navy, to..."

    "Darcy, I''ve told you before, when you consider a problem, you must think on a broader scale, not just focus on what''s under your nose. Do you want to stay in your current position forever?"

    "Your Excellency..."

    "Darcy, you know the Spanish have already tilted toward the French. Our naval advantage over the enemy isn''t significant, and to limit French trade, our patrol ships must cruise along the French coast. Though they can''t intercept French cutters, these ships effectively hamper French maritime capabilities. If we move our patrol fleet, we need to consider the impact on the recovery of French maritime power. If we deploy our main fleet, we must also consider what the French and Spanish fleets might do. In any case, this matter..."

    While the two were talking, there was a sudden loud explosion from outside.

    The entire Governor''s residence shook from the st. Therge windows shattered instantly, sending ss shards everywhere. Duke Bedford''s chair, which held his portly frame, jumped up a bit. Darcy, who had been standing there, copsed to the floor. Dust began falling from the ceiling. The Duke''s desk and his hair were both covered in dust.

    "What''s going on? What''s going on?" Duke Bedford, using the armrests of his chair to help him stand.

    "I''ll go check," Darcy said, getting up from the floor.

    At that moment, a series of gunshots rang out from the direction of the front door.

    "It''s the rebels!" Darcy immediately made this assessment and drew his pistol, heading for the front door. Duke Bedford took off his wig, shook off the dust, and adjusted his appearance.

    The gunfire outside intensified, and after a while, there were hurried footsteps. Darcy burst back into the room. "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, you must leave immediately. The rebels have broken in, and we can''t stop them!"

    "What?" Duke Bedford''s hands trembled, and the wig he had just put on fell to the ground...

    Let''s rewind a bit. As Duke Bedford was still lecturing Darcy on seeing the bigger picture, an borately decorated four-horse carriage slowly arrived in the square outside the Governor''s residence.

    Such carriages, pulled by fourrge horses, were not umon in Dublin, and their owners were usually high-ranking figures from Ennd. The carriage gradually approached the Governor''s residence, slowing down as it appeared ready to stop and undergo the guards'' questioning.

    The carriage neared the front entrance of the Governor''s residence and came to a halt. Several guards approached, preparing to inquire. But at that moment, the carriage suddenly exploded.

    This stolen carriage was loaded with a whopping 150 kilograms of nitrocellulose. It was being driven by an Irish patriot determined to sacrifice for his country. He controlled it. This explosion obliterated the soldiers surrounding it, the main gates of the Governor''s residence, and the nearby barracks. It created chaos and destruction.

    With the explosion, people who had been wandering further away suddenly pulled out their concealed revolvers and Bonaparte Little Melons. They stormed the Governor''s residence, shooting anyone who moved, whether they were soldiers or servants, men or women.

    asionally, a few soldiers from further away fired at them, but they were quickly brought down by dozens of revolvers or hit by Bonaparte Little Melon grenades that seemed toe from nowhere. These people couldn''t stop the Irish advance.

    Darcy, along with Duke Bedford, escaped toward the back door. But just as they reached the area near the rear door, they heard gunshots and Bonaparte Little Melon explosions from that direction too.

    Darcy led the Duke to a drainage ditch. It ran through the wall and led outside. The water in the ditch was quite shallow now, seemingly allowing them to crawl out.

    "Your Excellency, the situation is dire. We must escape through here," Darcy said.

    "I''ll go first!" Duke Bedford didn''t bother with noble decorum at this point. He knew how much these rebels hated him, and what would happen if they got their hands on him.

    Duke Bedford jumped into the drainage ditch, crouched down, and started crawling out. But he was a bit too plump, and halfway through, he got stuck.

    "Darcy, Darcy,e push me!" Duke Bedford shouted.

    Then he heard someone jump into the ditch behind him. Soon, a push against his buttocks and then... he got stuck even tighter.

    "Push harder, a little harder! Ah... like that, Darcy, push harder!"

    But just at that moment, there were several gunshots, and the pushing on his backside stopped. He knew it was not good and quickly redoubled his efforts to get through. With thisst-ditch effort, he seemed to inch forward a bit, his widest part finally passing the narrow passage. But just then, several hands grabbed his legs...

 Chapter 167: Peace and Business (5)

    Chapter 167: Peace and Business (5)

    When the British troops stationed in Dublin arrived at the Governor''s Mansion, the despicable attackers had already disappeared. The mansion was in ruins, littered with bodies in all directions. As the soldiers began to clear the bodies, several explosions urred - the attackers had nted booby traps near the corpses. For instance, there were fine wires attached to the belts of the bodies, connected tondmines. There were also several such devices behind doors and windows.

    As a result, the arriving British troops were killed or injured by a dozen or so more explosions, causing everyone to be terrified while they continued to search the area.

    The British soldiers cautiously approached the entrance to the Governor''s office. The office''s mahogany door was slightly ajar, and it seemed like the owner was still inside. They exchanged uneasy nces, afraid to push the door open, not knowing if it would explode upon doing so.

    "Um, does anyone have something long?" an officer asked.

    "I remember there''s a half of a gpole over there," a soldier shouted, "I''ll go fetch it."

    The soldier went outside and, momentster - "Boom!"

    "Captain, Captain, Jim''s dead!"

    "Damn it!" The captain angrily threw his hat to the ground. "Harry, go to the neighboring houses and requisition a clothesline pole."

    A small soldier quicklyplied and returned with several clothesline poles.

    "Lieutenant, we have a few clothesline poles here. Let''s connect them; it''ll be safer."

    "Good idea! Sharpd!" the captain praised.

    A group of them skillfully connected the clothesline poles, and the captain waved his hand. Everyone silently stepped back. The captainy on the ground and extended the nearly ten-meter-long pole, carefully pushing the door open. The door opened quietly without any explosion.

    The captain angrily rose to his feet, suddenly experiencing the painful and infuriating feeling of his intelligence being trampled, thinking of Jim, who had been killed earlier for fetching the broken gpole.

    However, despite his anger, the captain reminded himself to remain calm; otherwise, they might fall into a trap.

    He carefully approached the door, peered inside, and saw a naked, obese corpse hanging under the crystal chandelier in the middle of the office. The captain recognized this body as the Duke of Bedford, the governor!

    "This is a big problem!" the captain thought, "I wonder how many people will lose their heads over this incident..."

    At this moment, other soldiers started to enter the office.

    "Don''t wander around, don''t touch anything! Don''t lower the body, there might be explosives," the captain quickly warned.

    "Lieutenant, there''s writing on the governor''s body!" a soldier shouted.

    The captain, who had been focused on looking for mines, was now drawn to this information. He hurried to the body of the Duke and saw that the rebels had inscribed the words "The fate of invaders!" on his chest with a knife.

    Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in, causing the hanged corpse to rotate, revealing more writing on its back, "This is your future!" Between the buttocks was a long knife.

    The British people were shaken by this attack on their empire, and it reverberated throughout the entire United Kingdom and even Europe. After all, it had been many years since such a high-ranking figure in the British Empire had been killed in one fell swoop.

    Prime Minister Pitt addressed the members of Parliament in the House of Commons, condemning the crime of "shocking terrorism"mitted by the French and local insurgents and vowing to "fight fire with fire." He also proposed additional funds to conscript and train more troops to suppress the rebellion in Irnd.

    "We will make those rebels regret their actions, and they, as well as their descendants, will never dare to look us in the eye or entertain thoughts of rebellion again!"

    Pitt made these strong statements.

    As for European nations, Prussia expressed its deep regret over the incident and urged restraint, warning against actions that could worsen the situation. Austria suggested that French merchants should control the export of dangerous weapons, especially to unstable regions, and consider the moral implications of arms trade. The Russian government sympathized with the British, suggesting that the French should stop exporting dangerous weapons, especially those easy to conceal. However, the new Tsar also called for a reflection on the British government''s actions in Irnd.

    Even the Pope issued a statement, hoping that in these tragic times, Irish Catholics would not suffer unfair treatment and calling on the British government to learn from the incident and stop the persecution of Irish Catholics.

    As for the French, Lucien Robespierre, in the National Assembly, stated, "What happened in Irnd is not a rebellion but a desperate cry from oppressed and enved people. The great French people will forever stand with those oppressed and enved around the world, with truth and justice. We are not afraid of the British''s loud and empty threats; we will continue to support the Irish people in their struggle for freedom and liberation."

    Of course, after leaving the National Assembly, Lucien Robespierre visited the Minister of Public Safety, Joseph Fouch, under heavy protection, to discuss how tobat the possible destructive actions of British terrorists.

    In Irnd, the British army had already set out to subdue the areas where the rebels were most likely hiding...

    A squadron of British cavalry charged into a remote Irish vige. Lieutenant William Tarleton was ordered to clear out the insurgents here. Of course, the insurgents would never admit to being insurgents. So, he told the soldiers that any Irishman who ran upon seeing them was surely a frightened insurgent. Any Irishman who didn''t run was a trained and elite insurgent. Any Irishman who imed to be an insurgent was undoubtedlywless. Any Irishman who denied being an insurgent was the most dangerous and cunning insurgent. In short, behead them all, burn down their vige.

    However, as the cavalry charged into the vige, they found that not a single person was left. All the doors were securely shut.

    "Where are the people? Where did they all go?" Lieutenant Tarleton looked around in confusion.

    "I can''t believe they all managed to hide underground!" Lieutenant Tarleton muttered. "Dismount, and let''s find those scoundrels!"

    The cavalry dismounted, and a soldier kicked open a door of a dpidated house, then - "Boom!"

    "Don''t enter the house! Set it on fire, burn down the buildings!" Lieutenant Tarleton shouted.

    Someone went to the woodpile to prepare to burn the houses, and then they stepped on something - "Boom!" They suddenly had a boot with a foot still inside right in front of them.

    At that moment, a gunshot rang out from the distance, and a soldier fell to the ground.

    "Insurgents! Insurgents over there!" Lieutenant Tarleton drew hismand sword and pointed to the left. Everyone turned to look, and they saw a figure holding a rifle, running toward them.

    The cavalrymen began to shoot at the figure, but their guns were ineffective at a distance and their aim was off. So, several of them mounted their horses, drew their sabers, and galloped after the person, and then - "Boom!"

    At the same time, several gunshots rang out from another direction.

    "Insurgents, insurgents over there!"

    A soldier rushed to a corner to avoid the insurgents'' gunfire, but then - "Boom!"

    Bullets wereing from all directions. However, the insurgents had limited firepower, but their shots caused "Boom" after "Boom." This inflicted significant casualties on the British troops as they tried to evade the gunfire or chase after the insurgents. This continuous "Boom" led to more casualties.

    Lieutenant Tarleton realized that if they continued like this, he would only suffer further losses. Additionally, it was getting dark, and with nightfall, who knew how many insurgents would...

    Suddenly, an unidentified individual took the initiative, and everyone joined in singing a rhythmic, uplifting song they had learned in their training camp in Toulon:

    "Bury thendmines, take up your guns,

    Lay out a battlefield far and wide.

    Definitely eliminate the invaders,

    Arm ourselves to defend our homnd..."

 Chapter 168: The British Counterattack

    Chapter 168: The British Counterattack

    Detective milien and his partner, Daniel, walked into the foyer of the Ministry of Public Safety, showing their credentials to the approaching guards and announcing, "Detective milien and Daniel reporting for duty."

    The guard nced at their credentials, then at their faces, and replied, "Wait here, please." He took their credentials and walked away.

    milien and Daniel waited, observing the guard as he approached several other guards, exchanged a few words, and then moved to a counter where a civilian staff member sat. They engaged in a brief conversation, after which the civilian staff member rose and retrieved arge folder from a filing cab.

    The civilian staff member checked the folder,pared it with the credentials, nodded at the guard, and said something before returning the credentials to him.

    The guard approached the two men, handed back their credentials, and pointed at a nearby table, saying, "Do you have any weapons with you? If so, please ce them here."

    milien nodded and stepped forward, reaching into his coat to pull out a revolver, which he ced on the table. Daniel followed suit, producing two standard pistols from his waist and two folding knives from the pockets on either side of his jacket. He then unbuttoned his coat, revealing a multitude of small pockets inside, each containing knives of varying sizes and shapes.

    The staff member, sitting behind the table, didn''t seem surprised by this. He simply handed them a piece of paper and said, "Please write down the names and quantities of these items in this column."

    milien quickly filled in the form and stood by, waiting for Daniel.

    "I told you, when youe to the Ministry of Public Safety, you don''t need to bring so many things," milien couldn''t help butin as he watched Daniel diligentlyplete the form.

    After a considerable amount of time, Daniel finished listing all his various belongings. A guard even conducted an additional check before allowing them to proceed to the office area.

    Apanied by two guards, they passed through the foyer, went through another door, crossed a garden, and finally arrived at the rear administrative offices.

    The guards escorted them to the door of a small building. Two other guards checked their credentials and then ushered them into the building, taking them to a second-floor office.

    One of the guards knocked on the door gently. "Minister, Detectives milien and Daniel are here."

    "Please,e in," came the minister''s voice from inside.

    The guards pushed the door open, and milien and Daniel entered.

    "Please, have a seat," Fouch said, ncing at them briefly, indicating the chairs. He continued, "I''ve read your report. You''ve discovered..."

    "Breaking news: Around 10 AM today, an assassination attempt was made against Congressman Lucien Bonaparte in the heart of Paris. The assant threw several bombs at a carriage believed to be carrying Congressman Lucien. The attack resulted in dozens of casualties among innocent civilians. However, Congressman Lucien was not in the carriage that day..."

    Lucien put down the newspaper and turned to Fouch. "Minister Fouch, can we start tightening the noose now?"

    "Not yet," Fouch replied. "We still have hurdles to ovee if we want to expand our powers without causing widespread panic."

    "But aren''t you worried about being used of ipetence by others?" Lucien asked.

    Fouch chuckled. "In ordinary times, everyone would be eyeing this chair I''m sitting in, ready to pounce. But right now, this chair is scalding hot. Who would dare to sit in it at a time like this? Besides, even if someone is ignorant enough not to know what they''re getting into, do you really think they would want to upy this position in such a dire situation?"

    A weekter, a fierce battle erupted near the residence of the Director Jean-Franois Leber, where an unidentified armed group attempted to attack his home. They engaged in a firefight with the rapidly arriving Paris police.

    "Our police arrived in time and protected Director Leber''s family, eliminating at least three assants," Fouch reported during a parliamentary hearing.

    "Fouch, as per your own ount, the police were aware of these criminals'' activities before the incident. Why couldn''t you apprehend them before the attack? Why let themunch the assault?" one of the parliamentarians asked.

    Fouch responded, "If you want us to arrest and interrogate suspects on mere suspicion, like the old Committee of Public Safety, then sure, we could have rounded them up beforehand. Is that what you want?"

    "That''s not what I meant, but... can''t you enhance the efficiency of the police department and gather evidence to capture them all?" the parliamentarian inquired.

    Fouchughed heartily, as if he had heard the funniest joke. "Bzons, do you know how much of the budget the entire police system in Paris consumes today? Two-thirds of what the old Committee of Public Safety spent! Do you know how many detectives are in the police force today? Half of what there was during the Committee of Public Safety! In such conditions, we have constraints to abide by; we cannot arrest and interrogate based on suspicion alone. Frankly, I''m content that my team even identified the suspects in advance.

    Of course, if Mr. Bzons is unsatisfied and willing to sit in my chair, I can certainly oblige."

    Bzons, of course, knew that these assants were still atrge and might evenunch new attacks. Moreover, their decisiveness and experience appeared far beyond the previous riffraff of royalists. These individuals showed no signs of backing down. In this situation, taking Fouch''s position would be synonymous with taking the me.

    "Fouch, that wasn''t what I meant," Bzons hastily responded. "I simply hope that the police department can find ways to enhance security. Of course, you''re the expert..."

    Seeing Bzons backtrack, another parliamentarian stood up and asked, "Minister Fouch, you mentioned earlier that the police department swiftly responded to the situation, engaged with the assants, and protected Director Leber''s family. But why did the attackers manage to breach Director Leber''s residence and cause significant damage? I heard that the police suffered even greater losses than the assants. Is this true?"

    Fouch replied, "Indeed. Inst night''s battle, once we sensed the potential threat, we immediately dispatched all avable police forces. However, due to the shortage of police personnel in Paris, the number we could send was not significantly higher than that of the assants. Furthermore, the assants were better trained and equipped than our officers. In our police force, due to budget constraints, only police chiefs and above carry revolvers capable of semi-automatic firing. Regr officers are equipped with single-shot pistols, batons, and knives. But the assants who attackedst night were each armed with two British-made revolvers, as well as ''Bonaparte''s Sweet Melon,'' a British imitation. I examined the bodies of the three in assants, and they all had amon feature, gentlemen. Do you know what it was?"

    "I... I have no idea," Bzons replied.

    "The second joint of their right index fingers had thick calluses," Fouch revealed. "Those with calluses in this location, please raise your hand. Let everyone see whatmonality these individuals share."

    Several individuals, including Carnot, raised their hands. They all had military backgrounds.

    "Only those who frequently fire guns have calluses in this spot. Gentlemen, these assants are not what you imaginepetty thugs lurking in dark alleys, brandishing knives to rob innocent girls. They are a well-organized, highly trained military force.

    In yesterday''s engagement, we were essentially sacrificing our own officers, using our blood and lives to block them and protect Director Leber''s family. Had it not been for our concern that the nearby National Guard might arrive, these assants could have wiped out our officers entirely. The skirmishsted less than ten minutes, and we initially had them surrounded. But in those few minutes, we lost over twenty young men. Gentlemen, what we face now is not a gang of ruffians but an infiltrated army within Paris!"

    The entire parliamentary hall erupted in chaos. People were talking loudly to each other, some shouting at Fouch, while others argued among themselves. The presiding officer, Mr. Oudot, pounded his gavel on the table in vain. "Order, order! Those who wish to ask Minister Fouch questions, please do so in an orderly fashion. Maintain order!"

    However, the reminder had little effect, as the parliamentariansrgely ignored it. After a considerable amount of time, Mr. Oudot''s arm grew sore, and the assembly finally managed to regain some semnce of order.

    "All right," Oudot said. "It''s now the turn of the representatives from District 3 to ask questions. Mr. Grizmann, do you have any questions for Minister Fouch?"

    Grizmann stood up and asked, "Minister Fouch, I''d like to know what kind of support you need to capture or eliminate these individuals."

    Fouch replied, "Support? Well, if we want to apprehend or eliminate them, we need a lot of support, gentlemen."

 Chapter 169: National Army Law Enforcement Task Force

    Chapter 169: National Army Law Enforcement Task Force

    "What do I need?" Fouch asked, "First and foremost, I need money! I can''t have my men going up against enemies with single-shot pistols while they wield revolvers. They can''t be using knives against opponents armed with handguns and melons!"

    "Anything else?" Grzmann inquired.

    "In the short term, I need the authority to mobilize the National Guard. They''re scattered throughout the neighborhoods, and I need to be able to call upon them. Of course, we can discuss the numbers."

    "The National Guard isn''t a regr army, and there won''t always be people avable. Most of the time, they''re going about their own business," a parliamentarian chimed in. "Mobilizing them would take time, and if there''s a crisis, it might be toote."

    "In that case, we can amend the National Guard''s regtions and establish a duty roster. There must be a certain number of personnel on standby in fixed locations every day. At least until the situation is resolved, the National Guard must maintain this state of readiness," Fouch replied.

    "But can the National Guard really handle these unruly mobs?" Grzmann questioned.

    "Yeah, can they? I honestly think they''re not as reliable as the police."

    "You''re absolutely right. Rememberst time when a few thousand National Guard members were chased by a couple of hundred insurgents? Just as Minister Fouch said, those rioters are well-trained soldiers, and the numbers of National Guard in each district aren''t thatrge to begin with, and even fewer can be on duty. Even if we add them..."

    "That''s right... I don''t trust the National Guard at all. If there''s trouble, they''ll probably run faster than us."

    The debate continued, and overall, many had reservations about the National Guard.

    "Quiet, please, quiet!" Odom raised his gavel again.

    After a while, the bustling parliamentary hall gradually fell silent.

    "In addition, I hope to establish an independent, well-equipped, highly trained, 24/7-ready police force to handle high-intensity violent incidents like these," Fouch continued.

    Fouch made a long list of demands, and it was clear that they wouldn''t get immediate responses. It involved too many trade-offs and power allocation issues, so it would take time.

    But Fouch wasn''t in a hurry. He believed that the longer he waited, the heavier the blow they would deliver, and the heavier their blow, the more advantageous it would be for him. Of course, provided that their targets didn''t include Fouch''s side.

    This waiting period was particrly tough for Lucien. Before, Joseph''s constraints on him weren''t very severe since his main job was socializing outside. However, after both Fouch and his own people issued safety warnings to him, Lucien no longer dared to visit thedies and miss thedies like he used to.

    Even when he had to travel and negotiate with important figures, he had to disguise himself and return discreetly as soon as the business was done.

    If only it were that simple. What was more frustrating for Lucien was that Joseph started dumping a bunch of random tasks on him once he noticed Lucien''s recent increase in leisure time (due to his reduced time spent with his mistresses).

    From Joseph''s perspective, the tasks he assigned to Lucien weren''t overlyplicated. When Lucien initially received the assignment from Joseph, he even thought it was a good task. The task was to teach mathematics to Louis and Jerome.

    "Hahahahaha..." When Lucien received this task from Joseph, he couldn''t help but burst intoughter and found himself grinning as he walked down the street.

    "Why are youughing, Mr. Bonaparte?" Edgar, Lucien''s bodyguard, asked.

    Lucien replied, "I just remembered something that makes me happy."

    "What''s making you so happy?"

    "I''m going to be a math teacher for my little brother!" Lucien shed a brilliant smile.

    "Mr. Bonaparte is such a good older brother!"

    But soon, Lucien discovered that the task wasn''t as interesting as he had imagined. Because sometimes, those not-so-bright kids could really get on your nerves.

    "Louis, didn''t I just exin this problem to you an hour ago?"

    "Did you? I don''t remember. Are you sure? I can show you the problems I did just now."

    "Let me see them."

    Louis handed over his practice book. Lucien flipped it open and pointed to a problem. "Louis, you dolt, this problem is exactly the same as the one I exined earlier. It''s just rotated!"

    "What?... Ah? No wonder it felt a bit familiar when I was doing it... Lucien, you''re so cunning!"

    "Shut up! Do you understand it now?"

    "Yes!"

    "Then get it done quickly!" Lucien scolded. "My goodness, how can I have such a dim-witted little brother..."

    After scolding him, Lucien looked up and saw Jerome holding a small notebook, standing in front of him. "Lucien, I can''t figure out this problem no matter how I think about it. Can you exin it to me?"

    After a period of silence, the riotersunched another terrifying attack, this time targeting the parliamentary building. Although their attack didn''t seed, the parliamentarians inside were left shaken.

    A few dayster, the various parties finally reached a new consensus.

    The budget for the police department was significantly increased, and they were granted temporary authority to mobilize the National Guard on duty in various districts. But allowing the police department to have abat-ready elite force, many people, especially those who had witnessed a few hundred insurgents overwhelming several thousand National Guard members, found this hard to ept. Could they really let Fouch, a Jacobin remnant, control such power? People feared that they wouldn''t be able to sleep peacefully.

    Nevertheless, Paris needed a force like this, and it had to be under the jurisdiction of the police department. But the control of this force could not be given to the police department. After some negotiations, apromise was reached.

    This force would consist of no more than three hundred individuals, and its organization andmand would fall under the War Ministry. The Ministry of War, which already had numerous military units under itsmand, could easily incorporate this additional force. As for how the police department would utilize them, it was quite simple; an office would be established within the Ministry of Public Safety to oversee this matter.

    Thus, this force acquired a unique name: the National Army Law Enforcement Task Force.

    Regarding personnel, there were readily avable soldiers from the "Red Army," so it was a matter of reassigning troops from there. After suppressing the Royalist uprising earlier, the Red Army had been restored to a thousand-strong force. At this moment, transferring three hundred soldiers was rtively straightforward.

    Lieutenant Bruto, also from the "Red Army," became the firstmander of this force.

    Since these targets had been mostly achieved, Fouch immediately sprang into action. In reality, these insurgents, though well-trained soldiers and supported by Royalists, couldn''t have hidden in Paris without leaving any traces.

    Fouch had been keeping a close eye on their hideouts. They were mostly holed up in the Saint-Antoine district, a poor neighborhood with minimal police presence, which seemed rtively safe.

    Around noon, the Saint-Antoine district began to empty out asrge numbers of people left for work elsewhere. At this moment, a squad of soldiers quietly entered the district.

    "Everyone, be quiet, and approach stealthily. Do not open fire indiscriminately," Lieutenant Bruto, who led the squad personally, instructed.

 Chapter 170: Strengthening Security (1)

    Chapter 170: Strengthening Security (1)

    When it came to organizing acts of terror, the British were still novices at this point, and the royalists who coborated with them were far from experts. These royalists could only manage to spread rumors and were not even good at gathering intelligence, let alone carrying out terrorist attacks.

    If you were to ask the royalists who they despised and wanted to eliminate the most, it would undoubtedly be the Jacobins, especially the likes of Robespierre. With Robespierre''s inclination to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary risks, the royalists, with a bit of courage, could have easily assassinated him. As for berl, it would have been even easier, as he lived in the chaotic slums.

    In fact, the top leaders of the Jacobins, including Robespierre, were not adequately protected from assassination attempts. The royalists did not need to be highly intelligent or skilled; all they required was the courage to face the guillotine, and they could eliminate any of the prominent Jacobin leaders, be it Robespierre, Saint-Just, Danton, or berl. Even someone like Kotte, an sympathizer of the Brissotins, who had received no formal training, could have easily killed Marat.

    This meant that the royalists were nothing more than a bunch of ineffective troublemakers with no moral values.

    So, the British infiltrators were surrounded by a special task force from the National Army, whose main objective was to maintainw and order.

    However,pared to the royalists, the British had more expertise. As soon as they realized they were surrounded, theyunched a breakout attempt. If their opponents had been regr police officers or the poorly trained National Guard, they might have seeded in breaking free.

    But this time, they were up against the National Army''s Law Enforcement Intervention Group, which specialized in urban warfare tactics. Following their well-presearched battle n, they swiftly ced personnel mines on the streets and positioned three-pound cannons in the expected direction of the enemy''s breakout.

    As expected, the British walked right into the trap during their escape. They stepped onndmines, endured cannon fire, and faced gunfire and bombardment from small arms, creating chaos. In the end, the National Army''s Law Enforcement Intervention Group suffered only single-digit casualties and annihted this group of "rebels."

    Since the British infiltrators were operating under the guise of royalists in France, the French had to respond. Thus, the Irishunched a new offensive in Irnd while the British were still unprepared. With a significant portion of the British forces diverted overseas, Irish forces saw an opportunity tounchrge-scale attacks when the British presence in Irnd was rtively weak.

    In the original history, the influence of the French Revolution led to an uprising by the United Irishmen in Irnd. However, due to theirck ofbat experience and poor security, their major leaders, like Tone, Tandy, and Russell, were arrested before the uprising, resulting in their failed rebellion. Nevertheless, the remaining United Irishmen continued to rise against British rule.

    However, the situation was significantly different in this timeline. Several of their leaders had received training in covert operations at Toulon, and the organization''s overall efficiency had improved greatly. Although they couldn''t yetpare to theter Leninist political parties, they were no longer the club-like organization they had been in the original history. While not on par with the Vanguard Party, they could nowpete with some of the criminal organizations of the future.

    It was during their training at Toulon that they met the spiritual mentor of the Irish revolution, Mr. Joseph Bonaparte. Later, after the Irish had fought bravely and achieved independence, Joseph''s image was featured on the first edition of currency issued by the independent Irish government, appearing on the gold coin worth one Irish pound.

    Joseph''s most significant contribution to the Irish cause was not just providing weapons and training; it was his analysis of the situation in Irnd. He pointed out the correct path for the Irish to achieve independence:

    "Most Irish people are farmers, and the majority of the Irish poption lives in rural areas. This is different from Ennd, where cities are the economic centers and the main sources of power. However, in Irnd, cities are merely appendages to the countryside. Without cities, the lives of most people will go on. In Ennd, without cities, the entire economic life would copse. But in Irnd, the cities are consumers, not producers. In a sense, in war, English cities are sources of strength, while Irish cities are burdens.

    So, the Irish revolution must be a rural revolution. Whoever controls the countryside in Irnd can truly control Irnd. Therefore, there is no rush to attack cities, to carry the burden of cities. What''s in the Irish cities? They cannot produce cannons or muskmelons. The colonizers will not allow them to have such capabilities.

    So, let them stay in the hands of the English for now. We first need to control all the rural areas, and let those English in the cities be surrounded by the vast Irish countryside. They won''t get anything in the cities; they will have to enter the countryside, the favorable territory for our people''s war. I personally believe that this is the correct path for Irnd to achieve independence."

    These ideas were epted by the Irish, and at the first All-Irnd Assembly of the United Irishmen, held in Toulon, it was established as the "revolutionary general line": "Surround the city with the countryside and seize independence through armed struggle."

    So, even during the phase when British forces were weak in Irnd, the Irish didn''t blindly target cities. Initially, they took advantage of British arrogance and their eagerness for retaliation to lure them into the countryside, into the predetermined battleground. Then, they concentrated their superior forces to inflict damage and even annihte the British forces.

    As the British suffered losses and became reluctant to leave their fortified positions, the United Irishmen quickly filled the power vacuum, eliminating those who remained loyal to the British or forcing them to retreat to the British strongholds. This meant the British lost control of the entire Irish countryside.

    The brutal British rule in Irnd, in a sense, had been helpful to the Irish revolution. For years, the British had looted the Irish and confiscated theirnd, cing most Irishnd in the hands of the English. Therefore, in Irnd, the majority ofndowners were English, or even if they weren''t English, they were stooges of the English.

    This madend reform in Irnd rtively straightforward, as national and ss conflicts were in perfect alignment. The revolutionary ranks had no difficulty in achieving ideological unity. Once British forces were confined to their urban strongholds,nd reform in the countryside became straightforward. Irnd was now a whirlwind ofnd redistribution, and during this time, the United Irishmen swiftly established their organizations in each vige.

    The British were not oblivious to these "Irish rebels'' " actions. Suchrge-scale movements could never remain entirely secret. However, the British did not view the situation with great concern. They either thought the Irish rebels were powerless because thergest city they had captured was just a small town, or they ridiculed the rebels for being "backward country bumpkins" who didn''t know to capture cities first. They couldn''tprehend why these rebels were in such a hurry to divide the spoils before winning the war.

    "Once ourrge army arrives, we''ll be able to sweep them away immediately." In reality, despite being besieged in various towns and strongholds, the British forces'' morale was still quite good. Of course, this depended on not letting them venture into the countryside.

    The British were efficient in mobilizing, and after the Parliament approved special appropriations, they quickly raised an army of over 40,000 soldiers. After about a month of training, they were deployed to Irnd. The Duke of Norfolk became the new Lord Lieutenant of Irnd and would lead this army to restore order.

    The British troopsnded in Dublin, and the Duke of Norfolk took residence in the recently restored Viceroy''s Residence. He first inspected the security measures of the residence to ensure that the previous attack would not be repeated.

    After his inspection, the Duke of Norfolk was dissatisfied with the current security measures at the Viceroy''s Residence. He immediately issued new instructions: first, the square in front of the Viceroy''s Residence was designated a restricted military area, and no one was allowed to enter without special permission. Second, some houses near the Viceroy''s Residence were considered a significant security risk due to their proximity; thus, they needed to be demolished. In short, no other structures should exist within 300 feet of the Viceroy''s Residence. Finally, the number of garrison troops at the Viceroy''s Residence had to be increased to ensure security.

    After addressing the security issues at the Viceroy''s Residence, the Duke of Norfolk ordered themencement of the campaign against the Irish rebels.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 170 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 171: Strengthening Security (2)

    Chapter 171: Strengthening Security (2)

    Before setting foot in Irnd, the Duke of Norfolk had done some careful preparations. He studied previous battles between the rebels and the British forces and identified a significant weakness in the rebels'' strategy. Theycked the capability to assault and hold fortified positions, a vulnerability the Duke believed the British could exploit.

    Furthermore, the British had learned some hard lessons from previous engagements, primarily stemming from their dispersed forces and falling into ambushes. However, these encounters also revealed the rebels'' inferiorbat capabilities. Their attacks mainly relied on hit-and-run tactics and the use ofndmines, hardly ever resulting in a full annihtion of British forces, even against a single toon.

    Of course, the Duke also recognized the rebels'' advantages. Most Irish people supported the rebels, at least in spirit, and even some who still served the United Kingdom in various capacities sympathized with the cause.

    The Irish might be unreliable, but in many areas, the British had to make use of them. This gave the rebel sympathizers an edge, particrly in gathering intelligence.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, looking back at our previous battles, when we strike, if our forces remain concentrated, we can''t locate those rebels. However, once we disperse our troops, we fall victim to superior rebel ambushes. If we can''t address this issue, our efforts might be in vain," the Duke of Norfolk addressed his officers in a pre-deployment military meeting.

    "In fact, the Irish problem is not primarily a military one; at least, not the main problem. The main issue is political. To solve the Irish rebellion problem, we need abination of political and military means. In fact, it''s seven parts political and three parts military.

    What are these seven parts of politics? Firstly, we need to eliminate enemy spies. If every move we make is under their watchful eyes, while we remain blind to their actions, we be both blind and deaf. A blind and deaf person, no matter how strong, cannot win against anyone. So, our first step is to blind them. Then, we need to find a way to enlist those among them who are willing to cooperate with us, to act as our eyes. That''s how we can achieve real victory.

    Secondly, our actions must be cautious, and we must avoid falling into the enemy''s traps. Look at this map, I''ve divided the whole of Irnd into three categories.

    The first category is the areas under ourplete control, like where we are now. I call these areas security zones, marked in green on the map. In these zones, the enemy mainly operates underground, and their main method of sabotage is stealing various secrets.

    The second category includes areas where both our forces and the rebels'' can prate deeply, such as the outskirts of the cities we control. These areas are close to us, and our response time is short. While the enemy has some presence in these areas, their actions are limited in scope. I call these semi-security zones, marked in orange.

    The third category is the rebels'' controlled areas, mostly rural and far from our strongholds, challenging to control. These are the rebels'' strongholds. In these areas, the rebels can operate openly, while our sympathizers are forced to operate underground if they enter. I call this the non-security zone.

    Gentlemen, our tasks are different in these different zones. In the security zones, our main task is to root out spies and make the rebels blind.

    We need to establish a strict system of secrecy to avoid leaks while strengthening security and eliminating spies. We must enforce a strict system of identification and residence registration. Everyone in the city must carry identity documents, which we can call ''Citizen''s Pass.'' Irish citizens holding this ''Citizen''s Pass'' must have sponsors, allowing them to vouch for each other. If anyone is a spy or has connections to spies, all their sponsors will be prosecuted together.

    Additionally, we should organize Irish sympathizers in these areas, granting them some authority and benefits to help us deal with Irish spies, even utilizing them in semi-security and non-security zones to aid our operations.

    Gentlemen, our forces are limited, and we have many areas to control. The United Kingdom needs to contend with France and expand overseas while suppressing this rebellion. If the United Kingdom has to deploy a massive army to crush the rebellion, even if we win, the strategic cost could be too high.

    So, don''t dream of mobilizing thirty or fifty thousand troops from home to suppress the rebellion. While not entirely impossible, if ites to that, the United Kingdom will pay a higher price elsewhere. If ites to that, all of us, including me, will be aughingstock in the entire United Kingdom due to our ipetence. Utilizing the Irish against the Irish is the most economical and rational approach. I hope you all understand that.

    In semi-security zones, we need to gradually reinforce our presence, establish more strongholds, expand our control, protect those who support us, and stronglybat those leaning toward the rebels.

    In these areas, we need to construct a robust fortress in every vige and station troops. Between several small strongholds, establish arge one to quickly support the others. Build roads for easy mutual support between these strongholds. Additionally, create blockades and ditches to impede enemy mobility.

    Ultimately, we need to make the people in this area look up and see our watchtowers, look down and see our blockades. Our streets should be our own, and they should encounter our reconnaissance teams shortly after stepping out. Only then can we consolidate these areas and transform semi-security zones into security zones.

    As for non-security zones, our primary focus will be on military action.

    Gentlemen, the rebels are incapable of confronting our forces head-on. In non-security zones, we must maintainrge military groups and avoid dispersing our forces. Our objective is not just the rebels themselves but the foundation of their existence. The rebels can survive because the local Irish support them. These Irish people support the rebels because they believe it is beneficial to them.

    Therefore, our actions aim to persuade them, make them realize that the rebels cannot protect them and will only bring them suffering. Once they no longer support the rebels, the rebels will be helpless. So, gentlemen, our guiding principle in non-security zones is to make the Irish people there fearful and miserable.

    In simple terms, it means..."

    At this point, the Duke of Norfolk stood up, leaned forward, and ced his hands on the table, his eyes gleaming with determination.

    "Kill anything we see that moves, whether it''s a man, woman, or child. Burn down every structure we encounter, whether it''s a mansion or a hut. Take everything valuable we can carry, be it money, goods, or even a single chicken.

    Gentlemen, this is a necessary political action, it''s our policy! You must strictly enforce this policy, without hesitation or so-calledpassion. Any wavering or knightly spirit is treason against His Majesty the King and the United Kingdom, understood?"

    All the officers stood up simultaneously, replying loudly, "Understood!"

    "Very well," the Duke of Norfolk said. "Please be seated. Now, let me exin the objectives of our operation. The goal of this operation is to instill tremendous fear in the non-security zones, weakening the rebels'' strength and allowing us to consolidate security zones and buy time for the semi-security zones.

    Gentlemen, the more you kill, burn, and loot in the non-security zones, the easier it will be for us to consolidate the security and semi-security zones. We''ve named this operation ''Noose.'' Now, let General Andersony out the specific battle arrangements..."

    Following this meeting, a swift deployment of 40,000 British troops began, dividing into eight teams departing from Dublin to sweep eastward. ording to their operational n, they would first encircle a vast rural area to the east of Dublin, tightening the noose progressively, much like a strangtion. British forces would destroy everything in the areas they passed through.

    The Duke of Norfolk believed that if this operation seeded, it would deliver a severe blow to the Irish, potentially reversing the entire situation.

    Regarding the operation, he felt that his chances of sess were rtively high. Firstly, only a limited number of senior officers were aware of the entire n, minimizing the risk of leaks. Secondly, even if the rebels somehow discovered the n''s purpose, he didn''t believe they could relocate so many rural inhabitants in such a short time. Now, the Duke felt he could simply await the good news at the Governor''s Mansion.

 Chapter 172: Strengthening Security (3)

    Chapter 172: Strengthening Security (3)

    "The first major sweep by the British brought us immense losses, mainly because we underestimated the brutality of the struggle. We were deluded by previous victories, including me, and the leadership, including me, bears an undeniable responsibility for this failure.

    In fact, we had seen the British tactics before. During battle training in the Toulon camp, Comrade Joseph, when ying the role of the British, used simr methods to inflict significant losses on us.

    Despite this experience, many of us, including myself, underestimated these tactics when facing the enemy''s first major sweep. It resulted in significant losses for the people and the revolutionary forces. This, I must say, is nothing short of a crime..." - Russell''s "Memoirs of the Revolutionary War"

    After the Duke of Norfolk''s armyunched a massive operation, the Irish United Federation was initially unprepared. The terrain in central Irnd was mostly t, with few hills, and extensive forests were scarce due to long-term development. This made it exceptionally challenging to relocate the poption.

    Joseph had proposed some solutions for them during their battle training in Toulon, such as digging tunnels. However, the tunneling n was not executed effectively. The frequent rainfall in Irnd made the soil unsuitable for digging, and the high water table in many areas made it impossible to dig tunnels without water seeping in. Only on slightly elevated hills could they manage to dig simple hiding holes.

    However, the people were not entirely without refuge. Due to the abundant rainfall in Irnd, there were swamps all over the ins. These swamps were quite dangerous, with deep and bottomless mud pits. For those unfamiliar with these areas, one misstep could lead to a dire farewell to this beautiful world.

    But if prepared meticulously in advance, taking refuge in the swamps was not impossible. This required significant risk and thorough preparations in terms of personnel and supplies.

    So, after the battle training in Toulon, Joseph also proposed the idea of using swamps to shelter the disced people. After discussions, many believed this approach was quite feasible. However, almost no one had made serious preparations for this before the major sweep.

    When the noose of the major sweep began to tighten, the Irish people started to suffer significant losses.

    Lieutenant Taveton saw the same Irish vige that had left him with nightmarish memories during theirst encounter. This time, he didn''te with just a cavalry unit; he had a thousand-strong army with cavalry, infantry, and artillery.

    "Artillery, target locked. Prepare for incendiary shelling!" Lieutenant Taveton received themand. Yes, incendiary shells. After learning from their previous encounters, the British had no intention of entering the viges. They started with incendiary shells, burning down the entire vige. In the ze, most of the vige''s defensive structures became ineffective.

    In this era, there were no white phosphorus incendiary bombs, napalm, or thermite grenades like those in the future - except for some secretboratories. These so-called incendiary shells were essentially iron balls heated until they were red-hot and then fired at the target using cannons to start a fire.

    The effectiveness of these incendiary shells was far from the ruthless modern versions. They were primarily used by the navy; the army seldom used such tactics. However, the houses in Irish viges were mostly made of wood, making these incendiary shells quite suitable.

    As the artillery barrage began, the vige started to emit smoke. Soon, orange mes erupted, and in these viges, the houses were close to each other, making it easy for the mes to spread from one building to another. The entire vige quickly went up in mes.

    There were no people or animals running out of the burning vige. It seemed the vigers had already evacuated.

    Near the vige, there was a not particrlyrge forest, the source of firewood for the vigers. If the vigers had fled there, this forest should have been the most likely hiding ce. When Lieutenant Taveton came herest time, he had only a cavalry unit, so there was little he could do about it. If he had ventured into the forest that time, he would have faced an even worse fate.

    But this time was different. Before a thousand-strong army, this forest was too small. Moreover, Irish forests were different from some forests in the south, rtively open and not easy for concealment.

    Lieutenant Taveton received orders. His cavalry would intercept the vigers near the forest, preventing their escape. Meanwhile, infantry soldiers in skirmish formation entered the forest.

    Soon, shouts, gunshots, and the sounds of grenades echoed in the forest. Clearly, a fierce battle was taking ce within. Shortly, Lieutenant Taveton saw a group of people running out of the forest aimlessly, scattering in all directions.

    "They are Irish rebels! Chase them down, kill them all!" Lieutenant Taveton ordered. He spurred his horse and drew his revolver, giving chase.

    Many of those fleeing were women and children, but the British cavalry cared little about that. They pursued and used revolvers, cavalry charges, and sabers to quickly eliminate these "rebels."

    By now, the battle within the forest had also ended. The British army had engaged in a fierce battle with the "well-trained Irish rebels." They suffered considerable casualties but managed to kill numerous rebels, including nearly twenty elite rebels armed with revolvers and rifles. The "well-trained male rebels," wielding dangerous weapons like pitchforks, numbered over a hundred.

    After this battle, most of what could burn in the vige had been consumed by the mes, and the fire had gradually died down. On themander''s order, soldiers decapitated all the rebels, whether male, female, young, or old, and then impaled their heads on the ruins of the vige to deter those who dared to resist the rule of the British Empire.

    This scene yed out in many other Irish viges. ording to statistics from the Irish United Federation, during the British''s sweeping operation, a total of 171 viges were burned, more than 10,000 people were killed, and over a thousand Irish independence fighters were sacrificed. The founder and chairman of the United Federation, Mr. Tone, also met a glorious end due to the treachery of informants. It can be said that the Irish people suffered a heavy blow in this campaign, and if it weren''t for the timely support from the beacon of freedom and democracy in all of Europe, Big Brother France, Irish history would have added another heroicment.

    Seizing the opportunity of the United Irishmen''s significant weakening, the Duke of Norfolk swiftly implemented his iron-fisted system. In the cities, a new identification system was introduced, and anyone leaving home without a "civilian ID" would face severe punishment. First-time offenders would be flogged, second-time offenders would be sentenced to hardbor, and if there was a third time, they would face the gallows.

    The new parish system was also enforced. As the revolution was stifled, some less steadfast opportunists began to defect to the British side. Many who leaned toward the United Federation or worked as informants for the United Federation were sent to the gallows, and those who remained had effectively severed their connections. ording to the sessor chairman, Mr. Russell, "We have lost almost all of our work in the cities."

    "How long can the g of Irish independence continue to fly?" This question weighed heavily on the hearts of every United Irishmen warrior.

    At this most critical moment, the remaining high-ranking members of the United Federation held an emergency meeting on a new French high-speedmunication ship called the "Independence." It was said that a mysterious French friend also attended the meeting. During the meeting, this French friend offered some suggestions to these steadfast Irish warriors and assured them that they had not failed. The support from the French people would be even greater than it was now, including weapons and military advisors.

    On this ship, the United Irishmen re-elected a new leadership structure and formted their ns for the next phase.

    "In this major sweep, we suffered enormous losses. The blood of United Irishmen flowed like a river, and the bodies of the Irish people piled up like mountains. However, revolutionaries cannot be killed! Cut off one head, and two more will grow in its ce." - Russell''s "Memoirs of the Revolutionary War"

 Chapter 173: The Greek Fire

    Chapter 173: The Greek Fire

    Just five days after the British''s first major sweep in Paris, the renowned "Science and Truth Gazette" published an exceptionally lengthy news report with the headline: "Eyewitness to HellReports from the Battlefields of Irnd."

    This article stretched over thirty thousand words, a remarkable length for the times when newspapers, due to printing constraints, were typically norger than a folio. To amodate this extensive piece, the Gazette had to thicken its issue to book-like proportions.

    In this article, the author, a certain Mr. Verfou, detailed his firsthand observations in Irnd, particrly the ruthless British campaign in the Irish countryside and the horrifying atrocitiesmitted.

    French people, in general, had no particr fondness for the English, so they were more prone to believe any negative news involving them. However, even by French standards, the level of brutality depicted in this report surpassed all imagination.

    Soon, further evidence surfaced, including British military reports. The British army, eager to unt its "achievements" and strike fear into the Irish, had no reservations in their reports and boasted of their "efforts" in the "hanging operations." These boasted "achievements" inadvertently confirmed the seemingly exaggerated ounts in the Science and Truth Gazette.

    Two dayster, the French Directory held an emergency meeting and dered increased support for the Irish people''s struggle. Simultaneously, the Pope generously donated a million francs to aid the "suffering Irish brothers" and denounced British atrocities, urging all Catholic Europeans to lend a helping hand to the "suffering Irish brethren."

    Joseph understood that the Irish revolution was at a critical juncture, and if the Irish couldn''t hold out, his future profits would dwindle. So, this time, upon receiving the funds, he surprisingly, for the first time, didn''t divert the money into covert operations but genuinely loaded whatever could be bought onto ships headed for Irnd. Of course, there was no shortage of "grease" along the way.

    In addition to weapons, more advisors were dispatched to Irnd. They would experiment with new weaponry and tactics in Irnd, utilizing both British and Irish blood.

    Military advisor Arnold de Verfou boarded a swift clipper ship bound for Irnd at this time. He was a tall young man in his twenties, boasting exceptionally long arms and hands that seemed a bit oversized. In ater era, he would likely have been a star yer on the basketball court. He hailed from a fallen noble family but had embraced the revolution. His brother Victor was the author of the extensive article in the Science and Truth Gazette.

    "Mr. Verfou, there have been some recent changes at sea, and I thought it best to inform you and the others," said Captain Morel as Verfou and a few others boarded the ship.

    "What''s going on? What''s changed?" Verfou inquired.

    "Recently, the English have designed some ships specifically for intercepting us," Captain Morel replied.

    "For intercepting us? Those are their warships, right? Their warships are so slow, even doing six knots isn''t easy," a young man named Lclerc scoffed.

    "No, not warships. Ships like ours, clippers. The English have replicated some clippers," Morel said.

    "Clipper ships? But clippers can''t carry cannons," Verfou questioned.

    Clipper ships couldn''t amodate cannons due to their low decks and excessive rolling, rendering it impractical to mount artillery. If not for this, Joseph would have used them for more profitable ventures rather than transporting goods.

    "They mayck cannons, but they aren''t unarmed," Morel corrected. "In the days before artillery, were there no pirates at sea? Back then, the Vikings rowed their longships, armed with just an axe, and still managed to plunder at sea."

    "Are you saying the English are like Vikings, using boarding tactics to intercept us?" Verfou asked.

    "Not exactly boarding tactics. They approach us, and then they hurl ''small melons'' at us. We, of course, respond with ''small melons'' of our own. But if it ever esctes to boarding, it would be detrimental for us. Our ships are mainly for cargo, with fewer crew members. But their ships carry no cargo, only soldiers."

    "Have we suffered any losses?" Verfou inquired.

    "Yes, Durand, the one-eyed Dutchman, encountered an English clipper a few days ago. At first, he thought it was one of ours because the ship looked identical to ours, even flying the tricolor g. The ship approached them, and the people aboard waved at them, as if there was some business to discuss."

    "And then?" Verfou asked.

    "Then? Well, the one-eyed Dutchman fell for it. He allowed the enemy to approach, thinking it was a friendly ship. If not for the other side''sck of patience and them throwing an unlit ''small melon'' first, the one-eyed Dutchman would have been a goner. Once the ship was exposed, it raised the English g and exchanged ''small melons'' with the Dutchman''s crew. Fortunately, Durand''s ship was returning at the time, nearly empty, which made it a bit faster. He managed to escape, but four of his crewmen were killed, and he himself was wounded."

    "So, gentlemen, if any English ships appear, I hope you are prepared for battle," Captain Morel warned.

    "We understand," the passengers replied in unison.

    This news left Verfou excited yet nervous. Although he was not a novice on the battlefield, having served in Napoleon''s Italian army and earned two medals, his experience had been onnd. This time, they were at sea.

    But perhaps due to the limited number of English clipper ships and the vastness of the sea, Verfou''s group encountered no other ships during their journey.

    Joseph had learned about the English clipper ships and the potential threat they posed. Although they hadn''t caused significant damage yet, he knew this couldn''t be underestimated.

    For now, their losses were minimal because the English were still uncertain about the effectiveness of this tactic. Once they realized its potential, with the British shipbuilding capabilities and arge reservoir of sailors, they could quickly flood the seas with clipper ships. As Captain Morel mentioned, these English clippers didn''t need to carry cargo, so they had an advantage inbat.

    "Maybe I should prepare a specialized weapon for clipper ships," Joseph pondered.

    Originally, Joseph didn''t n to invest much research into clipper ships. He knew that ultimately, steamships would rece them. Continuing to invest in this technology tree didn''t make sense. However, given the current situation, he had to dedicate more time and effort to improving clipper ships.

    "Clearly, clipper ships can''t carry cannons. They can''t even amodate crossbows because of the heavy rolling. Besides ''small melons,'' what else can we use?" Joseph considered several options, eventuallynding on the idea of "Greek fire."

    Greek fire, invented by the Eastern Roman Empire, was a liquid incendiary weapon that could burn on water, primarily used in naval battles. In essence, it was the world''s earliest methrower.

    "As long as we can extend the methrower''s range beyond ''small melons,'' our clipper ships will regain the upper hand against the English. The situation will be that whoever can catch us can''t beat us, and those who can beat us can''t catch us," Joseph reasoned.

    Joseph had been aware of the properties of Greek fire since before. Although it wasn''t initially a priority, it seemed that due to the current strategic significance of clipper ships, he had to invest more time into this project.

    "Without cannons, Greek fire is our best option. And I''ll make sure to adapt it fornd use as well," Joseph resolved.

    He assigned the task to Armand Lavasie, instructing him to create a system capable of shooting Greek fire, emphasizing that it shouldn''t take up too much space, especially the space intended for cargo. Joseph was willing to provide substantial rewards for each ship outfitted with this weapon.

    Lavasie mulled it over and, as was customary, began haggling with Joseph. They eventually reached a new agreement: if Lavasie could develop a functional Greek fire system for use inbat within a month, he would receive two hundred francs per ship; within a month and a half, the reward would be one hundred francs per ship; exceeding a month and a half, it would decrease to fifty francs per ship. If the project extended past two and a half months with no results, the reward would be canceled, and each day of dy would incur a ten-franc penalty.

    With this agreement in ce, Lavasie set to work with renewed determination, believing he had secured better terms for himself. However, he didn''t realize that the Greek fire system used on the ships, with some modifications, could be adapted fornd warfare. Joseph had a different n in mindwhen that became apparent, the promised rewards for Lavasie would be redundant.

    In the end, Lavasie was thest to understand the true implications of the deal, but Joseph had already outwitted him.

 Chapter 174: Regrouping

    Chapter 174: Regrouping

    Veine and others rowed the boat, towing a series of boxes, silently approaching the shore. In the glow of the fire beneath the cliffs, they saw several people approaching.

    "Cut off one head," someone over there said.

    "Two heads will grow in its ce," Veine replied.

    The code was confirmed, and both sides quickened their pace to meet each other, hands tightly sped.

    "Comrades, we''ve finally been waiting for you!"

    "Comrades, we''rete, and we apologize for the hardship you''ve endured!"

    "Notte, notte, we''re d you''re here!"

    After exchanging a few words, they together dragged the floating crates ashore.

    "What''s the situation now? How''s the team''s morale?" Veine asked while dragging a heavy crate with a slender resistance fighter beside him.

    "Morale is not a problem; we all want revenge and can''t sleep at night just thinking about it. The only issue is that most of the experiencedrades sacrificed themselves in previous battles, and many people don''t even know how to handle a rifle."

    The voice of the resistance fighter was clear, almost like a child''s.

    Veine asked, "Can you handle this? It''s quite heavy." At the same time, he added some extra strength.

    The little guy seemed to feel doubted and belittled, so he also exerted more effort. Together, they dragged the crate next to the bonfire. In the firelight, Veine saw the appearance of the rade" who had just helped him with the crate  a thin, small figure with a hint of peach fuzz on the lips, looking no more than twelve or thirteen.

    At that moment, anotherrger figure arrived at the bonfire, dragging an even bigger crate. In the firelight, Veine recognized his Irish friend from his time in Toulon.

    "Kevin!" Veine eximed.

    "Arnold! I didn''t expect it to be you! When I was dragging the crate just now, I saw your back, and I felt like... It''s great to work with you again!" Kevin gave Veine a bear hug, almost leaving him breathless.

    "Alright, Kevin, let go of me. I''m not a little girl."

    Kevin released Veine.

    "How are Glenn and Jeff?" Veine asked.

    Kevin fell silent, and Veine instantly had a bad feeling.

    "They both sacrificed themselves not long ago," Kevin said in a low voice.

    At this moment, the child heard them talking and saw two more peopleing with crates, so he went to help. Veine asked Kevin, "How did you let such a young child join the team?"

    "Oh..." Kevin sighed.

    The child had sharp ears and heard their conversation. He turned around and said, "What''s wrong with being a kid? Can''t kids seek revenge on the British? When the British were killing the Irish, did they spare the children?"

    "He''s Glenn''s little brother, the only one left in their family," Kevin exined.

    Veine gazed at the child''s innocent face, where he could see a faint resemnce to Glenn.

    "Though Theo is young, he''s clever and capable. He''s a qualified young soldier," Kevin added.

    "If you can remove the ''little'' from that, I''d be very happy," the child grumbled and turned to help others with the crates.

    "It''s getting light; we need to hurry," Veine said, ncing at the sky and turning to Kevin.

    Before daybreak, they had brought all the crates ashore, loaded them onto wagons, and left the coast.

    In a vige near arge swamp, Veine distributed weapons to the revitalized guerri fighters of Kilken County. The county brigade had been rebuilt after the recent sweep, and now they had more than eighty members, not significantly fewer than before. ording to Kevin, if they kept expanding, they could easily recruit more people.

    "However, we don''t have many veteran members left here. Most of them either sacrificed themselves during the resistance or in the swamps while leading everyone, paving the way. Right now, it''s mainly me, Elliott, and West among the old members. The rest of them hardly know anything. Their training will depend on you," Kevin said.

    "By the way, most of these guys don''t speak French or English, only Irish. While I''ve learned a bit of Irish and West is here to help, it''s still quite inconvenient," Veine noted.

    For instance, when one fool identally reversed the fuse on andmine, Veine was about to scold him but realized a significant problem: he didn''t know how to swear in Irish. So, he yelled in French and then looked at West.

    West shrugged and said, "Sorry, Arnold, you spoke too fast. There were parts I didn''t catch clearly, and some phrases I don''t know how to trante. Well, anyway..."

    West turned to the guy who made the mistake and said, "Veine instructor thinks you''re a fool!"

    So, with this brief and concise sentence, West tranted Veine''s one-minute-plus tirade and insults.

    However, these new recruits were genuinelymitted to learning. Their grasp of the skills taught by Veine on the first day was indeed quite poor, but by the second day, their understanding had noticeably improved. They devoted all avable time to practicing. Soon, Veine discovered another problem: hecked vocabry not only for swearing but also for praising people.

    During this month, these new fighters learned from Veine the art of pistol and rifle shooting,ndmine cement, setting various traps, as well as various fieldwork, demolitions, and explosive techniques.

    After about a month, the emergency training of the county brigade concluded, and it was time to put what they had learned into practice.

    During this period, the British were not idle. They hadrgely enforced the "loyalty certificates" in the cities, organized a tight neighborhood watch system, and set up garrisons and strongholds in areas close to the cities.

    In an era without radios or machine guns, controlling arge area with just a guard tower and a toon of soldiers was quite impossible. So, every garrison required a significant number of British troops, at least apany. However, if every stronghold had to be manned by that many soldiers, it would consume too many resources. Therefore, the British devised a solution bybining authentic British troops with Irish police.

    The British stationed the Irish police, dubbed the "Irish Constabry," in viges near the garrisons, forming neighborhood watch posts and maintaining order and safetymittees. These Irish police officers were responsible for conveying British orders and collecting various fees.

    The British knew very well that putting the power to collect fees into the hands of these "Irish police" meant that they would take advantage of the situation to exploit the poption and line their own pockets. This might lead to widespread dissatisfaction, but, as the Duke of Norfolk, the Viceroy of Irnd, asked, "If these ''Irish police'' don''t act like this, can they be trusted?"

    The Duke''s meaning was quite clear: if an Irish person cannot gain unreasonable benefits from the English, why should they serve the English? If they are not foolish, they must be up to something. Fools are not worth considering because they will only mess things up and have no value; as for those who have ulterior motives or, to be more explicit, spies for the guerri side, shouldn''t they be quickly found and hanged?

    Therefore, if any Irish police officer did not exploit the poption, did not embezzle and extort, they were better off being arrested and hanged. The worst case would be mistakenly killing a few Irish fools, but what''s the big deal? The main drawback would be that it would raise the average intelligence of the Irish people slightly.

    On the contrary, if the Irish police officers exploited the people and were corrupt, what would it matter? This meant that they would be enemies with most Irish people, which, in turn, meant that everything they did depended on the English. So, these were the ones to trust.

    With such reasoning in ce, one could easily imagine the kind of individuals in the new "Irish Constabry." The resistance, on the other hand, believed that to break the British strategy of sweeps, imprisonments, and consolidation, they had to target these Irish turncoats.

    Additionally, these "Irish Constabry" members were rtively poorly equipped and trained, and theirbat spirit couldn''tpare to genuine British troops. First, striking against them would disrupt British ns, deter the turncoats, and help train the guerri force.

    In a rtively short time, a "Irish Constabry" post became the first target of the newly revitalized Kilken County Brigade.

 Chapter 175: Night Raid

    Chapter 175: Night Raid

    Early in the morning, Matt got up and prepared to leave the vige with his father. They were headed to the fields to hill the potatoes. This was a busy time for farming. The potato nts in the fields had already started to bloom, indicating that the tubers beneath the soil were growing. Hilling the potatoes at this stage was crucial to ensure good yields.

    A group of farmers gathered at the vige entrance. The vige was surrounded by a ditch about twelve to thirteen feet wide and more than two feet deep. Wooden stakes were driven into the bottom of the ditch, and there was about half a foot of water at the bottom, thanks to seeping groundwater and rain.

    At the vige entrance, a copsible wooden bridge spanned the ditch. Several Irish police officers from the garrison were stationed there, checking the people leaving the vige.

    The British had forcibly gathered people from nearby viges into this one for "management," as they imed. However, it had created difficulties for the local residents. Some families had homes in this vige, but those forced to move here had no proper shelter and had to make do with makeshift huts of branches and mud.

    The other challenge was the distance to their fields, which was far from the vige. The British imposed curfews, so people couldn''t leave the vige until it was nearly dawn, and in the afternoon, the bridge was raised, preventing those returningte from entering the vige. Missing the curfew meant being considered suspicious and subjected to investigation. Even if someone could prove they were not involved with the rebels and it was their first offense, they would be whipped. A second offense would result in a year of hardbor in a quarry or simr ce. If they survived the year and reoffended, they would be hanged.

    This put the lives of nearly all the vigers in the hands of the "ck Dogs," as they called the Irish police. These officers deliberately dyed opening the bridge in the morning and closed it early in the evening. Those who couldn''t get in had to bribe them for entry.

    Matt''s family''s field was about four miles from the vige. Even if they rushed, they could work for only an hour in the field before having to hurry back to make it before the bridge closed. However, Matt''s father had recently given a bribe to their captain, Captain Hhan, which had bought them some leniency.

    Captain Hhan was infamous for his greed and ruthlessness. In just one month after arriving, he had sent ten people to the gallows and over twenty to the quarries through various means. Through such methods, he made everyone in the vige bow to him.

    After Matt''s father had given him a sum of money, Hhan issued a loan note, allowing them to returnter each day. He didn''t specify howte ter" was, though. He just said, "I''m Irish too. How can I not know it''s the time when potatoes are flowering? If your crops fail and you can''t repay what you owe, when will you ever be able to? Don''t worry; now you''re working for me. Why would I make things difficult for myself?"

    Hhan didn''t cause any more trouble on this matter after that. Even if people returnedte, they were allowed in as long as they owed him money. It was said that Hhan''s subordinates had suggested that it wasn''t safe, and they should leave the farmers to fend for themselves in the open fields until morning. Hhan had brushed it off, saying, "The rebels are finished now. What''s there to be afraid of? Besides, Robert''s mounted police patrol at night sometimes. If these folks run into them, it''ll be trouble, big or small."

    Many people in the vige had taken a page from Hhan''s book. They, too, had used his connections to secure some leniency and started returningte.

    On their way to the field, Matt passed through the vige where he used to live. It had been burned to the ground. He remembered that when they were forcibly relocated, an old man from the vige had clung to arge tree near the vige entrance, vowing never to leave. A British soldier had used his bay to fulfill that promise. To this day, there was a deep mark from the bay on that tree.

    Matt''s family''s field was right beside the abandoned vige, and the potato nts were growing beautifully, with tiny buds forming on the stems. In another ten days, the field would be covered in white flowers.

    This was a critical time for the potatoes, and if they didn''t tend to them properly, it could affect the yield. Failing to repay Hhan''s loan, let alone the rent to Lord Anderson, was not an option.

    The farmers worked in the field. Since they were allowed to returnte, they worked a bit longer. They toiled until the setting sun painted the sky red, then started packing up to head back.

    As they reached the vige entrance, the sun had set, and the moon had risen. A group of farmers, each carrying various tools, walked to the vige entrance. If some bourgeois with a touch of romanticism saw this scene, they might have recited a verse like "Awakening at dawn to reim the wilderness, returning under the moonlight with hoes in hand."

    However, no one was in a leisurely mood. They were all waiting for Hhan toy the bridge for them to enter the vige.

    A narrow nk, much narrower than in the morning and only wide enough for one person at a time, was passed over the ditch and ced on the bridge. Several Irish police officers, holding knives and torches, stood there.

    "One at a time,e over here. Put down your tools and raise your hands for a search," one of them ordered.

    The vigers, one by one, walked over the narrow nk, left their tools on the ground, and raised their hands for a search. The officers would search one person, then allow the next one toe over.

    After a while, Matt''s father was next in line. However, someone suddenly cut in front of him, stepping onto the nk.

    "Who''s this?" Matt whispered.

    The person was carrying a hoe, and the brim of their hat slightly covered their face. They calmly walked over, ced the hoe on the ground, and raised their hands for the search by the ck Dogs. The officers moved to remove their hat, but in that instant, the person''s raised hands dropped swiftly. Their wrists flicked, and two knives appeared out of nowhere. They thrust the knives into the throats of the two officers searching them.

    That person was Verfuh. Having killed these four Irish police officers, he felt a sudden danger. This feeling had saved his life on the battlefield more than once, and he didn''t hesitate. He immediately ducked and rolled. Almost simultaneously, two gunshots rang out, hitting where he had been standing moments ago. Hhan had prepared two hidden sentries. However, Verfuh was too fast, and they had just reacted.

    As he rolled on the ground, Verfuh drew two revolvers from his back. He fired several shots toward the source of the gunfire and heard a muffled groan and the sound of bodies hitting the ground. In the darkness, he heard someone drop a rifle and run. That person shouted, "The guerris have broken in! The guerris have broken in!"

    More people rushed from the bridge, holding guns, and stormed into the vige. Matt saw his father among them.

    "Follow me! I know the way in there! I know where they are!" Matt''s father yelled.

    Verfuh followed Matt''s father and the other fighters into the vige.

    The ensuing battle was one-sided. When the guerris shouted "Surrender your weapons, and you won''t be harmed," almost all of the Irish police officers chose to surrender. Only Hhan was nowhere to be found. Upon hearing the gunshots, he had immediately lit a pre-prepared beacon and disappeared into the darkness.

    Now that the beacon was lit, the guerris had to consider the possibility of British reinforcements. Estimating the distance, the British could arrive within approximately two hours after seeing the beacon. However, they still had to decide whether the British would dare toe out on such a night. If they did, Verfuh had a surprise waiting for them.

    Even so, the guerris had to think about a retreat. They gathered the relocated vigers and told them they were an anti-British guerri group, here to defend the Irish people. They exined that the British might retaliate against the vigers, but they had the option to abandon the vige and follow the guerris to the "freends" where the British wouldn''t dare to go. Most of the relocated vigers chose to follow the guerris, while those who originally belonged to the vige decided to stay.

 Chapter 176: Driving Fish to the Abyss

    Chapter 176: Driving Fish to the Abyss

    "Those bastards! Scum! What are they all doing?" The Duke of Norfolk angrily threw the report on the battle to the ground and then kicked it, disying ack ofposure.

    "My Lord Governor, even though our forces have suffered some losses... they don''t seem to be significant... My Lord Governor," his adjutant, Algin, stuttered nervously.

    "It''s not about the losses; this is a long-term struggle, and it''s expected that we''ll face such losses. Not to mention, these casualties are well within our expectations. Tony, do you think I''d get so angry over the deaths of just over forty men?" the Duke questioned.

    "But, my Lord..."

    The Duke of Norfolk had calmed down at this point and continued, "The real issue is themander of this unit. After enduring such losses, he decided to vent his frustration by massacring the vigers left behind in a ce called..."

    "ckstone Vige," Algin interjected.

    "Yes, ckstone Vige. That fool actually, in his fit of rage, killed all the vigers left in ckstone and imed it was a warning to the insurgents. Doesn''t he realize that at this point, the vigers who chose to remain when he arrived hourster were at least not directly opposing our rule? What is he doing? Is he trying to drive all the Irish people to the insurgent''s side? Whose side is he working for, us or those insurgents?" The Duke of Norfolk was infuriated again.

    "Tony, I came to Irnd, and we had things in such good shape here. But this idiot, this scoundrel, has undone all our efforts..." The Duke sighed and leaned back in his chair, removing his sses from his nose and tossing them onto the table. He closed his eyes for a moment and then waved his hand. "Tony, find out who this idiot is, and then have him retired. Otherwise, who knows what other foolish things he might do!"

    Algin picked up the report and examined it. With a troubled expression, he spoke, "My Lord Governor, that captain''s name is..."

    "What is it?" The Duke of Norfolk opened his eyes.

    "Themanding officer, his name is Captain Taverton, and if I''m not mistaken, he is Count Taverton''s son," Algin replied.

    "Count Taverton''s son?" The Duke of Norfolk sat up straight. Count Taverton was a Tory Party member in the House of Lords with significant influence. He also had a good rtionship with the Duke of Norfolk due to their shared affiliation with the Tory Party.

    "Damn it! How could that old fox Taverton have such a dim-witted son? This is... But for young people, perhaps we shouldn''t be too harsh. Tony, what do you think? Young people make mistakes, but they also need guidance..."

    Captain Taverton, or rather Major Taverton now, felt quite proud after the "Operation Gallows." However, the incident two days ago was a rude awakening.

    Late one night, not long after dark, a sentry reported the sighting of a signal fire in the west, most likely ckstone Vige ording to the recorded coordinates. If it had been the newly arrived Taverton, he would have immediately taken his troops and rushed to the location. But the present Taverton only considered it and then said, "The Irish insurgents are cunning,unching attacks at night, which gives them an advantage. Stay vignt, don''t give those rebels an opportunity."

    Of course, what Taverton didn''t say was, "ckstone Vige is only upied by some worthless Irish police. Risking the lives of United Kingdom soldiers for such trifles is sheer madness."

    Thus, they waited until daylight, well into the morning, with the sun high in the sky, before Taverton led around two hundred men toward ckstone Vige.

    To avoid potential ambushes, the British had cleared out the easily concealed trees along the road. This made it difficult for the guerris to ambush them, but what Taverton didn''t expect was that, due to the influence of certain covert forces, ambushes weren''t always required.

    In the tall grass ahead, two camouged objects, measuring nine inches in length and four inches in width,y concealed with alternating shades of grass green and dark green. These objects were virtually invisible from a distance. However, if one examined them closely, they would find a small line of fine ck text on the side facing the road: "This side faces the enemy."

    These were one of thetest weapons provided by France to the Irish guerris  directional mines. These mines were imitations created by Joseph Fouch, based on post-era designs.

    These mines had two long copper wires trailing behind them, buried in the ground and extending over a hundred meters to a small ridge covered in wild grass. Behind that ridge, someone intently watched the approaching British troops through binocrs.

    Two inconspicuous stones sat at the roadside, simr to many other stones in Irnd. However, in this moment, these stones had unique significance: they marked the coverage area of two directional mines.

    Taverton rode at the head of the column with a few other cavalrymen, while the infantrygged a bit behind. As a result, fewer soldiers were within the coverage area of the mines. Therefore, the guerris hiding behind the ridge spared him.

    Gradually, the infantry entered the mine''s coverage area. The person watching through binocrs raised their hand and made a gentle downward gesture. Next to them, another guerri began to crank a small hand generator forcefully. Shortly afterward, a distant explosion signaled the detonation of the directional mines.

    Napoleon''s version of the directional mine had a simr structure toter designs. It had an arched iron te on the back, filled with uniform nitrocellulose explosive. Since nitrocellulose''s explosive power was unstable, this version used significantly more explosive than its modern counterparts. In front of the explosive was a payload of eight hundred iron balls, enclosed by a thin wooden shell.

    Following the explosion, the eight hundred iron balls swept through the British marching formation like a giant broom.

    Taverton was startled by the explosion and immediately dismounted, taking cover behind his horse. He cautiously peered around, but he couldn''t see anything. Turning to look back at his troops, he was stunned.

    The ground was littered with the bodies of British soldiers, many of them nearly unrecognizable. More were lying on the ground, emitting strange, inhuman sounds of agony.

    The devastating impact of the explosion soon became apparent. All the surrounding viges saw an influx of fleeing residents, and with the help of these escapees, the guerris obtained more information. They intensified their attacks on the viges controlled by the ck dogs. With their assistance, over a thousand Irish farmers fled from County Kilkenny to the non-security zone controlled by the guerris in just a month.

    In response to the current situation, the Duke of Norfolk devised two ns:

    First, he rmended expanding the navy''s fleet of clipper ships for intercepting French smugglers.

    Second, he gathered resources and prepared for a second round of extensive operations in the guerri-controlled zones.

    Third, he initiated a phased training program for British officers to help them understand the United Kingdom''s interests and policies, ensuring they didn''t hinder the United Kingdom''s efforts.

 Chapter 177: The Fire Dragon

    Chapter 177: The Fire Dragon

    "Look, I''ve fulfilled all your requests!" Lavasie eximed with pride as he patted a machine beside him, addressing Joseph.

    The machine wasn''t particrlyrge; it was essentially a cast-iron container with a nozzle.

    "How do you use this thing?" Joseph inquired.

    "You pour fuel in through this opening," Lavasie exined. "The Greek fire of the Eastern Roman Empire was, in fact, a primitive version of petroleum. By simple distition of petroleum, you can obtain highly mmable substances. These substances are lighter than water, so they can float on the surface and burn. I followed your suggestion and added some sugar, which made it much more viscous and sticky. When sprayed onto a target, it sticks and ignites. If it''s sprayed on an enemy ship, haha, besides covering it with sand, there''s hardly any way to extinguish the mes. But on a ship, where would you get that much sand?"

    Joseph scrutinized the device and then asked, "How far can this thing shoot?"

    "Under calm conditions, it can reach about sixty meters," Lavasie replied.

    "So far? How did you manage that?" Joseph was taken aback.

    "Of course, it''s using gunpowder," Lavasie exined. "Gunpowder generates high pressure, and we use that pressure to spray the fuel. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be possible to reach such distances."

    "Can this thing be reloaded?" Joseph inquired.

    "Absolutely not. This device can withstand gunpowder once, maybe, but a second ignition, and it might blow itself up. Besides, Joseph, let''s get this clear, when you initially made the request, you didn''t specify that it should be reusable," Lavasie promptly responded.

    "Damn it! I let that old man take advantage of me!" Joseph cursed himself inwardly.

    "Can we create a reusable version, then?" Joseph persisted.

    "Impossible! At least, not within the volume and weight constraints you specified. Do you think I have nothing better to do than use gunpowder as a pressure source? A range of forty meters! It''s beyond the realm of possibility to achieve it with any other method within such a small size. However, a range of twenty to thirty meters is achievable. But it''ll cost you extra," Lavasie firmly rejected the idea.

    "Well, I think that''s not a bad idea. With two of these on a ship, it should be more than enough to give the British a hard time," Joseph conceded. Many of the technical challenges for this device had already been ovee, and it was entirely feasible to let others work on different types, which could lower the cost.

    "Alright, can we experiment with it?" Joseph quickly changed the subject, noticing that Lavasie still had an intention to push for further projects.

    Captain Morel''s ship, the "Moonflower," was fully loaded and ready to set sail for Irnd. Lately, there had been an increasing number of British frigates in the waters near Irnd. These cunning British often disguised themselves as French vessels, and sometimes even feigned having just been through a battle, damaged by the British, and urgently needing assistance to deceive French frigates into approaching them, only tounch an attack.

    Morel wasn''t too concerned about this tactic since, after the recent incident with the Dutch one-eyed pirate, all captains bound for Irnd kept a little notebook. This notebook contained the identification numbers of their ships, along with the corresponding gs they should fly on specific dates. Because each ship had a unique set of signals, and the signals changed daily, it made the British ruse almost ineffective.

    Of course, the British could still chase them directly. If they encountered the French ships en route to Irnd, the British frigates, being lighter, had the advantage, making it challenging to evade them. If it weren''t for the British being rtively unfamiliar with these vessels, often not fully utilizing their potential, the French losses would be more than just the cargo thrown overboard to reduce weight.

    As the "Moonflower" was preparing to depart from the dock, a carriage arrived alongside the ship. Four individuals presented credentials to Morel, exchanged words with him, and then proceeded to load two heavily sealed packages onto the ship.

    Once aboard, these individuals took the packages to the bow and stern of the ship, where they began working on them. After several hours, these two peculiar items were securely installed.

    "What are these?" Morel asked.

    "Greek fire, ever heard of it?" one of the bearded men replied with a heavy ent, indicating that he was from the Lower Rhine region.

    "Greek fire? That''s the stuff from the Byzantine Empire, right? I thought it was lost to history," Morel said, clearly aware of this historical fact.

    "It''s resurfaced in our hands," the bearded man replied smugly. "With this, you don''t have to fear the British anymore."

    "It''s the British who should be careful not to encounter us," another man, missing a finger on his hand, added.

    "Encountering the British isn''t easy," Morel said. "At least, I''ve never encountered them before."

    Perhaps it was the g that Morel had hoisted. Generally, at sea, it was best not to talk recklessly, as it could lead to problems. For example, if someone said, "Even if it were God, He couldn''t sink this ship," God might send an iceberg their way.

    On the morning following Morel''s statement, just as the sun was rising over the horizon, the lookout on the "Moonflower" sounded the rm: "Flying cutter sighted, thirty degrees starboard!"

    Captain Morel hurried to the deck, raising his spyss in the direction indicated and indeed saw a flying cutter approaching.

    "Sail number 15, Edward, check to see which signal gs this ship should be flying today," Captain Morel instructed the first mate.

    "It should be yellow from front to back, then blue, and at the highest point, it should be green," the first mate replied.

    "Ha, the British. They''ve actuallye," Captain Morel shook his head.

    "Is it the British?" At this point, the four individuals who had boarded the ship just before departure emerged on deck.

    "Yes, it''s the British," Morel confirmed. While they had a secret weapon, avoidingbat was still preferable.

    "Are they getting closer to us?" the bearded man asked.

    "Yes, they''re flying the g for help. Haha, they think they can fool us," Captain Morel chuckled.

    "Approach them, maintaining a distance of about fifty meters. We''ll give them a surprise. Your ship isn''t as fast as theirs, and outrunning them may not work. It''s better to pretend to be fooled and then strike when they least expect it," the bearded man advised.

    Captain Morel considered for a moment and asked, "Is your device reliable?"

    "Don''t worry, this thing is fantastic," the bearded man assured. "We''ve tested it many times."

    So Morel ordered the "Moonflower" to approach and intentionally reduced its speed.

    The other ship also slowed down. The two vessels drew closer, quickly closing the gap to less than a hundred meters.

    "Shout to them, ask what''s wrong, befuddle them for a moment," Morel said.

    One of the sailors shouted, "What''s happened to you?"

    "We ran into the British; our doctor has died, and others are injured. Can your doctore and help?" the other side replied in French.

    "This French is quite good," the man missing a finger remarked. "Ardche''s ent is even more authentic."

    "Is his ent more authentic than mine? Are you praising him or making fun of him?" the bearded man chuckled nonchntly.

    "All right,e closer!"

    Amidst casual conversation, the two ships continued to draw closer, and the distance quickly shrank to less than fifty meters, then less than forty meters.

    Just then, the bearded man ripped away the canvas covering the methrower installed at the ship''s bow, revealing the device. With a sharp whistle, a long streak of fire leaped across the sea, heading straight for the British flying cutter.

    In the blink of an eye, the British ship turned into a zing inferno.

    "Full sail! Hard to port three!" Morel promptly gave the orders.

    Now that he had ignited the British ship, the priority was to put some distance between them and the British, just in case they attempted to ram them.

    However, this risk was not significant, primarily because this surprise attack caught the British entirely off guard. Additionally, the attack had been remarkably effective. The viscous fuel caused a massive fire and ignited the sails of the British ship, making it challenging to control.

    A bit further away, the crew of the British ship initially tried to use buckets to scoop seawater for firefighting. However, their efforts had the opposite effect. The fuel floated on the water''s surface, flowing with the currents, igniting more areas. In the blink of an eye, the fire spiraled out of control. British sailors began jumping overboard one after another. Many of them, while leaping into the sea, were already aze with orange mes.

    The fire spread rapidly, and in no time, the ship''s masts broke in the ze, falling overboard. Then, the hull itself, too, quickly disintegrated into pieces amidst the inferno.

    "What about those British sailors?" Morel pointed at some struggling in the water.

    "Let them die!" the bearded man said.

    "It''s not good to ignore their plight," Morel said. "Besides, we''re almost in Irnd. Once we arrive there, we can hand them over to the Irish."

    "Oh, I see," the bearded man nodded. "Well, I don''t disagree with that approach. However, from a humanitarian perspective, you might as well not save them."

 Chapter 178: The Second Alliance

    Chapter 178: The Second Alliance

    In the waters near Irnd, the British had several frigates lost in session. After a few ships were lost, the British finally understood what they were up against. However, they couldn''t replicate the "Greek fire" yet, so they had to temporarily suspend their interception of these French frigates.

    On the other hand, British diplomats began traveling across Europe once more, attempting to organize a new anti-French alliance.

    Their first target for recruitment was, of course, Austria. At this point, Austria was also dissatisfied with the previous peace negotiations, which had not been in their favor. Furthermore, the areas that the French had upied still had poor security, and the nobility had a hard time collecting rents, receiving only half of what they used to.

    If it were just this region, Austria might have endured, but trouble was brewing elsewhere too. Other regions were following suit, demanding reduced rents and interest rates. This situation was bing intolerable.

    So, even though the British were persecuting Catholics and the Pope had called on all European Catholics to support the "Irish brothers," in the eyes of the self-proimed Emperor of the counterfeit Roman Empire, the French were worse than the British.

    Of course, if the Austrian army couldn''t defeat the French, the Emperor had no choice but to bear with it. But now, the Austrians had just made significant progress in military technology. In the previous war, Austria had sessfully replicated the Mini rifles and revolvers, which had previously caused chaos in their ranks. So when the Emperor asked Archduke Karl, "Can our army now stand against the French?" The Archduke replied:

    "Your Majesty, the situation is much better than before. However, our infantry still can''tpare to the French. Their infantry, especially their skirmishers, are superior to ours. And I believe that, after all this time, their line infantry won''t be as untrained as they were at the beginning of thest war. So, while we have simr weapons now, overall, our infantry is still inferior to the French infantry.

    Of course, we have some advantages. With our cavalry, equipped with these new weapons, we should be able to regain our edge against the French. But, Your Majesty, even with these improvements, France remains stronger overall. Austria cannot win against France in the short term."

    "What if Prussia joins us?"

    "Even that won''t be enough," Archduke Karl said. "Unless Russia also joins. Without both Prussia and Russia, Austria will not be able to join the war against France. Moreover, Russia must send its troops openly, not like thest time when they imed to be at war with the French but the French soldiers didn''t even know the color of their uniforms until the peace talks."

    So the British went to find the Russians and the Prussians.

    The Russians were quite willing to teach the French a lesson this time. This was because the great Empress had passed away, and her sessor was not as cunning. It was also because the French had been ungrateful. They forgot how Russia had helped them in the past, dying Prussia and Austria significantly. Without Russian support, Paris would have fallen long ago.

    However, the French were ungrateful and sold dangerous goods to the Poles. The Poles used these to carry out assassinations daily. Although there weren''t that many assassinations in reality, it frightened the Russian nobility in Pnd. They were afraid to hold parties as they used to, which was intolerable.

    Furthermore, Russia and France did not share a border, so if they sent troops and the war went badly, they could simply withdraw. The risk was limited. They could also use this opportunity to ask the British and their other allies for money and technology.

    Persuading Prussia, on the other hand, was not as easy. The Russians were not concerned about their safety, but the Prussians were. After all, unlike the previous time, after upying the Rhine region, the French were at Prussia''s doorstep. If they got into a war and didn''t win  and that was a real possibility  what would Prussia do then?

    So, the Russians asked for money and technology, and the Prussians initially said they loved peace and suggested that the British should retake Hanover before they would consider joining. However, the British didn''t have the forces to do that with their hands full in Irnd.

    At this time, Duke of Norfolk''s second major sweep had been prepared for a while and was officially underway. This time, he used 40,000 British troops and an equal number of "Irish Security Forces." The Duke believed that these people, although poorly trained for battle, still had their uses. They could clear mines and set off explosives while advancing. They could also be sent to deal with rebel forces that were not well-trained or fully armed, including women and children. They had their uses.

    Of course, using them came with problems. Secrecy decreased due to their involvement, and the military''s speed of movement dropped significantly. The "Irish Security Forces" couldn''t match the training of the British troops.

    However, considering that the Irish United Federation had learned its lesson after the first major sweep, there was no way they''d make the same mistake twice. So, this time, even without the 40,000 "Irish Security Forces," it wouldn''t be easy for the British to achieve the same surprise attack as before. But, for the tasks these people were assigned, it didn''t require high levels of training. As for capturing guerri forces that might evade due to slower movement, the clergy had donkeys, and the church didn''t have legs. The guerris couldn''t run away forever. Even if the vigers had hidden and run, their viges couldn''t move. Although the British army didn''t have time or energy to destroy crops, they had brought 40,000 pigs. Was there a more efficient way to ruin crops than letting those pigs loose?

    However, pigs were not good at keeping secrets. Especially after the recent attacks by the guerris on the "Irish Security Forces," many of them had started to cooperate secretly with the guerris. They imed to be Irish themselves, only doing this for a meal, and they didn''t really want to harm their fellow Irish. Some even openly said, "We''re Irish at heart, even though we''re with the English." This made the uing sweep almost an open secret. The Irish United Federation had already gathered information about the British forces'' timing, numbers, and targets.

    Still, this didn''t alleviate the pressure of the impending sweep. It was like ying poker, and the opponent had an excellent hand. Even if the cards were face up, there wasn''t necessarily a way to counter them. Of course, the United Federation had prepared over time, improvising as necessary for moving the poption. For example, they dug hiding holes in hilly viges, created safe passages and temporary shelters in marshy areas, and utilized intelligence.

    Although these efforts helped, they didn''t ease everyone''s worries because the primary target of the British sweep wasn''t people but the agricultural production in the United Federation. The potato harvest season was approaching, and if the British wreaked havoc at this critical time, it would lead to significant agricultural damage, possibly plunging the entire Federation into an artificial famine.

    This grim prospect weighed heavily on the minds of most United Federation members. Somerades hoped that ourrades in France could send us more food to ensure there would be no famine in the Federation. But when we calcted the amount of food needed, we quickly realized that this hope was unrealistic.

    Others hoped that ourrades in France could organize arge army tond in Irnd and fight alongside us on the main battlefield against the British. However, when we were in Toulon, we knew that the shipping capacity from France to Irnd couldn''t support arge army for regr warfare.

    So, somerades suggested that we fight the British head-on, even if it meant risking our lives, which would be better than starving. But that was not a solution. We were fighting for the betterment of the Irish people, not to lead them to their deaths.

    At a time when everyone felt hopeless, our friend, Mr. Joseph Bonaparte, after understanding the current situation, sent us a letter. His letter was like a gust of wind that blew away the dark clouds and fog that blocked our path to victory, revealing a golden road to sess."

 Chapter 179: Turning the Tables (1)

    Chapter 179: Turning the Tables (1)

    Launching a major offensive during the busy farming season to disrupt agricultural production was nothing new, at least not in Joseph''s eyes. In another time and ce, the Japanese locust armies loved to employ this tactic. But this strategy was thoroughly foiled by the heroes of the revolution. The approach of these revolutionary heroes in countering such unscrupulous methods had been portrayed in many ssic wartime films that Joseph had watched in his previous life (note: not theter sensationalized war dramas).

    This tactic was known as "turning the tables" during that time. Its essence was simple: when the enemy encroached upon our territory with their "incursions" and "raids," it was necessary to implement the "turning the tables" tactic in military terms, meaning when the enemy entered our territory, we would counterattack and push back into their territory (Adapted from "Guerri Warfare and Political Offensives Against the Enemy").

    In his previous life, history enthusiast Joseph hadn''t read professional military documents, but that didn''t matter. He had watched many rtively urate war movies, even those that werebeled as "educational films" about resistance against foreign invasion. In these movies, he often saw scenes like this.

    Themander of the main force, shaking hands with the local leader, would say, "The enemy isunching another raid. We must move to the outer lines to strike them, protect the civilians, and handle the task of impeding the enemy''s progress."

    The local leader would respond resolutely, "Rest assured, Commander. We will aplish the mission!"

    In this context, "moving to the outer lines" referred to the "enemy enters, we enter" strategy, where our main forces, exploiting the gaps between the enemy units, would prate deep into the enemy''s rear. At this point, the enemy''s rear would be particrly vulnerable, as the enemy heavily relied on rear supply lines. When the rear, thinly defended due to the diversion of the main enemy forces, was attacked, the enemy had to recall its troops, effectively terminating therge-scale sweep of the base.

    Of course, this method of warfare demanded a high level of organization within the executing army. It required the ability to disperse and consolidate troops at any moment. Otherwise, while taking advantage of the gaps between the enemy units, the army could easily be caught, leading to severe losses. In the present world, including the Irish guerri groups, there was no such highly organized army. Thus, it was quite challenging to have the Irish execute such a high-difficulty tactic.

    But the Irish terrain provided them with significant assistance, making it rtively easy for them to cross the British encirclement. The key was the widespread marsnd in Irnd.

    These marsnds covered extensive areas and were filled with various dangers. Even the locals dared not enter them. However, for the prepared guerri units, these marshes became the best hiding ces and passages. After the first major sweep by the British army, the Federations highlighted the importance of building marsnd shelters. They drove stakes into the marshes and ced boards on top of them to create safe pathways. When necessary, they would remove the boards and even use ropes to pull the stakes out, turning the original path into deadly traps.

    The British army couldn''t possibly encircle these vast marsnds. They didn''t have enough manpower for that, and attempting to do so would only lead to overextending their forces, making them vulnerable to guerri actions that could annihte them. Their main forces had to cross the marshes to attack the hearnd of the base. However, this allowed the main force of the guerris to use these marsnd passages to bypass the British army and strike at their rear targets.

    So, when Joseph included this type of tactic in the letters he sent to the leadership of the Unified Irish People''s Federation, almost everyone''s eyes lit up.

    "Unbelievable... I never thought we could pull off something like this! Haha, when theye to sweep us, we''ll sweep them right back. We''ll dismantle the supply depots they''ve painstakingly constructed near those cities, strip them of everything stored inside, and take care of those guarding them  in other words, we''ll give them a triple whammy!" Joyce, themander of the Independent Division of the Federation, had once served as a toon leader in Napoleon''s Italian Army and had received special military training in Toulon. He was now leading the First Division formed by the Federation.

    The divisions of the Federation were more like brigades in modern armies, not traditional divisions. In other words, a division had fewer than a thousand soldiers. However, in the Irish Independent Army, this was considered their main force. Under themand of the Federation, there were only two divisions.

    "Our strategic goal is to mobilize the enemy, prevent them from damaging the base, avoid unnecessary revenge, and keep emotions from affecting our work," President Russell said sternly.

    "I understand, President. I was just speaking without thinking. It won''t affect our work," Joyce hurriedly replied.

    "Don''t speak so casually, even in front of our warriors. When you need to promote, do it from the perspective of helping our brothers in the base," Russell emphasized.

    "Understood."

    "All right, let''s get to work."

    Preparations were hectic. Especially after deciding on the turning-the-tables tactic. Various types of intelligence were gathered and enemy configurations gradually became clear...

    The small mining vige was situated between the "quasi-pacified zone" and the "non-pacified zone." Many years ago, there used to be a small copper mine in the vicinity, giving the vige its name. However, the mine in the area had long been depleted due to ore extraction, and the miners had left. The remaining people had be potato farmers.

    After thest major sweep, the poption of the vige had been decimated. However, it didn''t fall into disrepair. Thanks to the arrangements made by the Federation, those farmers who had escaped from the area controlled by the British became the new residents of the small mining vige.

    News about the impending major sweep had already been ryed to every household in the vige by the local militia. They even added, "Make sure to follow our training. After receiving the notice, organize yourselves and take refuge in the nearby marsnds. Don''t hide in the mines. During thest major sweep, the vigers took refuge in the mines, and the British simply smoked them out. The entire vige was wiped out!"

    Everyone in the vige had already heard this story, and there were even terrifying legends about that mine. But everyone expressed their gratitude to the local militia.

    One noon, while everyone was busy in the fields, a whistle sounded.

    Everyone quickly looked up towards the small hill, where they saw the signaling tree had fallen.

    "Follow me, everyone, hurry to the shelter!" Vige chief Sean shouted.

    "Vige Chief, my wife is still in the vige!" someone yelled.

    "Don''t worry, there are people in the vige to take care of it. You juste with me directly to the shelter," the vige chief replied.

    The vige chief led the people to the edge of the marsh. At the entrance to the marsh, a member of the local militia was guarding, holding a rifle confiscated from the "ck Dogs." Behind him, a wooden path extended dozens of meters ahead.

    "Edgar, have all the people who stayed in the vige gone inside?" the vige chief asked.

    "They''ve all gone inside, and the livestock too," Edgar replied.

    The vige chief waved his hand to the crowd and said, "Alright, everyone, hurry inside!"

    One by one, everyone stepped onto the wooden path. As they moved forward, they picked up the boards that had beenid and repositioned them in front. They also used ropes to pull up the wooden stakes supporting the boards or adjusted them. As a result, the path they had walked on was once again covered in various aquatic nts.

    "Vige Chief, look, smoke is rising over there!" someone shouted.

    "It looks like it''s in the direction of our vige!"

    "The British are reallying. Do you think they''ll dare to enter the marsh?"

    "I''m afraid they won''t. These scoundrels dare to enter, we''ll take as many as we can. Let''s give them a taste of their own medicine!" Edgar held the rifle in his hand and cursed.

    After a while, a group of British soldiers and "ck Dogs" arrived at the edge of the marsh.

    "Report, sir. Judging by the tracks, it seems the vigers have entered the marsh," a ck Dog officer said to another British officer who was mounted on a horse.

    "Good. Very good." The British officer raised his binocrs and looked into the marsh. The marsh was full of various tall and short reeds and other aquatic nts. asionally, a few waterbirds could be seen, but that was all they could see.

    "Very good." The British officer nodded again and said to the militia officer standing next to him, "Take your men and scout ahead."

    The ck Dog officer was so frightened that he trembled all over, almost falling to his knees. "Sir, this marsh is impassable. You see the water doesn''t look very deep, but... below it, the mud could be much deeper. Stepping into it might cause a person to sinkpletely! We can''t go in there!"

    "Can''t go in? Then how did those rebels get in there?"

    "Sir, they''re locals; they might know how to navigate. We''re outsiders, and we have no idea which parts of the marsh are deep and which are shallow. Going in without knowing is a death sentence!"

    "Death? Captain, we''re at war! If you''re afraid of death, why are you even fighting? You Irish people, each and every one of you is a devious, slippery rogue... What''s wrong? Are you trying to disobey orders?"

    Seeing the British officer reaching for his pistol, the militia captain quickly said, "Sir, we are following orders..."

    Then he went back to his troops, randomly picking a few men and waving his pistol, saying, "You guys, go ahead and scout. If anyone refuses, I''ll shoot them..."

 Chapter 180: Turning the Tables (2)

    Chapter 180: Turning the Tables (2)

    Several ck dogs, each wielding a stick they had somehow found, cautiously advanced into the swamp. They probed the ground with their sticks, ensuring it was firm before taking a step forward, for fear of getting trapped in the muck. Every time they thrust their sticks into the swamp, it took considerable effort and time to pull them back out. Despite walking for quite a while, they hadn''t covered even ten meters.

    "You idiots!" the British officer cursed, dismounting from his horse and drawing his revolver. He approached the water''s edge, and the local "security force" officer, with a servile grin, followed.

    "Sir, do you have any orders?" the local officer inquired, bowing respectfully.

    The British officer retorted angrily, "Tell your men to stop dawdling and move forward quickly! Otherwise, I''ll order my men to open fire!"

    "Yes, yes, I understand, I understand," the local "security force" officer nodded repeatedly, bowing. He then turned and yelled at the ck dogs still cautiously navigating the swamp, "The officer said you''re too slow! Move forward quickly! If you keep dilly-dallying, I''ll have my men open fire..."

    The ck dogs up ahead were still taking their time.

    "You fools!" the British officer eximed. He turned around and prepared to have his men ready their rifles.

    The local officer quickly shouted, "Don''t dawdle, the officer is about to open fire! I''m telling you, the officer is ruthless, he''s not one to hesitate to kill or eat...!"

    Before he could finish his sentence, the local "security force" soldiers immediately abandoned their sticks and began running forward.

    "These guys..." the local "security force" officer shook his head, turned to the British officer, and grinned, giving a thumbs up. "Sir, you certainly know how to handle them!"

    "All you Irish are worthless! You won''t move unless you get a whipping!" the British officer sneered.

    "That''s right, Sir," the local officer nodded vigorously. "Those Irish, they''re all worthless. They won''t work unless you give them a good thrashing!"

    "Damn," the British officer said, "You said ''those Irish,'' aren''t you Irish too?"

    The local officer quickly replied, "Oh, you see, how could I be Irish? Sir, look at my body, it may look Irish, but my heart is loyal to the United Kingdom..."

    "Unbelievable," the British officer muttered. But just then, a prolonged cry for help echoed from the swamp: "Help! Help! Please, brothers, lend a hand, help a brother out!"

    Everyone looked in the direction of the cry and saw not just one, but two ck dogs sinking halfway into the mud, with the water barely reaching their chests.

    Other ck dogs nearby were frantically moving aside, but one of them identally stepped on a submerged log, and he too started shouting for help in the name of the United Kingdom.

    However, the plea for the "United Kingdom" didn''t hold much sway, especially considering that the men trapped in the mud were in dire straits. Even just freeing a single leg stuck in the muck required a great deal of effort. In this situation, the camaraderie of the "security force" didn''t hold much water.

    As a result, the remaining men all turned and ran back. This irked the British officer.

    "Don''t run back! Keep going, or I, representing the United Kingdom, will shoot you all!" Captain Jarvis seized a rifle from one of his men and fired a shot into the air.

    Hearing the gunshot, the ck dogs stopped in their tracks. One of them cried, "Captain, please spare us. We''ll move forward, but it''s life or death out there..."

    "You fools!" Captain Jarvis eximed. "The officer said there''s no war without casualties. If you don''t go, do you think I will? If you don''t, the officer will me me, and before the officer gets to me, I''ll get to you first."

    With that, Captain Jarvis snatched a rope from one of his men and ordered them to fetch two more.

    "Captain, pulling like this could kill them," a soldier quietly warned.

    "You think I don''t know?" Captain Jarvis whispered back. "They''re as good as dead anyway, and the officer is in a good mood. Let the officer have some fun. Understand?"

    "Got it. As long as the officer is happy, we don''t care if they die..."

    So, the unfortunate fellows were finally dragged out of the mud.

    Meanwhile, the First Division of the Irish Independence Army was quietly slipping out of the British encirclement through a swamp passage. After leaving a small detachment to keep watch, the entire division hurried toward the vicinity of Dublin.

    Their goal wasn''t to capture Dublin itself. Even with the British rear exposed, Dublin was a formidable target for the less than a thousand men in the First Division. Their objective was a series of supply depots near Dublin.

    These depots were key nodes supporting the British logistics in the countryside around Dublin and yed a vital role in storing and transporting supplies for the British "counter-insurgency" operations. Taking down these depots would reduce the efficiency of the British forces by at least a third.

    Ordinarily, these depots would have been well defended with a garrison of five hundred British troops and six heavy guns, along with trenches and high walls. But with most of the British forces redirected to the "counter-insurgency" campaign, the garrison had been reduced to fewer than a hundred British soldiers, along with over two hundred "security force" personnel. The defense had been significantly weakened.

    Furthermore, due to the extensive supply operations, arge number of Irishborers were entering and exiting the depots daily. This made the depots vulnerable in multiple ways, despite the facade of security put in ce.

    Themander of the First Division, Brigadier General Joyce, focused on the Yellow Willow Ridge Depot. This depot was a crucial logistics hub supporting the British "counter-insurgency" campaign. Capturing it would significantly hamper the British forces'' rear support.

    The depot was indeed important, but its defenses had been rxed due to the assumption that the rebelscked the ability to attack. The diminished garrison and theckluster preparations were indications of theircency. They hadn''t expected such arge force of "Irish rebels" to strike.

    As the main force of the First Division closed in, the British and "security force" personnel assumed the approaching troops were their own. They werepletely caught off guard and never considered they''d encounter such arge group of "Irish rebels" at this location. In addition, a squad of disguised "rebels" had already infiltrated the depot and were busy arguing with the depot''smander, a captain.

    When the main force of the First Division drew near, someone finally grew suspicious and asked. But this clever British officer was shot in the head before he could react. Inside the depot, the rebel infiltrators shot the depotmander, who was already engaged in a heated argument with them. Simultaneously, the reconnaissance troops opened fire and threw grenades at the enemy.

    Under the sudden onught, the British troops and the "security force" were mowed down. With this pincer attack, it took only about ten minutes for the depot to fall into the hands of the First Division of the Independence Army.

    And that''s how they aplished their mission, with both a ruse from within and a surprise attack from outside.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 180 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 181: Turning the Tables (3)

    Chapter 181: Turning the Tables (3)

    The first outpost fell almost effortlessly. Even after capturing the outpost, a supply convoy entered, mysteriously bing prisoners of the partisan forces.

    They seized arge haul of supplies, including food, clothing, weapons, ammunition, medicine... an assortment that left the soldiers wide-eyed. ording to the n, after taking the outpost, they were supposed to take what they could and burn the rest on the spot, as long as it wouldn''t affect their march.

    However, after capturing the outpost, no one had the heart to burn these treasures. For example, the food  what did the Irish peasants eat? Mostly, it was potatoes! The typical Irish diet consisted of boiled potatoes, boiled potatoes, and more boiled potatoes.

    But in the outpost''s warehouse, there were bags and bags of flour! That was perfect for making bread! It had to be carried away! And those clothes and nkets, with their fine fabric and thick cotton... how could theypare to what they had before? People couldn''t help but want to take them. Then there were the weapons, not as good as what their Frenchrades had provided, but they would still be treasured when they brought them back for the county and regional units. And, of course, the most crucial items were the medicines  things that couldn''t be easily bought, and they couldn''t afford to lose any of them. "What''s themander saying? I don''t care, I want them, I want them..."

    Fortunately, in this short operation, besides capturing a lot of supplies, they also took a considerable number of prisoners, especially the "militia" or "peacekeeping" forces, who almost kneeled as soon as the first shots were fired. In the days leading up to this, the partisans had made it clear that their policy was "surrender your weapons, and you''ll be spared."

    So, aside from a few who were too slow or foolish to surrender in time, most of the two hundred or so militia members emerged unharmed. Joyce summoned Sergeant Roy, "Take a squad and have these militia members carry as much of this stuff as possible back to our supply point. We''re stretched thin, and you''ve got only ten men in your squad. Do you think you can handle over two hundred prisoners?"

    "Reporting, Commander, no problem, even double that wouldn''t be a problem!" Roy immediately replied.

    Roy went to the warehouse and found several long ropes. He tied each of the militia members around the waist and lined them up in a chain. Then he loaded each one with as much as they could carry before leading them towards the marsh.

    Joyce also utilized the captured wagons and sent them back slowly, carrying loads of supplies.

    Joyce dared to do this because he knew that there were norge British forces nearby. So, in the short term, they were rtively safe.

    However, this dy had negative consequences. Due to the excessive time spent at this outpost, when Joyce led his forces to the second target, he discovered that the British were well-prepared for defense.

    "Wecked experience in handling war spoils, and this cost us too much time. What we could have taken with a surprise attack had to be seized through direct assault. This not only increased casualties but also gave the enemy an opportunity to destroy important supplies in the warehouse..."  Joyce, "Summary of the Second Anti-Sweep Operation."

    Joyce''s second target was the ckwater Pond outpost, which had simr defenses to the first target. But by the time they reached it, the British had raised a drawbridge, soldiers were on the high walls, and the cannons were ready to fire.

    Themanding officer of the garrison was Captain Lloyd. After hearing about the attack on the Yellow Willow Ridge outpost, he dispatched a messenger to Dublin to report what he had learned. At the same time, he ordered the drawbridge to be raised, preparing for defense.

    He was reasonably confident in their defense. ording to Lord Norfolk''s estimate, the rebels had limited siege capabilities due to theck of artillery. So, although they had many soldiers, they couldn''t take well-defended outposts easily. When he saw the Irish "rebels," his confidence grew. They didn''t have artillery.

    "Don''t panic, they don''t have any cannons! Without cannons and with their numbers, how could they possibly take our fortifications? As long as we hold the outpost, the Governor-General will reward us generously!" Captain Lloyd shouted loudly, boosting the morale of his soldiers and indirectly trying to reassure the "militia."

    "Brothers, those bog-trotters aren''t anything to fear. We have cannons; don''t be afraid!" The soft voice belonged to the "peacekeeping"mander. Lloyd felt that the "peacekeeping" forces were a burden most of the time. Still, if they could fire some shots randomly over the walls, they might be of some help at a time like this.

    "Rebels" stopped just outside the firing range of the cannons. They didn''t seem eager to attack, appearing to be waiting for something.

    "Tommy, what are they doing? Why aren''t they attacking?" asked a British soldier.

    "How would I know? Maybe... maybe they saw our cannons and got a bit scared?" answered the soldier named Tommy.

    Captain Lloyd, who was standing nearby, remained silent. He knew what the "rebels" were waiting for. He remembered Lord Norfolk''s teachings at the officer training course.

    "The rebelsck the capability for direct assaults. So, when they have an advantage, they''ll likely want to resolve issues through guerri warfare. Because theyck artillery, their offensive capabilities are limited. Therefore, they may opt for encircling key positions, luring our reinforcements, and ambushing our troops in the prearranged battle site. However, if they are forced to assault well-defended positions, they will probably choose night attacks."

    "So, these rebels are either waiting for an ambush against other troops or waiting for the cover of night tounch their attack," Captain Lloyd thought.

    Soon, night fell. In the fading daylight, Lloyd noticed that the opponents were bing active.

    The British had made some preparations for a night attack. They had ced mines around the outpost. Thendmines, although extensively used by the Irish against the British, had also fallen into the hands of the British. Shamelessly, the British had started replicating them as soon as they could. Besidesndmines, they had set up illumination fires outside the walls. This way, even in the dark, the area would be slightly brighter.

    Of course, it remained to be seen how effective these measures would be.

    "If the rebels attack, they will have to pass through the minefield first. This will cause casualties and act as an indicator for the target," Lloydmented as he inspected the cannon positions while waiting for thendmines to explode. Once they did, the artillery would immediately fire shrapnel in that direction to strike the potential attackers.

    However, thendmines never exploded, leaving Lloyd increasingly worried. "What are those rebels doing in the darkness?"

    The "rebels" were doing what you might expect  clearing the mines. After discovering electromaic induction phenomena, the military-industrialplex had introduced a new toy  the coilndmine detector. Powered by a simple dry battery, it effectively detected metalldmines buried underground. The British, not being short of money, used these detectors to find and remove the mines they hadid around their outposts.

    Next came the illuminated fires. These fires had limited illumination, but as long as the attackers didn''t fear losing a few dozen yards, they could quickly cross the lit area. In this process, the enemy could fire at most once. Now, because the mines had not been effective, the enemy''s attention wasn''t on the fires.

    At this moment, the artillery on the outpost''s walls suddenly fired haphazardly in the direction of the minefield. Apparently, the British hadn''t yet noticed the approaching Irish troops.

    "Sound the signal!" Joyce ordered when his forces were in position.

    The bugler stood up, raised his bugle, and the "drip, drip, drip" of the horn echoed. Amid this sound, the soldiers burst out of the darkness, crossing the illuminated area lit by the fires. They were now facing a trench.

    The soldiers ceddders against the trench and quickly crossed it. At this point, the defenders on the wall noticed them and began raining down musket shots. The attacking force suffered heavy casualties.

    While under heavy fire, the attackers managed to ce explosive charges at the base of the wall and ignite the fuses. They retreated quickly.

    The rapid retreat of the "rebels" relieved Captain Lloyd. But immediately after, there were severalrge explosions, andrge sections of the wall crumbled.

 Chapter 182: Turning the Tide (4)

    Chapter 182: Turning the Tide (4)

    The battle did not end with the copse of the walls. The British knew they had stirred the ho''s nest among the Irish, so they fought with exceptional ferocity. In the end, the First Division emerged victorious, but not without suffering hundreds of casualties.

    The high casualty count left Joseph frustrated. If every stronghold required such a toll to capture, his First Division wouldn''tst long in the field. What added to his anger was the British''s scorched earth tactic. They set fire to the warehouses, destroying precious supplies.

    This counter-sweep, no matter how sessful in battle, would undoubtedly cause severe damage to their bases. In these circumstances, the captured supplies became all the more vital. Failing to secure more resources left Joseph increasingly disheartened.

    Had he known of the Second Division''s sess, he would have been even more disheartened. Within a single day, they had taken four strongholds in the direction of Waterford with minimal casualties. General O''Hara, the Second Division''smander, divided his nine hundred troops into four teams, simultaneously assaulting the strongholds and securing them. The Second Division''s spoils were far more significant.

    In a fit of rage, Joseph not only killed all the British soldiers but also hanged the officers ranked higher than corporal, who had aided in the defense. With everything burnt, they had no use for them.

    What Joseph hadn''t anticipated was the impact of capturing the British-held strongholds in a night assault.

    When news of the sessful British stronghold captures spread, it shattered the confidence of the British troops who were guarding the other strongholds. However, bound by orders, they couldn''t abandon their posts. In contrast, the local "ck Dogs," who had joined the defense, had different ns. The British soldiers had nowhere to run if they chose to flee, but the "ck Dogs" had no such inhibitions.

    Previously, the "ck Dogs" believed that they could fight alongside the British against the guerris and, if things got too tough, they could surrender, expecting not to be harmed by the guerris. Hence, they initially sided with the British since there was food to eat, and they had an escape route if the British faltered. But now, it appeared that fighting alongside the British to defend strongholds might not provide an escape route in case of defeat.

    Moreover, the results of their defensive battles were evident; they couldn''t hold out. So, when Joseph led an assault on the third stronghold in the night, he found that the defense was surprisingly thin. Many areas were left unguarded, and Joseph quickly overran them.

    Afterward, he learned that this stronghold had initially been manned by over fifty British troops and over three hundred "ck Dogs." But as soon as the "ck Dogs" heard that Joseph''s forces were approaching, they scattered, and the rest is history.

    As a result, the Duke of Norfolk had to issue an urgent order to abandon less important outposts and concentrate forces on the most crucial ones. He also ordered the return of troops from the front lines. This retreat almost implied the admission of the failure of their sweep. Some of the Duke''s staff, still not ready to concede defeat, proposed recalling only a portion of the troops, arguing that they could secure the supply lines with fewer troops. However, the Duke firmly rejected this proposal.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, the mostmon mistake in the world is to continue investing in a failing endeavor simply because we''re unwilling to ept failure. Let''s be generous and confident enough to admit that this insurrection in Irnd has exceeded our expectations. Moreover, they''ve nearly severed our supply lines," the Duke stated. "If we recall a portion of our troops, what will be the result? Such a move requires extreme caution and meticulous organization. New orders must reach every unit involved. Even then, chaos is inevitable. It will inevitably lead to a drop in our operational efficiency in non-pacified areas. At the same time, the logistical requirements for a force of thousands operating in hostile territory are quite high. Even if the troops we recall now manage to restore the supply routes, can our front-line forces endure until then?"

    He continued, "Yes, there are potatoes in the rebel''snd, but they haven''t ripened yet. And, do you expect our troops to be dispersed like gophers, digging for potatoes all day long?"

    "Let''s face reality,dies and gentlemen. Every second we dy will cost us another second..."

    Typically, in military operations, the most challenging aspect isn''t the attack but the retreat, especially when the objectives remain unachieved. The British could manage such tactical retreats rtively well, but the untrained and demoralized "Security Force" struggled.

    The county battalions and areapanies, following the principle of "picking the ripe fruit," mainly targeted the "Security Force," neglecting to engage the British troops. The result was chaos, with over forty thousand "Security Force" troops bing disorganized. While British officers were ordered to bring them back, they felt tempted to abandon them, as the situation grew increasingly chaotic. However, discarding the "Security Force" would have been akin to arming the rebels.

    Gueri fighters took advantage of the situation, setting up ambushes and ntingndmines. Though each strike inflicted limited casualties, the cumtive damage added up. Had it not been for the Duke''s strict orders to evacuate as many "Security Force" personnel as possible, many British officers would have eagerly shed their "Security Force" burden to return home.

    The slow and cumbersome retreat, burdened by the "Security Force," was far from smooth. As all the forces or "suspected forces" regrouped and losses were tallied, the British had suffered over a thousand casualties, mostly due tondmines.

    On the other hand, the "Security Force" had fewer ounted casualties, as both the dead and injured were simply abandoned. Yet, their "missing in action" numbers were quite rming. Out of over forty thousand "Security Force" troops, less than thirty-four thousand returned, leaving six to seven thousand unounted for.

    In addition to the missing personnel, their lost weapons were even more substantial. Over half their firearms were lost, and these weapons had undoubtedly found their way into the hands of the Irish people''s liberation movement. However, since the Irish guerris were not conventional, they hadn''t even bothered to issue receipts.

    As a result, the British''s second major sweep ended anticlimactically. Both sides returned to their respective territories to assess their gains and losses and draw conclusions.

    Of course, such failures required ountability. The Duke of Norfolk faced inquiries in London. During the questioning, when members of the Whig Party asked who should bear responsibility for the failure, the Duke candidly admitted his role in it. He attributed his misjudgment to the increased French support for the Irish rebels, stating, "If we cannot sever the French influence over Irnd, this issue will not be resolved in the short term."

    While the Whig Party members were dissatisfied with the Duke''s statements, no one pressed him further. This was because the British political game was one of "if you think he''s incapable, you go and prove your capability." Through the Duke''s inquiry, even Whigs came to understand that Irnd was a quagmire, and nobody wanted to jump in. So, it was better to let the Tories continue to handle the situation.

    The immediate concern now was to prevent the Irish from receiving further external support.

    To this end, the British first renewed contact with the French and proposed new peace conditions.

    Compared to previous offers, the British''s new terms were remarkably sincere. They nearly acknowledged all of France''s territorial gains on the European maind, except Hanover, which they were willing to discuss for a potential exchange.

    In the past, such terms would have likely been epted by the French. Even now, many found them eptable. However, Joseph strongly opposed it. He asked Napoleon during his visit to France, "What if peace is achieved? Where will you go to earn yoururels?"

    Napoleon replied, "And what about you, Joseph? Where will your armaments consortium get its money?"

    Consequently, the French proposed a counteroffer for peace. They suggested that, for the sake of peace, the British should grant the Irish a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to establish a truly representative autonomous government based on the Irish People''s Association.

    Thus, the peace talks naturally fell apart.

 Chapter 183: War

    Chapter 183: War

    Since the French showed no sincere interest in peace, the negotiations for a peace treaty had fallen through. It was evident that the British weren''t too keen on peace either, as their longstanding policy of maintaining a bnce of power in the European continent couldn''t tolerate the rise of a hegemon there. Being an ind nation, Britain couldn''tpete with the entirety of Europe united under a single power. Therefore, even if they made peace with the French, it would only be a temporary ceasefire.

    Since peace seemed unlikely, the focus shifted to expanding the war effort. The British turned to Prussia, offering substantial financial aid and assembling and army of at least 80,000 troops to fight alongside them against France.

    Prussia, too, was averse to a powerful France. Any European nation wished for its neighbors to remain weak, and Prussia''s previous reluctance for war with France had been mainly due to a fear of the French army. However, with the British offering a considerable sum of money, Prussia found itself tempted.

    Prussia made certain demands. First, the money had to be delivered upfront, and they wouldn''t move without it. Second, the troops had to be ready.

    The British saw the opportunity and hastened their negotiations with Prussia. However, as talks were progressing favorably, a new development unfolded. It wasn''t clear where the information leaked, but the Emperor, far from sacred, Roman, or imperial, somehow learned about the substantial funds the British were offering to Prussia. This revtion unsettled the Emperor, who dered, "We are all fighting hard against the French, why should they receive money while we don''t? No, we need money too! We need it more than Prussia!"

    Reluctantly, the British had to appease the Emperor, which, of course, meant spending more money.

    After significant expenditures, a new alliance was finally formed, leading to a new phase of the war. In November 1797, Austria and Prussia jointly issued an ultimatum to France, demanding the French forces withdraw from Italy and Hanover. Unsurprisingly, France rejected this demand, leading to the outbreak of a new war.

    The anti-French coalitionunched attacks from two directions. In the north, British and Prussian forces targeted Hanover and the Rhine region controlled by the French. In the south, Austrian troops, along with newly joined Russian forces, attacked Italy.

    The northern battles started with a formidable French opponent. The British and Prussian armies had upgraded their weaponry since thest conflict, and breech-loading rifles, once a disadvantage for them, were nowmon. The French, on the other hand, were at a disadvantage. Their army had started to meddle in politics during the suppression of royalist uprisings, resulting in a clear division. Political leaders within the military actively courted the generals, leading to a divide.

    They revived the system of military representatives in factories and reinstated the older system where generals were responsible for procuring supplies. This allowed the military leaders to control the purchasing power directly.

    This division led to two major factions: Joubert and his supporters in the north and Napoleon in the south. These factions had their respective arms industries. Napoleon had the "military-industrialplex," while those left out formed partnerships with Joubert.

    Funding for both armies was not substantial, but sufficient. However, in the north, the situation was different when it came to procuring weapons. To win contracts with Joubert, suppliers needed to provide substantial kickbacks, increasing costs. As a result, weapons prices rose, and the overall quantity of equipment purchased decreased. Therefore, even in the north, the line infantry was still equipped with old-style rifles.

    When it came to artillery, the northern army, once the elite of the French forces, had the most cannons but had not upgraded them. Many of the cannons had be less effective due to their age.

    Hence, the northern French army initially struggled and had to resort to defensive measures and fortifications to counter the advances of the British and Prussian coalition.

    In the south, the situation differed. The Russians were slower to act, and the Austrians, determined to act only when the Russians arrived, maintained a rtively calm situation. This situation made the British impatient, sending envoys frequently to urge action.

    The Emperor responded, "We agreed to act together, and the Russians haven''t arrived yet."

    The Russians imed, "Our grand army is on its way. Please wait; we will be there soon."

    Indeed, ording to the n, the Russians should have arrived by now. However, the n couldn''t keep up with reality. Inside Russia, the Emperor was creating turmoil.

    Reportedly, the Empress had never thought highly of the current Emperor, Paul I, feeling he was not up to the task and even wanting to skip him to crown her grandson, Alexander ter Alexander I, who, at a few months old, fell off a bed and no one noticed, having to sleep under the bed until morning, whereas Paul I had issues with his head). But due to the sudden stroke the Empress suffered, she remained unconscious, allowing Paul I to ascend the throne following the session order. It was rumored that the Empress, at her first opportunity, wanted to destroy any will she may have left behind.

    Perhaps because he was not the widely expected sessor, Paul I was eager to prove his capabilities. Like many other monarchs, he had studied in Europe and enjoyed excellent hospitality in Prussia during his travels. Therefore, he initiated a Prussian-style military reform upon ascending to the throne. His reforms included not only military regtions and training methods but also the adoption of Prussian-style military uniforms.

    This move was met with resistance within the Russian military. Not every officer had a questionable state of mind like their new Emperor, and many had experienced the glory of the Elizabethan era, making it impossible for them to admire Prussia. For instance, Field Marshal Suvorov openly expressed, "What''s so great about Prussia? If it weren''t for us, they would have been long gone. Even now, if we go to war, I can defeat them easily. Learn from them? That''s absurd!"

    The thin-skinned Emperor took this as disrespect and immediately removed Suvorov from his position. However, shortly after, the Emperor realized he had already agreed to send troops to fight in France. Due to the disruptions caused by the previous military reforms, there were no suitable candidates to lead the Russian forces when considering the critical position of overallmander.

    As a result, the Emperor reinstated Suvorov and tasked him with leading the Russian expeditionary force to Italy. However, in this back-and-forth, the preparations for the war with France were not adequately made. The Emperor, with limited options for overallmand, waspelled to bring Suvorov back.

    Time passed amid this ongoing uncertainty and shifting allegiances.

 Chapter 184: Northern Setback

    Chapter 184: Northern Setback

    Since the Austrians and Russians were taking their sweet time, Napoleon decided to lead his troops directly into Austrian territory. He wanted to keep the Austrians from idling around with nothing to do.

    But Joseph stopped him.

    "Napoleon, I''m not here to interfere with your military decisions. I have some information I need to share with you," Joseph said.

    Joseph knew that while Napoleon might listen to him on some matters, in military affairs, Napoleon had a big ego. He had a tendency to act as if he knew best and loved to argue with Joseph, so Joseph had to be cautious and make sure Napoleon didn''t go off on a tangent.

    "Our people have discovered a massive coal mine in the Rhine region," Joseph stated.

    Napoleon initially thought about saying, "What''s so special about that?" but then he realized that a massive coal mine had great significance.

    "How big is it?" Napoleon asked.

    "It''s enormous, possiblyrger than all the coal mines we''ve found in Francebined. And it''s very close to Lorraine," Joseph replied.

    "Lorraine has iron mines, and the Rhine region has coal mines... This is..." Napoleon clenched his right hand into a fist and tapped it on his left palm repeatedly, clearly excited about the scientific and strategic possibilities.

    "It''s a shame that both these resources are in the north. It would have been more convenient if they were in Italy," Napoleon sighed. "Joseph, are you suggesting that we should control these areas?"

    "Of course. Such valuable resources are most effective in our hands, aren''t they?" Joseph responded.

    "I think it''s not just these resources. The entire of France should be in our hands to achieve its full potential," Napoleon said.

    "Are you thinking of bing a Caesar?" Joseph suddenly asked.

    "No, it''s not just our family that needs a Caesar. Even France itself needs a Caesar. But you, my brother, always stay in the shadows, manipting things with an invisible hand. It''s safe and very ''Joseph,'' but you have to admit, it''s not the most efficient way. Even from a scientific perspective, a system with fewer intermediate links is more efficient. This is why you insist on the Zeus Project. In politics, your current approach artificially lowers our efficiency. I think it''s time for me to step up and lead," Napoleon dered.

    "Are you plotting to seize power?" Joseph asked.

    "Not at the moment," Napoleon replied. "But, Joseph, you know me. I have ideas of my own. Tell me yours."

    Joseph shot a sharp look at Napoleon and then said, "Napoleon, I think we need a crisis. A crisis that would disappoint everyone with the current government, a crisis that would make everyone look for a hero to save the day. I''ve studied the military situation in the North and the information we have on enemy deployments. Some of it you''ve seen, and there''s more for you to review."

    Napoleon remained silent, picking up the documents to read.

    "The reason I don''t want you tounch an attack right away is that I fear an early assault might allow the Austrians to get into serious trouble before our northern forces can act. It could end up relieving the northern front. But if you wait for them to concentrate their forces, you might not gain any advantage," Joseph exined.

    "But if I wait, by the time their generals get their acts together, it may be toote for us to gain the upper hand," Napoleon responded. "The Archduke Charles of Austria, I''ve analyzed him before. He''spetent. If it weren''t for our superior weaponryst time, defeating him might not have been so easy. As for the Russianmander... Suvorov, have you ever studied his tactics and theories?"

    "No, I''ve been quite upied with other matters, and you are the expert in military affairs," Joseph said.

    "Suvorov can be considered one of the bestmanders of this era. Have you really never looked into his strategies and tactics?" Napoleon raised an eyebrow, relishing the opportunity to taunt his older brother.

    Joseph didn''t respond to Napoleon''s provocation, as he believed in not engaging in warfare in areas where the enemy excelled. He then asked, "So, how do you think you''d fare against him?"

    "I haven''t fought him yet, but I''m looking forward to it," Napoleon replied.

    Such words were rare for Napoleon to utter. This indicated that he had confidence but not certainty in facing Suvorov.

    "So, you want to defeat the Austrians before Suvorov arrives?" Joseph questioned.

    Napoleon nodded.

    "Think about it. If the northern forces were defeated by someone like the Duke of Brunswick, and yet you could defeat Archduke Charles and Suvorov in Italy, wouldn''t that be even better?" Joseph suggested.

    "Do you have that much faith in me? What are you hiding from me, Joseph? Don''t keep secrets!" Napoleon demanded.

    "I do have some things to show you. Shall we go to theboratory?" Joseph asked.

    Napoleon''s visit to theboratory revealed what he had seen there, and he didn''t seem particrly pleased when he left for Italy. It was said that heined to his chief of staff, Berthier, on the way: "This war is no longer interesting. Annoying people have ruined the beauty of war with their crude methods."

    Apanying Napoleon to Italy were newly purchased military supplies, which he began using to construct new defensive fortifications as soon as he arrived.

    On the northern front, the Prussian and British coalition''s strength continued to grow rapidly. Thanks to generous British funding, Prussian mobilization was swift. Within a few months, they raised another 300,000 troops, mostly raw recruits with limited training. However, many of them would rece troops used to suppress Polish resistance in the Polish front.

    Compared to the Irish independence fighters, the Polish nationalist movement was rtively subdued. The Polish nobility who supported the cause limited their actions to small-scale, mostly symbolic attacks, targeting low-ranking officials or even ordinary soldiers. High-level operations were mere intimidation, and any opportunities to use firearms were often at point-nk range.

    The limited resistance had little impact. In Irnd, they had already hanged a duke, but the Polish nationalist faction could barely kill a major.

    Theckluster resistance from the Polish nationalists,bined with betrayal by the nobility, resulted in the movement''s either being defeated in battle or being hanged, leaving only a handful of survivors who managed to escape and flee to France.

    On the northern front, the Prussian and British forces steadily increased in number. They had quickly amassed a significant numerical advantage over the French troops.

    Prussia worked diligently, and the British worked even harder. They knew that they had to defeat the French to address the Irish issue. If they couldn''t handle Irnd, which was right next door, or required immense effort to do so, Britain''s global dominance would be greatly threatened.

    Consequently, the British carried out extensive mobilization at home, quickly raising an additional 100,000 troops. In February 1798, 50,000 British troopsnded in Emden, advancing south along the Ems River, posing a significant threat to the French forces stationed in Hanover.

    The French had noticed this danger early. During the brief peace, they had begun fortifying the Monastery fortress. However, various factors had dyed thepletion of the project.

    With the imminent arrival of the British and Prussian forces, the French rushed to finish the construction. But even after the fortifications werepleted, the French garrison there was weak. The French forces were thinly spread, and many of the fresh troops Napoleon brought with him to Italy were put to work constructing new fortifications.

    This defensive approach was more aligned with Napoleon''s character. Though he had a formidable army, he preferred to let his fortified positions deter the enemy. His forces would act as a mobile reserve to react to enemy movements and threats.

    With the construction of the Monastery fortress underway, the French army in Hanover braced itself for theing invasion by the British and Prussian forces.

    The sess of the French northern forces wouldrgely depend on their ability to defend Hanover and contain the British and Prussian invasion. However, with an enemy that was growing in strength and determination, the situation in the north was about to be increasingly challenging for Napoleon and his forces.

 Chapter 185: Invincible Defense (1)

    Chapter 185: Invincible Defense (1)

    As the continuous flow of unfavorable news from the North painted a grim picture, in the South, on the Italian battleground, Napoleon faced the challenge of Austrian and Russian forces.

    The dynamics of Napoleon''s campaign in Italy and the Austrian attack differed from his previous conquests. While crossing the Alps was a prerequisite for both his Italian and Austrian campaigns, the presence of thebined British and Austrian fleets allowed the Austrians and Russians to directlynd in Italy by sea.

    In March 1798, the Russian-Austrian coalition made anding in the region of Ravenna. Upon learning of thending of the Russian-Austrian coalition, Napoleon ordered the abandonment of the less defensible Ravenna and concentrated his forces further north. Meanwhile, the Russian-Austrian forces, afternding in Ravenna, reorganized and pushed northward, with their sights set on Modena.

    In the original historical timeline, Suvarov had achieved significant victories in Italy, essentially wresting away all the territories gained by Napoleon in Italy, except for his achievements. Suvarov might have even marched into France if it weren''t for the Austrians and British hindering his progress. However, in this alternate timeline, Napoleon had not ventured off to Egypt, and thus, Suvarov finally confronted Napoleon in Modena.

    Suvarov didn''t rush into battle; he had his troops establish defensive positions and took a personal cavalry detachment to scout the French lines.

    Suvarov had never engaged the post-revolutionary French army before, but he had closely monitored their battles during the initial anti-French coalition. He had paid attention to the French performance in those conflicts while simultaneously dealing with the Polish forces. His observations on the French army were as follows:

    "The most critical trait of the French army, which often goes unnoticed, is their diverse tactics. Every so often, the French change their methods of warfare. Especially General Napoleon Bonaparte, he frequently leads these tactical innovations. If we base our expectations of the French army on our impressions from the previous war and think that preparing to face them as we didst time is sufficient, we''re in for a rude awakening."

    Even though, in the past few months, the British and Prussians had secured several victories against the French in the northern front, and the French had not exhibited any remarkable new tactics in these battles, Suvarov did not alter his opinion. He remarked to others, "The English and Prussians are not facing Napoleon Bonaparte."

    Suvarov reached a small hill not far from the French lines and surveyed their defensive positions.

    "Peter, what do you think of their defenses over there?" Suvarov lowered his telescope and asked the young general riding alongside him.

    "It''s quite unique," the young general pondered and added, "and quite formidable."

    "Exin," Suvarov inquired, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

    The young general seemed aware of the importance of his response and did not answer immediately. Instead, he raised his own telescope, surveyed the area, and continued, "Marshal, as I see it, the enemy has dug trenches on the ground, and the dirt excavated from the trenches is piled in front, creating a breastwork. This provides excellent cover during firing. Considering the new rifles'' ability to fire urately at nearly five hundred yards, infantry attempting to charge would endure three to five volleys of rifle fire. Even if they manage to close within a hundred yards, it''s unlikely they can aim urately. This kind of defense is formidable.

    Furthermore, the enemy''s movement inside the trenches is mostly concealed, enabling them to concentrate troops for a counterattack. Additionally, I have yet to see their artillery, but it''s inconceivable that theyck cannons. I remember you mentioned earlier that General Napoleon Bonaparte was initially famous for his skill with artillery."

    "Peter, you''ve observed so much. Impressive. I don''t have much to add for now," Suvarov Marshal smiled. "So, Peter, do you have an attack n?"

    "Not at the moment," the young general replied. "I believe our best course of action is to force the French out of their formidable defenses and into open battle. Directly assaulting such a fortified position is daunting. If we could threaten the French from the rear, as the British did in Moste,pelling them to retreat to avoid encirclement, it would be ideal. Then, we could defeat them in a pursuit battle."

    Suvarov Marshal nodded and was about to speak when the captain of his guards, Shemyo, interrupted, "Marshal, French cavalry is approaching." Suvarov turned to look and saw a unit of French cavalry drawing near.

    "If they don''t wee us, then let''s not overstay our wee," Suvarov chuckled and turned his horse to descend the small hill.

    Back in the camp, Suvarov first instructed his staff to summarize the obtained information and then convened a meeting of the Russian and Austrianmanders.

    There had been some disputes between Russia and Austria about who should lead the coalition army. The Russians naturally wanted Marshal Suvarov as themander, while the Austrians preferred Archduke John, the younger brother of Archduke Karl, to take the helm. In the end, it was decided that Marshal Suvarov wouldmand the joint forces, with Archduke John serving as the deputymander. Despite the Archduke''s high reputation in Austria, he had less influence and authority in Suvarov''s presence.

    With everyone in ce, Suvarov called for a discussion on how to approach the formidable French defenses.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a rough sketch we''ve created based on the information we''ve gathered. The actual situation might differ from what''s on this map, and I''m sure you''re all aware of that. Now, let''s discuss how we should"

    During the discussion, the generals offered various suggestions. Some believed they should create an appearance of bypassing the French defenses, moving directly towards Mn to lure the French out of their defensive positions, and then defeating them in an open battle.

    However, this proposal was met with immediate opposition. What if the French chose not to leave their defenses? Would they dare march to Mn without a guarantee of a swift victory? If they couldn''t capture Mn quickly, the French could cut off their supply lines, leaving the coalition forces in dire straits.

    One Russian officer then suggested, "What about using the port of Genoa for our supplies?"

    "Genoa is a neutral territory," Archduke John replied. "While our ships can enter Genoa, its capacity to provide us with supplies is limited. We can''t just militarily upy a neutral country, can we?"

    The n was ultimately discarded, mainly because it was impossible to take Genoa in the short term, given its decent military defenses.

    Since bypassing the French defenses was not feasible, the only option was to test the defenses through an attack. Suvarov, having examined the map, concluded that they could not discern much without a practical confrontation. Thus, he decided to prepare for a tentative assault the next day.

 Chapter 186: Invincible Defense (2)

    Chapter 186: Invincible Defense (2)

    Early the next morning, the Russo-Austrian coalitionunched a tentative attack on the French positions, just as any historic day during the "History of France" show would dictate. Naturally, it began with artillery fire, the purpose of which was to destroy various obstacles in front of the enemy positions and inflict casualties on the enemy troops.

    The artillery bombardment from the Russo-Austrian forces was no different. In front of the French positions, there were various wooden obstacles meant to impede the cavalry''s advance. These became the prime targets for artillery fire. Additionally, the small earthworks the French had piled up in front of their trenches could also be bombarded with cannons, potentially causing casualties among the French troops.

    However, this was merely a fantasy on the Russo-Austrian side. In reality, the French infantry had not yet entered the front-line trenches.

    As the Russo-Austrian forces began their artillery preparations, there were no soldiers in the first trench. Infantry would not enter the trenches until the enemy initiated their attack.

    General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration watched the artillery fire ahead. Suddenly, a peculiar sight caught his eye: a massive gray sphere was ascending on the French side, with a basket-like object hanging below it.

    "What is that? Alyosha, fetch me the telescope," Bagration called out.

    His aide, Alyosha, handed him the telescope. Bagration extended the telescope and peered through it at therge gray sphere.

    The enormous sphere appeared to be made of silk, with a basket hanging beneath it. Inside the basket were two individuals wearing French military uniforms, one of whom was holding a telescope and scanning their direction.

    "Isn''t that a hot air balloon?" a voice beside Bagration remarked.

    Bagration lowered the telescope and turned to see Marshal Soult approaching. "Marshal, you''re here too?"

    "Yes, Pyotr," the old marshal said. "Remember thest time I mentioned the idea of using hot air balloons for battlefield reconnaissance? It seems the French have beaten us to it."

    Hot air balloons had been first invented by the Montgolfier brothers in France in 1783. In November of that year, they achieved the world''s first manned hot air balloon flight.

    In historical ounts, Napoleon''s army had been equipped with hot air balloons, but Napoleon had not favored them and eventually removed them from service. The main reasons were theplexity ofunching and maintaining these balloons and their susceptibility to weather conditions. However, in this alternate timeline, Napoleon seemed to have a better opinion of these contraptions, mainly due to Joseph''s improvements to make them more practical.

    The French balloon took the Russo-Austrian coalition by surprise, but their amazement was limited to that. After all, this was Europe, and such devices might seem mysterious in some ces, but in Europe, they were seen as an example of French technological innovation.

    Despite their astonishment, the battle had to continue. After half a day of artillery preparation, the Russian forces began their attack on the French positions with a loose formation of skirmishers.

    "Louis, you see how quickly the Russians are learning? Look at their skirmishers; they''re quite impressive. At the very least, it''s clear their morale is much higher than the Austrians," Napoleonmented to the officer standing beside him. "Hold their advance. It shouldn''t be a problem for you, but I want to minimize revealing our army''s lesser-known tactics. However, we can''t afford unnecessary casualties. Is that clear?"

    The officer next to Napoleon was Louis-Gabriel Suchet, who, just like in history, had known Napoleon for a long time. In Toulon, he had fought under Napoleon''smand, andter, he apanied Napoleon to Italy. The key difference in this alternate timeline was that Napoleon had not embarked on the Egyptian campaign, so Suchet had not made the mistake of aligning with Napoleon''s enemies, leading to an extended period of estrangement. In this timeline, Suchet remained one of Napoleon''s close friends.

    "It should not be a problem," Suchet replied sinctly. "I won''t reveal more than necessary, except for the in front of us."

    "Very well, I''m leaving this to you. I''ll go check on the other side," Napoleon said before taking a few men and heading towards General Mureau''s unit.

    In their pre-battle arrangements, once Suchet thwarted the Russian advance, Mureau''s cavalry would be ready tounch a counterattack if the Russian forces retreated chaotically.

    Napoleon was not worried about whether Suchet could hold off the enemy''s advance, and he was also not concerned about the performance of Mureau''s cavalry afterunching their attack. However, he had reservations about whether Mureau could make the right judgment of when and if tounch an attack, making a personal inspection necessary.

    Shortly after Napoleon left Suchet''s position, the Russian skirmishers entered the range of French rifles. French soldiers had already taken their positions in the trenches, ready to open fire on the approaching Russians.

    Initially, not many Russians fell victim to the rifle fire, as even with Mini rifles, the uracy at that distance was limited. However, as the Russians closed the gap, the French rifle fire became more urate, and the number of fallen Russians increased.

    Despite theirrades'' wails, the Russians continued their advance. This level of casualties was insufficient to make this victorious army retreat. Then, they entered the French minefield.

    The French had made advancements in their minefield technology as well. Joseph''s innovations were primarily cost-saving measures. To save on materials, the new mines were considerably smaller. At one point, Joseph even experimented with unzed pottery as a substitute for cast iron but abandoned the idea after realizing that the cost savings did not outweigh the losses during transport. Nevertheless, he managed to reduce the amount of cast iron used by two-thirds.

    In addition to reducing the use of cast iron, the amount of explosives used was significantly lower. With advancements in explosive production technology, the variation in explosive power had diminished, and today, eachndmine typically contained only a few grams of explosive material.

    Joseph''s rationale was, "Based on the data we obtained from Irnd and Pnd, the probability of andmine, even one with a significant amount of explosive, killing several enemy soldiers, is negligible on average. Therefore, except for specific uses, it''s a waste to makendmines too powerful."

    Napoleon argued that these mines had so little power that they couldn''t even kill a single man. To which Joseph responded, "Why kill them? Maiming them by blowing off a foot should be enough. In any case, such wounded soldiers are unlikely to return tobat. But their injuries don''t guarantee death, and the enemy can''t just finish them off easily. We have to care for them, and other soldiers have to witness their suffering, which significantly affects morale. Napoleon, you''ve said that soldiers aren''t really afraid of seeing theirrades'' corpses; often, it fuels their desire for revenge. But it''s best not to let them see wounded soldiers, as the psychological impact is even greater than seeing the dead."

    Napoleon was convinced by this argument, but he joked privately to his subordinates, "Don''t call these things ''Napoleon''s potatoes.'' They should be called ''Abagon''s potatoes.'' Yes, this thing is filled with the stench of Abagon."

    The cost of thesendmines was thus reduced by nearly half and, when considering the decreased weight and volume, transportation costs decreased even further. This was reflected on the battlefield in the form of a significant increase in the number and density ofndmines.

    As a result, Ivan''s men soon stepped on thesendmines. With a sound that was not much different from a gunshot, one of Ivan''s soldiers fell to the ground, clutching his bloody leg and howling in pain. The low-powerndmine had just blown off one of his feet.

    Another Ivan fell victim to an explosion shortly after, and more followed as they advanced closer to the French trenches, either through French gunfire orndmine explosions. The sounds of agony multiplied.

    The wails of theirrades were the most effective weapon to shatter their morale, but the Russians continued their advance. This was when they encountered what appeared to be a-like obstacle in their path.

 Chapter 187: Invincible Defense (3)

    Chapter 187: Invincible Defense (3)

    If it were just a simple rope in front of them, it wouldn''t pose much of a challenge. They could easily cut through it with a knife or even climb over it. However, as Ivan and his men approached, they realized it wasn''t a rope; it was a mesh of iron wires.

    What made matters worse was that these iron wires weren''t ordinary; they were barbed wires, covered with sharp spikes. Trying to climb over them risked getting caught in the thorns, and cutting the wires proved to be an even more daunting task. It was nearly impossible to do so in a short amount of time.

    Under normal circumstances, breaking such wires by hand or with tools wouldn''t be too difficult. However, they were on a battlefield, and the distance from the French trenches to the iron wire was just about a hundred meters. From that distance, the Russian troops'' rifles had a hard time hitting the French soldiers who had exposed themselves at the trench''s edge. In contrast, it was much easier for the French soldiers to take precise shots at the Russians attempting to cross the wire.

    The French had intentionally arranged the iron wire in such a way that it formed a funnel shape, effectively directing the advancing soldiers towards a central point. When the front soldiers were blocked by the wire, the ones behind them instinctively tried to circumvent the obstacle, inadvertently gathering at the bottom of the funnel. As soon as the soldiers gathered closely, the effectiveness of the defenders'' firepower increased significantly.

    Even if some soldiers recognized the trap, it was challenging to stop the instinctive actions of the majority. In many cases, some would manage to pass through, only to be trapped at the bottom of the funnel.

    At this moment, in the French trenches, at the positions directly facing these funnel points, concealed traps were activated. The sand-colored camougeting was lifted, revealing the muzzles of cannons barely poking above the ground. With a thunderous roar, thousands of shell fragments were unleashed upon the tightly packed group of Russian soldiers at the bottom of the funnel.

    Though theycked machine guns, this close-range shotgun-like barrage of shell fragments was almost as deadly. Soon, heaps of bodies piled up in these locations.

    Every army had a limit to the amount of casualties it could endure, and the brave Russian soldiers were no exception. Often, desperate situations could be even more demoralizing for soldiers than casualties themselves.

    Ivan''s men quickly fell apart in the face of this seemingly thin wire. Some, driven almost to madness, tried to break the wire with the butts of their rifles and were shot by the French. Others shouted in panic and turned to flee, stepping on "Abagny''s potatoes" in the process, dropping their weapons, and writhing in pain on the ground.

    The retreat of Ivan''s men was as rapid as their advance, perhaps even faster. In their haste to withdraw, they triggered numerousndmines, leaving behind wounded soldiers.

    Suvorov had been observing the Russian offensive and subsequent retreat from his position without a word. Only when the soldiers began retreating did he turn to General Bagration and say, "Peter, take your cavalry and cover their withdrawal. Every man who makes it back is a treasure."

    Bagration led a detachment of cavalry to provide cover for the retreating Russian soldiers.

    "The Russian retreat was well-covered," Napoleon remarked as he put down his binocrs and turned to General Murat, who appeared eager to continue the offensive. "Well, Murat, your soldiers can take a rest now."

    "General, let us pursue them," Murat suggested. "It''s just a Russian cavalry unit. We can crush them."

    "Did you see the exchange of fire between him and the enemy just now?" Napoleon nced at Murat. "What kind of exchange do you think they just had? If you''re confident you can produce the same results right now, I''ll approve your attack. Do you have that confidence?"

    Murat fell silent at Napoleon''s question.

    Bagration and his cavalry covered the Russian retreat and arrived back at their camp. However, the battlefield still held many wounded soldiers. Bagration furrowed his brows and ordered another officer to escort the retreating soldiers, while he led a detachment of cavalry to assist the wounded.

    Bagration dismounted next to a wounded soldier whoy moaning, clutching his leg.

    "Brother, can you still stand?" Bagration asked.

    "My foot... my foot..." the wounded soldier simply cried out.

    Bagration examined the man''s leg and noticed a bullet whizzing past, not too far from their location.

    Bending down, Bagration picked up the injured soldier and ced him on his horse''s saddle, then led the horse towards another wounded man.

    "General, should we open fire on them?" a soldier asked Xuxia.

    "No," Xuxia shook her head. "Tell everyone to hold their fire. Let our troops go out into the minefield, rescue the wounded, and bring them back."

    The gunfire ceased on the French front lines. A group of French soldiers, unarmed and carrying stretchers, emerged from the trenches. They unlocked the barbed wire and carefully entered the minefield, where they began loading wounded soldiers onto stretchers. They followed a peculiar, zigzagging route to navigate the minefield and safely reached the edge.

    Once the wounded were secure, the French soldiers quickly left the area.

    "General, there''s a group of French soldiers approaching," a Russian soldier reported.

    Bagration raised his head, observing a team of French soldiers carrying stretchers, each with a moaning Russian wounded soldier.

    The French captain leading the group shouted, "You are already in a minefield, please don''t move erratically, or you''ll easily get hurt."

    Bagration understood French and replied courteously, "Thank you."

    The French captain seemed disinclined to speak further. After a brief exchange of words, the French soldiers left.

    "General, should we...?" a soldier began to ask.

    "Let''s not make them think that we Russians are barbarians," Bagration said.

    With those words, he looked down at the wounded soldiers, sighed, and gave the order, "Take them back."

    Back in the camp, Bagration conversed with the senior officers and the returning soldiers, gathering intelligence on the French defense positions.

    After learning the various aspects of the situation, Suvorov gathered the generals to discuss how to respond.

    This time, everyone had a better understanding of the French defense, but it didn''t boost their confidence; instead, it left them more disheartened.

    "I''ve never seen such cunning defense," one Russian officer remarked. "The French are nothing like the Turks. We can ovee their mines and artillery shells, but the barbed wire is a problem that needs a quick solution."

    "Can we use explosives?" someone suggested.

    "We can try. Let''s get some iron wire and make a model to experiment with."

    "And their mines, letting them explode like that isn''t a good idea."

    "I heard the British deal with mines in a different way. It''s quite effective..." a sudden idea came from an Austrian officer.

    "How do the British handle them?" Everyone became interested.

    "The British send some Irishmen ahead to step on the mines."

    "Doesn''t that turn them into savages?"

    "Exactly, isn''t that barbaric?"

    "The British are savages to begin with."

    Russians were often perceived as barbarians in Europe, and they relished the opportunity to mock others as such. However, the idea of sending herds of sheep or other animals to trigger the mines was quickly dismissed.

    Nevertheless, the notion of using sheep or something simr to trigger the mines was intriguing, and they decided to give it a try.

 Chapter 188: Invincible Defense (4)

    Chapter 188: Invincible Defense (4)

    The experiment with explosives to destroy the barbed wire had been quite sessful, but the n to drive away the sheep and triggerndmines was abandoned after just one trial. During the experiment, they had simply set off a firecracker among the sheep, causing the entire flock to scatter in all directions. By calcting the direction in which most of the sheep had fled, they realized that the majority of the flock had gone in the opposite direction.

    If they were to charge into battle with a flock of sheep, there wouldn''t be too manyndmines to step on, but theical sight would undoubtedly dampen the morale on their side. After all, how could they expect the flock to form an orderly formation and bravely charge ahead to trigger thendmines?

    In the end, Bagration suggested, "The Frenchndmines have limited power. We can push hand carts in front, and the others can follow in the cart tracks."

    "Doing that would expose us to long-range French artillery fire," someone pointed out.

    Artillery had limited range when using shrapnel, and though solid shot projectiles had a longer range, their killing radius was quite restricted. They were effective against linear infantry formations, but when dealing with scattered troops, their effectiveness diminished. However, if they followed Bagration''s approach, it would essentially be a column advance. In a column advance, they''d be vulnerable to solid shot projectiles, and getting hit by those would be catastrophic.

    "I think if we''re going to advance in a column formation, we shouldn''t bother with pushing carts," Archduke John chimed in. "In the past, when we were fighting the French on the Northern Front, their troopscked discipline and couldn''t form proper formations. They often advanced in columns. They would charge towards us, facing artillery fire.

    Columns are easier to maintain, even while on the move. With sufficient morale, an army can swiftly advance in a column. Though they might suffer heavy casualties if hit by artillery while in column formation, the fast approach reduces the number of times artillery can fire. Also, because they''re in a column, the muskets can only harm the first one or two rows. So, the French, using column formation, rapidly attacked us, with fewer casualties than we expected.

    Once they reached a close range, the French would deploy into line formation, volley fire, and then engage in baybat. Relying on numerical superiority and high morale, the French repeatedly defeated us using such straightforward tactics."

    "I think bullets are for fools; bays are for heroes!" Bagration eximed, pping his hands in agreement.

    "But this kind of strategy requires extremely high morale. When we tried to mimic their tactics inter battles against the French, we often failed. We didn''t have the same fervent morale as the French, so we couldn''t execute such tactics," Duke John exined.

    Duke John, as a military leader, wasn''t particrly remarkable in history, partly due to his frequent encounters with Napoleon. However, he possessed remarkable political acumen. He knew that uttering such words at this moment could have a significant impact.

    Sure enough, the moment he spoke, the Russians nearby erupted like a powder keg set on fire.

    "We''re not afraid of death, are we? What''s so difficult about that? We Russians have plenty of fearless heroes!"

    "I agree. If the French can do it, there''s no reason we can''t. I think this is the way to go!"

    "Yes, yes, bays are for heroes!"

    The crowd erupted in a lively discussion, and many eyes turned to Marshal Kutuzov.

    Kutuzov kept his head down, studying the map without saying a word. Finally, he raised his head, surveyed the group, and said, "Since everyone agrees with this n, we will organize training ordingly. Once the training isplete, we willunch a full-scale assault on the French positions."

    While Napoleon faced off with the Russian and Austrian coalition in Italy, the situation in the northern front was rapidly deteriorating for the French. After retreating to Lige, the French army faced a Prussian pursuit, and both forces found themselves in a standoff near Lige.

    The French had suffered significant casualties during their retreat and had lost nearly all their cannons. Although they received reinforcements from within the country upon reaching Lige, the peculiar weapon procurement system meant that the reserve units received little funding for weapons. As a result, the troops mainly possessed outdated smoothbore muskets.

    If not for the fortifications at Lige, the French would have been in dire straits once more.

    However, a few dayster, the British army arrived with their cannons, putting the French defensive position at Lige in jeopardy.

    Even during the retreat from Hanover, the French government, especially Carnot, had realized that the situation on the northern front was bing critical. The best course of action was to recall the Italian Army and rush north to confront the British. Otherwise, another battle like the Defense of Verdun might be on the horizon, and if that battle were to be lost, Paris would likely see white gs flying once more.

    Consequently, the Provisional Government issued a flurry of orders to Napoleon, demanding that he promptly bring his troops back to France to confront the British. However, Napoleon imed that the intense fighting and inability to retreat made it impossible. He disregarded all those orders. In one month, the Provisional Government sent twelve orders to Napoleon, but he remained unresponsive, firmly established in Italy.

    For over half a month, the Russian and Austrian coalition had been in a standoff with the French, asionally engaging in minor skirmishes. However, no major battles urred, and it seemed like everyone was on holiday.

    During this time, the Russian army diligently practiced the column attack strategy, using explosives to breach the barbed wire and other tactics. Finally, including Field Marshal Kutuzov, everyone felt that their training was sufficient. The time for the decisive battle had arrived.

 Chapter 189: The Iron Wall

    Chapter 189: The Iron Wall

    As the Russian army rapidly approached the French lines, just beyond the effective range of the French Mini rifles, Napoleon widened his eyes, "Isn''t this our strategy?"

    "General, over the years, many have tried to imitate our tactics," Exelmans remarked with a raised chin, "but no matter how they copy us, they will still be defeated by us."

    "Hahaha..." Napoleonughed, "Louis, do you know? Someone once said something very simr to what you just said."

    "Who?" Exelmans asked.

    "My brother Joseph  the one who insists on wearing the Academy of Sciences badge whenever I''m in uniform, the man who talked about the ''military-industrialplex'' products during our pic. He said, ''We''ve always been imitated but never surpassed.'' But honestly, when I see them changing formation just outside our rifle range, it seems like they''ve truly surpassed our previous standards."

    Exelmans chuckled as well. Surpassing the French in this aspect, especially during the widespread use of column attacks, was no small feat. At that time, the French had employed this tactic primarily due to insufficient training and the inability to form neat lines.

    Yet now, before their eyes, this army, at a greater distance, approached the French lines with a quick transition from a thin column to a line formation. This ability to change formation indicated the excellent training of this army.

    Afterpleting their formation change, the Russian army continued their advance, while the French cannons opened fire.

    A cannonball hit a Russian column like a bowling ball striking a row of pins, toppling arge number of Russian soldiers. However, unlike bowling pins, the soldiers struck by the cannonballs were not as intact, especially those at the front, who were torn to pieces.

    But the troops with Suvarov, veterans ustomed to life and death on the battlefields of Turkey and Pnd, pressed on undeterred. Despite the heavy losses from the cannon fire, they maintained a steady pace, quickly entering the minefield.

    Thendmines exploded, and with the booming sts, Russian soldiers fell, clutching their legs. Nevertheless, this couldn''t halt the Russian advance. Soon, barbed wire appeared in front of them.

    A few soldiers carrying explosives rushed forward, aiming to breach the barbed wire.

    "Bang, bang, bang..." Smoke and gunfire erupted from the French trenches. Many of the explosive-bearing soldiers fell, but some managed to reach the barbed wire, cing their explosives beneath it.

    With several explosions, the barbed wire was blown apart, creating gaps, almost simultaneously, Russian soldiers deployed in formation, bays ready, charged through the openings.

    "They are incredibly brave!" Napoleon eximed.

    "Indeed, their courage rivals our own!" Exelmans joined in. "Unfortunately, the braver they are, the faster they meet their end."

    As the Russian troops rushed towards the gap in the barbed wire, not far from it, a line of "fougasses" detonated. Each fougasse released eight hundred iron pellets toward the approaching Russians. The simultaneous explosion was like a sudden downpour or a hailstorm in summer, ttening the wheat field as if it were all mowed down.

    Looking out, almost all the Russian soldiers at the forefront were knocked down, and the explosion caused severe casualties, taking the lives of over a thousand.

    "I never thought this thing could be so devastating!" Marshal Suvorovmented, putting down his binocrs. "When the British talked about its power, I thought they were exaggerating."

    "French science and technology truly deserve their reputation as the best on the continent," Bagration added. "But with this, they won''t be able to stop us."

    Indeed, this round of attacks was brutal, but it was merely a stone thrown into a rushing tide. The stone sshed water and created a loud noise, but it was soon overwhelmed by the advancing troops.

    More Russian soldiers crossed the fallen bodies and reached the first trench, which was the nearest one.

    "They''ve reached it, they''ve reached it!" Bagration eximed excitedly.

    "Not yet, Pyotr," Suvorov frowned. "Why hasn''t there been resistance at this defensive line? If this defense is rtively important, why didn''t they put up a fight when we reached the first trench? Are they nning something?"

    "Are they nning to let us exhaust ourselves at the next line of defense, and then counterattack when our forces are weakened?" Bagration suggested.

    Indeed, trying to cross the trench was a challenge. There was a wide gap between the trenches, and there was also barbed wire. In addition, there was a possible shortcut between the trenches, amunication trench connecting the two. The French had retreated from there earlier. Pursuing them seemed like a promising tactic as it could potentially lead to passing under the barbed wire.

    So, some soldiers headed directly for the Frenchmunication trench. Initially, the chase seemed sessful, but as they were about to reach the second trench, at the exit of themunication trench, a French soldier pulled a yellow cloth, revealing a cannon pointed directly at themunication trench. The cannon fired, and an 8-pound iron ball was sent hurtling.

    Themunication trench was not very wide, with no real ce to hide. The artillery shells of that time may have been slowpared to modern ones, but they were still too fast for human reactions. Thus, the cannonball went through themunication trench, striking the Russian soldiers at the other end, turning them into fragments.

    It seemed that assaulting through themunication trench was a poor idea as there was nowhere to hide. Even if the cannon firing was slow, and there was a brief moment when it was not firing, there was no way to reach the cannon. Moreover, there were French soldiers with rifles on the other side, ready to hold the Russian troops at bay until the cannon was reloaded.

    Since attacking through themunication trench didn''t work, the Russians had no choice but to advance on the ground. However, the ground was also fraught with dangers:ndmines and barbed wire guarded by artillery pieces and more "fougasses."

    Russian soldiers made another attempt during the French retreat, but this time they couldn''t breach the second trench. Their courage and strength had been exhausted in previous engagements. They couldn''t even get past the barbed wire and were pushed back by the French.

    "The French are preparing a counterattack," Suvorov immediately deduced.

    Indeed, the French began to counterattack, using their rifles and artillery loaded with canister shots to drive the retreating Russian troops back to the first trench. Russian soldiers leaped into the trench, seeking cover from the French shooting. However, the battle remained unfair, as the first trench, on the side facing the French, had no earthworks built up, so it didn''t offer adequate protection.

    As more troops retreated into the first trench, a bright sh suddenly burst from the trench, followed by a series of loud explosions.

    The cunning French had previouslyid electrical mines in the first trench, and now they detonated them, causing significant casualties among the Russian soldiers inside. Simultaneously, the Frenchunched a counterattack.

    At this moment, Russian reinforcements were also approaching the first trench. However, the French cannons thundered once more.

    Suvorov had initially expected the French to continue using solid shot to fire at the reinforcements. But this time, the trajectory of the cannonballs was significantly higher. (In this era, artillery shells had a very low initial velocity, and their flight was visible to the naked eye.)

    "These are not ordinary solid shot," Bagration remarked, "although a higher trajectory can make the cannonballs fly farther, it''s difficult for them to skip. These are not ordinary solid shot."

 Chapter 190: Bad News, Good News

    Chapter 190: Bad News, Good News

    The shells descended in a high arc, making it almost impossible for them to bounce effectively. These shells, intended for Napoleon, were prepared by Joseph and would once again change the role of artillerya crucial weapon called shrapnel. At first, Joseph had grand ideas of developing high-explosive shells to bypass these, but he immediately encountered several challenges:

    The first problem was the stability of the shell. High-explosive shells needed to ensure the fuse touched the ground, which required rifled guns. But rifled guns neededrge amounts of steel, which in turn required...

    If that wasn''t feasible, using tail-fins for stability was another option. However, this introduced two more problems. One was the reliability of triggering the fuse, which seemed challenging in the short term. The other was the perennial issue of insufficient gunpowder and explosives. Thus, the need for shells with less explosive material led to the alternative of shrapnel. Even this alternative, however, further transformed the role of artillery in warfare.

    After the appearance of the Mini rifle, cannons found themselves in an awkward position. Solid shot artillery couldn''t effectively target dispersed infantry, and canister shot''s effective range was even shorter than that of the Mini rifle. As a result, cannons, once front and center on the battlefield, became support weapons.

    But the arrival of shrapnel shells shifted the advantage of range back into the hands of the artillery.

    Shrapnel shells were essentially iron barrels filled with shot. They were fired from cannons and exploded at the right altitude, releasing the shot. These were winged shrapnel, specially designed to be fired at a 45-degree angle by specially made guns, even outdistancing solid shot shells. With their curved trajectory, they could even clear obstacles to strike targets behind them.

    Additionally, shrapnel shells yed a unique tactical role in creating barriers. When soldiers on both sides had engaged in closebat, artillery was typically rendered ineffective. After all, this wasn''t a game, and the enemy could distinguish our artillery shells from the in-game magical ones.

    However, troops equipped with shrapnel shells, with the assistance of observation balloons, could fire shrapnel over the intense melee, directly targeting the enemy''s rear, hindering enemy reinforcements. If our reinforcements continuously poured into the critical areas while the enemy''s couldn''t, the oue of the battle was no longer in doubt.

    French shrapnel rained down on the Russian reinforcements, andpared to the previousnd mines, these falling objects resembled hail more, covering unfortunate Russian soldiers like sheaves of wheat falling in a storm.

    In this battle, the Russian army lost nearly 8,000 men. While this number might not seem significantpared to the approximately 60,000 total Russian soldiers, these were allbatants. In fact,batants typically constituted only about half of a military''s total personnel. For a Russian army of 60,000, the loss of 8,000 soldiers was not a small number.

    What''s more, these 8,000 casualties were among the most elite of the Russian army. In a sense, this battle had thoroughly crushed the Russian army''s offensive capabilities. Now the Russian army had no strength left tounch an attack against the French.

    Even more devastating was the loss of confidence in the Russian army. Faced with the technology of the "First in European Continental France," perhaps even the "First in the World," Russian soldiers at all levels were filled with defeatism. Even the old marshal privatelyined, "Why is the gap between our country''s science and technology and France so vast? How can we fight like this?" In a letter to a friend''s grandson encouraging him to study science, he wrote:

    "Alyosha, I know you''d rather be a general. But your grandfather and I believe you have greater talent in science. Learning science well and bing a scientist will be of greater help to Russia than bing a general. You must know that science and technology are the most formidablebat power..."

    The Russian army had lost confidence, and the Austrian army had even less. They already suffered from a severe case of Napoleonophobia, and this time, it was the Russian army being defeated. Because morale was so low, the Austrian army couldn''t undertake an offensive role, even if it was the Russians who had lowered morale. Even when observing the state of the Austrian army, they unanimously concluded: "These people can''t be used for the toughest breakthrough stage ofbat; otherwise, they may be a clear and exploitable weakness."

    So this time, the Austrians didn''t get beaten up, but they watched how the Russians got beaten. In this battle, the Russians demonstrated higher tactical skill andbat spiritpared to the Austrians. The Austrians understood this well. However, despite losing the courage to attack, the Russians still had the courage to continue facing the French in a defensive battle. In the face of the French army, on the other hand, the Austrians lost even the will to defend. For several days, Austrian generals approached Archduke John, hoping he would request a retreat.

    While Archduke John wasn''t known for his strategic insight (mainly due to his poor adaptability), he still understood the basics. He knew that, given the current state of the allied forces, safe retreat in front of the enemy was impossible. True, if they retreated, the French would pursue relentlessly, and aplete rout was likely.

    He also knew that his generals couldn''t be ignorant of these facts. If even these generals were making impractical requests, it showed the extent of the Austrians'' shattered morale.

    "Your Highness, we can suggest to the Russians to divide our armies, and my forces will move to establish another camp to the northeast. This way, if the French attack, we can support each other from different angles. Then, when the Russians aren''t looking, we can run away quickly..." Some shameless individuals had evene up with such borate ns.

    To appease everyone, Archduke John had to say to them, "Now, the British and Prussians have achieved significant victories in the north. The French will likely have to recall Napoleon''s forces to defend Paris. We just need to hold out a little longer, and the French will likely have to retreat. If we run away first, will the Russians stay behind? Then, everyone will run, and in the end, no one will escape!"

    Archduke John''s assessment of the situation was rather urate. On the same day Napoleon repelled the Russian general attack, the British-Prussian coalition alsounched a general assault on Lige. Although the French put up a brave defense, their attacks were making steady progress. They captured several important positions, and the French defense in Lige was nearing copse. The fall of Lige was almost certain.

    Once Lige fell, there was no longer any defensible positions all the way to Verdun. And if Verdun couldn''t be held, Paris would be directly exposed to the enemy.

    In this situation, the provisional government had to send orders to Napoleon, urging him to return to defend Paris, while simultaneously calling upon the people of Paris to rise up, just like in 1792, to organize a militia and defend the homnd.

    However, the people of Paris did not respond as they did in ''92. The times had changed. To use the words of Sophie, a maid once employed by Joseph, "Before the revolution, I had no bread to eat; after the revolution, I still have no bread to eat. Did we not just have the revolution in vain?"

    The government members, parliamentarians, and other respectable individuals had grown wealthy, but for themon people, they hadn''t gained much real benefits. For them, the revolution that demanded their blood and sacrifice seemed to have been in vain. So why should they shed blood and sacrifice for it again?

    Furthermore, in ''92, the Duke of Brunswick issued a highly untimely threat to sack Paris, which riled up the people and served as the revolutionary government''s best mobilization tool. But today, the more prudent British and Prussians no longer made such statements. Without their support, the provisional government struggled to mobilize the people.

    Thankfully, Carnot''s efforts in creating conscription mechanisms over the years had gradually improved, and through conscription, the provisional government managed to raise over a hundred thousand troops. But these soldiers, while more skilled militarily than the ''92 volunteer militias, didn''t possess the same morale.

    In this regard, Paris was indeed in imminent danger.

    This afternoon, Napoleon received new dispatches from Joseph, bearing bad news for France but good news for the Bonaparte family. "The British-Prussian coalition has captured Lige, and the French army has suffered heavy losses. General Joubert has fallen back to Verdun."

    Upon receiving the dispatch, Napoleon was overjoyed. He immediately sent an emissary to the Russian-Prussian coalition, returning their wounded and proposing a ceasefire and peace negotiations.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 190 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 191: Command in the Face of Defeat

    Chapter 191: Command in the Face of Defeat

    A messenger dispatched by Napoleon delivered a letter to General Suvarov. In the letter, Napoleon first praised the indomitable spirit disyed by the Russian army in battle, then he pointed out, "There''s really no need for a war to resolve the issues between Russia and France. Young men from both nations are shedding blood needlessly over some technical and negotiable matters, which is truly an iprehensible tragedy."

    Napoleon proposed a ceasefire between the two sides and suggested that minor "misunderstandings" and issues between France and Russia could be left for future negotiations by both governments.

    He also proposed that a location be chosen for negotiations on the terms of the ceasefire.

    After the French messenger had left, General Suvarov gathered his officers. He showed them Napoleon''s letter and asked for their opinions.

    "The Archduke of Austria has been iming that the French are suffering major setbacks in the north and that Napoleon''s army will soon receive orders to withdraw. It seems the Austrians might be telling the truth."

    "But, in my opinion, the French have a point too. Can we really expect to gain a piece of Italy by fighting them? Even if we fight the French with all our might and seize Italy when they retreat, isn''t that just doing a favor to the Austrians? What will we gain? I believe negotiating with the French for terms, like acquiring some technology from them  they might be more advanced than the British in certain areas, especially military technology."

    "I agree with Antonov''s point. The French are likely ahead of the game in military technology, at least onnd."

    "I think we should send people to France to study systematically. We should"

    "Actually, we don''t need to fight the French at all. Instead, we should ally with them. This way, the East will be ours, and the West will be theirs. How perfect!"

    "But the French have always been allies with the Turks."

    "Why would the French side with the Turks? Isn''t it to counter the Austrians? We are much stronger than the Turks; to keep the Austrians in check, the French can easily"

    The discussion was lively, and while everyone had different views, amon thread was their reluctance to engage in war with the French, particrly in distant Italy.

    Suvarov quietly listened, realizing that this sentiment wasn''t just held by his generals but was likely shared by most of the soldiers. They didn''t want to continue fighting the French.

    In theory, chasing the French in their retreat could lead to a major victory, but given the soldiers'' morale and the French army''s fighting capability, Suvarov believed the Russian army, even in openbat, would probably be outmatched by the French. Perhaps negotiating with the French for gains was a better option.

    As for Austria, Suvarov believed the Russians had already spilled enough blood. If the Austrians were dissatisfied with the ceasefire, they could fight the French on their own, and Russia would offer moral support.

    With this understanding, negotiations between the two sides went smoothly. Napoleon and Suvarov met in an estate, exchanged gifts, and reached an agreement to temporarily halt hostilities.

    Napoleon left a portion of his army behind and headed north with the rest to confront the English.

    Upon learning of the French army''s retreat, the Archduke John saw an opportunity to chase them and possibly reim Italy. Suvarov, however, advised caution, warning that the French might have set traps. The Russian army, already weakened by earlier battles, couldn''t afford a reckless pursuit.

    Surprisingly, Suvarov''s cautious approach received support from the Austrianmanders. They believed it was best not to take risks with the cunning French. "Staying unchanging in response to their changes" became the mantra.

    The Austrians marched towards positions they believed the Italians were guarding (Position A), only to face a major defeat. Retreating Austrians reported, "We encountered French soldiers dressed as Italians!"

    The Russians, despite having urate intelligence that the French army had retreated north and that only a small French rearguard and a newly assembled North Italian Federation army remained, remained cautious.

    The Austrians, however, grew more active. They felt more confident facing the Italians, having extensive experience with them. Consequently, the Austrians attacked the positions they thought were held by Italians, and things quickly turned south. Defeated Austrians reported to the Russians, "We encountered French soldiers dressed as Italians!"

    Napoleon led over sixty thousand elite French troops back across the Alps into France. As soon as he returned, news arrived that the Anglo-Prussian coalition was closing in on Verdun.

    French troops who had retreated from Lige had regrouped in Versailles, joining over a hundred thousand fresh troops. They prepared to defend Versailles, and at that moment, an odd error urred in France''s information system.

    To transmit information quickly, the French had established a system that used light signals tomunicate messages. The system was based on awork of towers situated along major roads leading to Paris, akin to signal towers seen in other countries.

    However, this French system could convey moreplex messages than mere signal towers, as it utilized varying patterns of light shes, functioning like a telegraph. The sender would trante messages into long and short shes, send them at fixed intervals, and the receiving tower would record the shes and ry them to the next station. This enabled rtively fast transmission of intricate messages over long distances.

    In Alexandre Dumas''s novel "The Count of Monte Cristo," Edmond Dants manipted this system by bribing a signalman to disseminate false information, triggering an economic upheaval that led to his enemy Danrs'' bankruptcy.

    Almost mirroring the novel, a signalman had been bribed by royalist sympathizers to alter the message: "General Bonaparte has achieved a significant victory in Italy and is returning to France" was altered to "General Napoleon has suffered a major defeat in Italy, and Marshal Suvorov is leading a massive army across the Alps into France."

    This false message sent the government in disarray. Some officials even attempted to flee. A few high-ranking officials attempting to escape were recognized by vignt citizens, brought back, and faced the wrath of the angry crowd.

    The attempted exodus severely damaged the prestige of the provisional government. Had a corrected message not arrived shortly afterward, the people of Paris were on the brink of an uprising.

    A special edition of "The Truth in Science" newspaper was published, freely distributing news that General Bonaparte had decisively won in Italy and was leading his army back to France. The cry of "Long Live General Bonaparte!" echoed throughout Paris.

    While the people of Paris celebrated the joyful news, Joseph was urgently summoned by Carnot.

    "Joseph, something has happened," Carnot said with a grave expression as Joseph entered his office.

    "What''s happened?" Joseph asked, rmed by Carnot''s demeanor.

    "General Joubert has been injured again and is currently unconscious" Carnot replied.

    In a recent skirmish near Verdun, themander who always seemed to venture to the front lines, General Joubert, was wounded by a bullet. His injuries were so severe that he couldn''t continue to lead the army. His second-inmand, General Moreau, was still at the front lines in Chatillon, and due to the distance and the enemy''s situation, he couldn''t arrive to take over Joubert''smand at Verdun. Thus, the French army in Verdun was temporarily without amander.

    "Good Lord!" Joseph eximed. "Carnot, what are we going to do?"

    "For now, I need you to take over Joubert''smand temporarily as the overallmander of the French forces in Verdun," Carnot said. "We have no better option at the moment."

    "But I''ve been out of militarymand for a long time."

    "Joseph, don''t be modest. Your legend lives on in the army, and in recent years, you''ve been leading the transformation of our army''s technology and tactics."

    "But I''m just a technician. How can I"

    "Don''t argue. If there were a better candidate, I wouldn''t ask this of you. But right now, there''s no one more suitable. Joseph, stop underestimating yourself. The War Department has decided, and you are to takemand."

    "I''ve been out of the military for years, Carnot"

    "But your legacy lives on in the army. The truth is, you''ve been leading the changes in our military technology and tactics."

    "But you call me a technician, and"

    "Stop with the self-doubt. There''s no better choice now. Joseph, ept the responsibility; the War Department has already made its decision."

    Joseph reluctantly agreed to assumemand temporarily.

 Chapter 192: The Verdun Meat Grinder (1)

    Chapter 192: The Verdun Meat Grinder (1)

    So, Joseph was forcibly given the title of "Commander," and with the Red Army and a batch of supplies donated by the "Military Union," he headed towards Verdun.

    When Joseph arrived in Verdun, the garrison there was in a state of panic due to the loss of theirmander. Fortunately, the surname "Bonaparte" came to Joseph''s rescue, as it was true that, as Carnot had mentioned, Joseph might not have had much contact withbat units for a long time, but his name was legendary throughout the army. The name "Bonaparte" was associated with various weapons used by the military because of him.

    Moreover, Joseph Bonaparte was the famous war god Napoleon Bonaparte''s elder brother, and it was rumored that he had even been Napoleon''s direct superior in the past. If Napoleon was so formidable, his older brother, the founder of the Red Army, the initiator and leader of military reforms, couldn''t be any less skilled, right?

    Furthermore, Joseph brought arge amount of new weaponry to support them. It was said that these weapons had been donated by the "Military Union" free of charge to defend the homnd, and these weapons were undoubtedly far better than the ones used by the Northern Army before.

    "You see these authentic ''Bonaparte melons.'' Look at the engraving, how beautiful it is, and it feels sofortable to touch. And then, look at the Mini rifle, the rifling is so smooth and precise, it''s so much better than what we had before" A veteran counted the weapons they received while bragging to the nearby recruits.

    "Is that all?" a Red Army soldier passing by happened to hear the old soldier''s boasting and said, "What we''ve brought is even more powerful than these things... Rest assured, with these, we''ll give those English and Prussians a tough time."

    A general named "Bonaparte," along with a bunch of weapons bearing the same name, immediately lifted the morale of the Verdun garrison. In addition, everyone knew another uplifting piece of news: General Napoleon Bonaparte was on his way with over ten thousand elite troops from the Italian Legion. As long as they held onto the Verdun fortresses for a while, the Italian Legion would arrive, and then... France would be saved.

    "Little General Bonaparte will kick the butts of those English and Prussians hard. He''ll turn their butts into eight pieces. As long as we hold on for a few days, it''ll be enough." For the first time, an optimistic voice rang out among the garrison.

    After boosting the garrison''s morale, Joseph immediately focused all his efforts on improving Verdun''s defenses. Various new innovations such as barbed wire, trenches, shrapnel shells, mines, especially the "broad-swordndmines," and even a methrower (thend version of Lavasie''s design) and a "melonuncher" (arge slingshot) were rapidly prepared.

    Originally, in Joseph''s n, these things were all meant for Napoleon. "The swiftness of the troops" was an ancient military saying, and it was already the rainy season. If Napoleon''s army had to march with heavy weapons, their speed would be significantly reduced. Thus, ording to Napoleon''s request, Joseph had already prepared arge military depot near Paris, allowing Napoleon''s soldiers to drop some heavy weapons and supplies and reach Paris as quickly as possible.

    However, now Joseph had diverted a significant portion of the arsenal from this depot. There was no other way; after all, life was precious, right? Even though Carnot believed Joseph was capable, even though the Red Army''s veterans and the Northern Army''s soldiers believed Joseph could certainly fight, and even though the entire poption of Paris believed that someone with the surname "Bonaparte" would definitely be a capable military leader, Joseph himself didn''t have any faith in his own abilities to fight.

    "Does the father swim well, so should the son?," Joseph said to himself, and he made up his mind to make his own "tortoise shell" as tough as possible.

    Even though Verdun''s defenses had be increasingly formidable in recent days, many experienced officers believed that Verdun was already impregnable. They thought that no army could breach such defenses. Even if the English and Prussians were strong, they would only be able to look at Verdun''s walls in despair. Nevertheless, Joseph still didn''t feel secure enough.

    "It''s a pity that our technological level is stillcking," Joseph said to himself. "If we could manufacture armor simr to water droplets, maintained by strong intermolecr forces, then I would truly be at ease."

    Of course, Joseph''s single-minded attention to fortifying his "tortoise shell" was thanks to the British. Although the British and Prussians had already pursued Verdun, the British artillery was still crawling slowly on the way.

    The British army had many powerful cannons, but originally, these cannons were meant for the navy. However, due to the rapid expansion of the army, they were unable to acquire sufficient cannons at the moment, so they requisitioned the reserve cannons of the navy. The problem with the naval cannons was that they were exceedingly heavy. Moreover, it had rained heavily a couple of days ago. The roads of this era were either dusty on sunny days or muddy on rainy days, and as a result, the British cannons'' marching speed had plummeted to less than three hundred meters per day.

    In previous battles, whether the British or the Prussians, they had be ustomed to having a multitude of powerful cannons on their side. Now, faced with a fortress even more impregnable than Ligny,cking those powerful cannons, they couldn''t charge directly. That''s just not how things work.

    So, with the joint efforts of the heavens and the British naval cannons, Joseph gained some time to continually strengthen his defenses. His meticulous and thoughtful approach to enhancing the safety of his soldiers earned him widespread admiration.

    While Joseph was busy organizing defenses, he urgently sent someone back to request assistance from Napoleon. "Quickly find a few reliable generals and send them here in advance to help me organize the defense!"

    Upon receiving this urgent request, Napoleon couldn''t help butugh heartily.

    His Chief of Staff, Bertier, asked, "Why are youughing, General?"

    Napoleon chuckled and replied, "I''mughing at the ineptitude of the Anglo-Prussian coalition and the timidity of my older brother Joseph. My big brother Joseph is now acting as the actingmander of the Northern Army and is responsible for the defense of Verdun. He thinks hecks bold individuals in his ranks, so he wrote to me, asking me to urgently send him some advisors. You see, whom should we send?"

    "How about sending Davout? He should be a good choice," Bertier suggested.

    "No..." Napoleon shook his head. "Davout is very capable; we need to keep him with us... What about sending Marmont?"

    "Marmont?" Bertier was quite puzzled. "Marmont is brave, but sending him..."

    "Do you really think that Joseph, the coward, needs someone to teach him how to defend? This guy is just a big tortoise. He needs someone to bolster his courage. I''m telling you, if you went there right now, you''d definitely see that this guy has already turned Verdun into a steel fortress bristling with thorns. I bet he doesn''t need our help at all; he can hold Verdun until doomsday by himself... By the way, let''s change the marching n..."

    "How?" Bertier asked.

    "Joseph, that coward, moved all the cannons and various other things we had prepared in Paris to Verdun. Are we going to Paris empty-handed? He misappropriated our cannons; of course, we need to bring our own cannons. Well, let the troops stop and regroup for a bit so that the cannons and other supplies can catch up... We can also take this opportunity to rx. How about a pic this afternoon?" Napoleon replied.

    As a result, Napoleon''s marching speed suddenly dropped to barely surpassing that of the British. Only the "most courageous" Marmont was given a vital task, rushing north as quickly as possible to serve as an advisor to Joseph.

    Joseph warmly received his "military advisor" sent by his younger brother. He toured the entire Verdun fortress with Marmont, exining his various defense facilities and ideas. Afterward, they returned to the headquarters and sat down together.

    "General Marmont, do you have any suggestions on how to strengthen Verdun''s defense? You know, I haven''tmanded such arge army before and haven''t faced such arge-scale battle. I''m quitecking in experience in many areas," Joseph asked first.

    "Oh, General Bonaparte, you''re too kind. The defenses of Verdun''s fortresses are actually very good, but in my opinion, there are some issues," Marmont honestly replied.

    "What issues?" Joseph asked promptly, thinking to himself, "I''ve always known that discussing tactics on paper isn''t ideal. I thought I''d created an impregnable, virtually wless defense system, but as soon as a more experiencedmander saw it, he immediately spotted problems. Thankfully, I''m smart enough to ask Napoleon for an advisor."

    "Well, General Bonaparte, I think too much effort has been invested in Verdun''s defenses. The level of defense is excessive. It''s possible to reduce some of the defensive forces and use them for counterattacks or even offensive operations. Additionally, some defensive structures, such as here, here, and here... you see, if we counterattack like this, I believe we can achieve greater sess. So while these facilities significantly enhance the fortress''s defensive capabilities, they also, to some extent, interfere with our counterattacks. I don''t think it''s necessary, and they should be dismantled, as Verdun''s fortress''s defense is already somewhat excessive," Marmont pointed to the map.

    "But if we''re dismantling like this, what if the enemy suddenly nks us from here? What will we do?" Joseph asked.

    "To execute such a nking maneuver at the right time is very difficult. I think the likelihood of the enemy reacting that quickly or such a situation urring is quite low. Besides, in war, who doesn''t take a few risks?" Marmont replied nonchntly.

    Joseph listened and then smiled, saying, "Alright, General Marmont, I will consider your suggestions."

    Meanwhile, he thought to himself, "Counterattack? Why would I counterattack? Just hold out until Napoleon arrives; doesn''t that sound great? What is Napoleon thinking, sending over a guy who''s all about fierce assaults?"

 Chapter 193: The Verdun Meat Grinder (2)

    Chapter 193: The Verdun Meat Grinder (2)

    While Joseph verbally said, "I will consider it," he had no intention of weakening the defenses to gain an advantage when the British cannons had yet to arrive. If the British cannons were not yet in ce, then it was crucial to strengthen the turtle shell as quickly as possible.

    Joseph had also prepared some tricky tactics in his mind, both those that required favorable conditions and those he hoped to create if the situation allowed. After all, there was still time, and without creating some sort of spectacle, he couldn''t shake off this uneasy feeling. So why not create a marvel?

    Of course, Joseph knew that creating a spectacle could backfire and harm the nation. So, it was better to continue fortifying the fortress. Joseph vigorously created a slew of dummy targets and simultaneouslypelled the government to ce numerous orders with the "Military-Industrial Complex" to replenish the depleted arsenal.

    Apart from this, Joseph also designated someone specifically to send urgent messages to Napoleon every day, urging him toe to the rescue. However, that fellow Napoleon, with his army in tow, was moving at a frustratingly slow pace, while the British cannons were gradually getting into position.

    "That rascal is probably thinking of letting the enemy exhaust themselves here in a head-on collision, and then swooping in to take advantage afterward! I''m sure he''s thinking just that, absolutely!" Joseph dered after receiving Napoleon''s reply, which stated, "The road conditions are too poor, the soldiers are too fatigued from crossing the Alps, the weather is bad, and anyway, they haven''tunched a full-scale attack yet... I don''t understand why you''re so anxious?"

    Joseph''s judgment was indeed urate. Napoleon was thinking just that, and if the fortress''smander were still General Joubert, Joseph would likely suggest the same to Napoleon. If he would suggest it, Napoleon would certainly do it!

    After the cannons were in position, the British began their attack following the familiar pattern used in the Battle of Lige: bombard, bombard, and bombard again. Yes, infantry was not rushing in; instead, they slowly pounded the defensive structures to reduce their effectiveness beforemitting the troops.

    Joseph watched with satisfaction as the dummy targets he had built crumbled under the British artillery barrage. He calcted how much gunpowder, how many cannon barrels, and how much time the British were consuming.

    Nevertheless, the passage of time was the most useless metric because Napoleon ordered his troops to halt once the fortress was attacked. Supposedly, Napoleonined to his Chief of Staff Berthier, "What are the British doing? They''re moving so slowly! We''ve been stalling time like this, and they''re still dawdling!"

    The British spent several days gradually clearing the targets Joseph had constructed using artillery fire. Then, the Duke of Brunswick informed Joseph, "The rest is up to you; you have to take this section, and then we''ll bombard for a few more days. It won''t be long before we capture Verdun."

    The Prussian troops confidently prepared tounch their attack. After all, the jagged breastwork in front had already been battered to pieces by the British artillery, making it an easier target.

    As the Prussian soldiers approached the fortifications, they were met with gunfire from the French soldiers manning the breastworks. The Prussian infantry advanced, using their ranks to protect the skirmishers moving forward.

    At this point, a series of explosions suddenly rang out, causing several Prussian soldiers to clutch their legs and fall to the ground.

    "What''s this?" the Duke of Brunswick eximed.

    "These arendmines," answered Major George Cadwader, the British liaison officer sent to the Duke of Brunswick. "We encounter these frequently in Irnd. However, it seems that the French mines here are much less powerful."

    The Duke of Brunswick recalled that the Polish troops had used simr tactics, although they primarily operated in Russian territory to avoid damaging Prussian supply lines. The Prussian forces had only heard about these treacherous devices, but few of them had firsthand experience.

    While thendmines caused losses for the Prussians, they couldn''t halt their advance. As Prussian troops began to approach the breastworks, the French soldiers who were still holding the fortifications began to retreat.

    "It seems the French have lost a lot of their morale," one Prussian officer remarked.

    "Well, given their situation, it''s still quite impressive that they have any morale left," Major Cadwader responded. "After a series of defeats, most soldiers in many countries would have very low morale. They''re retreating, not being routed. You can see from the paths they''re taking; they aren''t moving in straight lines."

    "Yes, they''re retreating, or I should say, withdrawing, but they still know how to dodge bullets. They''re not panicking," another Prussian generalmented.

    "They''re not just dodging bullets," Major Cadwader added. "They''re also avoiding stepping on their own mines. I''ve seen it in Irnd; the Irish rebels run like this when crossing minefields."

    "You fought against Irish rebels, you say?" the curious general inquired.

    "Yes, General Anderson, I''ve fought against the Irish rebels," Major Cadwader replied.

    "I heard the Irish rebels are tough," another Prussian officer mentioned.

    "Irish rebels are cunning and ruthless. My cousin, Viscount Anderson, fell in battle due to a mine during our engagements with them. Inparison, the French are easier to deal with. However, the situation today reminds me of Irnd," Major Cadwader said.

    Meanwhile, the Prussian skirmishers had crossed the mostly demolished breastworks, paying a high price, and their casualties would be felt in theing days. Nevertheless, the French had also suffered lossesseveral soldiers had been killed in the earlier exchange of fire, and during the retreat, around a dozen more were cut down.

    The Prussian skirmishers continued their advance, with the first obstacle ahead being a French barbed wire barrier.

    The French soldiers who had rushed to the breastwork crouched down, deftly crawling through designated openings. At those points, there was just enough space under the wire for a person to crawl through.

    However, the pursuing Prussian skirmishers couldn''t replicate this approach. First, they had to cross a mined area, and although they didn''t have a good understanding ofndmines, the woundedrades behind them lying on the ground clutching their feet illustrated the danger. So, after taking the breastwork, they stopped and took cover. The higher-ups hadn''t given them orders on what to do next, and at this point, they didn''t want to rush forward blindly.

    Even though they had captured the breastwork, the main Prussian force couldn''t immediately follow because a minefieldy between the breastwork and the English-Prussian troops. Major Cadwader had exined, "Landmines can be identified if you look closely. After all, tripwires are still visible on the surface. We have a special team for mine clearance with highly experienced personnel, and they can quickly open a safe passage in a minefield."

    So, the experienced British mine clearance team set to work. However, their clearance progress wasn''t as fast as Major Cadwader had described. Perhaps the major''s definition of "fast" was different from theirs. Regardless, the major''s servants had already prepared his afternoon tea.

    "After having tea, the passage should be cleared," Major Cadwader predicted.

    As Major Cadwader had expected, by noon, a safe passage had finally been opened. More infantry followed, and their n was to rely on the remaining French breastwork to rest before continuing the attack.

    However, what they didn''t anticipate was that the breastwork they had taken was a decoy. The position of this breastwork had been pre-sighted by the French artillerymen positioned behind, and they had even conducted test fires in the area before constructing it.

    After the Prussian troops had gathered behind the decoy breastwork, the French soldiers immediately removed the camougeting from the nearby 8-pounder cannons andunched a volley. These cannons were partially buried in the trenches, with only their barrels protruding above the ground, making them nearly invisible from a distance. The firepower from this volley wasn''t particrly intense (Joseph hadn''t allowed all the cannons to fire to save them forter), but their precision was astonishing. Despite only ten cannons firing, all the shells hit their intended targets with devastating uracy, resulting in dozens of casualties.

 Chapter 194: The Verdun Meat Grinder (3)

    Chapter 194: The Verdun Meat Grinder (3)

    Not long after the first round of simultaneous fire, these tenrge cannons unleashed a second volley. This round of fire once again caused dozens of casualties and threw the Prussian army into chaos. Everyone knew they couldn''t stay there and take the cannon fire, but they had no clear n of action. Some brave souls attempted to charge towards the cannons, only to triggerndmines along the way. Others, more timid, retreated to the rear, trying to find cover, only to trigger morendmines.

    Amidst the chaos, an organized assault seemed impossible. The troops could only scramble back as best as they could to save as many lives as possible. During the retreat, they had to painstakingly clear the minefields, a much more efficient job than the British had done to identify these narrow areas.

    "General, the enemy has been pushed back after just a few volleys of our cannons. We''ve had minimal casualties, it''s incredible," said an officer from one of the Northern legions excitedly to Joseph, who was observing the battle through binocrs.

    There were many officers in the Northern legions who knew Joseph, having been saved by the Bonaparte brothers in the past. While there had been some tension between the Bonaparte family and the Northern legions, their reputation was still positive within the army.

    "Who said we had minimal casualties? We just lost several soldiers," Joseph corrected. He raised his binocrs again to survey the situation, sighed, and shook his head. "We lost one of our breastworks, and another minefield is nearly gone. Some of the mines were even removed  how can you call that minimal casualties?"

    "General, are there any techniques we can use for those mines that are easy to spot?" the officer asked.

    "Of course, like reducing the amount of explosive material, decreasing the size, and lowering the cost," Joseph replied, genuinely concerned.

    After spending half a day destroying a hastily built breastwork and efficiently dismantling a French minefield, the Anglo-Prussian coalition forces returned to their starting positions.

    This was undoubtedly a significant setback, butpared to the two other pieces of bad news they received that evening, it seemed almost inconsequential.

    The first piece of bad news was that the Russian Tsar and the French had negotiated peace. After a period of stalemate in Italy, the authorized Russian consul in the Vian Republic and the French consul, with special powers, reached a peace agreement. ording to this agreement, France guaranteed to Russia strict control over arms exports, while Russia agreed to purchase a batch of weapons from France. The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation in academia, culture, and various other fields.

    "Those sted Russians! I knew they were unreliable. If they hadn''t double-crossed usst time, we would have and now they''ve double-crossed us again!" the Duke of Brunswick cursed in anger.

    "These Russians! Just half a month ago, they extorted a hefty sum from us!" Major George Cavendish was equally infuriated. "I''ve never seen such audacious people!"

    "At this critical moment, when we''re about to capture Paris, the Tsar betrays us. I can''t fathom his logic. Doesn''t he realize we''re about to win?" the Duke of Brunswick wondered aloud. "Some say he''s not even Peter III''s legitimate son. But after this act, I doubt anyone will believe those baseless rumors!"

    Peter III, during the Seven Years'' War, had unexpectedly switched sides, leading to France''s defeat and saving Prussia at a time when Frederick the Great was on the verge of defeat. Yet, his actions had been so oundish and contrary to Russia''s interests that his wife, Catherine the Great, had orchestrated a coup to remove him from power.

    "But regardless of all this, the instability is now on the French side," Lieutenant Cavendish said with a somewhat optimistic tone, and his status, despite his rtively low rank,manded respect due to his noble lineage.

    This news meant that the southern threat from France had effectively dissipated. Now, they needed to expedite the capture of Verdun and seize Paris before Napoleon arrived. Otherwise, the oue of the war would look grim.

    The second piece of bad news was that the continuous rainy weather in southern France had ended. There had been two consecutive days of clear skies, and if this trend continued, the road conditions from the south to the north of France would rapidly improve. This implied that Napoleon''s march with the Italian Legion would speed up, and if the British and Prussians couldn''t capture Verdun before Napoleon''s arrival, it would be nearly impossible to take this fortress.

    Faced with this urgency, the British decided, in conjunction with the Prussians, tounch a strong offensive as soon as possible, even at a high cost, to capture Verdun and upy Paris.

    The next morning, both the Prussians and the British sentrge forces from multiple directions into their starting positions, preparing for a full-scale assault.

    This caught Joseph''s attention, and he quickly arrived at themand center to coordinate the fortress defense. Reports from various observation points came in, detailing the enemy''s movements.

    "What are these people thinking? In warfare, shouldn''t theyunch probing attacks from various directions first to understand the enemy''s defenses and then attack with focus and strategy? What are they doing? Do they understand tactics at all?" Muramented upon hearing these reports.

    If Napoleon were here, he would have likely chuckled and said, "s, Murat, you''re discussing tactics now?"

    However, since Napoleon wasn''t there, and Joseph, despite not being known for sharp wit, genuinely considered the situation. He exined, "I believe the enemy is aware of Russia''s withdrawal from the war and the improved weather in the south. They are likely concerned that Napoleon''s Italian Legion will arrive soon, so they''reunching an early assault. As for probing attacks, today''s attacks are, in essence, probes from multiple directionsthey have to save time. ording to our calctions, they don''t have enough troops tounch a full-scale assault from so many directions. This must be an all-around probe."

    After this exnation, Joseph turned his attention back to the map, studying it carefully. Then he issued orders: "We must preserve our defenses for the future. Today, artillery must not use cannons heavier than 12 pounds, and only single-bore cannons are allowed inbat. ''Canister shot'' is prohibited. When using ''wide-sword'' mines, the simultaneous detonation of more than three is prohibited. methrowers are not allowed, and ''little melonunchers'' are also forbidden. In other areas, we should hold our ground. Zones 1, 7, 12... may slightly retreat but must not fall back beyond the second trench."

    Soon, the British and Prussians initiated their attacks from multiple directions. Although, as Joseph had anticipated, these simultaneous attacks were more sound than fury, exerting limited pressure on the defensive positions. Nevertheless, because of Joseph''s prohibitions, the troops appeared to be quite active.

    After a day of battle, the British and Prussians jointly assessed the results of their attacks and identified several problems on the enemy''s side. First, the French had received more support for modern weapons, but their shortage of artillery, especially due to losses on the Northern front, was evident. It seemed that their mines were also in limited supply, with some minefields having a lower density than others. Moreover, the cleared minefields contained a mix of old and new mines, which, in the eyes of the British and Prussians, showed an insufficient number of mines.

    However, these issues could potentially improve over time, given the presence of numerous military factories near Paris. Thus, the coalition forces needed tounch their assault quickly, or else the fortress would grow stronger with each passing day.

    The Duke of Brunswick, General Blcher, and other Britishmanders focused their attention on the two weak points that seemed to be traps while considering other segments more suitable for defense. These would be their main targets for tomorrow''s attacks.

 Chapter 195: The Verdun Meat Grinder (4)

    Chapter 195: The Verdun Meat Grinder (4)

    Now that the focal point of the attack was established, it was time to get to work overnight on essential tasks. Demining, for instance, was crucial to ensure a sessful assault early the next morning, and that meant demining operations had to be carried out through the night.

    Fortunately, the weather in Verdun had been clear for the past couple of days. Evente at night, there was a half-moon providing decent visibility. This moonlight allowed for some work to be done.

    At this moment, Joseph had locked his paper on electromaic induction inside a safe and then locked that safe inside arger one. It wasn''t because Joseph enjoyed ying Russian dolls, but he believed that the safe containing the paper was valuable enough to be secured in another safe. Therger safe was a creation by a Bourbon-descendant master who had lost his head during the French Revolution.

    Without the discovery of electromaic induction and the inability to acquire mine detectors in Irnd, the British were left with a rather crude method of demining. They had to crouch on the ground and visually inspect for mines, with their only auxiliary tool being a long steel probe.

    This method of demining was slow, inefficient, and highly dangerous. During the day, it might have been manageable, but at night, with no lights allowed (the minefield was well within the range of Mini rifles), they had to rely on moonlight for illumination. This naturally slowed down the demining process, increasing the risk substantially.

    As a result, asional explosions from the British demining teams startled the French. Each explosion pained the hearts of the British because their elite troops, not the hastily mobilized Prussian conscripts, suffered the losses. Moreover, the explosions drew the attention of the French. The bright moonlight on this particr night favored demining but also improved visibility for the French marksmen. Consequently, the British demining teams suffered not only from idental detonations but also from more direct hits by French fire. As they advanced deeper into the demining process, they got closer to the French trenches, raising the likelihood of French sightings and shots. Therefore, after dealing with most of the mines at a considerable distance, they had no choice but to wait for daylight when the British and Prussian conscripts would deal with the remaining mines more efficiently.

    Demining forces were not evenly distributed; the well-trained deminers were sent to the actual points of attack, while more rookies were dispatched to the feint attacks, some with less than a month of training. These neers naturally had a higher probability of setting off explosions. However, this arrangement served a purposeto emphasize that these points were the real targets.

    Thus, the night was filled with constant rumbling, and the blood-red dawn finally broke in the east of the Verdun fortress.

    The day''s assault began, starting with the feint attacks. The previous night''s demining efforts were effective, and with the efficient demining by the mobilized troops, both the British and Prussians quickly crossed the first minefield. In front of them was the first line of barbed wire and the first French trench. In these locations, the feinting forces initiated an attack, but they withdrew in the face of the French rifle fire and the shrapnel from cannons.

    Of course,plete withdrawal wouldn''t serve the purpose of distracting the French. In these areas, the tactics became artillery fire, artillery fire, and then infantry pretending to charge. Once the infantry had pretended to advance, the artillery resumed slow, steady bombardment.

    Even so, the main focus of the British and Prussian attacks became evident. They had only managed to break through the first line of barbed wire and trench in these two directions. Between the first line of barbed wire and the first trench was a minefield, which had to be cleared by the mobilized troops. This naturally resulted in casualties, but, as expected, the French didn''t have sufficient manpower or firepower in these two areas. So, after sacrificing a significant number of lives, the British and Prussians finally crossed the first line of barbed wire. What next? Then, the British and Prussians experienced an episode reminiscent of their encounter with the Russians in the French trenches in Italy. They were taught a lesson in hand grenades and artillery in themunication trenches and the main trenches.

    However, perhaps due to the difference in troop strength and morale, the French did notunch an immediate counterattack. The British and Prussians managed to continue their advance after a brief reorganization. Still, as they advanced, they noticed that the firepower from the French on their front was noticeably increasing. While they didn''t possess heavy artillery, the rate of 8-pounder cannons firing at them had risen significantly, and the frequency of enemy hand-thrown "sweet melons" and the use of "broad sword"ndmines had also increased.

    "The enemy is likely transferring reserve troops or troops from other areas to reinforce their defenses. We must act before them and secure the key objectives," the Duke of Brunswick immediately made this decision.

    The so-called "key objective" referred to a hill approximately 200 meters high located behind the fiveyers of trenches. Capturing this target was like driving a massive steel nail into the heart of the French defense system. It posed a significant threat to the entire French defense structure. Conversely, failing to secure this hill would render the territory they had fought so hard to take rather ineffective in shaking the overall defense, and it remained vulnerable to potential French counterattacks and encirclement.

    The key was to seize this objective as swiftly as possible, before the French could react.

    So, the Prussian and British forces intensified their attacks from two directions on this "key objective." Mines were abundant in the enemy''s path? There was no time to dawdle. A quick assault was needed; otherwise, the French would catch on. Hadn''t they noticed the increasing strength of the French firepower across from them? It was better to press forward, or more lives would be lost. Let''s employ the most efficient method  have the mobilized troops clear the way!

    However, the Prussians were still stopped in front of the third barbed wire. The number of French troops across from them had noticeably increased, bullets were incessantly flying over, and to make matters worse, the "Bonaparte sweet melons" kept raining down. The Prussian army had simr weapons, but the French trenches were at least fifty meters away from the barbed wire, and unless you were a strongman, no one could throw a sweet melon that far.

    Yet, the French somehow managed to easily throw the "sweet melons" over. It wasn''t just one or two French soldiers tossing the sweet melons fifty or sixty meters away; it was as if they were raining down from the sky.

    A barrage of "sweet melons" immediately cleared the Prussian soldiers near the barbed wire. The remaining soldiers were demoralized by this round of bombardment. Following those who hadn''t been blown up, many Prussian soldiers, including junior officers, were so frightened by the casualties that they fled. Even some low-ranking officers were petrified and joined the retreat.

    On the other hand, the performance of the British forces was somewhat better than the Prussians. They, too, endured a round of "sweet melon" bombardment in front of the third barbed wire. However, they surprisingly had the courage to continue the assault afterward. These "lobsterbacks" threw the bodies of the fallen over the barbed wire and attempted to pass it themselves. At this moment, a long burst of fire erupted from the opposite trenches, urately reaching the "lobsterbacks" who were trying to climb over the wire. The British soldiers were engulfed in mes.

    Those engulfed in mes writhed on the ground, attempting to extinguish the fire on their bodies. However, the mes couldn''t be put out no matter how hard they tried. Soon, those British soldiers who had been set aze were burned to charcoal, and the rising mes prevented anyone else from advancing. Afterward, another round of "sweet melon" bombardment followed. The British soldiers also discarded their helmets and armor to retreat.

    However, all in all, the British performed better than the Prussians. Although both sides retreated, the British stopped once they had retreated to the French trenches they had fought so hard to capture. The Prussians, on the other hand, had retreated all the way to their starting position. To the point where Joseph, who was overseeing the battle, felt some concerns, "Have we been too ruthless? Perhaps we''ve frightened them away, and if so, our n to deplete their resources..."

    The performance of the Prussian army infuriated both the Duke of Brunswick and General Blow. Fortunately, it seemed the French weren''t prepared for the Prussian retreat and failed to seize back the lost ground immediately. By the time the French responded and started deploying troops to reim the territory, the Prussians, or at least the higher-ranking officers, had regained their senses. General Blow personally led a cavalry charge and secured the first trench, but the second trench was lost again to the French.

    On the British side, the French reacted more swiftly. They took advantage of the British retreat to recapture the second trench. So, although the British hadn''t retreated as far as the Prussians, the final oue was not substantially different. They had fought the entire day to capture a single trench.

    By this time, it was around three or four in the afternoon. Whether it was the Prussians or the British, who had performed better on the battlefield, they had lost the courage to continue their assault. The Anglo-Prussian coalition began to focus on consolidating the ground they had taken. The French, on the other hand, seemed to have exhausted much of their strength in the earlier battle and did notunch a counteroffensive during this period. Thus, this long and bloody day passed in this manner.

 Chapter 196: The Verdun Meat Grinder (5)

    Chapter 196: The Verdun Meat Grinder (5)

    As the sun dipped below the horizon, the once bustling battlefield gradually fell into an eerie silence. During the first half of the night, the moon was absent, leaving the entire battlefield shrouded in darkness, with only the hushed whispers of the night wind.

    Between the French and Prussian trenchesymunication trenches. These passages not only ensured the retreat of the French army but also served as routes for reinforcements. However, during the night, thesemunication trenches became a critical point heavily guarded by both sides against potential enemy attacks.

    Soldiers from both sides periodically tossed torches into thesemunication trenches to serve as illumination, ensuring that anyone attempting to pass through would be noticed. The ground on both sides of these trenches had been a minefield during the daytime battles. However, thanks to the efficient work of Prussian and British troops in clearing the mines during the day, these minefields had diminished substantially.

    In the cover of darkness, French sappers quietly left their trenches, carrying baskets filled withndmines, to nt them in the minefields. Although the Prussian and British soldiers had efficiently cleared the mines during the daytime battles, it was uncertain whether they had missed any. In the pitch-ck night, the French sappers could only rely on the faint starlight to see anything, making it impossible to detect undetonated mines. They were at the mercy of fate.

    So, for the first half of the night, the battlefield remained eerily quiet, punctuated only by asional explosions  the French sappers identally stumbling upon unexploded mines that had survived beneath the iron boots of the Prussian and British forces.

    As the moon rose, the French engineers retreated. In thetter half of the night, the battlefield came alive once more.

    Some British and Prussian soldiers, including drafted Prussian conscripts, after undergoing a half-hour crash course, were armed with shovels and probes. They were dispatched to the minefields  it had be apparent that the crafty French had been up to something devious in the darkness.

    Initially, both Prussian and British forces feared that the French mightunch a night assault. Thoughunching an assault in such moonless conditions was challenging and likely a waste of ammunition, the French had always been crafty, and their intentions were unclear. Consequently, the British and Prussians maintained a vignt watch for most of the night, but the French did notunch a night attack.

    Since the French had note out for a night assault, they must not be out for a leisurely nighttime stroll and pondering the meaning of life. Therefore, the British and Prussian soldiers concluded, "Those devious French must have nted mines in the minefield!"

    If the French could nt mines at night, then naturally, the British and Prussians could dig them up at night. Thus, the British engineers and Prussian conscripts who drew the short straws were hurried out of their trenches to venture into the moonlit minefields.

    So, during this night, the sounds of explosions  some initiated by the French during the first half of the night and more by the British and Prussians during thetter half  continued steadily.

    The following day, just as the sun began to rise, the British and Prussian forces initiated a fresh attack. The method remained the same: bombardment with artillery followed by a bay charge. However, there was a slight change. When a group of Prussian conscripts rushed forward to clear mines, a group of fully armed soldiers, led by an officer, stood behind them, aiming their guns at their backs.

    After a night of contemtion, the Prussians had finally found a way to motivate their soldiers  the officer''s guns pointed at their backs. Under the threat of rifles, the Prussian conscripts disyed exceptional courage, disregarding the possibility of mines beneath their feet. They charged forward, knowing that the soldiers behind them would indeed open fire.

    Amid the rumbling detonations ofndmines, the Prussian army charged through the minefields towards the freshly repaired French barbed wire.

    As per usual, they endured rifle fire and shrapnel from French artillery. They weathered the explosion of French "little melons" and the sweeping fire from the French "wide swords." What remained of the Prussian conscripts was then systematically killed by the Prussian officers.

    Following the breakthrough of the third trench, the Prussian forces stopped their advance and began consolidating their positions, nning to continue gradually.

    The British, on the other hand, fought more intensely. The battle for the third trench continued until the sun set. After the British repelled the final French countercharge, the night had fallen.

    The British and Prussians both decided to consolidate their positions for the night and nned to continue the next day. In these two days, the casualties on both sides had been rmingly high, numbering over thirty thousand. Such losses were rarely seen in European history. However, they were now very close to their "key objective." With a little more effort, it seemed that they could secure that high ground. Both the British and the Prussians thought, "We can hold on a bit longer."

    What they did not know was that the third trench and the first trench had a significant difference  a hidden underground tunnel connecting the two, aside from themunication trenches.

    These underground tunnels were originallymunication trenches, covered with wooden nks on top and concealed under a thickyer of earth at the exits. The repeated French counterattacks prevented the Prussians from checking these tunnels properly.

    The exchange of gunfire between both sides only gradually subsided after the sun had set, and, naturally, the previous night''s performance continued: in the first half of the night, the French ntedndmines, followed by thunderous explosions; in thetter half of the night, the British and Prussians came out to dig up mines, resulting in more explosions.

    Just as the British and Prussians were triggering their own set of explosions, groups of French soldiers were making their way to the third trench through these underground passages.

    As daybreak neared, the "explosions" scenario for the British and Prussians was approaching its climax. However, at this moment, French artillery suddenly opened fire on the third trench, now upied by the British and Prussians.

    While French artillery''s impact on trenches was limited, the cannon fire served as a signal. Upon hearing the cannons, French soldiers brandishing bays climbed over the iron wire barriers along themunication trenches, then jumped onto the ground and charged towards the enemy trench.

    The British and Prussians did not anticipate that the day''s battle wouldmence with a French assault. They scrambled to organize a counterattack, nning to y defensively first, but suddenly, chunks of soil copsed in their trenches, revealing numerous tunnel entrances. A multitude of French soldiers rushed out, bays ready.

    With thebination of internal and external pressure, both the British and Prussian forces quickly crumbled. The French took advantage of the situation, even momentarily recapturing the second trench, expending considerable effort on dragging back several cannons intended for supporting today''s offensive.

    Furthermore, the French artillery had be more formidable, withrger cannons, notably those above twelve pounds, joining their ranks. Shrapnel shells made their debut on the Verdun battlefield. When the British and Prussian forcesunched their counterattack, their soldiers were massacred by this type of shell.

    After enduring significant casualties, the British regained the third trench they had just lost. However, the Prussians came dangerously close to losing the second trench.

    At the end of the day''s battle, the British tallied their losses. Over the past three days, the British forces had suffered losses amounting to twenty thousand men. Even considering the recent arrival of thirty thousand non-English-speaking English troops from Hanover, these losses affected their core elite forces, which the drafted troops couldn''t rece.

    The Prussian losses, in terms of numbers, were even greater, particrly during today''s operation, where they lost twenty thousand men. In total, the Prussians had lost forty thousand men over these three days.

    Although the "critical objective" didn''t seem far away, many began questioning whether it was worth continuing the fight in this manner.

 Chapter 197: News of Uncertain Veracity

    Chapter 197: News of Uncertain Veracity

    The military-industrialplex had its unique encryption system, allowing swift information transmission through the national economic signalingwork. On a day by the riverside, where Napoleon and a few officers were picking and fishing, he received a message from the military-industrialplex, wrapped in their cryptic code.

    As he epted the intelligence with a smile, he turned to Vebitzki, who was busy spreading butter on a piece of bread. "I bet this is Joseph, that timid fellow, urging us toe to his rescue again."

    With the intelligence in hand, Napoleon''s face turned grim after a quick read. He jumped up from the ground, eximing, "Damn Joseph! Stop ying around, everyone, get up; we need to prepare for a forced march!"

    Bertier, startled by Napoleon''s reaction, asked, "What''s going on? Is there trouble on the front lines?" His hands trembled, and the butter-thered bread slipped onto his pants, leaving a greasy stain.

    "Yes, trouble, big trouble!" Napoleon''s face contorted with anger. "That idiot Joseph, aplete imbecile! What''s wrong with his brain? Has it been eaten by dogs? Look, it''s been just three days, and that fool has decimated thousands of British and Prussian soldiers. Now he ims the British and Prussians haven''tunched an attack for a whole day! They might be nning to retreat! Damn it, I gave up the honor of annihting Suvarov in Italy, crossed treacherous mountains, and traveled a thousand miles toe to Paris. And now, what''s this? A leisurely stroll? This fool, why can''t he be a bit less heavy-handed and give us some room to maneuver? He..."

    As Napoleon walked back, he furiously recalled all the derogatory terms Joseph had ever used on him, applying them in turn to Joseph. When he mounted his horse, his temper had cooled slightly, and Bertier ventured to ask, "General, could it be...has Verdun fallen?"

    "If that were the case, it might be easier!" Napoleon muttered darkly. "But it''s impossible. I told you, Joseph, that fool, can defend Verdun until he dies of old age. It''s not Verdun; it''s this scoundrel''s cunning tactics. In just three days, he''s massacred or crippled tens of thousands of British and Prussian soldiers. Now he says the British and Prussians haven''tunched an attack for an entire day! They might be considering a retreat! I give up my pursuit of Suvarov''s total destruction in Italy, ovee treacherous mountains, and travel a thousand miles to Paris. And what does he do? This fool, he can''t be a little less heavy-handed and leave us with some hope? He..."

    After a moment of sighing, Napoleon continued, "Send a message to that idiot, no matter what it takes. He must hold off the British and Prussians, at least for another week!"

    Joseph knew that something was amiss when the British and Prussians had refrained from attacking for a whole day. What if they decided not to fight anymore and turned to defense? That wouldn''t be good at all. Joseph cursed Napoleon with a mix of frustration and panic, wondering why he hadn''t arrived yet. He thought, "If we take the initiative and sacrifice some lives to give them hope, would that work? No, it would damage my reputation, and what if things went awry?"

    So Joseph quickly dismissed that idea.

    What about attacking first to pin down the enemy, preventing their immediate retreat? This required expert control of the timing, method, and force. Achieving this level of control would take at least a Level 8 micro-operation. Joseph evaluated his own skills in a few picoseconds and promptly discarded the n.

    How could he make John and Fritz stay? He had to create a delusion, convincing them that with a little more effort, they could seed. But how could he guide them to such a misconception?

    Joseph put himself in their shoes. "Russia has betrayed us, and a prolonged war isn''t promising for either Britain or Prussia. By now, Paris is within reach, and they''ve invested so much. Abandoning the attack would mean admitting failure, which would be hard to exin. So long as there''s any reason, even a somewhat unconvincing one, for them to continue the attack, they surely will. The problem is how to give them that reason. Richot seems to have some double agents..."

    Joseph gathered his officers, and a discussion began.

    "In conclusion," one tall, thin middle-aged man said, "Philip, do you think this message is reliable?"

    "Count, I dare not confirm the authenticity of this news. The messagees from Viscount Thierry in Paris, and in recent years, Thierry has been quite effective in his work," the young man named Philippe replied, resting his hands on the table. If you observed closely, you would notice a peculiar waxy yellow tint to his skin, much like tanned leather.

    "Effective?" The tall, lean middle-aged man scoffed. "So, being effective means letting a few hundred people chase down tens of thousands?"

    "Count, I believe your expectations for Viscount Thierry might be too harsh. Whether it''s those few hundred or those tens of thousands, essentially, they are our enemies. So, it doesn''t matter who is chasing whom; I think that''s Viscount Thierry''s sess. We can''t rely on revolution or uprising to reim Paris. After all, we can''t ept a kingdom where a parliament decides everything," Philippe exined.

    Philippe''s response, though not particrly polite, aligned perfectly with the Count''s political stance and his judgment of the enemy. Thus, the Count didn''t get angry. He nodded in agreement and said, "Philippe, you''re right. I might indeed be demanding too much from Viscount Thierry. If this news is true, then the day we return to Paris might be nearer than we think..."

    This man is the exiled Count of Artois, the king whose head was severed, Louis XVI, and the brother of the self-proimed King of France, Louis XVIII. In the original history, after the Bourbon dynasty''s restoration, he also served as king for a time under the title "Charles X." Among all the royalists, he was the most conservative and stubborn.

    "Count, at this moment, whether this news is true or not, I believe we should treat it as true," Philippe added.

    "Mr. Treville, what do you mean?" one of the men by the Count''s side asked. At the same time, the Count also turned his puzzled gaze to him.

    "Gentlemen, just before, we received news of the setback of the British-Prussian coalition in Verdun," Philippe de Treville continued, surveying everyone, who nodded in agreement.

    "Our friends within the British and Prussian armies have also informed us that both the British and Prussians are considering a temporary retreat. The reliability of this news is unquestionable, as you all know. They''ve temporarily retreated; what will be the consequences? Have you gentlemen considered it?"

    Everyone remained silent.

    "Very soon, General Napoleon Bonaparte''s army will reach Paris. If the British and Prussians can''t take Verdun before this army arrives, they won''t have a better chance of capturing Verdun or conquering Paris. Gentlemen, what do you think will happen next?"

    Still, no one uttered a word.

    "There will be a decisive battle. The best-case scenario is both sides losing their capability to continue the attack. Then, everyone will negotiate, the rebels will betray the Irish and Polish, and the British and Prussians will betray us, resulting in a ''peace.'' Or General Napoleon Bonaparte will achieve another brilliant victory. Gentlemen, for us, any oue other than capturing Verdun and conquering Paris is a bitter pill to swallow, isn''t it?"

    At this point, Philippe de Treville paused, allowing everyone to understand the gravity of the situation. Then he continued, "So, whether this news is true or not, it''s good news for us because it can motivate the British and Prussians to continue their attack. If it''s true, we''ll be the biggest winners. Even if it''s false, even a trap, the ones who pay the price won''t be us, and it won''t even be our most reliable allies. So, gentlemen, I don''t understand why we, not being British or Prussian, should hesitate over the veracity of this news."

    "p, p, p..." The Count of Artois led the apuse.

 Chapter 198: Rebellion and Coup

    Chapter 198: Rebellion and Coup

    Before long, the Duke of Brunswick received thetest intelligence: right across from them, there was a formidable defense, like an impregnable fortress, manned by the nightmare with the same name, Joseph Bonaparte. In the previous battle, this dread figure, Joseph Bonaparte, had been struck by a bullet, and his fate hung in the bnce.

    "Have we struck down another Frenchmander?" the Duke of Brunswick couldn''t help but find this news rather absurd. However, on the battlefield, absurdity was amon urrence. After all, wasn''t King Theodoric killed in the decisive Battle of Verona after iming victory?

    Furthermore, neither the British nor Prussian high-ranking officers were keen on returning home with a colossal failure. Achieving glory and returning victorious, even at the cost of many soldiers'' lives, was more desirable than failing utterly, and the bones of thousands withering away.

    However, blindly charging forward without verifying the information and then getting brutally beaten was something no one''s pride could tolerate. So, everyone decided to pause and assess the situation while reinforcing their own defenses.

    Simultaneously, in Paris, chaos reigned. Joseph understood that he had to keep this from Paris because the city acted like a sieve. Once any piece of information reached the people of Paris, it spread like wildfire. Businessmen and bankers knew military secrets faster and more urately than the generals did.

    Most businessmen had a foot in various camps. So, if Joseph were to inform the Parisian authorities that he was merely feigning injury, it wouldn''t take an afternoon for every person with wealth and status in Paris to learn about his ruse. What would be the point then?

    Concealing this information from the government created another problem: the government officials took it seriously. This highly confidential military secret soon became public knowledge in Paris, even appearing in some newspapers.

    Of course, The Truth of Science, a prominent newspaper, immediately stepped up to debunk the rumors, stating, "In these trying times, everyone must remain calm and resist believing or spreading unfounded rumors!"

    However, The Truth of Science did not provide any concrete evidence to dispel the circting rumors. On the contrary, another news article in the same newspaper seemed to corroborate the rumor: General Moro had repelled the British attack on the Cateau, rapidly moving to support General Joseph Bonaparte in Verdun.

    For most people, this military maneuver almost confirmed the veracity of the story that Joseph was injured. Obviously, if Joseph weren''t wounded, why would Moro need to rush to Verdun urgently?

    Other actions seemed to reinforce this belief. Recent reports indicated that Mr. Lavasie, who had just returned to Paris and resumed his teaching position at the University of Paris, had abruptly left for Toulon for work-rted reasons. Several researchers from the Institute of Military Research, including many "for work-rted reasons," were dispatched to Toulon. The Truth of Science made no attempt to refute these ims, merely stating that these were nned and regr transfers.

    Moreover, it wasn''t just this. The turmoil gave rise to opportunistic crimes within the government itself. One morning, when the Finance Ministry''s employees arrived at work, they discovered that Secretary Garcia had not shown up. It was quickly revealed that Garcia had forged signatures to embezzle a significant amount of government funds and had fled with his young wife.

    This wasn''t an isted incident, and simr cases were on the rise.

    In this chaos, the Royalists rekindled their activities, especially in areas with a concentration of property owners. They once again formed alliances with some of the National Guard. In some ces, the Royalists'' white gs were boldly disyed.

    This situation further escted the chaos in Paris. On the other hand, the Public Safety Department, which had effectively suppressed Royalist activities, was exceptionally sluggish at this time. There were even rumors that the Minister of Public Safety, Fouch, was in contact with Royalist sympathizers. Paris seemed to be on the brink of upheaval.

    Napoleon, of course, received the message sent by Joseph. Meanwhile, his army had already entered a forced march, rapidly advancing towards Paris.

    On the night of March 16, 1798, Paris erupted in rebellion. By noon the following day, opportunists who had sided with the Royalists quickly took control of most of Paris and prepared toy siege to the National Convention once more. But just then, news arrived that General Napoleon had entered Paris with his army.

    An interesting scene unfolded. While Napoleon''s troops hadn''t yet arrived, the National Guard units surrounding the National Convention suddenly began to disperse en masse. When General Oudinot''s cavalry appeared on the square outside the Convention, the square and its surroundings were as empty as a setting for the movie "I Am Legend."

    In short, at the most critical moment, our General Napoleon Bonaparte once again saved the Republic and the Revolution. What was even more remarkable was that during this suppression of the rebellion, General Napoleon and his troops showed astonishing restraint. Not a single rebel was killed, and the rebellion was resolved peacefully, showcasing the might and civility of the Italian Legion.

    After sessfully quelling yet another Royalist rebellion and retrieving every avable parliamentarian (some had fled even before the outbreak of chaos, and their whereabouts were unknown), General Napoleon Bonaparte personally addressed the National Convention for the sake of the nation''s future.

    On his way to deliver the speech, Lucien said to Napoleon, "Napoleon, are you prepared for this speech? I must tell you, in public speaking, you need to"

    "Enough, Lucien," Napoleon waved him off, swatting him away like an annoying fly, although he did not intend to strangle Lucien with his intestines, "I''ve delivered countless speeches in the army. What''s public speaking to me? Do you think I need your lessons? Just watch!"

    With that, Napoleon entered the parliament hall with his head held high and delivered his speech to the assembly of legitors.

    In his speech, Napoleon expressed his disapproval of the current state of the French government. He criticized it as weak, corrupt, and inefficient, gued by fraudsters, ipetents, and traitors. This, he argued, was a gross mismanagement of the efforts of revolutionary soldiers, and if the situation persisted, the French Revolution would inevitably falter. To salvage the revolution and France itself, he proposed an immediate government overhaul, establishing a powerful, clean, and efficient new administration to vanquish all enemies of the revolution.

    Napoleon had anticipated that the legitors would cheer him on, much like his soldiers. However, the legitors instead questioned him:

    "General Bonaparte, are you proposing a military government?"

    "General Bonaparte, do you intend to be a tyrant?"

    "We overthrew one despot, and now you want to be the second tyrant?"

    In the end, the cries of "Down with the military despot! Long live democracy!" rang out.

    The legitors'' response took Napoleon entirely by surprise, and he hadn''t prepared for such a contingency. He turned pale, unsure of what to do.

    Perhaps inspired by Napoleon''s actions, the legitors boldly left their seats and began to converge on him. Napoleon had already begun scouting escape routes.

    "Damn it, I walked in without a weapon!" Napoleon thought.

    In this dire moment, a squad of soldiers and police, led by Lucien and Fouch, stormed in.

    Bang! Lucien fired two shots into the air.

    The legitors, brimming with zeal, promptly returned to their seats, resembling schoolchildren who had just seen their principal.

    Lucien signaled to Napoleon to leave, and Napoleon quickly exited. Then, Lucien took the lectern and cast a malevolent nce around the room before saying, "I know that among you, some have betrayed the revolution, betrayed France, and be the Bourbons''pdogs! Now you want to plot against the heroes of the revolution, the saviors of the Republic? Don''t be fooled by these individuals; be vignt!"

    There was some murmuring among the legitors, but the presence of heavily armed soldiers kept most of them silent.

    "Now I propose we revoke the immunity of those parliamentarians conspiring with the Royalists. All in favor, raise your hand," Lucien said, raising his own hand first.

    The legitors followed suit, one by one, raising their hands.

    "Very well, motion passed!" Lucien dered.

    Then Lucien yielded his ce to Fouch. Fouch produced a small notebook and began reciting names. For each name he mentioned, a person was escorted out by the police. Fouch only named five individuals, but they were the ones who had openly challenged Napoleon earlier.

    After these individuals had been taken away, Lucien dered, "Now, can we invite Mr. Napoleon Bonaparte to continue his speech?"

    So, Napoleon was brought back, and his speech became very concise: "You''ve all heard my proposal earlier. Now, we vote by raising our hands. Who''s in favor, and who''s against?"

    All 500 legitors present voted unanimously in favor, guided by their sense of responsibility to the revolution, France, and history.

 Chapter 199: The Highlands

    Chapter 199: The Hignds

    Emerging from the halls of the National Assembly, Lucien immediately shifted into full oration mode. He began reciting every word that Napoleon had used to berate him back in the day, as if to showcase the grandeur of the Frenchnguage to Napoleon himself. He continued until Napoleon, somewhat vexed, remarked, "Lucien, I''ve found that in this world, problems are often resolved through force, don''t you think? Like those buzzing flies  if you speak to them politely, they be even more insufferable. At that point, you must draw your sword, give them a swift jab, slice open their bellies, pull out their intestines, and then wrap them around their necks before giving a hard tug... and the world instantly bes quiet. Lucien, don''t you agree?"

    Lucien fell silent. He knew that while Napoleon might not draw a de, he was entirely capable of using his formidable fists to make a point.

    "I am a man of culture. I must maintain myposure and not stoop to brawling with this savage. I won''t lower myself to his level," Lucien reassured himself, basking in the spiritual victory.

    Seeing Lucien yield, Napoleon entrusted the affairs of Paris to him and set off with his army toward Verdun.

    At the same time, as Paris descended into chaos, the Anglo-Prussian forces at Verdun resumed their tentative attacks. The initial results were intriguing: the French resistance was intense, and any lost ground was quickly contested as they attempted to regain their positions. However, upon retaking the positions, the French defenses appeared weaker when the Anglo-Prussian forces renewed their attacks. This was consistent across all sectors, even in the areas that had be focal points of contention.

    "It truly seems like they''ve lost unifiedmand. Joseph Bonaparte may no longer be able to effectively lead,"mented the Duke of Brunswick to the other generals.

    The consensus was unanimous. However, at that moment, Major George Cadogan, the liaison officer, cautioned, "Your Grace, I believe we should exercise caution."

    "Major, do you have any insights?" inquired the Duke of Brunswick.

    "My senior, the Duke of Norfolk, provided me with some intelligence he obtained from captured materials and defectors from the Irish volunteers who have joined our ranks. From these documents, it is evident that Joseph Bonaparte is a master tactician, cunning and ruthless, without a shred of honor. He doesn''t hesitate to employ any means necessary to achieve his goals. So, my lord Duke of Norfolk advises extreme vignce concerning everything rted to him. I believe we can organize an attack but must prepare a sufficient reserve and a well-thought-out retreat n."

    "Very well. Major, do you have these tactical manuals with you?" asked the Duke of Brunswick.

    "Of course, such valuable resources cannot be concealed," Major Cadogan replied, to the agreement of other generals.

    "Alright, we''ll send a letter to the Duke of Norfolk. He''ll appreciate your vignce. Now, let''s discuss our retreat routes and cover in case of a failed attack tomorrow. Remember, both retreat and cover are critical and require expertise. Who among you is willing to shoulder this responsibility?"

    Almost every general except for Brunswick raised their hands eagerly.

    The Duke of Brunswick found this enthusiasm somewhat disheartening as it indicated a reluctance to fight. Nheless, he concealed his emotions, took a deep breath, and smiled, "You are all willing to bear this responsibility, which ismendable. However, the task will be assigned by me. General Brunswick, you have the duty."

    While the generals appeared somewhat disappointed, no one voiced objections. To them, if the task couldn''t go to themselves, assigning it to Brunswick seemed a reasonable alternative.

    The meeting delved into the timing and logistics of the retreat, emphasizing mutual cover,sting well into thete hours. Finally, the Duke of Brunswick spoke, "Ah, I hadn''t realized howte it had be. Gather your spirits, gentlemen. Let''s address one more issue before we conclude: ''How tounch our attack tomorrow.'' We must expedite this discussion so that, afterpleting our preparations, we might even have time for a nap."

    So, the preparations for the attack the next day were swiftly made, followed by arrangements for both the retreat and the assault. However, some officers, with their excessive attention to detail, extended the nning, leaving no room for sleep.

    The next day, the Anglo-Prussian forcesunched another assault on the Verdun fortifications. The initial attack seemed familiar, and the French response was much like the days before, resolute counterattacks but slow in redeployment.

    The Anglo-Prussian forces exploited the perceived weakness of the Frenchslow redeploymentand concentrated their troops quickly in critical areas. Theyunched a series of brute-force assaults, breaching not one but four lines of defense that day, with the fifth held by the French. Compared to previous days, this assault was notably sessful. The distant hignds were now within sight.

    Buoyed by this sess, almost everyone believed that divine favor was on their side and that the despicable, evil, and terrifying defensive warlord, Joseph Bonaparte, had been genuinely vanquished by bullets. If it weren''t for the moonless night, the spirited Anglo-Prussian officers (spirited, as it pertained only to them) might have considered a night assault. Even the French, albeit slow to react, would surely fortify the hignds overnight.

    At the evening meeting, General Brunswick proposed an idea regarding the attack. He believed that the French would reinforce the hignds, focusing all their attention there. Therefore, it was unwise to attack the hignds directly; they should employ a nking maneuver instead.

    "Tomorrow, we''ll concentrate our main attack on the nks of the hignds, while feigning an assault on the hignds themselves. Once the French are preupied with the feigned attack, we will swiftly redirect the primary assault to the nks. We''ll cut off the hignds from the rest of the French positions. Achieving this will render the isted hignds easier to conquer."

    Most officers concurred with this suggestion. However, their discussions were interrupted by a nighttime counterattackunched by the French.

    The Frenchunched a bold, though poorly coordinated, nighttime counteroffensive. Without the light of the moon, such extensive military operations were unsuitable, and the French attack quickly faltered. The Duke of Brunswick summed up the French effort with a simple phrase: "Our French friends are desperate."

    The following morning, the Anglo-Prussian forces initiated their attack on the hignds ording to General Brunswick''s n. As expected, the hignds'' defenses were solid, and the initial feigned assault encountered well-ced defenders. By 10 a.m., they observed the further reinforcement of French forces on the hignds. It was believed that the feigned attack had served its purpose, and they began the massive nking attacks as nned.

    In order to swiftly cut off the hignds from the rest of the French positions, the Anglo-Prussian forces carried out relentless, wave-after-wave assaults, ignoring casualties. Inspired by thebat encouragement of their leaders, they finally met on both nks before sundown, sessfully severing the connection between the hignds and the other French positions. Now, the only task left was to capture the hignds. Once secured, most of the battlefield would fall under the cover of the British cannons. The gates of Verdun would be open. Considering the significance of this position''s fall on French morale, the uing battles were likely to be easier.

    That evening, the Anglo-Prussian forces dispatched an envoy to persuade the remaining French garrison on the hignds to surrender. After all, attempting a direct assault might result in significant casualties, even with their current advantage.

    In his letter, the Duke of Brunswick expressed admiration for the French''s valiant defense and advised the French garrison that they had done all they could for France. Surrender was not a dishonor. He guaranteed the safety of their lives, property, and dignity. To preserve their honor, he wouldn''t even ask them to surrender their weapons, gs, ormand knives. Giving up the position would suffice.

    However, themander on the hignds, Captain Philmar, responded with a single word to the Duke of Brunswick''s surrender proposal: "Bah!"

 Chapter 200: The Fishhook

    Chapter 200: The Fishhook

    Since the offer of surrender had been rejected, the only option left was tounch an attack.

    In theory, the safest approach for an attack was toy siege and wear down the enemy. The high ground was treacherous, and a direct assault would undoubtedly result in significant casualties. However, the high ground wasn''t vast, and the defenders within couldn''t stockpile many provisions. If the high ground were surrounded, it would only be a matter of time before the defenders ran out of supplies.

    But there was a pressing concern  time. Napoleon''s Italian Legion was en route, and no one knew when they would arrive. Thus, the British and Prussian forces couldn''t afford to wait.

    However, an immediate attack was not feasible. The French forces in the vicinity keptunching counterattacks, trying to break through and link up with the high ground. So, the most urgent task for the coalition forces was not an immediate assault on the high ground, but rather securing their positions.

    But securing those positions wasn''t straightforward. The areas held by the coalition forces were within the firing range of the cannons on the high ground, making it perilous to engage in fortification work. Moreover, the French forces on the high ground had the advantage of high ground, allowing them to observe the various movements of the coalition forces below. Though there were no radios in that era, they could use signal gs and other means to transmit messages, making the coalition forces'' defenses all the more precarious.

    As a result, the coalition forces spent an entire day consolidating their siege around the high ground. The actual assault would have to wait for the following day.

    "Has Napoleon arrived?" Joseph, unscathed, asked the liaison sent by Napoleon. "So, uh... where is the general at the moment?"

    "He has reached Sainte-Menehould," the messenger replied.

    "Very close," Joseph mused. "I estimate that tomorrow morning, the coalition forces willunch a general assault on the Number One Height. It should hold out for at least three days. You, take this letter back to Napoleon, and let him decide for himself."

    Joseph referred to a letter, but in reality, it was a substantial package  a weighty dossier. The messenger, apanied by a cavalry escort, returned to Sainte-Menehould and delivered the package to Napoleon.

    Napoleon opened the dossier, which contained detailed ns of the Verdun fortress''s defenses and intelligence regarding the coalition forces'' current deployments, as far as Joseph knew.

    "What did Joseph say?" Napoleon inquired.

    "General Joseph Bonaparte said that the British and Prussian coalition forces have taken the bait and are besieging the Number One Height. The Number One Height should be able to hold out for at least a week. As for how to counterattack, he leaves it to your discretion."

    Napoleon meticulously examined the defensive maps and the information contained in the dossier. "Joseph had much to say," hemented.

    Napoleon then had all of his generals summoned to a meeting to discuss the next steps in their battle n.

    The generals arrived one by one. Napoleon allowed them to study Joseph''s defensive maps first. When everyone had finished, Napoleon asked, "What are your thoughts?"

    "I believe we might be a bit early for this," Davout spoke up.

    "Yes, looking at these defensive ns, I''m getting a bit queasy," Oudinot added. "I don''t know about the others, but if it were me, I''d be struggling to muster the courage tounch an attack. It''s like assaulting a heavily armored steel tortoise, and..."

    "And within this steel tortoise, there are multipleyers of armored shells," Berthier noted. "At present, General Joseph Bonaparte is using the Number One Height as bait to lure the enemy into a siege. ording to the information he provided, I believe the Number One Height can hold out for at least a week. If possible, I hope we can make them endure a few more days."

    "However, the news of our pacification of the Paris rebellion cannot remain hidden," Napoleon said. "Otherwise, this fellow wouldn''t unt these maps to us. Given the speed of information dissemination in Paris, we have at most two days. We''ll rest here for a day and then, early the day after tomorrow, we''ll march during the moonlit half of the night. By noon, we should be near Verdun. That should coincide with the fiercest fighting during the coalition forces'' siege of the Number One Height. If we suddenly appear, we can surely shatter the British and Prussian coalition forces. As for the specific arrangements, Berthier, you''ll handle it."

    Just as Napoleon was preparing to deal a significant blow to the British and Prussian forces, those same forces were gearing up for an all-out assault on the Number One Height.

    After spending a day reinforcing their siege around the Number One Height, the Duke of Brunswick sent another emissary to persuade the defenders to surrender. This time, he even sweetened the deal, offering substantial retirement pensions to Colonel Fanny and other officers on top of the previous terms.

    However, the persuasion attempt failed once more. Colonel Fanny responded, "We can hold out as long as it takes, even until you all die of old age."

    So, just ten minutes after the coalition envoy left the high ground, the coalition forcesunched their attack on the Number One Height.

    In the previous offensive operations, the coalition soldiers and junior officers had already started to believe in the existence of hell. However, after theyunched their assault on Number One Height, they were absolutely certain of one thing: Dante''s description of hell, with its multipleyers, was eerily urate.

    Number One Height didn''t feature any new-fangled contraptions they hadn''t seen before. There werendmines, barbed wire, Mini rifles, grenades, cannons, methrowers, andrge-padded stick grenades. But the problem was that the density of these deadly implements had significantly increased. It was evident that in recent times, the French, though slow to react, hade to understand that Number One Height was the focal point of the coalition''s attack and had taken measures to fortify it.

    The topography of Number One Height presented significant challenges for the attackers. While not especially high, it had been deliberately cleared of any obstructions. All trees blocking the line of sight had been cut down, and any natural cover for the attackers had been leveled, leaving the entire high ground exposed and open.

    The barbed wire on the high ground had also be denser, with only twenty meters between rows. The increased density meant that soldiers would be exposed to enemy fire for longer periods. Furthermore, the French had positioned a significant number of artillery pieces on the high ground.

    These included heavy cannons, ranging from 12 to 24 pounds, as well as medium cannons of 8 and 6 pounds. The French had constructed fortifications to house these cannons, allowing them to effectively deploy canister shot to mow down coalition soldiers trapped behind barbed wire.

    Naturally, the areas between the barbed wire were liberally scattered withndmines. Judging by the casualty rate of Prussian mobilized soldiers who had initiated the charge, the density of these mines was at least double what they had encountered in previous minefields.

    Coupled with the high vantage point, the defenders on the high ground could effortlessly throw grenades to a distance of fifty meters. In contrast, the attackers would have to climb a significant elevation to match that range. Furthermore, the "grenadeunchers" here could send grenades nearly a hundred meters  extending beyond the reach of even thergest artillery canister shot.

    Even if someone miraculously evaded these terrifying instruments and managed to continue forward, they would immediately confront more intimidating foes  the ymore mines and methrowers.

    Compared to these dangers, the detachments of Provost Guard behind them appeared almost adorable. After all, the Provost Guard was armed with rifles, necessitating the arduous process of reloading after each shot, which consumed precious time.

    Consequently, the initial wave of soldiers quickly retreated, and skirmishes even broke out between some soldiers and the Provost Guard. Both sides exchanged gunfire relentlessly.

    An entire day of assault resulted in over a thousand casualties, with little progress beyond some damage to the minefields and the barbed wire. That evening, the coalition forces dispatched personnel with explosives for a night raid, aiming to disrupt the enemy''s barbed wire defenses. However, as they approached, they were detected by the guard dogs on the high ground and stumbled uponndmines. Chaos ensued, followed by nighttime skirmishes initiated by the outer French forces, which continued until dawn.

    With the break of day, the coalition forces finally saw the results of their night raid. Some sections of the barbed wire on the high ground had been damaged, but the valiant French engineers promptly repaired them in the brief lulls between coalition attacks.

    The coalition''s heavy artillery initially fired solid shot at these engineers, but they remained undeterred, continuing to mend the barbed wire. Although some engineers were killed by artillery fire, the hit rate was too low for solid shot against such agile targets. Attempting to push the cannons closer for canister shot was less effective than having infantry charge.

    So, the coalition soldiers werepelled to leave the safety of their trenches and rush at the French engineers. However, they immediately faced a barrage of grape shot from the French, which left many of them wounded. By the time they had reached a position where they could return fire on the French engineers, the cunning French had already ceased their work and retreated.

    Subsequent attacks brought no significant changes, and the French resistance remained as fierce as it had been the previous day. It appeared that the high ground still held an abundance of ammunition. However, the time was running out for the coalition forces. They hade too far to turn back now, and the sunk costs were too high. Besides, perhaps another intense day of fighting would deplete the enemy''s ammunition entirely  after all, conscripts were cheap.

    And so, wave after wave of Johns and Friedrichs fell before the barbed wire of Number One Height.

    ....

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 Chapter 201: Counterattack

    Chapter 201: Counterattack

    At noon, the British and Prussian forces began a temporary rest. After all, no one is made of iron, and everyone needed a little break. It was also an opportunity to bring up the recently arrived conscripts and mercenaries.

    Yes, it was all for the capture of this unexpectedly formidable fortress. The British had already spent a substantial sum hiring multiple batches of mercenaries. Although they couldn''t find any more mercenaries in Italy, they could still recruit some from Germany.

    Initially, the British hired around ten thousand German mercenaries. However, it didn''t take long for these mercenaries to use the British of deception, iming they hadn''t adequately exined the difficulty and danger of the task. They strongly demanded contract termination or a fivefold increase in wages.

    Naturally, the British didn''t want to spend too much money, so they promised that the originally hired mercenaries would not have to carry out offensive tasks. Of course, this meant cutting their wages in half. The first batch of mercenaries readily agreed.

    After pacifying the first batch of mercenaries, the British went on to hire a new batch of mercenaries. This time they learned from their previous mistake. Instead of letting the mercenaries gradually adapt to the battlefield, they stationed them in rear camps where they couldn''t see the frontlines. They imposed strict management and prevented them from freelying and going to avoid excessive contact with others. When they were needed, they would be brought forward from the rear, and this time, there would be no requests for pay increases or contract terminations.

    The British generously shared their experience with the Prussians. The Prussians, who had been struggling with mutiny and rebellion in their ranks, were inspired and immediately set up isted camps a bit further away to house new conscripts. This way, the fresh recruits were sealed off to prevent them from being exposed to unnecessary information that might corrupt their thoughts and reduce theirbat effectiveness.

    This method also raised two issues. The first issue was that conscriptscked training. However, in this kind of offensive warfare, the difference in mortality rates between trained and untrained soldiers wasn''t that significant. So, at this moment, it wasn''t a major concern.

    The second issue was that the time interval between each attack by the British and Prussian forces had to be extended because they had to wait until the previous batch of consumables was exhausted before bringing in the next batch. Otherwise, allowing these armed conscripts to witness how the previous batch of consumables was used on the battlefield would likely lead to problems.

    Extending the attack intervals would give the French more time to prepare, which wasn''t favorable for the attackers. However, they had already cut off the First Heights and other French forces''munication, so all the Allies needed to do was to deplete their ammunition. Slowing down the pace a bit wasn''t unbearable.

    Thus, the battlefield experienced a temporary calm. Everyone used this time to grab a quick meal because, for many, this might be theirst.

    Napoleon''s Grand Army, however, had already eaten and moved to the northern side of the British and Prussian alliance. The soldiers were resting in ce, preparing for the decisive attack.

    At this moment, the cavalry sent to contact Joseph had returned. General Mura had returned with them.

    "Joseph, wee back. How was it? Did you enjoy your time with my brother?" Napoleon asked.

    "Not at all. I was nearly suffocated there," Mura replied. "General Joseph Bonaparte is undoubtedly a great military strategist, but... especially during meetings, it''s just... You look at him all despondent and sighing, and you''d think the British and Prussians have us on the hook! What really gets to me is that every time someone suggests something new, he always chimes in with, ''Of course, that sounds good, but for heaven''s sake, don''t cause any trouble!'' It''s just..."

    "Alright, Mura, cheer up. You''re back now!" Napoleon said, clearly pleased with Mura''s return.

    "Yeah, by the way, how''s it going over there?" After patting Mura''s shoulderfortingly, Napoleon asked again.

    "General, Joseph Bonaparte had me bring you a message. As long as he...," Mura began.

    Following Joseph''s n, it was his forces that initiated a full-scale counterattack. Joseph believed that his counteroffensive would surely divert the enemy''s attention, allowing Napoleon tounch an attack from the nk.

    "I still need him to tell me when to attack? But... this time, let''s do it as he says," Napoleon finally agreed.

    So, just twenty minutes after the British and Prussian forces deployed the mercenaries and conscripts, who were oblivious to the brutality of war, intobat, the defensive French troopsunched a full-scale counteroffensive. The French opened fire with all their firepower, using various weapons against the Allied forces. Simultaneously, they counterattacked from multiple directions, seemingly aiming to restore their connection with the First Heights.

    Initially, the British and Prussians weren''t panicked by the French action because they had some preparations for arge-scale French counterattack. The importance of the First Heights couldn''t be lost on the French. If they wanted to maintain their front lines and secure the fortress, they would undoubtedly try to reestablishmunication with the First Heights. Moreover, it had been several days, and the French probably had a newmander by now.

    So, initially, they viewed it as something to be expected. Even when they noticed the fierce intensity of the French assault, they saw it as a sign that "our French friends are getting desperate."

    However, they soon realized that the strength of the French attack surpassed their expectations, and they were struggling to hold their ground. Therefore, Duke of Brunswick made a decision he wouldter regret  hemitted more forces to resist the French counterattack and, if possible, expand his control area when the French retreated.

    Just as he gathered the fresh forces tounch the counterattack, a report arrived that cavalry in the north had spotted the main French army in great numbers.

    This news was like a bolt of lightning to Duke of Brunswick and the othermanders. Their troops, especially the mostbat-effective ones, were already engaged in defensive and counteroffensive operations. Although they had some reserve forces, they were intended for anticipated contingencies on the current battlefield. The reserve forces couldn''t be toorge, as that would be a waste of theirbat power. So, they wouldn''t be sufficient to confront the massive Italian army that was about to rush in from the north.

    At this point, they had no other choice but to quickly extract their troops from the stalled battle. Of course, this carried significant risks. Poorly organized, it might even lead to the French from the north outnking them, and the French forces in front chasing them down, possibly causing the Allied forces to copse. But at this moment, Duke of Brunswick had hardly any other options.

    "Send the cavalry to confirm the message. In addition, instruct all units to prepare for a withdrawal from the battle. Have General Bliicher lead his cavalry to slow down the advancing French troops from the north," Duke of Brunswick ordered.

    Bliicher led his cavalry towards the north, but with only around a thousand horsemen at his disposal, Duke of Brunswick had little faith in their effectiveness.

    However, when attempting to retract from the battle, it was far from easy. As soon as the Allied forces hinted at a retreat, the French troops came charging. Furthermore, the French counteroffensive was organized with great flexibility, indicating experienced officers were inmand.

    If they weren''t under pressure from Napoleon''s Italian army, Duke of Brunswick might have been able to reorganize his forces and withdraw from the battle. But at the moment when Napoleon''s Italian army was about to arrive, he no longer had time for that. He had to concentrate as many troops as possible and exit the battle before the Italian army arrived.

    Moreover, the cavalry returning from the north had repeatedly confirmed that Napoleon''s Grand Army was rapidly approaching. Brunswick assessed the situation and finally made the ultimate decision: "Order all units, abandon everything, break contact with the enemy, and retreat to the camp."

    Thismand resulted in enormous chaos within the troops  but it was unavoidable. The retreat quickly turned into a rout. Many units that had pushed too far ahead couldn''t return in time and were cut off by the advancing French. Many more units were shattered in retreat, losing their cohesion and bing disarrayed.

    By the time they had followed Duke of Brunswick back to their camp, only half of their total forces remained. More troops had been killed by the French, taken as prisoners, or had vanished somewhere. Wisely, they hadn''t returned to the camp, and for now, the French had other concerns to attend to.

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 Chapter 202: Victory

    Chapter 202: Victory

    Brousshe''s cavalry yed only a minor role in the grand scheme of things. With just over a thousand light cavalrymen, what could they achieve against Napoleon''s massive army of over sixty thousand? Brousshe attempted to disrupt Napoleon''s advance by darting around with his cavalry, trying to buy some time for the Duke of Brunswick''s forces on the other side. But his harassment had little effect, and on one asion, his cavalry ventured too close, leading to a volley of musket fire from the French infantry, resulting in significant casualties.

    After a fewps, Brousshe decided to halt the cavalry at a safer distance to give their horses a chance to rest. It wouldn''t be wise to exhaust their mounts; if the French cavalry decided to charge at that moment, escape would be nearly impossible.

    As expected, Ons and his cavalry unit soon approached and confronted Brousshe. After a brief standoff, Brousshe decided it was time to retreat.

    His adjutant inquired, "General, shall we retreat to Verdun?"

    Brousshe responded firmly, "No, we can''t lead the enemy''s main force there. We are heading to Longwy."

    As a result, Napoleon''s army sessfully reached Verdun.

    Meanwhile, the Duke of Brunswick had managed to regroup as many troops as he could and retreated to his camp. However, the hasty withdrawal resulted in the loss of many supplies, including the British artillery, though they had the foresight to spike the cannon barrels before leaving.

    The Anglo-Prussian army, while trying to establish a defensive line, was well aware that bringing all their supplies with them was impossible. They were trapped between the Northern French army and the Italian army, waiting for the inevitable encirclement.

    Beyond their fragile defensive line, Napoleon, nked by a group of his generals, walked toward Joseph, who was apanied by his advisors.

    Joseph extended his hand to Napoleon and said, "General, I now officially transfermand from the defensive to the offensive."

    Their hands shook, and Napoleon inquired, "Where will you be heading next?"

    "Back to theboratory," Joseph replied.

    "Ah, you always enjoy staying in the rear," Napoleon remarked.

    "What about you? Where do you n to go next?" Joseph asked.

    "To Berlin!" Napoleon dered.

    Joseph considered for a moment, nodded, and said, "Very well. If you''re going to Berlin, I have someone here who might be quite useful. This is General Soult. He''s young but capable, and I must say, most of our counterattacks today were under hismand. In terms of on-the-spot decision-making, he''s even better than I am."

    "My goodness, praising me for on-the-spot decision-making isn''t exactly an de," Napoleon joked, then shook hands with Soult. "Wee, General Soult. Let''s go together and raise the tricolor g over Brandenburg Gate!"

    "I''m thrilled, General. However, before we do that, perhaps we can resolve the little obstacle right in front of us," Soult suggested. "I believe we can send an emissary to request their surrender."

    That afternoon, a French messenger carrying Napoleon''s letter entered the camp of the Anglo-Prussian army and handed the message to the Duke of Brunswick:

    "Duke of Brunswick and esteemed generals,

    You find yourselves in an utterly hopeless situation. One of your allies, Russia, has already withdrawn from the war. As for your other ally, Archduke Charles of Austria, his forces are over two hundred kilometers away. Can you truly expect him toe to your aid? Does he possess the means to relieve your predicament? Do you wish to break out? My armies surround you from all sides. If you attempt an escape, my forces will pursue relentlessly, and there is no guarantee you will elude us.

    Your forces have suffered heavy casualties, with over half your men taken as prisoners of war. While you have conscripted the peaceful residents of various German states into your ranks, they are ill-prepared for battle. Under our relentless attacks, they have suffered heavy casualties and have lost the will to fight. Now, you are confined to a small area norger than a camp, making you an easy target for our artillery.

    During this time, your wounded and soldiers have suffered greatly under yourmand. Many of your low-ranking officers and soldiers no longer wish to fight. There have even been instances of mutiny. As marshals and generals, you should consider the feelings of your subordinates, cherish their lives, and find a way out for them before making them sacrifice needlessly.

    Currently, we can concentrate forces several times your number, possess firepower ten times greater, and wield advanced weaponry that surpasses your imagination. Our scientific and technological advancements have ced France at the forefront. You''ve witnessed our capabilities in the battles of these days, but we have even more potent weapons in our arsenal that we haven''t unleashed.

    If you order an immediate surrender,ying down your arms and ceasing resistance, my forces guarantee the safety of your senior officers and all enlisted men, as well as the protection of their personal property. This is your only way out. Consider it well. If you find this agreeable, act ordingly. If you still wish to fight, it is inevitable that we will deal with you."

    The Duke of Brunswick epted the French proposal and requested further discussion on the matter.

    The French envoy replied, "General Napoleon Bonaparte generously grants you a twenty-four-hour period for consideration, which is more lenient than the time he was given initially. If you decide to ept our terms, you may send an envoy for negotiations."

    With these matters settled, the French envoy, General Fierma, departed from the coalition camp.

    On the following morning, with only two hours remaining until the deadline, the Duke of Brunswick led his surrounded force of over forty thousand soldiers to surrender to the French. He handed over his marshal''s baton to Napoleon. The more than forty thousand British and Prussian soldiers apanying himid down their arms as well.

    The news was rapidly ryed to Paris, and the "Truth of Science" newspaper immediately issued a special edition, which was distributed for free throughout the city. Soon, everyone in Paris learned of the uplifting news, and jubtion echoed throughout the entire city.

    Even within the offices of the War Ministry, Carnot could clearly hear the cheers. However, instead of boosting his spirits, these cheers furrowed his brow even further.

    He was aware of Joseph''s maniption of the false information. On this matter, Joseph had not deceived him. But the unexpected rebellion resulting from this fabricated news frustrated Carnot. He had thought that the Royalists were already severely weakened after the previous uprising.

    Regarding Napoleon''s suppression of the Royalist revolt, if asked whether Carnot supported it or not, he would undoubtedly approve. However, the way Napoleon presented the situation in the Assembly had deeply agitated Carnot, as it seemed to undermine the foundations of democracy and the republican system.

    Though Lucien had assured him that neither Joseph nor Napoleon had ambitions to be dictators, Carnot remained somewhat concerned.

    Carnot was certain that Joseph had no aspirations for the role of dictator, given his inclination to remain in the shadows. Joseph''s life philosophy revolved around "making a fortune quietly."

    As for Lucien, Carnot was equally confident that he would never consider bing a dictator. He had watched Lucien grow up and knew him well. Lucien was more interested in fine wines, exquisite cuisine, beautiful women, and idling away his time than pursuing political power. Lucien''s life idol was not Caesar or Augustus but the legendary Don Juan.

    Napoleon, however, was less predictable. His personal heroes were not limited to Caesar; he also admired Alexander the Great. So, there was a possibility that he might genuinely aspire to be a dictator, or even aim to be the "First Citizen."

    Nheless, Carnot agreed with Lucien''s perspective: France was currently locked in a struggle as a single nation against the entire reactionary feudal world. In the long run, the two were ipatible. Therefore, in this critical moment, it was necessary to ept a temporary dictatorship, as long as it would ensure the fundamental intereststhe sovereignty of the people.

    "In thend of freedom and democracy, in a battle against the autocratic and dark nations of Europe," Carnot mused, "from a long-term perspective, these are irreconcble forces. We are not like the United States, which can remain isted from the rest of the world. So, at this critical juncture, in ordance with the ''Social Contract,'' the sovereignty of France naturally derives from the French people, and the government''s power is derived from the people''s concession. While we prefer that each person yields as little power as possible, at times, relinquishing more authority to safeguard the most fundamental interestthe people''s sovereigntyis necessary."

    In the current situation, Carnot had to admit that France required a clean and efficient government, one capable of making swift decisions and unwaveringly implementing them. Many of the figures who had previously manipted events in the political arena had been proven eithercking in ability or marred by moral shorings. Therefore, for now, they had to ept a temporary dictatorship.

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 Chapter 203: The Determination of Archduke Karl

    Chapter 203: The Determination of Archduke Karl

    After forcing the surrender of the Brunswickian army, Napoleon swiftly led his forces towards their next target. Currently, they were stationed in Longwy, facing the Austrian armymanded by Archduke Karl.

    Throughout this war, Austria''s primary focus had always been Italy. Consequently, the majority of their forces were deployed to the Italian theater of war. Even after the Russo-Prussian coalition''s defeat in Italy and Russia''s subsequent betrayal, Austria remainedmitted to the Italian front. Especially when Napoleon, leading the main forces of the French army in Italy, returned to France to confront the British, Austria immediately shifted most of its resources towards Italy.

    Despite the departure of the Russian coalition, only a few French troops remained in Italy, mostly Italian auxiliaries. The Austrians believed these would be easy targets since the French had shifted most of their military production capabilities to support the northern front. Joseph''s style of warfare was indeed resource-intensive. It was rumored that Napoleon oncemented on militarymanders of the past and present, saying, "What does Joseph know about fighting? He only knows how to fight with money!"

    At first, the Italians had won a few impressive battles, but as their supplies dwindled, theirbat effectiveness sharply declined. They quickly found themselves on equal footing with the better-supplied Austrians, gradually losing ground.

    Consequently, the Emperor had urgently written to Archduke Karl, requesting additional supplies. Still, he dyed sending all those letters and instead rerouted the supplies and troops to Italy. If it wasn''t for the fact that recing Archduke Karl would be an insult to the Habsburgs, the Emperor might have considered detaining him and redirecting his forces to Italy.

    Thus, Archduke Karl''s army was neither elite nor well-supplied, putting them at a disadvantage. Archduke Karl was aware of his army''s condition and, in previous battles, avoided engaging in directbat, instead trailing behind the British and Prussians to seize territory and gain advantages.

    When the Anglo-Prussian coalition became trapped at Verdun, they had initially requested Archduke Karl''s reinforcements. However, Archduke Karl, sensing something amiss from Brunswick''s messages, offered various excuses to dy his march to Verdun. It was only after Napoleon sent a letter urging surrender to Brunswick that Archduke Karl finally arrived in Longwy.

    Archduke Karl''s reconnaissance cavalry ranged far and wide, even keeping an eye on the Verdun area. So, when Napoleon decisively defeated the Anglo-Prussian coalition at Verdun and wiped out their main forces, Archduke Karl received this news rather quickly.

    Now, Archduke Karl understood that after the coalition''s defeat under Brunswick, his army would surely be a thorn in Napoleon''s side. If he didn''t eliminate this army, Napoleon, whether heading for Hanover or Austria, would find his army positioned to threaten his nk.

    Archduke Karl was now facing a critical choiceretreat immediately, withdraw from Longwy, and clear the path for Napoleon towards Hanover and Berlin. Or, fall back to Luxembourg, using its easily defensible terrain to dy Napoleon and gain time for the allied forces to react, or at least, to initiate peace negotiations.

    "After the Battle of Verdun, the French have effectively won this war. The only question left is how this war will conclude. If the French easily conquer Hanover or crush Prussia, Austria will be in grave danger. At that point, even if we wish to negotiate with the French, we won''t get favorable terms. So, even if we aim for negotiations, we must be the first nation to reach a peaceful agreement with the French. To achieve that, I intend to immediately retreat to Luxembourg. What are your thoughts on this?" Archduke Karl asked General Nostitz.

    Luxembourg was a crucial location, sitting on the path from France to the German states. Itsplex geography and natural defenses made it a formidable position. Over the centuries, it had been a hotly contested area, earning nicknames like the "Land of a Thousand Castles" and the "Gibraltar of the North."

    Previously, the French had briefly controlled this region, but due to a series of failures by the Northern Army, it had been abandoned. The British and Prussian forces were temporarily upied elsewhere, allowing the Austrians to seize this strategic location.

    upying Luxembourg and forcing the French to offer more favorable terms for Austria''s withdrawal from the war was the reason Archduke Karl had brought his main force near Verdun after sensing something amiss from Brunswick''s messages.

    Archduke Karl had barely formed his troops near Luxembourg when General Brissot arrived with a few hundred cavalry. From General Brissot, Archduke Karl gained a deeper understanding of the events at Verdun. He kept General Brissot and his subordinate officers for several more days to learn about the French''s new defensive techniques.

    However, General Brissot couldn''t linger here for long. He left several of his officers behind with Archduke Karl before hastily departing.

    Three days after General Brissot''s departure, French cavalry began appearing near Luxembourg. That afternoon, the vanguard of the French army, led by Davout, reached Luxembourg.

    By now, Napoleon''s army had swelled to 120,000 strong, including the original elite Italian legions, over 60,000 strong, more than 40,000 battle-hardened French soldiers from the Verdun campaign, and over 10,000 German mercenaries that the British hadn''t yet employed. They had all surrendered to the coalition. Considering the shortage of manpower in many areas, especially ack of people familiar with the German region''s terrain and customs, Napoleon inquired if their leader, Barbou, would ept employment under hismand, with a ransom as payment for their freedom.

    Barbou keenly sensed that this could be his chance to climb the socialdder and agreed immediately. Thus, these mercenaries, who were on the brink of being discarded, became subordinates of Napoleon.

    Of course, Napoleon didn''t believe these mercenaries would be of great use on the battlefield. He didn''t anticipate needing one-time-use troops like the British did. These mercenaries were mostly dispersed for scouting and simr purposes. This also allowed them to receive some education in revolutionary ideals while with the French army.

    "If we want to secure a foothold in the German region, we must implement the samend revolution policies we executed in Italy," Napoleon instructed Joseph before leaving Verdun. He believed that German-speaking mercenaries could be useful at this time.

    Initially, Napoleon thought that Archduke Karl would make way for his army, retreating towards Kaiserutern. In that case, Napoleon nned to leave a diversionary force in Luxembourg while moving the main army toward Prussia. Seizing the opportunity while Prussia was still reeling from its recent defeat, he intended to crush Prussia.

    To his surprise, Archduke Karl was resolute and positioned his army in Luxembourg, causing trouble for Napoleon.

    Napoleon was confident of defeating Archduke Karl. His army wasrger, better equipped, more motivated, better trained, and far more advanced. Archduke Karl had only about 60,000 troops, mainly raw recruits, with few cavalry. Their equipment was rtively outdatedover half their rifles were still muzzleloaders. Moreover, theycked sufficient artillery.

    Given this disparity in forces, Napoleon believed he could ovee Archduke Karl, even if he held the formidable position of Luxembourg. However, he acknowledged that capturing Luxembourg, with its advantageous terrain and fortifications, would still consume considerable time.

    Furthermore, Napoleon faced logistical supply issues. This was primarily due to the excessive expenditure of ammunition by Joseph during the Verdun battle, resulting in a severe shortage. The siege warfare ahead would further deplete ammunition stores. Although French arms factories were operating around the clock, they struggled to keep up with the war''s demand. Waiting for these supplies to be produced and transported would allow Prussia to raise arge army.

    Just as Napoleon was grappling with these concerns, someone arrived with news that the Austrians had sent an envoy.

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 Chapter 204: Negotiations

    Chapter 204: Negotiations

    After receiving the message that Archduke Charles had sent a military envoy, Napoleon turned to General Soult, who was apanying him, and asked, "General Soult, what do you think the Austrian envoy is here for?"

    "Most likely to negotiate a peace agreement," Soult replied after a moment''s thought.

    "Go on," Napoleon said. His recent interactions with Soult had left him quite satisfied. He found this new subordinate to be tactically sound and sharp-minded, making him curious to hear Soult''s opinion.

    "Your Excellency, we can certainly defeat the Austrians, and I believe Archduke Charles understands that. However, he also knows how precious time is for us at the moment. He probably wants to use this time to bargain with us."

    "So, what do you think our approach should be?" Napoleon asked.

    "It depends on the conditions they propose, Your Excellency," Soult replied.

    "Very well," Napoleon nodded. "Bring the envoy here and, on the way, let him see the cannons we''ve captured."

    In Verdun, when the British and Prussian armies retreated into their camps, they left behind a significant number of cannons, especially the British, who abandoned manyrge naval cannons. While military discipline required the firing mechanisms to be disabled when abandoning cannons (to prevent their immediate use without repairs), due to the sheer quantity and limited time, about half of the cannons had functional firing mechanisms.

    Thanks to the recent dry weather and the additionalbor force from German mercenaries, along with the capture of many draft horses (virtually all of the British artillery horses had been taken prisoner, and with nearly half of the cannons rendered unusable, there was a surplus of these horses), the captured cannons were barely keeping up with Napoleon''s marching speed. However, in the context of ammunition shortages, the presence of these cannons only added to the logistical stress.

    Nevertheless, these cannons were quite effective at intimidating the enemy, and the Austrians were unlikely to be aware of the limited ammunition at Napoleon''s disposal. (Of course, before the invention of synthetic ammonia, few countries had ample gunpowder.)

    Soult escorted Archduke Charles''s envoy to meet Napoleon.

    Although the Austrian envoy had been waiting for quite a while, he remainedposed and courteous. This demeanor impressed Soult, and he felt somewhat favorably disposed toward the envoy.

    "I regret to inform you, General Bonaparte is not here," Soult said. "However, I have been tasked with taking you to meet him. I''m sorry, but we don''t have suitable carriages, so you will have to ride with us to the general''s location."

    "That''s not a problem; when can we depart?" the young Austrian envoy asked.

    "Immediately, sir. As you know, we don''t have much time to spare," Soult replied.

    The envoy mounted his horse and, under the escort of a cavalry unit, they left the vige that was under French control, heading towards another vige along the road.

    The journey was challenging due to the crowded roads filled with French troops, horses, and vehicles. At one intersection, they were halted by a passing artillery column. These artillery units, towing heavy cannons, did not slow down or stop easily due to the immense inertia of the cannons. Stopping abruptly or slowing down could lead to variousplications and idents.

    Particrly, this artillery column was equipped with captured British naval 24-pound cannons. The army typically didn''t field such heavy cannons in this era, and if they did, they were primarily used in fortifications. The artillery used in field battles was generally not heavier than 8 pounds and often made of rtively lightweight bronze. However, these cannons were heavy iron pieces, and each cannon was drawn by sixteen draft horses. The long, bulky, dark green barrels pointed diagonally towards the sky as the carriages rumbled along, and there were countless cannons in this column.

    Soult and his party waited with their horses as they observed the envoy''s reaction to the passing artillery column. Unfortunately, Soult couldn''t discern much change in the envoy''s expression.

    Throughout the journey, Soult paid close attention to the envoy. From his control of the horse and his slender, fair hands, Soult deduced that this man likely had limited military experience. Perhaps due to this, he might not fullyprehend the significance of transporting so many heavy cannons to this location within the current time constraints.

    They waited for the artillery column to pass, which took a considerable amount of time. Afterward, Soult and the Austrian envoy continued riding towards another vige.

    The vige held a rather decent manor, which likely belonged to some noble. However, it had been requisitioned by the French and now served as Napoleon''s temporary headquarters.

    Napoleon received the young envoy in the manor''s small sitting room. The envoy introduced himself as Clemens Wenzel von Metternich.

    Unbeknownst to Napoleon, the young man standing before him would have be Austria''s prime minister in the original timeline, creating the influential Metternich system that would shape Europe for decades.

    Napoleon gestured for Metternich to take a seat and then casually asked, "I heard you are Archduke Charles''s envoy. Our two nations are currently at war, so I''m curious, what brings Archduke Charles to send you at this time?"

    "Of course, it''s for the sake of European peace," Metternich replied.

    "European peace? Isn''t that your country''s responsibility?" Napoleon retorted with a hint of sarcasm. "Last time, we reached an agreement regarding peace. Yet, not long ago, it was your country that tore the peace treaty to shreds and initiated war. And now you''re calling for peace again?"

    In the face of Napoleon''s usation, Metternich remained calm. He smiled and said, "General Bonaparte, the question of who is responsible for breaking thest peace is not the main issue here. Different countries have different perspectives on this matter. If we were to engage in a debate on this issue, each nation''s stance would differ. Such a discussion wouldn''t serve much purpose for the current problem, would it?"

    "Very well," Napoleon conceded. "I don''t want to waste time on such tedious matters. First, I''d like to know if you, as Archduke Charles''s envoy, believe your status is sufficient to discuss matters of peace between our nations."

    Metternich nodded with a smile, "Our Emperor has always been a kind and peaceful monarch, so, when the war began, he considered that the disputes between our nations ultimately should be resolved through peaceful negotiations..."

    "But your Emperor would prefer to hold the talks in Paris, right?" Napoleon couldn''t help but add a touch of sarcasm.

    "That is not the main issue, General," Metternich replied. "Due to such considerations, His Imperial Majesty has authorized Archduke Charles and France to engage in peace negotiations at the outbreak of the war. I carry here the Imperial Majesty''s authorization, which certifies my negotiating credentials."

    As he spoke, Metternich reached for a document bag that had already been inspected by Napoleon''s guards to prevent any potential assassination attempts. Such incidents were rare, but Joseph had always been cautious, so Napoleon''s guards had received specialized training organized by Joseph.

    Metternich opened the bag and handed a document to Napoleon. Upon inspection, it indeed was a valid authorization. It seemed that the Austrian Emperor had nned for negotiations in case the situation turned unfavorable, unlike the Russians who had agreed to conditions but needed nearly a month to send a proper peace envoy.

    "Very well," Napoleon nodded. "While I may not have full authorization, I am one of the rulers of the French Republic now. I believe I can represent France in deciding matters of war and peace with your country. Now, Mr. Metternich, what are the conditions Austria hopes to achieve for peace?"

    "We hope to return to the state of peace before it was broken. Furthermore, this peace should also include the issue of peace between our nation and the Cisalpine Republic," Metternich said.

    Napoleon smiled, "So, your country unterally tore up the peace agreement, and now you hope to restore peace without any consequences?"

    "We can offer you assistance," Metternich replied.

    "Oh? What kind of assistance can your country provide?" Napoleon inquired.

    "We can cede Luxembourg, allowing you to save valuable time for your eastern advance," Metternich said.

    "We can capture it ourselves," Mura interjected at Napoleon''s side.

    "But it will take time," Metternich responded. "General, even though I haven''t served in the military, when I arrived here, Archduke Charles told me that your army has the capability to take Luxembourg. However, he believes that he can hold out for at least two months. After your brilliant victory in Verdun, both Hanover and Prussia are now vulnerable. But if you don''t exploit their vulnerability promptly, the value of your victory in Verdun will diminish. Every second is precious right now. Our country can help you save this invaluable time. Why can''t you be more generous to our nation, General?"

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 Chapter 205: The Pit

    Chapter 205: The Pit

    "You''re here to haggle with my time," Napoleon said.

    Metternich remained silent, effectively agreeing.

    "But this offer is not good enough," Napoleon shook his head. "This alone won''t secure you such a favorable peace."

    "So, General, what do you suggest?" Metternich inquired. He had prepared for bribing Napoleon, knowing that the General Napoleon Bonaparte had a penchant for money, as the various Italian states had disclosed.

    "Mr. Metternich, do you remember how Spain exited the war?" Napoleon asked with a smile.

    Metternich was initially surprised, then a glimmer of hope flickered.

    Spain had left the war on the condition of allying with France, thus escaping territorial concessions. So, if they followed this path, especially given the recent Franco-Russian entente, how could the French make such demands?

    "Of course, you can''t expect to get the same terms as Spain. Our Russian friends wouldn''t appreciate it," Napoleon''s next words shattered Metternich''s illusions, proving that Napoleon''s wits were still razor-sharp.

    "What do you mean then?" Metternich felt the negotiations had veered beyond his expectations, taking an unpredictable turn. This left him somewhat flustered, as this unexpected turn of events signaled a loss of control in the negotiations.

    "We cannot achievesting peace based solely on a piece of paper. You see, agreements are often unreliable. Both our nations have had their fair share of vitions after signing agreements. Let''s not rush to defend your country; after signing agreements, both of our nations have been guilty of transgressions. Such incidents are hard to avoid, and their umtion can utterly ruin the rtionship between two countries, rendering the peace agreement a mere scrap of paper. If we want to discuss peace today, we should work to prevent this oue as much as possible."

    With these words, Napoleon leaned back in his chair, his smile reflecting his anticipation of Metternich''s interpretation of his statement.

    Had this been the seasoned Prime Minister Metternich of the history books or even the Ambassador Metternich of a few yearster, they might have discerned hidden nuances in Napoleon''s words. But the young and naive Metternich of this moment was unable to truly grasp the hidden daggers concealed within Napoleon''s smile. All he could do was offer a generic response, "As long as our nations maintain their love..."

    "No, Mr. Metternich, I''m afraid you haven''t fully grasped my point," Napoleon sat up, resting his elbows on the table, his head cradled in sped hands. "Good intentions and promises guarantee nothing, at least nothingsting, because these things are inherently short-lived. Therefore, ''don''t swear by the moon''something dependable, something that can genuinely unite us and strengthen our friendship over timeis ourmon interest. You see, ever since we achieved peace with Spain, our friendship has grown because both sides benefited. The agreement we reached with Spain has elements we can mutually borrow."

    "What exactly do you mean?" Metternich asked.

    "Our mutual trade agreement with Spain," Napoleon replied.

    This trade agreement established amon market between France and Spain, granting each other "most-favored-nation treatment" in equal measure. ording to this agreement, except for specific goods, both sides exempted or reduced tariffs on each other''s products. The tariffs imposed on goods by either party should not exceed half of the tariffs on simr products of non-signatory countries. Both sides agreed to grant citizens of the other country equal rights to reside, conduct business, and engage in otherwful activities in their respective territories and territories. There were also specific provisions concerning the protection of intellectual property rights.

    In summary, this agreement was highly egalitarian both in principle and practice, a shining example of mutual benefit. After signing this agreement, businessmen from both Spain and France reaped increased profits.

    However, as Joseph exined, this equilibrium was merely temporary. Soon, this equitable trade agreement would be an unequal treaty. The "Zeus n" had made significant progress, and another n, the "Hephaestus n," was advancing steadily. All that was needed now were stable sources of coal and iron, and French production capacity would experience explosive growth.

    In such a scenario, this equal trade agreement would eventually resemble theter "Treaty of Wangxia," a nominally equal but practically unequal treaty, tantamount to full colonization. So, when signing this treaty with Spain, the French intentionally extended its duration to twenty-five years, with an automatic renewal use in case of no objections.

    This type of agreement was essentially a colossal trap. What was even more frightening was that once this agreement was executed, dismantling it in the future would be extraordinarily difficult. Not to mention how powerful the French army would be after the Industrial Revolution, even within Spain. The rise of aprador ss of Spanish citizens who had grown wealthy from selling French goods would quell any opposition. In certain circumstances, Spain could transform from an economic vassal into a political one, and once trapped, escaping would be nearly impossible.

    A few days earlier, following their meeting in Verdun, Joseph had foreseen that it wouldn''t be long before the Austrians and Prussians would seek peace with France. He had emphasized to Napoleon the necessity of finalizing the trade agreement, telling him that everything else was negotiable, but the trade agreement must be secured.

    This trap, built on the foundation of future technological revolutions, was incredibly discreet. Not even a more seasoned and cunning individual, like a sly fox such as Talleyrand, could trulyprehend its intricacies.

    So, Metternich hadn''t fully grasped what was happening, but at this point, he couldn''t afford to continue hesitating. Napoleon spoke once more:

    "Regarding this matter, I have the relevant documents for the trade agreement between France and Spain. These documents are public, and I believe that you can easily find them if you wish. However, it would take time, and right now, time is the most preciousmodity. You can take these documents back and discuss them with Archduke Charles. But, speed is essential because, as you know, the most valuable asset in your negotiation terms is time. Every second lost chips away at your leverage, and naturally, I will demand morepensation. If I haven''t received your response by noon tomorrow, I will have tomence military action."

    Metternich excused himself, his mind preupied with thoughts about the trade agreement. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost forgot to bring the documents on the Franco-Spanish trade agreement handed to him by Napoleon.

    Metternich rushed back, and by the time he met Archduke Charles, it was already dark. Metternich couldn''t care less about fatigue and hunger, swiftly recounting the contact he had with Napoleon.

    Listening, Archduke Charles pondered for a moment and then asked, "Did General Bonaparte make any other requests?"

    "No, he only said that time is precious now. After discussing these matters, he asked me toe back and consult with you immediately," Metternich replied.

    Archduke Charles nodded. "It''s clear that General Bonaparte ces great importance on this trade agreement. Mr. Metternich, do you have any insights into this trade agreement between the Spanish and the French?"

    Metternich shook his head. "I know very little about this agreement. But it seems the Spanish don''t have manyints about it. From this perspective, the agreement appears to be rtively problem-free. Also, Your Highness, I thought of something on my way back. You see, the Bonaparte family is France''s nouveau riche and famous for being wealthy. They are involved in various businesses, from arms trade to shipbuilding, navigation, mining, and more. Many say they are already the wealthiest family in France. I believe they might hope to benefit from this agreement..."

    "That''s a possibility," Archduke Charles nodded. "I''ve heard some rumors about General Napoleon Bonaparte''s conduct in Italy, and many use him of greed. It''s said he amassed several million francs solely from the Papal States, most of which ended up in his pockets. Perhaps what you''re saying is one of the reasons."

    "Your Highness, the Bonaparte family is certain to hold a very significant position in France in the future. They might even be the true rulers of France. If we can secure a share of their wealth for our nation, our country might indeed be much safer. Furthermore, I think we can also include additional conditions..." Metternich added.

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 Chapter 206: Greedy Napoleon

    Chapter 206: Greedy Napoleon

    Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, Metternich arrived at the French military camp. He was escorted by a group of French cavalry and once again found himself in Napoleon''s headquarters, where the general was having breakfast.

    "You''re here quite early," Napoleon said with a smile.

    "That''s because I''m on your time now, General. I have to make the most of it," Metternich replied, tipping his hat and taking a seat at Napoleon''s table.

    "Why don''t you join me for breakfast? We can talk while we eat," Napoleon suggested.

    "Thank you," Metternich replied. A diligent soldier brought him a te of breakfast.

    "Mr. Metternich,ing here so early, I assume you have some good news for me regarding the peace conditions?" Napoleon inquired.

    "In principle, both the Grand Duke and I are not opposed to the peace conditions you''ve proposed. However, we have some additional requests that we''d like to discuss with you," Metternich replied, sitting up straight.

    Napoleon raised an eyebrow, seemingly uninterested, and checked his pocket watch. "I hope you''re not here to waste my time with endless back-and-forth negotiations, one proposal, one counter-proposal, and so on, only to end up wasting my time."

    "General, I assure you, our proposals align with your demands," Metternich said.

    "Let''s hear it then," Napoleon said, not appearing too interested and nonchntly examining his watch.

    "General, your country''s technological advancements are unmatched worldwide, and we would like to purchase certain technologies from your nation. We also wish to have the same rights as your citizens in terms of technology patents," Metternich exined.

    "We have patentws in my country. If you want to acquire patented technologies, you can negotiate with the patent holders," Napoleon replied, seemingly unconcerned.

    "But most of the patents we are interested in acquiring are in your possession," Metternich continued.

    "In principle, that shouldn''t be a problem. As for the specifics, you can discuss this with my brother, Joseph Bonaparte. If he''s willing to sell, he will; if not, he won''t," Napoleon said, handing off the matter to Joseph. If Joseph refused to sell, their request would be denied.

    "Besides, we hope that your country can impose certain restrictions on the export of weapons," Metternich added.

    "No, that''s not possible," Napoleon immediately responded. "That would harm ourmercial interests. It''s out of the question."

    "We can guarantee that government orders from our country canpensate for any potential loss, and your country''s rted enterprises will even gain greater profits," Metternich countered.

    "It''s not a matter of money. It involves our business reputation and our political integrity. Our business reputation and political integrity are worth much more than just a sum of money," Napoleon stated firmly.

    "But this would constitute interference in our domestic affairs, which goes against the principle of ''respecting each other''s territories and sovereignty, and not interfering in each other''s internal affairs,'' as outlined in the peace treaty between your country and the Kingdom of Spain. I believe these two principles should hold more importance for our political integrity," Metternich argued.

    "You''re right, we must adhere to these two principles. However, these principles are of lower legal status than the ''Deration of Human Rights,'' and the principle that ''human rights supersede sovereignty'' derived from it. We are concerned that if we prohibit the civilian arms trade, it may lead to humanitarian crises in some regions. I hope your government can understand our legitimate concerns," Napoleon exined.

    The two engaged in a heated debate over this issue. Finally, Napoleon proposed, "How about this? In the spirit ofpromise, let''s set aside this dispute for now. We can issue a joint statement in which we pledge that France will not seek to implement a long-term policy of selling weapons to certain areas in your country. The weapons we sell to these regions will not exceed the performance and quantity levels supplied in recent years following the peace agreement. We will also be prepared to gradually reduce arms sales to these regions, eventually leading to a final resolution. What do you think? This is the most significant concession I can offer."

    "General Bonaparte, we have one more request," Metternich continued.

    "What''s the request?"

    "Some influential figures in our country would like to have the opportunity to invest in the ''Military-Industrial Consortium,''" Metternich replied without a hint of emotion.

    Napoleon pondered for a moment and replied, "The Military-Industrial Consortium is an enterprise alliance, but there isn''t an entity called the ''Military-Industrial Consortium'' or its stocks. You can invest in some of thepanies within the consortium, as long as you obtain the consent of the other shareholders. That shouldn''t be a problem."

    "Aren''t your family thergest shareholders?" Metternich asked.

    "In some of thepanies, yes, but our share in the entire consortium isn''t exceptionally high," Napoleon exined, then asked, "So, can we consider that we''ve essentially reached an agreement?"

    "Yes, General," Metternich replied.

    Napoleon checked his watch and said, "Because this negotiation consumed more of my time, I now need morepensation, both for France and personally..."

    And so, on that very day, Archduke Charles and General Napoleon Bonaparte signed an agreement on the peace between their two nations. ording to this agreement, both countries would reestablish peace and forge closer trade rtions. Meanwhile, the Austrian forces would withdraw from all French and allied territories, offering profound apologies to the people who had suffered during the war. Austria also pledged not to allow anyone or any group to engage in activities threatening the security and stability of France using Austrian soil.

    Releasing Austria in this manner and signing a treaty without territorial concessions or indemnities naturally stirred some controversy within France. However, Le Monde de Science, a newspaper that had been well-prepared for this oue, swiftly published articles analyzing the current military situation. They pointed out that getting Austria to leave the war as quickly as possible was of great significance to France''s ultimate victory. Furthermore, France didn''t leave empty-handed; at the very least, the royalists hiding in Austria would now need to find another refuge.

    If anyone else had signed this treaty, they might have beenbeled a traitor, despite Le Monde de Science''s efforts to defend them. However, considering that the signatory was none other than General Napoleon Bonaparte, a military hero who had just achieved a great victory and repeatedly saved the Republic, there was little anyone could say. Some might whisper in hushed tones that General Bonaparte might need more guidance in diplomatic matters, even though his general direction appeared sound.

    After signing the treaty, Archduke Charles promptly led his army out of Luxembourg, retreating to Kaiserutern. Meanwhile, Napoleon left all the British cannons and over 10,000 experienced Northern Army soldiers under General Soult in Luxembourg to maintain vignce over Austria. He then led the rest of his forces toward Prussia.

    A weekter, Napoleon''s army neared Cologne, where the Cologne garrison surrendered without a fight. Napoleon stayed in Cologne for a day, where he met the first batch of Prussian envoys seeking peace. However, the Prussians'' sincerity for peace didn''t move Napoleon. Consequently, he continued his eastward march, advancing with unstoppable momentum. Half a monthter, his forces reached the vicinity of Hanover and encountered a newly assembled British and Prussian coalition army led by Field Marshal von Mollendorf.

    The coalition army had roughly 100,000 soldiers, but due to their recent loss of elite troops in the Battle of Verdun, most of them were untrained recruits who alsocked weaponry. They were even in short supply of the new Mini rifles, and old-style smoothbore muskets were scarce. Their cannon numbers were far fewer than Napoleon''s. The outlook for this battle was indeed grim for the British and Prussians.

    That very afternoon, Prussian envoys arrived in Napoleon''s camp, bearing the authorization of King Frederick William III. However, Napoleon''s peace terms had grown even harsher since his time in Cologne. He began by demanding the Prussians pay 150 million francs, acknowledge France''s control over the Rhine River basin, including Hanover, and immediately dere war on Britain.

    Thest demand, dering war on Britain, was something the Prussians would have readily agreed to without blinking. Recognizing France''s control over the Rhine River basin was also not an issue. However, the 150 million franc indemnity was impossible for the Prussians to pay, even if they sold all their possessions. The truth was, their agreement with the British had beenrgely influenced by financial crisis at home.

    The Prussian envoys pleaded with Napoleon to show leniency and exined that they simply couldn''t afford such a sum. In response, Napoleon offered a solution: France would lend the money to Prussia, with all their national taxes as coteral. In essence, all financial power would be transferred to the French.

    Finance is the foundation of all governance, and without it, a nation was essentially crippled. The Prussians had no choice but to refuse such terms. In a fit of anger, Napoleon shouted, "Let the cannons and rifles debate with you!" He promptly dismissed the Prussian envoys.

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 Chapter 207: The Flash of Lightning

    Chapter 207: The sh of Lightning

    As Napoleonunched his attack against the Prussian army, Joseph had already returned to Paris. He relinquished his position as themander of the Northern Corps to Carnot and engaged in a lengthy conversation with him. Following their discussion, Joseph promptly left Paris, riding a carriage towards the south.

    When the news of Joseph''s injury by a bullet reached them, a group of researchers led by Lavasie had already left Paris, heading south. This event had been used to fuel the false narrative that Paris was on the brink of falling, and the "Military-Industrial Consortium" was evacuating in advance.

    Although "The Journal of Science and Truth" tried to vehemently deny this by iming that the relocation of these individuals was due to "work requirements," hardly anyone believed them, not even their own journalists and editors. In fact, within the editorial department of "The Journal of Science and Truth," numerous reporters and editors took unnned leaves.

    But many yearster, the famous French writer Alexandre Dumas referenced a remark made by Lucien Bonaparte''s confidante during a soire: "One day, during a gathering with Lucien and his other paramours, the question arose: ''What is the mark of a truly cunning deceiver?''"

    The womenughed heartily, each taking turns to describe the qualities of the "greatest liar in the world, who never utters a word of truth."

    Lucien eventually burst intoughter and said, "Ladies, you have no idea what a truly cunning deceiver is like. You''re only talking about small-time con artists. The real masters of deception don''t need to lie. They speak the truth, but when they need you to believe, you''ll believe. And when they don''t need your belief, they turn into a Cassandra (the princess of Troy, cursed by Apollo with the gift of prophecy, but no one believed her). The more they emphasize something''s true, the more you''ll think it''s false. And when the truth finally reveals itself, you''ll still believe they''re trustworthy."

    Thisment drewughter and mockery from the group, using Lucien of making it up. Only young Miss Marguerite uttered, "Oh my, isn''t that just like ''The Journal of Science and Truth''?"

    "Always telling the truth but deceptively using the truth," was purportedly one of "The Journal of Science and Truth''s" fundamental principles.

    Lucien''s team had traveled to the south because a critical project, originally overseen by Joseph, was now at a crucial stagethe Paulina Hydroelectric nt, a coreponent of the "Zeus n."

    The Paulina Hydroelectric nt was built on a tributary of the Loire River, an obscure waterway that originated on the western side of the Alps, near the border of France and Italy. It flowed westward into the Loire River, which eventually emptied into the Mediterranean Sea. This small river, or more urately, brook, had limited flow, significant elevation changes, and its course mainly passed through woonds and valleys. It was unsuitable for navigation and irrigation, to the extent that the locals didn''t even bother to give it a name.

    However, this brook suited Joseph''s needs perfectly, with its substantial elevation drop and proximity to a road. Thus, it was chosen as the location for the first hydroelectric nt. A year prior, engineers and workers had diverted the brook in a nearby valley and constructed a dam, creating a small and picturesque artificialke. At that time, Joseph had even visited with his family, naming the artificialke after his sister, Paulina.

    Now, after a year of construction, the world''s first hydroelectric generating unit was finally assembled. A matching artillery factory was alsopleted in a nearby small, t basin. It was time to conduct a test run of power generation, and Joseph needed to be present to oversee this groundbreaking endeavor.

    In reality, prior to Joseph''s arrival, Lavasie, who had been in charge of the work, had carried out dozens of "test runs." During these tests, several previously unforeseen technical glitches were addressed. Furthermore, the apanying artillery factory had already produced numerous "prototype" units. Originally, ording to the n, the power nt should havemenced operation much earlier, but Joseph had been tied up in Verdun. It wasn''t practical to halt the entire testing process just to wait for him. That would be a waste of money!

    Nheless, overseeing the inauguration of the world''s first power nt was a momentous feat that would go down in history, so Joseph imposed a strict rule: all power generation tests would be called "small-scale tests." Only when he personally oversaw the power generation, it would be referred to as "official power generation."

    Thus, on the day before the official power generation ceremony, the Paulina Hydroelectric nt concluded its final extended "test run." It then spent an entire day thoroughly inspecting allponents, recing any worn or potentially damaged parts with new ones, in anticipation of Joseph''s arrival.

    Since the hydroelectric nt was named the "Paulina Hydroelectric nt," the Saint Paulina of Tarsus naturally had to be present. And if Paulina wasing, all the brothers and sisters had to join in the fun. With so many siblings, big and small, even Mother had toe along. Therefore, the Bonaparte family, except for Napoleon, who was still at war, and Lucien, who was in Paris, all gathered here.

    At nine in the morning, the "official power generation inauguration ceremony" officiallymenced. On the already erected dais, Joseph began his speech. He started by expressing his gratitude to the diligent workers of the "Military-Industrial Consortium," then went on to extol the profound significance of this work, and so on...

    Finally, at half-past eleven, Joseph''s speech, as nned, came to a timely end. ording to the program, Paulina was to close the switch, and the entire generator unit would start running, allowing everyone to have lunch.

    Paulina pushed the switch up, but the adjacent electric water pump remained motionless.

    This was entirely normal, for the switch Paulina pushed was merely symbolic. Moreover, for safety reasons, this switch was not connected to any circuit, with both ends of the wires grounded. In other words, whether Paulina closed the switch or not, there would be no electric current flowing through it.

    However, the motionlessness of the electric water pump was unreasonable. Because before Paulina closed the faux switch, the power nt was already operational. When Paulina closed this switch, another person should have pushed a real switch to activate the electric water pump.

    But perhaps due to the lengthy nature of Joseph''s speech,bined with the beautiful weather that made it an excellent time for a nap, the staff responsible for pushing the real switch had actually fallen asleep.

    Paulina believed that by pushing the switch, the water pumps on both sides would start, creating a water curtain on either side of the dais. However, after closing the switch, there was no reaction. Paulina did not know that the switch she had pushed was merely a decoy, a detail Joseph thought was unnecessary to exin.

    After some hesitation, she reopened the switch, thinking of trying it again. But just as she pulled the switch back, the dozing worker on the other side finally realized what was happening. He quickly pushed the real switch, and water spurted out.

    "So, the switch has to be pushed up before it works. That''s different from what Joseph told me," Paulina was momentarily perplexed.

    The electric water pump had a crucial role, not only for irrigation and agriculture but primarily in industrial production. In a nearby artillery factory, electrically driven drills began to operate, boring the barrels of the first batch of "official production" 12-pounder cannons.

    In addition to electric drills, there were also electric hammers and other electrical equipment. The use of these devices significantly improved the production efficiency of this factory. With full adoption of electricity, the factory''s production capacity was expected to increase five to ten times its original capacity, ording to calctions.

    This was just the beginning, and the utility of electricity extended beyond military industries. Almost every business and industry, whether heavy or light, could benefit from it. Just as Joseph had expounded in his lengthy speech, the realization of the Zeus n would profoundly change the course of this era.

    On the same day that the "Paulina Hydroelectric nt" officially began generating power, Napoleonunched an assault on the Anglo-Prussian coalition in Hanover. With two thousand casualties, he once again defeated the Anglo-Prussian forces. The coalitionmander, Field Marshal von Mollendorf, was killed by a cannon-fired shell during the battle. The entire Anglo-Prussian army, numbering one hundred thousand, suffered massive casualties, and the French army smoothly captured the city of Hanover.

    After a brief stop in Hanover, Napoleon continued his advance, arriving at the gates of Berlin ten dayster. At this point, Prussia had no remaining troops to deploy, so King Frederick William III left an envoy behind to negotiate with Napoleon while he retreated towards the direction of Blcherberg.

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 Chapter 208: Peace

    Chapter 208: Peace

    Napoleon''s army stormed into Berlin, with the man himself leading the way through the Brandenburg Gate, savoring the moment of grandeur.

    During this era, when an army entered an enemy city, it often resulted in looting, killing, and unfortunate fates for young maidens. However, Napoleon''s French forces behaved with remarkable civility. There were no widespread plundering or evidence suggesting that the virtue of Berlin''s women deteriorated after the French arrival.

    Strictly speaking, the discipline of Napoleon''s troops was not rooted in a sense of ss or military honor; it was primarily due to their substantialbat allowances. After victorious campaigns, Napoleon''s troops receivedbat allowances that sometimes exceeded their annual regr pay. This naturally incentivized soldiers, especially after a victory, to maintain discipline.

    The fundamental reason for these high allowances was Napoleon''s knack for acquiring funds efficiently after each triumph. His mostmon method involved cracking down on aristocrats and suppressing counter-revolutionaries.

    In fact, if King Frederick William III of Prussia had understood this trait of the French army and noticed that this time there were no mass looting ornd redistribution, he should have realized that Napoleon did not intend to annihte Prussia at this point.

    Napoleon would never engage in a losing transaction. These allowances would undoubtedly be paid by the Prussians, but the manner in which they were collected mattered. The first method would focus the animosity of the Fritzens on the French, providing Prussian nobility with the opportunity to instill nationalism in the people and motivate them to fight for their cause. In contrast, the second approach, despite the intermediaries'' profit margins, spread out the animosity among them and led them to repress nationalism to maintain their rule.

    This was especially relevant to Prussia at present. With Berlin lost, most of the remaining territory still under King Frederick William III''s rule was formerly Polishnd. The poption now predominantly consisted of Poles, and Prussia was rapidly transitioning from a German nation to a Polish one. Given this scenario, Prussian rulers, predominantly German nobility, dared not foster nationalism.

    For this reason, after capturing Berlin, Napoleon chose not to pursue Frederick William III but to wait in Berlin for the next Prussian envoy for negotiations.

    On the other hand, when Archduke Charles returned to Austria with the agreement, Emperor Francis I initially felt that the terms that required his forces topletely withdraw from Italy were unfavorable. By this point, his troops had seized several Italian cities, including advancing towards Mn, where the logistical support of the Italians could not keep up.

    Moreover, the issue of security for the adjacent regions of Italy was not resolved effectively in the agreement. The phrase "gradually reduce arms sales to these areas and reach a final resolution after some time" left the duration of "some time" ambiguous.

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    Emperor Francis I was initially displeased and even had doubts about Archduke Charles''spetence. He was reluctant to sign the agreement immediately. However, when Napoleon swept through Prussia with swift and decisive victories, Emperor Francis I quickly changed his attitude. He apologized to Archduke Charles and openly praised Metternich, who had put in significant efforts to make the agreement happen, as a promising talent. He even intended to appoint Metternich as the ambassador to France.

    Metternich then proposed that, before assuming the role of ambassador, he should serve as a special envoy to mediate the war between France and Prussia.

    "Your Majesty, if Prussia is excessively weakened, it will not be beneficial for our country," Metternich argued.

    So, this time, in Berlin, Napoleon waited not only for Prussian envoys but also for Metternich, who came with the Prussian representatives.

    Napoleon received the two envoys and, during the negotiations, initially insisted on a reparation of 150 million francs. However, thanks to Metternich''s persuasive skills, Napoleon eventually expressed goodwill and made some concessions. Consequently, both sides signed the "Treaty of Berlin."

    The "Treaty of Berlin" stipted that Prussia mustpensate France with a one-time payment of one billion francs. If Prussia needed a loan, it could only borrow from banks specified by the French government. The coteral for these loans would be Prussia''s customs duties.

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    In addition to the reparations, Prussia granted France unteral most-favored-nation treatment, as well as unteral market ess and national treatment. French citizens could freely move and engage in any upation in Prussia without government interference. Once French goods entered Prussian territory, they were subject to tariffs (the tariff rate was determined by the alliance of French government-specified lending banks), and the Prussian government was prohibited from imposing any other taxes on these French products.

    Prussia had to cede all territory west of the Elbe. Thesends would not be annexed into France but would join the newly established Rhenish Confederation, a confederation under French protection. After losing the territory west of the Elbe, Prussia had effectively be a nation with a majority of Polish inhabitants.

    This was almost an unequal treaty that would lead to the demise of Prussia. But this was not all the trouble that King Frederick William III had to face. Encouraged by the Prussians'' disastrous defeat, Polish nobility once again supported "independence enthusiasts" in an uprising. At this point, Prussia had no power to suppress them, and it seemed that Prussia was about to lose more than half of itsnd and poption.

    At this juncture, Prussia''s friendly neighbors, Russia and Austria, came to Prussia''s aid. They both expressed their willingness to send troops to help Prussia quell the rebellion.

    The attitudes of the Russians and Austrians were easy to understand. They had both participated in the partition of Pnd. If the Poles created a new Pnd within Prussian territory, it would also adversely affect their controlled areas. Therefore, their assistance had a certain level of sincerity.

    However, Prussia dared not ept their goodwill so easily. Who knew if their intervention would lead to the suppression of the Polish uprising but also result in Polish territory bing Russian and Austriannd?

    So, King Frederick William III opted for a straightforward approachselling out. He returned to Berlin with Queen Louise and hosted General Napoleon Bonaparte at the pce. During the banquet, both sides engaged in a very warm and friendly conversation. The king and the beautiful Queen Louise left a profound impression on Napoleon. Especially when the king left the banquet early due to health issues, Queen Louise, acting as the host, disyed her grace, kindness, and attentiveness, which captivated Napoleon.

    Drawing from a description in a novel written by the renowned author Alexandre Dumas, when Lucien proudly showcased the various mermaids he had captured and disyed to Napoleon, thetter dismissively said, "Your trophies are nothing special. None of them canpare to Queen Louise. She is a true natural wonder."

    After this banquet, Napoleon visited the Prussian pce, still under French protection, several times and quickly reached an agreement with Prussia. They arranged a loan agreement titled "Loan Agreement on Post-war Reconstruction of the Country" or simply "Reconstruction Loan Agreement." The agreement included a sum of 30 million francs, but France did not need to provide actual gold or silver; instead, the Prussian captives, officers, and some seized weaponry were converted into money and handed over to the Prussians.

    After the agreement was reached, the French army gradually withdrew from Prussia, and the Prussian soldiers and officers, once captives, started returning to the service of King Frederick William III. They prepared to quell the domestic uprisings.

    As for Napoleon, after leaving Berthier in charge of the withdrawal process, he hastily headed to Luxembourg. Now, he was on his way to Paris to im his most significant war trophy.

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    Utilizing abination of frequent changes of horses and resting in carriages along the route, Napoleon managed to return to Luxembourg from Berlin in just a week. Subsequently, he traveled with a cavalry escort to Paris, bearing the array of military gs captured during these battles. It took him five days to finally reach the French capital.

    On that morning, amid the cheers of the Parisian citizens, Napoleon rode a white horse, nked by the battle-hardened soldiers. They headed to the French Parliament, where Napoleon would report his triumphs.

    The soldiers proudly cast the captured military gs on the steps leading to the Parliament building. Napoleon, wearing a satisfied smile, dismounted from his horse and stepped on these gs as he walked toward the entrance, escorted by an elite guard.

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 Chapter 209: Napoleons Speech

    Chapter 209: Napoleon''s Speech

    Napoleon, with the gs of Britain and Prussia underfoot and surrounded by his guards, strode into the parliamentary building, his head held high, much like a proud rooster entering a henhouse. As he stepped into the grand chamber, all the members of parliament rose and apuded. Some whispered, "Doesn''t it feel like Caesar entering the Senate?"

    "Unfortunately, weck a Brutus among us," someone muttered under their breath.

    Regardless of some grumbling, the new Caesar had confidently approached the lectern. Unlike his historical counterpart, this new Caesar had already made up his mind that upon entering the National Assembly, not the Senate, he would bring a formidable army to quell any resistance from the assembly members.

    Napoleon ascended the lectern, looked out over the audience, and then pulled out his prepared speech, scanning it briefly before beginning.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, today I bring you news of victory. Our armies in Italy, Verdun, the Rhine, Hanover, and Berlin have struck heavy blows against those reactionary feudal rulers. The shameful banners of the aggressors are now abandoned on the steps of the National Assembly, a testament to our great triumph.

    Our victorypels even those feudal aristocrats to admit that the freedom and independence of France are as solid as the Alps, unshakable by parasites and clowns. Faced with our formidable armies, those who once spewed threats against France, promised to return the so-called ''legitimate king'' to rule us, oppress us, and even spoke of ughtering our people and shedding blood in our glorious city, now find themselves in chains, holding the keys to their cities, humbly apologizing to France.

    Gentlemen, we can cheer because the freedom and independence of France are secured, and the long-awaited era of peace for the French people is at hand!"

    Whether they supported Napoleon or just pretended to, the members of parliament enthusiastically apuded. Notably, when they noticed that the Minister of Police, Joseph Fouch, was also attending the meeting and casting ominous nces at others, the apuse intensified. However, a significant problem arose: when would the apuse stop? Everyone was determined not to be the first to cease pping.

    The continuous apuse even made Napoleon ufortable, and he had to make a gesture to halt the ovation. When the apuse finally subsided, he continued:

    "Ladies and gentlemen, quelling domestic rebellions and defeating foreign interventions does not mark the end of the French Revolution; it''s only the beginning, the first step on the revolutionary path.

    So, what''s next for France, gentlemen? To answer this question, we must first ask another: Why did the French people revolt in the first ce?

    I know some friends will say it''s for freedom, democracy, equality, and many other things, and they''re correct. But the most fundamental reason is something else."

    Napoleon paused, gazing at the assembly below, before answering:

    "The most fundamental reason is that the people of France sought to attain a life of prosperity and happiness. They had the right to such a life, and they could no longer allow greedy feudal rulers to trample upon it.

    In 1792, before Prussian General Brunswick issued that arrogant and disgraceful promation to ''bleed Paris,'' a maid in my household, Aunt Sophie, onceined, ''Before the revolution, we had no bread. After the revolution, we still have no bread. Did the revolution serve any purpose?''

    It was this Aunt Sophie who, when the invading Prussian army was closing in on Verdun, courageously sent her husband and two sons to join the volunteers. In Valmy, they, with undaunted courage and colossal strength, defeated the enemies of the revolution, saving France and the revolutionary cause. At the time, as a regr soldier, I fought alongside them amidst enemy artillery fire. It was the most glorious moment of my life.

    Since 1789, when the French people stormed the Bastille, the symbol of feudal despotism, we have been besieged by internal and external reactionaries. The revolution has faced countless perils, as fragile as a candle in the wind. But it is those nameless heroes, who, having once had no bread, still had no bread but, with unyielding determination, their blood, and lives, repeatedly rescued France and the revolution in its most perilous hours.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I firmly believe that though their names may be unknown, their legacy will be immortal!"

    The parliamentarians once again broke into apuse.

    After the apuse gradually subsided, Napoleon continued:

    "Ladies and gentlemen, why did these nameless heroes, who ''had no bread before the revolution and still had no bread after the revolution,'' willingly sacrifice their blood and lives to defend the revolution? It''s because they understood that ''no bread before the revolution'' and ''no bread after the revolution'' are fundamentally different. Theck of bread before the revolution was because the bread that rightfully belonged to the people was plundered by those feudal rulers. The absence of bread during the revolution was due to the necessity of austerity to resist the counterattacks of domestic and foreign reactionaries. However, as long as we defeat them, our people, our descendants, will all enjoy bread.

    Ladies and gentlemen, let us be grateful to our people! The people of France are the greatest and most reasonable people in the world. They canprehend the difficulties that temporarily arise during the revolution and are willing to endure the hardships that most cannot bear. So, even if they couldn''t have a full meal after the revolution, they were still willing to defend their country and the revolution with their blood and lives.

    Ladies and gentlemen, the people of France are the real heroes of the French Revolution. I suggest we all stand and pay tribute to them, cheer for themLong live the people!"

    The parliamentarians quickly rose and joined in the apuse.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, now that domestic and foreign reactionaries have been defeated, the prospects of the revolution have never been brighter. It is time to fulfill the promises we made to our people before the revolution.

    We solemnly promised our people that they would have the right to a life free from want and fear, a life of happiness and prosperity. Now is the time to fulfill that promise.

    If, on this day, after nine years have passed since the 1789 Revolution, when all the reactionary forces have been defeated, and when there is no immediate threat to France''s security, we fail to fulfill our promises and allow our people toment, ''Did the revolution serve any purpose?'' Then we are not only answerable to the people of France, but also to the entire world. Our revolutionary government would be no different from a feudal one, and I, along with all of you, would be no different from Louis XVI!

    Ladies and gentlemen, I have a feeling that our work will be inscribed in the annals of humanity because it points the way for people worldwide who love freedom.

    Our revolutionary work is far from over, and the movement is still progressing. We must continue to strive. Those foreign feudal lords and our domestic reactionaries will not ept defeat willingly, and they will struggle when they see an opportunity. They will use every means to disrupt and subvert; they will attempt to restore feudal despotism in France daily and hourly. This is inevitable, without a doubt. We must not rx our vignce.

    Our democratic system is a powerful weapon to safeguard the achievements of the revolution and to counteract the machinations of internal and external enemies. We must firmly grasp this weapon. On the international stage, we must unite with all nations and people who cherish peace and freedom, ensuring that our struggle to protect the revolutionary achievements and resist the restoration conspiracies of domestic and foreign enemies does not remain isted. As long as we uphold democracy and stand united with international friends, we will remain invincible.

    Ladies and gentlemen, the restoration and development of the national economy lie before us. Yes, we face numerous challenges, but we are confident that the indomitable efforts of all the people of France will ovee every obstacle. The French people have an abundant wealth of experience in conquering difficulties. If we can endure extended periods of extreme hardship and defeat powerful domestic and foreign reactionaries, why can''t we build a prosperous and thriving nation after victory? As long as we remain united and uphold democracy, liberated from the shackles of feudalism, we will swiftly achieve victory on the economic front.

    Ladies and gentlemen, our defense will be strengthened, and foreign invaders will no longer threaten our homnd. Building upon the courageous and proven French army, we must preserve and expand our armed forces. We will not only have a mighty army but also a powerful navy.

    Let the reactionaries tremble before us; let them criticize and doubt us. Let them say we cannot achieve this or that. The unwavering efforts of the people of France will steadily achieve their goals.

    Long live the people of France!"

    Amid thunderous apuse, Napoleon presented his long-prepared political reform proposal to the parliament for deliberation. The "Journal of Scientific Truth" published the full text of Napoleon''s speech, along with his political reform and welfare ns. In this n, Napoleon promised to lead the French people in eradicating poverty and want, just as they had defeated their enemies on the battlefield.

    "Long live General Bonaparte!" echoed once again throughout the streets and alleys of Paris.

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 Chapter 210: The First Consul

    Chapter 210: The First Consul

    A few dayster, after extensive deliberation, the National Assembly was about to vote on Napoleon''s political reform n. The people of Paris, spontaneously (truly spontaneously) gathered near the Assembly building, celebrating the imminent passage of the newws. They sang revolutionary songs, waved rifles, spears, and even models of guillotines, symbolizing the spirit of the revolution. This was all in support of the National Assembly and the joy of victory.

    Many soldiers also joined in the festivities, bringing cannons for musical apaniment. The square in front of the Assembly became a sea of merriment.

    Amid this joyful atmosphere, the National Assembly began to deliberate on Napoleon''s n. All the assembly members cast their votes in favor without hesitation, chanting, "It will be fine, it will be fine, the counter-revolutionaries are hanging frommpposts," and so Napoleon''s n smoothly passed.

    ording to this n, the French government would undergoprehensive reform. The highest executive body in France would be called the Conste. It consisted of three consuls, with different responsibilities: the second consul for domestic affairs, the third consul for military and foreign affairs, and they all reported directly to the first consul. The first consul oversaw all executive matters and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the French army.

    The first consul was directly elected, with a five-year term, and as the head of state, he didn''t have to answer to the legiture. The second and third consuls were nominated by the first consul and approved by the legiture.

    Under the Conste, various ministries were established, including the Ministry of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Industry, War, Public Safety, and Truth. The ministers of these departments were appointed by the first consul and reported directly to him.

    As for the National Assembly, it underwent reforms and was divided into four parts: the Council of State, the Council of the People, the Legitive Council, and the Senate. The Council of State proposedws, the Council of the People discussed and suggested amendments, the Legitive Council voted on amendedws, and the Senate reviewed them before the first consul implemented them.

    Among these four councils, only the Council of State had the authority to proposews, but thews had to go through the other three bodies for approval. This significantly reduced the power of the legiture.

    On the other hand, ording to the new n, a portion of the council members in these four bodies was appointed by the first consul, and the rest were indirectly elected through a rtivelyplex procedure. This made the elections susceptible to the influence of the first consul. After this n was passed, the National Assembly truly became a Senate, as Dickens wouldter say.

    After thisw was passed, with swift preparation, one monthter, France held its first nationwide election. As the sole candidate, Napoleon received almost all votes, except for a few spoiled ballots due to technical issues.

    Thanks to this election result, when heter arrogantly dered in the Senate why he had suspended the execution of a certainw, he could say, "I was elected by every single French citizen! My legitimacy far surpasses any legiture; therefore, the legitimacy of mymands far exceeds the so-calledws enacted by the legiture! Suspending the execution ofws that do not align with the will of the French people is an undeniable power bestowed upon me by the people of France!"

    Today, although Napoleon didn''t hold the title of Dictator, in reality, he had the powers of one. The only person who could frustrate him now was Joseph.

    "Good Lord! Napoleon, you idiot! It''s such a straightforward design, and you can''t even grasp it. You want to shamelessly infiltrate the Academy of Sciences! Let me tell you! Even if the Academy increased its number of academicians by ten, or even a hundred, it wouldn''t be your turn! Don''t think you can use your worldly power to taint the sanctity of the Acadmie Franaise. I''m telling you, it won''t happen! As long as I''m the President of the French Academy of Sciences, your tant abuse of power won''t be tolerated! Unless..." Joseph ranted, spitting venom.

    "Unless what?" Napoleon asked.

    "Unless you can prove any of the questions at the end of this book!" Joseph casually pulled a book from the shelf and tossed it in front of Napoleon.

    The book was Joseph''s "Foundations of Mathematics." Despite its name, there was nothing foundational about the contents. Even centuriester, it remained a source of agony for countless science and engineering students. Joseph had unapologetically borrowed significant mathematical creations from the great mathematicians of the original timeline, recing them to be the bane of students in this era.

    In the final section of the book, Joseph had thrown in a series of challenging math problems, including Fermat''s Conjecture (now known as Fermat''s Last Theorem), the Goldbach Conjecture, and the Four-Color Problem, among others.

    "This is unfair!" Napoleon protested. "Even Lace couldn''t solve these problems!"

    "Very well, then," Joseph replied. "Prove some scientificw we didn''t know before, or I can lower the difficulty to match thest problems in this book."

    "Hmph! Just you wait!" Napoleon angrily picked up the application with signatures from notable figures like Lavasie and Lace and left Joseph''sboratory in a huff. As he walked, he thought, "I must make Lace produce a high-quality paper for me as soon as possible! It must be groundbreaking, innovative, highly discussable, of extreme significance, and marketable!"

    Of course, this was just a minor issue between the brothers. Both were quite busy at the moment. Napoleon was busy establishing his government framework, and Carnot, a trusted associate, became the Third Consul while doubling as the Minister of War. Barras, who joined the "Military-Industrial Complex" at a crucial moment, became the Second Consul and secured the position of Minister of the Interior.

    Lucien became the first Minister of the newly established Ministry of Truth and also served as the President of the Council of the People. Fouch continued as the Minister of Public Safety, and the other ministerial positions were allocated to individuals who were aligned with the interests of the Bonaparte family. In short, Napoleon''s government was essentially set up.

    It was said that during a gathering after the government was officially established, the young First Consul raised his ss to everyone and said, "Gentlemen, many of us have witnessed how the Directory lost the people''s trust, how they were abandoned. The main reasons for their fall were two: ipetence and corruption.

    Gentlemen, in fact, those in the Directory weren''t truly foolish. Each of them was individuallypetent, and some were remarkably talented. But why did they leave an impression of ipetence? I believe the reason is simple: their intelligence and capability were squandered in internal disputes. Their constant infighting was due to the absence of shared interests.

    Gentlemen, in this regard, we are fundamentally different. We all share amon interest  ensuring the efficient operation of this government is in everyone''s best interest. We canpete among ourselves, but thispetition must have limits and not degenerate into internal strife.

    As for the second point, corruption. I don''t want to preach lofty principles, I''ll say only this: many of us have our own businesses. Making these businesses profitable is far more reliable than seeking wealth through corruption. Don''t let minor gains lead to significant losses. For those who have yet to secure their position and profits in our ''Military-Industrial Complex,'' I can tell you that we''ve established a role of ''Enterprise Consultant.'' As long as you perform well in the government, upon your departure, this position can bring you much more than you''d gain through corrupt practices..."

    On Joseph''s side, since the "Zeus n" had achieved substantial sess, his primary focus was now on the "Hephaestus n."

    In Greek mythology, Hephaestus was the god of fire and the cksmith. This n primarily involved iron and steel smelting. In this era, crucible steelmaking had emerged, allowing humans to achieve temperatures higher than the melting point of pure iron. This resulted in the creation of liquid steel. It was the most advanced steelmaking technology of the time. However, it was still rtively costly and had limited production capacity. This method didn''t meet Joseph''s requirements.

    In the original timeline, it would take several decades for Henry Bessemer to invent the Bessemer converter, marking the firstrge-scale, low-cost production of steel. However, Joseph wasn''t a metallurgist by trade, and he only had a basic understanding of steelmaking. He knew that both the Bessemer converter and the open-hearth process essentially relied on blowing oxygen into molten pig iron to remove excess carbon, resulting in the production of steel. But his knowledge was limited to this. Once it came to technical details, he waspletely in the dark.

    Nevertheless, even these broad strokes without technical details held immense value. They pointed in the right direction, and as long as the direction was correct and the technology tree wasn''t skewed, the technical details could be worked out through experimentation. Moreover, Joseph had the greatest chemist of this era at his side.

    ....

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 Chapter 211: The United Kingdom Leads the World in Science and Technology

    Chapter 211: The United Kingdom Leads the World in Science and Technology

    While France was going through political upheaval and Napoleon was assuming the role of First Consul, the politicalndscape in the United Kingdom was also experiencing intense turbulence.

    The Whigsunched a fierce attack on the Tory government, with most of their criticism directed at Prime Minister William Pitt. They med him for Britain''s failures on the European continent. Furthermore, Pitt''s stance on religious policies in Irnd and his disputes with King George III added to the controversy.

    During this time, the British monarch still wielded considerable authority and power, unlike the purely symbolic role they would assumeter. King George III, in particr, was a staunch supporter of Pitt. It was this royal support that enabled William Pitt, at just over twenty years old, to rise to the position of Prime Minister. It was a partnership with the King that allowed Pitt and the Tories to maintain control over the government, effectively pushing the Whigs into the background. However, it''s worth noting that Pitt referred to himself as a "Whig" throughout, even though neither the Whigs nor the Tories acknowledged this.

    King George III had a deep appreciation for Pitt, but their views on religious matters were a major point of contention between them. In an attempt to cate the Irish, Pitt proposed allowing legal Catholic activity in Irnd. This policy was meant to divide the Irish, but it angered the King.

    In the United Kingdom, the Church of Ennd had been the King''s staunchest supporter ever since the days of Oliver Cromwell''s revolution. Although the Church of Ennd was considered part of the Protestant tradition, it shared more simrities with Catholicism than with continental Protestant denominations like Lutheranism or Calvinism. Aside from rejecting the Pope in favor of the British monarch, their doctrines, rituals, and even attire bore a striking resemnce to Catholicism.

    As a rule of thumb, when two religions have significant differences, they may coexist in rtive peace. However, when their differences are minimal, conflicts tend to intensify. It was often said that heretics, who deviated slightly from an established faith, were more detestable than outright infidels, as they were seen as a greater threat to the faithful.

    For the Church of Ennd, acknowledging legal Catholic activity, even if limited to Irnd, posed a significant threat. By this time, the Church of Ennd had be the bedrock of political support for the British monarch. Though King George III suffered from porphyria and, during severe episodes, experienced mental disturbances, such as the bizarre incident in 1788 when he mistook arge oak tree for the King of Prussia and engaged in a two-hour debate with it on important matters, he remained clear-headed when not afflicted by the disease.

    Despite the King''s enduring support for Pitt, he would never entertain the idea of allowing him to proceed with this policy, as long as he was in his right mind. Thus, the Prime Minister lost his most critical ally at this perilous juncture.

    In the end, to maintain Tory rule, at this critical moment, they had no choice but to sacrifice William Pitt and let him shoulder the me. So, after Napoleon took Hanover, Pitt resigned from his post.

    It''s said that when his sessor, Henry Addington, entered Pitt''s office, the former Prime Minister was directing his servants to pack up his belongings for departure. One of the servants rolled up arge map of Europe that hung on the wall, intending to pack it, which caught Pitt''s eye. The former Prime Minister eximed, "Leave that map for Henry!"

    The servant hurried to hang the map back up, but Pitt gave a bitter smile and said, "Never mind, since you''ve already rolled it up, leave it that way. After all, I don''t think any British Prime Minister will need to look at a map of Europe in the next decade."

    In reality, even with the change in leadership, the new Prime Minister, Henry Addington, had limited options to address the current situation. However, sometimes, a change in leadership can bring about a change in fortune.

    This was akin to some football clubs inter years, where, when their performance was abysmal, they would switch coaches without much thought, simply to see if a change would improve their luck. Often, with a new coach in charge, even without significant changes, the team''s fortunes would suddenly turn around.

    In a simr vein, the change in Prime Ministers seemed to have yielded positive effects for the British. Shortly after the new Prime Minister took office, the British Navy received good news: their newly developed ships, which had required substantial funding for research, had achieved sess in testing. ording to the Navy, these ships were sure to significantly reduce the efficiency of the smuggling routes from France to Irnd.

    In the preceding period, both Britain and France had been preupied with the war on the European continent, resulting in a period of rtive calm in Irnd. The Britishcked the resources, and the Irish received minimal supplies, so the activities there had been rtively subdued.

    Now that France had secured an undisputed victory on the European continent and received substantialpensation, it was clear that they would substantially increase their support for Irish rebellions.

    This was another issue for the Tory party. Although William Pitt had lost his position as Prime Minister, the position itself still rested in Tory hands. Many Whigs believed that the current situation hadn''t shown clear signs of improvement yet, nor had it reached its nadir, so it wasn''t the right time to make a move. Rushing in at this point might backfire, leaving them stuck halfway up the mountain.

    Upon receiving this news, Prime Minister Addington was ted and immediately went to the Admiralty to learn more.

    "Prime Minister, this is a model of our new ships," a naval officer at the Admiralty began exining relevant information to Prime Minister Addington.

    "Well, why does this ship look... so peculiar?" As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Addington was certainly familiar with ships. However, this vessel appeared somewhat unattractive, especially whenpared to the elegant model of the French clippers disyed nearby.

    "Prime Minister, if you look at the French clippers next to it, you''ll see that those ships have low sides, are prone to taking on water, and sway considerably. They can''t even carryrge cannons. But they''re so fast that they don''t need cannons; no warship with cannons can catch them anyway.

    You see, for intercepting these high-speed smuggling ships, we once copied a batch of such vessels and relied on conventional navalbat. However, the enemy quickly changed their strategy and developed maritime weapons, simr to Byzantine ''Greek fire.'' We were caught off guard and suffered significant losses."

    Prime Minister Addington nodded, already aware of these circumstances from before he took office.

    "But things have changed now. With this new ship, we can not only catch up to the enemy in terms of speed but also carryrge cannons to engage inbat." The naval officer continued to exin.

    "Is this ship capable of catching up with the French smuggling vessels?" Addington inquired.

    "It''s not certain," the officer shook his head. "The fastest French clippers can reach about 15 knots, while our ship can reach a maximum speed of eleven knots."

    "How can that work?" Prime Minister Addington asked.

    "Prime Minister, this is still an experimental vessel, with room for improvement. Moreover, the clippers can''t always reach fifteen knots; in calm weather, their speed is also limited. Our ship is less affected by wind conditions, and it can travel in a straight line. So, while our ship may have a lower top speed in terms of numbers, it might still be able to catch up with them in a real chase at sea."

    "Are there any issues with our ship at the moment?"

    "Prime Minister, our ship relies on a steam engine, which requires us to carry coal. If the coal bunker is toorge, it slows down the vessel, but if it''s too small, it affects the voyage. Additionally, our ship has poor performance in high seas, far worse than the clippers."

    "What? It has worse performance in high seas than the clippers? Then how can we use theserge cannons on it?" Prime Minister Addington was taken aback.

    "Prime Minister, in high seas, the ship''s rocking will cause the paddle wheels to surface, drastically reducing propulsion efficiency. It''s not because of any other reason, so under normal sea conditions, our ship can still use the cannons without any issues. It''s just that due to the arrangement of the steam engine and paddle wheels, the number of cannons we can carry is rtively fewer."

    Prime Minister Addington listened and nodded. "When can these official warships be put into use? It''s time to teach those French a lesson and show them that the United Kingdom''s technology is truly world-leading!"

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 Chapter 212: Coal Mines and Iron Ore

    Chapter 212: Coal Mines and Iron Ore

    The British steam battleships took some time to be practical, so Joseph hadn''t yet felt the pressure of the United Kingdom''s world-leading scientific and technological advancements. He was currently upied with acquiring the iron ore from Lorraine, the coal mines in Saar, and the coal mines in the Ruhr.

    Lorraine''s iron ore, apart from having arger reserve, didn''t offer many advantages. The iron ore there typically had an iron content of only around thirty percent, which was considered inferiorpared to the iron ore from Australia and Brazil. Furthermore, Lorraine''s iron ore was high in phosphorus, with a phosphorus content that could go as high as one percent.

    Phosphorus was mostly detrimental to steel. Increasing phosphorus content would decrease the sticity and toughness of steel, particrly impacting its impact resistance, making it prone to "cold brittleness." Additionally, phosphorus could reduce the welding properties of steel. In general, the phosphorus content inmonly used steel should not exceed 0.045%, but with ore from Lorraine, the phosphorus content could easily surpass this limit if not specially treated.

    Unfortunately, for a long time, humans hadn''t developed effective methods for removing impurities like phosphorus. The quality of steel produced from Lorraine''s iron ore was considered subpar. It was said that one of the reasons the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg, had sunk was because it was constructed with cold-brittle steel made from Lorraine''s iron ore.

    Even though technologies to remove phosphorus gradually emerged, it remained a headache. If there were low-phosphorus, low-sulfur, high-grade iron ores like those in Australia and Brazil, who would want to use Lorraine''s iron ore? Unfortunately, Joseph didn''t have ess to better iron ore, and when looking at future standards, there wasn''t a single better iron ore deposit on the entire European continent.

    Lorraine''s iron ore had been discovered long before. Before the French Revolution, most of these mines were in the hands of the nobility. When the Revolution began, these nobles either faced the guillotine or fled abroad.

    ording to the revolutionary government''s decrees, the industries of these nobles who were executed or went into exile were naturally confiscated. During the Jacobin period, these mines were mostly state-owned, but theyy mostly dormant. When the Thermidorians came to power, these iron mines gradually fell into the hands of the Thermidorians. Now, Joseph had to transfer these mines from their original owners to his control.

    This wasn''t a difficult task. During this era when steelmaking hadn''t seen a breakthrough, and the Industrial Revolution hadn''t started, iron ore mining wasn''t particrly lucrative. The limited uses of pig iron and the difficulty of producing wrought iron and steel meant that the demand for iron ore wasn''t very high. Additionally, some mine owners wanted to curry favor with the Bonaparte family or establish rtions with the First Consul. In some cases, they practically gave the mines away. So, Joseph didn''t have to spend much money to gain control over this extensive mining area.

    As for the Saar coal mines, they were acquired through simr means. The Ruhr coal mines were even simpler. This region was newly conquered territory. Although it wasn''t directly governed by France, which small states of the Rhenish Confederation didn''t want to ingratiate themselves with the Bonaparte family? Despite these mines mostly being rich farnd, who couldpare with pleasing the liberators of Europe?

    Furthermore, Joseph wasn''t stingy with his money. Whether the Rhenish Confederation folks had to use force to drive the poor farmers off theirnds, passed down through generations, was none of Joseph''s concern.

    Compared to Lorraine''s iron ore, the Ruhr coal mines were of much higher quality. The Ruhr coalfield primarily produced high-quality hard coal, and it had a wide variety of coal types. Especially valuable were the coking coals, which made up most of the reserve. Additionally, the coal seams were shallow, and in many ces, only the topsoil needed to be removed for open-pit mining. Plus, the coalfield was situated by the Rhine, an ideal river for transportation. It was truly an excellent industrial region.

    But these favorable conditions also presented Joseph with a significant dilemma: should he establish the future industrial base in Lorraine or the Ruhr?

    In the future, after the Prussians defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War and took control of Lorraine, they chose to set up their industrial base in the Ruhr. This was understandable. The Ruhr had good transportation links, was at the core of German territory, and was rtively stable. They naturally wanted to ce such a vital asset there.

    Now, with France in control, the same logic seemed to apply, making Lorraine the ideal choice. After all, it was closer to home and felt more secure. However, considering the flow of the Rhine River, transporting iron ore from Lorraine to the Ruhr was downstream, while shipping coal from the Ruhr to Lorraine meant going upstream. In terms of transportation, it seemed better to establish the industrial base in the Ruhr.

    Therefore, Joseph had some hesitation about this issue.

    But Lucien quickly made his judgment clear.

    "Aren''t the coal reserves in Saar enough?" Lucien asked.

    "Well, they should be sufficient for a considerable period," Joseph replied.

    "How long is that period?" Lucien inquired.

    "It should be quite long, at least a decade, possibly several decades," Joseph estimated.

    "So, will it be cheaper to transport iron ore to the Ruhr, along with the cost of mining coal there and then shipping it to Lorraine, or the other way around  bringing iron ore to Saar?" Lucien inquired.

    "It doesn''t seem like it," Joseph replied.

    "Then why are you hesitating?" Lucien asked.

    "Oh..." Joseph suddenly realized that he might have been influenced by some information from the future. Thinking about the future, the country he was in produced nearly a billion tons of steel effortlessly each year, and arge steel facility had tens of millions, even close to a hundred million tons of steel production. People were so proud of their steel mills that the president was well aware of their existence. If he were to consider things by that standard, the coal reserves in Saar might not be enough. But New Rome was still centuries away from that steel kingdom. In the next hundred years or so, both Saar''s coal and Lorraine''s iron ore should be sufficient for the French.

    "What''s wrong?" Lucien saw that Joseph seemed lost in thought.

    "I think I''m overthinking this," Joseph said. "But we''ve already purchased the coalfields in the Ruhr and spent a fair amount of money on them. If they don''t serve a purpose and..."

    "And the Ruhr is mostly coking coal and power coal, with limited anthracite. Even making briquettes would be challenging..." Joseph thought to himself.

    "That''s how much money we spent?" Lucien was nonchnt. "Having a major coal mine in your hands, you''ll find a use for it. You can use it for electricity generation."

    "Transport it back? The Rhine River route is good, but unfortunately, our steamship research hasn''t been smooth. Otherwise... it seems like we''ll have to consider the railroad. But this can''t be rushed; we need a significant amount of steel first before we can have trains, and... well, it appears that we''ll have to leave the Ruhr coalfields idle for now."

    While Joseph was troubled about umting funds for no good reason in the Ruhr coalfields, Lavasie was rejoicing. Just a few days ago, he had sessfully used a modified quartz crucible to contain molten pig iron and then injected heated air using apressor to obtain liquid steel.

    Uponpleting this project, Lavasie was getting closer to receiving an estate in the Champagne region as a reward. The estate originally belonged to the Duke of Orleans, but it was known for its renowned champagne production, which brought in significant wealth each year. After losing his head, the estate was confiscated by the revolutionary government and eventuallynded in the hands of the Bonaparte family.

    Of course, receiving this reward came at a price. At the time, Joseph gave Lavasie a choice between the estate and a tenth of the patent rights for the steelmaking technology he had developed, with Lavasie ultimately opting for the estate.

    It was said that many yearster, Lavasie deeply regretted this choice and even told his niece, "Your husband is a big swindler. He doesn''t know how much money he swindled from us..." But for now, Lavasie felt like he had struck a great deal.

    In anotherboratory, Lavasie''s rival, Franois, had justpleted experiments on new refractory materials. Following Joseph''s requirement that refractory materials needed to be alkaline, he mainly used dolomite to create high-temperature refractory materials that could withstand the steelmaking crucible''s heat.

    Franois was also a renowned chemist and had been a friend of Lavasie''s. However, during the Jacobin period, he joined the Marat and Robespierre faction, which led to Lavasie being pursued. It wasrgely Franois who facilitated this. If not for Carnot''s intervention, Lavasie might have been a cause for mourning by now.

    Due to these events, Franois faced a tough situation after the Jacobins fell from power. However, considering his capabilities, Joseph also gave him a second chance.

    However, Franois didn''t enjoy the same privileges as Lavasie. He only received a reward of 600 francs afterpleting this project. The onlyforting aspect was that Joseph paid rewards in metallic currency.

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 Chapter 213: Crisis at Sea

    Chapter 213: Crisis at Sea

    Though the ship continued to sway violently, Captain Morel, who had just finished his night shift, quickly dozed off in his hammock. This was a fundamental skill for any sailor. However, just as he had closed his eyes for a brief moment, a shrill rm jolted him awake.

    "What''s happening?" Captain Morel climbed up thedder, pushed open the hatch, and the intense sunlight streaming in made it difficult for his eyes to adjust to the brightness, given he had grown ustomed to the darkness of the ship''s interior.

    Captain Morel, one hand shielding his eyes, shouted, "What''s going on?"

    "In the captain''s quarters, we''ve spotted a strange British vessel!" called Leclerc, who was on duty by the helm.

    "Where?" Captain Morel, now adapted to the outside light, quickly made his way to Leclerc while asking.

    Leclerc handed Captain Morel a brass telescope, saying, "Captain, look over there, where the smoke is rising. That ship looks quite odd!"

    By this time, Captain Morel had also spotted the billowing smoke. "Is their ship on fire? Or did our Greek fire scorch them?" Captain Morel wondered aloud as he raised the telescope to his eye.

    "That ship is really ugly!" Captain Morel couldn''t help but exim.

    It was a gray vessel with a tall smokestack spewing thick ck smoke. Tworge paddlewheels turned on each side of the ship, generating considerable wake. Most notably, an English g fluttered from the ship''s bow.

    "They''re from our direction," Captain Morel said. "I''m curious to see whether they''re faster than us."

    Captain Morel checked the sails  all of them were unfurled. But due to the scarce wind at sea, the ship''s speed remained sluggish.

    When confronting other sailing ships, theck of wind wasn''t a significant issue, as if the wind was weak for the flying clipper, it would be weak for others as well. However, the pursuing ship behind them was an exception  it had no sails but was still racing at a considerable speed.

    "I''ll take the helm," Captain Morel said, and Leclerc stepped aside.

    Captain Morel controlled the wheel, making slight adjustments to the ship''s direction, but it didn''t seem to significantly increase the ship''s speed. Leclerc was also an experienced helmsman, and Captain Morel wasn''t necessarily better. Switching helmsmen at this point was more of a superstitious notion, hoping for a change in luck. Perhaps the new helmsman would bring the wind with them?

    However, Captain Morel''s luck didn''t seem to be much better than Leclerc''s. The wind continued to be frustratingly weak. The ship''s speed remained slow, and the pursuing vessel seemed to be getting closer.

    "Leclerc, it seems we have to jettison some cargo now," Captain Morel told Leclerc.

    "Captain, dumping cargo will lead to a significant loss for us. If we lose our cargo, and then a wind picks up, that''s... Besides, the pursuing ship is still far away. If we can hold out until evening..." Leclerc said.

    Chasing each other on the sea often consumed a lot of time. If both ships had simr speeds, a chase couldst for hours or even days. ording to the contract Captain Morel signed with the "Military-Industrial Complex," losing cargo meant he had to paypensation.

    "Leclerc, this time we got insurance," Captain Morel replied.

    "But the insurance folks might not necessarily agree that we''re throwing cargo overboard out of necessity. Thest time Captain Letellier lost cargo due to a storm, the insurance people said he ''mishandled'' it and only paid the minimumpensation. What was that, a pittance? Besides, have you really read through every word of the contract we signed with the insurancepany, including the disimers in the appendix?"

    Captain Morel hesitated for a moment and then said, "That document is several dozen pages long..."

    "So, are you sure that the Amodeo Insurance Company willpensate us if we discard cargo now?"

    "Unless my ship is riddled with British cannonballs, these blokes... Alright, we''ll keep running like this. If the British ship closes in by over a kilometer in an hour, we''ll jettison some of the cargo... We''ve made enough money from all our trips. At any time, our safety is more crucial than money. Leclerc, you have to understand that one of life''s tragedies is amassing a fortune and not living long enough to enjoy it."

    "Captain," Leclerc replied, "I believe there''s a greater tragedy in lifehaving not a single cent left but still not dying..."

    "Alright, Leclerc, I''m sure you''ll make plenty of money before you kick the bucket," Morel said. "Take the wheel, and I''ll go down to fetch the rangefinder."

    Leclerc took over the wheel as Morel descended below the deck. After rummaging around for a while, he came back with a brass device in hand. It was a rangefinder, used to measure the distance between objects. Its small size meant the uracy was only average, but it sufficed for Morel.

    The wind at sea remained weak, with no sign of strengthening. The flying clipper''s speed slowed down further, while the pursuing British ship remained relentless, getting closer.

    "Leclerc, let''s discard some cargo. They''re getting too close. If we don''t get rid of something, we won''tst until nightfall," Morel said.

    "How about using ''Greek fire'' to fight back?" Leclerc was reluctant to part with the cargo because he had invested in the ship as well.

    "Leclerc, think clearly!" Morel said. "Look at their ship''s design, their bulwark height. That''s not a flying clipper, and they definitely have cannons on board. They still have the advantage in speed and can maintain a safe distance while sting us to the seabed with their cannons. Leclerc, making a fortune at sea is a risky business with a strong gambling vor. But once you make this bet, you can''t afford to gamble recklessly because your wealth and life are at stake."

    Leclerc was convinced by Morel''s words, and the crew started removing cargo from the hold and throwing it into the sea.

    As more cargo was cast overboard, the ship lightened, and its speed improved somewhat. However, the sea remained windless, and the British ship continued to close in. Even though they had jettisoned all their cargo, it appeared that they wouldn''t escape the pursuing British ship unless an unexpected strong wind saved them.

    "Enemy ship firing!" cried the lookout from the mast. Everyone gazed aft and saw a plume of smoke rising from the British ship''s bow. After a while, the deep roar of cannon fire echoed, followed by the whistling of cannonballs through the air.

    A water column surged from the right side of Morel''s ship, but it was still far from the vessel. If it weren''t for the rtively calm sea at the moment, such a small ssh might have gone unnoticed.

    Firing at such a distance was indeed a challenging feat, primarily a warning and a show of force. It essentially meant, "You can''t escape; surrender quickly!"

    But for Morel and his crew, surrendering was not an option. If they surrendered, they would lose their ship, plunging them into the tragic state of having no money but not being dead.

    So, Morel and his crew continued to run, the British ship pursued, and the bombardment continued.

    The British ship got closer, and the cannonballsnded increasingly near Morel''s vessel. At this point, binocrs were unnecessary; they could see the British ship and the thick, massive cannon mounted on its bow.

    One 24-pound cannonball urately struck the mast of the flying clipper, snapping it into two pieces.

    The mast, with the sails attached, fell into the water, but the ropes remained connected to the ship. The fallen mast essentially became an impromptu anchor, drastically slowing down the ship.

    "Quick! Cut the lines!" Morel shouted, dropping the wheel and grabbing an axe himself. Leclerc''s face turned pale, his expression one of despair, for losing the mast meant they had no chance of escaping the British.

    "Oh my God!" Leclerc cried out. At the same time, a thunderous noise echoed from the approaching British ship.

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 Chapter 214: The Capture

    Chapter 214: The Capture

    Everyone was startled by the sudden loud noise, including Captain Morrel, who was about to cut the mooring ropes. They turned to see the British ship engulfed in a white mist.

    "What''s going on?" Morrel wondered.

    However, he didn''t slow down. He swiftly cut the ropes, and the fallen mast drifted away with the waves. The flying clipper regained some movement, albeit at a slower speed than before. Nevertheless, they were mobile, and that was all that mattered.

    Morrel didn''t care to know what had happened to the British ship. As long as they were in trouble, it was a good thing. The details could wait until they were out of the range of the British cannons.

    The flying clipper slowly distanced itself from the British ship, which had not fired a single shot during this process. It also started slowing down rapidly, and the white mist that had surrounded it gradually dissipated. The ship''s deck was partially destroyed, the masts were broken, and the wheels on either side of the ship had stopped turning. Though the British ship was still moving, it was purely due to inertia and the current''s influence.

    "What''s wrong with that ship?" Leclerc asked.

    "How should I know? Anyway, it''s good news!" Morrel replied.

    "What do we do now?"

    "Let''s wait and watch. Don''t get too close," Morrel said. "Approaching might make us an easy target for their cannons. We''ve already been blessed by God once; I don''t want to trouble Him again."

    "Good point. But, if it weren''t for the grace of God..."

    Morrel quickly interrupted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Once we''re off this ship, you must go to the church and apologize to God, seek His forgiveness. He forgave me, gave me a path to redemption."

    "Amen!" Everyone chorused.

    At this moment, the British ship gradually came to a halt, floating on the water like a dead fish.

    "Hey, Captain, if we could tow that ship back, we''d make a fortune, and it would cover our losses," Leclerc suggested.

    "Don''t be hasty. Let''s see what happens first, and then we''ll decide," Captain Morrel said. "For now, it''s dead in the water."

    "Yes, we should be patient. My former captain used to say, before boarding another ship, we must first pray for repentance to the merciful God," one of the sailors chimed in.

    "Very well, Louis, you can start praying to God sincerely, and then we''ll lower the dinghy. You''ll board that ship and capture them," Captain Morrel said.

    "Okay... Captain... you''re not sending me alone, are you? There might be..."

    "Don''t worry, my child, God is with you," Captain Morrel assured.

    "But..."

    "Stop worrying. You''re the only one among us with this experience. Haven''t you often said that you, armed with a cuss, could conquer an entire ship from bow to stern? That ship just exploded, and most of the sailors on board are probably injured. And with God''s protection, you''ll be just fine. We all believe in you!" Leclerc added earnestly.

    "Captain..."

    "All right, enough talk. We''ve already strayed far from our course during the chase, and there won''t be any other ships passing by here. They have no power nowI don''t believe they can repair that mess. And their mast is broken. They''re drifting with the current. But the current will only take them farther fromnd and our course. If we leave them like this, they''ll be lost at sea, practically doomed. So, as long as they have a bit of sense left, we only need you to handle this."

    "And what if they don''t have sense?"

    "Then you''re in trouble. But that''s precisely why we can only send you. Louis, if you dare to go, I''ll give you twenty francs."

    "Thirty francs!"

    "Twenty, at most twenty! Any higher, and Leclerc will dly go."

    "Fine, twenty it is..."

    As Leclerc had anticipated, the British ship had suffered extensive damage in the explosion. Their captain was scalded to death by the high-temperature steam, and about seven or eight of their sailors had died. The remaining dozens were injured to varying degrees. At least a third of them had such severe injuries that their ultimate fate might be a watery grave.

    The British crew knew that, without propulsion, their survival depended on the French. So, they surrendered willingly, following the lead of a lieutenant on board the ship.

    To ensure the safety of the French crew, the British crew voluntarily surrendered all their weapons, including firearms and small arms, under the supervision of the French sailors. The French crew boarded the British ship, carefully inspecting every nook and cranny to determine if the ship was salvageable.

    Despite the considerable damage from the explosion, the ship''s hull remained intact, and there was no sign of flooding. It seemed fairly likely that the ship could be towed back. Therefore, they bound those Englishmen who seemed likely to survive and returned them to the flying clipper. They were locked in the emptied cargo hold. The British ship was then secured with a cable and towed in the direction of France.

    On their way back, Morrel and Leclerc took stock of their gains and losses.

    "We lost all our cargo, ording to the contract, we should... How many guns did the British ship have?" Morrel asked.

    "Two 24-pounder cannons and four 12-pounder cannons."

    "That''s it?"

    "The ship''s two wheels took up a significant space, preventing the instation of more cannons. Additionally, the engine room and coal bunker upied space, limiting how many big guns they could fit," Leclerc exined. "They probably thought they''d only have to deal with us, and we didn''t even have any big guns. And those cannons are iron, not bronze. Think about how much more valuable they''d be if they were bronze."

    Compared to bronze cannons, cast iron cannons were significantly cheaper.

    "Let''s not be greedy. God has already been very kind to us. Even without counting the cannons, just the ship''s hull alone is enough topensate for our losses. After all, the hull is intact, and with some repairs, it should be seaworthy. And there''s the navigation records, as well as the technician with the burned leg; they should be worth a good sum of money. Speak to our doctor; make sure he does everything to save the technician''s life, as his life might be quite valuable."

    Under normal circumstances, it wouldn''t take more than two days to sail from their current position back to Roscoff. However, due to the lost mast, the flying clipper''s sail area had been significantly reduced, resulting in a loss of nearly a third of their propulsion. Moreover, they were towing arger ship behind them. As a result, their speed had dropped to roughly a third of its original.

    At this speed, if they encountered British patrol ships, they''d have no choice but to jettison their prize and make a run for it. Considering their lost mast, even without their captured ship, escaping from British patrol ships wouldn''t be easy.

    The waters between Roscoff and Irnd were frequently patrolled by British ships. After consulting with First Mate Leclerc, they decided to take a safer route, making a wide detour to Camaret.

    However, this change in the route meant they would spend a longer time at sea. The flying clipper didn''t carry many supplies because the voyage from Roscoff to Irnd wasn''t long, and the clipper''s speed meant there was no need to load too many provisions. Moreover, the cargo hold on the flying clipper was smaller than those on other ships of simr weight. So, carrying additional supplies meant sacrificing precious cargo space.

    "As luck would have it, the British ship is steam-powered, requiring water for their boiler. Although their boiler exploded, there''s still quite a bit of fresh water left on their ship. This should be sufficient for our return journey. But we''re running short on other provisions."

    "Let''s ration everything, except for that British technician... what''s his name?" Morrel inquired.

    "His name is Anderson," Leclerc added.

    "Right, except for Anderson, the other Englishmen will get half a loaf of bread every two days," Morrel stated. "Additionally, don''t waste fresh water and food on the heavily wounded Englishmen. Our crew''s provisions will also be halved. Anderson must survive; the steam engine on their ship is ruined, and perhaps the folks at the Military-Industrial Complex will be willing to pay us more for this technician."

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 Chapter 215: A Technological Marvel...

    Chapter 215: A Technological Marvel...

    The journey had been smooth so far, except for the hunger that gued everyone on board. Considering that the British were used to lounging around and not doing much work, the French decided to cut their food rations by a third. As a result, when Morel and his crew dragged the British steamship into the port of Camares ten dayster, several British prisoners in the hold had already starved to death. The remaining survivors, apart from the technician who was kept separately and cared for, were too weak to even stand.

    Of course, the French would never admit that these British deaths were due to hunger. Instead, they attributed their demise toplications from injuries sustained in the battle.

    Camares was just a fishing port, without any dedicated shipyards. However, reaching this point allowed them to quickly spread the news about capturing British ships.

    Joseph received this news during lunch. Meanwhile, Napoleon was busy in Paris, reorganizing the nation''s order and striving to establish a government with influence extending to the viges. Essentially, Napoleon''s government was a military one. In France, nobles used to be the only ones with influence in rural areas. Now that the nobility had been abolished, Napoleon aimed to utilize the opportunity to make the discharged soldiers organizers within the viges.

    This n was quite feasible, especially for those veterans, particrly the ones who had served in Napoleon''s army. Many had earned substantial money abroad and could return to their viges, benefiting from government policies to buynd inexpensively. They would instantly be the affluent ss of the countryside. Before going back, they all joined the so-called "Veterans'' Association," and even after retirement, they maintained their connections and organization. These were the political forces supporting Napoleon.

    As for Lucien, he was busier than Napoleon at the moment. As the Minister of Truth, his primary task was to establish a propaganda organization for "spreading the truth."

    Lucien''s propaganda n consisted of two parts. One part was a propaganda agency directly managed by the Ministry of Truth, mainly responsible for external propaganda. In thest war, France had obtained the right to conduct unrestricted free trade in the Nethends, Belgium, the Rhenish Federation, and Prussia, including establishing news agencies and sending reporters.

    Lucien nned to establish a European Free Communication Agency, responsible for gathering various news and, after verifying its truth, providing it to newspapers in those countries. This was meant to help people across Europe understand the truth of France and the benevolence of the First Consul toward the people of other nations. Additionally, the "Scientific Truth Gazette" would open branches in these countries, releasing newspapers in variousnguages tailored to regional readerships.

    However, the "Scientific Truth Gazette" was highly politically charged and sometimes not conducive to subtly spreading the truth. So, besides the "Scientific Truth Gazette," Lucien nned to create and control a batch of "Businessmen''s Gazette" through indirect means to disseminate the truth more subtly.

    On the domestic front, Lucien intended to control public opinion more discreetly. On one hand, he would establish an official news publishing bureau, along with relevant regtions, all in the name of "protecting freedom of speech."

    On the other hand, through covert investments from the "Military-Industrial Consortium," he would create or control a series of newspapers. These newspapers would then be used to form a "French News and Communication Agency," which would monopolize the sources of news.

    These tasks alone wouldn''t have kept Lucien so busy. However, recently, a new activity had emerged in Parisan "Miss Paris Contest," which conveniently fell under Lucien''s purview. This widely celebrated event had consumed what little time he had left.

    As for Louis, he was still studying at the University of Paris and had moved into the city for the sake of convenience. As for Jerome, he was still in middle school. Many of the researchers in the Military-Industrial Consortium had children around Jerome''s age or even younger. So, they had established a nearby school for children, and Jerome attended school there.

    Jerome secretly wished he could attend the schools in the city to avoid Joseph''s scrutiny of his homework. He strongly suspected that his brother reviewed his homework whenever he felt too fatigued to refresh his mind.

    This noon, Joseph had been busy all morning and had just begun to say, "Jerome, about your homework this morning..." when he saw Fanny and her female secretary Pauline approaching. Jerome immediately eximed as if he''d found a lifeline, "Big brother, I already showed Fanny Sister my homework this morning. She said it was perfect."

    While he spoke, Jerome subtly winked at Fanny.

    "Yes, I''ve reviewed it, and it''s wless," Fanny confirmed.

    "Well then, let''s have lunch," Joseph said, taking his seat at the table. He couldn''t ignore Fanny''s face, after all. "Pauline, you have fun with Fanny, alright?"

    "What do you mean, fun? I''m working diligently," Pauline retorted with wide eyes. Joseph was more lenient with his younger sisterspared to his brothers, so Pauline wasn''t as intimidated by Joseph as his brothers were.

    "Joseph, Pauline has been a great help to me," Fanny said. "We''re not just here for a meal. We''ve received a report that a smuggling ship captured a British steam warship during a battle, along with many British prisoners, including a technician."

    This news immediately caught Joseph''s attention.

    "They''re asking for 50,000 francs. I think that price is eptable. We could also have the French government step in andmend them. I checked the information on this Morel, and he seemspetent and worth nurturing. I''ve already instructed our people to buy the British ship," Fanny replied. "Furthermore, the ship is reportedly heavily damaged and not easily movable. It''s currently in Camares. Camares is just a fishing port with no maintenance capabilities. If the British find out, they coulde over and destroy the ship. So, I suggest we organize a team to survey the ship and obtain firsthand technical information."

    "Yes, we should send people immediately," Joseph nodded. "Let''s have lunch first, and after the meal, we''ll draft a list..."

    Morel received 50,000 francs from the Military-Industrial Consortium and handed over the captured steamship, along with the British prisoners, to the Consortium. He also received a medal from the government.

    The Bourbon dynasty had established various honor medals, such as the Order of Saint Michael, the Order of the Holy Spirit, and the Order of Saint Louis. After the Revolution, these were abolished by the First Republic government due to their clear feudal and Bourbon vor. Consequently, for a period, awards for those who had achieved distinction were given in the form of money or symbolic honor weapons.

    However, such forms of recognition were not as effective as medals. Some individuals, especially those who admired the Roman Empire like Napoleon, established an organization that emted the Roman "Legion of Honor." Its members were those who received medals.

    Morel received the lowest-ranking Knight''s Medal (here, a knight refers to the cavalry of the Roman Empire, not the medieval knights), which was still enough to make him proud. During the Bourbon dynasty, amoner like Morel would never have received such an honor.

    After receiving the money, Morel took his ship, which was missing a mast, back to Krakow. On the one hand, he would make the necessary repairs there, and on the other, he would seekpensation from the local insurancepany.

    Representatives from the insurancepany boarded the ship and recorded the losses. Ten dayster, Morel received the insurancepany''s response. Thepany wouldpensate them for the recement of the mast, but regarding the loss of cargo, they believed it was not covered under the policy.

    Naturally, Morel protested, and the insurancepany then brought out the contract, turned to the appendix section, and, with profound knowledge of French grammar andw, elevated Morel''s understanding of the Frenchnguage. And... well, Morel still didn''t manage to getpensation for the cargo loss.

    While Morel was in despair, arguing with the insurancepany''s representatives, Joseph received the technical data about the British steam warship captured in Camares.

    "Well, it uses two steam engines, jointly propelling two paddlewheels. Paddlewheels are not very efficient, and having them on both sides is an obvious weakness... Plus, auxiliary power from a mast with a sail. The mast is positioned too close to the boilers, damaged in a boiler explosion. Who designed this?" After a thorough examination of the data on the British steam warship, Joseph reached a conclusion. "The British certainly made us spend 50,000 francs in vain for this technology."

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 Chapter 216: The Irish Crisis

    Chapter 216: The Irish Crisis

    Indeed, the British steamships were rather mediocre in terms of technology. In Joseph''s words, they were, "technicallyplete garbage! Every aspect of themgs far behind us. I spent a whopping fifty thousand francs, and all I got was one piece of valuable information: British steamships are garbage!"

    It was true that the paddlewheel steamship was a technical failure. As a warship, the exposed paddlewheel was its most ring vulnerability, hampering the arrangement of cannons. In military terms, such vessels had limited utility. As civilian vessels, their propulsion efficiency was low, and their structural weight was astonishingly high. They not only added significant weight to the ships but also consumed a considerable amount of valuable space with their auxiliary transmission mechanisms. Moreover, paddlewheels were prone to single-side immersion in rough seas, causing them to spin freely and leading to various mechanical failures. In short,pared to propellers, paddlewheels had almost no advantages except for their intimidating appearance.

    However, despite Joseph''s criticism, these "outdated garbage" had caused some trouble for the French.

    Within a single working cycle, four clipper ships failed to return from Irnd. Several other returning clipper ships lost all their cargo. ording to these shaken captains, they had encountered British steamships billowing ck smoke chasing them at sea.

    At the same time, British newspapers published reports of the "heroic Royal Navy" capturing French clipper ships, boosting the morale of the downcast English.

    The French, of course, immediately countered with the story of Captain Morel capturing British steamships. This story not only made its way into newspapers but was quickly adapted to the theater stage. On stage, Captain Morel appeared gant, but the most notable aspect was the portrayal of the British, nearly on par with the portrayal of the Germans in the ssic French film "Escape from the Jaws of Death."

    However, this propaganda war did not change the situation at sea. As the British deployed more and more steamships, the supplies that the French could transport to Irnd decreased significantly. Eventually, French ships had to wait offshore, far from Irnd, only approaching when the weather conditions were rtively adverse. (After all, paddlewheels became useless in rough seas.)

    Even with this approach, the lifeline to Irnd suffered a severe blockage. For the British, it was crucial to take advantage of this time and inflict heavy damage on the Irish, even if they couldn''tpletely eliminate the Irish insurgents. That would at least weaken them.

    Thus, the Duke of Norfolk received orders to swiftly deal a heavy blow, or even eliminate the insurgents, along with a royalmand: "Crack down harder on illegal religious organizations disloyal to the king."

    The Duke of Norfolk stated that both tasks were challenging and required additional troops. He insisted on a force of at least one hundred thousand soldiers.

    It was unprecedented in British history to mobilize such arge army. Such an excessive demand would naturally not be approved by the government. Nevertheless, the Duke of Norfolk made this request with his own intentions in mind.

    First, it was a ssic negotiation tactic  ask for a lot to get something reasonable. If he asked for just fifty thousand troops, the government would likely haggle down further, leaving him with only twenty-five thousand. So, he had to start with a big number, "I need one hundred thousand!"

    Secondly, it was a way to prepare an escape route for the future. In case of failure (even though the Irish faced difficulties,pletely eliminating them was not easy, and the probability of failure was far greater than one in a thousand), he would have a reason to shift responsibility.

    The Duke of Norfolk''s intentions were well understood by all. Bureaucratic institutions had operated this way for years. Only a fool would give subordinates everything they asked for, leaving no room for excuses, leading to a risky situation and ultimate disaster for all.

    So, in keeping with tradition, after some back-and-forth negotiation, the government sent him over forty thousand troops, almost entirelyposed of new recruits.

    The Duke of Norfolk, on the surface, naturally expressed great dissatisfaction. In his letter to the Prime Minister, he even spoke quite disrespectfully. But everyone knew that the Duke of Norfolk was actually quite satisfied. Hisints were merely a way to secure his own retreat.

    The Duke of Norfolk understood that the newly added troops were inexperienced and not adequately trained. However, even these fresh recruits were better than the "Irish Security Forces." At least, there hadn''t been any reports of proper British troops switching sides so far.

    In the uing major sweep, the Duke of Norfolk needed to leave enough troops to defend his own territory. He couldn''t afford a situation where he sent troops to raid enemy bases while his own bases were stolen. The primary use of these over forty thousand fresh recruits was to secure vital locations and ensure the safety of their rear during the sweep.

    As for the somewhat unreliable "Irish Security Forces," they were quite useful during the sweep. For activities like destroying potatoes in non-security areas, was it necessary for regr troops to handle them?

    So, after deploying these fresh recruits to various garrisons and fortifying the defense of these locations, the Duke of Norfolk initiated anotherrge-scale sweep against the Irish.

    However, the timing of this sweep wasn''t ideal. ording to the Duke''s original n, the major sweep was supposed to wait until just before the potato harvest. But the government was eager for good news, and the Duke himself knew that the French supply lines weren''t entirely cut off. Dying for two months until the potato harvest would have dealt a more significant blow to the Irish insurgents. Right now, with the potatoes just nted,unching an attack and trampling over their fields would still allow the Irish some time to rent. Although this would inevitably reduce the final yield, it was better than being hit just before the harvest.

    But postponing for such a long time would put more pressure on the government, which needed uplifting news at this time. Additionally, several months would give the insurgents more time to prepare. When the sweep wasunched, the gains might be more substantial, but the losses would also be more significant.

    Moreover, the British were currently enjoying a temporary advantage at sea with their "world-leading technology," but who knew if there would be changes in the future?

    The Duke of Norfolk couldn''t keep the preparation for anotherrge-scale sweep a secret, and the United Irishmen''s Association had already obtained intelligence. This was because there were many individuals within the "Irish Security Forces" who had conflicting loyalties.

    So, even before the Duke of Norfolk could act, the United Irishmen''s Association had already convened a meeting to discuss countering the sweep.

    "What should we do? Of course, it''s the same asst time  the enemyes to our homes, and we go to theirs. Everyone fights on their own, let''s see who gives in first."

    "General Joyce, that old bastard has brought in over forty thousand people from the UK again, and he probably intends to keep them at home to guard. Those garrisons won''t be as easy to hit asst time," warned President Russell.

    "But President, we''ve grown much stronger. Especially our siege capabilities. In response to the shorings revealed in the previous anti-sweep operations, we requested support from our Frenchrades and enhanced our training. Now, our siege capabilities are not what they werest time. That old man probably thinks our forces can''t handle his garrisons; we can give him a pleasant surprise," replied Joyce.

    "I agree with General Joyce''s view. But I think we should not only strike the enemy''s garrisons but also concentrate our forces to strike the enemy entering our base. Our army has significantly expanded in size, and the British know this, but they don''t know how much our strength has increased. So, if they still think they can rampage just likest time with a few hundred British soldiers and some ck dogs, they''re mistaken. I believe we can let them enter our base, and then we''ll strike from behind, knocking out a few crucial garrisons, forcing them to retreat. Then, we can immediately shift back to our base and deal a severe blow to the retreating enemy," suggested General Shn, head of the Second Division.

    "Very well, everyone''s morale is high. We''ve encountered some trouble recently, and our weapon supplies have decreased significantly. Butrades, we can''t rely solely on our Frenchrades for everything. We should be self-reliant. No guns, no cannons? We can let the British make them for us! Besides, defending our homnd doesn''t solely rely on regr troops. Every county brigade, district squadron, and vige group should be mobilized. Don''t underestimate vige groups just because they are small in number and can''t fightrge battles. If we kill a few of them today and a few more tomorrow, little by little, it adds up and shouldn''t be underestimated," President Russell emphasized.

    "At the very least, we can take down some ck dogs and confiscate a few guns from their hands," someone chimed in, "Do you think it''s better for the British to issue guns to those ck dogs, or for them not to issue guns?" Laughter erupted among everyone present.

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 Chapter 217: Intelligence First

    Chapter 217: Intelligence First

    The Duke of Norfolk knew that in the uing battle, he had the upper hand in terms of military strength. However, on the other hand, he was at an absolute disadvantage - intelligence.

    A series of setbacks had reduced the number of willing coborators in the non-pacified areas, and the difficulty and cost of buying their cooperation had greatly increased.

    What was even more troublesome was the unreliability of the information provided by these individuals. Often, these reports contradicted each other, and sometimes, the same person provided information that was clearly contradictory. This could be because they were not professional intelligence agents and couldn''t effectively discern the truth. Or perhaps they were fabricating nonsense to extract more money, intentionally misleading the British. There was also the possibility that some of them were working for the rebels and deliberately misleading the British.

    Considering that much of the information received was often contradictory and nonsensical, it was unlikely that genuine rebels could concoct such absurdities (leaving aside the malicious intent to extract money). More likely, they had been discovered by the rebels, who, upon realizing how foolish these coborators were, deliberately kept them alive to deceive the British.

    In any case, all intelligence from the non-pacified areas was unreliable and evenughable. Take, for example, the portraits of the rebel leader, Lazarus. There were over a dozen different depictions, each portraying the same figure, with some even changing his gender. In some portraits, Lazarus was even depicted as a tall, slightly pointed-eared, chestnut-haired warrior with green eyes.

    The Duke of Norfolk knew that the majority of these portraits were nonsense, as Lazarus couldn''t possibly be some mythical creature. But still, he had the soldiers bring copies of all the portraits, including the one with the pointy-eared girl - what if one of them was genuine? What if Lazarus really was Irnd''s Joan of Arc?

    As for the semi-pacified areas, the intelligence work was equally frustrating, if not more so. Many members of the "security forces" there were double-dealers, making it difficult to trust the information they provided. Some were diligent in reporting all kinds of information, like Jarvis, the chief of the detective team, who submitted enough information about the rebels every month to fill a book. However, in this entire book, you could hardly find a single piece of reliable information. Among this sea of garbage, the information that was genuinely useful was even scarcer.

    In summary, getting effective intelligence from them was an overwhelming task. So, the intelligence department had been requesting an increase in personnel to enhance their information processing capabilities.

    "Just dealing with someone like Jarvis would require us to hire two more clerks. This idiot reports everything, even incidents where one household''s male dog vited another household''s female dog as intelligence!" the Duke of Norfolk eximed.

    As for the pacified areas, the main focus of their work was capturing rebel spies.

    For a period, especially after the first sessful major crackdown, the work of capturing rebel spies had been quite sessful, almost wiping them out entirely. However, after the failure of the second major crackdown, the situation changed dramatically. Many people, especially the Irish, became skeptical of the British''s prospects in the war. In order to "leave a way out," many began double-dealing, turning a blind eye to the rebels'' new infiltrations. As a result, rebel spies became a problem again in the pacified areas.

    "If we can''t get our intelligence work in order, we''ll be blinded once again. And we all know that a blind man, no matter how strong, won''t achieve much on the battlefield. So, the first item on the agenda for this meeting is intelligence work," the Duke of Norfolk said during the preparatory meeting for the uing major crackdown.

    "Everyone knows that there''s not much time left until the next round of operations, so we must focus on intelligence. In the pacified areas, anyone suspicious must be immediately taken into preventive custody. We''d rather make a thousand mistakes than let one go. The entire pacified area needs to take immediate action. Even if we can''t capture all the rebel spies in a short time, we must iste them so that their information cannot leak out. Understand?"

    "Understood!" Several officials stood up and replied.

    "Furthermore, improving our collection of rebel intelligence in the short term is unlikely, so our current focus should be on how to prevent the rebels from obtaining information about us. Gentlemen, our opponents are cunning and formidable. They have almost made us blind. How can a blind man defeat someone with clear vision? The only way is to blind them too and then use the extensive experience we gain from being blind for a longer time to crush them," the Duke of Norfolk continued. "So, how can we make our opponents blind? Do any of you have any ideas?"

    "We can enhance secrecy, preventing any information about our operations from leaking," one official suggested.

    "If our operations don''t require the use of the ''Irish Security Forces,'' then there''s a better chance," another officer shook his head. "Those ''Irish Security Forces'' are filled with double-dealers. Tell them something in the morning, and by noon, the rebels probably already know."

    "How is that even possible? Our manpower is limited, and that''s why we needed them in the first ce. Now we have to assign people to watch them specifically; it''s not very efficient," the Duke of Norfolk said after everyone had spoken for a while.

    The Duke of Norfolk finally spoke up, "I think we''ve all been on the wrong track. Now, let me ask you all, what methods would you use to make someone with good eyesight unable to see things?"

    "Blindfold them."

    "Gouge out their eyes."

    The Duke of Norfolk shook his head, "You allck experience. Think about how they blinded our eyes. Besides blindfolding and gouging out eyes, what other methods did they use?"

    Silence fell over the group.

    The Duke of Norfolk looked at them, sighed, and said, "There''s another way: overwhelm their eyes with even stronger light! Just like how mountaineers can suffer snow blindness in the mountains, it''s not because the light is too weak to see; it''s because the light is too strong to see.

    Let''s consider how our enemies have blinded us. Besides blindfolding us, preventing us from seeing certain things, and gouging out our eyes, what else have they done?"

    Everyone remained silent.

    The Duke of Norfolk continued, "They''ve used our spies to flood us with a mass of useless information, using this noise to deafen our ears and blind us with this chaos. Gentlemen, our enemies may be despicable, but they are incredibly skilled. Remember that. There''s much to learn from them. I don''t know about you gentlemen, but I study their techniques every day, oftente into the night. The more I study, the more I see there''s much worth learning. I hope you can actively learn from our opponents too.

    Our enemies have infiltrated us to the point where there''s virtually no limit. As I mentioned earlier, as long as the ''Irish Security Forces'' receive information in the morning, the rebels probably know by lunchtime."

    At this point, the Duke of Norfolk paused, looked around, and said, "So, why don''t we use this to our advantage? Let''s use arge volume of mixed, genuine and false intelligence to overwhelm their eyes, blinding them temporarily."

    With that, everyone began to apud.

    In the following period, the United Irishmen would receive a daily influx of information about British troop movements, orders, and other intelligence. The quantity of this information was enormous, but its contents were often contradictory, leaving the members of the United Irishmen somewhat baffled. For instance, there were at least seven or eight different ims about the direction of the British offensive and various conflicting reports about the British''s logistical preparations and troop deployments at different stations. The personnel responsible for intelligence within the United Irishmen, including their leader, felt overwhelmed.

    "It seems the enemy wants to wear out ourrades with this junk," Chairman Russell called an emergency meeting of the Intelligence Department. "Butrades, we can''t dance to the enemy''s tune. They''ve put out countless messages. Some are true, some are false. We can''t just blindly look at them all, and we can''t ignore them all either. That would be ying into the enemy''s hands. We need toe up with a way to efficiently filter out the useless information meant to disrupt us. Only then can we defeat the enemy. Let me propose an immature idea: we can rank these information sources based on their previous reliability and then decide based on that ranking..."

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 Chapter 218: The Swamp

    Chapter 218: The Swamp

    After a flurry of mixed messages, ranging from "we''reunching the campaign tomorrow" to "we''re setting off this afternoon" and "the official sweep begins in a month," the British forces were ready to make their move.

    First, they reorganized the defenses of their outposts. The troops stationed there, including the "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," were redeployed, reced by fresh British recruits. The British then divided their consolidated forces into two columns, marching towards thergest non-peacekeeping zone in Irnd.

    Despite the interference caused by a barrage of messages, it was challenging to keep a massive military deployment like this a secret. Information from informants within the peacekeeping and semi-peacekeeping zones, as well as the double-dealing "Irish Peacekeeping Forces," was supplemented by the reconnaissance units of the Irish Independent Army. Even the county brigades, district squads, and vige guerri teams near British-controlled areas had heightened vignce and were prepared to counter the British sweep at any moment.

    In the peripheral regions of the base, which were frequent targets of rapid British punitive expeditions (the British, using their cavalry''s high mobility, regrly raided these areas, attempting to gradually erode their defenses), the vignce and alertness in terms of early warning were taken even more seriously than in other areas.

    During the daytime, the men worked in the fields, and the women joined them to help. The guerri teams on duty watched the main roads, while the older children took the sheep out to graze, also keeping an eye on the vacant pathways, carrying out guard duties. (British cavalry, led by traitors, had repeatedly infiltrated the base from these minor roads to cause trouble.)

    These children had been warned about the possibility of arge-scale British incursion into the base recently, so they were on high alert.

    Early in the morning, Alice and a few of her friends took some sheep to a small grassy knoll north of the vige. It was a well-located spot where they could also monitor the nearby roads.

    A message tree stood on the knoll, visible when looking in the direction of the vige.

    Of course, the message tree couldn''t be knocked down haphazardly because if the vigers saw the message tree fall, everyone would immediately relocate to the swamp shelter, and no farming would be done that day. It would be a false rm.

    So the children had their roles. When only one or two people approached, two older boys, Michael and Thomas, would go forward with spears to interrogate them, while the other children guarded the message tree. If something went wrong, they would immediately topple the message tree and sound the rm to the vige.

    If more people arrived and they weren''t prearranged allies, they would unhesitatingly topple the message tree and lead the sheep directly to the swamp shelter.

    Upon reaching the knoll, they let the sheep graze in the field below while they kept watch. They discussed the taste of the French candy brought by the former district leader. Michael, filled with anticipation, said, "The old district leader told me that when we win, we can eat French candy every day, as much as we want..."

    As they spoke, they daydreamed about a sweet future. At that moment, sharp-eyed Alice suddenly noticed something moving rapidly in the distance.

    "Look, what''s that over there?" Alice called out.

    The children stood on tiptoe to look in the direction she pointed. There was definitely something moving quickly toward them.

    "It''s the enemy''s cavalry! Quick, lower the message tree!"

    The children hurriedly toppled the message tree and Michael and Thomas went down to set tripwires on the minor road. The others gathered the sheep and, without returning to the vige, made their way directly to the swamp shelter.

    Once the message tree was down, everyone became alert. The vigers began packing their belongings, which had already been prepared in recent days, and headed for the swamp shelter. Several of the young men from the guerri team in the vige armed themselves and went toward the threat. They intended to disrupt the enemy as much as possible using guerri tactics, buying the vigers time to relocate.

    The vigers rendezvoused with the children near the entrance to the swamp shelter. Except for Michael and Thomas, all the children and sheep were there. They exined that Michael and Thomas had gone to set tripwires forndmines. The rest stayed for a while, listening to muffled explosions from that direction.

    After a tense wait, Michael and Thomas eventually returned, their faces beaming with excitement.

    "Rascals, where have you been!" Old Michael approached to scold the mischievous kids.

    "We saw two British cavalry horses with broken legs, and those two British guys fell off their horses, hahaha..." Michael still looked ted,pletely oblivious to his father''s brewing scolding.

    "Never mind, they''re back now. Let''s get inside quickly," several people held back Old Michael, and they all moved toward the shelter. As they walked, they removed the boards from the entrance and knocked down the wooden stakes.

    Outside, a few gunshots rang out, the guerri fighters were firing at the British. They had an alternative route in and out of the shelter, so there was no need to worry about them. Soon, thick smoke billowed from the direction of the vige - it was evident that the British were setting it on fire.

    "If they have the guts toe into the swamp, we''ll shoot them dead!" one viger dered angrily. Although their thatched-roof houses weren''t worth much, they had worked hard to build them.

    Shortly after the vigers entered the shelter, a group of British soldiers and some bloodhounds arrived at the edge of the swamp.

    This time, the British came prepared to deal with the swamp, equipped with a new piece of gear: swamp shoes.

    These "swamp shoes" were actuallyrge wooden boards that could be fastened onto regr boots. The design was simple, and the principle straightforward: they increased the surface area and decreased pressure. Wearing these shoes, the pressure exerted by a person on the ground was reduced by more than half, making it less likely for them to sink. However, it wasn''t foolproof; in case they encountered exceptionally thin or deep quagmires, the result would still be fatal.

    Since entering the swamp remained risky, it was the task of the "Peacekeeping Forces" to lead the way.

    The Peacekeeping Forces'' bloodhounds were the first to don these shoes and each carried a long wooden pole, venturing ahead to scout the path.

    The simple design did indeed prove effective. They walked on the swamp''s muddy surface without sinking, and it made their movement significantly faster and more agile.

    "Good," said British officer Edward Stafford, who was supervising from behind. "We''ll stay here and oversee their entry. We''ll apprehend those rebels!"

    Nheless, entering the swamp was still perilous. Even with swamp shoes, it was treacherous. So, if the British could avoid going in, it was better that they did. Moreover, ording to their intelligence, the vige only had around a hundred people, including women and children. The true adult men numbered only a few dozen, all of them ordinary folks. Edward believed that the "Peacekeeping Forces," although somewhat ragtag, should be sufficient to deal with these people.

    By this time, the guerri team had entered the swamp through another passage. They quickly spotted the Peacekeeping Forces, d in swamp shoes, waddling through the swamp like a flock of ducks.

    "Hey, these Peacekeeping Forces have this stuff too?" whispered the team leader Hitchens, speaking in hushed tones to a squad member named Thompson.

    The squad member nodded and then left to report to the old vige leader, while Hitchens and another member, Wade, made their ns.

    "Let''s split up, Wade. You go left, and I''ll go right. We''ll approach them from both sides..."

    "We''ll encircle them from the left and right," Wade confirmed. "I understand."

    "Good! We''ll open fire from both sides. Remember, take one shot, then change position. After firing ten shots, we''ll rendezvous at location one, and then we''ll lead the enemy to location two. Got it?"

    "Got it!"

    At this point, over two hundred "Peacekeeping Forces" had entered the swamp. Team leader Hyde was being pressured by squad leader O''Kelly to lead the way. The swamp had poor visibility with tall and low water grasses, reeds everywhere. asionally, a disturbance in the reed bed would send a couple of wild ducks flying out.

    Hyde was cautiously moving through the swamp when suddenly, there was a gunshot from his left. Simultaneously, one of the Peacekeeping Forces next to him let out a miserable cry, falling headlong into the muck.

    This sent the other Peacekeeping Forces into chaos, and they turned to look in the direction of the gunshot, where a thick, pale-blue smoke seemed to be rising from the reeds. The sound of the gunshot and the shock made a flock of wild ducks take flight.

    "Rebels! Rebels on the left, in the reeds! Open fire in that direction!" Hyde pointed to the reed bed, shouting.

    The Peacekeeping Forces quickly turned their guns towards the dense reeds and opened fire, causing reed stems and leaves to scatter in every direction. However, no one noticed if anyone was hit when they fired. In fact, while they were shooting, they hadn''t seen anyone there.

    After this round of firing, Squad leader O''Kelly scrutinized the scene and realized that two more of their men had fallen on their side.

    "I didn''t see any of those Independent Army fellows shooting just now; are they pretending to be dead?" O''Kelly thought and nned to go over and give the two y-acting guys a good kick. However, at this moment, a gunshot rang out from behind them.

    "Captain, Captain, the rebels are behind us!" Hyde shouted again.

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 Chapter 219: Tricky Situation

    Chapter 219: Tricky Situation

    If Heath had just shouted, "The rebels are over there," that would have been fine. But he had to go and say, "They''re behind us." Generally, on the battlefield, having enemies appear behind you is the most dangerous situation. So when he shouted that, everyone panicked and turned around, but the ground beneath them was all muddy. Even though their swamp boots reduced the pressure on the mud and prevented them from sinking in easily, those boots weren''t very good at providing traction. So when they turned around quickly, it was easy to slip and fall, and that''s precisely what happened.

    If this had been a normal situation, a bunch of people falling down might have been met with someughter. But this was a battlefield, and suddenly, so many people went down. Some of those remaining among them naturally lost theirposure and thought, "My God, so many just dropped dead! We''re surrounded!"

    Someone shouted, "We''re surrounded, run!" It didn''t take long for others to start waddling like ducks, their big feet sshing in the water and mud as they rushed backward. Soon, a group of "ducks" were running for their lives.

    The swamp was incredibly slippery, and during this process, more people fell. These fallen individuals were mistaken for casualties by the terrified "ducks," who then fled even more desperately.

    Understanding that these people had only fallen, not been killed, wasn''t difficult. There were no gunshots when they went down, and in those times, suppressed firearms didn''t exist yet. However, when mass hysteria takes over, reason often takes a back seat. For example, in some ces and times, people panicked and bought up all the toilet paper in a supermarket due to rumors. A media host might even debunk the rumors on their show but rush to grab some for themselves because they know that not following the trend could leave them without any toilet paper at home.

    The current situation was somewhat simr. Once everyone started running, even those who understood what was happening, like Heath and O''Kelly, found that nobody was paying attention to them. They had no choice but to join the fleeing crowd, and they had to run faster, or else they''d be left behind as the rebels wouldn''t be able to eliminate so many "security forces."

    So, everyone made an about-face and ran, like a herd of animals fleeing from an approaching threat. In the story, the stampeding herd only stopped when they encountered a lion. Simrly, the "security forces" only stopped when they ran into the redcoated British soldiers.

    "Halt!" shouted a British officer as he drew his sword. Several lines of Lobsterbacks had already shouldered their muskets.

    Some of the "ducks" who sensed something amiss began to slow down. However, due to the slippery ground, this reduction in speed led to more slips and falls. Those in the rear either didn''t hear or didn''t clearly understand the British officer''s warning, so they continued to run forward.

    "Fire!" The British officer wasted no time in shing his sword downward.

    Bang! Gunshots rang out, and the ck dogs, now running back, were truly brought down in a mass.

    "Go back! Go back! We can''t run; they will kill us, sir!" Captain O''Kelly shouted.

    "Prepare!" Edward''s voice crackled in the air.

    The "security forces" soldiers who hadn''t died scrambled to their feet and turned back toward the marsh. Along the way, a few were shot by the gueri fighters, more were shot by the British, and a few, although wearing swamp boots, still unluckily got stuck in the quagmire but hadn''t died yet.

    Watching the "security forces" fall to the ground and crawl into the marsh, Edward wore a smug smile.

    "Now, apart from the cavalry and artillery, all other units, put on your swamp boots and follow me into the marsh to eliminate the rebels," Edward sheathed his sword and issued themand.

    The Lobsterbacks also put on swamp boots and began to enter the marsh, following the path the "security forces" had taken.

    After running for a while, Captain O''Kelly turned around and couldn''t see the redcoated British soldiers anymore. They stopped to catch their breath.

    "Captain... Captain... we can''t go any further in here. We''re unfamiliar with this ce, and if we go deeper, we''ll be ambushed for sure," one "security forces" soldier said.

    "Captain, just think, will we be spared by General Stafford? He didn''t even bat an eyelid after so many of ourrades were killed. We have to go forward. There shouldn''t be many rebels up ahead," another "security forces" soldier reasoned.

    "What if there''s more than one or two rebels up ahead? Captain, we might as well fire a few shots randomly. It''ll be worth the money the British paid us. Then we can find a ce to hide for a while. When we go out again, we can say we fought the rebels for a while, and they ran away. Wouldn''t that work?" Yet another soldier suggested.

    "That''s right, Captain. We can''t go any further. Look at how many times we''ve slipped on this road. Our muskets are all soaked, and they''re full of muddy water. We can''t even fire them," arade added.

    Captain O''Kelly pondered for a moment and then said, "Fine, go and find some usable muskets. Fire a couple of shots and then head to the reeds over there to hide for a while. We''ll figure out the restter. But remember, we''ve left footprints on this path, and if General Stafford and his men follow our tracks, we''ll have to..."

    Though ck Dog had already passed through this area, the Lobsterbacks were still cautious as they traversed the marsh. They had no choice; from time to time, they encountered a ck Dog who had sunk into the muck and called out for help.

    As a result, the Lobsterbacks moved slowly, and after a while, they heard the crackling sound of gunshots up ahead.

    "It''s the security forces and the rebels fighting!" Edward Stafford eximed, drawing his sword. "Full speed ahead, catch up, and eliminate the rebels!"

    The soldiers quickened their pace.

    After a while, it seemed they had reached the location where the gunshots had rung out. But now there was no one in sight, neither rebels nor ck dogs.

    "Damn it, where have they all gone?" Edward Stafford was visibly frustrated.

    "It seems the rebels have retreated, and the security forces went after them. Sir, you see, there are tracks leading this way," another sub-lieutenant pointed to a ce for Edward Stafford to see.

    The ce did indeed have a mishmash of footprints that extended to a shallow body of water. The water looked shallow but wide and had a misty appearance. They couldn''t see where those chaps hadnded on the other side.

    "They must have waded through," the sub-lieutenant suggested.

    "They had the courage to chase after them like this?"

    "Maybe they saw the rebels and just followed them. So they chased them."

    Several junior officers discussed it among themselves. Eventually, they all turned their gaze towards theirmanding officer, Captain Edward Stafford.

    But Captain Edward Stafford hesitated a bit because the footprints were submerged beneath the water''s surface, which wasn''t clear, and the area was filled with various aquatic nts. The water wasn''t deep, but they couldn''t see whaty beneath, so entering it was quite dangerous.

    At the same time, on the other side of the water, in the reeds, a few pairs of eyes were fixed on the red-coated British soldiers.

    Several guerri members had just witnessed a farcical scene: a group of ck dogs had arrived, changed the direction of their swamp boots, and then fired a few shots into the air. Afterward, they ran back along the same path and disappeared. Soon after, arge group of Lobsterbacks arrived.

    The guerri members knew that the mud below the water''s surface was treacherous. Even with swamp boots, they couldn''t traverse this section of water. Now, seeing the British soldiers hesitating, the guerri members looked at each other, and Higgins lowered his voice, "Wade, let''s retreat a bit, fire a few shots, and I bet those Britishds will fall for it."

    A few guerri members moved back a bit and then fired shots into the air.

    "There! Right over there! The security forces and the rebels are fighting again!"

    Now that the whereabouts of the security forces were clear, and both the security forces and the rebels had managed to cross, could the mighty British army be left behind?

    So, Captain Edward Stafford promptly made a decision and ordered, "Everyone, get in the water, cross the surface, and pursue the rebels."

    The valiant Lobsterbacks began to wade into the water. The water was not initially deep, reaching just above their knees. The mud beneath became softer, but not enough to engulf anyone. So, they continued moving forward. To avoid getting their firearms wet, the soldiers had to raise their muskets high above their heads, resembling a disy of surrender. The mud underfoot was also bing increasingly malleable.

    "Keep going, we''ll be through in no time!" Captain Edward Stafford encouraged the soldiers beside him, though he had a nagging feeling that something wasn''t quite right.

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 Chapter 220: The Proof of Victory

    Chapter 220: The Proof of Victory

    Captain Edward Stafford had only shouted half of hismand when the sound of a gunshot rang out. Quickly followed by another.

    Amidst the gunfire, two British soldiers sunk beneath the murky waters. Their situation was dire. They were in the deepest part of the water, making movement difficult. They had be easy targets. Their stance wasn''t suitable for precise shooting, and even if they managed to fire, their hurried shots would hardly hit their mark.

    In addition, they faced a significant problem; they couldn''t reload their firearms in this environment. Their rifles were rendered useless after a single shot, leaving them virtually defenseless. All they could do was assume the shooter was hiding behind the reeds, keeping their rifles aimed but not firing to maintain a threat, while quickly retreating or advancing.

    Yet, in the chaos, the British soldiers failed to make the wisest decision. They fired their guns randomly in the direction of the reeds. The result of their blind shots was unclear. After some time, the reeds on the other side responded with more gunshots, and another British soldier fell. The British turned to face the threat, raised their rifles, but this time, no shots were fired. In the previous panic, they had exhausted all their ammunition. Now they had no means of reloading, effectively making them unarmed.

    "Charge! Charge and use your bays to deal with them!" Captain Stanford shouted.

    The British soldiers were resilient, and they advanced towards the enemy. The guerri fighters saw the Brits in distress and chose to stand out in the open, firing at them boldly. They reloaded their weapons right in front of the British soldiers'' eyes, firing again and again.

    Progressing through the water and mud was challenging with each step, but the guerri fighters were outnumbered. Despite suffering casualties at close range and some British soldiers sinking into the quagmire, the determined British Lobsters pressed on.

    The British soldiers reached shallower waters, nearly making it to the shore. The shameless Irishmen fired theirst shot and fled. The British chased them for a while, but in the distance, they spotted a small boat. Several Irish guerris were rowing away.

    "Quick, reload your rifles and fire!" Captain Edward Stafford was exasperated.

    But reloading took time. By the time they had clumsily reloaded, the boat had disappeared behind the reeds.

    "Damn rebels..." After a string of expletives, Captain Edward Stafford had a problem to solve: what should they do next?

    Continue forward? The water ahead was deeper and broader than what they had crossed. Take a detour? The location of the guerris in the swamp was unknown, and there was no clear path to take. Return? That would mean theirrades'' lives had been sacrificed in vain.

    Moreover, how would they return? Back the way they came? When they had charged forward, they hadn''t noticed, but now they saw that five or six of theirrades were still bobbing in the water, shouting, "For the sake of the United Kingdom, help a brother out!" Returning the same way would only leave more men behind.

    As Captain Edward Stafford grappled with his dilemma, shouts from behind reached his ears. "Captain... Captain Stafford..."

    Captain Edward Stafford raised his spyss to see a group of ck Paws, each carrying a bundle of reeds. They threw the reeds into the water and stepped on them to create a makeshift path, slowly making their way over.

    Leading them was O''Kelly, who was shouting, "Captain, don''t worry; we''re here to save you!" This pushed Captain Stanford to the brink of madness.

    The ck Paws spent nearly half an hourying down the path. O''Kelly, huffing and puffing, ran up to Captain Edward Stafford, only to receive a p across the face, nearly sending him sprawling.

    "You scoundrel, tell me, where did you all go just now? Did you collude with the rebels to set us up intentionally?" Captain Stafford raged.

    While berating O''Kelly, Captain Stanford drew his sword, pointing it at O''Kelly, so livid he could hardly speak. "You... your... conscience... is corrupt... corrupt! I..."

    O''Kelly''s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. "Captain, I swear by my loyalty to the United Kingdom, may God be my witness! I pledge my soul to salvation. If I colluded with the rebels to harm you, may my whole family go to hell."

    "You scoundrel! Then tell me, where did you go, and what were you doing? If you can''t exin, I''ll cut you down!"

    "Captain, a short while ago, we encountered a few rebels over here. They fired at us, we fired back, and then they fled. We pursued them and reached... here," Captain O''Kelly pointed to the spot where the British soldiers had entered the water. "Captain, you see, those rebels are sly. They had a boat hidden over there. They got on the boat and quickly made their way here. Since the water is too deep here, we couldn''t follow, so I thought of gathering some reeds we passed by earlier. We bundled them up to create a path. Captain, did the rebels go that way?"

    "You dimwit, why were you so slow!" Stanford put away his sword and smacked O''Kelly once more.

    "Yes, yes, Captain. I admit my men were too slow. Way too slow," O''Kelly said, bowing with a smile.

    Then he looked over the wider expanse of water on the other side. "Captain, there''s no boat, and we can''t cross. How about we retreat for now, and return with a boat tomorrow?"

    "p!" Angrily, Stanford gave O''Kelly another p.

    "Indeed, Captain, you''re right. We mustn''t retreat without wiping out the rebels," O''Kelly fervently dered.

    As he spoke, he quickly adopted a cheerful expression. "But it will get dark soon, and the swamp can be bitterly cold. Catching a cold out here would be a problem. What if we return now ande back tomorrow to finish them off?"

    "Hmm," Captain Stanford nodded, then whispered, "Retreat."

    With that, Captain Stanford led the group of British soldiers back along the path. He could still hear O''Kelly''s shout from behind: "For now, follow the Captain back. We''ll return to finish off those rebels another day."

    Meanwhile, those British soldiers who had cried for help, with only their heads above water, had all now sunk beneath the surface.

    As Stanford walked back, he was filled with regret and anger. Today, he had taken the initiative, leading his troops into the swamp, hoping to achieve a significant victory. Yet, they had suffered lossesover twenty men and nearly forty dogsbut hadn''t killed a single rebel. How would he exin this when he returned? Even if his family had some influence, they were still minor nobility. Stanford could already envision himself being forcibly retired, bing a disgrace to his family.

    "Captain, Captain..." O''Kelly approached with a smiling face.

    "What is it?" Stanford was not in a good mood.

    "Captain, today, you took the initiative and bravely killed over a hundred rebels. You''re truly invincible," O''Kelly said tteringly, his face unwavering.

    "What did you say?" Stanford turned around, ring at the ck Paw.

    "Captain, this is something we all witnessed," O''Kelly said, maintaining hisposure. Then he lowered his voice. "Captain, only by winning can we earn more rewards. It benefits everyone, doesn''t it? We all came here for the rewards, after all."

    Stanford stared at O''Kelly''s eyes for a long time. After a while, he said, "Very well, you''re quite clever."

    Stanford wasn''t worried that O''Kelly might use this situation to threaten him in the future. O''Kelly was a clever dogan Irish one, to be exact. Regardless of what he barked at an English nobleman, nobody would believe him. Moreover, barking itself was a crime. Stanford believed that an intelligent dog like O''Kelly understood this.

    As for the British soldiers under hismand, they were justmoners. With some reward money, perhaps a little extra from Stanford, he should be able to keep their mouths shut.

    "Where''s the loot, though?" Stanford asked.

    "Loot? I''ve got it right here, Captain," O''Kelly replied. "But, I also need your help with something..."

    ....

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 Chapter 221: Dispute

    Chapter 221: Dispute

    Stafford''s pupils contracted as he grabbed O''Kiley''s cor. "Are you trying to threaten me?"

    "Sir, you misunderstand. I... I would never dare," O''Kiley hastily replied, "I only wanted to, to invite you for a meal, sir."

    Stafford released his grip on O''Kiley''s cor and looked at him for a moment before saying, "Are you trying to use me to intimidate someone?"

    "Sir, you''re brilliant!" O''Kiley quickly grinned, giving a thumbs-up.

    "Sir, you see, there''s a pub on Okan Street, which used to be my territory, but then that damn Javert from the detective squad  you see, he''s a real piece of work. He took over that street with his numerous henchmen. Sir, if you''d be willing to help, allowing me to invite you to that pub, Javert wouldn''t dare topete with me, would he?"

    "Hmm," Stafford thought for a moment before continuing, "Captain O''Kiley, you are quite resourceful!"

    "Thank you for the praise, sir!" O''Kiley replied quickly.

    "In which pub is this?"

    "The Amethyst Inn."

    "If you collect money on Okan Street, I want half of it," Stafford said.

    "But, sir, the money I collect on that street is already yours. How can I take half of it? It all belongs to you. Sir, you have many expenses. I won''t hide it, but if we let Javert and his gang know that I''m your man  no, your dog  they won''t dare to mess with me. Not giving me respect is the same as not giving you respect, and not giving you respect means not giving the United Kingdom respect. With this respect, I can hold my head high in front of them."

    Stafford smiled and said, "O''Kiley, you''re quite something. You have a conscience. But why do you have confiscated goods here? Do you really have dealings with them?"

    "Oh, sir, I dare not make such ims. Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn''t dare. But, sir, think about it. Where do the rebels get their guns? There are only two possibilities: French guns and British guns they''ve seized."

    At this point, O''Kiley paused for a moment and continued, "Sir, you know that British gunse in two types: new and old. New ones, like the rifles your men are equipped with, would be used by the regr elite rebels. The local rebels wouldn''t have many of those. The other type is the old-style smoothbore guns used by our constabry."

    "Sir, our constabry is good for maintaining public order, but in a real fight, we''re not up to it, especially against elite rebels. However, those rebels are the worst; they generally avoid confrontations with your men and focus on bullying us. Our constabry loses guns every day. So, the rebels'' mostmon guns are our constabry''s rifles. Especially the local rebels, most of their guns are either identical or originally ours. So, when ites to confiscating guns, we just need to have my men turn them in. There should be more."

    "This is good, but you don''t need to take all their guns. Generally, in battle, even if you win, if you don''t wipe out the enemypletely, they tend to grab some weapons as they flee. So, the number of weapons you can confiscate in a battle is far less than the number of enemy casualties. How many rebels did we kill?" Captain Stafford asked.

    "Over a hundred!" O''Kiley said, "Men, women, young, and old, we killed them all. Unfortunately, it was in the swamp, so we couldn''t bring their bodies back. We couldn''t even cut off their heads."

    "O''Kiley, we''re not barbarians who count heads." Stafford frowned. "So, let''s see, around ten guns, right? Any issues with these guns?"

    "Of course not. We lost over forty men, and we recovered quite a few of their guns. They can be counted as part of the confiscation."

    "Very good," Stafford nodded. "Apart from weapons, there should be other things. Take care of these details for me."

    "Sir, I''ll handle it. You can rest assured; there won''t be any problems."

    "Alright, go back and get some rest. Tomorrow, you''ll need to disrupt their potato operation," Stafford''s mood had significantly improved.

    Due to their new "swamp boots," on this day, many British soldiers pursued the rebels into the swamp, just like Stafford''s unit. Still, most of them returned empty-handed. Stafford, despite suffering significant losses, was one of the few who captured rebels and confiscated a substantial amount of equipment. In the end, he earned the reputation of being a "swamp warfare expert" and receivedmendations. But that''s a story for another day.

    Meanwhile, in France, Joseph, Napoleon, and Lucien, the three brothers, found themselves in a heated dispute, unlike anything they had experienced before.

    This conflict had been sparked by Napoleon''s n to reform France''s legal system. In the original timeline, Napoleon, who held a deep fascination for Romanw, had coborated with legal experts like the President of the High Court, Tronchet, the Romanw schr Malville, the government''s Minister of Justice, Portalis, and the prosecutor of the Navy Court, Boy de Meurthe, to create the famous "Napoleonic Code."

    This legal code held a high status in history, being one of the earliest civil codes of the bourgeois nation. It affirmed the legitimacy of property ownership for the bourgeoisie and farmers, protecting them from feudal encroachments. It negated feudal privileges, established principles of freedom and equality for the bourgeoisie, and ensured that every citizen possessed equal civil rights and legal capacity. The code addressed various aspects of social life, including family, marriage, and inheritance. This code was the earliest civil code in capitalist countries, dismantling feudal legitive principles, and it became the legitive standard for the bourgeoisie in Europe and the Americas, fostering capitalist development.

    Inter times, two major legal systems dominated the worldthe "Anglo-American legal system," also known as the "Common Law system," and the "Continental legal system," represented by Romanw and the "Napoleonic Code." In the context of the "Continental legal system," the term "Civil Law" specifically referred to the "Napoleonic Code."

    In the original timeline, Napoleon, after suffering defeat at Waterloo and enduring exile once again, had expressed rather dramatically, "My life''s military achievements have flowed away with the waters of the River Ems. But my Code will endure forever."

    The authenticity of this quote might be questionable, but the "Napoleonic Code" was indeed a remarkable achievement, hailed for its "innovative, significant, controversial, practical, and enduring" qualities.

    When it came to Joseph''s support for the "Napoleonic Code," there was no doubt. This code primarily affirmed the principle of private property rights. In the original context, nearly one-third of the articles in the code aimed to safeguard the invibility of private property from various angles. For Joseph, who had amassed wealth through violent means during the revolution, this was indeed a favorable development.

    "Now that we''ve enriched ourselves through violent means, we should establish rules to prevent others from following the same path to wealth. We cannot allow others to reach a dead-end like us," Joseph firmly believed in this principle. In this regard, Napoleon''s legal code elevated the interests of their family to the interests of the state, a perspective Joseph wholeheartedly supported.

    However, after discussing the fundamental principles of the "Civil Code," Joseph and Napoleon moved on to discuss political arrangements. It was in this matter that their differences became apparent.

    Initially, Napoleon simply mentioned his intention to ease tensions with the Papal States. During the French Revolution, the Papal States had firmly allied themselves with the counter-revolutionaries. The revolutionary government in France, adhering to the tradition of "No money, seize the church''s property," led to aplete rupture between France and the Vatican. During the Reign of Robespierre, France even went as far as to abolish the Catholic Church, recing it with the so-called "Cult of Reason."

    However, after Robespierre''s fall, the crackdown on the Church diminished. Nevertheless, the government and the Vatican had not reached a reconciliation. Legally, the Catholic Church remained an "illegal organization" in France.

    Joseph was supportive of this initiative because religion, in his view, was the opium of the people, much like the people''s vice. Without religion, how could the masses endure the pain of their future suffering?

    However, during their discussion, Napoleon''s words raised a concern for Joseph. "Even Roman emperors knew the importance of using Christianity to secure their status. That''s why the Pope ced the crown on their heads. Although the Pope was their servant, it was more convincing to themon people than proiming themselves gods."

    "Napoleon," Joseph furrowed his brow, "there is something crucial I''ve wanted to discuss with you for a long time. It pertains to the future political system of France."

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 Chapter 222: The Rules

    Chapter 222: The Rules

    Napoleon paused for a moment, then put away his smile and asked, "My brother, what do you have to say about this?"

    "Napoleon," Joseph hesitated for a moment and continued, "I want to know, in your vision for the future, will France be a republic or an empire?"

    "Joseph, you, too, doubt me?" Napoleon hadn''t spoken yet, but Lucien, with an annoyed tone, interrupted.

    "Shut up!" Joseph didn''t even spare a nce for Lucien and continued to fix his gaze on Napoleon. Lucien, as a result, sat there with a sullen expression, not saying a word.

    "What''s wrong with an empire? What about a republic?" Napoleon had originally nned to say, "Of course, I want to be an emperor." But for some reason, a sentence with a scent of weakness that even he himself detested came out of his mouth.

    "Hahaha," Josephughed, but there was no humor in his eyes. "My brother, have you be someone who always lets ''I dare not'' follow ''I want''? However, disguising your goals is a sign of maturity. Moreover, Napoleon, you''ve raised a very valuable and not-so-stupid question. What do you think the differences are between an empire and a republic, and what are their respective advantages and disadvantages?"

    It was a broad question, but for Napoleon, it was one he couldn''t avoid answering. With his head full of adolescent fantasies, Napoleon certainly wanted to be an emperor. But he also knew that without Joseph''s support, the throne of the emperor would not be easy to attain. Even if he couldn''t win Joseph''s support, he should at least prevent Joseph from opposing him.

    Napoleon knew that his elder brother was a mathematical genius. By that, I don''t mean Joseph''s XX Theorem or anything like that; I mean that when it came to making judgments, this guy was like he was solving a math problem. Fancy words, passion, and such held zero value with him. He only recognized real power and interests. If you wanted to persuade him, you had to rely on those.

    "Let''s start with the benefits of an empire for the family," Napoleon began, knowing that this angle was the most likely to persuade Joseph.

    "If France bes an empire, and I be the emperor, our family will go from being a minor noble family to the most prestigious royal family in all of Europe. Some members of our family, like you and Lucien, could be kings of various European countries, and our family would prosper continuously. Joseph, do you think that''s right?"

    Joseph replied nomittally, "What about the risks? Do you not believe that there is a bnce between benefits and harms in any action?"

    "Of course, there are risks," Napoleon said. "Short-term risks, like if we were to fail on the battlefield. Everything we have built is based on continued victories in battle. If we were to fail in battle, we might be brought back to square one. But, I don''t think the short-term risk is that great. With your coordination of internal affairs and mymand on the battlefield, I don''t see the risk being significant."

    "What about long-term risks?" Joseph asked.

    "Long-term risks?" Napoleon smiled. "Joseph, in the long term, we''re all going to die. That''s the biggest long-term risk. Of course, besides that, in the long term, there''s the risk of revolution. I know what you''re worried about, Joseph. You''re concerned that one day, the French people might be dissatisfied with us, even overthrow our family, just as they did with the Bourbons, or perhaps even put one of our descendants on the guillotine, just like they did with Louis XVI, that weak fool. But Joseph, even with that in mind, when youpare costs and benefits, have we really lost? Or has our family lost?"

    "Go on," Joseph said.

    "Alright, let''s take the Bourbons as an example. If the Bourbon family hadn''t be the French royalty, would their current situation be better than it is now?" Napoleon asked.

    Without waiting for anyone else''s answer, Napoleon shook his head and continued, "If the Bourbons were still just dukes, they wouldn''t have escaped the French Revolution. Maybe the Duke of Bourbon, the Duchess of Bourbon, or even the whole Bourbon family would have ended up on the guillotine or hanging from amppost, just like many others did in the Year of ''93. Even today, the Bourbons can stilly im to the Spanish crown."

    "So, Joseph, bing the King of France, as opposed to remaining the Duke of Bourbon, is safer for the family. And if the Bourbon family didn''t even remain dukes, but instead becamemon, impoverished farmers in France, they would have faced countless famines, gues, wars, and the inability to marry due tock of money. All of these hardships could have wiped out the entire family ofmon peasants from 1584 until now."

    "Joseph, have you ever noticed that if you trace the ancestry of anymoner, it won''t take long before you can find a link to nobility? Their ancestors may well have been fallen nobles, lowly knights, or even illegitimate offspring of the aristocracy.

    Joseph, do you know why? Why is it so rare to find a family where, after several generations, they are allmoners? The reason is quite simple. Such families can''t sustain their lineage for long. Within a few generations, they may die out due to the reasons I mentioned earlier. Inheritance is challenging for impoverished families, and their lowly status is the greatest danger to a family. Joseph, do you agree with what I''m saying?"

    p, p, p, Joseph apuded. But the apuse did not bring joy to Napoleon because Joseph''s face remained devoid of any happiness.

    "Napoleon, you''ve thought deeply, and what you''ve said has some merit," Joseph said. "However, have you considered the differences between our family and the Bourbons? The reason the Bourbon family could be royalty is that they already had royal blood. But our family, at least within the range we can trace, does not. Of course, if we trace back to ancient Rome or even to Troy, there might be a possibility. It''s not difficult to invent a powerful ancestor even if we don''t have one. However, even so, based on the fundamental rules of inheritance, the crown would note to our family. Napoleon, don''t be hasty with your rebuttal. Hear me out.

    The feudal royalties will never ept us. Of course, the power our family now possesses is enough to break these so-called rules and establish a new one in this world. We can easily make ourselves into a royal family and oppress them, making them bow to us. This isn''t difficult, especially with the ''Zeus n'' already seeding and the ''Hephaestus n'' on its way to sess.

    But, Napoleon, if we do it this way, tell me, what kind of rules are we writing? Just as you said, almost anyone alive today can be reasonably sure they have noble ancestors, perhaps even tracing back to Greek heroes, Trojan princes, or even Egyptian pharaohs. If our family members can be emperors, then everyone can be emperors. Bing an emperor is solely about power, with nothing else. So, we would write a new rule: ''Why have kings and nobles when everyone can be emperor?'' Or, to put it more inly, ''Is an emperor born a noble, or is he simply the one with the most powerful army?''

    In this way, our family bes everyone''s target. On themoner''s side, anyone with talent and ability will ambitiously covet our crown and throne. On the nobles'' side, every one of them would despise us. Napoleon, don''t you think this situation is terrifying? In our generation, with me here, and you here, even though Lucien is a fool, he can be somewhat useful. With the three of us, things should be fine for now. But what about the future? Our rule cannot possibly be as stable as the Bourbons.

    Furthermore, to ensure our rule''s stability, we must gain more people''s support. And the only reason these people would support us is that we bring them benefits. In other words, to secure our political power, we must appease these individuals. Napoleon, right now, you can demand sacrifices from the soldiers and the people for the sake of France because they believe that France is theirs. But if France bes an empire, you''ll no longer have the moral high ground to appeal to the soldiers and the people to sacrifice for France. That''s because France would be yours, not theirs. Why should they sacrifice for you? At that point, the entire France, both the military and the people, would be mercenaries. The issue with mercenaries, you, who are familiar with Roman history, can''t possibly be unaware of it.

    Of course, even so, bing the new royal family of Rome, for the family, is a good thing with benefits far outweighing the risks. However, the opportunity to write an entirely new set of rules, an opportunity thates once every few thousand years, a chance to ascend Olympus and be new gods, has almost fallen into our hands. Are we going to use it recklessly?"

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 Chapter 223: The Ultimate Solution

    Chapter 223: The Ultimate Solution

    After listening to Joseph''s words, Napoleon fell into silence. He felt like he had grasped Joseph''s intentions, and if he were to be emperor, Joseph probably wouldn''t strongly oppose it. Yet, he didn''t seem overly supportive either. In Joseph''s characteristic style, he might say something like, "This is an approximate solution to the problem, but it''s only approximate. It''s not entirely wrong, but it falls far short of the optimal solution by miles."

    "Of course," Napoleon thought to himself, "Joseph would probably add something like, ''But, Napoleon, given your intellectual abilities,ing up with an approximate solution that deviates only a few hundred kilometers from the correct one already satisfies me, even pleasantly surprises me,'' in what appears to be apliment but is actually a backhandedment."

    At this moment, Napoleon''s focus shifted from persuading his older brother to ept an empire to understanding what Joseph''s optimal solution truly was. He wracked his brain for a while, but he had to admit he had no idea what Joseph''s optimal solution entailed.

    "Having a brother like Joseph is both a blessing and a curse," Napoleon mused.

    As the older brother, Joseph yed the role of a father figure for everyone, including Napoleon, who received education and care from him. Despite Napoleon''s frequent, almost habitual teasing and mockery of Joseph whenever he had the chance, he still had to acknowledge that without Joseph''s help, he would not have achieved his current status and aplishments. In arge family like theirs, having such a brother was indeed a blessing.

    However, having such a brother was also quite an ego bruise. Napoleon always considered himself a clever person, at least smarter than Lucien, Louis, Gaston, and... well, almost everyone except Joseph. In many situations, he found it challenging to keep up with Joseph''s thinking, and this intellectual gap was disheartening. The sensation of being intellectually outssed was truly painful. Therefore, many times, Napoleon felt that some not-so-bright individuals, whom he could easily look down upon, like Muraash, were actually quite endearing.

    However, with time, Napoleon got used to it. Not being able to solve Joseph''s riddles perfectly was a normal urrence. What was the big deal? If necessary, they could go out hunting together at Versailles and ensure that every round would be a crushing victory for Napoleon, just to let Joseph save some face.

    "After we''re done with this matter today, we''ll go hunting in Versailles as a family, and let Joseph make a fool of himself," Napoleon silently resolved.

    "Alright, Joseph, stop beating around the bush and tell us about your ''new rule,''" Napoleon decided to tactically concede.

    "Before we determine this new rule, let''s go back to the fundamental question," Joseph said. "Why do we create rules? Well, Lucien, don''t just sit there; this question is rtively simple. You can answer it."

    Lucien, feeling slightly annoyed, responded, "What do you mean by ''rtively simple''? You answer it yourself. Am I a fool?"

    However, he kept that thought to himself because if he said it aloud, Joseph would immediatelye up with a question that was somewhat challenging but which Napoleon could answer in a heartbeat, thus making fun of him along with that heartless Napoleon.

    "Who can seduce a youngdy to bed the fastest?" Lucien muttered to himself.

    So, Lucien obediently replied, "Of course, it''s to ensure the interests of our family."

    "Very good, well said," Joseph said. "Napoleon, remember this: it''s our true constitution. In terms of priority, your Civil Code seems to have taken a back seat somewhere. Whatever we do, we must not vite this principle."

    Napoleon had no objections to this statement. He nodded and said, "It''s such a simple truth."

    "Now, the next major question is: What are our interests, and what can our power attain?" Joseph continued, emphasizing, "I want to stress here that we shouldn''t overestimate our power, especially you, Napoleon."

    Joseph looked at Napoleon and added, "You are the most heroic figure in our family, and you embody many qualities of ancient Greek heroes. This is excellent; our family needs a hero like you. But, like many Greek heroes, you tend to overestimate yourself and underestimate your enemies."

    "Don''t worry, as long as you''re here, you can always spot difficulties, even if they''re as small as a bean," Napoleon retorted, somewhat defensively.

    "It''s not like I''d be unable to do that without you. Do you really think of me as a coward?" Joseph responded.

    Napoleon fell silent. He genuinely believed Joseph was no coward. After all, during the hail of bullets and chaos of the battlefield, Joseph had caught up with him and stood side by side, proving his courage. Napoleon believed that Joseph''s cautious nature was due to the fact that the family had its fair share of daredevils and misfits. As the older brother, Joseph bore the heavy burden of the family, and a degree of prudence was necessary. But, with so many troublemakers in the family, didn''t you have a responsibility too, Joseph?

    Of course, Napoleon didn''t dare say this out loud.

    Since Napoleon didn''t continue, Joseph pressed on. "Furthermore, we must consider the ebb of our family''s power. Sir Isaac Newton was one of the smartest individuals in the world, but what about his son? Have any of you heard about him? A hero''s son doesn''t necessarily be a hero. I don''t think my son will surpass me in mathematics and science. Simrly, Napoleon, I don''t think your son will match your military prowess, not even with a single toe."

    "But I believe, when ites to deceiving youngdies, Lucien''s son might have a chance," Napoleon quickly interjected, breaking the silence, to save Lucien from a gloomy mood.

    Lucien smirked but didn''t attempt to retaliate. There was no reasoning with Napoleon, that mischief-maker.

    "Napoleon, stay on topic," Joseph admonished. "Our family is fortunate to have so many talented individuals in our generation, even Lucien''s abilities alone could support a decent family. But we can''t expect divine favor indefinitely. We must prepare for a future generation that may not be as outstanding."

    "Of course, appropriate education can enhance their abilities, but the role of talent is undeniable, even irreceable. So, when we consider what our capabilities can obtain, we must also think about what our descendants can hold onto and prepare for their retreat and defense. Napoleon, you know, the most dangerous and difficult thing in the military is a retreat. When the inevitable tide of power recedes - a time that can be foreseen, only when you and I are long gone and even Lucien has grown senile - we must ensure that our descendants can preserve as much as possible."

    Napoleon remained silent for a while before saying, "Joseph, I understand your point. If the rules we write down determine that the emperor is the one with the mightiest fist, then after our power recedes, when our fists aren''t enough to subdue everyone, as long as any family suddenly produces someone like you, or like me, or even just someone like Lucien, our family could be in great danger, potentially losing a lot. So, you want us to essentially rely on violence to gain everything but establish a rule that prohibits the use of violent means to seize advantages?"

    "Well, your idea is great, but this requirement itself is contradictory, isn''t it? The new rule won''t be what we say; it will be determined by what we do. We gained everything through violence, so the rule will inevitably involve using violence. Others, especially those capable ofpeting, are heroes. Even if we try to disguise or deceive, they won''t be blind to it."

    "You''re right. But whether they can see it or not is not crucial; what''s important is that most people don''t see it. You must consider what interests the future hero, the one who will end our family''s rule, has inmon with us."

    "Common interests?" Napoleon began with a puzzled look, but he quickly had an epiphany and broke into a knowing smile. "Joseph, you''re right. We do sharemon interests. They are the same as our present interests. Their first duty is to protect their own family''s interests. Unless that hero is not only a hero but a true saint, and the chances of that are quite low. So, even if they see what''s beneath our faade, they''ll still need to maintain that faade for their family''s sake. To uphold that faade, they can''t use excessively violent means against our descendants. A republic is the faade, right? But to use this faade and still keep the power in our hands, it requires a very intricate design. Joseph, don''t keep us in suspense; what''s your idea? Just tell us!"

    As Napoleon uttered, "The chances of that are quite low," Joseph was suddenly reminded of someone from a different time and space. Such a person, who was both a hero and a saint, did exist, but as Napoleon rightly put it, the probability of encountering such an individual was exceedingly low. Not every era or nation was blessed with such luck.

    "Very well," Joseph said, "In a distant easternnd, there is a philosopher named Lao Dan. He once said, ''The most brilliant rulers in the world are those whose subjects don''t even realize they exist.''"

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 Chapter 224: The Rule of the Old Coin

    Chapter 224: The Rule of the Old Coin

    "Could someone rule without anyone even realizing their presence? How''s that possible?" Napoleon was taken aback. "In that case, how can they issuemands and govern a country?"

    Joseph, with a knowing smile, responded, "Let''s make a hypothetical scenario. Imagine if we reced Lucien with Fouch and you with Barras. Could our family still exert influence over the politics of France?"

    "Of course, the army is under mymand, and you control the money and factories. Even though we might not be directly in the spotlight, we still have the capability to influence the overall politicalndscape of France," Napoleon contemted before answering.

    "In this scenario, in the eyes of themon people, we would effectively disappear. Many at the grassroots level might not even be aware of our existence, just like a hidden treasure," Joseph replied with a smile.

    "But this approach could weaken our control over the government, making it susceptible to unforeseen circumstances," Napoleon raised an eyebrow.

    Joseph smiled knowingly, understanding his younger brother''s desire to bask in the adtion of the people and take center stage, which he wouldn''t enjoy hidden in the shadows.

    "Indeed, there are drawbacks to this method, but there''s an advantage as well: public resentment won''t be directed solely at us. The people, they''re always insatiable. They toil and toil, and even when they finally get a crust of bread, they''re content for a while. But it won''t be long before they want more, like a full loaf of bread, then white bread, then bread with butter, and soon they''ll ask for foie gras. And once we can''t satisfy their demands, they''ll turn to bitterness.

    But this is human nature. In fact, we are just as demanding, even more so. So when they grow dissatisfied, we can simply rece the figurehead at the forefront or the acting leader, and the people will be content again, feeling that their votes have made a difference, even if their desires remain unfulfilled. At that point, the government on the stage serves as a pressure release valve, just like a safety valve on a steam engine.

    Of course, our foundation is not yet stable, and we are all still present, especially since the people now admire you, Napoleon. So, for now, there''s no need to hide in the background, as it would indeed reduce efficiency. We need efficiency during this rapid expansion phase. We can''t afford any disruptions. And such rapid expansion itself will address many problems, making general resentment less likely. So, for now, we don''t need to hide in the shadows.

    But in anything we do, preparation is key to sess. Without proper preparation, responding hastily when the timees would be a recipe for failure. Even in times of rapid expansion, we must be ready for a strategic withdrawal."

    "That''s your style, Joseph," Napoleon couldn''t resist interjecting.

    "It''s not about style; it''s how things should be done," Joseph replied. "So, where was I?"

    "You were talking about preparing in advance," Lucien reminded him.

    "Good. I''ll continue," Joseph said. "We need to prepare for how to control things from the shadows. For instance, government officials andwmakers shoulde from elections. We need to find ways to increase the cost of elections, making it a game for the wealthy, even the super-rich.

    We''ll establishws stating that political power cannot be inherited, to protect democracy. Yet, we''ll also establishws protecting private property as sacred, which means wealth can be inherited. Then, we''ll find ways to allow wealth to control political power. The key to elections isn''t the final vote but the initial rules. For instance, in the election for the First Consul, if the total number of voters falls below seventy percent of the citizen poption, it''s invalid. The interim government will maintain order until the next election with a sufficient turnout.

    This makes the votes of French peasants crucial. Do you know what this implies, Napoleon?"

    "It means candidates must appeal to the peasants," Napoleon hesitated before answering.

    "You fool!" Lucien couldn''t resist bursting out. "Napoleon, you really are a fool! It means the destitute won''t even stand a chance to get votes. They can''t possibly appeal to the peasants. Think about it  France is vast, and peasants are scattered. To campaign vige by vige, even just to make their name known, would require a significant effort. How can these paupers manage that?"

    Evidently, Lucien relished the opportunity to mock Napoleon openly.

    Napoleon red at Lucien but eventually decided not to engage in an argument with the conniving man. What Lucien had said was, surprisingly, something he hadn''t considered before, and it made sense.

    "Lucien, you''ve honed your skills in the parliament and the Ministry of Truth, where top-tier lying is essential. You''ve made quite the progress!" Napoleon sincerely praised atst.

    "Napoleon, the organization you''ve set up for retired soldiers is a fantastic one. We can use it to extend our reach into the countryside. If we raise the level of elections in rural areas, perhaps even introduce smaller constituencies for the lowest tiers, where each vige forms a constituency, it would dilute the impact of political opinions on election results. People who hold influence in the viges will almost certainly secure the entire vige''s votes. Your veterans'' organization could perfectly control the grassroots votes, ensuring they vote for whomever we desire."

    "You''re right; even if we wanted a donkey to run for First Consul, we could make it a sessful candidate," Lucien seized the opportunity to mock Napoleon once more.

    "Heh," Napoleon chuckled. At the same time, he was already plotting to find a way to get rid of Joseph and give Lucien a piece of his mind.

    "Lucien, be mindful of your words," Joseph finally spoke up.

    Lucien fell silent.

    "Right now, we may not need such tactics. But, Napoleon, you must pay attention to the development of such an organization," Joseph continued.

    "I know," Napoleon responded sinctly.

    "Furthermore, are the funds for the veterans'' organization currently allocated directly from the national military budget?" Joseph inquired. "It''s not ideal, Napoleon. It''s best not to have the state provide this money. Instead, let our ''military-industrialplex'' handle it. Transform it into a ''civilian organization.'' In the long term, whoever controls an organization''s finances holds sway over that organization. This way, our descendants won''t bemanding the army, and you won''t retain that level of influence in the military. The soldiers may not even know your name, but you can still use this system to control rural votes."

    "But if we fund it ourselves, it will be a substantial expense," Napoleon remarked, contemting whether it was time to disy his expertise and find a generous benefactor.

    "This is a simple matter. You can encourage charitable acts through legition and offer tax incentives for corporate donations. Isn''t that enough?" Joseph replied dismissively.

    "Oh, there are such methods too? Shameful, I can''t believe I didn''t think of that!" Napoleon started to doubt his own mental acuity today.

    "Lucien, we''ve invested so much in propaganda, controlling numerous newspapers," Joseph turned to Lucien. "This is essential to ensure that the next generation can maintain a firm grip on power behind the scenes. You need to figure out how to oupete other newspapers. Do you know how to do that?"

    "I do," Lucien responded. "Just find some excuses to shut them down, right? Simple!"

    "Foolish! Why be so crude?" Joseph shook his head. "First of all, our newspapers have an inherent advantage in terms of news reporting. Use your resources to make sure our rivals keep producing real deviations in their news coverage. Instead of shutting them down, don''t be so blunt. Lower their credibility. On the other hand, our newspapers can help our businesses advertise and even ept ads from otherpanies. This is the real source of revenue for newspapers. With this, we can sell our newspapers at a much lower price than the production cost and still make a profit. Our newspapers will havergeryouts, more reliable content, deeper reporting, sharper news, and a lower price. With this in ce, why resort to crude and potentially damaging actions? If you do that, you''d be foolish!"

    "I understand," Lucien nodded.

    "This is indeed a clever scheme. Sigh..." Napoleon sighed. "I have to admit, Joseph, your approach benefits our family more than mine. Unfortunately..."

    "Unfortunately what?" Joseph asked. "I never said you couldn''t be Emperor."

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 Chapter 225: The Emperor of the Romans

    Chapter 225: The Emperor of the Romans

    Napoleon was taken aback, but he knew that when his big brother spoke, it was almost certain that something significant was about to happen. He had just been forced to abandon his dream of Augustus, and now Joseph had thrown this at him. Napoleon felt the blood rush to his face and stammered, "Joseph... What do you mean? What were you saying just now?"

    "France must be a republic, and you must be the First Consul of the French Republic. But that doesn''t necessarily conflict with being an emperor," Joseph replied with a smile. "I have a few proposals we can discuss."

    "Tell me your proposals," Napoleon said, trying to contain his excitement.

    "Are you perhaps considering snatching the title of the Holy Roman Emperor?" Lucien chimed in. "That seems like a viable option to me."

    "That''s one of the proposals," Joseph continued. "In the first proposal, we can use the title of ''Emperor'' as an honorable designation, almost like a badge of honor, just like your set of medals. The highest rank in this set of medals would be ''Emperor,'' exclusively awarded to the First Consul of France. It would require a separate national referendum, and a First Consul with exceptional achievements would be granted the title ''Emperor'' along with various ceremonial honors. Simrly, the Second Consul could be titled ''Caesar.''"

    Napoleon frowned. "What''s the next proposal?"

    Joseph smiled, knowing that Napoleon might not favor this one. "We could form an alliance between France, the Northern Italian Federation, and the Rhinnd regions. We would name this alliance ''Rome,'' with the governing body called the ''Senate.'' The leader of this alliance would hold the title of ''Emperor.''"

    "This ''Emperor'' title is more substantial than the previous one andes with additional benefits," Joseph exined. "It would enhance national pride, unite the free world, making French liberty and democracy symbols of civilization while subtly degrading other feudal nations. However, this glory would have its limits, and it won''t create a royal family."

    Napoleon inquired about the final proposal. Joseph continued, "In thest proposal, we wouldpel Austria to relinquish the title of the ''Holy Roman Empire'' or pressure the Pope to renounce the ''Holy Roman Empire'' title and crown. Then, we''d announce the establishment of an ''Orthodox'' Roman Empire, with the Pope crowning you as the ''Emperor of the Romans.'' France would also dere an alliance with the ''Roman Empire'' and cede a small piece ofnd �C Versailles might work �C to the ''Roman Empire.'' This way, we would establish an empire with territory, sovereignty, and an inheritance system."

    Napoleon asked about the financing of this ''Roman Empire.'' Lucien interjected, "Citizens of the ''Roman Empire''? Who would they be?"

    Joseph responded, "People who have made significant contributions in various fields, advanced human progress, and pushed forward the cause of humanity. As long as they apply to the ''Senate of the Empire'' and pass their evaluation, they would gain Roman citizenship. We would include various non-governmental organizations, those under the ''charitable'' banner, within the borders of the ''Roman Empire,'' turning it into a beacon of civilization. Caesar and Augustus built a great Roman Empire through military conquest, and today, we''re building another Roman Empire, dedicated to civilization, and love for humanity! See how great this is? Moreover, the crown of the ''Roman Empire'' can be passed down within families."

    Joseph then cautioned, "Lucien, use your brain. Napoleon might not be so naive as to overlook such a simple solution. Do you think only we will benefit from France? Today, the people of France are grateful and admire Napoleon, so they might not mind these small matters. But what about the future? All passions in the world are like tides, they rise quickly and fall just as fast. Whether it''s gratitude or admiration, they may notst. In the future, especially when we are no longer here, our opponents may use this to use us of taking advantage of the French people."

    "I''m not saying we shouldn''t take advantage of the French people. This kind of opportunity is too good to pass up. However, we can''t do it so tantly, without any finesse. There are many ways to make money. For example, we could establish an organization dedicated to humanitarian aid, epting donations from all parties for various charitable causes. Naturally, this cash can be deposited in the banks of our Roman Empire, where we can make a substantial profit. To encourage acts of kindness, we could stipte that those who donate a certain amount would be granted the honorary title of ''Roman Citizen.'' Those who donate more could be ''Roman Cavalry'' or even ''Roman Nobility.'' I believe that with these methods alone, we won''t have to worry about financing the ''Roman Empire.''"

    Lucien eximed, "Is this even possible? With this, even our future generations might have afortable life just by selling Roman citizenship and noble titles!"

    This kind of operation had be quite standard in the future. For instance, there was a ''pseudo-nation,'' the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, that didn''t even have its own territory but thrived by wholesaling ''Knight'' titles worldwide. If they were lucky and encountered a ''leader'' on an ind in East Asia, established diplomatic ties, and periodically generated news about breaking off diplomatic rtions to make those ''leaders'' maintain diplomatic rtions, they could live veryfortably.

    "I think the third proposal sounds good," Napoleon concluded. "It seems we need to send someone to establish contact with our Pope."

    Of course, this matter couldn''t be rushed. Many preparations were still required, and it might lead to conflicts with Austria. Although Prussia was already crippled, Austria might not have the audacity to start a war at present. Nevertheless, proper preparations were essential.

    Apart from this, they had to ensure that the French people sufficiently supported the Bonaparte family, and they needed to find ways to improve themon people''s living standards. Although the ''Zeus n'' had already seeded, it would take time to transform it into a productivity advantage.

    The recent war had brought various indemnities, which seemed like a good thing. However, the influx of money into France, especially the generous war allowances to Napoleon, had also caused some intion issues.

    Furthermore, there was the issue of the sea route to Irnd. Among these concerns, achieving the title of Emperor seemed to take precedence for now.

    Shortly after, Napoleon sent an envoy to the Vatican. However, the envoy''s purpose was not to discuss the emperorship but to continue negotiations about the status of the Catholic Church in France.

    Both parties were enthusiastic about the prospect of restoring the French dioceses. Despite asional disrespectful acts towards the Pope and the Vatican in France, there was no other country among those supportive of the Catholic faith that could bepared to France.

    The dispute revolved around certain conditions that France demanded to grant privileges to the French Catholic Church:

    First, the financial independence of the French Church, with no obligation to contribute to the Vatican. Religious taxes, like the tithe, would no longer be in effect in France.

    Second, the French Church would have independent authority over personnel decisions. Whether it was cardinal, archbishop, bishop, or even parish priests, all appointments would be made by the French themselves, with the Vatican being notified (note: not seeking approval). The Vatican would not have any reason to interfere in the personnel decisions of the French Church. In other words, who became a cardinal, archbishop, or bishop in France would be determined solely by the French (Napoleon). The Pope should find afortable ce to rx.

    Third, any decision by the Vatican would only take effect in the French dioceses if it received the recognition and signature of the currently serving French cardinal. Even if the decision had already been implemented in the French dioceses, its validity would still be inferior to decisions passed democratically within the French dioceses. This meant that if the French felt that a particr decision was no longer in their favor, they could directly suspend its execution within the dioceses.

    "Is this... is this still Catholicism? Isn''t this essentially a French version of the Anglican Church?" It was reported that when the Pope saw these French conditions, he couldn''t help but sigh.

    The French envoy responded, "Holy See, our country initially intended to establish a constitutional monarchy in terms of politics, rather than a republic. However, some were unwilling, and as a result, France became a republic. Now, under the republican system, France is willing to ept a constitutional church. I personally believe that this already shows a great deal of sincerity."

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 Chapter 226: The French Diocese

    Chapter 226: The French Diocese

    On the Vatican''s side, there was a willingness to make some concessions to regain the French dioceses. However, they were also concerned that these concessions might set a bad precedent for other dioceses. Everyone might start saying, "If France can do this, why can''t we?" It would be a model of how to deal with the French, and that wasn''t something they were eager to promote.

    The Holy See even proposed that these French conditions could be negotiable but kept as a confidential part of the agreement to avoid damaging the Vatican''s reputation.

    However, the French argued that they were a democratic nation, and their people had the right to be informed and oversee their government''s actions. So, these requirements went against the principles of French legition and were entirely impossible.

    Everyone knew this was pure nonsense because both the treaties France had signed with Spain and the ones with Austria and even Prussia contained numerous secret uses, some so secretive that their existence was a secret itself.

    Of course, there were reasons for this, as it was all in the name of "national security," to protect the people. Anyway, as long as you learned how to plot two coordinates on a graph, many things in this world could be justified.

    The French delegation''s point was straightforward. Making these conditions public would damage the dignity of the Holy See, but it would significantly enhance France''s, especially their first consul''s, prestige. So, it was simply a matter of choosing between sacrificing French interests and the Vatican''s face. The answer seemed quite clear.

    So, the French representative did not hesitate to speak up.

    As soon as this statement left his lips, the negotiators on the Vatican''s side turned pale. This sentence carried a heavy threat.

    The statement "Our country initially intended to implement a constitutional monarchy in politics and did not intend to be a republic. But some people were unwilling, and France became a republic" referred to Louis XVI''s refusal to ept constitutional monarchy, relinquish some of his powers, and his subsequent downfall, leading to his execution.The part about "Now, the republican France is willing to ept a constitutional church. Personally, I think this shows a lot of sincerity" was drawing a parallel between the Vatican and Louis XVI. If the Vatican refused to ept a diocesergely independent of the Church, it was akin to Louis XVI''s unwillingness to be a constitutional king and his insistence on restoring absolute rule. Louis XVI''s refusal to ept the goodwill of the French people had dire consequences, and now, the Vatican was risking the same fate. The question was not just about bringing the Pope back to Avignon; it was about violently reforming the structure of the Church itself.

    So, the Vatican requested a temporary recess to consult with the Pope.

    Then,ter that evening, a bishop secretly visited the French envoy. After bribing the envoy with twenty thousand francs, he finally got a hint. A few dayster, an agreement was reached between France and the Vatican.

    In this agreement, most of the French demands were met, and the Vatican also saved face. The French agreed to keep the privileges of the French Church confidential, not to be disclosed. However, the agreement also made it public that the French Church had gained some privileges rted to national security, but the specifics remained confidential.

    With this agreement in ce, the Catholic Church was finally able to return to France. However, the priests who had been expelled from France in 1793 found that the most important positions in the French Church no longer belonged to them. They had to go through a new period of study and exams to regain their positions.

    During a break in their training, two middle-aged studentsined to each other. They had already held mid-level positions in the Church in France, and now they had fallen to the bottom. They couldn''t help but express their grievances.

    "I heard that all these changes were orchestrated by our new head of the Religious Bureau. I heard he had a mediocre performance at the seminary and didn''t even get an official priest''s title. But now he''s our boss. This is..."

    "Honestly, it would have been better to let Talleyrand be the head of the Religious Bureau. Despite being a Church traitor, he was at least an archbishop and a noble. Our new cardinal doesn''t even have..."

    "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" A voice interrupted them from behind. They turned to see another student who had returned from abroad for training, Reynald, a prospective priest.

    "Do you forget the fame of our new bureau chief? Do you not know how he climbed to the top? How dare you... Don''t forget that being able to return to our country is a rare opportunity for us. In other ces, we are outsiders, but in France, even though we are at the bottom now, the French Church desperatelycks trained clergy. The higher you go, the truer this is."

    "So, as long as we show enough loyalty to the new regime, our promotion will be very fast. But the premise for all of this is loyalty," Priest Reynald emphasized, "Don''t bring your bad habits from abroad back to France - we returned together. If you can''t get rid of those bad habits you picked up overseas, it will not only harm yourselves but also implicate me..."

    Reynald''s face took on a cruel smile as he continued, "I will not allow such a thing to affect me, understand? This is your first andst warning."

    With that, Priest Reynald turned and left, leaving the two dumbfounded guys standing there.

    The man who headed the newly established Religious Bureau was none other than Joseph Fouch��.

    To Fouch��, the Church was incredibly useful when it came to gathering intelligence. Priests'' significant job was hearing confessions, during which they could acquire a vast amount of secrets. However, since the Church had many propaganda functions, direct control over the Church was in the hands of Lucien''s "Ministry of Truth." Fouch�� had to settle for influencing the Church through the Religious Bureau and using it as a source of information.

    In a way, Fouch��''s introduction of such a training program had an important purpose: to develop hiswork of spies among these trainees.

    Of course, ording to the Church''s rules, priests were not allowed to share the information they heard in the confession chamber. But, if you thought priests kept their mouths sealed, you were mistaken. Otherwise, how would people know about the romantic escapades of Madame Reynaud and Yulian? Utilizing this information at the right moment was one of the techniques that helped the Church grow. So, most of the smarter students in these training programs didn''t mind Fouch��''s recruitment efforts.

    As for the newly appointed cardinal, he was a high-achieving seminary student named Obon. Of course, that was the official version verified by the Ministry of Truth. Prior rumors imed that Obon never graduated at all. This man had managed to secure a position as a priest by swearing allegiance to the revolutionary government when the French Revolution began. Later, in 1793, he transformed himself into a Rationalist priest, even working as a spy for Robespierre.

    After Robespierre''s fall, Obon naturally fell out of favor. However, he quickly reestablished his connections through his former spy colleagues and gained the favor of Lucien. Consequently, he was promoted continuously. Before bing a cardinal, he had already be the head of the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth.

    Both Joseph and Napoleon knew how important it was to have control over the Church, and the master of intelligence and propaganda, Lucien, wasn''t about to let it slip through his fingers. Nevertheless, Catholic clerics were required to be celibate, meaning they couldn''t be married and couldn''t have legitimate children. This wasn''t good for the bnce of family heritage. So, the three Bonaparte siblings with thest name Bonaparte couldn''t take on this position themselves. Thus, Obon was rmended by Lucien due to his prior experience in religious organizations and appointed as the cardinal of the French diocese.

    Apart from the cardinal, most of the bishops in various regions fell under Lucien''s control. However, most of the heads of religious bureaus in different regions were Fouch��''s people. After all, when it came to gathering intelligence, investigating conspiracies, and the like, Fouch��''s skills were leagues above Lucien''s. Additionally, Lucien had to handle too many matters personally, and even Joseph and Napoleon felt that Fouch�� was more efficient in dealing with these issues.

    Of course, although Fouch�� was highly capable, both Joseph and Napoleon didn''t fully trust him. So, the Church was stillrgely under the control of Lucien - the Bonaparte family needed its own intelligencework to bnce Fouch��.

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 Chapter 227: Soft Power and Steamboats

    Chapter 227: Soft Power and Steamboats

    Napoleon was preupied with his civil code, which now included the additional task of preparing his family to control affairs from behind the scenes in the future. Meanwhile, Lucien was busy with the affairs of the Church and various forms of entertainment beloved by the masses. The provisional government had just passed the "French Cultural Advancement n." ording to this n, many properties and buildings that once belonged to the monarchy were to be transformed into various public entertainment facilities to meet the growing cultural and spiritual needs of the people.

    "The importance of entertainment cannot be overemphasized," Lucien stressed to his subordinates at the Ministry of Truth. "There are always many things in this world that don''t go as nned. Even those who seem to be living well have their share of dissatisfaction. This umtes like floodwaters, and simply suppressing it with force can only hold it back temporarily. Once it breaks free, disaster strikes. So, one of our responsibilities is to prevent the umtion of such emotions. We need to provide a harmless outlet for them, and that''s where art and entertainmente in. We must view our work not merely as a facade for maintaining peace but from a political perspective that ensures the long-term stability of our nation."

    The creators of the Roman Empire understood this well, Lucien exined. That''s why you can find numerous such facilities, like theaters and amphitheaters, among the ruins of Rome. They performed tragedies andedies in theaters, and battles in the amphitheaters, effectively guiding and releasing the emotions of the people. As a result, people were satisfied, wore more smiles, became more united, and the Roman Empire grew stronger. Therefore, we need to construct more stadiums and opera houses! It is a national and people''s need, an ordained mandate inherited from the Roman Empire.

    In addition, our propaganda should not only target domestic audiences but also the internationalmunity. This propaganda must be intelligent, not mindlessly chanting, ''France is great, France is great,'' but portraying the beauty of France, its thoughts, and its art in a more refined manner.

    We want the people of the entire Europe to admire France, speak French, savor French cuisine, watch French theater, and take pride in French goods. We want people across Europe to believe that France is the Rome of civilization. Beyond Rome lies thend of barbarians. We want people throughout Europe to feel that only by aligning with France, learning from France, and following the path of France, can they achieve civilization. Anyone who opposes France is embracing barbarism. France must not only dominate with its invincible military power but also influence Europe with our culture and soft power.

    Ladies and gentlemen, our military power is immensely strong, and it can force our enemies to obey our will. However, if we rely solely on hard power, it is not enough. In the history of the world, in terms of military achievements alone, no one surpasses the formidable Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and his descendants. But their empire was short-lived because it was a cripple that had nothing but brute force.

    We must not follow the Mongol path. Our hard power should make them dare not disobey us, and our soft power should make all of Europe willingly submit to us, recognizing our interests as the highest. Therefore, we must be messengers of civilization, cooperate with the great universities of Europe, and, ultimately, we must nurture many French-minded individuals in Europe. We must nurture a revolutionary party that is willing to lead the European people on the path of France��of course, by ''the path of France,'' I mean the path we make them believe is the path of France."

    To achieve these goals, Lucien was incredibly busy. In fact, some journalists noted that Mr. Lucien Bonaparte had slowed down in terms of changing his girlfriends, as he was overwhelmed with his responsibilities.

    As for Joseph, there wasn''t much going on at the moment. Most of the research projects were on track, and he didn''t need to oversee them personally anymore. Joseph had appointed himself a professor at the University of Paris and managed to recruit over twenty doctoral students. He handed over many of the practical aspects of the projects he was responsible for to them. Later, Monsieur Amp��re, a dual academician of the French Academy of Sciences and the Roman Empire''s Academy of Sciences, recalled his time as Joseph''s student:"Professor Bonaparte is an extraordinary man, and what is most admirable about him is his keen insight and peculiar intuition. Back then, we, his students, spent day and night by the experimental apparatus, recording a plethora of chaotic data without knowing what it meant. But Professor Bonaparte''s wife, his secretary, woulde in, take our data, and often within a day or even less, Professor Bonaparte would identify issues and promptly set new research directions. Sometimes, during our research, we would encounter various disagreements and crossroads, unsure of which path to follow. In these moments, the professor''s intuition would swiftly guide us in a particr direction, and his intuition''s uracy was astonishing.

    However, perhaps due to the numerous tasks he was responsible for, we rarely saw him in person. We usually only met him during monthly progress reports. Even so, in a month, we''d umte a multitude of challenging problems. Many times, Professor Bonaparte would resolve them all in just a few minutes."

    Since he delegated most of these responsibilities to his students, Joseph had found himself with plenty of leisure time. This period of respite continued for almost half a month until he was notified by Fulton, the American engineer he had recruited, that the new steamboat was ready for its maiden voyage.

    In the original historical timeline, Fulton was considered a key figure in the development of steamboats. Just as in history, Fulton hade to Paris in 1793 with the intention of finding someone to sponsor his steamboat research. However, his luck wasn''t favorable, and the steamboat he was constructing hadn''t beenpleted when it sank in the Seine River due to strong winds. This unfortunate incident not only resulted in the loss of the ship but also led to a hefty fine imposed on him by the revolutionary government.

    Eventually, the destitute Fulton was brought into the fold by Joseph at a modest cost. He was initially appointed at the Military Technical Research Institute andter relocated to Toulon, where he joined the Naval Research Institute.

    In both the Military Technical Research Institute and the Naval Research Institute in Toulon, Fulton didn''t stand out much due to the limited investment in projects rted to his expertise. However, when the military-industrialplex initiated a research project on steamboats, this American, initially considered more suited to be a technical worker than an engineer due to his weak theoretical knowledge, demonstrated his hands-on capability, strong initiative, and excellent decision-making skills. He became the deputy head of the steamboat project. The official head of the project? Well, it was Joseph, who held the title but wasn''t deeply involved in the practical aspects.

    Since they were ready for the "official maiden voyage," it implied that the ship had essentially passed all the "unofficial trial runs" and was a sess.

    The location for this trial run was on the Seine River. Early in the morning, Joseph arrived at a shipyard belonging to the military-industrialplex on the western edge of Paris. He was apanied by his female secretary, who also happened to be his wife, and the female secretary''s own secretary.

    As they approached the shipyard''s dock, they could see a ship billowing with smoke from a distance.

    "Joseph, is this the British ship you''ve been trying to replicate?" Pauline, the female secretary''s secretary, asked. The British steamboat, captured by the French, had been brought to Paris for further research and then disyed to showcase the French victory. For this purpose, Lucien had even arranged for Morel and others'' story to be dramatized and performed in Paris.

    Pauline had already seen the partially restored British steamboat. Unlike most people, who considered it outrageously ugly, she believed that the steamboat, with its tworge wheels and tall ck smokestack, possessed a "unique beauty, a sense of power lurking within its awkwardness." She evenpared it to the fire god standing by the goddess of beauty. So, Pauline was genuinely hoping the French could sessfully replicate this ship.

    "How is that possible? How could we build something so outdated?" Pauline''s words immediately reminded Joseph of the 50,000 francs he had bet with his brother, Lucien.

    The carriage came to a halt directly at the dock. Several people disembarked, and a ship with an elongated shape, featuring two masts, two chimneys, stood before them.

    Fulton had been waiting for Joseph and the others here. As they got off the carriage, he quickly approached.

    "Professor, everything is ready, and we''re just waiting for you to board," Fulton said.

    "Very well. Are the lifeboats in ce on this ship?" Joseph asked.

    "They''re all in ce," Fulton assured.

    "And are the life jackets ready as well? You must understand that every person on this ship is an invaluable asset to the consortium, and we must ensure their safety. Safety is of utmost importance."

    "Professor, you can rest assured. We take safety precautions very seriously. There are enough lifeboats on board, double the number of crew members. Lifebuoys and life jackets are within easy reach. See, there''s a row of them right over there."

    Joseph looked in that direction and indeed saw a row of lifebuoys. He nodded and then turned to the others. "Alright, let''s board the ship."

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 Chapter 228: Dawn

    Chapter 228: Dawn

    "Where''s the ship''s paddlewheel?" Polina looked around and asked.

    "Paddlewheel? What a backward design! Why would we use one?" Joseph replied with disdain.

    "No paddlewheel? How do you propel the ship then? Do you use a reciprocating lever to row?" Polina inquired. "If so, it seems quite artistic."

    "Polina, perhaps you should consider some education in mathematics and physics," Joseph shook his head. "Our ship uses a screw propeller. It''s an underwater propulsion device, much more efficient than a paddlewheel. It doesn''t get disrupted by normal waves, and even enemy cannon fire can''t hit it. The British are stuck with their outdated paddlewheels."

    "Professor Bonaparte''s screw propeller is indeed a magnificent invention," Fulton sincerely stated. "I never thought such a propulsion method existed, and it''s significantly more efficient than a paddlewheel."

    "In fact,ing up with this idea is rather straightforward," Joseph began to boast. "This design was originally derived from the hydraulic turbine used in the Zeus project. And the hydraulic turbine design was an evolution of the windmill. You see, many processes in physics are reversible. If a windmill can be turned by the wind, then turning the windmill in reverse can generate wind. Simrly, a hydraulic turbine can rotate due to the force of water, so if you reverse its rotation, it can propel water. So, you see, it''s not a particrly difficult design. The tricky part is solving the water leakage issue around the propeller shaft."

    Fulton had a proud smile on his face. This problem had been addressed with thebined effort of him and several other engineers. While they hadn''tpletely solved it, they had managed to control the leakage rate to some extent, along with the addition of a small bilge pump topletely address the issue.

    Fulton led a group of people to the ship''s forward deck, where seats and sunshades were set up, and champagne was ready.

    "Professor, whenever you give the word, we can start the trial voyage," Fulton said."Alright," Joseph stood confidently at the bow and waved his hand. "Forward! Forward! Our destination is the Starry Sea!"

    The ship gently trembled and slowly departed from the dock. It initially followed the current, heading west for a while, quickly overtaking several other ships on the way. Then, it turned around, sailing east against the current.

    "How fast can this ship go?" Polina asked.

    "The ''Ridiculous'' theoretically can reach around thirteen knots," Fulton replied.

    "What? How did the ship get such a peculiar name?" Polina was taken aback.

    Fulton nced at Joseph, who remained expressionless. He certainly wasn''t going to admit that he came up with this odd name. He named the ship ''Ridiculous'' because in his previous life, he had read about Fulton''s steamboat, which was referred to as "Fulton''s Folly" but turned out to be a tremendous sess.

    Considering some traditional beliefs he had encountered in the Eastern Empire where it was said that giving a child a humble name would bring them good fortune, and the fact that ''Fulton''s Folly'' wasn''t the first steamboat but was the first to achieve great sess, Joseph thought this traditional superstition might actually have some merit. So, he decided to name the ship ''Ridiculous.''

    However, Joseph would never admit to naming the ship. Therefore, when Polina asked the question, he remained silent.

    "Oh, about that, it''s... it''s like this... when we were deciding on the name, we had quite a heated debate. In the end... well, we decided to let a dictionary decide. And that''s how we came up with this word. But everyone had agreed beforehand that we would use whatever word the dictionary gave us. A man must keep his word, you know, so we''re sticking with this name. That''s how it happened," Fulton improvised an exnation, stuttering at first, but as he continued, it sounded more and more usible. In the end, he almost believed it himself.

    By this time, the ship had turned around and was elerating against the current. In reverse flow, the ship''s advantages became even more apparent. It spewed thick smoke and quickly left one sailboat after another far behind, returning to its starting point in no time.

    "This ship is so fast! Is this its top speed?" Polina inquired once more.

    "No, today is the official trial voyage. High-speed experiments aren''t part of the n for today," Joseph exined.

    In fact, during the "informal trial voyage," high-speed tests had already been conducted. However, increasing the boiler pressure for high-speed testing also increased the risk of boiler explosions. So, such experiments were not carried out on this day, for safety''s sake.

    This sessful trial came at a crucial time as Irnd faced a pivotal moment. The Irish independence army had recently repelled a new wave of British raids and achieved significant victories. In this counter-raid, the Irish independence army demonstrated impressive siege capabilities for the first time. They utilized a special explosiveuncher that rendered most of the previously fortified British defensive structures useless.

    This so-called "explosiveuncher" was essentially a "flying thunder cannon," much like the one used by an Eastern army in a future era. It consisted of arge metal tube filled with propent and a simrly sized explosive package. Igniting it could project the explosive nearly two hundred meters.

    The ten-kilogram explosive projectiles wreaked havoc on the walls and defenses of British military posts, rendering them almost powerless. During daylight, defending soldiers could counteract the "explosiveunchers" by concentrating rifle fire on theunch sites, which required digging a pit to set up the firing tube at the right angle.

    However, crafty Irish rebels utilized the cover of darkness, secretly cing the "explosiveunchers" near British military post walls and camouging them. When dawn broke, they simted an attack, luring British troops to the walls. Then, they ignited the "explosiveunchers," causing both the hastily arriving British soldiers and the fortifications to beunched into the air.

    Thanks to this device, the Irish rebels, rising from the trenches, swiftly captured several strategically vital military posts, even momentarily closing in on Dublin. However, the British maintained significant mobile forces in the rear, promptlyunching counterattacks.

    The First Division of the Irish independence army shed with a thousand British soldiers near a military post about sixty kilometers from Dublin. The battle concluded with the withdrawal of the Irish independence army, numbering around a thousand, but both sides suffered nearly equal casualties. The British lost more than two hundred men, while the Irish casualties were slightly higher but didn''t exceed four hundred. Such results left the British astonished.

    Although most of the British soldiers in this battle were new recruits, they still constituted regr forces with better equipment suited for conventional warfare. Additionally, they possessed cavalry, which should have caused significant harm to the Irish during their withdrawal. However, even with these advantages, they failed to gain a significant upper hand in the close encounter, particrly due to the cavalry walking into a hidden ambush of Irish sword mines and losing nearly a hundred soldiers.

    The British realized the growing power of the Irish rebels. In their safe zones, the Irish independence army, with the cooperation of the local guerris, continuously harassed "policing forces" and British troops who carelessly strayed from their allies. They made use of guerri tactics, using firearms for bait, luring British troops into pursuing them, and then ambushing them with sword mines.

    If it were in the past, the British might have considered a retreat at this point. However, this time, they gritted their teeth and persisted. They found that the Irish rebels were gradually running short on weapons and ammunition. Particrly in recent days, there were fewer reports of raids involving sword mines. This indicated that their supply of French-made equipment was dwindling.

    "I understand that we''re facing losses, both inside and outside the secure zones. But this is a critical time, and we must endure. The enemy is weakening, and if we hold on a little longer, they''ll be done for. It''s a matter of who can persevere the most. The side that endures will win all of Irnd," the Duke of Norfolk addressed his subordinates in thevishly decorated meeting room of the Governor''s Pce.

    "Currently, our struggle has reached a crucial moment. We must hold on, for holding on is victory. We''re facing difficulties with our supplies, especially weapons and ammunition. It''s undoubtedly a problem, but should we not fight our enemies, protect our base, and the people without the new weapons our Frenchrades have sent us? We must conserve our ammunition while increasing its efficiency, ensuring each bullet eliminates an enemy. Moreover, we must utilize captured weapons and our homemade ones to strike back at the enemy.

    We''re going through tough times, but the enemy faces simr hardships. If we endure, we''ll see the first light of victory..." In the swamp camp, Lazarus rolled up his trousers, barefooted, addressing the independent army soldiers gathered around him.

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 Chapter 229: The Black Ships

    Chapter 229: The ck Ships

    The sweeping and counter-sweeping operations in Irnd had entered their most critical and challenging phase. In order to support the Irish independence forces and keep a bleeding wound for the British, the French government had increased the shipping fees for vessels heading to Irnd by fifty percent.

    As a wise mentor from ater era once said, "With suitable profit, capital bes bold. With 10 percent, it takes risks, with 20 percent, it expects a return, with 50 percent, it is ready to trample all humanws, and if 300 percent, there is no crime it will notmit, even at the risk of the gallows."

    Originally, running missions to Irnd promised substantial profits, and with the surging shipping fees, although it hadn''t reached the point of mitting any crime, even at the risk of the gallows," it had certainly reached the stage where people were willing to take significant risks. Consequently, during this period, more individuals ordered clipper ships to embark on the adventurous journey to Irnd, and the number of clipper ships heading to Irnd was rapidly increasing.

    However, the British had already taken precautions. A month earlier, the Duke of Norfolk had written a letter to the British Prime Minister, pointing out potential issues and offering suggestions:

    "Large squadrons of clipper ships are hovering in the vicinity of Irnd, waiting for the arrival of storms. Once the winds blow at sea, they will pounce on Irnd like hungry sharks. As far as I know, the number of French clipper ships is increasing rapidly, and soon, when their numbers are sufficientlyrge, they may evenmunicate ways to saturate our interception capabilities and break through our defenses.

    On the other hand, the Royal Navy has a shortage of steamships, and these ships have a ring weakness that has be apparent today, which is their low reliability. After a period of high-intensity use, this problem has be even more pronounced. Themander of the Irish coastal defense''s First Fleet reported to me, ''Our ships are either in need of repairs or waiting for repairs. The entire First Fleet, with a total of five steam frigates, can now only send one to sea.''

    Theck of standardization in the production of steam frigates has made maintenance moreplex. Among the five steam frigates in the First Fleet, five different steam engine models were used, along with otherponents, including paddlewheels and transmission devices, hardly a single part was the same. This means that each ship requires unique maintenance, and when two ships are out ofmission, we can''t even use the spare parts from one to quickly repair the other - I can''t understand how such a foolish situation came about! Why can''t we produce identical steam frigates using the same standards?

    I suggest that the British Royal Navy should purchase more steam frigates and adopt entirely uniform construction standards for them. Even if it means slightly lowering their performance, we must ensure their maintainability. Let''s not allow these warships to be monsters on dry docks."

    The British were well aware that losing Irnd would have a devastating impact on their interests. As the French elerated the production of clipper ships, the British, too, started speeding up the production of steam frigates in shipyards across the country.In terms of shipbuilding capacity, the British had a considerable advantage over the French. However, this advantage was with regards to producing conventional vessels. Steamships required moreplex machinery instation, making their production distinctly different from other ships. In contrast, the differences between clipper ships and traditional vessels were minimal. So, French shipyards produced clipper ships faster than the British could produce steam frigates.

    Furthermore, the British steamships, while increasing in number, continued to face low reliability issues. It was undeniable that the Duke of Norfolk''s idea of interchangeable parts was ingenious, but it exceeded the capabilities of the British in this era, at least beyond what this era''s Britain could achieve. You see, in another timeline, at least until the 1980s, the most advanced fighter jets produced by a certain Eastern power couldn''t even have interchangeable parts.

    So, while the British captured or sank more clipper ships, the resupplied Irish forces increased their resistance. Theyunched another offensive, capturing another supply depot.

    Within their stronghold, due to logistical challenges and the ineffectiveness of the "security forces," British losses were noticeably increasing. The efficiency of their efforts to disrupt the stronghold was decreasing due to the security forces'' apathy. But why were the security forces so unwilling to work, even on a simple task like "destroying potato fields"?

    ording to the British, it was because, "The Irish are allzy, always looking for opportunities to ck off; even when there''s no chance, they''ll create one to ck off."

    But if you were to ask Captain Javert, he would tell you that there was a reason for this behavior. It was mainly because the Irish were too malicious. Those who ravaged the crops with the utmost enthusiasm were their primary targets, and the Irish would strike hard and mercilessly. Unfortunately, the chaps from our "security forces" were simply too dim-witted. Every time they sought help from the British, it was either toote or they naively led the British forces into rebel ambushes.

    As a result, for the sake of protecting British soldiers, it made sense to refrain from damaging the crops. So, the "security forces" couldn''t do anything right, not even when it came to ruining crops; they couldn''t evenpete with donkeys.

    Since they couldn''t rely on the "security forces," the British had tried to ruin the crops themselves. However, they soon found themselves caught in a vicious cycle. If they concentrated their troops to carry out this task, the efficiency was too low, lower even than that of donkeys. But if they dispersed to damage the crops, they were consistently ambushed by the rebels. In these attacks, even the authentic British soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

    As a result, even the Duke of Norfolk, who had been shouting "persist," had to admit that continuing these sweeps in non-security areas no longer made sense. His actions had indeed caused significant losses to the stronghold and depleted too many resources. If the British could effectively block the Irish from obtaining sufficient supplies before the potato harvest season, within two to three months, the Irish independence forces would struggle to recover their strength. At that point, if the Britishunched another massive sweep, they might cause a major famine within the Irish independence forces'' stronghold.

    Of course, this primarily depended on two factors. First, whether the British could more effectively cut off French supplies to Irnd, and second, whether the United Irishmen could quickly achieve self-sufficiency in production. After all, while weapons and ammunition could be procured through overseas support, solving the food problem via overseas logistics was nearly impossible. If overseas logistics could genuinely resolve the food problem, then either Britain had already copsed, or the stronghold had shrunk to the point of almost nothing left.

    In the following days, a new phenomenon emerged at sea: clipper ships departing from France faced attacks from British clipper ships. This time, British clipper ships were also armed with "Greek fire." Due to the element of surprise and theck of survivors, these attacks were initially not discovered; people just noticed that the number of ships returning to the harbor had significantly decreased.

    Naturally, this situation made the crew members wary. Soon, someone brought back the exact news: the British also had Greek fire.

    This news came from a Danish captain named Oleg, who, on his way back from Irnd, rescued an Italian sailor floating on a nk in the sea. The Italian sailor told everyone that their ship had been attacked by British clipper ships disguised as French vessels. The British had ignited their ship with Greek fire and then shot the sailors who jumped into the sea. He had survived by hiding under arge nk to evade the British gunfire.

    Before long, the situation deteriorated further. The British had more and more clipper ships, and they began intercepting ships bound for Irnd in a fleet formation. In a series of battles, both sides suffered losses, but with stronger shipbuilding capabilities, closer proximity to their base, lighter cargo loads, faster speed, and the advantage of seizing the windward position (as wind significantly affected the range of Greek fire, the side with the windward position couldunch attacks from a greater distance), the British gradually gained the upper hand in these battles.

    Because the bootleg clipper ships performed exceptionally well, the British converted those expensive and unwieldy steamships into general cargo ships and continued to increase orders for the bootleg clipper ships.

    "In a month, at most, we will eliminate all French clipper ships in the waters near Irnd. Once we cut off this supply line, we will quickly suppress the Irish rebellion," Prime Minister Addington confidently dered during questioning in the House of Commons.

    It was on the very day that Prime Minister Addington made this promise to the members of the House of Commons that an unusual warship with an elongated ck hull wasunched at the Torun shipyard.

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 Chapter 230: The Flying Clipper "Crusher"

    Chapter 230: The Flying Clipper "Crusher"

    This was a patrol frigate with two masts and a foremast at the front, with two towering smokestacks further back - clearly a steam-powered ship. Its name was the "Equality."

    Because it didn''t require the instation of paddlewheels, this ship still had aplete gun deck, butpared to fully rigged sailing warships of the same tonnage, it had one less gun deck due to the space upied by the engine and coal bunkers. Additionally, the disced gun deck was typically the lower deck for considerations of stability, and heavy cannons were usually ced on the lower deck for that reason. So, in terms of firepower alone, this type of warship was much weaker than a simr fully rigged patrol frigate.

    This frigate only carried 16 12-pound cannons, eight on each side. This level of firepower was equivalent to arming a merchant ship.

    However, whenpared to the British steam corvettes, its firepower was quite formidable. British steam corvettes only had a total of five guns: a 24-pounder in the bow, and two 12-pounders on each side. Combined with the added speed and enhanced seaworthiness due to the screw propeller, this ship could be considered a nemesis to British steam corvettes.

    At its top speed, although this ship wasn''t faster than the flying clipper, it could maintain its maximum speed at any time, unlike the clipper. Therefore, most of the time, this ship could outpace the flying clipper.

    The crew on this ck ship was transferred from the "Ridiculous" on the River Seine. The reason for this was to quickly make itbat-ready and immediately deploy it in the waters near Irnd to change the maritime situation.

    A monthter, after various training exercises, this ship had essentially bebat-ready. Under themand of Captain Marthon, it left the Mediterranean, broke through the interception by the British navy at Gibraltar, and entered the Antic. After a brief rest in Le Havre, the ship set sail into the vast sea on a stormy night.

    To conserve fuel, the "Equality" mostly relied on its sails for propulsion, only using its steam engine to escape from British warships when necessary. After a few days of sailing, the "Equality" approached the waters near Irnd.

    "Reef the sails," Captain Marthon ordered.The ship was already quite fast at this point, and the sails were no longer providing much assistance; in fact, they were creating drag. The "Equality" continued to elerate, reaching speeds exceeding ten knots. Before long, the ship that the lookout had spotted while suspended from a kite appeared in Captain Marthon''s view.

    At this moment, the British crew aboard the flying clipper "Resolute" had already noticed the "Equality." It was natural because the thick ck smoke billowing from the "Equality" had risen so high, how could they not see it? The British crew aboard the "Resolute" took only a nce with their naked eyes and thought it was a British steamship. After all, they had no idea that countries other than Britain possessed steamships, and they couldn''t have imagined encountering a non-British steamship in these waters. So, even though they noticed the ship approaching them at high speed, they didn''t make any defensive preparations. They assumed it was a simple mistake, thinking the lookout on the approaching ship had not seen their British g clearly. They expected that as they got closer, the mistake would be apparent.

    However, as the ck steamship approached, they realized that this steamship was entirely different from the ones they were familiar with - it didn''t have paddlewheels on the sides. What''s more, they discovered something that left them dumbfounded - a tricolored g was hoisting up the mast of that ship.

    "Is this...is this a French ship? How is that even possible?" Captain William was almost dumbfounded. "Quick, unfurl all the sails!"

    William shouted as he rushed to seize the helm to change their course.

    But it was toote; the two ships were already very close. Even though the wind at sea was favorable, the "Resolute" needed time to elerate, while the steamship had alreadypleted its eleration and hade quite close.

    The "Equality" swiftly approached the "Resolute" until they were only about a hundred meters apart, sailing alongside, while simultaneously firing chain shot at the "Resolute."

    Chain shot was amonly used weapon in naval warfare of this era, primarily designed to damage the opponent''s rigging and render them immobile.

    Due to the ship''s rocking, even at a distance of over a hundred meters, the uracy of cannonballs fired from guns without stabilizing equipment was often problematic. Fortunately, the sails presented a rtivelyrge target, making them easy to hit. Every chain shot that hit the sails tore off a significant portion of the canvas. Soon, the sails of the "Resolute" were riddled with holes.

    The power of sails, especially those of a flying clipper, relied primarily on the Bernoulli principle created by the pressure difference between the airflow on both sides. When the sails were riddled with holes, these breaches disrupted the pressure difference on both sides, significantly reducing the power the sails could generate.

    After several rounds of cannon fire, the speed of the "Resolute" began to slow down, and Captain William knew that his ship could no longer escape.

    "Reef the sails, we surrender," Captain William ordered.

    The flying clipper had no cannons, and Greek fire''s range couldn''t reach the enemy. The enemy outpaced them in both speed and firepower. Besides surrender, there was no other option.

    "Resolute" raised a g indicating surrender, furled its tattered sails, and dropped anchor. The ship floated on the sea like a dead fish.

    "Send a small boat over and order their crew into lifeboats," Lieutenant Marthonmanded.

    Several French sailors then boarded a small boat, headed to the "Resolute," and conveyed the orders to the ship''s captain.

    "Our ship has no space to amodate prisoners, and we have no provisions for you. So, you must board your own lifeboats and bring as much water and food as you can. Then, we will scuttle this ship. You have twenty minutes; make good use of your time and pray to God," a leading French ensign told William.

    Lifeboats could carry only limited supplies of water and food. Moreover, they had no means to return, so the British crew could only drift at sea, hoping to encounter another ship that could rescue them. Whether or not they would be rescued depended on the grace of God.

    But the British crew on the "Resolute" dared not defy the French''s orders. At this moment, the French behaved more gentlemanly toward them than they did to French ships.

    Within the specified time, all the British crew had boarded the lifeboats and made their best effort to row away from the "Resolute." A group of French soldiers then entered the "Resolute''s" hold, removed some supplies that might be useful to the French, and set a timed explosive charge in the ship''s lower hold. They also rowed away from the "Resolute."

    Ten minutester, with a deafening explosion, arge hole was sted in the ship''s hull, and the vessel slowly sank beneath the sea.

    This was just the first prey of the "Equality." In the following week, the "Equality" systematically sent fourteen British ships to the depths of the sea. On its most frenzied day, it sank four British flying clippers.

    A weekter, due to dwindling supplies, the "Equality" concluded its ughter of British flying clippers in the waters near Irnd and returned to Le Havre. Two days after its departure, a British flying clipper discovered a lifeboat filled with British sailors. It was only then that the British realized why several of their ships had failed to return to port as nned during that time��they had encountered this ck hunter.

    The British gave the ck "Equality" the nickname "Leviathan" and immediately formted a n to trap it, code-named "Leviathan Hunt." They prepared to concentrate multiple "steam corvettes" to encircle this French warship.

    Meanwhile, the "Equality" spent a week in Le Havre, conducting maintenance on its steam engine and other systems, replenishing supplies and weapons. It set sail from the harbor once again, heading toward the waters near Irnd. Before its departure, Captain Marthon received a precious Legion of Honor knighthood. However, ahead of himy more than a dozen hastily mobilized British steam corvettes, poised to encircle and hunt down this French warship.

    ....

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 Chapter 231: The Hunter and the Prey

    Chapter 231: The Hunter and the Prey

    From the surviving crew members, the British had already gathered some information about their target, the "Leviathan."

    "The ''Leviathan'' is a warship about the size of a frigate, with two masts and an angled prow. The crew unanimously ims they haven''t seen any visible wheels on the ''Leviathan,'' but its speed and smokestacks suggest it''s a steamship. Based on the information we''ve gathered, the ship only has one gun deck with a total of sixteen cannons, which means eight on each side. ording to the sailors, these cannons are likely 12-pounders. That means their broadside firepower is about four times that of our steam frigates.

    However, based on what the survivors reported, the enemy vessel never fired from its bow. Additionally, we''ve deduced from the survivors'' sketches of the ''Leviathan''s'' angled prow that it may not have bow chasers. Moreover, they didn''t find any stern chasers either. If used correctly, this could be a significant weakness of the enemy ship.

    For this operation, we have three third-rate ships of the line, eighteen steam frigates, and six cruisers. Each group consists of six steam frigates and one third-rate ship of the line. This means that any of our naval groups will have superior overall firepowerpared to the enemy. Each group will be responsible for a designated area. Furthermore, we have twenty clipper ships that will participate in the operation. They will act as decoys and serve as messengers.

    To aid in this, we''ve prepared signal rockets for all our ships that can beunched to a height of about 500 feet. During the day, we''ll fire rockets that produce reddish-brown smoke in the air, while at night, the res from the rockets can be seen from even greater distances.

    In addition, all three third-rate ships of the line are equipped with hot air balloons that can ascend to over a thousand feet, providing us with extensive aerial surveince. While these third-rate ships may not be able to match the ''Leviathan''s'' speed, they will greatly expand our field of vision.

    Furthermore, just over a week ago, one of our cruisers encountered the ''Leviathan'' in the waters near France. At that time, it was sailing under sail power, not steam, and its speed wasn''t particrly high. The smokestacks only started emitting smoke after it spotted our cruiser.

    This suggests that most of the time, the ''Leviathan'' cruises at low speed. So, including the third-rate ships of the line, our sub-fleets should be able to keep up with their pace. Additionally, the ''Leviathan''s'' steam engine might not handle long periods of high stress. Our cruisers will patrol the area individually, with their mission being to force the enemy to frequently use steam power, thus undermining the reliability of their equipment."

    In the preparations for the "Leviathan Hunt" operation, General Hood''s adjutant, Major Carter, was briefing themanders of the participating forces about these details.After Major Carter had finished presenting this information, General Hood began assigning the tasks for the operation.

    Meanwhile, just a few nautical miles off the coast of Le Havre, the frigate "Equality" encountered its first British warship since setting sail �C the cruiser "Zephyr."

    The "Zephyr" was a sailing cruiser armed with thirty-fiverge cannons, far outgunning the "Equality." Therefore, the "Equality" immediately stoked its boilers, activated its steam power, and turned upwind to quickly distance itself from the "Zephyr." While the "Zephyr" pursued, it also released a carrier pigeon, sending word back to Ennd about the sighting of the "Leviathan."

    This triggered a state of alert along the entire British coast. Three hunting teams were swiftly notified and set sail to intercept the "Leviathan."

    At this point, Lieutenant Marten began to feel that something was amiss. He had already encountered British cruisers multiple times on this journey.

    Of course, the British cruisers posed no significant threat to his ship. Once the smoke started billowing from the smokestacks, the "Equality" could easily outmaneuver any British cruiser. However, the problem was that the "Equality" was missing one of its masts. If they used the boilers, they couldn''t outrun the British. And using steam power consumed coal and caused wear and tear to the machinery.

    Yet, the wear and tear didn''t seem significant, and the "Equality" had enough resources toplete its mission. However, a night encounter two dayster almost turned disastrous. A sudden fog had risen on the sea, and an approaching British cruiser closed the distance dangerously. If it weren''t for the lookout on the "Equality" spotting the threat first, they might have fallen victim to that British cruiser.

    Clearly, the number of British warships in these waters had increased significantly. But, ironically, this only steeled Lieutenant Marten''s resolve.

    "At this point, there''s no ship in the world that can catch up to the ''Equality.'' What do we have to worry about?"

    Two dayster, they spotted a British clipper ship. Marten ordered the boilers fired up and the "Equality" steamed toward it. However, this time, he faced more problems. The British were more alert than before. Upon seeing the "Equality" emitting thick ck smoke, the British clipper ship immediately increased its speed and continuously fired signal rockets into the sky, possibly seeking help from other British warships.

    Marten knew that at this point, merely changing their course would leave the British warships attempting to hunt him empty-handed. But considering his ship''s overwhelming speed advantage, he believed it was still possible to decide whether to fight or evade after seeing the British vessels.

    So, he continued the pursuit.

    The sea was calm at this moment, and though the British clipper ship had been elerating as much as possible, its speed never surpassed ten knots. The "Equality" was already maintaining a speed of around eleven knots, and Marten estimated that by two or three o''clock in the afternoon, he''d catch up to the British ship.

    The British clipper ship kept fleeing,unching signal rockets into the sky all along the way. Marten paid no heed and continued the chase. By one o''clock in the afternoon, the distance between the two vessels had be very short. However, on the horizon, several columns of smoke were now visible��clearly, these were British steamships.

    Marten was somewhat familiar with British steamships, and he had even taken rides on the captured British steamship after its repairs. He knew that by increasing the pressure in the boilers to the maximum allowed, the "Equality" could easily gain almost three knots more than the British ships. So, these columns of smoke didn''t intimidate him. After all, with the vast sea at their disposal, they could easily outmaneuver any pursuers.

    So Marten gave the order without hesitation: "Continue the pursuit."

    "Captain, should we increase the power a bit more?" First Officer Edgar asked.

    At present, the "Equality" was cruising at just eleven knots, although it was capable of safely reaching close to fifteen knots. If they continued elerating, they would have already overtaken the British clipper ship.

    "No need," Marten shook his head. "Unless we can eliminate all the sailors on that ship, I don''t want to reveal our top speed. Let''s give the British a false impression that our top speed is roughly on par with theirs."

    They continued the chase for a while. By around two o''clock, the "Equality" had caught up with the clipper ship, and at this point, multiple columns of smoke were much closer, revealing the British steamship beneath, along with its paddlewheels spinning on both sides.

    "Before they catch up, we can sink this ship," Lieutenant Marten put down his binocrs, sneering as he ordered the attack.

    This time, the "Equality" didn''t opt for disabling the enemy''s sails with chain shot and forcing them to surrender. Instead, they seized the weather gauge first and then sprayed the British clipper ship''s deck with grape shot. They particrly targeted the two methrowers mounted at the bow and stern.

    Grape shot, much like canister shot used bynd forces, consisted of fewer butrger pellets than standard shot, which provided a longer range and more powerful impact.

    After a few rounds of fire, there were no longer any men on the British clipper ship''s deck. The methrowers at the bow and stern were destroyed. The "Equality" continued to close in and set the enemy ship aze. Many of the British sailors jumped overboard, some still on fire.

    "Equality" paid no attention to these British sailors and put some distance between themselves and the burning clipper ship. They then turned away, seemingly preparing to elude the approaching British steam frigates.

    By now, the British steam frigates had closed the gap considerably. However, during the "Equality''s" attack on the British clipper ship, they had reduced their speed. Now, with the ship turning, their speed was further lowered. When the "Equality" hadpleted its turn, the British steam frigates had drawn even closer.

    "Equality" began to elerate.

    "elerate slowly, don''t exceed eleven knots, let them believe that with effort, they can catch us before sunset. Do they really think they''re the hunters and we''re the prey?" Marten chuckled.

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 Chapter 232: Storms and a Cunning Plan

    Chapter 232: Storms and a Cunning n

    In the eyes of the British, the "Leviathan" had been in hot pursuit of a fast-clipper for nearly half a day. Throughout this chase, the steam engine of the "Leviathan" must have been running under a heavy load. The British were unsure about the capabilities of the French steam engine, but they figured it couldn''t be much better than the British ones. After all, Britain was the birthce of steam engines.

    If a steam engine on a British ship continued to operate under such a high load for so long, there was a good chance it might malfunction. So, the British were convinced that if they elerated their chase, they would catch up and eliminate the French steam frigate.

    "It would be great if we could capture this warship. After all, it''s even more potent than us, worth learning from, like the fact that it doesn''t have paddlewheels, one less significant weakness," thought Commander Nevill, a lieutenant colonel, on board the "Tremor," the steam escort ship leading the pursuit.

    After making a turn, the "Leviathan" began to elerate, but its eleration wasn''t swift. The distance between the two ships continued to decrease.

    Indeed, regarding the level of steam engines, the one on the "Equality" was not more advanced or powerful than those on British ships. But in terms of propulsion, the screw propeller significantly exceeded the paddlewheel in efficiency. Furthermore, another hidden feature, the submerged, normally invisible bulbous bow, made the "Equality" face significantly less resistance when reaching considerable speeds. These two factorsbined meant that the "Equality" could reach a speed of around eleven knots without needing to run the steam engine at full capacity.

    Therefore, whether it was a short sprint or a long race, the "Equality" was far superior to the British steamships it faced. In fact, if the goal was merely to escape the British pursuers, Lieutenant Marthen only needed to continue elerating. Before long, he would leave the British far behind.

    However, Marthen didn''t want to do that. He knew that, following his first sessful sortie, several shipyards under the Military Industrial Consortium were preparing to produce simr warships. Perhaps it wouldn''t be long before the second and third ships of this kind wereunched.

    Marthen knew that when that time came, achieving more victories would be much harder. At that point, there would be too many wolves and too little meat. When would he ever be a general? After all, General Napoleon Bonaparte was only a year younger than him and had already be the First Consul!

    So, Marthen quietly made up his mind to y a big game, one that the British would never forget.

    However, Marthen didn''t dare to directly engage the British inbat. The British had more ships and more cannons. But the British ships had a ring weakness: their paddlewheels were sorge, so crucial, and so vulnerable. Hitting the paddlewheel with a few cannonballs during battle could render the ship immobile. If Marthen were British, he might have gone straight for the attack. But he was French.

    For years, the French Navy had a history of being defeated by the British Navy when theycked overwhelming superiority in numbers. So, the French Navy was always cautious when facing the British. In essence, without a dominant force, they couldn''t afford to take the initiative.

    For example, in the original historical ount, the French and Spanish joint fleet had a rtive numerical advantage over Nelson''s fleet. Yet, when they encountered the British, their first thought was, "Let''s get out of here!" Their second thought was, "We must escape faster than the Spanish (or the French)!"

    Marthen wanted to defeat the British ships to make a name for himself, but he also feared the Royal Navy. Therefore, he chose a sneaky approach: to lead the British in a chase.

    Marthen had been on British steamships before and knew that about eleven knots was their limit. At that speed, they couldst until the evening at most. Afterward, they would either have to reduce the steam engine''s pressure to prevent malfunctions, or, more likely,e to aplete stop. That''s when he could seize the opportunity.

    But Marthen soon realized he didn''t need to wait until evening. Around four o''clock in the afternoon, a dark cloud drifted in from the west, and the wind and waves intensified. The British steam escort ships couldn''t keep up with him on the rocking sea. Their paddlewheels were dipping into the water or rising above it, significantly reducing their propulsion efficiency. Their speed rapidly dropped, even falling behind regr sailboats.

    "Damn it! The French are escaping again! Curse this wind!" Lieutenant Colonel Nevill cursed and mmed his fist against the ship''s rail. Just before, they had been closing in on the enemy, and a little more, they could have fired their 24-pounders at the target. But now, it was evident that they couldn''t catch up with the "Leviathan."

    "Colonel, the enemy ship is changing course!" At that moment, a lookout''s shout reached his ears.

    Nevill quickly looked ahead and saw the French steamship making a swift turn amidst the storm. The maneuver was so rapid, and it seemed unaffected by the storm''s power.

    "What do they intend to do?" Nevill was surprised. ording to logic, the French should take advantage of the storm to escape. Why were they changing course?

    But Nevill quickly grasped the "Leviathan''s" intent.

    "The onemanding the ''Leviathan'' is an extremely brave and cunning opponent. They''ve noticed our predicament in the storm and want to take this opportunity to divide and conquer us."

    "The storm has made our paddlewheels nearly unusable, greatly reducing our maneuverability. He must be hoping to use this opportunity, leveraging his speed advantage, to get alongside us, pass us from our stern, and use his broadside cannons to strike at our rear!"

    Realizing this, Colonel Nevill immediately ordered, "All ships, hoist the sails immediately, prepare for battle."

    With the paddlewheels no longer functioning efficiently, they unfurled the sails, relying on the more reliable wind power to control the ships and counter the French.

    The six British steam escort ships set sail again, turning back into sailboats.

    However, these steam escort ships had fewer sails than normal escort ships due to the space upied by the chimneys. Additionally, if they allowed the paddlewheels to continue providing power, they would have difficulty turning, as the power kept shifting from one side to the other in the rough seas.

    But if they stopped the paddlewheels, they were essentially adding more resistance. These steam escort ships, already less efficient due to their iplete sails when relying solely on wind power, became even more sluggish with the added resistance, whichpounded their problems.

    On the other hand, the "Equality" began increasing the boiler pressure, and despite the storm, its speed not only didn''t decrease but actually continued to rise.

    With its enhanced power, the "Equality" passed the British from the starboard side, beyond the reach of their cannons, then began to turn, preparing to insert itself at the rear of the British fleet. The British fleet, in turn, started to turn, attempting to keep their broadsides facing the "Equality," and both sides danced in the midst of the storm.

    This maneuver, known as "cutting the T," wasmon in naval warfare during this era. Typically, ships of this time had their cannons mounted on their broadsides, so they could only unleash the most firepower when they faced the enemy. If their bows or sterns were directed at the enemy, they had very few cannons capable of firing.

    In naval battles, once one side gained the advantageous position of having their broadside or stern facing the enemy, they had an overwhelming firepower advantage. Therefore, naval engagements always involved trying to gain this position of advantage through maneuver. This principle remained significant in naval battles for many years toe.

    For instance, in another era of a different timeline, Admiral Togo''sbined fleet employed the daring maneuver of "crossing the enemy''s T" to seize this advantageous position during the Battle of Tsushima; and in the ultimate battle of battleship gunnery, the Battle of Tsushima Strait, the United States Navy, with the T advantage, effortlessly defeated the Japanese fleet at the cost of almost nothing, all due to this strategic advantage.

    Sailing and turning were significantly impacted by the wind''s force. However, the "Equality" remained unaffected by these forces. With its greater speed and more agile turning capabilities, the "Equality" effortlessly gained the upper hand in this game of "cutting the T" against the British''s clumsy steam escort ships.

    The "Equality" first approached the "Serene," thest of the British ships, from the starboard side, swiftly turning from behind the "Serene" and using its eight right-sided cannons to fire a broadside.

    In this broadside, the "Equality" used chain shot ammunition, aiming to damage the "Serene''s" sails and further diminish its maneuverability.

    Due to the rtively high rtive velocity, the rocky sea, and the fact that Marthen was experimenting with these tactics for the first time, he acted conservatively, leaving a bit more distance when lining up the broadsides with the enemy''s stern. The uracy of this broadside was abysmal - not a single shot hit.

    But Marthen was undeterred. He held the initiative now, and the enemy had no effective means of retaliation. If one round missed, no problem; he could try again. As long as the storm continued, he had the confidence that, slowly but surely, he would send these British ships one by one to the ocean floor. Now, these British ships were the prey, and he was the true hunter.

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 Chapter 233: Negotiations

    Chapter 233: Negotiations

    Over the next two hours, Captain Martain''s operations became increasingly skillful, the efficiency of the battle improved, and his boldness grew. Relying on his superior power and maneuvering, he continuously seized advantageous positions, leaving three British steamships powerless. Not only did their paddle wheels shatter, but even their masts were broken by the close-range chain shot. Captain Martain, driven by greed, left these immobilized British escort vessels behind and headed towards the remaining operational warships, intending to capture all of the British ships in one fell swoop.

    However, it turned out that not knowing when to quit was not a good habit. Just as Captain Martain was nning a grand victory, a massive ship appeared on the horizon - it was the third-rate battleship that had beengging behind.

    With the appearance of thisrge ship, the demoralized British sailors suddenly rallied, fighting tooth and nail to protect their injured ships against Captain Martain''s assault. Captain Martain took a quick look at the distance between the two sides and realized that it was unlikely they could deal with the British ships before the third-rate battleship closed in. He muttered, "What I hate the most is when the young ones bring in the old ones."

    After thisint, Captain Martain cast a nce at the approaching British warship and added in his mind, "Even more infuriating is that we might not be able to handle this old one."

    A battleship, even a lowly third-rate battleship, was armed with sixty to seventy heavy cannons, with over thirty cannons on each side, each firing heavier and more powerful shots than Captain Martain''s guns, with longer range. Considering the battleship''s stability, each shot was more urate than his. Moreover, the battleship''s robust defense was impervious to the 12-pounder shots.

    Captain Martain estimated that before the battleship arrived, he might have a chance to sink one of the British warships with a daring maneuver. However, it could also lead to damage to his own vessel, and if crucial areas were hit, he might end up stranded here due to his haste.

    Therefore, Captain Martain immediately realized that he couldn''t afford to waste more ammunition on the British ships. Why not save the ammo for the fast clippers that were harder to deal with?

    "Retreat, we won''t y with them anymore!" Captain Martain ordered.

    After passing by the British escort vessel for thest time, the Equality sped away without looking back, disappearing quickly into the vast sea.In this battle, the British only lost their decoys and didn''t lose more warships. Of course, half of the steam escorts were heavily damaged, and the remaining three were not in good shape. These ships would have to be towed back by the third-rate battleship.

    However, this battle also proved fruitful for the British. They expended a significant amount of cannonballs and gunpowder from Captain Martain. After finally breaking free from the British warships, Lieutenant Martain checked his cargo hold and discovered that he had consumed nearly two-thirds of the chain shot, half of the regr cannonballs, and one-third of the grape shot. Considering the necessary reserves for the return journey, there wasn''t enough ammunition left for hunting!

    "If these cannonballs were used against those flying clippers, how many could we have taken down? This is..." Captain Martain couldn''t help but let out a sigh of regret.

    In the following days, the British showed remarkable efficiency. They had realized that their "steamships" were almost a generation behind the French counterparts. Even in the outnumbered battle, they couldn''t gain the upper hand. In unfavorable weather conditions, catastrophic consequences were possible.

    Moreover, during thest stage of the battle, the Equality had demonstrated a speed far exceeding the British steamships, meaning that even in the most difficult situations, the French had time to retreat.

    This meant that the "whale hunting n" fundamentally had no chance of sess. On the contrary, the released decoys might be free meals for the enemy.

    So the British swiftly called back their hunting teams and decoys, and the Equality only managed to capture one flying clipper that hadn''t received the notification in time and fled hastily.

    Since they couldn''t deal with the French steamships, it meant that the blockade of Irnd had failedpletely. So the British ordered their troops in Irnd to go into full alert, while reconsidering negotiations with the French.

    This time, the British''s peace terms were much more practical. They used the Dutch as intermediaries to propose peace to the French.

    The British proposed: an immediate restoration of peace between Ennd and France. Ennd would abandon the blockade of the French coast and recognize French special interests in the Nethends, the Rhine, and other areas. In return, France would acknowledge British rule in Irnd and cease support for Irish rebels. Additionally, France would recognize British special interests in Hanover.

    This demand was much more reasonablepared to the previous ones, and it was clear there was room for negotiation. After consulting with his two brothers, Napoleon also believed that France needed a period of peace for the time being.

    "We need peace now to shift more resources towards production and improve people''s living standards," Joseph said. "Furthermore, achieving a more favorable peace for France will boost your support among the people and serve our ''Roman n.'' However, there are a few principles that must be upheld."

    "First, regarding the issue of Irnd, we cannot abandon it. It''s our most potent leverage against the British. Besides, the Irish are resilient and valuable allies. A peace that can be torn up at any moment versus a small brother who can fight, the difference in value is immense."

    "Secondly, there''s Hanover, which must also be under our control."

    "Why even mention this?" Napoleon shook his head disdainfully. "We are the victors, or at least the ones in an advantageous position. Why should we make concessions on all these fronts? Cut the nonsense!"

    Joseph ignored him and continued, "In addition, we should insist on certain rights, and it should be a mutual give-and-take. We should demand mutual ''open-door'' policies with Britain. They and their territories should open their markets to us, and our markets should open ''equally'' to them. This market includes ordinary goods, literature, art, and news."

    "Mutual market opening? Are you sure we''ll gain an advantage?" Napoleon asked.

    "Of course," Joseph said without hesitation, "their steam power and water-powered textiles��what do they have against our electric-powered textile production? Of course, they don''t know this. I imagine they might resist when ites to news and art markets, especially with how well Lucien has been handling things at the Ministry of Truth, dismantling those reactionary feudal remnants. The British might have some concerns. Let''s propose mutual market opening for news and art first and then use mutual opening of the ordinary goods market as a trade-off."

    "Well, with Lucien in charge, the British newspapers and such are decent. Given their level, as long as they don''t use violent means to counter our propaganda, any Minister of Truth, with the support of all of Europe, shouldn''t have trouble dealing with those blockheaded British newspapers. Otherwise, they ought to be promptly loaded into arge cannon andunched toward the sun at the speed of light!" Lucien chimed in.

    And so, the French delegation, led by Foreign Minister Talleyrand, engaged in negotiations in the Amsterdam City Hall in the Nethends.

    The negotiations were difficult, with two major roadblocks. These issues threatened to bring the discussions to an impasse multiple times.

    The first roadblock was the issue of Irnd. The British vehemently used France of brutally trampling on their internal affairs and demanded that France immediately cease all connections with Irish rebel organizations.

    The French countered by arguing that the core of the Irish issue was the shameless exploitation of the wealth of the Irish people by the British and the cruel persecution of Irish Catholics. Talleyrand adopted a humanitarian stance and presented himself as a devout Catholic:

    "Respect for sovereignty is the cornerstone of international rtions. However, based on the fundamental principles of our nation and the ideals in the ''Deration of Human Rights,'' we believe that human rights are a higher standard than sovereignty and form its foundation. When human rights are wantonly trampled upon, we do not believe that any just-minded nation should remain silent due to the restrictions of sovereignty. If the British genuinely wish to address the Irish issue, there is only one solution, and that is to sincerely respect the inalienable human rights of the Irish people, their property, and religious freedom. In other words, the legitive principles of France, the foundations of our state, do not allow us to remain indifferent to this humanitarian catastrophe, especially one that affects Catholics."

    The British, of course, also understood that hollow "peace" would not make the French relinquish their most critical leverage. Negotiations were a bargaining process. Therefore, the British raised the issue of Hanover, which immediately became another roadblock.

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 Chapter 234: Business Dealings

    Chapter 234: Business Dealings

    "Britain''s presence in Hanover poses a threat to the security of France," Talleyrand replied without hesitation.

    "Hanover is also the sacred domain of our King," Sir Humphrey, Britain''s new Foreign Minister, countered, "ording to your nation''s principles, you should recognize that private property is invible. Hanover is, indeed, the invible private property of our King."

    "Ah, Sir, our legal code states that we must protect the legitimate private property of the French people. I dare say your King is not a citizen of France."

    "But didn''t you just say that the principles of the Deration of the Rights of Man are universal, and that you, the French, care about the human rights of foreigners as well?"

    "Yes, we do have such principles, but, Sir, you must understand that matters have priorities. We ensure the human rights of the French people first, then the human rights of Catholics on the European continent, then the human rights of other Europeans and Catholics in other regions, and then... well, you can see, your esteemed King''s interests are rather low on the list. At least, I think it would be challenging to protect your King''s private property before the basic human rights of the Irish people are guaranteed."

    "Mr. Talleyrand, can I understand from your words that if we are willing to ensure the human rights of the Irish people, then your country would be willing to protect my King''s private property, or, to be more explicit, if we make concessions in Irnd, can we exchange that for concessions in Hanover?"

    "Ah, Sir, I didn''t say that, but... we find your proposal to be very peaceable..."

    In reality, neither Talleyrand nor Sir Humphrey had any genuine interest in peace. Everyone knew that this negotiation was fundamentally just a formal ceasefire. However, both sides had sincere reasons for needing this ceasefire, albeit for different motivations. They all believed that these issues would ultimately be resolved through war, and thus, it was more straightforward to set aside disputes for now. After all, having a few more traps to spring in the future wouldn''t hurt; they could always use them as an excuse to go to warter.

    So, they earnestly discussed this exchange.In the end, the French and the British reached a consensus on these terms:

    Regarding Irnd, both parties believed that they should try to resolve the matter through peaceful means.

    The Britishmitted to ensuring the inalienable human rights of the Irish people, their right to choose their faith, and granting the Irish people a degree of autonomy (though they wouldn''t openly admit thetter).

    The French, for their part, expressed understanding of the British perspective on Irish sovereignty and pledged not to encourage Irnd to secede from the United Kingdom. However, they emphasized the traditional friendship between the French and the Irish people and the need to preserve free trade.

    France assured Britain that it would not sellrge-scale weapons to Irnd (France: After all, what we sell are civilian items, can''t you believe us? For example, rifles are for hunting; hand grenades are for fishing; and variousndmines are solely for defending the Irish people''s radishes in their gardens from those alien invaders trying to steal them.)

    As for the issue of Hanover, France respected the private property owned by the King of Ennd as the Duke of Hanover and the ie derived from it. They also respected his right to participate in political activities in Hanover. However, the final status of Hanover would depend on the choice of the Hanoverian people. To ensure that the Hanoverians could freely express their will, France could not ept the presence of any British military forces in Hanover.

    Additionally, to secure Hanover''s safety, at the invitation of the Hanoverian people, France would maintain a limited military presence in Hanover.

    Britain expressed its support for the King''s legitimate interests in Hanover and pledged to do everything in its power to promote the restoration of these rights through peaceful means.

    Having temporarily acknowledged the current situation, Talleyrand immediately raised a new matter.

    "All right, Sir Humphrey, I believe we can finally set aside those annoying matters and discuss something that can truly benefit us all."

    "Are you implying...?"

    "Sir, you see, in recent years, Britain has blockaded the French coast, preventing us from engaging in profitable trade. We, too, have hindered your country from acquiring raw materials and selling goods on the European continent. This is not a good situation because it hinders the prosperity of both our nations. So, you may be aware that France has signed trade agreements with many European countries based on mutual open markets. To promote friendship between our nations and ensuresting peace, I suggest that we can reach an equitable agreement on trade between our two countries as well."

    Sir Humphrey was very interested in this proposal. In fact, since France defeated Prussia, nearly the entire European market had closed its doors to the British.

    As much as the French were engaged in smuggling activities when they were under blockade initially, the British, too, were continuously involved in smuggling with the Dutch and cooperating to bring goods into Europe. Truth be told, in the Rhenish League, though there was a legal blockade against Britain, it wasn''t enforced very diligently. Nevertheless, even this rtively lenient blockade had caused significant trouble for the British economy.

    Added to this was the economic strain resulting from their recent military failures and the drain on resources in the Irish quagmire. Britain''s recent economic situation was far from ideal. Opening up the European markets to Britain at this time would be a beautiful prospect. In fact, this was a crucial objective in the ongoing peace negotiations �C Britain had to quickly regain its strength before the next decisive war.

    However, no matter how you looked at it, this was more advantageous for Britain, and the fact that the French had brought it up voluntarily made Sir Humphrey somewhat hesitant.

    "Of course, free trade epasses many aspects, not just limited to goods," Talleyrand continued, "It should also include culture, arts, and the reasonable flow of talent. For instance, I have some friends in the Bordeaux region who might be the new ambassador to Ennd. You know, this friend of mine is a supporter of ours, and he has many vineyards in Bordeaux, producing some outstanding wines. I''ve heard that in your country, the wine business is quite lucrative. Well, he''s a young man but quite generous... If possible, I hope he could receive your attention during his time in your country."

    Sir Humphrey immediately understood what was being implied. Buying an ambassadorship and then using that position to conduct business and make money was a practice the British had invented, and in an alternate dimension, they continued this fine tradition even into the 21st century. Whether you were an illiterate who could im the American army liberated Auschwitz, as long as you paid, you could buy yourself an ambassadorship.

    So, if we trante the underlying meaning of this statement, it would be something like: "There''s a guy who sells wine, and he gave me a lot of money to secure an ambassador position in your country. He paid for this position, and of course, he intends to do business and make money, as he''s heard that French wine is popr in Ennd. If you help him make money, he''s a good guy willing to offer bribes."

    "That''s not a problem," Sir Humphrey said, "I have a friend here who will also require your assistance��"

    This diplomatic negotiation, like many others in history, involved a delicate dance between national interests, diplomatic politeness, and personal ambitions, all set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era in European history.

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 Chapter 235: Self-Rescue through Innovation

    Chapter 235: Self-Rescue through Innovation

    With a consensus reached, France and Britain forged a peace agreement in Amsterdam.

    "I know our French friends made a deal with the British, which has left some of ourrades feeling uneasy. They''re worried that we might have been betrayed by the French. The British im that under this agreement, the French can no longer sell military weapons to us. But, my friends, today''s newly arrived ships and the cargo they''ve brought with them will prove this to be nothing but a rumor. Come and see our new acquisitions."

    Soldiers gathered around Joyce, gazing at the wooden crates by his side. The crates remained unopened, and their contents were hidden beneathyers of oil-soaked paperbeled "Agricultural Supplies."

    Beneath these words was a smaller, bold-printed line: "Highly Effective Bird Deterrent."

    "A ''Highly Effective Bird Deterrent''? What in the world is this?" one soldier asked.

    Joyce gestured with a sweep of his hand. "The pry bar is over there; why don''t you open it and find out?"

    One soldier, taking the pry bar, popped open the wooden crate. Insideyyers of carefully wrapped oiled paper, concealed beneath which were wood shavings used for padding. As they pushed aside the shavings, a long, cloth-wrapped object was revealed. This item was so familiar to them that even before unwrapping the oiled cloth, they knew what it was.

    "Is this thing really a ''Highly Effective Bird Deterrent''?" The soldier had already skillfully removed the rifle from its oiled casing, aiming it briefly.

    "This thing is meant to deter birds, and it does so effectively," another soldier chuckled. "John, if there were ten birds on a tree, and you fired at one, how many would be left on the tree?""Come on! I''m not a fool," John replied, returning the rifle to its oilcloth bag.

    "And what''s this? What is this thing?" another soldier pointed to another box, which read, "Highly Effective Wild Boar Deterrent."

    "Open it up!" someone suggested.

    "Let''s not rush. Let''s make a bet, and the prize will be a pack of captured English tobo. I bet there are broadswords inside. Anyone object?" Sergeant O''Hara started themotion.

    "O''Hara, do you really have those? How many goodies have you squirreled away?" someone asked mockingly.

    "Speak up if you have any, or else get lost, you paupers!" O''Hara retorted with disdain.

    "O''Hara, how many do you have left? I''ll bet with you. I''ll wager my stash of French brandy," Joyce suddenly chimed in.

    "What? Sir... Sir, you can''t cheat me! I''ve painstakingly umted these...," O''Hara realized his mistake and hastily said.

    "Sir, don''t trust him. Just yesterday, this scoundrel, under the pretext of sharing, distributed myst bit of tobo. And now he miraculously has some again," another soldier chimed in.

    Amid theughter, Joyce generously produced the bottle of brandy, and O''Hara had no choice but to retrieve his pack of tobo.

    "Sir, what exactly is this ''Highly Effective Wild Boar Deterrent''? Finally, someone circled back to the original question.

    "I have no idea. I''ve never opened one myself," Joyce said. "But I suppose it''s probably just a regrndmine. There are two more boxes over there that look quite simr, and they''re alsobeled ''Wild Boar Deterrent.'' The only difference is that the one over there uses ''Wild Boar'' in the plural. I''d guess that one should contain broadsword mines."

    "Open it, open it," the crowd eagerly urged.

    So, the boxbeled in the singr form "Wild Boar" was opened, and indeed, it containedmonndmines that could only blow off a pig''s hoof. The boxbeled in the plural form "Wild Boar" was opened, and it was filled with broadsword mines. However...

    "Sergeant, look, the writing on these is different," a soldier picked up a broadsword mine and called out to Joyce.

    "Let me see..." Joyce examined the broadsword mine and saw the following words imprinted on the front: "This Side Facing Pigs!"

    "Comrades, you''ve all seen it! Any notion that the French have betrayed us is nothing but a rumor. Believing in such tales would be as absurd as being blown up by one of these things," Joyceughed heartily.

    "Sergeant, if that''s the case, why did our Frenchrades make peace with the British and even suggest that we temporarily cease hostilities with the British?" someone asked.

    "Because, whether it''s the British, the Frenchrades, or us, we all need some time to recuperate. You should know that the Frenchrades overthrew the tyrant in their homnd and established a republic. As a result, under the leadership of the British, all the feudal despots in Europe united to wage war against our Frenchrades. Their goal was to turn France back into a kingdom ruled by a tyrant.

    However, our Frenchrades defeated them. Over the years, through several wars, those feudal monarchs who initially dered war on France were one by one defeated. But in France, the scale of the war is muchrger than here, and the losses on the French side are substantial. You see, this year, we''ve been continuously fending off counter-sweeps for months, and we''re running out of time to nt potatoes. The Frenchrades have been resisting encirclement for years, and none of us are invincible; we all need a breather."

    Everyone nodded in agreement, imagining how difficult it must have been for the Frenchrades during their years of resistance. They all understood that it was time for them to catch their breath.

    "Furthermore, let''s talk about us. The British are ruthless. In recent years, they''ve either swept in just when it was time to nt potatoes or right before harvest. What''s their goal? To prevent us from nting potatoes properly and starve us? This year, when we were nting potatoes, the British pulled another stunt. Although we''ve driven them out of our base, it still dyed us. If, during the harvest, the Britishe back to cause trouble, our lives won''t be easy.

    And then there are the British themselves. During this major sweep, we''ve killed more British than in any previous campaign. They fear death as well. The reason they keep sweeping us is that they believe they can blockade our sea routes and starve us. Some time ago, our Frenchrades fought a battle at sea against the British and broke their blockade. They know they can''t block us anymore, and they''ve suffered defeats in other ces. They can''t catch their breath either, so they''re also taking a break."

    "Comrades, this is why we, the Frenchrades, and those damned British all need a ceasefire. This ceasefire isn''t an end, but just a break in between. Everyone is using this break to get a head start on catching their breath and to eliminate those who haven''t caught their breath yet."

    "So,rades, this ceasefire isn''t for resting. We can''t let our guard down because of it and go to sleep. President Lazare said we need to use this time to resume production, make our potato crop bountiful, and pile our warehouses high with potatoes. Even if the British catch their breath and return for a major sweep, we won''t be afraid of them."

    "Butrades, many of the potatoes we nted this year have been destroyed by the British and those ck dogs. Even if we rent them now, it will still affect our harvest. If we proceed as we have in the past, we won''t be able to harvest as many potatoes as usual this year. We need to catch our breath properly. Comrades, we need toe up with a way to breathe easy. We not only need to recoup the losses inflicted by the British and those ck dogs but also strive for a bumper harvest. This way, we can catch our breath ahead of others, grow stronger, and eventually defeat the British, achieving our nation''s independence."

    "Sergeant, what should we do?"

    "Yes, yes, Sergeant, tell us what to do."

    The soldiers chimed in one by one.

    Seeing their enthusiasm, Joyce climbed onto a cratebeled in the plural form "Highly Effective Agricultural Wild Boar Deterrent" and said to everyone, "Ourrades from the Union are mobilizing the locals in every vige to rent crops and try to recover the losses as much as possible. They are also expanding farnd, increasing cultivation areas, working in the fields more diligently, weeding often, and keeping watch. We mustn''t let rats, rabbits, or wild boars damage our potatoes. We need to recover the losses."

    "Comrades, the localrades are working very hard, and our fellow countrymen are putting in a lot of effort. They are now sleeping in the potato fields day and night, working hard in agriculture. Shouldn''t we join them? So, President Lazare asked me, ''Do our division''s soldiers still have the strength, after military training, to nt some potatoes themselves and alleviate the burden for the localrades and our fellow countrymen?'' How do you think I replied?"

    "Sergeant, what did you say?" the soldiers asked one by one.

    "What did I say? At a time like this, should I be hesitant? Of course, I said, ''President, me and our soldiers, we used to be potato farmers. nting potatoes is our expertise. If it weren''t for those bloody British, who the hell would want to fight all the time and not nt potatoes? There''s no problem with this. Because our division''sds were originally the best farmers in the world when it came to nting potatoes. Just wait and see, not only can we grow enough potatoes to feed ourselves, but we can also support the Second Division!''"

    "The president said, ''The Second Division thinks they''re better at farming than us. They''re even willing to support us when the timees.'' What do you think, can we let the Second Division support us? We need to let them know why we''re the First Division, and they''re the Second Division. What do you say!"

    The soldiers cheered in agreement.

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 Chapter 236: The Thief

    Chapter 236: The Thief

    After the peace agreement, it seemed like a golden age for British merchants. Their ships wereden with various goods, including woolens and cotton fabrics. While they had engaged in smuggling to ess European markets before, it was a ndestine affair. But now, they could operate openly.

    After defeating Prussia in France, the economic conditions in Britain, which had suffered due to the loss of European markets, began to improve. Many factories that had been shut down reopened, and the air in the streets of London grew more polluted.

    Young Oliver, coughing and observing the hurried crowds on the streets, searched for potential targets.

    This was Oliver''s first mission. He needed to muster his courage and choose the right target. The voice of the gang leader, Fagin, echoed in his mind.

    "Oliver, don''t believe those tales you heard in the orphanage. Yes, ''thou shalt not steal'' is one of themandments, but taking back what''s rightfully yours isn''t theft. Look at those factories, look at the workers, women, and children toiling away. They work tirelessly, often sixteen to twenty hours a day. They go hungry, poorly d, and if they fall ill and can''t work, they starve. Most of them, men, women, and children, won''t live long. They''ll die in poverty and despair.

    Oliver, are these people not hardworking? Are they notboring from morning till night, never resting? Why do they have such a fate? The priest would tell you it''s because of original sin, that their suffering is God''s will, right? But did the priest ever tell you what happened when Adam defied God''s will and was expelled from the Garden of Eden?

    God said, ''In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.'' Even in punishment, God offered our forefather a promise: that if one worked hard, sweated, they could make a living and sustain themselves.

    But, my dear Oliver, tell me, those whobor, sweat, but can''t make a living, can''t feed themselves, why is it? Does God not keep His promise? Is God deceiving us?

    No, God doesn''t deceive us. So, why, when a personbors and sweats, can''t they make a living, only to die in misery? Oliver, my child, take a closer look at this world. Is it true that every man sweats for his daily bread? No, it''s not. Look at the ''respectable people,'' those who dine on delicacies and drink wine smuggled from France. Do they break a sweat? Can they barely make a living?

    Why is that? God says one mustbor and sweat to make a living. Then why do some people, who work tirelessly, still can''t make ends meet? Some live in ease while others starve. Why, Oliver, why?"

    "I don''t know," Oliver whispered to himself, standing alone on the street corner.

    "It''s because these ''respectable people'' have stolen everything from us! ording to God''s will, every man should toil but also be able to eat. But these ''respectable people,'' these real thieves, have stolen everything from us!"

    Fagin''s voice rang in Oliver''s mind again.

    "Oliver, they call me a thief, and my brothers are thieves too. Look at Jim, do you know how he lost his hand? It was in the factory, caught in a machine. Was it his fault? No, it was because he was overworked. He toiled in the factory, nonstop, for eighteen hours every day! Oliver, a man is not a machine; even machines need rest.

    Oliver, God created day and night, allowing night to take up half of a day. Why is that? Because God believes that a person should have at least half a day to rest. Forcing someone to work for eighteen hours straight is an un-Christian sin.

    Oliver, these factory owners, businessmen, noble ''respectable people,'' they''re all thieves, including the King of Ennd��he''s a thief too! They live well because they''ve stolen what should have been ours!

    Oliver, they say I''m a thief. They hunt me down, offering a reward of fifty pounds for my head��let me boast a bit, that''s even more than the reward they offered for Judas to betray Jesus (ording to the Bible, Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver). But, you see, Oliver, I''vemitted so many big crimes, stolen so much money, do I eat well, dress well, and have as much money as a ''respectable person''? Where has my money gone?

    Oliver, that''s not my money; it belongs to all the poor. I''ve taken every penny back from those thieves and returned it to its rightful owners. That''s why they can''t get rid of me."

    "Oliver, in the past few decades, they''ve hanged five Fagins, and maybe tomorrow, I''ll be the sixth to dangle from the gallows. But as long as the true thieves who defy God''s will are still around, Fagin will never die. Oliver, do you know what I like most about you? I love your honesty and kindness. I believe that one day, your name might be synonymous with Fagin.

    Oliver, remember, we''re not thieves; we''re only helping people reim what''s rightfully theirs. Our hands only reach out to the ''respectable people,'' never to those who truly toil and can barely, or cannot, make ends meet."

    "I''m not a thief. I''m just following God''s will, helping those people retrieve what''s rightfully theirs," Oliver whispered to himself. Then he spotted the finest grapes, silk, and genuine luxuries entering a bookstore across the street.

    The clientele of the bookstore consisted of well-to-do individuals, and the fellow he had his eye on seemed foolish, as if he had no defenses.

    Oliver, with worn but rtively clean attire, ventured closer, although his shoes were far from respectable, one of them sporting a hole through which his toes could enjoy the fresh air, like a de of grass emerging from the earth in spring.

    As long as he could enter the bookstore, he could swiftly approach the seemingly foolish "respectable person." The fellow was standing at the counter, eyeing the books on the shelves.

    Perhaps due to his poor eyesight, the "respectable person" stretched his neck like a duck, his head seemingly held by an invisible hand, raised high. His pocket bulged like a wallet.

    Oliver touched the small de hidden in his pocket, then nonchntly strolled into the bookstore. As long as the fellow at the door didn''t notice his conspicuously toe-ventted shoe, he could proceed. He soon found himself inside the store, his target well within sight.

    The seemingly foolish "respectable person" appeared to hear something, nced in Oliver''s direction, and then continued his conversation with the bookstore owner. "Sir, do you have a copy of ''Spartacus'' in English?"

    "Only a few left. Would you like one too?" the shopkeeper asked.

    "Yes, my friend mentioned it. He said the French version is even better. Is this book selling well?" the "respectable person" inquired.

    "It is. You see, the French are excellent storytellers. The story is quite fascinating," the bookstore owner replied. "But if you''re interested, you should get one soon. They might run out soon."

    "If it''s selling well, they''ll probably print more, won''t they?" the "respectable person" asked.

    "Of course, but, you see, some are still using it of sphemy. Ah, may God bless us." The bookstore owner made the sign of the cross over his chest. "So, who knows if there''ll be a second edition."

    "Ah, I see. In that case, this book is likely to be a collector''s item. All the more reason to buy it," the "respectable person" said as he reached into his wallet.

    "How much is the book?" asked the "respectable person."

    The bookstore owner quoted a price, and the "respectable person" opened his wallet. Oliver saw the wallet was filled with colorful bills.

    The "respectable person" paid, nonchntly stuffed the wallet back into his pocket��not very discreetly, as a corner of the wallet stuck out��and picked up the book. He began reading as he strolled out of the bookstore. Oliver quietly followed.

    Unaware of Oliver, the "respectable person" kept his head down, reading, and hummed softly to himself. Oliver cautiously approached, extended his hand to snatch the wallet. But just as his hand closed around it, the "respectable person''s" hand reached out from nowhere and seized Oliver''s wrist.

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 Chapter 237: Petticoat Lane

    Chapter 237: Petticoat Lane

    Oliver was taken aback and struggled vigorously, pulling out a small knife with his free hand and thrusting it towards the "gentleman" who had a grip on his wrist. However, the "gentleman" disyed surprising agility, and his other hand shot out to catch Oliver''s hand holding the knife. The two of them held each other''s hands, and from a distance, it almost resembled an older brother teaching his younger brother to waltz.

    Oliver swiftly applied the techniques that Fagin had taught him, raising his knee to strike at the vulnerable area of the "gentleman." The "gentleman" seemed to have anticipated this move and slightly dodged, avoiding the blow. But Oliver''s true intention was not the knee strike; it was a ruse. His foot came down hard on the "gentleman''s" toes.

    The "gentleman" clearly didn''t expect such an attack. He let out a loud cry and used both hands to forcefully throw Oliver aside. Oliver crashed onto the cobblestone road, writhing in pain. He struggled to prop himself up with his hands, much like a carpenter unfolding a folding ruler, inch by inch.

    The "gentleman" was far fromposed at this point. He hopped on one foot, clutching the other, while his mouth emitted a cacophony of unintelligible sounds, much like a wounded pig.

    Oliver, though in pain, managed to crawl to his feet while the "gentleman" was still vociferating. He used this opportunity to run. He took a few steps and collided head-on with a ck-d police officer, sending the officer stumbling.

    "You rascal!" the portly police officer eximed, swiftly drawing his baton and raining blows upon Oliver, who had been seated on the ground following their collision.

    Through years of experience, Oliver knew that begging, crying, or resisting would be in vain at this point. The only way was to shield the vulnerable and easily injured parts of his body, tuck himself into a protective ball, and wait for the rain of baton blows to subside.

    Oddly, the baton blows didn''t continue. A hand had gripped the police officer''s arm, and a voice sounded in his ear, but Oliver couldn''t understand what was being said.

    Opening his eyes, Oliver saw the "gentleman" standing in front of him. The "gentleman" pointed a finger toward the police officer, berating him in anguage that Oliver couldn''tprehend.

    The police officer, unable toprehend the foreignnguage, saw the "gentleman''s" luxurious attire and high-quality silk shirt. Even though he couldn''t make out what the man was saying, he realized this foreigner was wealthy. Any wealthy person, whether from Ennd or abroad, deserved a small police officer''s respect. After all, a wealthy foreigner was likely acquainted with numerous wealthy Englishmen. And who didn''t respect English wealth?

    "Sir," the portly police officer stammered, "I... I''m sorry... I may have offended you... But I didn''t understand... what you were saying..."

    Only then did the "gentleman" realize he was no longer in France, but in Ennd.

    "Sir," he continued in English, "bullying a child, I must say I''m ashamed of you." He then turned around and found that Oliver had disappeared. Seizing the opportunity while the "gentleman" was scolding the officer, Oliver had made a quick escape.

    "Sir, that boy, you can tell he''s a little thief at first nce. Truly, I assure you, only someone as kind-hearted as you could be fooled by his appearance. I guarantee you, thatd is nothing but a little thief," the portly officer hastily exined.

    During the "gentleman''s" reprimand, Oliver had managed to rise to his feet. He turned and dashed back into the alley he had just fled from. Running a few steps along the alley, he abruptly stopped. There, right where he had viciously stamped on the "gentleman''s" foot,y a book��the very book the "gentleman" had been reading, which had fallen during their struggle.

    Oliver picked up the book. He knew that books could be quite valuable, and Mr. Fagin himself enjoyed reading. It wasn''t umon to see Mr. Fagin reading alone during his spare moments or teaching others to recognize simple words.

    Oliver tucked the book into his clothing and continued running to the other end of the alley.

    After Oliver had left, the "gentleman," Mr. Jacques Gn, the Second Secretary of the French Embassy in Ennd, concluded his altercation with the English police. He assumed an air of superiority, reflecting that, apart from France and Rome, all other nations were barbarians, and he condescended to cast a disdainful look upon the police officer. Then, he retraced his steps to the alley where he had lost his book during the struggle.

    The book was nowhere to be found.

    However, Mr. Jacques Gn didn''t feel too disheartened. The book was expensive, butpared to his sry from the Ministry of Truth, it wasn''t much. Furthermore, this book could be reimbursed as a part of official expenses. The reimbursement process might be somewhat lengthy, and often you had to wait quite a while, but in most cases, by Christmas at thetest, you could be sure to receive the reimbursement. (In matters of reimbursement, the ountants often preferred to clear them all at the end of the year.)

    Oliver continued down the alley, emerging onto another street and walking for a while until he reached Petticoat Lane. This was one of London''s oldest and liveliest streets. During the Tudor era, it had been a ce for ughtering and selling meat. Later, with the rise of the textile industry, it became a market for various textile products, giving thene its name.

    However, the narrow street couldn''t amodate the numerous shops, and its proximity to the workers'' residential areas led to ack of goodw and order. After all, most of the workers were poor, and when impoverished people engaged in uwful activities, they rarely followed proper protocols.

    Here, a young girl could be a prime target for the London police for not paying the taxes to His Majesty''s government just for half a loaf of bread. Men might simrly stab someone for a potato. Children in this area were often considered young thieves from a very early age.

    In this ce, the three problems of the century��poverty causing men to despair, hunger leading women to vice, and darkness making children frail��were all present.

    The kind-hearted merchants who conducted business with wealth were never pleased to see the suffering of the poor. So, they moved their markets to ces where they wouldn''t have to witness the destitute. They left behind only the name "Petticoat Lane."

    Today, Petticoat Lane had be one of the dirtiest, most chaotic, andwless ces in London, a region where even the police didn''t dare to enter lightly. If they had toe, they came inrge numbers, armed to the teeth. However, this wasn''t a ce ofplete anarchy; it had its own order, much like Gotham had its order.

    Fagin was the order in Petticoat Lane. If you inquired about Fagin''s situation from the officials at the London police station and from the residents of Petticoat Lane, you''d think you were hearing about two entirely different individuals.

    ording to the police station''s descriptions, Fagin was a sort of monster straight out of horror stories parents used to scare children with. He would silently infiltrate people''s homes, tie up the kindly homeowners, and then threaten them with a knife, demanding thebination to their safes. Or he''d stuff those righteous police officers and reformed ex-thieves into sacks and toss them into the Thames.

    However, in the words of Petticoat Lane residents, Fagin was the kindest of all. He was like the embodiment of Santa us. Even better than Santa us because Santa only served for one night, but he was always there to lend a helping hand during everyone''s most difficult times.

    But even among the residents of Petticoat Lane, very few knew where to find Fagin.

    Oliver was one of the rare few who knew where to locate Fagin.

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 Chapter 238: The Prophet

    Chapter 238: The Prophet

    In a humble, run-down cottage in "Petticoat Lane," Oliver met with the leader, Fagin.

    "Oliver, you''re back... Hmm, what happened to your hand?" Fagin asked, setting aside a well-worn Bible with its pages turned.

    "Ran into a sted bobby, got a beating," Oliver nonchntly replied.

    "Let me have a look," Fagin said.

    Oliver extended his injured hand, and Fagin examined it, gently moving a few of his fingers.

    "Oliver, your hand''s hurt, but it''s nothing serious. It should be better by tomorrow. That copper was surprisingly lenient if he only gave you a thrashing. Also, I''ve told you before not to call the police ''bobbies.'' Get used to it; they''ll notice you as soon as you speak like that."

    "Boss, I know," Oliver replied, then proceeded to recount the day''s events.

    "Boss, I also found this book. I thought you might want to read it, so I brought it with me," after narrating the day''s events, Oliver took out the book and handed it to Fagin.

    "''Spartacus''?" Fagin received the book and started flipping through its pages.

    "Boss, what''s in this book?" Oliver asked.

    Fagin had many children around him, and during their free time, he would tell them stories to pass the time.

    "Ah, this is a script, telling the story of ancient Rome, thousands of years ago," Fagin replied.

    Fagin initially thought it was just an ordinary hero''s tale. However, the further he read, the more his heart raced, and the more excited he became.

    "No wonder, no wonder..." Fagin couldn''t help but say.

    "Boss, what are you talking about? What do you mean, ''no wonder''?" Oliver asked.

    "I mean, no wonder the British government wants to go to war with the French. If the French all share the ideas in this book, those lords must be scared out of their wits. But from what I see here, the French have many misunderstandings about God and religion. It''s normal because both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church have long since forsaken God."

    "Oliver, do you remember when I told you about Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert?" Fagin inquired.

    "Of course, I remember," Oliver replied.

    "Do you remember what the devil used to tempt Jesus?" Fagin asked.

    "I remember. The first one was something like, ''If you are the Son of God,mand these stones to be bread.'' The second was taking Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and telling Him to throw Himself down because the angels would protect Him. The third was showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, offering to give them to Him if He would worship the devil."

    Fagin nodded. "Oliver, you''re the cleverest among my children. You remember it quite well. Now, do you know what those three temptations signify?"

    Oliver shook his head.

    "These three temptations represent the most powerful things in the world, which are miracles, secrets, and authority. My child, why didn''t Jesus turn the stones into bread? Wasn''t God almighty? Could He not turn stones into bread?"

    "No, the issue isn''t that. If Jesus had turned stones into bread, people from all over the world would have followed Him, but would it be because they admired His teachings? No, it would be because of the miracles. People would follow not out of love but because of the miracles. So, Jesus said, ''How faithless and perverse is this generation! For the Son of Man is going toe with His angels in the glory of His Father.'' Oliver, do you understand what I''m saying?"

    "Boss, I''m not sure," Oliver replied.

    "These three temptations represent the things that appear most powerful in the world: miracles, secrets, and authority. My child, do you know why Jesus didn''t turn stones into bread? The issue isn''t whether the all-powerful God can do it. No, the problem is that if Jesus had performed miracles, the whole world would follow Him. However, they wouldn''t be following out of love for His teachings but for the miracles. So, Jesus said, ''How faithless and perverse is this generation! For the Son of Man is going toe with His angels in the glory of His Father.''"

    "Boss, I still don''t quite get it," Oliver admitted.

    "Ah, Oliver, you''re still young, and it''s normal not to understand all of this. Just remember to believe in God and His redemption, but don''t put your faith in the clergy. As for the rest, you''lle to understand it in time."

    At that moment, apuse echoed from outside, and a voice said, "Colia, you''re starting to sound like a prophet."

    Oliver jumped, quickly grabbing a knife.

    "Dear friend outside, pleasee in and talk," Fagin replied calmly, not showing any panic.

    The door swung open, and the respectable man entered.

    "Colia, my brother, we finally meet again. And where''s Mr. Fagin? It''s been a long time since I saw him," Jacques Gn unfolded his arms and walked over to Fagin, giving him a bear hug.

    "Now I go by Fagin," Fagin patted Jacques Gn''s back. "I''ve been Fagin for the past two years."

    "Oh..." Jacques Gn released Fagin, his expression somewhat dimmed. "Now you''re Fagin, but what about Fabio and Rembrandt? How are they doing?"

    "If they are still alive, I would still be called Colia," Fagin said.

    The two men faced each other in silence for a while, and then Fagin spoke, "Jacques, are you the respectable man Oliver encountered? Hmm... How have you been all these years?"

    "It''s a long story," Jacques Gn found himself a small stool and sat down, unceremoniously. "In ''88, I ran to France, the same trip you helped me with. I ended up in Paris and got a job in a theater, mostly doing minor roles. Sometimes, I still dabbled in our old profession. It was the same theater that staged the y you just saw."

    "Later in that theater, I met many people who would be prominent figures. For example, the man who yed Spartacus in that y you just watched. You might have heard of him."

    "Yes, I''ve heard of him," Fagin nodded. "They describe those gentlemen as monsters who''ve escaped from hell."

    "Many French people describe him the same way. But I''m his friend, even now," Jacques Gn said.

    "Our friends, including ourselves, have all beenbeled as such monsters," Fagin alsoughed, feeling that this brother he hadn''t seen in over a decade was still his kin.

    "Afterward, the revolution in France began, and I joined in," Jacques Gn continued. "I watched those gentlemen panic, and I saw nobles, merchants, and the elites, one after another, led to the guillotine. Those were memorable times."

    "But,ter, the revolution faced setbacks. Well, Pastor Fagin once said, most struggles in the world end with the heroic and sincere people sacrificing themselves, while the sneaky ones steal their achievements. France''s situation was somewhat simr. Though the three Bonaparte brothers aren''t entirely sneaky��they are all capable individuals��they weren''t the type willing to sacrifice for their ideals. They are heroes, but not saints."

    "So, Jacques, what are you up to now?" Fagin asked.

    "I''m quite prosperous now," Jacques Gn smiled, standing up and twirling before Fagin. "Do I look like a nobleman who deserves to be hanged? I''m currently the Second Secretary at the French Embassy in Ennd. This position is enough for me to fraternize with those ''noblemen'' whom we never used to be able to touch."

    "Oh, a few days ago, I encountered that old dog O''Connor. He was the one who chased me so relentlessly that I had to escape to France. Now that old dog is even older, but his nose is still sharp. I recognized him at first sight, and he recognized me too. However, I was there to inquire about something, apanied by a ''gentleman'' they have to call a ''bigwig.'' So, while he recognized me, he had to wag his tail humbly. It''s truly... hahaha..."

    "Since you''ve be such a big shot, what brings you to me?" Fagin asked.

    "Of course, it''s for the revolution," Jacques Gn answered without hesitation. "Fagin, you know that France and Ennd have recently reached peace. But let me tell you, this peace is ultimately just a ceasefire. They''re resting because they''ve fought themselves weary, but as long as those English nobles have a breath left, they''ll want to kill us all. You''ve just seen ''Spartacus''; you should understand why."

    Fagin nodded.

    "Free people and despotic tyrants cannot coexist in the same world. One of them must fall. It''s up to us to push the tide of revolution in Ennd. When Ennd''s revolution needs a rest, we move on to other countries and incite more revolutions. Like waves, one country after another, from France to Ennd, Italy, Austria, Germany, Pnd, Russia, even Turkey, and back to France. We want the fire of revolution to burn worldwide, destroying both cathedrals and prisons. Each revolution breaks a bit of the chains on the people, until, in the end, we winplete freedom for the people."

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 Chapter 239: Copper and the Troublesome Polina

    Chapter 239: Copper and the Troublesome Polina

    In Joseph''s office, Napoleon and Joseph were having a heated argument. The reason for their dispute was rather simple: Joseph had suggested recing all the copper cannons of the French army with iron ones.

    "If you had cheap steel ready right now, I might consider it, but your steel-making is still in theboratory! You''re proposing to rece our copper cannons with sted cast iron cannons. No, absolutely not! I, Napoleon, will neverpromise our military strength for the sake of convenience!" Napoleon, rarely raising his voice to his older brother, retorted.

    "Napoleon, iron cannons may be a bit heavier, but they are not entirely unusable. We won''t be embarking on anyrge-scale campaigns in the near future, will we?" Joseph argued. "And, Napoleon, we are in dire need of copper. Very, very dire need."

    "Then find a way to buy it," Napoleon said firmly.

    "Devil take it! If buying it were an option, I wouldn''t be in such a hurry. Napoleon, do you have any idea that in the past few months, copper prices all over Europe have nearly doubled? Our neighboring countries have already started using paper currency because their citizens are selling copper coins directly to us. From Tsarist Russia to Ennd, we''ve been buying up every ounce of copper avable in the market. The British have begun restricting copper exports, the Spaniards and Austrians are increasing their prices at a rapid pace. As for France, themon folk have already sold all their copper items, even church bells have been reced with iron. But it''s still not enough!"

    "Then you need to figure it out, there''s no other way," Napoleon retorted.

    "Come on! Right now, your precious copper cannons are already worth much more than before. If you agree to return those copper cannons to us for smelting, I... I will give you two, no, two and a half iron cannons of equivalent specifications for each copper one. How does that sound?"

    "Even during normal times, one copper cannon could fetch two iron ones," Napoleon coldly replied. "No deal! You have to add more. I must make the army feel like I am strengthening them, not weakening. It''s four iron cannons for one copper, and you have to ensure the quality, not those shoddy ones you''re sending to Prussia to deceive our army!"

    "Come on, Napoleon, why do you tarnish our exported iron cannons like that? Due to the use of new technology, our exported iron cannons may not match copper cannons in performance, butpared to British iron cannons, they already have the edge. The Prussians recently reced all their copper cannons with iron ones because they needed to pay their debts. Afterparing our iron cannons to the British ones, they concluded that our iron cannons are no worse than copper cannons, and they''re even better than the British ones. How can you say our iron cannons are bad?"

    "You''re deceiving yourself! The Prussians are only dealing with those incapable Poles. They can use iron cannons because the Poles have no cannons to speak of. Are they really satisfied with the performance? What kind of performance are they asking for? Their only requirement for performance is that it should be cheap, right?"

    "Oh, Napoleon, why are you so stubborn? These iron cannons are excessive products. In a little while, when cheap steel from Krakowes into y, these things will bepletely useless. We can make their performance better, of course. For instance, by using abination of cast iron and wrought iron for the gun barrels, it won''t be much worse than copper cannons, albeit a bit heavier. But the price... well, it won''t be that much cheaper than the old copper cannons. Also, the production won''t ramp up immediately, unlike the regr iron cannons we''re exporting to Prussia. Napoleon, don''t be so obstinate. Soon, I promise, you''ll have steel cannons."

    "Forget it. You''ve promised me that many times recently," Napoleon sighed. "I don''t understand why. The Copper Union''s copper mine in Prussia will start production soon, that''s what you said. The copper mine is enormous. With that and our new technology, we could drastically increase copper production. And... " Napoleon''s spit was almost reaching Joseph''s face.

    "Goodness, I need an N95 mask," Joseph thought to himself.

    Then he tried to exin, "But Napoleon, this takes time, and we can''t afford to wait right now."

    "Why can''t we wait? It''s just your power nts. Let them wait," Napoleon said.

    "Listen, Napoleon, have you forgotten that it''s almost time to water the wheat fields? We promised the farmers all over the country, especially those veterans serving as vige heads, that we would make their livesfortable. How can we achieve thatfort? By increasing wheat yields. How can we increase wheat yields? By having more irrigation. How can we expand the area of irrigatednd?"

    Veterans, with the support of the army, have been digging more irrigation ditches. It''s made some difference, but it''s not enough. The water in the ditches can''t reach the wheat fields by itself. Relying on human or animal power is also limited. To significantly expand the irrigatednd, we need electric pumps. And electric pumps rely on the electricity supplied from power nts. And, as you know, generators, electric motors, and wires all need copper. If we want an unprecedentedly bountiful harvest this year, we must quickly build as many electric pumps as possible before the extensive watering of the wheat fields. Furthermore, more than half of our soldiers are farmers from the countryside. If they see the changes that electric pumps bring to their hometowns, to their loved ones, their support for us will only grow stronger."

    "Yes, you led them into battles and helped them earn a lot of money, making themndowners. That''s already something for them to be grateful for. If you can ensure their crops thrive and their descendants are well-fed, it''s not just a crown they''d offer you; they might even build a temple in your honor."

    Thisst sentence piqued Napoleon''s interest. He thought for a moment and asked, "How many electric pump stations can we set up right now?"

    Joseph had been waiting for this question. As soon as Napoleon said that, he knew that Napoleon was interested. So he said, "Hold on, let me have my wife bring the irrigation n map. We can look at it together."

    Joseph then went outside and saw Fanny ying chess with Polina, who was dressed in men''s clothing. Polina was in a difficult position in the game, on the verge of having one of her pawns promoted to a queen. (By the way, I''ve always wondered why in chess pawns can be queens so early, did they have Mn back then?) When Joseph and Napoleon came out, Polina quickly stood up and said, "Is there something I can help with? I''m done with the game, work is calling."

    "Oh, Polina, we need to find that hydraulic n map," Joseph said.

    Polina turned around, rummaged through a filing cab for a while, and then pulled out a file and handed it over. "It should all be in here; you can take a look."

    Fanny walked over at this moment, took the file, and spread out the map on the massive table in Joseph''s office. Once that was done, she smiled and escorted Polina out of the room.

    Napoleon watched Polina as she left and furrowed his brow slightly. "Joseph, you really should rein in Polina. Look at her; she always dresses like a man �C what''s that about?"

    "What''s wrong with that? Men''s clothing is far more practical, isn''t it? Look at me; I can get dressed, ready in five minutes, but Fanny, I swear, it takes her an hour just to put on clothes. It''s really... a waste of time."

    Napoleon knew what Joseph meant by "wasting time." Joseph had once told him when teaching him, "Life is made up of time, wasting time is wasting life." Napoleon often used this phrase with his generals and government officials, to the point that if someone were topile a book of famous quotes, this one would likely be attributed to Napoleon.

    However, at this moment, Napoleon had a different view of Joseph''s philosophy. "Women, they should cherish time? They have plenty of time, and that can lead to all sorts of chaos. Damn it, there''s something I need to tell you, but you mustn''t get too worked up�� a few days ago, Fouch�� told me he saw Polina dressed as a man, exploring Paris''s entertainment industry, um, you know, that kind of entertainment."

    "What?" Joseph eximed, instantly getting to his feet. "When did this happen? Why didn''t you tell me?"

    "Just a few days ago, while you were at the Saar coal mine," Napoleon said. "I questioned Lucien about it, and he confirmed that it was true. But Lucien said they didn''t do much, just conducted on-site research. Because Polina is writing a novel and needs to understand such situations."

    "He said what, and you believe him? That scoundrel, he''s just itching for trouble..." Joseph muttered.

    "I don''t believe it, but Polina really is writing a novel, and it''s quite good. I''ve read it, and many scenes are described with a very lifelike quality, for instance... no, wait, I suspect that Lucien, that rascal, probably took Polina to a gambling house."

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 Chapter 240: Paulinas Path

    Chapter 240: Paulina''s Path

    In response to Joseph''s inquiry, Paulina wasted no time in selling out Lucien.

    "In the chapter I wrote, I described a scene involving gambling. At first, I used my imagination and what I had read in other books to write it. After I finished, I showed it to Lucien. He read it and said I was just making things up, that real gambling houses weren''t like that at all. He even imed that someone like me couldn''t write a good novel."

    I was indignant and argued with him, telling him he hadn''t written anything, so what did he know? Lucien, as the Minister of Truth, imed that writing novels fell within his purview and he had to understand it. Moreover, he said that if he couldn''t evenprehend art, it would be inconvenient for him to lead the Salon.

    He then said to me, ''You once said, "Without research, you have no right to speak," and also, "To know the taste of an apple, the best way is to take a bite yourself." So, I went with him to see..."

    "Did it end well?" Joseph asked with a stern face.

    "No, Lucien wouldn''t let me," Paulina surprisingly spoke in Lucien''s favor.

    "He said, ''This apple is not for eating; it''s a poisoned apple that would kill you if you took a bite. We just need to watch how others die after eating it.'' Besides, even if I went down there, there''s no way I''d get to taste it. Everyone at the gambling house knows him, and I was brought there by him. They wouldn''t dare to win my money; on the contrary, they''d find ways to lose to me, treating it as a bribe for him.''"

    Lucien said that epting such bribes would harm the family''s image, so we could only observe without participating."

    While Joseph''s anger had slightly subsided upon hearing the first part, he red up again upon hearing Lucien''s concern about the family''s image.

    "That scoundrel even cares about the family''s image?" Joseph eximed. "Where is that scoundrel? Today, I must..."

    "He left for Lyon a few days ago," Napoleon interjected, "but he should be back early tomorrow."

    "Wait until he returns," Joseph said through clenched teeth, "Napoleon, you''d better discipline your brother."

    "Don''t worry; these days, I''ve been keeping a close eye on him," Napoleon said with determination.

    Napoleon was telling the truth. He and Joseph were exhausted every day, while their younger brother led a life of debauchery. Although Napoleon aspired to be an Augustus rather than a Nero, the Nero-like lifestyle he was leading was truly abhorrent.

    Currently, Napoleon''s mindset could be summed up with a quote from a famous philosopher: "It''s probably rooted in jealousy; that''s for sure."

    But Lucien, as the Minister of Truth, wasn''t a mere figurehead. How did he know about this ssified information and rush back to Paris immediately?

    "You still dare to meet me?" Joseph asked.

    "Why wouldn''t I? I haven''t done anything wrong," Lucien replied.

    "Haven''t done anything wrong? Do you want to im that you''ve achieved something?" Joseph retorted with a bitter smile.

    "Of course," Lucien said.

    "Then go ahead and exin yourself," Joseph said through gritted teeth.

    "Joseph, who do you think is the most respected woman in France?" Lucien asked.

    "In France, the most respected woman? Well, that would be the Virgin Mary," Joseph replied.

    "The Virgin Mary... darn it!" Lucien said. "Alright, let me rephrase it. Besides the Virgin Mary, who is the most respected female figure among the French people?"

    "Why not just say it''s Joan of Arc and save us the detour? Do you think I have as much time as you do?" Joseph retorted.

    "Joseph, Joan of Arc was just a simple shepherd girl. How did she achieve the status she has today? Was it solely due to her piety? Of course, Joan of Arc was pious, but did her statuse solely from her piety?"

    If the one answering this question were Joan of Arc herself, she would undoubtedly answer without hesitation, "Of course." In her view, her aplishments stemmed from God''s grace.

    But Joseph, although he asionally uttered "Hallelujah" or "Amen," was well-known among his brothers as someone who didn''t truly believe in God. Despite his asional talk of God, they all knew that Joseph''s notion of God was likely just a euphemism for naturalws. So Joseph wouldn''t attribute Joan of Arc''s status solely to her piety.

    "It''s because of her contributions to saving France," Joseph replied as expected.

    "Joseph, what''s the reputation of our family? Do people think we''re all saints with impable morals?" Lucien asked.

    "Wait a moment," Joseph said, "I''m starting to understand your point. You mean that our Bonaparte family isn''t renowned for our morals; we''re known for exceptional talent. So, instead of a conventional reputation, what we need is a reputation for outstanding skills, is that it?"

    "Yes, that''s it," Lucien agreed. "I think Paulina''s own writing shows potential, and Joseph, you also know that people are often more lenient towards women than men. For example, Paulina''s works, if they were written by a male author, would honestly be average. But if it''s a female author, and she''s not just any female but a beautiful and esteemed one, and she also has some entricity, it''s more likely to make her famous."

    "I see," Joseph nodded. "You want to turn Paulina into a renowned female author."

    "Not only that," Lucien said, "these days, there are more and more people who consider us ''poisonous weeds.'' The revolutionary and democratic spirit that once defined us is dwindling. We need to add a dash of revolution, a taste of liberation to show the world. Imagine being a role model for women''s liberation in our family; wouldn''t that be great?"

    "Your ideas are intriguing, but is it truly in Paulina''s best interest with such a reputation?" Joseph asked with a stern expression. "With this kind of notoriety, her future path might not be easy."

    "Joseph, Paulina''s path was never going to be easy to begin with. She understands that very well. Don''t underestimate your crazy sister," Lucien replied.

    ....

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 Chapter 241: Steel and Economic Warfare

    Chapter 241: Steel and Economic Warfare

    Lucien''s defense found some understanding and support from Joseph, but it couldn''t shield him from the consequences Napoleon and Joseph had in store for him. The reason? Disregard for authority.

    "So, you think you can pull something of this magnitude without discussing it with us first? Tell me, are you simply audacious, or are you so self-assured that you''ve lost your sense of judgment? Well, you can pick one of these judgments yourself..."

    "Joseph, I..." Lucien''s face turned pale.

    "Joseph, Monsieur Lavasie had something sent over." Just then, Fanny pushed the door open and walked in. 458

    Joseph furrowed his brow but temporarily set aside the matter with Lucien. After all, if Lavasie was sending something over, it had to be important. "Could it be...?" Joseph''s heart raced.

    "What is it?" Joseph inquired.

    "Right here, take a look for yourself." Fanny revealed the shiny little ingot she had concealed behind her back, cing it in front of Joseph.

    Joseph took the small ingot and examined it closely. He even used a paper knife from the desk to make a slight cut to confirm it was indeed steel and not wrought iron. His excitement intensified.

    "You''re lucky today," Joseph turned to Lucien. "I have other matters to attend to, and I can''t be bothered with you right now. Go find Napoleon yourself."

    In truth, ever since his brothers had be influential figures in their own right, Joseph had rarely resorted to imposing ''family discipline.''

    With Lucien dispatched, Joseph immediately arranged for a carriage and set off for Lorraine.

    Three months earlier, Lavasie hadpleted an experiment in the outskirts of Paris, using hot air blown into a st furnace. He sessfully produced a batch of steel. Though the quality of this steel wasn''t ideal, particrly at low temperatures, it was still superior to copper and iron by all means.

    Joseph knew the issue lied in the phosphorus and sulfur content in the steel, specifically from the iron mines in Lorraine. The phosphorus content was too high, and even with a basic refractory lining in the furnace, it couldn''t bepletely eliminated. Of course, with more time, more experiments, adjustments to g-making materials and process, the quality of the steel could be improved further, but...

    "We can''t afford to wait any longer. We''ve already expended too much capital, and we need a product that can bring in returns quickly. Besides, as long as it''s not used in extreme conditions, the steel we have right now is sufficient," Joseph dered after receiving news of the initial sess of the experiment. He immediately stopped further funding for experiments and instead pushed for the immediatemercialization of the existing technology, urging the rapid establishment of a fully functional steelworks.

    Lavasie agreed wholeheartedly with this decision, as it meant the project was finally profitable, and he could im his own estate. Thus, when it came to swiftly industrializing the steelmaking process, he was even more eager than Joseph.

    So Lavasie personally went to Lorraine to supervise the construction of the first modern steelworks.

    Clearly, the sooner the steelworks were constructed and put into operation, the greater the benefits for the military-industrialplex. To meet the deadlines, many things were overlooked, leading to a series of problems. During the first run of the steelmaking furnace, a major ident urred, with the furnace copsing due to construction defects, triggering a fire.

    The military-industrialplex suffered substantial losses in this fire. It imed the lives of hundreds of workers and more than ten engineers. If Lavasie hadn''t coincidentally felt unwell and gone to the restroom, he might have been caught in the mes. Of course, a few worker casualties and some of Lavasie''s assistants weren''t considered a significant loss.

    However, the fire destroyed most of the steelworks'' facilities. This resulted in a dy of nearly a month, and from the perspective of the high-profile individuals within the military-industrialplex, this was the real disaster.

    Due to the reconstruction''s dy, the steelworks only began trial operations recently. Before that, the iron-smelting st furnaces had been operational for a few months, while the associated factories were left idle, waiting for steel. Every minute of waiting equated to substantial waste.

    Joseph arrived in Lorraine four dayster. As soon as he arrived, he sought out Lavasie.

    "What''s the situation now? How much are we producing each day?" Joseph inquired.

    "About as expected," Lavasie replied, "If everything goes smoothly, we can produce approximately ten tons per day, which amounts to 3,650 tons of steel per year. But you know this isn''t entirely feasible, as there will be downtimes for maintenance. Nevertheless, even with those interruptions, the factory should be able to produce around 3,000 tons of steel in a year."

    "It''s still not enough, far from it," In contrast to Lavasie''s perspective, in Joseph''s eyes, a factory with an annual output of just around 3,000 tons of steel was insufficient. Considering his past life... and the numerous applications for steel now, it was too little.

    Joseph''s visit wasn''t for the purpose of witnessing molten steel being poured from the steelmaking furnace. After the fire incident, he had no intention of going near the steelworks, not only due to the fire hazard but also because of the high temperatures, noise, and air pollution that posed significant health risks.

    In this era, people were unaware of the health hazards posed by these factors, but Joseph was well-informed. However, even with this knowledge, he hadn''t taken significant measures to address them. Some of these issues were technical in nature, such as waste gas and water treatment. In this era, there was no technology for such treatments, and even the scientific theories required for developing these technologies were nonexistent.

    Fortunately, in this era, there were no theories suggesting that various types of pollution could harm human health, and the foundations for such theories, be they in sociology or natural sciences, hadn''t been established. So, Joseph could act as if he didn''t know, without any concerns for the consequences of polluting the environment.

    There were some safety measures that were feasible even with the technology of this era, such as dust masks and earplugs for protecting workers. However, implementing these measures increased costs. It made sense for highly skilled technical workers who had the potential to damage valuable machinery. But for generalborers who could be found on the street and shifted between jobs regrly, equipping them with such gear was economically unjustifiable. Of course, masks and earplugs could be sold near the factories for those who chose to buy them.

    Safety training was another necessity. Without it, workers could damage valuable machinery due to poor handling. However, excessive training would also add to costs. So, it was primarily provided to more skilled, stable workers in the factories, with an emphasis on safeguarding machinery.

    As for generalborers, like those operating hand-drawn carts, there were many risks in their work. But considering their status as entirely independent workers, moving from one factory to another as it suited them, training them extensively wouldn''t be cost-effective. So, these workers didn''t receive safety training.

    Joseph''s visit had two main goals: to ensure the factory''s efficient operation and the production of high-quality products, and then, following his n, to distribute the steel where it was urgently needed.

    Machinery was the most pressing need for steel. Many machines used cast iron for moving parts, such as the crankshafts in steam engines, and the transmissionponents of textile looms and water pumps. The strength of cast iron was significantly lower than that of steel. This meant that parts made from it, if not adequately robust, would often fracture, while parts that were robust enough would be overly heavy, reducing the efficiency of the machinery. Recing them with steel parts would greatly enhance reliability and efficiency.

    However, steel production was quite limited, so Joseph decided to prioritize its use for steam engines and ore crushers. Afterward, they would allocate it to farm implements and other profitable civilian uses. As for the steel cannons and rifles Joseph had promised to Napoleon, a couple of cannons and a handful of rifles would be produced, then a military technology expo would be organized. This would serve to intimidate foreign governments, primarily those that posed no direct threat to France, and help secure enough funding.

    "The British, with their steam engines and textiles, are about to lose their easy money-making days in Europe," Joseph told Napoleon after confirming that steel production had reached a level for mass production. "Now is the time to prepare for an economic counterattack against the British."

    "Then how do you n to counter the British?" Napoleon asked. "Once we gain the upper hand in steam engines and textiles, the British will immediately tear up the contracts. And you, reluctant to deploy thetest technology in the military, how do you n to counter the British then?"

    "Ah, Napoleon, you still have much to learn about economics," Joseph scoffed. "Let me ask you this: in a period when business is booming, what sort of social situation arises?"

    "Don''t take me for a fool; I''ve read Adam Smith''s ''The Wealth of Nations.'' If such a situation urs, more resources will naturally flow into the industry. The steam engine manufacturers and textile factories will multiply, with more people investing in the industry. As supply increases, prices will naturally fall, and the industry won''t be as profitable. Capital will gradually shift away from this industry..."

    "Why all this talk?" Joseph interrupted, "You''ve said so much without getting to the point."

    "Then go on," Napoleon replied.

    "We''ll initially surrender steam engine manufacturing and textiles to them," Joseph exined, "making these industries their primary ie sources. Then, we''ll gradually undermine their other industries. This way, we''ll gain an advantage in other sectors, and if they don''t want to suffer a major trade deficit, they''ll have to rely more on steam engine manufacturing and textiles.

    In such a scenario, their situation will evolve into a point where they''re entirely dependent on these two industries. During this period, wise men in Britain will undoubtedly recognize the danger. They''ll raise their voices and attempt to prevent this situation. These people will try to sabotage our trade agreements. However, the people who have been profiting significantly from steam engines and textiles will respond, and how will they react?"

    Napoleon chuckled, "Joseph, this is a cunning and shameless plot that reeks of your style. Those profiting significantly from these industries won''t tolerate others jeopardizing their fortunes. As Machiavelli said, a person can easily forget who killed their parents, but they will never forget who deprived them of their wealth. To put it in your words: ''Blocking the path to others'' wealth generates more hatred than killing their parents.''"

    "Those who can make a fortune with these two industries are bound to be influential and powerful. Their financial path isn''t easy to block, and trying to do so will cause internal issues in Britain. But if we don''t block them and they be entirely reliant on these two industries, when that happens, any disturbance in their rtions with us will be fatal to their economy."

    "Joseph, we must tear up the agreements then," Napoleon argued. "We won''t gain an advantage in other industries if we wait too long, and we might risk their technological leapfrogging."

    "Of course, we can asionally threaten to tear up the agreements," Joseph said. "Besides, do you know why I decided to leave textiles and steam engine manufacturing to them?"

    Napoleon pondered and replied, "Textiles employ many workers, so a crisis in the industry would lead to widespread social unrest. As for steam engines, as long as we protect the steelmaking secrets, they''ll have to depend on our raw materials. Any disturbance in our rtionship, in that context, will be fatal for them."

    "Correct, Napoleon," Joseph said. "We don''t need to tear up the agreements. We only need to asionally threaten to do so. Besides, I have another idea. We will emphasize our superior quality products and create brand recognition. Even if other countries can produce steel, it will be of lower qualitypared to ours. This strategy will enable us to maintain good rtions while being the dominant supplier."

    Napoleon smiled, "Well, Joseph, it seems you have this all nned out."

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 Chapter 242: The Bolton-Watt Company

    Chapter 242: The Bolton-Watt Company

    The new year of 1800 had just begun, and the streets of London were still covered in thick, dirty, grayish-white snow. Around nine in the morning, a public carriage stopped not far from the entrance of the Bolton-Watt Company. A burly young man stepped down from the carriage, his neck pulled down into his coat to shield himself from the cold. With one hand clutching his slightly undersized coat tightly, and the other hand carrying arge box, he braved the freezing weather. His bare hands turned red from the cold.

    The man looked around, spotting the sign of the Bolton-Watt Company. His face, now red from the cold, broke into a tiger-like smile when he recognized the ce. He hoisted the suitcase and briskly made his way to the entrance of the Bolton-Watt Company.

    The name "Bolton-Watt Company" gave a hint about its significance. This was thepany founded by James Watt, the innovator of the steam engine and a key figure in the onset of the first industrial revolution. James Watt, however, was only the second shareholder in thepany. The primary owner was Mr. Bolton, who owned two-thirds of thepany, including the patent rights.

    The young man reached the entrance of the Bolton-Watt Company and spoke to the waiter standing there, also shivering in the thin, cold air, with a heavy ent in his not-so-fluent English, "I''vee to speak with Mr. Bolton and Mr. Watt about a substantial deal we previously arranged. My name is G��rant."

    The waiter regarded G��rant with suspicion, eyeing him up and down. A wealthy Frenchman named G��rant was expected to visit this morning, and the waiter knew about it. However, preupied with watching the luxurious carriages with heaters that passed by, he hadn''t noticed this man who had walked over, carrying his own luggage. Was this shabbily dressed fellow really the "wealthy Frenchman" mentioned by Mr. Bolton?

    But G��rant imed his name was G��rant, and the other information he provided seemed urate. So, the waiter couldn''t reject him simply because he looked like a penniless Scot wandering in London. He responded with a touch of hesitation, "Mr. G��rant, Mr. Bolton and Mr. Watt are expecting you. Please follow me."

    The waiter, while speaking, opened the door and was about to help G��rant with the luggage out of habit.

    G��rant declined the offer, saying, "Oh, this suitcase contains very important items, and it''s quite heavy. I''ll carry it myself." He followed the waiter into thepany.

    Guided by the waiter, they ascended to the second floor. G��rant''s heavy steps on the staircase made the waiter frown slightly, and he silentlybeled this Frenchman as "uncultured" while proceeding upstairs.Finally, they reached a door, and the waiter knocked gently. "Mr. Bolton, Mr. Watt, Mr. G��rant is here."

    "Pleasee in," came the reply from inside.

    The waiter opened the door, and a rush of warm air greeted them. G��rant entered the room to find two elderly gentlemen standing up to wee him.

    "Are you Mr. G��rant? Please have a seat over here; it''s closer to the firece and warmer," said the elder of the two.

    G��rant ced his suitcase on the floor and took a seat on the sofa, near the firece. The waiter brought him a cup of tea and set it on the small table beside him.

    "Thank you," G��rant said, lifting the teacup and downing it in one go.

    "Now that I''m feeling warmer, I must say, London is a frigid ce. I left my hotel, and in the blink of an eye, I could hardly breathe from the cold. The winters here are truly freezing!"

    "London isn''t so bad, actually, and James''s hometown is even colder. But you Southern folks are lucky; your hometowns are always warm," the older gentleman remarked.

    They exchanged pleasantries and introductions. "I am Mr. Bolton, the owner of thepany, and this is my partner and friend, Mr. Watt."

    G��rant, in turn, introduced himself, saying, "I am G��rant, a shareholder of the French Lorraine Ironworks. I''ve been sent by our board to explore potential business coborations with your esteemedpany. If our coboration is fruitful and we all profit handsomely, we hope our friendship will endure."

    They continued the conversation, and Mr. Bolton asked, "Mr. G��rant, as far as I know, yourpany is part of the military-industrialplex, and the military-industrialplex has its own steam engine manufacturer. May I inquire about the reasons behind yourpany''s decision to coborate with us rather than with Bonaparte Steam Power, which is also part of the military-industrialplex?"

    G��rant replied, "There are two primary reasons. The Bonaparte steam engine was initially designed for naval use. From what I understand, they spared no expense to achieve extreme performance. However, their machines, although excellent,e at an exorbitant price. Furthermore, many of their technologies are highly ssified."

    G��rant paused briefly and continued, "I believe, gentlemen, especially distinguished scientists like Mr. Watt, may be very interested in Bonaparte''s steam engine, but I doubt either of you has seen one in person. Frankly, I haven''t either. However, I know that the military-industrialplex has employed various means to boost the boiler pressure of those steam engines to about one and a half times that of the products you offer. Ships using them have an unrivaled speed advantage. Additionally, their machines, under the same horsepower, are morepact and fuel-efficient. You see, space is limited on ships, and saving coal means more cargo capacity. Sailing at higher speeds allows for more round trips, which in itself brings substantial profits."

    "But any improvementes at a cost. To my knowledge, the manufacturing cost, maintenance cost, and maintenance time for this type of steam engine are much higher than that of a conventional steam engine. Only users with high profits or extremely demanding performance requirements, like smugglers and the navy, are willing to ept such expensive equipment. As for Bonaparte Steam Power, they are still tightly holding on to the demand from the navy, and they currentlyck the capacity to provide us with the usual, cost-effective steam engines."

    Bolton and Watt exchanged a nce. If this Frenchman''s seemingly casual information was reliable, then it seemed that Bonaparte Steam Power wasn''t pursuing general-purpose power. This reduced the threat to their business considerably. However, they couldn''t be sure if everything this man said was true.

    "So, what type of steam engine does yourpany intend to order from us?" Bolton inquired.

    "We currently require a custom-built, extremelyrge steam engine," G��rant replied. "Muchrger than anything yourpany has constructed before."

    "Howrge precisely?" Watt asked.

    "Asrge as it can be. Ideally, one engine should have ten thousand horsepower," G��rant stated.

    G��rant''s request startled Watt. "Mr. G��rant, why would you need a steam engine of such immense power? I must admit I can''t fathom what kind of work would require such tremendous force."

    "We need it for power generation," G��rant revealed. The French had already developed electric motors and had begun widespread use in rural water management projects, which had led to soaring copper prices throughout Europe. Moreover, most of Europe, including France, had recently transitioned from using copper cannons to iron cannons. This was knowledge that the British were aware of, but they hadn''t yet utilized these electric technologies themselves due to French export restrictions, designating them as "military technologies."

    "With electric motors, tasks that used to require many small steam engines can now be aplished with electric motors. So, now we only need a single or a set of super-sized steam engines in ces where power generation is required. Currently, the power generation units and electric motors are under technical control, limited by raw materials, and confined to specific areas in France. However, I believe they will eventually expand to more sectors and regions. Therefore, Mr. Watt, in the not-so-distant future, all small and medium-sized steam engines, apart from those used on ships, will lose their market. So, I suggest that yourpany prepare in advance and invest all its efforts in the development of super-sized steam engines as the power source for electricity generation. Only super-sized steam engines capable of prolonged and continuous operation will have a future."

    With that, G��rant took a document from his briefcase and handed it to them. "These are the technical requirements we have for this type of steam engine."

    Watt received the document and examined it closely. After a considerable time, he looked up with a perplexed and regretful expression. "Your requirements for performance are too high, and your demands for reliability are even higher, and these two requirements conflict with each other. As for the price you''re offering...though I hate to say it, I have to admit that, both technically and cost-wise, we''re not capable of taking on this order. I''m certain there''s no other manufacturer in the world that can handle such an order. So, I suggest that yourpany reconsider these requirements."

    "What if we could provide you with a substantial amount of low-cost steel?" G��rant suggested.

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 Chapter 243: Spreading Warmth and Education

    Chapter 243: Spreading Warmth and Education

    While G��rard was discussing the sale of steam engines by the cozy firece with Watt, little Oliver was busy delivering warmth to the residents of Petticoat Lane under the guidance of Feigin.

    This act of delivering warmth was truly heartfelt. A week earlier, a brutal and invisible intruder known to the doctors as "pneumonia" had stealthily entered Petticoat Lane. This uninvited guest roamed through thene, touching here and there with his icy fingers. This malefactor boldly strolled through, leaving a trail of victims behind, dozens and even scores of unfortunate souls in every courtyard he entered.

    For the impoverished people of Petticoat Lane, falling ill at this time was akin to stepping through the gates of the underworld. Starting three days ago, every morning, cold, lifeless bodies were dragged out from the dark little houses on either side of Petticoat Lane. These bodies were ced on stiff wooden carts, one, two...until the cart was filled to the brim. The shivering cartman, numbed by the cold, cracked his whip, and the horse''s nostrils exhaled white mist as the iron-d hooves pounded on the hard, iron-like ground. The cart rumbled slowly forward, the ungreased wheels emitting a low, intermittent friction sound, akin to thement of a worker''s wife, who had been awakened by the cold in the middle of the night, realizing that she had no idea how to fill her husband and children''s hungry stomachs the next day.

    This dire situation greatly concerned Feigin. Dealing with pneumonia was beyond his capabilities. At this point, he could only rely on natural means and the grace of God, hoping that the residents could rely on their own resistance and divine protection to weather this cmity. Then, after the elderly and children had mostly sumbed to the disease, perhaps...a form of herd immunity might emerge.

    This demonstrated Feigin''s remarkable talent and insight, ample qualifications to serve as a prime minister in ater century''s corrupt country. Being a mere gang leader within a small faction seemed quite underutilized for his talents.

    However, Feigin was determined to alleviate some of the residents'' suffering. He believed that the severity of pneumonia in Petticoat Lane was, to a great extent, due to the extreme cold. Thus, he had to find a way to raise the nighttime temperatures in the area.

    Recent improvements in the economy were reflected in the earnings of Feigin''s crew. Their sess rate as pickpockets hadn''t increased, but the amount they collected from each affluent gentleman had significantly risen.

    Furthermore, not long ago, Feigin had sessfully coborated with a young man eager to extract more money from his miserly father to fund his visits to taverns and encounters with women. They executed a kidnapping scheme together. With the enthusiastic cooperation and assistance of their "victim," they obtained a total of three thousand pounds from an elderly gentleman (though the victim took away a portion of the loot). Additionally, Feigin''s wealthy friend, who had now be a Frenchman, generously donated a thousand francs. This year, Feigin''s pockets were fuller than ever before.

    This allowed Feigin to be more generous when delivering warmth this year. In the past, he could only provide each Petticoat Lane household with a small piece of cloth. However, this year, he could provide each household with an actual nket.These nkets were all secondhand goods that Feigin''s friends had scavenged from various flea markets. Compared to purchasing brand-new nkets, buying secondhand items offered better value. If Joseph were present, he might suggest boiling these secondhand nkets in arge pot.

    However, in this era, while bacteria had been discovered, the link between bacteria and disease had not yet been established. People were unaware that certain bacteria could cause illnesses or how to eliminate them. Consequently, no one paid attention to such matters.

    Oliver followed Feigin as they went from house to house, delivering the nkets. Every family was deeply grateful to the virtuous Feigin, and even Oliver felt a sense of pride apanying him. However, there wasn''t much of a smile on Feigin''s face. In fact, whenever he left a house, the smile on his face was immediately whisked away by the biting cold outside.

    That evening, Feigin gathered the key members of his gang and shared some surprising news with them.

    "Tooth, Butcher, and Cuckoo, gather around. I''ve called you here for a reason. You know Jacques Goren has returned, and he''s now the second secretary at the French Embassy. He''s visited me several times and even made some donations to our cause."

    "I know. Back when we were just kids, we used to hear stories about ''Sparrow''s Luck'' from you. He''s a true, loyal friend. Even after achieving sess, he hasn''t forgotten us," one of them replied.

    "Back, Jacques Goren has talked to me several times, and he thinks our approach is wrong," Feigin exined.

    "Our approach? Does he think we should change our tactics now that he''s sessful?" Tooth raised an eyebrow.

    Feigin shook his head. "No, Jacques Goren has always been our brother. But after spending so many years in France, his experiences and perspectives have grown. He believes that our small-scale activities won''t change anything."

    "Then what does he want? Does he want to be the next Feigin?" Butcher asked.

    "He doesn''t want to take my ce; I would be more than happy to hand it to him if he did. After all, it was supposed to be his from the beginning, before he had to flee to France for a certain reason. But as I mentioned, Jacques Goren has broader horizons. You see, he participated in the French Revolution. He was there, cheering when Louis XVI was sent to the guillotine."

    "Good Lord! He actually witnessed the beheading of a king?"

    "He even participated in it. He was part of the storming of the Bastille, he followed Saint-Just��whom the French call the Archangel of the Revolution. He served as Saint-Just''s messenger on the battlefield, and in Paris, he gathered information for the Jacobins. He personally sent many noble gentlemen to the guillotine. Now you understand why I say his ambitions are grand," Feigin exined.

    "Dear God, is he thinking of introducing something like that here?" Butcher asked.

    "He hopes that we can unite the poor people of the entire slum, not just for higher wages through strikes, but for political rights. He believes we can change the rules for this country, for the world. It''s a risky endeavor," Feigin paused and continued, "you know, it''s a matter of life and death."

    "Most of us here have faced life and death situations," Butcher replied.

    "This is different," Feigin shook his head. "I''ve been thinking a lot. While I trust Jacques Goren and find his words reasonable, I must go to France personally to see the ce after the revolution. Then I''lle back and discuss it with all of you before making a decision."

    "Feigin, you''re leaving for a while? Who will lead us?" Tooth quickly asked.

    "Jacques Goren supports my decision to visit France and suggested that I train in Toulon��a ce where the Irishman Lassalle reportedly trained and now has a thriving business. Perhaps I''ll visit Paris first, then Toulon, maybe even Irnd before returning," Feigin exined.

    "How long will you be gone, Feigin?" Butcher inquired.

    "At least half a year, maybe longer, but not more than a year. I''ll probably leave next month. During this time, Butcher will temporarily take charge in my absence. Butcher, you can discuss things with Tooth. Also, if there are any serious issues, you can turn to Jacques Goren. You can trust himpletely; he''s still our brother. I''ll leave at the end of next month, so in the meantime, start managing the gang''s affairs, and I can provide guidance while I''m here."

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 Chapter 244: Chronicles of France (1)

    Chapter 244: Chronicles of France (1)

    A monthter, F��lix sat in a carriage bearing the emblem of the French Embassy, heading directly to the pier through the VIP channel, formally reserved for diplomats.

    Boarding from here was rtively safe. After all, F��lix was a wanted man in Ennd, and if caught, he''d face the gallows. Even though the regr channel had portraits of several wanted criminals, including F��lix, hanging prominently, some of those faces were familiar to him. However, he hadn''t seen a single image that even closely resembled him, and some of the portraits even got the gender wrong.

    These images had weathered and faded due to wind and sun, making them nearly indecipherable. But F��lix knew their importance. For the police, these slightly simr yet different portraits allowed them to question individuals who didn''t use the VIP channel for boarding, giving them the opportunity to say, "You look a lot like F��lix. We need to take you in for questioning."

    At this point, those who knew how the game worked would promptly offer a bribe to the police and change their appearance, no longer resembling F��lix. As for the less savvy, they''d be taken to the station, and trust him, they''d learn to cooperate eventually. So, creating wanted posters for criminals was an art. The key was to make the image somewhat simr to everyone while still being a bit different.

    But boarding through the VIP channel eliminated these troubles. People here were well-connected and respected, and the British police, who could be fierce when dealing with themon folks, turned as docile as a house pet in this setting. They were even more polite and humanepared to a house pet.

    It was F��lix''s first time waiting in a VIP lounge filled with "well-to-do" people. He looked around, feeling out of ce amidst the opulence. Most passengers here had servants in tow, and they were currently seated on sofas, waited on hand and foot. F��lix, on the other hand, was dragging a sizable suitcase (provided by Jaque Gaultier, along with the slightly more respectable clothes he was wearing), exuding what was considered a "vulgar" air.

    The well-to-do passengers only spared him a cursory nce, and, seeing his rough, strong hands, reddened and wrinkled, and his face resembling sandpaper, albeit in rtively decent attire, immediately categorized him as "nouveau riche."

    However, most well-to-do people, despite their inner superiorityplex, were wise enough not to show it. These nouveau riches, despite their appearance, had be wealthy for a reason. Apart from luck, they were undoubtedly capable individuals. When there were no conflicts of interest, offending them without reason was unwise.

    Therefore, although F��lix looked like amoner, stories of shy neers didn''t abound.F��lix looked around, seeking a ce to sit. He noticed a young man not dressed any better than the ordinary folks and looking even more out of ce than F��lix amidst the luxurious VIP lounge. He was sitting alone not too far from the firece.

    Most other well-to-do passengers kept their distance from him, probably repelled by his air of poverty. However, this was exactly what F��lix needed, so he approached the young man and asked, "May I sit here?"

    The young man gave a warm, friendly smile and replied in imperfect English, "Of course."

    So F��lix sat down beside him and struck up a conversation. He quickly discovered that this man, named G��raud, was a French merchant who had made a fortune during the French Revolution and was now on the verge of a big business deal in Ennd, preparing to return to his homnd.

    "These ship tickets are absurdly expensive," G��raudined. "The price of one ticket could match my monthly ie from back in the day. If thepany hadn''t purchased the ticket for me, I''d never have paid it out of my own pocket. So, Mr. F��lix, what brings you to France? What are your ns?"

    F��lix replied, "I''m headed to Paris to see what opportunities there might be to strike it rich. But, you know, I can''t exactly tell him that I''m going to check if the Revolution has benefitted themon people, then go to London to study revolutionary theory and techniques, then off to Irnd for some practical application, and finally return..."

    If the well-to-do folks nearby heard this, they''d probably report him to the police immediately, and the police would be highly efficient in arresting him.

    When F��lix had mentioned to everyone that he might be getting into some dangerous business, Buck had dismissed it, saying, "Who here hasn''t done something that could cost them their head?"

    At the time, F��lix replied, "It''s different." However, he didn''t go into the specifics. F��lix knew that if he were caught by the police now, he''d likely face the guillotine, but the police wouldn''t exert much effort to capture him. If they did catch him, that would be good; if they didn''t, it wouldn''t matter much. However, once he took that path, the entire police system would consider him a significant threat. The police in London weren''t all fools; most of the time, they didn''t arrest him simply because they felt his capture wasn''t an urgent matter.

    But his response had sparked G��raud''s interest. G��raud informed him that there was a market in France for British textiles because of their affordable prices. Conversely, French products, like red wine, were in high demand in Ennd. He himself hailed from the Somme region, known for its wine production, and the quality rivaled that of Bordeaux. Just p on a Bordeauxbel, and even the French couldn''t tell the difference.

    "If Mr. F��lix is interested in the wine business, he can contact me when he arrives in France," G��raud offered, leaving F��lix a contact address.

    The departure time was approaching; VIP passengers boarded first. So F��lix and G��raud boarded the ship together, and by pure chance, their cabins were next to each other.

    This naturally gave G��raud an opportunity to continue promoting various goods to F��lix. During their conversation, he gradually realized that Monsieur F��lix wasn''t familiar with, and didn''t seem particrly interested in, wines and the like. However, he showed a keen interest in various weapons and des. So G��raud expressed that he knew several arms dealers who could assist him with such trades...

    The journey from Ennd to France wasn''t long, and two dayster, the ship docked in Cis. G��raud and F��lix bid farewell, with G��raud boarding a mail coach to Lorraine. Before leaving, he repeatedly reminded F��lix not to forget him if he intended to do any business.

    F��lix also boarded a mail coach headed for Paris, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief at getting away from G��raud. He felt a sense of relief as he watched thendscape pass by, realizing that he was free from G��raud''s sales pitch.

    The mail coach sped along the roads of France. It was still winter, and the fields were deste. Typically, during this time, farmers had little work and enjoyed a leisurely period of idleness, huddled in their homes while awaiting the end of winter. The countryside should have been very quiet at this time.

    However, on the journey, F��lix couldn''t help but noticerge groups of peasants toiling in the fields.

    "What are they doing?" F��lix asked in his unpolished French, addressing the other passengers in the mail coach.

    "They''re digging canals," a merchant-looking man replied. "These are veterans from the Army Association, helping the vigers dig canals during this idle period."

    "Is it worth it to work so hard in the dead of winter?" F��lix inquired.

    "It''s hard work, but it''s worthwhile," the merchant responded. "These veterans have connections; they can get their hands on electric water pumps. So, all they need to do is dig the canals in winter, and when the wheat needs watering, they simply switch on the electric pump, and vast fields of wheat are irrigated. I heard that in some areas, they''ve been using these machines sincest summer, and the wheat yields have skyrocketed. The rural folks in those ces are already enjoying white bread."

    "The peasants'' lives seem to have improved a lot nowadays," another person interjected. "Now that the nobility is gone, although the national tax revenue is technically higher than it was during the kingdom, the farmers are left with much more due to the absence of the nobles''nd rents. Add in the electric water pumps, and the Army Association even brought in experts to teach the technology. After the revolution, things have genuinely improved for these farmers."

    "What about the situation for the poor in the cities of France?" F��lix inquired again.

    "In the cities? The poor are struggling as much as ever, perhaps even more than before," the merchant replied. "While it''s not as rosy as we''d hoped, at least they have bread to eat now. When you get to Paris, you can see for yourself."

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 Chapter 245: Chronicles of France (2)

    Chapter 245: Chronicles of France (2)

    Regarding the merchant''s statement, that "the town''s workers are working harder than before, but at least they have bread to eat," F��lix didn''t find anything wrong with it. Because F��lix wasn''t a time traveler, in his view, working hard and then barely making a living was just the normal course of life. It was even God''s will.

    "God said: ''You will toil for your entire life to make a living.'' This is our destiny," F��lix thought, and his fondness for France actually increased.

    That afternoon, the stagecoach stopped in an unknown small town for a rest. Everyone disembarked and took shelter in the town''s only inn, which also doubled as a tavern.

    As soon as they got off the stagecoach, the inn''s waiter tended to the horses. The stagecoach driver greeted the innkeeper and casually took a bottle of wine from the counter.

    F��lix knew that the stagecoach stopping in such a small town was likely due to some cooperation between the driver and the innkeeper. This situation was quitemon even in Ennd.

    The innkeeper handed them a register to record the travelers and examine their identification documents. This practice was also seen in Ennd, so F��lix didn''t find it strange. He presented the identity certificate issued by the French Embassy in the UK and signed his name in the register. Then the innkeeper went inside to fetch them dinner bread.

    As the sun was just beginning to dip in the west, a faint haze rose over the distant fields. In the twilight, F��lix saw a few militiamen walking along a path heading out of the town.

    "Why, is it not peaceful here? The fact that these militiamen are patrolling sote in the evening suggests otherwise," F��lix asked the innkeeper, who was bringing him bread.

    "It''s peaceful, for the most part. It''s just that there have been more petty thieves aroundtely," the innkeeper replied. "Over there, we have a hydroelectric power station, and the irrigation of our local fields relies on it. With winter now, the water level is low, and the power station is not operating much. But there''s quite a bit of valuable copper inside it. Copper is particrly precious these days. So some folks, looking for easy gains, sneak in at night to steal copper. Our nearby farnd depends on that power station, and these rascals are putting it at risk. It''s a shame we''re not in an era of the guillotine; otherwise, these thieves would be in trouble."This talk made F��lix, who had a history as a thief, somewhat ufortable. So he asked, "Why are these people resorting to theft? Is it because they can''t make a living for some reason?"

    "Oh, sir, you''re quite a kind-hearted person," the innkeeper said. "If we''re talking about earlier years, that''s a different story. Before the revolution, themon folk couldn''t even survive. The meager crops they managed to grow were all taken away by the nobles and clergy. People who tilled thend themselves were starving. Back then, many people took desperate measures to avoid starvation.

    After the revolution, things got even worse for a while. To counter foreign kings and their armies, arge number of young men were conscripted into the army, leading to vast areas of farnd lying fallow due to ack ofbor. Food became scarce. To feed all those soldiers, the government heavily requisitioned food..."

    "Don''t they pay for it?" F��lix asked.

    "They pay with vouchers. But can you consider vouchers as money?" the innkeeper said. "So, during that time, people''s lives got progressively worse. Many even wished for the return of the nobles. In those days, even those who rebelled against the aristocracy did it out of necessity.

    But those times are long gone. Since the establishment of the Conste, after General Bonaparte defeated the foreign kings, the army started to recover, and the young men returned to farming. They also brought back real money. Taxes were reduced, and people''s lives gradually improved. Plus, with water pumps, as long as you work diligently, you won''t starve. Even if you don''t ownnd, you can find a way to make a living in the city. So, in this situation, when people are still resorting to thieving, even stealing copper from the power station, don''t you think these scoundrels should be dealt with?"

    "It''s not ideal, but it''s better to reform and educate them," F��lix said. "After all, even bad people can change for the better. Minds are not like grass; once cut, they won''t grow back."

    "Haha, you''re making a good point," the innkeeper replied, not particrly firm in his views.

    The stagecoach continued its journey for two more days and finally arrived in Paris on the third day.

    Jacques Goulong gave F��lix a letter of introduction. When he reached Paris, he could directly take it to the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry''s personnel would receive him and provide assistance, arranging for him to receive specialized knowledge and skills training in Turin.

    However, F��lix wasn''t nning to report to the Ministry of Truth immediately. He didn''tpletely trust the Ministry. His brother, Jacques Goulong, who served at the Ministry, once described the department to him in the following way:

    "The Ministry of Truth generally doesn''t lie, but you must understand that when it''s necessary to mislead others, the truth is more effective than a lie." To reinforce his point, Jacques Goulong cited various examples from the Ministry''s gship, "Science of Truth," during the Battle of Verdun. Finally, he said, "See, from start to finish, ''Science of Truth'' never told a single lie. However, it still managed to deceive the English, the Prussians, and those aristocratic royalists. Well, the Ministry of Truth is the best at such tricks."

    So, in F��lix''s view, the "Ministry of Truth" was essentially the Department of Deception. It might need an additional adjective, "truth-telling," before the term "deception" to describe it more urately.

    In order to avoid being deceived by those skilled truth-telling tricksters, F��lix always considered himself quite vignt. He believed that regr con artists couldn''t fool him. However, after hearing the example Jacques Goulong had shared, F��lix felt that if he were a general from Ennd, Prussia, or a royalist leader at that time, he''d most likely fall for the same tricks. This made him somewhat apprehensive about the "Ministry of Truth."

    Because of this, F��lix decided not to report to the Ministry of Truth right away. Instead, he opted to explore Paris on his own, seeing it with his own eyes before potentially being misled by the Ministry.

    So, F��lix first found amodation in thergest slum district of Paris, the Saint-Antoine district. Just like on the road, he had to show his identification and fill out forms. F��lix naturallyplied. If he were in Ennd, he would have been more cautious, but in France, he had no criminal record, wasn''t a fugitive, and possessed official,pletely legitimate credentials. Therefore, F��lix confidently disyed his documents and signed his name in the register.

    The next day, even before dawn, F��lix was awakened by themotion outside.

    "It should be time for the workers to start their shifts," F��lix, residing in the working-ss district, didn''t even need to open his eyes to know what the ruckus was about. The factory workers were about to begin their work.

    F��lix got up, dressed, and went outside.

    Though it was still not fully light outside, the Saint-Antoine district was already bustling. During the Robespierre era, the French established several saltpetre refineries in this area. Later, after Napoleon achieved significant victories and opened up trade routes, the French no longer needed to extract saltpetre through inefficient and expensive means. These refineries were then sold off to the military-industrialplex at a low price, consolidated, and became France''srgest arms factory. After peace was achieved, these factories began to produce other things, such as various farming tools and household items. With rtively inexpensive iron and steel produced by the Lorraine Steel Company, these factories continued to thrive.

    F��lix noticed that the workers preparing for their shifts didn''t look as healthy as the farmers he had seen in the countryside. However,pared to the workers in Ennd, these people appeared to be in much better condition. Additionally, he observed something different from Ennd even in the Saint-Antoine district: police officers patrolling the streets.

    There was still some time before the factory opened, so everyone took the opportunity to have a quick meal. F��lix walked over and noticed that the workers were eating the same ck bread, seemingly mixed with various other ingredients. However, the portions wererger than what the workers in Ennd ate, and there were hardly any children among them.

    This discovery raised F��lix''s opinion of France once more.

    At that moment, a police officer arrived at the inn where F��lix was staying and inspected the guest register.

    "An Englishman staying here?" The police officer immediately noticed the entry about F��lix. He then summoned the innkeeper and questioned him thoroughly, instructing the innkeeper to act as if nothing was amiss.

    "Officer, do you think this Englishman might be a technical thief here to steal our secrets?" The innkeeper inquired. In the recent past, the police had arrested quite a few such thieves��some from Ennd, Austria, and othersing from French allies like Spain, Northern Italy, and the Rhine Confederation. Of course, the majority were former employees of other French enterprises.

    "I don''t know, maybe, maybe not. Anyway, keep an eye on him. But... if he really is... he''s just registered his own nationality and didn''t even bother to create fake identification. He''s most likely an inept thief," the police officer chuckled.

    Even if this "suspicious individual" was most likely not a thief, at most, he was just an "inept thief." ording to the regtions, the incident still needed to be reported.

    "Well, where did that Englishman go?" the police officer inquired.

    "He just left a moment ago, but his belongings are still here. He''s probably going to return," the innkeeper replied.

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 Chapter 246: Chronicles of France (3)

    Chapter 246: Chronicles of France (3)

    "Keep an eye on him, but don''t make it obvious," the policeman instructed before leaving. He then walked out the door and headed to the next inn.

    After a busy morning, young policeman Vebitzki finally returned to the police station. As per the routine, he reported the situation to Chief Armand.

    "Chief, here is the information on the new guests at various inns today," Vebitzki handed over his record book to Armand.

    "Is there anyone noteworthy?" Armand took the record book, ced it aside, and asked.

    "There''s one Englishman named Collier who checked in at the inn near the Fifth Factory. You know, that factory belongs to the Northern Industrial Company, and it produces all sorts of vital things. Some foreigners have always been interested in its secrets."

    "I''m well aware of that. Deputy Chief Olivier caught an Austrian spy attempting to steal secrets from there, which is how he became the vice-chief, right?"

    "Exactly. Deputy Chief Olivier has been trying to convince his superiors to let him return in his capacity as vice-chief and continue investigating that case. He ims there were loose ends from thest operation. Deputy Chief Olivier isn''t getting any younger, and he''s less than two years away from retirement. Still, he''s pushing hard. Does he hope to be the chief?"

    "Bing the chief? That''s highly unlikely. Not to mention, he''s nearly retiring, and bing chief is not solely about solving cases," Armand shrugged. "I think he''s aiming for a two-rank sry increase before retiring, reaching the pinnacle of a vice-chief''s pay. Then he can enjoy his retirement with a handsome pension."

    Going from vice-chief to chief is as challenging as Madame Dubarry (King Louis XV''s mistress) trying to be queen. But getting a sry bump of two ranks only requires cracking a few cases."As he spoke, Chief Armand flipped through the record book. He quickly found Feigin''s entry, widened his eyes, shook his head, and said, "He''s openly registered his nationality and hasn''t even bothered with fake identification. This shouldn''t be a significant issue, but we''ll keep an eye on him. Even if we catch an inept thief, it''s still an aplishment."

    Just then, an undercover old man entered.

    "Deputy Chief Olivier, you''re here again?" Armand quickly stood up.

    "Well, this ce feels like home to me. The police station is too boring. Today, when I wasing here, I spotted an old thief. Absolutely an old thief; I could tell at a nce. He was near the Fifth Factory, chatting with the workers. I didn''t want to arouse suspicion, so I didn''t tail him. Can you show me yesterday''s inn registrations?"

    Deputy Chief Olivier naturally spotted Feigin''s entry.

    "Well, this is interesting," Deputy Chief Olivier said, pointing at Feigin''s record with his finger. "An openly staying Englishman right next to the Fifth Factory, not hiding his identity. Armand, do you think there might be arge group, and this Englishman...?"

    Deputy Chief Olivier continued, "This Englishman is likely a decoy operating openly to draw our attention, while others hide in the shadows. If that''s the case, we''ll be quite busy. Armand..."

    Deputy Chief Olivier nced at Armand, and when he saw that Armand seemed more energized, he added, "Armand, you know, I''m about to retire."

    That statement immediately had an effect. Armand was instantly motivated.

    "Chief, should we arrest the Englishman and question him thoroughly?"

    "No need, but we should keep an eye on him. Just assign two rookies. I met that old thief, and I believe he might be a key figure. Tomorrow, Vebitzki, you''ll tail the Englishman. Armand, put on inclothes ande with me to find the old thief."

    The next afternoon, Feigin returned to the inn. He had spent the entire day exploring, and he had seen quite a lot. In general, France was no paradise. While the workers here lived slightly better than their English counterparts, their lives only allowed them to fill their bellies somewhat. Compared to before the revolution, their lives had improved significantly, but they still couldn''t withstand any shocks. Sudden illnesses, injuries, or disabilities could ruin them.

    "If I had joined the army and gone to war back then, maybe things would be different," Feigin and many other workers mentioned this. "Being a soldier in a war doesn''t necessarily mean death for many. You receive decent pay, and there are plenty of benefits after retiring. For example, you can purchasend from the state at a low cost. Withnd, who would want to work in a factory?"

    In addition tomenting not enlisting in the army during wartime, most people had another aspiration.

    "I heard that now, ships to the New World can sail freely. Going to the New World is also a good option. Isn''t it just farming? I''ve heard that over there, it''s rtively easy to obtainnd of your own. Once I''ve earned enough money at the factory, I''ll go to the New World and be a happy farmer."

    Furthermore, Feigin noticed that he was being tracked. The one following him was an expert, tracing him from the Saint-Antoine district to a neighboring wealthy area, employing various tricks. He even approached a policeman, feigning panic, and said, "Officer, I believe someone''s been tailing me, all the way from the XX Bank''s entrance to here..." It was through such clever tactics that he shook off the pursuer. Encountering a master tracker in such a poor district was no ordinary urrence.

    Typically, these skilled trackers were either police or members of criminal organizations. In terms of numbers, the police were more prevalent. However, there were some distinctions in their tracking methods. For instance, gang members usually wouldn''t venture outside their territory. Saint-Antoine district and the adjacent wealthy district clearly didn''t belong to the same gang''s territory. So Feigin spected that the one following him was likely a policeman.

    Though Saint-Antoine district had its own police presence (which was already better than London), the number of police officers couldn''tpare to other areas. The likelihood of encountering an expert was naturally lower. It seemed odd that he was being watched by the police right after arriving in Paris.

    "Perhaps there''s a major case here, and I just happened to walk into it," Feigin thought as he returned to his inn.

    As he entered the inn, Feigin saw the innkeeper leading a French policeman towards him.

    "Mr. Collier, isn''t it?" asked the young policeman Vebitzki.

    "Yes. Is there something you need?" Feigin was slightly surprised. He hadn''t expected to encounter a policeman in a rundown inn in a poverty-stricken district.

    "It''s like this," Vebitzki exined, pulling out an identification card, "We routinely check the information of guests here. What brings you to Paris?"

    "It seems like there''s a big case going on," Feigin thought. He replied, "I have a friend who came to France a few years ago. I heard he''s in Paris now, so I came here to find him."

    "What''s his name? Do you have his address?" Vebitzki asked, jotting down notes.

    "Jacques Goren," Feigin answered with some irrelevant but realistic details, "But I''ve only heard that he was seen in the Saint-Antoine district of Paris. I don''t know his exact address."

    "Paris is a vast city, not easy to find someone. Did youe all the way here just on a rumor?" Vebitzki inquired.

    "Of course not. I''m just passing through. In a few days, I''ll be heading south," Feigin replied.

    "Do you have any specific business in the south? Ah, you don''t have to answer that question."

    "Oh, it''s no secret. Just some business. But I can''t disclose the details," Feigin responded.

    "Onest question. When do you n to leave Paris?" Vebitzki asked.

    "The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I''ll inquire and try to find my friend, then I''ll leave the day after," Feigin replied. Honestly, he didn''t want to be inexplicably pulled into any major cases.

    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation. I hope I didn''t disturb you too much." Vebitzki put away his notebook and left.

    Once Vebitzki left, he ran into Deputy Chief Olivier, disguised as an old worker.

    "Vebitzki, what does that Englishman you just saw look like?" Deputy Chief Olivier inquired.

    Vebitzki proceeded to describe Feigin''s appearance and attire in detail.

    "Damn! That''s the old thief I saw yesterday! What on earth is this guy up to?" Deputy Chief Olivier eximed.

    "Do you want us to arrest him immediately?" Vebitzki suggested.

    "No need, keep watching him. This time, I''ll do it myself. He''s definitely up to something!" Deputy Chief Olivier dered.

    Having lost the old thief the previous day due to his conspicuous worker''s outfit, Deputy Chief Olivier felt a deep sense of shame. He was determined to uncover this guy''s plot.

    However, the following day, he realized that all of his earlier assumptions might have been wrong.

    Early the next morning, the old thief left as usual. This cunning character went straight to the wealthy district, where Deputy Chief Olivier, dressed in attire suitable for anywhere, quietly followed Feigin.

    Feigin, on the other hand, didn''t engage in cat-and-mouse games with Deputy Chief Olivier today. After exploring the wealthy district''s conditions, he headed directly to the Ministry of Truth.

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 Chapter 247: The Conspiracy of the Ministry of Truth (1)

    Chapter 247: The Conspiracy of the Ministry of Truth (1)

    As the "old rogue" smoothly entered the grand building of the Ministry of Truth, Deputy Director Oliviera wasn''t dismayed. Instead, he was even more excited.

    "So, it''s someone from the Ministry of Truth! What on earth are those folks up to with their conspiracies?" Deputy Director Oliviera pondered. The Ministry of Truth and the Ministry of Public Security had always been at odds, a well-known fact. After all, their operations had significant oveps, and it wasmon knowledge that birds of a feather seldom flocked together. Moreover, there was the issue of budget rivalry, further intensifying the animosity between the two departments. The feud had almost escted to the point of being irreconcble,parable to the rivalry between the navy and the army in a certain oriental country inter years.

    If they could uncover the secret activities of the Ministry of Truth, perhaps even intercept one of their schemes, it would undoubtedly please Minister Fouch�� immensely.

    Under normal circumstances, Deputy Director Oliviera had no chance of being promoted to the position of director. However, if he made a breakthrough in this matter, the director''s seat would no longer be an unattainable dream.

    But Deputy Director Oliviera had no intention of investigating this matter on his own. He wasn''t arrogant enough to believe he could single-handedly delve into the activities of the Ministry of Truth. This matter needed to be reported first.

    Deputy Director Oliviera headed directly to the Ministry of Public Security. Anything rted to the "Ministry of Truth" had a high priority and secrecy level, which warranted immediate reporting to the Ministry of Public Security.

    "What is the Ministry of Truth up to now? They must have discovered something. Regardless of their ns, keeping an eye on them is the right move," Assistant Minister L��on was quickly briefed and issued these instructions.

    The Ministry of Truth was indeed involved in a conspiracy. That was entirely normal because conspiracies were one of its core functions, and they hatched hundreds of them every day. However, by a fortunate twist of fate, the Ministry of Truth had indeed uncovered industrial espionage activity near the Fifth Factory. The only thing they hadn''t determined yet was whether these industrial spies were foreign or domestic. As a result, the entire case was still being processed ording to procedure.

    But at this very moment, agents from the Ministry of Public Security suddenly burst in with lightning speed, swiftly uncovering the spy ring. This left Lucien greatly infuriated, and he even began to suspect that there might be spies from the Ministry of Public Security within his own ranks.So, Lucien initiated a departmental reorganization within the Ministry of Truth, using undercover agents embedded in the Ministry of Public Security to reveal several operatives who received allowances from both the Ministry of Truth and the Ministry of Public Security. This sparked Minister Fouch��''s own effort to reorganize the Ministry of Public Security.

    While departmental reorganization was crucial, it couldn''t overshadow the main work at hand. After all, merely capturing people wasn''t the specialty of the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Public Security was more professional in that regard. The Ministry of Truth could keep a grip on the Ministry of Public Security because, apart from Lucien being a Bonaparte, the Ministry of Truth excelled at orchestrating high-level conspiracies. At least, that''s how Lucien saw it.

    For example, at this very moment in Ennd, the Ministry of Truth''s conspiracy was progressing systematically.

    In the post-peace era, London''s publishing scene had be lively. A multitude of French newspapers began publishing their English editions in London.

    Among them, the renowned "Scientific Truth Gazette English Edition" was dedicated to speaking the truth, providing economic information, the mostly reliable "Businessman," asionally inurate due to rushing for news, the entertainment-focused "Popr Entertainment English Edition," the sensational news outlet "The Sun English Edition," theic magazine "Woodpecker Charlie English Edition," and the highly serious and professional "Nature," focusing on mathematics and basic science, and the medical-focused "The Lancet."

    The emergence of this range of publications enriched the cultural and intellectual life of the people in London. More importantly, these newspapers were generally very affordable. For instance, "Scientific Truth Gazette," as a daily newspaper with fourrge-sized octavo pages, was priced at just four pence per copy, even less than the cost of wrapping paper.

    However, "Businessman" was even more of a bargain, particrly for those who needed to sleep in cold rooms. This newspaper had sixteen octavo pages, with the exception of the first page, all the other pages were filled with mostly deceptive (in the majority) or truthful (a minority) advertisements. It was even cheaper, priced at just three pence.

    Due to their low prices, these two newspapers became incredibly popr in London as soon as they wereunched. London newsboys loved to bundle these two newspapers together, dashing along the streets and shouting, "Today''s news is truly great! Two newspapers for just seven pence!"

    Apart from these two newspapers, the magazines "Popr Entertainment" and "Woodpecker Charlie" were also well-received, with thetter, set in the time of Louis XIII in France, as the backdrop for its political satiricalic, "Yes, Bishop." It left British readersughing uncontrobly.

    As one of the results of many years of war, the perspectives of the French and the British towards each other had never been favorable. The upper echelons of both nations resented each other due to conflicts of interest, while the lower sses held grudges against each other due to propaganda.

    However, "Yes, Bishop," a satiricalic that portrayed the selfish and greedy Richelieu, as well as the foolish nobles surrounding him, an oblivious king, a voracious clergy, and the clueless knights and officials, provided endless amusement for British readers and left them in stitches.

    However, some sensitive Englishmen began to notice that the jokes in "Yes, Bishop" seemed to align quite well with the current situation in Ennd. Many plotlines and dialogues brought to mind various events in Ennd. Sometimes, what the British Prime Minister had announced or decided just the previous month would appear in "Yes, Bishop" the following month, albeit with the protagonist switched to the Frenchman Richelieu. Perhaps only a fool wouldn''t realize that Richelieu, at least in "Woodpecker Charlie," wasn''t just the historical French statesman of over a hundred years ago; he was also serving as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom today. Apart from that, Richelieu''s bishop character in theics shared some physical traits and quirks that closely resembled Prime Minister Addington.

    So, soon enough, the current Prime Minister Addington acquired the moniker "Bishop Richelieu." Initially, Prime Minister Addington took pride in this, as Richelieu was undoubtedly a great figure in European history. However, he quickly grasped the implications.

    After thoroughly examining the serialized "Yes, Bishop" in "Woodpecker Charlie," his face twisted with anger. He nearly issued an order to immediately shut down "Woodpecker Charlie." If it weren''t for the fact that the Tories privately supported his ideas, he might have gone through with it.

    The Tories were extremely disappointed with Prime Minister Addington''s inaction �C if he had taken such a step, it would have given them the perfect opportunity to use him of suppressing free speech.

    Furthermore, some Tories had long been eyeing "Woodpecker Charlie." If "Woodpecker Charlie" were shut down, they nned to immediately bring the entire editorial team to the United Kingdom andunch "Woodpecker Richard." At that point, the ongoingic might no longer be "Yes, Bishop" but rather "Yes, Prime Minister."

    "I won''t fall for it!" Prime Minister Addington muttered silently.

    If "Woodpecker Charlie" only earned the Tories'' hatred and the Whigs'' favor, "The Sun" was genuinely beloved by all walks of life in Ennd. That was because peeping into the private lives of public figures, especially the lives of the rich and famous, was amon human pastime. In this respect, the British were no different from the French.

    "The Sun" in Ennd maintained the same style as in France, focusing on all sorts of sensational news, especially the personal lives of prominent figures. In the French version of "The Sun," Lucien had the highest frequency of appearances among French officials �C he appeared in "The Sun" more often than all other ministerial officialsbined.

    In Ennd, the Tories could always find a Whig figure''s scandal in "The Sun''s" English edition, and the Whigs had no reason to feel unfairly treated. They could also always find a Tory bigwig''s unmentionable stories somewhere else, even in several ces. What''s more, they weren''t too keen on debunking such stories because, the more they denied, the more others believed.

    However, the effect of this newspaper was somewhat different in France and Ennd. In France, if you told people that Lucien was a womanizer and had numerous love children, most would consider it a testament to Lucien''s charm, a mark of a real man. But in Ennd, with its future "Victorian mindset" that proimed, "Discussions in polite society should never venture below the waist, not even to discuss piano legs, to avoid undesirable associations," such matters might not be so well received. To more conservative Englishmen, these kinds of stories indicated moral decay.

    As for the scientific publications, they subtly showcased French civilization to the English. Since these publications offered very high pay, many British schrs gradually started submitting articles to them.

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 Chapter 248: The Conspiracy of the Ministry of Truth (2)

    Chapter 248: The Conspiracy of the Ministry of Truth (2)

    Honestly, when it came to the activities of the French media and the political conspiracies hidden behind them, the British were not oblivious. After all, when it came to conspiracies, the British considered themselves second to none on a global scale. Whether it was their innate cunning or the skills umted over the years, the British excelled in the art of conspiracy.

    So, when the French came to Ennd to run their media, the British naturally reciprocated by establishing various French publications in Paris. However, the cirction of these British publications in France was far from matching the poprity of French publications in Ennd, not even by a small margin. In fact, they couldn''t even hold a candle to their French counterparts. The primary reason behind this was that the costs for these British publications remained rtively high.

    In France, the main source of ie for various publications, apart from academic journals like "Nature," was not the cover price, but advertising revenue. Of course, journals like "Nature" were non-profit organizations by nature and weren''t intended to make money.

    For a newspaper, therger the cirction, the more valuable its advertising space became, and the higher the revenue it generated from ads. A lower cover price, while maintaining quality, could also boost cirction. Under Lucien''s leadership and with the support of the military-industrial conglomerate, French publications came to Britain with not just journalists and editors but an entire squad of advertisers. Consequently, even without the immediate goal of turning a profit, the French could sh their newspaper prices significantly.

    But in the British market, they didn''t have a monolithic entity like the "military-industrial conglomerate," and theycked the backing of an "advertising brigade." This led to a frustrating cycle for these British publications.

    The first issue these British publications faced when printed in France was pricing. In France, affordable newspapers had be the norm, with cover prices often barely covering the cost of materials, such as paper and printing. Their revenue primarily came from advertising. But the new British publications couldn''t afford to operate that way, which resulted in a rather unfortunate consequence: their newspapers were more expensive than the French ones.

    This had disastrous effects as the high cover prices deterred potential buyers. Fewer buyers meant less advertising interest, which in turn meant higher prices for their papers. This created a self-sustaining loop. Even though these British publications made an effort to pull in advertisements, it was challenging. Even British businesses preferred to advertise in the French publications �C after all, why advertise in your papers when you can''t sell them?

    In France, their counterparts were just as discerning. So, the advertisements these British publications managed to secure were mostly things like lost-and-found ads or missing pet notices �C low-value ads. Even establishments like the Moulin Rouge in Paris shunned these British publications, which were considered "insignificant and overpriced," as the average per-ad cost was absurdly high due to their low cirction. The joke in the Paris entertainment scene for such establishments and washed-up dancers was, "You might as well advertise in British papers."

    Hence, while it seemed like Lucien had raised a rather unreasonable g, currently, the likelihood of him being shot into the sun inside a cannon was quite slim. Unlike someone else, who had enough room to enjoy a week-long vacation on the sun.In fact, even in London, British native publications felt the pressure from the cheap French publications. Selling two copies for seven pence was unsustainable, especially without considering advertising revenue. The two papers barely turned a profit.

    However, these two papers had the backing of the French "Scientific Truth" and "French Businessman" publications. It was said that Mr. Newington, a director of "French Businessman," stated during a board meeting:

    "Britain is a new market, and at this point, the most critical thing for our newspapers is not profitability, but gaining market share as much as possible. Gentlemen, if we can temporarily make less money, even temporarily not make any money, or even incur small losses, to force ourpetitors to make significant losses or even go bankrupt, then these losses will be worthwhile and should be seen as sessful investments.

    Gentlemen, once traditional British publications, under our attack, go bankrupt one after another and finally exit the market, do you still worry that we can''t make money? At that time, all advertisements will only be published here, to be widely known. All parliament members, whether from the Whigs or the Tories, will have to go through us to make their voices widely heard. Do you still worry about not making money?"

    Of course, the British were well aware of the danger this situation posed. However, at this time, the UK had not yet formed a massive media trust. To be more precise, the UK was still in the ssic era ofissez-faire capitalism, with the stars not yet aligned in the right positions. Monopolistic organizations with their countless tentacles hadn''t had a chance to fully form. And then suddenly, they found themselves facing an unexpected supernatural invasion.

    Only nuclear weapons could counter nuclear weapons, only breeder reactors could counter breeder reactors, only the former dominators could counter the former dominators, and only a trust could counter a trust.

    Relying solely on those British newspapers to fight individually, none of them would be a match for the French media trusts. So, on the day Fei Jin left Paris, a group of British newspapers gathered in London and held a sessful and victorious meeting, announcing the establishment of an organization called the "Ennd News Alliance." On the same day, the "Ennd News Alliance" dered that the assets under the alliance would undergo optimization, with many poorly performing newspapers being gradually closed down. Some inadequate staff would be removed, and the resources would be concentrated to create new newspapers - "The Times Review" and "Ennd Economic Observer."

    Clearly, these two newspapers were directpetitors to the two newspapers of the "Seven Pence Alliance."

    In addition to the owners of several existing newspapers, some gentlemen from other industries also joined the alliance and invested in it. The highest-ranking investor in the alliance was the former British Prime Minister, Little Pitt.

    One well-known fact was that Little Pitt was broke. Due to previous investment failures, Little Pitt was a notorious debtor. So many people spected that the money Little Pitt had invested was probably lent to him by the King.

    With Little Pitt''s involvement, this alliance naturally leaned towards the Tory party.

    As soon as such a Tory-leaning media alliance emerged, it raised rm bells for the Whigs. Although this "Ennd News Alliance" seemed to be targeting the French "Seven Pence Alliance," they were still not as deadly a threat to the French as they were to the Whigs.

    Just as scattered British media couldn''tpete with the "Seven Pence Alliance" in the past, now that media leaning towards the Tory party had formed arge alliance, they might not be able to immediately repel the French, but they could easily crush the remaining small newspapers that leaned towards the Whigs.

    So, a few dayster, another media alliance, the "Ennd Free News Alliance," was also established in London. Perhaps due to the rushed formation, most of its organizational regtions were copied from the "Ennd News Alliance."

    The main instigator was Charles James Fox, the leader of the Whigs, and he had the support of several wealthy individuals behind him.

    As a result, Ennd''s news battlefield suddenly had three major yers.

    "Mr. Fox is a very interesting person. In terms of ideology, he is closer to the French, and even more so to the Jacobins. During the American Revolution, he openly praised the people of North America for resisting tyranny. When we beheaded Louis XVI, he openly said in parliament that it was Louis XVI''s own fault. Such an extreme stance caused him to lose many friends and gave the Tories the upper hand in parliament. In fact, many Tory members of parliament who had originally been Whigs became Tories because of ideological differences with him.

    Well, this guy is an excellent orator and debater. In parliamentary debates, he has never been at a disadvantage, and anyone who confronts him will be left speechless. However, when ites to voting, he has almost never seeded.

    Due to his pro-French stance, this time, there are some textile merchants and steam engine businessmen behind his alliance. However, overall, his alliance is still far from matching the ''Ennd News Alliance.'' Joseph, Napoleon, I think we can offer them some support. Let''se up with a conspiracy against the ''Ennd News Alliance,'' using the discovery you made, Joseph, which hasn''t been made public yet."

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 Chapter 249: Closing the Door, Trouble-Making Lady

    Chapter 249: Closing the Door, Trouble-Making Lady

    What Lucien mentioned as a new discovery referred to the identification of pathogenic bacteria.

    Bacteria had been discovered quite early, as far back as 1702 when Dutch scientist Leven Hook used his own invention, the microscope, to spot these microorganisms. However, at the time, people didn''t connect bacteria with diseases. Moreover, due to their colorless and transparent nature, even with microscopes, you could barely see faint shadows caused by the refracted light due to bacteria''s movements. This made it impossible to discern the structure or quantity of bacteria urately.

    For a long time, the discovery of bacteria, apart from being an interesting topic for discussion, held little significance.

    Since the rtionship between bacteria and diseases couldn''t be established, techniques like disinfection and sterilization remained non-existent. In earlier wars, Joseph, under the pretext of finding an old medieval note about barbarians in the East using boiled cloth for bandaging to reduce fever and suppuration in wounded soldiers, had initiated experiments. Although this imcked scientific evidence, it was worth verifying.

    The results were astonishing. Using boiled and sun-dried cloth for dressing wounds instead of untreated materials significantly reduced the chances of infection and death among the wounded.

    Though the cause remained unknown, the efficacy of this method prompted its widespread adoption throughout France when Napoleon became the First Consul. Even "The Lancet" magazine noted this practice.

    Joseph believed, "Existence is reasonable." If this method proved effective, there must be scientific reasons behind it yet to be discovered. So, Joseph offered a prize of five thousand francs to encourage schrs to delve into the scientific principles behind this discovery.

    Not long ago, Joseph''s Irish student, Carol, with Joseph''s guidance, achieved a significant breakthrough.

    "My teacher had a suspicion," Carol recounted, "he suspected that wounds, ulcers, and fevers were caused by some kind of parasitic organism. These parasites were minuscule, perhaps even smaller than mites, making them invisible to the naked eye. Mr. Leven Hook had once used a microscope to discover some very tiny creatures. My teacher suspected that these might be the culprits behind wound ulcers, fever, and other ailments.If my conjecture is correct, these creatures must proliferate abundantly in the pus-filled ulcers of wounds. It''s just that these creatures are colorless and transparent, making them invisible. We can''t even determine their numbers. If only we could make them opaque, give them color!"

    Inspired by this idea, Carol continued, "Why not try dyeing these tiny creatures with some dye or pigment?"

    Napoleon was impressed by this suggestion and encouraged Carol to pursue research in this direction. He told Carol, "I believe you can be Irnd''s pride in the realm of science."

    Under Napoleon''s encouragement, Carol faced numerous failures while attempting various dyes. However, his persistence paid off in the end, just as Napoleon had predicted, "Opportunity always favors the prepared mind."

    With the development of bacteria staining techniques, the rtionship between bacteria and various infections became evident.

    Within a little over a week of acquiring this new technique, Carol identified dozens of pathogenic bacteria, including Clostridium tetani and Staphylocus aureus. Building upon this discovery, Carol wrote a paper and submitted it to the French Academy of Sciences.

    It was an era-defining revtion, but Lucien suggested postponing the publication of this paper.

    Lucien said, "Joseph, ask your student to refine the paper. I don''t believe the evidence is strong enough. We need clinical data to support it. Let''s establish a strict disinfection protocol in a French hospital and record the infection rates. Then, select a British hospital, preferably one with Tory and Anglican affiliations, topare their infection and mortality rates under simr conditions."

    He further borated, "We will first publish an article in ''The Lancet'' titled ''Experiments in French Hospitals.'' We''ll introduce this effective method asing from historical records of nomadic Eastern tribes. Then, we can present Carol''s parasitic hypothesis andpare the infection and mortality rates between our hospitals and British hospitals."

    "The Lancet" had a limited readership, and this article wouldn''t cause much of a stir. That''s exactly what we needed. We''d wait for a month and then have "The Truth of Science" report it in their popr science section. We''d point out how, after a month of "The Lancet" introducing the effective French method, the British medical establishment remained unresponsive to such a life-and-death matter. Lucien continued, "This report is bound to irk those British fellows. Next, we''ll have ''The London Businessman'' publish an article analyzing it from an economic perspective, concluding that it''s more cost-effective for the British to let the lower sses die than invest in improving hospital conditions."

    Continuing, they nned to involve "The Sun" and "Charlie the Woodpecker" to mock and satirize the situation with the sharpestnguage, igniting a massive debate. They aimed to keep this argument going for about a month, creating various spectacles to let the British perform to their full potential. Then, they would have "Nature" and other publications under their influence join the fray.

    Napoleon interjected, "Lancet is a bimonthly, and the next issue is about to be published. In this issue of ''The Lancet,'' we''ll introduce conclusive evidence, your student''s paper, topletely defeat them."

    "We''ll start by creating a bigger wave, ideally undermining the entire field of British medicine, even luring the Royal Society to endorse the British Medical Association, then we, as a team, will bring them down. We''ll tarnish their reputation, both in the British media and the Royal Society," Napoleon added. "To stir up the Brits further, and make them act crazier, I have a suggestion..."

    At this point, Napoleon suddenly paused, looked at Joseph, and said, "Well, it''s just a suggestion. If it''s not feasible, we can discuss it together."

    Joseph, frowning, responded, "Napoleon, what are you talking about? It''s just us brothers here. There''s nothing we can''t discuss. Spit it out, and stop beating around the bush!"

    Napoleon hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I have a suggestion... If it''s not eptable, just forget I mentioned it."

    Joseph insisted, "Enough with the preambles, get to the point!"

    Napoleon cautiously began, "I think Lucien''s n, with a few adjustments, could be refined. We can have Pauline and my sister-inw...�� Here, he stole a quick nce at Joseph, who didn''t seem angry. Napoleon proceeded, "Send Pauline and my sister-inw to London for a visit, and as part of a charity activity, they can donate to a particr British hospital. Since it''s charity, we can choose a hospital with poorer conditions.

    Then, the controversial article in ''The Truth of Science'' can be written by Pauline under her pseudonym. The British won''t tolerate a woman pointing fingers and giving them a hard time. They will react even more vigorously. Let Pauline engage in a war of words with them... Pauline can be as sharp and sarcastic as she likes, irresponsible even. Other newspapers can follow suit, ridiculing the British for theirck of scientific literacypared to a woman. This is amusing, even more so than theedies of Moli��re... Well... Joseph, if you don''t think it''s a good idea, we cane up with another n."

    Joseph replied, "Why not? I think it''s a good n. But, why involve Fanny? Why don''t you let Pauline do it herself? After all, she''s the one with a knack for causing trouble. Let her be her true self. Of course, this should be done with Pauline''s consent. She must do it willingly... Now, who''s going to talk to her about this?"

    Napoleon immediately shifted his gaze to Lucien.

    Lucien retorted, "Why me?" He knew well that getting that trouble-makingdy to agree to this n wouldn''t pose any difficulty. However, if he personally broached the topic, and in case thedy went overboard and caused trouble, leading to their mother''s inquiries, considering the brothers'' consistent partiality, he was almost certain they''d ce all the me squarely on him.

    Lucien protested, "You should know what I mean. It''s just us brothers here, so why are you all being so secretive? Just spill it, already!"

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 Chapter 250: Paulinas Journey

    Chapter 250: Paulina''s Journey

    The decision to release the mischievous troublemaker was final. Joseph returned to hisboratory, while Napoleon and Lucien boarded a carriage back to Paris.

    "Joseph is truly...remarkably cunning," Napoleon suddenly remarked.

    "Indeed. If we could persuade my sister and Paulina to go together, it would relieve us of much post-incident work. It''s mainly your fault, Napoleon. Your suggestion was so hesitant, it raised his suspicions. me it all on you, Napoleon!" Lucien grumbled.

    "That suggestion should havee from you. You''re the professional deceiver!"

    "It''s precisely because I''m a professional that I couldn''t be the one to suggest it. Joseph is so cunning, and I specialize in such matters. If I had proposed it, he would have seen right through me. In the end... it''s Joseph''s cunning that''s the issue!"

    "You''re right. It''s not our ipetence; it''s really Joseph''s cunning!" The brothers quickly reached an agreement on this matter.

    As for convincing the troublemaker, it was a simple task. Lucien had only just initiated the conversation when Paulina immediately said, "Sure, I''m bored anyway. Can I go alone?"

    "I''ll arrange for a few people to apany you," Lucien replied. Sending the troublemaker alone would be too much trouble.

    "Get ready; tomorrow I''ll take you somewhere for a special training session. After all, we need to prepare since you''re going abroad," Lucien said."Special training? Great! Do they have revolver training? I want to dual-wield..."

    "Shut up. We''re not sending you to Louisiana!" After saying this, Lucien paused for a moment and continued, "But, there is some basic weapon training. Surprisingly, London doesn''t have the best security."

    "Oh, by the way, can I bring someone along?"

    "Anyone except my sister is fine," Lucien replied.

    A weekter, the tall and slender Paulina, dressed in men''s hunting attire, exuded a confident air. She even brought a petite and graceful femalepanion. They were apanied by a group of burly bodyguards as they boarded a ship bound for Ennd in Cis. In their wake, there were a dozen luggage porters and a few empty-handed servants.

    Just as Paulina stepped onto the ship, Captain Denis approached.

    "Mr. Crystelle, wee aboard. Would you like to see your cabin?" Denis asked courteously.

    "You can take my servants to see it. As for me, I''ll walk on this deck. Don''t bother me unless it''s necessary," Paulina replied in a deliberately deeper voice, but it still sounded somewhat tender, as if she hadn''tpletely finished her voice change.

    Captain Denis didn''t know who this "Mr. Crystelle" really was, but judging by his demeanor and the fact that he had chartered the entire ship, he figured that "Mr. Crystelle" muste from a wealthy and influential family. In the now-stable France, wealth equated to status.

    "Emma, I remember you always had a dream. You wanted to stand at the front of a ship, spread your arms, and feel like you were soaring, right? Now''s your chance. Let''s go to the bow," he said, encouraging her.

    Then, Paulina turned and noticed her four-wheeled carriage being securely fastened, lifted by a crane, and carried to the deck. She furrowed her brows and told the people nearby, "Anderson, make them work faster. I don''t want to stay at the harbor waiting for them until it gets dark."

    Since "Mr. Crystelle" was dissatisfied, the pace of loading and preparations clearly picked up. Half an hourter, the ship departed from Cis.

    "Mr. Crystelle" wasn''t a stranger to sea travel, but Emma, hispanion, had never been on a sea voyage. So "Mr. Crystelle" used this opportunity to show off a bit in front of her and eventually took Emma to the ship''s bow.

    "Emma, do you see that statue?" "Mr. Crystelle" pointed to the figurehead at the bow and prodded, "Let''s climb up there..."

    Two dayster, the ship arrived in London. "Mr. Crystelle" disembarked, hopped into his luxurious four-wheeled carriage brought all the way from France, and headed straight for the small country house that Lucien had arranged on the outskirts of London for her.

    "Mr. Crystelle" rested there for a day and, the following day, set off on a whirlwind tour of London with hispanion, all the while beginning to write articles for the literary section of the "Science of Truth Journal."

    The "Science of Truth Journal" had a good reputation in most areas, but its literary section was an exception. This section often published articles from individuals who fancied themselves as great writers, though in reality, their works were no better than essays by talented middle school students.

    However, these individuals typically had money, status, or both, and they believed themselves to be literary geniuses. The journal''s editors couldn''t afford to offend these contributors, so they published their works. As a result, the literary section of the "Science of Truth Journal" had a reputation not much better than the literary section of "The Sun" newspaper.

    This situation, fortunately, was limited to the French version of the "Science of Truth Journal" at least up to that point. The German and English versions hadn''t faced such issues yet, mainly because the individuals who made the editors of the French version uneasy were primarily French writers.

    However, this luck came to an end. After a day of gallivanting around London, "Mr. Crystelle" handed over the first part of her "London Journal" to the editors of the "Science of Truth Journal." These editors immediately worked overnight to trante it into English, polish it, edit it, and even create new content. Once "Mr. Crystelle" left the UK, her journal was ready for serialization in the "Science of Truth Journal."

    To be honest, the quality of Paulina''s journal was slightly better than that of an above-average middle school essay. However, after the editors'' efforts, the quality improved, especially in the English version, which ended up surpassing the French version.

    But these matters were of no concern to "Mr. Crystelle" now. She was busy causing havoc everywhere.

    The next day, "Mr. Crystelle" had a verbal confrontation with the London police over their excessive use of violence against beggars. Her bodyguards intervened, preventing her from experimenting with a recently acquired skill on one of the officers.

    On the third day, "Mr. Crystelle" visited a charitable hospital run by the Church of Ennd and donated 500 pounds. However, a dispute erupted between her and the hospital''s doctors over various medical techniques and procedures. "Mr. Crystelle" even had her entourage demonstrate the correct medical procedures to them. However, from the hospital''s director down to the nurses, everyone thought that this French child was utterly insane. Nevertheless, her money wasn''t rejected.

    In the following days, "Mr. Crystelle" visited several more hospitals, made donations, and promoted what she imed were the correct medical procedures.

    "Really, The Lancet has been advocating these techniques for a while now! Why are you Britons so behind?" Arrogant "Mr. Crystelle" even spoke rudely to James, the director of the "Charity Hospital," who was also a member of the British Medical Association.

    James couldn''t tolerate this insult and retorted, "We have indeed seen the articles in The Lancet, but we consider them tock any scientific basis. The Lancet elevates superstitions of a bunch of barbarians to gospel. It''s a disgrace to the reputation of scientific journals."

    And so, "Mr. Crystelle" and Dr. James engaged in a heated discussion about the standards of discerning truth. They finally reached an agreement on one thing: "That guy is a fool."

    A weekter, "Mr. Crystelle" finally left the UK. Shortly after her departure, her journal, "Paulina''s Travels," began serialization in the "Science of Truth Journal."

    In the English version of the "Science of Truth Journal," Paulina used the pen name she had always used: Crystelle. Right from the first part of her journal, she began writing about her experiences in London, disguised as a man. In the first part of her journal, she highly praised Ennd''s achievements in science and literature, expressing sincere admiration.

    A French woman writing a journal while dressed as a man��it was intriguing to say the least. Even before considering the content of the journal, this fact alone was enough to pique the interest of many readers. Moreover, in the first part of her journal, she spoke highly of Ennd''s contributions to the progress of human civilization. This naturally made English readers more intrigued, as people tend to enjoy hearingpliments. In fact, in the future, some countries'' media even preferred to deliberately invite foreigners to praise their nation in order to reminisce about the golden era.

    However, the subsequent content began to leave certain English readers dissatisfied. Firstly, there were detailed descriptions of Ennd''s vast wealth disparity. Crystelle meticulously depicted the extravagant lifestyles of the wealthy in Ennd and the shocking poverty of the lower sses. She dramatically portrayed the double standards exhibited by the English police when dealing with the wealthy and the destitute. She subtly implied her French pride.

    This journal became a subject of debate. Some agreed with Crystelle that she was right, highlighting the unfairness of Ennd''s system, with themon people consistently getting the short end of the stick. Others believed it was a malicious attack on Ennd. While they acknowledged the wealth gap, they argued that it was an issue shared with France. Furthermore, they contended thatpared to the French, the English people enjoyed greater freedom��freedom to umte wealth and freedom to go bankrupt.

    "We have much more freedom than the French," these individuals imed.

    ....

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 Chapter 251: Debate

    Chapter 251: Debate

    Amidst such debates, the subsequent installments of the travelogue continued to be published. This time, the content of the travelogue began to touch upon the healthcare system.

    In this entry, Miss Crystelle first praised the charitable efforts of the Anglican Church in establishing hospitals. Shepared this to the performance of the Catholic Church in France before the Revolution and called for the French Catholic Church to learn from the good practices of other churches, including the Anglican Church, to avoid repeating their past mistakes. (Marmon was a god from some ancient Middle Eastern religions,ter demonized by the Jews after they had conquered Canaan. In the Bible, Jesus said that a servant cannot serve two masters at the same time, nor can one follow God and Marmon simultaneously.)

    This part, of course, delighted some English readers, but it left others rather displeased. Especially when Miss Crystelle promptly donated 500 pounds to support the Anglican Church''s good deeds, some of them felt like reaching through the newspaper to grab her hand, saying, "Kind and naive Miss Crystelle, you have no idea how treacherous people can be! When ites to worshiping Marmon, they aren''t any different from the pre-Revolution French Catholics. The only thing they''ve excelled at beyond the French Catholics is hypocrisy. Give them that money, and not a pound of it will reach the poor; the rest will be squandered on their mistresses. It''d be better to give it to me..."

    However, the following part changed the mood of both groupspletely. This was because Miss Crystelle began describing the unbelievably filthy conditions in British hospitals.

    "The wards were damp and dimly lit, akin to a tomb. Even though it was daytime, it took me quite a while to adjust my eyes when I entered the ward. Once my eyes had adapted, my heart couldn''t.

    This was no hospital ward; it was more like a garbage dump. The floor was littered with sewage, and blood-soaked bandages were scattered everywhere. Clusters of green-headed flies clung to them, and when a nurse passed by, they buzzed up like a cloud of smoke.

    Apart from the flies, rats scurried all around. There was one patient �C dear Lord, it was horrifying �C he had arge piece of his lower lip missing, supposedly bitten off by rats during the night. It was truly horrific.

    But that''s not the worst part. The doctors here seemed to have no concept of hygiene. Their work clothes were stained with blood and other unmentionable filth, and the rough fabric, due to the dirt, had taken on a leathery sheen.

    If a doctor dared to show up in such a dirty state at a French hospital, what do you think would happen? Well, during our war with the Austrians, I volunteered to assist, along with other great women, in caring for the wounded in our military hospital. There, we wouldn''t even let ourselves get as dirty as they appear, and if a doctor forgot to thoroughly sterilize his surgical tools in boiling water, Dean Hanmer might have used those tools on him.So, I cautiously inquired whether there were many cases of infections, fevers, and deaths in the hospital. To my dismay, Mr. Owen, the Deputy Head of the Hospital, confirmed my suspicions. He told me that most patients brought to the hospital for treatment had little hope of returning home healthy. Often, their families had already prepared their funerals before they even arrived. As for those who underwent surgery and bled, less than one out of ten was likely to survive.

    Mr. Owen further informed me that the condition of hospitals in Britain, and indeed hospitals worldwide, was no different. He emphasized that the state of hospitals in Britain was among the best in the world.

    After leaving Grace Hospital, I immediately sent Mr. Pierre to buy a copy of The Lancet and sent it to Mr. Owen. Mr. Pierre suggested that we buy several copies because the situation at Grace Hospital might not be an isted case, and it was clear that The Lancet had limited influence in Britainpared to its prominence in France''s medicalmunity. Therefore, many doctors and hospital administrators had probably not seen the paper I referred to.

    As it turned out, Mr. Pierre''s concerns were well-founded. Over the following days, I visited several other hospitals in Britain, only to discover that each one was no different from Grace Hospital �C and they were all unfamiliar with The Lancet''s influence."

    After going around in circles, I believed that Dr. Owen should have finished reading the paper from The Lancet. An elder scientist wrote the introduction to this paper, stating that while itcked theoretical evidence, it was a reasonable hypothesis. Because it had shown excellent practical results, it held significant value for promotion and discussion. I thought Dr. Owen would agree with this perspective and implement some improvements based on this experience.

    However, when I returned to Grace Hospital, I found that nothing had changed from a few days ago. I, being impatient by nature, went to find Deputy Head Dr. Owen. He informed me that he had indeed read the paper from The Lancet, and despite the eminent Dr. Lavasie writing an introduction for it, the author of the paper was an unknown figure. He believed the entire paper was spective andcked theoretical evidence, and thus he couldn''t ce his trust in it.

    We had a heated argument, and Dr. Owen told me that the decision was not in his hands but in the hands of Dr. James, the hospital director. Moreover, Dr. James was a director of the British Medical Association. If I wanted to change the rules in all of Britain''s hospitals, it was best to convince Dr. James.

    So, I went to see Dr. James, but he disyed immense stubbornness. He insisted that the paper in The Lancet was baseless and that our hospital''s data was utterly unreliable. He even criticized the credentials of the esteemed Dr. Lavasie, who had highly praised the paper. It seemed he suspected that we were putting forth these ''heretical ideas'' merely to damage the reputation of the British medicalmunity...

    In summary, Dr. James and I had a major argument, and he eventually threw me out. Admittedly, I must confess that I might have gotten a bit carried away during this encounter. However, Dr. James was just too obstinate, not even agreeing to perform a controlled experiment ording to the French experience. I had heard many people say that the English were exceptionally stubborn, and today, it seemed that this im might hold some truth...

    This travelogue, upon its publication, sparked a debate far surpassing any previous entry.

    Those in support of Miss Crystelle naturally attacked the Anglican Church, the Medical Association, using them of caring only for money and not the lives of the people. Those against Miss Crystelle and The Lancet attacked her from various angles.

    Some used Miss Crystelle of boasting,beling her a young girl who imed to have served in a military hospital and knew the great Lavasie �C "Is her next story going to be that she dines regrly with Napoleon?"

    Some even mocked The Lancet for believing in the sorcery of savages.

    In essence, the newspapers of the "English News League" sided against Miss Crystelle, defending the ''medical dignity'' of Britain, while the "English Freedom News League" stood in support of Miss Crystelle. However, they didn''t seem particrly concerned about whether The Lancet''s ims were urate. They were more focused on the systemic issues that continually disadvantaged themon people in Britain.

    Following this, "The Sun" newspaper joined the fray. In response to "The Times" questioning Miss Crystelle''s identity, "The Sun" leveraged its expertise in digging up personal information and thoroughly introduced who Miss Crystelle really was to the British public.

    Miss Crystelle''s identity was not well-known in Ennd, but in France, at least within artistic circles, many people were familiar with her. So "The Sun" quickly exposed Miss Crystelle''s true identity.

    Then the British people discovered that the notorious French author, "Crystelle," was even more legendary than she boasted. She was the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul of France, and the sister of France''s greatest scientist, Joseph Bonaparte. She had once personally nted the victorious g on a fortress newly reimed from the enemy on the battlefield and participated in nursing wounded soldiers as the sister of General Napoleon. The soldiers hailed her as the "Toulon Saint." As for her acquaintance with Lavasie, given her brother''s friendship with Lavasie, wasn''t that entirely normal? Some even quipped, "Miss Crystelle does indeed dine with the First Consul quite often."

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 Chapter 252: The Order of the Holy Maidens

    Chapter 252: The Order of the Holy Maidens

    The expose in the "Sun Gazette" had an unexpected consequence - it brought about a curious surge in British fans of our very own Parisian saint, Paulina. A group of upper-ss teenage girls, infused with youthful enthusiasm, started collecting Paulina''s works. They imitated her by donning men''s clothing and riding horses with regr saddles (since women at that time used side-saddles). They even took up fox hunting and ventured into entertainment establishments with their audacious behavior!

    This trend led to some conservative British gentlemen grumbling, "Someday, when we march into Paris and capture the entire Bonaparte family, the girl named Paulina must be bound and burned as a heretic! Others, we can forgive, but that Paulina, she must pay!"

    On the flip side, Paulina''s sharp, sarcastic, and often mncholic articles, some of which were inspired by her elder brother''s creativity, found their way into the hearts of young, upper-ss British enthusiasts. Some even idolized her.

    One particrly ardent teenager published a statement in a newspaper called "Voice of the People" (a small-cirction publication, so cing such a deration there was quite economical). He dered his intention to establish a sacred order: the Order of the Holy Maidens, dedicated to defending the honor of Paulina, and waging a relentless war against those "unfit-for-humans heaps of vile filth" who dared nder their beloved "Holy Maiden."

    To everyone''s astonishment, this so-called "Order of the Holy Maidens" was indeed established, boasting some remarkably dedicated young enthusiasts. Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, those best of friends, had both joined the Order in their youth. Byron was a ripe old age of 11 at that time, and Shelley was a mere 8 years old. They yearned for a chance to join the fray, with Byron regretting his rtivelyte birth.

    Paulina''s newfound fame also brought her brother, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Joseph into the British spotlight. It wasn''t that the British were entirely ignorant of Napoleon and Joseph, but the radiant aura surrounding Paulina allowed the British to see them from a different perspective. They realized, "By Jove, this is a true legend!"

    However, this was all in the future. In the present, the revtion of Paulina''s true identity only intensified the ongoing debate.

    The conservatives seized this opportunity to use Paulina of having ulterior motives with her travel ounts: "Paulina is the sister of France''s First Consul. Her actions must be influenced by Napoleon''s scheming, intended to malign Ennd or even divide it. Do some people still naively think that just because we are at peace with France, we are now good pals? Do they believe the French suddenly harbor warm feelings for us? This is a French plot!"

    In response, the liberals retorted, "Just because the person raising this issue is French, does it mean the issue is non-existent? Does Miss Bonaparte believe that two plus two equals three, and if we disagree, it''s unpatriotic? Facts are facts and they won''t harm Ennd. In fact, turning a blind eye and burying our heads in the sand, denying the existence of the lion, is the greatest harm to Ennd. Do the gentlemen of The Times not grasp such a simple truth? Must we really bury our heads in the sand to protect our nation?"Meanwhile, the more radical tabloids, driven by their high cover prices and small readerships, openly spected that the upper echelons were attacking Paulina because she had uncovered their nefarious schemes.

    "For years, Ennd''s reactionary rulers have relentlessly exploited the country''s workers, both men and women, whether adults or children. The poor were ruthlessly bled dry, and when they lost their value as a workforce, they were seen as useless trash, eager to be eliminated efficiently. Hospitals, especially those hypocritical Anglican hospitals, aren''t meant to help or save the poor. They''re instruments for the systematic, effective extermination of the impoverished masses, who had lost their value as exploitedbor and were now a destabilizing factor in Ennd!

    This is why Miss Bonaparte, by pointing out these problems and proposing improvements that don''t even require much effort, had her ideas shot down and faced continuous attacks. She unearthed the truths that certain individuals had always wanted to keep hidden!"

    This brings to mind Miss Bonaparte''s earlier fairy tale, "The Emperor''s New Clothes." Today, Miss Bonaparte is the child in her own story, boldly dering, "The king is wearing nothing!" And there are those deceivers in Ennd who wish to silence this child, hoping we''ll believe that we''re all fools. Yes, we were deceived before, but now, the people of Ennd have awakened!

    Some more proactive individuals, like Charles James Fox, the leader of the Whig Party, published an article in the "English News Review," stating, "I''m not entirely sure about Miss Bonaparte''s ims and the theories in ''The Lancet.'' But I strongly support Miss Bonaparte''s statement, ''Experiment is the ultimate test of theory.'' Therefore, we n to call upon all those interested in resolving this issue. We''ll pool our resources to construct a new hospital. In this hospital, we''ll strictly follow ''The Lancet''s'' rmendations andpare our results with those of traditional hospitals to determine the truth!"

    Mr. Fox was a man of action. Following this call, within a matter of days, he transformed a rented warehouse into a French-style hospital. He was candid about the fact that many of his hospital staff were from continental Europe.

    "I believe that Death doesn''t retreat merely because a doctor is French, nor does he swarm forward just because a doctor is English. If someone thinks that way, they are truly discriminating against all of Ennd. My decision to employ continental European doctors and healthcare workers in this hospital is purely to save time on staff training, to arrive at conclusions as swiftly as possible."

    But the decisive blow came soon enough. Nearly a month passed since the heated debates, and it was time for the new edition of "The Lancet" to be published.

    Contrary to the previously deste state of its readership, in this month of debates, "The Lancet" had be a household name in Ennd. So, as the new edition of "The Lancet" was about to be released, almost the entire English media watched with bated breath to see how "The Lancet" would respond to the earliermotion.

    However, "The Lancet" made an announcement: due to some "technical" reasons, the release of the new edition would be postponed.

    This news immediately sparked a whirlwind of excitement and turmoil. Conservative media outlets seized the opportunity, ridiculing "The Lancet" for its dy, iming that "their lies couldn''t be spun any longer, and they''re scared." On the other hand, liberal media outlets argued that the existing evidence was sufficient, and the fellows at the English News Alliance were grasping at straws. But, in terms of sheer volume, at this time, the voices of the English News Alliance clearly had the upper hand.

    As for the "Seven-Penny Alliance," they positioned themselves as having no vested interest and imed to be solely focused on the facts. However, their stance was also perceived by the English News Alliance''s newspapers as a sign of guilt.

    So, after almost two more weeks had passed, just when the folks at the English News Alliance were getting ready to celebrate, the new edition of "The Lancet" finally saw the light of day.

    This edition of "The Lancet" was surprisingly thick, almost three to four times its usual size, resembling a thick book. In the preface of this edition of "The Lancet," the editor exined the reason for the dy:

    "In this edition, we have the privilege of being the first to publish a groundbreaking medical treatise, ''A Study on the Rtionship between Bacteria and Various Diseases.'' This is a magnificent work, a pioneering piece that we believe to be the ''Principia Mathematica of Natural Philosophy'' in the field of medicine. In this extraordinary piece, Dr. Carroll reveals the causes of a series of deadly diseases, including ''cholera'' and ''typhoid fever.'' To prevent contracting these diseases and others like them, as well as to effectively cure them, he has opened a crucial gateway.

    However, the scope of this treatise (I prefer to call it a magnum opus) is quite substantial, and it delves into many areas of specialized knowledge. Reviewing it, tranting it urately into English, is no easy task. This is why we had to postpone the publication of this edition of ''The Lancet.'' But as Miss Crystelle said in her works, ''Many beautiful things are worth waiting for.''"

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 Chapter 253: We Must Surrender First

    Chapter 253: We Must Surrender First

    The prologue might say this or that, but what truly matters is whether the following paper lives up to the praise. So, an eager crowd of readers wasted no time flipping to the heart of the matter.

    In this paper, the author began by expressing gratitude to his mentor, Mr. Joseph Bonaparte, for providing guidance. Then, he delved into the intricacies of identifying various bacteria through staining techniques. Following that, he presented the analysis and categorization of samples collected from wounds, blood, saliva, feces, and more from different patients. Animal experiments were conducted, followed by a summary and future outlook. The paper culminated with the name of the first author, Carol O''Haff, and the corresponding author''s names, including Joseph Bonaparte and Antoine Lavasie.

    The structure of the paper wasn''t overlyplex, but its content was rich and thought-provoking. If the English people were to validate the contents of this paper, it would likely take a considerable amount of time. However, when theyid eyes on this paper, even the members of the "Ennd News Alliance" and, surprisingly, the British Medical Association, who had been vehemently against the French, realized that the results they sought were unlikely to align with their expectations.

    In fact, when the spective article from "Young Lord Chris" arrived in "The Lancet," Dean James had already been about 70% convinced of this hypothesis. His earlier strong opposition wasn''t due to disbelief but because it threatened the interests of the British Medical Association.

    If this viewpoint were acknowledged, it meant that their hospitals and these doctors should be held ountable for the deaths of patients within the hospital. While this responsibility didn''t carry legal ramifications, it wouldn''t be far-fetched for someone to send them to jail or have thempensate the deceased''s families. However, even a mere moral responsibility would tarnish their reputation.

    Moreover, the loss wouldn''t be limited to just a "moral responsibility." If "The Lancet" viewpoint was acknowledged, it indicated that British medicinegged far behind the European maind. This was not merely a matter of prestige; it had direct financial implications.

    Let''s not forget that wealthy individuals who fell ill might not visit the hospitals, but they''d still summon doctors to their homes for treatment. However, if these revtions from "The Lancet" were epted, and hospitals were improved ordingly, leading to better treatment oues, how would the wealthy perceive it?

    Wouldn''t they believe that British medicine had significantly fallen behindpared to France? When they needed medical attention, wouldn''t they prefer to summon French doctors, followed by European maind doctors and those who had studied in France, leaving native British doctors as ast resort? And without a doubt, the fees for medical visits would be arranged in the same order. This was tantamount to turning the esteemed British doctors into mere chatans.

    Such a scenario was uneptable. If it urred, who would be willing to pay for the qualifications of the British Medical Association? Therefore, even if the paupers in the hospital perished, such a situation could not be allowed!So, Dean James immediately informed the British Medical Association and rmended that they convene a meeting to discuss countermeasures. In this meeting, everyone unanimously agreed that the spections in "The Lancet" were groundless heresy, and any doctor daring to act upon its rmendations should have their medical license revoked.

    However, now, all their efforts, all their resistance, in the face of this paper, crumbled like a beetle blocking the path of a carriage wheel.

    The members of the British Medical Association weren''t worried about how the paupers might react; most of them were illiterate and had no time to ponder these issues. Moreover, they were rather gullible and could be easily deceived. But the wealthy were a different story. They cared deeply about their health, were willing to spend on it, and, most importantly, possessed enough knowledge and intellect to understand this paper and make judgments that genuinely served their interests. And how would they choose? There was no need to ask.

    So, when Dr. James saw this paper in "The Lancet," he felt a shiver down his spine. His legs grew weak, and he could hardly stand. He slowly moved to the edge of his chair, sat down cautiously, as if afraid that any sudden movement might break something.

    Sitting on the chair, Dr. James tightened his coat and, with a tinge of hope, reread the paper, but his anxiety was so overpowering that his eyes blurred, and the words on the journal became hard to read. After a long while, he managed to make out a single word written all over the pages: "Bankruptcy!"

    Dr. James eximed in horror and flung "The Lancet" to the floor, startling his assistant, Emms, who rushed upstairs.

    "Dr. James, what''s wrong with you?" Emms'' voice was filled with rm.

    "Nothing... nothing," Dr. James attempted to stand up, but his legs were devoid of strength. "I''m just a bit tired. Help me pick up the fallen book, will you?"

    Emms quickly retrieved the book and ced it on Dr. James''s desk.

    "Dr. James, you don''t look well. Are you feeling sick? Should I call a doctor for you?" Emms asked with great care.

    "No need, Emms. I''m a doctor myself, and I know... well, could you fetch me a ss of water?" Dr. James replied.

    Emms promptly poured a ss of water and handed it to Dr. James, who took a sip. A whole ss of warm water finally helped him warm up a bit.

    "Emms, I need to rest here for a while," Dr. James said.

    "Alright, Dr. James, I''ll be outside. Just call me if you need anything," Emms replied.

    Dr. James watched his assistant leave the study and carefully close the door. He couldn''t help but think, "If he knew that my doctor''s status, along with my position as a director of the British Medical Association, would soon be worthless, would he still treat me this way?"

    Emms left the room. Dr. James took a short rest and then struggled to stand. He knew this was a crucial moment; they had to take action immediately, or everything would be lost.

    As he attempted to stand, he heard a soft knock on the door.

    "Is there something?" he asked.

    "Dr. James, President Edward has sent someone to request your immediate presence at the association for an urgent meeting," Emms'' voice came from outside the door.

    "Alright, I''ming," Dr. James replied quickly.

    When Dr. James arrived at the association headquarters, he found most of the directors already present. Their faces were pale, and they were muttering quietly with fear and resentment in their eyes.

    Soon, all the directors were gathered. Such aplete attendance was unusual, as meetings typically had at least one-third of the directors absent, and the rest were usually at least half an hourte.

    "Now that we''re all here, let''s proceed," President Edward said. "You all know the reason for this meeting. The question now is, what should we do?"

    "I think we should start by verifying whether there''s any truth in it," someone hesitated to say.

    "What do you all think?" President Edward asked.

    "Verification is necessary, but I don''t think we should have high hopes. A few days ago, I went to France on President Edward''s request to investigate the situation in some French hospitals."

    "How was it?" several directors inquired.

    "It''s just as they said. Their hospitals are much cleaner... and more importantly, the infection and death rates are much lower. So... concerning verification, we shouldn''t set our hopes too high. The French wouldn''t publish something like this without verification."

    "So, what do we do?" someone asked in panic.

    "We must take action. Find a way to have the police department ban ''The Lancet''?"

    "What nonsense is that? The Jacobins would have a field day. Besides, it''s toote for that now. Doing so will only make more people aware of all this... It''s just... it''s too terrifying!"

    One useless guy even started wailing, and soon, others followed suit. The meeting room echoed with cries, as if the gathering was not a usual meeting but a farewell ceremony to their own bodies. Even President Edward was nearly brought to tears by this atmosphere.

    "Gentlemen, gentlemen," President Edward shouted twice, but no one paid him any attention. Everyone was busy shedding a few tears themselves.

    "p! p!" In desperation, President Edward had to pick up his cane and vigorously pound it on the table. "Stop crying, stop crying! We''re here to find a way to salvage our losses as much as possible, not to cry. If you need to cry, do it at home!"

    Gradually, the sobbing subsided.

    "President, it''s up to you toe up with a solution now," a director, his voice quivering, said.

    "Yes, yes, it''s up to you," more people chimed in.

    President Edward sighed with bitterness and said, "Alright, gentlemen, the fact is the fact, and we have already lost. Let''s not dwell on the past. We need to admit defeat first and surrender to the French, and we need to do it quickly. Just like in a war, the first to surrender always receives some concessions. The French should still need us..."

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 Chapter 254: Passing the Buck

    Chapter 254: Passing the Buck

    Surrendering can be a tricky business, but first, you need to know where to surrender. It''s not like a real battlefield where the enemy is right in front of you, and you can just find a g of some country, cut off the sides, and raise it high.

    But in this battlefield, who should they surrender to in order to ensure the gentlemen''s interests as swiftly and efficiently as possible? That''s the big question. Making the wrong choice, even if it''s just a waste of time, can be quite a nuisance.

    Besides, not everyone on the French side is willing to ept their surrender. If they end up with someone who won''t ept it, like when Ah Q approached a fake foreign devil and said, "I want to surrender to the revolutionary party," they might get a swift "get lost." If they''re too slow to leave, they might even get a few blows to the head.

    At this point, there''s no time to list targets and analyze them one by one. They have to cast a wide, reaching out to anyone who might ept their "surrender." English doctors are sending representatives to express goodwill to them. Of course, a more civilized way to put it would be to "express goodwill."

    In addition to expressing goodwill to the French, they also need to reach a "friendly reconciliation" with those who already maintain goodwill with the French.

    So, all the members of the council are mobilized. President Edward writes down the targets that need immediate visits on a piece of paper, and everyone ims a target to visit.

    Dr. James, after carefully examining the list of targets, notices a name: Charles James Fox.

    He happens to know this prominent Whig party leader, the famousdies'' man. (Rumor has it that he even led the Prince of Wales astray into bing adies'' man.) He had treated Mr. Fox before, and they had conversed. So, he decides to take on this target.

    "Ah, James, you don''t have to pick. You''ll apany me first to the ''Journal of Scientific Truth'' to publish an apology to Miss Bonaparte. After that, we''ll visit the British editorial office of ''The Lancet''..."James knew that this was the most crucial action in this surrender, and, of course, the most difficult and embarrassing one. It was, in fact, initiated by him. So, for this embarrassing task, there was no one more suitable than him. Even if someone else were willing to rece him, he wouldn''t feel at ease because they might end up throwing all the me on him in his absence.

    Thinking about this, he suddenly realized he had been in a daze just now and almost volunteered for something else, giving away this vital position to someone else. At that moment, his heart filled with gratitude towards President Edward.

    With the targets set, they quickly agreed on amon tone. It was to acknowledge that the Royal College of Physicians had made an error, a misjudgment. They admitted they had been too proud and promised to correct this issue. But there were certain things they couldn''t admit:

    First, they couldn''t admit that the Royal College of Physicians had opposed the French scientific hypotheses for reasons of self-interest.

    Second, they couldn''t admit that the Royal College of Physicians had made this mistake due to ack of capability.

    Now it was time for the actual surrender. Firstly, the Royal College of Physicians acknowledged the need to learn from European nations, especially France, in the field of medical technology. In the future, they would annually invite French experts to the UK for lectures and simultaneously send British doctors to France for further training. Though it was nominally called strengthening technical exchange, anyone could see that this implied recognizing France''s authoritative position in medicine.

    Additionally, the Royal College of Physicians would reorganize their structure, allowing foreigners to be members of the College to prevent arrogance and stagnation.

    Lastly, the Royal College of Physicians strongly rmended that hospitals in Ennd follow French standards and undergo reforms under the guidance of French doctors. If a hospital refused such changes, the Royal College of Physicians would advise doctors not to practice there.

    In short, with these measures, the French could quickly establish their dominance in the medicalmunity in the UK using the Royal College of Physicians.

    The n set, everyone hurried off to their respective targets. But as they say, "Don''t count your chickens before they hatch." When President Edward and Dr. James arrived at the "Journal of Scientific Truth" to request an audience with the editor-in-chief, Mr. Mabbe, they were told that Mr. Mabbe was in a meeting and they would have to wait.

    So, they were ushered into an adjacent lounge where tea was served. The waiter prepared to leave, but President Edward stopped him.

    "May I ask who the editor-in-chief is meeting with right now?" he inquired.

    The waiter hesitated a bit. President Edward discreetly slipped a banknote into his hand. The waiter, now motivated, whispered the name, "Bishop White."

    "Uh-oh," President Edward thought to himself.

    Clearly, the Anglicans hade here at this time to deal with the matter of ''The Lancet.'' This is because most of the hospitals involved in the recent controversy had been founded by the Anglicans, and the rest had strong Anglican ties.

    During the heated debate over the past month, the Anglicans had also been drawn into it. Especially when Charles James Fox, who had consistently advocated for the abolition of the Anglican Church''s status as the state religion, joined the discussion. Under Fox''s influence, many more radical individuals even directly imed that the Anglican Church''s hospitals were organized for the systematic elimination of the poor who no longer had any exploitable value.

    The Whig party''s ''English News Review'' was a solemn broadsheet (at least it thought of itself as such) and couldn''t publish spective and unsubstantiated ims. However, it did publish letters from readers. After all, those were the readers'' viewpoints, not the newspaper''s viewpoints. So, the ''Readers'' Letters'' section of the ''English News Review'' became a breeding ground for all sorts of rumors. Although every sensational ''Reader''s Letter'' was followed by the paper''s editor mildly advising and disiming it.

    Once the ''English News Review'' set the tone, other smaller newspapers quickly followed suit. They weren''t the type to worry about maintaining their reputation or pretending to be ''impartial and objective'' as the high-end broadsheets did. They were naturally opinionated media outlets, where attitude mattered more than facts. After all, reporting facts required resources, while showing attitude only required a conscience. Small newspapers, with their limited resources, naturally couldn''t gather many exclusive news stories, and they already found it challenging to gather facts. If they lost their attitude and conscience, what purpose would they serve?

    So, these newspapers churned out a slew of leading prophecies against the Anglicans. Of course, the Anglicans, who were adept at counterattacks, didn''t stay quiet. Inclined toward them, newspapers started retaliating, and this inevitably extended to the French ''scientific conjecture.'' The Anglicans naturally attacked these baseless ''scientific conjectures,'' even raising the issue to the level of the piety of their faith.

    However, God used facts to p the Anglican heretics in the face. In today''s era of growing respect for science, even the Catholic Church no longer dared to recklessly burn scientists at the stake. The Anglicans, too, didn''t dare to directly confront scientific theories that were replicable and verifiable.

    Generally, whenever science made any progress, delving into an area of the unknown, one could always find theologians who had already taken refuge in areas of science that hadn''t yet been understood, proiming, "You see, we''ve been waiting for them here." Then, they''d slyly modify their doctrines, transforming their past truths into allegories and metaphors.

    The Anglicans were no exception to this, butpared to the Royal College of Physicians, the Anglicans had a moreplicated problem. They couldn''t apologize, they couldn''t admit their ignorance. The clergy and scientists were different; scientists never imed to possess the ultimate truth, so making mistakes was normal. But clerics were different; they typically dered themselves to be messengers of revealed truths. People followed them because they believed they possessed the ultimate truth. So, they couldn''t admit mistakes; doing so would be their undoing.

    Since they couldn''t admit mistakes and couldn''t stubbornly deny them, there was only one choice left��passing the buck.

    Clearly, the Anglicans hade to ''The Lancet'' for one purpose: to pass the buck. But who could they pass the me to? They certainly couldn''t put it on the French. Because they couldn''t say, "The French used magic to deceive us," after all, it wasn''t the 14th century anymore. And iming the French were too cunning, deceiving them, would be admitting their own foolishness.

    Although everyone in Ennd knew that there were quite a few fools in the Church, the Church couldn''t admit it. It was like the king who had been duped by con artists. Even if he knew he was stark naked, he had to carry on with the procession.

    So, President Edward immediately thought that he, along with the Royal College of Physicians, was the best target for passing the me. The reason the Anglicans made a mistake was all because they had been deceived by them. Yes, everyone knew that the French were the opponents, and if the Anglicans were deceived by the French, that meant the Anglicans were naive. But if it was their own people who turned traitor, they could only me the Anglicans for being too kind.

    "Maybe they''re all prepared to use us of secretly worshipping the devil when necessary?" President Edward couldn''t help but think.

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 Chapter 255: An Apology

    Chapter 255: An Apology

    The two individuals had been waiting in the side room for nearly an hour, and President Edward was growing increasingly anxious. If the representatives of the Anglican Church and the French hadn''te to an agreement, their conversation should have concluded quickly. However, they had been talking for over an hour. It appeared as if they were haggling, negotiating their terms. The fact that they were haggling implied that there was room for discussion.

    Thankfully, there was no one else around, so President Edward quietly expressed his concerns to Dr. James.

    Dr. James understood that President Edward was seeking an advantage for their side by sharing his worries. After some thought, he responded, "President, I believe there''s one thing the Anglican Church can''t change."

    "Go on..."

    "They can''t genuinely change their stance," James replied.

    "Exactly!" President Edward eximed, pping his thigh. "You''re absolutely right. No matter how much they exchange interests, the Anglican Church and the French will always be adversaries. The Anglican Church cannot genuinely side with the French, and the French cannot truly trust the Anglican Church. In fact, the benefits the Anglican Church can offer in exchange are quite limited. Moreover, in a situation like this, I think, given our current scale, we shouldn''t be the real target of the French. They''ve gained such an advantage, whether through precise calction or sheer luck, this advantage shouldn''t be used against small organizations like us. So, who is the real target of the French?"

    Both men fell silent, but they had answers in their hearts. For France, Ennd was far from a friendly nation, and the feeling was mutual. Whenever there was an opportunity to weaken the opponent, both countries would eagerly seize it. If this entire situation had been orchestrated by the French from start to finish, they had gone through great efforts, and their conspiracy couldn''t have been solely aimed at their small organization.

    Of course, it didn''t mean they were safe. It was like the target of a wagon wheel was never a presumptuous dung beetle, and that didn''t mean the wheel wouldn''t crush the beetle right in its path. Well, it was called, "Destroy you, what''s it got to do with you?"

    So, for the English Medical Association, the most crucial thing was not to be right in the wheel''s path. However, the trouble was that they seemed to be right in front of the wheel now.The wheel was already rolling anding fast, and there was no time to hide. Their only hope was to make the wheel willingly change its course. To do that, they had to show their value, to make the wheel see them as allies. In other words, in the struggle between Ennd and France, they had to be de facto turncoats to ensure their own survival.

    However, neither of them felt much guilt about it. Or rather, they quickly convinced themselves, "France''s strength has already proven the correctness of France''s path. We''re not betraying Ennd, but pushing the stubborn English onto the right path."

    At this moment, the door to the side room was gently knocked on. Then, the waiter who had just received President Edward''s money gently pushed the door open.

    "Mr. Marbeuf requests the presence of both of you," the waiter replied.

    The two followed the waiter out and entered Mr. Marbeuf''s drawing-room.

    Mr. Marbeuf weed their arrival graciously, taking the initiative to greet them and leading them to the sofa. They all sat down together, and he politely asked, "Can I get you both something to drink? Tea or coffee?"

    "Tea will be just fine," President Edward said.

    "Well, as expected, I''ve never met anyone in Ennd who would choose coffee between these two," Mr. Marbeuf chuckled. "Actually, if you had chosen coffee, I don''t have any good coffee here."

    President Edward and hispanions joined in theughter. However, Mr. Marbeuf''sughter was genuine, while theirs seemed forced.

    "In the midst of your busy schedules, you suddenly came here," Mr. Marbeuf said, "Is there something I can assist you with, gentlemen?"

    "It''s like this," Edward considered his words and then said, "You must be aware of the recent controversy caused by Miss Bonaparte''s travelogue."

    Mr. Marbeuf remained silent, nodding to indicate his awareness of the matter.

    "You see, initially, we, especially Dr. James here, said some impolite and excessive things to her without knowing Miss Bonaparte''s identity," Edward continued.

    Dr. James hurriedly added, "So, we hope to convey our apologies to Miss Bonaparte through you, respected Mr. Marbeuf."

    "Oh, there''s no need to worry too much," Mr. Marbeuf replied. "You don''t know Miss Bonaparte, but even though she''s ady, she has a broad mind. She won''t hold these trivial matters against you. You''ve probably read her travelogue; she mentioned saying some excessive things at the time and admitted that her own excessive words may have led to misunderstandings. So, you see, Miss Bonaparte doesn''t me you..."

    "No, no, no," James quickly interjected. "It was my fault in this matter, not Miss Bonaparte''s. She didn''t say anything wrong. Any kind-hearted person, when confronted with the appalling conditions in the hospital, would naturally get emotional. It was my own stubbornness and arrogance that prevented me from heeding Miss Bonaparte''s sound advice. Looking back, I''m truly ashamed..."

    "Mr. Marbeuf, President Edward continued, "The mistake wasn''t just Dr. James''s, but the entire English Medical Association, including myself. We were so proud and stuck in our old ways that if it weren''t for the recent article in ''The Lancet,'' we might still be unaware of our mistakes. To minimize the harm we''ve done to countless patients... my goodness... if only we had listened to Miss Bonaparte''s advice from the start, if only we weren''t so proud, how many lives could we have saved?"

    At this point, President Edward couldn''t hold back his tears of remorse, and his voice became choked with emotion.

    "Mr. Marbeuf," he said, "I''d like to publish an open letter through your newspaper, publicly apologizing to Miss Bonaparte and expressing our regret. Additionally, we''ve noticed that French medicine is far ahead of the rest of the world. If we don''t want to be left behind as barbarians, we must seize this opportunity to learn from France. You have significant influence within France, and I wonder if you could help us establish contact with French medical institutions. We''re nning to send some doctors to learn from their French counterparts. We''d also like to invite French experts toe to Ennd to deliver lectures and serve as advisors for our association, guiding us in improving our hospitals and training our personnel."

    Mr. Marbeuf smiled and replied, "President Edward, the pursuit of scientific truth is never toote. I see your passion for science, and I admire it wholeheartedly. Your open letter can be amodated, and I believe Miss Bonaparte will see it. As for sending your doctors to study new medical practices and hiring French experts..."

    "This matter is very important and concerns the well-being of numerous patients," Edward said fervently. "If you have any connections, Mr. Marbeuf, please help us. We''re grateful people..."

    "Well, President Edward, you should know that the media with the closest ties to the medical and academicmunity in France is not us but ''The Lancet'' magazine," Mr. Marbeuf exined. "They have many avenues for such arrangements. However, ''The Lancet'' is quite schrly, and not many can fully understand it, which limits its cirction. They can''t support the magazine''s expenses through sales alone, and they are also reluctant tomercialize it too much��schrs are usually a bit idealistic, you know."

    "That''s entirely appropriate," Edward eximed. "That''s how schrs devoted to their craft should be, and it''s truly admirable. Mr. Marbeuf, please continue."

    "Well, you may or may not know that ''The Lancet'' magazine sustains itself solely through the generous contributions of experts who love science and are dedicated to public welfare. It''s precisely because of this that they maintain close rtionships with those experts. If you want to arrange for English doctors to study new medical practices and the like, it''s much easier to do so through them than through us. After all, they are the experts, aren''t they?"

    "Thank you so much," President Edward said while taking out arge envelope from his coat pocket and handing it to Mr. Marbeuf. "Mr. Marbeuf, this is the open letter of apology from the English Medical Association to Miss Bonaparte."

    Mr. Marbeuf epted the unusually thick envelope but didn''t open it immediately. He said, "Gentlemen, rest assured, we will arrange for its publication as soon as possible."

    "It would be best if it could make it to the front page," President Edward said as he stood up. "We''re willing to cover the cost of publishing the letter on the front page. Now, I must head to ''The Lancet''s'' editorial office immediately. I won''t trouble you further, Mr. Marbeuf."

    Mr. Marbeuf also stood up and escorted the two men to the door. He watched as they got into their carriage before turning back inside. Edward and James proceeded directly to ''The Lancet'' editorial office.

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 Chapter 256: Standards and the Chain of Interests

    Chapter 256: Standards and the Chain of Interests

    The English Medical Association was not the primary target of the Ministry of Truth. Therefore, as soon as they showed "remorse" and took practical actions, such as immediately issuing an appeal to all hospitals in Ennd to align with The Lancet''s standards, sending doctors to France for training, and hiring experienced French doctors as association directors, the Ministry of Truth no longer pursued their issues.

    When President Edward proposed that the English Medical Association donate ��10,000 annually to The Lancet to support scientific research and public outreach, and creatively introduced "The Lancet Certification," many in the Ministry of Truth felt that these individuals were practically part of their team.

    The "Lancet Certification" first involved the certification of hospital environments and the qualifications of medical staff. Those hospitals with healthy environments, well-trained personnel, and outstanding treatment oues could, under their application, obtain different levels of certification from The Lancet.

    Clearly, with The Lancet''s newfound reputation, this certification would significantly boost the credibility of the hospitals that received it. Any hospital capable of donating money would undoubtedly strive to obtain The Lancet''s certification mark. Hospitals with this certification would naturally align with The Lancet, or more explicitly, they would stand with the Ministry of Truth to protect their interests.

    "In this way, the entire British medicalmunity bes ours. It''s just as Joseph said, we have more of our people and fewer of the enemy''s! Edward, you''re a talent! Of course, Polina, you did a great job this time! So, tell me, what do you need as a reward?" Lucien asked proudly.

    "What can you give me, whatever I want?" Polina inquired.

    "As long as it''s within my means."

    "Very well," Polina said decisively, "give me Haidee."

    "Polina," Lucien furrowed his brows, "you should spend more time with those young men and not dress as a man all day,peting with me for mistresses. Truly, I can''t believe I have someone like you...""So, are you giving Haidee to me or not?" Polina raised an eyebrow.

    "Haidee is not a possession; she''s a free person with full autonomy. How can I..."

    Polina suddenly put on a very gentlemanly smile, "So, you won''tpete with me for Haidee? Well, that''s enough. I don''t believe this girl can escape my grasp."

    "Alright, Polina!" Lucien said, "About that ''Lancet Certification,'' do you have any other suggestions?"

    "No, for this matter, you should ask Joseph. He has plenty of clever ideas. I''m busy!" Polina replied, walking towards the door. Midway, she suddenly turned around, looked at Lucien, and smiled, "Lucien, do you envy that I can dress as both a man and a woman? Well, if you''re not satisfied, I''ll give you a dress to try on..."

    After driving away the mischief-maker Polina, Lucien had someone seek Joseph''s opinion on the recent matter. In the afternoon, the messenger returned with Joseph''s reply.

    "Polina was right; Joseph does have many tricks up his sleeve!" Lucien eximed after reading the letter.

    "The ''Lancet Certification'' for hospitals can be divided into three major levels, with each major level further divided into three minor levels. This results in a total of nine levels. In addition, a top-level ''special'' certification should be established above the first level of the third major level. This totals three major levels and ten minor levels.

    As for the division and certification of levels, they can be determined based on the hospital''s size, technical level, equipment level, management level, and research level (thetter is not required for first and second-level hospitals). Each aspect should be evaluated with a certain weight, and the certification standards must be made public for self-assessment by hospitals.

    When developing the standards, the requirements for first and second-level hospitals can be rtively rxed, as long as they ensure environmental hygiene and can handlemon diseases. However, third-level hospitals, especially those of the first level and the special level, should have high standards and strict requirements. It''s better to have no third-level special certification hospitals in the world and none in a single country than to allow third-level hospitals to be everywhere.

    At regr intervals, The Lancet or relevant institutions should conduct audits for certification applications and already certified hospitals. Those meeting the standards will receive the relevant certification. The certification levels are not permanent.

    Every year after the audit, The Lancet should publish a special supplement announcing the results to the public.

    Additionally, simr measures can be implemented in France..."

    "Joseph truly lives up to his reputation," Lucien said. He could see the bigger picture behind this n. Once implemented, the entire UK, no, even all of Europe, would be tied to their medical system.

    For a hospital that had painstakingly obtained "The Lancet Certification," this recognition became a precious intangible asset. Naturally, they would actively protect this asset, and any attack on France that could potentially threaten the value of this intangible asset would be viewed as an attack on them. Those initiating such an attack would be their enemies.

    Once someone possesses an asset, they hope it appreciates. "The Lancet Certification" was no different; it was an asset, albeit an intangible one, and it could depreciate or appreciate. Those with this asset would undoubtedly want it to appreciate, so they would promote this honor, seize every opportunity to emphasize The Lancet''s authority, and shout at anyone who dared to doubt it, saying, "Idiot! French medicine is the best in the world!"

    "In addition to hospitals, we should also provide corresponding technical certifications for doctors, such as assistant doctors, resident doctors, attending physicians, associate chief physicians, and chief physicians. The number and proportion of doctors with the relevant qualifications in a hospital will also affect their score in ''The Lancet Hospital Level Certification,''" Joseph''s n continued.

    Seeing this, Lucien couldn''t help but exim, "This is so devious!"

    This way, almost all doctors'' interests would be tied to the Ministry of Truth. They would essentially be friends of the Ministry of Truth. Doctors had extensive connections with various strata of society. If this group leaned toward pro-French sentiments, they could influence more people to do the same. Their ranks would grow while their enemies would diminish.

    "No wonder Menzies said, ''Those who possess the truth receive widespread support; those who oppose the truth receive very little support.'' No wonder Joseph insisted on naming our department the Ministry of Truth. I think the campaigns we''ve conducted through propaganda are almost as significant as the victories Napoleon achieved on the battlefield," Lucien thought, patting himself on the back and self-awarding the title of "Grand Marshal."

    "Unfortunately, that rascal Napoleon probably won''t grant me the rank of ''Grand Marshal,''" Lucien shook his head and then picked up a piece of paper to draft a new document.

    Meanwhile, in the UK, the storm caused by thetest issue of The Lancet was growing.

    The newspapers under the English Free Press Alliance had been under attack by the English News League for a while, with various titles andbels continually being hurled at them. Gentler major newspapers referred to them as "friends of the French" or "English supporters of French theory." In more caustic, nationalist tabloids, they were called "traitors," "traitorous spies," or even "French agents." Rumors about them epting French francs abounded.

    However, the tables had turned entirely now. The media under the English Free Press Alliance began aprehensive counterattack. Especially after schrs at Cambridge University confirmed that the content in The Lancet was verifiable, replicable, and discovered even more pathogenic bacteria, the entire situation had changed dramatically.

    The more respectful newspapers had merely offered mild criticism, suggesting that the Tory party and their media needed to improve their scientific literacy and embrace the rigorous scientific attitude of schrs at Cambridge University. They praised Cambridge University''s schrs for their scientific approach and dedication to truth. They also pointed out that the actions of Cambridge University''s schrs had elevated Ennd''s scientific and civilizational level, making them the true patriots. As for those who blindly sang the praises of the areas where Ennd wascking without any reflection, they were merely tarnishing the sacred term "patriot."

    The less principled tabloids, however, were less forgiving. They followed the lead of the major newspapers,beling the Tories and the English News League as "patriotic rogues." Some propagated their prior conspiracy theories, iming that the British government was using this method to "deal with people who had no more exploitation value." Some tabloids even announced, "Today''s Ennd isn''t the Ennd of the masses, but rather the ''Axis of Evil''posed of nobility and big businessmen!" In their subsequent reports, wherever the word "Ennd" appeared, they reced it with "the privileged country." A newspaper called "The English Liberation" even dered: "''The English Homnd'' is a fraud because the working people have no homnd!"

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 Chapter 257: The Underwater Explosion

    Chapter 257: The Underwater Explosion

    While newspapers in London were still busy attacking each other over "The Lancet" incident, a secret experiment was underway on a small ind near Scond.

    A small boat slowly made its way from the ind''s shore, dropping a bright orange iron sphere into the sea, its surface covered with short steel tentacles attached to an anchor chain. The iron sphere initially floated on the sea''s surface, rising and falling with the gentle waves. Then, under the pull of the anchor chain, it plunged beneath the waves, leaving only a small buoy bobbing on the surface.

    Immediately, the boat that had released the iron sphere sped away and signaled two other waiting ships.

    "We''re going over there. Be cautious," Captain Kevin shouted to his sailors on another ship. The side wheels on both sides of the ship started turning, and the steamship headed toward the buoy.

    Behind the steamship, a ship was being towed by a cable. This ship had no masts or wheels, only a rudder at the stern, which a person used to control the direction.

    Captain Kevin knew that just under that buoy, at a depth of only two meters,y the iron sphere covered in tentacles. Even through the seawater, he could still see it clearly. This was because the lighting was good at that moment, the water was clear, and the iron sphere was painted a bright orange color.

    Kevin also knew that the tentacles on the sphere were special naval trigger mechanisms. Inside these lead tentacles was a small ss bottle filled with sulfuric acid. Upon impact, the tentacles would deform, shattering the ss and releasing the sulfuric acid, initiating an electrochemical reaction, which would then trigger the electrical detonator (replicated from war spoils in Irnd), setting off the explosives inside the iron sphere. Just one of these experimental mines was enough to destroy a battleship. However, for this experimental mine, the amount of explosives had been significantly reduced.

    Even so, if this mine were to explode, it could easily destroy Kevin''s small steam escort ship. This was precisely why all the crew members who could be on the deck were already there, and those who couldn''t ess the deck had cleared the escape routes to the deck.

    In the rear, the ship being towed by the steamship had Captain Anderson gently steering toward the buoy. His ship served as the target vessel for testing the mine''s effectiveness, and he was the only one on board controlling the direction. Considering the detonation point should be at the bow, his safety was somewhat guaranteed. He had already donned a life jacket, and nearby ships were on standby to rescue him at any moment. If he could sessfullyplete the experiment, he might even earn a promotion.The bow of the ship hit the buoy, and the ship continued forward, followed by a massive explosion.

    On the steamship a few hundred meters ahead, Kevin felt as though the entire ship had jumped, and he saw a tremendous column of water shoot into the air,pletely obscuring the ship behind it.

    After a while, the column of water dissipated, and droplets fell from the sky,nding with a pattering sound. Even Kevin, who was several hundred meters away, had his fair share of water droplets. Looking back, he saw that the target ship had been blown in half, and the remaining half was rapidly sinking.

    "Turn around, turn around! Let''s go rescue them!" Kevin shouted, though he couldn''t hear his own voice.

    Nheless, the ship did turn around��it had been prepared in advance.

    When the steamship turned around, the target ship had already sunkpletely, and various pieces of debris were floating on the sea''s surface. Everyone looked around and eventually spotted a floating object in bright orange.

    "It''s over there! Get closer!"

    A small boat was lowered from the steamship, and two sailors rowed it toward the object. They pulled Captain Anderson, dressed in an orange life jacket, out of the water. He had lost consciousness from the shock of the explosion and would have likely drowned if not for the life jacket. However, judging by his current condition and the twisted angle of his leg, it was clear that he had suffered a severepound fracture.

    "What the hell? Wasn''t the explosive charge reduced? How could it still be so powerful?" Kevin eximed in amazement.

    In fact, this wasn''t surprising, as the explosives used by the British were also based on the technology of nitrocellulose purchased from French merchants. One of the most ring issues with nitrocellulose was its unstable quality. The power of one batch of the product could differ significantly from another. The most powerful ones could be 1.3 to 1.4 times more potent than TNT, while the weakest ones might not even be half as powerful. This water mine may have had its explosive charge reduced, but it had coincidentally encountered an extremely potent explosive, leading to the...

    However, regardless of the circumstances, this experiment was an immense sess.

    Following this sessful test, the Navy immediately proposed to the Cab that this weapon could be used to block the Irish coast, cutting off the rebels'' ess to assistance and ultimately annihting them.

    If this experiment had seeded several months earlier, Prime Minister Addington would have readily approved such an action, but now he hesitated because authorizing such a move might lead to war.

    When Britain and France initially signed a peace agreement, neither party had genuine intentions of peace. They were both ready to catch their breath and resume the fight. If this kind of weapon had been avable at the time, it''s likely the British would have dealt with the Irish rebels first before making any other moves.

    But the situation was different now. After the peace agreement was signed, European markets reopened to Britain, and the country''s economy began to show signs of improvement, particrly in industries like textiles and steam engine manufacturing. These industries were bringing in more profits and providing political and economic benefits to the Tory Party.

    At this point, if war broke out, everything would undoubtedlye to a halt.

    Prime Minister Addington was aware that the prosperity of the textile industry had led to a rapid expansion. The number of spinning machines had increased by nearly one-third in the past few months, and the textile industry''s scale was still growing.

    Such rapid expansion naturally involved financial investments. Factory owners had borrowed significant sums from banks, and some had raised funds through the stock market. In the event of war, these investments would be lost. Many factories would go bankrupt, and the loans given to them by banks would never be recovered. This could potentially lead to banks being troubled or even bankrupt. Furthermore, many industries, including steel and machinery manufacturing, had profited from the expansion of the textile industry. To meet the growing demands of the textile industry, they had expanded their own production capacity. In the event of war, they would also suffer losses. Add to that the internal problems caused by arge poption bing unemployed, and the entire British economy might face immediate and severe issues. This made Addington seriously reconsider taking any action at this time.

    So, Addington sought the advice of former Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.

    Even after stepping down from his position, Pitt remained one of the most influential figures in the Tory Party, thanks to his experience and talent. His influence within the Tory Party was still significantly greater than that of Addington. Even the King, who had yed a pivotal role in Addington''s ascent and Pitt''s resignation, tended to trust Pitt more. Therefore, when faced with such a troublesome situation, Addington had to seek technical guidance from Pitt.

    Pitt''s stance was quite resolute. He believed that true peace between Britain and France was impossible unless the French abandoned their ambitions. Irnd was of vital importance to Britain.

    "Irnd is different from North America. Giving up North America has limited damage to our reputation. But if we give up Irnd or have to acknowledge their independence, how will other countries view us? Reputation loss aside, once Irnd gains independence, they will surely be our enemies. Those fellows in North America still hold malice against us, but the Irish will hate us even more. Irnd is so close to us, and if they hate us to this extent, they could easily be a tool for other countries, let''s be more explicit, the French, to threaten us. Once the French and independent Irnd form an alliance, once French troops begin deploying in Irnd, can we still sleep at night? Compared to this, temporary economic difficulties mean very little. And if we guide it properly, we''re not entirely unable to mitigate some of the losses. Moreover, we have also opened up markets to the French, which, to some extent, has caused losses to some of our other industries..."

    However, Prime Minister Addington remained hesitant. His situation was different from Pitt''s. After achieving peace, his approval ratings had gradually increased, thanks to the peace dividend. Those supporting him were primarily the textile factory owners and those who had profited from trade with Europe. If he were to choose to support the naval n forying mines, it would mean betraying his own supporters. A politician who betrays his supporters is likely to lose all future support. This would almost certainly jeopardize his political future.

    Thinking of this, Prime Minister Addington began to doubt Pitt''s advice, as well as an undisclosed goal behind it: to remove him from power and return to the position of Prime Minister.

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 Chapter 258: Time for the Mad Genius

    Chapter 258: Time for the Mad Genius

    Returning from Sir Peter''s ce, Addington immediately sought out the Minister of the Navy for aprehensive, well-thought-out n to blockade the Irish coastline, which he could use as a reference.

    He then wrote a letter to the Duke of Norfolk to understand his stance. The Duke naturally supported the blockade of Irnd, but he suggested that the ideal time should be one or two months before the harvest season. Nheless, preparations should begin immediately.

    Two dayster, during a gathering at the Royal Society, a secret was whispered by Addington''s secretary to Matthew Bolton, who was present: "The Navy has developed a new weapon for blockading the Irish coast��"

    To many, Matthew Bolton''s membership in the Royal Society wasrgely attributed to Watt''s influence. While he was indeed a capable engineer, the level of his actual ability fell somewhat short of the Royal Society''s standards.

    But if you were to talk about trading skills, Bolton was genuinely deserving of saying, "I''m not targeting any of you in this circle." After all, in this business, "nobody understood trade better than me."

    Bolton''s face changed as soon as he heard the news. After confirming it once more, he found an excuse to leave the gathering with Watt.

    In their carriage ride back, Bolton informed Watt of this news. Watt immediately eximed, "How can this be? We''ve just�� and our��"

    "James, keep your voice down," Bolton advised. "Don''t get agitated. I believe Mr. Addington''s intention is that the government has not yet made a final decision. Think about it; this is such a huge matter, not only involving us but also affecting many others, such as those in the textile industry. Once we truly resume hostilities with France, you can imagine the losses they''d incur. It''s quite possible that we''d see numerous factories shuttering immediately. In such a case, London Bridge might be filled with people trying to jump into the Thames, and it might even copse under the sheer weight. You know, it reminds me of a nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me when I was a child: ''London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down��''"

    Saying that, Bolton actually started singing.While Watt wasn''t pleased that Bolton would indulge in such humor at this critical moment, Bolton''s nonchnt attitude did help relieve some of Watt''s tension.

    "Matthew, don''t act like a child," Watt urged. "The current issue is how we should handle this."

    "Of course, the first step is to spread the word, so everyone knows," Bolton replied.

    ...

    Almost simultaneously, in other ces, some businessmen with close ties to the Admiralty also received simr information. Some even had detailed news, including technical specifications.

    Two dayster, in the inaugural issue of a newly established small newspaper, an article titled "Royal Navy Develops Secret Weapon, French Left Astonished" was published. What made it even more damning was that the article straightforwardly dered that the weapon leaving the French "astonished" was a naval mine.

    The London police department immediately shut down the newspaper and arrested every individual associated with it, including the editor-in-chief, reporters, printers, and the newsboy - a Mr. Anderson Sobie. They subjected him to an interrogation. During the questioning, Mr. Sobie imed that his source of information came from a divine revtion. He asserted that God had appeared to him in a dream and granted him this revtion.

    Naturally, such a statement left the police officers feeling insulted, believing their intelligence was under attack. As a result, a few policemen took the liberty of giving Mr. Sobie a good beating, leaving him unrecognizable. But Sobie remained unyielding, and whenever he found a moment to catch his breath during the police''s efforts to fix him, he continued to preach to them:

    "God says the day is near, and you must repent! God is the Almighty, and I am His messenger. You are all going to hell for this! Merciful, omnipotent God, please have mercy on them and forgive their sins because they do not know what they''re doing��"

    This persistent behavior baffled several police officers; it seemed like this guy really had some mental issues. But could a madman operate a newspaper? And the Navy''s representatives were getting increasingly anxious to find out who was hiding behind this person.

    However, it didn''t take long before representatives from the London Lunatic Asylum came knocking. ording to their ims, this individual named Sobie was their patient.

    "Ah, Chief John, this man is indeed one of our patients. He has been suffering from delusional disorders for a long time. About six months ago, some patients went missing during our hospital''s relocation. We even published a missing persons'' notice in the newspaper and reported it to your department," said Mr. Woolf, one of the asylum staff.

    "Then how did you find your way here?" Chief John inquired.

    "You know, we never gave up searching for them, especially Anderson Sobie. His uncle is quite wealthy and visits him every year�� his visit is imminent. Well, he is one of the hospital''s major donors. So we''ve been searching for him, even through private detectives."

    A few days ago, Detective Sherlock Moriarty informed us that he had received news of a man who appeared to closely resemble the described Anderson Sobie and was active in the area, so we tracked him down..."

    "Are you sure this person is Anderson Sobie? Do you have any proof?" John, the police chief, inquired.

    "Of course, we do," Woolf replied. "Chief, we''ve brought along aplete set of records about Anderson Sobie from the time he entered our hospital five years ago, including his handprint records from five years ago."

    "Can we see them?" Chief John asked.

    After verification, the handprints on the records from five years ago matched those of the detained Anderson Sobie. Chief John promptly informed the Navy of this development. However, the Navy considered it a conspiracy and believed that there must be spies and saboteurs behind this person.

    "So, you''re saying that the madman''s ims have some basis?" Chief John questioned.

    "Chief, I have to remind you that you''ve crossed a line by asking questions you shouldn''t," said Charles, an official from the Admiralty.

    "Ah," Chief John was taken aback but quicklyposed himself. "Well, it seems there''s only one possibility then."

    "What possibility?"

    "Someone knows a secret, and for some purpose, they want to leak it. However, they know it''s dangerous, so they''ve found this madman and used some method to influence him, insinuating that he received a divine revtion, and then orchestrated this drama. Well, Mr. Charles, I believe that''s the most likely scenario."

    "So, can you catch the person who influenced him?"

    "That''s likely to be very difficult," Chief John decided to be frank. "Firstly, this guy is genuinely a madman, and anything he says could be delusion or nonsense. It''s hard to obtain any valuable information from him, and even if we do, we can''t use his confession as evidence in court. In fact, if you insist on continuing the investigation, I''d suggest you directly consult the London Lunatic Asylum. They might have more experience in dealing with such individuals."

    Originally, this matter should have ended with some tabloid headlines. Moreover, because the madman''s newspaper had limited cirction, it didn''t seem like it would cause much of a stir.

    However, right after that, the French newspaper "Le Soleil" prominently reported the story in its humor section. Yet, in the report, there was an interesting statement: "But what''s interesting is that the madman was not initially found by the lunatic asylum but was arrested first by the police on suspicion of ''leaking national secrets.'' Of course, we have not yet discovered what ''secrets'' were involved, as the publication of his newspaper was extremely limited. If any of our readers have indeed seen it, please write to us and enlighten us."

    "Le Soleil''s" report was just the beginning. Next, the "English Free Press Alliance" followed suit, and they reported the news in their regr news section. Their focus was on the people''s freedom of speech.

    "A madman writing some fantastical nonsense should have been met with a chuckle and left at that. But our police department went all out to arrest him, even using violence to force a confession... Today, they can throw him in jail for some lunatic writing gibberish. Tomorrow, they could tie up journalists who exposed scandals like ''The Lancet'' incident and burn them at the stake using the newspapers that revealed the truth as fuel. ''Le Soleil'' is a French newspaper; they can return to France. But we, out of concern and fear, are losing sleep over this nearly every night."

    Simultaneously, members of the Textile Industry Association started to be active. They continuously visited various members of Parliament, inquiring about the situation, and, while leaving a bit of money behind, asked them to genuinely protect their interests.

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 Chapter 259: Division

    Chapter 259: Division

    In the days that followed, even the doorstep of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Pitt, theoretically retired at home, was almost ttened by a parade of various lobbyists. These lobbyists included representatives of industries that hoped to maintain peace, such as textiles, some banking sectors, and certain segments of the mechanical manufacturing industry. There were also those who were eager for war, such as some agricultural enterprises, some liquor businesses, and a plethora of advocates for the military-industrialplex.

    The same held true for other politicians. Every Member of Parliament, whether in the House of Lords or the House of Commons, had their doorsteps filled with carriages.

    Each lobbyist used "the interests of the nation and the people" as their pretext, demanding various actions from these legitors. They also subtly or not-so-subtly hinted that they would not forget the deep friendships they had, assuring that they would uphold these friendships.

    Mr. Pitt noticed that in just a little over half a year, the entire politicalndscape of Britain had undergone a significant transformation.

    In the preceding years, due to Mr. Pitt''s efforts, the previously loose Tory party had be increasingly united and capable of acting as a cohesive whole in Parliament. His old rival, Mr. Fox, though sharp-tongued and capable of leaving even prominent Tories like Mr. Pitt momentarily speechless during debates, often resorting to statements like, "There are things we believe we understand, and we do indeed understand them; there are things we do understand, and we believe we do understand them; there are things...you understand, right?" managed to outmaneuver the Whigs in parliamentary votes and even sessfully provoked several internal rifts and divisions within the Whig party.

    In the face of Mr. Fox, Mr. Pitt could confidently say, "I have never won in parliamentary debates, but I have never lost in parliamentary votes."

    Today, however, Mr. Pitt found that he, the man who had moved with the times, had seemingly be outdated. He realized that there had emerged deep fissures within the seemingly united Tory party.

    Some MPs, whose families or friends had invested heavily in industries such as textiles and other trade with Europe, were steadfastly opposed to resuming war with France. They even believed that, as long as Irnd nominally remained within the United Kingdom, granting some "autonomy" to it was not uneptable. Some went as far as to argue that the United Kingdom''s policies toward Irnd over the years had been fundamentally wed, highly unjust, and that they had treated the Irish, fellow civilized people, with the same heavy-handedness applied to barbarians.

    On the other hand, another faction of MPs, whose interestsy in the military-industrialplex, were determined to urge a war with France. They were even convinced that those who opposed war were traitors to Ennd and should be taken out for target practice for ten minutes.Mr. Pitt knew that if there were an immediate vote on this matter, it was almost certain that the entire Tory party would fracture, handing a victory to the grinning Whigs.

    In fact, the Whigs, especially Mr. Fox, were already visibly jubnt.

    Following this development, several die-hard Tory MPs, who had never visited Mr. Fox before, expressed goodwill through various channels, indicating that if Parliament were to vote on the peace issue, they hoped that Mr. Fox''s Whigs would stand on the side of maintaining peace. Of course, in return, they would also support some of the Whig party''s proposals, especially those rted to Irnd and even religious policy.

    Before, Mr. Fox had only seen Whigs defecting in droves, often discovering on the eve of the vote that they still had a numerical advantage, only to find that on the following noon, their numbers were less than half. When had he ever seen the Tories also producing defectors?

    "I had thought that only our Whigs, primarily a party ofmoners, would produce defectors. I never imagined that the noble members of your Tory party would also be two-faced!" Mr. Fox mused.

    However, despite his disdain for these profit-driven aristocrats, Mr. Fox recognized the importance of gathering more allies, a lesson he had learned from his years in politics, particrly those years being outsmarted by Mr. Pitt.

    So, though filled with scorn for these turncoats, Mr. Fox was very affable and weing to these envoys, conveying his willingness to cooperate.

    And so, Mr. Pitt first noticed that the "English News Union" had begun to divide. The first defectors were from the "English News Union," in directpetition with "London Businessman," who published the "English Economic Observer."

    On April 1st, the "English Economic Observer" published an unexpected article titled "Fair Treatment of the Irish is the Key to Irnd''s Long-Term Stability."

    In this article, the "English Economic Observer" began by recounting how Britain had lost its North American colonies, pointing out that it was the excessive taxation and exploitation of the North American colonies by Britain that had led to their independence.

    The article then presented apelling case,paring the treatment of the Irish with North America. It concluded, "Our government''s exploitation of the Irish may even exceed that of the North American colonies."

    Building on this, the article posed a series of questions: "Does the United Kingdom government truly consider Irnd a part of the United Kingdom, or do they regard it merely as a colony? Does the United Kingdom government genuinely treat the Irish as citizens of this nation, or do they see them as no different from African natives?"

    This salvo caught the "English News Union"pletely off guard. It wasn''t until three dayster that "The Times" organized a rebuttal to the "English Economic Observer''s" article. Soon after, the "English Free News Union" also joined the fray, and a war of words erupted among several newspapers.

    "The Times" used the "English Economic Observer" of betraying their homnd, and, in return, the "English Economic Observer" scathinglybeled "The Times" as "minions of tyranny" and the "mouthpiece of warmongers."

    Meanwhile, "The Free Ennd," a publication of the "English Free News Union," dered, "Though we may not see eye to eye with the ''English Economic Observer'' on many issues, we still regard it as a media outlet with principles, attitude, and conscience. As for ''The Times'' outrageous usation of ''betraying the homnd,'' it reminds us of Samuel Johnson''s famous quote: ''Patriotism is thest refuge of a scoundrel.''"

    Faced with this situation, both Mr. Pitt and Mr. Addington realized that it was not the right time to immediately impose a blockade on Irnd. First and foremost, the timing was not entirely ripe; the Irish had made significant strides in their agricultural production, and they likely had enough potatoes to sustain them for a while. Starting a blockade now would give them and the French more time to adapt. Furthermore, the navy''s experiments with underwater mines had just beenpleted, and it would take a considerable amount of time to increase production to the level required to effectively block the Irish coast. Secondly, such an action would very likely lead to division, not only within the United Kingdom but more importantly, within the Tory party.

    On the other hand, after all thismotion, the so-called "secrets" of the British navy had been revealed to the whole of Europe.

    Upon receiving this news, Napoleon immediately summoned Joseph and inquired about a countermeasure.

    "Sea mines, eh? The British have actuallye up with something like that. Well, you ask me how to defuse them? It''s technically possible, but it''s a real hassle, like clearingndmines �C very dangerous and much more troublesome," Napoleon remarked.

    "You''re aware of this? Even today, we haven''t finished clearing them around Verdun," Napoleon cursed, "How did you bury so many in the first ce?"

    "Well, that''s the result of us being able to slowly clear them under peaceful conditions," Joseph said. "Dealing with sea mines is even moreplicated, and in that region, we won''t have naval superiority that allows us to peacefully and gradually clear them. So, forget about clearing mines."

    "So, what do we do?" Napoleon asked.

    "Napoleon, who do you think is more afraid of sea mines, us or the British?" Joseph asked.

    "Of course, the British... How about it, Joseph, can we make something like this?" Napoleon inquired.

    "As long as we have the funding and about a month''s time, I can create one," Joseph replied. "Of course, if it''s just for intimidating the British, I can make a model that would terrify them by tomorrow."

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 Chapter 260, The Paris Expo and a Grand Misunderstanding

    Chapter 260, The Paris Expo and a Grand Misunderstanding

    "What do you mean by a ''model''?" Napoleon inquired.

    "I''ve seen a report on that lovely ''madman,''" Joseph replied, "and there''s enough information in there. Well, it floats underwater at a certain depth, and once it''s hit, it explodes... Hehe, seeing this description, I pretty much know how it works. It''s straightforward, aside from the creativity; there''s no real difficulty. The creativity is directly reflected in its appearance. Anyone knowledgeable can tell how it works just by looking at its shape. Do you have paper and a pen here? I can draw it for you right now."

    Napoleon pulled out a piece of paper and handed over a sketching charcoal pencil. Joseph took the pen and paper, and with a few strokes, he created a rough sketch.

    "Your drawing is truly hideous!" Napoleon furrowed his brows. "When ites to drawing, Lucien is much better than you. Besides, this thing is quite ugly."

    "Napoleon, you see, beneath this device is an anchor chain. Adjusting the length of the chain allows it to remain submerged at the desired depth in the water. The sphere itself is a buoy, filled with explosives. These tentacle-like protrusions are the triggering mechanisms. Well, these triggers are quite simple."

    "Simple?" Napoleon eximed. "I recall not too long ago, you guys dyed the development of triggering mechanisms for artillery shells due to theirplexity and poor reliability. Now, you''re saying the triggers are simple?"

    "That''s because we recently postponed the development of triggering mechanisms for artillery shells, and they are apletely different matter, aren''t they? These triggering mechanisms, if ced inside a shell, would explode inside the barrel just due to the eleration during firing. Can they be the same thing? For triggers like these, with low requirements, I can sketch one out in less than a minute. Look, these tentacles have an outeryer made of lead, which is rtively soft and deforms upon intense impact. Inside the tentacle is a ss jar filled with sulfuric acid. Below the jar is a batterycking an electrolyte, with its positive and negative poles connected to an electric detonator. As soon as the tentacle is struck, the lead outer shell deforms, the ss jar inside breaks, sulfuric acid flows out, the battery generates current, the current drives the electric detonator, and then it triggers the explosion��this is incredibly simple."

    Napoleon wasn''t surprised that Joseph came up with a solution that seemed to have no issues in such a short time. He knew that the Military-Industrial Complex''s research institute had conducted some feasibility studies on triggering mechanisms. Although these studies hadn''t continued, it was clear that many problematic design schemes had been rejected during that process. What Joseph quickly drew was probably one of those designs that had been rejected earlier, perhaps with a slight facelift.

    "Very well, have them create the model as soon as possible, and then we''ll figure out a way to let the British spies take a look..." Napoleon said."Why make it soplicated?" Joseph suggested. "The Department of Foreign Trade is organizing the first Paris International Exposition of Imported and Exported Goods, right? Just bring it there and disy and sell it alongside other weapons."

    "That''s a good idea," Napoleon agreed. "Hopefully, this will make the British rethink their position a bit."

    "Napoleon," Joseph looked at him in amazement, "I thought you were eagerly anticipating a war?"

    "War is merely a means to achieve glory, not the end," Napoleon exined. "As long as peace can bring us glory, I don''t necessarily have to be particrly fond of war."

    Of course, Napoleon''s current love for peace was a result of the bountiful harvest of the previous year, which had gained him broader support among the peasants. If this year continued in peace, with the improvement of the irrigation system, another bountiful harvest was highly anticipated. A bountiful harvest allowed farmers to live better lives, and it provided cheaper bread for urban workers, further boosting his poprity. In France, there were more and more people shouting "Long live Napoleon!" As long as this trend continued, why wouldn''t Napoleon love peace?

    Speaking of the Department of Foreign Trade''s Paris International Exposition of Imported and Exported Goods, preparations had been underway for several months. The venue was located just outside Paris in the direction of Versailles. In history, this area had been the property of nobles and was confiscated by the revolutionary government.

    In the original timeline, to be emperor, Napoleon attempted topromise with these old nobles and allowed them to return to France, returning a portion of their property. However, in this alternate timeline, Napoleon''s path didn''t requirepromising with these individuals, and thend remained public property.

    Napoleon sold thend at low prices to retired soldiers to gain control over the rural areas. In this region, morend was preserved for future facilities of the "Roman Empire." The location of the Paris International Exposition was chosen as the site for a civic square that Napoleon had prepared for the future.

    A few months ago, this area was just wastnd. However, two new technologies had rapidly transformed the environment.

    The first technology was cement.

    The cement technology was not originally developed by the French. In 1756, British engineer J. Smithson discovered that to obtain hydraulic lime, limestone with y had to be used for burning. The ideal mixture for mortar used in underwater construction was hydraulic lime and volcanic ash.

    Based on this, in 1796, the British created the so-called "Roman cement" from marl. However, due to the high demands on marl, it wasn''t widely used.

    It wasn''t until 1824 that the British, Joseph Aspdin, produced what''s known as Pornd cement (silicate cement) by burning limestone and y. Cement technology finally gained widespread use.

    However, since there was Joseph, destined to make future students hate him, the technology, with its limitedplexity but significant impact, had to make its debut in France.

    Napoleon also had a deep appreciation for cement because it could not only be used to construct sturdy fortresses but also to build wonders at a very low cost.

    All those "great rulers" or "notorious tyrants" with a bit of a "spectacle" or "great achievement" syndrome, regardless of race, age, or culture, from Egypt''s Khufu to Babylon''s Nebuchadnezzar II, from China''s Emperor Qin to Sui Dynasty''s extravagant profligate, from the Khmer Empire''s Suryavarman II to India''s Shah Jahan, were enthusiasts of such grand spectacles. Of course, they all, to varying degrees, confirmed theter saying: "Your Majesty, grand spectacles can ruin a nation!"

    Although Napoleon also had a great love for grand spectacles, he, being well-versed in history, was well aware of the rule that "grand spectacles can ruin a nation." So he had been striving to restrain his desire to create a spectacle.

    During the wars with Britain, Prussia, and Austria, Napoleon captured many cannons. He had long wanted to emte the Rhode Inders and create a grand spectacle from captured enemy weapons. (In history, this was the Arc de Triomphe.) However, his brother heartlessly shattered that dream. The captured enemy weapons were indeed melted down, but they were turned into wires or something else.

    But the appearance of cement once again made Napoleon see the possibility of creating wonders at a very low cost. Just think about it, the grand spectacles of ancient Rome were constructed by stacking enormous stones, each requiring cutting, carving, and hauling. One couldn''t even imagine the amount of manpower and resources that went into it. But with cement, things became much easier.

    The second technology, of course, was steel. With the development of steelmaking, there came steel rebars. Combined with cement, you got reinforced concrete. The business of the first steel mill was doing so well that the second steel mill of the Lorraine Iron and Steel Company quickly started production. With sufficient funds, there would be a third steel mill, a fourth, and so on.

    Since Joseph and Napoleon mentioned the advantages of reinforced concrete construction, Napoleon''s dream of creating wonders temporarily died but then resurrected. However, Joseph consistently emphasized that steel could make money and should be used where it could make money, which temporarily held back Napoleon''s desire to create a spectacle.

    Butter, the n for the Paris International Exposition of Imported and Exported Goods by the Department of Foreign Trade finally gave Napoleon a legitimate opportunity to create a spectacle.

    Napoleon took the lead and gathered a group of artists and architects to design arge market with a Roman vor. If it weren''t for reinforced concrete, Napoleon estimated that this project would probably take decades toplete. With these materials, calctions showed that the first phase of the project could bepleted in a few months, given a steady supply of materials. Most importantly, the idea of creating this grand market received unanimous approval from Joseph and Lucien.

    Now, the first phase of the grand market project was almostplete, with only some finishing touches remaining. The first Paris International Exposition of Imported and Exported Goods would officially open here in just one month.

    ....

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 Chapter 261: Promotion and Spy Catching

    Chapter 261: Promotion and Spy Catching

    The Paris International Goods and Commodities Fair was just a month away, and it had be a significant affair for the Ministry of Truth. Both domestically and internationally, the Ministry of Truth had to extensively promote this event, turning it into the most prominent spectacle in Europe.

    Internally, they needed to emphasize the benefits of the fair for people from all walks of life.

    "For the farmers, we must promote the fact that the fair will bring them immense benefits. When we talk about it, remember not to use ''they'' or ''you'' too much. Instead, use ''we'' and illustrate the past hardships and the present sweetness. For example, we can say that in the past, after a bountiful harvest, we couldn''t sell all the surplus grain in the market. Every region had an abundant harvest, and the market was flooded with grains, so we couldn''t get a good price for our produce. If we didn''t sell, storing the surplus would cost us money. If we sold, it felt like we were at a loss.

    Back in the old days, the nobles and unscrupulous merchants would conspire to depress the prices of our grain, even during bountiful harvests. We produced surplus grain, but by the time we sold it, we made less money. They would either hoard the grain, waiting for times of famine to sell at exorbitant prices, or export it abroad to make more money. We put in all that hard work to grow the grain, and they pocketed all the profits!

    But now, things are different with the First Consul. He truly cares about us, the farmers! He thinks about spring sowing and summer tilling, flood control, and drought resistance. He knows how tough life is for us farmers, so he organized this International Fair. With the surplus grain, we can sell directly to foreign countries. No nobles or middlemen to skim off the profits; it''s all ours.

    What if foreign countries also have surplus grain? Well, my friends, do they have irrigation pumps like we do? Do they have power stations? Most importantly, do they have a First Consul like ours? They have nothing but a bunch of nobles just like ours used to be. How can they im to have a surplus year after year? Remember that!"

    Lucien was giving instructions to his subordinates at the Ministry of Truth, who were diligently taking notes with paper and pens.

    "Also, we need to intensify our foreign publicity. We must make sure that the English, Dutch, Germans, Spanish, Russians, Turks, Americans��everyone in the civilized world knows about this grand event and understands thating here is an opportunity to get rich. Find ways to make it even more appealing, like entering Ali Baba''s treasure trove��no, actually, it should be more like Alexander the Great''s treasure trove!"

    The Ministry of Truth issued directives, and French newspapers, especially those published abroad, went all out to promote the International Fair. For instance, in London, while British newspapers were busy attacking each other, the French "London Businessman" newspaper had dedicated most of its efforts to publicize the International Fair. In recent days, the newspaper had even added two extra pages of content, with almost the entire issue revolving around the fair.Some were direct product advertisements, such as various wines and metal products. Most of these ads did not include specific prices but enticed merchants with phrases like "excellent quality at an affordable price that exceeds expectations." Some articles offered knowledge and education,plete with illustrations, to inform readers about various products, such as wine categories and how to choose the best wine, the differences in material for various metal products, and their pros and cons. Others introduced products from different regions of continental Europe, as well as the current trade situation.

    For example, this year, there was a bountiful harvest of grains in France, and grain prices might decrease. Additionally, due to the influence of current fashion trends, woolen products might be popr in France this year.

    Meanwhile, the "Scientific Truth" newspaper focused on providing data-based reporting on the uing fair. It emphasized that nearly all European goods and all types of merchants would converge at this event. Just considering the ease of obtaining information about various products during the trade conference would significantly reduce trade costs and allow everyone to earn more money.

    News of the International Fair quickly caught the attention of various merchants. Regardless of their stance on peace or war, whether they dealt in textiles or arms, their attention was captivated by the fair. Even arms dealers were thinking about exporting some weaponry to the Europeans during this event.

    However, the British Admiralty found itself in a state of panic. In thetest issue of the "London Businessman," there was a depiction of French weapons.

    On this page, there were advertisements for various French weapons, including the well-known muzzle-loading rifles, various mines, various cannons, and something depicted only in a picture with no apanying text.

    "This looks like our naval mines, doesn''t it?" Others couldn''t quite identify what it was, but the folks at the Admiralty recognized the object instantly.

    "It does look simr, but there are some differences. Our naval mines have ten trigger mechanisms, whereas this one has only eight. However, the rest is uncannily alike��same anchor chains and even identical fuse deployment. What''s going on?"

    Indeed, the mysterious weapon depicted without any exnation in "The London Businessman" bore a striking resemnce to the British naval mines. If you were to analyze it with color palette software, you''d undoubtedly find a match for giarism. The current concern, however, was:

    "How did the French acquire this technology?"

    The Admiralty knew that if this technology fell into French hands, it spelled trouble for the British.

    The British could use these mines to blockade the Irish coast, and the French could do the same to British shores. True, the French navy didn''t possess the capability to contest maritime supremacy with the British, but they had other means that could thwart the Royal Navy. For instance, French high-speed warships.

    Even to this day, the British Navy had not unraveled the mystery behind the propulsion technology of French steamships, making it nearly impossible to intercept these vessels. The French could make full use of these high-speed steamships toy mines in British waters, even close to British harbors.

    Of course, the British could reciprocate andy mines near French ports, both on the Antic coast and the Mediterranean, but France relied on its ports far less than Britain did. Furthermore, France had ess to the ports of "allied" nations. If the British attempted to mine these ports, it would mean istion from the rest of Europe.

    So, without an efficient mine-clearing technology in ce, the n to blockade Irnd using mines would remain locked away in a cab. Developing efficient and reliable mine-clearing technology was a monumental task, even if Joseph Fouch�� devoted his full attention to it and nothing else; it wouldn''t be resolved in his lifetime.

    More critical than efficient mine-clearing technology for the British now was figuring out how the secrets of these naval mines had been leaked. The British knew that due to the madness of a certain individual, the existence of mines had already been disclosed. However, that individual''s writings did not contain the critical technical details.

    The Admiralty had been investigating who had leaked rted information to that individual. ording to their conjecture, the culprit was likely not a French spy because, if it were, the spy could have simply reported it to the French without ying these tricks. They were more inclined to believe it was someone among the British, who didn''t want to see their business affected by a war. But now, that hypothesis seemed less credible. Who could have foreseen that on the French side, there was someone who had time-traveled and possessed the unique ability to get pregnant with just a nce?

    This was like a question on a certain website: if the modern-day Chirrut were transported back to pre-Ursa, and they had a conventional weapon fight, what would be the oue? The answer: most likely, all the personnel at Sukhoi Design Bureau would be dragged out and executed by the NKVD. Likewise, the British felt that their research institutions were now teeming with French spies.

    "We have a French spy right here in our Admiralty! We must find and expose this traitor, then tie him to one of these mines for testing! Or cut him into pieces to feed the sharks!" The First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord William, nearly fainted upon hearing the news, and he vented his rage in this manner.

    Lord William''s anger was entirely justified, and someone had to be held responsible for this within the Admiralty. Even if they managed to unmask that treacherous spy and deal with him, this leak incident wouldn''t be easily resolved. It was highly likely that he''d soon have to "courageously take responsibility" and retire with a pension.

    Soon, the king also got wind of the matter and stated, "Everyone who had ess to this technical information must be investigated, regardless of their identity. We will not allow any traitor to escape unpunished in Britain!"

 Chapter 262: The Investigation

    Chapter 262: The Investigation

    The mere thought of having the Admiralty investigate itself left both the king and the cab uneasy. After all, the Admiralty was not equipped for such matters, and given the level of infiltration within, it was about as reliable as relying on Napoleon suddenlying down with stomach cancer.

    The British believed that the Admiralty had been heavilypromised because stealing the technical data associated with these naval technologies was no small feat.

    Firstly, while Joseph regarded torpedo technology as a trivial matter, something that could be drafted in a day and have a prototype within a month with no trouble, in the eyes of others during that era, it was cutting-edge. There was a substantial amount of documentation and drawings associated with this technology, and the spy needed to steal all of it. That was no easy task.

    In this age, there were no spy-specific cameras or microfilm, so swiping these documents was not a matter of simply opening a file and taking them out; there were no photocopiers either. Spies either had to painstakingly transcribe the information by hand, or rely on an extraordinary memory to remember it all and recite it when they returned. Even with a photographic memory, understanding the contents would still take considerable time.

    This kind of operation couldn''t be done by a single person; it was undoubtedly the result of a group effort. So...

    "Minister William is far too optimistic. He ims ''there''s a French spy in the Admiralty,'' but given the situation of this case, how could there possibly be only one spy in the Admiralty? Prime Minister, if the information you''ve given me is urate, then I can assure you there''s a nest of spies in there!" Assistant Commissioner Ainsley Stanton of Scond Yard stood up and addressed Prime Minister Addington, who was sitting across from him.

    Prime Minister Addington nodded, saying, "Mr. Stanton, please have a seat. You understand the gravity of this case. His Majesty the King is aware of it, and he is quite furious. The consequences will be severe. We must unearth that one or that nest of spies. In addition, we, I, and many Cab ministers believe that the police department is not adequately suited to handle matters involving spies and military secrets. Our nation needs a specialized agency to manage such affairs."

    Stanton''s eyes lit up instantly.

    "This agency will be housed under the Army''s banner and named the Sixth Investigation Division to maintain discretion. However, it will report directly to the House of Commons and the Prime Minister, with significant powers. It can conduct discreet investigations of Members of Parliament from both Houses and high-ranking government officials, with elevated administrative ranks, sries, and pensions. You understand that such an organization requires someone who truly knows the trade, not those who only talk the talk butck the expertise to walk the walk. This role should be assumed by someone with genuine experience, and not just for show. Do you understand what I mean?"Stanton certainly understood. He knew that, for a self-made, civilian-born old detective like himself, the position of Deputy Chief of such an organization was already an extraordinary opportunity. Furthermore, it was a position of substantial power. Above him, there was only the titr chief, who did nothing but collect a paycheck. This was truly...

    Of course, Stanton understood that this wasn''t the most crucial part of what the Prime Minister had said. The most significant part was, "I, and many of my associates, are inclined to have you assume this position," rather thannguage like "our nation" or simr expressions that require "your service."

    Though the scandal about the Admiralty''s security breach had not made it into any newspapers��the French, naturally, wouldn''t voluntarily divulge such information (in truth, they had no inkling that this was an espionage case and security breach)��and as for the British newspapers, the tabloids had no way of obtaining this news, and the more reputable ones realized that the time was not ripe for exposure. They were all just biding their time, eyes wide open.

    However, maintainingplete secrecy was nearly impossible in this case, especially in an age when the security system had not yet fully taken form. This was even more true for the influential figures of both the Tory and Whig parties. They were well aware of the situation.

    Everyone recognized the gravity of the situation, but they also understood that this was a rare opportunity to strike at their political adversaries. By using certain technical means during the investigation, they could implicate certain loathsome individuals and ruin them politically.

    Everyone hoped to seize this opportunity to ensnare those they disliked or were at odds with. Simultaneously, they had to remain vignt against malicious nder and plots hatched by their cunning foes.

    Prime Minister Addington seized the chance, leveraging his position as Prime Minister to create this organization. Its primary purpose was to sever the French spywork from reaching into Ennd''s national secrets. Still, it also provided a convenient way to clear out the dregs that harmed Ennd. It was a brilliant move, luring in the rabbits while lying in wait in the tall grass.

    Therefore, Assistant Commissioner Stanton understood that when the Prime Minister spoke of "outstanding performance," it meant more than just quickly catching the "spy"��that was the basic requirement, and "outstanding" was a far cry from it. To achieve an "outstanding" aplishment, he had to implicate the people the Prime Minister needed to be connected with.

    Doing such things naturally came with high risks. Those individuals were not harmless bunnies; they had their own power, and they wouldn''t just sit idly by. If the Prime Minister had a stroke of bad luck in the struggle, Stanton would be in trouble as well.

    But as the saying goes, "Fortune favors the bold." Taking such risks was worthwhile.

    "Mr. Prime Minister, I understand. I am willing to serve you. If there is any progress, I will report to you immediately." Stanton, who had just sat down, stood up again.

    "What do you need?"

    "Your Excellency, I need your authorization to immediately take all the personnel of the ''Torpedo Research Group,'' as well as the relevant staff, for investigation. I also need a somewhat remote location for a thorough inquiry into the individuals involved..."

    Stanton''s various requests were mostly granted, and he indicated to the Prime Minister that he needed to act immediately to prevent someone else from taking the lead.

    "Very well. Since that''s the case, I won''t keep you any longer. If you have any needs, you canmunicate them to my secretary, Mr. Gilbert. If there is something important and he cannot make a decision, and you deem it crucial, you can find me at any time, 24/7. Now, get to work."

    "Yes, Prime Minister!" Stanton saluted Prime Minister Addington and then left the office.

    In Stanton''s view, this case was not all that difficult to crack. Firstly, the number of people who could ess the relevant data was quite limited, which greatly narrowed down the scope of the investigation. Then, they would investigate each of them individually, examining their actions during this period and whether they had any independent opportunities tomit the act. With meticulous work, there was no worry about failing to uncover the problem.

    As for achieving the "outstanding" performance, it depended on the skill of the interrogations. Even though the targets he was going after were respectable individuals, some techniques might not be effective. Stanton believed that by using skillfulnguage during questioning, he could coax the culprits into saying what he needed to hear. Of course, if he happened upon someone who was uncooperative and unwilling to maintain their "respectability," Stanton had methods to make them maintain it without leaving any traces of pain.

    Commissioner Stanton left the Prime Minister''s office, and Prime Minister''s Secretary Gilbert came forward.

    "Mr. Gilbert, we need to take immediate action. Can you apany me?" Stanton said.

    "Of course," Gilbert replied. "Where are we going now?"

    "We need to quickly take control of all the personnel from the ''Torpedo Research Group.'' We must not let others beat us to it."

    As it turned out, Stanton''s decision was quite timely. Just as they had taken control of all the personnel from the ''Torpedo Research Group,'' secured the relevant documents, loaded them onto a carriage, and transported them to a country estate on the outskirts of London, set up by the Prime Minister for the new organization, an hourter, another group arrived at the ''Torpedo Research Group'' but found it empty.

    This group was the one Stanton had been concerned about, the potentialpetitors who might beat them to it. They were the Royal Anti-Espionage Investigative Team, directly under the King and the House of Lords.

    "Unfortunately, we''re a stepte," the leading officer said.

    "Sir, what should we do now?" one detective asked.

    "You search around and see if you can find them, find out where they took the people," themanding officer said. "The others, go immediately and control their families. We need to act fast; we cannot afford to fall behind this time!"

 Chapter 263: Deterrence

    Chapter 263: Deterrence

    Stanton initially thought that by carefully reviewing the evidence and verifying the timing of the incident, he would be able to identify the suspects. However, as he investigated, he discovered that nearly all the peripheral members of the "Torpedo Research Group" could provide alibis confirming that they had not spent extended periods alone with technical data.

    As for those who couldn''t establish their alibis, Stanton asked Hilbert for guidance, to which Hilbert replied, "You don''t need to investigate this person, you understand."

    Stanton immediately understood that this individual might have indeed passed on information to the outside, but the direction of the leak was not towards France. Thus, there was no need to investigate him.

    Following the general logic, the potential mole could only be among the core research personnel. If these individuals were French spies, obtaining critical technology would be rtively straightforward. They frequently interacted with this technical data, and they often authored the technical materials themselves. If they wanted to leak critical information, they wouldn''t need to steal it; they could simply write it down when they returned home.

    Stanton began to focus his scrutiny on these research personnel. He looked for any recent financial anomalies, such as receiving a sudden windfall or experiencing financial difficulties for some reason. However, this line of inquiry proved fruitless.

    Meanwhile, on the other side, the Royal Counterintelligence Investigation Unit hadn''t managed to uncover any reliable, useful information. Conventional methods seemed to be increasingly ineffective.

    But the pressure on Stanton from the Prime Minister was mounting. With the consent of the Prime Minister''s secretary, Stanton was forced to employ less conventional methods. Of course, Stanton assured the Prime Minister that these methods wouldn''t leave any physical marks or evidence.

    Once these methods were employed, results started to emerge. All the research personnel, from the group leader to the members, without exception, confessed to being French spies.

    As for the peripheral individuals, aside from the informant in Downing Street, the others also admitted to being French spies.Regarding the more critical task of implicating certain individuals, this was not an issue at all. If the Prime Minister required it, even if these individuals imed they were in contact with Jesus, that could be arranged.

    Of course, the only problem was that the testimonies were chaotic and contradictory. However, after some time spent organizing and aligning these statements, the issues disappeared. At least, when looking at the case files, it waspelling evidence.

    On the other hand, the "Royal Counterintelligence Investigation Unit" reportedly made some progress and managed to implicate certain important figures. Stanton wasn''t entirely sure about the subsequent developments, but shortly after presenting the results, he received another summons from the Prime Minister. In the Prime Minister''s office, he encountered another prominent figure, His Royal Highness George Augustus Frederick, the Prince of Wales.

    The Hanoverian dynasty had a longstanding tradition of father-son enmity. Almost every king and Prince of Wales (the British heir apparent) of the Hanoverian dynasty despised each other. King George I and his sessor, King George II, were bitter foes. King George II and the current King George III were at odds, and King George III and the current Prince of Wales had a simrly mutual antipathy.

    King George III had publicly ridiculed his son, stating that he was a fool and a libertine (at least thetter was true), and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales had also candidly remarked, "My father is often quite mad." However, speaking the truth is often the most hurtful. Thus, the Hanoverian dynasty''s cherished tradition continued without fail.

    In most Eastern countries, such intense mutual animosity between the heir and the king would likely lead to a change in the heir. However, in the Hanoverian dynasty, where they ced great importance on hereditary monarchy and were constrained by Parliament, as long as the heir didn''t plot against the king, the king couldn''t rece the heir. Additionally, apart from the queen, the other kings of the Hanoverian dynasty were not particrlypetent, so the Hanoverian dynasty''s heirs always managed to outlive their kings due to their age advantage.

    Since the king had always been closely affiliated with the Tory party, it was only natural that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales had a good rtionship with the Whigs. (King George III often thought that his son''s debauchery and libertinism were influenced by the Whig libertine Fox.) Now, at this juncture, the appearance of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales here strongly indicated the Prime Minister''s current stance.

    The Prime Minister''s current political position, particrly his stance on supporting the war, had diverged somewhat from the traditional Tory party that had originally catapulted him to the position. He had aligned himself with a group of New Tories who had earned money through the textile bank, self-styling as the New Tory Party. To counter the pressure from the traditional Tories, the New Tories had built a close rtionship with the Whigs. At the very least, as long as they could secure the Whigs'' support, Small Pitt''s attempt tounch a vote of no confidence in him in Parliament would fall short of the necessary votes.

    "Eiseng, my dear friend," Prime Minister Addington warmly addressed Stanton, "allow me to introduce you to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who will be your superior at the Sixth Investigative Division."

    This arrangement seemed quite reasonable, at least on the surface. As the future king, the Prince of Wales should have some knowledge of these matters. However, the Prince of Wales wasn''t particrly interested in Stanton''s work; he merely offered a few polite words before taking his leave. For the Prince of Wales, this position meant nothing more than an additional source of ie, and everyone knew that he was in dire financial straits.

    King George III couldn''t remove the Prince of Wales from his position, but he had other ways to discipline his wayward son: by denying him money. The king employed various means to reduce the prince''s allowances, effectively cutting off his funds. The Prince of Wales was a libertine, and if he had no money to spend, how could he maintain his extravagant lifestyle? King George III believed that he held the Prince of Wales by the purse strings. The prince would either have to submit to his father or curb his extravagant habits.

    However, King George III miscalcted. Since the Prince of Wales'' position was unassable, and he was not only younger but also healthier than the king, it was widely known that one day George III''s reign woulde to an end, and the Prince of Wales would ascend to the throne.

    Knowing that the Prince of Wales would eventually be king, many were willing to lend him money, even if the king refused to give him a single penny. So, the Prince of Wales had umted substantial debts but could still borrow money continually without resorting to Jewish moneylenders.

    Of course, relying on loans was far from ideal. Having one''s own wealth was a desirable prospect. Moreover, the New Tory Party was seeking to secure its position, and the Prince of Wales aligned himself with these New Tory figures.

    As for the oue of the case, after a secret trial by a military tribunal, most members of the "Torpedo Research Group" were taken out for target practice. Those individuals implicated in the case files provided by Stanton mostly emerged unscathed. Simrly, those implicated by the Royal Counterintelligence Investigation Unit''s findings faced no consequences. It was reported that both sides had reached some consensus on certain matters, sessfully ushering in a "Deterrence Era."

    While this event held significant importance, it mostly unfolded behind the scenes, leaving the majority of the British poption unaware. At this time, the primary concern for most Britons remained the "Bath Exhibition" orchestrated by the French "Seven-Penny Union."

    Under the onught of the "Seven-Penny Union''s" advertising campaign, the "Bath Exhibition" had be the foremost interest of British merchants. However, it wasn''t just the merchants who were intrigued by the "Bath Exhibition." For instance, Figgins'' faction was keenly interested in a specific medicalmodity featured in the advertisements��a steel forceps. Women, on the other hand, were captivated by various French essories.

    Even the ruralndowners had their eyes on the "Bath Exhibition." They cursed the French for the information that suggested their grain prices were rtively low. At the same time, they began scrutinizing the prices of woolen fabric and contemting whether to convert more of their farnd into pastures, possibly evicting their tenants.

    After some calctions, thesendowners reached amon conclusion: if the actual transaction prices at the "Bath Exhibition" were in line with the advertised estimates, then sheep farming would undoubtedly be more profitable than wheat cultivation.

    Some prudentndowners decided to wait until after the "Bath Exhibition" to make their decisions, while others, eager and impatient, began evicting their tenants and cing sheep in their fields. Fortunately, now that the "respectable folks" engaged in trade knew that Britain would not initiate war in the short term, the textile industry resumed its expansion, creating a high demand for urbanborers. These evicted tenants wouldn''t starve immediately, although they might end up working themselves to death beside the textile machines within a few years.

 Chapter 264: A Spectacle

    Chapter 264: A Spectacle

    As one of Britain''s most prominent steam engine manufacturers, the Bolton-Watt Company couldn''t afford to miss out on an event as grand as the Paris Expo. So, as soon as they received news that France would host the Expo, they hurried to the French embassy, requesting to reserve an exhibition space at the event. Given their prior business dealings with France, they received special attention and secured a prominent spot within the exhibition hall, while many other merchants who applied had to settle for what was referred to as "semi-open" booths.

    Having paid the exhibition deposit, Bolton sent his son, Young Bolton, along with Watt, to France. Watt was incredibly knowledgeable about various machinery, but he wasn''t particrly fond of haggling in business. It wasn''t because Watt was inept at business��after all, he had been in partnership with Bolton for years and conducted numerous transactions. However, he preferred investing his time in studying machines rather than negotiating deals.

    Rumors suggested that the Expo would showcase many mechanical wonders never seen before, and Watt was brimming with excitement. So, it was a certainty that he had to attend. Meanwhile, Bolton, as the head of thepany, had to remain at the helm. Furthermore, given Bolton''s advanced age, venturing far from home was a risk �C thest thing he needed was to catch a chill, develop the flu, and, with no respirators in that era, face the grim prospect of pneumonia. Bolton senior wouldn''t live to see the day when respirators would be avable in Ennd.

    However, sending Watt alone wasn''t the solution either. Once Watt arrived in France andid eyes on the myriad of machines on disy, he''d hardly have time to haggle. So, Bolton decided to send his son, Young Bolton, with Watt to the Expo.

    Apanied by a group of assistants and carrying numerous samples and prototypes, they disembarked at Cis. They spent a night at the "Expo Participant Reception" in Cis and then took two four-wheeled carriages arranged by the reception to head toward Paris.

    During their journey to Paris, Watt noticed more electric pumping engines and small workshops powered by electricity. Most of the various metal products featured in the "London Businessman" newspaper were being manufactured in these small workshops.

    "What secrets do electric motors and generators hold? I''m genuinely curious to find out," Watt said to Young Bolton inside the carriage.

    "Yeah, but the French are quite secretive about these things. They don''t allow these items to be sold to foreign countries," Young Bolton whispered, lowering his voice. "A friend of mine told me that the Navy tried to sneak away an electric motor from here and several people died in the process."

    "What happened next?" Watt inquired."After we managed to sneak the sample back, we tried connecting it to a battery, only to discover that it had three wires. No matter which two we connected, the motor wouldn''t turn. When we attempted to disassemble it, the motor exploded, iming several more lives. Now, all we know is that it''s filled with copper wires coated in a special way, wound in some peculiar manner. As for how it moves and why, it remains a mystery. Word has it that folks from the Navy and Cambridge University are working hard to figure it out, but with little sess so far."

    "Oh," Watt replied and then added, "Actually, I think small steam engines aren''t that bad."

    As a businessman who held numerous steam engine patents, he naturally didn''t favor these unorthodox electric motors. Unfortunately, his knowledge of electric motors was limited, making it challenging to find specific reasons to criticize them. However, learning that the folks at the Navy hadn''t made much progress on this issue pleased Watt.

    A few dayster, Watt and his party arrived in Paris.

    Watt''s first impression of Paris was its cleanliness. In that era, European cities, in general, were quite dirty, and Paris was no exception. People in those days would sometimes toss waste, even excrement, directly onto the streets. Over time, this practice left the streets elevated above the surrounding buildings, and the smell, dust, and filth were unimaginable.

    Things had changed somewhat after the revolution. Due to the scarcity of saltpeter, an essentialponent for gunpowder, the revolutionary government started considering human waste as a strategic resource (it could be used to produce saltpeter) and enforcedpulsory collections of this resource. Discarding excrement and urine directly onto the streets became illegal, even a criminal offense during Robespierre''s time.

    By the time Napoleon came into power, the saltpeter problem had been mostly resolved, but the waste collection system remained, only now it was repurposed forposting. Furthermore, as part of preparing the ground for the future "Roman Empire," the Ministry of Truth had continuously celebrated the level of civilization of the Roman Empire in various ways, attributing many sensible, nonsensical, and even unfounded inventions to the Romans.

    In the end, when wireless technology was invented, a joke went around: one day, Lucien received a report stating that an archaeology team had found copper wires at a Roman excavation site. Lucien was thrilled and eximed, "Great Rome, they''ve even started using electricity!" However, when he rushed to the scene, he found that it was a misunderstanding �C those things weren''t copper wires. Lucien was even more delighted and proimed, "Great Rome, they''ve already started using wireless!"

    The Ministry of Truth extolled various aspects of Roman civilization, one of which was Roman public hygiene. So, as part of reviving the "Roman spirit," public hygiene was elevated to a crucial level. After the discovery of pathogenic bacteria, the issue gained even more significance, and Napoleon seized the opportunity to push the so-called Paris Renovation Movement. He encouraged the people of Paris to engage in voluntarybor for half a day every week, cleaning up the umting waste. The First Consul himself would often join thebor, and each time, the chant of "Long live Napoleon!" would echo through the skies.

    Compared to other cities, clean streets were Watt''s first impression of Paris. But he soon noticed another difference between Paris and London �C there were far fewer chimneys in Paris. Even in the industrial districts, the difference was apparent.

    "It must be those cursed electric motors," Watt muttered. While the air in Paris had considerably less coal smoke than London, both Watt and Young Bolton now harbored the desire to eradicate the electric heresy just as the English once burned Joan of Arc.

    After spending two nights in Paris, the following day, Watt took a detour to visit Paris University and ended up having a lively discussion on scientific matters with Armand Lavasie, who happened to be at Paris University. Watt actually wanted to meet another French scientist, Joseph Bonaparte, but Lavasie informed him that Joseph was currently away in the south.

    "Probably rted to electricity. He should return soon, and you''ll surely catch him at the Expo. After all, many businesses there are rted to his work," Lavasie exined.

    As Watt left Lavasie, the scientist advised him, "When you visit the Expo tomorrow, take notice of the road leading to the venue. It''s quite fascinating."

    These words kept Watt guessing throughout the night about what made that road so "fascinating."

    When the next morning arrived, and the carriage moved along that road, Watt immediately noticed what set it apart. This whitish road appeared to be a single, massive piece of stone, cut so smoothly that the carriage hardly bumped or jolted while traveling on it.

    Watt signaled the coachman to halt. He got off the carriage, and without minding appearances, knelt down halfway, took a single-lens eyepiece from his coat pocket, and fixed it over his right eye. He closely examined the road.

    "It must be concrete," Watt said.

    Concrete wasn''t anything particrly astonishing; the Romans had used natural volcanic ash concrete centuries ago. And the British had even developed "Roman cement." But given the sheer length and width of this road, it raised a question: how much concrete had been used? It would have been a costly endeavor if they''d used "Roman cement" for such a long stretch.

    "Indeed, it''s concrete," William Murdoch, one of Watt''s assistants who had joined him, concurred.

    "With a road this wide and long, think of the amount of concrete they''ve used. The French must be...," Young Bolton remarked.

    "Perhaps the French have discovered a more cost-effective method," Watt suggested. "Matthew, keep an eye out at the Expo. If this material is avable, it should find a significant market. While our primary focus is promoting our steam engines, we won''t let a good opportunity slip by. Of course, it''s even better if we can acquire the technology and produce it ourselves."

    Young Bolton nodded in agreement. Watt then pocketed his single-lens eyepiece and, along with Young Bolton and William Murdoch, climbed back into the carriage.

    During the remaining journey, the group continued discussing the potential market for low-cost concrete.

    An hourter, they reached the Expo. As they disembarked from the carriage, a colossal Roman-style structure unfolded before them.

    It resembled the Roman Pantheon, with a rectangr colonnade boasting twenty-six massive columns on the fa?ade. The interior remained partially obscured from their view at that point, but it was undoubtedly a grander version of the original Pantheon.

    "Napoleon''s only been in power for a short while, even if he started building it as soon as he took office,pleting such a structure in such a brief period involves truly astonishing technological prowess. It''s a wonder of this era," Watt remarked to Young Bolton, his mood oddly growing heavier as he spoke.

 Chapter 265: The Palace of Peace

    Chapter 265: The Pce of Peace

    Surrounding the grand "Temple of a Thousand Gods" was a spacious square. Just like the road leading here, the ground of this square was also paved with cement, embedded with colorful pebbles, forming intricate patterns. Most of these images depicted themes from ancient Greece and Rome, such as Hercules and the Muses, the Shepherd Prince and the Three Graces, Minerva and the owl, as well as Augustus and Cleopatra.

    On this square, several iron frames were erected, each covered with oiled canvas �C these were likely the "semi-open" exhibition booths. The exhibition had not officially begun, but many people were already bustling about.

    Watt looked around and noticed two small houses at the entrance of the square, both of them adorned with signs in French, German, Italian, Russian, and English. They all read the same: "Exhibitor Reception." The only difference was that one of the small houses wasbeled "Pce of Peace," and the other wasbeled "Square."

    "Mr. Watt, ording to the exhibition guidelines, we should register at the reception, and the staff will then lead us to our booth," William Murdoch pulled out a small notebook, flipped through it, and then addressed Watt.

    "All right, let''s go over there," Watt waved his cane and replied.

    So, the group of them headed toward the "Pce of Peace" reception. As they reached the entrance, a waiter approached.

    "Gentlemen, are you here to exhibit?" The waiter asked in a polite manner, apanied by a smile.

    "Yes, we have invitations," William Murdoch replied. In this era, French was a widely spokennguage, and while William Murdoch could converse in it, his spoken French was a bit rough.

    "Which country are you from, sir?" the waiter inquired."We''re from Ennd," William Murdoch said.

    "On behalf of France, wee, gentlemen. Please follow me," the waiter immediately switched to English and said, "Pleasee with us."

    The group followed him into the small house. Inside, there was a long table with an official seated behind it. The waiter brought William Murdoch over and said, "These gentlemen are guests from Ennd."

    William Murdoch handed over the invitation letter to the official, who nced at it, nodded, and then picked up a nearby stamp. He stamped the invitation and handed William Murdoch a small pouch with a smile.

    "Your booth is at position number eight. Here are some instructions for exhibitors. You can go through them to get an understanding," the official said in English.

    William Murdoch took the pouch and asked, "Can I go see our booth and make some preparations?"

    "Pierre, who brought you here, will guide you. If you have any questions, you can ask him directly," the official replied.

    "Thank you," William Murdoch said, and the group followed Pierre toward therge "Temple of a Thousand Gods" named the "Pce of Peace."

    "Gentlemen, this is the main venue of the event, the ''Pce of Peace.'' As you can see, it''s modeled after the ''Temple of a Thousand Gods,'' but it''s evenrger. It''s called the ''Pce of Peace'' because of the inscription on the main gate," Pierre pointed at the Latin inscription on the lintel but exined in English, "''Free trade is the guarantee of world peace.'' Well, that''s a quote from the First Consul, Mr. Napoleon Bonaparte."

    "Very nice," Watt nodded. "I quite like that quote."

    "Watt, my good sir," Pierre chimed in with a smile, "We''re all trade-minded folks here, and who doesn''t love ''free trade''?"

    As they chatted, Pierre led the group into the "Pce of Peace." Just like the Temple of a Thousand Gods, the enormous hall inside had not a single column. However, this hall was evenrger than the one in the Temple.

    Watt was an engineer, although not a structural engineer, he was aware that supporting such a massive dome without columns was a technical marvel.

    Just like the Temple of a Thousand Gods, there was arge skylight in the center of the dome, but it was evenrger and equipped with ss. Thanks to this skylight and the vast floor-to-ceiling ss windows surrounding the hall, the interior was well-lit, brighter even than most houses.

    Watt lifted his head to examine the dome and its support structure, calcting its weight.

    In general, creating a massive dome without columns was a challenge in engineering. Architectural history had examples like the Gothic cathedrals, which utilized flying buttresses to distribute the dome''s weight to nearby load-bearing walls. However, these load-bearing walls were subject to considerable pressure. Thus, such structures often featured support structures outside the main walls. But when they entered the hall earlier, they didn''t see such external structures.

    Of course, the dome of the Temple of a Thousand Gods didn''t follow this pattern; it was cast as a single, solid piece using concrete. But this dome was significantlyrger than the one in the Temple. So, how was it supported?

    Seemingly sensing Watt''s curiosity, Pierre exined, "Mr. Watt, you''ve surely noticed the vastness of this hall. Its diameter is a whopping sixty meters, muchrger than the famous Temple of a Thousand Gods. Yet, like the Temple, itcks a single column inside. That''s because the entire dome employs a state-of-the-art construction technology �C steel-reinforced concrete. The entire dome is constructed as a single unit, welded from high-quality steel and then coated with concrete. Both the steel and the concrete, as you move toward the center, be progressively thinner. Steel provides significantly higher strength than other materials, making the entire dome much lighter than simr structures."

    Pierre''s exnation confirmed Watt''s suspicions �C the dome was indeed supported by steel.

    "Not only the dome, but the walls and the outer columns are also built using steel-reinforced concrete. This ''Pce of Peace,'' though designed in a Greco-Roman style, boasts thetest modern technology at its core," Pierre proudly introduced.

    "How much good steel does this require? Can we buy some and use it to make advanced steam engines?" Watt couldn''t help but wonder. "But it seems that the French have a vast steel production capacity."

    "Young man, where is our booth?" Even though he was "Little Bolton," he was well into his fifties, and he had more than enough years on Pierre to address him as a "young man."

    "Ah, please follow me," inside the hall, spaces were partitioned with wooden boards. Those closest to the center had the most significant spaces and the best lighting, while Watt and his group''s booth was slightly off-center but still highly visible.

    "Here it is, Mr. Watt, Mr. Bolton," Pierre led them to the designated spot. "This space belongs to your esteemedpany during the exhibition. You may arrange it as you wish, but please ensure you abide by the regtions outlined in the ''Exhibition Guidelines'' document I provided earlier. Do you need any further exnation?"

    "No, no need," Little Bolton shook his head. "We have a copy of the document from our embassy in your country. Besides, ''The London Tradesman'' newspaper has published authoritative exnations. We are quite well-informed."

    Having said this, he looked around at their surroundings and asked, "May I inquire about thepanies upying the central positions?"

    "The central positions are all held by military-industrial conglomerates, such as Lorraine Steel, Citadel Cement, and the Bonaparte Armory," Pierre replied.

 Chapter 266: The Toothpaste Cannon

    Chapter 266: The Toothpaste Cannon

    The central exhibition halls were almost fully arranged. Although the trade show had not officially begun, there were already many people exploring the exhibitions. Some were interested in the models of the products disyed in the halls, while others focused on the exhibition''syout.

    Setting up exhibition halls and arranging products was not Watt and Little Bolton''s responsibility. In fact, it didn''t even require their input, as William Murdoch was already directing others to prepare the exhibition spaces.

    Since there was nothing for them to do at the moment, Watt turned to Little Bolton and said, "Matthew, shall we go take a look?"

    Naturally, Little Bolton agreed, nodding and saying, "Certainly, Mr. Watt."

    Then, he turned to Pierre and asked, "Oh, young man, Ipletely forgot to ask your name."

    "I''m Pierre Abrd. You can call me Pierre," Pierre quickly replied.

    Little Bolton nodded and said, "Very well, Pierre. Mr. Watt and I would like to explore around. Could you be our guide?"

    "Mr. Bolton, that''s not a problem. Serving you is my job," Pierre quickly responded.

    So, guided by Pierre, the two of them headed towards the brightest area in the center."Mr. Watt, Mr. Bolton, there are three main exhibition halls here: Lorraine Steel, Fortress Cement, and Mr. Bonaparte''s Armaments Factory. Which one would you like to visit first?"

    "Well, let''s start with Lorraine Steel," Little Bolton said. They had some business dealings with thispany, making them more familiar with it. The others had no objections, so the group headed to the Lorraine Steel exhibit.

    Lorraine Steel''s exhibit was quite spacious, and the most eye-catching feature was a massive model of the framework of the Pce of Peace.

    The highest point of the model reached over three meters in height, all made from steel bars. Watt examined the model closely. Since the exhibition had not officially begun, there were no staff members avable to exin. So, Pierre stepped in as an impromptu guide.

    "Mr. Watt, Mr. Bolton, this is a scale model of the ''Pce of Peace.'' If we were to remove all the bricks, cement, and stone materials from the actual ''Pce of Peace,'' what you see here is an identical framework. Just like the human body is supported by its skeleton, the ''Pce of Peace'' has its own skeleton buried within the concrete, which is made of steel."

    "This structure, this construction method, can be applied to otherrge buildings," Watt said. "Lorraine Steel is truly making a profit."

    "They currently have the technology for low-cost steel production. With this technology, they can make money even while lying in bed," Little Bolton marveled.

    Watt nodded and added, "It''s a pity they are unwilling to share this technology, but if we were in their shoes, we wouldn''t want to either. Only a fool would be willing."

    As they continued their conversation, the group circled around the massive framework model of the Pce of Peace. Then, a smaller model of a bridge, also constructed using robust steel supports, came into view.

    "Pierre, what bridge is this?" Watt asked.

    "This is one of the proposed designs for a new bridge on the Seine River, although such a bridge doesn''t exist in the world right now," Pierre answered.

    "If this bridge were to be built for real, it would likely require a lot more steel, wouldn''t it?" Little Bolton interjected.

    "Most likely. That''s why I heard that Lorraine Steel is preparing to build an evenrger steel nt," Pierre replied.

    "Well, Matthew, do you know what? If we were to build a bridge like this in London, your father''s favorite song would be difficult to realize," Watt joked.

    In addition to the framework models, Lorraine Steel''s exhibition featured various metal blocks, each apanied by brief technical descriptions. These included various cast iron products and steel with different properties. Watt and the others had seen these products in their dealings with Lorraine Steel.

    Leaving the Lorraine Steel exhibition hall, Watt''s group proceeded to the Fortress Cement exhibit. At the center of the Fortress Cement exhibition was arge cement block. This block had many pits and craters, and these marks had been circled with white paint, apanied by short exnatory text.

    "Twenty-four-pound cannon, one hundred meters away," Little Bolton read the text as he examined one of the smaller craters on the cement block. "It''s hard to imagine that a twenty-four-pound cannon, at this range, only leaves such a small dent. Mr. Watt, is this for real?"

    "This is definitely real," Watt confirmed. "Not to mention twenty-four-pound cannons; evenrger ones don''t pack as much punch as you might think. The wooden hulls of warships are often sufficient to withstand their fire. The main issue with these cements, when facing cannon fire, isn''t about their hardness but rather whether they''ll shatter. I suspect these cement blocks contain a steel framework. With that, there''s not much a cannon can do. Well, theirpany is called Fortress, and this stuff is indeed perfect for building fortifications."

    Coming out of the Lorraine Steel exhibition hall, Watt and the others moved on to the Fortress Cement exhibition. In the center of the Fortress Cement exhibition stood arge cement block, pockmarked with craters and dents. These had been outlined in white paint, and nearby were short descriptions.

    "Twenty-four-pound cannon, one hundred meters away," Little Bolton read the text as he examined one of the smaller craters on the cement block. "It''s hard to imagine that a twenty-four-pound cannon, at this range, only leaves such a small dent. Mr. Watt, is this for real?"

    "This is definitely real," Watt confirmed. "Not to mention twenty-four-pound cannons; evenrger ones don''t pack as much punch as you might think. The wooden hulls of warships are often sufficient to withstand their fire. The main issue with these cements, when facing cannon fire, isn''t about their hardness but rather whether they''ll shatter. I suspect these cement blocks contain a steel framework. With that, there''s not much a cannon can do. Well, theirpany is called Fortress, and this stuff is indeed perfect for building fortifications."

    At the side of the cement block, there were smaller cement blocks of various colors, each with exnatory text, though the text was small enough that Watt had to take out his single-lens eyess to read it.

    "The product line of Fortress Cement is quite extensive," Wattmented, having read the introduction text. He then straightened up, ced the single-lens eyess back into his coat pocket, and turned to Little Bolton. "I believe this is something worth discussing with them. Even if we can''t get the technology license, securing the agency rights would also be excellent."

    However, the trade show had not officially started yet, and the temporary staff at the Fortress Cement exhibit could do little to facilitate Watt''s request to meet with thepany''s top management. In fact, these temporary workers were not even aware of who thepany''s top executives were.

    "Matthew, some people earn money on their knees, others, who have better products, can stand and make money. Then there are some, like Lorraine Steel and Fortress Cement, who monopolize certain industries, essentially making money while lying down," Watt couldn''t help but exim.

    "I wonder how that ''Bonaparte Armaments Factory'' makes money," Little Bolton mused.

    The Bonaparte Armaments Factory was quite different from the other twopanies. While the quality of their products had been proven through Napoleon''s wars and the practical experience of "brave people seeking freedom" worldwide, their customer service was the best. Even though the official exhibition had not yet begun, the staff there remained weing and willing to provide detailed exnations of these indispensable tools for "home travel" and "fire setting."

    Moreover, they had some intriguing products that had not been seen elsewhere before, such as the steel rifled cannon.

    In the center of their exhibit, a steel rifled cannon was disyed. Watt noticed that thebeling of this cannon was different from the previous cannons. In this era, cannons were generallybeled ording to the weight of the shot they fired, but this cannon used caliber as itsbel. A sign next to the cannon read, "1800 Model 75mm Rifled Cannon."

    This was still a front-loading, recoil mechanism cannon, not because breech-loading cannons were too difficult to make. In fact, with the advent of steelmaking, the difficulty of breech-loading cannons had been ovee. The primary reason that the Bonaparte Armaments Factory still used this design was that, like many other technologically advancedpanies, they suffered from what was known as the "toothpaste squeezing syndrome." In other words, they had advanced technology but kept it locked away to maximize profits using slightly less advanced products.

    The 1800 Model 75mm Rifled Cannon was a typical toothpaste-squeezing product, apact cannonpared to bronze cannons. Despite being shorter than the regr six-pound bronze cannon, the rifled cannon had a longer barrel. Its barrel weight was slightly less than the six-pound bronze cannon, but its carriage weight was almost as heavy as that of a twelve-pound cannon.

    Little Bolton asked a service staff member, "What size shot does this cannon fire?"

    "This is a rifled cannon," the staff member replied. "Rifled cannon shots are not spherical but closer to cylindrical. This cannon can fire various types of ammunition for different purposes, and since the ammunition varies in length and weight due to their intended use, it''s not easy tobel the cannon by shot weight. That''s why we use the bore diameter forbeling."

    "I see that the caliber of this cannon is not veryrge, but the price tag is quite high, almost equivalent to the price of two six-pound bronze cannons. Is that not too expensive?" Little Bolton mentioned the price of six-pound bronze cannons, which had skyrocketed due to the copper shortage caused by the demand for electricity in Europe. Consequently, this toothpaste-squeezing cannon was indeed very expensive.

    "Sir, we can price it this way because this cannon is superior to two six-pound bronze cannons. Firstly, because it uses rifling technology, our cannons have far greater uracy than regr bronze cannons. For instance, even the best twelve-pound bronze cannon, under the control of the most skilled gunner, can urately hit a windmill about a kilometer away. But with our cannon, a slight amount of training allows the gunners to urately hit the window of that windmill."

    "In that case, can this type of cannon be sold to Ennd?" Watt asked.

    "Why not? We haven''t been at war with Ennd, so why not?" the staff member responded, even though he personally didn''t think selling weapons to Ennd was a good idea. However, the decision on this matter had already been made by those above.

    "In any case, it''s just a type of outdated weapon with some new technology," someone had said when persuading Napoleon to sell steel cannons to foreigners.

 Chapter 267: Guest Academician

    Chapter 267: Guest Academician

    In addition to the impressive cannon, "Monsieur Bonaparte''s Arsenal" showcased various other types of weapons, many of which were improved versions of familiar old designs. The most significant advancement was the shift from iron to steel in their construction.

    Beyond this, Monsieur Bonaparte''s Arsenal also featured a cutting-edge technology��smokeless gunpowder. ording to the brochure, this type of gunpowder, whenbined with steel barrels, allowed bullets to achieve higher initial velocity, resulting in increased range. It also reduced battlefield smoke, making the shooters less conspicuous and harder to detect.

    Seeing this, even Watt, who wasn''t particrly radical on Irish matters, felt a deep sense of malice.

    Apart from firearms, "Monsieur Bonaparte''s Arsenal" produced a variety of edged weapons, such as daggers, bays, spring knives, and butterfly knives. Watt furrowed his brow at the sight because these items were alreadymon in Ennd, and some Britishpanies had started imitating them.

    The poprity of these weapons in Ennd was more concerning to Watt and hispanions than the prevalence ofnd mines and rifles in Irnd. After all, the victims ofnd mines and rifles in Irnd were mostly English civilians, and these threats were rtively distant from Watt and his group, as long as they didn''t venture into Irnd themselves.

    However, spring knives and butterfly knives were different; their poprity implied a deterioration in public safety. Despite the generally poorw and order in London or any English city, these knives exacerbated the problem further.

    These two types of knives were exceptionally discreet. Victims would often have no time to react before thieves brandished them. Recently, many police officers had been stabbed or killed by these weapons. In response, the police had be more sensitive and prone to using violence. London''s police had begun widely equipping themselves with revolvers, and there were already several incidents of innocent bystanders getting injured due to indiscriminate firing.

    Compared to the dangers in Irnd, these small knives posed a more immediate threat. To Watt, these items were even more detestable than rifled guns andnd mines.

    But Bolton''s attention was captivated by a certain French knife."Mr. Watt,e and have a look at this knife."

    Watt walked over to see an unusual folding knife in a ss disy case. Unlike typical folding knives, this one didn''t have just one de; it had multiple other tools inside, such as small scissors, a tiny screwdriver, a miniaturepass, and various other ingenious little devices.

    "Well, Mr. Watt, you see, this thing is quite interesting," Bolton said, pointing at the knife.

    "It looks nice, but as a tool, these things are too small. They''re not as practical as regr ones," Watt replied, shaking his head.

    "That''s true, but it could be a nice gift for the children," Bolton suggested.

    Watt agreed with that perspective. He thought these little items could be bought and given to children for y, helping them develop their manual skills. He was genuinely impressed by the French''s ability to incorporate so many tools into such a small knife.

    They continued to walk around and explore other exhibits.

    "Ah, this saber... Mr. Watt, look at this. Is this the legendary Damascus steel de? My word, the French have actually mastered this technology. I thought these des were lost to history!" Bolton eximed.

    In reality, the true technique of crafting Damascus steel des had been lost, and these beautiful patterns were achieved through folding and forging various types of steel, then etching the surface. But Bolton was unaware of this, so he checked the price and, although he found it somewhat expensive, decided to buy a couple of them as decorative pieces.

    In addition to the unique knife, there was a special shovel with over a dozen practical functions, and its price was reasonable. Watt thought about importing some to sell, believing they would do quite well.

    After some more exploring, they headed back to their allocated vi to rest. These small vis were specifically reserved for the merchants who had qualified to present in the "Pce of Peace." Those merchants who were only showcasing their products in the square had to stay in regr hotels.

    On the second evening of their stay, a few people came to visit Watt.

    "I am Joseph Bonaparte. I just rushed back from the South and heard that Mr. Watt is here, so I came to pay him a visit," this person said to Watt''s assistant, William Murdoch.

    "Ah, it''s Professor Bonaparte," William Murdoch said, instantly showing his respect. In British propaganda, Napoleon, and Joseph for that matter, had been portrayed negatively. Later on, Fouch�� had been vilified even further. However, despite these negative portrayals, British schrs couldn''t help but utilize Fouch��''s First Law, Fouch��''s Second Law, and so on. So, regardless of the criticisms, during the war, there was still a degree of admiration for Joseph.

    The world of science was even less affected by this political bias, and scientists, for political correctness and personal interest, were hesitant to admit the shift of scientific prominence from Britain to France. But when it came to Joseph Bonaparte, the most prominent symbol of this transition, they couldn''t help but admire him. Now that Watt was here, and Joseph hade to visit in person, it was an opportunity that Watt could boast about back in Ennd. As Watt''s assistant, William Murdoch felt honored to be a part of this.

    "Professor Bonaparte, pleasee in. I''ll go and inform Mr. Watt; he''s upstairs discussing matters with Mr. Bolton," William Murdoch invited Joseph in and instructed a servant to prepare tea. Holding a candlestick, he prepared to go upstairs to notify Watt.

    Although it was already dark outside, it was only seven o''clock, and neither Watt nor Bolton had gone to sleep yet. Both men were upstairs in the small living room, enjoying tea and discussing their experiences from the day.

    When William Murdoch informed them that Professor Bonaparte hade to visit, both men quickly got up and descended the stairs.

    "Ah, Professor Bonaparte," Watt said as he approached, "Ever since I arrived in Paris, I''ve been eager to visit you. Unfortunately, when you traveled to the South, we were quite disappointed, thinking we had missed the opportunity. To meet you now, I consider this trip aplete sess."

    They exchanged pleasantries and took seats on the living room''s sofa.

    "Professor Bonaparte, is there something specific that brings you here?" Watt inquired.

    Joseph replied, "Yes, there are a few matters. Mr. Watt, as you may know, I am currently the President of the French Academy of Sciences. Initially, we thought this position should have been filled by Mr. Lavassier, but he has been reluctant to be distracted by such administrative duties. Thus, I, perhaps somewhat unprepared, ended up taking on the role."

    "However, now that I am in this position, I believe it is essential to do something for the Academy and for science itself. I have always believed that science has no boundaries; it is a shared wealth of all humankind. To advance science, it requires coboration among the finest scientists from various nations. Mr. Watt, you are a member of the Royal Society of London, which has made immense contributions to the history of science. Additionally, you, yourself, are a great scientist who has made groundbreaking contributions to human progress. Therefore, I havee here today with the hope of inviting you to be an Associate Academician of the French Academy of Sciences."

    Being invited to be an Associate Academician of the French Academy of Sciences was a significant honor. Watt was undoubtedly delighted, but he felt the need for some politeness. Moreover, Joseph''s earlier praise, describing him as a "great scientist who had made groundbreaking contributions to human progress," had set the bar quite high. Considering Joseph''s prominent position in the scientificmunity, this praise would provide Watt with bragging rights for months when he returned to Ennd.

    "President Bonaparte, I am deeply honored to receive such an invitation. Your statement about science knowing no boundaries and the need for worldwide coboration is something I wholeheartedly agree with. However, your kind words of praise have made me blush. I feel a bit overrated," Watt replied.

    "Ah, Mr. Watt, while studying the history of human science, I once divided the history of human civilization based on how humans obtain and utilize energy. I separated it into several stages. First is the primitive stage when humans were essentially wild creatures, obtaining energy by seeking natural sources of energy. This is the same way all wild animals obtain their energy, whether by eating nts or other animals. During this stage, humans could hardly be considered civilized and were closer to wild beasts.

    Watt nodded in agreement, listening carefully to Joseph''s words, as they might be quite useful for boastingter.

    Joseph continued, "Later, humans developed two methods to acquire energy: agriculture and animal husbandry. ording to the studies of Monsieur Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, the source of energy for nt growth is sunlight. Whether through agriculture, animal husbandry, or even earlier forms of existence more reminiscent of wild animals, in terms of energy utilization, humans were all harnessing the energy of sr radiation. However, agriculture and animal husbandry were more efficient methods of utilizing energy. Acquiring this knowledge marked the threshold of human civilization.

    "For thousands of years afterward, despite many changes, this method of obtaining energy remained rtively unchanged, with asional use of wind and water power, but on a limited scale. It wasn''t until you improved the steam engine that humanity''s avable energy sources expanded significantly. Mineral energy became widely used. This marked a substantial step forward for human civilization. Regardless of how it''s praised, it''s not an overstatement."

    Joseph''s theory was both innovative and incredibly beneficial for Watt. Watt believed that this theory could provide him with a year''s worth of bragging rights, if not a lifetime. With a wide smile on his face, Watt said, "President Bonaparte, your praise is truly overwhelming. You just described quite an impressive historical perspective. I am deeply honored by your invitation. What can I assist you with, beyond this honor?"

 Chapter 268: The Train

    Chapter 268: The Train

    "Ah, indeed. There''s one more matter, Mr. Watt. After this Paris exposition, I''d like to invite you to give a lecture at the University of Paris," Joseph Fouch�� remarked.

    This, too, was a grand proposal, and Mr. Watt had no reason to decline. He replied, "The University of Paris is one of the most renowned educational institutions in the world. Speaking there would be the culmination of my lifetime dreams��of course, I say this only half-seriously. Even if time is scarce, I will make sure to squeeze some out. After all, what could be more important than this?"

    Joseph was delighted. "Mr. Watt, it''s settled then. Oh, by the way, Mr. Watt, now that our official business is concluded, I have some personal matters to discuss with you."

    Mr. Watt perked up. He knew that while their official dealings were crucial, these personal matters might be even more substantial. In a way, Joseph Bonaparte had be an idol in the British scientificmunity. Countless aspiring scientists looked up to him, not just because he was one of the most brilliant minds of his time but also because he was the most financially sessful scientist of his era. Everyone knew that Joseph, as the head of the "military-industrialplex" in France, had amassed a considerable fortune.

    Mr. Watt, too, was a scientist skilled at making money, but he believed that Joseph had outshone him in that aspect even more than in scientific research. Given Joseph Bonaparte''s influence in the economic sphere, it was likely that he had yed a significant role in the sess of the "Paris Exposition." So, while official business was essential, these personal matters were probably more substantial.

    Mr. Watt leaned forward, shifting his posture on the sofa. "Mr. Bonaparte, feel free to share your concerns."

    "Ah, Mr. Watt, I understand that you and your partners operate apany that produces steam engines. Furthermore, yourpany has extensive coborations with the Lorraine Steel Company. Well, Mr. Watt, our Lorraine Steel Company is currently facing a bottleneck in steel production."

    "Mr. Watt, if you''ve visited the Lorraine Steel booth today, I''m sure you understand the immense demand for our steel. We hardly ever worry about sales. In fact, our steel orders are often booked months in advance, even with our factories operating at full tilt. So, why not build more steel nts to increase production capacity?" said young Boulton, who was apanying them.

    "Mr. Boulton, the problem isn''t ack of steel furnaces or mining capacity. The issue lies in our inability to transport enough ore to the steel nts," Joseph exined. "Whether it''s iron ore or coal, we can''t rely solely on water transport to deliver them directly to the factories. There''s always some distance from the docks to the factories, and not all mines are situated near rivers. Transporting these resources from the mines to the docks involves a significant ovend journey.""Mr. Boulton, Mr. Watt, you know that the wagons used to transport ore are heavily loaded, requiring numerous draft animals and specialized tracks. The tracks aren''t a problem, but the number of draft animals poses a significant challenge. Rearing arge number of draft animals also demands substantial resources and manpower, making it a costly affair."

    "So, I have an idea. Yourpany possesses a wealth of valuable expertise in steam power and transmission. We hope to coborate with yourpany to develop a steam-powered transportation technology. To be more explicit, we''d like to work with you to create a steam-powered rail transport system that could rece horse-drawn ore wagons."

    "Mr. Watt, steam engines have already found extensive use in propelling ships. In principle, they can be applied tond transportation as well. Even if they are solely used for transporting ore, their value is immense. When ites to steam power, there''s no more experienced partner in the world than yourpany. So, we hope to join forces with you to develop such a steam-powered vehicle."

    Mr. Watt had heard simr ideas before. Several years ago, someone had proposed something simr to him. However, at the time, Mr. Watt had expressed opposition to the idea without providing specific reasons, merely stating, "I don''t think it''s a good idea." Some believed that Mr. Watt''s resistance was rted to negotiations about selling his patent for the crankshaft to John Steed, as developing such a technology would not have been in his interest. Eventually, Mr. Watt''s assistant, William Murdoch, invented a contraption known asary gears, bypassing the need for the crankshaft patent.

    Since then, the idea had been buried and hadn''t resurfaced until now.

    Now, someone had brought up this suggestion once again. However, this time, it wasn''t just some nameless figure making the proposal. Mr. Watt couldn''t brush him off with a simple "I don''t think it''s a good idea." After some thought, he inquired, "Mr. Bonaparte, to my knowledge, the military-industrialplex has been involved in steam engines, particrly in marine steam engines. If they work on ships, they should be suitable for steam-powered trains as well, don''t you think?"

    "Ah, don''t get me started on those folks. They use whatever materials are expensive, whether it''s for warships or vessels carrying highly profitable contraband. Lately, they''ve run into a series of technical difficulties, and it''s cost me two months'' worth of expenses with no progress," Josephined.

    Joseph wasn''t exaggerating. Those folks were indeed burning money every day, and they had made almost no progress in over two months. However, Joseph wasn''t as dissatisfied as he appeared because this slow progress was entirely expected. After all, they were currently working on the true form of the steam engine - the steam turbine. As a result, they had encountered a multitude of challenges, which were all part of the n.

    Even if they seeded in their research, the steam turbine was more suitable for use in ships or power nts rather than in trains.

    Of course, Joseph had also considered skipping the steam engine and even the internalbustion engine altogether and jumping directly to electric lotives. However, there were numerous missing pieces of the puzzle in that direction, not just in terms of technology but also in science.

    So, for now, the fastest approach was to coborate with Mr. Watt, using traditional reciprocating steam engines to develop a steam-powered lotive with a distinct steam-punk, riveted steel, and multi-carriage appearance. Joseph even envisioned that one day, if the barbarians from Austria invaded the Roman border, Napoleon wouldmand an armored steam-powered train, with multiple carriages and turrets, to plow through their ranks.

    "I see," Mr. Watt pondered and asked, "So, how would our interests be distributed in this research?"

    And now it was time for the most crucial part. Joseph immediately focused his attention, negotiating with Mr. Watt regarding the distribution of interests. Mr. Watt initially hoped to use his various patents to exchange for steelmaking or cement production techniques. Still, Joseph swiftly rejected this idea - it was a grossly unequal trade, and he wasn''t about to be fooled.

    Though the idea was rejected, Mr. Watt remained unfazed. Being turned down was normal, and if he wasn''t turned down, that would be a win. He then proposed a new suggestion, requesting exclusive agency rights for fortress cement in the UK.

    The intense discussions continued throughout the night until the sun rose in the east, and they finally reached a provisional agreement. Mr. Watt and his team obtained exclusive agency rights for fortress cement in the UK and priority purchasing rights for Lorraine Steel. Additionally, for every steam lotive produced by the military-industrialplex and sold on the market, they would pay Mr. Watt''s team a patent fee of three hundred pounds.

    As Joseph left the vi where Mr. Watt''s team had temporarily stayed, he couldn''t help but mutter, "That Mr. Watt, he''s not the most lovable character. Mr. Lavasie is so much better..."

    However, even though Mr. Watt was craftier than Mr. Lavasie, Joseph hadn''te out on the losing end. He had sessfully concealed his true goals and acquired a crucial patent at a rtively low cost: the patent forary gears.

    The significance ofary gears, as perceived by its owner, Mr. Watt, and the inventor, William Murdoch, was underestimated. They primarily viewed it as a means to bypass the crankshaft patent. However, Joseph knew that this invention was the key to numerous vital variable-speed systems in future machinery.

    So, even though he was annoyed that he hadn''t easily taken advantage of Mr. Lavasie, the fact remained that Joseph hadn''te out on the losing end.

 Chapter 269: Buying Cannons

    Chapter 269: Buying Cannons

    After a night of exhausting negotiations, both Watt and Petit Boulton were weary. They were not young men anymore, and in the modern world, people of Petit Boulton''s age were considered beyond the category of needing a respirator. Watt, on the other hand, was even closer to the category of "pull the plug on the respirator even if it''s attached."

    Of course, if they were as wealthy in modern times as they were now, there would be no need to worry about such things. After all, the rich had always been given priority, a rule followed from ancient times to the present day. Even His Imperial Majesty once said, "Such is life."

    Joseph Fouch�� came to visit them in the evening, iming he had just arrived here. His immediate visit after arriving disyed Joseph''s respect for Watt, a pioneer in the field of science. However, Watt had a lingering suspicion. Joseph, in perfect timing, chose this moment to arrive and immediately started discussing business. Was he trying to take advantage of their weakened state, hoping to gain an upper hand?

    With this thought in mind, Watt quickly pulled Petit Boulton aside, and they painstakingly reexamined all the terms they had just negotiated, until both of them had throbbing headaches. Finally, they set aside the contract.

    "Mr. Watt, I believe there are no loopholes in the contract. While we may not have gained much from President Bonaparte, we certainly won''t be at a loss. This should indeed be a win-win coboration. Besides, my head is starting to spin, and I don''t think there''s much more to be gained from further discussion. Let''s call it a night," Petit Boulton said.

    "Yes, yes, I''m getting a headache too," Watt said. "Matthew, can you still sleep now?"

    "How is that possible?" Petit Boulton replied. "Do you think I''m still in my thirties? Back then, no matter what time it was, as soon as my head touched the pillow, I could fall asleep instantly. But now, if I miss that window for sleep, no matter how tired I am, even if my head feels as heavy as granite, I still can''t fall asleep. Well, Mr. Watt, what about you?"

    "Me? I''m quite a bit older than you, so this has been my reality for a while. Well, since we can''t sleep, shall we have dinner together and then go for a walk?" Watt suggested.

    "Sure," Petit Boulton agreed. "The breakfasts in France are my second favorite thing about this ce.""What''s your first favorite thing?" Watt asked.

    "Good weather, always good weather," Petit Boulton replied.

    "Your opinion is quite simr to mine, but the order of first and second would be different for me. I''ve been thinking whether I should fire our damned cook at home."

    The two of them had a breakfast far superior to stargazing, and then they made their way to the "Pce of Peace."

    The morning was sunny, and from a distance, the Pce of Peace, covered in ayer of white marble, sparkled. As they approached, they noticed there were more people around the Pce of Peace today.

    "Tomorrow''s the grand opening, no wonder there are so many people," Watt remarked.

    "Do you want to go have a look? Maybe there are more novelties to discover," Petit Boulton suggested.

    "No," Watt suddenly said. "For us, the most important things have already been seen. Moreover, our money has already been allocated. Even if we were to see more, we wouldn''t have the funds to acquire them. Besides, if we see everything now, it won''t be as exciting when the opening ceremony arrives. Let''s go somewhere else for a walk."

    "That''s true. After all, our main mission for this trip is essentiallyplete, isn''t it?" Petit Boulton said. "The good fight has been fought, the race has been run, and the tasks have been aplished. From now on, we have some leisure time."

    "Haha, Matthew, you''re twisting the Bible."

    "No, Mr. Watt, I''m paying homage to it."

    They continued to chat and joke as they walked in another direction.

    However, on the following morning, both of them felt some regret.

    The opening ceremony was actually well organized, incorporating elements from modern opening ceremonies: group exercises, parades, and a lively atmosphere. For the people of that time, who had never experienced such entertainment, it was a truly joyous asion. But for Watt and Petit Boulton, who were getting on in years, the noise was a bit too much.

    However, that wasn''t a major issue. The noise was part of the celebration, and they were still having fun. What bothered them more was when Lucien took the stage and delivered a speech. This fellow rambled on for what felt like ages,paring this event to the ancient Greek festival of Dionysus one moment and discussing Roman civilization the next. He then meandered into the territory of shared prosperity, talking for over an hour, until Watt, seated in the front row, could barely keep his eyes open. Lucien finally wrapped up his long-winded speech with a simple phrase: "I wish for world peace!"

    After that, a round of ceremonial cannon fire woke up those who had been lulled to sleep by Lucien, urging them to hurry up and spend money.

    After the opening ceremony, Watt and Petit Boulton followed their original n and wandered through the square outside the Pce of Peace. They explored various exotic goods they hadn''t seen before. Even in the semi-open exhibition halls, they discovered plenty of new and creative items. For instance, Watt came across something called a "typewriter" at a rtively inconspicuous small business booth, which he found to be quite impressive.

    Although this device was rtively simple in design, it proved to be incredibly efficient in use. The demonstrator effortlessly typed out an entire page of text in no time, significantly faster than handwriting and with clear and neat typography.

    Watt immediately inquired about the price of the device and discreetly asked about whether it had been patented. Unfortunately, he received a disappointing response �C the device had already been patented.

    "This thing may look simple, but it will likely sell well in the future," Watt told Petit Boulton, disappointed. "It''s a pity we don''t have the funds, nor the manpower to engage in this business."

    As they were discussing this, they noticed a familiar face passing by.

    "Ah, that person seems like someone we''ve seen somewhere before," Watt remarked.

    "Yes, it seems so, in Fermanagh..." Petit Boulton started but stopped short.

    The person who had just passed by was Lieutenant Fermanagh of the British Royal Navy. In the past, during the development of steamships in the British Navy, both Watt and Petit Boulton had interacted with him. However, at this moment, he was dressed casually and in the attire of a merchant. It was likely that he was on some sort of secret mission.

    Watt and Petit Boulton knew it was best not to interfere with such matters and pretended not to have seen him.

    Lieutenant Fermanagh, on the other hand, had just exited the Pce of Peace and was engaged in conversation with an Italian merchant. Moments ago, he had posed as a Mexican businessman and discussed the purchase of cannons with the "Bonaparte Arsenal" representatives while subtly gathering information about the cannons'' performance.

    If the Bonaparte Arsenal representatives were not exaggerating, these cannons, especially in terms of their prating power, even surpassed the 36-pound cannons used on battleships. Furthermore, they were incredibly lightweight. This had the British naval officer deeply concerned.

    "Even the vessel we faced before, the Narwhal, equipped with these cannons, could pierce the hull of our battleships at normalbat distances. Considering the Narwhal''s clear advantage in speed, it would certainly gain a tactical advantage when facing our battleships. In single-shipbat, it could even challenge first-rate battleships like the HMS Victory. This is truly rming andpletely disrupts our naval warfare strategies."

    At present, the British had not been able to manufacture steamshipsparable to the Narwhal. They had tried various methods, such as cing the paddlewheel at the stern or increasing length and width, but their new steamships still fell far short of the Narwhal.

    "In any case, even if we can''t obtain the Narwhal''s technology for now, at the very least, we cannot let the French outstrip us in artillery."

    Lieutenant Fermanagh expressed his desire to purchase these cannons from the French �C buying one or two to study and potentially reverse-engineer would be ideal.

    The French had been very receptive to his inquiries until he asked to buy two cannons. At this point, the previously friendly Frenchman''s demeanor took a sudden turn.

    "Sir, we don''t engage in small transactions," the Frenchman said, disying a clear disdain for a cash-strapped small merchant. It was as if he were scolding himself for wasting so much time.

    "In that case, what''s the minimum quantity you ept?" Lieutenant Fermanagh asked.

    "No less than 12 cannons," the Frenchman replied.

    Lieutenant Fermanagh calcted that this price exceeded the authorization he had received. So, he tried to negotiate further with the Frenchman, but at this point, an Italian merchant approached. This Italian hailed from the Papal States, and he seemed to be very familiar with the Frenchmen. The Frenchman immediately abandoned Lieutenant Fermanagh to curry favor with the Italian.

    Soon, the Italian was ready to ce an order for a full 48 cannons. The Papal States'' military, despite having good equipment, had limitedbat capability. These purchases were, to arge extent, protection money �C simr to how major yers in the modern world paid tribute to the Imperial Sovereign.

    Observing the Italian easily signing the purchase contract, Lieutenant Fermanagh suddenly had an idea �C the French only sold in bulk, but he could still buy one or two cannons from the Italian!

    He approached the Italian, introduced himself, and exined that he only had the money to buy two cannons, but the French required a minimum order of twelve. He then suggested that they pool their resources to buy two cannons together.

    "Sir," the Italian looked at him with suspicion, "I can tell you make your living at sea. Are you involved in the kind of business conducted in the Caribbean? But I don''t mind. I believe neither would the Lord. However, if you want my help, you must show a bit of sincerity."

 Chapter 270: Cannons and Wool

    Chapter 270: Cannons and Wool

    The possibility of the British secretly buying cannons was something the French had already anticipated. Even that Englishman who posed as a Mexican had been under the watchful eyes of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Truth. However, no action had been taken against his little antics. The reasoning behind this was discussed among the leaders, and Joseph Fouch�� was the one to articte it.

    "International arms trade, well, though we can sign a ''end-user agreement'' with the buyers, preventing them from reselling, we can''t be counting the number of cannons in their armies every day. (I heard that some powerful countries regrly count nes in the countries they extort from.) And even if we did count, they could easily load these items onto their ships and then tell us that the cannons have ''sunk.'' Can we really go down to the depths of the sea to ask Poseidon to help us count the cannons? So, as long as we want to make money from these things, they will inevitably end up in the hands of the British. Given that, why should we let those middlemen make a profit?"

    When Joseph posed this question during their meeting, everyone nodded in agreement.

    "But, won''t therge-scale arming of the British with these weapons pose a threat to us?" Carnot raised an objection at this point.

    "Lazare, if for every cannon the British buy from us, we can equip ourselves with two and a half to three more cannons, what does one British cannon matter?" Joseph dismissed the concern. "Moreover, this is just the profit from cannons. Considering the profit from steel, for each cannon we sell to the British, we can earn three and a half to four more cannons."

    "But the money we earn won''t be used to equip our own army with cannons," Carnot persisted, and Napoleon surprisingly stayed silent.

    "That little scoundrel, Napoleon, is making progress. ording to Lucien, he has been privately discussing this with Carnot for a while during military exercises, and now Carnot wants to ask me for money? This boy doesn''t realize that the focus should now be on economic development, and the military needs to be patient," Joseph remarked.

    "Lazare, you also know that the performance of these cannons is significantly different from those we use in our armed forces. Moreover, when we sell these cannons, we also pay taxes to the government, don''t we? From the moment the ore is mined until the sale, when you add up all the taxes, it''s almost enough for the government to purchase a fraction of our cannons at a discounted price. But, these are the self-propelled cannons with breechblocks, not the monkey-version cannons sold to foreigners. If the government is willing to allocate this money to purchase these self-propelled cannons, with every five cannons we sell, the government can buy one advanced self-propelled cannon. And our tests have shown that, especially in terms of firing speed, one of our cannons can match four or even five monkey-version cannons. Add to that our self-made ammunition, and the advantage bes even more significant. Lazare, you also know that we sell these cannons to many countries. Many of these nations are our allies, and some are far from posing a threat to us. Not all of them are buying from the British. Even if the British, along with the Austrians, buy cannons from us, it won''t be a substantial proportionpared to the cannons we sell. It won''t exceed the amount of taxes the government collects from our business. So, Lazare, if you think we have too few cannons in the army, you shouldn''te to me, you should talk to Napoleon because he''s the one deciding on government expenditures! You should ask him where this money is being used!"

    At this point, Napoleon finally broke his silence. "How can you me me? Our government has too many ces to spend money. Rural development costs money. I''m sure you agree with that, Lazare. The better the homnd looks, the more loyal our soldiers be, and their morale is higher. Basic education costs money. Joseph, you suggested three years ofpulsory education, how much does that cost? Lazare, you know about this, and you were very supportive at the time. Then... Lazare, you should also understand that we''re running out of money. So, Lazare, we must export more cannons, no matter to whom. New rural development costs money. I think Lazare, you''d also agree with that. And you can see the better our homnd is, the more loyal our soldiers be, and the higher their morale. And also, basic education. This was your idea, Joseph, three years ofpulsory education. How much will that cost? Lazare, you know about this, and you were very supportive at the time. And... then, Lazare, you should think about where we can find the money.""So, Lazare, we have to export more cannons if there''s no way to cut these expenses. Only by selling more can we generate extra tax revenue for the military to buy cannons."

    With that, Carnot fell silent. After a while, he finally asked, "Joseph, can the extra tax revenue really be used for the military?"

    "We need to ask Napoleon about that," Joseph replied.

    Carnot looked at Napoleon and decided not to press him further. Instead, he asked, "What if the British try to replicate our cannons?"

    "Our cannons have only one true advantage, which is the low-cost steelmaking process. If the British want to make cannons with crucible steel, their cannons will be much more expensive than what they buy from us. So, the quantity of their cannons will be limited. Why should we be worried then?"

    Because of these considerations, neither the Ministry of Public Security nor the Ministry of Truth paid much attention to the British who were running around at the Paris Expo.

    The bustling Paris Exposted for a full two weeks. During this time, merchants from various countries signed a multitude of contracts. ording to statistics from the Ministry of Truth, just in this single trade fair, the quantity of orders for woolen textiles, especially by the British and other European nations, surpassed the total for the entire previous year. It even exceeded the current supply capacity of the British.

    As these merchants returned to Ennd, clutching their contracts, they hurriedly contemted getting loans from banks to expand production. They aimed to buy as much wool as possible, and those who acted quickly reaped the benefits.

    As a consequence, the price of wool in the British market skyrocketed within a week, increasing by a third in such a short time. Wool became a preciousmodity.

    In light of this, somendowners, who were initially hesitating, didn''t wait for their wheat to ripen and rushed to reimnd from their tenants. They then let their sheep, including characters like Happy Sheep, Lazy Sheep, Beautiful Sheep, Slow Sheep, and Warm Sheep, graze in the fields.

    But what about grains? It was simple: go to the international market and buy them. Did you not know that France was on the brink of a bountiful harvest? The price of grain in France was much cheaper than in Ennd. Directly selling grain in France was the solution.

    You see, Frenchnd was so much more suitable for growing grainspared to the mossynds of Ennd. Growing grains there was simply not profitable. What? You''re concerned about food security? There''s an international market, you know! Do you understand? Not only France but also Russia, Prussia, and the United States are part of it. Could they all collectively impose an embargo on Ennd? If such a situation were to ur, it would undoubtedly be due to something outrageous that Ennd had done itself.

    In any case, in Ennd,rge numbers of farmers were driven into the cities. While the rapid expansion of the textile industry created more "job opportunities," the increase in "job opportunities" still couldn''t keep up with the rapid rise in unemployment. As a result, the security situation in British cities deteriorated even further.

    To make matters worse, at this time, a group of unscrupulous British merchants smuggled in arge quantity of various "self-defense items" from France. Everything from butterfly knives to switchdes, and even daggers, were avable. Among them were high-end, sophisticated Damascus knives for the wealthy, but the majority were shoddy but undeniably deadly weapons. Their prices were affordable.

    Some sellers of these weapons, consciously or unconsciously, propagated, "Working in a factory is a death sentence. Your best way out is to go to the New World. To go to the New World, you need the money for a boat ticket, living expenses along the way, and��most importantly��courage and a good knife."

    Though this kind of promotion brought about significant dangers, and some merchants selling these knives were even robbed by impoverished individuals wielding their very products, some sellers still continued to offer their knives. People preferred having a weapon to secure their livelihood rather than selling a loaf of bread.

    "Having only bread without a weapon, you''re sure to lose your bread. But having only a weapon without bread, you''ll most likely earn yourself some bread."

    Amidst this situation, London practically turned into a city of crime, with thefts and unsessful robberies urring all around.

    Faced with this situation, the "Ennd News League" and the "Ennd Freedom News League," who had always been at odds with each other, unexpectedly united. They quickly reached a consensus and jointly condemned thewless behavior of these thugs, demanding that the government take immediate action to suppress them.

    The "Times Review" of the "Ennd News League" published an editorial titled "Is There Still Justice, Is There Still Law?" strongly condemning the atrocitiesmitted by the hooligans.

    Meanwhile, "Voice of Free Ennd" from the "Ennd Freedom News League" featured an exclusive interview with the London Municipal Authority, titled "We Must Return Peace to London''s Citizens."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 270 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 271: A Way Out

    Chapter 271: A Way Out

    The administrative efficiency of the British government had waned in recent times, which was to be expected given the increased intensity of parliamentary struggles. In the past, the main yers in the country''s parliament were the Tories and the Whigs, and ever since the reign of King George III, the Tories had gradually gained the upper hand, ensuring swift passage and implementation of government policies.

    But recently, this situation had abruptly changed. The previously dominant Tories had splintered, turning the entire parliament into aplex triangle of the Tories, the New Tories, and the Whigs. These factions were constantly at odds with each other on various issues, causing government bills to face dys in parliament, and the formtion of certainws to be slower than before.

    However, on the matter of restoring order in London, there was little need formunication between the three factions. In less than half an hour, they swiftly passed the government''s proposed "Public Order Act" and reinstated the ancient "Vagrant Act."

    ording to the old "Vagrant Act," loitering, idleness, and ack of industry were all defined as criminal behaviors. The unemployed and those without work were considered "criminals," subject to arbitrary arrests by the police and incarceration.

    Of course, the prisons couldn''t amodate all these "criminals." So, the "Vagrant Act" provided an opportunity for these offenders to reform. After the first arrest for "crime," the punishment was not too severe; they''d receive a fewshes, have their records marked, and then be released.

    But if the "criminals" continued their idle and criminal ways, the punishments grew harsher. After three days of flogging for the same offense, they would be sentenced to hardbor.

    Of course, the British legal system was quite merciful. The purpose of hardbor was not to inflict suffering but to help these individuals reform their idle and criminal habits. However, such habits were challenging to change, and recidivism wasmon, much like some web novel authors'' frequent hiatuses and unfinished works. Hence, longer sentences were often necessary to reinforce the treatment, simr to how certain web novel authors needed extended time in the "ck room" or 14-day istion.

    Those sentenced to hardbor often found themselves leased to enterprises like mines. Although the government did specifypensation for losses (which went to the government, not the "public ves" or their families), it was a virtually costless transaction for the government. Consequently, the conditions for these "public ves" were harsh.

    However, in a sense, this system was still considered benevolent. Even though the plight of "public ves" couldn''tpare to the cotton-picking, watermelon-eating ck ves in North America, they were not the most wretched. The most miserable position went to a type of ve formally known as "freeborers."These "freeborers" weren''t owned by anyone; they weren''t ves of individuals or the state, so no one had any incentive to treat them kindly. For any business owner leasing them, the optimal approach was to use them to the maximum. If it became apparent that excessive use might damage them, they would be discharged to avoid risks. After all, in free trade, everyone had a choice. As a result, "freeborers" with some structural damage and decliningbor capabilities were left to starve. Comparatively, "public ves" at least had jail cells to call home.

    So, this was why Subi preferred ckwell Ind over bing a "freeborer."

    For unrepentant "criminals" who persisted in their idle and criminal lives after their release, thew permitted them to be hanged. Nevertheless, the reformation efforts in Great Britain were showing remarkable results, and most "criminals" did notmit the same offenses again. After undergoing rehabilitation, they typically heeded the call of a better life.

    Of course, the final punishment in the original "Vagrant Act" was a bit too severe. Therefore, the Addington government made some modifications, recing hanging with exile. Fortunately, Great Britain had many territories to choose from.

    Following this decision, the British state machinery immediately kicked into high gear. Large numbers of criminals were apprehended and incarcerated, and masses of "public ves" were sent to various coal mines, iron mines, and other high-risk industries.

    As George walked down the street, a police officer suddenly stopped him.

    "What do you do? Do you have a job?" The police officer asked, cing his hand on the handle of his gun tucked into his waist.

    "Officer, I do have a job. I work at Andy Machinery Factory. Look, I have the factory''s work permit right here," George replied while handing a small card to the police officer. The officer took the card, nced at it, and then tossed it back to him, saying, "You have a job, so why are you roaming around here?"

    "Officer, I''m on the night shift. I came out to buy some food to eat before going to work," George quickly replied, picking up the small card and carefully cing it back into his pocket.

    "Now, get lost," the police officer said.

    George hurriedly walked away, took a few steps, turned a corner, and disappeared into an alley.

    George did indeed work the night shift, but not at Andy Machinery Factory. His work permit was a forged one he had acquired from the local gang. However, in this era, there weren''t any sophisticated anti-counterfeiting measures, so it was generally easy to pass off a fake.

    His real job was housebreaking.

    With the enforcement of the newws, rather than diminishing, criminal activities had be even more intense. Everyone was racing against the clock.

    All the "criminals" knew that staying in Britain was a perilous choice. Whether bing a "public ve" or a "freeborer," neither was a way out. The only viable option was to quickly gather enough money to buy a ticket to the New World and seek freedom in America.

    George, of course, had no intention of bing a "public ve" or a "freeborer." He nned to take a chance with hisrades. Tonight, they would try to borrow some money from a respectable household and then flee to thend of liberty, America.

    However, as he emerged from the alley, ready to scout the vicinity near arge mansion, he heard a cry, "Recruiting tenant farmers, recruiting tenant farmers! Louisiana is recruiting tenant farmers! If you can farm, you can go to Louisiana to grow wheat. Farm consecutively for five years, and you''ll gainnd ownership!"

    "Is there such a thing?" George was surprised. He turned to see a newsboy waving a newspaper and running towards him while shouting.

    George quickly grabbed the newsboy and asked, "What does it say on there?"

    "How should I know?" the newsboy retorted.

    "Then why are you shouting?"

    "People told me to. If you want to know, go to Apron Lane; there are people there who handle this."

    "Apron Lane?" George wasn''t a local Londoner and was unfamiliar with these ce names.

    "Just ask around yourself. Many people want to go there."

    George thought it was still early, not yet nighttime, and a trip to Apron Lane wouldn''t waste much time. In any case, if he could indeed be a tenant farmer again, it would be a better option than risking burry.

    In Apron Lane, the "butcher" who collected fees was busy selecting tenant farmers willing to go to Louisiana. This task was assigned to him by Jacques Gurlong. It was said that Jacques and his associates had purchased a significant piece ofnd in Louisiana, and they were in need of settlers for farming. However, the butcher felt that things might not be as straightforward as they seemed.

 Chapter 272: The Haitian Question

    Chapter 272: The Haitian Question

    Jacques Grde and his crew did indeed have vast tracts ofnd in Louisiana. In fact, thend in Louisiana was hardly worth much. What was always in short supply there was notnd but people.

    In 1762, as part of their alliance to resist British expansion in North America, the French transferred sovereignty over Louisiana to the Spanish. From that point onwards, the Spanish became the rulers of Louisiana.

    However, the Spanish faced a significant challenge - a shortage of poption. They couldn''t provide many immigrants. As a result, despite being under Spanish rule, Louisiana remained predominantly French.

    After the French Revolution, Spain briefly joined the anti-French coalition to fight against France, but they soon switched sides and became allies of France. Louisiana continued to be a Spanish colony, but it was still inhabited by French-speaking people.

    Recently, the Spanish had encountered economic difficulties (it seemed that the Spanish were always struggling economically), and they were facing pressure from the United States in North America. In Florida, Americans had already started making some moves, and in the capital of Louisiana, they used the weakness of the Spanish to force them to acknowledge American "special interests" in New Orleans.

    The increasingly weakened Spanish were finding it difficult to maintain control over the vastnd of Louisiana. Napoleon saw an opportunity and proposed to the Spanish that he would be willing to trade some of his interests in Italy for sovereignty over Louisiana.

    In Napoleon''s vision, using Louisiana, along with Haiti, which was still under French control, could help maintain considerable influence in the New World. This idea received the support of Joseph , who had a clearer understanding of the significance of the New World for the futurepared to most others.

    However, to strengthen their control over Louisiana, the most crucial factor was the poption. But due to recent prosperity in France, there were fewer people willing to venture thousands of miles away. So, the number of French immigrants was limited. Although the government encouraged childbirth and even awarded "Heroic Mother" medals to mothers with many children, this couldn''t change the situation in the short term.

    Therefore, the French mainly relied on immigrants from other European regions to move to Louisiana.Theoretically, ensuring that French people remained the majority of immigrants would be better for the cohesion of overseas territories and the homnd. However, the events of the American War of Independence showed that blood rtions were not always reliable. Unlike Napoleon, who envisioned a new empire where the sun never set, Joseph had much lower expectations. His minimum expectation was only a divided North American continent.

    Joseph believed that with the existence of the United States, Louisiana might actually be more loyal to France in some sense, just as Canada remained loyal to Britain due to the existence of the United States.

    With the presence of the United States, controlling distant Louisiana seemed feasible. Of course, to achieve this, especially to maintain long-term control over Louisiana, there was a problem that needed to be solved, known as Saint-Domingue (Haiti at the time).

    Because, in future times, Haiti would be one of the poorest countries in the world, with very little global influence. Most people wouldn''t even know it existed, unless something significant happened. So, initially, Joseph didn''t pay much attention to Haiti.

    But soon, Joseph realized that Haiti in this era was not something to be underestimated. In fact, in terms of its importance to the French economy, it was even more significant than the whole of Louisiana.

    In 1780, 40% of sugar and 60% of coffee on the European market came from Haiti. Haiti''s production of these agricultural products exceeded that of the entire West Indies. By 1791, Haiti''s sugar production had already ranked first in the world. Haiti became the wealthiest colony of France and was known as the "Pearl of the Caribbean."

    Of course, the wealth of Haiti had no connection with most of its people. On the contrary, because of Haiti''s wealth, the veholders in Haiti drove the ck ves to work intensively. Inparison to the ves in the southern United States, the intensity ofbor by the ck ves in Haiti was almostparable to that of British workers.

    In 1791, taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the French Revolution, the ck ves in Haitiunched a major uprising. Initially, they fought against the British and the Spanish, who were part of the anti-French alliance, and then joined forces with the French against the Spanish and the British. To keep Haiti in French hands, the revolutionary government even made a move that stunned all of Europe: they emancipated the ves, granting ck people citizenship and voting rights and appointing Toussaint Louverture, a ck leader of the uprising, as Governor-General of Saint-Domingue.

    However, this didn''t solve the fundamental problem - the issue ofnd. So, under the governance of the French revolutionary government, ck people in Haiti evolved from "private ves" into "freeborers," or more urately, "free agricultural workers." All the developednd in Haiti was owned by white people, and the condition of ck people after gaining their so-called "citizenship" was not even better than before the revolution.

    In the original timeline, in 1801, ck leader Toussaint dered Haiti''s independence,pletely abolished very, and enactednd nationalization, taking thend from white colonialists. In response, Napoleon sent an expeditionary force of thirty thousand troops in 1802 to attempt to retake Haiti. However, the expedition faced many challenges in Haiti, coupled with the outbreak of yellow fever and American support for the Haitian rebels, from material aid to naval bombardment against the French. The French expeditionary force faced a precarious situation. Even though Toussaint was deceived, lured into negotiations, and arrested by General Leclerc, the Haitian rebels still had the upper hand and eventually forced the remaining French troops to surrender in 1803, establishing the first independent ck republic.

    However, after the establishment of the independent ck republic, Haiti''s former wealth seemed to vanish with the departure of the colonizers. Haiti quickly became one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world, a status it still holds today, despite having simr institutions andws to the United States.

    This oue naturally led many white supremacists to draw a conclusion: "White people are superior, ck people are inferior, and without the leadership of outstanding white people, ck people can only make a mess of themselves." Simr "evidence" included statements like "Mand turned South Africa from a developed country into a developing country," but these white supremacists seemed to count only white people as human and excluded ck people from consideration. ording to their calctions, even India would be a developed country.

    Haiti''s "downfall" �C let''s call it "downfall" for now, although in reality, even during Haiti''s "most prosperous" times, the average ck person''s life was not significantly better �C is actually quite straightforward. It was simply a highly receable link in the economic chain. When Haiti became independent, it not only achieved political independence but also economic independence.

    In other words, it was isted from the colonial economic chain. Its position in this chain was quickly reced by other colonies, and the production costs in these other colonies were certainly far lower than in Haiti''s. Unless independent Haiti could concentratend and use the ck people as "freeborers," what would be the meaning of the revolution?

    However, for France, for Napoleon''s dream of a new empire where the sun never sets, the failure of Haiti was decisive. Losing Haiti not only resulted in significant economic losses (although some of this was recovered by demanding ransom from the Haitian Republic), but it also meant losing a crucial foothold in the Americas. This was one of the reasons why Napoleon sold the entirety of Louisiana to the United States.

    Now, in this alternate timeline, the issue of Haiti was once again before Napoleon.

    "Santo Domingo is bound to have problems sooner orter," Napoleon was well aware of this. "That Toussaint Louverture has be the absolute ruler of Haiti. Well, Joseph, how did you phrase it?"

    "Mountains are high, and the Emperor is far away," Joseph answered.

    "Yes, ''mountains are high, and the Emperor is far away.'' This ce is too far from France. I just received reports that Toussaint has started implementing nd nationalization''��essentially, confiscating white people''snd. Damn it, five cents per acre, that''s just outright confiscation. Many French people have already been forced to flee, or even killed. What do you think we should do?" Napoleon asked.

    If Joseph had been educated ording to his past life''s experiences, he would undoubtedly have cheered and apuded the anti-colonial and righteous actions in Haiti. But this approach damaged the French people, or more inly, the interests of the Bonapartes! So, if they could suppress it directly, Joseph would certainly approve of directly suppressing the Haitian uprising.

    But would suppression work? Joseph couldn''t help but ask himself this question.

    Steamships couldn''t yet reach Haiti, and the British and Americans had the advantage at sea. Joseph wondered, if he were a Briton or an American, what would he do when he discovered that the French were fighting against the local Haitian rebels?

 Chapter 273: Strategy

    Chapter 273: Strategy

    "Napoleon, do you n to send an expeditionary force?" Joseph asked.

    "I''m somewhat concerned; those guys can fight," Napoleon replied.

    The Haitian ck army had proven their prowess by defeating the French in Haiti, then turning back to conquer the British and Spanish forces remaining in Haiti, despite their limited numbers. ording to the old veterans who had served in the Haitian French army andter fought back in France, theirbat strength was quite close to the rebellious forces in Guadeloupe��of course, the ones who had not left Guadeloupe.

    The main force of the Guadeloupean rebels was easily crushed by Napoleon, but he was well aware that the rebels he had defeated weren''t the true Guadeloupean rebels. The genuine rebels, before the nobility demanded that they march on Paris, dispersed and returned home, scattered throughout Guadeloupe. These scattered rebels, with the morale they had in the Guadeloupe region, would be challenging to deal with. With such high morale, any army would be formidable.

    "And our navy is too weak; we can''t possibly blockade all of Santo Domingo. The British and Americans will surely support them. How we handled Irnd is precisely how they''ll handle Santo Domingo. Damn the British, but the ungrateful Americans; they would all have been hanged by the British if it weren''t for us, the French! Yet now, they forget their debts and hinder us!" Napoleon continued toin.

    "Americans didn''t join the anti-French alliance, which is quite generous on their part. After all, we have a history of conflict with the United States. We killed one of their founding fathers and exiled another," Joseph remarked, with a smile.

    "What did you say... Ah, you''re right, it''s almost like that," Napoleon first appeared stunned but then grasped the meaning. "Louis XVI, that idiot, could indeed be considered a founding father of America. And Lafayette won''t speak well of us either."

    "Napoleon, remember, between nations, there is no loyalty, only interests," Joseph added.

    "I am well aware of that," Napoleon replied. "But losing Santo Domingo like this is hard to ept. It involves a lot of money.""Very well, very well!" Joseph apuded with satisfaction. "Napoleon, you''re bing more mature. You now understand the importance of patience when necessary. Of course, losing Santo Domingo unconditionally would be unbearable, considering the immense financial interests at stake. However, I think we can send someone there to meet with that ck governor... What''s his name?" Joseph looked at Napoleon.

    Napoleon rolled his eyes and said, "How am I supposed to know? Who bothers to remember the full name of a ck man?"

    "General Toussaint Louverture," Lucien chimed in.

    Napoleon red at Lucien and demanded, "That''s not a full name. What is his full name?"

    Lucien responded, "How would I know who would bother to remember the full name of a ck man?"

    Well, their attitude did indeed carry a hint of racial prejudice, but considering this was the early 19th century, there was no notion of ck Lives Matter, and even the question of whether ck people should be considered human beings was still a matter of debate. Napoleon and Lucien''s attitudes were far from being particrly reactionary.

    "Enough, let''s not dwell on these irrelevant matters," Joseph said. "The important thing is how to minimize losses and even create problems for the British and Americans. First, consider our bottom line, then ponder the issues we and they have. Think about what results both sides can ept. Now, guess what... well, you guess, what''s their bottom line?"

    Napoleon remained silent but nced at Lucien.

    "Isn''t it independence?" Lucien said.

    Joseph shook his head, and right when he was about to speak, Napoleon suddenly jumped up from his chair and said, "My foolish brother! What on earth is going through your head every day? If you keep this up, next time we hold a meeting, we should kick you out and let that troublemaker take your ce. If that... only wanted independence, it wouldn''t be much of a problem. But you''ve forgotten that political actions always have economic reasons. He doesn''t just want nominal independence; he wants to change Santo Domingo''snd system, just like the French Revolution! That''s where our real conflict lies!"

    Lucien stood still for a moment and then suddenly pped his hands. "Isn''t that simple? We can handle this! Just because these ck people don''t havend, right? Well, now, theoretically, these ck people are all French citizens. So, theoretically, they have the right to immigrate to Louisiana. To encourage immigration, we can apply the same system we''ve established: cultivate thend for five years, and you gain ownership. It''s applicable to them, isn''t it? Let them immigrate to Louisiana! Even though they''re ck, they still speak French."

    "Do you think they''ll trust us? Won''t they be worried that we''ll load them onto ships and transport them straight to Georgia to be sold to those American folks?" Napoleon said. "But your suggestion makes some sense. Let me think about it."

    "Consider their weaknesses, Napoleon," Joseph advised. "Santo Domingo''s prosperity is built on trade. I believe that the one who can dance on the three eggs - France, Ennd, and Spain - should also understand this. We need to make him believe that if he unconditionally seizes thend of the white Frenchmen, he and his country will be excluded from the entire tradework. Once excluded from this tradework, even if they get thend, they''ll be in for a hard time."

    "Even if they do pay, the British, the Spanish, and the Americans won''t let them into the tradework because they are not a good example. If we let them live the high life, it will encourage internal rebellion. Instead, only we can continue to offer them trade opportunities. I think we can have a good discussion from this perspective with Toussaint Louverture; he should be someone we can talk to," Lucien said.

    "So, what is our bottom line then?" Napoleon asked again.

    "Santo Domingo remains part of France. White people''snd can only be redeemed, but we can provide them with low-interest loans. Of course, we should guarantee their French citizenship. This way, they owe us money and can only use our trade channels. We can also bind them to our chariot," Lucien replied.

    "We should also request control of the ports, at least control of the naval base, to arrange a fleet there for deterring the British and Americans. We need to build fortifications quickly, stockpile coal, and then bring in steamships. By then, with the American navy, well...," Napoleon said. "Furthermore, transferring white people from Santo Domingo to Louisiana will increase the number of French whites in Louisiana. However, these people..."

    "I don''t rmend letting them go to Louisiana," Joseph interrupted. "They are indeed French, genuine French, but will they remain loyal to France? We may believe we''ve gained them more redemption funds, but will they see it that way?"

    So, there was a moment of silence among the group. After a while, it was Lucien who spoke first.

    "They won''t be grateful to us; they''ll only feel we''ve sold out their interests. And these people had close ties with the nobility at home when they upiedrge tracts ofnd and made a lot of money. If they had been at home during the revolution, they would have beenbeled enemies of the republic, or worse," Lucien exined. "Though they have French citizenship, they are not our people."

    "So, don''t count on them," Napoleon added. "How about we just... agree to their independence, no, it should be ''self-governance,'' and secretly agree to their future independence but demand some special benefits, such as ''military protection'' and asking them to pay for thend."

    "What about the whitendowners?" Joseph inquired.

    "They are not our allies in interests," Napoleon said. "I don''t care about them!"

    "Our Ministry of Truth should also take this opportunity to vigorously promote our ideals of ''liberty, equality, fraternity.'' Those Brits and Americans thought they could cause trouble for us, didn''t they? I''ll make them worry about Santo Domingo''s example themselves!" Lucien chimed in.

    "This approach might harm Spain," Joseph added.

    "Joseph, you''re not the King of Spain, why should we care about them? Even if we identally harm them, can they not form an alliance with us? Dare they? Being ourpdogs is already their honor," Lucien said dismissively.

    "But we have other colonies in different regions," Napoleon reminded. "We shouldn''t shoot ourselves in the foot. So, the Ministry of Truth doesn''t need to put too much effort into promoting this matter. As for causing trouble for the British and Americans, Santo Domingo''s presence there, and them acquiring it peacefully, is already causing them trouble."

    So, the tone for handling this matter was set, and now they needed to find an emissary.

 Chapter 274: The Free Trade

    Chapter 274: The Free Trade

    The task of selecting an envoy fell to Lucien. After all, when it came to deceivers, the Ministry of Truth had them in abundance, even more so than the Department of Foreign Affairs. Of course, the Foreign Affairs had its own advantages; many of its members received sries from both the Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Truth, or the Ministry of Public Security, or even all three departments simultaneously.

    Lucien found a remarkably capable individual within his own department. In their previous coboration, this person had helped him uncover a plethora of individuals who, while officially employed by the Ministry of Truth, had their hearts and pockets in the Ministry of Public Security. Thus, this individual had earned Lucien''s trust.

    After conversing with this person, Lucien became more convinced of his capabilities. He had calloused hands from working as a craftsman when necessary. He could put on the guise of a naive and honest worker when required, but he spoke fivenguages fluently, received a decent education, had a clear and calcting mind, and possessed the courage not to fear death or making others face it. In simpler terms, he was a natural swindler and a bandit.

    This individual was known as Victor de Tr��ville. Judging from his name, he appeared to be of noble birth. However, his circumstances had led him down a different path. Just as Guo Wen, a nobleman in "The Year 93," had firmly sided with the revolutionary masses, Victor was a progressive nobleman who had seemingly betrayed his own lineage to stand with the broader revolutionary movement. He had severed ties with his brother, who remained loyal to the reactionary camp. Victor had made significant contributions during the crucial battle in which Napoleon seized power and had now be one of the stars in the Ministry of Truth.

    So, when Lucien received the mission, he immediately thought of Victor.

    But Victor faced a significant problem, despite his prominent role. He had always been working within a secret department.

    To many, working in a secret department appeared to be a position of immense power and prestige, but this was a misunderstanding influenced by various dramas. The more secretive a position, the more expendable it tended to be��after all, sacrificing someone no one knew was simple. Even those in well-known positions likemandants of the King''s Musketeers were often less influential and powerful than one might assume, especially whenpared to legitimate civilian officials and even more so to those from themoners'' ss. To truly rise in the ranks, one had to find a way to transition into the public eye, to be a figure whose name could appear in the newspapers. Victor knew that this mission, representing First Consul Napoleon, could be the opportunity he had been waiting for.

    So, upon receiving the task, Victor immediately returned home. He only told his wife, "I have a mission," and left, leaving his luggage behind. He was ustomed to these departures, and his wife did not ask where he was going or when he would return, as these details were usually ssified. Before leaving, Victor added, "I might be gone for a while," and his son, Edgar, with his childish voice, said, "Daddy, don''t forget to bring me some paint when youe back. I''m running out of colors."

    Victor smiled and acknowledged his son before heading out. A carriage was already waiting for him at the door."Take me to La Salle Dock," he instructed the coachman.

    La Salle Dock was a dock on the Seine River, from where one could board a steamship bound for Le Havre. In order to protect the secret of the propeller, apart from naval warships, civilian steamships were still required to use paddlewheels. This, of course, reduced the speed of the ships, but because they operated day and night, it was the quickest way to reach the Antic coast from Paris. However, if you were traveling in the opposite direction, from the Antic coast to Paris, taking a mail coach was still faster.

    By the time Victor reached Le Havre, the Ministry of Truth staff had already prepared a ship for him to sail to Santo Domingo.

    It was arge steam frigate known as "The Free Trade," boasting three towering masts and tworge smokestacks. The term rge steam frigate" indicated that it was thetest experimental warship of the French Navy. It had a discement equivalent to that of a second-rate battleship, roughly 2,300 tons.

    Aside from the significant increase in discement, it also featured several new technologies. The first was the steel keel.

    During this era, acquiring keels for shipbuilding was a precious strategic resource. Although there were techniques for joining keels, the strength of joined keels could notpare to that of an unbroken, naturally grown giant tree. Additionally, the use of joined keels had significant limitations. Consequently, keels greatly restricted the size of warships and other vessels.

    The advent of affordable steel changed this situation. Steel was stronger than any timber, and it could be made as thick or as long as desired. The only drawback was steel''s vulnerability to rust in a maritime environment. Most shipponents could be reced, but the keel could not. If a ship''s keel suffered severe corrosion, the entire vessel was essentially lost.

    Of course, this issue had potential solutions, such as adding chromium to steel to create stainless steel. Stainless steel was already being produced in theboratories of the military-industrialplex. However, chromium had only recently been discovered, and its extraction was not straightforward, making the production of stainless steel costly. Additionally, the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel produced in theb was not yet sufficient to withstand the salty maritime environment, and its strength was also subparpared to ordinary steel. Thus, this technology was unsuitable for building ship keels.

    Another rted technology was galvanizing the entire steel keel. On Earth, zinc reserves were far scarcer than chromium, but its extraction was rtively straightforward. A mysterious Eastern superpower had been producingrge quantities of metallic zinc for centuries, and up until the 19th century, zinc was one of their major exports.

    Zinc had a low melting point, making the galvanizing process quite simple. There was no need for electroting; hot-dip galvanizing sufficed.

    This frigate''s keel had undergone this process.

    The use of steel keels reduced the overall cost of this 2,300-ton behemoth slightly. The most significant savings, however, came in construction time.

    This ship still used a mix of steam and sails but featured tworger steam engines and dual propellers.

    Naturally, the steam engines and coal bunkers upied a significant portion of the ship''s space, leaving it with only oneplete gun deck and a short lower gun deck.

    Compared to the "Equality," the "Free Trade" had significantly greater firepower. It sported a total of twenty 110mm-caliber breech-loading cannons: two in the bow section, and the remaining eighteen distributed on both sides of the ship. The upper gun deck had seven cannons on each side, and the second gun deck had two cannons on each side.

    While the number of cannons had only increased by two, each cannon had seen a significant boost in firing rate and power.

    The "Free Trade" had undergone numerous short voyages in nearby waters for testing, but the journey across the Antic was a first. This long voyage was precisely why she had been designed: to sail to the New World and safeguard the freedom of trade between the old and new continents.

    In reality, the ship wasn''t entirely prepared for such a long voyage. However, the changing situation in Haiti demanded the presence of a warship capable of holding the fort. Napoleon had thus requested the "Free Trade" to embark on this oceanic voyage prematurely.

    The evening Victor boarded the ship, it set sail from the harbor, venturing into the vast sea.

    The "Free Trade" wasn''t particrly fast, averaging around 7 knots. This was because they hadn''t yet activated the steam engines and relied entirely on the sails. While the coal bunkers on the ship were spacious, they couldn''t sustain a journey across the Antic.

    Victor had never experienced long sea voyages before, so the initial days at sea were quite intriguing. However, the novelty quickly wore off, and the days grew monotonous. Crossing the Antic took over a month, during which Victor could only see a blue sky and a blue sea, and beyond that, more blue.

    asionally, they encountered one or two other ships, but most vessels kept a considerable distance or immediately changed course after seeing the "Free Trade''s" size.

    "Mr. Tr��ville, is this your first time on such a long sea voyage?" Captain Lazara asked as he noticed Victor gazing aimlessly at the sea.

    "Yes, indeed, it''s my first long voyage," Victor replied. "I''ve been on sea journeys before, but they were in the Mediterranean, from Marseille to Genoa. Back then, I thought the sea was vast, but now I see that the Mediterranean is truly quite small. By the way, Captain, how much longer until we reach Santo Domingo?"

    "Oh, Mr. Tr��ville, you''ve asked that question more than once," Captain Lazara replied. "Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after, but we''re getting closer."

    Victor chuckled in embarrassment and was about to say something when he heard the lookout shout, "Ship spotted at eleven o''clock!"

 Chapter 275: The Ironclad, Old Ironsides

    Chapter 275: The Irond, Old Ironsides

    The sea route from the European continent to the Caribbean was bustling with activity. Every day, numerous ships traversed this route, carrying various European goods like industrial products and impoverished free people to the Americas, and bringing back sugar, coffee, cotton, and other American products. Some ships departed from Africa, loaded with ck ves, crossed the ocean, and arrived in the Caribbean. These ves were then exchanged for money and American products like sugar, coffee, and cotton, bound for Europe. The cycle continued, as they traded these goods for money and weapons to sell to African chieftains, fueling their wars and capturing more ves.

    Encounters between ships, especially when they neared the Caribbean, were quitemon along this route.

    However, ships at sea typically maintained their distance, especially in the Caribbean. In these waters, legitimate merchants and pirates were often just two sides of the same coin. When a legitimate merchant saw a vulnerable ship that could be easily plundered, they would not hesitate to transform into pirates. But when they encountered a ship that was obviously more powerful, they would swiftly move away to avoid bing victims.

    So, most ships, when they saw each other''s sails on the horizon and detected no hostile intent, would steer clear.

    The "Free Trade" was a massive vessel with over 2,000 tons, a size that could easilypete with a warship in the Caribbean. Even the amateur pirates, not to mention the professional ones, operated ships that were nothing more than armed merchant vessels. Not even the renowned "Queen Anne''s Revenge" was an exception in this regard. (Of course, we are talking about the real-world version.)

    Consequently, whenever the "Free Trade" encountered other ships, it wasmon for them to keep their distance. But this time, the ship they spotted was different. It didn''t avoid them but instead approached.

    "American warship! 11 o''clock, American warship spotted!" cried the lookout from the masthead.

    Though France had not dered war on the United States, in this region, anything could happen. Captain Lefebvre immediately gave the order: "Battle stations! Fire up the steam engine!"

    It took a considerable amount of time for the steam engine to go from ignition to full operation. Luckily, the "Free Trade" had four masts, precise calctions, and a streamlined hull design perfected through extensive testing, which allowed it to maintain a respectable sailing speed even without the steam engine. Though not as fast as regr frigates, it was not far behind.At its inception, the "Free Trade" was designed to outrun British warships with sails alone, even if the steam power failed. When British frigates caught up, all they had to do was engage inbat.

    The "Free Trade" was not only the size of a second-rate ship of the line but also boasted battleship-level protection. Standard naval warships had oak hull nks on both sides, about a meter thick, capable of withstanding close-range cannon fire from smaller-caliber guns.

    These nks were quite costly, so the "Free Trade" didn''t use them. Instead, they strengthened their defenses by attaching galvanized steel tes to the wooden hull, saving costs and weight. ording to tests, even a 32-pounder cannon from a battleship, as long as it didn''t consistently hit the galvanized tes and knock them off, wasn''t enough to pose a lethal threat to the "Free Trade."

    On the other hand, the 110mm rifled cannons on the "Free Trade" were more than capable of piercing the hull of any enemy ship, including the "HMS Victory." In other words, if British frigates managed to catch up, they would still be at a disadvantage as long as they avoided getting rammed.

    In summary, anyone capable of defeating the "Free Trade" couldn''t catch up with it, and anyone who could possibly catch up with the "Free Trade" couldn''t defeat it. In essence, the "Free Trade" was a warship primarily designed to disrupt free trade routes.

    The "Free Trade" began to turn to open up and close the distance with the approaching American warship. But turning also required time. During this process, the two ships continued to approach each other. Through telescopes, they could now clearly see parts of each other''s sails.

    "That''s an American super frigate," Captain Lefebvre remarked.

    "A super frigate? What kind of warship is that? How does itpare to our ship?" Victor was not well-versed in naval matters.

    "It''s a type of warship with a unique American character," Captain Lefebvre exined. "It''s quite simr to our ship in many ways, discing the standard for a second-rate ship of the line, with simr defensive capabilities and artillery as a battleship, albeit with half the number of guns and a sacrifice in endurance for the sake of frigate-level speed. Of course, they still have more cannons than us. As for how it fares against us... hehe... we would crush them as easily as squashing an ant."

    Indeed, the American Navy''s "super frigates" were formidable. If it weren''t for the "Free Trade," these American ships could have been described as ships that could defeat anyone who could catch up with them, and nobody could catch up with them.

    In the actual historical context, during the second Anglo-American War not long after this encounter, these American "super frigates" put on a remarkable disy. Although they weren''t enough to challenge the British naval supremacy and prevent the British fromnding and burning the White House, they acquitted themselves well in battle, oftening out ahead against British frigates, especially the "USS Constitution," known as "Old Ironsides."

    But when facing the "Free Trade," the American super frigate struggled to live up to its "super" reputation. In terms of speed, the American frigate was slightly faster when the "Free Trade" wasn''t using its steam engine. However, once the "Free Trade" unleashed its steam power, it could easily catch up with any foreign warship.

    Regarding firepower, considering the advantage of rear-mounted cannons and the power of steel cannons, the "Free Trade" had significantly superior firepower, even with fewer guns.

    Yet the approaching Americans were unaware of these facts. Although Franco-American rtions had been strained recently, with no deration of war but multiple naval skirmishes, this was the first time the Americans encountered a French warship in this region that was simr in size to their own. (The French navy in this area mainly consisted of ordinary frigates.)

    The Americans were concerned that the French might have brought battleships into the area, which could significantly impact the bnce of power in the region. So, they decided to catch up and investigate.

    The "Free Trade" started emitting smoke from its chimney.

    On the American frigate "USS Constitution," Captain Isaac Hull was observing the "suspected French battleship" ahead through a spyss. He noticed that the opposing ship was changing course, seemingly trying to avoid direct confrontation.

    "This shouldn''t be a battleship," Isaac Hull thought, "The French should be well aware that we don''t have battleships, and a battleship doesn''t need to actively keep its distance from us."

    "Chase after them," Isaac Hull ordered.

    After a while of pursuit, Isaac Hull noticed the French warship emitting smoke. The weather that day was quite clear, so he didn''t mistake the smoke for the enemy ship catching fire. He could see the smokestack clearly through his spyss.

    "It''s a French steam warship," Isaac Hull immediately deduced.

    There were many legends surrounding French steam warships, and Isaac Hull had heard some of them. He knew that French steam warships boasted remarkable speed, said to be faster than any frigate. He also heard that these ships didn''t rely on wind sails, making them astonishingly agile. However, he was also aware of their weaknesses: the steam engine, coal bunkers, and freshwater tanks upied too much space, resulting in very few cannons onboard. More often than not, they had to rely on boarding inbat. He also knew that starting the steam engine took quite a bit of time.

    Isaac Hull now faced a choice: turn back or continue the chase.

    In this region, there had been skirmishes between French and American warships quite a few times. Just a few days earlier, the "USS Constitution" had captured a French two-masted escort vessel. (Because there were no radios, "Free Trade" and Paris were unaware of this situation. In actual history, in the Caribbean, the U.S. Navy and the French Navy engaged in three years of friction, with both sides fighting, continuing trade, and even negotiating territorial purchases, all without dering war.) Continuing the chase would definitely lead to battle. If they couldn''t catch up with the enemy ship before its steam engine started, and severely damage it, the fight could be particrly challenging once the enemy''s steam power was operational.

    If they chose to turn back, the "USS Constitution" still had time to escape, considering that the French ship was currently slower than the "USS Constitution" and seemed to have turned away, indicating ack of intention to engage in conflict.

    Captain Lefebvre''s decision to actively retreat was partly due to the fact that his sailors had not yetpleted their training with the new cannons, leaving him with little confidence in leaving the Americans behind in battle. Additionally, his orders upon departure only involved a trial run and didn''t include engaging with the Americans inbat. However, this decision encouraged the Americans, cementing Isaac Hull''s determination to pursue.

 Chapter 276: Clash

    Chapter 276: sh

    The "Free Trade" ship was naturally slower than the "Constitution." Having just made a turn, it further reduced its speed. The "Constitution" skillfully cut a radius, smoothly positioning itself at six o''clock on the "Free Trade''s"pass, and then began closing in.

    Soon, both ships were within firing range of each other. The Americans were the first to unleash a volley of chain shots from their bow, aiming to damage the enemy''s sails.

    Upon seeing the American warship cutting across their six o''clock, Captain Lefebvre knew that a battle was inevitable. He immediately ordered all nonbat personnel to evacuate the deck. A group of sailors swiftly dragged Viktor, who was eager to watch the spectacle, below deck.

    The "Free Trade" began to maneuver once more. Like other warships of its time, the "Free Trade"cked cannons on its stern. Therefore, it needed to rely on maneuvering to disrupt enemy fire and force the opponent to charge forward, creating a broadside exchange.

    Of course, the "Constitution" could also attempt to maintain its position at the "Free Trade''s" six o''clock by continuously turning. However, this constant maneuvering would disrupt its own firing, significantly reducing its efficiency. If they continued like this, the battle wouldst all day.

    The "Free Trade" was a steamship, and its steam engine was slowly building up pressure. While this process was gradual, it was not slow to the point of ineffectiveness. Once the "Free Trade''s" steam engine started running, the entire situation could flip entirely.

    The "Constitution" was currently faster than the "Free Trade," so it was in their best interest to capitalize on this speed advantage. They intended to catch up, take a position for firing, and deliver several rounds of strikes to the "Free Trade" before its steam engine advantage kicked in, weakening it.

    The "Equality" had previously employed this tactic during a battle with British steamships, but they had taken the opportunity to seize the T-position from the enemy''s stern since the speed difference between the two ships was considerable. However, in this case, the speed gap between the "Constitution" and "Free Trade" wasn''t as significant, so the "Constitution" could only attempt to cross the "Free Trade''s" path from the front and establish a T-position.

    The "Constitution" was a "super cruiser" with twenty-threerge cannons on one side, consisting of ten 12-pound cannons on the upper gun deck and thirteen 24-pound cannons on the lower gun deck. The devastating firepower they could unleash in a broadside at the T-position was sure to deal a heavy blow to the French.The "Constitution" approached the "Free Trade" from its starboard side, aiming to pass about one hundred meters from the "Free Trade''s" starboard before making a sharp turn to cut across its path and deliver a heavy broadside from the port side.

    Passing at one hundred meters was a slightly risky move, as the enemy ship could potentially open fire with its broadside cannons at that range. However, this was one of Captain Hull''s intentions. With the ships rocking in the waves, the cannons would sway, and during naval battles in this era, scattered cannonballs were amon urrence. At distances of over seventy to eighty meters between two ships, the hit rate was quite low, and often, the battles would devolve into close-quarters engagements after exchanging broadsides.

    If the French opened fire from a distance of one hundred meters, some cannonballs might hit the "Constitution," but Captain Hull believed the damage they would inflict would be limited. Loading the cannons was also a slow process. If the French broadside did not yield significant results, the "Constitution" would have a substantial window of opportunity. They could turn hard and close the distance, delivering another broadside from close range, causing chaos and panic among the French.

    The "Constitution" appeared at a distance of a little over one hundred meters from the starboard side of the "Free Trade." All nine of the starboard cannons on the "Free Trade" were already prepared for firing.

    The steel-bore cannons of the "Free Trade" had a much higher initial velocity than standard cannons, resulting in longer effective firing ranges and less susceptibility to swaying. Additionally, the "Free Trade" was arge ship, equipped withrger stabilizing fins to reduce swaying. This made its firing uracy at longer ranges significantly better than other ships of the era.

    The initial velocity of the steel-bore cannon projectiles on the "Free Trade" was significantly higher than that of regr cannons, giving them a longer effective range and less susceptibility to swaying. Additionally, the "Free Trade" itself wasrge and equipped with a set ofrger stabilizing fins to maximize range and reduce swaying. These measures made the "Free Trade" considerably more urate in long-range shootingpared to other warships of the era.

    Of course, every advantagees with some drawbacks. Therger stabilizing fins reduced the "Free Trade''s" maneuverability slightly. When relying solely on sail power and not the steam engine, the ship''s maneuverability was indeedpromised, and this was one of the reasons the "Constitution" was able to take an advantageous position so quickly.

    The order to fire had been given, and the nine cannons on the starboard side of the "Free Trade" began to fire one after another.

    Though the gunners on the "Free Trade" had not yet fully mastered the capabilities of their new cannons, they were experienced seamen. By not fully mastering their cannons, it meant that they couldn''t entirely exploit the performance of the new cannons. For example, ording to the original design, these cannons should have had a rtively high hit rate at a distance of four hundred meters under normal sea conditions. However, the gunners were not there yet.

    Nheless, at a range of one hundred meters, they could ensure a high hit rate.

    In the first volley, seven out of nine shots hit their mark.

    When the "Free Trade" opened fire, Captain Hull couldn''t help but feel relieved. He knew that steam warships had limitations on the number of cannons they could carry, but seeing that such arge ship had only nine cannons on one side, it was far fewer than Hull had anticipated.

    "Had I known, why bother with seizing the T? I could have just closed in and hammered them directly," Captain Hull mused.

    But then, a sh of fire, and Hull felt the deck beneath him tremble.

    "These guys are urate! Seems like I underestimated them a bit."

    Following that shot, the other cannons on the "Free Trade" also fired in session, and the deck under Hull''s feet continued to shake.

    "Their hit rate is quite high!" Hull thought while shouting below, "Report casualties!"

    Hull had expected to hear something like, "No problem! No prations!"

    However, the response from below didn''te immediately. After a moment, he heard, "The deck has been prated, and we have significant casualties..."

    Armor-piercing shells fired from the "Free Trade''s" 110mm-caliber bore easily pierced through the "Constitution''s" 70-centimeter thick oak hull. In the process, they transferred immense energy to the oak nks. As the shells prated the hull, the wooden nks in the gun deck splintered, with wooden shards flying everywhere, piercing the bodies of the nearby gunners like knives...

    Some shells that had prated the thick hull practically flew through without deceleration, striking the other side''s hull and sting a hole through it before exiting. Another shell lost stability after piercing the hull, turning sideways and striking the opposite hull. It then shattered into several pieces, rebounding and striking down several crew members.

    The most devastating was a shell that, after piercing the hull, struck directly at one of the 24-pound bronze cannons ced on the other side of the hull. The shell shattered upon impact with the bronze cannon, showering surrounding gunners with deadly fragments. The bronze cannon itself was catapulted upwards, tearing off the iron chains that held it in ce. The broken chain iled like a whip, slicing through a gunner who couldn''t evade it.

    The airborne bronze cannon collided with another bronze cannon, knocking it to the deck and crushing two more gunners.

    After one volley, the lower gun deck of the "Constitution" was in chaos, as if a tornado had just ravaged the area.

    Upon roughly assessing the damage, Captain Hull realized that he had indeed underestimated the French. Their uracy in shooting and the power of their cannons far exceeded his expectations. But he remained resolute and issued amand:

    "Hard to port! Close in, get in their faces, and st them to pieces!"

 Chapter 277: Victory

    Chapter 277: Victory

    The valiant "Old Irond" abruptly veered its course, almost colliding with the "Free Trade" ship, rapidly closing the distance between them.

    "Get closer! Close enough to st their faces!" Captain Heer shouted, boosting the morale of his crew.

    The people of this era were fiercely patriotic, and Americans, in particr, were known for their warrior spirit. They adhered to the principle of never backing down, valuing bravery above all else. Although the French initial salvo had caused considerable casualties, it had not dampened their resolve. If anything, it seemed to fuel their fury.

    The gap between the two warships swiftly diminished, from about a hundred meters to eighty meters, sixty meters, and then forty meters.

    Captain Heer was about to issue themand to fire when the French on the opposing ship unleashed another round of simultaneous fire.

    Their aft guns boasted a clear rate-of-fire advantage. In fact, they could have fired even faster if their gunners were more experienced. The distance had closed so much that even with traditional cannons, they were virtually guaranteed to hit.

    Now, at less than forty meters apart, even old-style cannons wouldn''t miss. So, this salvo from the "Free Trade" ship found its mark, hitting with all nine heavy cannons.

    In contrast to the previous salvo when the French questioned the defense of the American "Super Cruiser," they had used specialized armor-piercing shells. This had resulted in some of the shells, particrly the armor-piercing ones, causing over-pration and thus failing to deliver maximum damage.

    So, for this round, Captain LaRoche ordered their ammunition to be changed to armor-piercing personnel-damaging shells.These shells were essentially solid projectiles, distinguished by a series of deep grooves along their length. These grooves generated a significant concentration of stress during pration, leading to fractures and fragmentation. While not as powerful as high-explosive shells, these armor-piercing personnel-damaging shells caused more substantial damage once they prated the enemy''s hull.

    As a result, this salvo inflicted even greater losses on the Americans. Nearly one-third of the gunners in the lower gun deck of the "Constitution" had been incapacitated.

    Yet, this didn''t crush the American morale. The "Constitution" continued closing the distance,ing within thirty meters.

    "Fire!" Captain Heer bellowed.

    Many of the heavy cannons on the "Constitution" had already suffered damage from the previous two volleys. More importantly, the gun crews had incurred heavy casualties, leaving many of the cannons unmanned. Out of the twenty-three heavy cannons, only eighteen were operational.

    However, Captain Heer believed that even with eighteen cannons, this volley would severely hurt the French. At this distance, they couldn''t possibly miss.

    Reality, however, delivered a heavy blow. While none of the American gunners had been killed, every one of their fired shells had ricocheted off the "Free Trade" ship''s external armor ting and sshed harmlessly into the sea.

    At such close range, they couldn''t prate the French warship''s hull. Firing cannons or any other long-range weapons had be futile; their cannons couldn''t breach the French ship''s thick armor.

    "Get closer! Get closer! Prepare for boarding!" Captain Heer shouted. Since the cannonade wasn''t working, boarding was their only chance to turn the tide. The French warship''s smokestacks were billowing thicker smoke, indicating their steam engines wereing online. Escape was no longer an option. They had to get in close, entangle their rigging with the enemy''s rigging, and settle it with close-quartersbat. At this point, boarding the French ship was the "Constitution''s" only chance for victory.

    The "Free Trade" ship initially aimed to avoid boarding at all costs. Naturally, it made sense to avoid close-quartersbat when you could win from a distance. However, they had still prepared for boarding, just in case.

    Initially, there was a suggestion to outfit the ship with "Greek Fire" like on the Fire ships, but they quickly realized that having Greek Fire on a warship was dangerous. When under fire from enemy grape shot, the Greek Fire could easily ignite the ship itself. So, the idea to install Greek Fire on warships was swiftly dismissed. However, another proposal, equipping the ships with "Broad Swords" to fend off boarders, was implemented.

    Throughout the "Free Trade" ship, small squares with the message "this side towards the enemy" were hung in various locations, such as the masts. The entire deck was covered by these "Broad Swords."

    The "Constitution" closed in, and under the leadership of Captain Heer, American sailors swarmed onto the "Free Trade" ship''s deck.

    There wasn''t a single Frenchman in sight on the deck, which made Captain Heer uneasy. However, they were already in a difficult situation with no way to retreat, simr to the famous Chinese idiom: "At this point, you either ride the tiger or be eaten by it." They had to continue on this path, no matter how perilous.

    "Follow me!" Captain Heer shouted while waving his sword, leading the soldiers towards the stern of the ship. Some fired their guns haphazardly towards the stern as well.

    Just as Captain Heer and his men approached the stern, explosions rocked the "Free Trade" ship''s deck. Countless iron balls swept across the entire deck like a storm, knocking down all the American soldiers who had boarded.

    The "Constitution" had a crew of four hundred, with over a hundred casualties from the previous naval battle. Now, nearly another hundredy on the "Free Trade" ship''s deck, lifeless.

    Even more disastrous was the fact that the soldiers who had boarded the "Free Trade" ship were among the most capable on the "Constitution." Moreover, both the Captain and the First Officer were among the casualties. With nearly half the crew of the "Constitution" gone, they had lost theirmand structure and were inplete disarray.

    At this moment, arge contingent of French soldiers emerged from various hatches on the deck. They were armed with thetest revolvers and double-barreled shotguns, advancing towards the "Constitution."

    The remaining forces on the "Constitution" were no match for the French assault. Soon, the French gained control of several key positions on the "Constitution."

    The Americans retreated beneath the deck, while the French began lobbing hand grenades inside.

    After a barrage of hand grenades, American voices from below shouted, "We surrender!"

    Once thebat personnel had secured all key positions on the ship, the casualties on both sides were tallied. In this battle, eleven French soldiers were killed, all of them in the fight after boarding the "Constitution." Twenty-six were injured, with the majority wounded during the hand-to-handbat that followed. There was only one case of injury from an American who had stumbled on his own ship''s deck and grazed his palm on a fallen U.S. bay.

    Meanwhile, two hundred and twenty-two American soldiers were killed, and most of the remaining hundred-plus were wounded to varying degrees. Only two remained unscathed.

    "Captain, we''ve won quite impressively," Victor congratted Captain LaRoche upon seeing the numbers.

    "The main reason was their misjudgment of our strength. Once that miscalction happened, there was no turning back. In fact, I think that the American captain''smand wasn''t bad at all. He made swift and resolute decisions. Even if he had encountered a first-rate battleship like the Victory, not just us, his performance would have been much better," Captain LaRoche began to sing praises for the deceased American captain.

    But this was quite normal; generally, praising one''s enemy was always a safe bet. If you lost, it was because the enemy was too formidable. If you won, it was because the enemy was exceedingly strong. Otherwise, what was the point of expending so much effort to defeat a group of S13s without any glory?

    "Is this ship still in good condition?" Victor asked, looking at the captured "Constitution."

    "This ship is excellent. Although it suffered some damage during the battle, it can be repaired and be a fine vessel once more. We''re not far from Santo Domingo now, and we can certainly take this ship there," Captain LaRoche said. "However, we were attacked by an American warship here, and I suspect the situation in Santo Domingo may have changed somewhat. Mr. Treville, I wonder if these developments mightplicate your mission."

    "Oh," Victor replied, "Thank you for your concern. You''re right; Santo Domingo has probably experienced some unfavorable changes. But the reason I came here was to deal with precisely such a situation, wasn''t it? Moreover, your victory today has been immensely helpful to my mission. With your victory and the sincere goodwill from France towards peace and development, Governor Dupont-Lautrec should be able to make a reasonable choice."

 Chapter 278: Negotiations (1)

    Chapter 278: Negotiations (1)

    The "Constitution" had weathered two rounds of cannon fire during the battle, but its sails remained undamaged, and its navigational capabilities werergely unaffected. Both ships continued their journey towards Saint-Domingue, and around ten o''clock the next morning, a massive ind gradually emerged from below the horizon.

    "Mr. Treville, that''s Saint-Domingue right there, we''ve arrived," Captain Lefranc pointed to the ind, addressing Victor.

    This was the first time in Victor''s life that he had spent such a long time on a ship, and as he looked at the distant ind, a sense of joy welled up within him, causing the corners of his mouth to curl upwards.

    "You must be yearning fornd, I presume?" Captain Lefranc noticed Victor''s mood and inquired with a smile.

    "Yes, indeed. I hadn''t realized it before, but the moment I saw that ind, I immediately felt an intense longing to stand on solid ground that doesn''t sway beneath my feet," Victor replied with a smile.

    "In truth, we''re all the same. Whether passengers or sailors, after a long sea voyage, everyone yearns to feel their feet on stable ground. The only difference might be that sailors like us, once we set foot onnd, can''t stay away for more than two months before we start longing for the blue sea and the swaying decks," Captain Lefranc chuckled.

    "Haha, that''s the way of humans," Victor added.

    Although the ind was now visible, it was still quite a distance away. It wasn''t until around three o''clock in the afternoon that the "Free Trade" and the captured "Constitution" arrived at thergest harbor in Saint-Domingue, Port-au-Prince.

    Port-au-Prince was thergest harbor in Saint-Domingue, as well as the biggest city and political center. Most of the ind''s products, such as sugar and coffee, were shipped from here to Europe, making it a bustling port.The appearance of the "Free Trade" and the "Constitution" caused amotion. After all, it was rare to see suchrge ships in this region.

    The "Free Trade" anchored in the harbor''s vicinity and waited. After nearly an hour, a small boat flying the French g approached.

    The single-masted boat stopped not far from the "Free Trade," and a small dinghy was lowered into the water. Two ck men rowed the dinghy to deliver a uniformed ck man to the "Free Trade."

    "I am Jacques, the harbor master of Port-au-Prince. What brings you here? Do you wish to enter the harbor? You may need to wait, as we currentlyck adequate berths for your ship," the ck harbor master asked.

    "Hello, I am the captain of this warship," Captain Lefranc replied. "We''vee from France to escort the special envoy of the First Consul to meet with Governor Dusault Leduc. If there''s no berth avable, we can dy our entry into the harbor. However..."

    At this point, he turned, proudly pointing towards the "Constitution" behind him. "On our way to Port-au-Prince, we were attacked by an American warship, and we defeated them, capturing this vessel. It sustained some damage in the battle and may require urgent repairs. So, if possible, I hope you can arrange a berth for this ship as soon as possible."

    Unfortunately, the harbor master seemed to miss the implied undertone of Captain Lefranc''s words. He simply replied, "I see. We will make arrangements as soon as possible."

    "Furthermore, the First Consul''s special envoy is here. You can inform the harbor authorities and the Governor''s office," Captain Lefranc added.

    The ck harbor master then excused himself and left. By the time night fell, he returned and informed Captain Lefranc that a berth had been made avable for the captured "Constitution." Additionally, Mr. Special Envoy could disembark and proceed to the Governor''s mansion.

    Victor followed the ck man onto their small boat, heading to Port-au-Prince ahead of the "Constitution."

    Port-au-Prince was an organically grown city, with the harbor at its core. From the harbor''s docks, it sprawled outwardyer byyer, extending all the way to the nearby hills. Because it had been built without nning or regtions, the city''s roads were narrow and winding, often too tight for two carriages to pass each other.

    On either side of the roads stood crude, crowded shanties. Many of these shanties had been rebuilt after the earthquake of 1794. The entire port area was dirty and chaotic.

    But in the area on the hillside, things were different. This was the district of the wealthy, the ce where ntation owners and nobility resided. The roads were rtively broad, and the houses consisted mainly of luxurious garden vis.

    The Governor''s Pce of Saint-Domingue was naturally situated in this area. However, it used to be inhabited by white people, and now, a ck man upied the position.

    Once Victor disembarked, he climbed into a carriage and, escorted by a group of ck soldiers, navigated the narrow, winding streets. By the time he reached the Governor''s Pce, darkness had fully settled in.

    Victor entered the Governor''s Pce, where a ck military officer weed him. He introduced himself as the governor''s adjutant, inquired about Victor''s identity, and whether he had already dined.

    Victor presented his authorization letter from the First Consul and informed him that he hadn''t eaten.

    "His Excellency the Governor would like to invite you for dinner first, and then he will meet you in the reception room," the adjutant said.

    He then led Victor to a nearby dining room. After Victor finished his meal, he was escorted to the reception room, where the only ck governor of France was already waiting.

    Governor Dusault Leduc''s aspirations for secession and independence for Saint-Domingue were no secret to the entire French nation. However, in dealing with the special envoy of Napoleon, he disyed an exceptionally courteous demeanor.

    Governor Dusault Leduc began by casually discussing Victor''s journey, and then he asked, "Has the First Consul sent you to issue any specific instructions to me?"

    Victor was more direct in his response. "Your Excellency, the First Consul has no intention of issuing directives to you. He has sent me here to engage in some amicable discussions with you about the current and future situation in Saint-Domingue. It is no secret that Your Excellency has been pursuing the idea of making Saint-Domingue an independent nation."

    "So, what does His Excellency the First Consul think about it?" Since Napoleon''s envoy was being straightforward, Governor Dusault Leduc responded in kind, "I have heard of the First Consul''s formidable reputation on the European battlefield, but we are not afraid to sacrifice for freedom. Although there may be difficulties ahead, if you intend to conquer us by force, you are wee to try."

    "No, no, Your Excellency, you may have misunderstood our intentions," Victor replied. "Your Excellency, when the revolution against the tyrants began in France, you also rose in rebellion here in Saint-Domingue. In the early stages of the uprising, you allied with the Spanish and the British against us, the French. However, you soon parted ways with them, and you even cooperated with us to fight against the Spanish and the French. What was the reason for this?"

    Governor Dusault Leduc nced at Victor but didn''t interrupt.

    "Because, Your Excellency, your goal is the liberation of ck people and the abolition of very. But whether it''s the Spanish or the British, they are supporters and beneficiaries of the barbaric institution of very. They can support you against France to oppose their oppression, but they won''t allow you to truly overturn very. In fact, they fundamentally do not want to see an independent ck nation that has abolished very emerging in the Caribbean. Because if such a situation were to arise, it could trigger a chain reaction in their territories, especially in ces where very is still in use. That is why you fell out with the British and the Spanish."

    "And as for us, France, we are apletely different country from Britain and Spain. I''ve heard that Your Excellency is well-read, that you have perused the works of Rousseau, Montesquieu, and other great French thinkers. You should know that, when the news of your uprising reached Paris, the revolutionary government immediately responded. They dered the abolition of very and granted full citizenship rights to ck people. This included the right to vote and be elected. Your Excellency, you were elected as the governor of Saint-Domingue through a democratic process."

    "Your Excellency, can you find any other colonial governor who was elected? Can you find any other ck man in the entire Americas who has full citizenship rights? Your Excellency, besides Saint-Domingue, is there any other ce where ck people enjoyplete citizenship? France has been faithful to its promises after thest war, abolishing very and granting full citizenship rights to the ck poption, including the right to vote and be elected. Your Excellency, we did this because it is not a temporary measure, but the foundation of the French Republic - a requirement of the Deration of the Rights of Man. So, I don''t understand why Your Excellency is determined to seek independence for Saint-Domingue."

 Chapter 279: Negotiations (2)

    Chapter 279: Negotiations (2)

    When this question was posed, Dusault Leducughed.

    "Monsieur Treville, I''ve heard that during the French Revolution, many nobles found themselves swinging frommpposts. Now that you have a parliament, why continue to hang those nobles?"

    "Because they sought to subvert the republican system," Victor replied firmly. "The Republic has given them numerous chances, but they refuse to repent."

    "That is one reason, of course, but I must say it''s not the root cause," Dusault Leduc shook his head. "The fundamental issue is that they control too muchnd. If the French Revolution can''t dismantle their grip onnd, themon people of the Third Estate won''t see any improvement. If it remains this way, what''s the point of the revolution?"

    "In Santo Domingo, it''s the same. Just like France had three sses of priests, nobles, andmoners before the revolution, Santo Domingo has a simr ss division."

    With that, Dusault Leduc even extended his hand and brought three fingers together in a gesture.

    "Just this little bit, no more. But just like in France, where the first and second estates, although small in number, controlled most of thend, these white ve-owners dominate the vast majority of Santo Domingo''snd. If this continues, ck people will continue to struggle with hunger and death. If that''s the oue, what''s the point of our previous revolution?"

    "So, you''re saying that your quest for independence is to address thend issue?" Victor asked. "But have you considered the economic consequences of doing so?"

    "Economic consequences?" Dusault Leduc inquired. "Could you be more specific?""Firstly, you must know that Santo Domingo''s economy heavily depends on trade. Whether it''s sugar or coffee, they only be valuable through trade. Without trade, these goods are worthless. And these goods are not irreceable; there are many other ces in the Caribbean with the potential to rece Santo Domingo."

    "The attitudes of the Spanish and the British towards your ideal nation, I''m sure you''re aware," Victor continued. "Even the Americans, who rely heavily on ck ves, wouldn''t want to see a prosperous free ck nation emerging in the Caribbean, as it could set an example for their own enved poption."

    "To put it more inly, if ck people in Santo Domingo attain prosperity through rebellion, then why wouldn''t ck people in the United States or Cuba follow suit? The more prosperous your life, the greater the motivation for ve uprisings, and both repressing and appeasing those rebellions would be more costly for them. Conversely, if your living conditions worsen and life bes harder, stability prevails."

    "So, Governor, if Santo Domingo gains independence and ck people generally acquirend, then whether it''s the British, the Spanish, or the Americans, they won''t engage in trade with Santo Domingo anymore. I''m sure they''ve made many promises to you now, but, Governor, promises are the least reliable thing. As long as you analyze where everyone''s interests lie, you''ll see."

    "But��" Dusault Leduc started to say.

    "Governor, I understand your point. Even if excluded from the tradework, independence is still worthwhile for most ck people, because under the current system, trade benefits hardly reach the ck poption. In that case, whether Santo Domingo can sell a pound of sugar or coffee doesn''t matter, even if thend in Santo Domingo has to be turned into fields for food, ck people would still have more than they do now."

    "Isn''t that right?" Dusault Leduc asked.

    "Exactly. But the First Consul believes that ck people have a better path to take �C a much better one," Victor said.

    "What path is that?"

    "Santo Domingo remains with France. At the same time, we find a way to address the issue of ck people''sck ofnd," Victor exined.

    "How do we address it?" Dusault Leduc inquired.

    Victor replied, "The first option is that ck people can freely leave Santo Domingo and go to Louisiana. Thisnd is now returned to us by the Spanish. To develop thisnd, the First Consul has just passed a policy. Anyone who is willing to pledge loyalty to France can receive up to 6,500 acres of publd in Louisiana. They need to cultivate it for 5 years �C during these 5 years, thend should not be left unused. After 5 years, or within that time, if they reside on thend for at least six months and pay a fee of 21 francs per acre, thend bes their own. Additionally, thesends are tax-free for the first five years."

    "Santo Domingo''s ck people also have French citizenship, and they can apply fornd in Louisiana. Of course, one person can''t truly cultivate so muchnd, but if they can cultivate it, after five years, it bes their own. And if they stay in Santo Domingo, there''s no way they could get as muchnd as this."

    "Heh..." Dusault Leduc chuckled coldly. "Monsieur Treville, are you suggesting we divide our united ck poption by allowing them to leave Santo Domingo?"

    "Governor, I assure you, neither I nor the First Consul have any such intentions. If you do not ept this n or believe it is currently uneptable, we have a second n to address thend issue through alternative means."

    "Redemption?" Dusault Leducughed. "Alternative means? Are you talking about redemption? Am I not already in the process of redemption? And aren''t the white people of Santo Domingo trying to resist me because of it? Aren''t you here for that as well? Of course, I know the price I''m offering is low, but it should be enough for them to acquirend in Louisiana, shouldn''t it?"

    "Governor, I''ve just realized that there might be a serious misunderstanding between us," Victor said with a furrowed brow. "You may think that the First Consul and I, as white men, would unquestionably stand with those white people. However, this idea ispletely mistaken. Just as Americans and the British are also white, are they now on our side?"

    "What do you mean?" Dusault Leduc was quite surprised.

    "In the eyes of the Republican government, the white ve-owners in Santo Domingo are mostly remnants of those feudal nobles, and they were never on the same side as the Republic to begin with. When the revolutionary government abolished very and granted citizenship to ck people, their hatred for the Republic only intensified. I am sure that many of them have ndestine dealings with exiled nobles. If they were in maind France, they''d probably have been sent to the guillotine for counter-revolutionary crimes. The current government, the Conste, is also tasked with defending the revolutionary gains. How could we possibly side with these people?"

    "So, what is the intention of the First Consul?" Dusault Leduc inquired.

    "Even though these fellows are our political enemies, it''s not the time anymore to set up revolutionary tribunals on a whim. The First Consul has just enacted the ''Code,'' have you read it?"

    "I have. It''s indeed the immortal ''Code,''" Dusault Leduc praised.

    "The ''Code'' stiptes that we must protect private property. Although these individuals are our enemies, we can''t undermine our own rules. So, directly confiscating theirnd is not possible. However, if theymit acts of treason first, that changes things. Do you understand what I mean?" Victor answered with a smile.

    "What do you mean...?"

    "Your Excellency, the French government in Santo Domingo, as the highest authority, has the right to investigate any acts of treason and punish those traitors. When the government punishes traitors, these actions are entirely justified. It can also help avoid many economic consequences. At least, French merchants won''t abandon Santo Domingo..."

    "Your Excellency, I believe that by now you should no longer doubt our sincerity, right?" Victor smiled. "Of course, if you still wish to see Santo Domingo as an independent country, that''s also a topic for discussion."

    Dusault Leduc thought for a moment and asked, "What if I still want Santo Domingo to be independent?"

    "In that case, France must receive somepensation. Firstly, those white ve-owners, though our political enemies, are still French citizens. If you be independent, you will be a foreign entity. We cannot allow foreigners to mistreat French citizens and seize their legitimate property. So, if you still want to retain the trade routes, you will need to adopt a real ''redemption'' method, and it must be based on genuine ''voluntariness.''"

    "Furthermore, Santo Domingo is French territory. If you want to be independent on French soil, the cost of purchasing thisnd is also indispensable. Of course, we can provide you with loans. Finally, Santo Domingo holds a vital military position. If you side with Britain and the United States after gaining independence, it would pose a significant threat to France''s interests. Therefore, if you still wish to be independent, you must ept France''s protection. Additionally, France needs to have some military bases in Santo Domingo to ensure that the connection between Louisiana and maind France won''t be easily severed..."

 Chapter 280: Negotiations (3)

    Chapter 280: Negotiations (3)

    "Alright, may I ask, if we insist on Saint-Domingue''s independence, how much will the French government demand as the purchase price for thend?" asked Dussan Lucidur.

    "One hundred and fifty million francs," Viktor replied. "Of course, we can offer you a special low-interest loan, which you can repay from your annual trade earnings."

    "That''s an exorbitant amount," Dusault Leduc retorted. "It means you''ll have to bleed our people for another generation or two!"

    "But in return, you get to keep your trade routes," Viktor exined. "Saint-Domingue was originally French territory. We can allow French citizens to live here freely, but we can''t grant unconditional independence without any consequences. It might encourage our internal adversaries. Moreover, as long as it remains part of France, it provides a significant source of revenue for the Republic, generating millions of francs annually from sugar and coffee exports. We can''t afford to lose that."

    "That revenue you''re talking about is the plunder of our people," Dusault Leduc remarked sarcastically.

    "During the monarchy, that might be a fair assessment, but not anymore," Viktor replied. "Just like in other parts of France, taxation is the responsibility of citizens. You can''t enjoy the benefits of citizenship without fulfilling your obligations. If you''ve read Montesquieu, you should understand that rights and duties are intertwined. If you insist on unteral independence, then you can forget about trading with France. Legally, your independence would be a usurpation of French territory. The First Consul''s restraint from sending troops and massacring the rebels would be the most generous gesture in such a scenario. Thus, you''d lose your trade with France.

    The Spanish are likely to seize the opportunity to expand sugar and coffee production in Cuba. To be frank, it''s easy; there are no technical barriers to these crops. They have no incentive to trade with you. As for the British, they would be more than happy to kick you off their supply chain, just like the Spanish. In fact, their trade with you is limited from the start. So, after a no-deal separation, you and the ck poption you''re ardently protecting will have no choice but to rely solely on wheat in Saint-Domingue. I doubt you''ll find many people who know how to grow wheat here. Moreover, the climate in Saint-Domingue isn''t suitable for growing other crops, meaning that if you establish a nation here, you''d be entirely reliant on trade. All global trade routes are controlled by white nations, which would force you into extreme poverty or dependence on a white country. So, if you''re determined to create an independent ck nation, why not consider another location?"

    "Another location? What do you mean?" Dusault Leduc was once again taken aback. It seemed that this envoy had brought too many surprises to the table tonight.

    "Still in Louisiana, to be precise," Viktor exined. "Thend there is suitable for growing crops other than sugar and coffee, meaning you''d be less dependent on trade. You could buynd in Louisiana at a much cheaper price than here. It would be a lot easier.""I''ve heard it''s all ins over there, and we''re not familiar with the area," Dusault Leduc shook his head. Clearly, he was still worried that if they all moved to Louisiana, leaving their familiar environment, the French might turn their backs on them.

    "Your Excellency, you can temporarily remain within France," Viktor suggested. "On one hand, you can execute the n for staying within France, which includes eliminating conspirators and confiscating theirnd to easend conflicts. On the other hand, during this time, you can gradually send personnel to Louisiana, settling in stages. In this way, over the course of a few years, you can gradually move people who want to establish an independent nation to Louisiana. During this process, you will also be familiar with the situation there and judge our sincerity. In the end, you will build your own country in Louisiana, on fertilend along the Mississippi River. As for those ck people who want to stay in Saint-Domingue, we guarantee their legal right to citizenship and the protection of their private property.

    Mr. Governor, let''s be direct. If there''s a war between France and you, the United States and the United Kingdom will stand on your side. They hope to weaken us using the blood of your people. Please note, it''s not just about weakening France but weakening us, whether it''s a powerful France or a prosperous ck republic. Fundamentally, it''s not in their interest. This is why we''re trying our best to avoid such a situation."

    In Louisiana, if we were to wage war against you, you''d be closer to both Ennd and the United States. Don''t underestimate ins; do you know about the Irish? They have mostly ins there, just a few dozen miles from the English maind, and the English could muster more than a hundred thousand troops to suppress them. But did they seed in suppressing them? And Louisiana, how far is it from maind France? If you can... of course, the Irish are white."

    As soon as this remark, filled with clear racial discrimination, left Viktor''s mouth, Dusault Leduc grew visibly angry. He stood up and said, "What do you mean by ''white''? We''ve fought alongside white people; we''re no less than they are!"

    "In that case, Mr. Governor, what''s the hesitation?" Viktor chuckled. "This way is almost certainly the most advantageous for you. When an opportunity for a good deal presents itself, you should seize it without too much hesitation."

    Clearly, Viktor had brought Dusault Leduc too many surprisesst night. It was difficult for him to determine how much of the envoy''s words could be trusted and which parts were reliable. He felt he needed some time to digest Viktor''s proposals and make a decision.

    He turned to Viktor and said, "Mr. Trwney, these proposals you''ve brought are quite unexpected. I believe that each of these suggestions involves veryplex matters. I can''t give you, and the esteemed First Consul, an immediate response. I need some time to carefully consider your proposals."

    Viktor also stood up, extending his hand to Dusault Leduc as he said, "This is a significant matter for everyone involved. It''s only right to be cautious and thoroughly contemte it before making a decision. I''ll await your decision, Mr. Governor."

    They shook hands, concluding the meeting.

    The next day, Viktor rose from his bed, had breakfast, and found that the adjutant who had received him yesterday was already waiting. He informed Viktor that Governor Dusault Leduc was still in a meeting and asked Viktor to apany him instead.

    "Oh, I forgot to ask your name yesterday," Viktor said.

    "Matt," the ck adjutant replied. "Oka Matt."

    "Very well, Mr. Matt, can I wander around Saint-Domingue?" Viktor asked.

    "Of course, the Governor said you are our most honored guest," Matt replied. "Except for certain military zones, you are free to move about."

    At this point, Matt hesitated for a moment and then, with a somewhat embarrassed tone, said, "But if you want to go to the port area, you''ll have to wait for a while. I need to call a squad of soldiers... the port area is not very safe, and the people there aren''t too friendly towards white folks."

    Viktor was well aware of this. In fact, when he rode in a carriage through the port area yesterday, he noticed the hostile looks from the ck residents, even from the ck soldiers who were there to receive and escort him. Viktor didn''t underestimate the significance of these hostile nces.

    Viktor thought to himself, "Saint-Domingue is on the eve of a storm simr to what happened in the original history. After the French army''s ultimate failure in Haiti and Haiti''s subsequent independence, the new Haitian government immediately organized a massacre against white Haitians, resulting in the deaths of more than two thousand white residents. As a nobleman by birth, Viktor actually had some sympathy for the wealthy white ve owners. However, having chosen the side of the revolution, he had to appear more resolute and ruthless than others to climb to the top."

    ....

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 Chapter 281: Negotiations (3)

    Chapter 281: Negotiations (3)

    Dussan Lucidur gathered his trusted subordinates to discuss the proposals brought by Victor on behalf of the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, regarding the future of Saint-Domingue.

    The room buzzed with discussion as they weighed the options. Meanwhile, the "Liberty Trade" ship remained anchored outside the harbor, exerting a considerable pressure. While the "Constitution" was docked in the Prince''s Port, those captured or injured American crew members had been brought ashore. Through their interrogations, Dussan Lucidur and his team began to piece together what had transpired at sea.

    While most of the ck ves were unaware of the events, Dussan Lucidur discovered the terror that "Liberty Trade" embodied, still lurking just outside Prince''s Port. Aside from the potential military threat, the mere thought of the ship wreaking havoc on the harbor was unsettling.

    In history, ck rebel forces had employed a scorched-earth policy when facing French expeditions. For instance, when the Frenchnded in Prince''s Port, the ck rebel forces set the entire port aze. However, unless it was absolutely necessary, it seemed unwise to engage in such actions without provocation. Even the uneducated among them realized that burning down their own city before the enemy arrived was foolish.

    After heated debates, they came to a tentative conclusion: they would dy dering independence and, as Victor suggested, investigate the "treason" of white ve owners. They would secure their trade routes and then consider their next steps while also dispatching individuals to assess the situation in Louisiana.

    With this decision in hand, Victor proposed the construction of a dedicated French naval base in Saint-Domingue. He emphasized that one of the primary reasons for the First Consul''s goodwill gestures was to ensure the safety of Louisiana. And to secure that safety, they needed a reliable naval base in Saint-Domingue.

    More discussions ensued regarding the naval base. Dussan Lucidur didn''t have a strong objection to the base itself but expressed concerns about the presence of French troops. At one point, he even requested that the French turn over thend defenses of the base to his own troops.

    Victor promptly rejected this unreasonable demand, stating, "Governor, let''s be frank. Your concern over the French garrison in the naval base is primarily rooted in your fear that these troops might pose a threat to you. In more straightforward terms, you don''t entirely trust us and are worried that we might use these troops to jeopardize the security of Saint-Domingue. Likewise, we have our doubts about you. We fear that in certain circumstances, you might suddenly ally with our enemies, posing a severe threat to our naval base. Thus, the security of the base must remain under our control. Of course, to enhance our cooperation and mutual trust, we can discuss the size of the garrison and the types of weaponry."

    After a week-long discussion, they finally reached a basic understanding: the French could construct a naval base at Cap Fran?ais, and thend defenses would be handled by the French. However, the number of French troops stationed there could not exceed three thousand. Additionally, the naval base''s artillery, including cannons of 12 pounds or less, would not exceed twelve pieces.Cap Fran?ais was where the French first set foot on the ind of Saint-Domingue, and until 1790, it had served as the capital of the entire colony. However, it suffered extensive damage in subsequent earthquakes. In another timeline, after Haiti achieved independence, it was renamed Cape Haiti. From the perspective of port conditions, it was an excellent location. Dussan Lucidur did mention one issue, though:

    "Some Americans have settled there, and we haven''t had the chance to drive them out."

    Of course, this was just an excuse, and Victor was well aware that these Americans were there with Dussan Lucidur''s tacit approval, possibly even lured by him, as he needed their support for his independence cause.

    "Well, for now, Saint-Domingue is still French territory. How can they stay there?" Victor replied.

    "These are just some folks seeking shelter to repair their ships temporarily," Dussan Lucidur exined. "It''s just that their progress has been a bit slow. However, ording to our agreement, your naval base won''t begin construction until thend issue is resolved. I can assure you that we can make these Americans leave before construction begins."

    Victor looked at Dussan Lucidur and said, "Governor, I understand your reluctance to confront the Americans directly at this time. You''re keeping them as a backup n, and we understand that. However, in that case, these ''traitors'' probably can''t be held by you. They will be sent back to France for trial on charges of treason... just in case you decide to betray us; we also need a backup n."

    Afterpleting the basic negotiations and signing a memorandum, Victor returned to the "Liberty Trade." ording to the n, the "Liberty Trade" would depart from Haiti and sail to New Orleans, the capital of Louisiana. After some repairs and preparations, it would return to Europe.

    "Captain Leclerc," Victor said as soon as he stepped on board, "before heading to New Orleans, we need to make a stop at Cap Fran?ais."

    "Is there an issue at Cap Fran?ais?" Captain Leclerc inquired.

    "Not a significant one. It''s just that there are some Americans reportedly repairing their ships there," Victor exined. "Given that they''ve gifted us such a significant patrol frigate, how can we not pay them a visit? Besides, Captain Leclerc, your ship can''t stay here for an extended period. After the ''Liberty Trade'' departs, our naval forces won''t be sufficient to counter any American actions in this region. They''re bound to make some moves. Why not take the opportunity while we''re still here to show the American navy the stark difference between them and a real maritime power?"

    Captain Leclerc naturally understood Victor''s intent: to deal a heavy blow to the American navy while the "Liberty Trade" was in the vicinity. This was intended to change the unfavorable situation where French naval power wascking in this region.

    "Are you suggesting we engage the Americans directly? Does the First Consul know about this?" Captain Leclerc asked.

    "The First Consul? How could he possibly be aware of these matters? However, when Minister Lucien Bonaparte spoke to me before our departure, he said something along these lines: ''Victor, you must understand that once we decide to take control of Louisiana, we will inevitably be enemies of the Americans. Since they''ve struck first in this matter, I believe we have no need to hold back any longer.''"

 Chapter 282: Interception

    The "Liberty Trader" and the recently repaired "Constitution" sailed away from Port-au-Prince together. They first circled around the Cape of France, but they didn''t spot any American warships there. Evidently, they had received a warning from Dussan Lucidur and left in haste.

    The "Liberty Trader" and "Constitution" made a turn at the Cape of France, then set their course westward.

    Over a week ago, the Americans in Santo Domingo had learned about the capture of the "Constitution." However, transmitting this news from Santo Domingo back to the United States would take time. At that time, Florida was still in the hands of the Spanish, so getting the message to the United States was a time-consuming task. ording to Victor and Lau''s calctions, the Americans probably just found out about it. During this era, the U.S. Navy was rtively weak in Europe, with only six major warships. Though these six frigates were considered "super-frigates," they couldn''t stand up to European naval powers in Europe.

    However, in the Americas, the strength of these countries'' regional fleets was quite remarkable. The gships of these fleets were often fifth-rate ships (frigates), with other vessels usually less than 1,000 tons in discement, armed with just over twenty cannons and even smaller sixth-rate or unssified sloops.

    Due to the weakness of these national fleets in the region, piracy was rampant in the Caribbean. At one point, even the United States had to pay protection money to these pirates. Establishing a navy was, in fact, the United States'' initial response to avoid paying protection money to these pirates.

    In an alternate timeline, the U.S. Navy, whichter collected protection money around the world, started with these six "super-frigates." Interestingly, by the time the United States was collecting protection money globally, they only had six decent surface vessels left.

    Victor estimated that after learning this news, the Americans would not sit idly by. They would certainly try to concentrate their forces, intercept the "Constitution," and regain military advantage in the Caribbean before it reached New Orleans.

    In reality, the American response was much faster than Victor and the others had anticipated. The news about the "Liberty Trader" and the "Constitution" was not sent by ship but ryed through carrier pigeons. Nevertheless, it took some time for the Americans to gather their warships.

    Only when they received the news of the "Liberty Trader" and the "Constitution" leaving Santo Domingo did the Americans manage to assemble three warships: the "USS America" super-frigate, the "USS Congress" super-frigate, and the former French warship "Light Breeze," recently captured by the "Constitution." It was renamed the "Lafayette," but this little ship had only 16 cannons.Considering that the "Constitution" was not yet fully repaired and the French had not been able to recruit many sailors in Santo Domingo, it was safe to assume that the "Constitution" had navigational capability butckedbat power. Therefore, the American navy''s formation should have given them the upper hand in their confrontation with the French.

    "Engage the steamship with two ships, and the remaining one will catch up with the ''Constitution'' to regain it," said the captain of the "USS America" and themander of this operation, Colonel Matthews.

    However, this was only a theoretical n. In practice, they had a major problem to solve: how to quickly locate the two French warships.

    Today, there was no wirelessmunication. Once naval vessels left the harbor, if they dispersed, it was almost impossible for them to contact each other. If they gathered together, the area they could control would be much smaller, and the possibility of the enemy bypassing them from another direction would increase.

    Of course, they could easily deduce the destination of the French ships (besides New Orleans, where else could they go?). So they could simply wait outside the New Orleans harbor for an ambush.

    But there was a French fleet stationed near New Orleans as well. Although this fleet wasn''t strong, it only had an ordinary sixth-rate ship and three small sloops. However, if a battle broke out near New Orleans between the French steamship and the American navy, this fleet could join in, bing a force strong enough to change the course of the battle.

    From this perspective, the interception point had to be set at a distance from New Orleans, but not too far, to prevent the target from slipping away.

    Just as the Americans were pondering this issue, an unexpected ally suddenly appeared��a British fleet came looking for them.

    The British colonies of Jamaica and the Cayman Inds in the Caribbean weren''t particrly prosperous, especiallypared to Santo Domingo. However, Jamaica had a uniquemodity to offer - enved people brought from Africa. So, it served as a rtively important trade point.

    The British maintained a small fleet in the region, consisting of two frigates and three two-masted gunboats. They were rumored to have dealings with the Caribbean pirates.

    The British fleet''smander, Colonel Wayne, sent an emissary directly to the Americans, offering their assistance in confronting the French. Of course, if they could sink or capture the French steamship, it would belong to the British.

    Capturing the French steam frigate would be the most valuable prize. However, both the British and the Americans knew that the chances of capturing the ship in battle were slim. Moreover, the most enticing part of the ship was its advanced technology, but given the current scientific knowledge of the United States, they would likely notprehend or utilize these innovations effectively.

    This was akin to a scenario in the future where a market for unique bricks was set up by the Big Hare family. They allowed the White Elephant to inspect and touch the bricks freely, but the Big Hare was forbidden from looking and touching. Why? Because the White Elephant looking and touching wouldn''t change a thing, but if the Big Hare did the same, it might end up pregnant.

    Since the Americans had no use for the technology, Colonel Matthews readily agreed. Thus, a temporary alliance was formed.

    Soon after, a joint fleet of four frigates and four gunboats appeared off the coast of New Orleans. The British and American fleets were not integrated as they had never fought together before, but the British ships flew the American g from their masts.

    ording to their division ofbor, the Americans were responsible for intercepting and attacking the iing French steam frigate and reiming the "Constitution." The British, on the other hand, were tasked with diverting the French fleet in New Orleans Harbor.

    "Could the British take the opportunity to bombard New Orleans while flying our g?"" asked Lieutenant Thomas of the "USS America."

    "The British might just do that," Colonel Matthews replied. "They want us topletely fall out with the French now, preferably dering war. That way, whatever the oue, it''s beneficial for them."

    "So what should we do?" Thomas inquired.

    "We can''t let the French establish a foothold on the American continent. Besides, do the French really have the resources to wage war with us while suppressing all of Europe? So, our differences aside, it shouldn''t lead to an actual war. And, right now, we need their cooperation."

    As they were conversing, a lookout''s shout broke the silence. "Target spotted! At nine o''clock! Target spotted!"

    Both men quickly raised their heads and looked in the nine o''clock direction, where a thick column of ck smoke was rising slowly from below the horizon.

    "French steam battleship!" they both immediately concluded.

    Based on the information they had, French steam warships also had sails and primarily relied on them for movement, not their steam engines. However, the rising smoke indicated one thing - the French were prepared for battle.

    Meanwhile, on board the "Liberty Trader," the atmosphere was far from tense. The steam engine was running, and they were not far from New Orleans. In fact, they were unaware that a fleet was waiting for them ahead.

 Chapter 283: The Battle (1)

    Chapter 283: The Battle (1)

    The thick plumes of smoke made the Americans and the British spot the "Liberty Trade" first. After all, as long as the steam engine was fired up, this feature was hard to conceal. Especially when warships still used coal as boiler fuel, it was even more noticeable.

    Inter years, as the steam engines on warships gradually transitioned to burning heavy oil, the smoke produced during fullbustion was much less, and it dissipated easily in the air. A bit farther away, you could barely see anything. (Of course, when a turbine engine just started, no matter which country''s ship it was, it would produce billowing ck smoke for a while.)

    But burning coal was a different story, especially when it was bituminous coal. It naturally produced thick smoke. As for why smokeless coal wasn''t used, well, most of Europe''s coal mines had rtively low coalification levels, and smokeless coal was quite rare. Furthermore, the boiler design of this era had many impractical aspects, and many times, it couldn''t achieveplete fuelbustion. The result was that when the "Liberty Trade" set sail, it belched thick smoke into the air, making it as visible as an aircraft carrier from ater age. Even from the International Space Station, they might have been able to spot it through a telescope.

    The dense smoke allowed the Americans and the British to achieve early detection, but in this era, early detection didn''t necessarily bring an advantage inbat. At most, it allowed the Americans and the British to form up first.

    After about half an hour, the "Liberty Trade" finally appeared in the sight of the American and British joint fleet. Of course, by this time, the "Liberty Trade" had also noticed the fleet that blocked its way, flying the American g.

    Just as the Americans had anticipated, the "Constitution" was at this time just a hollow shell with sailing capability but nobat power due to ack of sailors. Although it still had dozens of cannons on board, there wasn''t a single gunner to man them, so, for now, those cannons were essentially decorations.

    Apart fromcking gunners, this ship alsocked soldiers. The entire ship only had enough sailors to handle the rigging, nothing more. So, if the enemy really approached, and a few soldiers boarded, the ship had only one path to take, immediate surrender.

    Therefore, in this battle, the "Constitution" was not an asset but a burden.

    So, upon spotting the intercepting fleet, the "Constitution" immediately changed course, attempting to exit the battlefield. Meanwhile, the "Liberty Trade" elerated, charging toward the enemy fleet to cover the "Constitution''s" escape.In the authentic American fleet, there were two "super frigates" just like the "Constitution," and one double-masted gunboat.

    All three of these ships had good speed, even though the smaller double-masted gunboat theoretically had a slightly slower speed than the "Constitution." However, when it came to executing interception missions, the Americans had taken measures to increase this ship''s speed. For example, they removed most of the cannons from the ship to reduce its weight. Anyway, this ship''sbat capabilities were not dependable, and now they could only hope that the intelligence they had received from the ck sailors about the "Constitution" not having any gunners on board was urate.

    ording to the pre-battle n, the British were responsible for keeping the French fleet within New Orleans Harbor. Then the two American super frigates were to detain the French steamships while the smaller gunboat had a chance to catch up to the "Constitution" and reim it.

    However, the Americans soon discovered that their n might have some issues. The first problem was that the steamship was simply too fast.

    The wind wasn''t strong that day, so even the "United States" and the "Congress," the two super frigates, could only reach speeds of 8-9 knots. Although these two ships were rated with a maximum speed of 13 knots, reaching that top speed required favorable conditions. So, that maximum speed number was mainly for show, and most of the time, they couldn''t achieve such speeds.

    But the "Liberty Trade" was different; it could reach a maximum speed of 14 knots, and in most situations, it genuinely could reach that speed.

    The "Liberty Trade" first headed straight toward the leading "United States." If both sides maintained their course, they could pass each other.

    The "United States" began to veer to the left towards the "Liberty Trade," attempting to secure the "T position" (a tactical advantage). However, just as it seemed like it was about to sessfully secure the "T position," the "Liberty Trade" suddenly veered right. The ship''s design, along with itsrge rudder, should have made it less agile when turning. In fact, under sail, it was indeed the case. However, at this moment, it was under full steam power. Abundant power allowed it to disregard the speed loss caused by maneuvering, making its agility during the turn far superior to sailing warships.

    The result of these two turns was that the two ships passed each other in parallel. They were only about 200 meters apart when they crossed paths. In navalbat, generally speaking, such a distance and a crossing angle meant that the window for firing was quite limited. Firing under these circumstances mostly meant not hitting anything. But during this crossing, the "Liberty Trade" managed to unleash a broadside volley.

    Only one of the nine cannonballs hit its mark. However, this single projectile easily pierced through the "United States," a ship known for its formidable hull. This armor-piercing shell created a rain of blood in the "United States''" gun deck, as five or six gunners were struck by the shrapnel, meeting their maker instantly.

    As there was no certainty of hitting the enemy under these conditions, the "United States" refrained from firing back.

    The "Congress," which was originally following the "United States," naturally didn''t get an opportunity to open fire either.

    After passing the "United States" in a parallel course following the encounter with the "Liberty Trade," the "Liberty Trade" continued with a wide turn, leaving behind a trail on the sea like a pancake.

    This kind of maneuver was almost unimaginable for sailboats with limited power and significant wind direction restrictions. So when Captain Will,manding the "Congress," saw the Liberty Trade''s big turn following the United States, he eximed in astonishment, "Good Lord, she can turn like that!"

    Afterpleting the turn, the "Liberty Trade" upied the 7 o''clock position rtive to the two American warships and then elerated to close the gap.

    Seeing the pancake-like turn made by the "Liberty Trade," both Colonel Matthews and Captain Will abandoned their hopes of vying for the "T position" through speed and maneuverability. Instead, they focused on not letting the "Liberty Trade" easily take their "T position."

    The Americans then adjusted their formation, changing from a line ahead to a line abreast, almost parallel formation.

    Line abreast was inconvenient, as it caused mutual interference in terms of maneuvering and observation among the friendly ships. However, it had an advantage: when an enemy ship attempted to cross the bow of the first friendly ship and take the "T position," it would inadvertently put itself in the T position of the second friendly ship.

    But the "Liberty Trade" had no intention of ying a game of maneuvering with the Americans. Considering that the American artillery was incapable of posing a real threat to it, sailing parallel to them to sustain continuous fire was the most efficientbat approach.

    So the "Liberty Trade" approached the trailing "Congress" from the starboard side and fired a broadside volley at a range of one hundred meters.

    As the two ships were heading almost parallel, this volley was highly effective. Out of the nine projectiles fired, seven struck their targets. All seven shells prated the "Congress''s" side tes, and in the face of the new rear-loading steel cannons, the once proud sturdy hull of the American super frigate proved as fragile as an eggshell.

    The "Congress" immediately returned fire. Although its cannons were less urate than those on the "Liberty Trade," they had more guns, so in terms of the number of projectiles hitting the target, they had the upper hand.

    However, regardless of whether the shots were fired from the 24-pounders or the 18-pounders, every single one of them was deflected by the steel-ted "Liberty Trade." Not a single shot managed to prate the ship''s hull.

    "Quick, load the cannons! Let''s get closer, and this time, we must give them a spectacle!" Colonel Will shouted. Since theirrge-caliber cannons couldn''t prate the enemy''s hull at a range of one hundred meters, they decided to close the distance further and try again.

    "I can''t believe their hull is still made of steel," he muttered. But closing in wasn''t easy because when you moved, so did the other side. The "Congress" began to turn to the starboard side, and the "Liberty Trade" also began to turn to the right, actively maintaining distance from the "Congress." Simultaneously, it unleashed another broadside volley.

    Leveraging the advantage of their rear-loading cannons in terms of firing rate, the "Liberty Trade" fired three consecutive broadsides, while the "Congress" could barelyunch a single ineffective counterattack. Furthermore, their firepower density had visibly decreased in this counterattack. The previous volleys from the "Liberty Trade" had inflicted significant casualties among the "Congress''s" gunners, leaving many of the cannons unmanned.

    At this point, the "United States," realizing something was amiss, began to approach the "Liberty Trade" from the left. If the "Liberty Trade" didn''t abandon its attack on the "Congress," it would find itself caught in a crossfire between the "United States" and the "Congress."

    In the distance, British Commander Colonel Vein observed the battle through his spyss. After watching several rounds of exchange between the two sides, he shifted the direction of his spyss and issued the order, "Full sail, increase speed, let''s head back."

 Chapter 284: The Battle (2)

    Chapter 284: The Battle (2)

    All three warships engaged in the fierce battle had taken note of the British actions. However, because the British were still flying the American g as they retreated, those on the "Liberty Trade" still considered them to be Americans.

    "When did Americans be so good at betraying their allies?" Lafayette had some previous dealings with Americans and in his impression, they might be a bit rough around the edges, but they were generally good-hearted and didn''t seem like the type to excel at this sort of treachery.

    Nheless, the British didn''t care what the French thought and made a hasty retreat. Their departure immediately altered the entire course of the battle. The French fleet in the harbor began to sortie, adding a patrol frigate and three small gunboats. Even just considering the number of ships, the French now held the upper hand.

    Approaching the "American," which was heading towards the "Liberty Trade," naturally, noticed this change. Colonel Matthews, in charge ofmand, immediately realized that they had lost this battle. Given the current situation, even without considering the French reinforcements, their two ships would find it challenging to stand up against the French steamship. Adding the French reinforcements, escaping or victory seemed almost impossible.

    However, even so, the "American" had to get closer and fire at the enemy ships to rescue the "Congress," which was being pummeled with no means to return fire.

    The distance between the two sides continued to shrink, and the "American" was now less than two hundred meters from the "Liberty Trade."

    The ninerge guns on the left side of the "Liberty Trade" hadn''t had a chance to fire until now. With the enemy ship closing in, they began firing at the "American."

    At a distance of just over two hundred meters, rifled cannons were still quite effective. Out of nine shots, two hit their mark, and one of them was a precise hit on the "American''s" foremast shroud.

    This single cannonball had nearly devastating consequences. The foremast shroud was the part that held the triangr sails. It provided most of the windward sailing power and was essential for controlling a sailboat. After taking a hit, the robust foremast shroud snapped into two pieces with a resounding crack.The broken foremast shroud fell directly into the sea, entangled with numerous ropes that held sails and connected to other masts. As it dropped into the sea during the ship''s high-speed voyage, the ropes immediately pulled taut and caused the ship to list to the right.

    "Quick, cut the ropes!" Matthews ordered urgently.

    The Americans did amendable job; several sailors rushed in with axes and quickly severed the ropes, preventing a more significant crisis, like the main mast being pulled down. However, after losing the foremast shroud, the "American''s" speed had clearly decreased, and control became more challenging.

    "Send a signal to the ''Congress'' to retreat." Faced with the current situation, Matthews issued a new order with a heavy heart, "Now, let''s fight with all our might, dy the enemy, and cover the ''Congress'' in its retreat."

    Matthews''mand was conveyed using signal gs. However, the "Congress" had already taken a beating from the "Liberty Trade." And since it was significantly slower than the French, the question remained whether the "Congress" could escape.

    Yet, the "Liberty Trade" also faced an issue �C its limited supply of cannonballs.

    The "Liberty Trade" used breech-loading rifled steel cannons, which fired a different type of ammunitionpared to conventional cannonballs and were much more technologically advanced. While the round iron balls used in other cannons were widely avable, the ammunition for breech-loading cannons was not produced anywhere in the Americas. They had to rely on the cannonballs they brought with them. Every shot was a loss. The "Liberty Trade" still needed to preserve enough ammunition for its return journey.

    During this voyage, the navy''s main task for the "Liberty Trade" was to test its long-range capabilities, and they hadn''t anticipated this muchbat. They believed that with high enough speed, the "Liberty Trade" wouldn''t be in significant danger, so they even intentionally carried fewer ammunition to make room for more things they deemed more helpful for their long-range experiment.

    So, at this point, while the Americans were undoubtedly in distress, the French were also getting anxious about their ammunition levels. The "Liberty Trade" was running dangerously low on ammunition.

    On the other hand, without high-explosive shells, sinking arge ship like the "American" or the "Congress" with solid shot alone was nearly impossible. Even if they lowered their expectations to just disabling the enemy ships, it would require a significant amount of ammunition. The "Liberty Trade" didn''t even have enough ammunition to achieve that second goal. Therefore, the "Liberty Trade" was faced with a choice: which American cruiser to pursue.

    Captain Lafayette quickly made a decision. He abandoned the "Congress" and focused on attacking the "American," trying to keep it behind. Not only was the "American" already damaged, making it easier to handle, but capturing a ship named "America" sounded more enticing than capturing a ship named "Congress."

    In a sense, it was somewhat foolish to name warships after countries or nationalities. These vessels, often lost or damaged in warfare, could have a significant impact on the morale of an entire nation.

    For instance, during World War II, the Germans initially made the mistake of naming a vessel used for daring raids "Deutd." However, as soon as the war started, they realized that this ship might notst very long, and headlines like "Deutd Sunk" or "Royal Navy Sinks Deutd" were inauspicious. To avoid this, they had to change the ship''s name, eventually turning "Deutd Sunk" into "Lutzow Sunk."

    Even the Germans'' ally, the footbath chicken (Japan), named a battleship after their nation, "Bathing Hut." However, when it came time to use it, they were concerned that losing a ship with such an ominous name would bring bad luck. So, for most of the time, it ended up staying in port.

    As "Congress" attempted to put some distance between itself and the battle, the "Liberty Trade" didn''t pursue but instead turned toward the "American." With confidence in their defense, the "Liberty Trade" even spared the T-position. Instead, it aligned its broadside with that of the "American." This meant that "American" had more opportunities to fire, but as a target, the projection area of the "American''s" broadside was significantlyrger than its bow. Given the shared direction of movement, the hit rate on this kind of target would be much higher. Considering the "Liberty Trade" was running low on ammunition, attacking from this angle would efficiently utilize each cannonball.

    When the "Liberty Trade" shifted its primary target to the "American," the "American" quickly found itself in a predicament. Utilizing its superior maneuverability, the "Liberty Trade" maintained a distance of about fifty meters from the "American." At this distance, the cannons on the "Liberty Trade" could guarantee a high hit rate, while therge guns on the "American" couldn''t prate the "Liberty Trade''s" hanging steel armor.

    Additionally, the remarkable firing rate of the cannons on the "Liberty Trade" for this era allowed them to fire at least three to four rounds in the time it took the "American" to fire one shot. After several volleys, the gun deck of the "American" was in chaos, with blood flowing like a river.

    "They should be surrendering by now," Captain Lafayette said, looking at the "American" not far away. "They''ve given it their all, and surrendering at this point wouldn''t damage their honor."

    At this moment, a long triangr red g was raised on the mast of the "American."

    "They''ve raised the St. George''s g," Lafayette sighed. "Well, it''s the ''American,'' and no matter what, it has to fight to the end. God help us, we don''t have a warship named ''France.''"

    "St. George''s g?" Victor, who wasn''t very familiar with naval matters, asked, "I remember St. George''s g is the white background with a red cross, right, Ennd''s g?"

    "That''s Ennd''s national g," Lafayette exined, "But in the navy, there''s another St. George''s g representing the courage and desperation of a warship. Yes, that one over there. The g means: Fight to the death, never surrender."

 Chapter 285: The Leak

    Chapter 285: The Leak

    Despite paying their respects to the relentless "USS America," Captain Lefebvre had no intentions of going easy on her. However, at this moment, a French squadron had arrived from the port of New Orleans, with the frigate "D''Adaniou" leading the way.

    The "D''Adaniou" was a standard frigate armed with 40 guns and would typically overpower the "USS America." But the current circumstances were quite different. On the port side of the "USS America," there were only two guns left due to the damage caused by the angled masts at her bow. This significantly reduced her speed as well. So, even when facing the "D''Adaniou," the "USS America" couldn''t fight or escape effectively.

    On the other side, the "Constitution" was working diligently to evade the pursuit of the American gunboat. If they could recruit enough sailors in the port of Santo Domingo, the "Constitution" would easily crush the "Rafaelite" gunboat like squashing an ant.

    However, given theplex situation in Santo Domingo, Captain Lefebvre and Victor were concerned about the possibility of recruiting American sailors who might coborate with their imprisonedpatriots. This could lead to unforeseenplications. Therefore, the "Constitution" hadn''t recruited a single sailor in Santo Domingo. They had just transferred some of the sailors from the "Free Trade" to handle the ship.

    The consequence of this decision was that the "Constitution" had numerousrge guns but not a single gunner. Yet, even so, it wasn''t easy for the "Rafaelite" to deal with the "Constitution." Firstly, the "Constitution" was incredibly fast. Despite removing some heavy guns to reduce weight and increase speed, the "Rafaelite" still struggled to catch up. Especially when the "Constitution" was determined to flee.

    The chase between two sailboats with simr speeds couldst for a long time, even extending from lowtitudes to near the pr regions, much like a certain movie. The chase between the "Rafaelite" and the "Constitution" had a simr feeling. So, at this moment, the two ships were still sailing in circles at sea.

    During this process, the "Rafaelite" constantlyunched attacks using the ship''s cannons. The "Rafaelite" had 12-pound cannons that couldn''t prate the hull of the "Constitution, an American ship that they knew well. However, 12-pound cannons could still damage the "Constitution''s" sails, reducing its speed.

    Compared to the ship''s hull, sails were muchrger targets and easier to hit. But because of their size, they were challenging to damage significantly. Even chain shot could only tear a small hole in the massive sails, causing limited damage. To significantly reduce a sailboat''s speed, multiple hits were required, which took time.

    So, the "Constitution" had not slowed down significantly until now. Meanwhile, on the other side, the battle was approaching its conclusion. The "Congress" had turned, the "USS America" raised the Saint George g, and the formidable steam warship was heading their way.The captain of the "Rafaelite," Lieutenant Murich, immediately made a decision, "This operation has already failed. The biggest issue now is how to escape."

    He gave the order, "Full speed retreat!"

    However, escaping from the pursuit of the "Free Trade" wasn''t easy. The "Free Trade" was much faster. Still, they couldn''t give up on running. Captain Murich knew that the "Rafaelite" had one advantage - it had a shallower draft, allowing it to navigate in areas inessible to the American "Free Trade." There was such a region nearby, but whether they could reach it before the "Free Trade" caught up was uncertain.

    In truth, the "Free Trade" had no intention of catching the "Rafaelite." Their ammunition was running low, and they were close to depleting their reserves. It wasn''t worth consuming more resources for such a small ship. The "Free Trade" had chased to ensure the "Constitution" returned safely.

    As the "Free Trade" escorted the "Constitution" back, the battle on the sea was reaching its final moments. By this time, all the guns on the "USS America" had been destroyed, and the "D''Adaniou" had started using chain shots to attack the "USS America''s" sails. They wanted to further reduce its sailing capabilities and board the ship for capture.

    In this situation, Captain Thomas ordered the abandonment of the ship. The damaged sailors clung to barrels and other floating objects, jumping into the sea, while Captain Thomas himself held a torch and entered the ship''s cabin. Before long, the ship was engulfed in mes.

    Initially, the French had considered trying to put out the fire, but the mes spread rapidly. Evidently, while the "D''Adaniou" was busy destroying the ship''s sails, the sailors on board had scattered gunpowder and other incendiaries everywhere.

    This ship was truly aze, and even in modern times, it might not be salvageable. At this point, there was nothing to do but watch it burn.

    Watching the "USS America" being consumed by mes, Captain Lefebvre said to Victor, "Monsieur Treville, we couldn''t capture the enemy ship this time... It''s a pity, it was a fine vessel."

    "A real shame, it was a fine ship indeed," Victor sighed in agreement. But he quickly added, "However, this ship was already outdated from the moment it wasmissioned. Nowadays, the high seas belong to steam warships."

    "At least, we''re the only ones in the world with functional steam warships," Captain Lefebvre remarked.

    Just as Captain Lefebvre spoke these words, on the Fane Bay, west of sgow in Scond, a new ship was undergoing secret tests. It was a steamship, but unlike most steamships, it had no visible paddlewheel.

    The ship wasn''trge, and it was evident that it had been modified from the steam frigates that had been outperformed by the French near the coast of Irnd. Itcked paddlewheels, masts, and sails, but it was an experimental vessel. There was a sail frigate apanying it, so even if there was a machinery malfunction, they had a backup.

    Now, in the evening breeze, the ship began to elerate, leaving its escort, the "Wonder," a frigate, trailing behind, unable to match its speed.

    "General, the experimental ship is now going at least 15 knots. It appears that this is the secret of the French steamship''s remarkable speed," Second Officer Jack Aubrey reported to the man standing beside him in a full general''s uniform, holding a telescope, observing the experimental vessel closely.

    "You''re right, Jack. The screw propeller is indeed an excellent design, eliminating the greatest weakness of steamships. With this technology, steamships can truly be warships," the generalmented, but he let out a sigh.

    "General, why the sigh? We''ve seeded, haven''t we?" Jack asked.

    "Yes, we''ve seeded. But Jack, the era of sails has already passed," the general extended his hand, patting the shoulder of the young Jack Aubrey, "The things we''ve been studying our whole lives might have dissipated into the ck smoke rising from this ship. Fortunately, you''re still young, and you have time to learn new things."

    "General, you''re not old either, you''re not even fifty yet. And if you learned all the techniques for sail ships and fleet warfare in the past, you can surely figure out the best tactics for these new warships. Don''t you think this task is challenging?" Jack said.

    "Ah, Jack, you''re right. I shouldn''t have entertained thoughts of cking off. Well, you must study hard, and when my ''Victory'' is eventually converted into a steam warship, and if you continue to excel, I''ll invite you on board..."

    At this moment, the steamship in front made a turn and began to return. This area was rtively remote, with very few ships passing through. However, now that it was getting dark, it was time to head back.

    Yet, neither Jack nor the "General" noticed that someone on the coastal side was hiding behind arge rock, using a telescope to watch from afar.

    A few dayster, within the Bonaparte family, the three brothers found themselves in another argument.

    "All the current signs indicate that, Joseph, your security measures werecking, and there''s a leak on your end. They stole the secret of the screw propeller," Lucien stated.

    "Lucien, it''s not necessarily my fault. The screw propeller design is so simple that anyone who looks at it can uncover the secret. I think it''s more likely that the secret leaked during the production process. But you''re focusing on my department, and now you want to investigate my people, which could seriously disrupt our work," Joseph countered.

    "Joseph, of course, we''ll investigate the production process, but you don''t think your department could be the source of the problem? A little investigation won''t hurt," Lucien said.

    "Yes, Joseph, we can certainly investigate. It won''t harm anyone as long as we don''t wrongly use people," Napoleon added.

    "Fine, we can investigate, but it can''t disrupt the normal operations of the research department, and the investigators can''t let the existence of the investigation be known," Joseph made a slight concession. "Also, I''ll reiterate, the screw propeller is extremely simple, so simple that anyone can grasp it with a single nce. We mustn''t make the same mistake the British did with torpedoes."

 Chapter 286: Science Knows No Borders

    Chapter 286: Science Knows No Borders

    "Some things are just bound to spread," Joseph said with a thoughtful tone. "Take, for example, the recent incident with underwater mines. We use electrical fuses for our mines, but what do the British use?"

    "I haven''t acquired that intelligence yet," Lucien replied. He added, "I don''t think it''s that important. Knowing that won''t help us much. Joseph, do we really need this information?"

    "We don''t," Joseph replied, a sly smile on his face. "I''m not inquiring about the specifics; I''m testing your knowledge of physics."

    "What?" Lucien was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Joseph, I''m extremely busy with work right now, and such matters should be left to the experts."

    "Nonsense! Are you implying that you''re busier than me? I could��" Napoleon interjected.

    "Napoleon, don''t pretend. Do you think I don''t know who the real primary author of that recent paper was? You shamelessly put your name ahead of Lace''s," Lucien retorted.

    "Me? You couldn''t even understand that paper! While Lace contributed somewhat, the majority of it was my work," Napoleon began defending his position as the first author.

    "That''s because I''m naturally gifted, and I''m only a tad behind Joseph, Lace, and Lagrange in mathematics," Napoleon proudly dered. "If it were you, Lace would have died and not because of helping you solve problems but from frustration while trying to make you understand the solution! Let''s not even talk about it, Lucien. Joseph''s question was straightforward, and yet you managed toplicate it. It''s embarrassing!"

    "So, what''s the fuse used in British mines?" Lucien asked."The same electrical fuse as ours," Napoleon answered without hesitation. "You can deduce that from the shape of the contact points."

    "That was Joseph''s deduction."

    "Alright, you two, stop bickering over such trivial matters," Joseph scolded.

    The two brothers fell into silence.

    "Some technologies are impossible to keep secret for long, even without espionage. Take the example of the screw propeller. Developing such technology is as simple as scratching your head," Joseph continued. "But Lucien, you''re the exception. So, Napoleon, if you want to pat someone on the back for their work, pat yourself. Don''t reach out to pat Lucien."

    Napoleon withdrew his outstretched hand.

    "Joseph is right; patting you is a waste of time."

    "Besides a few truly core technologies, the kind soplex that you can''t even understand them, excessive secrecy doesn''t seem to serve much purpose anymore," Joseph went on. "Apart from technology, I want to talk to you about the issue of scientific secrecy.

    You know, we''ve hidden numerous scientific discoveries, particrly in electricity, such as knowledge about generators and electric motors. It has served a purpose, but it''s brought its own set of problems."

    "What problems?" Napoleon inquired.

    "The issue of training engineers," Joseph exined. "Because the most fundamental scientific knowledge is kept highly confidential during their education, even top graduates from the University of Paris need substantial training when theye here, whether inboratories or factories. It''s a costly process. Even worse, these individuals, having learned these secrets, essentially have a guaranteed job. No, it''s not just a job; it''s a golden ticket. Every one of them knows how valuable this knowledge is. They know they can sell it and make enough money to feed their grandchildren truffles and caviar every day. So, at this point, not only do we pay them sries, but we also have to pay them hush money to keep their secrets. We pass on knowledge to them and end up paying them for it. Can you imagine how absurd that is?

    What''s more, even with these measures, their loyalty is still not guaranteed. We need to control their families, employ tracking and monitoring methods �C all of which are costly. So, while secrecy has given us a lead for some time, the cost of maintaining it is increasing, and it''s bing harder to sustain."

    "Besides, we shouldn''t underestimate the research capabilities of other countries," Joseph continued. "Some of our products will inevitably be sold abroad. Just look at the British and their electric detonators. Where did they get that technology? Most likely, they obtained samples during their conflicts with the Irish and then reverse-engineered it."

    "Not long ago, the British even attempted to steal information about electric motors. Though the operation was thwarted by the Ministry of Public Security��Fouch�� did an exceptional job, I must say��when ites to these matters, I don''t think there''s anyone in all of Europe stronger than him. Lucien, you should learn a thing or two from him," Joseph pointed out.

    Lucien nodded immediately. "Fouch�� is undoubtedly strong in this area, but it''s due to abination of talent and hard work. I find it difficult to immerse myselfpletely in a single event. But he is genuinely dedicated to learning."

    "Fouch�� can seed once, but not indefinitely. Electric motors are everywhere, and obtaining one and reverse-engineering it is only a matter of time," Joseph continued. "With a sample, even the British, given their scientific prowess, could easily deduce something from it. So, the cost of maintaining scientific secrecy is increasing. I believe there are certain scientific areas where we should no longer keep things under wraps."

    Napoleon and Lucien remained silent. After a moment, Napoleon spoke up, "That''s a valid point. But will openly sharing this information boost their research significantly? Can we still maintain our lead?"

    "It will undoubtedly elerate scientific progress in Europe, including the likes of Britain. However, you should remember that this includes our own country. First, we can save a considerable amount of unnecessary costs, and these savings can be redirected toward scientific research.

    Furthermore, even if we disclose these scientific findings, only our universities, for a certain period, will be equipped to teach and practically apply this knowledge. Any advancement in knowledge is tied to practice; theory must go hand in hand with real-world application to remain relevant. Other countries, given their less favorable conditions, won''t be able topete with us. So, even if we don''t disclose these findings, sooner orter, they will catch up," Joseph exined.

    "That makes sense," Napoleon conceded. "However, we shouldn''t release everything all at once. We should proceed step by step, with ns and justifications in ce. We can''t simply decide on a whim; we need a well-thought-out approach."

    With that, he nced at Joseph and continued, "Joseph, your time is precious, and you have many responsibilities. You can''t afford to waste your time on administrative matters like this. Lucien, why don''t you take care of this, and Joseph can review it when he gets a chance?"

    "Is my time really that free?" Lucien was slightly indignant.

    "Among the few of us, you''re rtively less busy," Napoleon said. "Do you think I don''t know that for the past two weeks, you''ve been partying at the Moulin Rouge every night till dawn?"

    "Nonsense! Is that what Fouch�� said? He''s just envious; it''s nder! The Moulin Rouge is a renowned entertainment establishment in Paris, and the entertainment industry is an essential part of the Ministry of Truth''s jurisdiction. Under my leadership, the entertainment industry in France has flourished. In these past few months, a significant number of wealthy individuals from other countries have been attracted to Paris to spend their money. And, as you know, the entertainment industry is heavily taxed. Just one business, the Moulin Rouge, pays over a hundred thousand francs in taxes to your government every month. The entire Montmartre entertainment district contributes over a million in tax revenue each month.

    Moreover, the Montmartre entertainment district sets the tone for the entire European fashion industry. Any luxury brand that doesn''t make an appearance in Montmartre won''t make it big. How much revenue has this brought to our various industries? Napoleon, I''m not bragging, but the current prosperity of France, the smiles on the faces of the people of Paris, and the people of France��it''s all thanks to my hard work.

    Why have I done so well? Because I know that without thorough on-site investigations, I can''te up with effective measures. Without hands-on experience, there''s no correct understanding, and without the right understanding, there''s no proper decision-making. You think I''m out for pleasure? I''m working, working tirelessly! Just now, I mentioned how hard-working Minister Fouch�� is. But among all the ministers in France, who works the hardest? That would be me! Don''t say I''m not working hard, and don''t nder me like this; it truly saddens me..."

    Napoleon widened his eyes, looking at Lucien, then said after a pause, "Lucien, I never expected you to work so hard."

    "Well, among us, you''re all..."

    "How about this, Lucien? I''ll establish a department to handle entertainment affairs, allowing you to take a break," Napoleon suggested. "But they should take over your work gradually, which will require time and... in any case, it''s hard work. Though it may be challenging, I''m willing to endure it for the sake of France and our family."

 Chapter 287: International Students

    Chapter 287: International Students

    In the end, the responsibility for formting this n was handed over to Joseph, primarily overseen by Montesquiou. It wasn''t because Lucien was the busiest among the brothers, needing to work around the clock for twenty-four hours. It was more due to Joseph''sck of trust in Lucien''s scientific expertise.

    After approximately a month of research and deliberation, various scientific papers rted to electricity began to appear in the pages of the French Academy of Sciences'' journal, "Nature."

    With the publication of these papers, two significant developments swiftly unfolded.

    The first was the application and approval of patents. While certain technologies had remained confidential when the relevant knowledge was shrouded in secrecy, now that the scientific knowledge had been disclosed, patent applications were submitted for various technologies, such as the screw propeller.

    Although the British had already been testing screw propellers, and they appeared quite straightforward, there was a substantial difference between screw propellers and screw propellers. Their structural forms and operational speeds were different, resulting in a significant efficiency gap. Furthermore, screw propellers demanded a high level of manufacturing precision. As a result, the British screw propellers, despite being tested, had nopetitive edge inmercial use, at least for the time being. Withoutpetitiveness, they couldn''t secure orders, and without orders, they had no funds to invest in research. This widened the performance gap. At most, their navy could employ them.

    Moreover, considering that France, the Nethends, the Rhine Confederation, and Prussia had all signed agreements recognizing each other''s patent rights in continental Europe, if a patent for the screw propeller was sessfully obtained in France, it meant that every ship using screw propellers built by the British, aiming to enter the harbors of these countries, had to pay a patent fee to the French. The ultimate result would be that the money invested by the British in screw propellers wouldn''t be recovered, and they would have to rely on their national budget.

    The second rapidly advancing matter was that France started introducing a range of products, including electric motors, into the market. New power stations began construction in various regions of Europe.

    These power stations were, of course, part of the military-industrialplex''s business. They not only increased the profits of the military-industrialplex but also disced most other power sources in those regions. Consequently, virtually all industries in these regions would depend on these power nts in the future, and the military-industrialplex controlling these power nts would wield tremendous economic influence over these areas.

    Furthermore, a few months ago, a new open-pit copper mine in the Sudeten region of Prussia began producing arge quantity of copper. This was the best copper mine in all of Europe, with shallow deposits and high-grade ore. Itsrge-scale extraction,bined with the newly constructed copper smelter nearby, increased Europe''s copper production by nearly a quarter. Moreover, there was room for further expansion.The development of this copper mine caused the previously skyrocketing copper prices in Europe to begin declining. This made electric power even morepetitive.

    On the other hand, the development of this copper mine gave Prussia a big sigh of relief. Originally, Prussia was financially suffocated due to war reparations. Now, the operation of this major copper mine rapidly brought in substantial revenue for Prussia. However, it also brought Prussia another problem - its economy was bing increasingly reliant on mining.

    Another effect of France''s actions was the substantial increase in foreign students studying in France. Although the French government didn''t offer many spots for studying the electrical technologies they most desired to learn, the series of public scientific research achievements in electricity further solidified the impression that "France''s scientific level was the best in Europe." Consequently, there was a noticeable increase in studentsing to learn other technical disciplines.

    Joseph weed this situation. Some had previously raised objections, believing that too many students learning these scientific technologies would diminish France''s rtive advantage in scientific knowledgepared to other countries. However, this pessimistic view was quickly refuted by Joseph.

    Joseph pointed out, "For every foreign student whoes to study in France, their tuition fees are enough to provide free education to over twenty children or allow two to three young French individuals to receive higher education through schrships. Thus, in terms of overall benefit, it''s undoubtedly favorable for France. Moreover, many outstanding foreign students who excel in their studies will stay in France. In this way, they be part of France''s strength."

    "The more studentse from underdeveloped areas, the more this holds true. Because much of what they learn in their own countries won''t find much application there. Unless they''re extremely patriotic and willing to endure all sorts of hardships as heroes, the majority of them will stay in France."

    "As for those studyingw, arts, literature, and the like, it''s even more so. When they return to their countries, they''ll discover that their countries are at odds with France in various ways. Moreover, through our education, we can make them ideologically align with us and our European Union ideology," Joseph stated.

    Joseph said this because in a previous lifetime, in another dimension, he had witnessed firsthand how, through simr means, a certain country had effectively turned the entire Third World into a talent pool, recruiting their most exceptional students. This strategy had enabled them to build a significant technological advantage. During those years, nearly half of the best students from the two top schools in a certain Eastern nation ended up working in various universities and research institutes overseen by the same country. Additionally, students from "thergest democracy" flooded Silicon Valley.

    Furthermore, on another front, Joseph continued with these efforts, molding his standards and his moralpass into a global norm and establishing the so-called "universal values." This garnered him arge following of passionate supporters.

    Without the high-quality young talents harvested from these "fishponds," Joseph would find it very challenging to maintain his lead in science and technology, especially after he had veered onto the treacherous path of finance and industrialization.

    Andrei Obolensky was one such student, hailing from Russia. In France, there were quite a few Russian students, and French universities actually weed them. However, this wasn''t because the French and Russians were particrly friendly; it was because Russian students tended to be quite wealthy. The majority of Russian students came from aristocratic backgrounds.

    This also meant that Russian students possessed another characteristic: most of them studied various forms of art. Art was more suitable for aristocratic studentspared to theplexities of science and the intricacies ofw. Typically, art students had plenty of free time, and on weekends, ces like the Moulin Rouge were often filled with Russian-ented French speakers.

    However, Andrei was different from the rest. He had specificallye to study electricity.

    In January, in St. Petersburg, Andrei was perusing thetest issue of "Nature" under the guidance of his teacher, Mr. Shelpukhovsky. At that time, he had been wholeheartedlymitted to going to Ennd to study steam engine technology. However, electricity, this novel fascination, captured his imagination, and he resolved toe to France to study it.

    Andrei hailed from a noble family, descendants of the Romanovs, and some even considered the entire city of St. Petersburg to be distant rtives. However, these connections were of little use when it came to studying electricity in France. This field didn''t have many full-time professors, as most of the instructors were engineers working for the military-industrialplex. Moreover, a significant number of slots for foreign students were already upied by the French. As a result, it was exceptionally challenging for foreigners to qualify for studying this subject, as they had to outperform more than ny percent of theirpetitors in the entrance exams.

    However, Andrei prevailed with his true capabilities, earning a spot as a student in the "Electrical Engineering" program at the University of Paris.

    His instructor was reputedly a student of a great scientific figure, always in a hurry. After each ss, he hurriedly collected his lecture notes and departed, leaving the students with a pile of assignments that often kept them busy until midnight. ording to senior students, this was his way of giving back to society, as it was said that the great figure, too, enjoyed assigning challenging assignments to students.

    Nevertheless, this enriching daily life made Andrei''s academic progress especially pronounced. Of course, it also made him the subject of ridicule among many of his fellow students, particrly those who came from Russia.

    "Andrei, you''ve been in Paris for quite a while now, and tomorrow is Sunday. Won''t you be swamped with assignments again, unable to even step out the door?" Andrei''s friend Anatole teased him.

    "This time, there aren''t any assignments. In fact, the teacher didn''t assign any work this time. It''s because Assistant Professor Denard fell ill. You know, our assignments are usually reviewed by Assistant Professor Denard. But since there''s no one to review them, the teacher didn''t want our assignments to pile up, so he decided not to assign any this time."

    "Ah, he''s quite foolish. He could have just provided you all with a standard answer and called it a day," Anatole said. "By the way, does that mean you''ll have some free time tomorrow? I think you''ve been in Paris for quite a while, and you probably haven''t even been to the Moulin Rouge, have you?"

 Chapter 288: The National Assembly

    Chapter 288: The National Assembly

    To be honest, Andrei had never been to the Moulin Rouge, even though he had heard of it many times. The weight of his studies bore down on him, and even though it was a Sunday, with no homework assigned by his professors, he didn''t dare rx. Midterm exams were looming on the horizon.

    Exams in electrical engineering were a whole different beastpared to the arts. In the arts, there was a curious tradition where, during thest ss before the exam, professors would say, "Ah, my dear students, following the school''s requirements, we have to conduct a dreadful exam. Devil take it... Ah, ording to the school, we have to use a percentage scale for the entire paper, and it should have at least two questions. So, tell me, what two questions shall we include?"

    The students would then start shouting out their preferences for exam topics, and a ssmate would record the suggestions on the ckboard. Afterward, a democratic vote decided the final questions, and the exam would be prepared ordingly.

    After the exam, the papers were collected, rolled into a tube, sealed with another piece of paper that read "Maximum Score: 100," and sent to the administration. Then, the exam was done.

    But "Electrical Engineering" was a whole different story. Several days before the exam, the professors warned their students, "For this exam, we have two major questions, each worth fifty points. If you fail one, you fail the whole exam. Consider changing your major if you can''t handle it; we don''t need fools here!"

    There was no room for democratic voting or open discussion here. The professors in the engineering department were tough. Some of them managed to fail half or more of their students every year. Electrical engineering was a new subject, so its fate was uncertain, but rumors circted about popr majors from the past, where many students were expelled each year. Andrei figured electrical engineering would be no exception. If you weren''t careful during the exam and scored a zero (which was very easy with just two questions - get one wrong, and you got no points; get both right, and they could still take off for the process), you were in serious trouble.

    "Anatole, we''re about to have our exam... You know, it''s quite different from your major," Andrei said.

    "Come on, forget about the exam! Andrei, tell me, in thest exam, what number were you when you entered the ssroom?"

    At some point, Paris University developed two peculiar habits in some of its science and engineering departments. First, students were assigned fixed seat numbers, and regardless of the ssroom, they had to sit in their designated seats. This was supposedly to monitor who attended ss, avoiding potential cheating.The other habit was even more interesting - every time there was an exam, the seating arrangement was changed. Here''s how it worked: students gathered outside the ssroom, and the teaching assistant called out names in order of their exam scores, starting with the highest. The student with the highest score could choose a seat first and update their assigned number. Then, the second-highest scorer went next, and so on. For students with lower scores, this process was almost like a public punishment. Anyone who skipped the seating process was sure to be expelled and lose their tuition.

    "Fifth," Andrei replied.

    "You see, you''re still far from danger!" Anatole retorted. "Take a look, it won''t take long. You can''t bury yourself in the library, ssrooms, andbs all the time. Once in a while, it''s good to see new things. Otherwise, one day, when you return to St. Petersburg, and your sister asks, ''Brother, what is Paris like?'' are you going to tell her, ''Paris? It has many ssrooms, lots of books, too few seats in the library, and variousbs''?"

    "However I describe Paris to my sister, I won''t be telling her about ces like the Moulin Rouge," Andrei replied.

    Despite his words, Andrei was genuinely curious about the Moulin Rouge. As a young man, losing interest in such ces would indicate a severe problem. Therefore, he decided to apany Anatole and explore the Moulin Rouge, even if only for a brief visit. After all, he nned to return the next afternoon and hit the library.

    The best time to visit the Moulin Rouge was in the evening, and since they had decided to go, Andrei and Anatole promptly hopped onto a carriage heading to Montmartre, even though it was getting dark by the time they arrived. Montmartre was now thriving, and therge number of carriages heading there was a testament to that. At this time, the Moulin Rouge was at its liveliest, but the road leading there was also the most congested. The streets were packed with vehicles, and traffic jams were amon sight, leading many to grumble about the narrowness of the road.

    After several field trips and observations by Minister Lucien, a clear pattern emerged regarding the traffic leading to Montmartre. During the afternoons, there was a massive influx of vehicles from all directions, but very few headed away from Montmartre. Conversely, in the mornings and early afternoons, most vehicles were leaving Montmartre for other areas.

    This prompted Minister Lucien to introduce an innovative solution - "Limited One-Way Streets." Most of the roads leading to Montmartre were now "Limited One-Way Streets." This meant that during the afternoon and evening, all vehicles were allowed to move only toward Montmartre. In the morning and early afternoon, they could only go in the opposite direction.

    Despite the restrictions, Andrei and Anatole found themselves arriving at Montmartre nearly in the dark.

    The two friends disembarked at Montmartre station, and from there, they could already see the iconic red windmill of the Moulin Rouge. The evening sun was casting itsst rosy glow on the red windmill, making it even more captivating.

    The streets were growing dark, and municipal workers were busy lighting the gasmps along the roads. Although it was nighttime, the streets wereing alive with people. Each shop had various dazzling lights, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

    Anatole wore a broad smile as he pulled Andrei along and said, "My friend, have you ever seen a night like this? Such scenes, you''ll never find them in St. Petersburg."

    Andrei chuckled, "Yes, St. Petersburg is not this bustling, and at this time, our streets would be freezing."

    "Tonight, we have several friends meeting here," Anatole added.

    As they weaved through the bustling crowd, Andrei noticed the numerous police officers on horseback patrolling the area.

    "Why are there so many police officers here?" Andrei furrowed his brow.

    "Well, who do you think mostlyes here to have fun every night? It''s the wealthy people! And when is it the liveliest? At night, of course. If there aren''t enough police officers here, the ce would be crawling with pickpockets," Anatole exined.

    Upon arriving at the entrance of the Moulin Rouge, a luxurious carriage drove past them and entered the venue''s parking lot.

    To ensure smooth traffic, regr public carriages could only stop at the station, and only the wealthy who were willing to pay a special fee could have their carriages driven directly to the Moulin Rouge''s entrance. There was a designated parking lot for private carriages, which was expensive and required reservations. Ordinary people couldn''t secure a parking space, and rumors even imed that the number one parking space at the Moulin Rouge belonged to a high-profile figure.

    However, these matters had little to do with Andrei and his fellow students. After all, most Russian students abroad, particrly those in their circles, would eventually return to Russia, as they came from noble backgrounds.

    Anatole was a regr at the Moulin Rouge, and he smoothly led Andrei inside. The performance hadn''t started yet, but the Moulin Rouge''s hall was already packed with people.

    Anatole took Andrei to a private booth where several young men and women were already sitting on arge sofa.

    Since the show had not yet begun, Anatole took the opportunity to introduce Andrei to his friends. They were lively, and each of them was more extroverted than Andrei. Most were young people, and with thebination of wine and the presence of beautifulpanions to set the mood, they quickly became friends.

    After a few sips of wine, the conversation transitioned from praising the greatness of Paris toining about Russia''s backwardness and dullness. It then shifted to discussing how they could change Russia to be as great as France.

    "It''s a tough task," Andrei shook his head. "What you see here is just the surface grandeur. But underneath lies a formidable power��the power of industry. France''s policies are driving industrialization and eliminating all obstacles, but in Russia, those obstacles are numerous."

    "Andrei, you''re right!" Marklov, a tall fellow, agreed. "Well, we''re all Russian children, and we have a responsibility to change everything. We have a group called the ''National Assembly.'' Would you be willing to join?"

 Chapter 289: Non-Government Organizations

    The next day, Andrei woke up from the embrace of a green-eyed girl. It took him a whole ten minutes to recall her name �C Anna or Lina? So Andrei spent another five minutes contemting this question before hesitantly saying, "Anna..."

    "Anna is sleeping in the next room!" the girl replied with a hint of annoyance.

    "Oh... I''m sorry... I..." Andrei stammered, suddenly feeling flustered. He was well aware of this girl''s identity, and there were no foolish misconceptions involved. But after spending the night with someone, calling them by the wrong name the next morning was a tad embarrassing.

    Seeing Andrei''s reaction, the girl couldn''t help but chuckle. As she did, the nket draped over her shoulder slipped, revealing her smooth shoulder bathed in the soft morning light. Andrei, however, didn''t notice.

    "Andrei, I was just teasing you," the girl said, her tone softened. "I am Anna, and the girl in the next room is Lina."

    "Oh," Andrei lightly tapped his head, "I must''ve had a bit too much to drinkst night... Mypanion..."

    "You mean Mr. Petrovich? He probably won''t wake up for a while," Anna replied. "So, are you nning to leave?"

    "Yeah, what time is it now?"

    Anna pointed to the clock on the wall, and Andrei turned to look. He had no recollection of how he had even entered this roomst night, being too preupied with other activities."Ah!" Andrei jumped out of bed as if shocked. "Damn, it''s already nine o''clock! I won''t find a seat in the library now."

    "Andrei, what''s the rush? Do you have an urgent matter?" Anna asked, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, appearing to chide Andrei for hisck of finesse.

    "I mean, the library seats after lunch. I''m sure they''ll all be taken now!" Andrei frantically scrambled to get dressed, picking up his clothes from where they were strewn on the floor.

    Anna offered to help him get dressed. As she assisted him, she remarked, "You must be studying mechanics or something, right?"

    "How did you know?" Andrei inquired.

    "Only those who study such subjects would be concerned about grabbing a seat in the library after a night out," Anna exined. "Those like Mr. Petrovich, who are into the arts, don''t even consider these things."

    "Do you know students who study mechanics?" Andrei asked.

    "I know a few. They''re just like you, waking up and immediately asking for the time," Annaughed.

    Once Andrei was dressed, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have to go. Is Anatole in the next room?"

    "He should be. Unless he switched roomsst night," Anna replied.

    Andrei nodded and proceeded to the adjoining room. He was about to knock on the door when he heard faintughter from inside. He decided against disturbing them.

    After a while, theughter showed no signs of stopping. Andrei stood at the door, feeling a bit awkward. Eventually, he turned around and said to Anna, "Anna, when my friendes out, please tell him I''ve already left."

    "Sure, but I can guarantee he won''te out until it''s time for lunch," Anna assured him.

    Andrei nodded and prepared to leave. As he looked around, he realized he wasn''t sure where to go.

    "Shall I walk you out, Andrei?" Anna offered, taking his hand.

    Andrei left the Moulin Rouge and walked onto the main street. By now, it was nearly 10 o''clock in the morning, but the streets in this area were eerily quiet, as if it were midnight. Apart from a few policemen patrolling on horseback, there was hardly a soul in sight��this ce was known for its around-the-clock activities.

    Andrei made his way to the train station, where only a few empty carriages were parked, and the horses were nowhere to be seen. He spotted a light two-wheeled carriage still hitched to a horse, with the driver standing nearby, smoking his pipe.

    Andrei quickly approached the carriage driver, exining his need to return to the University of Paris. The driver quoted a price that Andrei found exorbitant and refused to negotiate.

    "Before noon, you won''t find a public carriage anywhere," the driver insisted.

    Reluctantly, Andrei epted the driver''s offer, knowing he had no other way to reach the university in time to secure a seat in the library after lunch.

    Meanwhile, within the Moulin Rouge, Lucien had also awakened from the embrace of several soft and smooth arms. He sat up in his oversized bed, surrounded by several beautiful girls, including the lead singer and dancer fromst night''s performance.

    The girls assisted Lucien in getting dressed and freshening up. Someone pulled a cord connected to a brass bell.

    Soon after, someone arrived with breakfast. Lucien sat at the table while the girls sat beside him, taking turns feeding him.

    Once breakfast was over, Lucien''s female secretary, Emma, entered the room with a briefcase in hand. The girls, in a very disciplined manner, withdrew from the room. Once they were gone, Emma retrieved a report from the briefcase and handed it to Lucien.

    The Moulin Rouge, aside from being a lucrative establishment, also served as a vital information hub for the Ministry of Truth. Most of the girls working here were also part of the ministry''s investigative department. In each room of the establishment, whether it was a bed, a couch, or other furniture, hidden brass tubes were used for eavesdropping. Behind these tubes, there were always listening ears.

    Lucien skimmed through the report, which mainly concerned various groups of foreign students. It seemed to be a collection of their thoughts and conversations. These students often discussed their countries, asionally venting their frustrations about their homnd. They shared desires to bring a piece of France back to their countries, promoting aplete ''Frenchification.'' Besides these conversations, the students also exchanged tidbits of reliable and unreliable information, including pce intrigues. Some of this information had value when corroborated with the actions of various governments.

    "Furthermore, instruct our agents to attempt contact with these organizations, albeit under different civilian identities," Lucien continued to brief Emma.

    By "different civilian identities," he referred to awork of "non-government organizations" under the control of the Ministry of Truth. Over the past year, various "non-profit organizations" had sprung up, seemingly dedicated to making the world a better ce. These organizations initially started with academic interests, such as "Doctors Without Borders." Later, they expanded into a myriad of high-profile political and economic organizations, including the "World Anti-Torture Alliance," "Free Trade Promotion Association," "Fitch Credit Rating," "World Anti-Hunger League," and "Human Rights Promotion Association." This list continued to grow, epassing cultural organizations like the "Free Writers Association."

    These organizations imed to be apolitical and unaffiliated with any particr government. They operated under the banner of "non-profit," with their primary fundinging from phnthropic donors. In reality, these "non-profit" organizations werergely backed by some lesser-known subsidiaries of the Ministry of Truth.

    Soon, representatives of the "Promotion of Democracy and Freedom Alliance" found the newly established Russian "Society for National Salvation."

 Chapter 290: Intimidation

    Chapter 290: Intimidation

    In May 1801, after a series of battles, the "Free Trade" finally returned to the shores of France. Along with the ship came Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the representative of Saint-Domingue''s governor, Dussan Lucidur. His mission was to journey to Paris, where he first sought an audience with the Minister of Truth, Lucien, followed by a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Talleyrand, and, when the time was right, an audience with First Consul Napoleon.

    Jean-Jacques Dessalines, originally a ntation ve with little formal education, possessed remarkable intelligence. He had distinguished himself during the ve uprising in Saint-Domingue, gradually bing one of Dussan Lucidur''s most trustedmanders. In the original course of history, when French expeditionary forces used negotiations as a pretext to capture Dussan Lucidur, it was Dessalines who continued to lead the rebel forces, persistently battling against the French expeditionary forces. He eventually expelled the French from Saint-Domingue and established the world''s first independent ck republic. Dessalines became the first president of this ck republic andter dered himself Emperor of Haiti.

    However, the fate of this Haitian Emperor took a turn for the worse. Following Haiti''s independence, he resorted to the most direct and brutal means to resolvend issues �C the massacre of white colonists and the distribution of theirnd to his supporters.

    After Haiti''s independence, trade with the country nearly ceased, and even the British, who had supported Dessalines, effectively withdrew from Haiti''s tradework. The newly-formed Haiti could only grow cash crops and couldn''t sustain itself with food production. They had to resort to smuggling, trading coffee and sugar for food at prices well below the international market rates.

    Famine began to spread across Haiti, and many "free cks" were forced to flee from the world''s only "free ck nation." In order to protect the interests of his supporters, boost agricultural output, and maintain the nation, Dessalines reestablished a ntation system with strict measures to bindborers to their contracted areas, punishing those who attempted to escape or harbored escapees. In essence, he turned the majority of free ck poption back into agricultural serfs, with some of the cks who had followed him recing the former white ve masters.

    Naturally, these reactionary measures triggered widespread opposition, and in a rebellion, Dessalines was assassinated. Haiti subsequently descended into division and civil war.

    Apanying the "Free Trade" to France were not only representatives of the ck poption but also a group of white individuals. However, they were not there as representatives but as prisoners.

    These individuals were the ntation owners of Saint-Domingue, or in other words, the ve masters. Governor Dussan Lucidur had concocted various pretexts, using them of conspiring with exiled nobility to overthrow the republic.

    These usations were purely a fabrication, but in an era where close ties with the nobility were reason enough to be suspicious, evidence was not a problem. Both the Ministry of Truth and the Department of Public Safety had their ways of producing what appeared to be unquestionable evidence.In recent years, the iron grip of authoritarianism had temporarily rxed, and many had started to forget its existence. However, it had not vanished aspletely as people believed. As the era of peace arrived, it had quietly retreated to a shadowy corner, much like a dagger sheathed in a splendid scabbard. People often only saw the intricate patterns on the scabbard''s surface but forgot about the sharp de concealed within.

    During these years, the power of authoritarianism had not weakened but had, in fact, be more refined than in the days of Robespierre. During Robespierre''s time, the Committee of Public Safety was a blunt instrument, potent but requiring substantial force to wield, and incapable of performing delicate tasks. In the present, authoritarianism had evolved into a precise surgical tool, capable of more urate operations with minimal coteral damage.

    For instance, manufacturing "irond evidence" was a task that Robespierre''s Committee of Public Safety could not have performed at this level of technological sophistication.

    However, in most cases, France did not immediately pass judgment on the "suspects" who had been brought in. Instead, they were detained, awaiting a thorough investigation. This allowed them to maintain a reason to confront Dussan Lucidur in the future.

    Dessalines came ashore, but the French government didn''t immediately arrange for him to go to Paris. Instead, officials from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Trade apanied him to inspect France''s agricultural and industrial production.

    Dessalines understood that the French were showcasing their power. To them, Saint-Domingue, no matter how independent, could not achieve self-sufficiency in food production, and thus it needed to align with some force. The French were disying their might to make Dessalines realize that if he had to acknowledge a "father," he should acknowledge the most powerful and benevolent one.

    For instance, they took him to visit the wheat production area along the Seine River. In May, the winter wheat was entering the grain-filling stage, a time when it needed water. Fortunately, this region had advanced irrigation systems in ce, so the wheat production hadn''t been significantly affected.

    Dessalines had worked thend before, but he''d never grown wheat, so he wasn''t entirely familiar with how it should look. Nheless, the French used a machine to effortlessly pump river water to higher elevations, which seemed almost miraculous and left Dessalines deeply impressed.

    While the French countryside was astonishing to Dessalines, what came next, the inspection of French industry, was nothing short of terrifying for him. The French guided him to a cannon factory, where he saw massive red-hot steel ingots being deformed under thunderous forging machines, much like kneading dough. He witnessed cannon nks being drilled, sparks flying, and cannons being produced one after another. The formidable might of France left this ck man from the distant Central American region awestruck.

    Even though Dessalines knew that the French were trying to intimidate him with these disys, he couldn''t help but be overwhelmed by what he saw. He began to calcte just how many cannons one factory like this could produce in a year. If he could bring this technology back to Saint-Domingue...

    The idea of first showing Dessalines around France and then negotiating with him was inspired by Joseph.

    In the previous timeline, you, my dear reader, often employed this tactic to deal with people from less advanced nations. Many times, when representatives of these backward countries visited you, they aimed to learn from your advanced technology and ideas. However, after spending a lot of foreign exchange and going through the learning process, these individuals typically returned with results that sounded like this:

    "Look at you, you''re so advanced..."

    "People like you are so advanced; our country will be trailing behind for a hundred years..."

    Some of them even became proponents of your thoughts and interests, going as far asmenting their own inadequacies:

    "This yellownd can no longer nurture a new culture."

    "This yellow earth can''t teach us what real scientific spirit is."

    And they eventually reached conclusions like "We must embrace the blue civilization," advocatingplete surrender.

    Of course, your approach had its risks. Consider the example of Zhu Long''s southern journey to Wu and Yue, an attempt to use his strength to intimidate those who wouldn''t submit. His actions did have an effect. However, what distinguishes heroes from the ordinary is their response when facing substantial disparities. Heroes are motivated by the belief, "We can attain that too," and "A great man should be like this."

    What makes our family of gardeners most proud is that we neverck heroes. "Among the nobility, there must be a gardener!"

    However, Dessalines was not a hero. So, what the French showed him deeply impressed him, and this formed a solid foundation for their subsequent negotiations.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 290 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 291: Trade and Prosperity

    Chapter 291: Trade and Prosperity

    Dessalines toured various parts of France and eventually made his way to Paris, apanied by those who praised it as the "City of Miracles." His first visit in Paris was with the Minister of Truth, Lucien, at Montmartre Heights.

    Lucien had two possible locations to receive Dessalines, and one was the official Ministry of Truth building, which was originally the Bourbon Pce. (In its original history, this building had fallen into the hands of Murelle, bing his residence and was named the "Elys��e Pce.") The other option was the Pce of Bliss on Montmartre Heights.

    The Pce of Bliss was Lucien''s private residence, built at the location where the "Sacred Heart Basilica" existed in another timeline. It was in close proximity to all the ces of revelry on Montmartre Heights, yet it offered rtive serenity. Perhaps in another timeline, the "Sacred Heart Basilica" was constructed here for the same reason. However, unlike that other timeline, in this one, it was a ce of earthly pleasures. If one were to find any simrity between them, it would be in the building''s materials and colors.

    Just like the "Sacred Heart Basilica" in the other timeline, the "Pce of Bliss" was primarily constructed with a special white stone called "London Castle Stone." When this stone came into contact with rainwater, it would dissolve into white fragmentsmonly known as ss shards, giving it the characteristic of bing whiter over time when exposed to wind and rain.

    After Dessalines''s arrival in France, the Ministry of Truth and the Department of Public Safety had been closely observing him, recording his every move, and sending these records to their respective analysis centers to determine his character and inclinations.

    Both the Ministry of Truth and the Department of Public Safety mentioned a couple of key observations about Dessalines. Firstly, he was quite sensitive and could appear proud on certain matters. In truth, he had a certain level of insecurity about his background because he was highly sensitive to the politeness with which he was received. To put it more bluntly, he had a slight vanity problem.

    Secondly, Dessalines had a strong aspiration for a luxurious "high-end lifestyle." For instance, when dining, he seemed to prefer gourmet foods like "truffles" and "caviar," even though observers could detect from his mannerisms that he didn''t genuinely enjoy the taste of these delicacies. Truffles, for instance, had an odd vor that only a minority appreciated on their first try. However, analysts believed that his love for truffles and caviar stemmed from their representation of status and luxury.

    Taking these observations and other details into ount, Lucien chose to receive Dessalines at his private residence, the "Pce of Bliss."

    Before this meeting, some preparation was needed. For instance, Dessalines had to be subtly informed that Minister Lucien rarely received anyone at the "Pce of Bliss." Only those most highly regarded would have the honor. The Ministry of Truth building was usually crowded and not suitable for receiving esteemed guests; it was reserved for ordinary individuals. Furthermore, the "Pce of Bliss" was the most opulent and prestigious ce in all of France, and not having visited it would be seen as a sign of ignorance by those of true importance.With these preparations in ce, when Lucien extended his invitation and asked Dessalines to visit the "Pce of Bliss," Dessalines was almost unable to contain his excitement. His heart was filled with gratitude toward Lucien and the Bonaparte family.

    Two dayster, Lucien weed Dessalines at the "Pce of Bliss." He inquired about Dessalines''s life in France, and Dessalines expressed profound gratitude for the warm wee he had received from the French people.

    Dessalines told Lucien that his trip to France had broadened his horizons, leaving him deeply impressed by the wealth and power of France. He hoped to receive France''s assistance in transforming Saint-Domingue into a democratic and prosperous oasis, making it the ck France of Central America.

    Therefore, he stated that France was the world''s beacon of democracy and liberty, illuminating the path for people around the globe. France was also the helmsman guiding the progress of humanity. Only under France''s leadership could the world''s people achieve prosperity and liberation. The ck poption of Saint-Domingue was willing to follow the lead of France, under the guidance of the great leader and First Consul, Mr. Napoleon, towards freedom and prosperity.

    Of course, the official statements were quite different. ording to some "historical inventors," the meeting between the two men was far from formal. They spent their time indulging in food, drink, and yful banter. In the end, Dessalines posed a question to Lucien.

    "Respected Minister Bonaparte, I am very curious to know how much sry you receive each year that allows you to own such a magnificent mansion."

    Lucien led him to the rooftop of the "Pce of Bliss" and pointed to the roads leading from Paris to Montmartre Heights.

    "Do you see those two-way fourne roads?" Lucien asked.

    "Am I seeing things, Minister?" Dessalines replied, puzzled. "All I see are some one-way twone roads."

    "That''s because the other twones are currently under our feet," Lucien answered.

    Several yearster, after Dessalines came to power through a coup and became the new president of Haiti, the newly appointed French ambassador visited him to present his credentials. In casual conversation, the ambassador asked him almost the same question. President Dessalines then took the ambassador to the balcony of the presidential pce, overlooking the harbor below, and said:

    "Ambassador, do you see the shipyards and power nts over there?"

    "I don''t see anything," the ambassador replied.

    "Oh, that''s because they are now under our feet," President Dessalines said with a smile.

    Of course, these legends are highly unreliable and were likely fabricated by the British. However, ording to the renowned historian George Le Fevre in his book, "A New History of the Roman Empire," the two men did have a somewhat simr conversation.

    "Minister Lucien, being in France and witnessing such wealth here, I am both envious and curious. I want to know how France became so prosperous," Dessalines asked.

    "Of course, it''s through trade," Lucien replied. "Trade is the source of wealth. For example, even if someone has vastnd that yields wheat every year, enough to fill thousands of carts, will they be rich if they just hoard it in their storehouses without selling it? No, because things that don''t enter the market aren''t wealth. That wheat will only rot in their granaries until someone else can use it to grow cabbages. Will that person be rich? Of course not. They are merely a beggar guarding a treasure trove.

    Trade is the true source of wealth. Take me, for example. Do you think the sry of a French minister could afford me such a pce? Impossible! But I''m involved in a lot of trade, and these trade ventures have made me wealthy. Saint-Domingue is a ce rich in resources, capable of producing many things with tremendous trade value. If you can master trade, you can be as wealthy as I am."

    After a friendly conversation, the two parties reached a general consensus on Saint-Domingue''s status. ording to their agreement, Saint-Domingue would be an autonomous territory of France until it could pay the full amount for purchasing its national territory. Afterward, Saint-Domingue would be an independent nation allied with France. France would assist the new ck republic of Saint-Domingue in establishing its industries and protecting itsnd and trade security. Saint-Domingue would ept French guidance in foreign affairs and domestic policies and implement a French priority policy in trade.

    It is said that after essentially reaching this agreement, Lucien reminded Dessalines, "One principle in trade is that a person cannot possess all the benefits because nobody can trade with themselves. Sharing interests creates a solidmunity and enables more talented individuals to stand by your side."

    Later, after returning to Saint-Domingue, Dessalines voluntarily relinquished his position in the local army and offered his services as the Minister of Foreign Trade for the Autonomous Territory of Saint-Domingue. In this role, he utilized his position to enrich himself and many others, particrly those who had joined him in the initial uprising.

    These ck individuals who gained wealth through trade saw Dessalines as irreceable because he could lead them to prosperity. This strengthened his influence within the military despite officially stepping down. With the support of the military, he eventually led a coup, overthrowing the lifetime ruler of the Haitian Republic, Toussaint Louverture. He ascended to the position of the President of Haiti and became the richest ck man on the "Businessman''s Gazette Wealth List."

    In his memoirs, he acknowledged that his mission to France, especially his conversation with Minister Lucien, taught him many valuable lessons that greatly benefited him in his political career. This contribution led to the newly-formed Haitian Republic bing one of the more prosperous nations in Central America. (Of course, it also became one of the world''s most economically disparate nations, with no close rivals.)

    Now, having reached an agreement with Lucien, Dessalines''s only task was to patiently await the summons from the First Consul.

 Chapter 292: The Key to the World Empire

    Chapter 292: The Key to the World Empire

    After reaching a basic agreement, both sides began to discuss the future education of the people of Saint-Domingue.

    Dessalines said to Lucien, "I''ve noticed that France''s prosperity is closely tied to its advanced industry and agriculture. Advanced science and technology y a vital role in this equation. We hope that France can assist Saint-Domingue in the field of education."

    Lucien responded, "Helping people worldwide achieve prosperity is a responsibility France cannot shirk. France is willing to offer any assistance within our capacity to any nation pursuing freedom, democracy, and prosperity."

    So, an agreement was reached regarding the education and training of ck officials from Saint-Domingue in France. From now on, Saint-Domingue could send a group of officials to France each year for various technical training. This would help them acquire new ideas and skills to better serve the people of Saint-Domingue.

    In reality, this was a way of nurturing France''s advocates of interests in Haiti, or, to put it more inly, creating a pro-French party.

    When the Saint-Domingue issue first arose and the three brothers discussed how to handle the situation, Joseph brought up the concept of "soft colonization" versus "hard colonization."

    "Our productivity is increasing rapidly, and European demand can hardly support our rapid development. We need more colonies. However, there are two modes of colonization: hard colonization and soft colonization. Hard colonization means seeing a piece ofnd and then sending troops to seize it, making the indigenous people there ves or killing them. Then, they put their people there to cultivate thend. This is what the Spanish and British did.

    As for ''soft colonization,'' there is a precedent for it as well. In the past, Europeans organized ''ve-hunting teams'' to capture ck ves in Africa. However, the ck people resisted fiercely, and the Europeans suffered losses. Moreover, there were losses during the transport of ck ves, which made the cost of acquiring ck ves too high, and they couldn''t be sold, or even if they were sold, they wouldn''t make much profit. If this situation continued, the ck ve trade would have copsed long ago.

    But some ingenious Europeans invented a high-end method of ''using ck to control ck.'' They no longer captured ck ves themselves but used various industrial goods to buy off certain ck tribes, making them attack other tribes and then selling the captured ck people to them.As a result, white people supported one tribe, and other white people supported another tribe. ck people fought against each other, turning other ck people into ves. White people reduced their costs, avoided risks, and made a lot of money. Well, this is the precedent for what I call ''soft colonization.''

    However, these operational methods are still too crude and can only be considered at the beginner level of soft colonization. True soft colonization means that this piece ofnd is not marked as a colony of a certain country on the map but is directly marked as that country. It looks like apletely independent country, but its economy is closely connected to ours. They provide us with raw materials, and we sell industrial goods, or we use them as a base to sell industrial goods to more ces.

    The rebellion of the ck people in Saint-Domingue is just the beginning, indicating that hard colonization is beginning to encounter increasingly significant problems. In the Americas, both North and South, the situation is bing less optimistic. In North America, with the example of the United States, the stability of Spain''s colonies is deteriorating. This is one of the reasons why they were so generous in returning Louisiana to us. But once we take over Louisiana, can we keep it?

    France does not have so many surplus poptions to transfer to Louisiana, so the poption that moves there will primarilye from various European countries. The French will not have a significant advantage, but that is not the most significant issue. The most significant problem is the inherent tendency of traditional hard colonies to separate from the mothend because their interests do not align with the mothend. This is true even if they share the same bloodline and culture."

    "So, can soft colonization solve this problem?" Napoleon asked.

    "Not necessarily, but it will improve the situation. The hostility of the colony''s poption will no longer be directly pointed at us; instead, it will be aimed at figures like Dussan Lavidor or Dessalines. This creates an extrayer of buffer. If we can establish a genuine ''democracy'' there that allows them to change governors peacefully, avoiding violent revolutions, our control may be more covert and longsting. Moreover, by making their economy entirely dependent on us, we can give them a slightly better life, reducing centrifugal forces. Also, we can stir up conflicts between them and neighboring regions, forcing them to rely on our protection."

    "Like what''s happening between Canada and the United States today?"

    "If we can solve themunication technology, we could simply make Louisiana part of maind France and call it the Province of Louisiana, just like any other province in France. But now, Joseph, when will your contraption be ready? I''ve already poured so much money into it! If this money were turned into cannons, I couldnd in Britain," Napoleon eximed.

    "Rubbish! How much have you spent on this, really?" Joseph retorted. "Land in Britain? Where are you going tond? Dover? Have you even seen the terrain at Dover? The British fortifications there are so strong that you couldn''t beat them even if you dragged your entire navy up there! The whole English Channel, on our side at least, is cliffs and steep cliffs. Tond, you''d have to go around to Scond, and with such a long supply line, what are you waiting for? Will that amount of money be enough?"

    "That''s because of you! It''s your invention in Verdun that has turned Dover Fort into what it is now. You''re ripping me off!" Napoleon retorted, unfazed, as he swung a massive pot down on Joseph''s head.

    "It''s almost ready, I promise you, Napoleon. The crucial preliminary technology is on the brink of realization. It''s really close, and I assure you, Napoleon, give me another month, and I won''t need your funds anymore; I can get it done," Joseph responded in a somewhat unusual manner, without the usual argument.

    "No, something''s not right," Napoleon said. "You must be hiding something from me. You''ve undoubtedly been taking my money and using it for something else, haven''t you, Joseph?"

    "Not at all; it''s all been spent on research into preliminary technology," Joseph exined. "Moreover, the research itself can be profitable."

    "You''re using the country''s money for personal affairs."

    "What country''s money? What personal affairs? The country is ours, isn''t it? To borrow a line from the Sun King, ''We are the state!'' What country''s money?" Joseph scoffed.

    "All right, I like that saying," Napoleon admitted. "So, tell me, what is this preliminary research of yours and what have you gained that can make money?"

    "Well, this involves some highly advanced science. Currently, these things haven''t been made public, and very few people know about them. Of course, you can take a look, but whether you''ll understand it, I can''t guarantee... In any case, based on certain experimental phenomena, along with mathematical calctions, we''ve drawn a conclusion that there is a form of wave that can travel through space at the speed of light. We call it an electromaic wave. We believe this can be used for information transmission, just like sound waves..."

    "You told me about thisst time; I understand that part. I figured that out," Napoleon said, slightly irritated by Joseph''s condescension. "Have you forgotten? It seems your brain is deteriorating."

    "Okay, I must have remembered incorrectly," Joseph admitted, unfazed. "Everyone makes mistakes."

    "Fine, cut to the chase. What exactly is this preliminary research and what can be gained from it?" Napoleon demanded.

    "We''ve developed amp that uses electricity for illumination," Joseph exined. "We discovered before that an electric current causes heating. When a conductor bes very hot due to the current, it emits bright light. This led us to one of our research goals: developing an electricmp. While researching electricmps, we stumbled upon a new phenomenon: when one electrified conductor is at a high temperature, it can induce an electric current in another conductor that is not in direct contact with it. Based on this phenomenon, we created a device called the oscitory circuit, which is a key technology for wirelessmunication. However, the lifespan of this device is quite short, and it quickly bes damaged. Webined it with our research on electricmps and,tely, have finally seen the dawn of sess. As for the byproduct, it''s the electricmp for illumination. It won''t be long before you can build another grand spectacle in Paris, Napoleon."

 Chapter 293:The City That Never Sleeps

    Chapter 293:The City That Never Sleeps

    Joseph''s words were, in fact, somewhat exaggerated, but he couldn''t just tell Napoleon that he had time-traveled and had a head start in developing light bulbs and vacuum tubes, could he?

    Whether it was the light bulb or the vacuum tube, their technological roots were almost the same, and they shared simr technical challenges. Oveing one meant you were on the path to mastering the other.

    First and foremost, there was the challenge of creating a vacuum. The fment in incandescent light bulbs had to be heated to two or three thousand degrees Celsius to emit brilliant light. However, at such temperatures, any conducting material would undergo violent oxidation reactions with the oxygen in the air, leading tobustion. So, the first technological hurdle in creating usable incandescent bulbs was achieving a vacuum.

    Another challenge was fment manufacturing. In the original history, Edison had reportedly experimented with over a thousand materials before settling on carbonized bamboo fments.

    Joseph knew, of course, that future fments were made of tungsten. However, during this time period, tungsten had just been discovered, had extremely low production levels, and had an extremely high melting point. It was nearly impossible to smelt it; it had to be obtained through chemical purification and powder sintering before forging and drawing. Yet, due to tungsten''s inherent hardness and rtive brittleness, drawing it was no simple task, and the conventional high-carbon steel drawing dies were useless for it. Only diamond drawing dies could handle it, and they weren''t manufacturing synthetic diamonds during this era.

    Thus, producing tungsten fments, while not impossible, had uneptable production levels and costs. Moreover, given the technological gap in vacuum technology with the future, even if they used tungsten fments, the lifespan of incandescent bulbs would still be limited. Inparison, manufacturing carbonized bamboo fments was much cheaper and simpler. So, after a brief experiment, Joseph decided to follow Edison''s path and use carbonized bamboo fments.

    Of course, the attempt to draw tungsten wire was not in vain. In the process, Joseph''sboratory sessfully produced tungsten carbide. Although the process for obtaining this substance was not yet perfected, it had significant potential for future use in metalworking.

    Now, Joseph''s light bulbs could continuously light up for several hundred hours, which was passable. There were nopetitors globally, so there was no immediate need to improve the product''s performance. In fact, in some sense, it was better to keep it small and inconspicuous.

    As for the electron tube, it was rtively moreplex, and the production process was not yet highly efficient at this stage. However, considering there were nopetitors, the performance, though slightly inferior, was still good. So, having nopetitors was truly a blessing."What''s this marvel you''re talking about?" Napoleon perked up as soon as Joseph mentioned "marvel."

    "Of course, it''s the ''City That Never Sleeps,''" Joseph replied. "Just imagine, we rece all the gasmps in Paris with electric lights, and then adorn the most iconic buildings in Paris with electric lights. At night, the entire city is as bright as day. Isn''t that a marvel?"

    Napoleon shook his head, saying, "I thought it was something extraordinary. Paris already has streetmps; what''s so special about that?"

    "Streetmps? Those gasmps? Their brightness,pared to electric lights, is likeparing fireflies to the full moonpletely iparable. Do you want toe to myb and see the effect?"

    Napoleon raised an alert eyebrow. "Joseph, are you sure that what you can achieve in yourb can be replicated in a factory? I won''t be fooled again!"

    "What do you mean by ''fooled again''? Everything I can achieve in myb will eventually be realized in a factory; it''s just that some things require a final process." Joseph reassured, but he noticed the look in Napoleon''s eyes and added, "But this time, you can rest assured that this can be mass-produced in the factory immediately."

    "Alright," Napoleon agreed. "Shall we go see it now? And why not bring Lucien along?"

    Joseph thought for a moment. To promote the product, Lucien was definitely someone who could help, given his various connections. He nodded and said, "Sure, let''s bring him along. But, at this moment, he''s probably already��"

    "Who cares? Even if he''s busy, we''ll call him, and he won''t dare to refuse, right? He''s not thinking of rebelling, is he?" Napoleon said. In reality, he was quite pleased that he had a legitimate reason to disturb Lucien''s work.

    "Ah, Napoleon, you seem to be quite jealous of him. That''s almost certain," Josephmented, while adding in his mind, "This quote is indeed from Lu Xun."

    Napoleon, however, was unaware of this, and he smiled disdainfully, saying, "Jealous of him? Hah, well, Prussia has just got a cute little Crown Prince..."

    In France, several important departments already had wired telephones, and the technology was rtively simple. Joseph even established a "Paris Telephone Company" and put Louis, who had just graduated from the University of Paris, in charge of it.

    However, due to the high instation and operating costs (this era didn''t have automatic exchanges, so all telephone connections needed to be established manually, which naturally increased costs), only the most important departments and the wealthiest individuals could afford this technology. Of course, Lucien met both criteria, so finding him was quite easy. Even his residence at the Moulin Rouge had a telephone.

    When the call came through, Lucien had just arrived at the Moulin Rouge and was preparing to start working. However, in response to the summons from his older and younger brothers, he immediately put down his work and rushed over.

    Upon reaching Joseph''sboratory, it was alreadypletely dark outside. Lucien got off the carriage and saw his two brothers waiting at the door. He hurried over, saying, "Joseph, Napoleon, my ce is a bit far, and I rushed over as fast as I could."

    "We know that," Joseph replied.

    Lucien heaved a sigh of relief and then asked, "Did you call me over for something important?"

    "We have something incredibly important to show you," Joseph said. "Come inside with us now."

    As he spoke, Joseph pushed open the door to theboratory, and the three of them entered.

    "Joseph, you''re really something. It''s so dark, and you didn''t even light a candle... I can''t see anything... Ah!" Lucien was in the middle ofining when suddenly the room lit up intensely, making it impossible for him to keep his eyes open.

    "What is this...?" Lucien shielded his eyes with his hands and squinted as he asked.

    "This is an electric light. It''s a brand new era that can keep factories running 24 hours a day," Joseph replied.

    "Goodness, my eyes were almost blinded!" Lucien gradually adjusted to the brightness. "This thing is incredibly bright! Compared to this, candles and the like are like fireflies. So, can this be mass-produced? How long does itst? How much does it cost? I think the entire Moulin Rouge, inside and out, including the red windmill''s fan des, should be illuminated with this! If so, it would be absolutely..."

    "Do you have no interest in the scientific principles behind this?" Napoleon interjected.

    "Why would I need to?" Lucien said. "You have Joseph and Napoleon. What do I need to concern myself with? Besides, it''s like how I enjoy eating tuna. Do I need to understand how the chef prepares tuna? By the way, Joseph, you haven''t answered my previous question."

    "It can be mass-produced,sts for about 800 hours, and the price varies from 1 to 5 francs depending on the brightness of each bulb, with a 50% profit margin. This one is 1 franc. Once production scales up, the price can drop to one-third of the current price," Joseph answered.

    "Is the 1-franc one meant for general use, or is it slightly too expensive? What about the 5-franc one? Joseph, do you know how to do business? Why would you sell it for just 5 francs? High-end ones should be sold for at least 50 francs! A penny spent, five lives lighted. One franc spent, five lives lighted. Do you understand? I deal with wealthy people every day, and I understand them best. When they buy these, it''s not just about utility, it''s about showing off. How does a 5-franc product achieve that? Now, how do you use this thing?"

    Joseph looked at Lucien and shook his head, then pointed to a rope hanging on the wall:

    "Pull it once, and the light turns on; pull it again, and it goes out. Want to give it a try?"

    Lucien walked over and reached out to pull the rope, but then he suddenly stopped and asked, "This won''t give an electric shock, will it?"

    With the spread of electricity, incidents of electric shocks causing deaths were not umon.

    "Idiot!" Napoleon eximed. "The rope is insted!"

    "I know, but I''m worried it might get wet..." Lucien hesitated.

    "I just pulled it," Joseph reassured.

    "Alright." Lucienposed himself, reached for the rope, and pulled it. With a click, the room plunged into darkness. He pulled it again, and another click, and the room was filled with light. Another pull...

    "Why isn''t it lighting up?" Lucien asked in the darkness.

    "You''ve probably broken it with all that pulling!" Joseph said.

    "Joseph, you said this thing couldst for 800 hours!"

    "Before you started yanking on it, it had already been in use for several hundred hours," Joseph replied.

 Chapter 294: Renovations

    Chapter 294: Renovations

    Early the next morning, Robson, the manager of the Hanseatic Trading Company in Paris, had just boarded a light carriage on his way to thepany when he heard a newsboy''s cry, "Come and see,e and see, the ''Moulin Rouge'' is undergoing renovations and will be closed for two weeks. Earthquake in Turkey, countless casualties. The First Consul receives the envoy from Santo Domingo..."

    Robson couldn''t care less about the earthquake in Turkey. It probably affected a fair number of Turks, Arabs, or other people, but that had nothing to do with him. He and the Hanseatic Trading Company''s reach didn''t extend that far, and they had no business in Turkey whatsoever. Who cared if they perished?

    As for Santo Domingo, it was somewhat rted to him. The coffee he enjoyed came from Santo Domingo. However, the coffee and sugar trade was mostly controlled by French, Spanish, or Britishpanies. The Hanseatic Trading Company couldn''t get a foothold in this business, so, in reality, it didn''t concern him much. Nevertheless, if the First Consul could receive the envoy from Santo Domingo, it meant that the two sides weren''t breaking ties yet, and that meant Robson could continue to enjoy his coffee. That was a silver lining.

    But the fact that the "Moulin Rouge" would be closed for two weeks was a different story. He had already made ns to host some "friends" from the business there in a few days, and now he might have to make alternative arrangements.

    With these thoughts in mind, Robson called out, "Newsboy, newsboy, give me a newspaper with the news about the ''Moulin Rouge'' closing for renovations."

    The news of the uing two-week closure of the "Moulin Rouge" immediately drew widespread attention. Many people even began to worry. They weren''t concerned about the possibility of the "Moulin Rouge" pulling a scheme like some unscrupulous clubs, using the excuse of renovations to disappear with their members'' money and set up shop in the New World. If such a thing happened to the "Moulin Rouge," they''d be delighted because they were all in the same business. However, they knew how profitable the "Moulin Rouge" was, and it would be foolish to do anything that could jeopardize their ie.

    What they were concerned about was how the "Moulin Rouge" would be renovated and whether they would be able to keep up with it after the renovations. The "Moulin Rouge" was now the trendsetter in all of Paris, if not all of France, and even all of Europe. While the Austrian, British, and Russian royal families openly scoffed at the "Moulin Rouge" style, calling it "decadent and corrupt," rumors had it that whenever the "Moulin Rouge" introduced a new fashion, you''d see a simr style in Austrian and British courts a weekter, an exact replica in the Sultan''s pce in Turkey three weekster, and a nearly identical outfit in St. Petersburg five to six weekster.

    Apart from fashion, the architectural style of the "Moulin Rouge" was also an object of imitation throughout Europe. Despite the upper echelons of European society outwardly disparaging the "Moulin Rouge" style, they couldn''t help but be influenced by it in their new construction projects and renovations of old pces. Even if they tried to imitate it, they couldn''t really measure up to the "Moulin Rouge," but even a little imitation could help them maintain an edge over theirpetition.

    "The renovation of the ''Moulin Rouge'' will cost a fortune. I had just made some money, and I had ns... now it seems I might have to put everything into this project! That darn ''Moulin Rouge,'' why can''t it just make money without these extravagant renovations? It''s like it''s trying to rob me!" Cadreus, who was also trying to expand his business on Montmartre Hill, cursed vehemently upon reading the news.He owned a nightclub called "Royal Gems." Of course, it couldn''tpare to the "Moulin Rouge" in terms of business, but it brought in a decent monthly ie. After covering the daily operating expenses and settling matters with people on both sides of thew, he was left with a good sum of money. Cadreus had been nning to buy a small estate in his native Italy by the autumn of this year, and then he could unt his wealth in front of his acquaintances. However, now it seemed that this pleasant dream would have to be postponed.

    Like Cadreus, the other nightclub owners were nervously watching the "Moulin Rouge''s" actions, using their connections to find out what exactly the "Moulin Rouge" was up to. They were also trying to gather funds quickly so that they could keep up with the "Moulin Rouge''s" pace when the renovations wereplete.

    "We''re just a bunch of unlucky folks who ran into a tiger in the forest, and the ''Moulin Rouge'' is that terrifying tiger. Every time that big tiger moves, we have to run for our lives, and anyone left behind dies. Our way of survival is to make sure we run faster than the others. So, running a nightclub on Montmartre Hill, although very profitable, is also exceptionally tough. You have to keep one eye open even when you''re sleeping, always keeping a close watch on the ''Moulin Rouge.'' That''s been my way of survival for so many years." It''s said that a guy who also owned a nightclub passed on this wisdom to his son when he entrusted him with his business.

    But to find out the secrets of how the "Moulin Rouge" was nning to renovate before its reopening was not an easy task. Not because information was hard toe by, but because there was just too much of it.

    In fact, every time the "Moulin Rouge" made a move, there were rumors flying left and right. Some of the rumors were obviously unreliable, but others sounded quite usible. However, those who tried to act on these rumors often found themselves running in the wrong direction, far from being on the same track as the "Moulin Rouge."

    But ignoring these rumors entirely wasn''t an option either, as some of them were actually true. Being prepared at least allowed you to get a head start.

    This time, there were all sorts of rumors and predictions about the "Moulin Rouge''s" renovation, but no one rushed ahead. Instead, they were busy contacting manufacturers of gold leaf, crystal products, and mirrors. This led to a noticeable increase in the prices of these products in the futures market.

    Some even attempted to infiltrate the "Moulin Rouge" during its renovation, but they ended up failing disgracefully. After all, the "Moulin Rouge" was not just an ordinary gold mine; it was also a secret stronghold of the "Ministry of Truth." If such a ce were easily infiltrated and secrets revealed, the "Ministry of Truth" would have a goodugh alongside the "Public Security Bureau."

    However, there was one thing that couldn''t be kept secret, and that was the observation that a thick power cable had been brought into the "Moulin Rouge. So, it was clear that the renovations of the "Moulin Rouge" were closely rted to electricity.

    This gave rise to a new set of rumors. Some said the "Moulin Rouge" was going to build arge fountain, while others imed it was preparing a massive electric stage that could rise and rotate. There were even rumors about the "Moulin Rouge" using electric machines for the dancers. Although most of these rumors were likely unreliable, one thing was certain: the "Moulin Rouge''s" renovation was strongly connected to electricity.

    Some people also noticed that the "Elysium Pce" had begun closed renovations and had brought in a simrly thick power cable. However, getting information about the "Elysium Pce" was even more difficult than finding out about the "Moulin Rouge."

    With all these spections, time passed gradually, and the high fabric curtains surrounding the "Moulin Rouge" were removed, revealing the renovated "Moulin Rouge" to everyone.

    "It doesn''t seem like there''s much of a change, does it?" Many people asked in confusion.

    Indeed, the exterior of the "Moulin Rouge" appeared mostly unchanged. The most prominent feature was still the enormous red windmill. The only difference was that the red windmill had been adorned with ss decorations along its edges. In the evening sunlight, these decorations refracted a faint red light.

    In the small square in front of the "Moulin Rouge," there was indeed a newly added fountain. At the center of the fountain was a marble sculpture of Prince Paris of Troy and Queen Helen of Sparta in an amorous encounter, surrounded by a ring of smaller fountains.

    Apart from the fact that the water from the small fountains didn''t scatter but rather formed small bubbles, the fountain didn''t seem particrly remarkable.

    In addition to this, on the ground near the main building of the "Moulin Rouge" and by the red windmill, there were stone-like objects. However, they had a thick, transparent ss surface facing the "Moulin Rouge" and the red windmill, and upon closer inspection, one could see that they contained ss bottles-like objects inside. These "stones" were actually made of iron but were painted to look like stone. They had several holes on their surface, though it wasn''t clear what they were for.

    But by this time, there was no need to rush for information because in just one more hour, the "Moulin Rouge" would be reopening.

 Chapter 295: A Miracle

    Chapter 295: A Miracle

    The sun slowly descended, casting a dimmer light around, and the gasmps on the streets began to illuminate. The small square outside the "Moulin Rouge" was filling up with people, as it was almost time for the reopening of the famed establishment.

    At that moment, a slim gentleman, apanied by a beautifuldy in a low-cut evening gown, arrived at the entrance of the Moulin Rouge.

    "Oh, it''s Monsieur Hotin..."

    Whispers circted through the crowd.

    S��mer�� Hotin was the proprietor of the Moulin Rouge, although some imed he was merely a front for certain other interests, and his ownership stake in the establishment wasn''t substantial. Yet, hemanded great respect throughout Paris.

    Hotin stood by the entrance of the Moulin Rouge, waving to the gathering crowd. They fell silent, eager to hear what he had to say.

    "My dear friends, it has been two long weeks since Ist saw all of you. I missed you terribly!" Hotin dered. "Did you miss me?"

    Laughter echoed through the crowd.

    Hotin nced around and then turned, looking smug, at the lovelydy by his side. "Nicole, look, they adore me!"Nicole, the girl by his side, had been one of the star attractions at the Moulin Rouge during this time. She smiled and stepped forward, emting Hotin''s gesture. "My dear friends, it''s been two long weeks since Ist saw all of you. I missed you terribly... Did you miss me?"

    "Nikole! Nikole!"

    "We love you, Nikole!"

    "We missed you so much, Nikole!"

    The crowd erupted in cheers, catcalls, and shouts, almost causing people to stumble over each other.

    After some time, the excitement subsided, and Nicole grinned at Hotin. "Monsieur Hotin, you see, I''m even more popr than you."

    Hotin chuckled. "Yes, in terms of poprity, no one here canpare to you. In fact, any girl at the Moulin Rouge is more popr than me." He turned to address the crowd again. "Well then, I won''t keep you waiting any longer. I hereby announce the reopening of the Moulin Rouge. Wee, everyone!"

    With his announcement, the world before their eyes suddenly transformed. The ss jewels embedded in the Moulin Rouge and the windmill sparkled like stars fallen from the heavens. The stones in the square cast brilliant beams of light toward the building, making the Moulin Rouge shine brightly, not just illuminating the surroundings, but bing a radiant source of light in itself.

    Considering the rtively elevated position of the Moulin Rouge, this radiant spectacle was visible from afar. Even people who had note to visit, even those who couldn''t afford to visit, now saw the brightly shining building from nearly an hour''s distance by carriage.

    "Dear Lord, what is this...? It''s the Moulin Rouge! It''s like a castle suspended in the sky!" Andr��, who had just stepped out of theboratory at the University of Paris, saw the Moulin Rouge from a distance. Amidst the pitch-ck surroundings, the Moulin Rouge stood out brightly, and from Andr��''s vantage point, it truly appeared to be floating in the night sky.

    "It''s absolutely beautiful!" At the University of Paris, at the ce du Dieu de Guerre, and all over Paris, people gazed toward the Moulin Rouge and marveled at this breathtaking sight.

    "Ah, but Joseph and Monsieur Bonaparte always want me to keep a low profile. Otherwise, my ''Paradise Pce'' could be just as much of a sensation." From his own balcony, Lucien gazed at the brilliantly lit Moulin Rouge not far away and couldn''t help but sigh.

    In the vicinity, people were left speechless, overwhelmed by the radiance. They initially fell into silence, then began uttering various strange noises��mostly incoherent exmations.

    After a while, these spectators gradually regained theirposure.

    "It''s a miracle, an absolute miracle!"

    "Oh Lord, let your kingdome!" A bishop, who had arrived in disguise seeking amusement, inadvertently shouted this.

    "Look at the fountains!" someone suddenly eximed.

    Everyone turned their attention to the fountains and saw multicolored beams of light illuminating the water jets. The fountains danced in time with the music, as if they were a group of dancing maidens.

    "This is... simply beautiful..."

    Among those present were many self-proimed or aspiring artists and poets. Yet, at this moment, they felt that words had lost their power. Their attempts to express their awe resulted in only one thing��a simple exmation of admiration.

    This design was undoubtedly Joseph''s creation, and while music fountains like this becamemon in the future, they were truly a marvel in this era.

    What set these fountains apart was their reliance on human intelligence rather than artificial intelligence. Talented musicians yed the music, and every movement of the fountains was guided by humans with intellect far surpassing that of anyputer.

    At this moment, the doors of the Moulin Rouge swung open, and once again, a radiant light emerged. Gazing inside, the hall was brilliantly illuminated, with giant crystal chandeliers and wallmps casting a dreamlike atmosphere.

    "Gentlemen, please join us, and step into this dreamy stage of a new era," Mr. Hotin eximed.

    Finally, people began to regain their senses. Following the two figures, they entered the Moulin Rouge, still discussing the miraculous lights.

    It wasn''t until he stepped through the doors of the Moulin Rouge that Cadreus snapped out of his stupor. He saw Mr. Hotin preparing to leave before the performance even started and quickly caught up to him.

    "Mr. Hotin, Mr. Hotin..."

    Hotin halted and nced at him, then smiled and said, "Mr. Cadreus, I know what you want to ask, but please allow me to keep this secret for one more night. You''ll find out everything you want to know in the morning papers."

    With those words, Hotin reached for a ss of wine, gleaming like a ruby, from a nearby waiter''s tray. He raised it, showing it to Cadreus and the others, and said, "Gentlemen, eat, drink, sing, and enjoy yourselves to the fullest! I must take my leave for now."

    Cadreus couldn''t help but think, "Is it really necessary to keep secrets at a time like this? We''re not even inpetition. They''re the lions, and at best, we''re just vultures."

    He then examined the hall''s decorations meticulously, noting that they had undergone significant changes. He kept a mental record of each change and pondered their costs. "Everything else is fine, and I can manage the expenses, but these lights... I wonder how much they cost."

    Cadreus wasn''t the only one engaging in such calctions. In a short ten minutes, he encountered several colleagues who were continually surveying the surroundings. Suspicion and envy were evident in their gazes as they looked at each other.

    Next, Cadreus spotted another noteworthy figure��Mr. Bonaventure, the banker. He was casually seated on a sofa, watching the performance.

    "Why is he here?" Cadreus wondered. "Mr. Bonaventure isn''t the type to enjoy these things. He must know something, and perhaps he has investments in this. But isn''t he in financial straits right now? What could be more fortunate than running into a banker when you''re strapped for cash?"

    Cadreus hurried over to greet him. "Mr. Bonaventure, it''s quite a surprise to run into you here."

    "Well, I''ve invested some money here. I couldn''t sleep without personally witnessing the results," Bonaventure replied. "Mr. Cadreus, you and Mr. Hotin are colleagues. Do you think the renovations at the Moulin Rouge will improve his business?"

    "It most certainly will. Mr. Bonaventure, while the Moulin Rouge''s capacity won''t increase, people will be more willing to spend their money here."

    "You''re right. I share the same sentiment. Cadreus, what brings you here?"

    "Naturally, it''s for learning purposes. May I take a seat here?"

    "Please do," Bonaventure said.

    Cadreus swiftly took a seat beside Bonaventure.

 Chapter 296: The Age of Electricity

    Chapter 296: The Age of Electricity

    Once seated, Cadreus wasted no time in inquiring about the cost of lighting renovations and expressed his interest in securing a loan from Mr. Borwann.

    "Ah, you mean these electric lights? I do have some knowledge about them," Mr. Borwann responded.

    Cadreus was aware that the banker Borwann had early connections with the military-industrialplex. It was said that back when Joseph was still running the Naval Research Institute on the other side of Toulon, dealing with various smuggling vessels, they already had business dealings, even though Mr. Borwann''s business was somewhat limited at that time. Still, he made a fair amount of money through his transactions with Joseph. Later, when the military-industrialplex was established, Mr. Borwann was one of the earliest businessmen to join, and it was said that he had significant involvement in the procurement of supplies and financial transactions behind the scenes when General Bonaparte - well, we''re talking about the older Iron Wall Bonaparte - was tasked with the defense of Valmy during dire times.

    General Bonaparteter withdrew from the military and devoted himself entirely to bing a scientist. So much so that now, unless you subscribed to specialized journals like "Nature," you would rarelye across his name. However, it was hinted by some high-status individuals that both President Bonaparte and Minister Bonaparte had a deep respect for their older brother.

    Now, these electric lights, without a doubt, must be the product of President Bonaparte''sboratory, probably manufactured by Bonaparte General Electric. Mr. Borwann was said to hold shares in Bonaparte General Electric, so how could he not be aware of this?

    "These electric lights, in terms of pricing, actually have various grades. Well, Mr. Cadreus, you may not be involved in the business of everyday products, but you should know that any productes in many different grades. For example, wine has fine wineries and factory wines; and within fine wineries, there are distinctions between ssified growth wineries, star wineries, and regional viges. ssified growth wineries further divide into grand cru, premier cru, and deuxi��me cru. Mr. Cadreus, which category do you think has the highest profit margin among these wines? And which one has the highest total profit?"

    "The highest profit margin should be the grand cru wineries, right? But when ites to total profit, it should be the factory wines," Cadreus replied.

    "Exactly, Mr. Cadreus. Any product, the luxury grades will be very expensive with astonishing profit margins, while the mass-market grades will be quite affordable. Just like a bottle of Lafite Rothschild wine, it''s worth more than a factory wine like a hansom cab. But in terms of consumption, they''re both consumable. Even someone like me, a nouveau riche, can''t tell the difference between them," Mr. Borwann chuckled.

    "Electric lights are the same. You see, ces like the ''Moulin Rouge,'' they use lights simr to their wine. While they can''t guarantee that every bottle is from a grand cru winery, even the lowest-grade wine they use is from a star winery. Of course, their prices are exorbitant. They can sell star winery wine at grand cru prices. Well, electric lights are no different. They use luxury-grade electric lights, so the prices are naturally staggering.""For example, therge crystal chandelier above us, with a six-meter diameter, uses tens of thousands of crystals alone. The price is�� Oh, Mr. Cadreus, I believe you wouldn''t be interested in this chandelier. The smaller crystal chandelier beside it, with an 80-centimeter diameter, might be more to your liking. It''s roughly two to three thousand francs. Of course, if you''re willing to lower your standards and switch to ss instead of crystal, and change the design, well, it might cost tens of francs, or even just a dozen francs."

    "How big is the difference between this one and therger chandelier?" Cadreus asked hastily.

    "Is the difference between Lafite Rothschild wine and factory wine significant?" Mr. Borwann countered.

    Cadreus was at a loss for words, and Mr. Borwann continued, "Actually, for a typical nightclub, the light fixture itself might not be the most significant expense. The biggest recurring expense might be electricity. Because electricity costs money."

    "In that case, how is the electricity cost calcted?" Cadreus asked quickly.

    "To the best of my knowledge," Mr. Borwann said, "Bonaparte General Electric, to rapidly expand its customer base, set rtively low electricity rates. If it''s just a household with a couple of lights, lit for a few hours a day, it wouldn''t cost much money, something an average working-ss family could afford. Only this way can electricity quickly gain widespread use. But they have designed something called a tiered pricing system. They set electricity rates so that any household''s consumption exceeding a certain limit would increase at a certain multiple, just like the story of cing grains of rice on a chessboard. So, if you truly want to make your nightclub resemble the ''Moulin Rouge,'' I suspect the electricity cost could be a considerable expense."

    "They''re shifting the cost onto us!" Cadreus eximed. "I guess the simplest electric lights should be very affordable, right?"

    Cadreus'' perspective was undeniably valid. The electrification of Paris was a massive undertaking and such projects always incurred significant costs. To quickly introduce electricity to every household, both the cost of electricity and electrical appliances had to be kept low, making it essible to the masses. However, Bonaparte General Electric wasn''t keen on financing this widespread expansion from their own pocket. Instead, they implemented a tiered pricing system to shift the burden onto heavy electricity consumers.

    "The cheapest electric light?" Borwann smiled. "I''ve installed one in my study at home, and it''s indeed very affordable, costing just one franc."

    "Mr. Borwann, you use the cheapest electric light?"

    "Yes, just like I can''t distinguish between Lafite and factory wine. For me, a light just needs to shine. A one-franc light can do that too. Besides, Mr. Cadreus, look up at that six-meter crystal chandelier. Can you discern the difference in refraction between crystal and ss? They all tell me that the light from this kind of chandelier is richer, more vorful. Can you sense the difference between it and a ss light?"

    "Mr. Borwann, I haven''t even seen the simplest ss light yet," Cadreus chuckled. "But I think, maybe, not necessarily, I wouldn''t be able to tell."

    Cadreus believed he could easily differentiate between these two types of lights, just as he could effortlessly distinguish between Lafite and factory wine. However, he couldn''t express such thoughts in front of Mr. Borwann.

    "Of course, for people like us, many things aren''t just about utility but also about aesthetics," Mr. Borwann continued. "For instance, the light fixture in my living room costs a whole ten thousand francs. Hahaha..."

    "Mr. Borwann, do you know the specific electricity rate tiers?"

    "I''ve heard some information, but I can''t guarantee itsplete uracy..."

    After a lengthy conversation, Cadreus and Borwann reached a tentative agreement on the loan. Cadreus was nning to emte the "Moulin Rouge" using rtively inexpensive methods, amon practice in such businesses. Just like how the wines at the "Moulin Rouge" ranged from star wineries to factory wines.

    As for the electricity bill, it was indeed a concern. However, considering that the "Moulin Rouge" was in high demand and had hiked its prices, Cadreus believed that after the renovation, there would be an increase in consumption levels. In fact, there was still room to raise prices at the "Moulin Rouge," where money was never a significant issue for its patrons. Upgrading the consumption could also provide them with a decent profit margin. So, Cadreus felt confident that he could make it work. Just:

    "s, I used to wholeheartedly earn money for myself. In the future, it seems I''ll be working hard to earn money for the bank and the power nt," after finalizing their intentions, Cadreus couldn''t help but mutter these words to himself.

    The lively and bustling night passed. Early the next morning, as soon as the citizens stepped outside, they were greeted by newspaper boys running and shouting on the streets.

    And nearly all of their shouts were rted to electric lights.

    Andrei had just left his house, preparing to head to school when he saw a newspaper boy running by, shouting, "The Electric Age is here, and the ''Moulin Rouge'' spectacle revealed! Get the ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' to uncover the scientific truth for yourself!"

    "Revolutionary lighting technology is born, and darkness is no more! The door to wealth is swinging open! Get the ''Paris Businessman'' to discover the short-term and long-term economic impact of this technology."

    "Beauty shines under the light. Hurry and get ''The Sun Gazette'' for an exnation of the ''Moulin Rouge''s'' new model..."

    The newspaper boy had only shouted a couple of times before a crowd of people surrounded him. Andrei quickly turned to his assistant, Vaska, and said, "Vaska, go quickly and grab a few newspapers!"

    "Sir, which newspapers would you like?" Vaska asked.

    "It doesn''t matter; get all of them!" Andrei replied. "Hurry!"

    Vaska dashed over, and with his massive size and strength, he pushed a few people aside, then returned a whileter, carrying a bunch of newspapers.

    "Sir, look, I bought one of each," Vaska handed the newspapers to Andrei.

    Andrei had originally intended to say, "Get me ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' first." But then he remembered that Vaska couldn''t read French, so he took all the dozen or so newspapers and began to sort through them one by one.

    "Hmm, ''The Sun Gazette''? Let''s not read this for now..." Andrei was about to set ''The Sun Gazette'' aside when he heard a voice saying, "Andrei, you''ve made progress; you''re even reading ''The Sun Gazette'' now. That''s really great!"

 Chapter 297: The Enlighteners of Russia

    Andrei knew right away that the voice he heard belonged to his close friend, Anatole.

    "I''ve got something for you to see," Andrei said without even looking up, "I''m looking for ''The Journal of Scientific Truths.''" He handed Anatole a copy of "The Sun."

    Anatole epted the newspaper and began reading. Meanwhile, Andrei quickly found "The Journal of Scientific Truths" and started reading it attentively.

    "I see now! You''re right. I should have known earlier. We studied resistance and heat justst month. And didn''t we already have incandescentmps with tinum fments? I should have guessed it was an incandescentmp!" Andrei''s excitement was so contagious that the newspaper in his hand began to tremble.

    "Well,st night was a bit wild. There was a special event, and, oh, I might have overspent a bit in the past few days..." Anatole, still holding "The Sun," started contemting his expenses.

    The two of them stood by the roadside, engrossed in the newspapers, oblivious to the approaching public carriage.

    It was Vaska, their coachman, who finally reminded them, "Young masters, the carriage is here!"

    "Ah!" Andrei snapped back to reality. He didn''t want to risk beingte for ss. He grabbed Anatole, who was still counting his remaining money, and rushed toward the carriage.

    During that day''s ss, Andrei learned more about electric lighting and received some exciting news: the library would soon be equipped with electric lights for nighttime use.Apparently, this was a benefit secured by Monsieur Bonaparte, who had requested it from the government specifically for various schools in France. Currently, the benefit was only avable in Paris, but it was expected to be extended to the entire country shortly. The benefit included providing two electricmps for schools with more than a hundred students, along with six hours of free electricity for lighting. Schools that installed their own electricmps could even get a discount on their electricity bills within a certain range.

    Back at their lodging, Andrei met with some new friends from the "Patriotic Society" at a nearby caf��. He shared the news with them.

    "I''ve heard about it too, Andrei. We might not be able toe here for coffee and study after school anymore. We''ll all have to fight for seats in the library,"mented Lev, who was studying chemistry. His workload wasn''t as heavy as Andrei''s, but it certainly surpassed that of the art students. Securing a spot in the library had be a required course for them.

    "True," Andrei sighed, "but our teacher mentioned that he''s applied to have an electricmp installed in ourboratory, so I might not need to go to the library then."

    "What? Ah, could our teacher do the same in ourboratory? I read in the paper that even the basic electricmps are quite affordable. Though they have only half the usage timepared to the high-end ones."window.yaContextCb=window.yaContextCb||[]

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    "Well, it''s visible that we Russians are falling behind in terms of civilization again," Ivan, who studied literature, chimed in, "It''s not that we''re dumber than the French, but let''s be honest �C the French get a better education. And it''s a fact that more educated people are likely toe out of a poption where everyone has the opportunity for learning. In the end, it''s all about numbers. If we want to catch up, we need to improve our educational system and give our people a chance."

    "You''re absolutely right," Lev agreed, "Look at France. They''re even providing every school with electric lights! And I heard this is just the beginning. They''re nning to invest more in education. Once all these French kids who''ve had ess to education grow up, France is going to see remarkable progress. If the lower sses in Russia had the same opportunities as the French or Prussian children for mandatory education, we could make Russia great again, maybe even restore the glory of Eastern Rome. But as of now, we''re treating too many of our people like cattle. It''s only pushing us further behind Europe. You know, my uncle once traveled through Europe. At the time, I asked him how much of a gap there was between Russia and Europe. He thought for a moment and said, ''It''s probably as big as the gap between us and the Turks.'' Back then, I thought he was exaggerating, but now, it seems he was either being very optimistic or, during this time, Europe has sped ahead while we''ve been left behind. The gap between us and them isn''t the same as the gap between us and the Turks anymore. We''re even getting closer to the gap between us and the Tatars. If we keep going like this, we might get expelled from the club of civilized nations. We need change, we need a revolution!"

    "Revolution?" Andrei was taken aback. He wasn''t entirely satisfied with the state of Russia, but he hoped for a more gradual transformation, or perhaps a more forceful one, simr to the reforms of Peter the Great. Revolution...

    "Yes, revolution!" When Ivan mentioned the word "revolution," his face flushed as if he had just consumed fine wine.

    "Many people use various means to nder and criticize the revolution, portraying it as a celebration of anarchy, unnecessary violence, and even a betrayal of God. But I''m here to tell you, it''s all nonsense! If we talk about anarchy, aren''t those who degrade naturally free individuals to the level of cattle the true anarchists? Unnecessary violence? Wasn''t the violence against ves necessary for their masters? As for God, when He created our ancestors, did He instruct them not to live as equals, not to love one another, but to exploit and persecute each other? Who has truly betrayed God?

    Andrei, Lev, consider this: can the knowledge you''re acquiring here in France really be put to use back in Russia? Look at the engineering students; how many of them actually return to Russia? Is it because theyck patriotism? No, it''s because the knowledge they acquire here finds no application in Russia at this time!

    Now, what about France? Is it inherently a ce where anyone with knowledge can find purpose? No, not really, at least not before the revolution! France became what it is today because, during the revolution, they used thunder and mes to purge all the impediments blocking their path. Russia, on the other hand, has suffered far more than France. If just a fraction of the hardships our people endure were ced upon the French, they would have risen in rebellion a hundred times. We Russians have a bad habit of glorifying suffering, of celebrating endurance in the face of hardship. But isn''t enduring hardship just another form of tolerating evil?

    Andrei, Lev, I dare say, if Russia is ever to rise to the pinnacle of the world, it will be through a revolution akin to the one in France, using thunder and mes to sweep away the scum. I believe this is the path Russia must take to greatness."

    "You''re right, Ivan," Andrei chimed in, his excitement matching Ivan''s, "When I first came to France, I only aimed to excel in science and technology and then return home to either start a factory or teach at a university, passing on the knowledge I''ve gained to others and slowly raising our people''s faith in science.

    But you''re right; we don''t have the luxury of time anymore. Our gap with France isn''t narrowing; it''s widening, and it''s elerating. If I pursued my earlier ns, Russia might progress gradually, perhaps reaching France''s level in a generation. But by then, the French will have sprinted even farther ahead. We''re chasing the horse-drawn carriage on a snail''s pace. So, tell me, what can I do for Russia, for the revolution?"

    "Andrei, my friend, my brother," Ivan responded, "The time for revolution isn''t quite ripe yet, so for now, you should keep on studying diligently. When you return to Russia, you can spread knowledge of science and democracy, awaken more people who are willing to embrace revolution.

    Andrei, I''ve studied the French Revolution. It didn''t just happen out of thin air. The French people once endured suffering much like our own. But first, they had Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu��the Enlightenment. After that, more French people awakened, leading to the revolution and eventually the prosperous France we see today.

    As for us, we haven''t evenpleted our Enlightenment yet. Without sowing, how can we reap? Right now, we need to sow the seeds. Of course, Russia''s spring and summer are both brief, so our actions must be faster than the French were in their time."

 Chapter 298: The Transformer Experiment

    Chapter 298: The Transformer Experiment

    The advent of electricity into daily life was nothing short of lightning speed. Just a few days after the grand opening of "The Moulin Rouge," the library at the University of Paris was the first to be illuminated.

    The lighting of the university not only meant that the library could now stay open at night, but it also introduced a new challenge for the police �C catching cable thieves. Due to theck of transformer technology, a significant amount of electricity was lost during transmission. To reduce these losses, there were two main solutions. The first was to build power nts in close proximity to the consumers.

    Paris, with its abundant Seine River, appeared to be a perfect location for navigation, but it posed challenges for hydroelectric power. Therefore, the only solution for Paris was thermal power. However, this approach came with its own set of problems.

    One issue was the source of coal. The coal from the Saar mines had to be transported to Paris, and there were no suitable waterways (cross-basin canals hadn''t been developed yet). The only option was to use heavy horse-drawn carts to transport coal to the banks of the Seine River and then onward to Paris, but France''s heavy draft horses were already in short supply. Additionally,ying a railway from the Saar mines to the Seine River would also take time.

    Considering international trade, it was easier to import coal directly from Ennd, load it onto ships, and transport it along the Seine River to Paris. In terms of transportation costs, it was even more economical than bringing Saar coal. As a result, many power stations along the French coast were using coal from Ennd.

    To ount for the instability in their rtionship with Ennd, Napoleon had established coal depots at various coastal ports to store a portion of coal, thereby enhancing resilience.

    Constructing multiple power stations in Paris to meet the city''s growing electricity demands had a downside �C it would result in severe pollution. If things went awry, Paris might even have topete with London for the title of "fog capital."

    Apart from building power stations nearby, the only other option was to work on the transmission lines. Generally, therger the cross-section of the cables, the lower the resistance. Even though the power demand at the time wasn''t particrly high, the transmission cables were made thick to minimize resistance.

    Thick copper cables,bined with the high cost of copper, attracted many potential thieves. As the saying went, "Where there''s copper in cables, there''s usefulness in theft." Stealing cables became a burgeoning criminal activity, especially for those who refused to work or couldn''t find employment. Despite the frequent reports of thieves being electrocuted while stealing cables, this criminal activity persisted. Back when electricity was introduced for agricultural purposes, cables were closely guarded. Whenever outsiders appeared, people became alert, suspecting them of being cable thieves.In Paris, this issue was particrly pronounced. The electricity supply for the University of Paris originated from power nts that provided electricity to factories in Saint-Antoine, a less affluent area with a history of poor security. Providing power to factories was one thing, but as cables left the power nt''s boundaries, crossed a narrow road, and entered the factories, they were vulnerable to theft. Protecting these cables became a daunting task for the police.

    To address this issue, the responsibility for cable protection was given to the Department of Public Safety. Monthly allocations were made for this purpose, though the amount was not substantial. Upon receiving these funds, Minister Fouch�� promptly issued orders. The funds were distributed to precincts in proportion to the length of cables running through their areas, adjusted for the level of security challenge. Fouch��''s directive was clear, "If there are no cable issues in your precinct this month, consider this money your bonus. If, however, there is any damage to the cables in your area, these funds will be reallocated in proportion to precincts that had no issues."

    The amount was notrge, but for higher-ups, this "notrge" sum was significant. Additionally, the funds allocated to Fouch�� came with the customary budget for "operating expenses." Fouch�� was not one to meddle too much with what his subordinates did with these "operating expenses," as long as they didn''t go overboard and exceeded the standard amount. But Fouch�� himself refrained from using these "operating expenses." Consequently, when these small sums reached specific precincts, the final amount was more than one might expect.

    In light of this, the young officers working in these precincts put in extraordinary effort, patrolling along the cables tirelessly, day and night. Even some small local criminal groups were cautioned, "My intention isn''t just that you should stop such activities, but that if any cable damage urs in this area, causing us to lose money and face penalties, we''ll make you work to recover our losses!" As a result, those criminal groups that needed to stay in the area for the long term became, in a sense, protectors of the cables.

    This concentrated effort ensured the safety of the cable running to the University of Paris. However, it was clear that this was a short-term solution. If electricity was to be widely promoted throughout the city, the police department simply wouldn''t have the manpower to protect all the cables. In the long run, it seemed that crimes against the power system might remain difficult to control.

    Joseph stated during the "City of the Night" nning meeting, "From a long-term perspective, transmission technology has be a bottleneck for us. If we intend to promote electricity throughout the entire city, relying solely on copper cables, the sheer quantity will be overwhelming."

    And so, the challenges of bringing electricity to Paris continued, with Joseph and Napoleon Bonaparte at the helm, steering the course of progress.

    "Fortunately, the military doesn''t need copper as much these days," Napoleon sighed in relief. Otherwise,peting with the wonders for resources would indeed be quite troublesome.

    "By the way, thest time you told me about resistive heating, you mentioned that you were working on a machine to increase the voltage. How''s the progress?" Napoleon inquired.

    "We''ve made some progress, and things have been going rather smoothly," Joseph replied. "However, there are still some experimental steps toplete. The experiments are currently being conducted in the south, where we have abundant hydroelectric resources, although the conditions are less favorable, and not all power stations are operating at full capacity. So, we''ve arranged the experiments there. An experimental transmission line has been set up, and if everything goes well, we should have results in a few days..."

    "Then it''ll take another half year to transition into industrial production, right?" Napoleon asked.

    "Yes, that''s correct. My friend, you shouldn''t always expect to wake up one morning and see the wonderplete. Think about it, the Great Pyramid, the Temple of a Thousand Gods �C which wonder didn''t require time?" Joseph remarked.

    "I actually think ''The Moulin Rouge'' is already quite a wonder," Lucien chimed in, "and it''s a wonder that keeps bringing us endless profit. It adds both smiles and gold coins �C it''s truly perfect..."

    At the same time, in the south, construction of the new experimental transmission line was in progress. Workers erected tall electricity poles at intervals, hanging a string of ceramic bowls-like objects on top. These poles were all set up, and now, under the guidance of engineering technicians, the new wires were being hung on the poles.

    Compared to themonly used thick cables, these wires were much thinner, not even much thicker than a thumb. What made them even more peculiar was that they were entirely bare, without an instingyer.

    Unlike typical cables, these wires couldn''t be mounted directly on the poles but had to be hung beneath the string of "ceramic bowls." On each pole, there was a string of "bowls" on both sides, with a bare wire suspended beneath them.

    This wire extended all the way into a peculiar machine nearby, where it split into two thicker cables with insting coatings. In this era, stic had not yet been invented, so the insting coating of the wires was usually aposite structure. The innermostyer, in direct contact with the metal, was asbestos. Inter times, asbestos was banned in many countries due to its strong carcinogenic properties, but during this period, no one paid much attention to these matters.

    Outside the asbestosyer, there was a thickyer of oiled paper, and the outermostyer was made of asphalt.

    The responsibility for the experimental task in this area was entrusted to Joseph''s student, Andr��-Marie Amp��re. At this moment, he was making final preparations for the experiment.

    He checked the condition of the transformer: the iron core, coils, and the cooling oil they were immersed in were all in good shape. He carefully inspected other equipment and then said to the people around him, "Well, it''s time to start the experiment."

 Chapter 299: Genuine and Imitation

    Chapter 299: Genuine and Imitation

    The experiment conducted under Amp��re''s guidance had been quite sessful. It turned out that by using wires with a much smaller cross-sectional area, he managed to achieve lower lossespared to those as thick as one''s arm. This single advancement had the potential to save a significant amount of precious copper. Moreover, although Amp��re''s experiment didn''t reach the high voltages that future Oriental powers would employ, it hadn''t even delved into the necessity of considering losses caused by reactance. Nheless, the voltage it achieved was just enough for rtively long-distance power transmission, making it possible to power arger city from a substantial power nt. However, building a nationwide power grid? Joseph thought he might not live to see that day.

    If we were to turn back the clock a few years, Amp��re''s experiment would likely have been dismissed as "the final equipment test." But in these past few years, Joseph had already aplished plenty in the field of science. His discoveries in electromaic waves and the corresponding forms alone had guaranteed that he would be loathed by students from secondary school to university in the future. He no longer needed to boost his reputation in this area. Instead, Joseph preferred to enhance his moral reputation and cultivate a multitude of impressive disciples.

    Imagine having disciples all around the world, who would dare to say that Joseph was wrong? His vast horde of disciples and perhaps even the entirety of the European scientificmunity would rise to his defense. Now that was exhrating, wasn''t it? It was like the "masters" of a certain future Oriental nation who, in many cases, were not as groundbreaking as they were made out to be, serving more as knowledge brokers spreading Western ideas. Yet, due to their numerous disciples, they were hailed as extraordinary. Those unfamiliar might assume they belonged to the same league as contemporaries like Russell, Sartre, and Heidegger.

    With these considerations in mind, Joseph was more inclined to leave the credit for discoveries and honors to his disciples. Many times, these discoveries should have rightfully been attributed to the individuals who made them, but now, when they achieved these breakthroughs, they were eternally grateful to Joseph. Some even believed that if they had a different mentor, these discoveries could have easily been credited to the mentor instead. It was only someone like Joseph, with high integrity and little regard for fame and recognition, who could say, "I''ve made enough discoveries already, to the point where the Academy of Sciences is struggling to name some physical quantities. I''ve heard that students in both secondary and higher education curse me when they can''t solve math problems. It''s not a good situation, I believe it''s time for you all to share this burden!" What a remarkable person he was, truly the moral paragon of scientists!

    Therefore, when Amp��re conveyed the sessful results of the experiment through the telegraph, Joseph promptly replied:

    "Hurry up and write your paper, let me see it, and then prepare for entry into the Academy of Sciences." Well, the word count was a bit excessive, but the telegraph system was a military-industrialplex; it was used internally, so no one was billed per letter.

    Upon receiving the telegram, Amp��re was moved to tears. Meanwhile, his mentor was pondering: "Well, this year''s slots are filled again. Ha! I can make that Napoleon guy who''s always after fame and glory wait until next year! Hmph! Want to get into the Academy of Sciences? Let me see how many more students I have..."

    As for Napoleon, he certainly had no idea that his brother was nning to make him wait indefinitely. Nevertheless, he had thought of a way to circumvent Joseph''s defenses. Napoleon decided to establish a social academy of sciences outside the regr Academy and then... "I''ll get myself an Academy President position too!"

    After the sessful experiment, Joseph immediately called Napoleon and Lucien. He informed Napoleon that the "City of Lights" spectacle was ready for full-scale implementation. Of course, they needed to expand the power nt and gradually increase the light bulb''s production capacity. However, advertising could start immediately, and these matters would also involve attracting private investments....

    Cadreus entered a newly opened shop under the banner of Bonaparte General Electric in an inconspicuous corner to the east of Montmartre Heights. This three-story building had the first two floors as a shop and exhibition area, while the top floor was reserved for major clients.

    With Cadreus''s status and purpose, he could directly go to the third floor. However, he preferred to take his time ascending from the first floor, reviewing the various samples, and organizing his thoughts.

    The first floor mainly disyed electric lights formon folks and general applications. The cheapest 25-watt carbon fment ss bulb was priced at just one franc. ording to General Electric''s salespeople, under normal usage conditions, it could work continuously for more than five hundred hours. Given its price, this performance was already quite satisfying.

    However, as a seasoned businessman, Cadreus could hear the undertones. First was the phrase "normal usage," which implied that any failure before reaching five hundred hours might be due to not using it normally. Theter statement that it could work "continuously for more than five hundred hours" was quite an interesting way of phrasing it because, really, who would keep their light continuously on for more than five hundred hours? So, if you turned the light off at any point and it didn''tst five hundred hours, that wasn''t a product quality issue.

    A 25-watt incandescent bulb, by future standards, was quite dim. However, in this era, whenpared to candles, whale oilmps, and the like, it was incredibly bright. Of course, the brighter, the better, as long as you could afford the electricity.

    The luminous efficiency of incandescent bulbs,pared to the energy-saving bulbs and LEDs of the future, was abysmally low. Therefore, for the same power, they appeared much dimmer, but if you wanted them brighter, you just had to increase the power. So, next to the 25-watt bulbs, there were also 50-watt and 100-watt ones, which were stillmonly used. Their prices remained reasonable. For instance, even the 100-watt bulbs were only 10 francs.

    However, on the second floor, Cadreus came across the kind ofmp that had illuminated the entire Moulin Rouge when it opened �C the ones disguised as stones. This was a 1000-wattmp, and its price jumped straight to a thousand francs. It was said that if you wanted to add a spotlight cover like the one at the Moulin Rouge, along with a casing and a small fan for cooling, the wholemp would cost two thousand francs. And the bulb''s lifespan was still listed as "under normal usage, it can work continuously for more than five hundred hours."

    Cadreus calcted that if he were to ce two of thesemps outside his own nightclub, not to mention the other costs, just the expense of changing bulbs every month would amount to two thousand francs. So, he considered and promptly marked a cross over this idea in his mind.

    Apart from high-power bulbs, there was another type of bulb that was particrly expensive: crystal bulbs. ording to the sales pitch, these bulbs, unlike the ss-blown bulbs on the second floor, were carved from a single crystal to form a polyhedron. Additionally, they used tinum fments, a high-end and upscale choice. So, both the light output and the lifespan were significantly enhanced. For example, a 25-watt bulb, under normal usage, could work continuously for more than a thousand hours.

    As for the price, it was like the difference between a fine Lafite wine and factory-made wine. These bulbs cost two hundred francs each. Cadreus promptly marked this one with a cross in his mind as well.

    The salesman seemed to have noticed Cadreus''s dissatisfaction with the prices. He then said, "Sir, we actually have a simr-looking bulb that''s considerably cheaper."

    "Oh, can you show me that one?" Cadreus inquired.

    The salesman reached into the counter and retrieved a bulb that resembled the polyhedral crystal bulb.

    "Sir, take a look at this one. I won''t hide the fact that the casing is made of ss, and its transparency is slightly different from high-quality crystal, but not by much. It''s not a standalone bulb; it''s a casing that you can put over another bulb. Then, hang it a bit higher, and who will be able to tell?"

    "Is this casingrge enough to fit another bulb inside?" Cadreus asked.

    "Sir, we have a specific type of smaller bulb that can fit inside." The salesman pulled out a few very small bulbs from the counter. "These are also 25-watt carbon fment bulbs. Under normal usage, they can work continuously for more than five hundred hours. However, you know that making things smaller isn''t easy, so the price is a bit higher at 3 francs each. If you use them inside the ss casing, heat dissipation might be a bit more challenging, and the lifespan may decrease. However, they should still be fine for two to three hundred hours."

    The salesman noticed that Cadreus was somewhat interested, so he continued to pitch the "crystalmp," which was essentially a "big crystal chandelier" made from these. Cadreus did the math in his head, and it seemed that the price quoted by Bonaparte General Electric was somewhat higher than what he could assemble on his own. However, when it came to connecting the wiring and such, that was a technical job. Besides Bonaparte General Electric, he couldn''t find anyone else who could do it. So, he didn''t have many other options.

    After examining various light bulbs, Cadreus proceeded to the third floor.

 Chapter 300: The Industrial Revolution and the Habsburgs

    Chapter 300: The Industrial Revolution and the Habsburgs

    While some progress had been made in long-distance power transmission, interregional power transmission was still impossible at this time. The proliferation of power nts had remained rtively unchanged, with the only noticeable difference being a reduction in cable theft.

    Part of the reason for this reduction in theft was the decreased avability of copper in wires of equal length. Another reason was the sheer danger involved in stealing high-voltage cables. In Paris, a significant shift had urred. It was no longer primarily outsiders who engaged in such activities. Foreigners from the provinces, the Hignds, Prussia, Pnd, and Italy, seemed to be the main culprits. They would brazenly attempt to steal power cables when they found them unguarded, leading to some rather fiery consequences.

    While the death of foreign thieves was hardly a significant concern, especially considering that the 19th century had just begun, it was not just the French who were indifferent to these deaths. Even the constes of these thieves'' home countries didn''t pay much attention. To them, the deaths of a few lowly individuals were inconsequential, and some might even argue that such deaths helped reduce social instability.

    However, the actions of these thieves, as "insignificant" as their deaths may be, caused major power outages in various regions. While these power outages generally didn''t affect the most essential areas, they did result in significant economic losses for factories or the many bars and nightclubs in Montmartre. So, the Scientific Truth Journal had to run a special series on power safety, educating the public about the dangers of high-voltage electricity. Just because a bird could sit on a wire without harm didn''t mean it was safe for a person to touch!

    But these issues were rtively minor. What truly bothered Napoleon was the recent decline in arms sales.

    Austria had been a reliable customer for French arms. Every time the French introduced new weaponry, the Austrians would eagerly buy it. This was especially true after Prussia discovered copper mines and profited from them. The Austrians, too, surveyed the situation and found that the copper veins extended into their territory. So, the Austrians immediately took action, extensively developing their copper mines. Unlike the Prussians, the Austrians were not as thrifty when it came to hiring workers. They made a deal with Polish nobility, paying them some money and then promptly having the Polish serfs mine for copper.

    Prussia, on the other hand, was not as bold. At this point, half of Prussia''s poption consisted of Poles. Due to cost advantages, the Austrians ended up stealing some of Prussia''s business. Logically, with more money in their pockets, the Austrians should have been able to buy more French weapons.

    However, the Austrians had a different perspective. They figured that they couldn''t defeat the French in battle anyway, and considering their flourishing trade with the French, there was no reason for the French to wage war against them. There wasn''t anyone else worth fighting at the moment. Moreover, the French upgraded their weaponry so quickly that buying new arms would make their existing stock obsolete in no time. The Austrians weren''t like the British and Spanish, who could sell their old weapons to their colonies.

    The result was that the Austrian orders for arms quickly dwindled.In an effort to stimte Austrian spending, Napoleon had considered conducting joint military exercises with Prussia or discreetly selling some small arms to the Poles. His aim was to stir up trouble and make the Austrians realize the need to spend their money.

    However, both of these suggestions were met with opposition from Joseph and Lucien. Joseph strongly objected to arming the Poles, saying, "If the Poles cause trouble, the operation of the copper mines will inevitably be affected. If Austrian copper production decreases, the price of copper in Europe will surely rise. The money we make from selling weapons may not be enough to fill that gap."

    Lucien, on the other hand, opposed the idea of conducting joint military exercises with Prussia. He believed it didn''t contribute to the image of France as a nation that promoted peace and was a friend to all of Europe.

    "You can threaten Austria a bit to get them to do business honestly, but, Napoleon, your methods are a bit too crude! There''s no artistry in what you''re suggesting."

    Napoleon became angry and immediately yed his trump card, "You say I can''t do it, so why don''t you do it?"

    Lucien promptly replied, "This isn''t my department, and I''m not an expert in this area. Don''t pass the buck to me."

    Joseph then proposed, "What if we sell some goods to the Russians?"

    "Russians? Can the Russians afford anything? They''re notoriously stingy," Napoleon said.

    The economic situation in Russia was not good, especially in recent years. France''s consecutive bountiful harvests had kept grain prices on the international market low, which dealt a significant blow to the Russians, who relied heavily on grain exports for foreign currency. The Russians were truly in dire straits and didn''t have much money to spare.

    "We can offer them loans," Lucien quickly chimed in. "Look, we provide loans to the Russians, they use those loans to buy our products, and then they use the money we lent them to pay us back, and slowly pay off the interest. Isn''t that a great idea?"

    "Why would the Russians want to borrow from us? They don''t seem to be under any threat," Napoleon retorted.

    "We can spread the word that the Ottomans are interested in purchasing arge quantity of weapons from us," Lucien suggested.

    "That''s not enough, Lucien, not enough," Joseph suddenly interjected. "We need to spread the rumor that the Ottomans and we have struck a deal, where we export a full arsenal factory to the Ottomans."

    "In that case, what if the Russians inquire about buying an arsenal factory?" Napoleon asked.

    "Then we sell it to them, and we can even include technology transfer," Joseph said nonchntly.

    "But is that feasible?" Napoleon inquired.

    "Why not? Even if they have factories, can they produce products that canpete with us in the market without relying on various forms of support? And as you''ve said, the Russians'' funds are quite limited. If they grit their teeth and buy our factories, they will have to find the money elsewhere. How will they do that?"

    "They can either cut costs. After buying our factories and technology, they can save on research expenses. We can persuade them not to ''reinvent the wheel.'' After all, their own research won''t match what they buy from us, and it will be more expensive. So, why not cut research expenses? It''s like someone wants to eat meat. They can either buy it from the market or raise their own livestock. But if they raise livestock themselves, due tock of experience and technology, their self-raised livestock will be expensive and taste bad. Do you think they can continue this way? It''s better for them to go out, or more precisely,e to us, to buy meat."

    "In this way, they won''t have to spend money raising livestock, and as long as they invest in this area, slowly build up their own team, their self-developed meat will eventually be better and cheaper. But by selling factories and technology at the right time, we can disrupt the umtion of scientific and technical talent in Russia. We can continuously export specific technologies to them, making sure their researchers have no ce to apply their skills. We can even take the opportunity to lure these ''useless'' researchers to our side. Napoleon, don''t you think this is an excellent idea?"

    "But what if the Austrians and the Britishe up with simr requests?" Napoleon asked again.

    "Every situation is unique. Well, the Austrians can be managed without much trouble, but the British will need some limitations. However, these limitations should be exercised by amittee, not directly by us. You see, we and the Austrians, the British, and the Russians have significant differences in our political systems, don''t we? We''re a republic, aren''t we? We can establish an organization for controlling technology exports,prising the democratic countries in Europe, such as us, the Northern Italian Federation, and the Rhine Federation. We can call it the ''Export Control Coordination Committee,'' and its headquarters can be in Paris, responsible for reviewing all technology exports to non-republican nations. Technologies and equipment andmodities not approved by thismittee will not be exported," Joseph proposed.

    "Yes, Napoleon, I think we can start by selling a factory to Turkey, then sell one to Russia, and then incite internal trouble in Turkey or Russia. Naturally, they will suppress it. Then we can let some ''opposition'' media and other republican states use us of handing a butcher''s knife to a tyrant for the sake of money. This will allow us to establish themittee with legitimacy," Lucien added. "In the process, we can sow plenty of thorns on the side of the real opposition."

    Napoleon pondered for a moment and then said, "Well, I suppose that could work. Let''s proceed with this n."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 300 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 301: The Art of Rumor-Mongering

    Chapter 301: The Art of Rumor-Mongering

    Once the n was set, the next step was its execution. The first move in the entire n was to spread rumors. Creating rumors, in reality, was quite a skillful task. Who spreads the rumor and how it amplifies��each detail holds significance.

    Generally, high-end, sophisticated newspapers like "The Scientific Truth Gazette" don''t indulge in actively creating rumors. Rumors are usually seeded in smaller newspapers. This time, the rumor originated in a fiercely nationalistic small paper called "The Frontline of France."

    ording to "The Frontline of France," a Turkish envoy arrived in France on behalf of the Grand Sultan to negotiate the purchase of a major cannon factory to produce artillery.

    "The Frontline of France" was notorious for its exaggerations. It was filled with oundish ims of invincibility and nations kneeling at the sight of certain events, treated mostly as a form of entertainment rather than news.

    So when this rumor appeared in "The Frontline of France," it didn''t catch much attention. Neither the general citizens nor the Turkish and Russian ambassadors in France paid heed to this rumor��embassies had other affairs to attend to.

    However, what followed caught some people''s attention. The French Ministry of Public Safety suddenly acted, shutting down "The Frontline of France" and arresting its reporters and editors on grounds of spreading false information. In a country with freedom of speech like France, spreading rumors did carry legal responsibilities, but usually, they weren''t seriously pursued. But now, the Ministry''s actions drew the eye of the media.

    Soon, other media outlets noticed something wasn''t quite simple. Normally, these cases of spreading false information resulted in civil responsibility at most. Even if one lost in court, they wouldn''t end up in jail but rather issue an apology in the paper and pay a fine. Hence, the detention of "The Frontline of France" editors and reporters was unusual, and even a journalist from "Traditional France," visiting the editorials of "The Frontline of France," got caught up and remained detained.

    "Traditional France" imed to preserve the nation''s heritage and essence during times of major change, and many suspected it had royalist affiliations. Nheless, despite its leanings, it was a legal media outlet. Thus, the arrest of a journalist just for a visit was a clear affront to freedom of speech.

    "Traditional France" boldly protested, printing a special edition withrge words on the front page: "Release Them!" followed by a scathing article condemning the abuse of power by the Ministry, viting press freedoms, ending with: "Though we are small, we too have a backbone!"Subsequently, several newspapers expressed support for "Traditional France." The newspapers became abuzz.

    The public, now intrigued, eagerly gathered in cafes, ordering coffee and pastries, settling downfortably, ready for the drama to unfold.

    However, the developments exceeded everyone''s expectations. Suddenly, almost all newspapers fell silent, with "Traditional France" even publishing an article stating that the media shouldn''t interfere with judicial independence.

    In the cafes, new rumors emerged. They spoke of the Ministry urgently summoning leaders of major media outlets and briefing them on something, leading to their silence. But what was discussed remained a state secret��unmentionable.

    This incident drew the attention of diplomatic circles. Upon investigation, they discovered the issue of "The Frontline of France" was nowhere to be found. It seemed someone retrieved and destroyed all copies. Then, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" published an article: "Spreading rumors is not within the bounds of free speech."

    This article strongly condemned the practice of reckless rumor-mongering and maniption of public opinion. It stated that whether the rumor from "The Frontline of France" or the recent rumors about so-called ''state secrets'' circting in cafes, all were baseless and irresponsible uses of free speech, detrimental in the long run.

    The reports from "The Frontline of France" were erased, but grasping their gist wasn''t difficult. This startled the Russians and convinced the Turks that it was indeed a rumor.

    However, the sudden debunking by "The Scientific Truth Gazette" worried both the Russians and the Turks. They knew the Gazette never lied but was also the master of deceit.

    Initially relieved, the Russians, relying on the Gazette''s denial, grew tense again. The Gazette never lies, but it also deceives expertly. What if the rumor wasn''t entirely false? If it mentioned a cannon factory but meant a gun factory, wouldn''t it be a rumor? Or if it cited one factory but meant two, or a factory producing both guns and cannons? The Gazette was cunning, so caution was paramount��not to be deceived.

    Meanwhile, the Turks, acknowledging the Gazette''s denial, also grew anxious. Aware of the Gazette''s truthfulness and deceitful ways, they pondered what it aimed to conceal.

    They knew no cooperation on factories existed between France and Turkey��no cannon or gun factories, or any other for that matter. But what if the only lie was the word "Turkey" in the message?

    Though France and Turkey had a long-standing friendship, recently, France had grown closer to Russia. France weed many Russian students and exported weapons to Russia. France... well, in the past, when the French admired the moon with me, they called me ''Sweetie.'' Now, with new people winning over the old, would they nowbel me a heathen?

    In the end, both the Russians and the Turks couldn''t contain their curiosity. They discreetly inquired with the French government if there was any truth to the factory sale.

    The French government responded, emphasizing their friendship with any nation willing to maintain mutually beneficial trade rtions. They had no trade embargo with Turkey or Russia and wouldn''t intervene if legal trade transactions urred.

    This was a clear message: If you have money and find a seller, you can buy whatever you desire.

    So the Russians ventured forth, "Um, could we purchase the Lorraine Steelworks'' rted technologies?"

    The reply was straightforward: "You can discuss this with the Lorraine Steel Company."

    Of course, engaging in such discussions now was akin to entering the lion''s den.

    The Russians inquired further, "What if we wish to acquire technology rted to firearms? Can we approach ''Bonaparte Armaments'' directly?"

    This query received a positive response. Moreover, ''Bonaparte Armaments'' seemed keen on this deal. Negotiations swiftlymenced, and Russian negotiators were promptly lodged in the hotel attached to ''Bonaparte Armaments.'' Soon, they discovered a group of Turks residing next door...

    This arrangement was deliberate, not coincidental. Such strategies weremon inter times. During the Iran-Iraq war, both countries sought 152mm shell bricks. Iran and Iraq couldn''t produce them and scoured the world for sources. Only the Big Hair camp and the Red Hare country manufactured these shells. Big Hair''s quality was top-notch but pricey. As none could afford Big Hair''s, they all flocked to the Red Hare country.

    Then shameless little White Rabbit arranged their representatives in adjacent rooms, and both countries, fearing a shortage, purchased more shells, allowing the little White Rabbit to profit merrily.

    This time, France''s arrangements had a simr effect. Soon, both the Russians and the Turks reached agreements with ''Bonaparte Armaments'' for purchasing the armament factory and rted technologies.

 Chapter 302: Unexpected Encounters

    Chapter 302: Unexpected Encounters

    It began with the deployment of technical personnel, dispatched to both countries for fundamental assessments and selecting factories. Naturally, this wasn''t a swift affair��whether in the East or the West, administrative efficiency wasn''t exactly their strong suit. The bureaucratic pace, especially in the Western sphere, moved slower than a sloth in a hurry.

    But these two contracts signaled something bigger��a European-wide arms upgrade. When news broke about the "Bonaparte Armaments" transferring technology to Russia and Turkey, assisting in establishing brand-new armament factories, the entire continent stirred.

    Joseph and Napoleon initially assumed Austria would be the first to make moves. Considering the immense tensions among Gaul, East Gaul, and the Green Vines in the Balkans, Austria couldn''t possibly stand by while these two disrupted the bnce of power.

    Surprisingly, the first visitor knocking on their door wasn''t Austrian��it was the Americans.

    Initially, the Americans weren''t there to discuss factory matters; they were concerned about their "special interests" in "New Orleans."

    The American envoy was Robert Livingston, their Secretary of State, also their first in history. His selection alone underscored the importance the Americans ced on this mission.

    New Orleans sat at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the world''s thirdrgest basin. Much of America''s territory bordered this river or its tributaries.

    The fertilends along the Mississippi made it a prime agricultural region. At that time, America''s industry hadn''t fully blossomed; it was predominantly an agrarian economy. And the Mississippi River basin was critical for their agriculture.

    Unlike the agrarian focus of a certain Eastern giant, American agriculture was profit-driven from the start. The expansive and fertilends allowed America to produce more food than it needed. Exporting this surplus became a cornerstone of their economy.In an era without trains, goods traversed ind through two main avenues: river transport or heavy-loaded carts. Thetter was mostly suitable for smaller quantities of high-value items. Shipping grains primarily relied on river transportation.

    The Mississippi River was exceptionally suited for navigation, with its main channel stretching from the mouth to Minneapolis, covering a span of 3400 kilometers. Including tributaries, over 50 navigable streams existed. With depths exceeding 2.7 meters, utilizing this river system meant convenient and cost-effective transport of agricultural produce to the coast, loading onto ships, and profitable sales in Europe.

    However, the Americans didn''t entirely control the Mississippi. Significant stretches of the river, especially the crucial entry point, were in Louisiana. The entry point? New Orleans.

    During the Spanish rule in Louisiana, the Americans, taking advantage of Spain''s decline, signed the Pinckney Treaty, securing navigation rights on the entire Mississippi and ess to New Orleans'' port facilities.

    Frankly, the Pinckney Treaty was hardly fair to Spain; the passage fee the Americans paid was symbolic, almost obtaining these rights for free.

    Now, with the Pinckney Treaty nearing expiration and Louisiana falling into French hands, the situation changed. The French were far more assertive than the Spanish. With control over the Mississippi and New Orleans, the French had something crucial in their hands��a piece America relied on.

    Initially, the Americans hoped to unsettle and support the independence of Saint-Domingue, making it a weak point for the French in the Americas, then address the issueter.

    In historical ounts, Robert Livingston proposed the purchase of New Orleans from France after Napoleon''s expedition to Saint-Domingue suffered a decisive defeat. Facing the loss of Saint-Domingue and looming European tensions, Napoleon had to ept the American proposal, ultimately selling all of Louisiana to the Americans at a low price (actually, without New Orleans, maintaining control over the entry point was impossible).

    However, things were different now. The French had negotiated with Dussan Lucidur, essentially resolving the issue. Besides, during the battles involving the "Freedom Trader," their ship had showcased astonishing prowess, eliminating a third of the American navy in two encounters. So, the suggestion of buying New Orleans wasn''t even on the table. The Americans were there to discuss continued use of the Mississippi for navigation and ess to New Orleans'' port.

    This negotiation wasn''t too tricky. Although France had initiated migration activities to North America and sent Europeans there, it wasn''t time for a fallout yet. North America was a crucial market for European industrial goods, particrly French products. They couldn''t afford to fall out with their major source of ie.

    Conversely, the Americans also wished to maintain rtions with France. It was partly due to British pressure and partly because offending France could hinder American agricultural products'' ess to European markets.

    So, despite historical tensions where American and French navies nearly tore each other apart in the Caribbean, they never dered war. Their merchant ships still peacefully traversed each other''s ports, even while observing naval battles from the sidelines.

    In this timeline, even after the "Freedom Trader" obliterated the "America" super cruiser near New Orleans, inhabitants, be they French, Spanish, or American, witnessed it all. Yet, life went on as usual��American merchant vessels continued to dock at New Orleans.

    Thus, while the Americans aimed to maintain ess to waterways and ports, it wasn''t a difficult feat. However, achieving the unrestricted ess they had during the Spanish rule would likely prove challenging. With the Saint-Domingue n at least temporarily failing and the maritime results unfavorable for America, even after the "Freedom Trader" departed from the Americas, the shadow it cast on the fledgling American navy lingered. So, it boiled down to straightforward negotiations.

    Apart from navigation rights on the Mississippi and ess to New Orleans'' port, Robert Livingston had another task: purchasing steel cannons from France.

    Initially, when the French showcased steel muzzle-loading cannons at the Baja Expo, the Americans did consider them. However, due to the high cost and having their own artillery industry, mass acquisition of these cannons would''ve harmed their domestic manufacturers'' interests. Thus, they bought a few, simr to the British, for testing and trial in their own armament factories, attempting to replicate them.

    However, reverse engineering, usually problematic in terms of craftsmanship and materials, posed major hurdles. While the British mainly encountered the second issue while replicating French steel cannons, the Americans faced both. And as of now, they hadn''t found solutions.

    Fortunately, until then, there weren''t many steel cannons in North America. No one had much of an upper hand, so the pressure on Americans to swiftly rece their bronze cannons with steel wasn''t high. Even though various tests proved steel cannons far superior in terms of uracy and firepower.

    However, this situation changed swiftly. First, the "Freedom Trader" using steel cannons thrashed both the "America" and the "Congress" at a safe distance. One of the conclusions drawn from this battle by the Americans was: without steel cannons, they were essentially powerless in naval battles from then on.

    Following that, the French forces in Louisiana started equipping themselves with steel cannons. And that wasn''t the worst part. Even the Canadians began arming themselves with steel cannons. In fact, not long ago, during a skirmish with the Dakota Indians, the Americans confiscated a 1.5-inch caliber lightweight steel cannon��possibly developed by the British (since the French avoided making such caliber weapons after adopting the metric system). This cannon could be carried by two people and towed by two horses, yet its firing range and power far surpassed American 6-pound and 8-pound cannons.

    So, Robert Livingston

    ''s visit to France also included the purpose of ordering more steel cannons��despite the discontent brewing among the domestic armament factories, the situation left no choice.

    Upon arriving in America, Robert Livingston discovered that the French were willing to sell enterprises capable of manufacturing these cannons. This was... Robert calcted for a moment��while the material issue remained unsolved, at least the craftsmanship problem wasn''t an issue anymore!

    Of course, that wasn''t the most crucial aspect. Importing this technology would keep the domestic armament factories afloat, garnering him more support.

 Chapter 303: Buy Instead of Make

    Chapter 303: Buy Instead of Make

    Selling a factory to the Americans wasn''t a huge deal for the French. Hence, negotiations between the two parties went smoothly. But consider this: ordering steel from France, shipping it to America, manufacturing cannons there with additional facilities, scale, and wage differences for workers��clearly, American-made cannons would cost much more than those made in Europe by the French.

    Moreover, those American factory owners, did their "patriotism" mean they didn''t love money? If so, why didn''t they stick with the "United Kingdom" as their mothend? How did the UK oppress or curtail their freedom? Just because they paid a bit more in taxes, they''d choose "death over loss of liberty" and yet not seek profits? Unthinkable!

    Hence, it''s almost certain that the cannons made by Americans and sold to their army would fetch a much higher price than those shipped to North America by the French. Possibly even more than what the British charged for cannons sold to Native Americans.

    However, this wasn''t something the French needed to consider, nor did Robert Livingston need to worry about it��after all, it wasn''t his money.

    Maybe it was due to the distance between the U.S. and the New World, the limited danger to France, and the historically friendly rtions between the nations that the French didn''t ask for exorbitant prices. Consequently, the deal swiftly concluded: the American government ordered a steel factory capable of producing 200 cannons annually and a hydroelectric nt from France.

    This marked France''s firstplete export of a hydroelectric nt overseas. Considering the relevant science was already public, exporting such factories wasn''t a major issue.

    As for the pricing, Joseph exined it this way:

    "The American factories need raw materials from us and rely on our technical expertise. The same goes for the power station. So, in the future, we can recoup the money through services. Asking for a high price outright might scare them off, which isn''t favorable."

    This was a tacticter exploited by some businesses. Selling machines at a loss but profiting from consumables; making no profit from a machine but gaining from maintenance��it''s a strategy. In fact, there''s a story from another time:"At the start of the 20th century, Ford Motors was rapidly expanding. Orders overflowed their sales offices. Each freshly assembled Ford car had eager buyers waiting. Suddenly, a motor malfunction halted the entire assembly line and production ceased.

    Ford brought in scores of mechanics and experts, but they couldn''t find or fix the issue.

    Frustrated, the management sought help from the renowned physicist and motor expert, Stantonz. After three days of intense scrutiny, Stantonz took adder, worked for hours, and finally, with a chalk, marked a coil, noting ''Here, the coils are wound 16 turns extra.''

    To everyone''s surprise, the problem vanished! Production resumed immediately!

    The Ford manager asked Stantonz his fee. Stantonz replied, ''Not much, just $10,000.''

    $10,000? For simply marking a line! At that time, Ford''s famous pay slogan was ''$5 per month,'' a high wage. Many experienced technicians and engineers rushed in for this $5 monthly wage from all over the country.

    A line, $1; knowing where to put it, $9,999."

    The story itself has ws and doesn''t hold up under scrutiny. Nevertheless, it suggests a money-making model: once you''ve used our product, even for minor maintenance tasks like marking a line, we can extract a hefty fee. It''s not about knowledge being wealth, but about making money through after-sales and technical support.

    What''s worse, once Americans use French production equipment and systems, maintenance has to adhere to French standards. Considering the U.S.''s technological capability at the time, they wouldn''t use Frenchponents for maintenance. Disassembled parts would be more valuable than the entire factory. Also, using non-genuine parts, like a self-made screw cap on a drilling machine, would void warranties for the entire system. In essence, buying these things back to the U.S. would be boarding a pirate ship, ripe for plundering in the future.

    Surprisingly, most Americans at this time were naive, failing to see Joseph''s nefarious intentions. They happily believed they''d made a good deal.

    Finally, when the Austrians, long-awaited by the three brothers, arrived, they surprised them yet again. Unlike the East and Green Isles, who established armament factories to spark an arms race, the Austrians merely sought to understand the production capacities of the Russian and Turkish factories. This was to n ordingly, whether to purchase from France or lease weaponry.

    "Even if Austria could produce these themselves, they couldn''t match France in quantity or quality. So, why bother establishing factories when, unlike weapons, there''s genuine profit in your power stations and rted electrical technologies?" Metternich, the Austrian ambassador in France, mentioned at a ball to Napoleon.

    "Napoleon, you misunderstand us. In other European markets, we couldn''t possiblypete with your factories. But in some ces, like within Austria and certain areas of the Balkans, for various reasons, your business isn''t exceptionally strong. Developing those markets requires time. It''d be better if we cooperated and jointly developed them, wouldn''t it?" he continued.

    Napoleon pondered and didn''t outright refuse Metternich. Business dealings weren''t his forte, so he felt it best to discuss with Joseph before deciding. Thus, he replied, "Ambassador, this matter requires more thought. I can''t give you an immediate answer. But regarding temporary purchases or leases of cannons, as a professional military man, I need to remind you that while cannons can be quickly obtained, trained artillerymen aren''t as readily avable."

    "Ah, that''s a concern," Metternich acknowledged. "We hope your country could assist in training a batch of gunners. Of course, if your country could provide artillerymen for hire, that would be even better..."

 Chapter 304: Preferred Shares

    Chapter 304: Preferred Shares

    Allowing the Austrians to establish their own power nts didn''t bother Joseph much. After all, the scientific principles behind it had been widely revealed, and everyone understood the workings of these stations. It was only a matter of time before the English could set up their own. During this window, expanding France''s power nts across the entire European continent seemed promising. It would tether the continent''s electricity standards to France, a definite advantage.

    However, producing electric bulbs in Austria posed a different challenge. The scientific principles behind light bulbs were rtively simple, understandable by anyone with a bit of knowledge about electricity. Yet, technically, they were formidable. They fit the bill for being hard to replicate: high craftsmanship and specialized materials.

    In bulb manufacturing, one crucial technical requirement was vacuuming the air, directly affecting bulb quality and lifespan. In this aspect, the French had unparalleled technical expertise. Before unveiling light bulbs to the public, "Bonaparte Electric" had already registered numerous patents concerning vacuuming technology. Although these technologies weren''t impossible for others to replicate, having these patents meant Napoleon''s France could prevent the legal sale of any products infringing upon France''s patent rights in most European countries, acting as a formidable barrier for others to enter this domain.

    Certainly, there were various methods to create a vacuum, but themonly used, cheaper, and easier implementations had all been patented by "Bonaparte Electric." Any foreign manufacturer attempting to bypass these patents would face substantial costs.

    The second issue was the specialized materials. Anyone could buy a bulb, shatter it on the ground, and extract the fment to see it was made of carbon. But the question remained: what specific carbonized material was it? People could only surmise it was from some nt. Identifying the suitable nt among many required significant effort.

    Coborating with Austrians in light bulb production, even if they restricted sales to specific regions, risked leaking certain rted technological secrets. Hence, after meticulous consideration, Napoleon instructed Metternich that France had "no particr opinion" regarding economic cooperation with Austria.

    This notion of "no particr opinion" meant they could negotiate, and whatever resulted, France wouldn''t intervene. It somewhat echoed a future nation''s "we don''t know what happens next." Essentially: seed, and I im a share; fail, and it''s not my responsibility.

    Metternich understood immediately. This was negotiable, but France would likely have additional demands. Yet, negotiations implied a potential oue, and with it, a share of credit and reward.

    In recent years, both French diplomats stationed abroad and foreign diplomats in France had be wealthier. While positions like ambassadors and consuls to France still considered factors like loyalty and capability, other roles within embassies and constes were predominantly awarded to the highest bidder. These positions easily facilitated business rtionships with the French, leading to incidental profits.With such lucrative opportunities for subordinates, the heads of embassies and constes weren''t idle. Moreover, fostering economic and trade ties between nations was a key responsibility for ambassadors and consuls.

    Thus, a man named Fran?ois, armed with a letter bearing Metternich''s signature, approached "Bonaparte Electric" to discuss purchasing a factory.

    While "Fran?ois" might have been an alias, the letter signed by Metternich wasn''t forged. More importantly, the certificate issued by Bon Bank certifying a million francs was unquestionably genuine, clearly outlined on that document.

    Subsequently, both sides engaged in candid discussions about coborating for profit. They quickly reached basic agreements on most issues, leaving only one major point unresolved: the fment factory toplement the light bulb factory.

    The French insisted that given Austria''s technological and managerial capabilities, managing a fment factory was imusible. Moreover, an Austrian fment factory could potentially expose criticalmercial technological secrets, a risk too significant. Hence, France proposed manufacturing fments in France, shipping them to Austria for assembly, and then letting Austrians sell them in designated areas.

    However, Fran?ois argued that this would only escte costs unnecessarily. Besides, France''s technological secrets were safeguarded by patents, rendering concerns about technological leakage baseless.

    Representing "Bonaparte Electric," Louis Bonaparte contended that transportation costs for fments were minimal. Moreover, although patent protections were rtively robust across most of continental Europe, they were considerably deficient in some remote regions, notably in Russia, where the enforcement of patentws remained dubious. As for Turkey, the situation was even less certain.

    However, these weren''t the most critical points; the paramount concern was the British.

    "The British were the first in Europe to have patentws, so nobody knows how to exploit thesews better than they do. Apart from that, in their colonies, they can easily sidestep patentws. For instance, in India, most regions are under the control of the East India Company. Even though these areas nominally belong to Indian rulers, the British can ndestinely establish illegal factories under their names, producing illicit goods not only for sale in India but also smuggling them into Europe. And since it''s the Indians doing it, not the British, theoretically, our retaliation could only be against goods from a particr Indian principality. But let''s face it, we don''t have much trade with India; what kind of retaliation could we even pursue? Therefore, worrying about the risks of technological leakage isn''t baseless. Hence, for the time being, fment production can''t happen in Austria."

    In reality, even in France, despite having several bulb factories, they only had one fment factory. Building a dedicated fment factory for a limited bulb production, economically, didn''t make sense.

    Thistter argument had more persuasiveness. After all, Austrians were involved in this affair primarily for profit. Moreover, Louis presented a novel counterproposal.

    "Additionally, Mr. Fran?ois," Louis stated, "given the high demand and profitability of light bulbs, we naturally want to increase production. This means establishing more bulb factories and more fment factories. We wee anyone willing to be our business partner in making profits. Mr. Fritz, if you''re interested in the fment factory, we suggest you invest in our fment and bulb factories. Would that interest you?"

    "Ah, the prospect of merely erecting an electric nt in the Balkans to earn some profit might yield a sum, but oh, the limits it possesses. However, an investment in ''Bonaparte General Electric''? That''s akin to picking up coins off the ground! When Fran?ois heard this suggestion, his eyes lit up as if catching a glimpse of a treasure trove.

    Much like Napoleon and Joseph anticipated, this Fran?ois was, in fact, a representative of the upper echelons of Austria. Apanying him were a group of Austrian nobles.

    Initially, when France had just settled peace with Austria and other nations, Austria harbored desires for ''a decade of gathering strength, a decade of learning lessons, aiming for retaliation.'' Yet, after these two years, they observed France''s burgeoning development. Presently, there were no signs of imminent downfall. The disparity in power between Austria and France was evidently widening. Formerly, Austria could not defeat France, but with determination, could make France bleed. Now, even if they engaged in war again, even Archduke Karl found it challenging to confront France. It seemed that, at most, they could only stter the French with some blood.

    Faced with this perilous scenario, Austria''s upper echelons found themselves divided into two factions. One, led by Archduke Karl, aspired to follow France''s footsteps��industrialize and strengthen the nation. On the other side stood Emperor Friedrich II. The Emperor was cautious about any change. On one hand, he feared that industrial andmercial growth might excessively empower themoners, disrupting the fragile internal bnce of the empire, leading to undesirable consequences. On the other hand, he realized the necessity for change. Continuing in old footsteps would inevitably result in the empire''s copse.

    The Emperor understood the need for change but was wary of hastening it. Moving too slow might spell disaster, yet hastening it might yield simr results. It''s said that fearing a fate akin to his aunt and uncle''s, the Emperor was troubled, losing sleep and weight.

    It''s rumored that it was Metternich who suggested to the Emperor to align their interests with France''s, making social reforms easier with France''s support. Even if France didn''t actively incite revolution within Austria, as long as they didn''t interfere, Austria''s situation would be far more stable.

    Now, the French agreed to assist Austria in constructing power nts and electric factories, aligning with Archduke Karl''s ''strengthen the nation'' doctrine, or at least adhering to the ''enrich the nation'' principle. Additionally, Louis Bonaparte''s proposal to invite Austrians to join ''Bonaparte General Electric'' resonated with Emperor Friedrich''s desire to bind Austria''s upper echelons, particrly the Austrian royal family, with France.

    Although France now existed as a republic, under the leadership of Napoleon, his authority surpassed that of most monarchs of sovereign nations. One could argue it matched or even exceeded the authority of the Sun King, the ''I am the state'' monarch of yesteryears. Simultaneously, the Bonaparte family''s influence in France was staggering, rivalling the Bourbon family''s sway. If only Napoleon were not merely the first consul but a hereditary king, the Emperor might have considered proposing a union with Napoleon''s family. After all, marital alliances were a hallmark of Austrian tradition, were they not?

    For Fran?ois, this approach appeared to gratify the desires of both factions within the nation, a picture of perfection. He hurriedly inquired about the news regarding investing in ''Bonaparte General Electric.''

    ''Ah, Monsieur Fran?ois, perhaps you are unaware that ''Bonaparte General Electric'' is an enterprise with numerous investors. The Bonaparte family''s stake in the entire enterprise is less than fifty percent. Ergo, we do not possessplete controlling rights. This signifies that any extensive expansion must obtain approval from the shareholders'' assembly. Nevertheless, as you know, we cannot allow significant alterations in the distribution of thepany''s shares. Therefore, even if we convene a shareholders'' assembly, considering the present circumstances, the share we can offer will not be substantial.''

    This statement left Fran?ois somewhat disappointed. However, even a small share would be wee. He hastily inquired, ''So, how much stake could we acquire at most?''

    Louis replied, ''Monsieur Fran?ois, you''re aware that ''Bonaparte General Electric'' is sure to generate considerable profits. This ismon knowledge. This renders ourpany''s financing exceptionally easy. We can effortlessly borrow funds from any bank at an interest rate significantly below the market rate. In this situation, I believe the shareholders'' assembly won''t consent to yield a significant portion of ordinary shares. Personally, I estimate it won''t exceed five percent.''

    The estimation of ''not exceeding five percent'' disappointed Fran?ois. He understood that investing in ''Bonaparte General Electric'' would not only hold political significance but would assuredly yield substantial economic gains. However, a share not surpassing five percent felt insufficient.

    ''Why restrict the funds for expanding the business, Mr. Bonaparte? More capital could facilitate quicker business expansion, earning more profits,'' Fran?ois queried, furrowing his brow slightly.

    ''Because changes in shareholding would alter the internal power dynamics of thepany, thereby affecting thepany''s future. Thepany''s present development is remarkably smooth. Hence, the majority of shareholders are naturally averse to significant changes in thepany''s power structure. Hence, shareholders prefer acquiring expansion funds through loans rather than introducing more partners. I believe this is quite natural and easily understandable, wouldn''t you agree?'' Louis exined. ''However, perhaps we could coborate in a different manner.''

    ''What do you mean by a different way?'' Fran?ois hastily asked.

    ''Ah, Monsieur Fran?ois, have you heard of preferred stock?'' Louis inquired.

    Fran?ois shook his head in confusion.

    Preferred stock refers to shares with ''preferred rights.'' Shareholders of preferred stock enjoy priority inpany assets and profit distribution, with lower risks. However, preferred stockholders usuallyck voting rights on affairs not concerning their interests. They alsock voting and being voted rights, usually without involvement in thepany''s operations. Preferred stockholders cannot withdraw shares but can only be redeemed by thepany through the preferred stock''s redemption use.

    This type of ''preferred stock'' was invented by the English in the 16th century. However, due to market irregrities and inadequate business development at the time, the advantages of preferred stock weren''t fully realized. Instead, it caused several management issues, leading to its limited use and near-oblivion. In history, it wasn''t until the 1920s when a Britishpany, facing financial difficulties in developing canals, unable to secure funds from banks due to high interest rates, and failing to attract new investors withmon stock, reintroduced ''preferred stock'' from centuries ago, and achieved remarkable sess. Hence, this ancient ''financial innovation'' began to find widespread use.

    However, when Louis mentioned ''preferred stock'' to Fran?ois, centuries had passed since the initial unsessful attempt at ''preferred stock.'' Unless someone specifically studied this area, it would be improbable to understand the meaning of the term. Therefore, Fran?ois''ck of knowledge about this term was perfectly normal.

    Louis proceeded to exin the concept of ''preferred stock'' in general terms to Fran?ois. Then he remarked, ''I believe your primary objective in investing

    in ourpany is to earn profits. In terms of profit-making, there isn''t much difference between ''preferred stock'' and ordinary shares. In fact, in dividend distribution, there are certain advantages. I assume you''re rather content with ourpany''s current operations and future prospects. You probably don''t intend to alter ourpany''s business model and development strategies. Therefore, this form of ''preferred stock'' should be a suitable solution for both of our needs.''

    School''s keeping me upied today, so this is all for now."

 Chapter 305: Rothschild

    Chapter 305: Rothschild

    This was a decision beyond Fran?ois''s capacity. He had to inform Louis of the situation and reach out to the investors behind him. Louis nodded understandingly, setting a time for their next discussion before Fran?ois took his leave.

    Exiting "Bonaparte Armaments," Fran?ois boarded a carriage waiting outside and headed straight for the Austrian embassy. Inside, he briefed Metternich on his talk with Louis, asking, "Your Excellency, what do you make of the French''s proposal?"

    Metternich pondered before responding, "Fran?ois, overall, the Bonaparte family has shown goodwill. As they''ve mentioned, they aren''tcking in avenues for funds. If they require capital, I believe banks across Europe, including those in Ennd, would be eager to coborate. Offering us a portion of their shares in this scenario is already remarkable. As for the preferred shares, it''s an umon provision. However, these terms aren''t unfavourable. Our goal shouldn''t involve vying for control over ''Bonaparte Armaments,'' correct?"

    "At least not in the short term," Fran?ois shook his head. "The Bonaparte family''s dominion in France has been steadily solidifying. Initially, it was challenging, but they''ve seeded. Napoleon''s rule was established as a war hero turned ruler. This position is precarious. While initially praised for his conquests, his great deeds will fade in time."

    "Their previous support stemmed from the spoils he brought, depleting the nobles'' wealth, plundering us, the Italians, the Prussians. Sharing a fraction of these spoils with the popce made them grateful. However, stolen riches eventually run out. The people, ustomed to easy gains through theft, find it hard to live modestly. If General Bonaparte desires continued support and love, he must ensure their rtivefort. Sustaining this is challenging; initially, we thought it impossible. We believed his only capability was constant military raids. But that''s a temporary fix; it would only make France an enemy to all of Europe, inevitably leading to his downfall."

    "Yet, we underestimated General Napoleon and the Bonaparte family behind him. Not only do they possess a military genius, but they''ve paved a new path for the French �C a path unforeseen by us. Throughmerce and science, they now acquire more wealth than through wars. So, for the foreseeable future, General Napoleon''s rule in France is secure. Unfortunately, hecks royal lineage; otherwise, France could easily be a kingdom."

    "Given their stability for the immediate future, we can''t vie for their core interests. The rise of France is unstoppable, it seems God stands by the Bonapartes. We must temporarily shelve other thoughts and obey the will of God. Ambassador, I understand your concerns. My hesitation lies in the fact that preferred shares can''t be easily transferred. Joining the French venture may tie us in knots, making it hard to disentangle."

    "Fran?ois, if you''ve approached me for this issue, you''ve sought the wrong person. You know, I''m not adept in these matters. But I have a friend, a Jew, well-versed in economics. Perhaps seeking his counsel would be beneficial."

    "Thank you for your assistance," Fran?ois replied. "May I ask the name of your friend?""Meyer Rothschild �� a banker in Frankfurt. He''s quite astute in trade, and he''s groomed his sons well in the same. He has five sons, all adept in business. Presently, his son Nathan Mayer Rothschild operates a sessful bank in Paris. Perhaps seeking his advice could aid you."

    Nathan Mayer Rothschild was a pivotal figure during the inception of the renowned Rothschild family in history. He was the third son of the senior Rothschild and the most capable among his five sons. In the original historical timeline, byte 1798, he''d arrived in London with startup capital, already an esteemed figure in the British capital''s financial market.

    However, in this timeline, for unknown reasons, in 1798, Nathan didn''t venture to London as he did historically but found himself in Paris instead. During the Battle of Valmy, while Joseph''s false injury report nearly deceived everyone, Nathan, relying on various prior information, deduced that even if the report were true, the Allied forces couldn''t breach Valmy''s defenses and were doomed to fail. Consequently, when French government bonds plummeted to a mere twentieth of their value due to rampant rumors, Nathan decisively invested a significant portion of his wealth ahead of the Baring Bank, purchasing substantial amounts of French government bonds. This bold move reaped enormous profits and earned him both Baring''s ire and admiration.

    It''s said that when educating his son, Baring often used Nathan Mayer Rothschild as an exemry figure. This practice greatly motivated young Baring to study diligently. However, it also instilled in him a strong aversion toward the Rothschilds and even Jews.

    Since then, Nathan Mayer Rothschild sought to infiltrate France''s military-industrialplex. However, both Baring''s strong opposition and Joseph''s apparent distrust of the surname "Rothschild" hindered his efforts.

    This was reasonable. After all, even in his previous life, Joseph had read "The Currency Wars." Though he knew it was a novel, he was aware that the Rothschild family wasn''t as formidable as portrayed. He knew that since missing out on the United States, the Rothschilds suffered significant losses during both World Wars, no longer the most powerful financial conglomerate.

    Yet, this didn''t mean Joseph could let his guard down, especially against someone named "Nathan Mayer Rothschild." In the original timeline, this individual almost controlled Britain''s entire mary policy.

    Mary policy was crucial sovereignty. This couldn''t fall into any conglomerate''s hands apart from the Bonaparte consortium; otherwise, the interests of the French popce would be jeopardized, turning them into ves.

    Simr to the beacon nation of the future, where mary sovereigntynded in a private institution''s hands, having several months'' warning during a pandemic, possessing the world''s most abundant medical resources and expertise, and a president touted as all-knowing, yet opting to protect the economy over lives, turning a global superpower into what seemed like a third-world country. Such an urrence couldn''t be allowed in magnificent France. How could mary sovereignty fall into the hands of the Jews?

    The people of France wouldn''t consent to such a scenario. Apart from the "Bonaparte consortium," they recognized no other authority!

    Due to this vignce, Nathan Mayer Rothschild, though profitable in France, faced difficulty infiltrating the "military-industrialplex."

    Armed with Metternich''s letter of introduction, Fran?ois met the banker in Nathan Mayer Rothschild''s opulent home. Fran?ois exined his purpose to Nathan.

    Nathan intertwined his fingers, contemted on the sofa, and spoke, "I understand your apprehension. You see this deal as highly lucrative �� so do I. You intend to invest as much cash as possible �� something I''d also consider. But you worry that once this money bes preferred shares, it won''t be as liquid as standard stocks in the market. If you invest too much cash, you might encounter trouble when urgently needing it; if not all cash is invested, it might feel like passing up a lucrative opportunity. Am I correct?"

    Fran?ois nodded. "Mr. Rothschild, you''re spot on. That''s precisely

    my concern."

    "Fran?ois," Nathan Mayer Rothschild ced his palms on the table, "I have a solution that ensures both your peace of mind investing and maintains adequate liquidity. We can establish an investmentpany first, inject funds into this entity, and then use it to acquire ''Bonaparte Armaments'' preferred shares. While these preferred shares can''t be traded on the open market, thepany''s ownership can freely circte. How does this n sound to you?"

    "Mr. Rothschild, I''m immensely grateful. How can I express my gratitude?" Fran?ois inquired.

    "Ah, Fran?ois, if you genuinely wish to show gratitude, I''d be honored if you''d allow me to invest in your newpany," Nathan Mayer Rothschild smiled.

 Chapter 306: The Train Is Coming

    Fran?ois didn''t outright refuse Rothschild''s request. Still, he expressed, "Mr. Rothschild, personally, I think this shouldn''t be an issue. We need your expertise and talent. However, as mentioned earlier, we might only offer up to five percent ofmon stock. It''s not a substantial amount, but it''s liquid. So, this portion of shares, I believe, doesn''t need to be under thepany''s name."

    Rothschild nodded, understandingly replying, "That''s entirely understandable. There''s no necessity for that."

    Understanding that even five percent ofmon stock in a promising enterprise like "Bonaparte General Electric," no matter how small, was quite valuable, representing not just wealth but also a certain degree of power. If Fran?ois and his team ever urgently needed cash and had to sell a portion of their shares, they''d prefer to part with preferred stocks rather thanmon ones. Owning the entiremon stock under the newpany''s name while selling off thepany''s shares would mean indirectly selling thesemon stocks as well. Rothschild had suggested a solution, yet allowing him a stake in preferred stocks was already quite fair.

    After a casual chat, Fran?ois took his leave. Back at his residence, he penned a letter swiftly dispatched back home, awaiting news and authorization.

    Meanwhile, the French side remained unperturbed. For the French, particrly for Napoleon, these matters weren''t their priority.

    Napoleon''s primary concerny in the advancement of the "City That Never Sleeps" project. Secondarily, it was the experiment with the world''s first steam lotive.

    Over half a year ago, Joseph personally reached an agreement with Watt for the joint development of the steam lotive. Since then, the project had progressed smoothly. It was natural for Joseph not to invest significant effort this time due to othermitments, but his role had been pivotal��efficiently and intuitively eliminating over ten design proposals, leaving just two.

    This wasn''t particrly surprising; Joseph, in his past life, although born a bitte to witness steam lotives spewing smoke on railway lines (actually, the retirement of steam lotives in the Crimson Hare country was notablyte, some even in use until around 2016. Rumor had it that Hollywood often sought props involving steam trains from the Crimson Hare country as it possessed the most steam lotives that could be refurbished and operated globally. However, Joseph scarcely saw running steam lotives in most ces), had seen countless of them in movies, TV shows, and various parks. So, based on appearances alone, Joseph could easily eliminate many designs that didn''t meet future requirements.

    Essentially, these two proposals were quite simr. The only differencey in the transmission mechanism.Proposal one, dubbed the British model, entirely relied on Watt''sary gear system to transmit power. Proposal two, known as the Continental model, used a simpler crankshaft transmission in many areas��primarily because the patent for crankshaft technology had expired.

    Hence, fundamentally, these two proposals weren''t vastly different, almost like one. The reason for having two such proposals was entirely due to Watt''s insistence. Despite the expiration of the crankshaft patent, Watt adamantly refused to use this technology.

    However, in certain aspects, using the straightforward crankshaft could notably cut costs. So, although Watt abhorred the crankshaft, the French insisted on utilizing the cost-effective option. The result was the emergence of two types of steam lotive proposals.

    Apart from this, Watt particrly emphasized that the British model must undergo testing first and be the world''s inaugural steam lotive. Napoleon wasn''t entirely inclined towards this, but Joseph felt it wasn''t a problem. Despite the initial experiment being with the British model, the testing ground remained in France.

    Comparing the first steam lotive currently parked on the test track to those Joseph had seen in future TV programs, it was notably smaller. This was a result of Joseph discarding numerous proposals aiming for steam-powered carriages equipped with a mere five to ten horsepower engines��initially, some folks simply wanted a steam-powered carriage. Their level was worse than Stephenson''s Traveler.

    Naturally, these proposals couldn''t pass Joseph''s scrutiny. In a meeting at the design department, Joseph unexpectedly appeared, quoting a phrase from Dandong, eximing to the engineers, "Boldness, always boldness! Your designs can pass muster with me!"

    Encouraged, the engineers prepared a lotive equipped with a steam engine fit for use on a ship, designing a colossal contraption around it. They initially thought Joseph would reject this proposal outright. To their surprise, Joseph felt it was somewhat small.

    Yet, Joseph understood the importance of not overstepping boundaries, so while he felt it was a tad small, he refrained from going too far. Though it didn''t match the grandeur of the "Advance" model or the slightly smaller "Upstream" model of steam lotives he''d seen in Japanese dramas, at least it wasn''t as humble as the "Traveler."

    Following Joseph''s adjustments, the proposal was approved.

    The radical nature of this proposal astonished Watt. However, after thorough calctions, he discovered the n seemed feasible. He remarked to his assistant William Murdoch, "William, have you noticed? We''re still not ustomed to using the best steel as pig iron..."

    Indeed, before this, several individuals in Britain had experimented with steam lotives. Their repeated failures werergely due to their inability to use steel in this manner. Even historically, Stephenson''s creation of the first practical steam lotive, "Traveler," was significantly restricted by material performance. Leaving aside other factors, his train only ran on wooden tracks coated with wrought iron, unlike the affluent French, nning to directly manufacture steel rails. A mere meter of track required 20 kilograms of steel; it was simply...

    After the proposal was approved, it took half a year for the newly established "Bonaparte-Watt Company" to construct a six-kilometer test track in Lorraine, along withpleting two experimental lotives. Since Watt was also personally participating in the initial experiment, Joseph delegated all his tasks to his students and joined Napoleon to rush to Lorraine.

    During the carriage ride to Lorraine, Joseph asked, "Napoleon, why are you so interested in this?"

    "Oh, nothing much. It''s just that day when I came to your office, and you weren''t there," Napoleon said. "I was bored, looked around your desk, and found that drawing of yours, the ''Armored Train Imaginary Drawing.'' Well, even though your drawing skills are leagues behind Lucien''s, I have to admit, it was interesting. It''s like a battleship onnd. If it reallyes to life, let''s call it a Land Battleship."

    "Hah!" Joseph chuckled. "What a name, Land Battleship, not appealing. Also, a few days ago, didn''t you mention Lucien''sckluster painting skills?"

    "Lucien isn''t that great, but it depends on who youpare him with. At least, Lucien doesn''t mess up proportions when drawing women, making their eyes one-third the size of their faces... Oh, and that train cannon you drew, can that thing really be made?" Napoleon''s eyes gleamed. "It''s grander than the Urbain Cannon, filled with sinister beauty. It''s good; can that thing be built? Also

    , why did you name it Gustav? Although His Majesty Gustav was proficient in using cannons, he excelled mainly with 3-pounders. I think it needs a name change, maybe call it the Augustus Cannon..."

    "Napoleon, don''t worry. Your Land Battleship will soone to fruition. As for the ''Gustav'' cannon, well, that was just me doodling. The theory might not be entirely imusible, but bringing that thing to life might just take a lifetime... Besides, even if we manage to build it, it doesn''t seem very useful."

    "It''s useless." Napoleon nodded. "There''s nothing to fire it at. But it''s a spectacle..."

 Chapter 307: Inspection

    Chapter 307: Inspection

    "That truly is a sight," Joseph shook his head. "But this sight, it doesn''t make money, does it? Nowadays, spectacles that don''t bring in profits are just misguided wonders. Also, you think my depiction of women is inadequate? None of you have any taste. Pauline actually adores it. Just two days ago, she specifically asked me to paint her a portrait with big eyes."

    Napoleon couldn''t help but shake his head. "Joseph, what nonsense are you spouting? You boast about your prowess in mathematics. You utter a phrase like ''I have a viewpoint on this issue,'' and all of Europe obediently listens, even if you im the sum of angles in a triangle is less than 180 degrees. They''ll ponder for days before daring to argue. You boast about your prowess in science; say Newton''sws are all wrong, and they''d hesitate to challenge you without evidence. Even if you bluster about military matters, besides me, few would dare contradict you. But when ites to your painting? Do you think it''s all about rules andpasses? Pauline praises your work? She says so because you''re the elder brother, she just wants to please you!"

    At this point, Napoleon paused, then suddenly looked puzzled. "Wait, wait, this doesn''t add up!"

    "What''s wrong?" Joseph asked.

    "How could Pauline praise your painting? She''s not a tterer like Lucien. No, this doesn''t make sense. That troublemaker Pauline must have stirred something up again, hence the ttery towards you. Hmm, you''re not vignt enough with her. Maybe this idea came from Lucien; they always conspire together... Joseph, what mischief has this troublemaker caused this time?"

    "The way you speak, does praising me mean they''re definitely ttering or have ulterior motives? I think you''re the one with ulterior motives!" Joseph first expressed his dissatisfaction, but then added, "But specifically regarding Pauline, that''s uncertain. Napoleon, quickly have someone investigate to see what trouble she''s caused now. Don''t let Lucien do it..."

    "I''m not a fool, why would I let Lucien investigate?" Napoleon said. "Anyway, Pauline isn''t a child anymore, causing a ruckus every day��hmph, that''s all because of your indulgence��listen, as the elder brother, shouldn''t you also consider helping her find a husband?"

    "How am I the one indulging her? Don''t throw all the me at me. I think, in this matter, your responsibility is just as significant!" Joseph first harshly criticized Napoleon''s attempt to evade responsibility and shift the me. Then he scratched his head, sighed, and said, "Napoleon, what you said does make sense. But among my students, there really isn''t anyone suitable. Hmm, I wonder among your old subordinates, is there anyone appropriate?"

    Napoleon understood this well; most of Joseph''s students were scientists, unlike troublemakers like Pauline. Napoleon himself thought it wouldn''t be wise to involve them."My old subordinates? Hmm, who among my old subordinates doesn''t know about ''The Saint of Toulon,''" Napoleon said. "But, perhaps among my old subordinates, there might be someone who can appreciate her. After all, Pauline''s quite attractive, just a bit temperamental, but she''s very cheerful... Ah, Joseph, why are these troublemakers so worrisome?"

    Joseph gazed at Napoleon, momentarily speechless.

    After three days, the two arrived at the "Bonaparte-Watt Company''s" test site, where Watt and his team had been awaiting their arrival.

    Despite several days of carriage travel, Napoleon''s enthusiasm remained high, unaffected by fatigue. Immediately upon arrival, he insisted on visiting the site. Joseph, though a bit tired, didn''t want to dampen Napoleon''s spirits, so he apanied him along with a retinue and Watt''s team to the test site.

    The test site was on arge t expanse, with a six-kilometer stretch of steel railsid out. The way these rails wereid closely resembled practices from future times. Hmm, saying this felt a bit peculiar, akin to a future country imitating 5G technology from a country yet to have it, like the Red Hare Country copying the Lighthouse Country. Perhaps the Red Hare Country also had time travelers?

    There were differences from the railways of the future. Inter times, the sleepers beneath the rails were usually made of reinforced concrete. However, wood was still inexpensive at this time, so the sleepers beneath this railway were indeed high-quality solid wood.

    Beneath the solid wood sleepers wereyers of thick gravel, and beneath the gravel wererger stones forming the base.

    Napoleon walked to the edge of the track, bent down, and tapped the steel rail with his knuckle, asking, "How much steel was used for this experimental track?"

    "20 kilograms per meter. You do the math," Joseph replied. "But if the experiment seeds, we''ll be constructing a railway from the Saar coal mine to the steel factory. This test track can directly be a part of that route. So, though the test track seems a bit long, it''s not actually wasteful."

    "It seems you have confidence in the experiment''s sess," Napoleon said. "Where''s the lotive?"

    "It''s over there, Your Excellency," William Murdoch said. "The lotive is in the workshop over there, but the original n was to conduct the test tomorrow, so..."

    Not far away stood arge workshop, from which the railway extended.

    Napoleon nced in that direction and smiled. "Ah, I understand. I just wanted to take a look at it and feel it. As for the experiment, it should follow the scheduled n. Changing ns isn''t a good habit."

    So, they all followed Napoleon into the workshop.

    Once inside, they saw two colossal machines parked on the tracks, the two steam lotives. A group of workers was giving the final checks before the experiment. The guards approached and said a few words; the workers stopped and waited.

    "Let them continue; we shouldn''t disturb them," Napoleon said. The guards conveyed the message. However, the workers didn''t immediately resume work. Instead, someone called out, "Is that First Consul Bonaparte?"

    "What''s this? Do you recognize me?" Napoleon was pleased to hear the workers'' shouts.

    "It''s really First Consul Bonaparte!"

    "Long live First Consul Bonaparte!" Someone else followed.

    Napoleon was thrilled. He walked up and shook hands with the workers one by one.

    "You work hard here. How does it feel working here?"

    "Your Excellency, you''re right; it''s indeed hard here, but nowadays, apart fromnd-owning farmers, who isn''t toiling? Thankfully, Bonaparte Company pays us decently. In a little while, I''ll have saved enough money, and then I can be a farmer in Louisiana."

    "Your Excellency, they''re saying, as long as one can speak French and pledge allegiance to France, even foreigners can getnd to be farmers in Louisiana?" another person asked in hesitant French.

    "Of course. As long as one can speak the simplest French and is willing to pledge allegiance to France, anyone can," Napoleon replied.

    Cheers resounded around them.

    Given the good

    conditions in French rural areas, there were now many foreign workers in French factories, especially from the Germanic states. Honestly, Joseph didn''t pay them very high wages, butpared to their hometowns, the pay was decent. Moreover, once they saved enough, they could go to Louisiana and acquire a substantial piece ofnd.

    Of course, this practice would inevitably lead to a result: among those migrating to Louisiana, the number of German immigrants would significantly surpass the French. However, Joseph thought it wouldn''t be a major problem. In future times, after acquiring Louisiana, the Lighthouse Country also massively imported immigrants from Europe, and among them, thergest group were also Germans. Until Joseph''s time travel, the Germanic people remained thergest ethnic group in the Lighthouse Country, but this hadn''t altered the Lighthouse Country''s cultural characteristics. If the Lighthouse Country could do it, there was no reason France couldn''t. It was just a matter of indoctrination plus education. In fact, considering the fervor of converts, making a Germanic person love French culture, in a way, might be easier than making a French person love French culture. For instance, inter times, the ones most devoted to the Lighthouse Country were often not its own people.

    After shaking hands with Napoleon and expressing their admiration and gratitude, the workers gradually returned to their posts. Napoleon''s technical team then began introducing the two lotives to him.

    "Your Excellency," as the chief designer of the lotives, Watt introduced, "the closer one to us is the ''Progress Type 1,'' and the one behind is the ''Progress Type 2.''"

    Napoleon nodded; he knew that the difference between the so-called "Progress Type 1" and "Progress Type 2" was essentially the result of the elder gentleman in front of him being at odds with someone else. The "Progress Type 2" was the model Joseph truly aspired to.

    "It''s quite a massive thing. If some foolish Native Americans were to see this running, they might even worship it as a deity," Napoleonughed. He walked to the side of the "Progress Type 1," grabbed the steel handrail of thedder, and turned back to ask, "Can I climb up and take a look?"

    "Of course, Your Excellency," Watt said. "The cabin is up there, you can go take a look."

 Chapter 308: Testing

    Chapter 308: Testing

    Napoleon, hearing this, grasped the handrail and ascended the steps. Halfway up, he nced down to find Joseph standing nearby. "Joseph, why don''t youe up and take a look as well?"

    Joseph instinctively wanted to decline.

    "Come on up, don''t worry, this is a steam lotive; it won''t derail," Napoleon added.

    "Trust you? Not likely!" Joseph thought to himself. Realizing the engine hadn''t even been fired up, let alone ignited, he turned to Watt. "Mr. Watt, I recall there''s considerable space up there. Shall we go and take a look together? Hmm, thedder''s a bit steep, why don''t you lead the way?"

    "Haha, Chancellor Bonaparte, worried about me falling and wanting to catch me? I might be a tad older, but climbing thisdder poses no problem," Watt chuckled.

    With that, Watt ascended first, followed by Joseph. They climbed up and entered the cockpit.

    The cockpit was indeed spacious, around eight to nine square meters. On the right side, there was a control panel with several levers and a rope hanging nearby.

    "Is this the cord for the electric lights?" Napoleon inquired.

    "No, it''s for the steam whistle," Watt replied. "The light cord is over there, near the entrance."Napoleon nodded, then turned to see a closed door on the left side of the cockpit. Beside it sat a small cart and a few shovels.

    "What''s this?" Napoleon asked.

    "It''s the boiler''s feed port," Watt exined. "During operation, workers feed coal into it forbustion. This small cart facilitates bringing coal from the coal and water car behind. There..."

    Watt gestured toward a nearby pipeline and valves above. "Your Excellency, this is the water pipe for adding water to the steam engine. Of course, it can only be done when the steam engine is shut down, with no pressure in the cylinder..."

    Napoleon nodded and thanked Watt again. They inspected every corner of the lotive before departing.

    Early the next morning, after breakfast, Napoleon and Joseph, apanied by guards, arrived at the testing ground. The lotive had left the factory and was now on the outdoor tracks. The morning sun illuminated the steel behemoth and the tracks, glinting off the ss and brass adornments on both.

    On a hill about 300 meters from the tracks stood a grandstand. Joseph exined why it was positioned so far away:

    "From here, you can oversee the entire test track, witnessing the lotive''s performance throughout. If ced elsewhere, our view would be limited. Concerning any distance issues, a telescope canpensate."

    Everyone agreed Joseph''s reasoning was sound, except Napoleon, who privately expressed doubts to his brother. Joseph admitted his reluctance to a close inspection was indeed due to a dislike for the coal smoke.

    "Hehe," Napoleon chuckled.

    However, they didn''t delve deeper into the discussion as the lotive, named "Progress No. 1," began emitting smoke.

    Napoleon, ignoring the chance to tease his elder brother, lifted his spyss and asked, "Joseph, Joseph, is it about to move?"

    "It''s just starting the steam, no carriages attached yet. What''s the rush?" Joseph looked at his brother with a countryman''s gaze. "Moreover, unless we give the signal here, how can it move? Napoleon, didn''t you review the procedure I showed youst night?"

    "I did, I remember. They''ll hoist a blue g when they''re ready for us, and then, via phone, they''ll confirm readiness, and we''ll signal the departure with a red g. How could I forget? I''m just excited..."

    Time passed, no call, no blue g.

    "So slow," Napoleon remarked.

    "I told you, they should finish firing up and pressurizing first. But it looks like it''s about time," Joseph said.

    "It''s... ah, it''s moving! It''s moving," Napoleon eximed.

    "It''s just attaching the carriages," Joseph replied.

    The lotive slowly moved backward, not forward, to where the carriages were stationed.

    "Your Excellency, ''Progress No. 1'' will be pulling nine carriages, each loaded with over fifty tons of coal. Along with the carriage weight, it''ll haul over five hundred tons," Watt exined.

    "Ah, it''s like arge seafaring vessel onnd. Can it pull that weight?" Napoleon inquired.

    "ording to calctions, it shouldn''t be an issue," Joseph replied.

    "Ah," Napoleon nodded.

    The coupling took a while. By the time the blue g rose and the guard stationed by the phone received confirmation, it waste morning.

    "Alright, let''s start!" Napoleon shouted.

    The signal was sent, and soon, a long whistle sounded from the distance, audible even from their elevated position.

    "Now you see how perfectly situated our stand is? If we were below, this sound would''ve been..." Joseph exined. "I''m telling you, Napoleon, no one understands the selection of a stand''s ideal position better than I do."

    "Shush, don''t disturb," Napoleon said, holding the spyss. "The train''s moving!"

    Indeed, after the whistle, the train began gradually moving forward.

    "Why so slow? Slower than a carriage," Napoleonmented. "But pulling this much, it''s still more efficient than a horse-drawn carriage."

    In the historical context, early steam lotivescked proper suspension, and their rigid wheels would cause severe jolting at slightly higher speeds, risking derailment.

    However, the ''Progress No. 1'' had addressed these issues with spring suspension, ensuring the wheels firmly adhered to the steel tracks, avoiding jumps and potential derailments. Its track, made of heavy steel, far surpassed the older iron ones in strength. Thus, if the ''Progress No. 1'' couldn''t surpass a horse-drawn carriage, it would indeed be a joke. Napoleon felt it was slower due to its poor eleration and deceleration abilities. But with more distance covered, its speed would undoubtedly surpass a carriage.

    The train whistled again, enveloped in swirling steam, gradually elerating. "Good, good, quite a speed, rivaling a carriage! Hauling this much weight at such a pace! Marvelous! Joseph, can it go faster?" Napoleon asked.

    At this moment, the train began slowing down. The six-kilometer test track was too short to allow the train to reach its maximum speed. The highest speed achieved during this test was thirty kilometers per hour, remarkable for the era.

    "Can it amodate passengers?" Napoleon inquired. "This is incredibly useful. Joseph, when can we have thatnd battleship?"

    "That thing?" Joseph smirked. "Let''s focus on establishing a nationwide railwaywork, making profits first. About the battleship, well, some railroads are strategically significant. We could term them ''Defense Railways'' and..."

    "And then allocate funds from the War Department to build them, and then you''ll use them, right?" Napoleon interjected. "Even if I agree, are you sure General Carnot would approve?"

    "General Carnot?" Joseph replied. "Just tell him it''s crucial for military use and exin that during peacetime, leasing to private enterprises can generate ie. I believe he''ll agree."

 Chapter 309: Misappropriation

    Chapter 309: Misappropriation

    Back in Paris, Joseph immediately sought out Carnot. Being a regr visitor to Carnot''s house, he didn''t need to announce himself��the servants recognized the esteemed Bonaparte and ushered him in without a word.

    Upon entering the living room, Joseph was greeted by Carnot''s exasperated voice, "You fool! Didn''t I exin this problem to you yesterday? Just swapped X and Y, and yet... It''s maddening! By God, I''d rather face a coalition of European armies than deal with your ipetence! You..."

    In this prolonged peace, Carnot had more time at home, delving into schrly pursuits and educating his six-year-old son.

    Following the sound, Joseph strode into the adjacent study. There, Carnot stood, ruffled and flustered by a desk cluttered with crumpled drafts, discarded pencils strewn on the floor. His six-year-old son, Nics, stood beside, pale and bewildered.

    "Lazare, what''s going on? You can''t vent your frustration on a child," Joseph promptly scolded Carnot.

    "Ah... Joseph, when did you arrive?" Carnot''s tone softened.

    "Nics,e here to Uncle Joseph," Joseph turned to the boy.

    Nics hurried to Joseph''s side.

    "Lazare, did you give Nics this problem and he couldn''t solve it?" Joseph inquired."Yeah, a simple question... I just exined a nearly identical one to him yesterday... This child, driving me mad..." Carnot sighed.

    "Let me see the problem," Joseph knew Carnot''s son was remarkably bright.

    Carnot handed over a crumpled paper to Joseph.

    ncing at it, Joseph eximed, "Lazare, how could you? Presenting a six-year-old with a quadratic equation! Good Lord, it''s even a second-degree equation! Are you out of your mind? Using this on a child, and then getting mad at Nics? I must say, I''m certain that even at twelve, or maybe even fourteen, you couldn''t solve this! Nics, don''t cry, Uncle will sort this out. Your father''s being unreasonable! Lazare, truth be told, do you honestly believe you could solve this at twelve?"

    "Yesterday, I already exined it to him once..." Carnot''s voice trailed off, showing some guilt. Often, parents set unrealistically high expectations for their children, expecting feats they themselves couldn''t achieve. In this aspect, Lazare Carnot was no different.

    "Damn it! Understanding this concept at six is already close to genius level, let alone theplexity involved! How can we expect skill at this age? Mozartposing at five is art, not mathematics! Besides Mozart, who else in this world could do that? Are we fools for not achieving Mozart''s level? I dare say, in terms of scientific aptitude, Nics is likely superior to you. He''ll probably enter the Academy earlier than you did. Remember, at twelve, you might not have solved this question!" Joseph argued.

    "But..." Carnot became more sheepish, "Joseph, your assistant seems capable of..."

    "My assistant?" Joseph paused, then burst intoughter, "Hahaha! Lazare, now I understand! You''re feeling a little inadequate! Let me tell you, some folks are inexplicable wonders. The first time I met that guy, I was nearly scared to death!

    This scoundrel, at twelve, was already questioning the fundamental proofs in geometric elements. At sixteen, he derived the general form of binomial theorem. At seventeen, discovered prime distribution theorem and least squares method. By neen, he was usingpass and straightedge, drawing regr heptadecagon... Oh, and recently, he''s onto another stroke of genius. Ipletely agree; it''ll soon shock the entirety of European mathematicians... Hahaha! Honestly, we can''tpare ourselves to those geniuses. Otherwise, how could we even eat?"

    Carnot red at Joseph, "Joseph, you''re also one of those geniuses! Why did youe to my house?"

    "Ah, Nics, go y outside for a bit. Uncle needs to talk to your father," Joseph ruffled Nics''s hair.

    "Okay," Nics agreed before leaving and responsibly closing the door behind him.

    Joseph approached Carnot''s desk, retrieving a document from his briefcase to show Carnot.

    Carnot bent over the document, Joseph settled into a nearby chair, crossing his legs.

    After a while, Carnot set down the document, "Joseph, this is another invention that can change the world! It also means we can further reduce military expenses. Did youe to discuss this?"

    The military advantages of railways were evident��they facilitated swift movement of troops and supplies, offering a strategic edge. A well-connected railwork in France and its allies implied superior mobilitypared to hypothetical adversaries. Prussia''s sess in the Franco-Prussian War rested significantly on its superior railwaywork, quickly amassing troops to defeat France.

    High strategic mobility also reduced the need for a standing army. Previously, lengthy deployment meant maintaining substantial forces everywhere. But with railways, fewer troops sufficed, allowing saved funds to bolster training, equipment, and personnel benefits.

    "Lazare, you''re right. With this, we can reduce the standing army, channeling more funds into training, new weapons, and the navy. A national railwaywork would aid overall economic growth by drastically cutting transportation costs. Our military expenses have seen a decreasing share in the national budget despite amodating numerous post-war soldiers. The average annual funding per soldier has increased. Hence, overall national economic growth will benefit the military," Joseph exined.

    "But before the railways areplete, reducing troop numbers is risky. You should discuss these matters with your brother," Carnot advised.

    "Of course, but I have military-rted thoughts I wish to discuss with you. The entire world''s willingness for free trade with us is primarily because they can''t defeat us. We must neverpromise our military strength. However, railway construction takes time. If solely relying on corporate investment, we''d fund routes with the quickest returns. I believe, Lazare, you''d understand," Joseph remarked.

    Carnot nodded inprehension.

    "Often, the most economically vital routes coincide with the most strategically important ones. However, not all areas may yield immediate economic returns but hold great military significance. If only focusing on economics, these lines would be dyed. This would slow down our troop reductions and, subsequently, our savings. Thus, I propose this��let the War Department allocate some funds for these railways. Economically, they might not yield as much as others, but they''re still profitable. The War Department would benefit economically from these routes. What do you think?" Joseph suggested.

    "The military shouldn''t have its finances, as you''ve said before," Carnot countered.

    "Indeed, but this money doesn''t directly go to the military. It passes through the government, which then allocates it. Essentially, the government slightly reduces military spending for a few years, in return forrger future allocations," Joseph rified.

 Chapter 310: Military Exercise Plan

    Chapter 310: Military Exercise n

    Carnot, upon hearing the proposal, neither opposed nor immediately endorsed it. He understood that the military was the cornerstone of the Bonaparte family; they were unlikely to deceive the army. However, precisely because the military was their bedrock, Joseph and his kin would certainly notpromise the soldiers'' treatment. Thus, reducing military expenses would likely impact either equipment or training.

    After pondering, Carnot spoke, "I don''t have many objections, but two points to consider."

    He paused briefly, then continued, "Firstly, when you sell weapons abroad, Joseph, you must... hmm, are you implying that most of the weapons you sell to foreigners are substandard?"

    "How would they know?" Joseph replied. "Otherwise, they won''t sell."

    "What if they realize they have more than us or if they perceive their weapons to be on par? Would they consider taking risks? Are the weapons you sell better than what they already possess? Could they falsely believe they''ve significantly enhanced their capabilities?" Carnot inquired.

    "That''s possible," Joseph nodded.

    "So, we must make them aware that the weapons they buy from us are inferior. Compared to ours, their weapons are like monkeyspared to humans," Carnot exined.

    "That might affect our revenue," Joseph argued.

    "No, Joseph," Carnot countered, "they already recognize the vast disparity between their past and current capabilities. We just need to emphasize the gap between them and us. If they don''t buy our substandard weapons, not only can''t they match us, but they also can''t match their neighbors. The more they realize they''re not our match, the more they''ll feel the necessity to purchase our weapons, even the substandard ones.""Darn, isn''t this akin to paying protection money?" Joseph nearly pped himself for needing a local to remind him of this tactic so widely yed in the future. It was utterly embarrassing!

    In the future, when speaking of substandard weapons, people often thought of a certain nation, but another superpower, Lighthouse Nation, also excelled in this. For instance, when selling tanks, they''d remove critical depleted uranium armor and rece it with outdatedposite armor. (Due to investing in depleted uranium armor tech, they neglected advancements inposite armor.)

    Arms trade always involved expert procurement. Did the countries purchasing Lighthouse tanks not realize what they were getting after removing the depleted uranium armor? Yet, Lighthouse''s substandard versions sold well. Why?

    Firstly, while Lighthouse''s substandard versions couldn''t match their originals, they were still superior to what other countries produced, or those countries couldn''t produce them at all. Secondly, buying Lighthouse''s substandard weapons was akin to paying them protection money. Apart from Lighthouse, no one else could easily intimidate those buyers. Hence, the actual quality of the weapons didn''t always corrte with their marketability.

    However, to achieve this effect, it would be best to have France confront an opponent they could easily defeat, much like Lighthouse once did. But presently, in continental Europe, there seemed to be no immediate candidate for such a scenario. Austria was no longer a hostile nation, and there was no benefit in attacking them. Russia was an option, but the distance posed an issue. Moreover, Russia wasn''t the type to forget after being beaten, unlike the aforementioned.

    Given the absence of a direct target, they could follow Great Mao''s strategy: stage a "Western-81 Military Exercise" to intimidate others.

    Of course, replicating the scale of Mao''s "Western-81" exercise, involving ten army groups, over three hundred thousand troops, thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, and numerous aircraft, was inconceivable for Joseph''s or even France''s lifetime.

    Furthermore, organizing such an exercise aimed at saving money and selling weapons would be excessively costly.

    However, there was one aspect of "Western-81" worth emting��inviting the hypothetical enemies to witness the exercise and scare them. Joseph believed France could invite those still harboring illusions, allowing them to witness a "high-tech war" and effectively advertise French weaponry.

    "Joseph, you''ve got that gleam in your eyes again. Have you thought of something?" Carnot, having worked alongside Joseph for years, knew him well enough. Just by observing his expression, he could tell Joseph had struck upon an idea.

    "Shouldn''t we organize a joint military exercise and invite our ''friends'' from other countries to witness?" Joseph suggested.

    "Are you saying we should unt our capabilities to our ''friends'' during this exercise?" Carnot caught onto the enthusiasm. "Alright, let''s discuss. Firstly, what abilities do we need to showcase?"

    "Rapid mobility, especially with heavy firepower units, artillery''s swift mobility; immense and swift firepower, like rear-mounted cannons and shrapnel shells; formidable breaching capabilities under cover of firepower, advancing trenches and using grenade tubes and trench guns..." Joseph listed off.

    "You missed one thing that we can certainly exhibit to others," Carnot interjected.

    "What?" Joseph asked.

    "The navy!" Carnot eximed. "What truly stimtes andpels others to swiftly buy weapons is the navy. Let the ''Free Trade'' demonstrate in the naval exercise how to disrupt free trade. And I''m aware you''ve been working on those updated models..."

    "I promised Napoleon not to sell rear-mounted cannons until the next generation appears," Joseph stated. "But the substandard ''Free Trade'' can be easily sold. Let''s have it demonstrate during the exercise, then sell it off to the Ottomans or even the British..."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 310 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 311: A Visit

    Chapter 311: A VisitThe preparations for military exercises still required some time, but wasn''t the USS America idle for now? Since it was, why not send her for a friendly visit to a certain targeted country? With amand from Napoleon, the French Foreign Ministry initiated contact with the British, proposing that both countries enhance mutual understanding and deepen their friendship and trust. Each navy would dispatch a warship to the other for a cordial visit. The French expressed their intention to send the USS America as the "messenger of friendship" to Britain. During this time, the amiable British citizens could board the USS America, guided by relevant personnel, to learn about the details of the French warship. Some lucky spectators might even get a chance to simte operating certain equipment.

    When Prime Minister Addington got wind of this proposal from the French, he was taken aback. He immediately called upon the ministers of the Navy and Foreign Affairs for consultation. They unanimously perceived it as a French disy of power.

    "So, shall we decline their visit?" inquired Prime Minister Addington.

    "How could we? That would make us look timid," retorted the Minister of the Navy. "Moreover, it''s the USS America, and it''s indeed unusual. We do wish to examine this ship closely."

    "What''s so special about this ship?" the Prime Minister asked.

    "It''s a steam-powered patrol ship, thoughbeled as such, it''s the size of a second-rate battleship. It''s equipped with rtively fewer cannons. Recently, it engaged in two battles with the American navy in the Caribbean. It either captured, sank, or severely damaged an American vessel in each encounter, nearly decimating half of the American navy in one go."

    "Ha-ha-ha, those rebels, their entire navyprises only six vessels," chuckled Prime Minister Addington. However, noticing theck ofughter from the Minister of the Navy, he inquired, "Why? A second-rate battleship��even if they call it a patrol ship��sinking three patrol ships, isn''t that normal?"

    "Your Excellency, the issue is that the American three patrol ships are also vessels nearly the size of second-rate battleships. In a certain sense, they are simr to the French USS America, sacrificing some firepower for increased speed. These ships are not primarily meant for battles in the line of battle; they are designed for attacking supply lines. Most of our warships, those that can beat them, are mostly unable to outrun them, and those that can outrun them, cannot defeat them."

    "ording to our observations during the USS America''s second battle with the Americans, none of our ships could outrun her, and the USS America could sail all the way to the Caribbean, showing remarkable endurance."

    "Are our recently developed steamships with propellers also inferior to her?""Unfortunately, Your Excellency, yes. Our propellers suffer a drastic efficiency drop and intense vibration at high speeds. We haven''t entirely resolved this issue yet. So, currently, our ships haven''t achieved the speed of the USS America."

    "Furthermore, based on our ounts of the USS America''s second battle, besides speed, there are two other surprising aspects. One is her firepower. While she only has nine cannons on each side, during actualbat, the number of shells fired per unit time is almost on par with a third-rate battleship. If a ship can reach a speed of 15 knots, and that''s without relying on wind power, and still possess such firepower�� it''s truly formidable. If the reports are urate, our entire navy, including the HMS Victory, currentlycks a vessel that can defeat the USS America inbat."

    "Not even the HMS Victory?"

    "Yes, Prime Minister. Due to her speed advantage, she can easily take a position. This makes the HMS Victory''s firepower advantage rtively less effective."

    "Ah, I see. You mentioned the first surprising aspect of that ship was its cannon''s firing rate. What about the other one?"

    "It''s her defense. Our observers noted that both sides exchanged fire at a close range, yet not one of the American cannons managed to prate the USS America''s hull. All their shells bounced off the USS America''s hull. Later, from information acquired from the Americans, they even suspected that the USS America might be a genuine irond ship."

    "So, you wish to take this opportunity to visit that ship?"

    "Yes, Prime Minister."

    "Very well then, I have no objection. In any case, we can''t afford to show weakness to the French, can we? But then, which ship should we send to visit France?"

    While the decision about which ship to send needed careful consideration, since the French dared to showcase their most advanced warship to the British, would the British dare to show timidity? Moreover, the French media had already begun to hype this event.

    The Scientific Truth Gazette was the first to disclose this news. In its typical style of short news with huge implications, the front page used only two lines: "The French Navy''s USS America, a steam-powered cruiser, will conduct a friendly visit to London on May 10. Citizens are wee aboard for visits."

    ced on the front page without further exnation, it easily grabbed readers'' attention. However, this alone wasn''t sufficient. Following this, the London Businessman published an article asserting that the USS America''s visit signified the continuous elevation of strategic mutual trust between Ennd and France. This friendly visit, it imed, would further enhance mutual understanding, thereby strengthening the hard-earned peace and friendship between the two nations.

    However, at this point, the significant newspapers in Ennd had yet to weigh in. At most, they merely republished rted news without furthermentary. It was the smaller publications that covered the matter, with their basic content summarized as follows: "The Royal Navy is virtuous, while the French Navy is deplorable."

    These smaller reports from the British seemed to displease the French. Subsequently, the Sun Newspaper (English Edition)prehensively introduced this groundbreaking French warship. It covered everything, from its propulsion system to its astonishing capabilities. Essentially, although the Sun Newspaper didn''t explicitly state it, the implication was clear: "This ship could easily overpower any vessel in the Royal Navy in a one-on-one confrontation."

    However, the exaggerated coverage in the Sun Newspaper (English Edition) irked many Britons. Consequently, numerous British tabloids began to counter, mocking the unreliable boasting in the Sun Newspaper''s coverage. The ims of revolutionary technology increasing cannon firing speed four to five times and enabling the USS America, equipped with only nine cannons on each side, to possess firepowerparable to a battleship were dismissed as baseless.

    As for the notion of increasing cannon firing speed four to five times, considering that the French navy''s cannons originally fired more than half slower than those of the British, coupled with their smaller size (approximately 110mm in caliber, roughly equivalent to 12 pounds), it seemed audacious to mount 12-pound cannons on a warship. Just look at the caliber of cannons on our British warships!

    Overall, despite the mor, the noise level wasn''t too high. At least, the more substantial and weighty media outlets refrained from joining the fray. Some among them, privy to certain insider information, chose not toe forward at this time, only to be contradicted by reality a few dayster. Generally, the people of this era were rtively straightforward. Although they lied, deceived, and stole, they were at least somewhat hesitant tobel it as a constant pursuit of glory. They wouldn''t concoct jokes like someone iming one day that nobody would die and the next day stating that if fewer than 100,000 died, it showed how capable they were.

    Ultimately, this wasn''t due to the moral superiority of the people of this era, but rather because the poor in this eracked education. Education served two purposes: one to enlighten, and the other to make people more foolish than the uneducated. In thetter aspect, the education of this era differed significantly fromter times, so in this age, establishing a beautiful new world was impossible.

    As for the major newspapers that didn''t have ess to special information, their silence stemmed from their belief that engaging in squabbles with tabloids was beneath their dignity and didn''t align with the United Kingdom''s elegant demeanor.

    The British were exceedingly confident in their navy. One way this confidence manifested was their indifference to criticism and their willingness to acknowledge others'' merits. To them, what others perceived as strengths and progress were akin to an elementary student scoring full marks. "Wow, the little one is so smart, so excellent. Here, have a lollipop."

    However, if they suddenly discovered that the others hadn''t achieved full marks in an elementary exam but rather secured top marks in a higher institution, their emotions might change. It was like the situation between the Red Hare Country, which initially had a significant gappared to the Beacon Country, and how the Beacon Country held a much better opinion of the Red Hare Country. Once the Red Hare Country''s GDP approached that of the Beacon Country, the situationpletely changed, and the giant panda immediately turned into a ferocious dragon.

    On May 10th, the USS America docked at a pier in London Harbor.

 Chapter 312: Open Day

    Chapter 312: Open Day

    On the very first day when the "Free Trade" entered the port of London, it wasn''t entirely open to the British public. That''s quite natural considering the ship had just arrived; there''s always a bit of chaos and busyness in such situations. And indeed, there was a bit of an incident. It involved a French naval chain who disembarked from the ship and immediately encountered a journalist. The journalist asked, "Chain, what do you think of those French streetwalkers on the streets of London?"

    "What? There are French streetwalkers in London?" The chain was taken aback.

    Later that afternoon, a certain evening paper carried this headline: "French naval chain in a rush to inquire about streetwalkers in London upon arrival."

    Of course, what such tabloids say hardly concerns anyone. Moreover, a chain apanying the troops, assisting and rescuing the souls of streetwalkers, is a noble deed, nothing substantial to fret about.

    Though the "Free Trade" wasn''t officially open for public visits that day, people could stille close and observe as long as they didn''t board. Some individuals gathered around to get a glimpse of the ship.

    This brought an immediate answer to a puzzling question about the "Free Trade" �� why it possessed such outstanding defensive capabilities. Despite the ck-brown paint coating the steel tes affixed to the ship''s exterior, making it resemble wooden nks from afar, at such close proximity where one could almost touch, the distinction between the steel tes and wooden boards was quite evident.

    "So, they really did outfit it with iron tes," a special agent from the Sixth Investigation Division remarked, marveling at the close proximity of the "Free Trade." The Sixth Investigation Division had sacrificed several colleagues just to unravel the secrets behind this ship''s defenses. Now, here it was, presented before them without any cost �� it was perplexing and almost made one question the meaning of life.

    "Considering the French expertise in steelmaking, these are likely steel tes, aren''t they?" remarked a British naval officer while observing the "Free Trade."

    That day, these were the only secrets the British managed to uncover. On the following day, the first batch of visitors stepped onto the deck of the "Free Trade." These were mostly British naval officers, ranging frommanding officers to various technical personnel.Overall, these officers were quite disciplined. They refrained from touching anything without the host''s permission on the French warship. Althoughter, in some British newspapers, stories emerged about "reaching out and finding dust on cannons," aiming to denigrate the French, in reality, the British behaved themselves.

    However, when it came to questioning, the British were forthright. They asked any and every question, knowing there would be no harm in doing so. Surprisingly, most of their inquiries were met with responses from the apanying French.

    "Captain Lefebvre, I''ve noticed the ''Free Trade'' is fitted with external armor tes. I wanted to ask if these tes are wrought iron or steel?" inquired a British military officer with the rank of major on his shoulder.

    "They are steel tes," Captain Lefebvre replied.

    "May I ask about their thickness and how you ensure they don''t suffer severe corrosion during voyages?" continued the British major.

    "I can tell you about the thickness, roughly around 20 millimeters. As for the rust prevention, that falls under the technical secret of the Lorraine Steel Company. We''re not privy to it. If you wish to know more, you should approach them."

    Under the guidance of the French, they proceeded to the "Free Trade''s" gun deck.

    "Gentlemen, this is the gun deck of the ''Free Trade.'' Our ship is a steam-powered warship, thus,pared to conventional warships, we have additional space upied by the engine room and coal bunker. Consequently, our gun deck is rtively smaller, allowing for fewer cannons. However, this isn''t an issue because we are equipped with the world''s most advanced and powerful breech-loading rifled steel cannons, giving us superior firepowerpared to ships of simr tonnage," exined Captain Adrian, responsible for the artillery.

    "Captain, you mentioned using breech-loading cannons?" another British naval technical officer hastily inquired.

    "Yes, breech-loading cannons. This enables our cannons to have a firing rate several times higher than conventional muzzle-loading ones," Captain Adrian responded.

    "May I have a close look at these cannons?" the technical officer asked.

    "Absolutely. We French have nothing to hide from our friends. Moreover, if you''re interested, under Captain Adrian''s guidance, you can even simte the firing process," Captain Lefebvre said, genuine in his tone, as if France and Britain were indeed close friends.

    Naturally, the British didn''t let this opportunity slip away. Several British officers quickly inquired, "How do we simte it?"

    "I need ten individuals to form a temporary gun crew," Captain Adrian stated. "Then, I''ll guide you through the entire process."

    The British huddled together briefly and selected ten people.

    "Captain, we''re at your service. You can give us instructions," a British lieutenant colonel said to Captain Adrian.

    This gun crew was undoubtedly the highest-ranking one Captain Adrian had ever seen. There wasn''t a single officer in the crew below the rank of colonel. Adrian felt that after this visit, he''d have some impressive tales to boast about.

    Adrian gathered the "gun crew members," led them to the cannons, and gave them a brief exnation of the cannon''s structure and loading procedure. He noticed their exceptional understanding; they grasped almost everything at once, surpassing even his subordinates.

    However, when it came to actual operations, Adrian swiftly revised his initial thoughts. These British officers had a significant gap in muscr strength and coordinationpared to his subordinates. These temporary gunners were technical officers, knowledgeable about cannons, but they were experts in studying cannons, not operating them. Hence, despite having breech-loading cannons that were supposed to fire faster, they ended up slower than muzzle-loading ones under their operation.

    Everyone understood the reason behind this oue. Even the British officers present had a conclusion: iming a four to five times increase in speed might be an exaggeration, but a three to four times enhancement was indeed possible.

    Once these "gun crew members" loaded training ammunition into the cannon, secured the breech, and simted the firing, then returned to the queue of visitors, a colonel quietly asked one of the "gunners," "Did you get a clear understanding of the structure of the breech-loading cannon?"

    "I did. The structure isn''t overlyplicated, but there might be some difficulty in craftsmanship, leading to higher costs," the "gunner" replied. "But considering one cannon can function as three, I believe it''s worth it."

    "Given the space saved, even if it''s just equivalent to 1.5 cannons and the price triples or quadruples, it''s still worthwhile," another "gunner" chimed in.

    However, the British thought iming a four to five times increase in firing speed was an exaggeration because the French provided them with sectional ammunition for training. In reality, these cannons could utilize fixed ammunition for faster loading.

    After exploring the cannons, the French took the visitors to the lowest level of the warship, situated below the waterline. Here was something else worthy of showcasing to the British �� the "Free Trade''s" steel

    keel.

    As experts, when they saw the steel keel, the British visitors immediately reached a conclusion: "As long as the French steel production is sufficient, it''s incredibly easy to disrupt the enemy fleet. The critical material restriction has been surpassed."

    This marked the final part of the British visit. Some British officers requested to see the steam engine, but Captain Lefebvre promptly refused, stating, "No, there are many secrets with the steam engine."

    "Isn''t it said that we are friends, and friends shouldn''t have secrets?" jestingly remarked a British person.

    "Well, theoretically, that''s true," Captain Lefebvre replied. "If it were solely naval matters, it would be possible, but within that space, there are alsomercial secrets of our civilian enterprises. For them, aside from customers, everyone else could potentially be futurepetitors. So..."

    The British shrugged, and that was the end of it. In truth, the British had seen more than enough that day, perhaps even exceeding their expectations.

    "The French aren''t really that impressive. It''s all about having an abundance of steel," remarked a British technical officer upon disembarking. "Honestly, how much steel did this ship use? They''re not treating steel as steel; it''s almost like wrought iron. It''s extravagant!"

    "Did anyone understand their steel''s rust prevention technology?" someone asked.

    "It seems like just painting it?"

    "The exterior armor tes might be because those are clearly detachable. But what about their keel? Can it be rust-proofed just by paint?"

    "We really need to intensify our research on this."

 Chapter 313: The Meeting of Christian Underclass

    Chapter 313: The Meeting of Christian Underss

    After bidding farewell to the British naval visitors on the first day, the "Free Trade" vessel opened its doors to French expatriates the following day. However, as the day drew to a close, the "London Businessman" suddenly reported groundbreaking news.

    "ording to information from the French Ministry of Foreign Trade, the steam patrol vessel ''Free Trade'' might be a shelf item at the next Paris trade fair. This visit actually carries a promotional intent. Moreover, following the visit to Ennd, the ''Free Trade'' will continue its visits to other countries..."

    The purpose of this French action had been spected upon by the British beforehand. Most assumed it was a disy of defiance toward Britain. Many questioned if the French had intentions of stirring trouble in Irnd or elsewhere. Now, it seemed the French had an entirely different agenda.

    "Are the French utterly fixated on money?" the butcher scoffed. "They''d sell you the rope to hang themselves if you paid them enough."

    "You''re not wrong, Butcher," dered Fekin, just returned from Irnd to Petticoat Lane. "However, your perspective is somewhat limited. The French love money, but they also have grander ambitions. It''s not just about selling a few ships. Their aim is still to make a statement."

    "Why the disy?" Barkley asked. "Are France and Ennd gearing up for war again?"

    "The French don''t wish for it. That''s why they''re showing the British government the potential losses in case of war. Think about who benefits from peace, and you''ll know who truly desires it."

    "What a pity," Barkley sighed.

    "Barkley, don''t ce hope solely in these matters. The liberation of the British people ultimately rests on themselves. Primarily, it''s crucial to make people realize their own strength.""People''s strength?"

    "Yes, the strength of the people. That''s the most important lesson I''ve learned from my travels in France and Irnd. Even though many in the French government love money, which isn''t entirely condemnable given it''s amon trait, they dare not evict farmers from theirnds like the English, pushing them into factories for three or four years of deferred death sentences.

    French soil is far more fertile and warm than Ennd''s, naturally producing more crops. In France, I''ve seen the government allocate funds specifically to construct canals and install electric pumps for farmers. This even caused a significant rise in copper prices across Europe. The agricultural taxes in France are the lowest in Europe. The French farmers, cultivating fertilends free from aristocratic rent, barely pay any national taxes �� taxes that may not even cover the cost of these irrigation systems. Why does the French government treat them so well, even aim to please them?"

    "Why?" Barkley inquired.

    "Because they''ve shown their strength," Fekin continued. "In the Revolutionary Wars, most soldiers hailed from rural areas, from among the farmers. They formed a collective in the military, maintaining close ties even after demobilization. These veterans organized the French farmers. So, if the French government attempts anything against their interests, these veterans, who have fought and rebelled, are capable of anything. The French government not only refrains from oppressing them but also strives to appease them.

    Moreover, during my extended stay in Irnd, I witnessed the same pattern."

    "Fekin, enlighten us about Irnd," the butcher requested.

    "Well, since France and Ennd reached peace, the British government and the Irish insurgents agreed to a temporary ceasefire. This stoppedrge-scale conflicts, but it didn''t mean peace had truly arrived. Small-scale skirmishes were incessant.

    In the ''Non-Pacified Zones,'' which are essentially the headquarters of the United Irishmen, preparations for war hardly ceased. Initially, the weaponry of the Irish Independence Army partly came from French aid, partly from seizing arms in battles against the British. However, now, the Irish Independence Army had another source �� their own production.

    The United Irishmen realized that the current peace was unreliable. Any chance the British get, they''ll return. After signing the ceasefire, the aid from France gradually decreased, understandably, as aid requires funds, and currently, there''s no immediate danger, leading to a natural reduction in support.

    "''Revolution and independence ultimately lie in our hands; we can''t rely on the French for everything. The French are our friends, our friendship deeper than the mountains and seas. But we can''t rely on friends entirely. If someone relies on friends for everything but does nothing themselves, what should we call such a person? Shouldn''t we call them useless? Ourrades in the union can''t be such wastrels.'' That''s what Russell, the chairman of the union, said to his fighters. Therefore, during this period, they''ve insisted on self-reliance, even establishing their own armaments factory," Fekin exined.

    "Their own armaments factory? A group of farmers set up an armaments factory?" Ironjaw eximed. "What can they produce?"

    "Some simple yet effective weapons, likendmines. However, more importantly, during this time, they''ve stockpiled a vast amount of supplies and continually strengthened their organization. Strengthening the organization is the fundamental key.

    Butcher, Barkley, Ironjaw, do you know what I''ve learned in France and Irnd? That organization is paramount. To consolidate strength, we need a broad organization to fight for our people''s interests. I''ve decided; we need to reorganize our group, expand it, and first bring in nearby workers."

    "And then?" the butcher inquired.

    "Then our union, represented by the workers, will present our demands to those establishing factories for their interests. Naturally, there''ll be struggle, both overt non-violent and covert, perhaps more familiar to us. Initially, we won''t aim too high; we''ll start from small but significant points where workers can feel the impact..."

    "Well, you''re the leader; your word isw," Barkley said. "What shall we name this new association?"

    "We indeed need a new name," Fekin pondered. "Hmm, we spread the true gospel of God, about salvation, about liberation. Let''s call it ''The Meeting of Christian Underss.'' In these days, I''ve also discussed doctrinal issues with some clergy in France. I feel I''vee closer to understanding God''s will."

    "Tell us about it, boss," the butcher requested.

    "Alright, in Toulon, I met a priest named Torres, who had participated in the Revolution. He spoke to me, mentioning his experiences during the Revolution. I asked him: ''What''s your perspective on the French Revolution?'' He replied: ''The Revolution is God''s will, a correction by God for the church that had strayed from the path of redemption.'' So he recounted a story to me.

    A forty-year-old woman, appearing as aged as seventy, approached him sorrowfully after Mass and said, ''Father, I didn''t confess before taking the Eucharist.''

    ''How did you get here, my child?'' he asked her.

    ''Father,'' she replied, ''I arrivedte. For three days, besides water, I had nothing to eat; I was starving. When I saw you distributing the Eucharist, handing out those tiny bits of bread, I approached just to have a morsel of bread.''

    His eyes welled up, recalling Jesus'' words: ''My flesh, it''s true

    sustenance... those who eat me will live because of me.''

    That night, during prayer, he received a fresh revtion. He said:

    ''Man is created in the image and likeness of God. The voice of the poor crying out for life is God''s voice. God isn''t a God of death but a God of life, listening to the cries of His people. The judgment of history is the final judgment, what''s done to the poor and humble is done to Jesus, the Savior worshipped by Christians, who manifests in these distorted faces due to poverty. Christians cannot remain indifferent in such history. The tranquil contemtion of heavenly mysteries in academia must perish; theology must be grounded, bearing the cross of history, fighting for the lives and liberation of the poor. This is the Messiah''s salvation. Salvation is liberation.''

    To him, the church had made numerous mistakes, veering further from Jesus'' path. Thus, God used the Revolution, blood, and fire to correct it.

    He told me, ''Such history cannot be missed; missing it means missing God''s revtion, missing the opportunity to be true Christians.''

    I find such thoughts and interpretations of the Bible extremely profound and practical. Father Torres gave me a notebook of his Bible readings, filled with his reflections. Henceforth, we must rouse and organize workers with these theological thoughts."

 Chapter 314: The Gospel of Revolution

    Chapter 314: The Gospel of Revolution

    Fekin spoke while reaching into a nearby briefcase, pulling out a notebook as thick as arge dictionary. It was a simple notebook with a in white cover, red ink inscribed on it: "Notes on the Bible."

    Several people gathered around as Fekin flipped open the first page, revealing a line of text: "I did note to bring peace, but a sword..."

    Everyone recognized it as a passage from the Gospel of Matthew. Father Torres had ced this sentence here for a reason.

    As he turned the pages, there was a preamble-like text, hastily written, indicating Father Torres''s intense excitement while jotting down these words.

    "While I was in prayer, a spark of thought suddenly appeared, a sh that illuminated me. No, it wasn''t just a spark; it was a lightning bolt in the pitch-ck night, a miracle, akin to when God said, ''Let there be light.''"

    For years, I immersed myself in studying the Bible and the works of theologians at the monastery, gradually distancing myself from the beautiful world God created. I built a barrier between myself and this world, believing that distancing myself from humanity brought me closer to God. Looking back now, it''s utterly dizzying! It reeks of self-righteousness and arrogance.

    Under the inspiration of that light, I realized that the Bible and the world aren''t separate. The Bible is God''s word, and isn''t the world also God''s creation? Just as understanding an author involves not only reading their autobiography but also their other works, how can one im to know everything about an author just by reading their autobiography? If a reader ims to understand everything about an author by merely reading their autobiography, how arrogant is that? How can we say that by reading the Bible, we can disregard God''s most important creation��the whole world? Those who think they can close their eyes to the entire world just because they hold a Biblemit a sin of arrogance.

    We must not only read the Bible but also understand the world.

    So, I shared my thoughts with the monastery''s head. He warned me, ''Young man, your thoughts are perilous; you''re stepping into heresy. Satan has entered your heart, misled you. Quickly abandon these untimely thoughts and return to orthodoxy!''At that moment, a phrase from the Bible struck me: ''Woe to you, teachers of thew and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.''

    The term ''Pharisee''es from ancient Hebrew, meaning ''separate,'' indicating those who isted themselves from the secr world in pursuit of purity. They strictly followed Moses''sws, considering themselves devout. However, Jesus rebuked them. Why? Some say the Pharisees'' intention was initially good, aiming to adhere strictly to God''sw and maintain spiritual purity, but they deviated, bing self-satisfied, arrogant, and hypocritical.

    But were the Pharisees onlyter deviating from the right path? No, from the moment this sect appeared and sought separation from God''s created world, the seeds of arrogance and hypocrisy were sown. If separation alone aligned with God''s will, why did Jesuse to earth? Why didn''t he disappear into the desert and never return? Why did he carry the cross for sinners? This shows that God''s will doesn''t desire separation from the world. Therefore, when the Pharisees shot their arrow, it had already veered off course. It started subtly, but as the arrow flew forward, it deviated further and became more apparent.

    I told the head of the monastery that I intended to leave and travel the world. As he saw my disregard for his advice, he grew furious, but it didn''t stop me from departing.

    During my travels across France, I noticed the country was increasingly divided into two worlds. One belonged to the impoverished, living in hellish conditions, devoid of joy and happiness. No, they didn''t live near hell; they lived in it. Dante supposedly witnessed hell''s gates with a terrifying inscription: ''Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.'' Cold and suffering weren''t their greatest cmities; their true miseryy in the absence of hope. Yes, hell wasn''t distant; it was right here on earth.

    What was Jesus''s first miracle? It was at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, where the wine ran out. To have no wine at a wedding, naturally, indicated poverty. Historians say the regions near Lake Genessaret and its surroundings were inhabited by incredibly impoverished people.

    Then Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water, and they did so, to the brim. He said, ''Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.'' They did so, and the master tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it hade from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ''Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.''

    At that time, Jesus hadn''t yet arrived. But he performed this miracle in advance because of God''s love. Whoever loves people will certainly love their joy. That''s the significance of Jesus''s arrival, his true redemption��bringing joy to more people. That''s the real redemption.

    The other world belonged to nobles and high-ranking clergy. It was luxurious, debauched, sustained by exploiting the poor, living sinful lives akin to Sodom and Gomorrah.

    Then I witnessed God''s redemption and punishment��revolution.

    Revolution is redemption for those trapped in hell. Just as Jesus always stayed with the poorest, I realized the mystical and spiritual significance of the poor''s history. Their voices in our time are akin to Moses hearing God''s voice in the burning bush. The poor entered the stage of history, proiming that poverty isn''t divine but human, a consequence of oppressive societal structures that can and must be changed, and the poor are initiating that change. This is liberation, or rather, redemption.

    Revolution is also punishment for those who betrayed the masses, trampling upon those who should have been brothers and sisters, killing them, consuming their flesh, and drinking their blood. They faced God''s punishment in the revolution, just as God struck down Sodom and Gomorrah.

    I gradually understood the meaning of revolution. Then I remembered this line from the Bible:

    ''I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.'' It''s a sentence from the book of Revtion, depicting the new world after the apocalypse. I had never truly understood it before. But now, I finally grasped God''s intent. Revolution is filled with pain, much like the apocalypse in Revtion, but it''s only the end of the old world. The old, sinful world will be shattered by the revolutionary hammer, and after the revolution, apletely new world will unfold before us.

    In this world, what separates people, the ss divisions that create an ocean between them, will cease to exist.

    ''I also saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem,ing down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.''

    ''I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God''s dwelling ce is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."''

    Yes, heaven, true heaven, isn''t in the ethereal sky; it''s here on earth. Don''t waste energy seeking God''s dwelling in the heavens; it''s not up there��it''s here on earth. As long as we, through revolution, demolish the old world, heaven will manifest itself on earth, and God will dwell among us. Then ''He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'' My friends, heaven is on earth. Revolution is the only way to bring about heaven, it''s redemption!

    "No wonder Jesus said, ''It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.'' No wonder, in the earliest days when Jesus was present, his disciples abandoned all personal possessions. No wonder the Romans, the Jews, wanted to kill Jesus," the butcher remarked.

    "But Jesus couldn''t be killed. He resurrected after three days. Because revolution cannot be killed. As long as there are people needing redemption, the revolution will continually resurrect. That''s the significance of Jesus''s resurrection, that''s the true gospel," Fekin said. "I believe if Jesus were alive today, in this new century, he would undoubtedly be a revolutionary warrior. A warrior spreading the gospel of revolution in the new era, fighting for it!"

    "Amen!" everyone echoed together.

 Chapter 315: Gods Tabernacle

    Chapter 315: God''s Tabernacle

    In the Roman court of heresy.

    This stands as the highest religious court in the Catholic world, established by Pope Paul III in 1542. It holds the highest authority in religious judgment within the Catholic world, overseeing religious trials across the Catholic realm.

    Differing from the Spanish Inquisition established in 1478 under Queen Isabe''s direct authority, primarily aimed at handling heretics, the Roman court of heresy is managed directly by the Pope. In a sense, this court showcases the power struggle between the church and secr authority. After all, the power to determine heresy should never rest in the hands of kings, even the most devout ones.

    Pope Paul III appointed six cardinals to form a central court known as the Sacred Roman Congregation of the Universal Inquisition. This institution demanded public penance from used individuals, including self-getion, pilgrimage to holy sites, fines, and wearing identifying clothing. For severe cases, it could result in property confiscation, imprisonment, or even execution by fire.

    However, those were practices long past. Though the Roman court of heresy still exists, its authority has significantly waned. Nheless, it still holds a crucial power��to judge whether a doctrine falls under heresy.

    "Your Eminence, a new form of heresy has emerged. It was discovered in Spain," a priest dressed in ck handed a document to Cardinal Dominico, in charge of the Roman court of heresy.

    Truth be told, heresies have be quitemon in recent years. Ever since Martin Luther initiated religious reforms, advocating "solely by the Bible," nearly half of Europe has turned heretical. The insistence on biblical interpretation has led to numerous absurd heresies, coupled with various ambitious individuals and fraudsters participating. If a day passes without a new sect suspected of heresy, it would be abnormal.

    "Rentini, refrain from swift judgments. We need further research to determine if this is heretical," the Cardinal smiled, shaking his head gently. In this era, dealing gently with those suspected of heresy is necessary. Thorough study is required to ascertain if redemption is possible, then persuasion can be attempted. Previously, they would have been swiftly arrested, interrogated, and if unrepentant, dealt with warmly and without bloodshed.

    However, today, the stakes are higher. The days of public executions are gone, and evenbeling someone a heretic isn''t done casually. Ifbeled, and if they acknowledge it, they might renounce Catholicism, turning to Protestantism, leading a flock away. Where would the Papacy be left to shepherd then?Look at the French church; they''ve made such a mess. As long as they im to be Catholic, the Papacy hesitates to call them heretics. Honestly, the majority of heretics in the past were far less troublesome than the French church''s heresy.

    As Rentini nodded, the Cardinal opened the document he had received. Upon seeing the prominent words "Revolutionary Theology" on the cover, the Cardinal frowned, almost dropping it. Those words sparked a notion��was this theology rted to the French Revolution? Was it concocted by the same group that even the French church, initially agreeing not to proselytize across districts, could possibly have spawned? How could they betray their promise, their fundamental trust?

    However, even if they had, what could be done? Could they dere them heretical? Such actions could easily turn the Papacy into the heretical one!

    Suppressing his disgust, the Cardinal continued reading. But as he progressed, his hands trembled uncontrobly, causing the papers to rustle loudly. It became impossible to continue. cing the documents on the desk, he sped his hands, praying to God, "Oh Lord, this is truly, terribly sphemous..."

    After a while, the Cardinal regainedposure and continued reading. Grim-faced, he finished and set the document down. Turning to Rentini, who stood nearby, he squinted and asked, "Rentini, have you seen this document?"

    "Yes, Your Eminence," Rentini replied, bowing his head.

    "What are your thoughts on the contents?" the Cardinal inquired.

    "I believe it''s heresy, the most evil kind in history!" Rentini promptly replied.

    "You''re right. But God remains forgiving. I''ll discuss this matter with the Pontiff and other cardinals. Until then, absolute secrecy is crucial. Understood?"

    "I understand, Your Eminence."

    The Cardinal nodded, took the document, and left, heading straight to the Papal Pce to meet Pope Pius VI.

    In history, Pope Pius VI faced imprisonment and died in 1799 due to his vacitions. But in this timeline, due to France''s decisive victory, he avoided immediate conflicts, surviving to this period.

    After meeting the Pope and exining the situation, the Cardinal handed over the document. After reviewing it, Pope Pius VI remarked, "This is undoubtedly a cursed heresy! Do you suspect this rtes to the French region?"

    "Yes, Your Holiness. I''m concerned this might have ties to France. Shall we reach out and inquire?" Cardinal Dominico asked.

    "No need. This document surely has connections to the French, but not from their jurisdiction. At least, the individuals in the French territory won''t acknowledge this doctrine as their own. Do you understand our implication?" the Pope responded.

    After a brief contemtion, Cardinal Dominico understood the Pope''s implication. The "Revolutionary Theology" contained extremely radical statements, exuding a Jacobin vor, or even the radical faction within the Jacobins. If these teachings were followed, nearly every elite in France today would face the guillotine. Though on a global scale, their turn on the guillotine mighteter.

    "Your Holiness, do you imply that remnants of the radicals are behind this?"

    "It''s possible, but not certain," Pope Pius VI said. "It might be French mischief aimed at causing trouble elsewhere. Those wretched French excel at that! Let''s copy this document and send it to the French, informing them of our discovery, observing their response."

    Soon, the Vatican''s missive reached the French Church, then quicklynded in the hands of Minister Fouch��.

    Fouch�� knew that this version of "Revolutionary Theology" circting in France would be detrimental to the country''s stability. While the revolutionary spirit stemmed from France, some views echoed his own. Yet, he was not keen on witnessing another revolution. In this regard, Fouch�� was an anti-revolutionary now. He understood that none from the Bonaparte family supported revolutions.

    However, he also knew this wouldn''t pose a significant threat to France at present. The French had encountered simr theories before, enduring through those times. Life then was iparable to today. Thus, Fouch�� wasn''t concerned about the spread within France. It would more likely spread outside France, which, at least for now, wasn''t detrimental to the French.

    As for Lucien, he was privy to more information. He knew a group, including remnants of French radicals, had purchased vastnds in Louisiana, intending to establish a "God''s Tabernacle" there��a region embracing democracy andmunal ownership.

    The Bonaparte brothers believed this organization could restrain America and pose a serious threat to Spain. Hence, it was worth supporting. While Spain was France''s ally, it didn

    ''t imply ack of conflicts between them. Besides, isn''t undermining an allied nation quite normal?

    France had long eyed Spain''s vast American territories. With the "God''s Tabernacle" and "Revolutionary Theology," Spain''s territories in America would be in turmoil, offering various opportunities for France.

    For instance, war would boost arms sales. France could sell weapons to Spain while allowing the American liberators through Louisiana''s "God''s Tabernacle" to purchase civilian weaponry��after all, the "God''s Tabernacle" citizens were legitimate French citizens.

    Moreover, France could infiltrate the Americas, especially South America. South America''s economic structure was severely distorted. Theycked an independent economy, entirely subservient to Europe''s economy. Even the so-called "liberators" couldn''t change this. Hence, France had a chance to turn the entirety of South America from Spanish territory to nominally independent but practically French territory.

 Chapter 316: Danger in Mexico

    Chapter 316: Danger in Mexico

    The Vatican swiftly received a response from the French diocese. The diocese believed that determining whether a religious sect was heretical was the responsibility of the Vatican, and they had no objections to that.

    This meant the French gave the Vatican the go-ahead tobel "Revolutionary Theology" as heretical. Although, it was somewhat embarrassing for the Vatican to have to check in with the French diocese before exercising its theoretical authority, especially concerning French matters. But this wasn''t the first time such a thing had happened with the Vatican, especially regarding France. Remember the Temr heresy case? Didn''t the French king say who was heretical, and the Vatican echoed that sentiment?

    Receiving the response from the French diocese didn''t embarrass the Vatican much; in fact, they were rather pleased. It meant they could now make judgments freely in their own interest.

    The Roman court promptly initiated an investigation into the incident, quickly understanding that this "Revolutionary Theology" discovered in Spain had spread from the Americas.

    "What is the Mexican court doing? How could they not detect this thing or take action? When such heretical thoughts cross the Antic back to the Old World, it''s not just a one or two-person problem over in the New World. It''s like finding one cockroach in a room; there won''t be just one, they''ll be everywhere." Cardinal Dominico himself was Spanish and understood the threat this kind of thinking posed to Spain when it appeared in the Americas.

    So, Cardinal Dominico immediately proposed to the Pope to dere "Liberation Theology" as heretical. He urged the various dioceses to investigate rted heresies to protect "God''s flock." Especially towards the Americas and the Mexican court; otherwise, there might be significant trouble there.

    The religious tribunal, besides its headquarters in Rome, had two crucial branches, historically even older than the Roman tribunal.

    The first branch was the Spanish religious tribunal, established during Queen Isabe''s era. With her support, the Spanish religious tribunal and the queen coborated, turning a once green region in history into a different shade.

    The other branch was the Mexican religious tribunal. Its history was equally ancient, even predating the Roman tribunal. During the Spanish conquest of the Americas, Catholicism and the Mexican tribunal yed pivotal roles.In a sense, the interests of the Vatican and Spain were deeply intertwined, particrly after the chaos in France due to the Revolution.

    So, Cardinal Dominico''s suggestion was swiftly epted. The Vatican promptly passed a resolution, dering "Revolutionary Theology" a "cursed heresy" and dispatched envoys to various dioceses.

    The most critical envoys were those sent to the Americas. Because other dioceses either likely had few of these heresies or, even if they did, it wasn''t the Vatican''s priority.

    The envoy dispatched to the Americas was Bishop Carlos, Cardinal Dominico''s nephew, from a noble Spanish family. He had previously worked in the Mexican diocese, familiar with the situation there.

    Upon receiving the task, Bishop Carlos, after consulting Cardinal Dominico, immediately set off for Mexico. He knew that the fastest route to the Americas wasn''t from Spain but finding a merchant ship willing to take passengers from France.

    So, he headed straight to the port of Le Havre, where he could find a clipper bound for the Americas.

    For most people, clippers weren''t ideal for travel due to their extreme swaying. But the Vatican was deeply concerned about the heresies causing havoc in the Americas, so they urged Bishop Carlos to expedite. Moreover, Bishop Carlos himself desired to elevate his status for both himself and his family, willing to endure hardships. Plus, having sailed many times, he could handle it.

    However, finding a reliable ship heading to the Americas took time. If he inadvertently boarded an unreliable ship, in the vast sea, the consequences could be dire.

    Yet, Bishop Carlos managed to find a trustworthy ship. It belonged to Stephen Girard and regrly sailed between France and Mexico, rtively dependable. More importantly, Bishop Carlos knew the ship''s captain, Lopez.

    Lopez''s ship was scheduled to set sail in two days, so Bishop Carlos had to wait. During this time, he conversed with Captain Lopez about the current situation in North America. In their discussion, Bishop Carlos mentioned "Revolutionary Theology."

    "Ah, I know about this. It''s the lunacying from Louisiana. Father, you might not know, but the French, to develop Louisiana, passed something called the ''Homestead Act.'' Any man who can speak French��even my crew here, with their low French skills��willing to swear allegiance to France, can apply fornd in Louisiana. It''s quite a lot ofnd, over a hundred acres! Farm it for a few years or pay a small sum, and it''s yours.

    They even gave prisoners in jail a choice: work as farmers in Louisiana or feed mice in jail. So, various criminals were dumped in Louisiana. I''ve heard even some extreme Jacobins were exiled there.

    They''ve concocted this ''Revolutionary Theology.'' Apparently, quite a few madmen believe in it. They''ve gathered in the northern part of Louisiana, bought a huge piece ofnd, and established their own vige. They''ve set up their own church organization there called ''God''s Tabernacle,'' meaning ''God''s Tabernacle on Earth.''

    Their practices there are somewhat simr to what''s described in the early apostles in the Bible. They''ve donated all their possessions to the church. Inside these cities they''ve built, everything, whether it''s meals or anything else, is free, distributed by the church. The church members are democratically elected. These fellows sure know how to y."

    "Have many people joined them?" Bishop Carlos asked.

    "Not many. Why would anyone give up personal wealth when they can getnd from the government? But I''ve heard they''ve attracted quite a few from the Old World. Besides, some struggling Mexicans are willing to join them. They teach them French, arrange an oath of allegiance..."

    "And then they getnd?" Bishop Carlos chuckled.

    "Not always, if they willingly choose. From what I know, not many are voluntary. But there are some. Becausepared to working alone, they do have some advantages. For instance, they can pool resources for things other individuals can''t manage. Like having the best irrigation for theirnd. I heard they''re nning to build a power nt, possibly the first in all North America. Also, they have many dealings with the indigenous people, making a good profit. Seems they''re living quite well."

    "These cursed heretics!" thought Bishop Carlos.

    "Captain, do these people do missionary work outside?"

    "Of course. Have you ever seen a church that doesn''t spread its message? But in Louisiana, not many pay attention to them. But I''ve heard in Mexico, many indigenous and poor people are willing to listen."

    Bishop Carlos felt a jolt within. He then asked, "Doesn''t the religious tribunal intervene?"

    Here, the religious tribunal referred to the Mexican religious tribunal. Compared to the European tribunals forced to civilize, the Mexican tribunal still possessed significant authority. In the Americas, Spain''s rule heavily relied on Catholicism, and Catholicism, in turn, gained a position in Europe that was otherwise impossible. Although theoretically, Mexico''s tribunal had civilized and no longer had the power to directly imprison or execute, much

    like how Calvin didn''t rely on religious courts but used the municipal authorities to burn Servetus. Mexico''s religious tribunal influenced secr courts to handle heretics and non-believers as they wished.

    "The Mexican religious tribunal? How could they deal with the French? Even if those ''God''s Tabernacle'' fellows aren''t weed in France, they''re still French. The tribunal might target those who listen to these French missionaries. But how effective could that be?" Captain Lopez sneered.

 Chapter 317: The Theological Revolution

    Chapter 317: The Theological Revolution

    Before dawn, Father Miguel Idalgo Casti, as usual, rose to prepare for his sermon. Idalgo was a Mexican-born Caucasian in a society divided by hierarchies. At the top were the "Peninsres," authentic Spaniards born on the Iberian Penins. They held sway in Mexico, controlling the upper echelons of the church and the government, and owning vastnds and interests.

    The second tier, the "Creoles," born in the Spanish colonies, were also considered "white." However, they didn''t enjoy the same status as the Peninsres. Spanish rule in Mexico included the killing of many indigenous people and the migration of poor individuals from the Iberian Penins to the Americas. Women among the poor who managed the journey overseas were rare, causing a scarcity of women in Mexico.

    This issue needed resolution for the stability of the colony. The solution was grim: killing indigenous men and taking their women. Consequently, the indigenous poption declined while the number of white people increased. However, these whites often had an indigenous mother or grandmother, seen as tarnishing their purity by the "Peninsres."

    Although legally recognized as Spanish and white, the Creoles were marginalized from high positions in the church and state. They were barred from economic activities inpetition with the mothend, like textile workshops, vineyards, olive groves, or money lending.

    The third tierprised the fewer indigenous people, many of whom were ves. Additionally, they bore higher taxespared to other sses.

    This led the Creoles to feel oppressed, believing they had fled from one form of mistreatment in the Old World to encounter it anew in the New World.

    This ss system, in Joseph''s words, showcased the astounding extent of human stupidity. Discussing colonial ns in North America, Joseph addressed his brothers:

    "Politically, the basic principle should be to unite more people against our enemies. Pull everyone who can support us closer, reduce our enemies. But the Spanish fools? The Creoles, natural political allies, are forced into a lower ss. No wonder they resent Spain! Their rule''s asking for trouble!"

    Since Spanish rule faltered in the Americas, the Bonaparte brothers felt it fairer to favor France over Spain. Despite their alliance, they believed it unwise not to take advantage of Spain''s foolish stance.Simultaneously, as France''s situation improved, burgeoning production outpaced market capacity. To ease tensions, disquieting elements within France and across Europe were exiled. Lucien devised a n named "Ideal Country," aiming to entice troublemakers to Louisiana to pursue their ideals, effectively stirring the pot.

    This nter included using indigenous people to disrupt the "Mountain-Top City." To evade attention, it was renamed "God''s Tabernacle."

    Under the deliberate guidance of the "Ministry of Truth," dissenters in northern Louisiana bought considerablend, establishing their "God''s Tabernacle." Like all Abraham-based religions, the "Revolutionary Theology" sect fervently preached, interpreting Saint Paul''s missionary journey to Rome:

    "To carry the cross is to make the redemption and liberation of all humanity our goal. Establishing and of equality and freedom in the New World is a start, but it''s not enough. True liberation means ensuring every brother worldwide is redeemed and liberated. A genuine Christian is only liberated when all humanity is freed. This is why Saint Paul risked spreading the gospel to Rome."

    So, the priests of "Revolutionary Theology," based in Louisiana, propagated their doctrine. They even established a "Liberation Theological Institute" in Hope City, Nebraska, showcasing their zealous missionary spirit.

    Idalgo received his theological training at the Bdr��s Theological Institute in Baeza, Spain, earning a master''s degree. Returning to Mexico, he prepared to continue his priesthood. On his journey back, he debated with a "Revolutionary Theology" priest named Benjamin on theological matters. Idalgo, agitated,unched vitriolic attacks on Benjamin.

    To Idalgo''s surprise, Benjaminughed heartily. He said, "Father Idalgo, I understand your fervor. You''re not opposing me; you''re fighting your inner voice. I won''t debate you further; it''ste, and I''m not one for staying upte. If you''re interested in theological discussions in the future, knock on my door. I''m in the adjacent cabin."

    Benjamin retired to his cabin, leaving Idalgo restless in bed, mentally continuing their argument.

    Idalgo was thoroughly defeated in their debate. He found himself silenced by his inner Benjamin, even harboring thoughts of harming this "Satan."

    For several days, Idalgo secluded himself in his cabin, avoiding interaction. After a week, nearing the Americas, he emerged and knocked on Benjamin''s cabin door.

    Originally set to disembark at Altamira Port, Idalgo joined Benjamin and disembarked at New Orleans, continuing up the Mississippi River towards the Liberation Theological Institute in Hope City.

    His two-month stay at the institute was transformational. He imed to have truly discovered God and truth there. The fog that clouded his vision dissipated, revealing a clear understanding of the world.

    Returning to Mexico armed with his master''s degree, Idalgo obtained the position of parish priest in the entire Catholic Dolores Parish, the highest position a Creole could attain within the Church.

    The Dolores Parish had many indigenous converts and some Creoles with indigenous heritage. Yet, life was harsh for both pure-blooded indigenous and mixed-race Creoles. Thend''s fertility for crops like maize was poor, and the taxes imposed by the Spanish were burdensome.

    The region''s climate was suitable for vineyards and olive groves, but to safeguard Spain''s high-priced wine and olive oil markets, nting grapes and olives was forbidden across Mexico.

    Utilizing his status, Idalgo aided indigenous and Creole individuals to acquire grapes and olives, assisting in winemaking and oil production, which they sold ndestinely.

    These actions earned Idalgo admiration and a growing congregation. During his sermons, he subtly integrated elements of "Revolutionary Theology," resonating deeply with indigenous and impoverished Creoles. Now, a growing number rallied around him.

    Forming a cooperative,prising grape and olive cultivators, they stockpiled weapons under the guise of opposing smuggling patrols.

    Today was another preaching day, and Idalgo was ready early, expecting his congregation. However, urgent hoofbeats disrupted the silence outside the church.

 Chapter 318: Dolores Call

    Chapter 318: Dolores'' Call

    Hearing the sound of hooves outside, Idalgo was slightly surprised. Dolores was quite remote, with few people passing through during the day, so a group riding hastily at this hour meant something was amiss. Turning to Josephine, who was helping him arrange his preaching materials, he said, "Stay here; I''ll go check."

    Catholic priests were expected to remain celibate, but that didn''t mean theycked certain needs. There were reasons why some priests in Catholicism developed an unhealthy inclination towards young boys. However, there had been a gradual shift in this rule. While celibacy persisted in principle, the understanding evolved to allow priests to do as they pleased as long as their actions remained hidden. For instance, the renowned Pope Pius VI maintained numerous mistresses, one of whom was even his own illegitimate daughter.

    Following the trend, many Catholic priests, Idalgo included, had partners and children. In these respects, "theology of revolution" directly stated: "God resides in the love between people; only the devil hates the love among them."

    Josephine nodded, and Idalgo grabbed antern in one hand and a revolver in the other, opening the door to investigate the source of the approaching hoofbeats.

    The eastern sky remained pitch ck, the darkest moment before dawn.

    In the distance, Idalgo spotted severalnterns approaching.

    "Who goes there?" Idalgo asked.

    The horses halted, and a figure jumped off the front one, raising thentern hung on the saddle to illuminate a face adorned with a bushy beard.

    "Father, it''s me, Alexander!" Captain Alexander was Idalgo''s friend, a white native of thend. Previously, he had been of great assistance in smuggling wine and olive oil through Dolores.Upon Idalgo introducing elements of "revolutionary theology" into his sermons, Captain Alexander promptly warned him. He cautioned that such thoughts were perilous; if discovered by the Mexican religious tribunal, Idalgo would be deemed a heretic.

    He emphasized that beingbeled a heretic in Europe might not have severe consequences, but in Mexico, the religious tribunal still wielded the power to execute!

    "I understand your point. It makes sense. But, my friend, I don''t want to see you be a torchbearer. However, are you... I mean, are you sincere? Do you truly believe in what you say and are willing to fight for it?"

    "Yes, my friend. Just as Jesus said, ''Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'' I live not for food but for truth," Idalgo replied.

    "Then count me in!" Captain Alexander said. "The time for change in this world has arrived!"

    This conversation became a crucial step in the Mexican revolution. The revolutionary group began arming themselves.

    "Alexander, my friend, what''s happening?" Idalgo hurriedly asked.

    "Someone has informed the religious tribunal that you''re a follower of ''revolutionary theology.'' You know, half a month ago, a bishop arrived from Rome, specifically tasked to hunt down ''revolutionary theology'' heretics. Last night at nine, I received word that the police woulde to arrest you at dawn," Captain Alexander said. "Fortunately, they don''t know we''re all in this together, all deemed ''heretics.'' The situation is dire. What''s your n? We''ll follow your lead!"

    Upon hearing this news, Idalgo expected to be shocked, but oddly, he remained remarkably calm. Faced with this sudden development, he felt no agitation; he even found himself smiling.

    "My friends, we''ve prepared for so long, all for this day, haven''t we? You''re not here alone but with ourrades from the army, all for this day. We''ve toiled in the wilderness these days, all to ''prepare His way, make His paths straight.'' Now, this day has finally arrived! Alright, everyone, you''ve worked hard. Come inside, rest, and when dawn breaks, when the masses assemble..."

    The cavalry led their horses to the back of the church, preparing.

    As the sun rose, Father Idalgo donned a ck robe, came to the church''s entrance, and rang the bell himself.

    By mid-morning, a crowd had gathered. They encircled Father Idalgo''s pulpit, awaiting his sermon.

    Father Idalgo began preaching, openly including the contents of "revolutionary theology," overturning the "Bible twisted by the false church of Satan''s followers." Finally, he proimed that Jesus'' path was a path against all oppression, a path of redemption, and liberation.

    "The Bible says: ''A voice of one calling in the wilderness, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him."'' This path is Jesus'' path, leading people to liberation from very, the road to freedom and redemption, just as legitor Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt..."

    At that moment, a cloud of dust rose from the road �C galloping horses approaching. Probably the policeing to arrest Father Idalgo for his beliefs.

    Shortly after, a few policemen arrived at the church''s entrance. Led by a white native, they brandished batons, pushing aside some Indigenous people gathered nearby, advancing toward Father Idalgo''s pulpit.

    Father Idalgo had noticed them earlier. Now, as his sermon reached its climax, he shouted to the crowd, "My children, do you desire freedom? Do you wish for a happy life? Three hundred years ago, detestable Spanish colonial thieves stole our ancestors''nds. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reim them?"

    Indigenous and white natives around shouted in unison, "Hang the colonial thieves!" "Long live independence!" "Long live freedom!"

    At that moment, the colonial police, having just reached the pulpit, were about to announce the arrest of Father Idalgo in the name of God and the king. Surrounding cries drowned their speech. The thunderous roar overwhelmed the lead policeman, who stood agape, unable to utter a word.

    As the surrounding mor subsided, everyone noticed the policemen now close to the pulpit. Countless eyes fixated on them, a gaze as weighty as the Rockies, making the policemen break into a sweat.

    The lead, trembling policeman opened his mouth and finally shouted, "Hang the colonial thieves! Long live Mexican independence!"

    His fellow policemen immediately raised their fists high, joining in, "Down with the wicked Spanish, long live Mexican independence!"

    With those words, the policemen felt a sudden lightness. The stares that had been fixed on them softened.

    The lead policeman hastily grabbed the white native who had led them, dragging him forward and kicking him to the ground in front of Father Idalgo. Father Idalgo nced down and recognized him as Leonardo, a smuggler who had purchased their wine.

    "Father, it''s this guy who snitched!" the policeman indignantly pointed at Leonardo with his baton.

    "So, it was you who informed?" a mixed-race man drew his knife.

    "You betrayed us? How much did you sell us out for? Thirty pieces of silver?" an Indigenous man questioned.

    Father Idalgo stepped forward, asking, "What''s going on?"

    "Father, it''s like this," the chubby policeman replied with a smile, "the damned Bishop Carlos arrived recently, offering rewards for catching ''revolutionary theology'' heretics. This traitor, this shameless scoundrel, for

    money, ran to snitch! I spit on him! Such shameless bastards, traitors, Judases! He went to the religious tribunal and snitched that you''re a ''revolutionary theology'' heretic. Spit! What''s wrong with revolution? Mexico should''ve been damned well revolutionized! Damn those peninsres, those nobles, those bishops! It''s high time we hanged those damned colonial thieves on the gallows! So, we brought this traitor here for you."

    "Sheriff, how could you..." the smuggler began.

    The chubby policeman swiftly struck him in the mouth with his baton, knocking out two teeth.

    "Shut up, you damned Judas! I hate the Spanish thieves second, you traitors first! If I can''t beat the Spanish thieves, can''t I beat you?" he said.

    Then, with a grin, he said to Father Idalgo, "Father, are we starting a rebellion? I know the city inside out. I''m willing to join the revolution, let me lead the way! I''m willing to support the revolution; let me guide the revolutionary army!"

    "Yes, yes!" other policemen chimed in. "Father, we''re ready to guide the revolutionary army! Let''s act now, Father! Let''s catch those Spanish thieves off guard!"

 Chapter 319: Telegrams and Codes

    Chapter 319: Telegrams and Codes

    News of the uprising in Mexico took nearly a month to reach Europe, and it didn''t cause much of a stir there. After all, Mexico seemed too distant for the average European. Only the Spanish ambassador to France submitted a weakly worded protest, urging France to restrain the activities of heretics within its borders and control the flow of weapons.

    "Juan, as you know, our ''Code of Law'' guarantees religious freedom," Talleyrand calmly epted the protest handed by the Spanish ambassador, casually cing it in the drawer of his desk. "Though personally and among those with some knowledge of religion, we know that this ''theology of revolution'' is heretical. But in our country, heresy iswful. Unless theymit something truly drastic, we can''t constrain them ording to thew. Heresy and preaching itself, we can''t control. At least not in France and its territories. You might not be aware, but there are about five or six fellows wandering in France iming to be the living Jesus. We haven''t thrown them all into jail because of our religious and speech freedoms."

    "As far as I know," Ambassador Juan remarked, "of those ''living Jesus'' individuals, there were five, and four ended up in mental asylums."

    "That''s because their families applied to hospitals, and with qualified doctors'' diagnoses, they were admitted. This is a matter of medicine. How could that be considered imprisonment?"

    "But there''s one ''living Jesus'' detained in prison by your government?"

    "Oh, he''s inside, but not for religious reasons. I''m sure he wasn''t arrested due to religious grounds. In our France, it''s a free and democratic republic. Our people have the liberty to believe in any religion or none, switch from one faith to another, or even embrace all religions at once. No one here gets locked up for religious reasons. The one you mention was detained for illegal medical practice resulting in death. He imed that by touching the patient and shouting ''I am Jesus, Imand illness to leave this person,'' he could cure them, which ended up fatal. If the patient hadn''t died, we wouldn''t have arrested him. Our governmentcks authority over religious beliefs."

    Talleyrand gestured helplessly. "But these heretical theories are so absurd. Strengthening education might quickly refute their erroneous views and resolve this."

    Ambassador Juan realized he couldn''t expect much help on this issue from a group of devout Catholics. Even today, was there a greater heresy than the French Church? Even Lutherans or the entire Protestant movement werebeled heretics by the Church. Unlike the French, who were clearly heretical, the Church refrained from acknowledging it.

    "What about weapon control?" inquired Ambassador Juan."Ah, that''s not a significant issue," replied Minister Talleyrand briskly. "Our nations are allies. We won''t aid each other''s enemies. We certainly won''t sell them weapons. I assure you; we haven''t sold arms to Mexico."

    "But from our knowledge, the rebels in Mexico possess French weapons," the ambassador mentioned.

    "That must be smuggling," Talleyrand asserted calmly. "In the Americas, especially Louisiana, wherews are scarce, one''s safety and property security rely on a gun. Unlike Europe, firearms are freely traded there, and it''s challenging to control. For instance, a group of new immigrants nning to farm further north encounters Native Americans and American bandits. To peacefully buy furs from the Native Americans, we must ensure they have enough weapons for self-defense."

    "In Louisiana, all sorts of firearms, even thetest cannons, can be legally purchased��only for French citizens. Because up north, there have been instances of British, American, and even Native Americans using cannons to rob our settlers. We can''t watch them oppress our immigrants with cannons."

    "We assure you, if a Mexican crosses the border into Louisiana and attempts to buy weapons from a store without legal documentation, not even a fruit knife would be sold to them. If any store vites this, they''ll be fined severely. But if they wait outside and casually persuade a Frenchman heading in to buy guns for them, that''s beyond our control. It''s not that we don''t want to regte it; ourw enforcement in the New World is insufficient. We''ll enhance border patrols and intercept smugglers. Your country should do the same to prevent weapon smuggling."

    Talleyrand smiled suddenly. "However, Ambassador Juan, you know the border between Louisiana and Mexico is vast. Completely sealing such a lengthy border isn''t easy, nearly impossible. Alternatively, your country could directly purchase more and better weapons from us. With your superior resources and manpower,bined with our advanced arms, I believe your country can sessfully quell the rebellion in Mexico."

    Observing Talleyrand''s earnest, almost royal-like smile, Ambassador Juan almost lost control and wanted to throw his white glove at Talleyrand''s face. However, he restrained himself, telling Talleyrand, "Minister, our nations are allies. We abide by the treaties, cherish our friendship. I hope, at this time, we can sincerely assist each other and navigate through these turbulent waters."

    With that, Ambassador Juan bid farewell and hurried back to the embassy. He documented today''s negotiations with the French and tranted them into coded reports, sending them via telegraph from Paris to Madrid.

    Between France and Madrid,mercial telegraph lines existed by now. However, since these lines were managed by Frenchpanies, crucial and confidential messages needed encryption. Even with encryption, it was still unsafe. Telegraphpanies archived these messages, and with enough databined with current events, deciphering these codes wasn''t difficult. Considering that cryptography hadn''t emerged in this era, the so-called "encrypted messages" were of poor quality, akin to childish rhymes or overly obvious hints.

    However, among the French, there was a man named Joseph who had crossed over. Though he himself knew only a single term rted to cryptography, he had some understanding of permutations andbinations. Coupled with a general direction and theck of proper encryption awareness in this era, deciphering these messages became easier when one could automatically ess all telegraphed content. Unlike these times, the encryption tactics were constant, like the Kuomintang, using the same code for years, making it easy for the White Eagle to feed false information to them.

    Comparatively, despite the poor encryption skill of the former Rabbit, the Grasshopper Army thought they could crack Rabbit''s codes in at most two months, but they never seeded until the Grasshopper Army surrendered because the Rabbit changed codebooks every month or so.

    So, in the eyes of the Ministry of Truth and Public Security, the ciphers used by the Spanish government were almost as good as in text. Just as Ambassador Juan''s message was ryed, the French already knew its content. When directives from Spain returned, Lucien learned this even earlier than Ambassador Juan, as thetter had to wait for the telegraphpany to deliver the message. Lucien, on the other hand, received the tranted content directly via telephone.

    "Interesting, the Spaniards are resolute... What? How could the Spaniards do this? This is too..." Lucien was startled by the decisiveness of the Spanish.

 Chapter 320: Land Acquisition

    Chapter 320: Land Acquisition

    The day after receiving orders from Madrid, Ambassador Juan once again visited the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with Foreign Minister Talleyrand.

    At this point, Talleyrand was already well aware of Juan''s purpose. The Ministry of Truth had handed him organized intelligence the day before. Having reviewed reliable documents supposedly obtained from a contact in Spain, Talleyrand mentally apuded Lucien and promptly went to meet Napoleon, discussing and preparing their response.

    In the opulent reception room of the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Juan met Foreign Minister Talleyrand again.

    "Your Excellency, I am tasked with presenting a proposal to your country," Ambassador Juan said.

    "My friend, I am all ears," Talleyrand replied, spreading his hands.

    "We wish to purchase a quantity of arms from your country," Juan stated.

    "That''s not an issue," Talleyrand smiled. "We are allies; our arsenal is open to our friends."

    "However, Your Excellency, you are aware that at present, we might struggle to produce such arge sum of money," Ambassador Juan added.

    "That is not a problem; we can loan you the money," Talleyrand smiled. "For our allies, we are always willing to offer reasonable assistance within our means. I know several bankers, and I believe, given Spain''s status and reputation, favorable loan conditions can be obtained from them."Indeed, Spain''s economic state wasn''t much better than pre-revolutionary France. Before the French Revolution, King Louis XVI had resorted to borrowing from bankers to sustain finances. However, he overextended himself, failing to repay, resulting in a cycle of borrowing anew to settle old debts. In modern times, this might not be a bad strategy, like some nations nowadays.

    However, there was a significant difference in this era��the interest rates for loans were generally much higher. While modern nations might secure loans with an interest rate of two to three percent, here, rates could soar as high as twenty-three percent if things went awry. Such rates, coupled with the influence of the mightiest forces in the universe, made this tactic unsustainable.

    In this era, dealing with bankers was akin to dealing with usurers. The interest rates for loans were not a minor concern; they could reach twenty-three percent with an ounce of conscience. Such rates,bined with the influence of the most potent forces, made this approach untenable. The inevitable consequence would be a default on the debt, making future borrowing arduous and conditions stricter.

    While Spain hadn''t reached Louis XVI''s level, its credit in the debt market was mediocre. This meant that even borrowing would demand higher interest rates, attracting lenders only if offering more significant interest rates��a "favorable loan condition" im was misleading.

    Regarding French government aid, well, the Napoleonic Code explicitly stipted France''s adherence to free markets and trade, without governmental intervention.

    Of course, this was theoretical. In reality, the expanding Franco-Bank Alliance was assuming a central bank-like role. Considering the Bonaparte family''s status in this alliance, they could easily align the union''s actions with France''s policies. Some even argued that it wasn''t the alliance aligning with France, but rather the government aligning with the union.

    In essence, Talleyrand''s words sounded good, but whether borrowing from the French or English, the interest rates wouldn''t likely be low.

    "Our King does not intend to umte excessive debt as it burdens our people," Juan remarked. "His Majesty is a benevolent ruler, unwilling to burden his people excessively."

    "It''s not about avoiding burdening the people but fearing that the Spanish popce might initiate a revolution akin to the French," Talleyrand thought to himself. Aloud, he said, "Your country''s King has an admirable heart for his people. I believe your people, under your King''s wise leadership, will ovee these minor hardships."

    It sounded pleasant, but the actual implication was, "I cannot assist you; you''re on your own. Your fate lies with you."

    "Your Excellency, we have another proposal," Ambassador Juan said.

    "I am all ears. We have always been willing to assist our allies when an opportunity arises," Talleyrand replied.

    "Your enthusiasm in exploiting allies is quite noteworthy," Juan thought inwardly, but his smile remained genuine.

    "We n to sell a portion of our territories in North America to obtain necessary funds," Juan stated.

    "Ah," Talleyrand feigned surprise. "Which areas does your country intend to sell?"

    "We n to sell Florida. Does your country have an interest in it?" Juan replied.

    At present, Florida belonged to Spain, yet American influence there was substantial. If thend were sold to the Americans, they''d gain a strong foothold in the Caribbean. This wasn''t good news for France, especially as they aimed to develop Louisiana and expand northward. Hence, both Talleyrand and Napoleon agreed yesterday that it was unwise to let thisnd fall into American hands.

    However, they also saw selling Florida as a means to pressure France into offering more money. Losing Florida would bring the Americans closer to the Caribbean, posing a greater threat to Spain''s interests.

    Moreover, Spain''s im to sell Florida aimed to further provoke tensions between France and the United States. Though Florida belonged to Spain, it had been under British rule just twenty years ago. The primary poption there was Anglo-Saxon. Despite legally being Spanish, the Spanish couldn''t control the territory. If no other intervening forces appeared, it was only a matter of time before it fell into American hands.

    If thisnd were to end up in French possession, given France''s current strength, American infiltration would be difficult. This would inadvertently secure other Spanish territories, particrly Cuba.

    "Florida? That area is rich. Your government should profit significantly from it. Selling it off now, isn''t that regrettable?" Talleyrand questioned. "Moreover, due to the demographics in that region, to be honest, our interest isn''t substantial."

    The American navy was not yet capable of severing the link between France and Louisiana. So, when Joseph discussed Spain''s intention to sell Florida with Napoleon, he emphasized that even if Florida fell into American hands, the immediate threat would be rtively limited. Assuming control of the area would bring about a slew of problems. Thus, Talleyrand''s current stance was not just bluffing to drive up the price.

    "If your country isn''t interested, then we''ll have no choice but to sell thisnd to the Americans," Ambassador Juan said.

    "This is your internal affair; we do not wish to interfere," Talleyrand responded. "However, given our alliance, we are willing to assist your country in this matter. I believe any transaction, with only one buyer, finds it challenging to fetch a good price. We can cooperate to create an appearance of keen interest in purchasing Florida, helping raise its price. Of course, this would antagonize the United States, for which we would requirepensation."

    This request surprised Ambassador Juan, but he inquired, "What kind ofpensation do you require?"

    "We also hope to purchase some of your country''snds in North America. We wish to acquire several ports on the Pacific to expand our trade routes. Since our trade with the Far East has been disrupted since our setbacks in India, we seek to re-establish it through this route. Thus, we hope to buy the Panama region. Additionally, for facilitating whaling activities in the Pacific, we wish to purchase San Francisco and San Jose from your nation."

    The strategic importance of

    Panama didn''t need boration��even without a canal. As for San Francisco, it had a name familiar to many Chinese: "Old Gold Mountain." This name stemmed from a shallowly buried gold mine nearby, inciting a famous gold rush. Joseph had seen numerous Western films in his previous life involving these regions. If they could secure these territories through the Mexican revolution, it would undoubtedly be a profitable move.

    Convincing Napoleon and Lucien to support him wouldn''t be difficult. Previously, he had dispatched exploration teams to North America under the guise of the French Academy of Sciences to study its geology and flora and fauna. Then he informed Napoleon, "Our people have discovered gold deposits near San Francisco."

    This wasn''t a lie since Joseph had specifically sent these exploration teams to these locations.

    "Captain Jones of the exploration team discovered gold particles in the rivers near San Francisco. But he''s cautious and hasn''t disclosed this secret. Hence, it remains undisclosed. Right now, these areas are wilderness; acquiring them at this juncture won''t cost much and is undoubtedly profitable," Joseph exined to his two brothers.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 320 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 321: Winds of Change

    Chapter 321: Winds of Change

    Talleyrand''s suggestion caught Juanpletely off guard. Therefore, Juan felt it necessary to express to Talleyrand that he would need to conduct further research on this matter back in his homnd.

    As he escorted Ambassador Juan out, Talleyrand mentioned, "Ambassador Juan, I won''t keep it from you. As you''re aware, in our country, not long ago, we sessfully developed the steam lotive. Its carrying capacity rivals that of ships, and in some aspects, it surpasses them. If we gain control of the Panama region, we intend to invest there and construct a railway connecting the Antic and Pacific. Such a railway is bound to be highly profitable. Consider this, presently, there''s a scarcity of whales in the Antic. To hunt them, one must venture to the Pacific, to the White Sea. And to reach the Pacific, one must navigate around the Magen Strait, circumvent the entirety of the Americas, significantly increasing the time and cost of transporting whale oil back.

    Furthermore, the Magen Strait is perilous, with numerous ships capsizing there annually, adding significantly to costs. If we establish a railway from the east to the west coast of Panama, the scenario changes entirely. Various Pacific goods could traverse from here, saving substantial costs alone. Controlling such a railway means whale oil from the White Sea, copper and nitrates from Peru, all passing through here. Ambassador, would you consider investing in this?"

    Upon returning to the embassy, Ambassador Juan promptly began drafting a report. He meticulously transformed the document into a ciphered version, despite its near futility, as Juan remained unaware.

    While Spain hadn''t responded yet, new information reached Napoleon''s ears.

    "What? How can the Spanish be so obtuse? I remember, we were quite restrained, we only sold them some civilian weapons! Lucien, are you sure this information is urate? No mishaps?"

    "Absolutely certain. No issues. Our intelligence saw it firsthand. Napoleon, don''t mistake the Spanish army for the French! Especially, don''t equate Spain''s colonial forces with France''s. They''re not on the same level. Additionally, in Mexico, the Spanish forces still use weaponry and tactics simr to our adversaries encountered in Valmy. They''re a generation behind.

    On the rebel side, they''ve bought civilian guns from Louisiana. Though civilian, these are genuine new-model rifled guns. Their morale isn''tparable. It''s a mismatch! I think, if you were..."

    Unfortunately, that was nearly twenty days ago. No word if Mexico City remained in Spanish hands." Lucien remarked."Me? Heh..." Napoleon chuckled, not bothering to counter Lucien seriously. In matters of military strategy, Napoleon dismissed debating with Lucien entirely. Regarding dealing with amateurs, Napoleon always admired a quote from Joseph: ''For instance, someone tells me, ''Your melon, the explosives you use aren''t good, you should use ck powder, not nitrocellulose, and it''s better to add some lime, sand, or something to increase the potency.'' I won''t argue with him, even if I just nce at him, that''s my defeat."

    "In theory, the rebelsck heavy artillery, almost no siege capability. Taking Mexico City won''t be that easy. But... Joseph, you''re a defense expert, what''s your n to hold onto Mexico City at this time?" Napoleon suddenly turned to his elder brother.

    "Hold Mexico City? Hold onto what? In this situation, what''s there to hold onto? If it were me, I''d immediately pack up, blow up all the cannons, gather our people, and rush to Veracruz! The rebels mayck heavy weapons, but, Napoleon, let me ask you, do you think, at this point, the defenders of Mexico City still have the will to fight?"

    "If they had the will to fight, they wouldn''t have been thrashed by the rebels, who were outnumbered five to one in the previous skirmish! Even with weapon disparity, it shouldn''t have been this bad."

    "Is the situation in Mexico City stable? No surprises brewing?" Joseph inquired.

    "Heh, Mexico City is mostly Creoles. Who they stand with isn''t a question." Napoleon chuckled, "Joseph, your insight is spot on. At this time, the best course is to retreat to Veracruz. But making a split-second decision to flee, Joseph, that''s truly your style."

    "This isn''t fleeing, it''s repositioning!" Joseph countered, "Throughout history, no matter how fortified a stronghold, if there are internal issues, it''s untenable. So, Monsieur Montesquieu advised us, ''In war, geographical advantage outweighs meteorological advantage, while internal unity within the army is even more critical than geographical advantage.'' Today, the rebels are evidently more united, and they have superiority in both numbers and equipment. Shouldn''t we run? Wait to be led to the guillotine?"

    "Joseph, the Spaniards are fond of guillotines now and then. They''re quite traditional, still using gallows," Lucien remarked.

    "The effect isn''t as good as the guillotine!" Joseph smirked. That was true. If given a choice between the gallows and the guillotine, theoretically, the guillotine was slightly morefortable.

    "So, if they retreat, what happens next?" Napoleon inquired.

    "It''s hard to say." Joseph shook his head, "If that priest..."

    "Father Idalgo," Lucien reminded.

    "Yes." Joseph nodded and continued, "If Father Idalgo underwent special training in Toulon and had ample preparation time, those Spanish riff-raff wouldn''t even be worth mentioning. But Father Idalgo only received theological training, not military. His supportersck basic military prowess. From the intelligence about this battle, they essentially won using guerri tactics. But initially, they tried to form dense formations like militia, nearly crumbling under Spanish artillery. If they hadn''t disobeyed orders, attacked on their own, fired randomly, it''s hard to say who would''ve won. Ultimately, the rebels'' military tactics are severelycking. Their luck yed into meeting these endearing Spaniards.

    However, that''s not their most critical issue. If they don''t war, fine, the Spaniards won''t either. They have ample time to learn in the war. But they have a more significant problem: their rapid organizational expansion. Lucien, I recall your intelligence on those Mexicans in the past. It seems Father Idalgo truly started building his organization only a few months ago.

    And our revolutionary padre hasn''t received professional training on organizational development; he treats building the revolutionary organization as missionary work, indiscriminately epting everyone. His rapid expansion means he couldn''t prepare enough cadre, resulting in the inclusion of many unreliable individuals. Moreover, I believe Father Idalgo is better suited as a propagandist, not at the helm of a revolution.

    Hence, Father Idalgo''s forces will soon upy Mexico City. But what happens after upying Mexico City is crucial. Those who joined his forces have their own motives and goals. Whether Father Idalgo can quickly discipline and educate his forces is key. If he can manage swiftly, the Spaniards should contemte an honorable exit from North America.

    But if Father Idalgo fails in this, the Spaniards might just have a glimmer of hope."

    "Do you think he''ll seed?" Napoleon asked.

    "I doubt it. Because there''s an obvious w in what they learned at the ''Revolutionary Theological Institute.'' Of course, this w was intentionally guided by us," Lucien interjected. "Those educated in the ''Revolutionary Theological Institute'' believe they can persuade others with reason. That''s normal since many among them haven''t experienced revolutions. Theyck an understanding of the brutality of revolution. We deliberately reinforced this notion. So... hehe... I estimate Father Idalgo will fumble when trying to stabilize his internal structure. It will cost him considerable time."

    "Revolution isn''t a dinner party, it''s not literature, not painting or embroidery. It''s not refined, leisurely, elegant,posed, restrained, patient, or humble. Revolution is upheaval, a violent action where one ss overthrows another. If he can''t decisively organize internally, the subsequent issues will indeed be troublesome," Joseph remarked.

    "Perhaps they might face internal divisions and struggles. Moreover, their victory isn''t due to organized unity but rather disobeying orders, acting on their own. This victory might encourage further insubordination, reducing their organization. In a way, this kind of victory sometimes is more detrimental than failure," Napoleon stated. "However, this works in our favor. If the Spaniards see no hope, they won''t obedientlyply with us. And when necessary, we just need to release certain information, likely dealing them a heavy blow. And they can''t me us."

    They all burst intoughter together.

    "It''ll probably take a while for the Spaniards to receive this news. After all, they don''t have fastmunication ships. By then, they''ll probably... hmm, I think our appetites can be even more substantial," Napoleon added.

 Chapter 322: Exercise

    Chapter 322: Exercise

    But it will take Spain several days to get this news, and right now, Napoleon has more important matters to attend to.

    The first matter is that intimidating military exercise. Preparation for the military exercise is almostplete, and invitations have been sent out. Representatives from various European countries��traditional allies like Green Ivy, newfound allies Spain, Shinaro, and East Loro, loyal allies like the Rhine Federation and Italy, as well as friendly trade partners the United Kingdom and the United States��have all dispatched delegates to observe.

    The exercise is split into two parts:nd-based attack and defense drills. The attacking force consists of a French infantry division, while the defending force is a Rhine Federation infantry division. The exercise location is near the Vincent Forest, not too far from Paris. Because of its proximity, even some leisurely Parisians might venture there for a change of scenery.

    French citizens during this era are generally martially inclined. The youth, in particr, harbor an enthusiasm for war. Especially in recent years, under Napoleon''s leadership, the French army consistently triumphed over seemingly invincible enemies at minimal cost. This led many to believe that war was like a game��cannons fire, everyone charges singing songs, and then the opponents surrender.

    Now, witnessing a battle firsthand, even if simted, especially on a Sunday, the wealthy idle Parisians and students from the University of Paris wouldn''t miss this spectacle. Even some girls from the Moulin Rouge hired carriages and arranged for prime viewing spots. These girls might not necessarily enjoy the violence, but being social butterflies, they often interact with foreign nobles and somewhat clueless university students. Knowing a bit about these matters is crucial. Just like in the Far East, the predecessors along the Qinhuai River used to carry Japanese swords and talk about matters of plowing and hole digging with their guests. Although, if asked to draw their swords for practice, they might not fare much better than Long Ge.

    The core of the exercise is a small hill where the Rhine Federation troops have constructed a typical field defense, including three trenches, threeyers of barbed wire, cannons, and various types of mines��of course, all non-explosive for training purposes.

    In previous drills, it was nearly impossible for a single division to breach such defenses, which could withstand an attacking force of at least two divisions. Normally, an infantry division fortified in such a position could handle the assault of three to four other divisions. However, in this exercise, the French forces, with just one division, are set to attack an equally strong fortified position. This intrigued many foreign military observers.

    These foreign observers upied the best vantage points��a slightly higher hill about a kilometer away from the exercise site. The lower positions were crowded with Parisians who hade for a pic and some entertainment.

    Some even tried to get closer to the exercise area, unconcerned about getting hit by stray artillery. This chaos kept the Parisian mounted police and their horses extremely busy.This wasn''t an umon sight. In the martially inclined 18th and 19th centuries, not just exercises but actual battles often saw civilians setting up pics nearby while soldiers fought in the distance. For instance, during the American Civil War, battles near Washington witnessed residents setting up pics to watch executions and enjoy a day out.

    So, the Caucasian folks were martially inclined��war couldn''t stop them from picking and spectating, let alone a pandemic. In short, istion was an impossibility in life; only by picking and having outings could life be somewhat sustained.

    Around 9 o''clock in the morning, the French troops started moving into position, preparing for the assault. Honestly, attacking at this time wasn''t particrly suitable, at least in the eyes of military observers from several countries. They increasingly believed that modern warfare favored the defending side more.

    After the Battle of Verdun, nations diligently studied that example. Despite Napoleon''s glorious victories, many felt that emting him wasn''t wise. It seemed he didn''t teach well enough, resulting in misced confidence. Learning from the solid defenses of Franco-German Joseph was a more sensible approach.

    With the widespread study of Joseph''s defensive tactics, many began to perceive attacking as suicidal. If an attack had to be made, it was better at night when visibility was poor. This lowered the efficiency of both sides but disadvantaged the defenders even more.

    Launching an attack around 9 AM, as the French did, was seen by military observers as a deliberate show-off.

    "I''m curious to see what they can pull off!" thought General Bagration, the Russian observer.

    At this point, the Frenchmenced artillery preparations. Their cannons targeted specific points on the defensive line.

    This bombardment aimed to destroy some visible fortifications. However, with no high-explosive shells and the defenders hunkered down in trenches, this barrage didn''t stress the defenders much. At best, it destroyed some easily damaged structures, like parapets.

    However, the French artillery astonished them��they fired at a speed much faster than expected. While most armies fired one round in the time it took, the French fired three to four shots.

    Moreover, the uracy of their shells was impressive. Even at two kilometers'' distance, the French urately hit low targets like parapets. Their shells were highly destructive, toppling structures with each hit.

    Would such attacks help the attackers breach the defenses? Bagration shook his head quietly. He disliked rigid defensive tactics, preferring offensive maneuvers, yet his reason told him this wasn''t enough.

    French soldiers began appearing on the horizon. Bagration was surprised to see a drastic change in their uniforms��recing the traditional blue coats and white trousers with gaudy, multicolored outfits. However, this attire had a unique effect��making it almost impossible to spot them at a distance, even with binocrs.

    "It''s like when we go hunting in winter, donning a white cape," thought Bagration, overhearing someone nearby rant in German, "How could they? This absurd uniform diminishes the army''s honor. I''d rather be shot than wear this!"

    Bagration nced at an angry Austrian officer nearby.

    "Can''t believe there are such people! Hasn''t Austria learned to be practical from the French yet?" Bagration mused, somewhat unfairly ming the Austrians. Their emotional leaning favored defense strategies. Any new element that could decrease defense efficiency naturally infuriated them. So, encountering this new uniform naturally sparked their anger.

    Then, they witnessed the French artillery switching ammunition. Their shells startednding near the defensive line, creating smoke that immediately reduced visibility.

    "Unbelievable! How could they?" the Austrian officer grew more irate, "But there are still mines ahead! I want to see how the French handle those!"

    On the defensive lines, their artillery alsomenced firing. Given this was a drill, no actual shells were fired. However, after each round, the directors would order a certain number of French soldiers to withdraw. Nheless, the use of smoke grenades and decreased visibility reduced this effect.

    French soldiers approached the minefield. Several soldiers pushed a cart closer. On the cart sat a rocket. The soldiers secured the cart and lit the rocket, sending it flying with a long rope-like object trailing behind.

    "I''ve seen this before," Andrei exined to their friends lower down, "Our electrical department uses this to run wires across rivers and valleys."

    Perhaps because the trailing rope was too thick and heavy, the rocket didn''t fly

    far before crashing to the ground. The rope attached to it fell,nding on the minefield. Then an explosion urred��the thick rope wasn''t a rope but explosive material inside a rubber tube.

    "Smart move!" Bagration apuded silently, clenching his fist, "This instantly creates a safe passage through the minefield!"

    As you might imagine, they were watching an borate military exercise unfold.

 Chapter 323: The Drill

    Chapter 323: The Drill

    Using this method, the attacking French army swiftly broke through the minefield. At this moment, the French artillery began suppressive fire on the first simted defensive trench with shrapnel shells because the French soldiers were nearing the barbed wire. Of course, the defenders also started firing nks and, following a predetermined proportion, random French soldiers were forced to withdraw from the exercise.

    The French soldiers forced to withdraw from the exercise took off their jackets, revealing white shirts. They sauntered away from the "battlefield" and found a nearby patch of grass, setting down their rifles and reaching into their leather bags��where they kept bandages, triangr bandages, and pulled out sausages and small bottles of brandy. They ate while sending triumphantughs toward their still-"alive"rades.

    However, those fortunate enough not to have "died" yet were too preupied to mind the revelry of these mock "deceased." They swiftly approached the first line of barbed wire. Several soldiers inserted rod-like objects they held under the wire, then swiftly pulled a fuse, turned around, and ran. The bullets on the exercise field were virtual, most of the shells were as well, but the barbed wire and the smoking explosive tubes under it were very real!

    As a series of explosions ensued, the barbed wire suddenly had dozens of breaches. Simultaneously, from the opposing trench, a series of training grenades wereunched, and another batch of French soldiers joined the group indulging in sausages and spectating.

    The French retaliated with grenades and swiftly stormed the trench. Then, joyously, many soldiers from the League of the Rhine happily sat down beside the "fallen" French soldiers, exchanging food, wine, and various tobo products, all the while enjoying the spectacle together.

    "Wait, why do the exchanges in the trenches favor the French?"ined the Austrian standing next to Bagration. "Even if the French army is a bit more courageous, the exchange rate shouldn''t be this skewed."

    Bagration also harbored doubts, but he believed the French wouldn''t stage such an anomaly in a demonstrative military exercise. Therefore, he refrained from immediately expressing his thoughts and continued observing through his telescope.

    Soon enough, Bagration noticed something distinct about the French army.

    "Alyosha, take notes for me," Bagration continued with his telescope trained on the "battlefield," addressing his adjutant."Yes, General," his adjutant fetched a notebook and a pencil��both French-made.

    "Each group of five French soldiers storming the trench forms abat unit. Two carry rifles with bays, while the other three wield shorter firearms��likely specialized weapons for trenchbat," Bagration remarked.

    Bagration''s spection was spot on. Those French soldiers were equipped with pump-action shotguns specifically designed for close-quarters trenchbat. Compared to standard rifles, their range was limited, but within a trench, that wasn''t an issue. They could load eight rounds at once, with each pump actionpleting a firing and reloading motion, almost as fast as a revolver. The shotgun''s spread vastly improved their uracypared to a revolver. In a trench, these were like weapons of the gods.

    During trenchbat, soldiers using rifles often ran out of ammunition before this stage of the battle. Hence, they resorted to bays or multi-purpose entrenching tools made in France for closebat. While two soldiers with bay-equipped rifles held the enemy at bay, those with shotguns unleashed a torrent of fire. The opposing Franks were delighted, shedding their jackets, leaping out of the trench, and heading to the adjacent grassy area to eat, boast, and watch the show.

    In almost the blink of an eye, before the pic audience could finish a bottle of beer, the first trench changed hands, and the tricolor g fluttered.

    "Vive France!" cheered the onlookers.

    "For France, cheers!"

    "Anyone who doesn''t drink is a coward!"

    "What if I''m a coward? Let''spare! One drink against one, dare you?" asionally, a girl from the Montmartre hignds would shout.

    "Marguerite, let''s have a bet for thepetition. What''s the wager?"

    "How about this, if Marguerite loses, tonight, she''ll obey Denny in everything. If Denny loses, tonight, Marguerite sleeps with whoever Denny chooses. How about that?"

    Amidst this lively banter, French artillery extended their fire, preparing to attack the two rear defensive lines again.

    The subsequent battles in the rear almost mirrored the previous ones, yet the enthusiastic onlookers were thoroughly entertained. However, the more intricate aspects were lost on the most vociferous cheerers. The observers from various nations, on the other hand, were breaking out in cold sweats. The French army disyed an exceedingly short pause between organizing the first and second wave of attacks during the battle. In this brief time, they fortified their positions, readjusted artillery cements, and prepared for another assault. This level of organizational prowess surprised those who truly understood warfare.

    "Leaving aside everything else, can our army keep up with the French in battle rhythm? This is in a defensive scenario; in open warfare, how many divisions do we need to counter just one of theirs?" questioned someone as evening approached.

    By dusk, the French sessfully breached three lines of defense against an equal force, essentially concluding the day''s exercises. At least, it ended the part that entertained the onlookers.

    The remaining agenda was to invite the observers into the French military camp. However, given theteness of the hour, this was deferred until the next day.

    As the sun descended behind the mountains, figures scattered. After a day of amusement, the gleeful onlookers boarded carriages back to Paris, exchanging their observations and opinions incessantly. Of course, their discussions mainly revolved around "How formidable France is, hahaha..." or "Warfare is so much fun, hahaha..."

    The next day, during the visit to the French military camp, the observers'' myriad of doubts gradually unraveled. Firstly, why did the French artillery fire so rapidly? That was because they used breech-loading cannons, which loaded much faster than muzzle-loading ones. Moreover, they had a specially designed sighting system that ensured reasonable uracy even in indirect aiming.

    Additionally, Bagration noticed that the wheels used by French artillery were distinct from standard ones. These weren''t made of wood but of a ck material with unique sticity.

    "Perhaps this is the secret to the French army''s rapid artillery mobility," Bagration pondered. He heard someone eximing, "This gun, this gun, it''s incredible!"

    Bagration hurriedly nced over and saw an Austrian officer holding a shorter version of a rifle he''d noticed yesterday, voicing his astonishment.

    Bagration hastened over and inquired, "What kind of gun is this?"

    "It''s the 1801 shotgun," a French captain replied, saluting. "This gun can fire up to eight rounds at once..."

    As he spoke, the captain took the shotgun from the Austrian and began demonstrating how to use these firearms.

    "See, beneath the barrel, there''s a tube that serves as a magazine, holding seven rounds. Plus, you can fit one more in the chamber, for a maximum of eight shots."

    As he spoke, the captain swiftly loaded the gun with cartridges, which were paper tubes with a

    small metal piece at the base. Loading them into the magazine didn''t take much time.

    Then, he pulled back the breechblock, and with a click, the gun was loaded. He raised the gun, pointing it at the sky, and turned to a few foreign generals nearby, saying, "Look, the gun''s loaded, and now you can shoot at your targets. Each shot, pull this here, and you''re ready for the next. Hmm, who wants to try?"

    "I do! I want to try!" Bagration immediately eximed, stepping forward and using his broad frame to shield the other spectators behind him.

    The captain handed the gun to Bagration. "General, the gun''s loaded."

    Bagration took the gun, nced at a human-shaped target about forty meters away, nodded, took aim briefly, and fired a shot, immediately toppling the target. Bagration then pulled the breechblock again and fired another shot, hitting another target.

    "How far can this gun shoot?" Bagration asked.

    "It''s effective at around sixty to seventy meters," the captain answered, "beyond that, it''s less urate."

    "Hmm," Bagration nodded. He had already noticed that the French army predominantly equipped itself with standard rifles, presumably for this reason.

    "Is your cavalry now considering this as a primary weapon?" Bagration suddenly asked.

    The French captain hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "General, regarding this question, um, I can''t answer you..."

 Chapter 324: Orders

    Chapter 324: Orders

    Upon witnessing the performance of the French captain, Bagration smiled faintly, having gathered his answer from the captain''s response. Typically, if a Frenchman swiftly responds to a ratherplex query, it implies preparedness, likely an unreliable answer. If they take a moment, they''re likely fabricating a response, simrly unreliable. However, refusal to answer signals their inability to conceal the truth, confirming your conjecture.

    Moreover,pared to revolvers, shotguns had a suitable length, extended range, and superior uracy, prompting Bagration to wonder why the French cavalry wouldn''t adopt them as their primary armament. Any weaponry exhibited by the French during these exercises could find its way onto the market shelves or be showcased in the future. For instance, their breech-loading cannons might not hit the shelves immediately as they still have muzzle-loading cannons avable. However, in due course, they''ll likely be essible.

    Weapons demonstrable for public viewing and even allowing firsthand shooting experiences would immediately feature in the Bonaparte Armaments'' price lists. Bagration resolved to push the Tsar to allocate funds to equip his cavalry with such armaments. Otherwise, facing foreign cavalry armed with these would render their forces unable topete.

    Replicating these arms would be even better, but Bagration understood this was likely impossible, primarily due to material limitations. Large-scale steel production remained a coremercial secret in France. Despite efforts from various countries, whether aligned with or seemingly aligned against France, knowledge about this remained limited. Rumors suggested the British were experimenting, but sess would still take considerable time.

    While patriotic, Bagration had to acknowledge Russia''s inferiority in technologypared to advanced nations like France, Britain, and evenpared to Prussia, a nation seemingly strung up by France. In a hypothetical invasion by the French, Russia might rely on immense strategic depth and unwavering spirit to repel the enemy. However, steelmaking technology wouldn''t magically emerge from these strengths.

    "Russia really needs to step up, or else..." Bagration recalled his encounter with Marshal Suvorov in Italy during the confrontation with Napoleon. Though the conflict ultimately ended in negotiation, Suvorov openly admitted Russian military inadequacy. Northern distractions forced the French into seeking terms. Facing an average French force like the one demonstrated yesterday would likely have deterred negotiations, leading to immediate aggression. Reflecting on it, Bagration felt that confronting such a French force at the time would have been extremely challenging, perhaps even impossible to sustain for a day, let alone half a day.

    Assessing the Russian military, Bagration acknowledged considerable progress after the sh with the French in Italy. However, witnessing the French exercises, he reluctantly epted that the French had made even greater and more visible strides in their military advancements.

    However, Bagration identified a weakness in the French military �� excessive resource consumption. This wasn''t solely about mary expenses but also the massive quantity of resources the French used. In the event of a French invasion of Russia, considering Russia''s poor road conditions, the French might struggle to supply their frontline troops adequately. Unless they stopped after short intervals to repair roads, Russia''s backwardness strangely became its armor.

    "Thank goodness we don''t border France. But we must equip ourselves with more modern weapons than the Ottomans!" Bagration couldn''t help but think along those lines.While Bagration foundfort in the absence of a border with France, at the same time, Captain Jack Aubrey of the British Royal Navy felt despair. He was currently observing a French naval interception exercise aboard the USS Constitution.

    The scenario for this exercise was set as follows: an armed group attempted smuggling via armed escort. The French warship "Constitution" was tasked with intercepting and neutralizing this smuggling fleet.

    "Good Lord! What kind of armed group conducts smuggling operations with a fleet? It''s... It''s like what the French did back then, but they didn''t use a fleet for smuggling. This isn''t about anti-smuggling; it''s a simtion of how to conduct a maritime blockade!" Captain Aubrey immediately grasped upon seeing the exercise scenario. That so-called "armed group" was probably the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom?

    The fleet portraying the armed group consisted of three old French second-rate battleships. Despite their formidable firepower, they were no match in speed and maneuverability for the "Constitution." The "Constitution" effortlessly evaded the battleships'' interceptions, relentlessly attacking and disabling each merchant ship.

    Considering that while the Royal Navy had numerous battleships, it had even more merchant ships, realistically, the Royal Navy couldn''t possibly assign three battleships to escort every merchant fleet. Hence, encountering the "Constitution" would likely mean doom for most merchant vessels.

    "Damn ''Constitution,'' was this ship built solely to dismantle free trade?" Captain Aubrey couldn''t help but ponder.

    However, if Joseph knew his thoughts, he''d surely retort, "Nonsense! Our ''Constitution'' is to ensure the freedom of our trade. If you want trade freedom, I have a price list here for you to peruse."

    France had ced the "Constitution"-ss patrol frigates on sale; however, everyone knew how much profit France made from such transactions. It was likely that for every one sold to the British, the French could build two more using the money earned. Nheless, purchases had to be made. At least studying their propellers closely was beneficial. Although the British had decent technical capabilities, having a sample would enable imitation. Yet, while they might not replicate steel ribs and thus produce a lower-quality imitation, they could still utilize it to some extent.

    The French were infuriatingly obstinate, refusing to sell rear-loading cannons. Consequently, both acquired and future ships would be armed only with front-loading cannons. This meant several British ships were necessary to challenge a single French ship. Furthermore, with no foreseeable breakthrough in steelmaking technology, even obtaining front-loading cannons required purchasing from France.

    "Damn it, once I return, I must persuade the parliament to sh those sted army expenditures!" After much contemtion, Captain Aubrey could only devise this course of action.

    Of course, the army would oppose it. However, in the United Kingdom, isn''t itmon sense to prioritize between the navy and the army? If the navy were to falter, who would believe that the British army could safeguard them? Consequently, Captain Aubrey believed his suggestion would ultimately garner parliamentary support.

    Thus, following the two exercises, numerous orders began streaming towards the Bonaparte Armaments factory.

 Chapter 325: Ways to Borrow Money

    Chapter 325: Ways to Borrow Money

    Among all their business partners, the Spaniards weren''t the first to ce orders, but they were certainly the most impatient. It took them more than a week to receive news from Mexico. Their information arrived a bit slower but was more detailed than what Lucien knew��after all, they were part of the conflict themselves.

    Naturally, their messages likely contained plenty of me-shifting information. Usually, after messing up, the priority isn''t about cleaning up the mess or minimizing losses. It''s about quickly finding someone to me and passing on the fault!

    But regardless of the me game��be it on the Church (the rebel leader was schooled in a theological college), the indigenous people, or disloyal native whites��shifting me alone couldn''t solve the problem. It''s akin to understanding how to pass the buck across the Pacific Ocean, much like the way the King of Hearts does.

    However, while me could be shifted, the New Crown King couldn''t escape. The situation in Mexico was the same. me could be cast upon the Catholic Church, the "ursed French," but losing Mexico City meant a real loss.

    Indeed, just as Joseph anticipated, Mexico City was impossible to defend. And surprisingly, the Spaniards disyed higher military quality for the first time. They promptly implemented Joseph''s rmended strategy, abandoning Mexico City and heading towards Veracruz. However, their haste made them forget to destroy the cannons left behind in Mexico City, which couldn''t be swiftly moved.

    Nevertheless, they did remember to seize every horse they could find, regardless of the owner, all in the name of God and the King. This action caused quite a bit of trouble for the Mexican Revolutionary Army. Yet, while this move inconvenienced the revolutionaries, it also created issues for them as they struggled to find enough horses to transport cannons and supplies.

    The Spaniards'' actions weren''t driven by military considerations but rather by their eagerness to transfer wealth. Retreating towards Veracruz, they carried a plethora of horse-drawn carriages, each loaded with valuable goods.

    Shortly after the Spaniards fled Mexico City, Father Miguel Idalgo Casti led the revolutionary army into the city. Surprisingly, the retreating Spaniards weren''t swift, weighed down by too many valuable items. However, Father Casti didn''t immediately dispatch troops to pursue them. Not because he didn''t think about it, but because neither he nor his associates could control the troops.

    Just as Napoleon previously predicted, a series of victories and blunders didn''t increase Father Casti''s prestige; it significantly reduced his and in''s influence among the army. The soldiers generally believed their superiors were foolish and victoryy in ignoring their orders. The lower-ranking officers gained more authority, swiftly leading to the fragmentation of the army.After capturing Mexico City, Father Casti finally established the independent Mexican government but faced a significant problem��theycked funds.

    Where would the government get its money? Typically, taxes were the source, but collecting taxes was a strenuous task. Moreover, this year''s taxes had already been collected by the Spaniards. Trying to collect again would disrupt daily life. If collected less, it wouldn''t suffice; if more, it contradicted the revolutionary cause. Even the idea of redistributingnd faced challenges as many native whites were smallndowners. Implementing this would spark internal conflicts.

    Initially, Father Casti thought of soliciting donations from the people supporting the revolution. However, the most revolutionary folks barely had money, and the wealthy weren''t inclined to contribute. Some so-called supporters even advised Father Casti:

    "Mr. President, do you know why people are hesitant to lend money to your government?"

    "Why?" Father Casti asked.

    "Because the risk is too high. You see, you haven''t truly defeated the Spaniards... I know you''d mention thest battle, but in that fight, your army defeated only a small fraction of the Spanish forces. Spain would undoubtedly send an expeditionary force, and their strength would surpass any Spanish troops you''ve previously vanquished. Hence, people doubt you. They won''t lend unless you can defeat the Spanish expeditionary force."

    "If I could defeat the Spanish expeditionary force, why would I need to borrow money?" Father Casti remarked.

    "Exactly, Mr. President. That''s the conundrum. But there''s a solution," the shrewd person replied.

    "What solution?"

    "For instance, striking a loan deal with the Bank of Louisiana at a 15% annual interest rate for a million. Once news spreads, other banks will be willing to lend to you. Once that money arrives, repay Louisiana Bank in full, with interest, and split the remaining loan from other banks. Voil��, you have your funds," the clever person answered.

 Chapter 326: Gilded Shields

    Chapter 326: Gilded Shields

    President Miguel Idalgo Casti eximed in surprise, "We borrow money from them, it circtes in our hands for a moment, then swiftly returns to them. They walk away with a clean 150,000 in interest, and we, in turn, have to give them thirty percent from another source. And this thirty percent, along with the interest, we have to repay ourselves? This is quite..."

    "Mr. President, you''ve misunderstood. When I mentioned a thirty-seventy split, I meant they take seventy percent, we take thirty!" a savvy individual corrected promptly.

    "Ah?!" President Idalgo was utterly astonished. "They haven''t done anything, why do they get to take so much?"

    "Because, Mr. President, pardon my frankness, but no government in the world recognizes yours. No one will lend you money. If your government were globally acknowledged and not facing imminent copse, then you could easily secure loans at these rates. But as it stands, if you don''t cooperate, you won''t secure any loans.

    Think about it, should you fail, everything the Mexicans possess would revert to the Spaniards. That''s an enormous loss. Yet, if you seed, indeed, your nation will incur debts. However, without this, your country might not even survive. It''s akin to a person with a severe illness, where only one medicine can cure them. If they don''t take it, they''ll perish. But by taking it, their skin darkens like that of a ck person. Would they take it? Being dark-skinned is preferable to being deceased.

    Let''s calcte; we''re short about five million francs, enough to buy arms, train soldiers, and defeat the Spanish expedition. Realistically, we only need to borrow seventeen million francs. The annual interest is merely two million five hundred fifty thousand francs. Even if it takes ten years to repay, the interest rate is only eight and a half times. Approach the banks directly at this rate; who would be willing to lend to your government? Moreover, those cursed Spaniards plunder far more wealth from Mexico each year than this. So, Mr. President, what''s the hesitation?"

    However, President Idalgo remained somewhat hesitant, indicating he needed further consideration on the matter.

    Yet, soon after, Idalgo couldn''t dawdle any longer. Reliable intelligence arrived: the Spanish expeditionary force, numbering thirty thousand, fully equipped with state-of-the-art weapons such as rifled guns, cannons, revolvers, and muskets, was ready to depart. Realizing that with the current Mexican forces, they stood no chance against such a formidable army, he urgently needed to secure loans to bolster his troops to counter the imminent Spanish invasion.

    Given the size of the Spanish expeditionary force, borrowing just five million seemed insufficient. Thus, Idalgo made a resolute decision: go big or go home. He opted to borrow an audacious thirty-five million francs, intending to crush the Spanish with money. After all, what future would there be without a present?Consequently, the Bank of Louisiana swiftly announced a loan agreement with the Republic of Mexico, providing a two million franc loan.

    Almost everyone was aware of the ties between the Bank of Louisiana, the military-industrialplex, and the French government. Hence, the bank''s action was seen by many as an implicit endorsement by France. If the French sided with Mexico, few believed the Spaniards could retain their hold.

    Banks willing to offer loans to the Idalgo government increased rapidly. The Republic of Mexico smoothly secured three hundred fifty million francs in loans from various banks. ording to their prior agreement, most of this sum promptly flowed into the Bank of Louisiana''s coffers, while the remainder essentially found its way there, transforming into various supplies delivered to the "Mexican government."

    Equipped with these supplies, President Idalgo gained confidence, reallocating financial strength to reorganize his military forces. Learning from the bitter experience of the previous victory, he also recruited numerous French instructors from Louisiana for his army.

    Over a monthter, the Spanish fleet reached Cuba. The soldiers disembarked in Havana to rest, preparing for the impending battle. Simultaneously, the reorganized "Mexican government army" utilized this final window to intensify training, bracing for the imminent conflict.

    After a week''s halt in Cuba, the expeditionary force boarded ships, traversing the Mexican Gulf andnding in Veracruz.

    In Veracruz, the expeditionary force received a warm wee from the Spanish Governor-General Gomez and other loyalists to Spain (mostly peninsres). General Franco, the expeditionary forcemander, assured everyone at a gathering that he and his "loyal and brave soldiers" would restore order in the Mexican region and exterminate the insurgentspletely.

    Staying for another week in Veracruz to prepare supplies, the expeditionary force nned an assault on Mexico City. A weekter, the thirty thousand-strong force left Veracruz, marching towards Mexico City. General Franco believed that with his well-trained soldiers (though the training of Spanish soldiers in Europe was mediocrepared to the militias in North America, Franco deemed his soldiers adequately trained), advanced weaponry, and his study of modern French military tactics, he should easily defeat this ragtag bunch.

    However, as he approached Mexico City with his army, seeing the rebels, his confidence received a harsh blow.

    "Damn! This is the rebels'' position? This... this damned hell is it! Rebels?" General Franco''s eyes widened in anger. "Trenches, barbed wire, minefields... where did they learn Joseph''s defense tactics from? Damn Frenchmen, this must be their conspiracy!"

    At the sight of "Joseph''s defense," General Franco felt a shiver down his spine. Though the French army recently demonstrated how to breach Joseph''s defense swiftly, that was the French army, not Franco''s expeditionary force.

    However, General Franco consoled himself; "Joseph''s defense" had a significant drawback��it was costly. Hence, in military circles across Europe, this defense had an alias: the "Gilded Shield." Nations with limited resources often presented a downgraded version of "Joseph''s defense," mockingly termed "gilded" or even "brass shields."

    "Maybe what I''m facing here is a ''gilded shield'' or even a ''brass shield.'' Just because it looks like one doesn''t mean it''s a ''gilded shield.'' Only by testing it will I know its quality. But even if it''s a ''gilded shield'' or ''brass shield,'' it won''t be that easy to deal with," General Franco mused.

 Chapter 327: The Consequences of Refusing to Buy

    Chapter 327: The Consequences of Refusing to Buy

    General Franco nced across at the enemy''s position from a distance. As themanding heights were under their control, he couldn''t get a clear view of the rebels'' stronghold. However, what he managed to glimpse was already disheartening.

    "Whether it''s a gilded shield or a brass one, we''ll only know for sure once we''ve had a go at it," General Franco pondered. But it wasn''t the time for an attack just yet. After all, everyone had marched a long way, and they all deserved a rest, didn''t they?

    So, Franco ordered the army to set up camp for some rest while he, apanied by a cavalry unit, ventured out again to observe the enemy''s defensive works. He only retreated when the rebels sent out their own cavalry.

    Back at the camp, Franco summoned a few officers for a thorough discussion. They deliberated and finalized the n for the next day''s operation.

    At the crack of dawn, the Spanish expeditionary force cautiously probed the rebel''s defensive positions.

    First came the artillery barrage. The expeditionary force boasted thirty rifled cannons and over twenty six-pound bronze cannons brought from Veracruz. It was a lively exchange of gunfire.

    After intermittent artillery fire for two hours, the Spanish infantry began to advance in loose formation.

    Their first encounter was with a minefield. Before the Spanish expedition set off, the French had pitched rocket mine-clearing devices to them. But after studying these, the Spaniards concluded that these were only effective in siege warfare, particrly against "Josephine Defense."

    The Spaniards knew the rebels surely had mines; after all, in Louisiana''s weapon shops, mines were amonmodity. It was so prevalent that in any weaponry store, one could easily find plenty of boar dispersersbeled "for pigs." Yet, the Spaniards believed the rebels used mines the Irish way, not the "Josephine Defense" style. How could these rebels dare to confront the Kingdom of Spain''s regr army directly? Even though the Spanish army was widely admired across Europe, they couldn''t defeat the French. Did they really think they could best these mudslingers?Moreover, the French prices were too steep for what was essentially a rocket with a hose filled with explosives attached! It cost a fortune! Calcting it, a set like that could equal the worth of twenty mobilized soldiers. So, it seemed wiser to resolve the issue using a more cost-effective method, perhaps employing human resources.

    Thus, the Spaniards declined the French offer. However, it turned out, when the French sell you a weapon, even if you think you won''t need it, circumstances will arise that make it a necessity.

    Since theycked rocket mine-clearing devices, they resorted to manual demining. If it were the British, they''d charge forward with mercenaries, quietly removing markers from minefields beforehand or iming they were already cleared. If it were the Prussians, they''d have mobilized infantry charging straight ahead. As for the Spaniards, departing from Veracruz, they''d taken a batch of ves used for transporting supplies...

    After losing a group of ves, General Franco promptly made a basic assessment based on the density of mines in the field: even if it wasn''t a gilded shield, it was definitely a ted one.

    "Damn French, profiteering on both ends!" At this point, the Spaniards had learned about the Louisiana Development Bank lending money to the "Mexican Republic government." Though they were unaware of the intricacies, it was clear the rebels had acquired money from the French and then purchased French weaponry to counter the royal army. Considering that their soldiers were also equipped with French arms, the Spaniards felt the French were bing increasingly corrupt and shameless.

    "I never heard the Bonaparte family had Jewish blood. How did they be more Jewish than the Jews themselves?" General Franco couldn''t help butin.

    Since it was certain the enemy''s position wasn''t just a superficial "brass shield," the initial n for a rapid assault was naturally vetoed. Although the Spanish soldiers were not highly valued, losing them wasn''t inconsequential. In Europe, their deaths were just deaths, but here, their transportation costs were considerable. With these costs factored in, these Spanish soldiers became more valuable, and sacrificing them wasn''t as easy. There''s a saying from a distant easternnd, "Items are precious away from home; people are cheap away from home." But if one could price individuals as something calcble, they became valuable away from home.

    With the first rapid charge deemed unfeasible, they had no choice but to resort to the second n: slow erosion.

    "Foolish rebels, do you think ''Josephine Defense'' is that foolproof? You might not realize why it''s called ''gilded shield'' in Europe. It''s because employing this strategy in warfare is just throwing money at people!" General Franco thought. "Of course, there are only two ways to attack ''Josephine Defense'': either spend money or spend lives. Regardless, whether it''s spending money or lives, can''t Spain outspend the rebels?"

    The mostmon way to diminish the lethality of "Josephine Defense" was through tunneling. By digging trenches close to the enemy''s trenches and resorting to closebat, they aimed to solve the battle.

    This was time-consuming, and when both sides'' trenches got closer, "Bonaparte''s little melons" would cause substantial casualties. However, General Franco believed they could gain the upper hand in this "melon skirmish" because they reverse-engineered a "melonuncher." Among those who bought "Bonaparte''s little melons" for civilian purposes, few were willing to purchase something that significantly increased the melon''s range but severelypromised its uracy.

    For the next stretch of time, the battlefield momentarily calmed down. The Spaniards dug, the Mexicans prepared. Since they suffered significant losses among the ck poption, the soldiers had to do the digging themselves. However, Mexico City sat on a teau, with an altitude of over two thousand meters. Normally, this altitude wouldn''t have much effect, but engaging in heavy physicalbor made those from lower altitudes immediately feel extreme fatigue. Consequently, the efficiency of digging decreased sharply. Until nightfall, the Spaniards had only managed to dig trenches that were still quite a distance from the Mexican positions.

    When night arrived, the Spaniards dared not light torches to continue digging. With poor visibility at night, the rebels could sneak in andunch "little melons" where there was light. Hence, they withdrew to their camp and nned to resume digging the following morning.

    The next day, as the Spaniards carried their shovels and picks along the trenches they had dug the previous day, preparing to continue the dig, explosions suddenly erupted in the trenches �� the Mexicans had sneakily ntedndmines overnight.

    Thus, half a day was wasted on mine clearance. So, as darkness approached, the distance between the two sides still hadn''t closed enough for them to exchange "little melons" as a token of greeting.

    This time, the Spaniards learned their lesson. Before returning to camp, they nted numerousndmines in their trenches. Later that night, they heard a series of explosionsing from the trenches...

    After two days of turmoil, by midday on the third day, the two sides were finally within range to greet each other with "little melons." The Mexicans were the first to

    After a chaotic exchange of "little melons" and amidst the smoke of explosions, the Spanish soldiers leaped out of their trenches, charging towards the Mexican positions that were within arm''s reach. The Mexicans immediately detonated their "for pigs" contraption set up in front of their trench, knocking down a row of Spanish soldiers, but more Spaniards managed to charge in.

    "Steady!" General Franco, observing the battle through a telescope, muttered to himself, "They''re charging in!"

    To General Franco, these rebels were ragtag, how could they resist the royal army in close-quartersbat, which required courage and organization? If they managed to hold out, I''ll eat my telescope!

    However, in a blink, he saw the Spanish royal troops scrambling out of the rebel''s trenches, desperately running back, while the rebels pursued, relentlessly shooting at the retreating Spanish soldiers with short guns. Nearly every time they fired, a soldier fell.

    "Damn Frenchmen, trench guns! They, they sold trench guns to those rebels!" General Franco''s face turned pale.

    Like the rocket mine-clearing devices, the French had also pitched their "trench guns" to the Spaniards. But simrly, the Spaniards found these too expensive and believed they wouldn''t have much use without trench warfare here. Now it seemed that anything the French rmended, whether necessary or not, had to be bought!

    Upon witnessing this, the Spaniards realized they needed to buy whatever the French sold, even if they thought they didn''t need it!

 Chapter 328: Rest Assured

    Chapter 328: Rest Assured

    Due to the cursed French, the first assault of the Spanish royal army ended in a heavy failure. The "rebels" chased the army, relentlessly following them into the trenches they dug, then continued pursuing when they emerged, only to be stopped when General Franco decisively ordered the artillery to fire grapeshot, scattering the fleeing cowards and the pursuing rebels, averting aplete disaster.

    Even so, it remained a major defeat. ording toter Mexican ounts, the Spanish army left behind over three hundred bodies, with more than two hundred taken captive, and countless others injured.

    On the Spanish side, ording to their records, they suffered few casualties, less than fifty dead, iming to have killed thousands of rebel insurgents. But the sheer number of killings led to psychological issues among many soldiers. To pacify and console them, General Franco had to reluctantly order a temporary retreat. The Spanish royal army was, in their portrayal, a force of righteousness... whether you believed it or not, the Spanish chose to embrace that narrative.

    Following this defeat, the morale among the Spanish dwindled. Many soldiers believed that attacking enemy trenches without trench guns was a death sentence, sparking discussions among them.

    "Erelera, let me tell you, those trench guns, they can fire continuously, up to eight rounds at once. Pull the trigger and you fire a shot, each packing the punch of a revolver. One shot equals a dozen bullets, spreading wide and deadly urate. Without those, storming trenches is suicide."

    "Really, Romero? I heard these guns were meant for us, but the folks back home said they were too expensive. They figured our rifles were good enough... and then the rebels got wind of it, bought up all those things we didn''t."

    "Ah? That happened?"

    "Absolutely, heard it from Gusman, his brother-inw''s in supply. He ought to know."

    "If you don''t charge, the officer will shoot you dead."...

    With morale plummeting, the royal army couldn''t muster an attack for several days. On the other side, despite their victory, the Mexicans were equally troubled.

    "In this battle, we''ve depleted nearly half our broadswords and a third of the muskets. Plus, a significant amount of shells, especially those for rifled cannons, we can''t produce ourselves; we have to buy," General nde reported with a frown to President Idalgo.

    "So, if the enemy attacks again like this, our supplies won''t suffice?" Idalgo inquired. "Why has the consumption risen so drasticallypared to our previous estimates?"

    "When nning, we didn''t ount for the soldiers'' state. They were too charged up, using these items recklessly... plus, the enemy''s attack method differed from our projections."

    Silence befell the room.

    After a while, President Idalgo spoke, "nde, my friend, tell me, with the enemy potentiallyunching another attack, do we have enough supplies to repel them?"

    "Perhaps, but... Mr. President... I believe we need more supplies."

    Anticipating the revolutionary army''s hardships, after a two-day rest, the Spanish royal armyunched another attack. This time, they attacked from multiple directions simultaneously. Though repelled again, the Spanish suffered considerable losses. nde had to urgently seek more supplies from Idalgo. Meanwhile, due to the heavy casualties, the Spanish soldiers mutinied, forcing General Franco to promise a halt in attacks until the soldiers were equipped with trench guns.

    In the spirit of ''better safe than sorry'', President Idalgo, leveraging mining rights in Northern Mexico, approached various banks again for loans. Simultaneously, the Spanish reached out to the Bonaparte Armaments in Louisiana, hoping to purchase trench guns promptly.

    The Bonaparte Armaments readily agreed, stating that military-grade trench guns needed to be shipped from maind France, requiring at least two months. However, if the Spanish were willing to pay extra, they could sell them civilian pump-action shotguns used for hunting.

    "We have three thousand civilian pump-action shotguns here, though civilian arms tend to be pricier than military ones," exined Olt, the manager at Bonaparte Armaments in Louisiana. "Although they perform simrly, civilian ones are more refined, especially the stocks. Military ones are basic wood, while civilians boast authentic ck walnut. Hence, the price difference. If you order, we''ll ship them immediately."

    The Spanish hurriedly paid for the French offer of three thousand shotguns. Truth be told, they didn''t need so many trench guns, but buying only half might result in the rest falling into the hands of those unscrupulous French, wouldn''t it?

    To ensure these civilian firearms wouldn''t end up with the rebels, the Spanish reluctantly purchased the entire stock at the "discounted price" offered by the French.

    "Ah, if only we''d known before the expedition began, we could have bought these at a much lower cost,"mented Governor Gomez.

    Meanwhile, Bonaparte Armaments deposited the received payment into the Louisiana Development Bank. Moments after, this money was withdrawn and loaned to the "Mexican Republic Government." Then, it circled back as owed funds to Bonaparte Armaments, which again found its way back to the Louisiana Development Bank.

    "My friend, our debts weigh heavy on my mind. I can barely sleep,"ined President Idalgo to a confidant. To this, the confidant smiled and reassured him, "Mr. President, you can rest assured now. Consider, the French have lent you so much; they wouldn''t allow your venture to fail unless the Spanish repay their debts, wouldn''t they?"

 Chapter 329: Reaping and Resisting

    Chapter 329: Reaping and Resisting

    President Idalgo rxed a bit at his friend''s words. Indeed, the French had invested significantly in him. If the Spanish managed to suppress them, all that French investment would have gone to waste. But a troubling thought clouded Idalgo''s mind.

    "My friend, what if we find ourselves drowning in debts after independence? No Spanish oppression, yet continually paying the French each year for this debt. Wouldn''t it mean swapping old oppressors for new ones? Getting rid of one viin only to wee a darker one, continually reaping the Mexican people..."

    "Mr. President, independence alwayses with a price. Everything demands its due. Consider, if we perform well and swiftly crush the Spanish aggressors, our debt burden might lighten. And at least these debts offer a chance for repayment, unlike the unending rule of the Spanish."

    "Have you ever seen someone fully repay such high-interest loans?"

    "Well... Mr. President, indeed, I have," remarked Idalgo''s friend, the Portuguese merchant Peria. "I have a friend named Mendosa. He was reckless in his youth, drowning in high-interest loans. Yet, in the end, he cleared them all."

    "Your friend must be wealthy, or was he once wealthy?" Idalgo inquired.

    "Mendosa indeed came from a well-off family. So, upon inheriting his father''s estate after his passing, he sold off a manor to clear the debt," Peria replied.

    "You see, my friend, people differ. Your friend had wealth, while Mexico, we are a poor country," Idalgo shook his head.

    "No, Mexico is rich, only its wealth remains untapped," Peria countered. "The Spanish aim only for quick grabs, caring little for our progress. They fear that a prosperous Mexico might seek independence. But the French wouldn''t mind our development. In fact, they''d benefit from our prosperity. Besides, Mexico holds vast territories. While the northernnds might seem less valuable to us, the French are constantly migrating to the Americas. They neednd, and their expertise in railways might find use here. They''d surely invest in thesends. If we decide, we could use these territories as coteral, borrow a considerable sum from the French, muster a significant army swiftly to crush the Spanish. That way, our cost might end up being minimal.""Peria, are you advising me to sell our nation?"

    "Mr. President, this is the Americas, not Europe. Land dealings aremonce here. How could this be deemed selling the nation? Moreover, our northern boundaries are ambiguous. And, sir, nations fundamentally engage in transactions��exchanges of national interests. Trade implies transactions. So, unless you sell it cheaply or pocket the money yourself, how could it be called selling the nation?"

    "Peria, you always find yourself good justifications," Idalgo sighed. "But..."

    The New Worldy distant from Europe. The revolution''s impact in the Americas hardly concerned the European continent. Even with Spain dispatching an expeditionary force of thirty thousand to the New World, European attention centered on London, where things were stirring.

    An incident instigated by London''s Textile Workers Mutual Aid Society.

    Byte April, some employers noticed their workers joining a new organization. Initially, factory owners didn''t fret; worker associations weremon. It seemed trivial. Until one day, a representative iming to be from the London Textile Workers Mutual Aid Society knocked on the door of Mr. Rayne, the owner of thergest Rayne Textile Factory in London.

    Rayne presided over a factory employing over three thousand workers, operating round the clock, annually yielding considerable ie. This enabled him to acquire an estate from a fading aristocrat, marrying a youngdy from a prestigious yet modest family��much younger than himself��fitting to be his daughter-inw.

    Rayne seldom stayed at the estate, distant from themercial hub. He preferred residing, along with his young wife, twenty servants, a dozen bodyguards, in a grand building near Hyde Park.

    As Rayne listened to his wife read Shakespeare''s "King Lear" in their cozy parlor, a cautious butler, Phileas, appeared.

    "Anything of importance?" Rayne asked from his armchair.

    "Yes, sir," Phileas, looking uneasy, replied. "A few representatives iming to be from the ''London Textile Workers Mutual Aid Society'' insist on seeing you."

    "''London Textile Workers Mutual Aid Society''? What nonsense is this?" Rayne scorned. "Phileas, you disappoint me. You can''t manage such lowly folks?"

    Rayne''s voice, though not loud, struck Phileas like thunder. Pale-faced, Phileas answered in a quivering tone, "Sir, I''ve sent them away. But they left a petition, protesting your decision to cut wages. It''s all outrageous, but since it''s addressed to you, I didn''t dare to handle it myself..."

    Rayne found some satisfaction. Phileas might be timid and dim, but he understood boundaries. Besides, a butler, timid or dim, was hardly a w.

    "Bring the letter," Rayne ordered.

    Phileas cautiously approached, handing over the missive.

    As Rayne read, his brows furrowed.

    "Well, well! Impoverished scoundrels, relying on me for sustenance, dare negotiate? These rabble, I could find a thousand more like them on the streets merely by whistling!"

    With these remarks, Rayne stood up. "Melissa, fetch my coat. I need to visit the office."

    As his wife brought the coat, Rayne instructed Phileas, "Take my card, go to the police station, find Chief rk, invite him to my residence tonight."

    Phileas hurried off to prepare the carriage as Rayne swiftly arrived at the office, summoned several managers for a meeting, then returned home, engaging Chief rk in lengthy discussions that evening...

    The next morning, workers, following routine, arrived at the factory gates, only to find armed police guarding it. Members of the factory''s security team were there too, informing them that all workers who had put their thumbprints on the petition addressed to Rayne had been dismissed. Their work permits were revoked.

    The petition bore twelve hundred thumbprints, nearly a third of Rayne''s workforce. But to Rayne, this wasn''t a concern. Unemployment was rampant, and textilebor required no extraordinary skills. New workers could be hired anytime.

    As a renowned economist in the future would caution against any intervention in free markets, warning that without market freedom, implementing public ownership or simr heretical approaches would confine workers''bor to a single buyer, leading them down the "path to very."

    But in a free market, could workers avoid envement due to their freedom to choose? Ha! How could that be true when the average lifespan of British textile workers was lower than that of ves? No factory owner would willingly raise wages, for it increased costs, putting them at a disadvantage inpetition. In a free market, capital was scarce, andbor was surplus. Just like there were fewpanies making Marvel movies while countless artists who could drawics or write stories had no rights. Those dismissed workers couldn''t find a more benevolent capitalist elsewhere. For if such a capitalist existed, assuming this world had one, they''d have gone bankrupt due to costs inpetition.

    A worker representative stepped up, rallying all workers to strike. This time, the London Textile Workers Mutual Aid Society yed a pivotal role, almost all workers standing outside the factories.

 Chapter 330: Strike

    Chapter 330: Strike

    "We oppose the unreasonable actions of the factory, and for the benefit of all workers, we dere a strike!" A worker representative raised a tin megaphone and shouted to everyone, "Comrades, brothers, our days have been tough enough, the wages we get now barely put food on the table. Let me ask you, have you seen anyone working as aborer for six or seven years? Have you?"

    The crowd below fell silent. After a while, they all shouted together, "No, no one!"

    "Why not? Why?" the worker representative shouted.

    "Because they either went to America or died from exhaustion in the factories!" another worker representative yelled loudly, "Isn''t that right?"

    "Yes, it is!" the workers shouted.

    "Brothers, brothers! In the past, we could hope to save enough for a ticket to America before we worked ourselves to death. That was our only hope in this painful life. But with these wages, can we save enough for that ticket before we die of exhaustion? What will be our fate in the end? Right now, even if we''re miserable, at most, we''ll end up dead. But brothers, epting these wages is also a kind of death, isn''t it? If both paths lead to death, why should we work ourselves to death? Why should we let them, these factory owners, these venomous beasts, these bloodsuckers, build their estates and mansions on our corpses?"

    "Yes, no more, no more!"

    "We strike, we strike!"

    "We won''t let them thrive on our dead bodies!"More people joined in the outcry.

    "Hmph, let them starve! Thesezy lot, if they weren''t sozy or dumb, how could they starve? They deserve to starve!" a manager-looking man said fiercely.

    "Yes, let thesezy lot starve!" another follower-like person echoed.

    "We just need to turn around, and we can find as many or even more workers on the streets!" the stout manager said.

    At this point, the worker representative on the other side said something, and the crowd started shouting again. Finally, thousands of workers together sang a song:

    "Arise, ye prisoners of starvation!

    Arise, ye wretched of the earth!

    ..."

    "What are they trying to do? Revolt?" the stout manager turned pale, "Quick, close the gates, don''t let those ruffianse in and damage the machines!"

    During this era, conflicts between workers and factory owners were pronounced. Incidents of workers storming factories and wrecking machines were not umon. So, upon sensing something amiss outside, the stout manager immediately issued such an order.

    Police and factory guards swiftly retreated into the factory, and the gates, d in iron, mmed shut. The police and guards climbed onto the walls, holding guns, facing the agitated crowd below.

    However, the crowd didn''t disperse; they continued to gather outside the factory gates, still singing. Some pointed and cursed vehemently at the stout manager on the wall.

    The stout manager remained unresponsive, but the follower beside him spat viciously downwards and flipped off the people below.

    "You bastards!" some furious workers picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at the follower. With someone leading the charge, more people started throwing stones at those on the wall, and some even approached the gates.

    "Brothers, calm down, calm down!" shouted the worker representative from the London Textile Workers'' Mutual Aid Society, "Don''t engage in direct conflict, it''ll cost us..."

    But the enraged workers were in no mood to listen. They yelled, "Charge in, charge in, beat these bastards to death!" and started closing in on the gates.

    "Stop them, stop them!" the stout manager''s face turned white, "Shoot, shoot!"

    "Bang, bang..." gunshots rang out. At such close range, almost no shots missed, and the workers below immediately fell inrge numbers.

    "Run, run!" someone yelled.

    "They''re shooting, they''re killing!" someone else shouted.

    The crowd scattered, some fell, trampled by the fleeing masses.

    "Keep firing, let them know our power!" the stout manager yelled.

    Gunshots continued...

    In a room on Petticoat Lane, Fekin, the leader, was bandaging the wounded Iron Tooth.

    "You''re lucky, Iron Tooth, didn''t hit anything vital. But be cautious, don''t let the wound touch water. Also, pray to God, hoping there won''t be an infection," Fekin said after finishing the bandaging.

    "Boss, what''s our next move?" asked the butcher beside him.

    "We''ll organize the workers first, stop them from hiring more, halt their production. Each day they stop, they''ll suffer losses��bank loans, contractualpensations from buyers��it''ll suffocate that wretch in Rayne," Fekin replied.

    "What about those scum who shot us? Are we letting them off?" the butcher asked.

    "How could we?" Fekin sneered, "Hurt my brothers, and if we let it slide, how will we survive here? How will we carry on? Ha, that old man Rayne hides in the rich district, lots of cops, lots of bodyguards. It won''t be easy to touch him for a while. But that one who ordered the shooting��have you found out who he is?"

    "We have. He''s the business manager at the factory, called Sinir, lives on Wendell Street."

    Wendell Street was an area where moderately affluent people lived, fewer cops than in the real rich district but more than Petticoat Lane. People like Sinir mostly had a servant or two, but no personal valets or bodyguards��they looked wealthy but were far from the real elite.

    "Are we sure we can make him vanish without a trace?" Fekin asked.

    "No problem," the butcher said, "Tie a stone to him and throw him in the river."

    "Good," Fekin nodded, then cautioned, "Be careful before making a move, don''t get tricked."

    ...

    The factory guards and police shot and killed over twenty workers. Such an event might have caused an uproar inter times, but in this era, human lives were not considered precious. Of course, even inter times, there was no fundamental change. For instance, the lives of workers were never as significant as stock market indices. But because of the appearance of a heresy called the Soviet Union inter times, there was more hypocrisypared to this era. Although, with the disappearance of the Soviet Union, people gradually forgot its existence.

    None of the official newspapers prominently covered this incident, neither the Whig Party''s papers nor the Tory Party''s nor even the papers of the New Tory Party. It wasn''t because the royal government ordered a ckout on such matters but because, in their eyes, this incident hardly qualified as news.

    What''s news? A dog biting a man isn''t news; a man biting a dog is. Although this saying came fromter Americans, in the British news industry, they long followed this standard. Factory workers being shot wasn''t news; it was amonce urrence. Just a few dozen workers dead? Which street in London''s poorer districts doesn''t have several times that number of dead workers? What''s the big deal?

    Moreover, the Whigs, Tories, and New Tories had severe disagreements on many issues, but when it came to dealing with striking

    workers, they were remarkably aligned. Be it the aristocrats, factory owners, or bankers, all thought that killing those daring to strike was a much-needed relief.

    Just like inter years in the Beacon Country, although Fox and CNN considered each other fake news, their attitudes towards reporting on the "upy Wall Street" movement were remarkably uniform.

    Simrly, the French-backed newspaper, the Seven-Penny Alliance, with a French background, also didn''t report this incident. Because the Frenchmen, friends of those in the Whig Party, also stood in support of suppressing the striking workers.

    It seemed like this incident would pass calmly. But soon, Rayne received reports that hiring new workers wasn''t going smoothly because many were spreading rumors about him and his factory: those who enter his factory live at most five years, worked to death; the wages he boasts about seem good, but the contracts have numerous uses for wage deductions. After a week''s work, they don''t even earn a penny, perhaps even end up owing the factory money. On average, the pay isn''t enough for food, let alone savings for America. Some people even stationed themselves at their hiring spots, grabbing any approaching worker, advising them not to join. In short, various rumors severely impacted recruitment efforts.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 330 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 331: Conflict

    Chapter 331: Conflict

    Mr. Rayne was extremely angry about this, and the consequences were dire. So, one morning, near the recruitment point, while a group of workers were exining how humane and conscientious the new contract and rules of the "Rayne Textile Factory" were, a group of factory guards suddenly rushed out wieldingrge clubs, attacking the workers ferociously.

    The sharp sound of police sirens pierced the air as numerous officers emerged from various street entrances, seemingly appearing as though they sprang from the ground.

    "Stop the fight! Get down on the ground now, and don''t move!" The police shouted loudly while brandishing batons, shields, handcuffs, and revolvers.

    "It''s the police, run!" shouted some of the workers.

    The workers began to scatter, but the police blocked them. The front line of officers shielded them and then ruthlessly started striking them with batons.

    "Get down immediately! Hands on your heads, first warning!"

    "Quick, get down!" yelled a representative from the London Union of Textile Workers. He knew that under Britishw, when facing such a group brawl, the police needed to issue only three warnings before they could shoot!

    "Second warning!" shouted the police.

    "Get down, quickly, they''ll shoot!" more representatives yelled.Many workers hesitated, preparing to crouch. However, the factory guards with white towels tied around their arms paid no heed and continued wielding their clubs against the workers.

    "Third warning! Fire!"

    Themand to "fire" almost immediately followed the "third warning," hardly giving anyone time to react. A worker representative was shouting, "Get down..." when several bullets struck him. Blood instantly flowed from his body, mouth, and eyes. He staggered and copsed to the ground. However, he didn''t die immediately; he struggled to prop himself up with his hands.

    A factory guard wielding arge stick swaggered over and struck him on the head and body, causing his demise.

    Forced to crouch on the ground, the workers faced the factory guards wielding their clubs under the police''s guns. If any worker dared to rise in resistance, the police, having issued three warnings, would mercilessly shoot... blood painted the ground.

    "So much blood, the blood of our brothers!" Barkley wept. Since Barkley witnessed his foster father, the former head of the Fekin, being hanged, he hadn''t cried like this.

    "Barkley, don''t cry, what about the others?" Fekin asked.

    "First, the factory guards beat them, then the police arrested both them and the guards. They weren''t in for five minutes, but the guards came out, our people were all locked up��this world won''t let any of us live!"

    "If they won''t let us live, then we''ll take them down with us!" the butcher gritted his teeth.

    "I heard other textile factories are nning to revise contracts, reducing wages," Oliver spoke up.

    "We need to spread this news; we have to rally all textile workers in London for a strike," Fekin said. "Also, we can''t let them get away with this; we must teach them a lesson!"

    Early in the morning, Sinir got out of bed, stretchingzily. His wife had already prepared breakfast and was waiting for him. Sinir''s sry was decent, but the work was hard, long hours. After paying rent and other middle-ss necessities, what was left was limited. But at least, every day, lifting the lid of the pot would reveal amb chop. It wasn''t a bad life at all.

    After breakfast, Sinir kissed his wife and child goodbye, heading out.

    It was still early, the air outside thick, causing Sinir to cough. He reached the public carriage station, waiting for a carriage.

    Sinir considered himself respectable, but a lowly respectable man like him couldn''t possibly own a private carriage; he had to wait for the public one��a far better situation than the workers. Do those poor workers know what it''s like inside a carriage?

    Thinking this, Sinir felt a bit proud. He believed that with effort, he could send his son to a private school, securing a higher-paying job for him in the future. Even his grandson might have the chance to be a real respectable man, thanks to umted wealth and bing a boss...

    "This is great!" Sinir thought, spotting a public carriage approaching in the distance.

    Holding his briefcase, observing others also waiting at the station��now his rivals��he had to defeat them to get on this ride; otherwise, the next public carriage would mean beingte for work, resulting in a pay cut.

    Of course, he could take a hired carriage, but it was much costlier than the public one. Saving money wherever possible mattered.

    As the public carriage stopped, everyone rushed in. Sinir, holding his briefcase in one hand, reached for the door handle to board. But out of nowhere, a hand snatched his briefcase, hurling it far away.

    Sinir had no choice but to release the other hand, hurriedly fetching his briefcase. Some documents had scattered, and he needed to check if any were missing... then... the public carriage departed.

    "These people, they have no decency!" Sinir muttered under his breath, scanning around, hoping to spot a passing hired carriage.

    Fortunately, a hired carriage turned up,ing towards him.

    "Stop, stop!" Sinir waved and shouted towards the approaching carriage.

    The carriage slowed down, and the driver asked, "Where to?"

    "To the Rayne Textile Factory!" Sinir replied. He knew this carriage probably already had a passenger, but there might be room for one more. If it was on the way, the driver might take him and earn some extra money.

    The carriage gradually slowed down and stopped in front of him.

    "Get on!" the driver spoke with a heavy Scottish ent.

    "Okay, okay," Sinir nodded and quickly boarded the carriage.

    Seated inside, closing the door, the carriage set off again. Sinir finally had a chance to assess the situation inside; there were two people sitting opposite him, both staring intensely.

    "Hello, nice to meet you..." Sinir began to greet them when the two suddenly lunged at him. Sinir tried to call for help, but a foul-smelling cloth gagged his mouth. He struggled, yet their strength overwhelmed him, and in no time, he was bound tightly, resembling a giant dumpling.

    The carriage continued without stopping for a while before halting. Then, the two hauled the wrapped Sinir��ah, considering the cultural background, let''s say bound like a mummy��off the carriage, viciously throwing him onto the ground. Sinir''s chubby face hit the ground, small stones causing him intense pain.

    Sinir attempted to struggle, but a foot instantly pressed onto his back, crushing his ability to breathe. Then, a hand grabbed his hair, yanking his face up. Sinir saw an angry mob of workers surrounding him.

    He knew they were in the slums, a ce where the police would nevere. He realized, even if he screamed himself hoarse, no one woulde to save him.

    "Wuwuwu..." Sinir''s Adam''s apple bobbed continually, attempting to plead, but the gag stifled him, rendering him voiceless.

    "You scoundrel! You helped Rayne, killed so many of us! Your hands are stained with the blood of our brothers! Do you think a few pleas will save your life?" a

    worker cursed while kicking Sinir''s face, swelling one side instantly.

    Another worker reached out, tearing off the foul cloth from Sinir''s mouth.

    "Have mercy! Brothers, spare me! I had no choice; Mr. Rayne ordered me tomand the shooting! I had no choice... Brothers, I have elderly parents, a wife, children to support alone. I dare not disobey Mr. Rayne''s orders, brothers, spare me, I promise to turn over a new leaf..."

    "Nonsense! Who''s your brother?" a worker shouted.

    "When you helped Rayne, when you ordered the factory guards to shoot, weren''t you grand then? You, a scumbag like you, should have died long ago!" a worker seized Sinir by his shirt, hoisting him up. "When you ordered the guards to fire, didn''t you show off your power? You, this kind of scum, should have died long ago!"

    Having said this, he suddenly caught a strange smell, sniffed, then sneered, "Brothers, this dead dog�� he''s wet himself, hahaha!"

    "Get him, get him, get him for revenge, brothers!" the crowd chanted.

    Someone fetched arge stone.

    "What are you... what are you going to do?" Sinir was both terrified and flustered.

    Ignoring him, they tied therge stone to him.

    "What... what are you doing?" listening to the Thames River''s water, Sinir already understood their intentions and couldn''t help but shout, "Help! Help!"

    "Shout all you want; even if you scream until your voice breaks, no one wille to save you. You, a capitalistckey!" a worker shoved the foul cloth back into his mouth, then grabbed his neck, dragging him towards the riverbank.

    "After your wife dies, your son will be old enough to work in the factories. He''ll join Rayne''s textile factory as a child worker, and in five years, your family will be reunited."

    Sinir''s eyes widened, bloodshot veins almost popping out, he struggled desperately.

    "Alright, stop wasting your energy; it''ll be over soon." A worker grabbed him and heaved him. Sinir fell into the Thames River, then, bubbling, sank beneath the surface.

 Chapter 332: Preparations

    Chapter 332: Preparations

    "Sir, the other factories have followed suit. Look, these are the new contracts from the Anderson Textile Factory, and these are from the Rod�� Textile Factory. They''ve all followed suit," an assistant ced several documents in front of Rayne.

    "Well, isn''t this quite normal?" Rayne nced at the documents, saying, "Do these terms differ significantly from ours?"

    "Mr. Rayne, they''re almost identical to ours, with just a few different words. But the meaning remains the same, especially in legal terms. It''s entirely consistent," the assistant replied.

    "Very well, Henry. These folks always want to gain an advantage without taking the first step. They wait for us to lead, then follow suit to seize the advantage. Haha..."

    "Also, Mr. Rayne, our operations manager, Sinir, hasn''t shown up for work for two days. His wife came by, saying he left for work early yesterday..."

    "Oh. Absent for two days? Then dismiss him and find someone else to rece him," Rayne nonchntly replied.

    "By the way, instruct the police department to act swiftly. The ''Bourse Fair'' is imminent. We can''t let those rascals and paupers ruin our big event! They need to expedite their actions; after all, we give them so much money each year. Are we feeding dogs?" Rayne added.

    The police action that day received unanimous praise from almost all British newspapers,uding the London police for decisively and effectively countering those intending to disrupt the stability and economic progress of the British Empire. They reinstated Ennd''s sacred order.

    As for the "Seven-Penny Alliance," they received somewhat sympathetic coverage in some less prominent ces, but with minimal attention. In contrast, French newspapers extensively covered the event, aiming to remind French workers to appreciate their current prosperity.For now, France''s textile industry remained limited in scale and scope, primarily involved ince and simr items. Hence, for the time being, the French weren''t inclined to strongly oppose Britain''s textile industry.

    "If the strike involved Britain''s steel, machinery, or shipbuilding sectors, we could lend a hand. But regarding textile workers, well, we can only express sympathy. Remember, in our reporting, exhibiting goodwill and sympathy suffices; we don''t need to offer assistance. After all, we must respect Britain''s internal affairs."

    Supposedly, this was Napoleon''s directive when discussing the situation in Ennd with Foreign Minister Talleyrand. If the English had heard this, they would likely mock Napoleon''s hypocrisy. Wasn''t Irnd also a matter of Ennd''s internal affairs?

    Fekin also contacted Jacques Gant, who informed him that France currently preferred to avoid conflicts with Ennd, so he could only offer limited assistance within his capacity.

    "Sorry, I can''t help much. Because people like us don''t actually hold real power in France. And Francia isn''t truly a nation for the working people. I can only provide you with some advice. You know, in about half a month, the Bourse Fair is set to convene. It''s incredibly crucial for the textile industry. Last year, almost half of Europe''s textile export contracts with the UK were finalized at the Bourse Fair. This year, Rayne and his people are switching contracts now to further reduce costs and secure more orders at the Fair. So..."

    "So, if we could orchestrate a massive strike across London''s textile industry before the Fair, we could certainly force concessions from them," Fekin remarked.

    "Yes, Fekin. But there''s more to it than that. They''ll surely be aware of this too. So, during this time, they''ll be more ruthless and frantic. Fekin, the adversary you''re facing this time is stronger than any you''ve encountered before. Frankly, Fekin, previously, London''s police haven''t done much against you because they didn''t exert much effort on your group. Once they consider you a real threat, your situation will be perilous."

    "Jacques, we''ve been aware of this. We don''t n things with such hesitation..." Fekin dismissed.

    "No, Fekin, when you were in Toulon, you must have learned about ''preserving oneself and eliminating the enemy.'' We aim to eliminate the enemy while preserving ourselves."

    "Only by eliminating the enemy can we effectively preserve ourselves," Fekin replied.

    "However, self-preservation is a necessary condition for eliminating the enemy, and it''s the purpose of eliminating the enemy," Jacques responded. "Fekin, you know, there are some ndestine activities in Ennd by Francia��indeed, all countries engage in such covert actions in other nations. To ensure the safety of those involved in covert activities, following the principle that a cunning rabbit has at least three holes, we have several safe houses within London. I can now disclose a few safe houses I know of, prepared for my operations. If things get extremely dangerous, you can hide there. If, I say if, it gets exceedingly perilous, you cane directly to me."

    "Safe houses? That''s eptable," Fekin smiled, patting Jacques'' shoulder. "However, no matter when, I won''te directly to you. I''m a criminal; it''d be tricky for you if I showed up. I understand all of that. But I intend to send Oliver to you; he''s stubborn, much like I was in my youth. Jacques, you must protect him. Ideally, arrange for him to go to France immediately, alright?"

    Jacques gazed at his old friend, taking a moment before replying, "Rest assured, that''s no issue. I''ll arrange for him to go to France promptly. He''ll receive a good education and be genuinely beneficial to the people!"

    "Then I''m reassured. I''ll have Oliver sent to you shortly," Fekin said.

    With those words, Fekin grabbed his hat, nodded at Jacques, preparing to depart.

    "Boss, take care. I''m still waiting to have a drink with you, but...," Jacques couldn''t help but interject. Even though he knew, at this moment, saying such things seemed a bit ominous. Indeed, those in their line of work had plenty of superstitions. Avoiding ill omens in speech was one of them. However, Jacques inadvertently uttered these somewhat foreboding words.

    Fekin smiled at him and made a cross gesture over his chest, saying, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

    These were the words spoken by the apostle Paul before his martyrdom. By saying this now, Fekin''s intention was quite clear. He knew, just like Jacques mentioned earlier, before this, London''s police hadn''t really bothered them not because they couldn''t handle them but because they hadn''t truly considered them a primary threat. But now, the circumstances were different. Even after his training in Toulon and Irnd, although Fekin felt much more formidable than before, he wasn''t optimistic about the oue after this "good fight."

    Returning to Petticoat Lane, Fekin gathered a few of his brothers, handed

    them the locations and keys to the safe houses, instructing them to move there first. He also arranged for the butcher to take Oliver to Jacques.

    "Boss, what about you?" the butcher inquired.

    "Me? I have my own ce," Fekin replied. "But first, we need to ignite this fire. We must organize the major strike before the ''Bourse Fair.''"

    "Understood, boss. Also, boss, there''ve been many strange people around heretely."

    "How so?" Fekin asked.

    "They wear tattered clothes but don''t seem like country folk. I think they might be police. Be cautious," the butcher warned.

    "I got it," Fekin nodded.

    After arranging these matters, Fekin left Petticoat Lane for another worker-inhabited area, where many Rod�� Textile Factory workers resided. Fekin intended to discuss organizing the strike with them.

    After walking a while from Petticoat Lane, Fekin noticed two people surreptitiously trailing him.

    These two individuals had obviously undergone some tracking training. If they were tailing an ordinary person, they might not have been detected. But Fekin was an old hand, having undergone some training in Toulon. Even though it wasn''t extensive, unlike an average person, Fekin had abundant practical experience, albeit not elevated to theoretical understanding. So, once someone exined theories to him from a higher perspective, he could truly apply theory to guide practice. Thus, despite the brief training, Fekin''s improvement surprised even himself.

    Hence, these two somewhat experienced inclothes officers couldn''t deceive Fekin.

    Purposely, Fekin walked towards a more secluded area, mostly where workers lived, and most had already left for work.

    Seeing there were few people around, the two undercover officers drew closer. Furthermore, one of them discreetly slid a butterfly knife from their sleeve to their hand��these inclothes officers'' mission wasn''t to track or arrest anyone; their task was straightforward��eliminate those who appeared to be representatives of the workers!

 Chapter 333: Joint Strike

    Chapter 333: Joint Strike

    The two undercover agents opted for knives to avoid making too much noise. This was the worker''s district; using guns here would create too muchmotion, alerting the workers and making a sessful escape challenging. They thought two against one, facing an unarmed worker representative, was a sure bet.

    At that moment, Fekin swiftly turned into a narrow alley, where the walls were close enough to touch with outstretched arms. The two agents followed but found the alley deserted, not a soul in sight.

    "Cursed, he spotted us!" They swiftly drew their knives and chased forward. They were convinced the worker rep had turned a corner ahead.

    The alley was tight, allowing only single-file running. Leading officer Tony suddenly heard a thud from behind, signaling Jim had stumbled. Tony nced back only to be shocked by what he saw.

    Jimy motionless on the ground, either unconscious or worse. Meanwhile, the worker they pursued stood calmly nearby. Fekin, upon entering the alley, had swiftly climbed onto the adjacent roof. As Tony and Jim sprinted underneath, he struck from above, knocking Jim out cold.

    Tony realized they had walked into an ambush. He didn''t have time toprehend how their assant appeared behind them or took down Jim. But observing the smirk on their opponent''s face and their unperturbed demeanor, Tony, the officer, knew the tables had turned.

    He leaped back, attempting to create distance, simultaneously drawing his revolver from his waist, aiming at the approaching worker and cocking the gun��only for it not to fire, a finger preventing the hammer''s fall.

    That finger belonged to Fekin. Quicker than Tony, as he leaped backward, Fekin closed in. Just as Tony raised his gun, Fekin''s finger pressed against the hammer. With a twist, the barrel shifted direction.

    Tony struggled to wrestle the gun, preventing Fekin from seizing it. At the same time, he wielded a butterfly knife in his left hand, lunging at Fekin. He didn''t expect tond a hit, aiming to push his assant back, securing his firearm.But Fekin was faster. His right hand swung, striking Tony''s wrist, deflecting the knife''s path. Then, with a half-step forward, Fekin fiercely mmed his right shoulder into Tony''s chest.

    The impact sent Tony flying, losing grip of his gun. Crashing to the ground, lucky it was the slums; the soil cushioned the fall. On richer streets, he might have cked out from the impact.

    Despite this, it was a hard fall. Tony felt agony throughout, his bones seemingly ready to shatter. He struggled to rise, a foot nted firmly on his chest.

    Looking up, Tony saw the worker holding his revolver in one hand, a butterfly knife in the other, smiling as he inquired, "Why were you following me?"

    "We, we were just observing your suspicious activity... I warn you, I''m a policeman! Don''t be foolish, drop the gun, you''re awful citizen..."

    "You''re a cop?" Fekin stared into Tony''s eyes, saying, "You see me as suspicious, yet pull a knife? Don''t try to deceive me; that guy there merely passed out. I''ll ask himter. If your story doesn''t match, I assure you, your fate will be grim."

    "We... we were only..."

    Fekin chuckled coldly.

    "It was Rayne, Mr. Rayne, who ordered us to act, to eliminate those worker representatives..."

    Fekin sneered and pressed harder, causing a distinct crack. Tony''s rib had snapped, piercing his lungs and heart, blood gushed from his mouth and nose. In a blink, Tony was gone.

    Fekin turned, repeating the act, killing Jim. Though the Thames River wasn''t far, erasing evidence would be easy. However, Fekin worried for other worker reps facing simr dangers��few possessed his skills. He also desired to leave a message for the police. Using their blood, he inscribed a note on their clothes: "This is the fate of capitalistckeys! - Fekin."

    With this done, Fekin hastened toward the Rod Textile Factory.

    Thankfully, the reps at Rod Textile remained unharmed. Fekin briefed them and asked, "Scared now? Leave if you''re afraid; there might still be time."

    "Fear what? We''re already living like this, death''s just a matter of time, what''s to fear?"

    "Exactly!"

    "Who''s scared? Useless!"

    Fekin surveyed them, saying, "Since no one''s leaving, I''ll share something more secretive. Those wanting out can leave; after I reveal this, anyone cozying up to the rich, I''ll wipe out their families. You all know, I had a background in the underworld. In that world, credibility matters, promises hold weight. If I say I''ll ughter their families, I''ll do it!"

    "We don''t have traitors here!" they echoed.

    "Alright, do you all know about the ''Barter Fair''?" Fekin inquired...

    After discussing the nned strike, Fekin returned to Petticoat Lane, finding the butcher to alert everyone to stay cautious.

    "They''ve begun their move."

    "Boss, what do we do?"

    "They''ll kill; why wouldn''t we?" Fekin said. "They dare enter our turf, we''ll make them regret it."

    "Yeah!" The butcher nodded, asking, "But what if they send a lot of people?"

    "Send a lot?" Fekin chuckled. "Butcher, in Irnd, I learned a new tactic: the flipside..."

    Throughout that day, gunshots and bloodshed echoed across London''s slums. By nightfall, nearly half of the undercover police dispatched didn''t return. Yet, the bodies of the two in officers were delivered.

    "Is there now left? No justice!" Sir Hugh, the newly appointed Chief of Police, faced the bodies and the provocative message, shouting furiously. "Isn''t London''s slum still His Majesty''snd? Tomorrow, gather all our forces; we''re going there. We won''t retreat until we reim thiswless ground!"

    Simultaneously, on that night, representatives from the Textile Workers Union began evacuating discreetly. Jacques Gant had sent intel: the London police showed signs of massive deployment.

    Though Rayne was wealthy, he maintained his diligent habits. He rose at dawn, had breakfast, reviewed reports, then strolled onto the balcony.

    The air in the affluent district was slightly better than the slums, farther from factories and smokestacks. But it couldn''tpare to the countryside. Rayne gazed toward the slums, spotting smoke rising from a couple of ces.

    "Good, they''re taking action. I always said, the police must be stern and decisive, show those poor souls who''s in charge! It was high time; let''s see who dares... hahaha..."

    Yet, before Rayne''sughter faded, an explosion nearby shattered windows, startling everyone.

    "Take cover!" Before Rayneprehended, his bodyguard tackled him on the balcony. Then came the sts and gunfire from outside.

    The bodyguard shielded Rayne as they retreated indoors. Alongside his wife, children, they sought refuge underground, securing a safer area.

 Chapter 334: Negotiations

    Chapter 334: Negotiations

    At this crucial moment, disagreements erupted among the "dignified" individuals.

    Mr. Rayne, the instigator of this issue, naturally erupted in fury. As a member of the lower house, during the assembly, he mmed the table, vehemently castigated the rioters, and criticized the ipetence of the London Police Department. He pointed at Sir Shaw, questioning where all the annual allocations had gone and why they couldn''t suppress the subversive elements while also protecting those who genuinely contributed to the nation.

    Sir Shaw had grown ustomed to such usations. He initially shifted me to his predecessor, stating he''d only taken over the London Police Department three years ago, and the mess left behind was immense and unresolved. It wasn''t his ipetence but rather the umtion of problems over many years, some dating back to the era of the Great Fire of London.

    "These misceneous problems have umted over many, many years. Some have lingered since the era of the Great Fire of London. They''ve piled up like the manure in the stables of Augeas. Yet, I can''t solve these issues using Hercules'' methods �� surely none of you would tolerate such an approach. So, how can you me me for these problems?"

    Thewmakers couldn''t condone Sir Shaw''s attempt to evade responsibility. He further contended that the funds allocated by Parliament to the police department were insufficient, resulting in an inadequate number of officers to ensure the city''s safety. Essentially, to fix the problem, more funds were needed �� without money, what could they do?

    However, faced with the demand for more funds, the immediate reaction of thewmakers was to tightly clutch their purses. Increasing funds meant raising taxes, which in turn would reduce the ie of the legitors. Therefore, Parliament''s longstanding principle was to aplish as much as possible with minimal expenditure.

    Consequently, the matter of augmenting the London Police Department''s funds naturally faded away. Nevertheless, a consensus was reached within Parliament: any action byw enforcement must notpromise security in the "vital areas." Consequently, the mobility of the London Police Department was severely curtailed.

    Subsequently, Parliament began deliberations on how to address the strikes.

    The "London Textile Workers Union," responsible for organizing the strikes, had proposed negotiation terms. They sought reduced work intensity and increased wages.Lawmakers first queried Sir Shaw about whether, while ensuring the security of the "vital areas," they could swiftly suppress these rebellious elements.

    Sir Shaw naturally replied that it was impossible under the circumstances and would require additional funding. Even if funds were provided, it would take considerable time to reinforce the police force. In short, using the police force to solve the problem before the trade fair was unfeasible.

    "Of course, if the military were employed, it would be possible to suppress these troublemakers before the fair. However, as you all know..." Sir Shaw trailed off.

    Using the military might suppress the troublemakers before the trade fair, but it would cause significant coteral damage. Employing the military meant no chance of resuming production before the trade fair. Furthermore, it wouldn''t only affect the textile industry but others as well.

    As soon as this was mentioned, almost allwmakers immediately opposed it. Consequently, a decision was swiftly made:

    No major disturbances before the trade fair. As for the present issue, it had to be resolved by the textile industry owners themselves.

    Several textile factory owners gathered and deliberated. Eventually, they decided to first negotiate with the rebels, attempting to hoodwink them, ensuring the minimal cost and shortest duration to resume production, all to maximize earnings during the trade fair.

    Hence, several factory owners, in the name of the textile industry guild, extended negotiation invitations to the worker representatives. Initially, they contemted ying the worker lottery to select representatives for negotiation, a move devoid of any sense of whose interests these representatives truly represented. They also adopted an attitude of having made significant concessions already, disying a sense of being unfairly treated.

    However, the London Textile Workers Union representatives were no fools and wouldn''t ept such ludicrous conditions. Consequently, this request was rightfully rejected.

    Considering the urgency, the gentlemen had no time to waste. Thus, reluctantly, they agreed to negotiate with the representatives chosen by the London Textile Workers Union.

    One of these representatives, operating under the pseudonym Nield, was actually a criminal, wanted and on the run. However, in an era without photographic technology, facial recognition was a joke. The existence of portraits primarily aided the police in their side gigs rather than capturing suspects. Additionally, the crimesmitted by Nield had very few eyewitnesses, let alone anyone who had seen his face �� so he wasn''t worried about being recognized.

    However, Nield''s high-profile presence was still incredibly risky. It wasn''t due to his former identity but his current one. Indeed, some believed that the crimes of the worker representatives posed a greater threat than theft, robbery, or kidnapping.

    "Anyone acting as a representative in negotiations with these vipers should be prepared for death. Even though they''re hesitant now, they''ll surely retaliate in the future. Some might inexplicably die or vanish. If anyone''s scared, they can still back out," Nield told the other representatives before departure.

    "Nield, are you underestimating us? Are we such cowards?" one representative chuckled.

    "Nield, you know who we are. Stop the chatter; we should depart," another said.

    The negotiation venue wasn''t far from Westminster Abbey. The worker representatives, being penniless, couldn''t afford carriages, not even public ones. Therefore, they had to walk. Departing before dawn, a few carriednterns, stepping onto the streets from their houses.

    Unlike the affluent areas with gas streetlights, the streets in the poorer district were pitch-ck at night. In this intense darkness, the dim yellow light from thenterns barely illuminated a small area ahead of Nield.

    Nield walked confidently in the darkness, a path he''d tread for countless years. Gradually, the road became clearer, and the sky brighter.

    Around 8 a.m., the worker representatives reached the negotiation site, but the other party �� the gentlemen �� hadn''t arrived on time.

    Having studied in Toulon, Nield knew this was a tactic to exert pressure. He''d anticipated this and forewarned everyone. Some suggested they should also bete, reversing the pressure.

    However, Nield dismissed the idea.

    "We have time on our side; we don''t need such tricks. In fact, the more tricks they y, the more anxious they appear. If they persist in wasting time, well, we''re willing to wait �� there aren''t many days left, but we can hold out until the trade fair begins."

    "Can you hold out until then? By that time, you''ll all be starving," a gentleman taunted.

    "We don''t mind. For workers like us, if we can''t save up for a ticket to North America in five years, we''ll all perish. Dying a few years earlier is no different. But you gentlemen, dragging things out, buying materials for the fair, borrowing money... haha, you''re not afraid of death, what do we have to fear?" Nield promptly retorted.

    "Oh, Nield, don''t be angry. Our negotiations aim for a satisfactory oue for all. We''re not here to squabble. It''s gettingte; why don''t you present your demands, and we''ll discuss them together? What do you think?" Rayne said with a friendly smile on his face.

 Chapter 335: Guarding Against Our Own

    Chapter 335: Guarding Against Our Own

    "Mr. Rayne," Fekin smiled in response, "our demands aren''t just being conveyed now; they wereid out in our strike deration two days ago. The formal documents we''ve brought today haven''t changed from that deration. If you need us to repeat these contents, it''s either a waste of time or ack of sincerity."

    "We... of course, we''ve seen them... but, but, dear Nield brothers, you must understand, we''re facing external pressures. Making money is hard now with those cursed Dutch, Americans, Spaniards, and Italians snatching our business. If we can''tpete, our factories will go under, leaving us with nothing to eat."

    Nield brothers, we factory owners, and you workers are interdependent. We''re not enemies butrades. We need understanding and unity to ovee these temporary difficulties. Together, we can triumph over these challenges and have better days ahead."

    Rayne rambled on, trying to persuade, while Fekin looked on, unmoved, as if watching a y.

    After a lengthy talk, Rayne earnestly asked, "What do you think of what I''ve said?"

    "Hehe... Hehe..." Fekin and the other representatives burst intoughter.

    "Mr. Rayne, did you know? Before I came to the city, I worked in the countryside, tilling thend. We had a horse for plowing. One day, the horse said to me, ''Nield, you haven''t fed me, how can I work?'' I replied, ''Wait until the harvest when the oats are ready, then you''ll eat oats. What grass can you eat now?'' The horse angrily retorted, ''By the time your oats grow, I''ll starve! You''ll skin me for leather, stew my meat!'' Do you think we''re dumber than that horse?"

    The representativesughed along. Rayne, taken aback, chuckled, "Nield brothers, you''ve misunderstood. I''m not trying to make the horse run without food. We''re facing a small difficulty, and we need to support each other. Let''s negotiate,promise for a solution."

    He paused, looked at them, and continued, "You''ve traveled far from the factories. It''s lunchtime. Why not dine together and talk slowly?"Fekin replied, "No need to trouble, sir. Your fare doesn''t sit well with us. Adjust the contract, that''s what we need. Right, everyone?"

    "Absolutely!"

    "Absolutely!"

    Theyughed, mocking, "Inviting a hen for dinner, what''s the intention? Unsure of what to feed her!"

    Despite the mockery, Rayne suggested, "Your journey was long. We''ve booked rooms nearby, facilitating discussions. We''ll cover the expenses. What do you think?"

    Fekin smiled inwardly, knowing Rayne''s intentions. He aimed to divide and conquer. Could these representatives resist temptation when presented with money and allurements?

    To prevent this, Fekin set a strict rule: Representatives couldn''t separate at any time. Any breach meant disqualification, requiring a new election.

    Initially questioned, this rule was eventually epted. Fekin made them consider the scenario: faced with a tempting offer, could they resist? Their admission signaled their agreement.

    Fekin concluded, "We''re hard workers, not ustomed to leisure. We prefer our own space, sir."

    The negotiation unfolded, a delicate dance between mistrust and solidarity.

 Chapter 336: Calculations

    Chapter 336: Calctions

    It had been an entire afternoon of bickering with no resolution in sight, as anticipated.

    "Until the veryst moment, they won''t budge when ites to their interests," Fekin and a few other worker representatives discussed on their way back. "Frankly, they''re feeling the heat. Every day the factory halts, they bleed money in thousands. And with the ''Paris Trade Fair'' looming closer, they''re burdened by bank loans and various pending payments. They''re anxious; they can''t afford to let this drag on. So, don''t let their calm facade today scare us. Truth is, they''re running out of time. If the funds dry up due to the factory''s halt, the crisis will spread to other domains. That''s something neither they nor their backers can tolerate. So, as long as we stand firm, they''ll eventuallypromise."

    As they spoke, encouraging one another on their way back, Bill interjected, "Fekin, do you think they''ll ept such losses? After the fair, might they revert to the original contracts?"

    It was a significant concern. Even Fekin had to admit the possibility, perhaps with a touch of confidence, erasing the word ''might.''

    "They''ve never been inclined topromise, but why must they now? It''s simple: because the workers united and showed strength," Fekin remarked. "The Raynes are pragmatic. Look at today, our sarcasm and jabs were like a direct p to their faces. If it were me, well, I''d probably lose my temper immediately."

    With a self-deprecating chuckle, Fekin continued, "But, did you notice? Did that guy lose his cool?"

    "Not a bit," Bill shook his head. Then he added, "That''s why I''m more concerned. p the man in the face, and he can still smile. Gosh, I wish I could just end him, but seeing him grin, I lose sleep..."

    "Bill, do you reckon this guy despises us?" Fekin inquired.

    "Of course, he must!" George, another worker representative, chimed in. "We''re standing in the way of his wealth. Blocking someone''s fortune��why wouldn''t they hate us?""Killing his folks or toying with his wife, to him, might not be as detestable as obstructing his wealth."

    "If he despises us so much, why doesn''t he confront us?" Fekin asked again.

    But this time, without waiting for a response, he answered, "Because he dares not. He knows shing with us isn''t worth it. Making concessions to us costs him a pound, while confronting us costs him a pound and a penny. He won''t pick a fight. So, as long as we disy strength and make them see that shing with us incurs greater losses thanpromising, they won''t dare. Therefore, to prevent them from reneging in the future, we need to fortify our unity further. If they make a move, our unified action will make them bear unbearable losses."

    Fekin''s words bolstered their resolve, yet he knew matters weren''t that straightforward. The vested interests surpassed mere worker and factory owner dynamics. Numerous critical aspects remained unspoken, such as the distinction between short-term and long-term gains.

    Directly confronting the union, leading to a major strike, would indisputably harm Raynes'' short-term interests as factory owners. But enforcing the new contracts in the long run would be more beneficial. Additionally, if the Raynes chose to provoke this struggle, they would prepare in advance, reducing their short-term losses further. Victory in this struggle would be exceedingly challenging under such circumstances.

    And that wasn''t the worst part; what if? What if the troublemakers weren''t solely the Raynes or the textile magnates but the entire ''wealthy ss''? Knowledge gained from studies in Toulon indicated a broader entity��''The United Kingdom.''

    So, the adversaries facing the London Textile Workers Union weren''t just the factory owners but a more formidable and fearful entity��the United Kingdom.

    Hence, the enemies before the London Textile Workers Union weren''t solely the factory owners or even just the textile magnates, but the ''rich ss'' as a whole. And this collective entity, as his studies implied, went by the name ''United Kingdom.''

    So, before the London Textile Workers Union, the foes weren''t solely the factory owners but a more imposing entity��the United Kingdom.

    Fekin and the struggle of the London Textile Workers Union against this adversary felt like a child wielding a needle against a Level 26 Ancient Red Dragon in a game.

    However, certain matters couldn''t be avoided just because the power discrepancy was vast. Much like a child refraining from picking up their needle doesn''t stop the Red Dragon from eating them gently.

    Often, despite the opponent''s might, we''re left with no choice but to wield our needle, not for glory or justice but for survival.

    As an individual worker, bing a representative might offer opportunities for treachery, selling out fellow workers for thirty silver coins. But for the collective��the textile workers��resistance was the only path.

    Honestly, the Raynes and those wealthy folks didn''t harbor hatred for the workers. They perceived them as tools, means to their profits. Why would they despise such tools? Despite some resenting their transformation from living beings to mere tools, to capital, what concern was that to them?

    Hence, for those who didn''t wish to be Chaplin''s depiction of tools in ''The Gilded Age,'' resistance was the sole route, even against a formidable opponent like the ''Trisrans'' while we remained ''insects.''

    Yet, these words couldn''t be shared now. The adversary was too formidable. Expressing these thoughts might terrify them. So, Fekin reflected and spoke cautiously:

    "After this, we must further strengthen the unity among textile workers. Relying solely on them won''t suffice. While the wealthy have many internal conflicts, they unanimously oppress the poor. Hence, to survive and resist, we must organize more impoverished people. Textile workers, steelworkers, shipbuilders��all workers must unite. While the wealthy have united long ago, so must the poor to counter them, to avoid or at least minimize oppression."

    As they walked and conversed, some discussed reinforcing unity among textile workers, contacting workers from other industries, while others envisioned a future where they''d save enough to start anew in the New World. Hope was vital; it sustained these workers through their hardships.

    Meanwhile, the textile factory owners convened to strategize their next steps.

    "These representatives are a tough nut to crack," remarked one factory owner.

    "True. But not impossible," Rayne said. "They''re vignt, but no one can stay vignt indefinitely. There''ll be a slip. So, it''s not impossible; they caught us off guard, leaving us no time to react."

    "What''s your suggestion then?" another factory owner inquired.

    "Step back temporarily, restoring most uses from the old contract," Rayne suggested. "Simultaneously, find a way to divide them."

    "They''re always together. How do we divide them?"

    "We bypass them and directly aim to divide their foundation��the workers. Those workers have been enduring hunger. A slight concession, without even meeting halfway, might make them feel like they can barely scrape through. Then, some will enter

    the factory or at least aspire to. How many can we exploit there? Once that time passes, they won''t pose a threat. By then..." Rayne chuckled darkly, "By then, anyone who''s taken what''s mine will return it; anyone who''s eaten mine will regurgitate it! Honestly, if it weren''t for the Paris Trade Fair, not just us, many influential figures would have already disciplined them! Worried this new contract won''t hold?"

    The ''respectable'' attendees erupted inughter akin to hyenas. A breeze swept in, swaying the candlelight and distorting their shadows, resembling specters.

    Tomorrow marks the birth anniversary of the great proletarian thinker, revolutionary, Comrade Marx. A day of rest in his memory. Updates resume the day after tomorrow. Your understanding is appreciated.

 Chapter 337: Propaganda

    Chapter 337: Propaganda

    For the second Paris Trade Fair, France constructed a railway from the ce du Dieu de Guerre in the heart of Paris to the Pce of Liberty. This marked the world''s first passenger railway and stood as a pivotal move by Napoleon to inspire the people while cultivating a sense of personal idolization.

    During thest trade fair, the spectacle of the Pce of Liberty had profoundly impressed foreigners, swelling the national pride of the locals. However,pared to the railway, the impact of the Pce of Liberty was somewhatcking. In many ways, the train, especially the steam lotive billowing smoke and steam, epitomized the industrial era. Even in the age of high-speed trains, the raw power of the old-style steam engine remained irreceable, gathering countless steam train enthusiasts across eras.

    Now that the railway was mostlyid, the trade fair was set tomence in a month. The Bonaparte siblings gathered to discuss the most effective ways to stage their show.

    Originally, Napoleon nned to inaugurate the train service during the opening of the second trade fair, an idea swiftly mocked by Lucien.

    "Napoleon, you fool!" Lucien took a chance to mock his younger brother, feeling rather pleased. "It''s like flogging a criminal and decreeing twentyshes. Should you pause after every twoshes to let the criminal catch their breath or should you just flog continuously until the end?"

    Napoleon paused, then grasped Lucien''s point. Continuouslyshing twenty times would often result in the recipient fainting after three or fourshes, rendering the rest unfelt. Lucien''s implication was clear: coupling the inauguration of the train with the opening of the trade fair would overstimte the public, potentially numbing their excitement and wasting a great opportunity.

    Though Napoleon understood Lucien''s point, seeing his smug face made Napoleon irate. He wanted to test Lucien, to see if continuousshes truly led to overstimtion.

    Noticing Napoleon''s expression, Lucien instinctively distanced himself and suggested, "Napoleon, perhaps we should create some distance between these events to prevent overstimtion."

    Lucien''s words effectively diverted Napoleon''s attention. But in reality, Napoleon might not have wanted to provoke a scene and risk Joseph mocking his ipetence."Lucien, your considerations are valid," Napoleon said. "But you overlook a crucial principle: the most captivating acts should not debut first. If the best act is revealed initially, no one will pay attention to the subsequent ones."

    "Absolutely!" Lucien agreed. "Just like in the ''The Moulin Rouge,'' the most renowneddy always appearsst. Undoubtedly, the train is our show''s star attraction this time. Introducing it right at the start might lead to the exact concerns you''ve raised. However, ''The Moulin Rouge'' sometimes adopts a different approach. Have you seen our musical ''Cindere''?"

    "No," Napoleon replied. "I don''t live and work in the ''The Moulin Rouge'' like you."

    Lucien then outlined the basic plot of their adaptation of ''Cindere'' to Napoleon.

    "Ah, this story sounds familiar, a tale by Charles Perrault, right? You''ve just tweaked it a bit," Napoleon remarked, cutting to the point.

    "In our y, Nicole from the ''The Moulin Rouge'' ys ''Cindere,'' a breathtaking beauty. She makes her entrance in the first act, but through makeup and attire, we deliberately downy her appearance initially. It''s not until the pumpkin carriage arrives that, through costume and makeup changes, we suddenly highlight Nicole, dazzling the audience."

    "We can employ a simr strategy with the train. Initially, we''ll run freight trains without ceremony. They''re impressive, but you can''t board them, just watch from afar. Yet, even this will stir excitement. Then, gradually leak news about passenger trains, fueling discussions and expectations in newspapers. Ticket sales for the inaugural passenger trip will elevate anticipation. And then..."

    "That''s good, but how do you n to sell these tickets, Lucien?" Joseph, who had been quietly reading students'' research reports, suddenly asked.

    "Through an auction," Lucien said. "The first passenger coach will be the most luxurious, akin to a small vi. We''ll auction each coach''s tickets. We''ll orchestrate a hype, ensuring a hefty sum, grabbing everyone''s attention."

    Joseph shook his head, questioning Lucien. "Our newspapers extensively covered recent strikes by British workers. What''s the purpose of such coverage?"

    "It''s to make our people realize how fortunate they are," Lucien replied. "As you''ve said, everyone''s like Faust, never content. No matter how capable we are, we can''t satisfy them fully. Unsatisfied, they seek change, which isn''t in our interest."

    "You''ve mentioned that happiness is rtive. Why do you think the world''s most revered dramas are mostly tragedies? It''s because people find satisfaction and happiness in witnessing the downfall of those seemingly stronger than themselves. It''s not about envy or hatred, just feeling content about one''s situation, especiallypared to those heroes."

    Joseph concurred, highlighting the importance ofparative happiness. He noted that the recent gue, initially, the citizens of the Red Rabbit country weren''t satisfied with their nation''s responses. However, seeing the operations in Europe, notably in Italy and Austria, the citizens appreciated their nation''s efforts.

    "France today is simr," Joseph added. "Despite ongoing ss oppression and the average Frenchman''s struggles, whenpared to the British plight, our workers naturally cherish France''s situation. They''re exceedingly grateful to First Consul Napoleon."

    "By conducting such auctions and emphasizing these news reports, aren''t you intentionally entuating France''s wealth gap? Disying opulence, where the rich frivolously spend, might leave the poor feeling hopeless. It highlights the despair of inequality and breeds resentment, reducing smiles. So, your actions could be stirring up trouble for ourselves," Joseph bluntly stated.

    If it were Napoleon criticizing himself, Lucien might have attempted a rebuttal, even if forcefully. However, under Joseph''s scrutiny, Lucien dared not speak up. It was odd, as Joseph no longer randomly brought out test papers to challenge him. Nheless, Lucien couldn''t help but feel a bit intimidated by his elder brother.

    "How would you suggest handling this, Joseph?" Lucien earnestly inquired, surprising Napoleon, who found this level ofpliance rather unusual.

    "An auction, of course," Joseph replied.

    "What?" Lucien uttered.

    "First, publicize that the proceeds from this auction will fund the establishment of a charity hospital in the Saint-Antoine district, aiding the poor in Paris. Appeal to the wealthy for donations. Then, think about it?" Joseph suggested.

    After a moment of contemtion, Lucien nodded in admiration. "Indeed, it''s Joseph! One side gains excitement through bidding, while the workers won''t see the rich enjoying extravagances they can never afford. They might even feel that our wealthy in France are superior to the British, making money yet still giving back to society. This way, we generate excitement, stability, and more smiles. Killing two birds with one stone! Brilliant!"

 Chapter 338: The Passenger

    Chapter 338: The Passenger

    Early that morning, young Fran?ois left home, ready for school. The school wasn''t far from Fran?ois''s house, and usually, he didn''t need to leave so early.

    But things had changed recently. The road to school was closed due to construction of a railway. Now, wire fences stood tall, and soldiers in sharp uniforms patrolled, preventing mischievous kids like Fran?ois from sneaking in through the drainage ditches under the wires.

    Signs hung on these fences, their words unclear to Fran?ois. ording to Huaxite, two grades above him, the government was building a railway and, for safety, restricted ess.

    To facilitate passage, the government made some openings. However, reaching these openings required a lengthy detour.

    Fran?ois, a mischievousd, wasn''t keen on the longer route. As soon as the road closed, he''d slip under the wire when the patrolling soldiers were distant.

    He easily passed through the wire but, in mbering out of the ditch, his bag snagged. The patrolling soldiers turned back at that moment.

    Losing the bag wasn''t an option. It was meticulously sewn by his mother from scraps umted over years. If lost, schooling would be impossible and a certain punishment awaited him at home.

    Fran?ois was caught, bag and all. A tall soldier rummaged through his bag, finding his name and school. The soldier took Fran?ois to a policeman, who then escorted him to the school''s headmaster, Mr. Lamadong. Fran?ois faced a stern lecture and was passed on to his ss teacher, Mr. P, who kept him back after school for several rounds of written apologies until satisfied.

    At home, his father easily discovered the truth and gave Fran?ois another scolding. After that day, Fran?ois never ventured under the wires again, choosing the longer but safer route.From the openings, Fran?ois observed the workersying tracks. Initially digging a trench, theyidrge stones, then smaller ones, leveling them. Anotheryer of gravel followed, forming a raised trapezoid.

    Then came the wooden sleepers and steel rails. Fran?ois ryed this to his father, who mused, "Those rails must be valuable. Police will likely increase patrols; foreigners might try stealing them."

    In school, during a science ss with Mr. Duran, they read an article from "The Scientific Truth Gazette," exining the purpose of this railway and disying an illustration of a smoking steam lotive.

    This ss sparked Fran?ois and his ssmates'' interest in trains. Yet, despite passing by the construction daily, Fran?ois never saw a steam train.

    One morning, passing the crossing, Fran?ois witnessed a fast-moving vehicle on the tracks��not the steam train depicted but a strange contraption with two people on a seesaw-like apparatus.

    However, that day, the crossing was blocked by barriers and uniformed individuals. They announced the imminent arrival of a train and instructed everyone to wait.

    Excitement surged among the crowd��the allure of novelty captivated them. Fran?ois, exploiting his size, wiggled to the front.

    "Where is it? Where?" Fran?ois clutched his bag, fearing it''d snap while jostling. His eyes followed the gleaming rails, eagerly anticipating.

    "There, there! See the smoke?" someone pointed.

    Fran?ois looked, spotting a moving plume in the distance.

    "That''s the smoke from the steam engine!" Fran?ois couldn''t resist boasting about what he''d learned in ss, but nobody listened, all eyes fixated on the plume. Initially slow, it picked up speed, the rhythmic tter of wheels and rails growing louder.

    "Look! It''s here!" someone eximed.

    The train appeared after a bend. As it approached the crossing, it slowed, the driver sounding the whistle.

    "Whoo..."

    The loud whistle startled everyone.

    "Wow, that''s scarier than a hundred horses!" someone remarked.

    "It''s... it''s magnificent!" another said.

    The colossal machine, thundering with steel on steel, billowing steam and smoke, rushed past.

    "It''s so long!"

    "Like a giant snake!"

    Behind the engine trailed freight cars, some with carriages, others mere tbeds. The contents were elusive in the carriages, but the open cars unted various items, including cannons bound for the Freedom Pce exposition.

    In a blink, the train was gone. Men in ck uniforms removed the barriers, and life resumed.

    Following that, people flocked to the rail lines daily, some artists even settling with easels and chairs, sketching. The railway became an unexpected Parisian spectacle.

    Meanwhile, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" and other papers extensively covered the railway. In an exclusive, they interviewed the railwaypany''s managing director, Mr. Messier. He disclosed a secret��the primary use of this War God Square to Freedom Pce line wasn''t freight but passenger transport. Thepany would inaugurate the world''s first passenger train at the Second Freedom Pce Exhibition''s opening. Parisians could buy tickets and witness the grand event.

    Regarding the much-anticipated fares, Messier stressed theirmitment to serve the people without profit. Hence, prices would be reasonable, aiming only to cover costs. However, specifics were under consideration.

    Since Messier didn''t reveal the exact fares, newspapers spected wildly. Despite thepany''s emphasis on affordability, certain reports exaggerated the operating costs, projecting higher prices. Although cheaper than renting a carriage, the impoverished had to bear the cost with some difficulty.

    Later, Messier hinted that the fares would be lower than expected, "perfectly affordable for Parisian workers." This was offset by pricing the luxuriouspartments for the affluent.

    "Our goal is to serve the masses without profiting," Messier reiterated thepany''s philosophy.

 Chapter 339: The Preparations

    Chapter 339: The Preparations

    Mr. Messier''s proposal topensate for the loss on low-priced tickets with fares for high-end luxury carriages reignited media interest in thevishness and pricing of these carriages.

    During an interview with the Businessman Gazette, Mr. Messier outlined the luxury carriage details, dubbing them "pces on wheels." As for the pricing of these seats, he assured that for the affluent, it wouldn''t dent their wallets much.

    "After all, trains can amodate more people in one gopared to carriages. So, although the cost of our train exceeds by far the extravagant carriage Louis XVI attempted to flee Paris in, the per-seat cost doesn''t surpass his carriage��certainly in speed andfort, far exceeding his. If he had traveled on our train instead of that carriage, he''d have absconded ages ago. Plus, this line operates long-term, so it''s quite economical when divided among passengers."

    Moreover, the inaugural train heading to Elysium Pce, being the world''s first passenger train, has limitations on ticket sales. Ordinary tickets on this train will all be gifted to students from various schools in Paris, allowing them to experience the allure of science and technology. The positioning of luxury carriage seats will be auctioned off, and all proceeds will be donated to education in France because children are our future!

    We''ve always believed that greater abilityes with greater responsibility. Many of us, through hard work, have earned fortunes and be affluent. However, we must remain grateful, acknowledging that apart from personal efforts, our position today is also indebted to historical progress. Without the collective effort of the French people, we wouldn''t be where we are. So, we, the affluent, should understand gratitude and give back to society. Thus, I urge the wealthy of France to step forward, support us through practical action..."

    Post this interview, newspapers swiftly redirected attention towards the auction. Stirred by the press, discussions ensued on how much these seats might fetch and which magnates would generously contribute to charity.

    While the auction hadn''t begun, Parisian tycoons, especially the overt ones, sequentially expressed their interest in charity. Even those previously criticized, like Mr. Bonaventure dubbed a ''vampire,'' imed their avid support for the train and charity causes, fulfilling their societal duties.

    Simrly, ''France''s biggest pimp,'' Henri, derided by many, dered that supporting charity was a responsibility of the newly affluent, adding, "Many of my employees are intrigued by the train." Thus, he aimed to returnden with wins from the auction. His statement also prompted curiosity about the spectacle when his staff boarded the train.

    Yet, the most surprising was Mr. Gerard, the managing director of Lorraine Steel Company.With Lorraine Steel''s ascent, thepany garnered increasing attention. Though not itsrgest shareholder, Mr. Gerard, responsible for daily affairs, inevitably became the focus. One aspect became widely known��his frugality.

    Mr. Gerard''s wealth was public knowledge; after all, Lorraine Steel was among Europe''s most profitable enterprises. As its executive, being cash-strapped was like a king endorsing intravenous disinfectant injections��an absolute joke. (Whether or not he did, well, if the king says so, it must be true, right?)

    However, despite his wealth, Mr. Gerard''s extreme thriftiness was renowned. He owned only four sets of clothes, two for hot weather and two for cold, all cost-effective (his cost-effectiveness being the money spent on clothing divided by the expected usage time, aiming for the smallest quotient). He even refrained from buying a carriage, preferring to walk to work until narrowly escaping a kidnapping, after which he begrudgingly acquired a shoddy carriage. To save, he didn''t hire a coachman��he learned to drive the carriage himself.

    There''s even a joke about him:

    Mr. Gerard goes to a caf��, orders coffee, and when asked if he wants sugar, he replies, "Bring it without, but full."

    The waiter brings unsweetened coffee. Mr. Gerard takes a sip, makes space for the sugar cube, and then calls out, "Add a cube!"

    Of course, this joke''s untrue; Mr. Gerard doesn''t frequent caf��s for coffee. Those acquainted with him know he abstains from alcohol, coffee, and tea, drinking only water.

    Hence, some journalists queried if he''d participate in the auction, expecting a response like

    "Me, spend on a luxurious seat? Absolutely mad! Charity? Not my concern! Pay? Only if Robespierre carries the guillotine himself... Yes, count me out, absolutely not!"

    However, Mr. Gerard''s actual response surprised everyone:

    "On this matter, I''ve already discussed with Messier. He assured me that anyone can check these ounts at any time to see if funds are misallocated. Given this, I believe the money will go where it''s truly needed. Therefore, this event is entirely a charity drive, and I find charity immensely meaningful. So, although I have zero interest in luxury seats, I''m willing to participate. Besides, that rascal Messier is slyly advertising for free; he owes me for that..."

 Chapter 340: The Auction

    Chapter 340: The Auction

    This auction, owing to its charitable nature, was arranged at the Royal Pce. This ce once belonged to the Duke of Orleans and stood as a pivotal site during the French Revolution. After the Duke lost his head, this pce became state property. During Napoleon''s tenure as the First Consul, it was transformed into a theater.

    After rounds of anticipation fueled by the newspapers, the auction finallymenced.

    Normally, in a passenger train, there''s only one luxury carriage among twelve. The rest consist of four second-ss carriages, five third-ss ones, and two dining cars.

    However, due to the understanding that many affluent individuals desired seats on this historically significant first-ss carriage, theposition of this train was altered. Considering the rtively short travel time, two dining cars were removed. All four second-ss carriages were taken out, and two of the third-ss carriages were also removed, leaving only three. These removed carriages were transformed into luxury ones. There was a concern about these three carriages being too close to the lotive, allowing coal smoke to waft in when the windows were open. Also, as there were ns to involve some school children in a performance, these three carriages might be reced with luxury ones.

    In theory, with this many carriages and tickets, the supply should have been sufficient, meeting the demand. However, as the auction began, attendees discovered an unexpected turn of events. Instead of selling tickets one by one, they were auctioning off each carriage.

    In truth, this wasn��t a big issue and, in fact, was expected. With nine carriages, each with sixteen seats, if auctioned individually, even if the names of every ticket buyer were published in the newspapers, who would bother to read and remember them all? This approach diminished the advertising effect. By selling carriage by carriage, the number of buyers decreased, but the transaction amounts soared, attracting more attention. It was a better advertising strategy��for both buyers and sellers.

    The first auction was for the luxurious carriage number five. Once the free bidding began, the atmosphere heated up. Despite being susceptible to coal smoke due to its proximity to the lotive, its starting price was the lowest among all luxury carriages. Still, bidding continued fiercely, quickly reaching eight thousand francs.

    Then, a young man raised his sign, "Ten thousand francs."

    "Ten thousand? What''s that? I..." President Russell of the Wine Union was about to raise a higher bid when his assistant gently tugged at his sleeve."It''s Louis Bonaparte," the assistant whispered.

    "What?" Russell was surprised. "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, it''s Louis Bonaparte," the assistant confirmed.

    "Ah, then let��s notpete with him," Russell said. "However, we must secure carriage number six, no matter what!"

    Since Louis raised the bid to ten thousand francs, no one else made a higher offer. Even the auctioneer hastened the process.

    Usually, auctioneers dy to allow more people time to decide and bid higher. Sometimes, there could be a ten-minute gap between the "First time at XX francs" and "Third time at XX francs."

    But this time, the auctioneer almost raced through the rounds, almost like a weather forecast on national television, swiftly dering "First, second, third time," and even before finishing saying "Second time," the hammer struck.

    Next came carriage number six, slightly better than five but not the best. However, bidding skyrocketed. Starting at a thousand francs, numerous signs shot up, and in no time, the price soared to thirty thousand francs, showing no signs of slowing down. Louis merely sipped his coffee, lifting his head to find the bid had already reached fifty thousand.

    "If only they knew who was sitting in this carriage, they might regret it," Louis couldn��t help but think.

    Louis knew these bidders, especially someone like Nathan Rothschild, were spending so much because they believed a Bonaparte family member would upy this carriage. They hoped to establish connections with the Bonaparte family. Yet, Louis wasn��t nning to use this carriage for his own family...

    The price continued to climb, quickly reaching eighty thousand. Most bidders had exited, leaving only a few Jewish or foreign individuals vying against each other. Ultimately, Nathan Rothschild, willing to spend more, secured the carriage for a hundred and twenty thousand francs.

    Perhaps due to the effort spent on bidding for carriage number six, as they progressed through theter carriages��though theoretically better in terms of environment��the final prices noticeably decreased. By the time they reached thest carriage, Mr. Grandet managed to secure it for a mere twenty thousand francs.

    Once the auction concluded, apart from Louis, who promptly disappeared, the sessful ticket holders remained, willingly giving interviews to various newspapers. During these interviews, they expressed their love for France and support for charitable causes.

    "Mr. Rothschild, as far as I know, you aren''t French. Why..." a reporter questioned Nathan Rothschild.

    "Ah, dear journalist, you might have missed something. Justst month, my application for French citizenship was approved by the Immigration Office. So now, I am an honored Frenchman," Nathan Rothschild immediately replied in a Frenchced with some Italian vor. It was said that Nathan had put in considerable effort to speak with that particr ent.

    "Is that so? Then, congrattions to you. But may I ask, why did you choose to obtain French citizenship?" the reporter asked again.

    "Of course, because France is the most democratic, the freest country in the world," Rothschild replied. "I am a lover of freedom. Where there is freedom, there is my homnd."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 340 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 341: The Shout

    Chapter 341: The Shout

    The day of the opening of the "Paris Trade Fair" was approaching rapidly. Early in the morning, the square in front of the War God za station was packed with people��the world''s first passenger train was about to depart from here.

    Young Fransois arrived at the station with his ssmates. The first passenger train had three third-ss carriages allocated by lottery to several schools situated in impoverished areas. Luckily, Fransois'' school won the draw.

    Then came the allocation within the school. To prevent the wealthy from taking undue advantage��although in Fransois'' school, there were hardly any wealthy students left, the appearance of fairness was crucial. The allocation of slots within the school was solely based on exam scores.

    Fransois wasn''t an exceptionally diligent student, but the primary school curriculum was manageable with a bit of cleverness. Coupled with the generally low academic performance of students in Fransois'' school, he stood out and secured a slot.

    Yes, the academic standards in schools located in impoverished areas were considerably lower. Thoughpulsory primary education existed in France, the disparity in educational funding among different regions was vast.

    Naturally, a primary school''s funding primarily stemmed from three sources: state allocation, district funding from local public services, and donations.

    State allocation was based on the number of students. District funding came from the area''s public service expenditure, determined by local citizens'' votes and levied on residents��a sort of "district tax." Generally, affluent neighborhoods imposed higher "district taxes," barring the poor from residing there and ensuring quality public services, including education.

    In impoverished areas, public service expenditure was nearly non-existent, leading to ack of district funding. As for donations, they were out of the question. Hence, schools in poor areas heavily relied on government funding, resulting in a stark contrast in finances between Paris'' poor and affluent neighborhoods'' schools.

    For instance, in the Saint Antoine district (divided into several smaller districts after Napoleon''s first consulship), over 98% of their school''s funds came from state allocations. In affluent areas like the Temple of the Ancestors district, the state allocation might not even reach 5%. Considering the equal state allocation per student, it was evident that a poor child''s education expenses in primary school might amount to about 5% of what a wealthy child received.In affluent district schools, a ss often had around twenty students, each subject taught by a dedicated teacher, sometimes even assisted by a teaching assistant. The facilities far surpassed those in poor area schools.

    In impoverished areas, a school, including the principal, staff, barely exceeded a handful. Teachers often had to multitask, handling subjects like French, mathematics, science, and arts for multiple age groups. Due to inadequate funds, qualified teachers were scarce, resulting in overcrowded ssrooms with sometimes just one ss per grade, amodating hundreds of students. These teachers might even be recent graduates from the same school, albeit with slightly better grades.

    Therefore, academically speaking, students from impoverished areas were in an entirely different leaguepared to their affluent counterparts. In some cases, older primary school students from affluent areas might surpass the teachers in impoverished areas in academic prowess.

    In a way, after the abolition of the aristocracy, this difference became a means for those in higher positions to ensure their descendants upied superior positions. Educational inequality cemented societal inequality.

    Yet, this couldn''t be med on the state. After all, if you couldn''t afford a house in an affluent district or pay the "district tax," who could you me? Unfortunate circumstances shouldn''t be pinned on the government, and misfortune shouldn''t me society. At least Napoleon''s administration acknowledged the plight of poor children. For instance, today''s "historic opportunity" was entirely given to the less fortunate, though admittedly, such an opportunity held little actual significance.

    Given the historical moment, a ceremony was inevitable. There had to be speeches. After Joseph and Lucien''s review and guidance, the First Consul delivered a speech titled "Sailing into the Spring of Science" at the train station. Napoleon emphasized, "Progress in science and technology is the foremost impetus for societal advancement. France calls upon her children to redouble efforts in this realm, forging ahead fearlessly in the sea of science." He also stressed France''s significant responsibility to lead Europe and the world into a scientific spring, akin to a steam lotive elerating on a railway with its carriages. Finally, he highlighted that the first three carriages of this train were entirely given to these children to inspire them to explore bravely and continue leading the world through the ocean of science.

    Napoleon''s speech was repeatedly interrupted by enthusiastic apuse and shouts. Initially, people chanted, "Long live the First Consul!" Later, someone, no one knew who, shouted, "Imperator!" Consequently, everyone joined in, shouting "Imperator."

    "Imperator" in Latin directly means an invinciblemander. The famous Caesar was once hailed as "Imperator" by his soldiers. Later, after Augustus established the imperial rule in Rome, the title "Imperator" was restricted to the reigning emperor and asionally awarded to direct family members. At the enthronement of Roman emperors, the acim of "Imperator" had evolved into a symbol of coronation. Now, they were cheering "Imperator" at Napoleon, not only praising his military achievements but also suggesting "urging the First Consul to move forward."

    However, Napoleon didn''t respond much to these cheers. Afterpleting his speech and announcing the inauguration of the passenger train, he left the tform.

    Subsequently, it was time for ticket checks and boarding. Naturally, the first to board were passengers in the luxurypartments. For instance, Nathan Rothschild, who had paid a hefty price for carriage number six, was among the earliest to board.

    Luxurypartments were indeed luxurious��far beyond thefort of luxury carriages, perhapsparable to certainvish cabins on sea vessels. Nathan Rothschild didn''t sit back on the plush sofa to enjoy what he''d paid for. Instead, he proceeded straight ahead to the junction between the sixth and fifth carriages, where a steward stood.

    "I''m Nathan Rothschild from Rothschild Bank. May I visit the fifth carriage?" Nathan Rothschild asked, handing over a business card.

    The steward took the card, noticing something else below it, seemingly a voucher. Silently, he collected both items and replied, "Mr. Rothschild, I need to inquire with the passengers about this."

    Then the steward went inside. After a while, he returned and said, "The gentlemen inside wee visiting friends."

    Thus, Nathan Rothschild, guided by the steward, entered the fifth carriage.

    The exorbitant price of the sixth carriage was solely due to the person owning the fifth carriage being a Bonaparte. Consequently, many spected that Napoleon''s family members would board this train.

    Napoleon''s whereabouts were public��he would travel on the second train to the Pce of Liberty. However, it was surmised that his brothers might be on this carriage. If an opportunity arose to establish a connection with them, no expense was deemed excessive. (Conversely, if Napoleon was aboard, given the inevitable security, those individuals surely wouldn''t have a chance to approach him.)

    Yet, in reality, none of Napoleon''s family members were in this carriage. Joseph wasn''t so keen on riding the train��he''d even taken the Revival Express in a previous life. As for Lucien, he wouldn''t be heading to the Pce of Liberty today; he had to oversee various propaganda efforts at the Ministry of Truth. Louis and Pauline were apanying Napoleon, so in this carriage, not a single person surnamed Bonaparte was present. The upants were friends and students of Joseph.

 Chapter 342: The Elderly Scientist, Lavoisier

    Chapter 342: The Elderly Scientist, Lavoisier

    Nathan Rothschild quickly noticed that there wasn''t anyone surnamed Bonaparte in the fifth carriage. However, he didn''t feel his money was wasted because he knew these individuals had close ties to the Bonaparte family. Though not Bonapartes by name, they constituted a vital, central part of the colossal entity that was the Bonaparte n.

    Most of these individuals were, or were going to be, luminaries in their respective fields, key figures cherished by the zeitgeist. For Nathan, getting acquainted with them and forging connections was absolutely worth the price of admission. However, after conversing briefly with them, he discovered that establishing rapport wasn''t particrly easy. Their conversations, even during leisurely moments, were iprehensible to him.

    Fortunately, he soon found someone equally interested in economics, holding the highest status within this carriage. That person was Monsieur Lavoisier, the esteemed honorary head of the French Academy of Sciences.

    At fifty-nine, Monsieur Lavoisier was considered aged in this era, especially for a scientist, reaching the retirement age.

    Owing to numerous legendary tales and entrenched customs of bygone eras, many people harbored unrealistic fantasies about elderly scientists. Just like a story Joseph had read once, it expressed:

    "Dean Sang of Sanlu University is an elderly scientist.

    The cement of ''elderly'' here is quite puzzling; it could describe science or the scientist.

    Regrettably, scientists and science differ greatly. Scientists are like wine, growing more precious with age, while science, akin to women, loses value with age. In the future, when the nationalnguage''s grammar matures, there might be a clear distinction between ''elderly scientists'' and ''the elderly of science,'' or perhaps ''the ancient home of science'' and ''elderly scientists.'' But for now, it''s too early to precisely delineate."

    However, Mr. Money, the author of the novel, wasn''t particrly knowledgeable about the field of science. Natural sciences differ from humanities; there''s no truth in ''scientists are like wine, growing more precious with age.'' Science, unless debunked, retains its value whether old or new. For instance, thews of thermodynamics, centuries old, stillmand respect. Scientists, on the other hand, are indeed akin to women; they lose value as they age.In historical and humanities research, umting experience and knowledge holds more significance, making schrs somewhat akin to wine. However, in natural sciences, it''s different as scientific research demands extensive data processing capabilities, cing significant strain on the brain. As age advances, bodily functions decline inevitably. While experience gained with age is crucial, it''s insufficient to offset the physiological decline''s effects. Hence, for most natural scientists, their most significant achievements are usually made in their prime. As they age, they''re relegated to mere symbols.

    Monsieur Lavoisier keenly felt the decline in his energy and cognitive abilities. His hands trembled; in theboratory, he struggled to conduct experiments. Even when analyzing data, he often couldn''t keep pace with his assistants'' thoughts. This realization led Monsieur Lavoisier to contemte retirement.

    Despite the decline in his brain''s data processing ability, often resulting in inexplicable errors, akin to a worn-out graphics card in a mining rig, Monsieur Lavoisier was reluctant to be a mere figurehead.

    Monsieur Lavoisier always had two passions: science and money.

    Currently, science seemed disdainful of his aging; once his body was exhausted, it no longer favored him. Consequently, he diverted more attention to his other passion. With his diminishing data processing capabilities, delving into natural science apps seemed insufficient, but running business programs appeared manageable.

    However, while considering data processing capabilities, Monsieur Lavoisier overlooked something crucial: his databasecked extensive knowledge about conducting business.

    Despite this, their shared interest forged a strong bond between Lavoisier and Nathan Rothschild. Rothschild discovered that while Lavoisier wasn''t an expert in business, he asionally articted profound insights, sparking moments of revtion for Rothschild, often stemming from Joseph Bonaparte.

    "Joseph Bonaparte isn''t merely a scientific prodigy; he''s a prodigy in every aspect," Nathan Rothschild couldn''t help but muse.

    For Rothschild, establishing a connection with Lavoisier left him thoroughly content. He believed the money spent was truly worthwhile. Aware of Lavoisier''s close ties to the Bonaparte family��Joseph Bonaparte''s wife being Lavoisier''s niece��he saw an opportunity to engage with the true helmsmen of this illustrious n.

    At this juncture, most passengers had boarded, the train blew its whistle, emitting a long "woo-woo" sound. Soon, it gently jolted, and as one gazed out the window, everything outside gradually began receding.

    "Ah, the train''s departed. Well, ultimately, passenger cars are morefortable than freight trains; much better," remarked Lavoisier.

    "Monsieur Lavoisier, have you ever traveled on a freight train?" inquired Nathan Rothschild.

    "I did, at the Lorraine Steel Company. Out of curiosity, I sat with a group of workers on a tbed and caught a cold from the wind. Well, freight trains are much more jarring, but disregarding the wind factor, even a tbed is morefortable than a carriage."

    As they conversed, the train''s speed increased.

    "Monsieur Lavoisier, do you know how fast this train can go?" queried Nathan Rothschild.

    "Ah, you''ve asked the right person," responded Lavoisier with pride. "It can reach speeds of up to seventy kilometers per hour. But considering coal consumption, that''s not the most economical speed. The most economical speed varies based on different loads but generally hovers around fifty kilometers."

    "So fast?" mentally calcted Nathan Rothschild, then remarked, "Monsieur Lavoisier, don''t you think railways could be an incredibly profitable venture?"

 Chapter 343: The Trap

    Chapter 343: The Trap

    "Ah, everyone sees it that way," said Lavoisier, "Joseph thinks the same. He told me the most profitable businesses nowadays are steel and railways. At least, for the time being, that''s certain. You know, the British have invested a lot in steel, but their progress seems limited. In this aspect of technology, they still have a considerable gappared to us. Even if theye up with something, they can''t match us in performance and cost. Moreover, we have a whole array of high technology that we haven''t even put down on paper yet, hehe...

    Regarding railways, due to Mr. Watt, the British have some expertise in that area. However, because they need to purchase rails from us, their construction time and costs will be restricted by us. They can build in Ennd, butpeting with us is out of the question. So, truth be told, all my money is now invested in these two industries. And indeed, they keep bringing in more profits."

    Speaking of making money, Lavoisier beamed with joy.

    "But the progress of railways doesn''t seem very rapid right now, does it?" Nathan Rothschild remarked.

    "Mainly because steel production isgging," Lavoisier exined. "But the bottleneck in transportation capacity has been broken, new steel factories have been established, and before long, there will be a tremendous surge in steel production. Then, the advancement of railways will pick up pace. Soon, you''ll see railways all over France."

    "I think outside France, railways could also be a very profitable venture, say in Austria, Prussia, or even the New World."

    "Probably," Lavoisier hesitated, "I''m not particrly familiar with the situations in those two countries. But Joseph mentioned that in those ces, building railways isplicated due tond issues. You know, theirnds are owned by various nobles from different regions, unlike in France where the nobility met the guillotine. So, constructing railways there is quite troublesome."

    "But at least, there are segments where building railways would be highly valuable," Nathan Rothschild suggested. "For instance, constructing a railway from Lubin towards the Oder River would be immensely beneficial."

    "Lubin has arge copper mine, and copper is a vitalmodity, especially during the rapid development of electrification, the demand for copper keeps increasing.""I have quite a few business dealings on the Austrian side. If we could get support from your end, I believe we could solve those annoyingnd issues and build that railway," Nathan proposed.

    Lavoisier pondered for a moment and nodded, "Indeed, it''s a good deal, but I''ve already invested all my avable funds into these two ventures."

    "Ah, Mr. Lavoisier, money isn''t an issue," Nathan Rothschild assured, "Did you forget my introduction earlier? I am in banking."

    "Oh, I haven''t forgotten, but I''ve borrowed quite a bit from the banks in the alliance. Nearly half of my investment returns to those banks. Honestly, they''ve offered me very generous rates��yes, you wouldn''t find such low rates anywhere else in Paris. They are willing to lend at these low rates because they know these two investments of mine are surefire moneymakers. So, although the rates aren''t high, there''s almost no risk. Yet, considering the uncertainties in deals outside France, especially in Austria, the risks are higher. Consequently, the loan rates will naturally be higher, and the returns might not necessarily be higher. Even factoring in the higher loan rates, the returns might be lower. So, although it''s a good deal, for now, I might not need to invest in it."

    Nathan Rothschild fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "You''re right, Mr. Lavoisier. But if you''d be willing to help, perhaps, perhaps we could significantly reduce the risks in this business. Of course, I won''t ask for your help for free... Well, you''re the esteemed elder respected by Minister Bonaparte, and his wife is your niece. If you could convince him to invest in this project, or even if he doesn''t invest actual funds, I can provide the entire sum. Minister Bonaparte would only need to hold a nominal share. I just need a name to exert pressure on the Austrian government. With such a name, they''ll surely resolve ournd issues. If you truly help, we can even offer you a share without cost..."

    This suggestion immediately intrigued Lavoisier because it was a business without investment. It was even lower in cost than a business without investment. Consider, Joseph''s brothers went for those businesses without investment, like seeking generosity from the Pope, and they needed to bring troops to fight a battle. However, this deal only required lending a name; it was truly... his heart started to beat faster.

    Lavoisier and Nathan Rothschild talked for a while, outlining their intentions. Then he said to Nathan, "Mr. Rothschild, you''re a business genius. I believe Joseph will also find this deal very interesting..."

    While they conversed, the train began to decelerate.

    "Mr. Lavoisier, Mr. Lavoisier, we''ve arrived. Aren''t you nning to disembark?" a young man in his twenties called out to Lavoisier.

    "Ah, of course, I''ll take a look. Just wait for me. There''s no need to rush everything; after all, the Peace Pce isn''t a train, it has no wheels, it can''t run away. Right, Gauss?"

    Attendants came to assist passengers with luggage. Nathan Rothschild politely bid farewell to Lavoisier, Joseph''s students, and assistants, then returned to his ownpartment.

    Once back in hispartment, he couldn''t contain his excitement and stamped his foot on the floor.

    Nathan Rothschild understood that any business, without powerful political backing, would be very challenging to make profits. After all, violence is the guarantee behind all free trade. If you don''t have a big stick, who''d want to engage in free trade with you? Isn''t direct plundering more appealing?

    No violence, no massive profits. And in today''s Europe, is there anyone more powerful than France, than the Bonaparte family? With their connections and endorsement of violence, wouldn''t the profits be immense?

    As everyone disembarked, attendants guided them to the lounge area to rx because it was only with Napoleon''s arrival and subsequent speech that the Ba Trade Fair would officiallymence.

    So, Lavoisier and Nathan Rothschild huddled together again, discussing business matters, while Gauss skillfully took out a notebook and started jotting down notes and sketches.

    After a while, a distant train whistle was heard, followed by a train billowing smoke as it rolled into the station and halted by the tform.

    It was a rtively short train, with only three carriages aside from the lotive and coal car. The middle carriage was Napoleon''s, while the side carriages were packed with guards.

    Not long ago, the Ministry of Public Safety had thwarted a conspiracy against the First Consul��an association of royalists deluded in resurrecting their lost paradise. They attempted to assassinate the greatmander of the French people, the golden sun in every Frenchman''s heart, Napoleon, during his inspection of the old city renovations.

    They had nted a significant amount of explosives along Napoleon''s route in hopes of assassinating him and staging a rebellion.

    The eyes of the people were sharp. Their wicked plots had long caught the attention of the masses��not in the Chaoyang District, my apologies, but in the district of Saint Antoine. After receiving reports from the popce, the Ministry of Public Security took it seriously, deploying meticulous strategies in coordination with other departments. They managed to capture most of the counter-revolutionaries, while the few who fled would certainly not escape justice.

    ording to unreliable sources, Minister of Public Security, Mr. Fouch��,ined to the First Consul. He asserted that if it weren''t for the Ministry of Truth rushing in and stirring the pot, none of those conspirators would have slipped away. However, Lucien did not admit to this. On the contrary, he mentioned that without their urgent intervention, there would have been more fish slipping through the.

    Though the royalist plotters�� schemes had been crushed, these individuals surely wouldn''t cease their efforts. As Napoleon stated in his Council of State address, "Disruption, failure, further disruption, and further failure... untilplete extinction. This is the fundamental logic of all feudal remnants; they will never defy this logic!"

    Hence, security measures for Napoleon''s travels were significantly heightened thereafter. Despite Napoleon''s difort, he felt it created a divide between him and the people. Privately, heined, "I''ve seen much worse than these royalist antics in the midst of gunfire. What security issue? I am safest when I''m among the people!"

    Nevertheless, security measures were elevated. For instance, the train Napoleon boarded seemed ordinary from the outside, yet its carriages were significantly heavier. Thesepartments were practically armored boxes, encased in thick steel tes.

    Under the guard of his escorts, Napoleon disembarked from the carriage. He ascended the tform in front of the Freedom Pce once again, acknowledging the various merchants gathered for the Second Paris Trade Fair. He conveyed thatmercial activities bridged the gap between scarcity and abundance, fostering economic development, enhancing mutual understanding among nations, and nurturing friendships, thus ensuring peace and progress in their era. Thus,merce itself stood as the greatest charity.

    Following his impassioned speech, Napoleon officially inaugurated the Second Paris Trade Fair. As he uttered these words, over two thousand pigeons were released, triggering cheers among the crowd.

    The event featured group gymnastics and demonstrations of various new technologies.

    The theme of this fair was the Electrical Era, hence the spotlight was on various electrical innovations. Apart from the widely known electric lights and telephones, Bonaparte Generalelectricals showcased numerous novelties: an electric phonograph, extraordinarily bright arcmps, among others. Of course, this exhibit wasn''t solely Bonaparte Generalelectricals'' show; many other enterprises also presented imaginative creations. There was even a small electric vehicle powered by lead-acid batteries. However, due to battery limitations, it couldn''t go very far. Still, it attracted considerable attention during the exhibit.

    The inventor imed this invention could potentially rece carriages in the near future��at least within cities. Considering the vast market prospects, it was bound to be profitable, provided someone invested and helped resolve minor technical issues, particrly improving battery capacity and charging speed.

    This, however, wasn''t a minor issue. Even inter times, these were crucial limitations hindering electric vehicle development. Joseph was aware that under current technological conditions, solving these problems was merely wishful thinking.

    Yet, others weren''t as informed. Hence, this project might actually attract investments. Then, using those investments, establishing apany, conducting research, followed by bankruptcy announcement��thereby allowing Bonaparte Generalelectricals to acquire their research results at very low prices.

    Indeed, many shy exhibits at present served as bait; they were genuinely useful in the future, worthy of investment in research. However, even the Bonaparte family didn''t have enough resources. So, they''d cast these items out, allowing those dreaming of fortune to invest, eventually bankrupting their enterprises at the right moment,pleting research at low cost.

    Thus, while Napoleon encouraged people to engage in maximum charity, he repeatedly cautioned, "Business involves risks; invest cautiously."

    However, such warnings were undoubtedly futile. If they weren''t, Joseph probably wouldn''t have allowed Napoleon to y the role of the altruistic man.

    Besides these trivial matters, Joseph and Napoleon were discussing the idea of permitting foreign investment in constructing railways in France. This concept was a brilliant proposal from the banker, Mr. Bovary.

    ording to this n, the Military-Industrial Complex would first hype up the railways, making people believe that building railways would yield substantial profits. The consortium''s most important enterprises, especially those dealing with freight transport, held significant stakes in each other. Hence, they could manipte profits, reducing the profits of users while boosting the railway system''s profits��a mere transfer of money from one pocket to another for the major shareholders. As for the minor shareholders��who cares?

    This way, the railwaypanies'' financial reports would appear impressively lucrative. By the time foreign capital was allowed to invest in railways, the most profitable and valuable routes would already be in the consortium''s hands. The remaining constructions,rgely for storytelling in the stock market, weren''t particrly profitable��some wouldn''t even profit unless railway fares were considerably robust.

    Once these entities had constructed the railways, the consortium-controlled railways would proactively lower freight prices to benefit the masses. This tactic could push the railways constructed by foreign capital into bankruptcy. Subsequently, the consortium could acquire these railways at very low prices. Even considering financial tactics, they might not actually need to spend much money, and they could even have the foreigners build the railways and owe the consortium money afterward.

    This n received immediate support from most of the Bonaparte siblings and even prompted Joseph to apud the genius of this scheme. After thorough analysis and discussion, they all believed it was highly feasible, very much worth attempting, with a high chance of sess and significant returns upon sess. This n even made Napoleon, the master of profiting without investing, slightly doubtful. Moreover, on the surface, this n fully embodied the spirit of France''s open free trade and could even serve as an opportunity to demand other countries to equally open their markets to France.

    However, after praising this proposal, both Napoleon and Joseph issued nearly identical orders to Lucien: "Keep an eye on this fellow, don''t let him sell us out!"

    Actually, such maneuvers did happen in the history ofter generations. For instance, during the heyday of the Lighthouse Country, four hundred thousand kilometers of railways, most of them, were constructed using simr means, allowing European capital to invest. Vanderbilts, the first billionaires in Lighthouse Country history, also made their fortune using simr tactics.

    Today''s France had be the Lighthouse Country of this era. How could they not properly learn from the advanced experiences of another era''s Lighthouse Country?

    And setting traps for these individuals to fall into was also a crucial mission of this year''s Paris Trade Fair.

    The chapters aren''t easily divisible, so I synthesized a singlerge chapter of five thousand words.

 Chapter 344: The First Persuasion and Refusal

    Chapter 344: The First Persuasion and Refusal

    As Ren stepped off the train, his legs were still trembling slightly. Yes, indeed, they were trembling a bit, because the speed of the train was simply too fast.

    For someone like Joseph, who had even taken the "Fuxing" high-speed train in his previous life as a time traveler, a speed of sixty kilometers per hour for a passenger train was merely child''s y. But for the people of this era, it was a different story. A speed of sixty kilometers per hour was perhaps the highest speed ever achieved in his lifetime.

    The thrill of such speed made Ren''s legs feel weak. Consequently, after getting off the train, he leaned against the tform''smppost for a good while before his feet regained their strength.

    However, during this time, Ren wasn''t idle; his mind swiftly calcted the impact of railway progress on his business.

    "The advancement of railways will undoubtedly lead to a significant decrease in transportation costs. Any region with railways will witness a substantial drop in logistics costs. Logistics costs are crucial operational expenses. As a result, the cost of textile industries on the European continent will decrease. And once their costs drop, it will exert immense pressure on us."

    Ren was always someone deeply aware of potential threats. Almost immediately, he considered how the progress of railways, seemingly unrted to him, might affect his business in the future.

    In recent years, after theplete opening of the European market to the British, the British textile industry had made tremendous strides. For instance, Ren''s textile factory expanded its scale almost every year. But Ren also knew that the textile industry on the European continent had been struggling in these years against the British, with numerous European textile enterprises either going bankrupt or undergoing transformations, all struggling to sustain themselves.

    Naturally, these people would be discontented. They would employ various means to attack the British, demanding the European continent reinstate barriers against British goods. Of course, this faced widespread opposition from other industries and was nearly impossible to seed.

    However, these individuals had found some ways, like certain French textile industry figures who sessfully lobbied for the State Council to pass two bills. The first bill was named the "Anti-Dumping Act," prohibiting foreign enterprises from damaging free trade through dumping. In Europe, the interpretation of "free trade" was entirely in the hands of the French.ording to this bill, if the price at which any enterprise sold its products in France was lower than the price of simr products sold in Britain, it would be considered dumping. Consequently, goods would be seized, and hefty fines and other anti-dumping measures would follow.

    Since the introduction of this bill and several subsequent anti-dumping investigations, although the French had been fair in upholding "free trade," the results of these anti-dumping investigations consistently favored the British. Yet, the litigation itself incurred substantial costs, especially in terms of time.

    The second bill was the doing of the British themselves: the "Navigation Acts." This act, passed in October 1651 by the English Parliament during the leadership of Cromwell in the English Republic, aimed to protect the monopoly of English maritime trade.

    It stipted that only ships owned or made by Britain or its colonies could transport goods to British colonies. Certain colonial products were designated to be solely transported to Britain or other British colonies, including items like tobo, sugar, cotton, indigo, and fur. Products manufactured in other countries had to pass through Britain and couldn''t directly be sold in the colonies.

    This decree remained effective until now. This tantly vited the principle of "free trade" and, naturally, became a target of concentrated attacks from France and other European countries. But due to the steadfastness of the British maritime realm, this act had remained unaltered.

    Six months ago, some Dutch textile merchants pushed the Dutch Republic to pass a retaliatoryw: restricting the rights of British goods on the European continent. Of course, thew didn''t explicitly target Britain but prioritized facilities like ports and roads for use by "countries supporting free trade." And in the list of "countries supporting free trade," Britain wasn''t included.

    If only the Dutch had implemented such a rule, it might have been dismissed. However, as soon as the Dutch enacted thisw, the French immediately followed suit, and subsequently, the entire European continent followed suit. This significantly increased the logistics costs of British goods on the European continent. Moreover, with the widespread use of railways in the future, this disadvantage in transportation costs might further expand. This would undoubtedly impact thepetitiveness of British textiles on the European continent.

    Therefore, textile merchants took two measures. On one hand, they demanded the government negotiate with the French to resolve the issue. However, they understood that while the British government might exert pressure on other countries, it would be challenging to pressure the French. The French cared little about British military strength and even relished the chance to flex their muscles before the British. So, the supposed negotiation with the government aimed to, to some extent, modify the Navigation Acts in exchange for concessions from the French.

    Of course, such an approach would inevitably harm the interests of another group domestically. Hence, this matter wasn''t as easily resolved. It would likely take several years, with countless discussions in parliament, before any change would ur.

    The other approach naturally involved tapping into internal potential and reducing their own production costs.

    The textile industry was typicallybor-intensive, with wage costs constituting a significant portion of the expenses. Hence, Ren''s first thought was to reduce workers'' wages and increasebor intensity. However, to his surprise, those lowly workers refused to ept their new proposed contracts. They dared to stage strikes, coinciding with the preliminary period of the "Paris International Fair" when British merchants were set to fight for Britain''s interests against Dutch and French textile merchants. This betrayal of the great United Kingdom was indeed an outrageous crime.

    Due to various constraints, the United Kingdom currently couldn''t employ the means it should have against them. So, Ren and his team had no choice but to consider these rogues and ingrates, pondering how, if it weren''t for Ren''s textile factory providing them a tform for work, they would have long starved to death on the streets!

    However, for the sake of the Paris International Fair, Ren had to reluctantly agree to their coercion and consented to revert to the previous old contracts. This meant that his profits for this year''s fair would significantly decrease. It was akin to cutting into his own flesh.

    "After returning, I''ll find a way to sternly teach these ungrateful folks a lesson, so they''ll never dare to do this again!"

    As Ren vowed internally, he made his way towards the Elysium Pce.

    The second edition of the Paris International Fair,sting for five days, concluded smoothly. Themercial contracts and memorandum of understanding reached by all parties during this fair had increased significantlypared to the first edition.

    Numerous newspapers extensively covered this sess, attributing it to the robust growth of the French economy. Some newspapers even credited this favorable situation to Napoleon''s wise leadership. For instance, the Businessman Gazette published an article titled "Cherish this Golden Era," highlighting these sentiments.

    Under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, France was in its most glorious Golden Age since the inception of Francia. The rapidly growing economy brought benefits and hope to everyone. Whether in the streets of Paris or the rural paths, hope gleamed from the faces and eyes of people encountered, be they workers, farmers, French citizens, or foreigners studying and working in France.

    Recalling the pre-revolution Bourbon rule, did the French people ever have such vision and smiles? During the inauguration of the War God za train station, the masses hailed the beloved Consul Bonaparte, affectionately referring to him as ''Imperator,'' and rightfully so. Napoleon had proven himself invincible both on the battlefield and in leading the nation��s development. In the true sense of Latin, Consul Bonaparte truly deserved this title.

    Following this report, more newspapers joined in praising Napoleon. Even papers known for gossip and colorful stories joined in extolling Napoleon''s achievements.

    Not just French newspapers, even some foreign ones, those with French backgrounds especially, naturally joined in this chorus of praise for Napoleon. However, there were dissenters. For instance, some exiled nobles in Austria and Ennd, still possessing some wealth, ran newspapers attacking Napoleon, targeting everything from his physique to his family.

    In London, a particr newspaper even ingeniously spread rumors about Napoleon through a series ofics. First, they spread rumors about Napoleon''s alleged homosexuality, iming he was "everyone''s man and woman," just like Caesar.

    The French didn''t care about such attacks. Then, they fabricated stories about Pauline, iming she shared simr traits, being both man and woman, even concocting tales about Pauline and her older brother and sister-inw.

    Due to the small cirction of this newspaper, neither Pauline nor Joseph paid attention to it. However, in Ennd, there existed a "Order of Saint Joan." Their scandalous portrayal of their "saint" provoked these "knights," and in a fit of rage, armed with sticks and whips, they stormed the newspaper office, ransacking it. This incident made headlines, catching the attention of the Bonaparte family.

    Reportedly, Pauline had Lucien fetch two newspapers rted to her and personally inspected them. Furious, she remarked that the newspapers were disgraceful, poorly drawn, and made her look ugly. She felt it was outrageous and justified that it was vandalized!

    Napoleon, however, only noted beingpared to Caesar, feeling rather pleased, not paying attention to the specifics of theparison.

    Amidst such praise, the Council of State acted. In July 1802, some members proposed giving the title "Imperator" to First Consul Napoleon in recognition of his contributions to Francia.

    Once proposed, the entire Council unanimously supported it. They believed Napoleon was deserving of the title "Imperator," stating he was unmatched in history, a true servant of Francia.

    In the blink of an eye, the Council finalized the proposal and sent it for scrutiny by the House of Representatives. How could they oppose such a proposal? Did they wish to defy public sentiment? Therefore, the House swiftly ratified it and passed it on for legitive approval.

    Reportedly, it was only at this point that Napoleon became aware of this matter. He rushed to the legiture and delivered a speech, stating that "Imperator" wasn''t fitting for a servant of the people. As the First Consul, he was dedicated to serving the people wholeheartedly; it was his duty, not needing such recognition. He hoped the legitors would respect his personal opinion and reject this departure from democratic principles.

    After hearing Napoleon''s speech, the legiture hastily passed the proposal �� the first time since Napoleon became First Consul that the legiture opposed his wishes. The President of the legiture, Edwards, reportedly told Napoleon, "Your Excellency, just as you must remain loyal to democratic ideals, we must heed the voice of the people."

    Subsequently, the proposal reached the Senate, which also didn''t wish to defy the will of the people. Hence, despite Napoleon''s pressure, they too approved the proposal.

    However, this didn''t mean the proposal would immediately take effect. For it to take effect, it needed the First Consul''s endorsement, and he could execute it in the way he deemed best, including temporarily shelving it. Hence, Napoleon promptly shelved the proposal.

    Despite this, people started referring to Napoleon as "Imperator," iming it was their right as citizens to address a public servant however they pleased.

    Various newspapers gradually began adding "Imperator" to Napoleon''s titles.

    Of course, Napoleon vehemently opposed this himself, continuously speaking against it. Nevertheless, the newspapers unanimously imed, "This showcases the humble virtue of the esteemed ''Imperator.''"

    Following this, the Legion of Honor took action. They stated that although they had awarded numerous French and foreign individuals who contributed to Francia with the Legion of Honor medals, the First Consul humbly epted only the lowest Cavalry Medal. This didn''t match the immense contributions of the First Consul. Many who didn''t know the full situation criticized them for mistreating the First Consul. Some emotionally charged recipients even returned their medals, citing that if the Legion couldn''t properly award medals deserving of the First Consul''s contributions, they were unworthy to keep their own.

    Consequently, the Legion urgently designed and produced a medal called the "Imperator" and presented it to Napoleon.

    This "Imperator" medal, made of pure gold with numerous gemstones, bore the inscription: "Serving the People."

    Upon itspletion, the head of the Legion, Bernie, personally carried the medal amidst a crowd of French people to the First Consul''s office, urging him to ept it.

    Following Bernie were most members of the Legion, disying their medals proudly on their chests, apanying Bernie to the government offices, expressing their wishes to the First Consul.

    Napoleon hurried to the doorway, exining to the enthusiastic crowd that he couldn''t ept an honor with a monarchical vor. However, a citizen representative argued that "Imperator" was a title used in the Roman Republic and not exclusive to emperors. As he spoke, the audience fervently apuded.

    Ultimately, persuaded by public sentiment, Napoleon agreed to ept the "Imperator" medal as per the will of the French people.

 Chapter 345: The Crown Matter

    Chapter 345: The Crown Matter

    Napoleon received the "Imperator" medal and adorned it upon his chest, prompting a chorus around him, "Imperator! Imperator!"

    As the chants subsided, Napoleon addressed the crowd briefly. He first expressed gratitude for the French people''s affection, deeply moved by their support. He then reflected on the relentless efforts of numerous heroes and martyrs since the French Revolution, striving alongside him for the freedom and democracy of France. He emphasized that those deserving this supreme honor were the heroes who sacrificed for defending French liberty and democracy.

    Furthermore, Napoleon stressed the essence of the French spirit - "freedom, democracy, and phnthropy." He reiterated that safeguarding the French Republic alongside its people, preserving democracy and liberty, stood as his life''s greatest honor.

    Amidst the crowd''s cheers, Napoleon concluded his speech, returning to the government to continue serving the French people.

    Napoleon''s impromptu speech naturally made headlines in various newspapers. Presently, not only French papers but even those of countries with intimate ties to France, including some British, Prussian, and Austrian papers, praised Napoleon''s humility and dedication to democracy.

    However, the situation abroad differed from the overwhelming praise within France. Voices of criticism arose, notably from an Austrian newspaper, mocking Napoleon as a lowly country bumpkin adorned with a crown, questioning his own reflection, likening it to a monkey, with the suggestion of a swan eating pond scum?

    This particr paper, with an exiled background,monly published articles defaming France and Napoleon, a usual urrence. Even if such papers began praising Napoleon, it''d signal a change in him.

    Moreover, the reach of this newspaper was limited; often, it was more of a self-boosting tool for exiles. The reader letters in these papers were often fabricated by editors, almost like saying, "Don''t be fooled by the apparent crowd here; it''s all me under different names."

    Normally, established newspapers, especially in France, paid no heed to these papers'' content - who''d be interested in scrutinizing excrement with a magnifying ss every day?However, this time, French media suddenly took notice of this paper''s report. A rtively inconspicuous paper led with a sensational headline, "Austrians Shamelessly Insult French Leader," implying that this newspaper''s vicious attacks on Napoleon''s governance were likely orchestrated by the Austrian government.

    But then, the "Scientific Truth Gazette" followed suit, asserting that these reactionary papers didn''t represent Austrian public opinion. Austrians held considerable respect for the French and Napoleon''s governance. The paper cited interviews with Austrians, indicating their admiration for France''s good government and seeing Napoleon as a great man of the era. Even the renowned musician Beethovenposed a symphony named "Imperator" for our esteemed First Consul. This clear admiration indicated no ill will from the Austrian people towards France.

    However, after exonerating the Austrian people, the "Scientific Truth Gazette" raised a pertinent question: If a newspaper hardly sold, it should''ve gone bankrupt soon. Yet, this paper, with minimal readership, persisted in Austria for years. Clearly, there was substantial financial backing behind it.

    Certainly, the support for such a paper might not directly stem from the Austrian government. However, the peace treaty between Austria and France stipted that Austria should prevent any entity from using its territory against France. Evidently, Austria breached this treaty, disregarding France''s interests. In this light, using the Austrian government of insulting the First Consul and France wasn''t entirely baseless.

    Although the "Scientific Truth Gazette" had no ties to the French government, it was widely acknowledged that, to some extent, the paper represented French government sentiments. Especially the editorials, often directly mirrored the French government''s stance. Hence, an article like this in the "Scientific Truth Gazette" demanded serious attention.

    Upon reading the report, Ambassador Metternich broke into a cold sweat. He knew that the appearance of such an article in the "Scientific Truth Gazette" was far from ordinary. However, despite pondering for a day and night, he couldn''t fathom why France was provoking Austria now. Austria was practically submissive to France''s will, and while some anti-French newspapers existed, France never regarded them seriously. Why suddenly make a fuss about this matter?

    Metternich, troubled, received a report of banker Nathan Rothschild''s visit.

    Metternich instructed Rothschild to enter.

    "At this time, Mr. Rothschild, your visit is significant. Do you have something to instruct me?" Metternich inquired.

    "I''vee regarding the article in the ''Scientific Truth Gazette.'' It might greatly affect our business," Nathan Rothschild replied directly.

    "What are your thoughts on this matter?" Metternich asked.

    "Ambassador, how well do you know the First Consul? What''s your take on the recent ''Imperator'' incident?" Rothschild queried.

    "''Imperator'' incident? Clearly, it''s orchestrated by the First Consul himself," Metternich spoke frankly facing Nathan Rothschild.

    "The First Consul is undoubtedly highly capable, but he''s no saint. Even a true saint couldn''t reach his position today. However, he seems fixated on Rome. I believe his ambition extends beyond being a First Consul," Nathan Rothschild remarked.

    Thisment struck Metternich, making him ponder, "So, he wishes to emte Augustus and transform France into an empire?... In that case, his actions makeplete sense..."

    In Europe, from a legal standpoint, there are only two crowns, both originating from Rome: the crown of the Western Roman Empire theoretically coronated by the Pope. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, various monarchs were crowned by the Pope, such as the famous Charlemagne, crowned as the "Emperor of the Romans" by the Pope.

    Presently, the crown of the "Holy Roman Empire," tracing its roots to the Western Roman Empire, is also from Rome. The other crown is from the Eastern Roman Empire. After its fall, Russians imed the inheritance, considering themselves heirs of the Eastern Romans, leading to the creation of the Russian Tsar''s crown.

    If Napoleon indeed aimed to be an Augustus, then it''s easy to understand because the crown he requiredy in Austrian hands.

    "Ambassador, from a perspective of interests, France shouldn''t directly oppose your country now. However, I am concerned about one thing," Nathan Rothschild said.

    "What is it?" Metternich inquired.

    "French might y some tricks through the Pope," Rothschild responded.

    Metternich immediately understood Rothschild''s implication. Although the crown of the "Emperor of the Romans" was on Francis II''s head, under certain circumstances, the Pope could remove the crown from Francis II, then hand it over to Napoleon. For instance, by using Francis II of impiety, viting Catholic doctrine, or evenbeling him a heretic, then dethroning him from the Empire and reiming the imperial title.

    Considering the current situation in Italy, where French forces held absolute dominance, with the North Italian Republic as France''s ally and elite Italian troops stationed there, while Austria had been almostpletely expelled from Italy by France, when the Pope had to make a choice, the answer was clear.

    "In that case, what should we do? Can we ask His Majesty to relinquish the crown voluntarily?" Metternich questioned.

 Chapter 346: The Press Conference

    Chapter 346: The Press Conference

    Both Metternich and Nathan Rothschild were practical individuals. They were well aware that the crown of the "Holy Roman Emperor" held little practical significance. Theoretically, it granted Austria the power to intervene in the Rhinnd. However, practically, the Rhinnd was already under French influence, making it impossible for Austria to intervene.

    Moreover, considering the Rhinnd was predominantly Protestant, Austria not only couldn''t intervene but couldn''t even voice an opinion. Presently, even if Austria were to speak up, the heretics in the Rhinnd, backed by the French, advocating fornd reforms, would undoubtedly retort unanimously, "Shut up, we are discussing a republic!"

    Hence, presently, the significance of this crown had considerably diminished. Yet, it still carried Habsburg''s legacy, and abandoning it seemed somewhat... Besides, though it had lost its effectiveness in European affairs, within Austria, this crown still held some influence.

    Unlike France, even during the Bourbon era, Austria remained a significantly feudal nation. The Bourbon France, at least, centralized power. Though there were dukes and counts with their fiefdoms, thesends were under direct control of the kingdom''s government. The lords no longer had the same power to rule independently within their domains as they did before.

    But Austria''s centralized power wasn''t as effective. Domestic lords retained substantial autonomy. In this scenario, this papally endorsed "Emperor of the Romans" hat was quite valuable. Besides, relinquishing the crown would be a considerable sacrifice��how could they give it up withoutpensation? Even if they were to relinquish it, there must be some payment involved!

    However, Metternich couldn''t make decisions on this matter. After bidding farewell to Nathan Rothschild, he immediately penned a letter and dispatched it to Vienna using a carrier pigeon.

    At this point, there existed a telegraph line between Vienna and Paris. However, because the operator of the telegraph was French, despite encryption, Metternich felt uneasy. A year prior, he intentionally sent a fabricated, misleading document through the telegraph system to Vienna, carefully observing the French''s reactions. As expected, he discovered several suspicious activities. Hence, the Austrian embassy began using carrier pigeons for conveying the most confidential information. Though slower than the telegraph, carrier pigeons were undoubtedly more reliable.

    Watching the pigeon carrying the message cylinder fly into the sky, Metternich turned, preparing to visit a few friends, asking them to gauge the French''s mood. He knew he couldn''t make Napoleon abandon his ambitions, but at least he could test the waters, see if the French were willing to offerpensation.

    But just then, from the sky, came the sound of wings pping. Metternich turned to witness a grey pigeonnding, a small bamboo cylinder tied to its leg.Two days earlier, when the incident urred, Metternich immediately informed the homnd through telegraph. This was probably the response from the homnd.

    The personnel managing the carrier pigeon removed the wax-sealed cylinder from its leg and handed it to Metternich. He inspected the seals, confirming the cylinder hadn''t been tampered with en route. Taking the cylinder to his office, he retrieved the letter and, with the codebook, began deciphering.

    The letter indeed concerned the ongoing event. It first reported the investigation''s progress in Vienna and their subsequent actions. The Austrian government had seized the nonsensical newspaper and arrested its editors on charges of "insulting friendly leaders." They intended to prosecute rigorously. Understandably so, these individuals had been spreading nonsense, causing astonishment among friendly nations'' citizens. If left unchecked, this could destabilize the country.

    The letter suggested Metternich take immediate action, emphasizing Austria''smitment to Franco-Austrian traditional friendship, staunchly opposing any conspiracy against France using Austrian territory. They advised informing the French media of Austria''s goodwill to quell the turmoil.

    "These folks back home, why are they so slow?" Metternich pondered. "This situation is clearly a French ploy. What good can this achieve alone?"

    Despite this, such a move had to be made. After a brief consideration, he called his secretary, instructing them to arrange a press conference. Meanwhile, Metternich headed straight to the French Foreign Ministry to convey Austria''s goodwill.

    Metternich and French Foreign Minister Talleyrand were old acquaintances. Not that they had known each other for a long time, but they had prospered together and had quite a few reliable mutual interests.

    After their meeting, Metternich informed Talleyrand of Austria''s actions and conveyed Austria''s appreciation for the traditional friendship with France, hoping this incident wouldn''t affect the amicable rtionship between the two nations.

    Talleyrand reciprocated, emphasizing France''s regard for the friendship with Austria and appreciating Austria''s steps to preserve their rtionship, ensuring both nations remained friendly neighbors, both now and in the future.

    Talleyrand''s official tone didn''t satisfy Metternich. He knew that in such situations, excessive diplomacy couldplicate matters. However, as of now, Metternich hadn''t been authorized to negotiate with the French regarding the crown issue, so he couldn''t discuss asking the French forpensation. He could only subtly express to Talleyrand the hope that the French wouldn''t rush into things; many matters could still be negotiated.

    The next day, at the Austrian embassy, Metternich held a press conference. He briefed the attending newspapers about Austria''s actions, hoping it would dispel any misunderstandings caused by the French media. He wished for these actions to deepen the friendship between the two nations.

    After the news briefing, the floor was open to questions. The first to stand was a journalist from the Businessman Gazette.

    "Ambassador, we noticed your mention of the recent closure of a newspaper due to illicit activities. In fact, such uwful activities have been ongoing in your country for several years now. Why has your country taken action only now?"

    "Ah, you see, those fellows are quite cunning. They''ve always been walking the thin line. Like France, we too aim to protect press freedom. These fake news outlets are experts at exploiting loopholes," Metternich responded.

    At this moment, a journalist from the Sun Gazette stood up and asked, "Mr. Ambassador, we are aware that earlier this year, our country thwarted an assassination plot against our Prime Minister. It''s rumored that these assassins had resided in your country for an extended period before entering ours. Could you provide some exnation for this?"

    "Ah, these matters areplex. We are currently investigating the situation thoroughly. As soon as we have definitive information, we willmunicate it appropriately," Metternich replied diplomatically.

 Chapter 347: Smearing

    Chapter 347: Smearing

    Upon hearing this question, even Metternich was almost jumping in anger. Everyone knew what kind of newspaper "The Sun" was. When did they truly care about international affairs? That was the realm of "The Scientific Truth Gazette" and "Businessman Gazette." When did it be "The Sun''s" concern? Why couldn''t they focus on those Italian and Eastern European girls in the Moulin Rouge?

    And how did "The Sun" get hold of such sensational news? Ridiculous! Throughout Europe, everyone knew that "The Sun''s" reports were mostly unfounded, either pure fabrication or baseless rumors. They were a sham under the guise of a news outlet!

    Metternich was itching to point at the reporter''s nose and shout, "You''re peddling lies! You''re a fake news outlet!" But he wasn''t a sovereign,cking the power to unleash such usations without repercussions. Now, it seemed the fake news outlet had a powerful backer.

    "This rumorcks any factual basis," Metternich immediately responded, "In the process of investigating this case, the Austrian and French governments maintained excellentmunication. It''s this close cooperation that led to the early resolution of this nefarious case. In fact, your country''s Ministry of Public Security previously sent a telegram expressing gratitude and seeking to further enhance cooperation in the security domain. It''s evident your government highly values our efforts in this matter."

    However, this didn''t seem to sway The Sun''s journalist. He seemed eager to spread more rumors. Metternich couldn''t afford to grant this fake news peddler another chance to speak. His eyes scanned the room and settled on another reporter''s raised hand. Extending his hand to that person, he asked, "Sir, do you have a question?"

    This was a journalist from the "Danube Herald," an Austrian-capital newspaper with limited cirction in France but survived tenaciously thanks to support from Austria. At this moment, its value became evident.

    "Your Excellency, I wish to understand what actions Austria and France will take to enhance mutual strategic trust?" The journalist promptly posed a question prepared well in advance.

    It was an excellent question, broad enough to allow Metternich to ramble, make vague promises, and speak ambiguously. This tactic could consume a lot of time, conveniently ending the press conference afterward, citing time constraints.

    Metternich seized the opportunity,unching into a lengthy discourse, talking in circles, eyeing the clock. Soon, he concluded, citing time constraints, and adjourned the conference.After the press conference, Metternich had nothing else immediate to attend to. He tried to gauge the upper echelons of French society''s attitudes. They all spoke of the Franco-Austrian friendship. Considering France''s ongoing investments in Austria, Metternich assessed that the risk of war wasn''t substantial.

    However, apart from warfare, the French likely had various other methods at their disposal. Without authorization from his homnd, Metternich could only wait.

    Soon, a response arrived from his country. However, it merely requested Metternich to ascertain French intentions,cking the authority to negotiate with the French. Emperor Franz II still harbored hope that this was merely a misunderstanding, aiming to preserve his crown.

    Rumors circted that the Emperor personally asked his generals about the chances of winning a war against France. Even the bravest, like Archduke Karl, admitted that such a war would pose unprecedented challenges.

    Although Archduke Karl didn''t explicitly state certain defeat, his pessimism regarding the prospects of war was apparent.

    Given the directive from above, Metternich had to continue his previous work.

    Interestingly, French actions didn''tmence from their government but from the newspapers.

    The famous purveyor of fake news, "The Sun," initiated the attack against Austria. They specialized in concocting various scandals, and this time was no different. The Sun first reported that the Austrian Emperor had a penchant for young men. Subsequently, they spun tales of Francis II being homosexual and engaging in orgies with arge group of men.

    Metternich promptly protested to the French Foreign Ministry, stating this insult to the Austrian head of state was intolerable. However, Talleyrand responded, citing France''s freedom of the press, washing their hands off the matter.

    Metternich countered, reminding Talleyrand that France didn''t hold the same stance when Austrian papers insulted the First Consul Bonaparte. He protested, "The application of such double standards is deeply distressing to friendly nations."

    Talleyrand opposed the notion of double standards. He argued that when Austrian papers insulted the First Consul, they didn''t merely report events butunched personal attacks. The Sun, however, merely ryed information received through certain channels. There was a clear distinction between reporting facts and personal attacks.

    He further pointed out that if Emperor Francis II deemed these reports false, he was free to issue a denial. Most people were capable of discerning the truth.

    This was a tant facy. Setting aside the difficulty of countering falsehoods, even engaging in a debate with The Sun would diminish Francis II''s status as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Entangling with a tabloid would result in his loss. If he did engage in a debate, The Sun''s shareholders might chuckle themselves awake. They''d dly fund a "Golden Laurel Order" weighing a ton to present to Francis II.

    "My friend," Metternich realized that continuing the verbal jousting wouldn''t lead anywhere. They were all vampires of centuries; what Drac tales could one tell? So, he decided to be straightforward, hoping to elicit some genuine information.

    "My friend, I understand that your First Consul probably desires further progress," Metternich said. "I also know your First Consul has a keen interest in the title ''Emperor of the Romans.'' These recent events probably stem from this desire, right?"

    Since Metternich had made things clear, Talleyrand responded candidly, "Your spection has some truth to it. However, the First Consul has no intention of altering France''s republican form of government. But he''s averse to seeing the ''Emperor of the Romans'' title on anyone else''s head. In fact, neither the First Consul nor others wish to overly antagonize Austria for this."

    "But the ''Emperor of the Romans'' title holds significant importance for Austria, practically speaking," Metternich noted.

    "We are aware of this, but my friend, where does an Emperor''s authority truly stem from? The crown itself doesn''t hold power; otherwise, the Western Roman Empire wouldn''t have fallen. What Emperor Franz truly needs is power, not just a title. A title without power is meaningless, but power without a title eventually gains one."

    After further conversation, Metternich bid farewell. Back at the embassy, he promptly dispatched a detailed letter via carrier pigeon, exining the insights gained from his interactions with the French and offering his suggestions to His Imperial Majesty.

    The Sun''s smears, or rather, yellow journalism against Emperor Francis II, persisted. However, everyone knew what The Sun was. Nobody believed these stories, not even the French themselves, though many were eager consumers of such content.

    But several monthster, a piece of news startled everyone: a report was filed to the Pope using Emperor Francis II of viting Catholic moral codes as a homosexual. Even more astonishing was the fact that the Papacy actually sent investigators to probe into the matter.

 Chapter 348: The Olympics

    Chapter 348: The Olympics

    The matter of homosexuality, theoretically, is considered a grave sin in the Catholic Church. If confirmed, it would warrant emunication. However, in reality, homosexuality is quite prevalent among the upper echelons of nobility and clergy, often semi-public. Almost no one truly takes it seriously. Therefore, when the Pope suddenly dispatched investigators, it raised intriguing questions.

    Because if someone had malicious intentions to frame others, using them of homosexuality would be amon and effective charge. For instance, in the past, King Philip IV of France, in order to get rid of his creditors and amass wealth, utilized Pope Clement V, residing in Avignon, to dere the Knights Temr as heretics, using them of engaging in collective homosexuality. Subsequently, the members of the Temr Order were bound to the stakes and turned into barbecues. Since then, using someone of being a "deviant" became a frequently used means of defamation, especially among the French, almost a traditional skill.

    Immediately, Austria reacted. Emperor Francis promptly issued a statement, iming these were shameless nders and an insult to Austria. Emperor Francis asserted his belief that the Pope must have been deceived by the scheming individuals around him to make such absurd decisions. In order to prove his innocence, for the sake of God and justice, he decided to...

    Immediate military action against the Pope was not feasible, at least not now. Although directlyunching an attack against the Pope was a traditional skill of the Holy Roman Emperor, presently they were separated from the Papal States by the Italian army under Frenchmand. Moreover, some nobles at home seemed unstable, indicating a potential opportunity for them to cause trouble. Therefore, Emperor Francis II could only dispatch Archduke John as an envoy to meet the Pope and plead with him to retract the decision.

    ording to historical records, Archduke John and the Pope had an unpleasant exchange, and the Pope, facing somewhat insufficient "evidence," hastily dered Emperor Francis II a traitor.

    Of course, this is the most reliable ount ording to history books. There are some less reliable rumors that describe the event differently.

    ording to certain conscientious historical inventors, after the ceremonial greetings, the Pope voluntarily dismissed his attendants, leaving only Archduke John and himself in the room. Archduke John began, "Your Holiness, ''The Sun Gazette'' is truly a despicable tabloid, utterly shameless and unprecedented. Our Emperor, devout and noble, is like the sun in the sky. How could Your Holiness believe..."

    Before he could finish, the Pope, with closed eyes and tears in his eyes, sighed, "Your Highness, there''s no need for more words. I am aware of what ''The Sun Gazette'' alleges, but I cannot take it seriously. Investigating this matter was not my intention... The Curia is in a difficult situation, otherwise, why would ite to this? However, Your Highness, do not worry too much for the Emperor. The decision to vindicate him wille sooner than you think. And the Emperor will surely witness that day."

    Archduke John, seeing the Pope''s pitiable state, understood that the Pope did not initiate this matter. After receiving Metternich''s letters, they knew it was a French conspiracy. In this situation, he had no words and could only sigh, "Your Holiness, when will the results of this investigation be revealed?"Archduke John knew that the Pope had limited influence in this matter, as no one could challenge the French. The truth always rested in the hands of the powerful.

    Since the Pope couldn''t do much in this matter, it was unnecessary to ask about the investigation''s oue. At this point, all they could do was try to slow down the process.

    "Ah, Your Highness, given the current situation of the Curia, I won''t hide anything from you. They have already prepared the conclusions of the investigation and the decisions on punishment; only the date is yet to be filled in. However, I''ve heard that the French are nning a truly sphemous event, and the investigation results and punishment decisions will be announced when that event ispleted. But, Your Majesty, do not worry too much. The decision to vindicate the Emperor wille shortly after that event. The interval will not exceed one month."

    At this point, the Pope had shown his sincerity to the fullest. With no other options, Archduke John could only sigh in this situation.

    As for the grand event the French were preparing, Duke John knew what it was. Napoleon was ambitious and world-renowned. Recently, he proposed a new n: to restore the ancient tradition of the Olympic Games to promote world peace. He intended to revive this tradition, interrupted for over fourteen centuries.

    The ancient Olympic Games were closely tied to the religious traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. They were part of the ritual honoring Zeus, the king of all gods. Therefore, when Emperor Theodosius I dered Christianity the state religion in AD 393, the Olympics were considered pagan activities and were abolished.

    Now, the French openly dered their intention to revive this pagan activity. If this wasn''t heresy, what would be?

    However, surprisingly, it wasn''t heresy. Who would dare to call it heresy? The devout and truth-persuading people of France would undoubtedly convince others with the truth of democracy and freedom.

    So, even the Curia had to acknowledge that the French idea was excellent, especially the Olympic truce. Stopping all wars during the Games reflected God''s love for humanity, an expression of God''s love. Therefore, if you asked the Pope whether he supported it or not, how could the Pope not support it? Did the Pope find Avignon''s scenery more beautiful?

    Therefore, not only would the Pope support it, but when the Games opened, the Pope himself would personally bless the event on behalf of God.

    Of course, considering the extensive preparations required for the Games, it was estimated to take at least two years. Therefore, Emperor Francis II had enough time to make the necessary preparations.

    After the brief yet frank exchange with the Pope, Duke John didn''t even stay in Rome for an extra second. He left the Vatican Pce and immediately boarded a carriage to return to Austria overnight.

    Following this, Metternich began frenzied activities in France. In the short time that followed, France and Austria consecutively reached a series of cooperation agreements.

 Chapter 349: Collusion

    Chapter 349: Collusion

    Within a series of coborative agreements between France and Austria, the most significant investmenty in the n to construct a railway from Lubinshu to the Oder River. With this railway in ce, copper produced in Lubin could be transported to the docks on the Oder River, loaded onto barges, towed by tugs along the river to the Baltic Sea, and from there, shipped across various parts of Europe.

    This railway would optimize the utilization of Lubin''s copper mines, facilitating easier transportation of copper ore to smelters, along with other necessary raw materials. Moreover, state-of-the-art refining facilities andplementary power nts were set to be constructed in the vicinity. As per their ns, Lubin would swiftly emerge as the foremost copper production center in all of Europe, generating substantial annual revenue for Austria.

    Yet, this n encountered opposition from several quarters, a predictable oue whenever such initiatives trigger shifts in profit distribution. When changes in profit distribution ur, individuals stand to lose out on their interests, often leading to dissatisfaction and anger.

    It''s said that if the cake were maderger theoretically, everyone could potentially receive a significantly greater portion. Even if the distribution ratios change, those whose share proportionately decreases wouldn''t typically express significant objections due to the increased amount they receive.

    However, this remains an idealized state. Even with arger cake, during distribution, not everyone necessarily receives arger portion. As Matthew''s Gospel mentions: "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." Likewise, a great philosopher in the Far East once remarked, "One of humanity''s fundamentalws is to take away what little the poor possess and give it to the affluent."

    Therefore, during the division of the cake, despite theoretical expansion, many end up receiving nothing at all.

    Not only do they receive nothing, but those who receive nothing often bear the losses incurred in making the cake.

    The first task in railway construction naturally involvesnd acquisition.

    Originally, Lubin belonged to the Kingdom of Pnd. After Pnd''s demise, it became Austrian territory. However,nd ownership mostly remained with Polish nobility.In France, mostnd is already state-owned. The formerndowners there either met the guillotine or ended up hanging frommpposts, makingnd acquisition quite straightforward. In the core territories of proper Austria, thend also belonged predominantly to the grand nobility, making fair and reasonable redistribution viable. But in Lubin, could Polish nobles be considered on par with the German-speaking nobility? Did they aspire to receive money justifiably, simr to the legitimate German speakers? How could that be possible?

    Generally speaking, while bullying may not necessarily constitute the root of joy, it must be acknowledged that bullying, in itself, can bring actual happiness, even when it doesn''t involve profits. If one can exploit the weak while also reaping benefits, not indulging in such exploitation would be against "human nature." Comparatively, though Polish nobles were unquestionably oppressors when facing Polish serfs, when confronted with those participating in such transactions, they immediately became feeble, pitiable, and helpless.

    This helplessness could be understood as receiving no aid or as having thend appropriated without anypensation. Yes, without muchpensation. Land expropriation urred at an incredibly low price because, supposedly, thend was not fertile, yielding limited harvests, inherentlycking value. As to why thend didn''t yield crops well, that was indeed a quandary. Initially, before the discovery of the copper mines and the establishment of mines and smelters, thend here had reasonable yields. However, once the mines and factories were established, thend''s productivity gradually diminished, affecting not just crops but even the nearby rivers, witnessing inexplicable urrences��mysterious deaths in the waters, ailments afflicting downstream residents, continuous mutations in riverside flora. Was it witchcraft or some unprecedented geological disturbance?

    Anyway, thend there lost its value. Naturally, the prices offered by the Austrian nobles involved in the railway project fornd acquisition were even less valuable than thend itself. Consequently, Polish nobles grew incensed.

    However, the Habsburg nobility cared little for these Polish barbarians'' ire. In their view, the anger of Polish nobles was akin to "bald pates rushing upon crowns."

    Generally, the Habsburg nobility''s judgment was not entirely erroneous. Polish nobles, by andrge, were indeed a bunch of spineless good-for-nothings. In this world, no regime could safeguard their interests better than the Polish Kingdom''s government. However, as Pnd slid towards its demise, most nobles didn''t dare stand up and fight for their homnd, which rightfully belonged to them. Such cowardly individuals, even if enraged, what could they possibly do? At best, as the wise sage said, "Striking at the weaker ones," taking out their frustration on the Polish tenants.

    Under normal circumstances, this should have been the end result. However, the sudden involvement of certain forces altered the situation somewhat.

    Firstly, the Pope''s investigation into Emperor Franz II weakened his authority significantly. Consequently, some nobles in Hungary couldn''t resist the urge to make some moves.

    Previously, during the reign of Emperor Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire, extensive reforms were attempted. He established German immigrant zones in Galicia, Bukovina, Hungary, and Transylvania, incentivizing the development of German noble properties and capital in those areas, prioritizing the appointment of Germans as civil and military officials. Protective tariff policies were implemented, encouraging industrial andmercial growth, augmenting state revenue. The Edict of Tolerance regarding religious policies was issued in 1781, followed by decrees that effectively abolished serfdom within hereditary estates.

    However, Joseph II''s reforms encroached upon the interests of many nobles, especially in Austria, a multi-ethnic country where areas like the Austrian Nethends, Hungary, and Bohemia had many individuals not particrly fond of the Habsburgs, constantly seeking independence.

    Thus, during Joseph II''s campaign against the Ottomans, internal dissent erupted. Joseph II faced widespread rebellion and waspelled to annul most of the reform measures.

    Now, Emperor Franz II seemed to be ensnared in a predicament. Clearly, the Pope wouldn''t cause trouble for an emperor without reason, especially using such pretexts. Well, engaging in unconventional activities was, after all, a hallmark of the Catholic Church. Internally, within the Church, there were more than a few priests indulging in such activities. Evidently, someone sought to utilize the Pope to strike at Emperor Franz II. Considering the circumstances in Europe, who else could so influence the Pope under his mitre was almost self-evident.

    Since the French aimed to deal with Emperor Franz II, it would have been remiss of them not to cause a little turmoil. At that time, they weren''t aware that among the major shareholders of this project were French, specifically individuals from the Bonaparte family. Of course, this couldn''t be med on them. Who could have known why Joseph liked investing through multiple holdings? Thus, if you examine thepanies investing in this project, they''re all Austrianpanies. But a closer look at the shareholders of thesepanies reveals some French enterprises. And a further investigation into these French enterprises uncovers some lesser-known Frenchpanies, eventually leading to the surname "

    Bonaparte."

    Such practices weren''t umon in subsequent eras, but they weren''t frequent during this period. Coupled with the absence of modern investigative tools, how could those Hungarian rustics have known?

    Because those Hungarian rustics remained unaware of these intricacies and were oblivious to the possibility of simultaneous cooperation for profit and mutual sabotage, some Hungarians began to mobilize. With these supporters behind them, the courage of Polish nobles rose, causing them to assert resistance against tyranny.

    And indeed, they did resist. Not through direct uprisings��because those Polish nobles didn''t dare. Emperor Franz II''s assessment of them was entirely urate; they were just a bunch of cowards! So, their resistance involved refusing to transfernd, adamantly bing obstructions and, incidentally, creating trouble for the Lubin Railway in various ways.

    Since these Polish individuals were so clueless, His Imperial Majesty naturally had to show them some force. Consequently, the Emperor''s police department swiftly attributed several unsolved cases from years past��like someone being robbed on a rural path or someone being killed by bandits in a certain area��to these obstructivendholders.

    Naturally, His Imperial Majesty''s police departmentcked evidence. However, what''s the difficulty with evidence? Detain them, and can''t we ensure there''s evidence? What? You''re talking about coercion in interrogations? That''s shameless nder. Otherwise, why don''t we strip the suspect naked and see if there are any new wounds? That spot? Oh, that''s a hemorrhoid, has nothing to do with us. Or should I fetch a doctor to provide a diagnosis?

    His Imperial Majesty''s methods naturally caused... well, some of the obstructivendholders to soften, considering surrender. However, this also agitated the Hungarian nobles standing behind them, prompting their swift intervention.

 Chapter 350: Suppressing the Rebellion

    Chapter 350: Suppressing the Rebellion

    In terms of martial vigor, the Hungarian nobility seemed far more resolutepared to their Polish counterparts. They promptly issued a formal statement denouncing the Emperor''s actions as an infringement upon noble rights. They demanded an immediate investigation, the punishment of implicated officials, and a direct apology to the affected nobles.

    Naturally, the Emperor sternly rebuffed these unreasonable demands. Consequently, the robust Hungarian nobility dered their resistance to taxation, refusing to pay levies to the Imperial government.

    Simultaneously, the French government unexpectedly announced ns for joint military exercises with the Northern Italian Republic. This promation immediately garnered Europe''s attention.

    The Northern Italian Republic bordered Austria andy in close proximity to Vienna. Historically, this region had been a contentious focal point between France and Austria. However, given Austria''s current inability to contest France for this territory, it had be Austria''s most vulnerable border. Should the French military breach this frontier, Vienna, the Austrian capital, would face direct threat.

    The so-called "routine military exercises" by the French army were perceived throughout Europe as a means to constrain Austrian influence. Many feared a potential conflict between France and Austria, causing a significant plunge in Austrian bond prices.

    During this period, certain financiers began massively purchasing Austrian bonds at low prices. In essence, one aspect of sessful financial spection involves leveraging a government wielding considerable coercive power to assist one''s endeavors.

    At a press conference held by the French Foreign Ministry, a journalist inquired about France''s stance on the Austrian situation. Talleyrand made the following statement:

    "As you all know, our nation adheres to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Therefore, I would not have ordinarilymented on Austria''s internal affairs. However, our French merchants have substantial investments within Austrian borders, and their legitimate interests should be safeguarded. Hence, we hope that everyone can exercise restraint, resolve matters amicably, and refrain from disrupting the hard-earned peace and tranquility..."

    Talleyrand''s speech was widely interpreted as French support for Hungarian actions, cautioning the Austrian government against rash actions. Consequently, the Hungarian people grew increasinglycent, even organizing their own national defense forces.Following Talleyrand''s statement, Austria swiftly responded. During a press conference at the Austrian Embassy in France, when asked about Talleyrand''s speech, Metternich replied:

    "As Minister Talleyrand stated, the tax resistance urring in Hungary is solely an internal matter of the Holy Roman Empire. Other nations should neither intervene nor hold any authority to do so. Regarding Minister Talleyrand''s concerns about the legitimate rights of French merchants, I can assure everyone that our past, present, and futuremitment lies in protecting thewful rights of any individual engaging in legitimate activities within the Holy Roman Empire. Minister Talleyrand need not worry about this. As for the hard-earned peace and tranquility, it is certainly something worthy of cherishing. However, this appreciation must be mutual. I can assure everyone that our government will strive to uphold this hard-earned peace and tranquility as much as possible."

    Metternich''s statement, for the most part, was seen as a direct response to Talleyrand. Even underground gambling dens began cing bets on whether war would erupt between France and Austria.

    Three days after Metternich''s speech, in a seemingly inconspicuous section on the second page, the "Scientific Truth Gazette" published the following news: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urgently summoned the Austrian Ambassador."

    Known readers of the Scientific Truth Gazette understood a particr characteristic: the shorter the news, the more significant the event. Such sinct news without further boration often heralded an impending major event. Consequently, in underground gambling establishments, the odds of war erupting between the two countries within the current month swiftly decreased from around 1 to 9.3 to 1 to 2. Some newspapers even drafted articles about France dering war on Austria, only leaving space for the specific date. This way, once the war began, they could promptly publish an extra edition.

    Certain tabloidsmenced war simtions, dedicating extensive sections to discussing theparative military strengths, potential developments in the war, and the changes it might bring to Europe��altogether portraying an imminent storm.

    Subsequently, the Austrian government dered its military on high alert. Consequently, the odds of France and Austria going to war within the month decreased to 1 to 1.5. A dayter, France announced the temporary suspension of demobilizing its military for the year, reducing the odds further to 1 to 1.1.

    Empowered by this "support," both Hungarian and Polish nobility grew bolder, uniting to issue an ultimatum to the Austrian government.

    In this ultimatum, they articted a series of demands, primarily insisting on Austria''s respect for their traditions, especially their traditional rights. Essentially, it aimed at reinstating the feudal system, a regression in historical terms (not my vassal''s vassal but my vassal''s fief). They demanded a reversal in history.

    Ultimately, they disyed a modicum of conscience, allowing the Austrian government a rtively extended period for deliberation��within seventy-two hours to respond.

    However, the reality hardly required such time. On the second day after issuing this ultimatum, French Foreign Minister Talleyrand and Austrian Ambassador Metternich jointly held a press conference.

    During this conference, Talleyrand asserted that the events within Austria had severely disrupted European peace and stability. The absurd and reactionary demands from the insurgents indicated their staunch opposition to democracy, liberty, particrly free trade. They sought to rewind history, plunging Europe back into darkness. Such regressive actions against historical progress must be halted. At Austria''s invitation, France pledged to dispatch military advisors to assist the Austrian army in quelling the rebellion, reinstating peace and stability across Europe, ensuring the continent bes a haven for free trade.

    Metternich expressed that the principle of free trade ensured European peace and the welfare of its people. For a prolonged period, certain reactionary elements within Austria obstructed free trade and impeded the formation of a unified European market,mitting egregious offenses that aggrieved merchants across various countries. This situation could no longer persist. France and Austria were resolute in uniting to create a free economic environment for all European peoples...

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 350 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 351: Foundations

    Chapter 351: Foundations

    The joint deration of the two nations immediately sparked doubt among the journalists attending the press conference. Some couldn''t help but pinch themselves a couple of times, questioning whether they were dreaming. Following the release of the joint statement, Foreign Minister Talleyrand and Ambassador Metternich didn''t even allow the journalists time for questions; they promptly announced the end of the press conference.

    In truth, the journalists didn''t have time for questions anyway. What mattered most at that moment? Broadcasting this major news right away. After all, isn''t that what being a journalist is about? As soon as Minister Talleyrand adjourned the session, the journalists rushed out like a tide through the main gates, heading fervently toward their respective newsrooms.

    It was rumored that thereafter, certain news agencies added a new requirement for recruiting journalists: a twelve-minute endurance test. "If you can''t even run, how can you report?" became a reason for some journalists'' dismissal. In the inaugural Modern Olympics shortly after, Dresler, who secured the sprint world championship for France, was also an entertainment journalist for The Sun. So much so that a new proverb emerged in this era of France: "As fast as a tabloid journalist."

    Indeed, in general, tabloid journalists always ran a bit faster. In contrast, journalists from scientific and truth-based publications, as well as business papers, didn''t need to sprint as urgently. They were already informed by their editorial departments, albeit not much earlier, but enough to scoop an exclusive. While the reporters from papers like The Sun were still parkouring through the streets of Paris, Scientific Truth Gazette was already pondering the wording of their editorials.

    Naturally, with the early editions released by Scientific Truth and business papers, another group swiftly took off. These were the spectors.

    Before this, due to widespread concerns about a potential Austrian defeat in a war with France, Austrian bonds plummeted in the market, almost bing worthless. But now, everyone knew the Austrian bonds would soar, surpassing their previous heights.

    Regrettably, most had already disposed of their Austrian bonds at near-worthless prices. Now, with the bond prices skyrocketing, there were scarcely any Austrian bonds left to purchase. A collective sigh of regret filled the air, pondering who had bought the Austrian bonds for next to nothing before.

    Yet, none could fathom that the person who had acquired Austrian bonds at throwaway prices was equally discontented.

    "The financial tools of this era are so backward,cking in financial innovation! Unable to drive Austrian bond prices into negative territory or even have a useful financial lever. How much could have been gained otherwise!"mented Joseph inwardly, observing Napoleon and Lucien revel in the substantial gains.However, Napoleon seemed far more content than Joseph. These earnings were satisfying enough for him. Calcting the profits from Austrian bonds, he realized this haul even surpassed the ie from his audience with the Pope.

    "Joseph, this is simply plundering, and it''s more efficient than sending an army for pige. In Italy, we called it a risky venture without capital, but deploying the army incurred costs. This time, a few ''truthful words'' have reaped us such bounties," eximed Lucien, equally excited.

    Though Napoleon was also considering such thoughts, hearing Lucien say it instinctively irked him. It seemed to undermine his own worth.

    But before Napoleon could retort, Joseph intervened.

    "Lucien, and Napoleon, there''s something I must remind you of," Joseph interjected suddenly. "Once, there was a fool who ate four loaves of bread in the morning and felt full. So, this fool said, ''How foolish of me! I should have just eaten thest loaf; why waste the first three?''"

    Naturally, only a fool would speak such words. However, Napoleon and Lucien, we must be cautious not to be fools. Our ability to harvest wealth using financial means isn''t unfounded. Without our invincible army, instilling fear that even deters any thought of opposition, how could we employ such methods to reap benefits?

    Hearing the mention of the "invincible army," Napoleon immediately brightened, enthusing, "Joseph''s right. Ultimately, it''s the army that serves as our scythe."

    "Napoleon, what you say holds some truth but not entirely. We haven''t been at war for years, yet our military prowess hasn''t dwindled; it''s even rising. When those folks initially signed peace treaties with us, they had ulterior motives. I''m sure you understand; do they still entertain such thoughts? Why?" pondered Napoleon, startled.

    After a brief pause, Napoleon continued, "Initially, they might have intended to catch their breath, lick their wounds, then challenge us once recovered. But now, they''ve given up that thought. They no longer need to fight; even fools know they''re no match. The disparity between us and them is like a grown man versus children."

    Joseph nodded, "Our strength grows faster than theirs. Currently, the artillery power of one of our divisions surpasses their entire army. Soon, even the firepower of one of our divisions will outweigh their corps. What do they have tobat us? As long as ourmanders aren''t fools, they stand no chance."

    "Joseph, continuing like this... it''ll all boil down to bullying children. War has lost its artistic appeal; it''s just crushing... Life truly is lonely as snow," Napoleon sighed with the utmost drama.

    Joseph nced at Napoleon and continued, "Many things in the world have their fundamental causes and outward appearances. Everything has a beginning and an end. When dealing with matters, we must know whates first and whatester, cing what''s fundamental and what''s just a mere tactic. We must understand what truly matters, even if it means truly understanding life''s lessons.

    Currently, what fundamentally makes us so powerful? It''s not our exceptional skills or even our strong army; fundamentally, it''s our robust industry. Why is it that in Europe, only Ennd can somewhat stand against us? Isn''t it because, inparison, Ennd has rtively better industry? So, maintaining a robust industry is our foundation. Although industrial profits are slow��much slowerpared to financial gains��we must always remind ourselves not to entertain thoughts of skipping over industry and living solely off financial means."

    "How could we have such foolish thoughts?" interjected Lucien.

    Upon hearing this, Joseph chuckled, "Lucien, even smart people are prone toziness. The moment France transitions from an industrial empire to a financial empire, it marks the beginning of the end of French hegemony."

    "Joseph, your words are incredibly profound!" eximed Napoleon while scanning around, "Lucien, give me your notebook; I want to jot this down and engrave it on my desk."

    Leaving aside Napoleon''s antics, the news reached Hungary. The Hungarian nobles engaged in autonomy and those emboldened by these nobles, including the Polish nobility prepared to aid the ''separatists,'' were dumbfounded.

    Some who had been excessively vocal earlier found themselves unable to retreat and had to endure. At least, they appeared to endure publicly. Others, more tactful, sought to swiftly pledge loyalty to the Emperor, either iming they were deceived or outright stating, "Your Majesty, I was undercover, joining to gather intelligence for you. I''ve gathered information that..."

    Even those who were once adamantlymitted and momentarily unable to retreat were now

    hastily reorganizing their ranks, preaching "unity among all" on the surface, while quietly sending emissaries to seek the Emperor''s forgiveness.

    In such a scenario, General Karl Philipp and the Imperial Army had just arrived in Hungary when the national militia mutinied.

    Under the leadership of a young noble named Bartori, the mutinous national militia arrested the rebel leader, Count Bartori, and handed him over to General Karl Philipp. Thus, the Hungarian rebellion was quashed.

    Subsequently, both the Emperor and the French exhibited astonishing mercy toward these rebels.

    "Since they''ve acknowledged their mistakes, they''ve be our brethren again," dered Emperor Franz in the newspapers. Therefore, even the rebel leader Count Bartori was merely exiled; his title andnds remained intact.

    Naturally, all hindrances to free trade in Hungary, including tariffs, were abolished.

    As for the opportunistic Polish nobles, after dutifully relinquishing keynds based on "market prices," they received some clemency. After all, the Austrian Empire still intended to use them to oppress themon Polish folk.

 Chapter 352: Playing with Fire

    Chapter 352: ying with Fire

    The coboration between France and Austria surprised many nations. Generally, on the European continent, Austria was seen as the greatest threat to French hegemony. ording to this perspective, France should have worked diligently to exploit Austria''s natural weaknesses as a multi-ethnic country, supporting internal turmoil, ideally leading to Austria''s disintegration. This would have solidified France''s dominance in Europe.

    However, the French made the surprising choice to support the Austrian government in this event. It seemed as though they had foregone the opportunity to dismember Austria, leaving many armchair politicians disappointed. Some British newspapers even expressed a mix of relief and disdain, suggesting that Joseph Bonaparte, swayed by immediate minor gains, had let go of an unprecedented opportunity. This indicated that while he indeed lived up to the reputation of "White Plume" on the battlefield, politically, he seemed too naive.

    Of course, French media wouldn''t attack their leader in such a manner, but their rebuttals were confined to a moral standpoint. French newspapers emphasized that this demonstrated France''smitment to peace, portraying itself as a pir of global peace, unlike aggressive entities like Ennd.

    In discussing this matter, the pinnacle perspective was found in "The Scientific Truth Gazette." The Gazette acknowledged that the French government should protect its interests but pointed out that France''s interests extended beyond the visible. For France, intangible aspects held greater value. These intangibles were the spirit of the French Republic.

    "The spirit of France embodies the persistence in ''democracy,'' ''freedom,'' and ''benevolence.'' Under this spirit''s influence, the French people united, establishing the great French Republic. This spirit forms the foundation of France, uniting its people. For France, there''s no greater interest than upholding this spirit. However, such reasoning might be lost on those fixated solely on mundane interests."

    Indeed, Austria didn''t align with the criteria of a progressive nation, unlike the North Italian Republic and the Rhine Federation, being considerably more conservative. But who stood against Austria in this affair?

    We mustn''t assume that opposition to a regressive, backward force necessarily represents a progressive one. At times, it might signify an even more regressive, backward force. What did the Hungarian nobility, revolting against Austria, truly seek? Not democracy or freedom but to ''uphold tradition''��to maintain their privileges of oppressing the people, indulging in their whims, even bathing in virgins'' blood! (A reference to the legend of Elizabeth B��thory, associated with using young women''s blood for her beauty, referenced in the game "Diablo II" through the Countess in the Forgotten Tower.)

    Hence, the actions of the Hungarian nobility were outright rebellion, not just a threat to the interests of the Hungarian popce but to all Austrians and to the interests of freedom-loving people worldwide. It directly threatened the creed on which France was founded. Thus, supporting Emperor of Austria in quelling this rebellion was primarily to uphold our beliefs��France''s most cherished asset.

    The article in "The Scientific Truth Gazette" wasn''t entirely lofty, as ''democracy, freedom, and benevolence'' were indeed among France''s most cherished assets. Joseph once discussed with his two brothers, dividing a nation''s power into two facets: hard power, including economic prowess, industrial development, and military strength, and soft power, which epassed French culture, arts, and ideology''s influence on other nations."Mr. Mencius once said: ''If aspiring politicians worldwide wish to serve in your country, farmers aspire to till yournd within your borders, merchants desire to trade in your markets, and travelers long to walk your roads, while those oppressed by their own king seek sce in yournd, who else can contend with you?''"

    While battling Italians and Austrians, the Italian popce sided with us, offering critical support, facilitating our resounding victory. Even in Belgium, the people initially weed us with bread and beer. If not for the foolish missteps, we would have conquered them in ''93. Why were we so warmly weed by these foreigners? It was our slogan, our banner, and the impact of our soft power. We must cherish our soft power, avoiding its destruction for petty gains. This aids in cultivating more individuals in other countries willing to guide our troops in times of war. Lucien, this is the crux of your work."

    Thus, France''s actions aligned with the persona of ''progress.'' A nation can have a persona, and a sessful one brings numerous unseen, long-term benefits. However, this persona is fragile; even a nation''s persona, if mishandled, could copse. Consequently, opponents would rejoice at the missteps, hoping to award them a ton-weight medal for picking sesame and shaking watermelons.

    However, maintaining this persona wasn''t the sole reason for the French siding with the Austrians this time. Their actions had more pragmatic, darker undertones.

    Firstly, ording to the research of the three brothers, they believed that, in the long term, only the Germanic people posed a threat to France''s position on the European continent. In general, the Germanic poption wasrge and reasonably educated. If they ceased being fragmented and unified into a single country, a Germany would undoubtedly challenge France''s status.

    Presently, Germany was divided into three parts: the Rhine Federation, Prussia, and Austria. The Rhine Federation and Prussia were Protestant, while Austria was Catholic. So, although the Rhine Federation was currently an ally of France, the concern was whether they would eventually align with Prussia, potentially forming a Germany��a worry for France. However, in the current scenario, France could stop this using its hard power. Yet, doing so would damage France''s persona. Hence, to maintain Germany''s fragmentation, France preferred not to weaken Austria excessively.

    Moreover, Austria faced deep internal conflicts. To sustain the empire and counter North Germany, the Habsburgs increasingly relied on France. Consequently, they became advocates for French interests or, to put it more bluntly, ''coborators.''

    These factorsbined were the reasons behind France''s actions. As for Austria''s national debt maneuvering, fundamentally, it was merely a ploy to catch rabbits while embracing the grass.

 Chapter 353: Unjust Laws

    Chapter 353: Unjust Laws

    France and Austria joining forces to suppress the Hungarian noble uprising didn''t necessarily make them allies. At least, that''s how it appeared on the surface. In French propaganda, Austria remained a conservative, backward, oppressive regime. On the other hand, in Austrian propaganda, France was portrayed as irreligious, unruly, and a symbol of betrayal of traditions. Overall, in their respective propaganda, neither side painted the other favorably.

    However, both France and Austria didn''t solely focus their criticism on each other. France continued to direct its criticism primarily towards Ennd, especially recently when the English took advantage of France and Austria being preupied with Hungary and Pnd to pass a series of resolutions, initiatingprehensive repression of workers within their own borders.

    Initially, Ennd passed the "Trade Union Organization Act," dering any inter-enterprise trade union organization illegal. They mandated the dissolution of all joint unions within a specified time, allowing only enterprises with over a thousand workers to form unions.

    Furthermore, thisw demanded that all union activities, including strikes and various meetings, acquire government approval. Even the financial aspects of union activities required government oversight.

    Additionally, the English enacted an amendment to the "Navigation Act." Despite its name, this amendment had no relevance to Mr. Rayne''s hopes of easing French discrimination against British goods for better trade ess. Instead, it restricted British migration to North America.

    ording to this regtion, British nationals could only depart from British territory aboard British ships, whether bound for the New World or Europe.

    Due to industrial growth in Europe, particrly in France, along with higher wages therepared to Ennd, many British workers found a new path. They saved money to go to France, worked there temporarily, earned a sum, and then immigrated to the New World.

    Consequently, Ennd experienced significant poption outflows over the years. This mass departure of workers was detrimental to Ennd''s industry. However, to safeguard native and Rhine Alliance workers'' interests, France swiftly implemented controls on work permits for British citizens. Generally, only skilled workers received work permits, leaving unskilled British workers no choice but to work illegally in France.

    While France indeed offered higher average wages than Ennd, this didn''t significantly benefit undocumented British workers. Without legal status, these workers had no legal protection. Unscrupulous French employers,cking the constraints of a revolution or revolutionary government, exploited their vulnerability, reducing their wages to levels akin to those in Ennd.Yet, despite these hardships, British workers continued migrating to Europe. However, their destination shifted from France directly to Europe as a transit point en route to North America. France incentivized migration to Louisiana by offering subsidies for those swearing allegiance to France and buying tickets for settlement in Louisiana. As a result, nearly two out of three immigrants arriving in Louisiana spoke German.

    Regarding British workers taking advantage of benefits in France, the French weren''t too concerned. They even weed this trend, as it weakened British industrial capabilities. Moreover, those leaving Ennd through this route lost loyalty to the country. Having more non-German speakers arriving in Louisiana was also deemed favorable.

    Although theoretically requiring Frenchnguage proficiency for subsidies, in practice, the French had minimalnguage requirements for these British workers. Basic phrases like "Bonjour" (hello) and "Merci" (thank you) sufficed, easily mastered even by the least skilled.

    Due to these subsidies, the cost of tickets from Europe to Louisiana was approximately one-third cheaper than tickets from Ennd. Consequently, the exodus helped reduce unemployment rates to some extent.

    In modern times, a drop in unemployment rates would te government officials for days, or if fortunate enough to be a knowledgeable king, potentiallyst an entire term. However, in this bizarre era, this figure troubled the British government.

    The concern arose because, ording to market principles, scarcity in any factor inevitably led to a rise in its price. Labor was no exception; a scarcity ofbor would lead to increased wages, subsequently raising costs and decreasing profits for the "respectable folk." Didn''t Ennd maintain lower wages than the European maind precisely due to its surplusbor?

    Therefore, the government introduced a series ofws. They increased ticket prices from Ennd to Europe, ensuring that British workers seeking cheaper French passage wouldn''t benefit. In fact, not only did tickets to Europe increase, but those bound for the New World also became more expensive. This strategy aimed to decrease the number of emigrants, ensuring sufficient unemployment rates domestically��a primary reason behind this amendment.

    Certainly, by using governmental forces to artificially manipte supply and demand, France designating Ennd as a "non-free trade country" had valid grounds.

    Rumors suggested that the French Council was preparing a neww referred to as the "Special Act 302." Thisw would authorize the French government, during anti-dumping investigations of "non-free trade countries," to consider prices from other "free trade countries" rather than the original source prices.

    Following the swift passage of this series ofws, the English took immediate action. Initially, the London Police issued a notice to the "Textile Workers Union," demanding they dere dissolution within 48 hours. The Trade Union Organization Act prohibited any cross-enterprise unions.

    Apart from dissolution orders, remaining unionspliant with the Act''s specifications required various legal checks on their organization and finances, enforced by government-appointed personnel.

    "In essence, this is aplete annihtion of us," stated Jacques Gant, holding the notice from the London Police Department.

    "Boss, what do we do?" asked Grandet.

    "We have two paths ahead. One is to confront the police department and, by extension, the government," said Gant. "We''ve organized worker patrols during this time and armed ourselves somewhat, but that''s only for defensive measures against potential attacks by a few factory owners''ckeys on the unions. Yet, if we wish to confront the English government��the ultimateckey for all factory owners and the wealthy��it''s far from sufficient. If we take that path, at least for now, we''ll surely fail.

    "As for the second path," Gant smiled, "that''s surrender. We''ve already shown some capability in our prior confrontations with those gentlemen. If we surrender, considering our demonstrated ability, they might offer us a bone to appease us. What do you all think?"

    "Boss, that''s nonsense!" Barkley eximed.

    "Exactly, Boss, that''s nonsense!" echoed the others.

    "If we take the second path, we might gain some benefits. However, we''d be selling out our fellow workers. I reckon soon, Mr. Rayne''s new contracts wille out, and they''ll be even more unreasonable than thest. If the workers won''t resist, why not take it a step further?" Grandet said. "Boss, you know us. Among us, there aren''t any cowards willing to betray our brothers. Tell us what to do; even if we can''t win, we''ll take a bite before we go."

    "We can''t directly confront them, but we can''t disband either," Gant replied. "Our united union will go underground, continuing to lead the workers'' struggle. Furthermore, we can''t retreat silently. Even in a forced retreat, we must leave something behind. Grandet, organize our members to go underground, while I, in the union''s name, will initiate one final strike..."

    "Boss..."

    Everyone understood the immense danger of such actions at this time.

    "If we don''t fight, if we don''t sacrifice, there won''t be a future," Gant said. "As long as

    we disy the ability to cause them harm, yes, as long as we demonstrate that capability, they''ll have to consider if their actions are worthwhile. They''ll have to consider our interests before they decide what to do next. Alright, brothers, when we started forming this union, we were waiting for this day, just like Saint Paul and Saint Peter awaited the cross on their journey to Rome. Let''s take action now!"

 Chapter 354: Suppression

    Chapter 354: Suppression

    The day after the London Metropolitan Police issued a notice demanding reforms from the "Textile Workers Union," the union submitted a protest letter to the police. In this protest, they imed that the so-called "Trade Union Law" passed by the British government grantly trampled on natural rights and was a void and evilw against naturalw. The union dered their refusal to yield to such aw and affirmed their intent to continue exercising their rights.

    Sir Austin immediately became furious, proiming it a tant disrespect for thews of the United Kingdom and promptly ordered the arrest of representatives from the Textile Workers Union.

    In response, the Textile Workers Unionunched anotherrge-scale strike. The London police, evidently prepared for this, promptly dered it as "rebellion" and issued orders to "quell the rebellion."

    Prepared well in advance, over five thousand British troops immediately moved into the worker districts under the guidance of the police to "quell" the unrest.

    In front of the Textile Workers Union''s office, an old dpidated building, workers who had hurried there upon hearing the news blocked the approaching army.

    "Imand you to disperse immediately, or else face charges of rebellion!" Captain Austin, holding hismand de, shouted at the crowd blocking their path.

    The crowd remained unmoved.

    "Cavalry, mount up and prepare! Other units, get ready forbat!" ordered Captain Austin.

    A group of cavalry mounted their horses, appearing ready to charge. Of course, they did not employ lethal weapons like sabers; instead, they brandishedrge clubs. Yet, with the force of the warhorses, even these clubs could be deadly.Meanwhile, the infantry raised their guns, their dark muzzles aimed at the workers.

    "Now, you have one minute. If you don''t disperse, we will take forced measures!" Captain Austin continued his threats.

    Facing the daunting cavalry, the crowd started to feel uneasy. No one dared to ascertain whether these individuals would truly resort to violence.

    Suddenly, amotion arose from the rear of the crowd. The door of the Textile Workers Union''s office opened, and several individuals emerged. The workers voluntarily made way for them.

    Leading the group was Fekin. He stepped forward and addressed the workers, "Disperse now, do not make futile sacrifices. But the strike must continue until we achieve final victory."

    Then, turning to Austin, he said, "I am the President of the Textile Workers Union, Collier."

    Austin stared at Fekin for a moment, then sneered, "Seize him!"

    Two policemen moved to apprehend Fekin. He calmly faced the approaching officers, showing no intent to resist. However, at that moment, a gunshot echoed.

    With that shot, one of the policemen heading toward Fekin copsed to the ground.

    This turn of eventspletely surprised the crowd. However, Captain Austin, experienced in battles fought in Irnd, where his hands were stained with the blood of "untrained Irish rebels," reacted swiftly:

    "Fire! Return fire!"

    The soldiers began shooting at the crowd.

    The scene was instantly engulfed in smoke, screams, shouts, and cries resonated as one.

    "Cavalry! Charge!" Austin ordered again.

    The cavalry surged forward, the towering warhorses knocking workers to the ground, even trampling over them. The cavalry wieldedrge clubs, striking the workers brutally. Nearly every swing of the club sent a worker tumbling to the ground.

    During the first round of firing, Fekin, who had been at the forefront, was hit by several bullets. Even with exceptional skill, facing so many guns at such close range, his prowess was futile. After all, this world wasn''t one of "your science versus my martial arts." No matter how skilled one was, against a killing machine like an army, skills were of little use.

    After the cavalry charge, the infantry followed suit, punishing the rebellious with bays and rifle butts mercilessly...

    As for who fired that shot that sparked the incident, each party had its own narrative. ording to British newspapers, it was the rioters who provoked first, and the valiant British forces retaliated, crushing the conspirators'' rebellion, upholding the United Kingdom''s order, and protecting the peaceful and united lives of the English people...

    Of course, some tabloids attempted to publish irresponsible information, smearing the just actions taken by the British government to safeguard the country and its people. However, the English police were prepared; they swiftly revoked the operating licenses of these newspapers, silencing them.

    There were, however, more troublesome issues, particrly concerning French-based newspapers. Directly shutting them down would cause significant trouble. Nheless, the English had their ways; they couldn''t directly regte French newspapers, but couldn''t they control the printing presses printing news for the French? Those French newspapers didn''t have their own printing presses, so they pressured these printing presses not to print newspapers carrying reports rted to the incident.

    However, the French circumvented this hurdle. They simply ck-bordered the entire front page of the newspaper, leaving only one word: Obituary.

    Within France, the propaganda machine kicked into high gear, conductingprehensive criticisms of Britain''s atrocities. ording to the French media, the British ims that the workers fired first were sheer nonsense, insulting everyone''s intelligence. A group of unarmed workers, facing thousands of armed soldiers, dared to open fire voluntarily? Moreover, many witnessed the President of the Textile Workers Union, Mr. Collier, stepping forward, attempting to negotiate with the army. It would be foolish for the workers to shoot at that moment. We advise the British media that if their lying skills are inadequate, they should refrain from lying forcibly. We don''t mind the British lying��after all, it''s in their nature��but they shouldn''t insult our intelligence with such foolish lies!

    However, these usations could only be published in France; in Ennd, the French newspapers were still confined. The English, seizing the opportunity, intensified the hunt for "rebels." Soon, London''s prisons were overflowing because of the immense load. As the prisons couldn''t handle the excess, the police department issued new instructions. Consequently, there were numerous instances of "violent resistance to arrest," resulting in individuals being "shot on the spot."

    ording to the French, within just two weeks, over a thousand workers were killed in London alone, with over ten thousand incarcerated. The situation in London was even more terrifying than the September massacre.

    Of course, the French reports were likely exaggerated, but the British ims, saying only a dozen or so died in this series of events, were certainly false.

    Yet, the French media''s reports within France did indeed have an impact on Britain. The "Scientific Truth Gazette" referred to fabricsing from Britain as "bloodstained fabrics," followed by other newspapers, urging European citizens to refuse British goods.

    Following this, French Foreign Minister Talleyrand summoned the British ambassador and lodged aint about the humanitarian crisis in Britain. Subsequently, the French Ministry announced they would hold a hearing on the appalling anti-human actions in Britain. It was rumored that the French Ministry was preparing legition to authorize economic sanctions against Britain.

    The British vehemently protested against French interference in their internal affairs. Nheless, on the other hand, the zeal of the police in pursuing "rebels" noticeably waned. The British proimed opposition to France''s economic threats and even asserted that if the French dared to impose sanctions, Britain would retaliate against France. However, before much response came from the French, the British stock market took a plunge.

 Chapter 355: French Ingenuity

    Chapter 355: French Ingenuity

    The French Council of State did propose relevant bills, more than just one. The first proposal requested the French government to publicly condemn the atrocities of the British government.

    This particr bill didn''t stir much attention. Criticisms between the French and British governments had be customary over the years. Periodically, the French government condemned the British for disrupting free trade, and reciprocally, the British government used France of meddling in their internal affairs. So, condemnation was routine. ording to the norm, after the condemnation, business continued as usual.

    However, this time seemed different. The Council of State proposed another bill, urging the establishment of a "Human Rights Review Committee" to annually assess human rights situations in other countries and periodically publish rted reports. The French government could then act against these countries based on these reports.

    Though the bill left ample room for ambiguity, not mandating immediate actions, it provided a pretext for the French government to investigate various British goods at any time and impose temporary punitive tariffs. Supposedly, these temporary tariffs were to aid those "persecuted by tyranny."

    In theory, the decision to impose these taxes remained uncertain. If deemed unnecessary by the French government, they might opt not to enforce them. There was a possibility that every year, during the release of the human rights report, France could brandish these special tariffs to intimidate the British into making favorable concessions, without actually acting upon them.

    However, this time, the French appeared to be earnest. Immediately after the Council''s approval of the bill, Joseph Bonaparte announced a fifteen percent special tariff on British textiles entering France, intended to assist the "persecuted British textile workers."

    Joseph dered that any British textile worker could visit the French embassy or conste in Britain, pass a "Basic French Exam," and receive funds for a ticket to leave Britain for continental Europe. (These funds, naturally, sourced from the increased tariffs on British textiles, or more bluntly put, from the British themselves.) Upon arrival in Europe, they could ess rtively favorable loans from the Bank of Louisiana to cover the costs of travel to Louisiana and settlement. (Apparently, these funds were co-sponsored by the warring Spanish and Mexican republics.)

    Subsequently, the Paris municipal authority renamed the street where the British embassy was located to "Textile Workers Street" and the small square in front of the embassy to "Collier Square." Additionally, they erected statues of Collier, president of the Textile Workers Union, and other victims right in front of the British embassy. Renowned Italian sculptor Antonio Canova reportedly took charge of this task, having left Rome toe to Paris.

    Indeed, when the Paris City Hall made this decision, the European response was rather peculiar.The British government vehemently protested, threatening to rename the street of the French embassy in London to "Louis XVI Street." Paris City Hall responded, "London''s issues are none of our concern," while Joseph stated, "We don''t intervene in British internal affairs."

    Among the other European nations, the Rhine Federation and the Dutch Republic naturally apuded��their disdain for British textiles had long been known. Austria, Prussia, Spain, and Russia remained silent fundamentally because they didn''t desire theplications that unions brought to their territories.

    However, in the eyes of most European intellectuals, France''s actions were deeply moving. Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, the famed German ywright, praised France, iming they upheld the most genuine ideals of the revolution, deserving to be the beacon and hope for all of Europe and the world. He also expressed his intent to create a drama tomemorate the great struggle of British textile workers.

    Following Schiller''s statement, renownedposer Beethoven expressed his desire to adapt Schiller''s work into an opera.

    Of course, Beethoven was upied at the moment, having just epted amission from France topose a suite for the revived Olympic Games.

    Apart from these figures, numerous artists, including those from Britain, staunchly supported France''s stance.

    However, the French move caused headaches for the British. Although the "Textile Workers Union" seemed to have been dismantled, both the police and textile guild members knew that things weren''t that simple. Aside from President Collier, none of the other union representatives had been apprehended. Intelligence suggested some representatives had sought refuge in French embassies or constes. Yet, under these circumstances, the British couldn''t directly enter French diplomatic premises to arrest them��doing so would imply war. Besides, if the issue with France could be resolved through war, why bother with this hassle?

    Nheless, this provided an internal propaganda opportunity for the Britishbeling thesebor leaders as "traitors." Despite French protests, the British, through media censorship, at least appeared to control the situation on the surface.

    Unexpectedly, signs bearing the name "Textile Workers Union" began appearing on the streets and alleys of London.

    "Any findings from analyzing these leaflets?" Sir Shaw inquired. These sudden leaflet appearances had been stressing him. The "Textile Workers Union" continued its activities, now showcasing themselves to all of London, even all of Ennd, through these leaflets. And in recent days, they continued to ndestinely guide strikes among textile workers. Certainly, by employing new workers and turning unemployed individuals into penalborers leased to factories, the productivity of these factories had plummeted significantly.

    This was natural; the efficiency of convictborers couldn''t match that of free workers. Lacking hope, they resorted to passive resistance, and even with the whips over their heads, being government ves, they still had food. Moreover, they would resort to all means to sabotage machinery to have respite.

    Thus, whenever possible, factory owners preferred free workers over government ves.

    Typically, in the standoff between workers and employers, workers were at a disadvantage. Especially after the recent trade fair, with major orders secured, factory owners could endure far longer than workers. Even if losing a few days, factory owners'' losses were limited, possibly recouped by intensifyingbor. But if workers missed a day''s work, they''d face starvation. This unequal footing was one reason workers dared to provoke the police and interfere with the "Textile Workers Union."

    However, the situation had begun to change. Firstly, these leaflets, stered everywhere, had attracted the attention of so-called "charitable organizations." Consequently, these organizations set up porridge stalls in ces like Petticoat Lane.

    Some of these charitable organizations were created by brainwashed British individuals, while others were more troublesome, being funded by French sources. Rumors hinted at support from French and Dutch merchants. These merchants knew of the bulk of unfulfilled orders in British hands, a positive situation. Yet, if the strikes continued, the inability to fulfill orders would cripple Ennd''s textile industry. This scenario would be a massive victory for both Dutch and French textile merchants.

    Hence, though emotionally these capitalists sympathized more with their British counterparts due to their own vested interests, they realized the significance of the absence of these Englishmen and thus contributed to stirring up chaos.

    Of course, to ensure the disruption''s sess, to ensure the British refrained from violence and direct confrontation, they even enlisted a highly influential, meddlesome figure across Europe to oversee this matter personally.

    This figure was none other than the notorious Pauline Bonaparte, an unforgettable figure for many in Ennd.

    In Petticoat Lane, amidst a group led by Jacques Gant, former butcher turned Feechin,

    a suddenmotion interrupted their nning meeting.

    Amotion at such a time was rming. In London''s East End, the birthce of the suffragette movement, residents were ustomed to disagreements. Even so, this ruckus was different. This wasn''t a mere argument. This was a significant gathering, which indicated trouble.

    The sudden appearance of red-coated constables and their skirmish with a mob marked a peculiar urrence in the heart of London''s East End.

    "Get back! Get back!" shouted the constables, struggling to push back a throng of agitated individuals.

    Suddenly, a loud voice pierced the air. "Hold! Stand your ground!" The source of this assertive voice remained unseen.

    The crowd parted, revealing a tall, imposing figure��Pauline Bonaparte.

    "Stop this unnecessary confrontation. There''s no need for this violence," shemanded, her voice resonating through the narrow streets.

    The constables hesitated. Pauline''s reputation was well-known, both for her connections and her fearlessness. Crossing her had never ended well for anyone in her path. Yet, they had orders. They couldn''t afford to yield.

    Meanwhile, the crowd murmured in excitement. Pauline Bonaparte''s presence alone signaled something significant was underway. Some recognized her from past incidents; others had only heard of her notorious reputation.

    Pauline surveyed the scene, her gaze coolly assessing the constables, the agitated crowd, and the general chaos. She had an air of confidence that could calm a tempest.

    "Is this the resolution the British government has to offer? Suppressing dissent with force?" she spoke loudly, her voice projecting authority.

    Her words seemed to strike a chord among the onlookers. A few raised voices joined her, echoing simr sentiments about the government''s actions.

    Pauline gestured to the constables. "You''re here to protect the people, not intimidate them. There are better ways to resolve this. Why not let these people express their concerns?"

    The constables exchanged nervous nces. It wasn''t easy to dismiss Pauline''s words, given her reputation and the stirrings of support from the crowd.

    The situation hung in the bnce. The constables stood their ground, uncertain of their next move. Pauline remained resolute, her unwavering presence a symbol of defiance against the authority.

 Chapter 356: Imitations

    Chapter 356: Imitations

    With direct support from the French, the strike among textile workers became increasingly uncontroble. Naturally, the British, especially the capitalists in the British textile industry, wouldn''t sit idly by. They had established quite a few connections with the French previously, many even considered "pro-French." Utilizing these ties acquired over the past years became their natural course of action.

    After representatives of the textile guild contacted the French, they returned with this message:

    "The textile workers in the Nethends have been investing heavily in France in recent years. However, it''s not merely the amount spent that''s crucial; they aren''t outspending us. The key is their investment in newspapers, amplifying their voice beyond ours. Coupled with France''s ''political correctness,'' it''s challenging for the French not to act.

    Moreover, the French are highly dissatisfied with some of our practices," conveyed the representative.

    "What practices? Thomas, what did they say?" Ren asked eagerly.

    "They''re extremely displeased with the rampant counterfeit high-end fashion imitations mimicking the ''Chris'' men''s series that have flooded the European market in thest year. Their investigations reveal a majority of these knockoffs originate from Ennd. This has agitated the upper echelons there..."

    "What? Who''s responsible for this mess?" Thomas'' words were interrupted by an outcry.

    "Who dares to steal that kind of money? This is a disgrace!"

    "It''s unbelievable! Wanting money more than life? Have they forgotten that the ''Chris'' series belongs to that saintlydy of the Bonaparte family? I''ve heard she''s exceptionally favored by our First Consul, yet they dare snatch her money... There are plenty of ways to make money, why choose this route?"Such matters were easily investigated among vampires of a thousand years; no one could pretend to be a werewolf there. So, everyone immediately focused their gaze on one individual.

    "Why are you all staring at me? While I do own a clothing factory, I haven''t produced any counterfeit ''Chris'' series apparel..." the person realized something was amiss and hurriedly defended.

    "Technically, those knockoffs of the ''Chris'' series aren''t precisely counterfeit," Thomas, acting as a messenger, stated coldly. "The French even showed me samples; the fake products bear an extra ''s'' in ''Chris'' on thebel, albeit subtly done with a faint ck line. It''s inconspicuous; one wouldn''t notice it unless scrutinizing. But it''s no longer the authentic ''Chris.'' Isn''t that right, Mr. Robson?"

    Robson hesitated for a moment before shouting, "It wasn''t me, I didn''t do it..."

    "If you truly haven''t caused this trouble for us all with your deceitful actions, let us all visit your clothing factory, your warehouse. How about it, Robson?"

    "I��I''m fine here, but there are other clothing factories besides mine. Mr. Edge, Mr. Davies, and Mr. Barkley also have factories. Everyone should inspect them together," Robson hurriedly responded.

    Thus, the faces of the individuals mentioned by Robson turned pale.

    "We''re going right now!" someone yelled.

    "Yes, let''s go immediately!"

    "I want to see who''s deceiving us all..."

    "Wait, let Thomas continue. What else did the French say? That''s the crucial matter!" Ren interjected loudly.

    Consequently, everyone quietened down, all eyes turning to Thomas.

    "The French asserted such actions are intolerable. Furthermore, they mentioned..."

    "What did they say?"

    "They''ve allowed us to earn a fair amount, resulting in discontent among the local French textile industry. In the garment sector, France originally held the advantage, a constion for French textile workers. Therefore, they hope the British refrain from joining the clothing industrypetition," Thomas ryed.

    "They want to monopolize the clothing industry," someone muttered softly.

    "If they wish, that market might just be theirs," Ren agreed, nodding. "Though the industry''s profits are high, the market isn''t sizable. Giving it to them, while securing Europe''s fabric market, would still be a reasonable oue."

    Aside from those who owned clothing factories, most agreed.

    "Exactly, for a small market like this, it''s unwise to provoke the French for some money..."

    "What about the workers and the sanctions?" another inquired.

    Thomas sighed, "The French stated once the knife is drawn, even for appearances'' sake, there''s no sense in sheathing it without action. Moreover... if we don''t take a stab or two, they fear we''ll underestimate their determination, leading to further misjudgments. So, to avoid worsening mutual trust, these measures will continue for a while..."

    "Ah? How much longer?"

    "Next week, the ''British Human Rights Report'' will be published. We all know what it''ll entail. For the sake of face, during this period, they won''t relent. However, they proposed that if, after the report''s release, the textile guild issues a statement acknowledging and addressing the content, inviting the ''Human Rights Review Committee'' for inspection, perhaps these measures might be lifted in two months," Thomas exined.

    "Two months, that''s... too slow."

    "Indeed, can''t we..."

    "The French aim to firmly demonstrate their power, proving they possess the knife and are unafraid to use it. They won''t yield," Ren remarked. "For two months, we''ll incur losses, but we can endure. They wield the knife, and we''re the flesh; what more can we do?"

    "It''s all because of your greed, grabbing at every bit of money!" The anger was redirected towards those with clothing factories.

    Subsequently, surprise inspections were carried out on several warehouses of these factory owners. Robson indeed hadn''t lied; no counterfeit ''Chris'' series apparel was found in his factory or warehouse, proving his innocence. However, what others discovered in his possession fueled more anger.

    "''Old Soldier Hunting Gear,'' ''Old Soldier Backpack,'' ''Old Soldier Rain Poncho''... damn it! Robson, how dare you fake even this? Do you realize what the ''Old Soldier'' series signifies!"

    Caught red-handed, Robson fell silent.

    "Damn it! Why don''t you just die! Everyone knows the ''Old Soldier'' series belongs to the French Veterans Association, a highly esteemed organization in French politics. Your actions, worse than counterfeiting the ''Chris'' series! You''re a damned scoundrel!"

    "Those French veterans are tough; they won''t tolerate such actions. They''re the type who won''t hesitate to rebel. By tarnishing their money, it''s no wonder the French reacted so strongly. No, because of your misconduct, you''ve caused us enormous losses��Robson, you mustpensate!"

    "This isn''t ''Old Soldier,'' it''s truly not ''Old Soldier,'' the logo on mine is different!" Robson pleaded, his face turning pale.

    "Robson, do you think we''re fools? While you made money, you''ve harmed us all!"

    "I suggest convening a meeting immediately after this inspection ends to discuss how to handle this issue. For now, let''s continue our inspections."

    The results from the inspections at the factories of those involved in the clothing industry weren''t favorable. Almost every clothing factory was engaged in simr activities. At Edge''s, they found counterfeit ''Chris'' men''s series; at Davies'', they discovered ''Cleese'' women''s series;

    at Barkley''s, they once again found items from the ''Old Soldier'' series... In short, the French usations were very reasonable.

    In a subsequent meeting, enraged bosses extended condolences to the female rtives of these ''troublemakers,'' swiftly passing a resolution to impose hefty fines on these ''troublemakers'' topensate other textile merchants for their losses.

    Simultaneously, the "Textile Guild" made a decision to prohibit its members from establishing clothing factories.

    As for the French proposal requesting a positive response to the "White Paper," implementing some level of rectification, and weing French inspections, it passed with a distinct majority.

    Of course, during this period, the British textile industry aimed to reduce any chaos. For instance, urrences like the previous massacre of workers must not repeat; otherwise, if simr events happened again, considering French sensibilities, these sanctions wouldn''t be rescinded midway.

    "The police department is still apprehending members of the ''United Union.'' I believe it''s wise to halt these actions, preventing any disturbances. Particrly while Miss Bonaparte remains in the slums. We must cease the pursuit of those worker representatives by the police, maintain the existing contracts, refrain from increasing workload or reducing wages, preventing any chances for our enemies to plot against us," Ren suggested.

 Chapter 357: Debate

    Chapter 357: Debate

    "The bunch of wretches from the Textile Guild are utterly hopeless!" Bill Langley, Britain''srgest steel manufacturer, couldn''t contain his fury upon learning about the concessions made by the Textile Guild to the French. He turned to his friend, the Tory Member of Parliament Henry Bolton, and eximed, "Look at this, in all our trade with Europe, these scoundrels profit the most! And now, amidst the trade tensions with France, it''s mostly their greed causing it. While we all struggle against the French to uphold Ennd''s interests, they lead the surrender for their immediate gains... It''s utterly shameless!"

    However, his friend didn''t seem entirely in agreement with Langley''s outburst.

    "Bill, while that might be the talk for public discourse, especially on the foreign front," Henry Bolton said as he gently stirred a silver spoon in a Far Eastern porcin cup filled with red tea, "truth be told... If it were me, I''d likely surrender as well. Even you, my friend, if you were a textile owner rather than the proprietor of mines and ironworks, you''d probably make a simr choice. After all, profit speaks volumes. And by the way, I heard you recently secured some new contracts with the French?"

    "Heh..." Langley sneered, "Henry, you always have a knack for blunt honesty. Those cursed French make so much money, leaving us little room for profit. Now, with my steel products unable to sell and being cornered by their dominance, my iron mining capacity surpasses what I can sell. Hence, I''m forced to export iron ore to the French... It''s a copse of the entire British steel industry, Henry. The French have been suppressing us, not allowing any significant advancements��it''s almost akin to colonialization. So, Henry, we in Ennd must take action��let this situation not persist."

    "I know what you''re aiming for, raising tariffs on French steel products to protect our own steel industry, but you know..." Henry Bolton replied, "Our steel industry can''t possibly provide sufficient, quality steel at such low prices. Take railways, for instance. If we use domestically produced pig iron rails, our lotives'' speed and load capacity would significantly decrease, reducing our rail transport to a quarter or even less of what the French have. And the cost difference isn''t substantial. Moreover, many things are nearly impossible without steel."

    "You make a valid point, but even so, such railways aren''t entirely unusable. Plus, our scientists aren''t idle; after all, we''ve produced Sir Isaac Newton. Over the years, the Steel Industry Guild has invested heavily in steelmaking techniques. Now, we''ve made significant progress, soon producing qualified steel at lower costs."

    "Soon? You said thatst year."

    "This time it''s real; experimental steel furnaces have sessfully undergone initial trials. However, our technology stillcks maturity, resulting in waste, and our costs remain significantly higher than imported French steel. But without protection, our industry won''t develop, and I believe you understand the importance of our industry."

    "Your steel production''s output? Can it entermercial operations?""Estimated at around three thousand tons annually��under normal circumstances. Additionally, we can produce some specialized steel that the French refuse to export to us..." Langley remarked.

    "Wait, this specialized steel you mentioned..."

    "Artillery steel. We can produce it without crucibles."

    "How much cheaper can it bepared to crucible steel?"

    "To sustain our development, it can''t be too cheap. Still, it''s considerably lower than crucible steel. In the short term, about two-thirds of the price, in the long term, even lower."

    But even at this price, it''s significantly higher than in France. Reportedly, when selling artillery steel to Bonaparte''s military, the French charge only slightly more than double the price of regr track steel, which in Britain, is not much higher than the price of iron produced by British steel enterprises.

    "The price of regr steel? How much lower can it gopared to French goods?"

    "That depends on whom they''re selling to," Langley exined. "Their prices for general structural steel and track steel in Britain are considerably higher than on the European continent. Despite this, our current prices won''t undercut theirs. Inparison to local European or even French prices, our cost price may even surpass their selling price."

    "Do we have such a significant technological gap with them?" Henry Bolton queried.

    "It''s not just technology; it epasses various aspects. For instance, Lorraine''s iron mines employ cutting-edge extraction methods, lowering their mining costspared to ours. They utilize railways for transport, reducing their transportation costs. Then, their st furnaces are muchrger��scale reduces unit costs, so their ironmaking costs are lower. Furthermore, their steelmaking technology surpasses ours, and their demand allows for more substantial scales, resulting in further cost reductions. Thus... the disparity between us and the French in metallurgy isprehensive. Without national barriers, faced with France''s lead, we''re virtually defenseless," Langley exined.

    "So..."

    "So, the Navigation Acts must be upheld, perhaps strengthened. Britain can''t rely on French steel; the British market must be reserved for British steel enterprises. Otherwise, Britain has no future."

    Two weekster, during a meeting in the House of Commons, the Whigs proposed amending the Navigation Acts for greater ess to European markets.

    The Tories advocated further bolstering the Navigation Acts, particrly increasing tariffs on European goods, especially steel products. On top of existing measures, proposing a three hundred percent tariff hike on European steel aimed at countering European sanctions on British exports.

    Naturally, this led to the traditional sh between the Whigs and Tories, with the pivotal question being where the New Tories would stand in this debate.

    Like the Whigs, many in the New Tories had substantial investments in the textile industry, a shining star in Britain''s foreign trade in recent years. From this perspective, they should side with the Whigs. Yet, they also held investments in mining, metallurgy, and military industries.

    This put the New Tories in a precarious position. On one hand, they sought to preserve Europe''s textile market, emphasizing to Tory counterparts that without the wealth brought by textiles, severe fiscal issues would gue Britain. This would subsequently shrink other domestic markets, making a three hundred percent tariff hike a suicidal move.

    On the other hand, they had to persuade the Whigs not topletely follow the French. Presently, for instance, for every shipment of cotton or wool to France, only a handful of mechanical goods were returned. The French were evidently suppressing Britain''s industrial advancement, allowing only low-level transactions. Any attempt by Britain to advance in the industry chain faced immediate economic repercussions from the French.

    And because Britain couldn''t control the higher rungs of the industry chain, its substitutability was high, making it exceedingly vulnerable to French economic sanctions. Thus, for long-term profit, to earn more, protecting Britain''s high-tech industry was imperative. And to do so, sufficient protective barriers were necessary��Ennd couldn''t wholly align with the French "free trade principle," lest it be a vassal to France.

    Then the Whigs and Tories jointly asked, "What do you propose?"

    The New Tories presented a conciliatory n: while the textile industry must consider long-term needs and endure short-term losses, the metallurgical and military industries couldn''t rush either. Essentially, it was aboutpromise��everyone yielding a bit and understanding each other...

    Yet, anything entwined with interests became exceedingly challenging. Both the Whigs and Tories found the New Tories'' conciliatory stance hard to ept, leading to heated debates in the British House of Commons, mirrored in the papers controlled by the three factions.

    Amidst the debate, some information surfaced in the papers. For instance, news about a possible breakthrough in steelmaking technology in Britain was intentionally or unintentionally leaked.

    This news naturally reached France through telegrams. Upon receiving the information, Napoleon immediately called Joseph and Lucien for a discussion on countermeasures.

 Chapter 358: Intelligence

    Chapter 358: Intelligence

    "Calcting the timing, there should have been some progress on their end." Joseph wasn''t overly surprised by this news. He knew the initial breakthrough in steel refining was actually achieved by the British. Even though historically it seemed to have urred a bitter, since the French had seeded earlier, inspired by their sess��though Lorraine Steel had kept their techniques strictly guarded��the French could swiftly and massively produce steel using certain methods. This fact couldn''t be concealed. It would undoubtedly stimte the British to invest more resources into their research. Consequently, a breakthrough was inevitable.

    Moreover, no matter how strict the secrecy around technological matters, as long as products continued to sell in the market and the technology was applied in production, some information leakage was inevitable. Considering the high mobility of Lorraine Steel''s workers, predominantly German speakers, upon entering thepany, their primary aim was to earn enough money quickly to immigrate to Louisiana.

    Of course, the British would attempt to acquire rted technology by buying these workers. Even though these workers might not have had the opportunity to ess the core secrets, they could at least observe the appearance of the steel refining furnaces. By talking to a few people, they could roughly understand some of the production processes. Although the most critical aspects remained undisclosed, even this knowledge could offer significant insights to the British. Hence, it was natural for the British to make advancements in steel refining given these circumstances.

    "Now, which n do we execute?" inquired Lucien.

    Given the probable British breakthrough in steel refining, response strategies had been prepared long before, and not just one. Each n underwent meticulous research and deliberation, each carrying its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Therefore, the critical decision was which n to choose at this juncture.

    "Obviously, we observe the subsequent actions of the British. If they concede in the recent trade disputes, we lower our steel and even pig iron prices for export to Britain. Leveraging our cost advantage, we crush them, showing them the consequence of ''making is inferior to buying,''" Joseph replied.

    "What do you think their choice will be?" Lucien asked again.

    "I''m not British; how would I know? And even if I were, it''s not guaranteed."

    "But Joseph, if we take certain actions now, we can influence their direction. For instance, if we slightly rx our trade policies, I believe it could encourage them to continue bteral trade," Lucien suggested."But if we no longer demand the repeal of the Navigation Acts, under their protection, they can sell their steel products in their colonies, gaining funds to further develop their steel industry," Napoleon interjected.

    "In the short term, the British colonies won''t have significant demand for steel," Joseph remarked.

    Joseph''s assessment was based on the fact that the demand for steel primarily arose from industrial needs, and one of Britain''s consistent policies was to prevent substantial industries in its colonies. Once established, these industries could alter the bnce of power between the colonies and Britain, leading to strong independence tendencies.

    Napoleon nodded, adding, "In that case, they''ll probably rely on military support for survival. However, we can entirely sell military-grade steel to them."

    Due to the recent technological advancements in his army, Napoleon had unparalleled confidence in it and wasn''t hesitant to sell higher-end items to the British.

    "If only the British were willing to buy our weapons inrge quantities directly," Lucien remarked.

    "That would indeed be beneficial," Napoleon agreed. "However, it must be based on urate intelligence in our hands. Lucien, that''s your task. The more precise the information your people gather, the stronger our responses will be."

    At this point, Napoleon paused, then continued, "However, this time, the British have seeded in steel refining, and yet we''ve learned about it from the newspapers. Lucien, your performance this time is truly disappointing."

    "Napoleon, you can''t say that," Lucien retorted as soon as Napoleon used him. "I provided you a report a month ago mentioning the imminent breakthrough in British metallurgical technology."

    "Damn it! You provided simr intelligence two months ago and even five months ago. These reports are almost interchangeable, just altering dates. Damn it, who knows how fast ''imminent'' is in your reports��days, months, or years? Spending vast amounts of money, allocations, and receiving such intelligence. I reckon, if I handed this task to Fouch��, he''d handle it better than you!"

    "That''s because Fouch��''s scope of business is limited; he can focus all his energy here. I have too much to oversee..." Lucien couldn''t bear theparison with Fouch��.

    "Alright, no more excuses," Napoleon intervened. "Focus on this matter for now. I need your people to provide us with thetest, most reliable, and valuable intelligence for decision-making."

    "I''ll keep my eyes on this," Lucien promised.

    Meanwhile, in Ennd, at the Sixth Army Investigation Department, Executive Deputy Director Ainsley Stanton was assigning tasks to his subordinates.

    "Lately, news about the sessful coboration between the military, Cambridge University, and the Lorraine Steel Factory in the steel refining furnace project has be widespread. The French will undoubtedly try to gather our secrets. During this time, our trade representatives are about to negotiate with the French on trade issues. The sess of the steel factory will be one of our most crucial bargaining chips. Therefore, any information concerning this matter is of utmost importance. We''ve received orders to station ourselves at the Lorraine Steel Factory and assist them in reinforcingprehensive secrecy measures.

    Regarding this operation, I want to make one thing clear: the secrets we protect epass not only our advancements but also our setbacks. Secrecy means safeguarding backwardness! What we know, we cannot let the French know; what we don''t know, we certainly cannot let them know. Understand?"

 Chapter 359: Fishing

    Chapter 359: Fishing

    ording to Lucien''ster description of the two British counter-espionage organizations in his memoirs, both the Sixth Army Intelligence and the Royal Anti-Espionage Investigation Group were not particrly adept at effective espionage techniques - at least not initially. Theirck of expertise in this area often led them to miss crucial points in counter-espionage efforts.

    "These two departments bear too much resemnce to the police units. Their past experiences in dealing with minor thefts and misdemeanors often restricted their approach, trapping them in outdated methods. When faced with new challenges, they appeared rather clumsy. And in their attempts at gathering intelligence abroad, they often made it easier for the Ministry of Public Security��the people there suffer from simr issues as the British... (The paper trails off as a whole page isn''t enough to contain Lucien''s gripes about the Ministry of Public Security.)" �� "Lucien Bonaparte''s Memoirs"

    Overall, Lucien''s assessment of British intelligence agencies remained rtively objective, more reliable than his views on the French Ministry of Public Security. In the British imagination, French spies were believed to sneak into factories to inspect equipment ndestinely or disguise themselves as workers to gather information. There were even assumptions about corrupting key individuals with money or seduction, turning them into traitors for the United Kingdom. Honestly, thetter was true to some extent for the French, but it wasn''t the primary method for gathering intelligence for the Ministry of Truth.

    The Ministry of Truth''s approach to intelligence gathering was overt. They collected various data through legitimate means and subjected it toparison and analysis. Within the Ministry of Truth, the department engaging in these activities boasted the highest manpower and consumed the most resources.

    Their first focus was on procuring information about various supplies and their prices. The British had little knowledge of how much the French could discern from such information, hence keeping it unguarded. Through the procurement details, the Ministry of Truth acquired its first crucial information:

    There was no evidence indicating British purchases of materials necessary for the production of alkaline refractory materials. Hence, it was inferred that the British were likely still using acidic refractory materials.

    Furthermore, agents of the Ministry of Truth secured some g from the Lorraine Steel Factory throughmercial means. At that time, this g was considered waste and often sold to enterprises requiring such material. By this method, the Ministry effortlessly obtained some g from the Lorraine Steel Factory. Chemical analysis of this g revealed almost every detail of the British steel refining technology.

    The g from Britain was sent to theboratories of the Lorraine Steel Factory. Within days, the conclusions reached the hands of the brothers.

    "As we had anticipated, the British utilize an acidic lining for their steel refining furnaces. This means they are very selective with their ores. If they were to use our Lorraine iron ore, they''d end up with heaps of scrap steel. However, their iron ore, well..." Joseph sighed, "In terms of luck, the British have lower sulfur content in their iron orepared to ours. So, they can manage with their acidic refining. From this data, their steel might not be of top quality, but it''s functional.""What about their production costs?" Napoleon inquired. Currently, that was the most critical query.

    "The costs should be rtively high," Lucien responded. "Judging from the quantity of g processed, we can deduce their output. Their furnaces are too small, resulting in low production, naturally leading to higher costs. Even their pig iron is surprisingly expensive. Based on this, I estimate..."

    Lucien mentioned a figure, prompting Napoleon to lean back, closer to the thick cushioned backrest. "What''s going on with the British? This cost is much higher than even our earliest experimental furnaces, let aloneparing it to our regr ones. This is... Well, the British''smercial representatives for negotiations should be arriving soon?"

    "Tomorrow, a British trade delegation is due to arrive in Paris. Do we reveal some of this information to Talleyrand?" Lucien asked.

    "We can inform him partially, but nothing precise. Just let him know that we''re aware the British can refine steel but at significantly higher costs than us. And convey that we wish to dominate their domestic steel market through ''free trade,'' restricting their steel industry primarily to military use," Napoleon said. "Additionally, Lucien, keep an eye on British technological advancements. Our strategy will involve introducing slightly superior products into the market wherever the British make breakthroughs, preventing their investments from yielding substantial returns.

    "Joseph, what about your task? The reason the British catch up swiftly in technology is due to institutions like Cambridge and Oxford. I recall you mentioning ways to lure scientifically and technically inclined individuals from worldwide, including Britain, to France, thereby weakening their scientific research capabilities. How''s that progressing?"

    "Why should you worry about my affairs?" Joseph retorted. "Since when is it your turn to oversee my work?"

    Despite his words, Joseph continued, "Currently, the situation in Britain seems a bit better. In the past few years, Paris University''s annual enrollment has increased by over twenty percent. This surge is especially prominent in science and engineering disciplines. Where are these studentsing from? Apart from the local French students, they''re predominantly from other European countries. The number of foreign students, especially those in science and engineering, has been increasing by forty-five percent annually. Other countries can''t offer as many job opportunities for graduates, so these students, particrly those in technical fields, mostly stay in France.

    "Moreover, our affiliatedpanies support education across Europe under the guise of charity. We''ve established over twenty universities in Italy, the Rhinnd, Prussia, Austria, slowly over time. These universities receive our financial backing, providing full schrships for talented yet financially constrained students.

    "Oh, and this schrship is even named after you, Napoleon. Those less affluent yet talented students can apply, rmended by their teachers, andplete their education without spending a penny. They might even get opportunities for further education at Paris University. Naturally, as a return, they are obliged to work for the sponsoringpanies for a certain period��currently set at five years��considering their age upon graduation, during which they''re likely to settle in France. Besides, those studying technical fields who leave France will likely find their skills undervalued elsewhere."

    Upon hearing the schrship''s name, Napoleon seemed pleased, but he inquired, "Um, Joseph, why wasn''t I informed beforehand about naming the schrship after me?"

    "I was busy," Joseph replied. "Besides, it''s just a name; what does it have to do with you? Do I really need to inform you beforehand? If you''re unwilling, we can name it after Lucien instead. Lucien, any objections?"

    "No, none at all. I have no objections," Napoleon hastily interjected, shooting a warning nce at Lucien, signaling him not to say anything reckless.

    "Well, there you have it," Joseph said. "Additionally, we n to award a grand prize globally, under the auspices of the French Academy of Sciences, to scientists who make outstanding contributions in the field of science. It will be an annual event with a prize of half a million francs, quite substantial, but undoubtedly carrying significant publicity. We aim to have four categories: mathematics, physics, chemistry, and medicine. The prize will be called..."

    Napoleon immediately widened his eyes, sitting up straight.

    "It''ll be called the ''Prometheus'' Prize," Joseph said. "Prometheus, who brought the fire of civilization to mankind, is a symbol of scientific exploration and the advancement of civilization. Therefore, using His name is perfect. So, what do you think, Napoleon?"

    "I... You ask if I approve, of course, I do. Hmm, ''I make mankind unable to foresee death, I ce blind hope in their hearts, and I also give them fire.''" Napoleon recited two lines from the tragedy ''Prometheus Bound.''

    "Then it''s settled," Joseph said.

    Napoleon felt a slight reluctance, but he knew that if this award were to be named after a person, Joseph was undoubtedly more qualified than he was.

    "Also, I''ve organized a ''University Scientific Ranking,''" Joseph added. "It''s basically based on the number of papers published by schrs from various universities in the ''Nature'' journal of the French Academy of Sciences over the years, as well as the citations these papers received. Since ''Nature'' often features significant breakthroughs and pays exceptionally well��much higher than journals in other countries��even schrs from foreign schools are willing to publish their findings in it. Based on this, Paris University naturally has overwhelming advantages, but the two British schools also perform well. This is a good thing, indicating that the authority of ''Nature'' has gained recognition, even from the British."

    "Then we consider openness, such as the number of international students and foreign professors. In this regard, French universities have even more evident advantages over schools in other countries. I''m sure that before long, including the British, universities across Europe will be our fishpond," Joseph exined.

    This approach became quitemon inter years. In Joseph''s previous life, the Angsa people used a simr strategy, cing Melbourne University, Singapore University, and Hong Kong University far ahead of Tokyo University, which had 11 Nobelureates. They yed the game of turning other countries into their fishponds.

    For a considerable time, the best students in the Red Hare Country were almost all taken away by them. If they hadn''tter taken the path of industrialization, leading to ack of domestic positions for engineering talents from around the world, this situation might have continued. Until Joseph crossed over, some of the world''srgest democratic countries were still proudly showcasing themselves as fishponds, proud that the highest-ranking wage earners in Americanpanies were taken from their pond. Therefore, Joseph had a deep-seated vignce against financial yers, a sentiment originating from his previous life.

    Napoleon nodded after listening. Joseph''s n was quite perfect. Generally, in Joseph''s business scope, there wasn''t much for Napoleon toment on. However, many times, he didn''t understand how his brother''s mind worked.

    "In general, a person''s intellectual and physical energy is limited. Especially in scientific research, it consumes both mental and physical energy! Look at Joseph''s assistant Gauss. He''s exceptionally intelligent, almost non-human in his thinking speed. But even Gauss has nearly exhausted his mental energy in research, to the point that he often faces simple life problems," Joseph exined. "But Joseph, he not only engages in scientific research but also studies military affairs, does business, ys political conspiracies. What''s more, he excels in everything, ying each to an astonishing level. In science, people already say he''s the greatest scientist since Newton. In military matters, even Napoleon has to admit that he changed the entire face of war. Speaking of business, he now controls the world''srgest consortium, with his influence extending to every corner of the world. As for political conspiracies��of course, this scoundrel won''t admit he engages in conspiracies. He shamelessly ims to y open and honest strategies, like ying chess, never hiding anything, making every move clear to the opponent and making them helpless��like the set we just went through. Fortunately, this guy isn''t so skilled at chess; it''s almost his most obvious w. You know, this guy, how can he be so unscientific? Fortunately, he''s my big brother, and we share the Bonaparte surname..."

    Just as Napoleon was bored with these silly thoughts, Joseph spoke again.

    "Lucian, the selection for the first Prometheus Award is about to begin. You need to generate interest in this matter, not only in academic circles or among respectable people but throughout Europe. Everyone should know about it, even if they''re illiterate and can''t recognize a single letter. Can you do it?"

    "If you raise the prize money to one million francs, there''s no problem at all," Lucian said. "Fifty thousand is a big number, butpared to one million, the impact is much less."

    Lucian''s argument made sense. Indeed, fifty thousand was already a substantial amount, something most people wouldn''t earn in their lifetime, or even in several lifetimes. However, when people described someone as wealthy, they usually liked to say they were a ''millionaire.'' Who ever heard of a ''fifty-thousandaire''? A prize that instantly turned someone into a millionaire was much more stimting than turning them into a ''fifty-thousandaire.''

    "If you raise the prize to four million at once, there''s no problem, but you need to allocate more funds to the Academy," Joseph suggested.

    "Ah, this issue..." Napoleon felt that matters involving small sums of money were better not decided hastily; they needed careful consideration. Well, this matter required thorough consideration.

    "You guys are fools!" Lucian disdainfully said. "Joseph, do you remember the story you told about the Indian who raised monkeys? In the morning, he gave three apples, and in the evening, he gave four apples; or was it in the morning, he gave four apples, and in the evening, he gave three apples?"

    Joseph was momentarily puzzled.

    "Whether you tell the story or I tell it, it doesn''t matter. This kind of monkey business that Indians are good at, can''t you guys do it? We can stagger the four awards. This year, give out awards for mathematics and physics; next year, give out awards for medicine and chemistry. This way, we only need to award two prizes each year, and the total prize money for each year is already two million. Isn''t this a millionaire prize every year? And this way, although it bes biennial, it still maintains annual awards and annual excitement. You see, isn''t this excellent! You guys, even ying monkey business, don''t know how. Truly foolish, truly..." Lucian suddenly became proud.

    "Napoleon, what do you think about Lucian''s idea?"" Joseph asked.

    "Lucian has a bit of cleverness," Napoleon said disdainfully. However, although his tone was disdainful, he did not express any opposition. Obviously, Napoleon himself thought that this approach was quite good.

    So Lucian''s suggestion was quickly approved. Then, Lucian, who could handle it, immediately rushed back to his office��some luxurious office in the Red Mill��and began to arrange rted matters.

 Chapter 360: Commotion

    Chapter 360: Commotion

    Beethoven had just returned to Vienna from Heiligenstadt, and in recent times, his hearing problems had worsened to the point where he could barely understand anything even if someone shouted into his ears.

    For a musician, there couldn''t be anything more dreadful. Amidst this anxiety, Beethoven suffered severe diarrhea. Consulting a doctor, he decided to leave Vienna for the countryside of Heiligenstadt to recuperate.

    In Heiligenstadt, his digestive issues resolved, but his hearing deteriorated even further. Eventually, he reached the point of near-total deafness. This plunged the resilient Beethoven into deep despair. He contemted suicide and even penned a famous testament for his brother.

    However, Beethoven, with a courage that could make humanity proud, overcame his despair and returned to the focal point of his life��music in Vienna.

    In Vienna, Beethoven continued his habit formed in Heiligenstadt. Every morning, apanied by his student Carl Czerny, he ventured to a nearby park for a walk.

    Perhaps due to sessfullyposing a melody the previous night, Beethoven was in high spirits. He strode forward like a legendary beast parting the seas. Carl Czerny, still somewhat of a child, followed anxiously, darting nces around, afraid his teacher might get run over by a sudden carriage��Beethoven, being unable to hear the sounds of hooves or bells.

    As Beethoven walked, he hummed the melody he had written the night before. Yet, Beethoven couldn''t hear his own voice while humming, rendering the tunepletely off-key��simr to some people inter times, listening to music through headphones and singing along, oblivious to being off-key. Except for Czerny, who was trailing behind, keeping records, no one could decipher the original melody.

    As they reached the park''s entrance, a loud exmation echoed. It was so loud that even Beethoven, almostpletely deaf, heard it.

    Beethoven raised his head in surprise and asked, "carl, what''s happening?" But his surprise faded when he realized he hadn''t heard his own voice.A student, visibly excited, hurried towards them holding a newspaper. He mumbled incessantly, asionally waving his clenched fist in the air. Czerny faintly caught words like "effort... Paris... Long live!... Paris!"

    Czerny quickly intercepted the student, asking, "Sir, what''s happening? Is there a war?"

    "A war?" The student paused. "Yes, a war, a call to venture into the unknown realms of this world has been sounded, and I can''t wait to join this glorious holy war!"

    "What exactly are we at war with?" Czerny couldn''tprehend.

    "With the unknown, with everything unknown! Buy a newspaper and see for yourself! I must rush to the library... I''ve never felt so full of determination!" With this, the student dashed off.

    "A newspaper? Right, a newspaper." Czerny scanned the surroundings, spotting a newsboy carrying freshly printed papers. He squeezed through the crowd, grabbed a copy, and hurried back to a smiling Beethoven.

    "Carl, your clothes are wrinkled," Beethoven spoke haltingly.

    Since Beethoven couldn''t hear himself, controlling the tone and pitch of his speech was challenging, making it difficult for others to understand him. This added to his istion, but Czerny was among the few whoprehended Beethoven''s words.

    "Sir, look at this newspaper," Czerny handed it to Beethoven. "I couldn''t get ''The Gazette of Scientific Truth,'' but I got ''The Businessman Gazette,'' and the headline is the same."

    Czerny knew Beethoven wasn''t fond of papers like ''The Businessman Gazette.'' However, given the scarcity of papers and the multitude of people, securing even this copy wasmendable.

    Beethoven took the paper, and a line caught his eye: "The French Academy of Sciences establishes ''Prometheus'' prize, with a whopping one million francs prize!"

    "One million francs," written in Arabic numerals, almost made his eyes blur with all the zeros. In terms of gold, the value of the franc was significantly lowerpared to the pound. But a million francs amounted to a staggering 290 kilograms of gold, enough to drive most people crazy. Even Beethoven, who considered money trivial, was momentarily awed.

    "The French truly value science," Beethoven sighed.

    "Absolutely! One million francs, it''s unimaginable, don''t you think?" Czerny also sighed.

    "Carl, do you regret pursuing music?" Beethoven hadn''t heard Czerny''s sigh, but the French''s reverence for science aligned with his values. For Beethoven, talent and effort in science mattered as much as in music, irrespective of one''s background. So, his question wasced with humor, and his face beamed with a smile.

    "Absolutely not, sir! I get a headache just looking at numbers... Maestro, I don''t think this is something for us. Let''s focus onpleting the Overture for the Olympiad."

    However, in Britain, when Watt and others saw this news, they didn''t react as calmly as Beethoven.

    "Good Lord! So generous! A million francs! Such wealth, one bes a millionaire in an instant. William, are you tempted?" Watt asked his assistant Murdoch.

    Murdoch chuckled, "Sir, you mentioned this a few months ago. I recall this award targets fundamental science, not technology. Except for medicine, almost anything patentable in technology isn''t eligible. Well, sir, I think, at my age, I don''t have time to switch to studying medicine, and neither does my son. Now, I can only hope for my yet-to-be-located grandson."

    "When President Bonaparte initially discussed this, he emphasized the difficulty in fundamental science, arguably surpassing that of technology. I, for one, can barely understand those sted mathematics. But researching fundamental science doesn''t lead to patents. You can''t invent a solution for an equation and demand royalties from everyone using that method, can you?

    So, he suggested this prize to encourage thosemitted to fundamental science and provide them some financialpensation. After all, those achieving great strides in fundamental science are exceptionally bright. If they applied their intellect elsewhere, they''d probably earn even more.

    I wholeheartedly agreed with his proposal. The only surprise was the French being so generous. Initially, I thought a prize of ten thousand francs would be ample. Oh, he also invited me to be on the awardmittee. As a member, I can nominate a candidate and cast a vote during the selection."

    "Sir, whom do you n to nominate?" Although knowing it didn''t concern him, Murdoch remained interested in who would be the lucky one with a chance to win a million francs. Yes, being shortlisted was luck itself because even if they didn''t secure the grand prize, the recognition alone was immense.

    "Oh, that''s the thing. This year''s awards are for mathematics and medicine. In medicine, to be honest, there''s no suspense; it''s undoubtedly the Irishman, Carroll. In Ennd, many might not want him to win due to his political views... But considering his groundbreaking research on bacteria, his importance in medicine is undeniable. I reckon this award is uncontested."

    "What about mathematics?" Murdoch inquired.

    "In mathematics, thepetition is fierce. I intend to support Gauss, an assistant to President Bonaparte. Though Lace and Fourier are highly regarded too, I prefer leaning toward Gauss. Though he probably doesn''t need my endorsement. Unfortunately, in these two fields this year, us Brits are essentially spectators. I''d like to bring this up at the Royal Society meeting this year."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 360 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 361: The British Stir

    Chapter 361: The British Stir

    Equivalent to 290 kilograms of gold, this bonus caused a stir throughout Europe. Discussions about this matter immediately pushed any other news to the second page. Even tabloids like the "Sun" couldn''t resist but discuss the issue with a serious demeanor.

    However, the "Sun" being the "Sun," after just a couple of sentences, veered off-topic towards sun-rted matters. The conversation quickly turned to: "Which potential genius might win the favor of many female friends to apany them to the mountains?"

    But in various European countries, the specific emotions stirred by this news differed. In France, people had already begun to cheer for the Academy. Everyone felt it reflected France''s pursuit of science and progress, while the substantial prize mirrored the prosperity and wealth of the nation.

    As for potential winners, most French people believed the medical prize would undoubtedly go to the Irishman, Carroll. However, they didn''t harbor any dissatisfaction because he wasn''t French. After all, Carroll''s mentor was French, and he achieved such feats in France. Additionally, the mathematics prize was highly likely to be awarded to a Frenchman. Of course, there was also considerable support for a youngd named Gauss from the Rhine Federation. Considering his youth and dashing appearance, quite a few French girls preferred to support him.

    Over in the Rhine Federation, everyone''s attention was fixated on Gauss. Spections ran rampant about whether thisd from their region would win. However, considering the prize was ultimately awarded by the French, most felt the chances of a Frenchman winning were higher.

    "But it''s alright. Gauss is still young, and considering the French have always been fair, even if he doesn''t win this time, he''ll have another chance in two years, or even four years from now." Many North Germans concerned about this matter thought so.

    However, for the English, things took a different turn after seeing this news. Initially intrigued and excited, they soon discovered an embarrassing fact. It seemed that there were no English contenders in this selection.

    Regarding medicine, it was passable. Traditionally, English medicine wasn''t backward, but it hadn''t advanced significantly either. In fact, until that great breakthrough appeared, most doctors in all of Europe were basically like Mongol butchers. So, not getting this wasn''t a big deal. Moreover, until now, the only nominated candidate in this selection was Doctor Carroll. So, this award had nothing to do with Ennd, which wasn''t embarrassing.

    However, the mathematics award was a different story. Back in the day, when Sir Newton was around, he alone dominated the entire European continent. (Of course, Sir Newton''s methods were somewhat...) Moreover, Sir Newton''s most important and greatest work was what? "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"! Yet, English mathematicians today couldn''t even make it to the shortlist, which was truly embarrassing.Of course, next year there are awards for physics and chemistry, but Englishmen spected that unless Sir Isaac Newton were to return, there would be absolutely no suspense in physics. As long as Joseph, who ushered in the age of electrification, participates, that award would surely be his. As for chemistry, if Mr. Lavoisier participates, well, there wouldn''t be any suspense there either. And for Ennd, it''s just a matter of watching, not even having the confidence to say that these awards are biased towards the French. This is truly embarrassing, incredibly so! Hence, in some newspapers, the soul-searching began immediately:

    "What''s wrong with this country? How did we fall from being the most advanced country in the world to this state in such a short time? It must be..."

    Of course, this wasn''t a systemic issue. On this point, the British media were quite aware. Whether it was the Tories, the Whigs, or the New Tories, they were very clear that no matter how they quarreled, they couldn''t really bring down this structure. They couldn''t ruin the house while eating dinner. So, on this point, they were very principled��the bottom line being: the United Kingdom''s system is the most perfect in the world, the end of history, the ultimate truth, and doubting it is not allowed.

    Since it wasn''t a systemic problem, it must be a physiological issue��putting it inly, the people of this generation aren''t up to par if a mathematical genius couldn''t emerge!

    So naturally, various newspapers condemned the younger generation of Britons, iming they were idle and not serious. They''dpare them to Gauss and then to the Britons, making them feel ashamed. These papers further pointed out that if they didn''t repent and study hard, they''d soon be washed away by the rising French wave.

    Naturally, British university students disagreed. They felt they were serious too and thatparing them to Gauss, a freak of nature, was unfair! This fellow was already outstanding before going to the University of Paris! Also, who was Gauss''s teacher? Joseph Bonaparte! Look at our teachers here, who among them matches up to him?

    Oh, have you seen the preface to that groundbreaking paper in "The Lancet"? Ah, you surely haven''t. In Ennd, journalists generallyck culture, how would they bother with such things? Well, Doctor Carroll admits that the entire concept and research direction were proposed by Dean Bonaparte. To say we could swap our position with Gauss, that we don''t dare say, but to say we could swap Carroll''s position, that we dare say, I can do that! But does Ennd have such good teachers? Dean Bonaparte gives all these honors to his students. If this were in Ennd, even if such a paper existed, Carroll''s name might have been thrown into obscurity. So, it''s entirely because you lot, the previous generation, aren''t cutting it!

    Since British university students believed that Britain wasgging behind in science primarily because the previous generation wasn''t up to par, the most logical thing to do was to simply go study in France. Let''s not talk about medicine; since the "Lancet paper incident," those studying medicine who didn''t go to France for further studies weren''t trusted by patients anymore. And now, after careful discussions, everyone discovered that it wasn''t just medicine, but even mathematics and other natural sciences couldn''t be learned in Ennd anymore.

    "Today in Ennd, you can only study Shakespeare and Milton. As for natural sciences, there''s simply no way!"

    As British university students questioned the quality of their universities, French newspapers immediately joined in. They began introducing the situations of various schools in France to British students intending to study there. While presenting these schools'' situations, French newspapers presented a highly persuasive ranking based on the official journal "Nature" of the French Academy and the number of citations the papers received, calcted ording to specific rules. This ranking was detailed, covering overall rankings of schools as well as individual subject rankings. For students considering studying in France, this ranking was incredibly helpful.

    "Why doesn''t Britain have such a ranking?" Many British students couldn''t help but ask this question.

    This question naturally led to another: if British universities participated in this ranking, where would they rank? Some well-meaning individuals calcted it because in recent years, quite a few British learners, afterpleting their papers, prioritized submitting to "Nature" because though the French were strict in review, they were generous in remuneration.

    The results weren''t very satisfactory. Cambridge was

    even ranked behind some French teacher training colleges. This was... Of course, this couldn''t entirely exin the problem because, after all, the English didn''t submit every paper to "Nature" like the French did. So, the level of Oxford and Cambridge should be stronger than these teacher training colleges, probably, maybe, almost on par with the University of Paris. Yeah... just a bit behind, really, just a tiny bit.

    However, despite such forced exnations, arge number of British youths heading to study in France became a trend, apanied by anotherint: British passenger ships were heartless, expensive, and ufortable! They simply couldn''tpare to European ones! The "Navigation Act" had turned those ship owners intozy bums!

 Chapter 362: "The Textile Workers Union Club"

    Chapter 362: "The Textile Workers Union Club"

    In a certain sense, the selection for the "Prometheus Award" was almost a grand review of the scientific prowess across various European nations. Even before the awards were conferred or all the candidatespletely chosen, it had already prompted astonishment across Europe, including among the British, dering France as the unrivaled leader in scientific endeavors.

    Discussions in British newspapers concerning their youth, students, and educational system had certain advantages. One such benefit was the sessful suppression of voices regarding trade issues, reducing unnecessary interference for the British during negotiations. After all, in trade negotiations, Ennd and France differed significantly. In France, when Napoleon suggested any category endure a slight inconvenience, they had toply, whether it was their own or, more often, foreign interests. But in democratic Ennd, that notion was unthinkable.

    Under the cover of the "Prometheus Award," the British trade delegation and the French reached a memorandum of understanding regarding their prior trade disputes.

    ording to this memorandum, British textiles secured a "Free Trade Status" on the European continent for the following year. Essentially, it meant British textiles would be considered goods of a "free trade nation" in Europe. However, this "Free Trade Status" wasn''t unconditional. British textiles had to undergo an annual review; failure in this review would revoke their status.

    The conditions for this review primarily revolved around intellectual property protection. This meant that the British textile industry couldn''t manufacture counterfeit European-branded clothing. To ensure the effective implementation of this provision, a joint office led by France would be established in London. This office would have the authority to conduct unannounced inspections of any British factories exporting textiles to the European continent and their warehouses to ensurepliance with regtions. Any manufacturer found infringing would permanently lose their export qualifications. The Textile Guild also pledged to the "Free Trade Union" that anyone found involved in such activities would be expelled from the guild, never allowed to work in the textile industry again.

    Of course, agreeing to such a ''loss of face'' agreement came with certainpensations. Firstly, they sessfully circumvented transport regtions for "non-free trade nations," enabling continued profit on the European continent. Additionally, they even retained the possibility of continuing their ready-to-wear clothing industry, as long as they refrained from counterfeiting high-end French clothing. Overall, the French stance towards the British textile industry remained rtively amicable. The turbulence mainly arose because some individuals were excessively audacious, attempting to snatch money directly from the Bonaparte family''s coffers.

    After resolving the textile industry issue, negotiations moved to the steel industry. Predictably, the French opposed the British proposal to increase tariffs on steel products entering Europe, while the British shamelessly suggested France also raise tariffs on British steel products entering Europe.

    "Outrageous! Even if we grant you zero tariffs, your steel products won''t sell in Europe. If you insist on maintaining high tariffs on the steel industry, then we''ll have to increase tariffs on your textiles, and of course, you can reciprocate by raising tariffs on our textiles entering Britain and its territories. At least our textiles still have some market in Ennd," retorted Talleyrand.

    Talleyrand''s argument held weight. France also exported textiles to Ennd; for instance, the Chris line of men''s wear and the Crista line of women''s wear found many buyers in Ennd. Interestingly, rebellious young girls often bought the Chris line, and there were even men mboyantly wearing Crista garments. This prompted conservative British media to vociferously denounce these items as ''corrupting youth.'' Of course, this was just noise; even the newspapers making these ims knew that banning French goods was nearly impossible in the current circumstances.The two sides quarreled vehemently over tariff issues. Yet, as the French were about to dere "an end to this meaningless discussion," the British made concessions. Losing the European marketpletely would be too detrimental for Ennd. Moreover, the French shamelessly hinted that the peace and friendship between the two nations were upheld by their trade rtions.

    Implicit in this statement was a threat: if you dare raise steel tariffs, we might just send the ''Free Trade'' vessel to disrupt free trade!

    Just a few months prior, the French had retired their first ''Free Trade'' vessel, promptly selling it to the British navy. Upon receiving the vessel, the British navy conducted numerous tests and concluded: "Britain''s current industrial level is insufficient to build simr vessels."

    Yet, as the French retired their old ''Free Trade'' vessel, they announced in newspapers themissioning of a new ''Free Trade'' vessel into the French navy.

    About this new ''Free Trade'' vessel, the ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' only briefly mentioned it in an inconspicuous position on its front page. But everyone knew the Gazette''s habit: the shorter the news, the more significant the event.

    In the rtively specialized ''French Maritime Communication'' magazine, there were a few more descriptive sentences about the new ''Free Trade'' vessel:

    "The new generation steam-powered patrol ship isrger in size, faster, and more efficiently armed. Its advent promises revolutionary changes for the navy."

    However, specifics about the appearance and performance of this "new generation steam-powered patrol ship" weren''t borated in the ''French Maritime Communication'' magazine. The article didn''t focus on introducing the warship; rather, it used the new vessel to promote a new perspective��arguing that ocean-going merchant ships should also adopt steam power.

    Yet, after meticulously examining the article in the ''French Maritime Communication,'' the British navy grew even more concerned. ording to their deductions, the possibility of apletely steam-powered vessel capable of crossing the Antic was within reach.

    If the new ''Free Trade'' vessel was a ship capable of purely steam-powered transantic voyages, its ability to disrupt free trade would be even stronger. Its high maneuverability would allow it to decide independently when to enter or withdraw frombat almost at any time. Considering the old ''Free Trade'' vessel had already threatened Ennd and its colonies, especially those in the Far East, the new ''Free Trade'' vessel was a nightmare for free trade.

    Therefore, after the French issued such a threat, the British had to strategically yield for the time being. Eventually, theypromised, asking to maintain rtively high tariffs on French mechanical products to protect the British mechanical manufacturing industry but relinquishing high tariffs on steel products.

    The French weren''t entirely satisfied with this proposal. However, considering their navy''s construction wasn''t fullyplete, the development of their overseas colonies required peaceful times, and the impending Olympics demanded peace as well, they reluctantly epted these conditions. Thus, both parties officially reached a new "Franco-British Paris Trade Agreement," putting a temporary stop to the recent trade disputes.

    With trade matters temporarily resolved, the British naturally brought up whether the French should cease intervening in strikes within Britain.

    However, on this issue, the French struck a high note, asserting they couldn''t betray the spirit of France and abandon their international obligations.

    The British understood the French intent. To the French, these striking workers were exceptionally convenient tools to cause trouble for the British whenever needed. Presently, due to the death of the former president of the "Textile Workers Union," the union had suffered a major setback and was only stabilized because the French unexpectedly intervened, sustaining the organization. Consequently, French influence within the "Textile Workers Union" rapidly strengthened. For the French, as long as they were preserved, they gained a means to disrupt the

    British. Naturally, they wouldn''t abandon such a useful tool.

    However, the French also expressed their disapproval of seeing British textile enterprises default on numerous orders due to strikes. Thus, they suggested that British textile merchants should reason with their workers. Now that their trade issues with the French were resolved, they no longer needed to maintain survival by depressing workers'' wages. They could assure workers that wages wouldn''t decrease, nor would theirbor intensify.

    Regarding the British assertion that, ording to Englishw, the "Textile Workers Union" was already an illegal organization, and they couldn''t negotiate with an illegal entity, Talleyrand, in good faith, mentioned that whilews were sacred and once established, shouldn''t be casually altered.

    "As far as I''m aware, your country''sw merely prohibits the formation of united unions across various factory unions. But it doesn''t ouw the union itself," said Talleyrand. "The ''Textile Workers Union'' could easily circumvent this issue by changing its name, let''s say, call themselves the ''Textile Workers United Club.'' In theory, it could be a ce where various factory unions gather for celebrations. Wouldn''t that work?"

 Chapter 363: Universal Suffrage

    Chapter 363: Universal Suffrage

    The new incumbent, once a butcher named Fekin, was now in a safe house conversing with the secretary of the French embassy, Hubert du Bell.

    "Mr. Fekin, the liberation of British workers fundamentally relies on their own awakening and efforts. At present, our assistance is limited to this extent. Considering the current situation, I suggest that you consider thispromise: rename the ''Textile Workers Union'' to the ''Textile Workers Club'' to circumvent legal issues. Also, given the potential legal activities of the club, I advise against using the name Fekin. Do you have any alternative names?" du Bell inquired.

    "Why not call it the Textile Workers Party? As for a name, let''s use the one on my ID, Gavin Pran," Fekin suggested. "Regarding negotiations for resuming work temporarily with those gentlemen, that discussion can happen after ourrades are released by the police. I know progress happens step by step. But even if we change the name, can we truly evade the scrutiny of the British government?"

    "Of course, that''s not entirely possible; it''s just providing them with a concession. What truly concerns them isn''t legal loopholes, especially in a country like Ennd that follows casew. The key is the pressure your struggle exerts on them, pushing them topromise. For instance, in France, the status and ie of workers are notably higher. We have no childbor because children of schooling age must receive education. The ie of French workers is significantly greater than in Ennd. Why? Not because our factory owners are exceptionally benevolent, but because French workers showcased their strength during the revolution. Hence, those factory owners naturally respect empowered workers. As long as you maintain your organization and strengthen your power, they won''t dare to act recklessly," du Bell responded.

    "In that case, I feel the ''Textile Workers Club'' isn''t forceful enough," Fekin, or rather Gavin Pran, chuckled. "We might as well call it the ''All Ennd Workers Union.''"

    "Ah, progress takes time, Mr. Pran. I suggest consolidating your base for the time being, setting an example for other industries, and then contemting the next steps. Moreover, I''m aware that some wealthy individuals currently express dissatisfaction with the issue of suffrage; they hope for change in this regard. I personally rmend that alongside striving for wages and such, you also engage in advocacy for universal suffrage."

    In this era in Ennd, while there existed an electoral system, it operated with stringent property and lineage-based double barriers. Hence, the proportion of individuals with voting and candidacy rights was only about two percent of the total poption, even less than the ratio during the initial phase of the French Revolution when they concocted the active and passive citizenry concept.

    In the House of Lords, naturally, members were required to be aristocrats. Even in the House of Commons, representingmoners, various restrictions were in ce for elections. Firstly, the delineation of constituencies was aplex affair. In Ennd at that time, the lower house''s electoral districts were primarily based on regions rather than poption. Consequently, numerous rural areas were designated as constituencies, leading to fewer seats for densely popted cities.

    This territorial-based setup was highly advantageous for conservatives or, more specifically, forndlords and thended gentry. Their influence in small rural areas was deeply entrenched. Consequently, an oddity emerged in the British Parliament: while members of the House of Lords frequently rotated, some seats in the House of Commons had be hereditary.This phenomenon had also urred in a certain East Asian country inter times. Initially, due to defeat in a war, they were forcibly imposed with a universal suffrage system. As a result, the left-wing Socialist Party suddenly gained strength and briefly rivaled the ruling coalition of ethnic elites and major business magnates. The country swiftly adjusted its constituency delineations, transformingrge districts into smaller ones, resulting in nearly every elected member being from hereditary positions. As for the Socialist Party that had once rivaled the ruling coalition, it diminished to insignificance.

    Presently, this British electoral system had left many affluent business owners dissatisfied as well. Representatives directly advocating for their interests were insufficient in Parliament. Although they could bribe thended gentry, wouldn''t it be more advantageous to ascend directly and save some money?

    Therefore, a group of factory owners was moring to amend the electoral system, hoping to allocate seats in the lower house based on poption proportions. This proposal was currently creating a buzz in Britain.

    "How significant is striving for universal suffrage for us?" Gavin Pran asked.

    "Universal suffrage is the bread and butter," du Bell replied. "Look at France; any adult man, unless they''vemitted a crime or possess a severe mental deficiency, irrespective of their wealth, has the right to vote. In such circumstances, no member of Parliament would dare to propose impertinentws like banning workers from forming unions across factories. We''ve even mandated that factories must have unions."

    There''s a point here that du Bell hasn''t explicitly rified: unions in French factories might not necessarily represent the workers truly. To be more precise, considering the high mobility of workers in French factories, unions mostly represented those with less mobility, the so-called ''skilled workers'' or the ''worker aristocracy.'' But there was no need to elucidate this so explicitly to the English.

    Gavin Pran was entirely unfamiliar with matters such as elections, so after pondering, he replied, "Regarding universal suffrage, I''m not entirely clear. I need to study and think about it. I''m sorry, I can''t give you an immediate answer right now. Oh, by the way, do you have any books you could rmend for me to understand these issues better?"

    Du Bell wasn''t surprised by this response. The new Fekin wasn''t as knowledgeable as the old one, but being entrusted as his sessor wasn''t without reason; he was exceptionallyposed.

    On the other hand, du Bell believed that Gavin Pran, after thorough consideration, would eventually support this direction because it genuinely favored them.

 Chapter 364: Distribution (1)

    Chapter 364: Distribution (1)

    The workers showed no intention of continuing the standoff. This strike primarily stemmed from the government''s crackdown on the "United Union." The workers understood that without the union, the increase inbor intensity coupled with decreased wages by the factory owners was almost a certainty.

    However, without the forceful intervention of the French, the strike might have faltered long ago if the "Labor Saint" hadn''t brought wheat and potato porridge to everyone. Now that the French advised against persisting and despite the dissolution of the "United Union," the establishment of the "Workers'' Alliance Club" essentially remained the same in function, just under a different name. Hence, everyone found it eptable.

    Moreover, most of the arrested workers and representatives, as long as they remained alive, were mostly released due to "insufficient evidence." Even those sentenced to hardbor were eventually acquitted upon appeal, citing ws in the trial process, and due to "insufficient evidence" upon retrial. Despite these individuals returning home without realizing they had appealed and undergone two trials, the government had clear documentation of these appeals, rulings, and the two trials.

    Soon after, the new "London Textile Workers'' Alliance Club" was announced at the former address of the "London Textile Workers'' Union." Gavin Pran delivered a brief speech during the inauguration, affirming the club''smitment to the workers'' welfare and hoping for their continued trust and support.

    Following this, Pauline, d in men''s attire, congratted the club''s establishment, expressing a desire for it to not only serve male workers but also be a haven for female workers. She emphasized a heightened focus on the plight of female and child workers due to their severe oppression, hoping to see female representatives in the club in the future.

    However, due to well-known reasons, British newspapers didn''t report on this matter, and French newspapers also gave it minimal coverage, cing it towards the back pages. The French were upied unting their scientific achievements.

    Subsequently, negotiations betweenbor and management regarding the strikemenced. With both sides willing to temporarily cease hostilities, discussions proceeded smoothly, resulting in an agreement. Due to the increased frequency of strikes that year, to avoid substantial fines and fulfill orders, the management requested a slight increase inbor intensity and extended work hours for the workers. Of course, this wasn''t withoutpensation��the additionalbor would be financiallypensated by the management.

    Additionally, Mr. Ren, representing the management, proposed a recent reform proposal regarding electoral districts by the Whig Party. This proposal held benefits for both the management and the broader workforce.

    However, the conservativendowners in rural areas remained resistant. Given their higher number of representatives, to effect district reforms, the capitalists needed to exert pressure on the government, necessitating the support of numerous workers to create momentum."Here''s the thing. We hope you can sign our petition supporting our representatives and send delegates to our petition submission ceremony. Naturally, we''re willing to extend our goodwill and assistance��your meeting ce is too cramped and dpidated. If you support us, we''ll refurbish this space. Furthermore, your time away from work to support us will bepensated economically," concluded Mr. Ren.

    If it were the previous figure, he''d immediately have discerned Ren''s intentions��to lure and corrupt some worker representatives. However, Gavin Pran didn''t react as quickly; he was rtively slower. In a way, he wasn''t the ideal sessor in the eyes of the previous figure; he was more of a backup n.

    A backup n differs from a sessor. The task of a backup n is only to weather the toughest times in case of unforeseen events. Hence, when grooming a backup, stability takes precedence. Gavin Pran, firm in character like a butcher, was a good backup, but his intellect and knowledge weren''t sufficient for prolonged leadership. In the eyes of the old figure, Oliver was the true sessor he valued.

    However, Gavin Pran had one advantage: he knew he wasn''t brilliant and tended tog in decision-making. He never hastily made decisions. Admittedly, this approach might sometimes miss opportunities, but nobody''s perfect, and stability is paramount for a backup. Compared to those reckless individuals who jump without knowing how much they can handle, Gavin Pran was quite impressive.

    So, he responded to Ren, "Mr. Ren, we''ll need to discuss these matters collectively before giving you a response."

    "Ah, prudence is a virtue, I understand," replied Ren.

    And thus, the major strike in the British textile industry concluded. After a series of confrontations, both sides gained a rough understanding of each other''s strength and the forces behind them. After the conflicts and bloodshed, a new equilibrium emerged. Although this new bnce seemed to mirror the old one, rendering all the conflicts and bloodshed seemingly futile��for both sides��everything had indeed changed. In a way, now both sides truly regarded each other as equals, akin to a war in the distant East where the starting point was also the finishing line.

    Meanwhile, in Paris, Joseph was in a debate with Napoleon about who should receive the Prometheus Award.

    "Fine, if the medical award goes to a foreigner, but the first mathematics prize should unquestionably go to a Frenchman," Napoleon argued. "I admit, Mr. Gauss is incredibly talented, truly remarkable. But what about Mr. Lace, Mr. Fourier, or even Mr. Lagrange? Are they not impressive? Joseph, you can''t use your influence because Gauss is your assistant, for personal gain!"

    "Hah! Personal gain? Seems like that''s what you''re after! Don''t think I don''t know; through your efforts in establishing the higher education system, you''re trying to court members of the Academy of Sciences, aiming for an academician''s seat through democratic voting. You want to give the big prize to Lace, don''t you? He''s been your ally!" Joseph retorted.

    After bing the first Consul, an essential task for Napoleon was the promotion ofpulsory education. Establishing a batch of normal schools became essential for this purpose. Therefore, Napoleon expanded the attached normal preparatory school of Louis the Great to form the Paris Higher Normal School and established a series of secondary normal schools elsewhere.

    Napoleon deeply felt his brother''s immense influence in the scientificmunity, especially at the University of Paris, where it seemed almost like his independent kingdom. Consequently, Napoleon consciously or unconsciously diverted resources towards the Paris Higher Normal School, be it funds or personnel.

    Utilizing his clout, Napoleon sessfully ced Lace, Lagrange, Fourier, and Monge into the Paris Higher Normal School, almost putting it on par with the University of Paris in mathematics.

    Now, if this big prize went to Gauss, both major prizes would fall into the hands of the University of Paris. However, if awarded to Lace or Lagrange, it would signify the young Paris Higher Normal School already rivaled the University of Paris. As the actual founder of the Paris Higher Normal School, Napoleon naturally wished for their sess.

    "Joseph, let''s not distort facts. Let''s discuss this matter impartially without attacking motives," Napoleon said with a frown. "I believe awarding this grand prize to a Frenchman has its reasons. Firstly, Mr. Lace''s achievements merit the award. Secondly, it can bolster French national pride, the pride of the people of France in our scientific superiority. Of course, I understand your argument that granting the prize to Mr. Gauss academically holds no

    issue. He''s a rare genius of the century, and we even think he might be the Newton of mathematics. And awarding it to him can showcase France''s broad-mindedness, attracting more foreign schrs to France. This is indeed crucial, but Joseph, don''t we already have one Carolus? Isn''t one enough?"

    Since Napoleon put it that way, Joseph replied, "You''re right, but Gauss is a German, a member of the Rhine Federation. Presently, German trust and support toward us are crucial. Comparatively, awarding Carolus can''tpletely rece awarding Gauss. Because..."

    At this point, Joseph chuckled and continued, "Carolus'' award is too uncontroversial. So, it can''t fully exhibit France''s fairness and generosity. As for what you mentioned about French national pride, French pride in our scientific superiority, do we still need such a grand award when I''m alive? Isn''t my existence far more significant than any award?"

    "You''re quite arrogant," Napoleon remarked, "but... Gauss is still young, we can wait."

    "True, but Lace and Lagrange aren''t too old to live for another two years. Lavoisier is older than Lace, and he''s even... willing to wait until next year," Joseph said. "Next year, we can award the physics prize to one of them. Considering Lagrange''s older age, let''s start with him, and Lace can follow the year after. As for Gauss, at least for now, I feel awarding him the physics prize next year is unlikely. Yes, let''s go with that."

 Chapter 365: Distribution (2)

    Chapter 365: Distribution (2)

    Although Napoleon worked hard, anything within Joseph''s purview, well, that guy was a tyrant. He never listened to reasonable opinions. So, despite Napoleon''s efforts to persuade his elder brother, he left Joseph''s office with a sullen expression, having failed to convince him.

    However, as soon as he stepped out, Napoleon''s displeasure vanished. He got into a carriage, his face beaming with a smile, and headed back to his own Tuileries Pce, which had now transformed into the seat of government.

    Back at the seat of government, Napoleon settled in his office, and his secretary, Nino, informed him, "Your Excellency, Mr. Lace has been waiting for you for some time."

    "Ah, please, let him in," Napoleon replied.

    Nino turned and left, and soon after, Pierre-Simon Lace, the head of the Paris High School and vice president of the French Academy of Sciences, followed Nino into the room.

    "Ah, Mr. Lace, please take a seat," Napoleon said, rising as Lace entered.

    "Thank you, thank you," Lace said, sitting down on a nearby chair, looking at Napoleon, appearing hesitant to speak.

    Napoleon naturally understood Lace''s intent. So, he took a sip of water and said, "Mr. Lace, I just came from my elder brother Joseph''s�� that stubborn fellow''s ce. Yes, regarding the Prometheus Award matter. That guy is really stubborn and protective, hmm, you''ve dealt with him quite a bit, I''m sure you know."

    Lace listened intently but stayed silent. He knew Napoleon and his elder brother had a good rtionship. Despite Napoleon''s critical remarks here, this was something only Napoleon could do; others were better off not meddling."I argued with him all day. He insisted that the first mathematics award must go to his assistant Gauss. Hmm, you know, he''s so stubborn and protective. So, I berated him for favoritism, and then he berated me... In the end, he agreed to make a certain concession. He promised to reserve a spot for the Paris High School in theing years."

    "Reserve a spot for the Paris High School in both theing years? Even next year?" Lace was surprised.

    Truthfully, when Lace goaded Napoleon to contest for the spots with Joseph, he didn''t have high hopes. Sure, Joseph usually appeared as a moral exemr, fitting the image of a scientist solely focused on science without much regard for fame or fortune. But Lace knew that scientists and such might not always be moral paragons. Take, for instance, Monsieur Lavoisier, the prestigious head of the French Academy of Sciences and an esteemed professor at the University of Paris �� when he served as Lavoisier''s assistant, he was often swindled out of his sry by Lavoisier using various pretexts.

    When it came to honor, scientists were not always... For instance, Sir Isaac Newton, fighting fiercely with Hooke just to im the discovery of universal gravitation, even destroying Hooke''sb after his death and defacing his only portrait. And Joseph, appearing disinterested in fame or riches, was because hecked neither. He was so wealthy that the one million francs award seemed insignificant. As for fame, from Lace''s observation, Joseph no longer valued being known as a mathematician or scientist; what he cherished most now was the title of an "educator." If you praised Joseph for his scientific achievements, he''d shrug it off, iming it was all thanks to his exceptionally clever students. Butmend him for his teaching abilities, and he''d beam from ear to ear. Even though he''d still modestly im, "It''s mainly luck, meeting such remarkably bright students, hahaha..."

    At times, Lace pondered if indeed Joseph and Napoleon were true siblings �� both liked to downy their expertise, preferring somewhat divergent reputations. Napoleon wanted to be seen as a scientist while Joseph, now entirely focused on bing an educator.

    Because of this, Joseph''s favoritism was well-known. Initially, Lace worried Joseph might monopolize all four awards for his students and assistants. Considering Monsieur Lavoisier''s status, his rtion to Joseph, and Lavoisier''s obsession with the prize money, Joseph might leave one chemistry award for him. But the rest might turn into a chorus of "They''re all my students." If it weren''t for Joseph''s certainty, Lace would have almost asked, "Do you still need students, Director Bonaparte?"

    So, when Napoleon told him that Joseph agreed to reserve spots for the Paris High School in theing years, Lace was nearly overjoyed.

    "Yes, indeed, next year, both physics and chemistry awards will be granted. I reckon Monsieur Lavoisier won''t let go of the chemistry award. Unless someone is willing to bribe him with two million francs," Napoleon joked casually. "But for the physics award, it''s between you and Monsieur Lagrange. Joseph feels Monsieur Lagrange is getting on in years and deserves this recognition for his contributions to celestial mechanics..."

    "But I''ve contributed significantly to celestial mechanics too," Lace screamed inwardly. But he dared not voice it directly, fearing His Excellency might see him as not knowing his ce.

    "As for you, Joseph believes the mathematics award should go to you in the following year," Napoleon continued. "Mr. Lace, I understand receiving a million francs a year earlier would certainly yield considerable interest even if you put it in the bank. So, by dying your award for a year, it does indeed require some sacrifice. But your sacrifice won''t be in vain; I''ll remember it. You won''t go unrewarded."

    Of course, Lace wished to receive the award as soon as possible. It wasn''t just about the interest for a year, but more so about uncertainty. Dying for two years, what if... what if one of Joseph''s students made a groundbreaking discovery? That would be tragic. But Lace also knew that Napoleon was the person he could rely on most in this matter. And Napoleon had exceeded his initial expectations. So, he couldn''t appear too greedy. Lace wasn''t a person of strong character, thus he replied:

    "Director Bonaparte''s consideration is indeed reasonable."

    After saying this, a thought suddenly popped into Lace''s mind: "Ah, if only I''d known earlier, perhaps this position should have been offered to Lagrange."

    "President Lace, you''re indeed someone who considers the bigger picture," Napoleon said happily.

    After resolving the distribution of the major awards, Napoleon proceeded to attend to what was most important to him now �� the matter of the Olympics.

    Meanwhile, in Rome, beneath the noble Pope''s crown, a group of cardinals and archbishops were discussing dispatching investigators to Austria.

    "Directly using His Majesty Franz of ** crime will greatly damage our rtions with Austria, even if weter absolve him. While we can''t disregard the intentions of the French, after all, none of us wish to leave Rome..." The Pope sighed and continued, "But topletely fall out with Austria over this or suffer great losses isn''t ideal. Recently, one of our priests proposed a new idea. Conti, please share your thoughts with everyone."

    A young priest approached, bowed,

    and then spoke: "Your Holiness, esteemed bishops, both His Majesty Franz and we know who''s driving this investigation, what they aim to achieve, and that we�� whether the Vatican or Vienna��can''t resist them. However, the usation doesn''t sound pleasant. So, why not be flexible?"

    "How so?" asked one of the bishops.

    "We can send an emissary to Vienna to investigate. Then, His Majesty Franz bes very angry with our emissary, leading to a misunderstanding and conflict. As a result of his anger, he behaves somewhat excessively, humiliating our envoy. Then, we use this as a reason to announce revoking His Majesty Franz''s title as the ''Emperor of the Romans''..."

    Would you like to continue with the trantion or focus on a particr section?

 Chapter 366: Removal of Religious Texts

    Chapter 366: Removal of Religious Texts

    Since March of 1803, not far from the Freedom Pce, a new spectacle began to take shape.

    Thanks to the railway connection, the area around the Freedom Pce had gradually flourished. The scenery was splendid, transportation convenient, and being rtively distant from the city center, the air was cleaner. Moreover, because it required a train journey to reach, the poor rarely ventured here, meaning the area was sparsely popted by the less affluent. This, in turn, implied a rtively secure environment, perfect for affluent phnthropists who couldn''t stand the presence of the less fortunate. Hence, this region had be one of the most important affluent neighborhoods in Paris.

    Even before the construction of the Freedom Pce, certain well-informed or influential figures had acquirednds nearby from the government. At that time, thend held little value as it was barren, but today, the value of thesends had skyrocketed.

    Two years prior, under Napoleon''s insistence, the Paris Higher Normal School had also been relocated to this area. Back then, before thepletion of the railway, this region was rtively deste, andnd prices were low. To ease his work, Pierre-Simon Lace, serving as the deputy headmaster, had also purchased a small vi here - after all, thend was inexpensive. In just two years, the value of his vi had multiplied several times. Now, considering the money earned from this vi, it surpassed what Lace earned as the head of the Paris Higher Normal School. Consequently, one of Lace''s regrets was only buying a single vi at the time. Especially upon discovering that Monsieur M quietly purchased three vis here. Three! That old man truly evoked envy.

    Besides the Paris Higher Normal School, a portion of the Paris University had also been moved here. However, owing to its vastness unlike the Paris Higher Normal School, not all departments could be shifted; hence, only the School of Arts was relocated.

    It was Sunday again, and a group of art students carried their easels to sketch around the Freedom Pce. As they painted, discussions naturally drifted to the adjacent construction site.

    By this time, the new spectacle was nearly halfwayplete. The primary construction had concluded, leaving only essential finishing touches pending. To minimize noise and dust''s impact on the surroundings, the entire construction site was enclosed by walls. Nevertheless, from the small hill where these students often sketched, they could still clearly observe the site''s overall scene.

    "This stadium is enormous. It''s almost rivalling the grandeur of the Colosseum," Nichs remarked, seated in front of his canvas, sketching the Freedom Pce bathed in dawn''s glow, while idly chatting with Fedorov, who lounged nearby.

    "It should be slightlyrger than the Colosseum in terms of dimensions. Like how the Freedom Pce slightly surpasses the Pantheon. However, from this distance, everything appears slightly smaller," Fedorov replied."When do you think this thing will bepleted?" Nichs inquired again.

    "Next summer, the Olympics are scheduled to be held here. So, the construction should wrap up soon," Fedorov stated. "Sometimes, I truly feel that the construction process itself is the real miracle. My friend, do you recall when we just moved here, this ce was nothing but barrennd? In just under two brief years, such a colossal structure rose from the ground. Consider this; the Romans used eighty thousand ves over several decades toplete the Colosseum. Yet, the French, in just two years, have erected these."

    "They have reinforced concrete. But, don''t you find that structures made of reinforced concreteck the essence of genuine rock? Theyck that feeling, you know..."

    "Come on, Nichs," Fedorov dismissed, shaking his head. "You should know, both the Pantheon and the Colosseum were predominantly made of concrete. Granted, they didn''t have reinforced steel back then, but the steel is within it, invisible to the eye, isn''t it? If there''s any difference, well, perhaps it''s merely a matter of insufficient weathering due to insufficient time."

    "Perhaps," Nichs conceded. "Have you noticed how fond President Bonaparte is of Rome?"

    "Isn''t that widely known? Why else would they confer the White Eagle Order on him? And the Vatican, investigating an unsubstantiated rumor about an emperor of a great nation. What''s the reason behind that? Isn''t it evident? President Bonaparte adores Rome, especially its crown."

    "President Bonaparte spoke a few days ago, iming democracy as the best system and his eternal loyalty to the French Republic," Nichs mentioned.

    "Ha, the words politicians say... Only someone as kind as you would believe them. However, it is indeed peculiar. Normally, by this time, some media should start extolling the superiority of an empire because, logically, President Bonaparte''s coronation should be imminent. It might pose a problem if they switch course too abruptly."

    "Are you suggesting President Bonaparte might soon be crowned emperor?" Nichs inquired.

    "Why else would the Holy See dispatch investigators now to Austria''s Emperor? Isn''t it to reim the crown and hand it over to President Bonaparte?"

    "But the rtions between Austria and France seem quite amicable."

    "Which is precisely why some matters are truly perplexing."

    As these two students murmured, the Holy See formally dispatched investigators to Austria, ready to probe the Holy Roman Emperor on charges of heresy.

    Austria reacted furiously, dering the prohibition of the Holy See''s investigators from entering Austria. They issued an ultimatum, demanding the Holy See cease such insulting actions and offer an apology to His Imperial Majesty. They stated their hope for the Holy See to promptly reconsider and not exacerbate the feelings of the Austrian popce. Otherwise, any consequences would be the Holy See''s responsibility.

    The threat implied in their words was unmistakable. Naturally, the Holy See refused to ept such a threat and immediately lodged a protest against Austria, stating:

    The scrutiny of believers'' faith''s purity is a traditional right of the Holy See, bestowed by the Almighty. Austria''s government''s unjust actions are a tant disregard, not only toward the Holy See but also toward the Almighty Himself, bordering on heresy.

    However, both the Pope and the Almighty are merciful, tolerating mistakes. The Holy See''s investigation is not just an investigation but also an aid. Hence, there''s no intention to insult Emperor Francis II. Emperor Francis II should, in humility, ept this help from the Holy See for correction and improvement. He should refrain from disying such a misguided attitude and resist the caring gesture from the Pope''s office.

    Thus, Emperor Francis II and his Austrian government should immediately reconsider their position. The Holy See awaits Emperor Francis II''s repentance and apology.

    Naturally, this statement further angered Austria, or at least, it seemed so. Austria announced the temporary suspension of remitting the Holy See''s tithe. Until the Holy See altered its insulting investigation of the Emperor, apologized, and retracted, Austria''s royal household would temporarily retain these funds.

    This decision incensed the Holy See. They sent an envoy to Austria, demanding Emperor Francis II immediately revoke this resolution. However, this envoy was attacked in Vienna by unidentified assants, sustaining injuries and being forced to temporarily halt the mission, returning to the Holy See.

    This incident rendered Emperor Francis somewhat passive. However, he

    persisted: until the Holy See rescinded the "insulting investigation" against him, not a single coin would leave Austria for the Vatican.

    By September of that year, the Holy See once again dispatched amunication to Francis, demanding Austria remit the tithe within a set period. Otherwise, they would take "decisive measures" against Emperor Francis II.

    Emperor Francis II continued to remain unmoved. Austrian media had begun direct attacks on the Pope, even suggesting Austria should emte Emperor Henry IV''s actions and march on Rome to rece the pontiff.

    However, these were more of empty boasts. The reality was that between Austria and the Papal States stood the core ally of the French��a northern Italian republic.

    Some newspapers resorted to mockery of the Pope, ridiculing his disy of bluster, iming hecked the courage to act. One even depicted the Pope trembling behind an image of Jesus, portraying him as a timid figure.

    Interestingly, Franz''s resistance paradoxically improved his image among the public. After numerous failures in war against France, he had been seen as vaciting and feeble. He was even depicted as ''boundless'' in orchestrating immoral tendencies. But now, this move had added a hint of masculinity to the Emperor''s persona.

    Naturally, thispelled the Pope to take concrete action. In February 1804, an official decree from the Papacy dered the removal of Franz II from the Church''s fold and stripped him of the title "Emperor of the Romans."

    Austria promptly responded to the Papal action by proiming Pope Pius VI to be physically and mentally unfit for office. Consequently, Austria refused to recognize the validity of Pius VI''s decree. Emperor Franz II remained a devout Catholic and the "Emperor of the Romans."

    Regarding the rift between the Papacy and Austria, the French adopted an indifferent stance. Officially, the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand issued a statement:

    "The French Republic consistently upholds religious freedom policies and a non-intervention principle in other countries'' internal affairs. France hopes for peaceful coexistence and mutual progress among nations and religions."

    In essence, despite Talleyrand''s verbose statement, the underlying sentiment was: "Not our concern."

    Even French media didn''t pay much heed to the matter. While the news sessfully made it to the front page of "The Scientific Truth Gazette" on the first day, it failed to secure top headlines. Instead, the headline news was about the "Formal Awarding of the ''Prometheus Prize'' by the French Academy of Sciences."

    Indeed, the day the Pope dered Franz II''s expulsion from the Church coincided with the French Academy of Sciences awarding the inaugural "Prometheus Mathematical Prize" and "Prometheus Medical Prize." Hence, not only did this decision miss the front-page spot in "The Scientific Truth Gazette," it barely made it to other mainstream newspapers.

    Out of respect for Catholicism, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" did ce the Papal decree on the front page. However, in Protestant areas like the Rhine Federation and Ennd, this news didn''t even warrant a front-page mention.

    In the Rhine Federation, since the mathematical award went to Gauss from Brunswick, the newspapers there naturally highlighted Gauss''s achievement on their front pages. Other sections on the front page detailed various aspects of Gauss''s aplishments. Admittedly, exining Gauss''s achievements was a daunting task for most reporters and editors, even in the early 19th century, let alone in the 21st century. Just a few years before Joseph''s time travel, he had seen news online about a "Chinese student littering the floor with remaining materials in a math modelingpetition."

    Thankfully, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" resolved the issue. They provided several educational pieces about Gauss''s mathematical achievements. While these exnations were decipherable word by word, thebined meaning proved elusive. Nevertheless, the rather naive North Germans liked reading them, even though they couldn''t understand, reassuring themselves that the people from the Rhine Federation were indeed formidable.

    Regarding the Pope''s expulsion of the Austrian Emperor, what did that matter to us? Push it to the back, push it to the back. For the first edition, we must feature news about Gauss and provide academic insight into his achievements. The second edition? That will introduce details about the medical award��can''t show bias. Additionally, we need interviews with Gauss''s friends, ssmates, and even his elementary school teacher. Do you know how Gauss calcted 1+2+3...+100 as a child?

    Consequently, the Pope''s and Austrian Emperor''s affair had to be relegated to the third edition. Even in the third edition, a considerable space would be devoted upfront to admire France''s selflessness.

    In Ennd, the scenario was quite simr. The headline of the first edition naturally covered the award, while the rest of the front page detailed the lives of the twoureates. Given Carroll''s achievement, widely known since the previous ''Lancet'' controversy, his introduction could be more concise. However, Gauss''s introduction was indispensable.

    Moreover, Gauss was a child prodigy, making his story even more newsworthy. Across nations, readers tended to favor tales of prodigies. Thus, nearly every newspaper recounted how Gauss calcted 1+2+3...+100 as a child.

    At least these matters were addressed on the front page. After all, Gauss wasn''t English, and Carroll, even worse, was a rebel. So, their coverage required less spacepared to the Rhine Federation. Hence, the first edition covered it all.

    By the second edition, the English believed it necessary to publish reflective articles on the current state of scientific and technological development in Ennd and ponder why theyckedpetitiveness in such prestigious awards. They also aimed to discuss France''s progress and highlight areas worthy of emtion for the English��a move that left no space for the Pope''s decree.

    As for the third edition, well, it would serve prospective students intending to study in France by detailing various French schools. Especially this time, as all four mathematical prize nominees hailed from the Paris High School, arousing immense interest in this recently established university. So, providing information about these schools upied a substantial portion of the space. Eventually, the Pope''s removal of the Austrian Emperor''s church affiliation barely found a prominent ce even in the third edition.

    In Austria, this news didn''t even make it to the newspapers. It was only a few dayster, when the Austrian government announced Pius VI''s physical and mental decline, rendering him unfit for office and thus refuting Pius VI''s decree, that people became aware of the Pope''s expulsion of the Emperor and the stripping of his "Roman Emperor" title.

    In essence, the Papacy''s action was expected to draw attention across Europe. However, due to their well-timed decision and various deliberate or unintentional maneuvers, the event unfolded without much ado.

 Chapter 367: The Torch Relay

    Chapter 367: The Torch Ry

    In essence, the inaugural Prometheus Awards sessfully veiled the conflict between the Vatican and Austria. As the fervor around the Prometheus Awards gradually subsided, with both the Vatican and Austria seemingly forgetting their past differences, no further voices were raised regarding the Vatican''s emunication of Emperor Francis II.

    Austria''s Cardinal Archbishop still referred to Francis II as ''Your Majesty,'' and Francis II continued to partake in various religious activities, still receiving blessings from church officials��as if Austria had never had any conflict with the Vatican.

    During this time, public attention gradually shifted toward the uing Olympics. Initially, the Scientific Truth Gazette began introducing the main venue of the Olympics and outlining the event''spetitions.

    Reporters from the Gazette interviewed Mr. Lucien Bonaparte, who chaired the French Olympic Committee. Lucien disyed a massive model of the main stadium in his office.

    "Look, this is how the main stadium will appear uponpletion. There will be grandstands all around, amodating a whopping eighty thousand seats. Alongside these seated areas, there are other sections��overall, the entire grandstand can amodate around ny thousand people."

    "What''s this structure?"

    "The Olympic me holder," Lucien exined. "We''ll use a concave lens at the ancient Olympic site to ignite the torch symbolizing these Olympics. Then, the torch will pass through various individuals in a ry, traversing country after country from Greece to Paris. As the torchbearers pass through each country, they will represent France, extending peaceful invitations to the nations they traverse, inviting them to participate in the Paris Olympic Games. If these nations are willing to embrace an Olympic truce, to cease all war activities during the two weeks of the Games, they''ll earn the right to send athletes to participate."

    "The torchbearers will follow these routes. The first will head to Constantinople, extending the invitation to Turkey, then northward into Russia, all the way to St. Petersburg, inviting Russia, followed by Sweden, Prussia, and Denmark. Next is the Rhine Federation and the Nethends, then by ship from the Nethends, ultimately reaching Ennd before returning to France by ship."

    "The second route will first go to Austria, then the North Italian Republic, Spain, and Portugal before sailing to the United States and returning to France from there. Thest two routes will converge at the Pantheon in Paris, continuing to the main venue. A representative elected by the people of Paris will hold the torch, igniting the main me, marking the official start of the Olympics. The me on the main torch will burn ceaselessly until the end of the Games.""Minister Bonaparte, I must say, the ry of the sacred me is an incredibly creative endeavor. It traverses the entire civilized world, bringing peace. This creativity is remarkable! I imagine such an undertaking requires a lot of coordination among nations; the work must be quite extensive, isn''t it?" the journalist inquired.

    "Yes, it''s an intricate task, but it''s incredibly meaningful. Therefore, we''re all dedicated to it. The countries of the civilized world have shown tremendous support for this initiative. People from every country we''re passing through in this ry are enthusiastic about it. We intend to recruit volunteers from these cities to participate in this grand event. Even if you can''te to Paris for the games, you can still personally carry or escort the Olympic torch."

    "It''s perfect. Also, if I wish to participate in the Games or the torch ry, where should I sign up?"

    "You can register at the Ministry of Truth building, at the Olympic Games office. Whether as an athlete or a torchbearer, registration is done there. However, if there''s an overwhelming number of registrations, we might resort to qualifiers or a lottery to decide who qualifies," Lucien responded.

    "Onest question, we''ve heard rumors that this edition of the Games will have some differences in the events from the ancient Olympics. Is that true?"

    "Yes," Lucien replied, "We respect tradition, but we also see the changes in our times. We cannot replicate everything from ancient times. Otherwise, should we speak Ancient Greek during the Games and have athletespete in the nude? Obviously not. In ancient times, only men were allowed to watch the contests, but now we must consider female spectators'' sentiments. Therefore, we''re making some adjustments to the sporting events��"

    After this interview was published, Europe buzzed once more. Almost everyone''s attention shifted back to the new Olympic Games. Governments of the countries through which the torch would pass also announced registration procedures for participants. However, it was said that Turkey didn''t select participants through voluntary registrations and draws; instead, they allowed volunteers from other nations to carry the torch along specified routes. They had concerns about idol worship and the pagan nature of the torch ry. However, considering their friendship with France��a rarity in Europe nowadays��they permitted the torch to pass through Turkey and pledged to send a team for the equestrian events at the Olympics.

    In contrast, Russia appeared more open, albeit considering its vastness, the torch ry in Russia involved horseback riding. Russia, too,mitted to sending athletes to the Paris Olympics.

    Austria also expressed eagerness to participate. Even Archduke Karl of Austria expressed a desire topete as an equestrian athlete. With an overwhelming number of registrations for the torch ry, a lottery became necessary for selection.

    As for the Rhine Federation, they were effusive in their praise for France. The people of the Rhine Federation voiced that France was the beacon of democracy and liberty, and aligning with France was the greatest honor. They pledged unconditional support for this grand event.

    In Ennd, the reaction was intriguing. After feeling overshadowed by the French in scientific aspects, the British saw this as an opportunity to showcase their prowess and revive national pride. Therefore, while not many signed up for the torch ry, there were numerous registrations for the Games, prompting multiple rounds of eliminations. This notably bolstered the performance of the British in subsequent events.

    Other countries were equally willing to cooperate, even the Vatican showed positive signs.

    It was rumored that when news of Turkey''s reluctance to allow its citizens to participate reached the Vatican, a journalist seeking a sensational story posed a pointed question to a certain bishop of the Vatican.

    "Are the gods of Greece deceptive demons?"

    "Yes, my child, understand that apart from Jesus, there is no salvation. Besides the Holy Trinity of God, there are no other gods in this world; all those iming to be gods are actually evil spirits. The gods of Greece are no exception," the bishop replied.

    The assistant''s response had no issue at all. This was the fundamental creed of Catholicism; if they deviated from this, what would remain of the Catholic faith? Although inter years, due to political correctness regarding religious freedom, they rarely expressed such beliefs openly, doctrinally, they still considered figures like Buddha or Laozi to be evil spirits.

    So, the journalist continued, "Mr. Bishop, as you know, the ancient Olympics originated from the worship of those pagan spirits, which the Vaticanter banned. Now, the French are reviving such pagan activities. Doesn''t this go against the basic teachings of the Catholic Church, leading to idol worship?"

    Upon hearing the mention of the Olympics, the bishop immediately understood the journalist''s ill intentions. To question if the French were betraying the teachings of the Church, veering onto a sinful path? Did it even need asking? Any devout believer would know the answer. However, this was the era of political correctness; it was no longer eptable to question others'' beliefs openly. The bishop''s response was carefully considered.

    "The Catholic Church has always strived to rid the world of idol worship. As long as France doesn''t openly embrace idol worship during the Olympics, as long as the torch ry and Olympic Games don''t be a form of idtry, the Vatican has no intention of interfering in France''s decision to hold the Games. Of course, we will continue to guide our followers to the righteous path, following the teachings of Jesus Christ."

    The bishop''s answer seemed diplomatic but still expressed the Vatican''s stance on the matter. The Vatican had no intention of overtly opposing France''s Olympics, but they didn''t want to be seen endorsing it either. They maintained a cautious stance, acknowledging France''s autonomy while subtly reminding their followers to stay true to their faith.

    As the Vatican didn''tpletely oppose it, it became clear that the French Olympics would be a grand event without any major hurdles. This international event, aiming to bring together various countries under the banner of peace, gradually became a reality.

 Chapter 368: The Igniting Priestess

    Chapter 368: The Igniting Priestess

    Concerning the selection of the torchbearer, the determination of the specific route, and security measures��well, not every country has the safety assurance like today. For instance, in Turkey, many regions are riddled with the likes of Alibaba. Especially in the border areas between Turkey and Russia,w and order are in shambles.

    Naturally, the countries along the route are aware of the significance of the Olympic Games to the French. If there were any issues with the torch ry within their territories, the French would likely be greatly displeased, and the consequences would be severe. So, despite their indifference to these pagan activities, they''ve been quite discontent with the recent French pration into North Africa. Particrly irksome was the sudden French propaganda suggesting that Barbary pirates might threaten the torch''s safety on its sea journey from Italy to Spain. Consequently, the French demanded an immediate religious decree from the Sultan of Turkey,manding the Barbary nations to cease all pirate activities at sea.

    The piracy actions of the Barbary nations have a long and illustrious history. Starting from the days of Hayreddin, they amassed great wealth through piracy in the Mediterranean. For a considerable time, the Barbary pirates were the masters of the Mediterranean, even forcing coastal nations to pay them protection money.

    As a long-term strategic ally of the Ottoman Empire, France had rarely suffered from their attacks. (The French provided various logistical services during that time.) However, with the declining power of the Ottoman Empire, their control over these North African territories had significantly waned. Effectively, the Barbary nations were only nominally subservient to the Ottoman Empire; in reality, they had be independent states.

    Yet, due to the growing strength of the French navy over the years, France no longer had to pay tribute to the Barbary pirates. Later, the British, as a maritime power, gained simr rights.

    Strictly speaking, it had been many years since any French ships had been attacked by Barbary pirates. Hence, the French raising such concerns at this time clearly indicated their suspicions about North Africa.

    However, Turkey was reluctant to oppose the French will and issued such an order��whether the Barbary pirates wouldply was another matter. However, the Barbary pirates were not fools; they understood that provoking the French on this issue might lead to severe consequences. Therefore, the Governor of Algeria even issued an order prohibiting any maritime raids during the period from the Olympic torch''s arrival in Italy to its appearance in Madrid.

    Ironically, this order led to greater problems.

    The finances of the Barbary nations, including Algeria, Tripoli, and Tunis, heavily relied on maritime raiding and collecting protection fees. Halting these activities would drastically reduce ie. How could they sustain themselves? So, anticipating the impending halt to their maritime activities, the Barbary pirates felt the urgency to seize more before the ban took effect.Thus, the Mediterranean became even more perilous.

    However, this danger had no connection whatsoever to the world''s most powerful naval vessel��thetest andrgest gship of the French navy, named the "Inflexible."

    This was a purely steam-powered warship and a genuine irond vessel. Unlike the former "Free Trade," sold to the British, its armor wasn''t superficial; the entire ship was constructed using steel.

    With a standard discement approaching seven thousand tons, it boasted three of France''stest three-cylinder steam engines, achieving a top speed of 16 knots. (French research on steam engines had yet to make sufficient progress.) Although slightly slower than the newest "Free Trade," its length-to-width ratio made its navigation smoother, providing greaterfort.

    Apart fromfort, its defense and firepower surpassed that of the newly converted "Free Trade," designated for raiding purposes. The ship had fore and aft turrets, each equipped with a set of twin-mounted 150-millimeter breech-loading cannons.

    Due to technological constraints, the French cannons of that time had significant recoil mechanisms, and their efficiency wasn''t high. However, with this setup, the French cannons'' firing rate increased several times over the original rate. Coupled with the vessel''s high speed and strong defense, it was a nightmare for other naval powers of that era.

    As the efficiency of cannons increased, the number of gunners and the space required for cannons significantly decreased, freeing up a considerable amount of space, which was utilized to improve onboard amodations. Considering its frequent assignments involving important figures, the ship even had avishly decorated suite.

    This suite was intended for Napoleon, but it was Pauline who first made use of it.

    This time, Pauline was to travel to Greece, a pagan country, to light the Olympic torch. Joseph and Napoleon were somewhat concerned, while Lucien believed troublemakers like her only caused trouble and there wasn''t much to worry about.

    "Are you afraid that Sultan Selim III might fancy this crazy woman and take her into his harem? Ah, if that happens, I''ll genuinely pity Sultan Selim III," Lucien said nonchntly.

    Despite Lucien''s words, they couldn''t rx their security concerns for Pauline. For instance, elite guards were specially selected from Napoleon''s guard to ensure her safety throughout the journey. Additionally, an expert in security named Belldon was transferred from the Ministry of Public Security to safeguard Pauline.

    However, Lucien wasn''t entirely pleased with Napoleon''s decision to have the Ministry of Public Security prepare a bodyguard for Pauline; he felt the intentions of the Ministry were quite sinister since this Belldon was a young handsome man.

    However, Lucien didn''t think the Ministry''s plot would seed. After all, "he''s just a handsome young man, isn''t he? Pauline has seen plenty." Besides, if Pauline were to marry someone, well, this young man Belldon wasn''t all that bad.

    Previously, Napoleon had always tried to find a husband for Pauline among his capable subordinates. However, these capable young men were all quite conservative in their thinking and were intimidated by Pauline. For instance, two years ago, Napoleon arranged a trip for Davout and Pauline. However, Davout suddenly imed to have fallen from a horse the day before the trip and was injured, unable toe. Napoleon personally visited him and found Davout indeed injured. However,ter, Napoleon''s brother-inw, Murat, who couldn''t keep his mouth shut, inadvertently revealed that Davout had initially been quite enthusiastic about meeting Pauline, but after hearing about Pauline''s rumors, he became hesitant. Then he visited Murat and Caroline, inquiring about Pauline, and on his way back, he got injured...

    As for Joseph''s students and assistants, Joseph thought it best not to involve them.

    So, by the standards of that era, well, Pauline was undoubtedly a leftover woman. The entire family felt Fouch�� might be ying a handsome man trick, and this Belldon was likely bait. Yet, they also felt if Pauline swallowed that bait, it wouldn''t be too bad.

    Aboard the "Inflexible," Pauline andpany arrived directly outside the port of Athens. In ancient times, the port of Athens was the most important in the entire Mediterranean. However, at this time, its status was far from its former glory, so much so that the portcked a dock for the "Inflexible" to berth. Therefore, though the "Inflexible" entered the port, it had to anchor in the

    harbor first and then transport people ashore using small boats.

    The French Ambassador to Turkey and the local Governor Ali Pasha came to the port to wee Pauline. Ali Pasha found it strange that the French had sent a woman to handle the lighting of the Olympic torch. Moreover, he seemed quite reluctant to have to receive a woman��even if she belonged to the most influential family in the world. Especially since that woman didn''t look quite presentable.

    For convenience, Pauline wore a men''s hunting outfit, tucked her hair under a tall hat, and wore ck high-topped boots with spurs. On her belt at the waist, she had holsters on either side, each with a pair of revolvers��a far cry from diplomatic etiquette.

    But a great privilege of the powerful is ignoring the opinions of the weak. Besides, strange nces were something Pauline was used to; she even wanted to say, "I just love how you all look at me disapprovingly but still try to maintain some decorum."

    That day, Pauline stayed in a pce Ali Pasha had specially prepared for her. Two dayster, she donned the attire of an ancient Greek priestess and, under escort, headed to the ancient Olympic site near the Acropolis. This sitey between the temples of Zeus and Hera and might have been grand in the past, but now it was merely a t expanse. The once magnificent temples on either side had copsed, leaving only a few columns standing.

 Chapter 369: The Pirate Attack

    Chapter 369: The Pirate Attack

    While Pauline yed the role of a priestess in Athens, a two-masted sailboat flying the French g sailed along the route from Spain to Naples.

    Captain Mustafa, a short Spaniard weathered by the sea''s constant embrace, stood near the stern, his face lined like a withered orange due to the sea breeze. The waters had been turbulenttely; the Barbary pirates were striking more frequently.

    "It''s fortunate our mast flies the g of France," Mustafa reassured himself.

    Formerly a second mate on arger vessel, Mustafa had engaged in smuggling to France during the First Coalition, earning some money. Eventually, with French ships switching to newer models, he sold off his old vessels cheaply and acquired his current two-masted ship.

    Though aging and ill-suited for transantic voyages, the ship managed well in the Mediterranean basin. However,pared to the faster clippers, this slower vessel faced greater danger, especially from Barbary pirate attacks.

    So, Mustafa registered his ship under a French shippingpany, obtaining the right to legally fly the French g. These pagan pirates generally refrained from attacking vessels bearing the French g due to well-known reasons.

    Despite the agreement between Barbary pirates and the Spanish after thetter''s fleet bombarded Tripoli, pledging no further assaults on Spanish coasts or intercepting their vessels, it didn''t guarantee safety. At most, it decreased the probability of raids.

    While the likelihood of Spanish vessels being plundered decreased, if an attack urred, the consequences were severe. Before reaching agreements, pirates would take Spanish ships and crew to North Africa, demanding ransom. Now, openly viting those terms would provoke retaliation. Hence, post-attack, pirates tended to take the ships but disposed of the crew to avoid repercussions. A missing ship in the Mediterranean held numerous possibilities.

    Nevertheless, ships flying the French g received more courteous treatment, given the long-standing rapport forged through battles.Though Mustafa''s ship was among the most vulnerable��Barbary pirates couldn''t catch the faster clippers��there were more clippers sailing the seas now. Despite being pricier, their transportation efficiency and safety made them preferable.

    Some pirates owned clippers too, but these couldn''t carry cannons, nor could they ess Greek fire, resorting to primitive skirmishes. Moreover, clipper-wielding pirates couldn''t engage armed merchant vessels. Thus, clipper-using pirates were rare.

    "Captain, starboard! Eastwards on starboard!" shouted the lookout from the mast.

    Mustafa hurried to the starboard side. "Where?"

    "Eight o''clock, there''s a person waving!" eximed the lookout.

    A few hundred meters away, Mustafa spotted the person clutching a barrel, frantically signaling.

    "Shipwreck or attacked by pirates?" Mustafa pondered, ordering the crew to lower a boat to rescue the person.

    The crew swiftly lifted the stranded person, a sailor from the French ship Tulip. "What happened on your ship?" Mustafa inquired.

    "I''m from the Tulip, a French merchant ship. We were just attacked by Barbary pirates... these waters are extremely dangerous..."

    ording to the sailor, their vessel had been attacked half a day ago. Initially spotting two pirate ships, they hadn''t panicked, believing Barbary pirates seldom attacked French-gged ships. However, the pirates closed in rapidly.

    Initially, the crew thought the pirates hadn''t noticed their g or someone had hung it incorrectly. However, despite the correct g cement, the pirates approached. The captain ordered resistance.

    "Captain Delon told us if the Barbary pirates really attacked us, they wouldn''t dare demand ransom from the French or admit to such acts. They''d resort to killing us all. So, we had to resist..." the sailor recounted.

    However, years of safety in the Mediterranean had led the French merchant ships to reduce their cannons for increased cargo. This made them feeble against the pirates. Laden heavily with goods and employing old vessel designs, despite dumping cargo, they couldn''t escape. In the ensuing chaos, the sailor fell overboard, unnoticed amidst the intense fight. He was uncertain of the battle''s oue.

    Mustafa felt anxious upon hearing the sailor''s ount, fearing a simr fate. However, luck was on his side, and he safely reached Naples. With a French conste present, he rushed there with the rescued sailor. Using the telegraph, the conste reported the incident to the French Foreign Ministry, quickly reaching Napoleon.

    "They attacked French ships?" Napoleon eximed upon receiving the report, mming his desk. "Excellent! I''ve been waiting to address them! Quick, summon General Carnot and Admiral Treveil to me. We must prepare for military action!"

    An hourter, Carnot and Rear Admiral Treveil arrived at the government office.

    Sitting in Napoleon''s office, he asked, "You must have heard on your way here. I want to understand, if we engage the Barbary pirates in war, can we conclude it before the Olympics?"

    "It''s challenging," Treveil began. "If the Barbary pirates confront us directly, wiping them out won''t take a morning. But if they evade, locating them in the vast sea will take time. I fear we can''t finish before the Olympics."

    "What about a direct assault on their ports?" Napoleon inquired.

    "Your Excellency," Carnot interjected, "before we n for war, we need to define what we aim to achieve. Only then can we answer this effectively."

    Napoleon nodded. "General Carnot, we need a foothold in North Africa and a range of economic and political privileges��port usage rights, merchandise sales rights."

    Carnot, after a moment''s thought, said, "Your Excellency, forgive my candor. Achieving these goals involves not just military but political strategies. I believepleting such a task before the Olympics is impossible. However, dying slightly, preparing for war diplomatically post-Olympics, seems more prudent."

    Napoleon pondered and agreed with Carnot, recognizing the logic. He turned to Carnot and Treveil, saying, "This will be our first war after years of peace, and though our adversaries are mere Barbary pirates, we must execute it brilliantly. We need to impress the rest of Europe. Our victory must be spectacr!"

 Chapter 370: I Regard You as a Brother

    Chapter 370: I Regard You as a Brother

    Soon enough, the Ministry of War devised a n. ording to this n, before the Olympics, the navy would dispatch two separate squadronsprising twelve warships, including the steam-powered super cruisers like the "Free Trade," "Unified Market," the "Le Havre" steam-powered cruiser, the "Toulon" steam-powered cruiser, the "Fousses" steam-powered cruiser, and so on, towards the North African coastline to provide escort for merchant ships of various nations.

    Simultaneously, the French government authorized these warships to inspect any vessels they deemed suspicious. If met with resistance, they were allowed to use force as they saw fit.

    Furthermore, in coordination with these military actions, French consuls stationed in the Barbary countries were instructed to immediately demand negotiations, asking these nations to return the missing French sailors, ships, and cargo promptly, offering reasonablepensation to the French citizens.

    These demands seemed entirely reasonable. However, for the Barbary nations, they were nearly impossible to meet. Firstly, they had no clue who was behind these incidents. Pirates involved in such activities wouldn''t confess to attacking a French vessel; instead, they''d hoist Spanish or other Italian state gs on the captured ships.

    Naturally, tracing this wouldn''t be an insurmountable challenge, but any pirate nation wouldn''t dare admit to it. Denial would shift the me elsewhere; admission would bring about consequences they''d have to bear.

    Yet, the most pressing issue was the French demand for the return of the missing sailors. The whereabouts of these vanished sailors were crystal clear to the Pashas. A gang of pirates, seizing ships from countries where piging was forbidden, couldn''t demand ransom. For the sake of secrecy, the easiest solution would be to swiftly send these sailors to meet Neptune, ensuring silence. So, there was no need to ask��they were undoubtedly all eliminated.

    However, revealing this to the French was impossible. Saying, "Hey, French folks, we raided your ship, killed your people, now deal with it," would undoubtedly result in the French fleet dismantling their homes.

    So presently, admitting anything was out of the question. Even investigating wasn''t viable. If one were investigated, wouldn''t that imply they were involved? Currently, the only feasible course was to shift the me to neighboring pirate nations.

    Of course, other pirate nations would unhesitatingly reciprocate, ensuring that no one bore all the me alone. Moreover, passing the buck also had its perks��ensuring the Barbary nations were collectively tied together. If France indeed decided to turn hostile, everyone would bear the consequences together, which was better than facing it alone.It''s like fish in the ocean. When sensing danger, they''d group together, forming a dense shoal to confront predators. This strategy was usually effective against typical predators. However, if the predator happened to be a trawler, the entire shoal would...

    France, now advancing industrially, was that trawler. But what was worse was that the Imic world was graduallygging behind. Lagging didn''t solely refer to their technological inferiority; it was more about their scientific backwardness, leading to a limited understanding of their own capabilitiespared to the advanced world. Sometimes, even if you showcased extraordinary abilities, they couldn''tprehend it. Iprehension naturally led to fearlessness. Fearlessness rendered intimidation policies futile.

    It was akin to humanity in "The Three-Body Problem," who, despite encountering omnipotent and omniscient sophons, still believed their 2,400 star-rated battleships could withstand the paternal affection from the Trisrian. Their foundational scientific backwardness prevented them from imagining the opponent''s true strength, assuming they weren''t too far behind.

    The Barbary nations were in a simr state. They reckoned that if united, while unable to defeat the French, they could at least inflict substantial damage, hopefully securing a respectable oue.

    Confronted with French demands, several pirate nations swiftly initiated a me game, affirming to the French that the attacks weren''t their doing, iming they didn''t have a habit of assaulting French vessels��it must have been other pirates elsewhere.

    While vehemently denying any involvement, these pirate nations also warned their subordinate pirate ships preparing to set sail, instructing them not to attack French vessels anymore.

    As for those already at sea, yet to return, all they could do was hope they wouldn''t cause any further trouble.

    By now, Pauline had sessfully lit the Olympic torch, aplishing a historic task. Then, she wandered aimlessly in Greece, exploring the sites of heroic tales, purchasing some purportedly genuine ancient Greek artifacts, before once again boarding a ship and departing Greece.

    The "White Eagle" lingered briefly in Naples, allowing Pauline to go ashore and rx while replenishing some necessities.

    Apanied by a retinue of bodyguards, Pauline roamed Naples, casually purchasing what might be authentic Roman artifacts and local newspapers, intending to pass the time during the journey.

    However, as Pauline nced casually at the newspaper, she immediately spotted a headline: "Barbary Pirates Rampage; French Navy Begins Escorting Merchant Ships."

    Seeing this, Pauline''s eyes lit up. She turned, her gaze shing as she smiled at Bedonna, who stood nearby. "Bedonna, if you can convince the captain to take a detour and deal with those Barbary pirates, I''ll reward you. What do you say?"

    "What kind of reward?" Bedonna hurriedly asked.

    "I haven''t decided yet," Pauline chuckled. She leaned closer, draping an arm around Bedonna''s shoulder, whispering near his ear, "But hey, since we''re such good pals, I won''t let you work for nothing, will I?"

    The breath from Pauline''s mouth tickled Bedonna''s ear, coupled with an inadvertent soft part brushing against his arm, making him involuntarily flutter with a tinge of excitement.

    "Miss Bonaparte," Bedonna tried hard to maintainposure, "I regard you as a brother, you shouldn''t..."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 370 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 371: You Actually Want to Oppress Me

    Chapter 371: You Actually Want to Oppress Me

    Perhaps it was Pauline''s "reward" that spurred Bedonna''s motivation. After she boarded the ship, she spent quite some time in discussion with the captain in his cabin. Finally, the captain agreed to deviate and sail towards the area most frequented by pirates.

    "However, Captain Opoinou thinks we won''t likely encounter pirates. Because we''re a steamship, when we sail, we emit tall columns of smoke. Those pirates can see us from afar. Then they''ll disguise themselves as peaceful merchant ships." That night, in Pauline''s room, Bedonna sat earnestly on a chair by Pauline''s bed, conversing through the curtain while Pauline bathed.

    "Would it be better at night then?" Pauline said casually as she bathed. The bathroom light cast her silhouette on the curtain, making Bedonna slightly uneasy.

    "Maybe, perhaps. But at night, it''s not certain we''d spot them," Bedonna stuttered, feeling an unusual dryness in her mouth.

    At that moment, the curtain moved, and Pauline, draped in a towel with her hair loose, walked out, passing by Bedonna, her long hair brushing past her face.

    Pauline sat on therge bed in front of Bedonna, the distance between them less than half a meter. She bent slightly, looking into Bedonna''s eyes, and said with a smile, "Why are you just sitting there? Go on, take a bath."

    "I..." Bedonna started.

    "We''re like siblings, your room doesn''t have a bathroom or hot water. We''re siblings, after all. Besides, didn''t I say I''d reward you? My bath is delightful, consider it a reward for you to take a hot bath. Hurry, inside, there''s a towel for you," Pauline urged.

    Bedonna slowly stood up, and Pauline reclined, leaningfortably on therge pillow, disregarding the loosely wrapped towel.Bedonna entered the bathroom. Despite being a luxurious suite, space was limited on the ship. Bedonna began bathing while Pauline, leaning against the pillow, chatted with her absentmindedly.

    After a while, Bedonna emerged, wrapped in a towel. Pauline nced at her and suddenly said, "Bedonna,e lie down, let''s talk some more..."

    So, Bedonnay beside Pauline. It wasn''t clear who touched the switch, but the room''s lights suddenly went out, creating somemotion in the darkness. Then came Pauline''s dissatisfied voice, "I treat you like a sister, and you want to oppress me... Either way, it''s time I oppress you..."

    Early the next morning, Pauline unusually dressed in women''s attire, holding a parasol with an ivory handle, gazed at Bedonna and together they headed to the ship''s bow.

    "Lucky you, Bedonna. You managed to get such a good hand," Pauline said, taking the spyss handed by Bedonna, "But those clothes of mine, you probably wouldn''t fit. You''re a bit too tall. But if we make a custom outfit for you and prepare a wig, haha, you''d surely captivate a group of young men."

    Bedonna was momentarily at a loss for words.

    "I wonder if we''ll encounter pirates today," Pauline added.

    However, just as Captain Opoinou predicted earlier, the smoke columns of the ''White Lady'' scared off the pirate ships or perhaps scared them into momentarily behaving asw-abiding citizens. The ''White Lady'' saw a few ships that day at sea, but none were pirates. Initially excited, Pauline soon grew bored of the sea and dragged Bedonna along, bringing her girlfriend Eva to their room to y cards.

    Pauline hadn''t encountered a pirate ship, but the newly cruising French fleet in the area soon had a catch.

    The brand-new super cruiser ''Free Trade'' intercepted a Spanish-gged merchant ship, reaching speeds of up to twenty knots. Using a loudspeaker, they identified themselves as the French Navy and demanded the ship to halt for boarding inspection, warning of potential force if ignored.

    "Captain, is there a problem with this ship?" in the captain''s quarters, First Officer Dan asked Captain Berthier.

    "Yes, let''s bet on it. I''m certain this is a pirate ship. Look at how they''ve hung the Spanish g the wrong way," Berthier replied.

    The ''Spanish ship'' obediently lowered its sails and anchored. The speed demonstrated by the ''Free Trade'' made it clear to everyone on the ship that escape was futile. Although they could reach shallows where French ships seldom ventured in half a day''s run, considering the speed difference, they couldn''t make it. As for resisting, facing the enormous opposing ship, the ''Spanish ship''cked the courage.

    Seeing the ''Spanish ship'' halt, the ''Free Trade'' slowed down and deployed small boats. Each boat carried fifteen marines armed with pump-action shotguns, tasked with swiftly controlling key points of the ship and conducting an inspection.

    The boats neared the ''Spanish ship,'' dropping down ropedders. The soldiers climbed aboard.

    The first to board was marine Jacques. As soon as hended, he spotted several bearded men. Raising his shotgun, Jacques shouted, "Don''t move, step back, all of you!"

    The bearded men might not understand French, but facing the barrels, they understood the implication. They raised their hands, stepping back. More marines quickly climbed aboard.

    The soldiers swiftly secured critical positions. A brief search revealed that the entire crew consisted of non-Christian sailors; not a single person spoke Spanish or professed Catholicism. Most importantly, the cargo hold was empty.

    A merchant ship wouldn''t sail empty. Whether from Spain to Italy or back, they''d maximize cargo, never empty. Plus, there was no logbook. It was now certain; this ship was likely a pirate vessel.

    However, the issue was the absence of significant weaponry. The North African crew insisted they were merely cruising and hoisting the Spanish g to avoid tolls on Spanish ships.

    In the 21st century, such exnations might hold water. Somali pirates'' basic tactic when cornered by warships was to toss AKMs and RPGs into the sea, ceasing to be pirates.

    But this era wasn''t as civilized. Despite their exnations, they were detained and taken back to Toulon, handed over to the police and courts for judgment. As for evidence, if the Public Security Department couldn''t handle this small matter, they''d be quite ipetent.

 Chapter 372: The Fire of Civilization

    Chapter 372: The Fire of Civilization

    "During this week''s operations, the French navy captured three pirate ships and sank two others attempting resistance, significantly improving the security of Mediterranean routes. Our interview with Rear Admiral Treveil confirms that the French navy stands as the most advanced and formidable worldwide, fully capable of safeguarding peace and tranquility for the Olympics. He assures us that ensuring free trade is the sacred mission of the French navy; any act of piracy disrupting this is a challenge to the dignity and interests of France. He warns those indulging in piracy not to mistake French patience as limitless. Those shameless vermin daring to offend French dignity, wherever they flee, even if they disguise themselves as penguins in Antarctica, we will capture them and let them hang wearing their penguin skins on our mast."

    Two years ago, a French cruiser, carrying naturalists from the University of Paris for a global expedition, discovered the Antarctic continent, finding a species of colossal penguins standing at 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall. They named this species the Augustus Penguin.

    Pauline''s toy factory immediatelyunched a series of penguin toys following this discovery. Some were sorge that a person could hide inside. Hence, Rear Admiral Treveil''s statement.

    It''s said this statement greatly inspired Pauline, leading her to create aic series titled ''Pirate Penguins,'' warping the originally cute and lovable penguin image.

    Driven by France, the Spanish navy also joined in safeguarding free trade. However,pared to the French navy, the Spanishgged far behind in technology, still relying on sail power��an approach entirely understandable to the Barbary pirates. Their method, more aggressive than the French, involved stationing themselves beyond cannon range in ports of several Barbary pirate countries, monitoring and intercepting any vessels attempting to enter or leave.

    This approach was intolerable to the Pashas, who protested to both the Spanish and French constes. The response they received indicated this was retaliation against the treacherous acts of piracy during this time. If the seized ships and sailors weren''t returned promptly, the blockade would persist.

    Furthermore, both the French and Spanish constes in Barbary countries began reducing their staff. Often, this action was interpreted as preparation for potential future conflicts.

    After bribing personnel in the French and Spanish constes, they received this message: "France will make significant moves during the Olympics; the First Consul will use this asion to advance further. In this process, France must ensure the stability and harmony of its surroundings."

    Several Pashas deeply discussed the current situation among themselves, deciding to form an alliance for their protection. However, they also agreed to endure tough times, refraining from further robberies for the time being. They felt the French were old friends, expecting the French to act reasonably as long as they didn''tpletely disrespect them.The Olympic torch ry hadmenced. Turkey was considerably unwilling to conduct such pagan activities, so the ry within Turkish territory was concise. Passing north into Russia, the torch''s journey in Turkish territory mostly involved travel by boat, crossing the Dardanelles and Bosporus through the Aegean Sea, entering the ck Sea, and continuing north along the Dnieper River into Russia.

    During this process, the torch was kept within a firebox, essentially a precisely craftedntern.

    Upon entering Russian territory, the French escorting the torch received a warm wee from the Russians. General Bagration personally led a squadron of cavalry wearing ck bearskin hats to greet them. As the French descended from the ship with the torch, General Bagration''s cavalry unsheathed their sabers, cheering, "Hurrah!"��startling the Turks onboard, who nearly drew their guns in preparation to resist.

    However, the brutish Russians, unlike usual, didn''t rush to attack; they merely cheered around the torch.

    The Turks didn''t quite grasp why the Russians were so jubnt. Unlike Turkey''s stance, Russians had always had a mixture of admiration and crisis towards Europe.

    Since Peter the Great''s reforms, Western learning became a fundamental direction for Russians. Faced with Europe''s radiant culture and science after the Renaissance, Russians were profoundlycking in confidence, constantly fearing being ousted from the ranks of civilized nations.

    During Empress Catherine''s era, Russians momentarily believed they had shed this anxiety, even nurturing illusions of leading the world. However, with France''s rise, Russia''s glory dimmed. When numerous Russian students arrived in France, they painfully felt the vast gap between Russia and advanced standards. Worse, this gap not only existed but widened day by day. As one student put it: "Every day for the French is like a month, or even a year, for us Russians."

    In this situation, the anxiety of being excluded from the ranks of civilized nations intensified. Amidst this, the French aimed to revive the grandeur of Greco-Roman civilization, yet they didn''t forget Russia, intending to bring the sacred me to pass through Russia. To Russians, this symbolized recognition and praise for Russian civilization.

    Most Russian nobles, upon receiving this news, first thought: "We are still an indispensable part of the civilized bloc."

    In such an atmosphere,bined with Russia''s self-identification as the heir of Eastern Rome, and the Olympic tradition originating from the heart of the Byzantine Empire, the passage of the sacred me signified the transmission of the me of civilization originating from Greece to the entire world. And if the me took a separate route passing through Russia before spreading elsewhere, it silently affirmed Russia''s legitimate inheritance. Thus, the warm reception of the Olympic me in Russia wasn''t surprising at all. Yet, if Napoleon knew their thoughts, he''d likely say, "You''re overthinking it."

    General Bagration personally stepped forward, lighting the torch prepared atop the firebox, then slowly raised it high. The surrounding soldiers once again cheered, "Hurrah!"

    General Bagration listened contentedly to the soldiers'' cheers. At this moment, the French handed over the firebox containing the me to the Russians weing it. Together with the Turks, they sailed back to France��a safer and quicker routepared tond travel.

 Chapter 373: The International Olympic Committee and the Tin Epidemic

    Chapter 373: The International Olympic Committee and the Tin Epidemic

    While most French people chose to return to France by sea, one Frenchman opted to journey to St. Petersburg alongside the Russians. This individual was Victor Treveil. Having departed from the Ministry of Truth, he now stood as a member of the newly formed non-governmental organization in France��the French Olympic Committee. Rumors whispered, however, suggesting he still received a special allowance from the Ministry of Truth.

    Victor''s forting task involved traveling across Europe with the Olympic me, not just to safeguard it but also to advocate the "Olympic spirit." As nned by the French Olympic Committee, he would liaise with local media, encouraging the establishment of their own "Olympicmittees" and ultimately gather them into an organization��the International Olympic Committee, transcending nations, beliefs, and races to pursue unity for all mankind.

    His initial duty led Victor to Russia, where he aimed to persuade the Tsar and other influential nobles to support this proposal and permit the creation of a non-governmental "Russian Olympic Committee."

    Prepared by the Russians was a four-wheeled carriage for Victor. However, considering the local road conditions, he preferred riding on horseback.

    The Russians had no qualms about this slight request from their guest. Hence, General Bagration instructed his adjutant to offer his horse to Victor, recing his ride with the duty of guarding the me. He then, torch in hand, rode alongside Victor.

    Mounting the horse, Victor disyed adept horsemanship. Having received some equestrian training in his youth and further rigorous training in Toulon and elsewhere, his equestrian skills were impressive. His swift mounting drew cheers from the Russian cavalry officers surrounding him.

    Victor noted that most of these officers were young nobles, clearly interested in the Olympic me.

    Interestingly, while the Catholic faith differed significantly from the Eastern Orthodox faith in France, in acknowledging the divinity of Jesus, they foundmon ground. Hence, General Bagration''s statement carried persuasive weight, deterring further debate on the matter among the French.

    Quickly changing the subject, Victor inquired about the weather in the north of Russia."I''ve heard that in Moscow, during winter, it gets so cold that if someone goes out without a hat and stays outside for a bit, they can rub their ears and have theme off��is it really that cold?" Victor asked.

    "Who told you that?" General Bagration frowned slightly. "Moscow is indeed cold, but not to that extent. Some of our cavalrymen are from Moscow; do you see any missing ears among them? Butpared to the warmth of Paris, Moscow winters are indeed severe. For instance��have you heard of the ''tin epidemic''?"

    "The one Aristotle mentioned?" Victor queried.

    "Yes, precisely. A couple of years ago, someone brought me a tin-made sk from Europe��well, given the cold here in Russia, men often enjoy a sip or two��during one winter, I took this sk with me while sledding, and guess what happened?"

    "What happened?" Victor asked.

    "The tin sk bulged on its own, turning from silver to grey, and soon, these grey spots expanded until the entire tin sk turned into a pile of ash. Seems this problem only urs in extremely cold ces."

    "Really? I have buttons on this coat made of tin. Would they turn to powder in Moscow?" Victor joked.

    "No, no, not in summer. Moscow summers are quite pleasant, actually."

    "In that case, if I ever travel to Moscow in winter, I''ll have to avoid wearing clothes with tin buttons. Otherwise, I might freeze without any buttons," Victor chuckled.

    As they rode side by side and conversed, by the time they reached General Bagration''s encampment, they had transitioned to addressing each other informally using "you."

 Chapter 374: Mockery

    Chapter 374: Mockery

    During the journey ahead, Victor opted for a carriage ride. Riding a horse for a few minutes could be quite refreshing, but after a few hours, fatigue set in, and if one rode for several days, goodness, it''d be utterly exhausting. Along the way, the apanying cavalry and torch-bearing riders would rotate at intervals. Yet, Victor had to apany this fire and torch across half of Europe.

    "If it weren''t foring to Russia, I wouldn''t have realized how vast the world truly is," Victor reminisced to his friend about his journey. "You know, one day, I''d been on the carriage for a full eight hours. Apart from changing horses at some checkpoints, we hardly stopped."

    I asked a Russian cavalryman riding alongside the carriage, ''Hey, friend, how much farther to today''s destination?'' The trooper cheerfully replied, ''Ah, not far, almost there, just a hundred versts.'' I didn''t catch it immediately, it took me a moment to realize that a verst is very simr in length to a kilometer. So, there were still over a hundred kilometers to go. Goodness, that was considered ''not far,'' nearly there.

    But even more absurd, before long, I found myself familiarizing and epting this notion of distance. Yes, a thousand kilometers seemed somewhat distant, five hundred kilometers felt closer, a hundred kilometers? Ah, that was within reach. So much so that when I returned to Europe, I struggled to adapt to their sense of distance."

    Apart from the considerable distance, Victor''s journey was fairly smooth. The first major Russian city the sacred me reached was Kiev. The entire city warmly weed Victor and hispanions. The Mayor of Kiev granted Victor the title of Honorary Citizen, while the residents organized a torchlight procession throughout the night to celebrate the arrival of the sacred me.

    Victor rested in Kiev for two to three days. Despite his robustness, the continuous journey had left him equally fatigued. During these days, he stayed with the local noble family, the Lebiedzowski''s. The host, Lebiedzowski, had also studied in France, focusing on painting and literature. He mentioned to Victor that his son was currently in Paris, studying mathematics.

    "He initially wished to study physics or engineering. But I worried if he learned those subjects, he might not return to manage our family estates. Mathematics is better; at least it doesn''t require aboratory. He can research in my study without feeling troubled about applying what he learned in France but finding no use for it in Russia. Like my cousin''s son, who studied architectural engineering in France, only to return to Moscow and find no cement or steel there... Eventually, he couldn''t bear it and went back to France. He wasn''tcking in money, but despite all his skills, he had nowhere to apply them... I know it''s tough, just like..."

    "Like holding a hammer but not finding a nail to strike," Victor added with a smile.

    "Yes, my friend, precisely so. That analogy is perfect," Lebiedzowski chuckled. But then he sighed, "Russia is still too backward. Our systems, many things are terribly outdated, and the Russian people are too conservative. Everything needs to change; we believe joining the Olympics, organizing an Olympicmittee, is a great idea. Through sports, we can introduce new ideas to more people. I read ''The Scientific Truth Gazette,'' and I really admire one line there: ''Civilize the spirit, barbarize the physique.'' That''s truly apt."Lebiedzowski''s stance essentially represented the views of a significant portion of the Russian nobility. This was one reason Victor had received such warm hospitality throughout his journey. Perhaps because distance enhances beauty, Russian nobles generally held a better view of the French, who had overthrown the aristocratic rule,pared to the nobility of Italy and Austria.

    After spending three days in Kiev, Victor turned towards Moscow.

    Moscow, the former capital of Russia since Peter the Great, although the capital had shifted to St. Petersburg, Moscow remained one of Russia''s most important cities, its second capital. Many imed St. Petersburg was merely a facade, while Moscow was the true essence of Russia.

    The straight-line distance from Kiev to Moscow was roughly under eight hundred kilometers. However, considering the winding roads and various terrain obstacles, the actual distance exceeded a thousand kilometers, making it an arduous journey.

    Although Victor had traveled simr distances before, covering over a thousand kilometers entirely through almost barren ins was a first.

    Moreover, the Russian roads amazed Victor. Thend froze in winter and thawed in spring and summer. When frozen, the water within thend would expand, loosening the previouslypacted soil. Once the ice melted, the roads turned into mud pits. This made maintaining Russian roads extremely difficult and prone to damage.

    Victor contemted while traveling, concluding that under current circumstances, any European country invading Russia would easily sumb to these sted roads and the consequential logistical nightmares.

    "Especially our French army. In recent years, the French military has be stronger than ever, yet, on the other hand, it''s more dependent on logistics than ever before," Victor thought, having served as a military advisor in Irnd for a while, he was acutely aware of this issue.

    "Moreover, vastnds, intricate terrains, these are ideal for guerri warfare. Here, sending in a million troops would feel like sprinkling pepper into arge pond. It''d be a waste without any impact. And yes, the Russians, they are conservative, backward, but they have a unique culture. And unlike many countries, every Russian I''ve encountered has the ambition of a great nation. Combine that with their harsh environment, shaping their characters resiliently��they are naturally suited for guerri warfare, even more so than the Irish."

    As he pondered, the carriage suddenly jolted again, and Victor heard the coachman, Marklov, curse, "Damn it, it''s broken again!"

    Meanwhile, in another part, the Olympic me had made its way into Rome, and the idle Roman citizens had wholeheartedly embraced their innate love for festivities. Nearly all the citizens poured onto the streets, turning the entire city into a carnival.

    Truly, those Italians treated the torch ry as a carnival. People dressed in masks swarmed from all directions��some ran out of doors, others dashed from windows. Carriages streamed in from every street and corner. Carriages filled with jesters donning white clothes, white trousers, and white masks, ludicrous characters in floral attire brandishing wooden swords, men and women wearing half masks, imitating aristocraticdies, courtiers, knights, and peasants. Everyone shouted at the top of their voices, tossing paper bags or eggshells filled with flour at each other. Some sprinkled tomato juice on themselves, mimicking blood, portraying zombies. If Pauline were here, witnessing all this, she''d be thoroughly delighted.

    However, the clergy didn''t share the same enthusiasm upon witnessing all this. Especially when they saw a few individuals on a float.

    At that moment, Bishop Leonardo had justforted a destitute girl and, assuming the demeanor of a sage, left the residence he had charitably provided for a girl who could''ve been his granddaughter''s age. He boarded his carriage, heading towards his church to enlighten some theology students on how to draw closer to the Almighty. But as the carriage emerged from a narrow alley,

    it encountered the frenzied crowd and got swept into the revelry. Then he witnessed something peculiar on one of the floats.

    Someone wore a paper-mache bishop''s hat, quite evidently mimicking the Pope''s appearance. This ''Pope'' was half-kneeling on the float, holding a golden foil-made crown, extending it to a person seated on a high chair, d in French military attire.

    "sphemy! This is sphemy!" Bishop Leonardo fumed, nearly leaping from the carriage to confront whoever dared to maliciously attack the Pope''s dignity.

    But Bishop Leonardo refrained from acting upon remembering the intelligence reports the Vatican had issued earlier: "The Austrians are extremely displeased about losing the Roman crown. They''re bound to throw a tantrum and do some petty tricks. But ignore them, let them vent. After this incident passes, we still need to reconcile with His Majesty, Franz."

 Chapter 375: A Conspiracy Among Subordinates

    Chapter 375: A Conspiracy Among Subordinates

    Over the years, thanks to France, the influence of the Holy See has steadily waned. Even within the walls of Rome, there are daring individuals who mock the Vatican. It''s not that the Vatican doesn''t want to suppress these troublemakers; it''s the rampant heretical thoughts in Italy these years. Many have been swayed, to the extent that works by apostates like Voltaire circte freely, and due to French ties, the Vatican can''t forbid these materials. sphemous and seditious words like "superstitious demons and a nine-headed serpent" openly spread on the streets. Should the Vatican take decisive action against them, these people might revolt.

    As for the military might the Vatican holds, well, ever since Napoleon marched into Rome and the Vatican''s army switched sides, from the Pope to the underage thieves in the city, even within the ranks of the current army, there''s skepticism. Few believe the Vatican''s forces would stand by and face the rebellious citizens of Rome. It''s even usible that, if things turn sour, the Vatican''s army might side with the Roman popce. Of course, if those "Roman citizens" are part of someone''s n, that someone is undoubtedly known.

    So, suppressing them isn''t an option, not in this lifetime. It''s left to the Swiss mercenaries, d in half-armors, wielding pikes, to barely maintain the fa?ade of the papacy.

    Moreover, the troublemakers behind the scenes might very well be Austrian nobles. Though the Vatican faces difficulties in this matter, the Emperor��no, His Majesty the Kingpletely understands the Vatican''s unavoidable dilemma. In truth, Austria and the Vatican have reached tacit agreements on many issues. However, these matters can''t be publicly disclosed. So, should a few muddled Austrian nobles create disturbances, shouldn''t the Vatican show some tolerance? Without Austrian support, those Italians might dare to divide the Papal States. The French, in all probability, would joyously wee the Pope to Avignon.

    Therefore, though sacrilege urred during the ry of the Holy me, the Vatican had resolved: "We have seen nothing."

    As the Holy me continued its journey, countries began their preparations for the Olympics. Each nation formed its Olympicmittee, readying their teams for the Paris Olympics.

    Meanwhile, the French Olympic Committee officially announced the event lineup and registration rules. The events, actually leaked through various channels earlier, were alreadymon knowledge. The official announcement merely confirmed these spections.

    The main events of this Olympics included athletics: sprints of 100 and 200 meters, along with the marathon. Field events covered discus throw, javelin throw, high jump, and long jump.

    There were also ball games, but at this time, basketball hadn''t been invented yet. Football existed butcked rules��it was essentially a lower-ss pastime and considered undignified in this era. As for sports that wouldter be regarded as noble activities by the aristocracy, even the golf beloved by the cognoscenti, originated from shepherd boys'' games in Scond and was transitioning to a sport. Yet, these weren''t the primary reasons; the crux was that the French weren''t adept at these games. So, during this era, the only suitable ball game was tennis, rich with French characteristics.Initially a game for nobles, tennis trickled down tomoners and became a gambling tool. Later, post the Sun King''s prohibition on its civilian y, it remained a legal sport in aristocratic circles. After the revolution, tennis returned to the masses, now bing the most familiar ball game for the French. During France''s military campaigns, this game spread to other European nations, making it more than just a French sport. Thus, tennis became the sole ball game in the French Olympics. In a bid to promote French culture shamelessly, the French categorized tennis into "y court tennis" and "grass court tennis," introducing singles and doubles, thereby creating several firsts at once.

    Apart from these, an important event was equestrianism,prising speed and obstacle races.

    Then came fencing and shooting.

    In fencing, athletes used foils without points andpeted in two events: thrusting and dual fencing (a longsword coupled with a defensive dagger).

    As for shooting, it naturally served Bonaparte''s Armaments. It included 10-meter pistol shooting, 100-meter rifle shooting, and a simted hunting with two-way flying discspetition.

    Participants used their own firearms in these contests. However, Bonaparte''s Armaments had prepared specially optimized guns for French athletes. Hence, those using otherpanies'' firearms had almost no chance of winning. Thispetition became the finest advertisement for Bonaparte''s Armaments.

    After circling Italy, the Holy me finally boarded a ship headed for Spain. The French fleet escorted the vessel carrying the Holy me throughout the journey. Upon the me''s arrival in Spain, the Barbary Pashas breathed a sigh of relief, and both the French military fleet and the Spanish fleet departed.

    The Barbary Pashas couldn''t help but thank Ah for protecting them, driving the infidels away. Unbeknownst to them, within the Turkish pce, a conspiracy against them was underway.

    French envoy Saint-M��rand was discussing the Barbary issue with the supreme and sublime Sultan Selim III of Turkey.

    "Your Majesty, let''s face the reality. Admitting reality itself doesn''t harm anyone; it''s denying it with closed eyes that truly damages a nation. Presently, while the Barbary Pashas bear allegiance to Your Majesty in name, in actuality, they''re independent states. Shouldn''t they, as your Pashas, frequently pay their respects? But since you ascended, when have they visited Your Majesty?

    And if Barbary truly belongs to Turkey, shouldn''t it pay taxes to Your Majesty? Over these years, while the Barbary Pashas have earned considerably, your reforms have struggled due to inadequate funds. Why don''t you exercise your rights there?

    Supreme Majesty, if you intend to reim Turkey''s legitimate rights in Barbary, as long-standing allies, we French can assist you. Of course, we''re not unconditional; in fact, we can achieve a win-win in this matter..."

 Chapter 376: Terms

    Chapter 376: Terms

    "Mr. Ambassador, what do you mean by ''win-win''?" Sultan Selim III asked with great interest. Clearly, being distant from France, his understanding of ''win-win'' was rooted in the era when the French and the still-potent Ottomans fought side by side in Barbary.

    "It means you regain substantial control in the Barbary region, gain the right to dispatch officials there and collect taxes. Meanwhile, France secures a couple of ports and rights to exploit minerals in those areas," Saint-M��rand responded. "Your Majesty, in Barbary, the pashas mainly rely on piracy for ie. However, piracy has be outdated as the naval power of European countries now surpasses theirs. Their fleetsck the capability to confront European navies. This business of theirs will soon be unfeasible. In fact, based on our intelligence, their economic conditions are not favorable.

    "Your Majesty, plundering for wealth is not sustainable. Sustainable development can only be achieved through regr trade. Given the vastness of North Africa, there are undoubtedly numerous mineral resources. Through such trade, both sides can benefit more.

    "In this n, Your Majesty, you only need to issue an order for the pashas of Barbary toe and pay respects to you. If they appear, you can easily find some issues��over the years, these individuals have umted numerous problems, starting with the contributions they owe your country. You can detain them for this reason, strip them of their pasha titles, and dispatch new pashas loyal to you to regain control of the Barbary region. We''ll also provide assistance, including fighting alongside your army.

    "Of course, I suspect these pashas won''t show up. Their disloyalty is widely known. At this point, Your Majesty, you canmand their titles be revoked andunch a campaign against them. As your ally, our country will stand firmly by your side to help defeat the rebels. The territories of these rebels can then be rewarded to your truly trusted subjects.

    "I believe, Your Majesty, you''ve noticed how rapidly the world has been changing and developing in recent years. Comparatively, forgive my frankness, the once-great Turkey has lost its former glory. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have been tirelessly seeking reform. We, France, as Turkey''s traditional ally, also hope to see Turkey rise again. However, forgive my directness, the forces opposing and even hindering your reforms within your country are quite formidable. You also need new achievements, new territories, new positions, and wealth to incentivize and attract more people to be loyal to you and support your reforms."

    In historical context, Sultan Selim III observed Turkey''s decline and attempted reforms in its system. However, his reforms threatened many vested interests, ultimately leading to the rebellion of the Janissaries and his deposition, making him the only Sultan in Turkish history to "die by the sword."

    During the rebellion, the conservatives took the opportunity to ruthlessly massacre the reformists. Then, the reformists outside Istanbul, returning with their armies, retaliated and massacred the conservatives. After this chaotic conflict, Turkey suffered severe losses, weakened further, and even fell under the control of subordinate pashas.

    Regarding such a significant issue, Sultan Selim III naturally couldn''t immediately agree. He needed to discuss it thoroughly with his subordinates. However, Saint-M��rand believed the Turks would support this n, perhaps engaging in some negotiations over the distribution of benefits with the French. But overall, they''d likely support it.Don''t assume the supreme Sultan represents the interests of the entire green world. No one holds such representation. Even Sultan Selim III couldn''t represent the entire Turkey, let alone the whole green world. He could only represent the circle of people around him.

    For both Sultan Selim III and the reformists around him, they needed more benefits to unite their people, strengthen their power, and overpower their opponents. As the leader of this group, if Sultan Selim III abandoned such interests, it would only alienate his subordinates.

    The French weren''t in a rush either since they couldn''t initiate conflicts before the Olympics. After all, France didn''t have a benevolent king ruling over it. Moreover, France hadn''t declined to the point of selling its soft power.

    Preparations for the Olympics were proceeding smoothly. The main venue was almostplete, and some subsidiary venues were also wrapping up. French sports teams had started adaptive training in several locations.

    Meanwhile, with Napoleon, Pauline was arguing.

    "What? You want to participate in the Olympics? Absolutely not!" Napoleon shook his head vigorously, "Pauline, can''t you be sensible? The Olympics have historically been an event for men only. Women didn''t even have the right to spectate. And now we''ve... sigh, it''s all because of Joseph, that scoundrel, spoiling you!"

    As he cursed Joseph, Napoleon firmly reiterated his stance, "Anyway, Pauline, this matter is not up for discussion. Not at all!"

    "Napoleon, stop being ignorant! In ancient Olympics, women participated!" Pauline stood up defiantly, mming a hat of ignorance onto Napoleon''s head.

    "Damn!" Napoleon said, "In the ancient Olympics, there was a women''s footrace. But can you find a decent woman topete with? Do you want to race against a bunch of middle-ageddies?"

    "Oh, Napoleon, you actually know about that?" Pauline deliberately feigned surprise, "But do you know, Xenisca won the chariot race at the 96th Olympics? I believe I''m no worse than her; it''s just that my brother isn''t as supportive as hers."

    Xenisca was the sister of Agesus II, the King of Sparta. She disguised herself as a man during those Olympics. The judges actually noticed, but fearing her brother, they all said, "I didn''t see anything; this is just a man!"

    Initially, everyone thought among all the participants, Princess Xenisca would be just one among many and would probably not win. After the race, she''d return home, and that would be the end of it. However, unexpectedly, the Greek men of that era were ipetent, and Xenisca actually won the championship. Later, the Greeks erected a statue for her and inscribed on its base: "I, Xenisca, drove a furious steed to victory in the chariot race. People erected this statue for me, recognizing me as the only woman in all of Greece to have won a championship. I am worthy of their praise!"

    Napoleon was aware of this story. When Pauline brought it up, Napoleon was momentarily speechless. So, he asked, "Do you want to participate in equestrian events too?"

    "Yes!" Pauline felt this had potential and couldn''t resist flexing her fingers, "Speed racing, obstacle racing, pistols, rifles, skeet shooting. I''m sure I can win more championships than Princess Xenisca!"

    Napoleon''s face darkened, he thought for a while, then brought out hisst resort��the me game: "This matter, my agreement alone won''t do. You have to talk to Joseph. If he has no objections, then I won''t object either."

    "Fine!" Pauline pounded her fist on her palm, "I''ll go talk to Joseph right away!"

    Watching Pauline leave, Napoleon immediately, with an angry face, instructed

    his aide, "Get Lucien over here. How dare he try to shift me onto me!"

    The same argument unfolded at Joseph''s ce that night.

    "Pauline, I won''t get into the nitty-gritty with you. I''ll say one thing," Joseph said with a frown, "How old are you? Your sister is about to be a mother! Mom asks me every day when you''ll get married. By God, she even wants me to find you a husband among my students or assistants. Now, with you behaving like this..."

    "What''s wrong with the way I am?"

    "Ah, I won''t exin so much to you. Anyway, from now until the official start of the Olympics, which is about a year away, if you manage to find a husband for yourself, and he has no objections, then I have no objections. Otherwise, forget about it."

    "Joseph, you''re being unreasonable!"

    "I''m being unreasonable? Fine! Listen, stop arguing with me, hurry up and find yourself a husband. That solves the problem, doesn''t it? Move faster, don''t waste time."

    "Humph!" Pauline angrily turned and walked away.

    "Hey, Pauline!" Joseph called out from behind.

    "What?" Pauline turned back, hoping Joseph might change his mind.

    "Uh..." Joseph hesitated for a moment, then said, "Pauline, two more things to note. First, your husband must be a man; second, mom doesn''t want to see divorce in our family."

 Chapter 377: Negotiations

    Chapter 377: Negotiations

    While Josephid out conditions for Pauline, Sultan Selim III of Turkey summoned the French envoy, Saint-M��rand, once again.

    This time, Sultan Selim III didn''t receive Saint-M��rand in the opulent Topkapi Pce. Instead, he invited him to a royal estate on the outskirts for a hunting excursion.

    Sultan Selim III rode a snow-white Arabian horse, followed by Saint-M��rand on a chestnut Arabian horse.

    "Mr. Saint-M��rand, I trust your stay in my country has been pleasant," Sultan Selim III halted on a hillside dotted with shrubs, smiling at Saint-M��rand.

    "Your Majesty''s hospitality has been most gracious," Saint-M��rand replied, cing his right hand over his chest and slightly bowing on his horse.

    "Ah, excellent." Sultan Selim III dismounted and handed the reins to a nearby guard.

    Saint-M��rand followed suit, dismounting as another guard led his horse away.

    "Shall we take a stroll over there, Mr. Saint-M��rand?" Sultan Selim III pointed to a grassy area with a few t stones.

    "Certainly, Your Majesty, if it pleases you," Saint-M��rand agreed.Sultan Selim III headed towards the spot, Saint-M��rand and another Turkish officer trailing behind.

    At arge bluestone, Sultan Selim III paused, tapping the stone lightly with his riding crop before turning to Saint-M��rand. "Mr. Saint-M��rand, let me introduce you to my most loyal general, my Grand Vizier, ndar Mustafa Pasha. Regarding matters you mentioned previously, he seeks rification."

    "I''m more than willing to provide any information, Your Excellency and Your Majesty," Saint-M��rand responded.

    "We''ve heard rumors that your country is to be an empire after these Olympics," ndar Mustafa Pasha inquired.

    "That rumor is inurate. Our nation shall remain a republic, without a doubt. However, I''ve heard of the Vatican''s intention to entrust the crown of Western Rome to our Prime Minister. Yet, this crown is Roman, not French. France remains a republic, and its leader remains the Prime Minister," Saint-M��rand exined.

    "But is it true that the Prime Minister will also assume the role of the Roman Emperor?" ndar Mustafa Pasha asked.

    "Your Excellency, specting on events yet to ur would be inappropriate," Saint-M��rand replied.

    Sultan Selim III and ndar Mustafa Pasha exchanged a nce, sensing some credibility in the spection.

    "How many troops does your Prime Minister intend to deploy to aid our territorial remation?" ndar Mustafa Pasha inquired.

    "As for military deployment, our country intends primarily to use naval forces. The quantity depends on your needs. Maintaining a fleet entails expenses, and reducing our involvement means saving costs..." Saint-M��rand hinted at negotiation, implying a share of benefits based on contributions.

    The three then engaged in discussions revolving around profit-sharing principles. Eventually, they reached agreements on crucial matters.

    "Firstly, our French military''s intervention in North Africa aims to dismantle tyranny, promoting freedom and peace. Therefore, the ve systems in the Barbary States must be abolished, granting freedom to all ves, irrespective of race or religion."

    "That is eptable," ndar Mustafa Pasha nodded. Despite the value of these ves, considering French efforts, this request wasn''t overly demanding. Moreover, many ves in the Barbary States were captured during piracy activities.

    "Will these freed ves be taken to France?" Sultan Selim III inquired.

    "Once freed, they are free individuals. However, they require French passports for migration. Some will be sent to the Americas, while others, mainly adherents of Im, would be better cared for by your authorities," Saint-M��rand responded.

    The arrangement stipted that non-Muslims would be favored for departure, much to the satisfaction of the Turks. Retaining a freed person, even if free, meant an additional taxpayer. Unfortunately, most remaining were Muslims; having Christians would''ve yielded more tax revenue.

    "Furthermore, regarding port leases, railway construction, and mining development..."

    The North African region was rich in mineral resources: abundant oil, natural gas, shale oil (currently irrelevant), ample phosphate ore for fertilizer production, copper, and iron. Though the iron mines here weren''t extensive, the ore quality surpassed that of the maind, though still notparable to those in Northern Europe.

    As Saint-M��rand negotiated with the Turks, Pauline engaged in her own negotiations with her newpanion, Belldon. Due to the time difference, Istanbul basked in the bright morning sun while Paris had just begun its dawn.

    Pauline yfully woke Belldon by teasing him with her hair, engaging in some activities together. Then, reclining against the headboard, she lit a pipe and began contemting life, while the now slightly tired Belldony beside her, dozing off.

    "Hey, wake up," Pauline lightly nudged Belldon.

    "Huh? What''s the matter?"

    "I have something important to inform you about," Pauline blew a smoke ring and then spoke.

 Chapter 378: Collaboration

    Chapter 378: Coboration

    "What''s the matter?" Bedonna blinked awake, asking.

    "You should propose to me soon. I''ll pretend to disagree at first, and then reluctantly agree when you propose again," Pauline stated earnestly.

    "Huh?" Bedonna was taken aback. In theory, marrying a Bonaparte in today''s France would be an absolute jackpot, politically and economically. Especially Pauline, Bedonna knew she was different from the other Bonaparte girls. Politically, she wielded considerable resources beyond being the favored daughter of the Bonaparte family; she had a tangible control over a portion of political resources.

    Pauline controlled several fashion and literary magazines, effectively dictating the direction of avant-garde fashion. Leveraging these publications, she yed a significant role in shaping the French ideology. Moreover, these magazines, along with her fashion and cosmetics lines, brought her substantial ie. In terms of wealth, she was among the wealthiest in all of Europe. Marrying someone like Pauline meant marrying a goldmine, economically speaking. Not to mention the various political advantages.

    Of course, Pauline had some less-than-ideal habits, but in France, wasn''t that quite normal? Even King Louis XVI had his shorings. This was part of the glorious tradition of France, even akin to the Roman Empire in this aspect. It showcased the influence of Roman tradition in France.

    So, those habits weren''t a big deal, really.

    Furthermore, Pauline was stunningly beautiful, with a unique sense of style. Her beauty, unlike themon feminine allure seen in some queens or princesses of other countries, was described by one admirer as:

    "Princess Pauline has a unique beauty, like a vibrant tiger in the Indian jungle, like leaping mes��"

    And another admirer described her as:"Princess Pauline''s beauty is like that of a poppy flower, addictively entrancing like the product of the flower."

    Considering just Pauline''s charm, the green pastures of concern were insignificant.

    Pauline''s real issue was her asional masculine demeanor, which caused her partners to seem simrly inclined, at least in the eyes of others.

    Typically, a girl with some masculine traits might be called a tomboy or, at worst, a bit of a manly woman, though somewhat derogatory, the extent of it was limited. Sometimes, this trait even added a certain halo to her. Just like the boldness of the Greek Princess Xeni Ska, who wasbeled a manly woman, yet statues were erected in her honor.

    However, for a man to exhibit some feminine traits was less favorable. Lightly, he might be called effeminate, or worse,beled as overly effeminate. In an era before the poprity of "pretty boys," society''s disdain for such men was far more pronounced than for tomboys or manly women. Some found this situation nearly intolerable. Allegedly, D��w�� fell from grace because he feared marrying Pauline would tarnish his image in the military.

    Yet, Bedonna seemed to not have this problem, or even if there were issues, they paled inparison to Pauline''s beauty. Considering Pauline''s wealth and political influence, what problem was there, really?

    So, Bedonna quickly spoke up, "Pauline, I��"

    "Hahaha��" Pauline covered his mouth, "You fool, I was kidding with you!"

    Then she pushed Bedonna aside, draped herself in a robe, stood up, walked to the dressing table, picked up a tortoiseshellb ced in front of the mirror, turned her head, and beganbing her hair.

    Bedonnay on the bed, wide-eyed, watching Paulineb her hair.

    After a couple of strokes, Pauline noticed Bedonna watching and chuckled, "Silly, did you realize I was teasing you just now?"

    Bedonna shook his head dumbfoundedly.

    Pauline put down theb, walked over, bent down, and caressed Bedonna''s face, "I love seeing you like this, silly. But let me tell you, I don''t need you to propose to me a second time. I''m not that dramatic like Napoleon. He''s obviously craving ''Imperial White Gold'' so much he can''t sleep, yet he pretends. So, propose to me quickly, and I''ll say yes immediately."

    "Bedonna, are you�� serious?" Bedonna asked in bewilderment.

    "What? You don''t believe me?" Pauline said.

    "Not entirely, it feels like I''m dreaming. Besides, this doesn''t seem to fit your style, does it?" Bedonna replied.

    "Oh, that''s true!" Pauline blinked her big eyes.

    "This really doesn''t fit my style," Pauline said, then she stood upright, speaking earnestly, "So, Miss Bedonna, would you marry me?"

    Bedonna had no idea what to say.

    Pauline burst intoughter, shaking all over, unable to stop, then fell on the bed,nding on top of Bedonna.

    Afterughing for quite a while, Pauline stopped, resting her head on Bedonna''s abdomen, and reached out to stroke Bedonna''s face, "Bedonna, you''re so adorable."

    Then she raised her head, turned around, andy beside Bedonna, looking into Bedonna''s eyes, "Okay, no more joking. Let''s talk seriously. I have something I need your help with."

    As she spoke, Pauline patted Bedonna''s shoulder.

    "Well, that''s more like it," Bedonna said, "Go on, what''s the matter?"

    "I want to participate in the Olympics," Pauline said. "I think bing the first Princess Xeni Ska of the modern Olympics would make me a historical figure. I n topete in equestrian and shooting events, but there''s a small obstacle. Napoleon and Joseph, those two idiots, won''t allow me to register. So, I need your help."

    "How could I help with that?" Bedonna asked in confusion.

    "Joseph, in our family, even Napoleon wouldn''t dare defy him. He said unless I''m married before the Olympics, he won''t approve of mepeting. I think��" Pauline leaned closer to Bedonna, "We''re siblings, who else could help me? Joseph insisted my husband must be a man. How about it? Can you promise?"

    "But this��" Bedonna suddenly understood how Pauline, this yful girl, was raised. Indeed, behind every mischievous child, there''s a mischievous parent.

    "Don''t worry, if you agree, I promise you a few things. Firstly, I won''t interfere with your extramarital affairs. You can bring your mistresses home; I won''t object. Simrly, I won''t interfere with how I carry on. I''ll limit myself to bringing misters home. After all, I assume you won''t have lovers. Also, I guarantee that if I have children, they''ll be yours. How about it? But let''s rify beforehand, Joseph won''t allow me to divorce."

    "Pauline��" Bedonna hesitated.

    "What? Don''t want to help?" Pauline raised her eyebrows.

    "How could I not help with your situation? Besides, I''m not at a disadvantage. But it''s a bit sudden, I''m a bit��" Bed

    onna stammered.

    "Don''t worry, it''s just a fake marriage. In name only," Pauline reassured.

    "Alright, I agree," Bedonna finally said, thinking about the long-term benefits. If it''s just a nominal marriage, it wouldn''t interfere with Bedonna''s life too much.

    "Thank you, Bedonna. Don''t worry, we won''t inconvenience each other too much. I''ll prepare the documents. As for the rest, we''ll discuss slowly." Pauline smiled brightly.

    From that day on, Bedonna and Pauline became nominal spouses.

    It wasn''t a marriage based on love but on a practical alliance. They would go on to navigate various trials and tribtions together, supporting each other in their endeavors.

    The forting marriage shocked the Bonaparte family and drew public attention, but Pauline was determined to pursue her Olympic dreams. Their alliance was a blend of ambition, strategy, and mutual understanding, an unexpected coboration that would rewrite their destinies.

    Their bond would evolve beyond a simple agreement, transcending the bounds of their initial arrangement, surprising even themselves with the depths it would reach.

 Chapter 379: The Clean Olympics

    Chapter 379: The Clean Olympics

    Following their discussions, the Turks and the French reached formal agreements on specific issues. However, the crucial part remained an unwritten gentlemen''s agreement.

    The first implementation was the training of the Turkish army.

    Sending the Turkish army to train in France was a grand move, impossible to keep secret. It risked unnecessary misunderstandings and incurred significant expenses to train in France. While the French weren''t concerned about misunderstandings, the Turks worried about Russian misconceptions. Moreover, if Turkey were so affluent, why resort to such a n?

    Considering the need for secrecy, the training location was chosen to be an ind in the Mediterranean. After thorough research, they settled on Rhodes, an ind in the Mediterranean Sea.

    Rhodes was once the forefront of Christian resistance against Turkey in the Mediterranean. The Knights Hospitaller had significant battles here, leaving behind their fortresses.

    Although centuries had passed since the Battle of Rhodes, the defensive structures of the Barbary pirates'' countries weren''t vastly different from Rhodes'' old-style fortresses. The Pashas of these pirate countries preferred spending money on pleasure and their ships.

    However, the cannons mounted on their old-style fortresses weren''t relics from the Battle of Rhodes anymore. ording to interrogations of captured pirates, some vital positions had been equipped with modern French breech-loading cannons.

    Typically, warships couldn''t directly confront fortresses. Admiral Lord Nelson of Ennd once remarked, "A fort with one cannon is enough to stand against a warship armed with a hundred."

    This was because fortresses had certain advantages over warships:Firstly, fortresses couldn''t be sunk. To destroy a fortress''s cannons, a warship needed its own cannons to urately hit the fortress''s cannons. However, warships were vulnerable, making hitting the enemy''s cannons from a fortress enough.

    Moreover, warships constantly moved, while fortresses remained steadfast unless faced with an earthquake. This resulted in far greater uracy for cannons mounted on fortressespared to ship cannons. Furthermore, the cannons on fortresses had extensively test-fired the nearby sea areas, making their uracy terrifying. Generally, in a duel between warships and fortresses, unless there was a significant gap in cannons and personnel training, fortresses always held the advantage.

    However, these weren''t issues for the current French navy since the French-made breech-loading cannons in the hands of Barbary pirates couldn''t pierce the armor of France''s modern warships. There weren''t yet any cannons in the world capable of prating the armor of the "White Rado" warship. Even the cannons on the "White Rado" itself couldn''t achieve this.

    But this didn''t mean there were no weapons threatening the "White Rado" warship. At least, both the British and French possessed mines capable of sinking it. And nobody knew if the British had sold such things to the Barbary pirates. Thus, the French navy, on missions, needed brave minesweepers. Well, considering the mine-sweeping levels of that era, maybe calling them "daring minesweepers" would be more appropriate.

    French military instructors arrived at Rhodes, guiding the Turks in transforming the old Hospitaller fortresses into something resembling the coastal artillery of the Barbary countries.

    During this process, Turkey also dispatched envoys to these Barbary countries.

    This was customary. Although these pirate nations were essentially independent, they maintained significant interactions with Turkey. There was considerable exchange between their emissaries. And at this time, these Barbary pirate nations hoped to learn France''s true intentions via Turkey, trying to find ways to ease tensions with France. Little did they know that those sharing their faith were nning to sell them for profit.

    However, the Ottoman''s antiquated system led to poor confidentiality, and news of Sultan Selim III training a modern army on Rhodes quickly spread within Turkey. For some, strengthening the Sultan''s power might not bode well.

    These individualscked means to oppose the Sultan presently, as it was within his jurisdiction. They were merely surprised at where the Sultan acquired funds to train a new army. Understanding Turkey''s internal economic state, they knew the Sultan couldn''t possibly umte such wealth without raising suspicions. Considering French instructors and weaponry, they spected that the Sultan must have borrowed substantial sums from the French. Of course, the French were never ones to miss a profit, so their willingness to lend to the Sultan definitely had reasons behind it.

    This line of thought escted quickly. Some even wondered if the Sultan intended a massive anti-corruption campaign internally (as there were sufficient economic issues to warrant executions), arresting and beheading those he disliked and using confiscated funds to repay loans, filling the treasury...

    These individuals naturally raised their vignce, preparing while also disclosing this information to others, like the Austrians and Russians.

    Both Austria and Russia were Turkey''s adversaries. They wouldn''t want to see Turkey strengthen and would take measures to hinder Turkey''s progress, thereby constraining Sultan Selim''s power and buying themselves time to react.

    In Paris, not far from the main stadium,y the Royal hunting grounds. Louis XVI, with two main hobbies��crafting locks and hunting��had this as his favorite haunt. Even on the day when his fate was sealed, as the Parisian women rushed to Versailles, forcing his family''s relocation to Paris, Louis XVI was out hunting here.

    Post-revolution, especially after the fall of the monarchy, the Royal hunting grounds were abandoned. The animals in the hunting grounds became food for nearby vigers. Today, this area stood as government-managed publd, hosting equestrian and shooting events for the Olympics.

    The cement roads leading here were longid. The venues and stands for equestrian and shooting events were set up. Some French participants in these events received the privilege of early training here. This was one natural advantage of the hosts��they had more time to adapt to the venues.

    Today, Pauline arrived with her thoroughbred horse, Bobby. A few days earlier, she had Bobby assessed for a few family members. To ensure Joseph saw Bobby fitting his criteria, she had Bobby wear a bit of stubble and a low-necked outfit��revealing Bobby''s distinctive Adam''s apple.

    Overall, everything went smoothly. Both Joseph and Napoleon seemed rtively satisfied with Pauline bringing a male back. Moreover, Bobby was impressive: tall, no need for lifts, well-proportioned, and had a sunny disposition. Not to mention, their future children would likely be adorable. Add to that the absence of any familial hereditary diseases (Lucien had investigated this thoroughly), so none of her brothers had objections. As for Pauline''s mother, she genuinely seemed to adore her potential son-inw.

    Having fulfilled her promise, Pauline''s brothers naturally greenlit her participation. Consequently, Pauline officially became one of France''s representatives at the Olympics.

    Since they agreed to Pauline''s participation, efforts were made to ensure she secured the championship. Otherwise, there''d be no point in participating. For this reason, Joseph also invested in purchasing an exceptional English thoroughbred horse for Pauline.

    English thoroughbred horses were the fastest and most agile in the world, but raising them was costly��beyond the means of most. However, for the Bonapartes, this wasn''t an issue.

    With such a horse, Pauline had a foundation for winning the championship. Coupled with her rtively small stature, aiding faster runs and higher jumps for the horse.

    Moreover, familiarity with the grounds was crucial. Starting now, Pauline could practice relentlessly on the official track.

    This was the Bonapartes'' preparation for the Olympics. They were determined to secure victory.

 Chapter 380: Unexpected Funding

    Chapter 380: Unexpected Funding

    The Russian ambassador, Peter, and the French Foreign Minister, Talleyrand, were old friends.

    In general, the term "old friends" typically implies shared experiences��such as studying together, fighting side by side, going through hardships, or even profiting together.

    Talleyrand hailed from a Catholic theological background, while Peter was Orthodox; thus, they couldn''t have studied together. As for fighting side by side, although Peter had military experience, Talleyrand had never served. Moreover, being of different nationalities��Russian and French��made this impossible. As for going through hardships, that was entirely out of the question. Therefore, their shared "old friendship" could only be attributed to "profiting together."

    Given their solid camaraderie in such endeavors, Peter was direct in their conversation.

    "My friend, I''ve heard that your country is aiding the Sultan of Turkey in training their army?"

    "How did you find out?" Talleyrand responded. "Well, despite the secrecy surrounding this matter, the leakages in Turkey have been ringly evident."

    "Charles, France and Russia are friendly nations. Your support for the Turks doesn''t align with our interests," Peter remarked.

    "Ah, Peter. France''s amicability with Russia remains unchanged. Our dealings with Turkey are purely business. As friends, I''ll be candid; this business is profitable for France. Many in my country anticipate making money from this deal. And, I assure you, it poses no threat to your nation''s security."

    "While the Sultan of Turkey may have his internal concerns, if he resolves them, it could endanger the entire Christian world."Hearing this, Talleyrand chuckled. "My friend, surely you don''t believe that yourself. The world has changed. In medieval times, those pagans seemed more civilized than us for a while. But now, they''ve fallen far behind. If Russians visit us, what do they do? They immerse themselves in learning��science, arts, you name it. They even pay generously to have our schrs teach in their universities. But these Turks? How many of theme to France to study? They buy weapons and mimic our use, like bears imitating humans walking. But that''s their limit. What threat can such a country pose to you?

    "And if Turkey sessfully reforms and grows stronger. My friend, I believe, if they seed, they might face the danger of copsing. Turkey is already ailing; radical reforms might doom them. Move too slowly, and they''llg behind in this era of rapid progress. Isn''t that so?"

    Talleyrand''s words didn''t entirely convince Peter. He believed that even if Turkey expanded its modern army, surpassing Russia in a race for development was improbable. Nheless, French aid in training the Turkish army wasn''t advantageous for Russia.

    But Peter knew this was a money-making opportunity for France. Present-day France might have made progress elsewhere��acknowledged even by Bourbon sympathizers��but in certain aspects, they werecking, like their tant pursuit of money. Even France''s allies conceded that the current French government jumped at the sound of coins. Hence, Peter realized it was nearly impossible to dissuade the French from this deal.

    However, Peter had to express Russian dissatisfaction to the French government. Although this gesture was merely symbolic, both France and Russia wouldn''t be greatly affected. Nheless, gestures had to be made.

    "Mr. Foreign Minister," Peter said solemnly, "We find your country''s actions inappropriate. They harm our interests and the goodwill our people harbor for your country. While ourmitment to the ''Olympic Truce'' remains unwavering, our country reserves the right to respond ordingly. We hope your country refrains from actions that damage the friendship between our nations."

    "I''ll convey your concerns to the ruling Bonaparte," Talleyrand responded formally.

    Talleyrand understood the Russian intentions. They might engage in minor activities near the Turkish border, but these wouldn''t escte into war. At least not before the Olympics.

    As for after the Olympics, well, by then, the Olympic Truce would have ended. If Russian actions hindered the Turks, France''s army could step in for a fee. Insufficient funds? Didn''t they have banks? Discussions about money? Let''s talk about mines and railways instead. Moreover, from the French perspective, if Russia hindered Turkish forces, it meant more profits for France��a boon.

    Talleyrand bid farewell to the Russians and weed the Austrian ambassador, Metternich.

    Unlike the straightforward Peter, Metternich was shrewder, and his friendship with Talleyrand was deeper��a more "seasoned friendship."

    Thus, Metternich cut to the chase immediately.

    "My old friend, I''ve heard of your conspiracy with the Turks," Metternich said.

    "I assure you, we have no conspiracy against your country with Turkey," Talleyrand replied.

    "So, the conspiracy does exist."

    "Between nations, conspiracies always exist."

    "Alright, fair enough," Metternich conceded. "But if not against us, then it''s most likely against Russia. However, if it''s against Russia, it makes no sense without our involvement. So, the likelihood of this conspiracy being against Russia is slim��oh, my old friend, are you nning to deal with the Barbary pirates?"

    Metternich''s statement surprised Talleyrand; he hadn''t expected Metternich to be aware of this. However, Talleyrand believed that Metternich''s knowledge might be limited, possibly based on certain indications. Yet, it was also usible that the Austrians indeed had some information.

    In reality, Talleyrand''s spection aligned with the truth. Metternich possessed exceptional abilities, especially in analyzing the bnce of power between nations. In history, after Napoleon''s fall, Russia became the strongest military power in Europe. Austria''s military might was akin to merely a division of Russia''s forces. However, through astute diplomacy, Metternich elevated Austria, initially militarily inconspicuous, to a dominant European force.

    "Thankfully, this fellow isn''t French; otherwise, the First Consul would surely prefer him over me," Talleyrand thought inexplicably.

    While thinking this, Talleyrand casually responded, "We indeed used our influence with Turkey to negotiate with the Barbary pirates, demanding the return of French ships and sailors they plundered."

    "These Barbary pirates are too audacious; their actions threaten free trade. Many of our ships suffered significant losses as well. Upholding free trade is a duty for all European nations. Therefore, we also hope to fulfill our obligation in safeguarding free trade," Metternich said, albeit implying wanting to take advantage.

    "Serving our duty, of course, involves sharing rights. Austria''s navy is inadequate when ites to matters concerning the Barbary pirates," Talleyrand stated.

    Austria''s naval prowess among European countries was negligible. Not evenparable to Ennd or France, let alone the second-tier powers like Spain or the Nethends, and definitely inferior to the Barbary pirates themselves.

    "Our ships might becking, but we''ve recently acquired unexpected funds and are seeking opportunities to earn more," Metternich chuckled.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 380 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 381: Economic Foundations and Superstructure

    Chapter 381: Economic Foundations and Superstructure

    "Unexpected funds?" Talleyrand inquired.

    "Yes, indeed. Originally, it was meant to be the eleventh tax devoted to the Holy See. However, for now, we''ve temporarily intercepted these funds. At least until the issue is resolved, the control of this money lies in our hands," replied Metternich. "I remember you mentioning that if money sits motionless in a treasury, it ceases to be money. I believe there might be considerable investment opportunities in maintaining free trade at sea. Let''s see if we could coborate..."

    "This, my friend, is a question that I cannot immediately answer. Nevertheless, I will inquire for you... After all, our two nations are friendly countries with a shared faith."

    Talleyrand indeed kept his promise and informed Napoleon of this news.

    "Mr. Talleyrand, what do you make of the Austrian''s recent maneuvers?" asked Napoleon upon hearing the news.

    "Your Excellency, I believe the Austrians are leaning towards us," replied Talleyrand. "Simultaneously, they wish to test what they can gain by leaning towards us."

    "Go on," urged Napoleon.

    "Your Excellency, I think the peaceful development over these past years has made Austria realize that the gap between them and us is increasingly widening. Challenging our dominant position in Europe has be an impossible task for them. Furthermore, Austria is a country with evident weaknesses. Your Excellency, as you mentioned before, the current strength of an army is constituted by two aspects: weaponry and training, and ideology."

    Napoleon nodded."We needn''t discuss weaponry and training. In this aspect, France is unrivaled. As for ideology, back in ''93, the French army, clearlycking in equipment and training, managed to overthrow the invading forces solely supported by democratic and patriotic ideals. However, in today''s Europe, while any country can espouse patriotism, Austria cannot embrace it, let alone democratic ideals. Therefore, they''ve be exceedingly fragile.

    Voltaire said, ''The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.'' This country is a feudal hodgepodge; its internal ethnicities are too diverse. Speaking of patriotism immediately brings up affection for Hungary, Czech, and... As for democracy, it''s a taboo. Yet, paradoxically, these concepts are bing mainstream. In this situation, Austria''s unprecedented fragility emerges. They''re now preupied with maintaining their own stability and can hardly focus on European hegemony. Achieving even this much would be challenging for them without our support. Therefore, one of their current objectives might be to bind their interests to ours as much as possible."

    Upon hearing this, Napoleon remarked, "Minister Talleyrand, draft a memorandum in this direction, and then we shall discuss it together with others. This involves far too many critical matters..."

    The supposed "others" didn''t extend much beyond a family meeting of the Bonaparte n.

    "Talleyrand is quite capable and insightful," Joseph evaluated after seeing the document Napoleon showed him. "He''s almost grasped the underlying truth. But some in Austria are even more astute; they''ve formted their policies based on the world''s deepest truths."

    "What deepest truths?" Lucien inquired.

    "Lucien, let me ask you, what do you think is the fundamental difference between people?" Joseph suddenly posed the question.

    "Joseph, your question is too broad and vague,cking direction. It''s hard to know where to begin," Lucien protested. Even today, when suddenly questioned by Joseph, Lucien couldn''t help but feel extremely nervous.

    "Alright, let me be more specific. Which, in your opinion, is the most fundamental difference: cultural diversity or ie disparity?" Joseph continued.

    This question was now more specific, but that didn''t mean it was easier to answer. Lucien pondered for a while before responding, "Well, both of these differences are incredibly important. For instance, Europe has so many countries because of its cultural diversity. Numerous ethnicities,nguages, and a variety of religions��Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy. Under each major denomination, there are countless sects, and those sects further branch into even smaller ones, turning Europe into a mishmash...

    But ie disparity is also a crucial difference. For example, during our revolution, why did people from other regions follow us, whether in Italy or Austria? It''s because we stood with the low-ie people. So, ie disparity is also significant..."

    Lucien rambled on for quite some time, furrowing Joseph''s brow.

    "Alright, Lucien, spare us the digression and get to the point!" Joseph interjected.

    "Oh," Lucien said, "Wait, no, there''s no conclusion yet. How can one immediately answer such a profound question? Joseph, why don''t you be straightforward and just say it?"

    Joseph burst intoughter, "Recognizing one''s ignorance is true wisdom, Lucien. You''re making progress. As for this question, here''s my perspective.

    I believe that people must first have food, drink, shelter, and clothing before they can engage in politics, science, art, religion, and so on. Therefore, the direct production of material living necessities at a certain stage of economic development for a nation or an era forms the foundation. The nation''s infrastructure, legal perspectives, art, and even religious beliefs develop from this foundation. Hence, it must be exined by this foundation, rather than the other way around, as it was done in the past. I call this approach: ''The economic base determines the superstructure.''"

 Chapter 382: Economic Foundations and Superstructure

    Chapter 382: Economic Foundations and Superstructure

    "Napoleon, I ask you, what''s the most crucial issue in the revolution?" Joseph suddenly inquired.

    "Of course, it''s figuring out who our friends and enemies are, isn''t it? That''s one of your less foolish questions," Napoleon replied. "The key to determining who stands with us and who opposes us lies in where their economic interests lie, right? When I was in Italy, who among the Italians supported me and who opposed me? Put simply, those who gainednd and benefits during the war supported us. Those who suffered losses opposed us. To be more precise, those whose interests aligned with ours are our friends."

    "But the problem now is, where do our interests lie?" Joseph remarked before Napoleon and Lucien could react further, handing them a report. "These are the ie statistics of the industries controlled by our family. Take a look."

    Both of them quickly took the report and began examining it.

    "Have you noticed? The share of ie from agriculture in our earnings has be quite small. Even though our family owns considerablend, not much of it is used for agriculture. Why is that?" Joseph asked.

    "Because farming isn''t profitable," Lucien replied. "Even the most profitable vineyards, how much can they make in a year? But our factories, once they start running, the efficiency in earning money is iparable. And in today''s agriculture, wine is considered profitable."

    "Before the revolution, someone owning vast farnds might have been one of the wealthiest and most esteemed individuals in arge area. Now, certainly, such individuals no longer exist in France, but in many countries, there are still quite a few of these folks. What do we call these folks? Old-fashionedndowners. Still expecting to make money by farming? Haha. These old-fashionedndowners surely hate us a lot," Lucien remarked.

    "Lucien, the peasants are better off now," Napoleon said.

    "That''s true, but how much can peasants make? A little more?" Lucien disdainfully shook his head.Indeed, French peasants now lived decently, but this improvement was rtive to their situation before the revolution. In reality, it was just enough to sustain their lives. Of course,pared to peasants in some neighboring countries who still had to pay taxes to nobles, French peasants were undoubtedly happier.

    "So, without a doubt, our main interest now lies in industry andmerce. Once we understand where our interests lie, we''ll know who our enemies are," Joseph continued.

    "Who do you think are our enemies now?" Napoleon asked.

    "First and foremost, it''s thend nobles," Lucien said. "All thend nobility across Europe is certainly against us."

    Having said this, Lucien nced at his two brothers. Seeing them silent, he nervously added, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

    "A few years ago, you would have been right," Napoleon said.

    Lucien turned his gaze to Joseph.

    "Napoleon''s right," Joseph agreed.

    "Don''t y coy now. How is it not right anymore?" Lucien questioned.

    "There''s a fool sailing on the Seine River, and his revolver identally falls overboard. This revolver has an ivory handle, quite valuable. Someone shouts to him, ''Hurry, go fetch it, the water''s not deep here!'' But this fool, calmly takes out a small knife from his pocket, marks a spot on the railing, and says, ''Why rush? My gun fell from this spot; when the boat reaches the shore, I can still pick it up.'' Well, Lucien, you''re that kind of fool," Napoleon said.

    Lucien was taken aback and before he could recover, he heard Napoleon pping his hands andughing uproariously. "Joseph, this story is so fitting, so amusing, I have to write it in my journal. I''ll tell it to Lucien''s son in the future. Hahaha."

    At this moment, Lucien gradually understood and immediately retorted, "Napoleon, don''t forget, you have stories too, and I''ll tell them to your son in the future!"

    "You''ll have a lot more stories," Napoleon boldly replied, looking like he was ready for mutual teasing.

    "But your reputation is more valuable than mine. Apart from Pauline, no one in the family cares less about their reputation than me! The pantless aren''t afraid of those wearing pants!" Lucien also assumed a "I''m a ruffian, who do I fear?" stance.

    "Alright, let''s not stray from the main issue," Joseph intervened.

    So, the two brothers quieted down but continued yfully teasing each other with their eyes.

    "Lucien, I''ve taught you before to see things from a developmental perspective. The world isn''t stagnant but constantly changing. ''No man ever steps in the same river twice.'' In the past, thosend nobles were indeed our primary enemies, but the world changes, not just the world but us as well!" Joseph seemed to slip back into his role as a teacher to his brothers.

    "Hmm..." Lucien listened earnestly.

    "Look, whether it''s Austria, Prussia, or even Italy, what''s the main source of wealth for their richestnd nobles now? Still from collecting rents?" Joseph asked.

    "Ah, Joseph, I get it! They''ve changed, they''ve be like us!" Lucien suddenly realized. "Indeed, now relying on the wheat from thend won''t make them rich. Their primary source of wealth has shifted to other things, like mining and trade. They''ve be just like us. But, this doesn''t change the conclusion because ''those in the same trade are the most envious of each other.''"

    "Wrong," Joseph shook his head. "They''re not in our trade. What''s at the core of our industries? Manufacturing. Our steel nts, shipyards, cement factories, our electricity, and factories producing various other things. They''re merely a part of our production chain. For instance, the copper and coal mines in Austria and Prussia are mainly sold to us. These mining nobles sell ore to us and then resell industrial goods back to theirnds. They''ve be a link in our chain. If they''re content with this, they''re our allies, or to put it clearer, they''re our servants. Only those who attempt to produce steel, electricity, ships, cement, and more, just like us, are our peers. Do you know who I''m referring to?"

    "Understood, it''s Ennd that''s our enemy," Lucien stated.

    "Just understanding that isn''t enough. Specifically, it''s the industrial capitalists of Ennd who are our enemies," Joseph added.

    "You''re right, Joseph," Lucien nodded.

    "But that''s not the most dangerous enemy," Joseph shook his head again. "Napoleon, you''re more politically sensitive than Lucien. Tell me, who do you think is the most dangerous enemy?"

    Napoleon looked at Joseph, crossed his hands in front of his chest, leaned back in his chair, and smiled. "Are you talking about the workers in our factories?"

    "What?" Lucien was surprised. "Our workers support us, they love us. They cheer for you."

    "The French people also genuinely cheered for the king numerous times. I''ve even seen them cheer ''Long live the king!'' to Louis XVI. But in the blink of an eye, their cries turned

    to ''Behead the tyrant.'' They''re cheering for us now because they see how the British workers, as well as those in Austria, Prussia, and the Rhine Federation, are living. It''s mostly because someone is contrasting it well. And they have North America to escape to. They have an escape route, unlike the pantless rebels before the revolution, so they''re not rebelling yet, still cheering for us. But look at Ennd; those workers have already started rebelling. There are even uprisings among the miners in Prussia and Austria, bingmonce. French workers haven''t done this yet, but if we mishandle things, one day, they''ll be waving their fists at us," Napoleon exined scornfully.

    "Right, Lucien, do you know why I say these workers are the most dangerous enemy?" Napoleon asked.

    "I don''t know," Lucien shook his head.

    "Because we can easily eliminate thend nobles and ensure they won''t exist anymore. We can even strive to eliminate our British counterparts, but we can never truly erase the workers. Because without them, our interests cease to exist. It''s akin to before the revolution when the king and nobles faced the Third Estate; nearly identical. No matter how the king and nobles suppressed them, the Third Estate wouldn''t vanish. But if the Third Estate seeded once, the king and nobles would be finished. Now, the lovely British are helping us deflect bullets, but we can''t waste the time the British bought for us; we have to prepare adequately before it starts raining. Understand?"

    "So, how do we prepare?"

    "Lucien, throughout history, sessful reactionary rulers always relied on two things: the repression of force and the deceit of public opinion. We''re no exception. Understand?" Joseph concluded.

    That''s all for today; this is the only update.

 Chapter 383: Economic Foundation and Superstructure

    Chapter 383: Economic Foundation and Superstructure

    "What reactionary rulers? We are the most enlightened rulers," Lucien said.

    "Then we must be even better at using these two tools," Joseph replied.

    "Joseph, don''t mind these fools, let''s continue our previous topic," Napoleon said.

    "Between these two methods, the use of forceful suppression should be handled cautiously. If used, it must be swift, quelling the disorder right at its inception. What do we need to be most wary of in the early stages of disorder? My brothers, the most dangerous sprout of disorder is the organization forming among the lower sses. If someone attempts to organize the lower sses, those without a stake. We need to take immediate measures to dismantle their organization. We can tolerate disorganized riots, but we can never tolerate even peaceful demonstrations if they are organized. Because organization itself signifies real power," Joseph remarked, recalling the sessful experience of a beacon nation in the future.

    For a period, the beacon nation was just a "beacon of freedom," not yet a "beacon of democracy." The g of democracy was still waving fiercely in the hands of its most dangerous enemy, the pr bear. Interestingly, the enthusiasts pushing democracy globally weren''t the beacon nation but the honest and reliable kos.

    At that time, a group of ck people in the beacon nation, led by a ck pastor, began challenging the nation''s system, demanding democracy. They brought hundreds of thousands of ck and underprivileged white people to peacefully protest at the Lincoln Memorial.

    It was indeed a peaceful protest. Despite the presence of hundreds of thousands, not a single scrap of paper was littered��how dangerously organized it was! Much more dangerous than those engaging in violence. Moreover, the ck pastor delivered a speech at the gathering. Although advocating "nonviolent non-cooperation" sounded much kinderpared to "armed seizure of power," it was still revolutionary theory. With theory and organization, how could it not progress further? Thus, the beacon nation promptly took a decapitating measure, instantly gunning down the ck pastor.

    After the pastor, there came the "ck Panther Party"��not the one with citizens living a primitive life while portraying themselves as superheroes. They believed in altering the world through prolonged organization and mobilization of the masses. They attempted revolutionary socialism throughmunity programs in the ckmunity, offering free breakfasts to poor kids and political education. Can you believe it? They actually wanted to organize!

    How to deal with them? Of course, the old trick, outright decapitation. Soon, the leaders of the ck Panther Party were either riddled with bullets or thrown into jail. Then came protests and riots, but disorganized and undisciplined riots pose limited threat."Once we detect any inclination towards organization, like the textile workers'' union in Britain, especially organized and ideological ones, we must immediately take steps to disband them. This includes direct physical resolution. However, using deceitful means is preferable whenever possible. Napoleon, how can a field never yield any crops no matter what you sow?" Joseph suddenly asked.

    "Oh, that''s simple," Napoleon leaned back in his seat, saying, "Just let weeds overrun the field."

    "Exactly," Joseph said, ncing at Lucien.

    "For this issue, give me a little more time. Maybe I cane up with an answer," Lucien thought, feeling a bit uneasy.

    "So, what are weeds? They''re organizations that look like they belong to the workers but are actually our own organizations," Joseph exined. "What''s the characteristic of our factory workers? They can be divided into two types: highly mobile ordinary workers and rtively stable skilled workers. There''s a significant difference between these two.

    Firstly, the wages of ordinary workers are considerably low, far less than skilled workers and sometimes even less than farmers. Even the lowest-level skilled workers earn five times more than ordinary workers. As for the top-tier skilled workers, their ie is ten to dozens of times more than ordinary workers.

    This results in a distinct lifestyle gap between the two. Skilled workers lead somewhatfortable lives, while ordinary workers barely scrape by. We''ve provided them with an escape valve��North America. One of their life goals is to earn enough for a ship ticket and head to North America.

    Ethnically, they differ significantly from skilled workers. Over half of our factory''s ordinary workers hold green cards��foreigners, or ''prospective Frenchmen.''"

    When speaking of "prospective Frenchmen," Joseph couldn''t help but smile.

    These "prospective Frenchmen" could only be French citizens in Louisiana. The green card they held was proof of passing the "basic French test" and swearing allegiance to France. With this document, they could buynd at a low price and get low-interest loans. However, if they were involved in crimes in France, their qualifications would be revoked, and they''d be deported. So, these "prospective Frenchmen" were generally well-behaved and didn''t dare cause trouble in France. After all, they didn''t n to stay there for long.

    "These ''prospective Frenchmen'' are highly mobile. They won''t stay here for long, making it hard for them to establish any organization. Coupled withnguage barriers, legal issues, and the exploitation from their homnds, our exploitation of them isn''t entirely intolerable.

    On the other hand, skilled workers are different. They''re rtively stable and might even spend their entire lives in the factory as long as everything''s fine. With decent ies, their lifestyles differ significantly from ordinary workers''. They emotionally lean towards the upper ss rather than the lower ss. Despite realizing we''re exploiting them, they weigh the risk of losing what they have if they start a struggle. They may grumble and protest when we mistreat them, but they won''t rebel. They fear losing what they barely possess now. Therefore, they''re the easiest to bribe and control.

    With their prolonged stay in the factory and limited mobility, we''ve established unions based on them. These unions seem to protect workers'' interests but fundamentally safeguard ours. However, not everyone sees it this way.

    Now, thisnd is filled with our weeds. It''s extremely tough for those wanting to sow revolutionary seeds here, right? To grow revolutionary crops, they''ll need much more effort. At least, they''ll have to uproot these weeds first. But those skilled workers��or rather, we should call them the worker aristocracy��will think our unions protect them. They''ll then disconnect from the ordinary workers and protect these weeds, causing internal division among the workers. Isn''t this wonderful?"

    "This is a part of public opinion maniption," Napoleon nodded. "Indeed, it''s highly enlightening. This is also a part of maniption, right?"

    "Absolutely. Apart from this, there should also be intellectual deception," Joseph continued. "A crucial factor for a revolutionary organization to form is having guiding revolutionary thoughts.

    Honestly, before the major revolution, the French people''s living conditions weren''t notably worsepared to neighboring countries. Whether Italians, Spaniards, Hignders, Londers, or even Austrians and Prussians, their lives were not better than the French and often worse. Why did the French revolt first rather than the people in these countries? Lucien, can you answer this?"

    "Ah, I know this. Because they didn''t have Voltaire and Rousseau," Lucien immediately responded.

    "That''s a somewhat correct exnation," Joseph nodded. "Precisely because

    they didn''t have Voltaire and Rousseau. Our intelligentsia is ying a critical role in this area. We must control the intelligentsia and ensure they serve our interests. They must make the masses believe our system is the best. So, our intelligentsia must praise our system, while disguising the exploitation and the system''s weaknesses. They should focus on spreading ideas that uphold the system rather than ideas that question or criticize it."

    "What if some intellectuals still hold opposing views?" Lucien asked.

    "Then, these are true threats. They might even be more dangerous than organized workers. If they have a vast influence and their views spread widely, they could sway public opinion," Joseph said. "We need to watch out for such intellectuals and try to neutralize them through various means��co-optation, marginalization, or even suppression if necessary."

    "The superstructure exists not just as a reflection of the economic base but also as a tool to maintain and justify it. In controlling the superstructure, we secure the longevity of our rule," Napoleon summarized. "This chapter concludes our discussions on the economic base and superstructure."

 Chapter 384: The Opening Ceremony

    Chapter 384: The Opening Ceremony

    In fact, many of the measures Joseph mentioned had already been implemented. Various entertainment industries, variouspetitions��from the "Paris Rose"petition involving women from various nightclubs to the globally influential "Prometheus Award." Various sports activities, such as tennis matches across Paris neighborhoods, were already underway.

    The Ministry of Truth had even devised "French Tennis Competition Rules," creating a silver-bottomed trophy to award the tennis champions of various Parisianmunities.

    Tennis had been immensely popr across all sses in France initially rgely due to its gambling associations), but its connection to gambling causedplications. Consequently, during the Bourbon dynasty, tennis was outright banned.

    However, banning tennis didn''t halt gambling; it just found other avenues. Despite asional issues arising from gambling, it rarely led to significant unrest. In some ways, it became a form of stress relief.

    So, under Napoleon''s reign, the ban on tennis was lifted. With the Ministry''s guidance, the sport thrived even more than its gambling days. Community and intermunity matches became a more effective form of recreation.

    Regarding gambling, it wasn''t encouraged, but recognized for its recreational value. It needed regtion��a bnce of moderation and transparency. In essence, gambling on tennis was allowed, but the management of tennis gambling establishments fell under state control��handled solely through the Ministry''s tennis lottery.

    Apart from tennis, the Ministry introduced new "football rules" and was preparing formunity football matches��the origins of future football leagues.

    However, the paramount event remained the Olympics. The Olympic me had arrived in Britain, while another route was en route back from North America.

    A dozen dayster, the me returning from North America reached Spain.After a day''s stop in Spain to synchronize with the other me''s progress and replenish supplies, it continued eastward, reaching Marseille two dayster. Meanwhile, the other me had left Britain.

    The me''s passage within France was slower than in other countries, traversing numerous small towns and viges, unlike merely passing through capitals or major cities elsewhere. Each stop brought a day-long festivity and parade, slowing the me''s progress.

    Media coverage focused on the me''s passage��local receptions, the region''s specialties, and urrences during the ry. Each newspaper had its focus: "Scientific Truth Gazette" emphasized local enthusiasm, "Businessman Gazette" focused on products and potential trade, while "Sun Report" exaggerated romantic incidents during the ry (although known for fictional stories).

    This extensive coverage prolonged the journey; it took over two months for both mes to approach Paris. During this time, the Pope, apanied by a sizable delegation, left Rome by ship for Paris.

    The French Navy dispatched a fleet to escort the Pope''s delegation. Upon arrival in Marseille, Minister Lucien of France''s Ministry of Truth hosted a grand wee ceremony, presenting a marble statue of the Assumption of Mary��a gift from the French people to the Papal entourage.

    Subsequently, escorted by Lucien, the Pope''s party traveled north by a dedicated train, reaching Paris. The First Consul of France met the Pope''s delegation, engaging in warm discussions about the development of Catholicism globally and other shared concerns.

    Napoleon weed the Pope''s attendance at the impending inaugural Modern Olympics in Paris, stating that promoting worldwide peace resonated with the spirit of Christ, an essence embodied by the Olympics. The Pope''s visit validated the Church''s adherence to Christ''s spirit and positioned the Vatican as the true spiritual leader of Christianity. France pledged cooperation to spread Catholicism globally.

    In turn, the Pope praised Napoleon''s piety, likening him to Charlemagne. Hemended France''s significant contributions to the Catholic world, envisioning Napoleon and his associates as protectors and propagators of Catholicism, simr to Charlemagne and the Twelve Pdins. He emphasized strengthening the inseparable traditional friendship between France and the Vatican.

    Post-meeting, the Pope visited Paris''s Notre Dame Cathedral, where he and his entourage resided until the conclusion of the Olympics. Here, they conducted ceremonies to bless the Republic and met with bishops from various regions��a formality, as the French Church operated independently. While acknowledging the Pope''s spiritual leadership, they maintained their independence.

    In reality, doctrinal differences between the French Church and the Vatican had grown evident, surpassing even the differences between Anglicanism and the Vatican. Yet, these distinctions were tacitly disregarded, presenting a fa?ade of profound unity.

    Three days after the Pope''s arrival in Paris, both Olympic mes returned to the city. On May 30, 1804, they united in front of the Shrine of the Forefathers, initiating celebrations across Paris.

    The torch ry in Paris followed amunity-based pattern. Roads were pedestrianized, barring carriages, and mounted police ensured order. The me passed systematically through neighborhoods, avoiding the stampedes seen recently in British cities due to overcrowding.

    Taking a whole day, the mepleted its ry within Paris, heading in a ry to the endpoint��the main venue of the Olympics. Over a thousand citizens followed, whether by carriage, horseback, or on foot, towards the main venue. However, most young enthusiasts on foot were swiftly left behind by the ry.

    Among those on foot was the young Henri, recently retired from the cavalry as a lieutenant, enrolled in the Paris School of Applied Arts, aiming for an engineering career. He and his fervent ssmates ran until exhausted, unable to keep pace.

    Watching the distant me, fatigued Henri bent, gasping, calling out, "Great France, please wait for your people��"

    However, the torch didn''t halt, and neither did France��it ran faster than the ry torch. Napoleon, a cohort of officials, and visiting dignitaries were already at the main venue, readying for the inaugural ceremony of the first Modern Olympics. Were it not for Henri''s ssmates arriving in a rented carriage, Henri would''ve missed the opening ceremony. Despite not securing tickets, he watched from a distant hilltop through a telescope.

    The choice of the evening of June 1 for the opening ceremony aimed to showcase France''s lighting technology. Initially, the Moulin Rouge had creatively adorned itself with various lights. Now, technological advancements allowed France to enchant the main venue with lights, creating a dreamlike spectacle.

    Apart from the light show, there were indispensable fireworks. A year ago, theboratory at the University of Paris conducted a systematic study on me reactions, aiming to invent a new method for analyzing metallic minerals. This research, within the military industrialplex''sboratories, transformed into various signal res. Once the civilian applications of this signal re technology emerged, it evolved into various fireworks. Supported by this technology, France''s current fireworks expertise can be considered the foremost in Europe. These elements required the opening ceremony to be held at night.

    The first part of the opening ceremony naturallymenced with speeches from leaders.

    First was Napoleon''s address. He conveyed wishes for world peace, praised the Olympic spirit, urging all participating athletes to uphold the spirit of "friendship first,petition second," disying style and skill in the games.

    Finally, Napoleon stated:

    "The essence of the Olympic spirit lies in ''the pursuit of human-centeredness, achieving self-transcendence, and self-perfection.'' Each athlete will demonstrate superb skills in a fairpetitive environment, sparking passionate participation and creating the brilliance they aspire to in their hearts.

    The significant mission of the Paris Olympics is to promote the exchange of cultures worldwide. We earnestly hope that the enduring historical culture of the French nation, the vibrant cities and countryside, and the hospitable people, leave wonderful memories for our friends."

    After Napoleon''s speech, the Pope presided over the blessing ceremony held for this Olympics.

    Following the lengthy and borate blessing ceremony were various performances in the opening ceremony. Due to contamination from the future, these performances naturally turned into variousrge-scale gymnastic disys. In this era, such performances seemed to showcase a certain military capability. After all, the rigidly disciplined formations resembled firing squad tactics that some countries hadn''t entirely abandoned yet.

    The first group gymnastics primarily focused on revisiting the ancient Olympic history. Consequently, this performance included numerous elements rted to pagan rituals, but including the Pope, everyone seemed to ignore them entirely.

    It began with imitations of the ancient Greek Olympics, followed by various processions of the Roman Empire, including crowds, chariots, and even a few elephants (procured from the Turks).

    Next came the portrayal of modern France. Through continuous formation changes, the participants spelled out France''s national motto: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," then asionally showcasing the slogan of this Olympics: "Science, Progress, Peace."

    After the gymnastics performance, the entry of athletes from various countries followed. As the host, the French delegation entered first, followed by other countries in alphabetical order. Post the entry, athlete representatives delivered speeches. Amidst cheers, a torchbearer entered the stadium.

    As this torchbearer entered, they lit the torch of another dressed as an ancient Greek schr waiting on the track. Thetter raised the torch, running forward, waving to the crowd and disying the red windmill symbol on their clothes. The audience erupted in cheers and, as trained earlier, quickly formed human waves.

    The first runner covered barely a hundred meters before another, dressed as an ancient Greek warrior, awaited. Being a torchbearer at the main event was something to boast about for a lifetime. Many had almost fought tooth and nail for this opportunity initially. Eventually, an auction resolved the issue, with each of the five torchbearers reportedly spending an average of fifty thousand francs.

    The second torchbearer, while running, disyed a shield bearing the insignia of the Borgh Insurance Company and their slogan: "A Reliable Assurance."

    The third, fourth, and fifth torchbearers were dressed as various ancient figures, each using different means to disy apany''s advertisement.

    The fifth torchbearer approached the main torch, where a figure dressed as Artemis (the goddess of the hunt) stood, holding a bow and arrow.

    As Artemis frequently roamed the forests, her attire was quite revealing for convenience. Like most Greek (Roman) goddesses, her top had no sleeves, fully exposing her pure white arms. However, these goddesses typically wore long skirts that reached the ground. Even Aphrodite, usually depicted bare-chested in sculptures, wore a skirt trailing to the ground. But Artemis was different; her skirt was short, revealing her knees and entirely disying her snow-white legs. In this era, such attire was quite scandalous and unconventional. However, Pauline didn''t care. She was used to numerous criticisms; a little more didn''t matter.

    Reportedly, after this Olympics, inspired by Pauline''s attire, starting from the Moulin Rouge, many women in certain professions began an Artemis impersonation trend. Considering Artemis''s divine role, this was almost ironic. Especially conservative British and certain Austrian newspapers sharply criticized Pauline''s led trend. However, Pauline''s response was immediate:unching a brand-new "Cleese" series of sleeveless short dresses for women �C although these "hunting dresses" weren''t necessarily suitable for actual hunting (except for hunting something particr).

    The arrowhead of the arrow in Pauline''s hand was wrapped in an oiled cloth. She aimed it towards the torch, igniting it.

    Pauline drew her bow fully, aimed at the main torch nearby, andunched the burning arrow toward it. As the rocket descended, the fuel-filled main torch ignited, burning fiercely.

    With the lighting of the main torch, Beethoven''s "Olympic March" yed in the arena, apanied by various fireworks exploding in the sky, filling it with a myriad of colors.

    Fireworks, an intoxicating sight even inter years, were even more mesmerizing at this time. Moreover, the French fireworks surpassed any previous disys. These fireworks were shot into the sky using specially made cannons, each shell far heavier than what people were ustomed to, and employing thetest timed fuses, nearly eliminating duds. The cannon''sunch method enabled them to reach greater heights, allowing more people, including those who couldn''t secure entry tickets and were outside the venue or even on higher ground further away, to use telescopes to watch clearly.

    "This is truly magnificent!" Watching the dazzling fireworks, Beethoven said to his student Chelini, "Chelini, did you bring paper and pen? I''ve got inspiration again!"

    The splendid fireworks disysted for almost half an hour, concluding the opening ceremony amidst booming cannon fire and dazzling fireworks.

 Chapter 385: The Olympics

    Chapter 385: The Olympics

    Thepetitions of the Olympics officiallymenced from the second day onwards. Unlike the tightly scheduled modern Olympics, due to the limited number of events and participants, the schedule was quite rxed. For instance, on the first day at the main stadium, only the heats for the 100 meters and 200 meters were scheduled.

    As all athletes were self-funded amateurs, relying entirely on their own finances to participate, the number of foreign participants was not significant. However, French athletes, especially those from Paris, could easily travel by train just before thepetition and return home immediately afterward, thanks to railwaypanies offering participating athletes free tickets. This even extended to some lower-ss workers, provided their factories approved their leave. Whether the factories approved was hardly a question; the agreement made between the worker-athlete and the factory stipted that the athlete mustpete wearing clothing with the factory''s advertisements.

    Initially, Napoleon had entertained the idea of restoring the ancient Olympic tradition of athletespeting in the nude. This was before Pauline raised the request topete. However, this notion was swiftly rebuked by Lucien. He eximed, "Do you have any idea why premium tickets, especially the box seats, sell so well? Because many who buy these tickets do so in pairs! How much ticket revenue would be lost by doing that? Also, the athletes'' attire is merchandise, you know? Pauline has her eyes set on that! And there''s advertising on the clothing, that''s more money�� Good Lord, the amount of money involved here, I can''t even keep track! You want to let go of these money-making opportunities for the sake of tradition? Tradition means nothingpared to these lovely coins!"

    In the past, Napoleon would have surely retorted, but this time, after hearing Lucien''s opposition, he paused and, surprisingly, admitted to himself that Lucien did have a point.

    "Lucien, it was just a passingment, a joke," Napoleon remarked.

    "Good thing you didn''t go directly to Joseph with such jokes," retorted Lucien.

    Napoleon shivered at that. "Darn it, Joseph! He''s fine with any other jests, but when ites to money matters, not a bit of humor!"

    "Who says so?" countered Lucien. "The same goes for math assignments too, doesn''t it?" Though it had been a while since Joseph assigned any math work, just thinking about it made Lucien feel a chill down his spine.

    Of course, the significance of advertising on the athletes'' clothing during thepetition was limited since there were no television broadcasts or even photography technology avable yet. (In some experimentalbs, there had been some research, and even the first photograph had been taken, but the process required around half an hour of exposure time for a single picture. Apart fromndscapes, it was almost impractical for anything else.) However, winning apetition allowed these advertisements on their attire to be highlighted through newspaper coverage. Taking a few days off for such an opportunity was undoubtedly profitable.As a result, the number of Parisian athletes was notably high, almost upying two-thirds of the entire French delegation, which in turn ounted for two-thirds of the total athletes.

    Marie-Henri Beyle signed up for the equestrian event butcked the funds to purchase expensive purebred horses or spend time practicing on the official course. Like most contestants, he could only use his own horse��"Little Trickster," which he acquired as it was also nearing retirement, having served in the cavalry. This gray horse was as spry as its name suggested, but it was aging, and it wasn''t known for its speed. Marie-Henri Beyle understood that he and his old horse wouldn''t make it past the heats. Even a mixed Arabian horse used by his ssmate''s family for carriage pulling could easily outrun his "Little Trickster" in speed races. Hence, Marie-Henri Beyle opted for the hurdles event. Though "Little Trickster" couldn''t sprint, it was clever enough toplete the hurdles. For an amateur enthusiast like Marie-Henri Beyle, that was more than enough.

    However, since the equestrian event hadn''tmenced, Marie-Henri Beyle had time to chat with his ssmate, well, the guy named Bousaion, whose family owned the Arabian horse used for carriage pulling. Surprisingly, this guy aspired to be a journalist. Marie-Henri Beyle teased him, "My friend, your dream is good, but journalists need to run exceptionally fast, especially if you aim to interview those social butterflies at the Moulin Rouge. You need to train more!"

    Bousaion took his words seriously and earnestly practiced running every day. This time, he signed up for all running events and sessfully passed the heats for the 100 meters and 200 meters. So today, Marie-Henri Beyle was at the main venue, seated (having only acquired tickets for that spot), watching his friend''s race.

    Today''s event was the heats for the 100 meters. As stopwatches weren''t avable yet, the rules for the heats were somewhat different from future norms. Firstly, the groups were drawn by lot, with eight runners in each group, and the top two from each group would advance to the next round. In this scenario, luck in the draw was crucial to advancing to the next stage, unlike the timedpetitions of the future.

    Bousaion was scheduledter in the day, so he hadn''t run yet. Marie-Henri Beyle watched other races somewhat boredly. Races in this era were markedly different from future Olympics. Firstly, all participants were Caucasian, unliketer times where non-Caucasian athletes were prevalent. Additionally, these participants were truly amateur; many didn''t even have proper sports attire. Several ran in long-sleeved shirts and trousers, leading Marie-Henri Beyle to grow increasingly confident about his potential performance if he were topete. He believed his friend, Bousaion, watching from the athlete''s rest area, likely shared simr thoughts. Of course, provided he didn''t act foolishly by wearing trousers or high heels for the race.

    After two rounds, Marie-Henri Beyle finally heard Bousaion''s name announced over the loudspeaker. He raised his telescope and scanned the starting line, locating his friend in the thirdne. He was also in long attire, not the intricate trousers, and certainly no high heels.

    However, another runner beside him drew more attention. This individual wore a vest, disying muscr arms, and arge sun emblem on the chest��clearly, a journalist from the Sun Newspaper. Below, he wore minimal clothing, just a pair of shorts, leaving his robust thighs exposed.

    "Oh... why isn''t he wearing anything?" a girl next to Marie-Henri Beyle eximed, covering her eyes with one hand while holding a brass telescope in the other.

    Marie-Henri Beyle nced at the girl. She wasn''t particrly pretty and had quite a few freckles on her face. Thus, Marie-Henri Beyle decided to focus his energy on cheering for his friend. Simultaneously, he couldn''t help but think, "From her voice alone, one could have mistaken her for a princess."

    Not only was the Sun Newspaper fellow''s attire odd, but his pre-race rituals were also peculiar. He half-knelt on the track, making Marie-H

    enri Beyle think he might start drawing a cross on his chest. However, instead of doing so, he stood up and vigorously dug the ground, swiftly creating two small holes in the coal-dust track.

    "What''s he doing? What is this?" the melodious voice sounded again, and Marie-Henri Beyle saw the girl, who had earlier covered her eyes, lifting her telescope once more.

    The fellow knelt again, cing both feet into the holes he had dug. This time, Marie-Henri Beyle noticed his shoes were different from everyone else''s. The soles seemed to be made of rubber.

    In France at that time, rubber wheels were already in extensive use, and many were making shoe soles from discarded tires. However, these shoes were more refined than the homemade tire soles.

    After exchanging gestures with the starting and finishing points, the race was about to start. The referee raised the starting gun, and Marie-Henri Beyle saw a puff of smoke rise from the referee''s hand. Simultaneously, everyone rushed forward.

    The Sun Newspaper journalist sprinted the fastest. He shot off like a bullet from a slingshot, instantly pulling ahead by a considerable margin right from the start, leaving everyone a couple of ces behind.

    "Truly deserving of the Sun Newspaper!" someone nearby shouted, waving a fist in the air.

 Chapter 386: Olympic Games (2)

    Just at the starting point, the journalist from The Sun outpaced everyone by a considerable margin, and as the race progressed, this Sun journalist further widened the lead rtive to others. Like a gust of wind, he dashed past the finish line, leaving Bousaion, who was in second ce, more than ten meters behind.

    What was more impressive was that after finishing the race, this fellow seemed remarkably at ease. He jogged lightly, waving to the others, while Bousaion, who was in second ce, was almost out of breath.

    Although the Sun journalist left Bousaion more than ten meters behind, Bousaion still secured second ce in the group, smoothly advancing to the next round.

    There were still some preliminary races toe, but Mari-Henri Bell wasn''t interested in watching further. He hurriedly made his way down the stairs to join his friends in celebration. Thus, he descended the steps, heading towards the athlete''s rest area.

    The athlete''s rest area was already crowded, filled with various cheers. Mari-Henri Bell pushed through with great effort until he reached the iron railing separating the athlete''s rest area from the spectator''s area.

    During this process, a policeman shouted at him, "Hey you, young man, don''t push around."

    "I need to congratte my friend! He made it through!" Mari-Henri Bell replied, continuing to squeeze his way in. Generally, the gentlemen policemen were rtively tolerant of respectable folks who could afford entry tickets. In a train station, if it were a foreignborer after such a warning, the policeman might have promptly intervened, possibly resorting to a baton to the head, then dragging them out, pressing them down, leaving them shouting for help.

    But here, obviously, it wasn''t the case because those who could afford tickets to watch the game were respectable people. After all, weren''t the police in France here to serve these respectable individuals?

    The policeman just chuckled and didn''t take any forceful action, no drawing of a baton or dragging Mari-Henri Bell out to press him down. Using his military-trained physique, he finally managed to squeeze in."Hey, Bousaion! Bousaion!" Mari-Henri Bell leaned on the iron railing, shouting into the area, even though he couldn''t actually spot his friend there.

    "Marie!" Bousaion was the first to spot Mari-Henri Bell, and he walked over, responding as he approached.

    "Hey, Jacques, well done! Congrattions on making it through!" Mari-Henri Bell shouted to Bousaion happily.

    "It''s nothing, just lucky," Bousaion replied, not sounding too pleased. "Just lucky; our team only has one journalist. Otherwise, as you''ve seen, the gap between us and the journalist is too vast."

    "So what?" Mari-Henri Bell encouraged him, "Jacques, one can''t challenge someone''s profession with their own amateur interests. And honestly, I think the gap between you and that journalist isn''t as big as you imagine. Did you notice his unique starting method? Whileing down, I thought about it carefully and found that this starting method is so rational, so convenient for exerting force, and so suitable for starting. So just at the start, he surged ahead significantly."

    "His mid-run was also much faster than mine, and he didn''t seem strained."

    "Jacques, that''s because he''s carrying much less weight than you," Mari-Henri Bell continued to pep him up. "In high-speed running, even the slightest burden significantly slows you down. Have you heard, General Oloro once captured an entire battalion of rebels with just a whip? Do you know what happened to his other weapons?"

    "He discarded them to catch up with the enemy, as you''ve told me," Bousaion replied.

    "Ah, imagine thatpared to a warhorse, a cloak, a sword, a pistol, those are heavier. But getting rid of those things, even trousers not only add weight, they also hinder movement. So, you see those ancient heroes? They participated in the Olympic Games stark naked."

    "Damn, what you say might make sense. Next game, I''ll alter my clothes, but where can I buy such outfits?"

    "I heard, ''Chris Men''s Store'' has these clothes called sportswear, but they''re... plus ''Chris'' clothing is unexpectedly expensive, and not many people buy them," interjected someone nearby.

    "Hey, buddy," Bousaion pped Mari-Henri Bell''s hand, saying, "Can you do me a favor? There''s a train back to Paris soon. Across the station is a ''Chris Men''s Store.'' Can you run over and buy me a set of that clothing, um, also those shoes called sneakers��I just saw his shoes had spikes underneath. Hold on, I''ll get you the money."

    Having said that, Bousaion turned and left. After a while, he returned with arge wallet and took out some banknotes to hand over to Mari-Henri Bell. "Buddy, I have thirty francs here. I don''t know if it''s enough��the ''Chris'' clothes are outrageously expensive. If it''s not enough, you can cover the rest. I''ll pay you backter."

    "Okay!" Mari-Henri Bell replied, knowing his ssmate''s family was wealthy.

    Taking the money, Mari-Henri Bell tucked it into his vest pocket, squeezed out of the crowd, and left the stadium, heading towards the train station. He hurriedly bought a ticket, and as soon as he got on, the train started moving.

    The main venue was not far from the center of Paris, so Mari-Henri Bell soon returned to the city. Across from the train station were the ''Chris Men''s Store'' and ''Chris Women''s Store,'' next to which stood the Bonwand Bank.

    Mari-Henri Bell entered the store, exining his purpose to a sweet-smiling saleswoman. With her help, he found aplete set of sprinting clothing, including running shoes.

    "How much is this set?" Mari-Henri Bell asked.

    "Oh, it''s a hundred and ten francs in total," the sweet-smiling saleswoman replied.

    "Why don''t you just rob people! It''s just a few pieces of cloth!" Mari-Henri Bell nearly jumped.

    However, he refrained from voicing this thought. Suddenly, he understood why there was a Bonwand Bank next to the ''Chris'' boutique.

    After purchasing the items, Mari-Henri Bell entered the train station once again. As he was about to board, he saw someone leading a tall and handsome English thoroughbred horse onto thest custom-designed carriage.

 Chapter 387: Olympic Games (3)

    Back at the main arena, Mari-Henri Bell hurriedly squeezed his way to the athletes'' rest area outside. At that moment, Bousaion was eagerly looking on.

    "Hey, for you, brother. I remember our sizes are about the same. You''ve worn my clothes, my shoes, and even caught my athlete''s foot��so I bought a set in my size. Hurry and change." Mari-Henri Bell said, handing over a bag containing clothes.

    "Thanks a lot. Just as you said, my feet are starting to itch again... darn it, there''s no changing room here." Bousaion remarked.

    "Oh, my friend, don''t bother about that. Everyone here is a man. If you reveal something we don''t recognize, you won''t need topete anymore. We''ll just send you to the Academy''sb for dissection." Mari-Henri Bellughed.

    Bousaion looked around and then started taking off his pants.

    Bousaion put on the sports suit, moved around a bit, and said, "Feels much lighter. No wonder back in the day, those Greeks... uh, how much is this?"

    "110 francs. They dare charge this much for a few pieces of cloth. Why don''t they just rob people?"

    "Normal. ''Kris'' clothes are outrageously expensive. But believe it or not, if ''Kris'' clothes weren''t that pricey, no one would buy them. Many who buy these clothes aren''t interested in the clothing itself but in what it represents." Bousaion said, "For instance, the ''Kris'' line always has a peculiar style, and some people just like that quirkiness."

    "They don''t like the quirkiness. They wear these clothes to tell the poor: ''You''re poor.'' And to tell the old-fashioned rich: ''You''re behind the times, old man.''" Mari-Henri Bell replied."Maybe." Bousaion continued, "But about robbing, well, buying these clothes is more efficient than robbing. Think about it. To rob someone, you have to find a target, assess if they have money, if it''s worth robbing. You''d even have to figure out if their bulging pockets hold a wallet or a gun, risking getting shot. Then, let''s say you rob me, you''d get 30 francs at most.

    However, they here don''t bother with that. They sit in their shops, and you willingly offer your money. If they''re not satisfied, you might even borrow from family and friends to pay them��have you ever seen a robbery victim borrowing money for the thief? So, I have no respect for those robbers, no skills at all..."

    Just then, the speakers outside red again; a group of athletes was about to start the second round of sprinting.

    "Hey, buddy, it''s almost my turn. I''ll go get ready. You head back to the stands!" Bousaion said.

    "Sure, go for it! Good luck advancing!" Mari-Henri Bell replied.

    Back at his seat, just as he sat down, Mari-Henri Bell once again heard the girl''s shout: "Goodness, why are they all dressed like this?"

    Mari-Henri Bell quickly raised his telescope to look at the field and saw almost all the athletes in tank tops and shorts. On closer inspection, he noticed something odd��the tank tops had buttons, and the shorts��surprisingly��looked like they were cut with scissors, not knives. Because no one would carry knives when going topete. As for scissors, those would be easier to find, like with the police maintaining order.

    The shorts were inly trousers cut short. Some guys, due to poor skills, had uneven lengths on both sides. As for the tank tops, it was the same story; a closer look revealed the sleeves were cut off with scissors or even knives.

    Apart from the changes in attire, another change was many people imitating the starting posture of a reporter from the Sun. Nearly half of them adopted a crouched starting position. However, many just mimicked it once and did it awkwardly.

    Yet, it proved even such amateurish imitation had an impact. When the starting pistol fired, those at the forefront were indeed the ones who cut off sleeves and trouser legs, adopting the butt-raised starting posture��though one idiot who also attempted this fell at the very back due to poor execution. However, the top two in this group were both quick learners.

    Clearly, each group''s performance directly affected the following one. So, by the time the next group stood at the starting line, there wasn''t a single one not in tank tops and shorts. By the subsequent group, Bousaion''s group, during the starting preparation, everyone was adopting the butt-raised posture. And the entire group''s speed notably increased. Yet even so, Bousaion secured the first ce in the group, though Mari-Henri Bell had a feeling he wasn''t as fast as that Sun reporter.

    Mari-Henri Bell was about to go celebrate with his friend when he noticed the next group of athletes already on the track, but the audience''s stands erupted into a buzz.

    "What''s happening?" Mari-Henri Bell quickly looked over. He spotted something different in this group��there were two reporters!

    One was the Sun reporter Mari-Henri Bell had seen before, and the other, their chest imprinted with "Scientific Truth Gazette."

    "An encounter of titans! This will be interesting." Mari-Henri Bell forgot to celebrate his friend''s victory again and focused on thepetition.

    "Hey, buddy, who do you think will win? The ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' or the ''Sun''?" A guy beside him seemed equally excited, tapping Mari-Henri Bell''s shoulder.

    "I think the ''Sun.'' I heard that the ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' folks don''t even need to run outside; the newses to them. But the ''Sun'' reporters really do have to run outside."

    "Not sure, but there''s talk like that... Ah, it''s about to start!"

    The athletes began their starting movements, eight buttocks raised high. As the starting pistol fired, all eight dashed out, and indeed, the two reporters were visibly faster, with the ''Sun'' reporter notably faster than the ''Scientific Truth Gazette.'' When they reached the finish line, the ''Sun'' reporter left the ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' at least two meters behind.

    "As expected, no one in the world runs faster than a ''Sun'' reporter!" the guy beside Mari-Henri Bell eximed.

    That was the end of Bousaion''s day ofpetition. There were more events afterward, but Mari-Henri Bell had no intention to keep watching. He wanted to check out the uing equestrian obstacle race. If he had the money, he might even ride his own horse onto the track for ap. However, Mari-Henri Bell couldn''t afford it, and even if he could, he wouldn''t spend it��renting this track was more of a robbery than the ''Kris'' store.

    However, as a registered participant, he had a free privilege: he could enter the arena to

    inspect the course with his race proof. Of course, this inspection had limitations. He couldn''t enter the track but could observe the track facilities from the outer pathway for staff.

    Mari-Henri Bell arrived at the entrance to the equestrian course, pulling out his race proof from his cavalry backpack. A guard meticulously inspected the race proof repeatedly before returning it, signaling him to enter.

    "There are participants practicing to get used to the course. Please refrain from speaking loudly or shouting and avoid sudden movements while inspecting."

    Mari-Henri Bell nodded, fully understanding. As an old cavalryman, he knew horses were quite skittish and sensitive animals, easily startled. Warhorses were a bit better after training, but racehorses were another story.

    Thinking about the price required to rent the track, Mari-Henri Bell couldn''t help but recall the descriptions in ''The Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men'' regarding private property and inequality. He sighed in his mind, "Indeed, the emergence of private property is the root of inequality."

    A staff member led Mari-Henri Bell along the staff pathway, where other participants were also checking the course.

    The staff pathway ran close to the track, not much narrower than the course itself and could easily amodate a galloping horse. Mari-Henri Bell, under the guide of the staff, followed this path.

    At each obstacle, the staff member reported the height and other details like the distance from the previous hurdle. Mari-Henri Bell diligently recorded these numbers in his notebook with a pencil.

    Suddenly, the pathway sharply turned, and before them stood a rather high obstacle.

    "Good thing I came to see beforehand, or this would''ve been troublesome. This turn will surely slow down the horse noticeably. Then, with hardly any time to elerate after turning, there''s this tall obstacle ahead. ''Little Clever'' has to jump from here, and that''s a bit challenging. Maybe I should wear tank tops and shorts too, and not eat too much before the race or drink water..."

    Thinking like this, Mari-Henri Bell suddenly heard a flurry of hoofbeats.

 Chapter 388: Olympic Games (4)

    As the sound of hooves drew nearer, just around the bend, a tall ck purebred horse appeared in their view. Mari-Henri Bell immediately recognized it as the same purebred horse he had seen at the train station just moments ago.

    Even while navigating the turn, the horse''s speed was not diminished. Once it cleared the bend, it swiftly elerated, charging toward the obstacle like a ck lightning bolt. Without immediate control from the slender rider atop, the horse effortlessly leaped over the towering obstacle, as if it were a mere small mound.

    In the blink of an eye, the horse and its rider raced off into the distance.

    Mari-Henri Bell watched the ck horse and the slender rider vanish into the distance. "What a magnificent horse! And the rider''s control, the seamless harmony between rider and steed during the leap, was exceptional! I believe they might be the frontrunner for the victory."

    "Him?" the staff member corrected. "No, sir, you''re mistaken. That''s not a he, but a she. That''s ady."

    "Ady?" Mari-Henri Bell eximed. "Could she be a foreign princess? Like the ancient Greek Xanthe?"

    "A foreign princess?" The staff member raised an eyebrow. "Which foreign realm could boast such a princess?"

    Mari-Henri Bell paused briefly, recalling the posture of the rider while mounted��a clear use of male-style saddlery and riding posture. In this era, any European royal princess skilled in horsemanship would utilize feminine equipment and techniques��no royal household would permit the use of masculine gear. They believed it marred the feminine form and was aesthetically displeasing, carrying implications of immodesty. Though notions of chastity werergely a jest among the upper echelons of European nobility, appearances still mattered. Even thedies of the Moulin Rouge often presented an air of aloof nobility, maintaining an unapproachable allure.

    "Ah, thisdy, could she be... ''Chris''?" Mari-Henri Bell inquired."Chris" was the pseudonym Pauline used when publishing articles, widely known among France''s artistic youth. Pauline, a figure frequently in the news, along with a certain brother, received considerable coverage in newspapers like the "Sun Gazette." However, direct reporting on Miss Pauline Bonaparte risked the papers'' closure (Napoleon worried his mother might inadvertentlye across such news). Thus, when reporting on her, the habit was to refer to "Chris" rather than Pauline. Consequently, not only the artistic youth but even the conservative old guard knew of "Chris."

    Speaking of those more aristocratically inclined, their attitudes toward Paris''s primary three newspapers were quite interesting. With the exception of a few, they barely read the "Scientific Truth Gazette," while half were willing to nce at the "Businessman Gazette," and nearly everyone indulged in the reputedly lowbrow "Sun Gazette."

    "Yes, it''s Miss Chris," the staff member confirmed. "Reportedly, she''s the only female participant in this Olympics."

    "Miss Chris''s horsemanship is truly exceptional! Few men could match her skill. The way she smoothly cleared that obstacle was like silk," Mari-Henri Bell praised.

    Although Pauline''s marriage was not a secret, nearly all of France''s gossip tabloids had covered the event. However, the French artistic youth preferred addressing her as "Miss Chris" rather than "Madame Chris" or, worse yet, "Mrs. Bell-Easton."

    "Miss Chris has been training here for over a month... her technique is indeed remarkable," the staff member replied.

    "Training for over a month? That must cost a fortune," Mari-Henri Bell couldn''t help but muse. "Without the earnings from her ''Chris'' attire, ordinary folks couldn''t afford such training. But the results are astounding; it seems Miss Chris might truly be the first female champion in modern Olympic history."

    With these thoughts, Mari-Henri Bell continued walking with the staff member. At that moment, the sound of hooves approached from behind.

    "Another wealthy fellow training here? I really shouldn''t have joined the equestrianpetition; it''s entirely the game of the wealthy," Mari-Henri Bell turned his head, looking toward the bend.

    A man, astride a gray Arabian horse, struggled to navigate the turn and slowly approached the obstacle. However, when they reached it, the horse suddenly halted.

    The man on horseback, caught off guard, somersaulted off the horse,nding on the track with a grunt, followed by a pig-like squeal.

    Instantly, several people emerged from a nearby small building, one of them carrying a rolled-up stretcher. Obviously, they were the ones designated for such situations.

    "Do you need us to help?" Mari-Henri Bell asked. Having been in the cavalry before, he''d seen unlucky individuals fall off their mounts during training. So, he genuinely could assist rather than be a hindrance.

    "No, it''s unnecessary; we have professionals. If you''re not a qualified doctor and you intervene, it could createplications," the staff member advised.

    Mari-Henri Bell acknowledged the wisdom in the advice, especially as the others had already rushed in. He refrained from advancing further and remarked to the staff member beside him, "You know, I ought to thank that gentleman properly."

    "Why? Do you know him?" the staff member inquired.

    "No, of course, I don''t know him. Where would I have the chance to meet such a wealthy figure? But his actions just now greatly helped me regain the confidence necessary for thepetition."

 Chapter 389: Olympic Games (5)

    After circling thepetition grounds, Mari-Henri Bellra concluded his inspection. During this tour, he witnessed several wealthy individuals riding horses on the racetrack. Some disyed decent skills, but none matched "Miss Chris." A few others, though not active, managed to boost Mari-Henri Bellra''s confidence.

    "Most of them are wasting their horses," Mari-Henri Bellra concluded after the visit.

    As he prepared to leave, his apanying staff informed him, "Mr. Bellra, two days from now, the day before the official start of thepetition, themittee can arrange for all participants to familiarize themselves with the track. Tomorrow, we''ll draw the order for that."

    "Why not draw it now? Everyone is here; let them draw right away," Mari-Henri Bellra suggested.

    "Well, that would be more convenient for us too��finish all this mess today and everyone rxes. But who knows what those higher-ups think? Their decisions are beyond us. And whatever they decide, we have toply," the staff memberined.

    "Can''t you voice concerns to the higher-ups?"

    "Of course, in any department of the Olympic Committee, just like any government department in France, there''s a mailbox for suggestions, even anonymously. But... just like those government boxes, it''s mostly for show. Even if we write, those letters likely end up in the paper mill."

    "On this, I must say, the French army handles things better than you and the government," Mari-Henri Bellra reminisced about his army days.

    Over the next two days, he visited twice more: once for the draw, the other for a practicep with "Miss Chris." This time, Mari-Henri Bellra observed all participants thoroughly and concluded:"Miss Chris" had a clear advantage, especially at higher obstacles. Not only due to her skill but also her likely status as the lightest among the participants, coupled with her horse''s exceptional jumping abilities. Extensive training on the track made her and her horse familiar. Often, she didn''t need explicitmands; her horse adjusted speed and steps for the next obstacle on its own.

    Regarding others, some had excellent skills but average horses; some had good horses but average skills. Overall, Mari-Henri Bellra believed he had a good chance of entering the finals, but ranking would be challenging.

    As Mari-Henri Bellra evaluated fellowpetitors, Pauline''s team evaluated his performance too.

    "Mr. Mari-Henri Bellra has excellent skill, but his horse is old. Despite their synergy,ck of stamina can''tpensate for skills. However, they may have a hidden advantage - their mental state. Both are on this track for the first time but remainposed. While not the fastest, their hurdle crossing is stable. So, we think his threat is limited, but he could push for a medal," a 40-year-old equestrian coach briefed Pauline.

    "I noticed him; indeed, his skill and mindset are impressive. But his horse... seems like a warhorse?" Pauline inquired.

    "Yes, Miss," another replied. "Mari-Henri Bellra was a cavalry lieutenant in our army, fought in the Battle of Verdun and subsequent Prussian campaigns. Honored for bravery, he retired and studied mechanical engineering at the Paris School of Applied Arts. Additionally, he wrote art critiques under the pseudonym ''Santanda.''"

    "Ah, now that you mention it, I recall reading his articles; he''s quite sensitive to art. Why did he study engineering instead of art?" Pauline asked.

    "Perhaps because engineering offers better job prospects and higher pay. Nowadays, being an engineer is more reliable than being a writer. Also, in somepanies, duty engineers don''t have much to do if the machinery works fine; they can spend all day writing novels or solvingplex mathematical problems like the ''three-body problem.'' It''s more convenient than pursuing art," another young man replied.

    "Oh, I almost forgot; you also studied mechanical engineering, right? Ralph, don''t tell me you were like that," Pauline teased.

    "No, no, how could I be like that? I never write novels or study math during work hours," Ralph replied.

    "Well, you only sketch secretly," Pauline chuckled. "I''ll have to assign someone to watch you so you don''t do other things while designing clothes."

    "Oh, Miss Bonaparte, if you insist, then... I''d request you to let Miss Chris supervise me," Ralph initially acted serious but ended upughing.

    After everyone limated to the field, it was time for the preliminary groupings.

    The groupings were drawn openly and fairly, like UEFA''s European Championship or the Champions League, with no maniption. Sometimes there would be instances of a ''Group of Death'' or favorable paths for certain individuals, but that was deemed as fate rather than design.

    Mari-Henri Bellra''s luck was decent, at least for the first round. He was grouped with "Miss Chris," although his horse was much slower. Yet, among others in the group, excluding "Miss Chris," their abilities werecking. So, when the results were out, his friend, Dan, who had already been officially eliminated from the final 100 meters, congratted him:

    "Hey buddy, I envy you. Your group is fantastic. Unlike me, in the final round, we had two ''Sun Report'' journalists in our group. Unbelievable; they did that to ensure the ''Scientific Truth Gazette'' guy gets through too."

    "I''m only in the first round. Honestly, I might not, or more likely, won''t go as far as you," Mari-Henri Bellra replied.

    "When you were familiarizing yourself with the track, I was watching. I even recorded the names of everyone who smoothly crossed all obstacles and their approximate times," Dan said, gesturing at his wristwatch, "Your performance is quite good among everyone. In this group, apart from ''Miss Chris,'' nobody poses a threat to you. Also, darn it, I can''t take it anymore; you have to treat me to avish meal to soothe my soul��when you started at Lane 4, and ''Miss Chris'' at Lane 5, you''re right next to each other! It''s... it''s so envy-inducing. No, my jealousy is burning; unless you use foie gras to douse it."

    "Sure thing, but you have to agree to one condition," Mari-Henri Bellra said, "Let me borrow your sports outfit. I want to reduce weight as much as possible."

    "You''re trying to attract attention. But that''s no problem. We''re brothers after all. Unfortunately, my Arab horses are closely guarded by my old man. If you switched to an Arab horse, you might enter the finals," Dan remarked.

    "Switching to an Arab horse, unless we train continuously on the field like Miss Chris, won''t establish our bond in such a short time. In the end, we''d probably perform worse than if I raced with ''Little Trickster,''" Mari-Henri Bellra exined.

    "I analyzed the schedule; you''re in the upper half, where there aren''t any exceptional talents. If you qualify second, in the next round, you might face..."

    The entire continent''s attention was drawn to the Olympics. Reports on the Olympics upied most newspaper spaces, providing cover for many proceedings.

    On the night the equestrian obstacle draw took ce, Bishop Leonard, who arrived in Paris with the Pope, discreetly left Notre Dame, heading to the Ministry of Truth. Discussions about missionary activities in other countries, in coboration with the French government,menced.

 Chapter 390: Preaching

    Chapter 390: Preaching

    "Bishop Leonard, wee. Your presence makes this humble office of mine shine brightly." In his office, Lucien weed Bishop Leonard.

    Lucien''s im of simplicity in his office wasn''t mere modesty. Most of the time (rarely more than a few times a year), Lucien wasn''t present here. Thus, the decor and arrangements were of little concern to him. At times, this rtively in office even helped showcase his integrity.

    Of course, the people of France believed in the Bonaparte family''s integrity. Despite the high positions held by Napoleon, Louis, Lucien, Pauline, J��r?me, Caroline, Elisa, Carlo Buonaparte, and Letizia Bonaparte, their sries were entirely donated to aid the impoverished in France. Besides, it wasmon knowledge that the Bonapartes excelled in business. With ample wealth, who''d resort to corruption?

    Simr to a mayor in ater utopian society refusing a sry and even funding various projects with billions, the Bonaparte family not only forwent sries but continually poured money into charitable causes. Their wealth multiplied during this process, much like the mayor''s. But theirs was a legitimate fortune, not from corruption. Adjusting policies and economic foresight could yield substantial legitimate earnings.

    "Bonaparte Minister, I''m honored to be in your presence. May God bless you," responded Bishop Leonard.

    "Before your visit, Bishop, you must have known that after the Olympics, we''ll take action against the Barbary pirates to rescue the Catholic captives they''ve enved and sold. These people have suffered under North African bondage, hoping for liberation like farmers awaiting rain during a drought."

    Hearing Lucien''s exaggerated remarks, Bishop Leonard couldn''t help but inwardly scoff.

    Indeed, for centuries since the 16th century, Barbary pirates had raided ships and coastal towns, enving around 800,000 to 1.25 million European coastal residents and selling them as ves. By the mid-17th century, their audacious attacks peaked, severely affecting coastal viges in Spain, Italy, and others, causing inhabitants to move ind, returning only in the 19th century.

    The French hadn''t yed a glorious role in these disasters. In fact, the Barbary pirates'' rise was significantly aided by France''s support��providing military ports,undering their loot, aiding in shipbuilding and repairs, selling weapons, sharing intelligence, and even allowing the use of Catholic churches for prayers by non-Christians. Without France, the pirates wouldn''t have posed such a threat. Now, the French were attempting to pose as saviors, which was... the height of shamelessness!Perceiving Bishop Leonard''s thoughts, Lucien continued, "During the reign of the Bourbon kings, not only did they not stop such atrocities, but they tarnished their souls for the pirates'' loot, betraying God and the pious French people. They don''t deserve to call themselves Catholics. The Holy See should consider this and emunicate the remnants of the Bourbon family in exile."

    "The Bourbons were indeed no saints, but aren''t you currently maintaining an alliance with the Ottoman Empire?" Bishop Leonard thought but replied, "The Church is merciful and just. We''ll investigate the exiled Bourbons only with concrete evidence before taking such extreme actions."

    Lucien understood this and added, "Though the support for Barbary pirates stemmed from despots, the French Republic''s government never indulged in such tant vition of conscience. However, we still feel a moral responsibility in this matter. Therefore, we hope to coborate with the Holy See to free the God-fearing people enved in North Africa."

    "But, Minister, these distressed Christian captives have lived in North Africa for so long, with their properties there. Forcing them to leave would be irresponsible. Besides, North Africa belongs to the Ottoman Empire. France doesn''t seek territorial expansion, viting our principles."

    "So even if we free these Christian ves, they''ll remain in North Africa. But these unfortunate Christians, our brethren, have suffered under non-believers for centuries. They maintain their faith in Jesus Christ, butcking guidance, they may stray or have doubts. Hence, we need to establish a proper Church in North Africa to guide these children of God."

    This was crucial, and Bishop Leonard asked, "The Holy See is willing to assist these lost souls. But on foreign, non-Christiannd, what can the Holy See do?"

    "We''ve negotiated with the Sultan. France has rights to lease ports, mine minerals, and build railways in the former Barbary nations. Along these leased areas, France will build new churches and station troops."

    "Our Church would have wanted to shoulder this responsibility, but France is honest. As per our agreement with the Holy See, our Church won''t spread outside France and its territories. North Africa, legally leased and not Frenchnd, is beyond our Church''s jurisdiction. Therefore, our Church won''t evangelize there. Hence, it''s the Holy See''s responsibility to guide these lost sheep. If the Holy See needs anything during this mission or faces trouble with non-believers, we''re here to support. Do you understand our sincerity, Bishop? This is our most significant gift to the Papal Crown."

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 390 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 391: The Right of Protection

    Indeed, establishing the Temple of God in North Africa is undoubtedly a generous gift to the Holy See. Not only can it significantly enhance the prestige of the Holy See, but it can also bring tangible ie and power.

    Throughout Europe, the power of the Holy See is declining significantly. In various countries, not to mention major powers like France, Spain, and Austria, even the small countries surrounding the Papal States don''t hold the Holy See in high regard. ording to the Holy See''s own experience, in rtively poorer areas where non-believers have the upper hand, the sheep there are easy to herd, and there is much wool to be sheared.

    "Bishop Leonard, of course, to ensure that we can reasonably and legally assist the activities of the Church in North Africa, we need the Church to grant us the protection of the faith throughout Africa," Lucien said.

    In an era not too distant, when Western colonizers could im a country by merely positioning a few cannons on its eastern coast, "protection of the faith" was always a good reason and excuse for powerful nations to invade others.

    "If the Church encounters harassment from non-believers in North Africa, or faces practical discrimination, or even martyrdom, without the authorization of the Holy See, our support and assistance would be less convenient," Lucien added.

    Bishop Leonard naturally understood what "harassment from non-believers, or facing practical discrimination, or even martyrdom" meant. This statement should not be taken literally, as protecting the rights of Catholics in North Africa; rather, it should be understood as France wanting the Church to be more proactive in North Africa, even to the point of instigating incidents, so that France can step in to defend the faith and, incidentally, secure more benefits for itself. Of course, this is purely incidental.

    For example, ording to the agreement between France and Turkey, Frenchws apply within the French concession. Moreover, in the Barbary States, the French also have "consr jurisdiction." With the "protection of the faith," French missionaries, even if not directly affiliated with the French Church (which is far less effective in indoctrinating the people, especially the sufficiently ignorant ones,pared to the original Catholicism), can be considered French. They would also enjoy the protection of French "consr jurisdiction."

    ording to the agreement between France and Turkey, missionaries are not allowed to leave the concession to preach in the interior of the Barbary States; such actions would be considered a crime. However, based on this agreement, if French missionaries enter the interior of the Barbary States, ording to consr jurisdiction, Turkey can only hand them over to the French conste. The French conste can then release them without charges. Therefore, regardless of any Turkish prohibitions, missionaries can do whatever they want.

    Of course, regions that adhere to different beliefs are quite barbaric, especially the Barbary region, a haven for pirates. The people there are naturally fierce, a slight provocation might lead to unsheathed scimitars. Preaching deep into non-believing territories might result in the beheading of those missionaries, much like modern-day South Koreans going to Afghanistan for missionary work.However, "Is this not a blessing?" To put it more inly, isn''t this what France, and indeed the Church, needs? Even if a French missionarymits a crime, they can''t be casually killed by non-believers. In such a situation, the French government can naturally step in, demand severe punishment from Turkish authorities, and seekpensation. This would further expand their rights in the region, and the Church, of course, can also get a share. Even the missionary who made a great sacrifice can be canonized by the Holy See, gaining immense glory in the afterlife. How wonderful��regardless of for whom.

    Of course, if the Church feels that training a formal missionary is expensive and draining resources, they can find a newly liberated Christian in North Africa, have him swear allegiance to France, and tell him, "After your death, I will take care of your wife; you need not worry." In this way, the cost can be further reduced.

    Certainly, the Turks will be dissatisfied with such actions. But times have changed. When King Francis I and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent established the famous "Unholy Alliance," France was trembling under the siege of the Habsburgs and the English. They urgently needed assistance from Turkey.

    In 1544, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V led his army to invade France, reaching the outskirts of Paris. At the same time, the Turkish armyunched an attack on Hungary, aiming for Vienna, ultimately forcing Charles V to retreat and seek peace. At that time, France genuinely needed a powerful non-Christian ally like Turkey.

    During the French Revolution, France faced a blockade from almost all of Europe. Many strategic resources had to be obtained from Turkey. So, this non-Christian ally remained valuable.

    However, today, almost all of Europe is practically submissive to France. The importance of this ally, Turkey, has significantly diminished. If, in the past, the French saw the Turks as partners at the dining table, now, in the eyes of the French, Turkey is increasingly bing the food itself. France is already considerate enough not to directly demand mining, road construction, or church building in Istanbul. (Of course, even in Istanbul, the French have extraterritorial rights, obtained during the reign of King Francis I.)

    Furthermore, in North Africa, from the perspective of French interests, direct rule by the French may lead to religious conflicts. Therefore, having the Turks rule is a rtively cheaper option. However, it is crucial not to let the Turks win the hearts of the people in North Africa. So, there must be significant tensions between the Turks and the local non-believers. To maintain their rule in the region, the Turks must rely on French power, obediently bing puppets for France. It''s like in another dimension, during thete Qing Dynasty, or even in the era of an eternal sage, one could only serve as the general agent for Western powers.

    From another perspective, as soon as the Holy See joins this n, it ties itself to the chariot of France. From then on, the Holy See, or rather the Catholic Church, bes the vanguard of French colonial activities.

    Of course, this is not a bad thing for the Holy See. It indicates that the Holy See is still very valuable; value leads to usefulness, and usefulness leads to status. So the Holy See can further cling to the thighs of France. Although sometimes Father France might bully the Holy See a bit, holding onto the thighs of Father France allows the Holy See to bully many others. Isn''t this the best thing in the world?

    However, some necessary bargaining is still required. So, Bishop Leonard thought for a moment and said, "Respected Minister Bonaparte, seeking back the lost sheep for God is the responsibility and honor of any shepherd. However, when preaching in regions dominated by non-believers, we also need to gather more information, including the support we can receive, the extent of our actions, and, as you believe, due to our temporary financial issues with Austria, our operational capacity has declined. So, we hope to gain the understanding and assistance of our French friends..."

    This was followed by more intense bargaining. Although both sides had the willingness to cooperate, precisely because of this, the arguments became more

    heated. The Holy See constantly cried poverty, hoping the French could provide more economically convenient aid and arger share of economic benefits in North Africa.

    But because both parties genuinely had enormous sincerity, they ultimately reached an agreement. France obtained the protection of the faith throughout Africa, and the Holy See gained a new diocese in the future, along with the right to build churches, propagate religion, and collect tithes in this diocese.

    Both sides also agreed that any potential politically influential actions by the Holy See in North Africa in the future would require prior consultation with the French government''s representative, i.e., the local consul, and obtain the understanding of the French consul.

    Furthermore, within the North African diocese, the three banks designated by the Holy See would have equal rights as French banks. They would be treated as French banks in this region and would be allowed to engage inmercial activities equally, receiving the same protection from the French government.

    When the Holy See made this request, Lucien immediately said, "You''re saying you have no money? What about these banks? Aren''t they yours? You clearly have money!"

    Bishop Leonard countered, "Bank money can''t be considered our money. It belongs to the depositors; we merely manage it on their behalf. Also, due to Austria, our bank urgently needs profitable projects."

    "This won''t work," Lucien said immediately. "This involves not just money but alsomercialpetition. We are concerned that your banks might maliciously lower interest rates, reducing everyone''s potential earnings!"

    Leonard naturally stated that the Holy See''s banks would never engage in such despicable practices. He guaranteed that the Holy See''s banks would never offer different interest rates from French banks, nor provide any covertly lower rates. Lucien insisted that the Holy See was skilled at deception, and they couldn''t trust these promises. After one final round of bargaining, they finally decided to establish a joint banking alliance to oversee this matter.

    Thus, the negotiations between the two sides concluded sessfully.

 Chapter 392: Olympic Games (6)

    Under the cover of the Olympics, the French and the Vatican reached a sinister agreement on how to invade North Africa and turn it into their colony. Meanwhile, the Olympic arena had reached a climax.

    In the following two days, the champions of the 100 meters and 200 meters races were consecutively decided on the track and field, and as expected, both titles were won by the journalist Dresler from The Sun. He secured the first and second gold medals of the Olympics, instantly gaining fame. The Sun even decided to erect a bronze statue of him in front of their newspaper office. The statue depicted Dresler in a suit, holding a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, running, with the inscription on the base reading: "Hermes of this era."

    On the horse racing field, several rounds of preliminaries had already ended, and by intentional or unintentional arrangement, Pauline smoothly entered the final. In the final stage, a total of eight horses participated. Among the seven otherpetitors besides Pauline, only Mari-Henri Bell was a legitimate middle-ss individual. The rest were all offspring from wealthy families.

    Due to the trackyout, starting from the fifthne was the most advantageous, while the first and eighthnes were the least favorable. So, when the draw was conducted, Pauline naturally drew the fifthne, while the two guys who posed the biggest threat to her, one named Andy, an Englishman with a purebred horse, got the firstne, and another named Onegin, a Russian riding an Arabian horse, drew the eighthne. As for Mari-Henri Bell, due to his stable performance (basically no threat), he was ced in the second-best fourthne.

    Of course, there was absolutely no issue with this draw. It was the will of God, and so it became a reality.

    This was the second time Mari-Henri Bell and Paulinepeted in the same arena, and this time, he was positioned in thene next to hers even before the start. There was a wooden fence between their horses, and the distance between them was close.

    This made Bausian almost jealous to death. He had tried to bribe Mari-Henri Bell more than once, hoping he would agree to let him participate in his stead so that he could get a close look at his dream girl. However, Mari-Henri Bell showed himself to be very unfriendly and firmly opposed it.

    Although Mari-Henri Bell was clearly more focused on romantic interests than friendships, he was "not a good person" at all. Yet, Bausian was still friendly enough to lend him his sports attire.

    "I know you just want to attract her attention with such unusual clothing," Bausian said with envy.Generally, participants in equestrianpetitions paid a lot of attention to their appearance, as the weight of the clothes had minimal impact on the horses. So, most people were well-dressed. There were only two exceptions.

    The first was naturally Mari-Henri Bell, who was wearing a vest and shorts. The other was Pauline, on the fifthne, wearing her Artemis hunting outfit from the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Her ck hair was tied up and coiled on top of her head. In contrast to the Greek goddess-style costume, she appeared even more heroic.

    Preparations for the race had not yet beenpleted, and there were still some things on the track not entirely ready. Riders were holding their horses inside the wooden fences, waiting. Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere before the final, many horses were wagging their tails, snorting.

    "Hey, why did you wear such an outfit topete?" Pauline took the initiative to talk to Mari-Henri Bell.

    "Oh, my horse is getting old, and both speed and jumping are not as good as before, so I want to lighten the load as much as possible," Mari-Henri Bell replied.

    Pauline smiled after hearing this. Her eyes flowed as she looked Mari-Henri Bell up and down, then said, "You must have had a light breakfast. And you didn''t drink water, did you?"

    "Yes, that''s part of reducing weight," Mari-Henri Bell admitted frankly.

    "We were in the same group in the first round of the preliminaries, and I noticed you back then. Among the entire group, your skills were the best. Mr. Saint-Domingue, I am honored topete with you," Pauline said openly. "You know..." Mari-Henri Bell was surprised.

    "You''ve published several high-quality articles in my magazine. I''ve always wanted to find you. But until recently, the private detective I hired told me that you are also participating in equestrianpetitions. Well, are you studying at the Higher School of Engineering now?" Pauline asked.

    "Yes, Miss Chris." Mari-Henri Bell was a bit nervous.

    "I really didn''t expect you to study mechanics. When I read your articles, I thought you were studying fine arts. Well, Mr. Saint-Domingue, now is not the best time for chatting. Next Wednesday, I''m having a gathering at my salon, with some artists. Would you be interested in attending my salon?" Pauline directly invited him.

    "I... I would be honored," Mari-Henri Bell replied, thinking, "If Bausian knew I got an invitation from Miss Chris, he would definitely be insanely jealous..."

    At this moment, the starting signal sounded. Pauline said to Mari-Henri Bell, "Okay, let''s chatter. Now, let''s race."

    After saying this, she leaped onto her horse.

    "Mr. Saint-Domingue, I wish you good luck. Well, I won''t wish you to win the championship because I am determined to get thaturel wreath!" Pauline waved her small fist andughed.

    "I''m already surprised to have made it to the finals. I wish you to win the championship and be another Olympic female champion after Princess Cynisca!" Mari-Henri Bell also mounted his horse, extending his hand towards her.

    Pauline extended her hand, and she lightly shook hands with Mari-Henri Bell, saying, "Thank you for your wishes." She smiled happily, and Mari-Henri Bell felt as if a poppy flower had blossomed right in front of him.

    Another whistle sounded outside. This was the second reminder for the riders. After this reminder, it meant that the race could start at any moment.

    Mari-Henri Bell and Pauline both focused, as the start was crucial in the final race.

 Chapter 393: The Coronation of the Peoples Chosen Ruler

    If one were to speak of the will of God, it would manifest in such obvious ways that any scoundrel attempting to defy it would surely meet with failure. Thus, as the wooden gate swung open, Paulina, blessed by God, surged to the forefront, leaving those attempting to oppose the divine will, like the Englishman named Andy in the firstne, with his horse identally colliding with the one in the secondne. Though no idents such as falling off the horse urred, the Brit''s speed was noticeably affected.

    Furthermore, he found himself blocked by other horses, making eleration and maneuvering difficult. Oveing obstacles often relied on speed, and with the right velocity, clearing hurdles became significantly easier. Now, Andy had to exert considerable effort just to catch up, throwing the entire rhythm into disarray.

    As for the Russian, Onegin, on the other side, he disyed considerable agility, avoiding collision with the seventhne. However, in his effort to avoid contact, his rhythm was also disrupted. Thus, Paulina, familiar both with the track and her horse, had already gained a significant advantage after just the firstp.

    Though Andy and Onegin eventually overcame the interference and caught up, the gap between them and Paulina had be quite evident, even widening��thanks to Paulina''s inherent strength, especially on this particr track.

    In the end, Paulina secured the championship in the equestrian obstacle race with absolute dominance.

    In the subsequent speed racing and bi-directional discuspetitions, Paulina once again imed two championships, making her the most decorated individual in this Olympic Games. However, Paulina''s legend came to a halt in the subsequent pistol shooting and rifle shootingpetitions. Especially in the rifle event, where hitting the target with a score above five would secure the championship, Paulina mistakenly shot a nine. She couldn''t even secure third ce.

    The final event of the Olympics was the marathon. Starting at the Shrine of the Ancestors and ending at the main Olympic venue, it covered a challenging distance of 42.195 kilometers. Surprisingly, many had signed up for this grueling event. Some even wore ancient Athenian military attire, carrying oxhide shields and short spears, turning a proper sportspetition into a carnival.

    However, these participants didn''t run far, with most dropping out before even leaving Paris. When the athletes reached the outskirts of Paris, the original group of over a hundred dwindled to just over a dozen. But this wasn''t the most embarrassing part; the most awkward aspect was that only two people persevered to the finish line. And, as per the tradition of future Olympics, there were three positions on the award podium.

    With the conclusion of the marathon, all events in the Olympics came to an end, leaving only the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony followed the usual routine of future ceremonies: group exercises, various leaders giving speeches, and the mayor of the next Olympic host city... Oh, excuse me, they hadn''t been chosen yet, so let''s skip that part.Of course, the closing remarks were reserved for the Pope and the ruling Bonaparte.

    Firstly, the Pope expressed satisfaction with the sessful and peaceful event, seeing it as in line with God''s will, fostering confidence in asting European peace. He expressed confidence in Napoleon Bonaparte leading the French and European people into a golden age.

    In the end, he stated that there was an important gift representing God to be entrusted to Napoleon Bonaparte.

    After saying this, he gestured for Napoleon toe forward. Napoleon did so, and a bishop next to the Pope brought forward an exquisitely decorated box. The Pope opened it, revealing a crown inside.

    "I, the servant of God, Pius VI, following God''s will, now dere to confer upon Napoleon Bonaparte, the title of ''Emperor of the Romans.'' Your Majesty Bonaparte, may God be with you."

    While saying this, the Pope ced the crown on Napoleon''s head.

    At this moment, Napoleon seemed to react with surprise, saying, "Your Holiness, did you just turn the elected leader of the French Republic, the head of a democratically elected government, into an emperor? Are you sure..."

    "God has already decided, let you be the Emperor of the Romans," the Pope said, "Besides, Your Majesty Bonaparte, you are the Emperor of the Romans by God''s will. Do not doubt God''s will. If God says so, it wille to pass. Just as God believes you can protect the devout Roman people."

    "Since that is the case," Napoleon nodded, then turned around to address the astonished and excited crowd in the main stadium.

    "I, Napoleon Bonaparte, the first elected leader of the French Republic, and anointed by God, the Emperor of the Romans. Today, I make the followingmitment:

    As the democratically elected first leader of the French Republic, I will continue to uphold the democratic system and republican form of government in France. I swear by God, France will always be a government belonging to the vast French people, a government dominated by the French people, and a government serving all the French people."

    This statement, broadcasted through loudspeakers, reached everyone in the stadium, prompting cheers:

    "Long live the First Leader! Long live France!"

    "Long live democracy! Long live the republic!"

    If it were Joseph speaking at this moment, he would surely wave to everyone and shout "Long live the people." However, Napoleon, not being a time traveler, refrained from engaging in such mimicry. Although he gestured for everyone to quiet down, he did not utter the phrase "Long live the people."

    Once the cheers gradually subsided, Napoleon spoke again:

    "At the same time, as the anointed one of God, Emperor of the Romans, I would like everyone to ponder a question: What is Rome? Who are the Romans?

    What is Rome? Is it Virgil''s poetry? Is it Pliny''s ''Naturalis Historia''? Is it the Twelve Tables? Is it Diophantus''s algebra?

    Rome is the sum of all these, Rome is civilization, exploration,w, and freedom. Rome is human civilization!

    So, what are the Romans? Anyone who aspires to seek the truth, follows thew, and pursues freedom, they are all Romans.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I believe this is why God bestowed upon me the immensely honorable title of Emperor of the Romans and why, as the first leader of the French Republic, I, in my capacity, ept the crown of the Romans. Long live Rome, long live human civilization."

 Chapter 394: The Roman Empire

    Napoleon''s speech once again stirred up a wave of cheers. If Napoleon, like in history, transformed France from a republic into an empire, many people might have had some reservations.

    In the original historical context, when Napoleon dered himself emperor, many students at the Paris Advanced School of Engineering publicly used him of betraying democracy. Napoleon was very displeased with this and criticized the school''s director, Montjoy, for not controlling the students. Surprisingly, Montjoy, a staunch Bonapartist, retorted, "It''s all because you deceived them." Even ardent republicans like Carnot resigned in protest.

    Abroad, Napoleon''s imperial promation caused a significant loss of support. Before Napoleon dered himself emperor, France was a beacon of hope in Europe. Anyone with a conscience, in the conflicts between their own feudal rulers and France, unhesitatingly sided with France. Themon people struggling under feudal oppression saw France as their liberator. Italians, Poles, Germans, and Scandinavians served as volunteers in the French army, fighting for democracy and freedom.

    However, with Napoleon dering himself emperor, the left-wing forces in Europe felt deceived and betrayed. Subsequently, wars between France and other nations shifted from wars against feudal monarchs to wars between the French nation and other nations.

    But this time, the situation was different. Although Napoleon became an emperor, he was not the emperor of France but an emperor of the "Roman Empire" that existed only in ideology. In this context, the crown he wore seemed no different from the "Order of the White Eagle" in everyone''s eyes. Moreover, in his speech, Napoleon ced the title of the First Consul before that of the emperor. Besides, the title of the Roman emperor itself carried a certain republican vor.

    So, when Napoleon dered himself emperor in this manner, almost everyone cheered for him.

    An hourter, "The Gazette of Scientific Truth," "The Businessman Gazette," and "The Sun Gazette" all published special reports on the matter.

    The headline of "The Gazette of Scientific Truth" was: "Long Live the Emperor of the People!" "The Businessman Gazette" dered: "Long Live the Emperor of the Romans!" And "The Sun Gazette" boldly stated: "God Says: Rome''s Legitimacy Lies in France."

    Although a very few people still worried that Napoleon might further erode France''s democratic system, for the majority, Napoleon''s current actions were a manifestation of his high principles.The next day, the First Consul of the French Republic, His Majesty Napoleon Bonaparte, granted an interview to reporters from "The Gazette of Scientific Truth." In the interview, Napoleon once again assured reporters of his loyalty to the democratic system and systematically exined his understanding and thoughts on the "Emperor of the Romans." He told reporters that since he was now the "Emperor of the Romans," he could legitimately grant "Roman citizenship" and even the status of "Roman nobility" to those who had contributed to human progress.

    "The Legion of Honor is an honor of the French nation, usually awarded to French citizens. However, Roman citizens and Roman nobility are honors for the entire world. They can be awarded to individuals from all countries who have contributed to the progress of humanity," Napoleon exined the significance of "Roman citizenship."

    On the third day, the French Council of State urgently convened a meeting and passed a resolution congratting the First Consul of France and the "Emperor of the Romans," Napoleon Bonaparte. The resolution also proposed allocatingnd near Paris to be gifted to the Roman Empire��suggesting the Olympic Games site as a suitable location��for use as the territory of the Roman Empire. The resolution further suggested that the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, dispatch the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Talleyrand, to negotiate on behalf of France and the Roman Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and to establish a permanent alliance treaty.

    After proposing and unanimously passing this resolution, the Council of State quickly put forward a new proposal suggestingplete free trade and mutual tariff exemptions between France and the Roman Empire. It rmended granting each other full national treatment, allowing dual citizenship, dual allegiance, and an agreement for France to protect the security of the Roman Empire.

    This proposal was also swiftly approved. However, the first proposal faced obstacles from Consul Bonaparte and Emperor Napoleon. Consul Bonaparte believed that ceding territory amounted to treason, even if it was to the great Roman Empire. Emperor Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that as a friendly neighbor of the French Republic, the Roman Empire also had its dignity, and this dignity prevented him from exploiting the French people''s genuine sentiments towards the Roman Empire. Therefore, he suggested and sale, where the Roman Empire would pay France the market price to purchase somend as its territory.

    The statements from Consul Bonaparte and Emperor Napoleon fully demonstrated their high principles, deeply moving the members of the Council of State. Consequently, they promptly considered the suggestions of the First Consul and the Emperor, modified the first proposal ordingly, and swiftly passed it. The modified proposal was then submitted for approval to the People''s Assembly.

    The People''s Assembly, as well as the subsequent Legitive Assembly and the Senate, efficiently reviewed these two proposals and submitted them for the approval of the First Consul.

    This time, Consul Bonaparte did not raise objections and approved the agreement. He dispatched Foreign Minister Talleyrand and the newly appointed elder of the "Roman nobility," Elder Talleyrand, to negotiate. Eventually, they signed a series of documents, including the "Franco-Roman Empire Treaty of Friendly Mutual Assistance," the "Franco-Roman Empire Treaty of Friendly Commerce and Navigation," and the "Franco-Roman Empire Treaty of Territory Purchase and Demarcation."

    The top leaders of both countries, His Excellency the First Consul of the French Republic Bonaparte and His Majesty the Emperor of the Roman Empire Napoleon, signed these treaties on behalf of their respective governments. This marked the establishment of aprehensive strategic partnership between the French Republic and the Roman Empire.

    A monthter, on the original ce de Libert�� Square, Emperor Napoleon officially announced the establishment of the government of the Roman Empire. Almost all French ministers were granted the status of Roman nobility and assumed corresponding positions in the Roman Empire''s government. In fact, most officials in the Roman Empire were also serving officials of the French Republic. Even the director of the Academy of Sciences was no exception. Of course, since the Roman Empire was in its infancy and not financially prosperous, Roman Empire officials did not receive any sry.

 Chapter 395: The Barbary War

    The news of Napoleon dering himself emperor naturally caused a huge reaction abroad.

    After receiving this news, everyone almost turned their attention to Vienna. Many believed that even if the Habsburgs did not dare to dere war on the French, the rtionship between the two countries would inevitably be affected.

    Vienna lived up to expectations and held a press conference, expressing its attitude to the world. They conveyed two points to the reporters:

    First, the Vatican''s announcement of depriving His Majesty Emperor Franz of the title "Emperor of the Romans" was unjust, illegal, and invalid. The Holy Roman Empire is the legitimate Roman authority, and there is no doubt about it.

    Second, Emperor Franz believed that the sudden event would not affect the friendly rtions between Austria and the French Republic. The two nations remained friendly neighbors for generations.

    Third, Austria congratted France on sessfully hosting the first modern Olympic Games. At the same time, Austria considered Vienna the best choice for the next Olympic Games. The Austrian Olympic Committee had invited various national Olympicmittees, including the French Olympic Committee, toe to Vienna and discuss the establishment of a unified international Olympicmittee.

    "What? Did the Austrians just endure it like that?" Many people who wanted to see a joke were surprised. This disappointment was significant for those in Austria who had some expectations. However, considering the previous collusion between Austrians and the French, this situation was not surprising at all. The upper echelons of these two countries had long been in cahoots. Moreover, Austria had many internal problems, so it wasn''t sensible for Emperor Franz to pick a fight with flourishing France over a hat at this time.

    As for other countries, well, the attitude of the Russians was basically summed up in two sentences. The first was: "It''s none of my business." The second was: "Those guys in Western Rome really know how to y." And honestly, the Russians were quite satisfied that the French chose the crown of Western Rome and didn''t bring out the crown of Eastern Rome. Back then, when King Francis I allied with non-Christians, he spent money to buy back the crown of Eastern Rome from the non-Christians.

    Of course, some said that the real crown of Eastern Rome was lost on the battlefield. What King Francis I bought was just a crude imitation made by the Turks, and the gems on the crown were even counterfeited with colored ss.However, some argued that this actually proved that the crown might be genuine. Before the final days of Byzantium, Emperor Constantine XI had already removed the gems from his crown to raise military funds, selling them to the Vians. So, the crown adorned with colored ss might indeed be the authentic crown of Eastern Rome.

    Anyway, regardless, the legitimate authority of Eastern Rome was now in Russia.

    As for those fellows in Italy and the Rhine region, they all expressed congrattions, especially when they learned that the French had sold a small piece ofnd near Paris to the Roman Empire, intended as the capital of the "New Rome." They sent envoys one after another, hoping to establish diplomatic rtions with the Roman Empire. The nobles, senators, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Roman Empire, Talleyrand, were busy with these matters. (Although establishing diplomatic rtions with the Roman Empire was straightforward �C just change the sign at their diplomatic institution in France, and of course, the Roman Empire''s diplomatic affairs in their country were mostly handled by the French diplomatic institution.)

    It was said that Talleyrandined privately, "This makes it difficult for me to perform my duties as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic." But some of his close associates privately said that Minister Talleyrand, though busy, was very happy. One reason was that the busier he was, the more opportunities he had to make money. Second, he finally became a nobleman again.

    Yes, a bunch of people supporting the republic and holding positions in a republic suddenly got noble titles. The only unsatisfactory thing was that the aristocratic system of the Roman Empire was too simple,cking the hierarchy of marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons, with at most an additional cavalryman who couldn''t even be considered a noble. But at least they were nobles.

    For example, Napoleon''s generals became Roman nobles and senators. As for Napoleon himself, he became Augustus; Joseph turned into Caesar; Lucien added the title of Tribune, and even Pauline and the others became Princesses.

    Across the English Channel, the Brits congratted Napoleon on being crowned "Emperor of the Romans." However, they did not immediately send diplomatic personnel to establish rtions with the "Roman Empire."

    As for themon people, it was basically a chorus of approval, at least on the European continent. However, in Ennd, the situation was slightly different. Some newspapers there sarcastically mocked Napoleon for wanting to be an emperor but not daring to undermine democracy, using him of having the desire butcking the courage. However, most major newspapers did not express such opinions.

    After proiming himself emperor, Napoleon became even busier because he now had to deal with the affairs of two countries. Although the affairs of the Roman Empire were quite limited, he had to appear and y the part of the emperor, which kept him extremely busy. Napoleon enjoyed the feeling of ying the part, making him even more upied.

    While Napoleon was busy ying the emperor, the envoy of Sultan Selim III had just returned from the Barbary States. The Sultan''s envoy, of course, went to request the Pashas of the Barbary States toe to Istanbul and pay homage to the supreme and sovereign Sultan.

    This was a routine matter. Almost every few years, Sultan Selim III would send for them. As for those Pashas, they would conveniently fall ill or something, iming that they couldn''t go to Istanbul. In the end, the Pashas would offer a small gift, send an envoy, make a trip to Istanbul, express apologies to the supreme Sultan, and then, everything would be settled. For the Pashas in the Barbary States, it seemed like an annual autumn wind from the Sultan''s side.

    But when their envoys arrived in Istanbul, things went awry. Because the Sultan was very busy, the envoys had to wait for several days in Istanbul before they could see the supreme Sultan. This was normal, so the envoys could enjoy their time here.

    However, for some reason, the Sultan suddenly summoned these envoys, and two of them were found drunk! It''s crucial to note that abstaining from alcohol was a significant religious precept in the Crescent Moon Faith, far more severe than avoiding certain cloven-hoofed animals. What''s more damning was that these two drunken envoys, perhaps inebriated to the point of confusion, imed that the Pashas were not sick at all but merely unwilling to heed the Sultan, who regrly called them. They even went on to use Turkey of being unworthy to lead the Crescent Moon world.

    Of course, all the above statements were made by the Sultan. As for those envoys, well, in the pce of the supreme Sultan, uttering such disrespectful words undoubtedly meant their heads would be chopped off on the spot!

    What, you say we''re covering up a murder? How is that possible? Haven''t we left a few envoys behind? These envo

    ys also admitted quite honestly, in Sultan''s view, that the Pashas of the Barbary States were not devout, and they held contempt for the Sultan. What, you say they were coerced? Forced by the curved de? Young man, your thoughts are quite dangerous...

    In short, the Sultan was very angry, but he remained merciful. He ordered the Pashas of the Barbary States toe to Istanbul immediately to rify the facts. However, these Pashas once again refused the Sultan''s benevolence and even spoke insolently to the Sultan''s envoys. This was intolerable, and the great Sultan issued the order to suppress the rebellion.

    Just as the Pashas in the Barbary States were troubled by their conflict with the Sultan, the French came knocking on their doors again. The French approached because of the incident where French ships were attacked by Barbary pirates.

    This incident had passed for several months, and everyone thought it had been resolved. However, unexpectedly, the families of the victims collectively came to Paris to petition Napoleon and the French people. ording to them, they had wanted toe earlier but didn''t want to spoil the atmosphere of the Olympics, so they waited until today.

    The families'' noble sacrifice for the greater good deeply moved Napoleon. Of course, Napoleon expressed sympathy to the families of the victims and assured them publicly, in front of the media, that justice would be sought for them.

    "Anyone who dares to harm the people of France will be eliminated, no matter how far they run!" At that time, Napoleon said these words to the families of the victims and the media.

    So, the consuls of France in the Barbary States immediately issued an ultimatum to those Pashas, demanding that they unconditionally hand over the French sailors and the perpetrators within three days. When the Pashas imed that they couldn''t find the missing personnel within three days and hinted that they might have died long ago, the French consuls bluntly stated, "If His Excellency''s army cannot find those missing persons, then let our French army find them."

    After delivering the ultimatum, these constes immediately lowered the gs on the gpoles, and all personnel boarded ships, leaving the Barbary States.

    With the departure of the consuls, smoke columns almost immediately appeared on the sea.

 Chapter 396: A Tentative Attack

    Not long after, the French fleet appeared off the ports of Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis.

    This wasn''t the first time the French fleet had appeared here. Previously, they had been here to "ensure the safety of the sacred fire." However, this time, the pressure brought by the French fleet on the Barbary pirates was noticeably greater. The French conste had just evacuated, almost a signal of dering war.

    However, the French were quite honest. They said they would give the Barbary pirates three days, and indeed, they did. They didn''t immediatelyunch an attack but stayed outside the harbor, monitoring it beyond the range of the harbor''s cannons.

    The Pashas of Barbary knew that war was inevitable. No matter how many days they were given, they couldn''t hand over the French sailors that the French demanded. Those people had long been buried inside the belly of a fish. They also knew that their pirate ships were no match for the steam-powered warships of the French navy, let alone the old-fashioned battleships the French navy used to maintain its fleet. So, naval battle was out of the question, unless the French were foolish enough to run aground while chasing pirates.

    In recent years, the Barbary pirates had bought a fair number of cannons from the French. These were mostly breech-loading rifled steel cannons (forget about breech-loading bronze cannons; those had been turned into wires). Even the old-fashioned bronze cannons in the hands of the Barbary pirates had been exchanged for new ones by the French. Previously, the Barbary pirates had mounted these cannons on their pirate ships for looting or collecting tolls. But now, leaving these cannons on the ships would be meaningless. So, the three days provided an opportunity for the Barbary pirates to move these cannons from the ships to the nearby harbor cannons.

    These cannons were ced on the harbor cannons, posing a greater threat to attackers than if they were on the ships. However, the French didn''t care much. Not only because there was a difference in firepower between the French cannons and those of the Barbary pirates, but also because it wasn''t the French who would be charging into the cannons but the Turks.

    There were also rumors that the Barbary pirates had obtained some torpedoes from the British, possibly deployed near the harbor. Although this information wasn''t very reliable, the French preferred to believe it rather than dismiss it. So, maintaining a safe distance seemed like a better option.

    Time passed quickly, and two days had already gone by in the blink of an eye. At this moment, a massive fleet suddenly appeared at sea. It was a fleetposed of hundreds of ships of various sizes. On the masts of these warships, the green crescent moon g fluttered, reminiscent of the era of Sultan Suleiman.

    Indeed, it reminded people of that time. This was the Turkish fleet, a fleet filled with a heavy sense of history. This fleet almost retained the majesty it had when it dominated the eastern Mediterranean centuries ago. However, times had changed, and the tyrannosaurus rex was outdated.Although the Pashas of Barbary hadn''t received the official deration of war from Turkey, considering their recent inexplicable conflicts with Turkey, they had a premonition.

    "Damn Turks, they''re colluding with infidels!" Yusuf Pasha of Tripoli mmed the table and roared. "They have the nerve to im they are faithful believers!"

    However, cursing wouldn''t solve the problem.

    As soon as the Turkish fleet arrived, themander of the Turkish expeditionary force, Teyyip Pasha, contacted the French. He met Admiral Treville on the gship "Constitution." The two sides discussed the matter of joint operations.

    "ording to the agreement we reached earlier, our army will suppress the firepower of the pirates'' cannons, and your country''s army will be responsible for thending operation," Admiral Treville said. "Although the ultimatum we issued to them won''t expire until tomorrow, it won''t constrain your country''s army. So, your army can start the operation now. However, because our navy is limited by the promised time, we cannot provide direct firepower support today. Therefore, I don''t rmendunching arge-scale operation immediately. Still, some small-scale reconnaissance attacks to understand the enemy''s artillery situation are eptable."

    In essence, this meant using the lives of Turkish soldiers as the cost for a firepower reconnaissance, allowing everyone to understand the level of the Barbary pirates.

    Teyyip Pasha was well aware of this, but he didn''t oppose it. Since Turkey had people to spare, just as the French didn''t care much about Turkish casualties, the Turkish generals themselves weren''t too concerned about it.

    So, Teyyip Pasha replied, "Alright, I will arrange a tentative attack to expose their firepower as much as possible."

    Teyyip Pasha was a decisive person. Since he made this decision, he immediately took action. Returning to his own warship, he ordered more than ten warships to approach the port of Tripoli, giving the appearance of intending to bombard Tripoli.

    "Boom, boom!" The Barbary pirates on the harbor cannons started firing at the Turkish warships. Admiral Treville, on the bridge of the "Constitution," watched the pirates'' artillery through a telescope.

    "General, they started firing too early, and their artillery skills are...," a young officermented on the side.

    "Ah, Coler, isn''t this natural? Piratesck sufficient artillery training because gunpowder is too expensive, and maintaining high-level training costs too much. The Barbary pirates might have money to buy cannons, but they can''t afford the money required to maintain high-level training. "Admiral Treville replied.

    Indeed, as Admiral Treville pointed out, the pirates fired at too long a range, making their uracy not very high. However, as the Turkish fleet continued to approach, their artillery gradually became more urate.

    "Boom!" A shell hit the hull of a Turkish warship, making the ship seem to shudder. However, the pirates'' shells were solid, and one hit wasn''t enough to render the shipbat ineffective.

    But this hit made the Turks panic. They even started releasing smoke to conceal themselves.

    "Damn it! These Turkish idiots!" Lieutenant Colonel Coler, who was recording and evaluating the pirates'' artillery fire on the side, cursed. The smoke also blocked his view, making it impossible for him to see the situation on the artillery tform.

    Admiral Treville shook his head. He was about to say something when suddenly there was an explosion over there. A huge water column rose into the sky, almost surpassing the masts of the Turkish warships. When the water column fell, the unlucky Turkish warship had turned into floating debris on the sea.

    "Damn it, there really are torpedoes!" Admiral Treville said with a grim face.

 Chapter 397: The Battle for the Landing

    After the sudden blow, the Turkish fleet lost its courage to continue forward and turned away from the Tripoli fortress. During this process, two more ships were hit by the fortress, but the damage from solid shot projectiles was not significant.

    This tentative attack came to an end. After the Turkish offensive, the Barbary pirates became active again. Astonishingly, two ships sailed out of the harbor, droppingrge barrel-like objects into the sea outside the harbor.

    "Pirates areying mines! Captain, should we stop them?" Lieutenant Coler quickly asked.

    "What did we promise? Isn''t the deadline only tomorrow?" Admiral Treville asked.

    "Yes, Your Excellency, but they are actively threatening our freedom of navigation," Lieutenant Coler replied.

    "Ah, so we are acting in self-defense?"

    "Yes, Your Excellency. I am very certain."

    "Very well! Since they have actively threatened us, we should not hesitate to counterattack, not giving the enemy a chance for a second shot..."

    Thus, several French warships equipped with new cannons, including the battleships "Endo," "Caesar," and the armored cruiser "Free Trade," "Common Market," formed a line. The turrets on the warships began to rotate, aiming at the target."All ships, target the enemy, fire at will," ordered Admiral Treville, and these four state-of-the-art warships fired in session. At this time, the distance between the French warships and the Barbary pirates'' mineying ships was quite far, approximately one and a half kilometers.

    In the past, even onnd, it would have been difficult to hit a target at such a distance. What more at sea? However, the results of this round of shooting were beyond everyone''s expectations. The first volley did not hit any projectiles, but judging from thending points, the closest point to the pirate ships was only a few dozen meters away.

    Based on the observednding points, the French fleet quickly adjusted and fired another volley. Although this second volley did not achieve direct hits, the result of the shooting made Admiral Treville very happy. The observation post clearly saw that this second volley formed a straddle.

    A straddle means that although the projectiles fired by the warships did not directly hit the enemy ships, the range of theirnding points surrounded the enemy ships. In other words, projectiles fell around the enemy ships from all directions, indicating that the data for the artillery fire was urate. At this point, hitting or missing was purely a matter of probability. With a few more rounds, hits were guaranteed.

    This straddle terrified the Barbary pirates. They never expected the French projectiles to be so urate at such a distance. The water columns stirred up by the earlier projectiles even sshed onto the decks.

    "Quick, drop those torpedoes!" Captain Ali shouted.

    Several men dragged a small cart carrying a torpedo toward the stern of the ship. At the stern, they pushed the cart onto a slide. A ck crew member took out a small knife, ready to cut the rope on the torpedo��separating the cart, anchor chain, and the torpedo''s warhead so the torpedo could function properly. However, at that moment, a projectile hit the ship, sshing seawater onto the deck. The ck crew member slipped on the wet surface, causing the torpedo with the uncut rope to slide off the slide.

    "Damn it, you idiot! You wasted a precious torpedo. Do you know how expensive these things are?" Captain Ali grabbed a whip and rushed over, intending to teach these foolish crew members a lesson. However, his ship suddenly shook, and a loud bang reached his ears��his ship had been hit by a projectile.

    "Quick, retreat!" Captain Ali didn''t care about whipping the crew members anymore. There were still several torpedoes on his ship that hadn''t beenunched. If these things were hit by a projectile, it could be disastrous.

    The two-masted sailboat clumsily turned around, preparing to return to the harbor. But at this moment, French projectiles rained down like hail.

    "Praise be to the Almighty, Mohammed is the messenger of God..." Ali operated the steering wheel personally, continuously making irregr turns to evade the gunfire. At the same time, he fervently prayed to the Almighty.

    It seemed that the Almighty did favor him because, after the French fired, the projectiles missed his ship by a small margin every time. Several times the projectilesnded not far from the ship, sshing seawater even onto the deck, but none hit the ship.

    "Great God, please unleash your thunder upon these rebels!" Seeing that the French had started firing, but the pirate ship continued to evade the projectiles like it was divinely assisted, Pasha also couldn''t help but devoutly pray to the Almighty.

    At this point, Captain Ali''s two-masted ship was approaching the harbor. The French did not seem to pursue it further, determined not to sink it. From a considerable distance, they fired a final salvo and then��the two-masted ship exploded into pieces before Pasha''s eyes��evidently, a projectile had hit the ship and detonated the torpedo.

    "Great God is mighty! Great God is mighty!" Pasha cheered, and the Turkish soldiers around him also cheered. If Joseph had witnessed this scene, he would have found it familiar, with only two missing elements: an AK-47 and a Toyota pickup.

    Thus, the day''s engagement came to an end. The French did not take any further action, and the Turks, after losing a warship, showed no inclination to continue the headstrong attack. Combined with thete hour, the sun had gradually sunk below the horizon, concluding the day''s operations.

    In reality, the military actions for that day had not ended. That night, several small boats rowed out from the Turkish fleet. These boats carried the bravest warriors, tasked withnding first, infiltrating the harbor, and acting as infiltrators when the main forcended.

    Simultaneously, on the same night, the Barbary pirates organized a night raid. The raid consisted of single-masted fast ships with explosives, intending tounch an attack on the Turkish fleet. The situation, however, was not suitable for such an attack on that night. The visibility was excellent at sea due to the clear night, and the night raid fleet was discovered before it could get close. Then, the Turks unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, forcing the night raid fleet to retreat.

    Of course, neither the Turks nor the French attempted to pursue these pirates. Everyone knew these pirates were troublesome. Their ships had shallow drafts, making them unable to hit the underwater mines hidden in the sea. Still, if you foolishly pursued them, there might be a thunderous explosion...

    That night, the Barbary pirates came out again toy mines. However, the French paid little attention since they knew the British had supplied the pirates with a limited quantity of mines, far fewer than the Turkish fleet. So, what was there to worry about? Moreover, mines, especially those of this era, had many limitations and were not invincible.

    Early the next morning, as the sun once again turned the sea red, the final ultimatum from the French to the Barbary pirates also expired. Now, the war could officially begin.

    ording to the n agreed upon in the jointbat meeting the previous night, the French navy would firstunch a firepower attack on the Tripoli fortress. The Turkish fleet would

    wait a distance away to prevent the Barbary pirates fromunching a surprise attack while the fortress was being attacked.

    The target of the French navy''s bombardment was the Tripoli fortress, which the British had previously reinforced. After this attack, the Turkish army wouldnd troops to capture the fortress.

    If this n went well, the next step would be tond arge number of troops and continue the attack. If this n went poorly, the French navy and Turkish army would be in a perilous situation.

    All the naval guns fired simultaneously, and the projectiles urately hit the Tripoli fortress, causing a huge explosion.

    "Excellent, hit the enemy with all our might! We will capture the fortresster!" shouted Admiral Treville excitedly.

    The warships continuously fired their artillery, forming a barrage against the fortress. Even though the Barbary pirates had prepared for this, the firepower of the French fleet was overwhelming. The fortress, despite its reinforced structure, was gradually showing signs of damage.

    On the Turkish side, the fleet had maintained its distance, and the soldiers stood ready for action. The French fleet focused on the fortress, and the Barbary pirates, who had nned to take advantage of this moment, could notunch a sessful attack.

    The battle continued for several hours, with the French navy relentless in its bombardment. As the fortress neared copse, the Turkish army prepared for thending. The French navy would provide cover, and the Turkish soldiers, along with their allies, would storm the fortress once the artillery fire ceased.

    However, just as the fortress was about to crumble under the intense fire, a series of unexpected events unfolded.

    Firstly, a thick smoke began to rise from the fortress, obscuring the view of the French navy. Then, a thunderous explosion echoed, causing a shockwave across the sea. The fortress, rather than copsing, exploded into fiery debris.

    "What just happened?" Admiral Treville eximed.

    "The fortress exploded! It''s a trap!" Lieutenant Coler shouted.

    Indeed, it was a trap. The Barbary pirates had set up explosives inside the fortress, nning to detonate them when the French navy was at its most vulnerable. The thick smoke not only hindered visibility but also served as a signal for the pirates to execute their n.

    As the smoke cleared, the French navy saw the remnants of the fortress and the chaos within its ranks. The explosion had caused significant damage to several warships.

    "Brace for impact! Man the defenses!" Admiral Treville ordered.

    Meanwhile, the Turkish fleet took advantage of the confusion caused by the explosion and started moving towards the French navy.

    The situation had taken an unexpected turn, and the joint French and Turkish forces found themselves in a perilous position. The Barbary pirates, despite their initial setbacks, had sessfully executed a surprise attack, and the battle for Tripoli was far from over.

 Chapter 398: The Great Fire

    As the tide receded, the Turks withdrew with considerable losses. At least, in these years, the French hadn''t witnessed such significant losses on their side. However, the Turkishmander, Tayyip Pasha, seemed indifferent to it. Having fought battles in the Balkans, against the Russians and the Austrians, he had seen more Turkish casualties in the past. To him, the losses today were just a drizzle. Well, although the exact numbers hadn''t been tallied, the approximate figures were out �C Tayyip Pasha had lost less than a thousand men. Look, not even a thousand; this was nothing more than a light rain, wasn''t it?

    Of course, Tayyip Pasha harbored some dissatisfaction with the French allies. He had witnessed the effectiveness of the French high-explosive shells on warships. If the French had used such shells to bombard the port of Tripoli in today''s attack, the Turks could have easily secured an area. They could then gradually expand their upation using their numerical and firepower advantage, ultimately seizing the entire city.

    So, after the day''s assault, when themanders of both armies gathered again in the conference room of the "Engilrado" to discuss future ns, Tayyip Pasha immediately proposed requesting increased French firepower support, specifically with the use of "those explosive shells" to support Turkish army operations.

    However, the French promptly rejected his request.

    "Respected Pasha, I must apologize for refusing your request. We can support you with firepower, but not with those explosive high-explosive shells," Admiral Treveil immediately rejected, "producing such shells is difficult, expensive, and the production capacity is limited. We haven''t brought many of them. We''ve already used up half of our stock today. We have several cities ahead that need to be attacked, and we must reserve these shells for that time. However, if you agree, we can still provide you with equally effective firepower support."

    "My friend, what ns do you have? Let''s discuss..."

    The next day, the Turks and the French once again prepared for an assault outside the port of Tripoli, waiting for the tide to rise. The Barbary pirates were also prepared to resist the Turkishnding.

    This time, the French fleet remained at a distance, just like yesterday. Apparently, the French were leaving the risky task of a directnding to the Turks. Perhaps, after the Turks secured a rtively stable foothold, the French would join the action.

    The French army, especially the French army, had earned a formidable reputation in recent years, even among the Barbary pirates. The pirates had engaged in small-scale battles with the Italian army a few years ago and found that even the Sardinian army was not something they could contend with. How much more powerful would the French army, surpassing them, be?So Pasha Yusuf thought that the Turks must not let the Turkish troopsnd easily, nor let them control a stable area. Otherwise, when the French armynded, things would be truly difficult. But yesterday, the French bombardment with high-explosive shells had nearly destroyed the coastal battery. Most of the cannons on the battery were damaged, and more importantly, the gunners on the battery were all killed. So now, nobody was willing to go up to the battery again. Therefore, the defense of the battery had not been restored. However, considering the time limit of the tide, the pirates only needed to hold out for two hours, and the enemy would have to retreat. So Pasha Yusuf believed that he could still hold on for some time.

    The tide gradually rose, and the Turkish warships approached the port following the tide.

    The battery had no firepower left, and the Turkish warships approached the harbor smoothly. The pirates also gathered next to the iron cannons arranged in the harbor, preparing for thending resistance. At this moment, behind them, French warships formed a firing formation and began shelling the harbor.

    Although the French did not use high-explosive shells in this bombardment, for this port, the power of the shells fired by the French warships exceeded that of high-explosive shells. This time, the French warshipsunched white phosphorus incendiary shells.

    The production of white phosphorus was not high, but when used as an incendiary shell, its fuse was rtively simple, basically using the same set as the shrapnel. Just throw out the spark.

    As one of the bases of the pirates, the construction in the port of Tripoli was quite chaotic. The distances between the buildings were very close, and although many of the buildings were walls made of stone or adobe, the roofs were mostly wooden structures covered with bark and grass, making them highly mmable. Now, the pirates concentrated here for resistance, providing a perfect opportunity to set the ce on fire.

    Last night, when Admiral Treveil instructed his staff to exin to Tayyip Pasha how to attack the enemy with incendiary bombs, Tayyip Pasha fully agreed.

    "These rebels should be burned like this; otherwise, how can they be willing to submit to us?" Tayyip Pasha said.

    "Just doing this will cause significant damage to the port, and many people, including peaceful civilians, will die. This will lead to a considerable misunderstanding. Moreover, in the future, they will be your subjects, Pasha," Admiral Treveil said.

    Tayyip Pashaughed heartily, "Thank you for your kind intentions, General. But this port is a pirate port. How many peaceful civilians are there? In this port, if it''s a man, he''s a male pirate; if it''s a woman, she''s a female pirate; if it''s a child, it''s a little pirate. These people have always been arrogant and unruly, not obedient to authority. They only recognize force. If you don''t give them a beating, no matter how good you are to them, they will think you are afraid of them. To truly rule them, you have to beat them first, make them frightened to the bone. Only then will they truly understand your tolerance and kindness.

    Besides, we still have several cities to take behind us. If we really take them one by one slowly, how much time will it take, and how many lives will be lost? It''s better to burn them here so that they all die at once. In the future, for those ports behind us, we just need to go there and set up cannons. They will kneel down and surrender."

    Since they would be Pasha''s people here in the future and weren''t worried about killing too many people, Admiral Treveil had no reason to worry about it either. Of course, this big fire would cause significant damage to the port. But after France gained control of the port in the future, it would undergo significant reconstruction. These misceneous buildings were supposed to be demolished anyway.

    Two years ago, during Napoleon''s rule, some streets in Paris were widened and rebuilt, resulting in a considerable amount spent just on demolition. Of course, demolition costs here should be cheaper than in Paris, but France was a country governed byw, a ce wherews were respected. ording to the Civil Code, France protected sacred and invible private property. If the owners of these buildings were still alive, then ording to the Civil Code, France would need their consent to demolish these buildings. Therefore, for future ease

    of demolition, Tayyip Pasha insisted on burning it first and then rebuilding it.

    And now, the white phosphorus incendiary shells fired by French warships uratelynded in the harbor. The white phosphorus incendiary shells exploded in the harbor, producing arge number of white smoke and fire.

    The French artillerymen quickly adjusted the angle of the muzzle ording to the wind direction, and the fire of the white phosphorus shells began to spread in the harbor.

    Facing the raging fire in the harbor, the pirates were in chaos.

    Tayyip Pasha, standing on the deck of the gship, could clearly see the chaotic situation on the shore. The pirates were panicking. Many of them ran around like headless flies, and some even jumped into the water in despair, trying to escape the fire. However, the water in the harbor was still rtively shallow, and many people who jumped into the water were drowned.

    Seeing the chaotic situation on the shore, Tayyip Pasha issued a quick order to the warships behind him, "Prepare tond. Full speed ahead, attack!"

    Following Tayyip Pasha''s orders, the Turkish warships quickly sailed towards the harbor,unching salvos of shells at the same time.

    Facing the violent shelling from the warships, the pirates were in an even more difficult situation. With the fire spreading and warships bombarding, they were trapped in a dilemma. Although the Barbary pirates were known for their tenacity in resisting, thebination of fire and shelling left them no room to counterattack.

    In this chaotic situation, the Turkish warships sessfullynded on the shore, and the Turkish troops began to disembark. Despite the raging fire and the chaos caused by the bombardment, the Turkish soldiers, well-trained and disciplined, began to organize their ranks and advance into the city.

    The French warships, seeing that the Turkishnding operation was proceeding smoothly, continued their bombardment to support the Turkish advance. The white phosphorus incendiary shells continued to rain down on the harbor and the city, intensifying the chaos among the pirates.

    Tayyip Pasha, leading thending troops, had a determined look on his face. He knew that capturing the port was just the beginning. The real challengesy ahead as they advanced further into the city and faced the resistance of the remaining pirates.

    As the Turkish troops advanced into the burning city, the scene was one of chaos and destruction. The fire consumed many buildings, and the smoke filled the air. The sound of explosions echoed through the streets as the remnants of the Barbary pirates fought desperately to defend their stronghold.

    Tayyip Pasha''s forces faced sporadic resistance from the pirates who hadn''t been caught in the initial chaos. The narrow, winding streets of the port city became battlegrounds, with intense skirmishes erupting in various corners. The Turkish soldiers, armed with modern weapons and disciplined training, pressed forward against the stubborn resistance of the pirates.

    As the Turkish forces pushed deeper into the city, Tayyip Pasha''s thoughts were focused on therger strategic picture. The sessful capture of Tripoli''s port was a crucial step, but there were still more cities to be taken in the campaign against the Barbary pirates. The alliance with the French provided valuable support, but the challenges ahead required careful nning and execution.

    The fires raged on, casting an eerie glow on the faces of the Turkish soldiers as they continued their advance through the burning streets of Tripoli. The echoes of battle, the crackling of mes, and the shouts of warriors created a cacophony of chaos, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary pirates.

 Chapter 399: Occupation

    Indeed, the terror of the London Fire of that year could notpare to this. While the Great Fire of London in 1666 might have covered arger area, its point of origin was singr. Though the mes couldn''t be controlled, their spread wasn''t swift. As a result, most people had time to flee. The entire London Fire, despite destroying tens of thousands of structures, supposedly imed only five lives (I personally doubt this number, as the statistical uracy of that era is questionable. However, the absence of massive casualties is likely certain).

    The French, on the other hand, set a different kind of fire. The initial bombardment strategically targeted escape routes, aiming to quickly block them. Subsequent bombardments focused on igniting a massive fire as swiftly as possible. In such a scenario, casualties naturally increased. Those close to the coast had the option to jump into the sea for escape, though even there, they risked being targeted by Turkish coborators. Nevertheless, it offered a slim chance of survival. Besides, being shot seemed preferable to burning alive.

    As for those unable to jump into the sea, there was only one path in this massive fire �C death. Despite the scale of the Tripoli fire being smaller than the London Fire, the casualties numbered in the thousands. The destruction of governmental structures in Tripoli resulted in the loss of all records. Therefore, determining the city''s poption at that time became a confusing task, beyond anyone''s clear estimation.

    Thus, the number of casualties in this fire is nothing but spection, with the lowest estimates surpassing ten thousand.

    Following this fire, Tripoli''s defenses copsedpletely. The Turks couldn''t immediatelynd, as the fire raged on. It took a whole day and night for the fire to gradually extinguish, and the Turks waited another two hours before sending soldiers ashore with small boats.

    These soldiers encountered no resistance. They swiftly upied strategic points along the city''s ruins. Subsequently, more Turkish soldiersnded at the harbor, organized their forces, and under themand of a general, advanced towards the pce of the Pasha of Tripoli.

    The Pasha''s pce was rtively distant from the harbor area and remained untouched by the mes. However, after the harbor fire, Yusuf Pasha, observing the congration from his pce, knew that most of his army had likely perished in the fire. His own forces were no longer a match against the invading Turks and the French.

    Yusuf Pasha, pragmatic in nature, immediately gathered his personal guard, took movable wealth, set fire to the pce, and, with the remaining forces, headed towards Tunisia.

    Since the harbor was still in ruins and the various dock facilities were destroyed, the Turkish fleet couldn''t dock but had to send soldiers ashore with small boats, iming their stake in the debris.However, Tayyip Pasha cared little about this level of destruction. ording to the agreement between the two parties, this port was originally meant to be handed over to the French. If it burned down, so be it; there was nothing toment.

    Turkish and French warships couldn''t dock, but French soldiers were still brought ashore with small boats. These soldiers had two tasks: to coordinate with the Turks and quickly control nearby areas and to rescue Christian ves in the vicinity.

    Even without considering the harbor conditions, Tripoli was a favorable ce - with a mild climate and excellent conditions as an oasis. Thus, there were many farms near the city. Numerous Christian and ck ves worked on these farms.

    Napoleon attached great importance to liberating these Christian ves, as it would provide more legitimacy to the operation. Since the start of the industrial revolution, the production of various goods had seen tremendous growth, and European markets now had a sense of oversupply. Opening up new markets for goods was deemed urgent by Joseph. Africa and the Middle East were the markets that the French had their eyes on.

    Due to the haste in retreat, Yusuf Pasha had little time to deal with the affairs of the farms outside the city. The local farm owners were unlikely to follow Yusuf Pasha in fleeing �C after all, their livelihoods were tied to thend here. Moreover, based on their understanding of the situation, the neers were not heathens; they were a group carrying the banner of the crescent moon, believers in the true God. Furthermore, this group was under the leadership and protection of religious leaders, so why should they run away? At most, they would bribe the soldiers a bit and continue paying taxes as before.

    However, to their surprise, a group of pagan soldiers appeared before them, alongside a squad of foreign soldiers. Then, they were informed that their Christian ves were now free. This meant that the farm owners lost their ves, a significant part of their property, and, most likely, these ves would soon appear in the market in Istanbul.

    Of course, there weren''t many farm owners bold enough to resist the invading army. So, for now, they had only lost their ves and money �C the things that couldn''t be moved. Theirnd and houses were still in their possession. However, worse news awaited them: Turkish officials soonnded.

    As the saying goes, "Thievese like ab, soldierse like a rake, officialse like a razor." One of the crucial tasks of these officialsnding was to secure enoughnd for the meritorious warriors in this war. Of course, this could be said more elegantly - to inspect and punish supporters and sympathizers of the rebellion.

    Beforending, these officials had been informed: "If those farm owners have escaped, without a doubt, they are openly and unashamedly aplices of the rebellion. All their wealth �C includingnd, houses, and everything else �C should be confiscated. If they are still on their farms, you should be even more vignt. Because this means they are secret supporters, hiding and supporting the rebels. For such vipers, we must strike even more harshly; they should be sent to prison, undergo a judge''s trial �C of course, we won''t wrong a good person, but we cannot let a rebel escape..."

    Therefore, the farm owners near Tripoli, except those who had already escaped or had their heads chopped off earlier, were almost all arrested and sent to the temporary prison set up by the Turks. Subsequently, the officials began to process these cases at an astonishing speed, beheading the farm owners simr to the revolutionary courts of Robespierre back in the day. Their wives and children were handed over to a ve trader named Eldo who hade with them.

    Now, the most valuablend near Tripoli became precious unimednd, a delightful situation. With these valuablends, Sultan Selim III should be able to harvest plenty of loyalty.

    Of course, all thisnd couldn''t be entirely rewarded to Sultan Selim III''s loyal subjects, as a portion had to go to the Christian ves aspensation for being kidnapped to this ce.

    In reality, most of these Christian ves were descendants of Christians truly plundered in the past. In thest hundred years, the Barbary pirates rarely ventured onto the shores of the northern Mediterranean (excluding France), raiding coastal residents. There were, of course, new Christian ves, mostly captured at sea.

    Those who had recently be ves were indeed few. They could, of course, return to Europe after receiving somepensation. But for most Christian ves, their connection to Europe had beenpletely severed. Even their way of life and habits, except for their Catholic faith, had be more like those of North African heathens.

    So, they had no choice but to stay in North Africa, and France needed them to stay in North Africa because they were natural supporters of France. To ensure they could continue living in North Africa, France had to fight for a piece ofnd sufficient to support their entire families.

 Chapter 400: Scorched Earth Resistance

    However, these subsequent matters need not concern Rear Admiral Treveil and Tayyip Pasha. For them, the most crucial matter now is to "make the best use of the remaining strength to chase the poor enemy," immediately advancing to Tunisia and Moro, striving for greater victories and more benefits.

    Nevertheless, having spent a considerable amount of time in Tripoli, the effectiveness of the surprise attack was naturally unattainable. When they arrived in Tunisia, they discovered that something seemed amiss with the port��almost as if it had just been ravaged by a massive fire.

    The Pasha of Tunis, Ahdad, had already met with Yusuf Pasha, who had fled, and learned from him about the terrifying weapons used by those wicked infidels, resembling heavenly fire, and the dreadful congration they caused. This news deeply troubled Ahdad Pasha.

    "My friend, are you saying that the fortresses arepletely powerless against them, and deploying troops in the harbor would be subjected to attacks by fire... How can we fight this war then? It''s simply impossible," Ahdad Pasha said directly, with no one around to worry about morale.

    "How many torpedoes have you purchased?" Yusuf Pasha asked.

    Ahdad Pasha was momentarily stunned, and after a while, he said, "My friend, you know, those Englishmen are asking for an exorbitant price; they''re treating us like fat sheep to be ughtered. So, I don''t know if it''s even possible to urgently ce an order with them."

    "God Almighty!" Yusuf Pasha eximed in shock. "Did you buy very few?"

    "I intended to buy fewer, but those English infidels... as soon as they heard I wanted to reduce the quantity, they immediately raised the unit price. In the end, in a fit of pique, I... I didn''t buy a single one!" Ahdad Pasha said with a mournful face.

    "Are those English merchants still here?""They are, they are. I''ll go find them now and buy everything they have." Ahdad Pasha hurriedly stood up.

    "My friend, don''t be hasty. First, find out where their goods are. Are they near our harbor? If their goods are in Gibraltar or even in Ennd itself, it would be meaningless even if they gave them to you without asking for a penny. The Turks and the French won''t give us that much time. Also, I suspect their prices will be higher, but regardless, torpedoes have been the most threatening weapon against our enemies in previous battles."

    "Alright, I''ll immediately have someone handle this matter. My friend, if... I mean, if the English torpedoes are still in Gibraltar��what should I do then?"

    "My friend, torpedoes have some effectiveness, but they''re not foolproof. They can use the tide to evade the danger of torpedoes. Of course, this also limits the time they can use for attacks each day. Now, our most important task is to deal with their rain of fire. I have an idea..."

    Yusuf Pasha believed that the reason Tripoli had such a massive fire was due to the abundance of wooden structures and roofs. To avoid a simr fate, he suggested immediately clearing all the roofs in the harbor area and other mmable materials. This was to prevent an incendiary attack by the enemy.

    However, clearing these things was too troublesome, so progress on this matter remained slow. Soon, news about the actions of the Turks and the French in Tripoli reached them. This news instantly strengthened the determination of the Barbary pirates to resist to the end.

    "We cannot negotiate with them, let alone surrender to them. Sultan Selim III, this tyrant, needs a vast amount ofnd to bribe followers. Besides us, where else can he getnd? Look, all thendowners remaining in Tripoli, have any of them preserved their property and lives? What they want, we cannot give, because they want everything from us, including our heads. So, other than resisting to the end, we have no other path!" After receiving precise information, Ahdad Pasha gathered his officers and spoke to them in this manner.

    Thus, the pace of demolition increased slightly, but at this rate, it was still impossible toplete the entire fire-prevention demolition work before the arrival of the Turks and the French. Finally, an officer had a sudden inspiration and came up with a better solution.

    "Respected Pasha," the officer said, "I think why don''t we set a fire ourselves? This way, we can clear all mmable materials in half a day at most."

    The residences near the harbor were mostly those of poor people, and Ahdad Pasha, after thinking about it, found the idea quite good. So, with amand, the soldiers immediately took action, driving the poor people out of their houses and setting a fire themselves.

    However, perhaps due to insufficient clearance work, many residents had not been evacuated when the fire started. As a result, a considerable number of civilians perished in the fire, and even some soldiers responsible for arson were trapped and burned to death due to poor coordination.

    Therefore, now, when the joint fleet of France and Turkey appeared off the coast of Tunis, this is the scene they witnessed in Tunis.

    The first move of the coalition forces was, of course, a tentative attack by the Turkish fleet to see if they could lure the fortresses into firing, and then have the French use explosive shells to sweep away all the cannons and artillerymen on the fortresses in one go. Secondly, they wanted to see if those rebels had ced arge number of torpedoes outside the port.

    The result was that the most obvious fortress of the Barbary pirates had only one cannon firing, and the French thought it was too wasteful to use explosive shells just for one cannon, so they insisted on not firing for this reason. Moreover, during the approach to the port, no torpedoes were encountered.

    The Englishmen told Ahdad Pasha that their torpedoes were on ships outside the port. As long as the deposit was paid, they could immediately be delivered to the port, and payment could be made upon delivery.

    Ahdad Pasha''s men followed the Englishmen onto their ships outside the port, where they truly saw those torpedoes. Then, after paying the deposit, the Englishmen sold them the torpedoes with a handover of payment along with the goods. However, the Englishmen secretly reced the concentrated sulfuric acid in the fuses with distilled water and substituted the nitrocellulose in the warheads with real starch��half a month ago, the British government had already notified them not to sell torpedoes to the Barbary pirates.

    The Barbary pirates,cking scientific knowledge, couldn''t see through the deception. The Englishmen took the payment and went home.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 400 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 401: The Siege

    Although the naval mines didn''t work, the pirates'' act of setting fire themselves yed a significant role. So now, the French explicitly state that counting on incendiary bombs is futile. Currently, they can only support the Turkishnding operations with solid cannonballs.

    As a result, the Turks have no choice but to rely on a direct assault. Confidently, they advance, only to quickly retreat under the barrage of pirate cannons and rifles. Tahir Pasha once againes to the French warship, seeking tactical guidance.

    "Breaking through the enemy''s defense head-on andnding directly in the harbor is somewhat difficult. We can choose tond first in a t area, establish a temporary dock, and then transport personnel and weapons from there to attack from thend," Admiral Treville suggests.

    "People can get ashore, but cannons can''t. Without cannons, even if many peoplee ashore, it won''t be of much use," Tahir Pasha remarks.

    "The key is not to destroy the enemy''s defense from thend side, but to attack the unprotected high-value targets of the enemy," Admiral Treville says, "The pirates'' strength is limited, and they concentrate their forces guarding the harbor direction. The remaining forces may not even be enough to guard the walls. But, are there really valuable and precious things left in Tunis city?"

    "Pasha, you see, they burned down the entire harbor area themselves, even many houses in the wealthy district over there have lost their roofs. Obviously, it''s to prevent fires. But what about the people who originally lived there? Will they continue to live in houses without roofs, especially those wealthy individuals? Will they continue to live in houses without roofs?" Admiral Treville questions.

    "General, are you suggesting that their wealthy individuals and valuable items have already been moved to estates outside the city? If we attack those estates, it would greatly undermine their defense?" Tahir Pasha inquires.

    "Yes, esteemed Pasha. However, the enemy is well-prepared, and their estates may not be easy to capture without cannons. So, our French naval infantry is willing to assist you in such operations," Admiral Treville replies.

    Tahir Pasha understands that the French are eager because they hope to get a share of the loot during the raid. Last time in Tripoli, most of the "benefits" reportedly fell into the hands of the Turks, causing dissatisfaction among many French soldiers. In the recent attack, French artillery support was slow and inurate, even hitting the Turks at times, raising questions about potential issues due to uneven distribution of loot.In any case, the French this time are requesting everyone to participate in the raid.

    Tahir Pasha is inclined to refuse the French, but he is concerned that the French might continue to perform poorly in subsequent firepower support. In the end, both sides reach an agreement: the French send their naval infantry tond alongside the Turks, but in subsequent operations, each side can act independently to avoid conflicts for various reasons.

    So, a group of Turks and French beginnding near the harbor.

    The Barbary pirates are not oblivious to these actions, but for now, they can''t spare enough people to stop the Turkishnding. They can only continue to guard the city.

    Tunis is one of the few fertilends in North Africa. The climate is perfect for olive trees, making it a crucial olive oil-producing region since the Carthaginian era. In recent decades, with the decline in pirate business, cultivating olive trees has be a significant source of revenue for Ahmad Pasha and his officials and generals in the suburbs.

    Upon discovering the Turkish and French armiesnding, Ahmad Pasha is initially worried about a coordinated attack from bothnd and sea. Therefore, he quickly mobilizes the army to defend the city.

    "Hussein, do you think we can hold off the enemy?" Ahmad Pasha asks hismander, Hussein.

    "Pasha, theynded in positions where they couldn''t bring cannons. Without cannons, it''s challenging for them to threaten the walls. With the protection of the walls and our new rifled muskets, we can defend the city," Hussein replies.

    This answer eases Ahmad Pasha''s concerns, and he pats Hussein on the shoulder, saying, "My brother, I entrust the defense of the walls to you."

    Hussein immediately kneels before Ahmad Pasha and says, "Pasha, I will use my life to protect these walls and will not let the enemy breach them."

    However, the Turks did notunch an attack on the walls. Only a squad of about a hundred Turkish cavalry arrived near the walls, stopping beyond the range of the cannons on the walls. It seems they are monitoring the movements of the defending forces inside the city. There is no action for a long time until the evening, when the cavalry turns away.

    During this time, Hussein considers sending troops to actively engage the cavalry, but Ahmad Pasha fears a French conspiracy and firmly rejects Hussein''s suggestion.

    Throughout the day, the Turksnd over three thousand soldiers. The French, on the other hand,nd only about apany. However, afternding, instead of immediately rushing towards their target, they, under the guidance of French instructors, construct camps and defensive fortifications on-site to guard against potential pirate attacks. However, the pirates do not counterattack during the night. Additionally, Turkish cavalry has conducted preliminary reconnaissance in the vicinity, identifying more than thirty ntations. Therefore, the French and Turks gather to discuss how to allocate these targets.

    After rejecting suggestions like using games of chance to allocate targets, they settle on drawing lots. This method is deemed more fair. The next morning, the Turkish cavalry returns to the same location as the previous day, continuing to monitor the movements of the defending forces inside the city. Meanwhile, the other forces head towards their designated targets.

    Lieutenant Philippe, the leader of the French naval infantry, drew the estate known as "Mehdi" in the lot drawing the previous night. Of course, they only learned the nameter; at this moment, they refer to it as Estate Number Five based on the map markings.

    Early the next day, Lieutenant Philippe leads his unit towards Estate Number Five.

    Based on intelligence provided by the Turkish cavalry the previous night, Estate Number Five is not small, surrounded by tall walls, indicating a strong defense. However, it also implies potential valuable items inside. The prospect of looting, including Lieutenant Philippe, raises the morale of the entire unit.

    Although the loot cannot be entirely theirs, French military has rules, even in looting. All captures must be handed over to the nation, and the nation will distribute them uniformly. Otherwise, chaos could ensue, with enemy forces retreating, French forces pursuing, valuables scattered, and French soldiers scrambling to loot. This could lead to a counterattack by the retreating enemy, resulting in a disastrous oue for the French.

    Therefore, all loot theoretically requires documentation and registration before being handed over to the nation. Nheless, it is not without gain; the nation awards them with military honors, and after retirement, substantial assistance is provided.

    After an hour of marching, Philippe and his unit arrive near Estate Number Five.

    "Is this Estate Number Five? It''s like a mini Bastille! Just with more andrger windows," Philippe exims upon seeing the high walls surrounding Estate Number Five.

    This kind of construction is quite normal in North Africa. The security situation there is notparable to that in France. Even during the Kingdom era, before

    the French conquest, these fortresses were constructed, but they were mainly used to defend against Berber mountain bandits and internal rebellions.

    "Captain, the gate is closed!" a French soldier points out.

    "Should we knock?" another soldier jokingly asks.

    "Let''s not make noise. There might be dogs or guards inside. Let''s find another way in," Philippe decides.

    Searching around the estate, they find a door hidden behind some shrubs. The door looks less sturdy than the main gate, but it''s still a door.

    "Let''s try this side door. Be cautious; we don''t know what''s inside," Philippe instructs.

    Upon opening the door, they find a small courtyard inside. It appears that this door is more like a servant''s entrance, perhaps used for deliveries or simr purposes.

    "Spread out, search the courtyard, and be cautious. We don''t know if there are any guards around," Philippe orders.

    The French soldiers spread out, carefully checking corners and alleys in the small courtyard.

    "Captain, there''s a door over there. Shall we check it out?" one soldier suggests, pointing towards a smaller door on the side.

    Philippe nods, "Carefully, slowly."

    As they approach the smaller door, they can hear faint sounds from inside, like people talking.

    "Someone''s inside. Prepare for anything," Philippe warns.

    They slowly open the door, revealing a room with several individuals sitting around a table, talking and drinking.

    "Hands up! You''re all under arrest!" Philippe shouts, aiming his rifle at the individuals inside.

    The room falls silent as the startled residents of the estate look up at the armed French soldiers.

    Meanwhile, back at the harbor, a small group of Turkish cavalry is monitoring the movements inside the city, keeping a close eye on the defenders'' activities. The Turks have no intention of attacking the city walls head-on, but they are gathering intelligence for future operations.

    Hussein, themander appointed by Ahmad Pasha to defend the city, is determined to hold the walls at all costs. He believes that as long as the walls remain intact, the city is secure.

    The French naval infantry, after sessfullynding and setting up defensive positions, starts moving towards their designated targets. Lieutenant Philippe, leading a unit, draws the lot for Estate Number Five. As they approach the estate, they encounter challenges, including a closed main gate. However, they find a side door and cautiously enter the small courtyard.

    Inside the estate, they discover a group of people gathered in a room. Philippe, thinking they might be guards or defenders, orders them to surrender. The residents of the estate, taken by surprise,ply with the French soldiers'' demands.

    The situation inside the city and the estate unfolds, setting the stage for further developments in the ongoing siege of Tunis.

 Chapter 402: The Raid

    Apart from grenades, the French had another new weapon��grenadeunchers.

    The so-called grenadeuncher was essentially an ultralight mortar. It waspact, even lighter than a rifle, and didn''t require much space in the equipment inventory. More importantly, this thing had a simple structure and was inexpensive to manufacture. In the future, during the resistance against Japanese invasion, the impoverished imperialist armies would be equipped with arge number of these.

    Compared to the future Japanese grenadeunchers, the ones in the hands of the French at this time were even more primitive and rudimentary. The Japanese version came with specialized ammunition (though it could alsounch grenades), while the French version, a lower-spec model, was specifically designed forunching grenades.

    Due to the imperfect airtightness of grenades, the effective range of this device was considerably less than that of the future Japanese models. The Japanese grenadeunchers had an effective range of about 500 meters, while the French grenadeunchers at this moment had an effective range of just over a hundred meters.

    However, at this time, this range was barely sufficient. Because, at this moment, the main purpose of using grenadeunchers was tounch smoke grenades to interfere with enemy gunfire and cover the explosive experts delivering the explosive packages.

    French soldiers had found cover for themselves and were all aiming towards the mansion, which looked more like a fortress firing back.

    The people in the fortress fired back with rifles. Then, the squads with grenadeunchers fired several smoke grenades in the direction of the fortress. The smoke grenades exploded in the air, resembling the sudden unfurling of a ck and gray umbre.

    Taking advantage of the continuous cover from exploding smoke grenades, a French soldier swiftly leaped forward, carrying an explosive package.

    Although the fortress of the Barbary pirates had many defensive considerations during its construction, it had strong living facilities. Consequently, it didn''t take long for the French soldiers to reach the base of the fortress. The soldier lit the fuse, and quickly ran away.With a deafening sound, a tall surrounding wall copsed on one side, and bricks, wood, and heads scattered. Even at a considerable distance, the French soldiers felt the ground tremble.

    "Charge!" Philip issued themand. He knew that if the enemies were gathered not far from the explosion point, even if they managed to avoid the st, they would be temporarily incapacitated due to the shock. Charging at this moment, they probably wouldn''t even be able to stand up.

    As Philip predicted, after they stormed through the wall, the fight inside the fortress ended within a short time.

    In this mansion, Philip''s men found some unsold olive oil, the product of this olive grove. In addition, there were various gold jewelry and silk clothes belonging to women. The apanying priest registered these items��these were now the property of France. Of course, some smaller items were not registered, and even the registered ones had slightly reduced figures, with the extra going into the pockets of everyone from Philip down to the privates.

    Overall, Philip and his men had limited gains in this mansion. ording tomon sense, the owner of this mansion should have had a high status here. How could there be so few things? Moreover, there was no sign of any noble women in the mansion.

    Philip wanted to ask the captives, but he immediately encountered a significant problem��he couldn''t understand the localnguage.

    "Damn it! Does anyone understand what they''re saying?" Philip asked.

    Everyone shook their heads.

    "Lieutenant, we can ask the Turkish liaison officer if you want," a soldier suggested.

    "If we can, do you think I need you to tell me?" Philip said coldly.

    "Why?" The soldier didn''t understand.

    "Bats, you''re a fool!" Philip said, "If he asks and finds out, why should he tell us? Can''t he just remember it and bring a few Turkish people over after we leave��then everything bes his! Understand?"

    "Lieutenant, what should we do then?" another soldier asked.

    "What else can we do!" Philip said harshly, "We have to find it ourselves. There must be a secret room here, and we''ll dig three feet deep to find it!"

    At this point, Philip casually picked up a rifle and used the butt to smash the wall. The wall made a solid, heavy sound, indicating that there was probably nothing behind it.

    "Everyone, grab something and search. Destroy anything suspicious; consider it a renovation for them!" Philip shouted.

    The captives��mostly servants and domestic ves, as most of the men had died in the recent explosion��were now detained in a small room. ording to the agreement between France and Turkey, the rebels captured by the French, as well as their family members, should be handed over to the Turks.

    This was a demand insisted upon by the Turks, mainly to prevent rebels from hiding with the French and causing trouble after the French left. Whether they could be sold as ves wasn''t a crucial reason. In general, despite the alliance, mutual vignce was still necessary because the other side was infidels.

    French soldiers randomly smashed the walls, pried up the floorboards with bays, looking for hiddenpartments. With enthusiasm reminiscent of searching for the treasure of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, they turned the mansion upside down. Finally, they found a secret chamber under a staircase on the first floor.

    The door to this secret chamber was pinned under a fallen staircase. It took considerable effort for the French to move the staircase aside. Then they lifted the carpet covering it, revealing an iron door.

    "Shotgun!" Philip shouted.

    A French soldier with a shotgun walked over, aimed at the location of the lock, fired, and destroyed the lock. Then the iron door was pulled open, revealing a dark underground passage.

    "Bring the Turkish man over. Have him shout into the passage!" Philip ordered.

    So, the Turkish liaison officer was called, and he shouted a few times into the passage. There was no response from inside, only faint sobbing sounds, possibly from a woman. The crying of a child could also be heard.

    "Tell her toe up herself," Philip said.

    The Turkish man shouted a few more times, but there was no response from below. Only the sobbing of the child gradually diminished.

    "What''s going on?" Philip said, "Bats, and Francis, go down and take a look together."

    Bats picked up a shotgun, while Francis threw a torch down first. The torch fell down the stairs but didn''t illuminate much. There was still no sound from below. Bats and Francis looked at each other, pulled back the hammers on their guns, loaded their shotguns, and then walked down the stairs.

 Chapter 403: The Loot

    Bats and Francis covered each other as they descended below. Bats picked up the fallen torch and extended it, illuminating the surroundings.

    "See anything, Bats?" shouted someone from above.

    "Nothing..." Bats walked inside, holding the torch, and said. Suddenly, his foot seemed to catch on something.

    Bats stumbled, almost falling, and the torch sank down. In front of him, a child with wide-open eyes appeared, but those eyes were all whites.

    "Ah!" Bats eximed, jumping up, narrowly avoiding colliding with Francis.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Francis.

    "Nothing." Bats recovered and replied, "Just tripped, almost fell on a dead body."

    He then extended the torch towards the area. In the firelight, a child with a bleeding mouthy there, holding a doll. Not far from the child, her mothery, clutching an empty bottle.

    Further ahead were two boxes with unknown contents.Bats turned back, shouting to those above, "No survivors inside! I see two boxes!"

    Soldiers descended, dragging up the boxes and carrying the bodies of the mother and child. The young woman and her child, about two years old,y lifeless, amon sight that didn''t capture much attention. All eyes focused on the boxes.

    The boxes were locked, but such locks were only deterrents to thieves. Facing the French, they were useless. A soldier lifted the gunstock, smashing the locks. Then, Philip walked over, uncovering the boxes.

    As the lids opened, a burst of golden light almost blinded everyone. The boxes were filled with shining gold coins.

    "What is this? Ah, gold! Real gold! Thank Almighty God! All of it is gold!" Philip grabbed a coin, lightly biting it.

    "Captain..."

    Many soldiers stared at him, their eyes gleaming with a different light.

    Philip immediately closed the box, saying, "This is French property. Later, have the prieste to register. This half box of coins should be worth a good sum."

    After saying this, he nced meaningfully at everyone. They understood the captain''s intention and burst intoughter.

    Although the time the boxes were open was short, everyone saw it wasn''t just half a box of coins but an entire box. This meant the captain was willing to lead everyone...

    What about this other box? What did it contain? Attention quickly shifted to this question. Another blow from the gunstock broke the lock, and Philip uncovered the lid. People leaned in, but instead of a box full of gold or silver, it contained neatly stacked papers. However, there was no great disappointment. Despite the box appearingrger than the first, it wasn''t heavy when lifted. So, even before opening, they spected it wouldn''t contain much.

    Philip picked up the topmost paper, a deposit slip from Bovang Bank, worth one hundred thousand francs. Unfortunately, it required a password to withdraw. Without the corresponding password, the money couldn''t be essed by just holding the slip. Even if Abduh ibn Haqq, the person named on the slip, didn''t die in this war and retained the slip, without it, he still couldn''t withdraw the money. So, this money was destined to remain untouched in the Bovang Bank ount; it might as well be considered Mr. Bovang''s money.

    There were also some deeds and bills. However, Philip believed these bills were likely uncollectible. At that moment, he noticed smoke rising in other directions, indicating that the siege on other estates was also in full swing.

    The Turks and the French attacking the estate from outside were soon discovered by the defending forces inside the city��after all, the tall watchtower on the city wall was not just for show. Adapai Pasha immediately blocked the news, as many people''s livelihoods were outside, and if they learned about the situation outside the city, they might not be able to defend the city with peace of mind.

    But how could such news be blocked? Soldiers had to go up the city wall for defense. Once on the wall, they could naturally see what the Turks were doing outside. So, military morale began to waver, and some officers immediately came to request that Pasha send troops out to eliminate the invaders. However, Adapai Pasha hesitated, worrying that sending out troops would weaken the defense on the port side. In his dilemma, he received a report that Yusuf Pasha, with his cavalry, was willing to go out and sweep away the enemy.

    Hearing this news, Adapai Pasha was overjoyed and rushed to see off Yusuf. Yusuf, with his two hundred cavalry, left the city.

    The Turkish cavalry guarding the city gate immediately reacted, firing a firework into the sky to remind theirrades who were happily looting��the enemy wasing out. Then, they approached.

    Nowadays, North African cavalry warfare gradually adopted European tactics. They also began to favor cavalry with revolvers. In contrast, Turkish cavalry remained more conservative, still equipped with cavalry spears. Of course, if there was a chance to charge, the long cavalry spears were not necessarily inferior to pistols. However, they wouldn''t be foolish enough to engage in closebat when the enemy had pistols. So, with a series of crackling sounds, the Turkish cavalry abandoned their mission of hindering the enemy and scattered. ording to post-war statistics, in that moment of cracking sounds, the Turkish cavalry suffered a ten percent reduction. What could they do? Of course, run.

    After getting rid of the entanglement with the Turkish cavalry, Yusuf Pasha quickly approached the estate closest to the city.

 Chapter 404: Welcoming a Prominent Member

    In the Elysium Pce, Lucien is meeting with his newly emerging subordinates, Victor Treville.

    "Victor," Lucien says, "I heard you have a brother, now serving under the Count of Provence."

    "Yes, Your Excellency," Victor calmly responds, "I reported these matters to the disciplinary department early on, following the rules. Moreover, my political views have always differed from his."

    "I know all that, Victor. I believe your brother''s disapproval is more towards the Robespierre faction than a genuine opposition to the Republic. Additionally, from what I know, the Count of Provence is likely leaving Ennd for North America. I think this marks the end of Bourbon''s influence. Do you agree with my assessment?"

    "You''re correct, Minister," Victor replies.

    "Bourbon has lost its value. When the Count of Provence decides to leave Ennd for North America, he admits his failure��his and Bourbon''sck of future. Many under him now need to think about their own futures. On the other hand, with the Republic''s position strengthened, we can afford to be more lenient. I believe you understand my point."

    "I understand. Only the strong have the privilege of tolerance," Victor responds.

    "Among the former French nobility, there are many outstanding individuals who shouldn''t exit the stage of history with the Bourbon dynasty. In fact, many nobles have made remarkable contributions to the Republic, and the Republic does not discriminate against them. It is willing to reward them appropriately. For instance, your uncle, Admiral Treville, is of noble descent. Due to his victory in North Africa, he is about to be promoted to ''Admiral of the Fleet'' and will receive titles from the Roman nobility and the Senate. He will also be rewarded with a mine in Tripoli and an olive oil estate from the Turkish Sultan. My friend, France is now a Republic; there are no more nobles. But Rome is an empire, and nobility exists there, passed down through generations.

    "Victor, since the establishment of the ruling government, France has reorganized its internal order, establishing the foundations of a republic where the people govern themselves; externally, we have triumphed in numerous battles, illuminating the glory of France throughout Europe. Today, France stands at the pinnacle of the world, attaining unprecedented honor. Even in Bourbon''s heyday,pared to present-day France, it''s likeparing a firefly to the full moon in the sky."Recently, the Republic is about to grant amnesty again. Many nobles who took the wrong path for various reasons, who stood against history, as long as they sincerely return and reform, leveraging their talents and abilities, do you think they need to worry about finding a ce to showcase them? After the amnesty is dered, you can contact your brother. Talented individuals shouldn''t waste their abilities in unworthy ces. Do you understand?"

    "I understand," Victor quickly responds.

    "Furthermore, you''ve performed exceptionally well before,pleting many important tasks. Therefore, as the Protector of the Roman Empire, I''ve proposed to the Imperial Senate to admit you as a Roman citizen. Do you have any objections to this?"

    "I am very grateful for your rmendation. It is an honor for me to be a citizen of the great Roman Empire," Victor says quickly.

    "Very well. Also, your son''s painting skills are impressive. After Jacques-Louis David saw his artworkst time, he praised him for his talent. He even expressed a desire to be his painting teacher. I believe he will be a great artist in the future."

    "Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency," Victor says.

    "Alright, finally, we have one more task for you to undertake. I know you''ve just returned from a journey, and you may want to spend more time at home with your wife and children. However, Victor, why do we, people like us, endure suchbor and hardships outside? It is for the sake of ensuring their peaceful days at home, isn''t it?" Lucien says.

    "Minister, where am I going this time?" Victor asks.

    "North Africa. To be precise, to Tripoli," Lucien replies. "You will go with Father Peter from the Vatican. Over there, you will finalize the allocation ofnd for the liberated ves, organize them, and establish a capable militia.

    "Additionally, keep an eye on the Vatican''s people. Although, for now, they align with us on this matter, we must control the organization in our hands. Victor, do you know what to do?"

    "I understand," Victor nods.

    "Tell me your thoughts," Lucien asks.

    Victor thinks for a moment before responding, "The most stable connection is based on economic integration. So, the first priority is to organize those Christian farmers into amercial and production sector. Let them produce olive oil or anything else profitable, then centralize the procurement and sales, simr to what the Veterans Association does in rural areas. Moreover, since the North African region may not be suitable for cultivating crops, once this structure is established, their dependence on us will deepen. Of course, this is just a general idea. I need to learn more specifics before finalizing the n."

    "Very good!" Lucien apuds. "Victor, I haven''t misjudged you. You are indeed someone with vision and capability, worthy of cultivation. Later, go find Mr. Ferrero; he should have prepared the relevant materials. For this week, you can read these in the small reading room of the Elysium Pce, but you cannot take the materials with you, understand? After a week, submit yourplete n to me. If there are no issues, we can arrange for your journey to Tripoli."

    Exiting Lucien''s office, Victor heads to the secretariat and finds Lucien''s true secretary, Ferrero.

    Ferrero is a thin, small middle-aged man, always dressed in a ck suit that stands out from the entire Elysium Pce''s atmosphere. After Victor exins his purpose, Ferrero meticulously checks Victor''s various credentials��even though he just came from the minister''s office. Once he confirms the authenticity of the person before him, Ferrero nods and says, "Mr. Treville, the relevant materials are already prepared for you. Please follow me."

    Victor follows the small man to a reading room. Ferrero opens the door and says, "Mr. Treville, please wait here for a moment. I''ll bring the materials to you shortly."

    Victor enters and sits at the desk, observing the room''s decor. Unlike other rooms in the Elysium Pce, this reading room is exceptionally simple. The spacious desk is only varnished, in, and without any decoration. There is a small button on the right side. On the right side of the desk, there is a state-of-the-art typewriter. The chair is of amon style, without any embellishments. Even the overheadmp is quite ordinary. However, due to therge floor-to-ceiling windows, the room is very bright.

    As Victor is looking around, he sees Ferrero entering with a servant pushing a small cart filled with various books and documents. The servant leaves after pushing the cart in. Ferrero then says to Victor, "Mr. Treville, these are the materials Minister Lucien asked me to prepare for you. You can go through them here, but you cannot take them or record

    anything. If you need food, tea, or if you n to leave, you can press that button, and a servant will be in the next room."

    After conveying this information, Ferrero nods slightly to Victor and leaves the reading room.

    Victor walks over to the cart and begins examining the materials.

    Clearly, Ferrero has prepared thorough and well-organized materials for Victor, with detailed categories covering local history, geography, culture, climate, and resources. There are also thetest intelligence reports. Victor first picks up the most recent intelligence and sits back at the desk, carefully reading through it.

    A weekter, Victor submits a stack of printed documents to Lucien. After a thorough review, Lucien says to Victor, "Very good, Victor! Go home, rest for a couple of days, and prepare yourself. We will soon arrange your journey to Tripoli."

    Almost simultaneously, in the Vatican, the Pope is discussing matters with a bishop named Torres. Since presiding over Napoleon''s coronation, the Pope''s health has been deteriorating day by day. He knows that his days, called by the Lord, are not far off.

    Regardless of whether the Pope truly believes in God with deep faith, at this moment, reflecting on his life, he can''t help but recall the assessment of his predecessor, Pope Urban VIII, regarding Cardinal Richelieu: "If God truly exists, our brother will have exnations over there; if God does not exist, then his life is indeed remarkable."

    On the question of whether God exists or not, well, if you ask the Pope, he would undoubtedly affirm His existence. Especially now, when the verification seems imminent, he involuntarily thinks about the issue of "how to exin to God." Under his leadership, the Vatican''s position has been declining, and that''s not easy to exin.

    So, the Pope believes that he must seize thisst opportunity, do something big, no, do something that genuinely pleases God. Thus, he breathes heavily and says, "Torres, my brother, you know thosembs in North Africa have been separated from the Church for a long time... We must find a way to guide them onto the right path, fulfilling the trust the Lord has ced in us. In North Africa, we need to rely on the strength of the French, but also... also be cautious of them. We cannot let... we cannot let their influences contaminate... contaminate thembs... Do you understand?"

 Chapter 405: The Consul

    The distance to Istanbul is a bit farther, and since they don''t have telegrams, Sultan Selim III got the news of the recapture of Tripoli by the invincible Turkish army a bitter than the European countries like France. However, when dispatching the expeditionary force, they had already decided who would rule Tripoli once it was captured. So, in reality, the Turks acted faster than the French and the Vatican.

    Nevertheless, the Turks didn''t engage in any unscrupulous activities during this time gap. Before deploying the troops, everyone had already discussed issues such asnd distribution and the selection of church sites. It was agreed that the final decisions would be made only after the French consul and representatives from the Vatican arrived. Therefore, the Turks'' actions were, in fact, faster than both the French and the Vatican.

    However, taking the initiative did have its advantages, especially when it came to wealth distribution.

    So, when Viktor arrived in Tripoli, the Turks had already registered the situation of the estates in the area. The remaining tasks mainly involved two things: identifying the believers and allocating thend.

    Identifying the believers should have been straightforward because every Christian ve theoretically should have been on a list. However, the great fire in Tripoli destroyed many things, including the lists, making it uncertain whether a person was a Christian or not.

    When Viktor saw the "Christian ve List" provided by the Turks, he immediately noticed a problem. The number of Christians on the list seemed to be a bit too low.

    "Respected Pasha, is there an original list?" Viktor asked.

    "Yes, but it''s written in Turkish," replied Pasha Benhaden, the newly appointed Pasha of Tripoli. "Do you need to see the original list?"

    "Yes, Pasha. This is a sacred mission entrusted to me by the First Consul of France and the Emperor of the Roman Empire. I must take it seriously," Viktor nodded.So, Pasha Benhaden had the original documents brought in.

    "Respected Pasha, may I take these things back to study?" Viktor asked.

    "No problem. There''s no issue at all. Feel free to study them as much as you want. We are intimate allies, after all," Pasha Benhaden replied.

    Viktor took the original list back andpared it with the current one. He found that almost every name from the initial list could be found on the original list. However, there were quite a few names on the original list that were missing from the current "Christian ve List."

    The next morning, Viktor didn''t even have breakfast. He went straight to Pasha Benhaden''s residence, seeking an audience. Seeing that it was the French consul, the servant dared not neglect the news and invited Viktor to the front yard to have coffee, rushing to report to Pasha Benhaden.

    At this time, Pasha Benhaden was having breakfast. He was known for his temper. Regardless of who he met, as long as the official was of a lower rank, whether a general or a noble, he would show his displeasure without reservation. Those who worked under him were even more at his mercy, ranging from verbal scolding to physical punishment, depending on the situation.

    The servant went in to report, but upon seeing that Pasha Benhaden was having a meal, he remembered one of the rules set when he took office. One of them was that, while he was eating, no matter what happened, no one was allowed to disturb him. Eating was important.

    Therefore, the servant dared not approach and could only stand aside.

    However, Pasha Benhaden happened to see the servant, asked, "What''s the matter?"

    The servant quickly approached and reported, "Reporting to Pasha, there is a visitor who wishes to see you..."

    Before he could finish speaking, a sound of a p was heard, leaving five finger marks on the servant''s face. Then, Pasha Benhaden cursed, "Nonsense bastard! How many times did I instruct you? While I''m eating, no matter whoes, you''re not allowed to disturb me. Do you have no ears? Did you not hear?"

    Saying that, he lifted his leg and gave the servant another kick, knocking him to the ground.

    Pasha Benhaden, still angry, went to the shelf by the table and took his whip. The servant, realizing the situation was not good, hastily said, "Respected Pasha, this visitor is different. It''s an extremely important matter."

    Pasha Benhaden became even more furious, shouting, "Is he more important than me? Whoever he is, whether a general or a noble, is there anyone more important than me here?"

    The servant quickly exined, "It''s Mr. Treville, the consul of the French Republic."

    Upon hearing this, Pasha Benhaden''s attitude suddenly changed. He became less aggressive and stood there in a daze for a while. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly pped the other side of the servant''s face, leaving another five finger marks. Then, he jumped up, scolded, "Nonsense bastard! Who did you think I am? So, it''s a Frenchman! Why didn''t you tell me earlier? Let him wait outside for half a day?"

    The servant quickly replied, "Originally, I was about to inform, but seeing Pasha was having a meal, I waited in the corridor."

    Pasha Benhaden, upon hearing this, lifted his leg and kicked again, saying, "Other guests are not allowed toe in while I''m eating. If it''s a Frenchman, and it''s about the friendly rtions between the two countries, why make him wait outside for half a day? Foolish bastard! Hurry up and invite him in!"

    So, the servant quickly ran out and invited Viktor into the living room.

    Once they were seated in the living room, Pasha Benhaden asked, "I wonder what business Mr. Consul has here?"

    Viktor exined, "Yesterday, after reviewing the original register, I noticed some burn marks on it. Considering the great fire in Tripoli at that time, many Christian ves must have been burned to death. Therefore, the number of names on the Christian ve list you provided me is fewer than those on the original list. I can understand that. However, I believe that there must be some names on the new list that were originally on the part that got burned. In other words, some names on the new list should not be on the original list. So, I think there might be some errors or omissions in the counting of Christian ves. I strongly request aprehensive and thorough reexamination of all the ves to ensure that no one deserving of freedom continues to suffer an unfortunate fate."

    Pasha Benhaden, after hearing this, said, "Ah, is that so? It must be those damned servants cking off. If not for Mr. Consul''spassion and meticulousness, a rough person like me might have been deceived by them. Fortunately, the ves are still here. I will immediately order those below to conduct a thorough investigation. What do you think?"

 Chapter 406: The Vaticans Representative

    Regarding Pasha Benharden''s proposal, Victor shook his head.

    "Respected Pasha, I believe it''s best to leave the matter of identification to us. After all, we share a more consistent faith with them."

    However, Pasha Benharden hesitated slightly at this proposal. Because ves equated to wealth, more ves meant more wealth. The captives were now the wealth of the Ottoman Empire, but he held the rights to their use. Therefore, every additional Christian ve meant a certain loss of his interests. Although he held some goodwill towards the French, it didn''t mean he was willing to incur losses in terms of benefits.

    So Victor believed that if this matter were left to Pasha Benharden, he would at most, for the sake of face, offer a few more Christian ves, but not create arge number of them, as Victor hoped.

    However, Victor desperately needed a sufficient number of Christian ves. Even though, ording to the agreement between the two countries, thend allocated to the original Christian ves would not increase or decrease based on their numbers (because an increase in Christian ves would mean a decrease in benefits for the Ottomans, leading to potential conflict). Yet, having more Christian ves meant the quick formation of amunity and a prepared force for various actions in the future.

    But due to the interests involved, and Pasha Benharden''s awareness that Victor was highly motivated to increase the number of Christian ves, the situation was delicate. The more Christian ves rescued, the more the French action appeared justifiable, enhancing Napoleon''s title as the "Emperor of the Romans" and presenting him more as a European leader than a mere joke.

    Therefore, Pasha Benharden believed that if left to the French themselves, Victor would use all means to induce, and even force those who were not Christians to be Christian ves. It wouldn''t even require much inducement or force; just tell them: "If you be a Christian, you can immediately be a self-sufficient farmer with your ownnd." Except for those genuinely devout believers, many would eagerly embrace Christianity.

    So Pasha Benharden responded, "Mr. Consul, I feel that by doing this, you are clearly showing ack of trust in us."

    Victor immediately replied, "It''s not that we don''t trust you, but the list you gave usst time is simply too unreliable. ording to the information we''ve obtained, even based on some pirate documents we captured and interrogations of captured pirates, there are far more Christian ves in the ntations near Tripoli than the numbers you provided. Moreover, through inquiries with the Christian ves you handed over to us, we learned that many Christian ves weren''t brought here with them. So, respected Pasha, in such a situation, how can we trust you?"Pasha Benharden hesitated for a moment and then quickly said, "It''s thosezy scoundrels below..."

    "So, we can''t leave all these matters to them anymore," Victor added.

    "In that case," Pasha Benharden said, "at least we should also participate in the identification... I believe this is a fair and reasonable approach."

    So the two continued to negotiate, and finally, both sides reached a temporary agreement on this matter. In the identification process, both the French and the Ottomans would participate. However, during the identification, for every five subjects, the French could spend some time alone with one. The ves, after iming to be Christians, had to answer a series of questions about Christianity. If there were too many mistakes, they couldn''t be recognized as Christians. In addition, a ve recognized as a Christian also needed the approval of another Christian ve working on the same farm, or else they couldn''t be acknowledged as a Christian.

    Of course, this was only a preliminary verbal agreement. Pasha Benharden insisted that the specific execution had to wait until the representative of the Holy See arrived.

    On the surface, it showed respect for the Holy See, but in reality, it was a tactic to dy and take measures to avoid arge number of ves iming to be Christians. As long as the time was avable, they could resort to intimidation and coercion. Oh, there was no coercion; it was just intimidation, using the argument that non-believers were trying to deceive them, that non-believers would trick them into being used for human sacrifices, and so on, to scare and manipte them.

    Victor understood this, but he also knew that the representatives of the Holy See should arrive soon. It wasn''t worth letting the Turks create a rift between France and the Holy See for the sake of a few days. Moreover, based on his understanding of the Turks, he didn''t believe that they could brainwash others to believe everything they said in just a few days.

    The representatives from the Holy See arrived quite promptly, given the limited avability of steamships. Since steamships weren''t widespread yet, they had to resort to regr sailing ships. Among these, the only ones capable of higher speeds were the clipper ships. However, thefort level of clipper ships was always an issue, even in the mostly calm Mediterranean. Bishop Torres, the representative of the Holy See, was already in his sixties, and considering his health, he should have chosen a normal passenger ship that averaged a little over four knots per hour. Nevertheless, at this crucial moment, Bishop Torres disyed a courageousmitment to God''s work. He rented a clipper ship with his entourage and arrived in Tripoli at the fastest speed possible. So, on the second day of the verbal agreement between Victor and Pasha Benharden, Bishop Torres was already in Tripoli. Surprisingly, despite feeling seasick when disembarking, requiring two attendants to help him down from the ship, he rested for just over an hour in the temporary residence and immediately regained his spirits. He actively sought out Victor.

    "Bishop Torres, why have youe? I thought you would take some rest," Victor couldn''t help butment upon seeing Bishop Torres.

    "Ah, I do need to rest, but when I think about those poormbs, I cannot rest," Bishop Torres said. "Consul Trevail, I''ve just arrived, and I''m not familiar with the situation here. Could you enlighten me?"

    Victor then detailed the discussions with Pasha Benharden over the past two days and the verbal agreement they reached.

    After listening, Bishop Torres thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Consul, your considerations are very thoughtful. Let''s quickly go meet Pasha. Time is crucial now, and I suspect those cunning non-believers are using this time to intimidate our faithful. We cannot let their schemes seed. The identification operation must start immediately, the sooner, the better."

    "Bishop Torres, don''t you really need to rest for a while?" Victor asked.

    "The mission to save God''smbs motivates me; I cannot stop at this moment."

    So Victor and Bishop Torres went to meet Pasha Benharden together.

    It was already evening, and Pasha Benharden had finished bathing, nning to do some exercise before going to bed. Unexpectedly, a servant came to report that the French consul was seeking an audience.

    If it were someone else, Pasha Benharden would surely drag them out and give them a good whipping. But since it was the French consul, well... he had to quickly put on some clothes and go meet him.

    In the living room, Pasha Benharden saw two people already seated in the guest positions. One was the French consul he recognized, Trevail, and the other was a priest wearing a cross and bishop robes. He understood that the representative of the Catholic Church had arrived.

    Bishop Torres arrived in Tripoli in the evening, and the Turkish guards at the port naturally knew about it. However, at that time, Pasha Benharden was having dinner, so no one dared to report. After dinner, he was watching a dance performance, and no one dared to disturb him. After the dance, Pasha Benharden was about to take a bath. Until now, he was still unaware that the representative of the Holy See had arrived.

    But Pasha Benharden didn''t think it was his problem. Regarding theck of prior knowledge and preparation for this matter, he attributed it to the ipetence of his subordinates. They all deserved a good whipping. Overall, Pasha Benharden was a rather benevolent person. In his punishment measures, there were more whippings and fewer beheadings.

    "Consul Trevail, I wonder why you''vee to me sote. Is there something urgent? And who is this bishop?" Pasha Benharden asked with a smile.

    "Respected Pasha, this is the representative of the Holy See, Bishop Torres. He just arrived today. I originally advised him toe and visit Your Excellency tomorrow, but the bishop felt that if he arrived at a ce, not immediately paying respects to the host would be impolite. So, I apanied him here," Victor exined.

 Chapter 407: A Threefold Victory

    As Viktor concluded his words, Bishop Torres gracefully bowed to Pasha Benharden. Acknowledging that Benharden was a non-believer, the Bishop tactfully omitted religious phrases like "May God be with you" from his greetings. Despite earlier referring to Viktor as an "evil infidel" and a "snake spewing venom" when conversing with Pasha Benharden, Bishop Torres maintained a polite demeanor when facing the real person.

    However, Pasha Benharden would have preferred a less courteous approach, especially at this moment. Not only did the Bishop disrupt his mood, but the swift arrival of the Papal envoy left many of his arrangements unprepared.

    Regardless, he had to disy utmost hospitality. Pasha Benharden expressed, "Wee, Bishop Torres. We have been anticipating your arrival for quite some time."

    After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats, and maids served coffee. Pasha Benharden inquired, "Consul Treville, Bishop Torres, yourte-night visit surely pertains to official matters, doesn''t it?"

    Viktor smiled, responding, "Pasha, as we agreedst time, once the representative of the Holy See arrives, we canmence the process of identifying ves. So, we came to discuss with Pasha when this work can officially start."

    Naturally, Pasha Benharden sought to dy this as much as possible. He first suggested that Bishop Torres should rest due to the long journey. Then, he imed that his side was not fully prepared. In short, various reasons were given to postpone the identification work; tomorrow was too soon, the day after was rushed, and even a weekter seemed impractical.

    Hearing this, Viktor adopted a rxed tone, mentioning the depletion of coal and ammunition supplies by the French fleet during their prolonged mission at sea. The ships urgently needed to return to Toulon for resupply.

    A sudden withdrawal of the French fleet at this point would inevitably prolong the siege of Tunis. With the war halfway through, each additional day meant increased expenses for the Empire. The value of a few Christian ves seemed negligiblepared to these costs.

    However, Pasha Benharden was not easily intimidated. Despite being aware of Viktor''s uncle, Admiral Treville,manding the French fleet, he doubted that France would go to war over such a trivial matter. Furthermore, if such a situation did arise, it would be the Empire''s interests that suffered. Pasha Benharden believed that, under normal circumstances, France would not allow severe damage to national interest for personal gain. Additionally, the current Consul Treville bore the name Treville, not Bonaparte.Therefore, Pasha Benharden insisted that he understood the needs of the French fleet but hoped they could return to the battlefield after refueling and restocking ammunition.

    Seeing Pasha Benharden''s firm stance, Viktor had no immediate solution. However, Bishop Torres interjected, "Respected Pasha, besides the matter of starting the identification process as soon as possible, there is another thing I would like to trouble you with."

    "Pasha, feel free to speak. You know, the Ottoman Empire has always been very tolerant in religious matters. We are willing to facilitate requests from people of faith," replied Pasha Benharden.

    "Since there are so many faithful followers of God settling here, they certainly need a church," Bishop Torres said. "I hope to purchase a piece ofnd from you, Pasha, to build a church."

    "Wasn''t thend already allocated for the construction of the church?" Pasha Benharden asked.

    "Ah, respected Pasha, the situation is like this: the location of that piece ofnd is problematic. It''s too close to the harbor, too noisy. So, I hope to buy another piece ofnd from you for building the church," exined Bishop Torres.

    Pasha Benharden paused for a moment and then smiled, "Bishop, did you sell that piece ofnd to Consul Treville?"

    In the original n, thend allocated to the Holy See for the construction of the church was quite close to the port and, in terms of value, was one of the higher ces in the entire city. Selling thatnd to someone else and using the money to build the church in a cheaper location could indeed be profitable.

    Though Bishop Torres did not confirm this spection, he did not deny it either. Instead, he said with a smile, "In addition, the size of the church and how muchnd to buy depends on the number of believers. So, I still hope to start the identification work of the faithful as soon as possible."

    Pasha Benharden nowpletely understood the other''s intention and thought, "I must stand firm; this infidel is trying to corrupt me. I must stand firm and not easily agree unless he can offer a truly tempting price."

    So, the negotiation quickly shifted from discussing when to start the identification of ves to where to buy a piece ofnd, how big thend should be, and at what price per unit. Pasha Benharden even had a map brought in, and everyone discussed it together. In the end, Bishop Torres and Pasha Benharden agreed on the sale of a piece ofnd in the city at a price clearly higher than the market value.

    After this deal was concluded, the attitudes between the three of them improved considerably. Even Pasha Benharden felt that if every disturbance could lead to such results, he would be willing to be disturbed more often.

    "Respected Pasha," Bishop Torres spoke again, "Regarding the matter of identifying ves..."

    "Ah," Pasha Benharden smiled, "Although this matter is a bit troublesome, if it''s on me, I

    will definitely satisfy you, Bishop. Well, tomorrow is a bit too rushed; how about starting from the day after tomorrow..."

    After everything was settled, Viktor and Bishop Torres bid farewell and left.

    In the carriage on the way back, Viktor sincerely said to Bishop Torres, "Your Excellency, today I''ve truly learned a lot from you."

    "Oh, it''s nothing. Those infidels are not gentlemen by nature, so dealing with them is all about interests," Bishop Torres smiled. "In addition, Mr. Consul, I don''t know what offer you would give me for the original site of the church. It should be slightly higher than the price negotiated with that infidel just now, as I don''t have the money to pay for the price of thatnd."

    Honestly, buying the original location of the church at a slightly higher price than the newly negotiated one was economically justifiable.

    "But, Your Excellency, I don''t have that much money," Viktor said.

    "Ah, that''s not a problem. Our Holy See also has a bank. We can lend you the money, and I can guarantee favorable interest rates..."

 Chapter 408: The Art of Winning Hearts

    Back at their residence, afterpleting the remaining tasks, Bishop Torres knelt before the small shrine in his bedroom, devoutly confessing to the image of Christ:

    "Lord, I have sinned, I repent before You..."

    Having sincerely confessed his sins, Bishop Torresy on his bed with a clear conscience, still calcting how much he had earned in the recent deal. However, he was indeed too exhausted, and before long, he entered a deep sleep.

    Because he had received forgiveness from God during his confession, Bishop Torres slept unusually soundly, waking up only around noon the next day.

    In the afternoon, Bishop Torres, along with Victor, went to meet the ves who had been confirmed as Christians. Most of these ves had lived here for several generations and, aside from retaining their religious beliefs, most of them no longer spoke their ancestors''nguages; they now primarily spoke Arabic or Turkish.

    However, this did not diminish their gratitude towards the French and the Vatican, who had liberated them. Especially when Victor and Bishop Torres assured them once again that not only would they gain freedom, but they would also receivend exclusively for themselves, these former ves were almost ready to kneel down and kiss their feet.

    "My children," Bishop Torres spoke in Turkish, "I''ve heard that not all Christians have been freed from Egypt. Some of our brothers are still being hidden by infidels. These infidels do not want our brothers to be liberated from very and hardship.

    The Almighty God heard the prayers of our brothers and saw the suffering they endured over the years and their devotion to God. Just as He appeared before Moses,manding him to rescue the Jews from the bondage of the Egyptians and lead them to thend flowing with milk and honey, now He has appeared before His most devout servant��the Pope, under the crown of the Roman Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte��to issue a clear, undeniablemand:

    ''Go, go to Barbary, rescue mymbs from the hands of infidels. I not only want them to gain freedom, but I will alsopel the infidels to cede theirnd aspensation. I will elevate them, cing their status far above those infidels who once enved them.''My children, this is the will of God and it will be aplished. Now, with the consuls sent by the great French Republic, the first consul of the Roman Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, in ordance with the orders of the Pope and the Emperor, we have negotiated with the leaders of the infidels, using them of breaking their promise and hiding some of our brothers. With the help of God, the leaders of the infidels could not deny it and had to agree to let us inspect all the ves in their possession to see if our brothers are among them.

    Brothers, those who have been hidden by the infidels are also God''smbs, just like you. You have lived together for a long time and will witness the glory of God together in the future. So, at this time, I implore you to join us in the identification process and rescue those brothers who have been hidden by the infidels. Are you willing to help us, to help your brothers?"

    "We are willing," shouted the people below.

    "Very well, very well. Your devotion is seen by God, and in the future, you will be rewarded in heaven," Bishop Torres said. "For those who lived on the same estate before, please choose a reliable and intelligent person to assist us."

    Watching the excited crowd below, Victor couldn''t help but feel the weight on his shoulders��these people''s religious enthusiasm was a bit too much. Competing with the Vatican for influence over them was not an easy task.

    Early the next morning, Pasha Benharden sent people to Victor and Bishop Torres'' residence, inviting them to participate in the identification activities.

    After resolving the dispute over interests, Pasha Benharden no longer obstructed the identification process and even provided some conveniences voluntarily. Frankly, this greedy infidel did have some business ethics. In these circumstances, the entire identification process went smoothly. Basically, anyone who might be a Christian ve was selected.

    In fact, for these Christian ves, rescuing more "brothers" was not particrly beneficial. ording to the agreement, thend allocated for cultivation was fixed for Christians. This meant that the more Christian ves were rescued, the lessnd each of them would receive.

    However, these simple ves could not think that far ahead, and their religious enthusiasm motivated them not to consider such issues.

    But when the identification was over, a more practical issue arose��how to distribute thend.

    If, in the past, relying on the religious appeal, the Vatican took the initiative, now, in this matter, Victor, with administrative power, definitely aimed to turn the tide.

    Victor gathered the freed Christians and introduced them to thend-rted policies.

    "Dear gentlemen," Victor deliberately avoided using the religiously charged term ''brothers,'' given the ongoing struggle with the Church, "firstly, congrattions on gaining your freedom. But gaining personal freedom is just the beginning; to achieve financial freedom and a happy life, there is much to be done. Some of you, if you have property and family in Europe, can choose to sell thend here for francs and return to Europe. If you prefer to stay here, you will receive a piece ofnd of your own. You only need to follow the rules for cultivation and pay taxes."

    Here, Victor paused to let the freed Christians digest the information. They were already aware of this through various sources, but hearing it officially from Victor still excited them. They shouted, "Thanks be to God!"

    This deration displeased Victor because what he needed was for them to thank France and shout "Long live the Emperor" rather than thanking God. Although theoretically, thanking God was not wrong, as the Emperor was seen as the agent of God''s will. But thanking God first would only strengthen the influence of the Church, which Victor found unsatisfactory.

    Victor couldn''t directly say, "Don''t thank God; thank the Emperor." So, he had to wait for them to finish before continuing:

    "If you choose to stay here as small farmers, you will face an issue��your nationality. In clearer terms, which country do you now belong to? ording to the usual rules, you should be subjects of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. But thend allocated to you belongs to the French Republic. This involves the issue of how to pay taxes.

    Since you are cultivating thend of the French Republic, naturally, you should pay taxes to the French Republic. However, you are still subjects of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, so you must also pay head tax to the Ottoman Turkish Empire and perform duties like other Ottoman subjects. Additionally, as believers, you also need to pay the tithe. Overall, although you will gainnd, your life will not be easy in the future.

    However, the great First Consul of the French Republic, the Roman Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, is very concerned about your well-being. Therefore, he has provided you with generous conditions. First, he has proposed to the French Council to exempt you from taxes for three years. This means that within three years, you can pay one less tax��a measure to help you get through the initial difficult period more easily."

    "Merciful Majesty!" someone quickly eximed.

    "Praise the Merciful Majesty, may God bless him, Amen!" followed another.

    "

    Of course, to receive this benefit, you need to abide by the rules and cultivate thend diligently, achieving economic independence as soon as possible," Victor emphasized.

    "Three years! We thank the Merciful Majesty! May God bless him!" the crowd shouted.

    Victor was not too concerned about their excessive religious enthusiasm, as long as it did not undermine his authority. After all, religion was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the Church had a long history of influence.

    "Now, let''s talk about the specific allocation ofnd," Victor continued. "I have designed and distribution n based on the number of people in each family and thend area avable. Please follow my instructions, and everything will be fair and reasonable."

    Victor unfolded a detailed map of the region on the table, exining the distribution n carefully to the freed Christians.

    "May I ask, Mr. Victor, where is yournd?" a Christian asked.

    Victor smiled and pointed to a rtivelyrge piece ofnd on the map.

    "Here, this is where I n to build my residence. You see, I am also one of the newndowners here. Of course, mynd is not asrge as yours, but it is enough for my needs. I am here to help you, and I will be with you as we develop this ce together."

    "Thank you, Mr. Victor! Thanks be to God!" The Christians were grateful.

    Victor''s arrangements for thend were meticulous, taking into ount the number of family members, the fertility of the soil, and the avability of water resources. He also arranged for experts to provide guidance on cultivation techniques.

    After thend distribution meeting, Victor had another conversation with Bishop Torres.

    "Bishop Torres, I hope we can work together to guide these people towards a better future. Of course, the Church''s influence is essential, and I respect your position as a spiritual leader. However, I also have to ensure that the interests of the French Republic are safeguarded. I believe we can find a bnce between the two."

    Bishop Torres looked at Victor, his eyes revealing a trace of cunning. "Mr. Victor, I am here to fulfill the will of God and guide these people towards salvation. If the interests of the French Republic align with the divine will, then we are on the same path. However, if there is a conflict, I must prioritize the salvation of these souls."

    Victor sighed inwardly. The struggle for influence with the Church was indeed challenging. He needed to be cautious and find a way to win the hearts of the people without undermining the authority of the French Republic.

    As the sun set, Victor and Bishop Torres walked together towards the newly allocatednds, where the freed Christians were beginning to settle. The future of thisnd was uncertain, but it held the potential for prosperity and growth. The challenge for Victor was not only to develop the region economically but also to navigate theplex dynamics of religion and power, ensuring a harmonious coexistence between the Church and the state.

    Victor knew that in this journey, the means of winning hearts would be crucial, and striking the right bnce between secr and spiritual authority would be the key to sess. The story of the liberated Christians in Barbary was just beginning, and the path ahead was filled with both challenges and opportunities.

 Chapter 409: Surprise Attack

    After this conversation, Victor felt quite optimistic about his prospects in gaining control over these Christians in the struggle against the Papal States. After all,pared to Bishop Torres, he had far more resources at his disposal. It was simr to how France faced the Papal States.

    Currently, the most crucial matter at hand was the distribution ofnd. While Bishop Torres wished to quickly allocate thend, Victor was not in a hurry. Land distribution held significant power, and utilizing it wisely could quickly establish his influence among these Christians. So, he cited the need to understand these Christians more thoroughly before organizednd allocation as a reason to dy the process.

    "Bishop, I understand that the believers are eager to get thend. But they have waited for this day for generations. What harm would a few more days do? Land allocation is a matter of great significance, shaping their lives, even affecting their sons, grandsons, and many more generations toe. If we do not consider this carefully, the damage will be inflicted on many generations. Therefore, the more critical the situation, the more we must not be impatient," Victor exined to Bishop Torres, who came to discuss thend distribution.

    As he spoke, Victor unfolded a map. It was a map drawn using a new projection method, offering higher uracy and usabilitypared to previous maps.

    "Bishop, take a look. This is thend allocated to us, mainly in these areas," Victor pointed to several ces on the map for Bishop Torres to see.

    "Why are they not connected?" Bishop Torres asked with a furrowed brow, noticing that the Christians''nds were scattered.

    "Because the unbelievers insist on using a lottery to determinend ownership," Victor exined, "Naturally, the lots ended up this way due to the luck of the draw."

    On this point, Victor lied. In fact, it was the French, not the Turks, who insisted on using a lottery to decidend ownership, causing the Christiannds to be scattered.

    In Victor''s view, the current situation would surely lead to Christianmunities forming and living in close proximity with other religions. Living in close proximity meant more interactions and potential conflicts with unbelievers. The vige structure of these Christian settlements also meant they would have some self-defense capability in times of trouble. Of course, without French support, they wouldn''tst long. This situation best served the interests of France.On the contrary, if all Christians lived together, they could dig a trench around theirnd voluntarily, creating a faith-based istion. This way, they would have fewer conflicts with unbelievers, fewer areas for France to exploit, and less dependence on France. It would be harder for the French to manipte them.

    "Bishop, as you can see," Victor continued, "this distribution will increase the chances of contact between unbelievers and our believers. It benefits spreading our faith. Of course, this also increases the chance of friction with unbelievers. But should we refrain from spreading the truth to those unbelievers? Some of them have good character; they just haven''t had the chance to hear the gospel."

    "Of course," Bishop Torres agreed. Although, ording to the agreement between France and Turkey, Papal personnel could only provide services to existing Christians and not freely spread the faith. But why would Papal representativese here if not for spreading the faith? So, spreading the faith was inevitable.

    "But once conflicts arise. Look at each vige; the poption they can amodate is quite small. If the organization is weak, they can easily be bullied by those unbelievers. Therefore, we must ensure that each vige has capable and responsible individuals who can unite the entire vige. This is essential to secure their interests. So, Bishop, you see,nd distribution is not something we can rush," Victor emphasized.

    So, Bishop Torres had no choice but to admit thatnd distribution must be cautious and meticulous.

    "Well, Consul Treville, how do you n to proceed with the distribution?" Bishop Torres asked.

    "I n to rank all Christian families first. This ranking won''t involve anything else, only their influence andbat capability. Families with the most influence andbat capability will be designated as vige chiefs. They will be given priority innd allocation within their respective viges. Then, based on the vige''s defense conditions, other families and individuals will be arranged," Victor answered.

    The principle in this answer was wless, but the individuals involved in the selection andnd allocation could be used to gain favor with a certain group of people. This intention was so obvious that Bishop Torres naturally noticed it. However, noticing and having the means to do something about it were two different things. With the power in his hands, Bishop Torres had limited influence.

    While Victor was busy allocatingnd to the liberated Christians, in Tunis, after a prolonged siege, the joint French and Turkish forces finally broke through the Barbary pirates'' interception and captured the city. Both armies paid a considerable price for this victory.

    The French exhausted almost all of their remaining high-explosive shells, and the Turks suffered five to six thousand casualties. As for the Barbary pirates, Pasha Benharden died in battle. Before his death, he ordered the killing of his wives and entrusted his son to his bodyguard for escape. However, his bodyguard failed to escape, so Pasha Benharden''s son would be sent to Istanbul. This delicate-looking boy might be a eunuch in the future.

    The French fleet had been at sea for a long time, requiring replenishment in Toulon. The Turks, after such a hard-fought battle, also needed a proper rest. Thus, the battlefield temporarily calmed down. The French naval fleet returned to Toulon, and most Turks disembarked to recover onnd.

    However, two days after the French fleet left, the Turkish fleet was suddenly attacked. It was a moonless night, making it extremely dark, and the Morrocan pirates silently approached the Turkish fleet.

    Leading the Morrocan pirates was Hassan Pasha��or rather, Hassan Sultan''s nephew, Osama. After Turkey dered Hassan Pasha a rebel and dered war on him, he promptly dered Moro''s independence and proimed himself Sultan.

    Osama brought five ships, not pirate ships, but small sailing ships, or more urately, rowing ships. They had only one low mast, a dark gray-painted fore-and-aft sail, and eight oarsmen.

    These ships couldn''t function as pirate ships, at least not in this era. Perhaps in the times of Xerxes and Themistocles, they could engage in some piracy. Even then, they wouldn''t qualify for the Battle of Smis and would need to avoid the navy of that era. But now, Osama nned to challenge a fleet that, by the standards of this era, was far behind, yet in the era of the Battle of Smis, possessed overwhelming superiority.

    Osama wasn''t acting recklessly; he had an ace up his sleeve��the explosive.

    Each ship carried around ten bombs, each with dozens of kilograms of explosives. Once they exploded, even a sail warship like the "Victory" would be shattered into pieces, and even an irond warship like the "Invincible" might not survive such an explosion. These ships were not easily approachable, though.

    To carry out this attack, Osama deliberately chose a moonless night. It reduced visibility, making it harder for the enemy''s lookout to see them. Moreover, his ships were lower, and the Turkish warships were taller. When

    he approached, he could stay out of sight and sound until thest moment.

    The Turkish warships were anchored. At this time, the crew were mostly asleep, with only a few people on guard duty. Even if there was a guard, they would still need to rest. But for Osama''s n to work, he needed to approach close enough to guarantee the uracy of his explosives.

    Osama was fully aware that the impact of explosives in the water wasn''t as strong as onnd. Hence, he needed to get close. This was a risk, but it was calcted. When the explosion happened, not only would the shockwave harm the enemy, but it would also raise arge ssh, possibly causing the warships to capsize.

    Osama only hoped that this surprise attack would be enough to make the Turks suffer heavy losses and leave a strong impression on theirmander, Nadir Pasha.

    The Morrocan pirates, knowing that they couldn''t face the enemy head-on, used a tactic simr to an assassination. Yet, they were doing this to an army rather than an individual.

    Although the pirate ships moved cautiously, they inevitably created some noise when rowing. However, the Turkish warships were at anchor, and the tide pushed them slightly. So, the Turkish guards attributed the noise to the natural sound of the sea and ignored it.

    At first, everything went well for Osama. They approached the Turkish warships without a hitch. The warships were close to each other, making it easy for the pirate ships to move between them.

    However, the pirates'' luck ran out at the final stage. When they were about to release the explosives, the wind suddenly changed direction. The wind was initially blowing from the Morrocan pirates to the Turkish warships, but it suddenly changed to the opposite direction.

    As a result, the explosive smell wafted towards the Turkish warships.

    A guard on the Turkish warship "Blessing" immediately smelled something fishy. He was responsible for checking the night watchmen and immediately ordered everyone to be on high alert. As he was about to order an investigation into the source of the smell, the guard noticed something unusual in the water.

    The guard on the "Blessing" shouted, "Enemy attack!"

    "Enemy attack!"

    The cry spread quickly across the fleet, waking up the Turkish sailors and soldiers.

    Osama, realizing that their cover was blown, had no choice but to give up the silent approach. He ordered the pirates to row at full speed, creating as much noise as possible to scare the Turks. He also ordered the throwing of torches into the air to light up the night.

    The sight of the pirate ships and the smell of explosives immediately caused chaos among the Turks. However, the Turkish warships were well-armed. The pirates dared not approach directly but tried to throw explosives from a distance.

    Nadir Pasha, who was sleeping on the "Triumph" warship, was immediately awakened by themotion. He quickly got dressed and rushed to the deck.

    "What''s going on?" Nadir Pasha shouted.

    "Enemy attack, sir! Morrocan pirates are attacking!" a guard reported.

    Nadir Pasha saw the approaching pirate ships. They were small and agile, moving swiftly on the water. The Morrocan pirates started throwing explosive devices towards the Turkish warships, causing panic and confusion.

    Nadir Pasha quickly assessed the situation. The pirates didn''t have the strength to engage in directbat, so their main strategy was to disrupt the Turkish fleet and create chaos. He knew that if the pirates managed to throw enough explosives into the Turkish warships, it could lead to devastating consequences.

    "Sound the rm! Wake up the fleet! Ready the cannons!" Nadir Pashamanded.

    The Turkish warships quickly sounded their rms, waking up the crews and preparing for battle.

    As the Turkish fleet scrambled to respond to the surprise attack, the Morrocan pirates continued their assault. The night was filled with the sounds of explosions and the shouts of sailors, creating a chaotic and tense atmosphere.

    The oue of this sudden attack remained uncertain, and the fate of the Turkish fleet hung in the bnce.

 Chapter 410: A Matter of Marriage

    After the Olympics concluded, Joseph Bonaparte found himself with some leisure time. There were no major domestic issues at the moment, but internationally, there were wars with some connection to the French. For instance, the ongoing war against the Barbary pirates posed a challenge for the French navy, and even the Marine Corps would be more actively involved. However, Napoleon wasn''t particrly concerned about this matter; defeating Barbary pirates was a rtively easy task for him, given their weaknesspared to the might of the French forces.

    In the Americas, the Spanish were engaged in lively battles with the Mexicans. After reiming Mexico City at a great cost, the Mexicans redirected their efforts towards other cities. Surprisingly, after the Spanish regained Mexico City, they found that the situation didn''t improve as expected. The area controlled by the Mexican rebels actually expanded by more than double. Most of the smaller Mexican towns had fallen into the hands of the rebels, and the ntations of many Spaniards were destroyed.

    In summary, Spain found itself engulfed in a "sea of people''s war" in Mexico. However, due to internal issues among the Mexicans, Spain managed to hold on for the time being. Nevertheless, no significant changes were expected in the short term, and there wasn''t much drama to witness.

    So, Napoleon found it challenging to muster enthusiasm. He couldn''t spend his time carousing with women like Lucien.

    Of course, strictly speaking, Napoleon had things to attend to �C finding a legitimate empress for himself. After all, how could the Emperor of the French be without a wife?

    As the First Consul of the French Republic, Napoleon wasn''tcking in mistresses. Holding such a high position in France practically required having numerous mistresses to avoid arousing suspicion among the French people about his capabilities.

    However, mistresses and empresses were different matters. Selecting a suitable empress was not an easy task. Firstly, the empress''s background was a significant concern.

    On this matter, Napoleon''s brothers held different opinions. Napoleon believed that the empress should preferably be a princess, as they had undergone professional training and were more convenient for public appearances.

    However, this idea was mocked by Lucien. He argued that while princesses might generally be aesthetically pleasing, their political interests and entanglements were tooplicated. If France''s power was insufficient and required support from their political connections, it might be necessary. However, with the increasing strength of their political connections, the moreplicated it became."Princesses are fine as mistresses, but marrying one as an empress would only bring trouble," Lucien disdainfully remarked.

    As for Joseph, he expressed, "Napoleon, my friend, the matter of finding a wife is ultimately your own decision. This is one of the principles established by the Code. Besides, after our hard work for so long, if we can''t have some freedom in such matters, we would be quite a failure."

    Napoleon was pleased to hear Joseph''s words, but he still wanted to know Joseph''s opinion.

    "Ah, if you insist on hearing my opinion," Joseph said, "then, as an elder in life, I can offer you some advice. I think, to find a princess may have its drawbacks, as Lucien mentioned. However, in a marriage,patibility between the two families is essential. Considering that we are a republic, marrying into the old aristocracy may not be ideal for our image and influence in other countries. Therefore, I suggest you look among the new aristocracy."

    "What do you mean by old and new aristocracy?" Napoleon inquired.

    "The old aristocracy, needless to say, refers to the nobility of Rome. Although many see our ''Roman nobility'' as not quite ''noble,'' this has its advantages. Avoiding a ''real princess'' helps maintain our image as revolutionaries and representatives of advanced thinking. It can even strengthen that image significantly. Moreover, the decline of the old aristocracy is inevitable, while the Roman nobility is the true nobility with a future. Some may still look down on our Roman nobility, thinking they are not noble enough. But we shouldn''t see it that way. Outside of Rome, there are only barbarians. Napoleon, if you want others to take your Rome seriously, you should adopt this perspective. So, a princess from the barbarians may not evenpare to a Roman citizen, let alone ady from the household of a Roman senator. What do you think?" Joseph responded.

    The daughter of a Roman senator outranked a barbarian princess in status, amon understanding during the heyday of the Roman Empire. Napoleon, upon careful consideration, found it difficult to go against this point. Otherwise, it would be akin to proiming his Roman Empire as less legitimate to the world.

    Napoleon thought for a moment and said, "But among the Roman nobility, are there any suitable candidates? The number of those who can be considered Roman nobility is not many these days. Their daughters seem to be either too old or too young. Maybe your student''s sisters might be a good choice. I''m just not sure about their appearance; they should preferably be attractive..."

    "I will keep an eye out for you," Joseph said. "Lucien, you should also pay attention."

    "No problem," Lucien, quite interested in such matters, readily agreed.

    "Lucien, in fact, you should also consider finding a formalpanion for yourself," Joseph suddenly suggested. "You know, I don''t want to interfere with your lifestyle, but I hope you can quickly contribute a legal heir to the family."

    "Don''t just pick on me," Lucien retorted immediately. "You should solve this problem for yourself too."

    "I already have a daughter," Joseph said.

    "But a daughter can''t be considered an heir," Lucien argued.

    "You have a sister-inw who is expecting, and this time it might be a boy. After all, there is already a girl," Joseph replied.

    In Joseph''s mind, the difference between daughters and sons wasn''t significant, influenced as he was by modern thinking. However, in the eyes of people of that era, only sons could be considered the best heirs for a family. On this point, Joseph didn''t want to go against the entire era by himself.

    "Joseph, I think when you flip a coin for the first time and itnds heads up, the probability ofnding heads up again when you flip it a second time should still be fifty percent. This is basic probability knowledge. Am I not correct?" Napoleon caught a mathematical w in Joseph''s casual statement, and his spirits immediately lifted as he focused on it.

    "At least all my children are legitimate. Unlike some people..." Joseph immediately retorted.

    "Yeah, yeah," Lucien, always eager to stir things up, chimed in. "Lovely little princesses, but none with thest name Bonaparte."

    "Lucien, my daughter at least has the status of a princess. What about your illegitimate children?" Joseph countered.

    "At least they are boys. Not like yours..."

    Lucien''s words dealt a heavy blow, and then he found himself besieged by his two brothers.

    The matter of finding an empress for the Roman Empire began to be formally pushed forward. The Sun Gazette published an article discussing who, on a global scale, was the most suitable person to wear the empress''s crown of the Roman Empire.

    This question quickly attracted widespread attention. Indeed, among the many royal families around the world, who was the most suitable candidate to be the empress of the Roman Empire?

    Of course, everyone''s answer was clear �C the empress of the Roman Empire must be a person with the name Bonaparte!

    The three Bonaparte brothers, after some discussion, agreed on a candidate.

    Their choice surprised many people. The candidate wasn''t from the Roman Empire, nor was she a princess. She was just a girl who hadn''t even reached adulthood. Her name was Bonaparte Charlotte, the daughter of Lucien Bonaparte.

    Her mother was an Italiandy, and her father was Lucien Bonaparte, who was the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. Lucien was known for his eloquence and talent in writing.

    Charlotte Bonaparte had a mix of both her parents'' features. She had inherited her father''s blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Her facial features were delicate and charming, giving her an enchanting appearance.

    The choice of Charlotte Bonaparte surprised many, but considering the current situation and the Bonaparte family''s perspective, it made sense.

    Firstly, Charlotte was the daughter of Lucien Bonaparte. In terms of blood, she was a genuine Bonaparte, and the Bonaparte family could not be questioned.

    Secondly, she was only twelve years old. Marrying her to Napoleon would be a long-term investment. Not only would it maintain the bloodline, but it would also allow her to grow up with the empire.

    Lastly, Charlotte was still young and had no political ties. Marrying her wouldn''t involveplicated political considerations, unlike other princesses or nobledies.

    Although this choice was unconventional and might raise eyebrows among the traditional nobility, it was a strategic move for the Bonaparte family.

    Once the decision was made, the Bonaparte family announced the news to the public through the Sun Gazette. The announcement caused a stir in various countries, with many expressing surprise and curiosity about this unexpected choice.

    In the Bonaparte family residence, Joseph Bonaparte sat with Napoleon and Lucien as they discussed this matter.

    Joseph spoke first, "Napoleon, the choice of Charlotte Bonaparte may seem unconventional, but it''s a wise decision considering the circumstances. She is a genuine Bonaparte, and her young age is an advantage. She can grow up with the empire, and her marriage to you ensures the continuity of the Bonaparte bloodline."

    Napoleon nodded in agreement. "You''re right, Joseph. Charlotte is a Bonaparte, and that''s crucial for the legitimacy of the empire. I believe that, as she grows older, she will be a fitting empress for the Roman Empire."

    Lucien, always the one to express his opinions freely, added, "I agree with both of you. Charlotte is a bright and talented girl. I''m sure she will bring honor to the Bonaparte name."

    With the decision made, the Bonaparte family began preparations for the wedding. Despite the unconventional choice, the Bonapartes were confident that this union would strengthen their position and ensure the continuity of their legacy.

    The wedding of Napoleon Bonaparte and Charlotte Bonaparte became a highly anticipated event, not only within the Roman Empire but also in the eyes of the world. People were eager to witness the union of the powerful Emperor with a young and promising member of the Bonaparte family.

    As the preparations for the wedding progressed, Napoleon took the opportunity to spend time with Charlotte and get to know her better. Despite the age difference, Napoleon found Charlotte to be intelligent, charming, and full of potential. He believed that their union would not only secure the future of the Bonaparte family but also contribute to the prosperity of the Roman Empire.

    As the wedding day approached, the excitement and anticipation reached new heights. The world awaited the moment when Napoleon Bonaparte would officially take Charlotte Bonaparte as his empress, solidifying the next chapter in the history of the Roman Empire.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 410 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 411: Luring the Tiger Down the Mountain

    For some scientists, especially those from the Parisian High School, the temptation from Joseph Bonaparte and his group was something Napoleon disdainfully dismissed.

    "You''re all soft, afraid of Joseph to death. Not to offend anyone, but who among you can withstand Joseph''s pressure? You propose something in the Academy, and Joseph immediately vetoes it. Honestly, people may say I''m tricky, but in the Academy, Joseph''s trickery surpasses mine by far! My tricks go as far as the level of the Sun King, or rather, not even that far. But Joseph, within the Academy, his trickery is at least on the level of Nero or Sultan Muhammad II.

    As soon as he gives you a stern look, your hearts tremble. If he says something is wrong, you immediately admit that we made a mistake. Sir Isaac Newton never yed such tricks in the Royal Society. Simr proposals were made before, but what''s the use? When Joseph vetoes, none of you has the courage to argue with him! Don''t try to fool me with this anymore!"

    "Ah, Your Majesty, you can''t me us entirely for this matter," Lace spoke up first.

    "Not ming you, should I me myself?" Napoleon retorted.

    "Well..." Lace hesitated to speak.

    "In this matter, Your Majesty, you also bear some responsibility," Monty suddenly chimed in. "When facing your brother, you are too prone to back down. As for us, you should know, we are not weak individuals. But the pressure from Bonaparte, always correct, is indeed immense. Even Mr. Carnot, you see, isn''t afraid of Bonaparte, he''s Bonaparte''s old superior, often the one to discipline him. But in matters rted to the Academy, have you ever seen Mr. Carnot argue with Bonaparte? Your Majesty, if you can achieve what we have in science, I''m sure you can withstand it!"

    "Your Majesty, it''s not impossible," Lace suddenly said.

    "What? Do you n to confront Joseph head-on? Ah, Mr. Lace, I''m truly moved. Rest assured, we will all remember your contribution," Napoleon scoffed."Your Majesty, it''s not really impossible," Lace continued.

    "What? Do you n to confront Joseph head-on? Ah, Mr. Lace, I''m truly moved. Rest assured, we will all remember your contribution," Napoleon scoffed.

    "Your Majesty, you are a great military strategist. If a position is too strong and there''s no hope of capturing it, we shouldn''t foolishly attack. Moreover, defending this position is still the iron wall of France. Mr. Lace means we should use a roundabout method."

    "How roundabout?" Napoleon inquired.

    "When Bonaparte was still exercising the powers of the director, our efforts were in vain. However, if we could find a reason for Bonaparte to temporarily leave the Academy... for example, inviting some members of the Royal Society in Ennd to visit France. Then, of course, we would reciprocate. If they visit with the director, when we reciprocate, the director, Bonaparte, naturally has to go. Or, on the Rhine League''s side, if they invite us to conduct scientific propaganda across Europe, for political reasons, we could also have Bonaparte lead the team. Then, when Bonaparte is not around, we can quickly convene a meeting and pass resolutions. By the time Bonaparte returns, Your Majesty will already be an academician."

    "You''re thinking beautifully. Joseph will push off such foreign affairs to Director Lavoisier. Director Lavoisier would be happy to oblige," Napoleon said. He knew Joseph well; Joseph wasn''t interested in such matters, and Lavoisier, having mostly retired from active research, was now enthusiastic about these extracurricr activities.

    "This is not a problem, Your Majesty," Monty said. "In fact, it''s an area we can use. We can start coordinating with foreign contacts on these matters. To cate Director Bonaparte, we can arrange for Director Lavoisier to lead the team..."

    Napoleon frowned, "Are you suggesting we agree with Mr. Lavoisier going first, then when the time is near, im that Mr. Lavoisier is sick, and then switch to Joseph at thest moment? Well, as long as there''s money, convincing Mr. Lavoisier won''t be difficult. And within the Academy, Mr. Lavoisier is one of the few who isn''t afraid of Joseph. That''s a n! Even if Joseph goes abroad, subsequent meetings can be chaired by Mr. Lavoisier. So, even if Josephes back, he''ll have to ept the result for Mr. Lavoisier''s sake."

    At this point, Napoleon became excited. He stood up, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Gentlemen, this is a good idea. But let me remind you, the key to the sess of this n is confidentiality. Do not let any information leak. I warn you, Joseph is not only a scientific genius but also a military genius. He is adept at intelligence work. Manymercial intelligence judgments ultimately end up with him. Don''t let him figure out anything. Well, if you''re not good at these activities, I''ll have Luciene and talk to you..."

    Early the next morning, Napoleon called Lucien and discussed with him for a long time. He bribed his younger brother with a considerable amount and then Lucien proposed this suggestion.

    "As a prerequisite, let Director Lavoisier lead the team. Then, well, Napoleon, you know, this kind of thing is a kind of publicly funded trip. Big Sister is Lavoisier''s niece, and Lavoisier has always liked our little Alice. Lavoisier proposed, by the way, to take little Alice out for fun. I think Joseph will certainly not object. He might even support it. Then, we help Big Sister prepare things for Alice to y with. When everything is ready, we announce that Lavoisier suddenly fell ill, and then, well, you know, Joseph treasures his precious daughter so much. If Alice insists on going, can he refuse? Then, as Lavoisier can''t go, who can he trust to take Alice? Certainly not Pauline, right?"

    "Pauline? Even I wouldn''t trust her, let alone Big Brother," Napoleon said.

    "Yeah, Big Brother would trust her even less, so he can only take her himself, right?" Lucien said triumphantly, "Doesn''t it work out this way?"

    "Not bad," Napoleon nodded and reached out to pat Lucien on the shoulder, "Lucien, you''ve made great progress! Really, much stronger than before."

    "However, Mr. Lavoisier still needs some training to make sure nothing is revealed. You know, that Joseph guy is quite cunning," Lucien said.

    "Right! Joseph is indeed very cunning," Napoleon agreed. At the same time, both brothers recalled the past incidents where they were fooled by the ''cunning Joseph'' and couldn''t help shivering.

 Chapter 412: Deceived

    So, an borate conspiracy organized by Joseph Bonaparte''s own brothers against him began. This also confirmed a truth: anyone who schemes alone is unpopr. The great Eastern philosopher Menzius once said, "Those who insist on their own schemes will lose the support of the majority. Even their rtives will betray them." These words are indeed profound.

    After reviewing the ns of the Academy, especially those from the group associated with the Parisian High School, Lucien shook his head. He expressed that, apart from the initial creativity, the subsequent ns were full of loopholes.

    "Ah, so, these things should be handled by professionals. For example, inviting the British Academy for a visit and arranging a return visit. This design ispletely nonsense. A great Eastern strategist once said that only by understanding the enemy and oneself can victory be ensured. Your n, however, shows no understanding of my elder brother.

    Politically, Britain is still our enemy, even if we don''t say it, and they don''t say it. We both smilingly refer to each other as ''friendly nations,'' but secretly, we both wish to strangle each other. It is impossible for our country to allow someone as important as Joseph to go to the enemy''s controlled area, and he is a very... very cautious person, he won''t go.

    So, any invitation muste from our closest and most reliable true friendly nations. Also, stop discussing this matter; there''s no need to do anything. The more you do, the easier it is for Joseph to detect. So, consider it as if it never happened. Understand? Regardless of leaks or the final oue, the Prime Minister has agreed to increase funding for the Parisian High School by fifteen percent next year..."

    So, the individuals sent by the Parisian High School happily withdrew from the conspiracy. Even if doing so didn''t bring wealth, it was better to be less involved in such matters. After all, Dean Joseph would surelye back. If he knew about this conspiracy and had his share, wouldn''t he take care of Lavoisier and bully them?

    The next task was to convince Lavoisier. After stating their intentions to Lavoisier, he immediately responded:

    "Lucien, don''t you know the rtionship between me and your elder brother? Back then, your elder brother saved my life in the most dangerous times; in my most impoverished times, he helped me make a fortune. And your elder brother is also my nephew by marriage. Do you really want me to deceive him with you? That won''t work. More money is needed!"

    Then the two of them huddled together to negotiate, and in the end, Lucien gained Lavoisier''s support by offering a stake in a phosphorus mine in Moro, still in the hands of Barbary pirates.Next came the official performance. ording to Lucien''s arrangement, invitations to the French Academy were sent by several prestigious Italian universities. This included the University of Bologna, the University of Padua, Frederick II University of Naples, and the University of Siena, all renowned institutions.

    Among them, the University of Bologna is the world''s oldest university with aplete system, established in 1088, and has produced many famous figures with high academic honors. Dante, Petrarch, D��rer, Erasmus, Gordioni, and Copernicus have all studied or taught here, earning it the title "Mother of Universities." Today, this university is also the location of the Academy of Sciences of the Northern Italian Republic. Therefore, its invitation represents not only the Academy but also the government of the Northern Italian Republic.

    Moreover, almost the entire Italy is now under French control, ensuring its safety.

    When these Italian universities jointly sent invitations, for political reasons, Joseph, the head of the French Academy, immediately made a decision: "We must send a sufficiently significant and sincere delegation."

    He immediately designated some of his students and assistants, including Gauss and Ohm, and personally went to visit Mr. Lavoisier, hoping he would lead the delegation.

    "Why don''t you go yourself, Joseph?" Lavoisier asked.

    "Ah, Fanny is pregnant again, I can''t leave at this time," Joseph said.

    "How many months has Fanny been pregnant?"

    "Two months."

    "Well, you need to help take care of her." Lavoisier remarked.

    "You take care of her, what can you take care of?" Mrs. Lavoisier suddenly interjected, "You men, which one of you can take care of people?"

    Joseph couldn''t refute this statement because he indeed wasn''t good at taking care of people.

    "Oh, Fanny is pregnant, and you still need to take care of Alice. Well, why don''t we do this? When I go to Italy, I''ll bring Alice along and let Fanny rx a bit," Lavoisier suggested.

    Joseph knew that Lavoisier really liked his daughter. In the past, Fanny would sometimes take Alice to Lavoisier''s vineyard to y for several days. But Alice hadn''t traveled far before, so he hesitated a bit.

    "How about I go back and discuss it with Fanny?" Joseph finally said.

    Back home, Joseph informed his wife of Mr. Lavoisier''s suggestion.

    "Going with Mr. Lavoisier is reassuring. Well, Fanny, what do you think?" Joseph asked.

    "Let''s ask our Alice," Fanny said.

    So, the two of them called Alice, who was chasing butterflies in the garden, and told her about the matter, then asked her, "Alice, do you want to go?"

    "Italy? Well, it has the Colosseum, Galileo throwing iron balls, the Leaning Tower of Pisa with Romeo and Juliet''s story, and Venice with rivers and small boats everywhere, right? I''ve wanted to go y there for a long time. Auntie says it''s a lot of fun!" Alice pped her hands.

    Thus, the n for Lavoisier to take Alice on a tour of Italy was set. To let their daughter broaden her horizons, Joseph even took the time to personally exin various interesting and special things about Italy to her. This made Fanny a bit jealous.

 Chapter 413: A Frightening Situation

    Recently, Joseph Bonaparte hasn''t had much significant going on. He has already explored the easily essible branches of technology, and those that are more challenging remain untouched for now. For instance, in the field of medicine, antibiotics have been discovered in theboratory. It''s not difficult; all it takes is a bit of penicillin. However, the purification and production of antibiotics, well, that''s a matter for another year. On a different note, the synthesis of ammonia technology showed some initial results in theb, but attempting industrialization immediately led to a massive explosion. In the explosion, over three hundred workers died on the spot, along with more than fifty engineers.

    The death of over three hundred workers didn''t evoke much sympathy; after all, most were Germans, and their deaths concerned only their own families. As the saying goes, "Rtives mourn their own losses, and others have already sung." However, the death of more than fifty engineers truly saddened the French. Even the lowest-ranked apprentice engineer among them was a graduate of the Paris Higher Technical School, considered highly skilled in France. Several higher-ranking senior engineers were casualties, and even the chief engineer found himself on the list of the deceased.

    As a result, the n had to be indefinitely postponed. This infuriated Napoleon, who harshly criticized Joseph for recklessly pushing ahead without considering objective conditions.

    So, currently, Joseph doesn''t have anything urgent on his te. His most important tasktely is inciting his assistant Gauss to reveal something he has already derived, but due to its frightening nature, he had kept it hidden.

    In the field of mathematics, Europe is no longer a match for Joseph''s school of thought. At this point, Joseph encourages Gauss to reveal this groundbreaking, revolutionary theory not just to scare foreigners but mainly to suppress the rebellious individuals at the Paris High Technical School and solidify his own position as a schr. Yes, Joseph is now a schrly leader, not the kind who excels in exams but a dominator in the academic realm.

    In physics and medicine, there is no force in Europe that canpete with Joseph''s school of thought. However, in mathematics, the Paris High Technical School still holds significant strength. So, Joseph targets them. The internal turmoil in the scientificmunity in France under Joseph''s leadership has reached a considerable extent.

    Currently, Joseph is working with Gauss on the final preparations for this groundbreaking, revolutionary, essential, and disruptive theory. The goal is to create a stir and deal a severe blow to the rebellious individuals at the Paris High Technical School.

    However, Gauss is mainly handling this matter, and Joseph focuses on the overall direction. So, he now has plenty of time to teach his daughter Alice about interesting things in Italy.

    The ns for Italy are almost finalized. Joseph has prepared an exquisite itinerary for Mr. Lavoisier (in reality, more for his daughter). First, a few days in Mn, then to the University of Padua, followed by a visit to Venice for a few days, then to the University of Siena, and finally, the University of Bologna, with a week in Rome. Considering Alice is still young and needs more rest, they may extend their stay in Rome for a couple of weeks. Then, onwards...Furthermore, it''s no longer necessary for Joseph to show off in other countries'' universities. However, arranging for his students and assistants to go there is still essential.

    The rted matters are quickly arranged. However, the day before departure, news suddenly arrives that Mr. Lavoisier is ill.

    Mr. Lavoisier is already old, so having a headache and fever suddenly is quite normal. Nevertheless, Joseph hurriedly goes to visit him.

    In Mr. Lavoisier''s home, Joseph sees him resting in bed, appearing to have a cold, sneezing, and with a runny nose. The doctor has already used thetest invention, a mercury thermometer, to measure Mr. Lavoisier''s temperature. He has a slight fever, but there are no symptoms of coughing, indicating no immediate risk of turning into pneumonia.

    "Mr. Lavoisier, how are you feeling?" Joseph asks.

    "Ah, my head is heavy, and my whole body aches��really strange. I was perfectly finest night," Mr. Lavoisier lies in bed with a wet towel on his forehead.

    "You probably just caught a cold; nothing to worry about," Joseph reassures.

    "I know, the doctor said I should be fine after a week. But I estimate I won''t be better in two weeks��I''m not a young man anymore. Fortunately, your researchpletely overturned bloodletting. Otherwise, they would have bled me for a month without any improvement," Mr. Lavoisierments.

    "Ah, Mr. Lavoisier, I believe you''ll recover soon. Your logical speech shows that," Joseph says.

    "Ah, Joseph, about tomorrow''s delegation, who should lead?" Mr. Lavoisier asks.

    "How about Gauss? What do you think?" Joseph knows that Mr. Lavoisier is not fit to lead.

    "Gauss is still too young. Besides, we promised them that someone at the level of a dean would lead the delegation, and Gauss''s rank is not sufficient. Joseph, you don''t seem to have much on your te recently, right?" Mr. Lavoisier says.

    "I don''t have much going on; just reviewing Gauss''s new paper," Joseph replies.

    "Well, Gauss is also going to Italy. How about you lead the delegation? It''s convenient for you tomunicate with Gauss. Besides, you can take care of little Alice on the side," Mr. Lavoisier suggests.

    Joseph thinks about it and finds the suggestion quite good. Now that he has achieved fame and there doesn''t seem to be any imminent danger in France, taking this opportunity to rx and travel is indeed a good idea. However, Mr. Lavoisier seems overly enthusiastic about Italy��probably because he has received money from Italians.

    "But Fanny..." Joseph hesitates.

    "Fanny can manage on her own. If you go, she might even feel more rxed," Mrs. Lavoisier interjects. "You can help with household matters, but let someone else take Alice. I don''t feel at ease with others taking care of her. It seems this is the only option. Besides, you don''t have much on your te now. Mr. Lavoisier, do you need me to bring back any souvenirs from Italy?" Joseph asks.

    "Ah..." Mr. Lavoisier ponders, "What does Italy have? Oh, Joseph, could you bring me a set of Roman coins..."

    Back home, Joseph informs Fanny about his decision to substitute for Mr. Lavoisier in the Italian tour. Fanny doesn''t object.

    "It''s a good idea for you to go; Mr. Lavoisier is getting old. Fortunately, he fell ill in Paris; if it happened in Mn, Padua, or Siena, who would take care of Alice?" Fanny remarks.

    So, Joseph quickly prepares for the trip and, the next day, sets off with his daughter, a group of students, and assistants to Italy.

    There''s already a railroad from Paris to the south of France, but there is no direct connection to Italy. The border areas between France and Italy are rugged mountains. Building a railroad through the Alps is

    still a formidable challenge.

    The delegation has to take a carriage from Paris to Nice and then embark on a ship to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In Nice, they board a luxurious ship provided by the Italians.

    On the ship, Joseph looks at the vast sea, feeling the sea breeze, and truly experiences thefort of a luxurious voyage. This is the first time he has traveled across the sea. Previously, his various discoveries and inventions were mainly theoretical. He was unaware of these matters or didn''t need to pay attention to them. But now, he feels everything firsthand.

    When they arrive in Mn, they are greeted by a group of enthusiastic Italians. The hosts have prepared an exquisite carriage, and the streets are lined with people weing them. However, they don''t understand Italian, and the Italians don''t understand French, leading to an amusing scene. After somemunication, they realize that Latin is theirmonnguage, making it easier to converse.

    The Italians are very weing, and their hospitality impresses Joseph. The host provides a guide to introduce Mn''s scenery, culture, and famousndmarks to the delegation.

    Mn, the capital of Lombardy, is the secondrgest city in Italy, following Rome. It''s a significant cultural, economic, and industrial center. The city is known for its art, fashion, and finance. The Mn Cathedral, a famous Gothic cathedral, is one of thergest churches globally, and its construction began in 1386. It took nearly six centuries toplete.

    The delegation visits various ces, such as the Sforza Castle, the famous La Sc opera house, and the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. They also explore the Brera Art Gallery, which houses an impressive collection of Italian Renaissance art.

    After a few days in Mn, the delegation heads to the University of Padua. Padua is a city with a rich history, and its university is one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1222. It has produced many notable alumni, including the astronomer Galileo Galilei.

    In Padua, the delegation is received by the university''s professors and schrs. Joseph gives a lecture on thetest developments in chemistry and physics, impressing the Italian academics with his profound knowledge and innovative ideas.

    The visit to Venice follows, where the delegation enjoys the unique charm of the city built on canals. They explore the iconic St. Mark''s Basilica, the Doge''s Pce, and take a gond ride through the picturesque waterways.

    Next on the itinerary is the University of Siena, located in the heart of Tuscany. The university, founded in 1240, is renowned for its medieval and Renaissance studies. Joseph presents his research findings, sparking lively discussions among the schrs.

    Finally, the delegation arrives in Bologna, home to one of the oldest universities in the world, established in 1088. Bologna is known for its towers, medieval architecture, and vibrant cultural scene. Joseph and hispanions are weed by the academicmunity, and he delivers a lecture on mathematics, showcasing his groundbreaking theories.

    Thest destination in Italy is Rome, the capital city. Rome is a treasure trove of history, with ancient monuments, churches, and art. The delegation visits the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Vatican City, where they explore the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter''s Basilica.

    During their stay in Rome, Joseph takes the opportunity to discuss mathematical theories with Gauss and other schrs from different universities. They engage in intellectual exchanges, further solidifying Joseph''s position as a leading figure in the academic world.

    After spending weeks in Italy, the delegation returns to France. The trip has not only strengthened academic ties between France and Italy but also provided Joseph with valuable experiences and insights. The Italian journey marks a memorable chapter in Joseph Bonaparte''s life, filled with intellectual pursuits, cultural exploration, and the joy of sharing knowledge.

 Chapter 414: Triumph

    After handing over the matter of the second proof to Gauss, Joseph Bonaparte happily went to spend time with his daughter. When it came to the education of little Alice, Joseph drew insights from his various sisters, especially the lessons learned from Pauline. (Pauline: Am I a guinea pig? Napoleon: Does Pauline even have experience? Lucien: Pauline is more experienced than me in many aspects. Pauline: Cold shivers) Joseph made some adjustments to the way he educated little Alice.

    Firstly, Joseph believed that Pauline''s education had been quite sessful. The most obvious sess was that no one could deceive our Saint Helena Maiden with sweet words or simr tricks. In this regard, Pauline''s expertise might even surpass that of Lucien. Of course, there were lessons to be learned; Pauline, while immune to emotional fraud, had adopted a strategy of bing an emotional trickster herself, which was not eptable.

    However, Joseph considered the fundamental sess in Pauline''s education to be her distinct difference in the underlying thought processes from women of her time. In Pauline''s mind, she operated on an operating system tailored for owners and rulers. The core of this system was akin to the famous saying of a Roman figure that Pauline shared a simr attitude toward all men and women: "I came, I saw, I conquered." To put it more inly, she knew her interests and how to pursue them. This, Joseph emphasized, was crucial.

    Yet, Joseph also acknowledged significant ws in Pauline''s education. The main drawback was ack of appropriate external refinement, despite having a suitable underlying logic. In simpler terms, the disparity with societal norms led to unnecessary troubles andpromised her interests. In other words, Pauline was too straightforward; her deceitfulness was insufficient.

    Moreover, Pauline shared amon problem among many women: a tendency toward chaos alignment, which led to ack of nning and excessive spontaneity. While it was eptable if she wanted to lead a carefree life, to be a true independent person capable of controlling situations, this chaotic inclination needed to be eliminated.

    To cultivate nning, it needed to start early. Joseph spending time ying chess with Alice was part of this effort. Initially, Joseph thought that allowing the undoing of moves should be prohibited to teach the importance of thinking before acting. However, in practice, whenever Alice pouted, Joseph abandoned his principles. So, it was uncertain how Alice would be shaped in the future.

    On the day Joseph''s group arrived in Mn, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte submitted a high-level mathematical paper to the French Academy of Sciences after handing the second proof matter to Gauss. After review, several members of the Academy, including Lace and Talleyrand, proposed a motion. In this motion, they suggested that due to Napoleon Bonaparte''s outstanding contributions to mathematics, he should be granted the title of Fellow of the French Academy of Sciences and the prestigious title of Roman Schr.

    Normally, bing a fellow of the French Academy of Sciences and a Roman Schr required a probationary period. In most cases, probationary fellows, as long as they didn''t cause significant issues during the trial period, would smoothly transition to be full fellows. However, Napoleon knew he couldn''t afford a probationary period, as Joseph would undoubtedly find a reason to kick him out while still in the trial period. Therefore, he needed to act quickly before Joseph returned, turning the situation in his favor. Once one obtained the fellow''s hat, tradition dictated a lifelong position, even if there were no further contributions, maintaining the honor indefinitely. Napoleon believed that considering the interests of the "old scientists," Joseph wouldn''t disrupt this tradition.

    At this time, Mr. Lavoisier''s "illness" had already recovered. As the acting dean, he immediately approved the motion. The subsequent voting process had no suspense; everyone, including Joseph''s students who remained in Paris, voted in favor without hesitation��after all, the teacher would understand. Of course, after voting, they would write letters to the teacher, exining the situation, even though the teacher wasn''t home to receive the letters temporarily. But, isn''t the teacher''s wife still there?Even if Joseph couldn''t receive the students'' letters, he would quickly learn about the matter, as the world already had telegrams and newspapers.

    Joseph saw the news of Napoleon being unanimously elected as a Fellow of the French Academy of Sciences in the newspaper.

    "Damn! ying this trick of luring the tiger out of the mountain on me!" Connecting the dots, Joseph immediately understood, "This guy... well, he definitely bribed Lavoisier. Lavoisier has earned quite a bit in recent years, so bribing him is harder than it was in the past... damn it, this money must be wed back from Napoleon!"

    Despite the anger, Joseph didn''t interrupt his journey to return immediately. Doing so would be a joke throughout the entire European continent. Besides, the little girl was currently having a great time, and interrupting the trip would make her unhappy. Additionally, Napoleon surely had prepared for Joseph''s immediate return with various contingency ns. Returning now would be like attacking an enemy''s well-prepared position without any preparation��Joseph wouldn''t do something so reckless.

    "Hehe, Napoleon, you are truly naive. Do you think you can win against me with such methods? The Academy, no matter what, is still my territory," Joseph thought.

    So, Joseph suppressed his anger��honestly, the extent of this anger wasn''t easy to gauge; otherwise, it wouldn''t be so easily suppressed. However, he also firmly believed that the Paris High School gang must be behind this plot. Hmph!

 Chapter 415: Victory

    The delegation from the French Academy, led by Joseph Bonaparte, received a warm wee at various universities in Italy. Joseph''s lectures, in particr, were always packed. In this era, scientists seemed to have gained a celebrity-like following. Everyone, including Joseph himself, had a bit of vanity. Despite Joseph constantly telling himself not to be vain, with thoughts like, "You''re just being used by Napoleon and the troublemakers at the Parisian High School, what''s there to be proud of?" But the admiration and praise from the crowd were undeniably sweet, especially when his little daughter pped her hands and eximed, "Daddy is amazing!"

    Additionally, through his connections, Joseph obtained the paper written by Napoleon, recognized as having "extreme importance" and being "highly promotable."

    Joseph carefully read it several times, confirming that it was undoubtedly ghostwritten by those folks at the Parisian High School. The structure was rigorous, the arguments were tight andprehensive, with almost no loopholes. Of course, it wasn''t wless; some derivations were overly intricate, making it cumbersome andcking aesthetic appeal. However, these weren''t exactly errors. Overall, the paper indeed deserved those two adjectives.

    Setting aside Joseph enjoying his all-expenses-paid trip in Italy and reveling in his newfound fame, since Napoleon had be a member of the Academy, he naturally had to fulfill his promise. He had to choose an empress from the rtives of those Parisian troublemakers.

    However, Napoleon immediately realized, "Lace''s niece is really ugly, Moncey''s granddaughter isn''t attractive, Lagrange''s niece is okay, but her waist is too thick, almost as wide as my sister''s... there''s still no one thatpares to..."

    Regardless, Napoleon, on the whole, was a very trustworthy person. And now, he was selecting an empress, not a mistress; a dignified demeanor was sufficient. After all, it was just about the waist not being slender enough. Strictly speaking, this was Roman heritage. Look at the goddesses in the sculptures left from the Roman era; who among them met the current standards of a slender waist? As the Emperor of Rome, how could he not appreciate Roman-style women and instead be influenced by barbarians, liking waists as thin as bees?

    Thinking this way, Napoleon found that Lagrange''s niece was actually quite lovely. Although she didn''t match a certain mistress in terms of appearance and grace, she was still above average, and the fact that the young girl admired Napoleon a lot made him feel good. So, Napoleon started frequenting dates with this girl named Lora.

    Joseph continued his tour of Italy, and when he reached the final stop, Naples, he received news that the French army had achieved a decisive victory in Moro, capturing the port of Darbida. (Correction from previous text: the city did not have the alias Casanca at this time.)

    Capturing Darbida meant the war was essentiallying to an end. France suffered minimal losses in this war, especially in terms of casualties. Most of the deaths were on the enemy side, primarily Turks. French losses wereparatively few.However, this wasn''t French treachery towards their allies, at least Turks couldn''t im that. For instance, at the beginning of the attack, Turks realized that Moro was better prepared for thendingpared to the previous two locations. Learning from previous experiences, they upgraded the defenses of the portprehensively.

    Barriers and mines were ced in the port and nearby waters suitable fornding. If not for the French minesweepers recently deployed, these mines alone would have caused significant losses to the joint fleet, most of which would have been borne by the Turks.

    French minesweepers were quite simple��a t-bottomed boat. While their seaworthiness wasn''t excellent, they had a much shallower draft, making it less likely to hit mines, especially during high tide.

    These boats also carried a special device��a somewhat primitive maic anomaly detector. If there were metallic objects underwater within a certain distance, the device would emit a warning.

    Next came the mechanical minesweeper on these boats. They could lower something simr to a trawl used inter times. Instead of a, two cables pulled arge de resembling a sickle.

    This device dragged along the depths close to the seabed. If there were anchor mines below, thisrge sickle would cut the cables under the anchor mines, causing them to float to the surface. Once a mine surfaced, dealing with it became easier.

    Of course, even with repeated sweeps, it couldn''t guarantee no fish escaped the. For instance, in this attack, several Turkish ships still hit mines and sank. But considering the French cleared more mines, the Turks understood that without the support of their French allies, their losses would be much greater.

    In the attack action afternding near the port, the French Marines helped the Turks open a safe passage in the minefield. When the Turkish attacking force was defeated, and the enemy counterattacked, the French Marines stopped the enemy''s counterstrike, causing significant casualties.

    Finally, the artillery of the French Navy yed a crucial role. Using expensive high-explosive shells, they destroyed a vital fortress on the hills near Darbida, making a breakthrough in the attack. Subsequently, the French, utilizing a makeshift port, brought some cannons ashore and moved them into the fortress. They continuously bombarded the city, breaking down the defense, ying a decisive role in the Turks ultimately capturing the city.

    With these real achievements, the Turks couldn''t use the French of abandoning their allies. Moreover, ording to the newly signed terms, they had to cede more benefits to the French. After gaining these footholds in Barbary, although French control over the Mediterranean couldn''tpare to the heyday of the Roman Empire, it was much stronger than the peak periods of Athens or Carthage.

    Easily achieving such a significant victory, liberating so many Christians, even the Vatican was considering canonizing Napoleon. However, an unexpected event interrupted this process.

    After news of the joint fleet capturing Moro came, the old Pope, Pius VI, was summoned by the Lord. It was said that in his final moments, he uttered, "Now it''s good; I don''t have to worry about the existence of God anymore."

 Chapter 416: Passing the Test?

    After visiting the University of Naples, the journey in Italy came to an end. During the journey, Joseph and hispanions were warmly weed in every city or country they visited. Each city or country bestowed upon Joseph various medals representing the highest honors. Even the Papal States, busy with the death of the pope and the coronation of the new pope, presented Joseph with a precious golden rose.

    The golden rose is the highest gift bestowed by the Vatican specifically for royal families who adhere to the Catholic faith. Each golden rose is made of pure gold and usually adorned with precious jewels. More importantly, each golden rose contains fragments of the True Cross within a reliquary.

    The Vatican often presents this gift to royal families who support the Catholic Church, to acknowledge their patronage and service to the Church. Now that Napoleon is the Emperor of Rome and Joseph is the Vice-Prince of the Roman Empire, it is appropriate to award them such an item.

    In theory, the fragments of the True Cross in the golden rose are limited in number and of great significance, so those who receive it should be reverent. However, in reality, it may not always be the case. For example, King Henry VIII of Ennd once demanded a divorce from his Spanish princess wife. The request for divorce was rejected by the Pope at the time, but to appease Henry VIII, the Pope sent him a golden rose. As a result, Henry VIII founded the Anglican Church after receiving the golden rose.

    Although Joseph wouldn''t go as far as founding a church (to be honest, the French Church is much more detestable than the Anglican Church), he also didn''t hold the Vatican''s so-called highest honors in high regard. He stuffed the golden rose and various other medals into a small box, then gave it to little Alice as a toy.

    It is said thatter, a friend of Joseph came to his house and found little Alice ying with the golden rose from the Vatican as a toy. He asked in surprise, "Don''t you know how honorable it is to receive a golden rose bestowed by the Vatican? How could you let a child y with it?" Joseph replied indifferently, "I want the child to know that honor is like a toy, only for ying with, not for holding onto forever, or else it will lead to nothing."

    Of course, whether this story is reliable is uncertain. There is no record of it in Napoleon''s memoirs or the memoirs of Joseph''s students. But this story still circtes widely.

    After resting in Naples for a few days, Joseph and his entourage boarded a French steamship and, escorted by a steam-powered cruiser of the French Navy, returned to Marseille.

    Arriving in Marseille, Joseph noticed that little Alice seemed a bit tired after the sea voyage, so they rested for another day in Marseille before collectively boarding the train back to Paris.Napoleon, apanied by Lucien and other nobles of the Roman Empire, went to the train station to meet Joseph''s party. However, neither Napoleon nor Joseph made any speeches at this time. It was only when Joseph approached Napoleon that he whispered, "You, and Lucien,e to me tonight."

    Napoleon''s movements paused slightly, but he quickly regained hisposure��this was part of the n after all��and whispered back, "Okay."

    That evening, Napoleon arrived at Joseph''s house with Lucien.

    "Ah, Napoleon, Lucien, Joseph is in the study," Fanny said to them. Her abdomen was noticeably swollen.

    "Sister-inw, where''s Joseph..." Lucien hurriedly asked.

    "Joseph is pretending to be very angry, but in fact, he''s not that angry," Fanny chuckled.

    Upon hearing this, Napoleon quickly thanked Fanny.

    Fanny smiled faintly and said, "Well, hurry up, Joseph is trying hard to find the feeling of anger. You two go early, maybe he hasn''t found it yet."

    Fanny knew that Joseph wasn''t really that angry, but for the sake of appearances, he was trying hard to look angry. Honestly, the brotherly rtionship among the Bonaparte siblings often amused Fanny.

    Napoleon stopped talking and, with Lucien, walked to the study with the determination and majesty of Caesar crossing the Rubicon.

    Napoleon gently knocked on the door.

    "Come in!" Joseph''s voice came from inside. His tone was already quite calm, which made Napoleon''s heart sink: trouble, Joseph is already prepared.

    Nevertheless, no matter what, they had to face it head-on. So Napoleon pushed open the door with a firm resolve, and with Lucien, entered the study.

    Joseph was sitting behind the desk chair, a document ced in front of him on the desk. He was flipping through the document under the light of the deskmp.

    Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, he looked up and nced at his two brothers, then said, "Take a seat."

    Napoleon and Lucien sat down in their respective chairs.

    "Napoleon, if this paper is indeed written by you, then you should indeed be awarded a position as an academician," Joseph said. "This paper onplex functions is indeed worthy of the evaluations of ''extreme importance'' and ''a few generalizations.''"

    Napoleon smiled awkwardly and remained silent. The main part of this paper waspleted by Lace, with some assistance from Mr. Montgolfier and Mr. Lagrange. They had spent a lot of effort helping Napoleon understand all the thoughts and derivations in this paper in preparation for Joseph''s inquiries. Napoleon originally thought that with such ample preparation, he could confidently im that he wrote this paper. But now, when Joseph directly questioned whether this was written by him or a ghostwriter, he hesitated.

    "If there is such a paper, and your name is added to the list of academicians, it is not entirely impossible. However, this paper should have been written by several people assisting you, and it must be made to appear as if you wrote it yourself. So although the argument of this paper is wless, some parts of the logic are not coherent enough, and the methods used are a bit cumbersome andck elegance," Joseph continued. "I have some suggestions for this paper. Take a look and make some revisions yourself. Don''t go looking for those tterers from the Paris high school anymore. I''ve already set the stage for you. You can finish it yourself. Besides, there''s nothing urgent at the moment. Is that okay?"

    "No problem, no problem," Napoleon quickly responded. Since Joseph was willing to give him this opportunity, he naturally had to seize it. Moreover, he had already studied this paper extensively. With Joseph''s outline for revision, Napoleon believed that with his somewhat passable mathematical ability, he should be able toplete the task.

 Chapter 417: Punishment

    If it could be so easy to pass through this, Joseph would truly thank God sincerely. However, there are hardly any cheap deals in this world. Sure enough, Joseph spoke again:

    "Joseph, you spent quite a sum of the family''s money to gain the support of those fellows, didn''t you?"

    Upon hearing this, Joseph knew things weren''t looking good. Whenever Joseph brought up money, there were seldom pleasant conversations.

    "Joseph, I..."

    "The folks from the Paris High School might just want to insert a Paris High School queen for you without directly asking for money. But Mr. Lavoisier, heh, I know him very well. Given your rtionship with him, can he help you like this without money? And Mr. Lavoisier has made quite a fortune these years, his aspirations have also risen significantly. Heh, it wouldn''t cost much to bribe him in the past, but now, to bribe him, the price must be high, right? Tell me, how much did you give him?"

    Joseph knew that his elder brother managed the family''s finances, and these matters couldn''t be hidden from him. As long as he investigated, he would surely find out. So, Napoleon never even thought of being able to hide anything from Joseph in this matter. Now that Joseph asked, Napoleon had no choice but to confess honestly. Although Napoleon also understood that honesty pays off, even behind bars.

    "What? You prodigal son! You actually gave him so many benefits? That old scoundrel, being so greedy now, he should really go to the guillotine. Hmm, Napoleon, and you, you''re just outrageous, it''s exasperating! How can you be so foolish, not even knowing how to haggle? If it were me, I could at least cut down half of that price. If it were an Indian, I could cut down another half! My goodness, you really don''t know how to negotiate. If Lucien were in your ce, he''d do better than you!"

    "Lucien refused to participate, he''s worried..." Napoleon said.

    "Lucien, withholding information isplicity. You''ve been in the Ministry of Truth for so many years, don''t you understand this basic principle? Either you inform me immediately upon discovering this conspiracy, or you do your best to assist Napoleon. Either choice is better than vaciting like this! You''re such a fool!" Joseph scolded.Lucien nced at his elder brother, then at his second brother, and didn''t dare to speak.

    "Lucien, you''re to write a self-criticism, five thousand words, it must touch the soul, and submit it to me tomorrow!" Joseph said.

    "Okay." Lucien immediately agreed. Anyway, he had already prepared many temtes for self-criticisms, so what''s another one?

    "Napoleon, you''ve caused huge financial losses to the family, so you''ll also be punished. From today onwards, half of your dividends will be deducted as a fine until this loss ispensated for."

    Napoleon calcted in his mind and felt that canceling half of the usual dividends, although a considerable amount, wouldn''t really affect his standard of living much, so he quickly expressed willingness to ept the punishment.

    "As long as problems can be solved with money, they''re not problems." Napoleon quietly reassured himself.

    "Furthermore, Napoleon, since you''re already a member of the French Academy of Sciences, you can''t just take the Academy''s allowance for free. So, you''ll also have to participate in some of the Academy''s work," Joseph added.

    "No problem, no problem," Napoleon hurriedly agreed.

    "ording to the rules, you should still be in your probationary period. But breaking the rules, you fellows actually made this guy a full-fledged academician directly��I served as a probationary member back then!" Joseph expressed some dissatisfaction, "Regardless of whether you''re officially one now or not, you''ll have to do what probationary members do!"

    One important duty of probationary members was to review papers. Each year, many papers were submitted to various journals affiliated with the Academy of Sciences. Reviewing these papers was a substantial and challenging task. Therefore, most of the official academicians were reluctant to do it. Of course, considering there were many probationary members in the Academy of Sciences, and if Napoleon was really too busy, he could always ask those folks from the Paris High School to stand in for him. So, Napoleon felt that there shouldn''t be anything he couldn''t handle.

    "That''s not a problem. Serving the Academy of Sciences is something I''ve been longing for," Napoleon hastily replied.

    "Alright, I''ll arrange for you to review papers for the ''Mathematics'' journal," Joseph said.

    Overall, Napoleon was quite satisfied with the oue of tonight. He felt that although Joseph was sometimes annoying, he was still his brother after all. Today''s matter could be considered a typical example of raising a ss high, then putting it down gently, with only three cups of wine as punishment, and it wouldn''t happen again.

    Joseph acted swiftly, and just two dayster, Napoleon received arge stack of papers waiting to be reviewed, sent to him by others.

    Anyway, Napoleon didn''t have much to do at the moment, so he considered this another form of leisure. So, Napoleon began to review the papers earnestly.

    Upon reading, Napoleon understood why no official academicians wanted to do this and why only "probationary members" would handle such matters. If the probationary members weren''t eager to be official members as soon as possible, they certainly wouldn''t want to do this work either. Because the quality of these papers, well, most of them weren''t really up to par. Many of these so-called "papers" were riddled with ws to the extent that even Napoleon felt they should be submitted to the jokes section of "The Sun" newspaper.

    "This is totally pseudoscience!" Napoleon mmed one paper on the table, then picked up his pen to writements.

    "This ''paper'' has the problem of using other equivalent propositions as axioms in the first paragraph. There are obvious logical ws in notes 1, 5, 7, and even obvious calction errors in notes 3 and 6.

    Review result: Not passed.

    Suggestion: The author should re-study primary school mathematics."

    After dealing with the first paper, Napoleon picked up the second one and, after reading for a while, began to writements again:

    "The process of argumentation is fine, although somewhat verbose and tedious, but at least there are no errors. It addresses a very important problem, and the conclusion drawn is also very correct. However, is it meaningful to reinvent the wheel? Is it necessary to spend a huge amount of space to prove a theorem that a Greek person proved in one-fifth of the space?

    Review result: Not passed.

    Suggestion: Afterpletingpulsory education, the author should continue reading."

    Basically, most of the papers were like this. After a whole day of reading, Napoleon hadn''t found anything worth his attention, but his belly was sore fromughing.

    Casually throwing another pseudoscientific paper aside, Napoleon saw a very thick paper underneath, titled "Principles of Geometry and a Rigorous Proof of the Parallel Postte," and the author was an unknown person named Lucien Evans.

 Chapter 418: Deceived

    This Lucien Evans is actually a pseudonym for Gauss. Of course, this name was chosen with the help of Joseph Bonaparte for certain undisclosed reasons.

    "Hehe, do you really think this matter will end like this?" Joseph couldn''t help but think while assigning this name to Gauss''s pseudonym.

    Of course, besides Joseph, no one knows the terror represented by the seemingly ordinary name "Lucien Evans". In another time and space, such infamous names as "Original Devil, Fallen Morning Star, Skull Crusher, Brain Eater, Headshot Maniac, Destroyer of Worldviews" would be enough to silence a crying baby.

    Napoleon naturally had no idea what terror he was about to face.

    "The rigorous proof of geometric principles and the parallel line theorem?" Napoleon read the topic once, "Parallel line theorem, ah, is this another attempt to eliminate parallel lines from axioms?"

    The fifth postte of Euclidean geometry, also known as the parallel postte, seems far less intuitive than the previous ones. Lacking the concise beauty of axioms, many mathematicians since ancient Greece have sought to prove it using alternative sets of four posttes and five axioms, thereby removing it from the ranks of axioms and turning it into a theorem.

    Napoleon opened the paper and began to read.

    "Not bad, at least from the beginning, it seems quite organized, unlike those fools before who couldn''t understand even the most basic things." Napoleon nodded, took a sip of coffee from the table, and continued reading with his head down.

    As he read on, Napoleon became lessposed."Damn, what is this! Really... I thought I might see something non-crackpot, something normal, but... how can this person earnestly talk such nonsense! Doesn''t he want to see what the outside world is like? It''s truly infuriating!"

    Napoleon couldn''t bear to continue reading and just flipped to the end of the paper, then began to write hisments directly:

    "A ludicrous argument. Leading to absurd conclusions, this paper is riddled with errors, utterly worthless, and cannot pass review. I believe the author should look out the window. See the real world... In my opinion, the paper cannot pass review due to its nonsensical and iprehensible nature. For such whimsical and iprehensible delusions, the best course of action is to throw them into the firece, where they can serve their only purpose."

    After finishing, Napoleon threw the paper aside, grumbling to himself: "Now I understand why no one wants to do paper reviews. It''s like force-feeding people crap. A whole morning, a whole morning wasted on this load of nonsense! It''s... as Joseph said, human intelligence has no lower limit."

    Normally, to ensure impartial evaluation during paper review, several people would be assigned to review one paper. This, of course, increased the workload, so Napoleon was assigned another stack of papers in the afternoon.

    Napoleon''s enthusiasm had been exhausted by those crackpot papers. So he made up an excuse, saying he had a date with Miss Lora, and passed all the work to Mr. Lagrange, then slipped away. Of course, Mr. Lagrange wasn''t keen on doing this either��he hadn''t done such work for many years. So naturally, he casually assigned these things to his own students to give them some practice...

    Early the next morning, Napoleon unexpectedly received a notification from the Academy of Sciences. Because his judgment of the paper "Rigorous Proof of Geometric Principles and the Parallel Line Theorem" differed significantly from that of another probationary academician��Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier, the Academy, ording to custom, sent him the paper again for re-evaluation. If no one changed their opinion after a week, a hearing would be convened to resolve the dispute.

    "Huh? Fourier let that damn paper pass?" Napoleon was surprised.

    Given Fourier''s academic level and contributions, he should have been a full member of the Academy of Sciences long ago. But he was still an important figure in the Bonaparte Laboratory, and his most important research findings were considered strategically significant by Joseph, especially in wirelessmunications. As long as his findings were temporarily kept under wraps, even if the British managed to steal French secret radio equipment, they would hardly be able to replicate anything useful. So these findings were kept confidential for the time being.

    Of course, Joseph didn''t mistreat Fourier either. Fourier received quite a few shares of Bonaparte General Electric as a result. With just the annual dividends, he had be one of the wealthiest men in the French Academy of Sciences, second only to Joseph and Lavoisier.

    However, because of this, Fourier was still only a probationary academician. (Actually, it wasn''t bad. In the original history, Fourier wasn''t even a probationary academician at this time.)

    Although Fourier was only a probationary academician, Napoleon still admired his academic level. Moreover, Fourier was a man of Joseph''s faction, which made Napoleon even more wary.

    "Could I be wrong? Well, that damn paper I haven''t even finished reading. If the first thing I do as a full member is to make a mistake, that would be truly embarrassing. Damn it, could Joseph have arranged this intentionally to trap me? No, I won''t be fooled!"

 Chapter 419: A Devastating Blow

    Since Napoleon had not changed his stance, Fourier naturally did not change his stance either. So a few dayster, at the French Academy of Sciences, a formal hearing began.

    Before the hearing, Napoleon and his think tank carefully studied the paper, hoping to discover any hidden errors in its argumentation. However, despite their efforts, they could not find any such loopholes.

    "I don''t even know how this terrible paradox came about. But his mistakes are unquestionable. Therefore, in the debate, I suggest we focus solely on attacking the paper''s inconsistencies with reality and itsck of achievable models," Lace and others finally proposed.

    Although Napoleon felt that this approach was not enough topletely defeat his opponent, he now had no choice but to resort to it. With this approach, at least he could maintain his undefeated record.

    The weather on the day of the hearing was fine, and Napoleon and his allies arrived at the entrance of the small auditorium where the hearing was to be held on time. They happened to encounter Joseph leading a group of people, including Gauss and Fourier.

    "Mr. Fourier, why would you support such a strange paper?" Lace approached Fourier and asked.

    "Ah, Mr. Lace, what''s strange about this paper?" Fourier said, "I think it''s the best, most innovative, inspiring, and discussable paper in recent times. In fact, this is not only my opinion, but also Mr. Gauss''s and Dean Bonaparte''s."

    In fact, Lace''s conversation with Fourier at this time wasrgely a military tactic, intending to put pressure on Fourier. However, Fourier dragged Gauss and Joseph out, making Lace feel quite pressured instead. Because although Gauss was young, his series of achievements in mathematics were truly impressive, and his talent and ability to handle difficult problems were admired by everyone. As for Dean Bonaparte, he had the reputation of "Joseph who never makes mistakes." So when he heard that they both thought highly of this paper, although Lace was very confident in his academic level, he still felt quite pressured. As for Napoleon, he already had a premonition of being tied to the guillotine.

    At this point, Joseph spoke up: "Since everyone is here, let''s go in and get ready to start."So everyone entered the small auditorium and took their seats. Joseph then began: "ording to the usual procedure, we should invite the author of this paper, Mr. Lucien Evans, to the scene. However, Mr. Lucien Evans''s provided address does not exist. So this hearing can only proceed without the presence of the party."

    "He must know that his paper cannot withstand questioning, so he''s hiding and dare note, right?" Napoleon couldn''t help but say.

    "Academician Napoleon, haven''t you read the ''Rules of the Academy Meetings''? Please abide by the rules of the meeting. If you want to speak, please raise your hand first, and then speak after getting permission from the meeting chairman," Joseph said.

    Napoleon remained silent.

    "Since the author is absent, let''s skip this step and proceed directly to the next step. First, let the opposition raise questions and point out errors. Alright, Academician Napoleon, pleasee forward to state your reasons."

    Napoleon looked around and then walked towards the tform. Meanwhile, he thought to himself, "It''s a bit nervous to give a speech without a fully armed guard around."

    But regardless of his nervousness, he had to speak. So Napoleon began: "As we all know, the reason mathematics is respected as a science is because it urately describes our world. We can even say that mathematics is the most fundamental rule of the world, it is thenguage with which God created the world. Therefore, mathematics and reality are inseparable. Mathematical conclusions cannot and should not exist apart from reality. However, this paper has such a problem.

    For example, if this paper is correct, then there would exist triangles with internal angles smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees. I want to ask, can any of you draw such a triangle?

    Simrly, based on this paper, we see the conclusion that perpendicr and oblique lines on the same line do not necessarily intersect. Then who can draw such a figure? It''s impossible, just like triangles with internal angles smaller than 180 degrees, the situation where perpendicr and oblique lines on the same line do not intersect does not exist in reality. Obviously, the person who wrote this paperpletely ignored the real world, ignored the foundation on which mathematics exists. He degraded mathematics into a meaningless logical game. That is why I judge this paper to be uneptable."

    After saying this, Napoleon nced at Fourier and then said, "I''m done speaking."

    The mathematicians from the Paris College pped together. Napoleon bowed slightly to them and then stepped down from the tform.

    ording to the rules, it should be Fourier''s turn to speak when Napoleon finished. But at this moment, it was Joseph who walked up to the tform.

    Seeing Joseph stepping onto the tform, Napoleon suddenly trembled all over, his hands and feet turning cold.

    "Gentlemen, in fact, before Mr. Fourier made that judgment, he had discussed this paper with me. His evaluation of this paper is actually my evaluation as well. I believe that this is a groundbreaking, epoch-making paper of extreme importance. I predict that the significance of this paper is no less than that of Euclid''s ''Elements.'' Now, I will respond to the questions raised by Academician Napoleon just now."

    "First of all, Academician Napoleon mentioned earlier that mathematics is not a meaningless logical game; it must have real significance. I very much agree with this point. However, I also want to remind Academician Napoleon that reality is not something he can subjectively determine." Here, Joseph nced triumphantly at Napoleon.

    "We know that if the frequency of sound is slightly higher or lower, we cannot hear it at all. But that does not mean that the sound does not exist. Bats use ultrasonic sounds that we cannot hear to navigate. Through photometric experiments, we can also find that in areas beyond violet light and beyond red light, where we appear to have no light, iodine silver can still undergo photochemical reactions. So what we hear with our ears is not necessarilyplete reality, and what we see with our eyes is not necessarilyplete reality either. Therefore, do not think that you can define reality. Reality may not be what you imagine."

    Napoleon wanted to retort, "Then find a triangle with internal angles smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees!" But after a moment''s thought, he remained silent.

    "Well, let''s look at this paper, starting with the first part," Joseph said, while conveniently projecting the first part onto the curtain hanging on the wall using a projector.

    "Academician Napoleon, could you please tell us if there are any errors in this section?" Joseph asked.

    This section mainly consisted of the five axioms of Euclidean geometry, the first four posttes, and ater assumption: "Through a point not on a line, there are two or more lines parallel to that line."

    Napoleon was surprised, he looked at the content being projected, then hesitated and replied, "The previous ones are fine, but thest one is absurd and inconsistent with reality."

    "Napoleon," Joseph said with a sarcastic tone, "I remember teaching you what proof by contradiction is when you were ten, right

    ?"

    Napoleon hurriedly said, "Then there is no problem here." He knew that he had misspoken earlier, and if he continued to talk about "proof by contradiction," he would really appear as if he hadn''t finished elementary school.

    Since Napoleon didn''t speak up, Joseph continued to disy the content on the projector, and every time he showed a slide, Joseph would ask Napoleon, "Academician Napoleon, is there any problem with this part of the argument?"

    Of course, there was no problem. If there were any issues, Napoleon and the group from the Paris College wouldn''t have been busy for so long these days and still couldn''t find any. So, every time, Napoleon could only answer dejectedly, "No, there isn''t."

    The projector continued to project the paper, and with Napoleon''s repeated answers of "no problem," it finally reached thest section.

    "Napoleon, is there no problem here either?" Joseph asked.

    "Yes, there is no problem, but it doesn''t match reality..." Napoleon wanted to salvage the situation.

    "Napoleon, what you call reality is not equal to true reality!" Joseph responded.

    "Then you draw a triangle with internal angles smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees!" Napoleon couldn''t help but counterattack. He also knew that if he didn''t retaliate now, he would be utterly defeated.

    "Hehe, Napoleon," Joseph smiled and said, "you see, the entire process of argumentation conforms to the rules. If the premise is correct and the entire argumentation process is correct, but it still doesn''t match what you assume to be reality. Reality cannot be wrong, so where is the mistake? Is it possible that the entire mathematical method, the entire mathematical system is wrong? Napoleon, your judgment is really brave, you are trying to overturn almost the entire mathematical system."

    "I''m not... I''m not trying to... I just want to see a triangle with internal angles smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees." Napoleon could only cling to the triangle with internal angles smaller than one hundred and eighty degrees as a lifeline.

    "No problem, I''ll show you now." Joseph looked confident. Seeing Joseph''s expression, Napoleon''s heart trembled, he knew: a devastating blow was about to fall.

 Chapter 420: Ill Lead the Surrender

    At this moment, not only did Napoleon''s heart skip a beat, silently calling out that this wasn''t good, but even Lace and the others were startled. What? President Bonaparte already had a method to prove this peculiar geometry? But this was normal. If there was anyone in the world who could quickly solve this problem, "Never Wrong Joseph" was undoubtedly the most likely candidate.

    At this moment on the podium, Joseph leisurely greeted Fourier, "Mr. Fourier, hmm, could you please help distribute my paper for everyone to see? I could also use a break and have some water. Once they''ve finished reading it, we can continue our discussion."

    With that said, Joseph slowly returned to his seat and picked up his tea cup for a drink. Fourier then distributed a copy of the paper to everyone.

    A copy of Joseph''s paper alsonded in front of Napoleon. He lowered his head and saw the title "An Attempt to Exin Non-Euclidean Geometry." He despairingly flipped through the paper, trying to find any ws in it. Although he knew that at this moment, the possibility of Joseph''s paper having ws was smaller than leading a hundred thousand French troops against less than a thousand Prussians in battle and still beingpletely defeated. (After all, there was still the possibility of meteorites falling from the sky and hitting them.)

    Napoleon''s mathematics was actually quite good. Although it was still far from the level of an academician, among ordinary people, he was definitely at the top. So, he didn''t have any problems understanding the paper.

    With a hopeful mentality, Napoleon quickly skimmed through the paper. This paper was indeed in Joseph''s typical style, rigorously argued, leaving no loopholes, and even included one or two new mathematical deductions as a bonus.

    "Is this using differential geometry? The entire argument process seems to be wless," Napoleon raised his head and nced at Lace and the others beside him. He saw that their eyes were wide open, but none of them seemed to have anything to say.

    "Damn, most likely they can''t find any problems either. Joseph has really managed to construct such a triangle on a hyperbolic surface. This, this... I''m really foolish, really, I actually ran into Joseph''s stronghold expecting him not to retaliate, forgetting that this guy has always been petty..."

    Finally, Lace and the others finished reading the paper. They scrutinized it more carefully than Napoleon, but like him, they couldn''t find any errors in the paper."Never Wrong Joseph," many people couldn''t help but think of this phrase, feeling that the burden weighing on them had increased slightly.

    Joseph had finished his tea and poured two more cups. Seeing that everyone had almost finished drinking, he set down his teacup and leisurely said, "It seems like everyone has finished reading? Now, does anyone have any doubts about Mr. Lucien Evans''s paper?"

    No one spoke up.

    Joseph continued, "In addition to my method, there is also a more ingenious proof,pleted by my friend, Academician Gauss. You can also take a look at it."

    Fourier then distributed Gauss''s paper to everyone.

    Gauss''s paper was also titled "An Attempt to Exin Non-Euclidean Geometry," but his approach was indeed different from Joseph''s. His approach was simpler and more unique. He used the concept of projection to prove thepatibility of the new geometry with Euclidean geometry on the unit circle. If Euclidean geometry held, then the new geometry must also hold!

    This concise derivation, this wonderful proof, was full of the beauty of mathematics. For Lace and the others, there was nothing more shocking than this.

    "I think, regarding Mr. Lucien Evans, who is actually an anonymous author, everyone should no longer have any doubts about this paper, right?" Joseph spoke up, "If that''s the case, I''m going to announce the result of this hearing. Hmm, I believe Mr. Fourier made the correct judgment in evaluating this paper. Now, who agrees, and who disagrees?"

    So everyone, including Napoleon, expressed their agreement.

    "Very good, I''m d to see that our Academy of Sciences is indeed an academy of science, and everyone is willing to reason. Whether it''s right or wrong, everyone is willing to use papers to speak. Hmm, Mr. Fourier, you made the judgment to pass this paper before seeing the perfect proof. And we all know that in this paper, there are many things that surpass ourmon sense and are difficult for us to ept. Now, I would like to ask you to exin why you made the decision to pass this paper before seeing the perfect proof."

    Fourier nodded and walked up to the podium.

    "Respected academicians, actually, when I first saw this paper, I also felt absurd and unbelievable, and firmly believed that there must be some error in this paper. However, at that time, I felt that although the author of this paper had produced a ridiculousposition, the mathematical level demonstrated in the paper was extremely astonishing. I think anyone who truly restrains their disgust and carefully reads this paper should be able to see this point. I thought at the time: even if this paper is really wrong, really absurd. It is a higher level of error and absurdity, just like Zeno''s paradox (Achilles never catches up to a tortoise ahead of him), which is clearly absurd but may have very profound implications. It''s a ridiculousness worth taking seriously. Just like the study of Zeno''s paradox led to a deep investigation into finite and infinite, continuity and discreteness.

    So I carefully studied this paper again. This kind of study��honestly, it frightened me. My heart told me that this thing must be wrong, where in the world does such reasoning exist? But my brain told me that there was no error in this paper mathematically.

    This was truly a terrifying thing because it almost meant that our mathematics contradicted reality. It was possible that our mathematics was fundamentally wrong. At that time, I was so scared by my own thoughts that I couldn''t even eat.

    Even Lace couldn''t help but nod in agreement with this statement. Because it was indeed terrifying. It was as scary as the sudden fluctuation in the amplitude of the cosmic microwave background radiation between one and five percent, or as if the universe suddenly began to flicker.

    However, at this moment, I suddenly remembered something. It was the President''s seeminglypletely unreasonable ''Bonaparte Bright Spot Experiment.'' Wasn''t that experiment alsopletely unrealistic? But as long as the conditions were right, it would actually appear in reality. So, I found somefort in that. I thought, maybe it''s not that mathematics is wrong, or reality is wrong, but rather my own understanding of reality is wrong. The real world is so vast, yet our scope of interaction is so limited. What right do we have to determine what is in ordance with reality and what is not? Maybe, under certain special conditions, this strange geometry can really be realized? Just like how, as long as the conditions are right, we can really see a bright spot in the shadow cast by an opaque object.

    So, I discussed this paper and my thoughts with the President, as well as with Academician Gauss. They all agreed with my thoughts and joined me in trying to find the conditions in reality that would allow this strange and counterintuitive geometry to hold. The

    results of our discussion are all written in this paper."

    Fourier bowed slightly to everyone and said, "That''s all I have to say."

    At this moment, the entire Academy of Sciences fell into a strange silence. Everyone''s hearts were filled withplex emotions.

    After a long time, Lace finally said, "Mr. Fourier, your words make sense."

    Fourier smiled slightly, not saying anything more.

    Napoleon looked at Lace, then at Joseph and Gauss, and finally at the two teacups on the table, quietly saying to himself, "The true power of science and mathematics... it''s not about being always right. It''s about being willing to admit when you''re wrong and to seek truth wherever it leads."

    At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of relief in his heart.

    Maybe, this world is not as terrifying as it seems. As long as there are people like Joseph and Gauss, as well as Fourier and Lace, the light of reason will continue to shine, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and fear.

    And as for him, Napoleon Bonaparte, maybe it''s time for him to focus on being a leader, not just a conqueror. Maybe it''s time for him to lead his nation not only to victory on the battlefield but also to greatness in the fields of science, technology, and culture.

    Yes, maybe it''s time for him to lead the surrender.

    And with that thought in mind, Napoleon stood up and said, "Gentlemen, I have made up my mind. I am going to implement the policy of ''L''Ecole Polytechnique,'' where the most talented individuals from all walks of life will be selected and trained to serve our nation. We shall invest in education, research, and innovation, and strive to make France not only the strongest but also the most enlightened nation in the world!"

    And thus began a new chapter in the history of France, a chapter filled with hope, progress, and enlightenment.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 420 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 421: Turning Mourning into Celebration

    "ording to the rules, as a member of the Academy... I, as one of the reviewers of this paper, also have the right to speak," Napoleon quickly said, fearing that if he spoke slowly, Joseph would end the meeting directly.

    After saying this, Napoleon breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that although Joseph was a very annoying fellow, although he was very, very bad, if we were to ssify him into the Nine-Grid Alignment Camps, this guy was definitely of the Lawful Alignment. As for whether he was Lawful Evil, Lawful Good, or Lawful Neutral, different people in the family had different opinions. But everyone agreed that Joseph was a rule-abiding person. Since ording to the rules, Napoleon had the right to speak, and Napoleon pointed out this point, then Joseph should not break the rules and deny him the opportunity to speak.

    Sure enough, Joseph frowned, but he still said, "Well, Academician Bonaparte, pleasee up and speak. But keep it brief...," at this point, he took out his pocket watch and nced at it, "don''t dy everyone''s lunch."

    "No, no, I''ll be brief, I''ll be brief," Napoleon said as he hurried up to the podium.

    Napoleon knew that a major trick in politics was to be able to turn a funeral into a celebration. For example, when a gue was rampant in the country and many were dying, it had to be said that "because we have the highest testing numbers in the world"; for example, whenrge numbers of rtively resistant young people also contracted the gue, it had to be said that "more young people getting sick is, in a sense, a good thing." As long as one was good at turning a funeral into a celebration, maybe they could even dress themselves up as respecting science, being brave enough to admit mistakes, and correcting them.

    "Gentlemen academicians, sirs," Napoleon said, "having just joined the Academy of Sciences, I made such a mistake, and I''m sorry. Although Mr. Evans is not present, I still want to apologize to him. This is a great paper that should be worthy of the ''Prometheus Award,'' but because of my outdated and conservative thinking, bound by past habits, I failed to recognize the significance of this paper, and even ndered it, which misled many colleagues. This is my mistake, so I also want to apologize to those colleagues.

    On the path of science, there is no room for any pride or self-satisfaction, not even a little arrogance. On the path of science, we can only make progress by getting rid of all kinds of old prejudices and boldly discarding those old ideas. Our science, our cause, can only progress bybining these two things.

    At this point, I am reminded of the famous saying by Dandong. During the most dangerous days of the Republic, Dandong said: ''We must be bold, we must be bold, always bold, and France will be saved!'' In fact, in science, we also need the spirit of bold exploration, not to be bound by past habits, past dogmas, but to boldly break free from these shackles. We must be bold, bold, always bold, for science to make progress.

    But being bold alone is not enough. We can see how rigorous Mr. Evans''s argument is in this paper. To be honest, because I could not ept the conclusions that broke my outdated views, I spent a lot of time searching for ws in this paper''s argument. Of course, as you all know, I did not seed.However, my failure, or rather, Mr. Evans''s sess, also shows that science not only requires the courage to make major breakthroughs but also the meticulousness in operation. Only bybining these two can we achieve the glory of our science, and even our France, constantly exploring and advancing."

    Napoleon felt that with such a speech, he had sessfully turned the funeral into a celebration. Although this guy Joseph had embarrassed him a lot, but, it wasn''t just him who made mistakes, the entire Paris High School Department was beaten together, right? And his main identity was that of a politician and military leader, the identity of a scientist was just a facade. Moreover, on a scientific issue, he and those scientists who could be nominated for the "Prometheus Award" made the same mistake, didn''t that just show that his level was not much different from theirs, so he made the same mistake as them? Only if the level was high enough, close to that of Lace and the others, would such a mistake be made, you guys are not worthy of making such mistakes! So Napoleon also won spiritually.

    Next was the matter of propaganda, this matter had to be discussed well, it must be turned into a real celebration. And it must be a real celebration. It must not be like in a certain country inter generations, where funerals were turned into celebrations, and even their own country''s people could not be deceived.

    The journal "Mathematics" of the Academy of Sciences issued a special issue for this paper. In this thick special issue, which was as thick as a book, the first was the full text of Mr. Lucien Evans''s paper, followed by papers by Joseph and Gauss, proving this paper from different angles and using different methods. Then came the speech by Fourier, followed by the speech by President Bonaparte, and finally, of course, Napoleon''s speech.

    Considering that French science was now the best in the world, especially in mathematics, this was even more so. So the "Mathematics" journal of the French Academy of Sciences was definitely the most authoritative journal in the world in the field of mathematics. For many mathematicians in other countries, if their papers could be published in the French "Mathematics" journal, it was almost the highest honor. Even in Oxford and Cambridge in Ennd, some mathematicians were increasingly willing to publish their papers in the French "Mathematics" journal, not only because the remuneration for "Mathematics" journal was rtively high (the British had already raised the remuneration for some of their own professional journals), but also because publishing articles in the "Mathematics" journal brought higher academic reputation.

    But in terms of publicity, the "Mathematics" journal had a big problem, that is, its cirction was too small. Because its readership was limited to a very small circle. The things in the "Mathematics" journal were often too advanced for most people to understand. For most people, the articles in the "Mathematics" journal werepletely iprehensible gibberish. Even for many college students majoring in science and engineering, it was the same.

    But this did not mean that the influence of the "Mathematics" journal was not significant, because its prestige was high. Prestige itself was a kind of influence. For the folks in the news industry, news rted to the "Mathematics" journal was always particrly attractive. Moreover, in this special issue of the "Mathematics" journal, there were so many newsworthy things.

    First, there was a groundbreaking, revolutionary theory, and the author was unknown. Then the groundbreaking, revolutionary theory led to a split in the French Academy of Sciences, and finally, everyone resorted to a hearing like a duel to resolve the differences. How interesting! More importantly, the opponents in this scientific duel turned out to

    be brothers. Of course, the most important thing was that these two brothers were the most prominent brothers in France, and they could even be said to be the most prominent brothers in the whole of Europe.

    One was the first consul of the French Republic, and the other was the president of the French Academy of Sciences. One was the Augustus of the Roman Empire, and the other was the Caesar of the Roman Empire. In the past, these two brothers were models of brotherly love and respect, but now they hade to the duel over this paper. You could imagine how big of a news this was. For the journalists from various countries who were dedicated to making big news, this was something worth reporting!

    So before the special issue of the "Mathematics" journal was published, the "Scientific Truth Gazette" first published relevant reports because they had special news channels and always managed to get the big news first: "''Euclidean Geometry'' Challenged, ''Mathematics'' Journal to Publish Groundbreaking Paper." The focus of this report was still on "mathematics" itself, on whether there were triangles with interior angles less than 180 degrees. But at the end of this report, it also mentioned that regarding this paper, President Bonaparte and Academician Bonaparte had different opinions.

    Immediately following, the "Sun Gazette," with the fastest reporters in the world, followed suit. Of course, the "Sun Gazette" didn''t care about the interior angles of triangles and how much they were. In fact, no one cared about that in the readership of the "Sun Gazette." So the headline of the "Sun Gazette" naturally became: "Who Will Prevail in the Battle Between Caesar and Augustus?" The focus of the report naturally shifted to the brotherly dispute.

    Of course, even if you gave the "Sun Gazette" a hundred guts, it wouldn''t dare to mess around and say that the Bonaparte brothers were at odds. In its report, both brothers still looked like "I love my brother, but I love the truth more." Their debate was also just a dispute between gentlemen based on different views.

    Even at the end of the report, the "Sun Gazette" was filled with a desire to survive, attributing the brothers'' debate to France''s ideals of equality, freedom, and fraternity.

    They said that in this debate, there were the first consul, the president of the Academy, academicians, trainee academicians, but when discussing scientific issues, everyone did not use their status to oppress others, which reflected the fundamental spirit of France��equality.

    And everyone had no reservations about one question, freely speaking their minds, which also reflected the freedom of spirit of France''s founding.

    For the enthusiasm shown by everyone for an unknown author''s paper, it truly demonstrates the spirit of fraternity in the French Republic. Therefore, France''s dominance in the world is only natural!

    With these two newspapers leading the way, although the special issue of "Mathematics" journal had not yet been released, the hype was already building up. Not only the French, but people from other countries were also keenly interested in this matter. Even British newspapers widely reprinted these news stories.

    Of course, the British couldn''t help but poke fun at Academician Joseph Bonaparte''s status. They hinted that Joseph''s membership in the French Academy of Sciences was solely due to his political position.

    Certainly, there were some pro-France media outlets, especially those with a trade background. The backers of these media outlets were either in textile exports or machinery imports. They all needed "good Anglo-French rtions." Therefore, their voices naturally differed.

    "We interviewed Professor Cohen from Cambridge University on the academic level of Consul Bonaparte. Professor Cohen stated that Consul Bonaparte''s research level inplex variables is very high. From his papers, it is only natural for him to be awarded the title of academician."

    When asked about the possibility of Consul Bonaparte''s papers being ghostwritten, Professor Cohen said, "The nonsense of those conspiracy theorists is not even worth refuting. These people, as soon as you look at them, you''ve lost to them."

    As for the im about "shaking Euclidean geometry," Professor Cohen said, "I''m very much looking forward to seeing the new issue of ''Mathematics.'' Personally, I think it might be a paper on the fifth postte. Since the time of the Greeks, countless mathematicians have been trying to demote this postte to a theorem. It''s been a problem that has persisted for thousands of years. Perhaps our French colleagues have made progress on this issue..."

    Under the hype generated by these media outlets, the special issue of "Mathematics" journal was finally published.

    Immediately, newspapers from all quarters erupted.

    The "Scientific Truth Gazette" first interviewed some famous schrs from the University of Paris and the Paris High School. They eachmented on the significance of this paper from their respective perspectives. Although their perspectives differed, everyone acknowledged the breakthrough and the importance of mathematics.

    The "Scientific Truth Gazette" also published numerous reader letters. Most of these letters expressed love for science and admiration for both sides of this scientific duel.

    "The academic acumen and talent of President Bonaparte in science, as well as his meticulousness, truth-seeking spirit, are admirable. He has be a role model for young people who love science. As for his brother, Academician Bonaparte, although he initially insisted on his own views, after realizing his mistake on this issue, he bravely admitted it, bravely searched for problems in himself, and bravely corrected his mistakes, which also demonstrated the noble character of a scientist." ����"Letters from Readers" section of the "Scientific Truth Gazette"

    Led by the "Scientific Truth Gazette," the entire French media almost unanimously sang the praises of Joseph Bonaparte. Many newspapers even stated: although Academician Bonaparte lost to his brother, President Bonaparte, in the scientific duel, it proves that your brother is still your brother. However, Academician Bonaparte appeared even more adorable.

    In other countries, newspapers naturally wouldn''t praise Joseph Bonaparte as the French ones did, because while French newspapers praised Joseph Bonaparte, they still had to follow basic methods��ah, basic methods to praise. But foreign media, they didn''t need to care about these. When they praised Joseph Bonaparte, they even made Joseph Bonaparte himself blush.

    Actually, this is not surprising. Inter generations, there were simr situations in some countries'' media, when they praised other countries, they also had such things, like "domineering little passports," "conscience sewers," and "free houses." What "dignity of the slum" and "rigor of the oiled paper" and "conscience of free medical care," they made the moon of other countries rounder than a ck hole. When the people of other countries read it, they even misunderstood that you were sarcastically mocking them.

    Nowadays, in some European countries, some media outlets like to criticize France in order to criticize their own countries. These media outlets, Italy has them, the Rhine Federation has them, Austria has them, Prussia has them, Russia has them, and even the British have them.

    Moreover, the situation in Britain is very special. In Austria and Russia, it is the reformists who praise France and Napoleon, while the conservatives criticize France and Napoleon. But in Britain, the situation is not quite the same. In Britain, there are pro-France and anti-France factions. ording to reason, the pro-France faction should praise France, and the anti-France faction should criticize France. The pro-France faction should praise Napoleon, and the anti-France faction should criticize Napoleon. But this world is particrly strange. In Britain, both the pro-France and anti-France factions praise France and praise Napoleon together.

    The pro-France faction goes without saying, what about the anti-France faction? What do they praise? They praise the patriotism of the French people, unlike in Britain, where there are so many damned pro-France traitors. Clearly, the French have always been secretly supporting, and even openly supporting, the internal separatist forces, but these damned traitors still follow the French for so little money. Look at the French, look at Napoleon, when did they ever do such shameless things? Ah, if Napoleon were British, it would be great. He would have sent all these traitors to the guillotine long ago! (Napoleon said that it would be more effective to let Robespierre handle this kind of thing.)

    They also praise Napoleon for developing heavy industry, especially heavy industry. It''s nothing like those bureaucratic officials in Britain who sit idly by while British heavy industry gradually falls behind. They sit idly by as these industries be increasingly upetitive. Their mantra is, "If our Prime Minister were Napoleon, we would have raised tariffs on French goods long ago."

    In short, their praise of Napoleon is with ulterior motives. They praise Napoleon to scold those at home who are not in line with their interests. They praise Napoleon, even like Xin Qiji praising Sun Wukong. Although Sun Wukong is yed around with on the battlefield by different people,pared to those emperors who I despise, he''s still worth praising, at least he dares to march north.

    Of course, this time, they had another opportunity to praise Napoleon, that is: "Napoleon admits his mistakes and is willing to correct them, but those bastards who have made so many mistakes and harmed the entire Britain are shameless. Hmm, they are still a little better than Napoleon in one respect, that is, their shamelessness is thicker than Napoleon''s."

    So Napoleon sessfully turned mourning into celebration.

 Chapter 422: Finding a Scapegoat

    Although Napoleon was set up by the boss and made a bit of a fool of himself, overall, Napoleon''s reputation actually gained a bit. In the past, most people thought of Napoleon as nothing more than a scientific enthusiast. But after this incident, public opinion generally regarded Napoleon as a genuine scientist��although he sometimes makes mistakes. As for how themon people see it? Most of the time, ordinary folks don''t have their own opinions; whatever the public opinion is, that''s what they think.

    Of course, as a result, Napoleon''s support rate also further increased. Naturally, you see, His Majesty Napoleon understands military affairs,w, politics, economics, and science; he understands everything. He truly is a monarch who knows everything, simply a philosopher king.

    After that, there was a period of peaceful good times. During this time, Joseph once wanted to continue causing trouble for Napoleon and give him more paper-reviewing tasks. However, this time Napoleon adopted Lucien''s suggestion and used a weak and embarrassing method to counterattack. He went to his mother andined that he was already busy, and Joseph had dumped so many things on him that he didn''t even have time to go out on dates with Miss Lora.

    Letizia had always been indifferent to the matters between her sons because she felt they were tooplicated for her to understand. But this time, Letizia decided to intervene in Joseph''s affairs. After all, this was rted to having grandchildren.

    So Joseph was sessfully repelled. Napoleon''s days immediately improved, except for Letizia asionally urging him to get married. But Napoleon always wanted to dy as much as possible because he found that as long as he used dating as an excuse, he could push a lot of things onto Joseph and Lucien.

    Of course, as a form of resistance, Joseph and Lucien naturally joined the party of urging Napoleon to get married as soon as possible.

    Good times are always short-lived. In the end, Napoleon had to yield to the pressure and Rome had one more empress.

    As Napoleon had expected, once he got married, his mother immediately returned to retirement, and then many things couldn''t be pushed away again.

    So as soon as the honeymoon ended, Napoleon became busy again.For example, today, at the family meeting, Joseph handed over a report to Napoleon.

    This report was about the economic situation in France. Over the years, the French stock market has always been bullish. To be precise, since Napoleon became First Consul, the French stock market has been booming. Although there have been some minor fluctuations, overall, the stock market situation has been very good. Therefore, the prices of various French stocks have been steadily rising, and now the stock prices have reached a quite high level.

    On the other hand, on the economic fundamentals, the situation is not as good as before. Take the railway for example; the emergence of railways has indeed greatly increased productivity, but also precisely because railways make money, railway investment has been increasing crazily in France and even across the European continent, and the market has been very enthusiastic about railways.

    One result of this enthusiasm is that more and more railways are being built. Initially, railways were only built where needed, then it became repeating the construction where needed, and then it became shouting to build railways wherever possible. For example, from Paris to "New Rome," a distance of only tens of kilometers, now has three railways. And from Paris to Marseille, there are even two railways, and a third one is under construction.

    However, neither France nor other European countries need so many railways at all, nor is there so much to transport by railway. So there has been a serious overcapacity in railway transportation.

    Because of the overcapacity in railway transportation, most railways have not many trains running on them. On average, the capacity utilization of railways across the entire European continent is only a little over twenty percent, and in France, this proportion is even lower, even less than ten percent.

    Most railwaypanies'' ns are based on achieving a capacity utilization of more than fifty percent. So in the current situation, thesepanies basically have no profit margin. They are still alive mainly relying on bank loans and telling stories in the stock market.

    "Joseph, why are you showing me these?" Napoleon asked.

    Sitting on the sofa opposite his desk, Joseph crossed his legs and said, "Napoleon, your reputation has increased a bit recently, which can be useful now, right? Well, the wheat is ripe, it''s time to harvest."

    Napoleon understood Joseph''s meaning. In fact, the overheating of the railway was partly due to Joseph''s credit. With the overheating of railway construction, the Lorraine steel factory sold arge amount of steel products and made a lot of money. And the banking system of the military-industrialplex also made a lot of money from this railway frenzy.

    The railway frenzy also brought a lot of foreign capital investment, and these investments were all for making quick money. So they naturally paid more attention to stock prices in the stock market rather than the actual operation of thepanies. Therefore, the Roman Bank (including a group of banks belonging to the military-industrialplex such as Bonaventure Bank) seized this opportunity to slowly transfer many junk railway debts to those foreign banks. In this process, those foreign banks seemed to have made a lot of money too.

    "What do you mean by bursting this bubble to reap profits?" Napoleon said, "This can cause a lot of hatred. How do you n to do it?"

    "First, let the French Railway Company reduce fares," Joseph said.

    The French Railway Company is naturally the darling of the military-industrialplex. It has the best and most profitable railways in France. Of course, in recent times, especially after the railway construction boom developed into an overheated stage, even the French Railway Company has been losing money. But this is not a problem because while the French Railway Company is losing money, its parentpanies, the Lorraine Steel and the Roman Bank, have made so much money. So overall, they still make more money, so the operation of the French Railway Company is naturally no problem at all.

    But other railwaypanies are different, especially those railwaypanies that rely on foreign funds to specte and make money. If they don''t falsify their ounts, their financial statements are almost unreadable.

    In the past year, thesepanies had thought about reducing prices topete. But they were quickly warned because once a railwaypany reduces prices, it is equivalent to admitting that they have difficulty making profits, which will immediately cause changes in the stock market, and then��thesepanies are now surviving on bank loans and telling stories in the stock market.

    But the French Railway Company is not worried about this. If they reduce prices, the entire railway bubble will burst. Then they can harvest those railways that are unable to pay their debts.

    Napoleon shook his head and said, "I disagree with this approach. This is too crude. It will make people feel that we are the culprits, although we are indeed the culprits, we cannot let others know that we are the culprits. We must find another way, we must find a scapegoat."

    "What kind of scapegoat do you want? This scapegoat must have a certain weight, at least a certain weight in this market. His actions are enough to burst the bubble. And a too small thing cannot cover up a bigger thing, just like an elephant cannot

    hide behind a mouse," Joseph said.

    "No, my dear brother, an elephant cannot hide behind a mouse, but an elephant can hide behind eyelids. As long as the eyelids close, everything in the world is obscured. The media is the eyelids of the world, and this eyelid is under our control," Lucien said, "We canpletely push the me onto the British or anyone else."

    "Pushing it onto the British will cause unnecessary trouble at least for now," Napoleon said.

    "Then push it onto the Americans?" Lucien suggested again.

    "There''s no need. There''s no need to quarrel with the Americans now," Napoleon vetoed Lucien''s suggestion again.

    "Then push it onto the Jews," Joseph said, "Firstly, the Jews have no country. Pushing it onto them will not cause any diplomatic trouble. Secondly, some Jews are very wealthy, and their power is enough to burst this bubble, and they will benefit from this process. So, find a Jewish banker and let him do this. Rothschild, for example, will they be willing?"

    "Is there any need to ask if they are willing? We have already decided to let the Jews take the me, will they not agree?" Napoleon said, "Moreover, since ancient times, do you need their consent to put the me on someone''s head? You, you are too young, too naive..."

    Lucien remained silent, but Joseph spoke up, "Napoleon, don''t be so crude. You have to know how to lure, not just always threaten. Bursting this bubble, Rothschild can also benefit to some extent and make some money. As for taking the me, it''s all the Jews who will bear it, not just his family. Moreover, we can also protect them and, incidentally, show our adherence to the Civil Code. So, you see, isn''t this something that can be discussed properly? Well, Rothschild also has one or two railways in his hands. He can reduce the prices of these railways first, and then our French Railway Company can immediately follow suit. Then this matter will be settled, right? And letting him know in advance that railway stocks are going to copse, the benefits are still enough to tempt him. As for other Jews, what does it have to do with Rothschild?"

 Chapter 423: Jeromes Growth Plan

    Two dayster, banker Meyer Rothschild received an invitation, which was sent by Monsieur Bovine, a director and chief executive of the Roman Bank, and a well-known banker. The invitation invited him to attend a reception at Monsieur Bovine''s estate in two days.

    The Roman Bank was actually a banking alliance formed by six French banks. They held shares in each other, forming a whole, and effectively acting as a central bank. The French government issued franc banknotes through the Roman Bank.

    This was almost Nathan Rothschild''s dream. In fact, he had almost realized this dream in Austria in recent years through cooperation with them. But the core of the world was still New Rome. This was where the most money could be made. In fact, hot money from various countries would basicallye to France to seek investment or spective opportunities. And doing these things in France required dealing with the Roman Bank.

    Nathan Rothschild naturally had a lot of dealings with the Roman Bank as well. At one point, he even hoped to have his bank infiltrate the Roman Bank. Of course, this goal was not achieved because the French had some resistance to non-French capital. But Rothschild Bank and the Roman Bank often cooperated.

    Nathan Rothschild would certainly not refuse Monsieur Bovine''s invitation. The Bovine Bank was one of the six members of the Roman Bank. Although it was not thergest or the most well-capitalized, Monsieur Bovine was recognized as the best banker in France. And now, Monsieur Bovine was the direct manager of the Roman Bank, so being able to attend a reception at his home was already a symbol of status and position for many bankers.

    Nathan Rothschild adjusted various unnecessary schedules to be able to attend Monsieur Bovine''s reception on time.

    Monsieur Bovine had a not-so-small estate in the valuablend of New Rome. Of course,pared to his estates in the Bordeaux region, this estate was much smaller, but in New Rome, perhaps only a few people''s estates could surpass Monsieur Bovine''s.

    Although Monsieur Bovine''s estate was not thergest, it was definitely the most luxurious. And unlike before, Monsieur Bovine''s residence now appeared much simpler. But for those who truly understood, entering and seeing it immediately revealed what understated luxury was.

    Nathan Rothschild''s two carriages stopped at the entrance of the main building of Bovine''s estate ter known as Bovine Pce). Several servants immediately came forward to greet them. The first carriage carried Nathan Rothschild''s butler, who presented the invitation to the approaching servants. Then Nathan Rothschild and his wife, who were in the second carriage, walked into the building surrounded by the servants.In the grand hall, which was unusuallyrge, covering several hundred square meters, with a height of more than twenty meters, there was not a single pir, making it resemble a small temple. In the center of the hall, there was a ck marble pedestal over a meter high, upon which stood a white marble statue of Hermes, partly iplete.

    Nathan Rothschild knew that this statue was bought from the Turks and was said to have been dug out of the soil by the Greeks while plowing. It was said that at that time, those ignorant but devout Greek Orthodox recognized it as an ancient pagan idol and prepared to destroy it. But the Turkish lord stopped them��he knew that this thing could sell for a lot of money. So now this thing was ced here.

    In addition to this statue, various paintings hanging here, as well as sculptures ced elsewhere, were all works of famous artists, with considerable value. In terms of value alone, some of these works were even higher than the value of this Hermes statue. It was just because Hermes, as the patron god of merchants, was more in line with Monsieur Bovine''s intentions, so it upied the central position.

    The servants led Nathan Rothschild and his wife through the hall to the backyard��where the reception was taking ce.

    At this time, Monsieur Bovine was talking to a young man. Seeing Nathan Rothschild and his wife entering, he just nodded in acknowledgment from afar, but did not immediatelye over. Instead, he continued talking to the young man.

    Nathan Rothschild also picked up a ss of wine from a servant''s tray, raised it to Monsieur Bovine in acknowledgment, and then went to talk to others.

    "Monsieur Bovine, who is that person?" the young man asked.

    "Ah, that''s Joseph, the director from the Bonaparte family. That guy is very cunning. If you ever have dealings with him in the future, Monsieur Rothschild, you must be careful," Monsieur Bovine said.

    This young Bonaparte was J��r?me, the younger brother of Joseph and Napoleon.

    J��r?me had just finished his schooling. For his future, his brothers had many different ns. Initially, Joseph wanted to try to see if he could have a talent in science. Joseph''s requirements for him were not actually high; he did not require his brother to reach his level in science, he just hoped that J��r?me could approach Napoleon in this aspect. Although it was not enough to be an expert, it was enough to share some of the family''s business, especially the management tasks of high-tech industries.

    However, J��r?me''s performance disappointed Joseph. J��r?me was notzy; when it came to studying, he was much more diligent than Lucien. However, his grades were not better than Lucien''s, basically at the same level. If the test was easier, his score would be slightly better than Lucien''s; if the questions were more difficult, his score would definitely be worse than Lucien''s. Of course, whether it was him or Lucien, in Napoleon''s eyes, they were all the same: "trash, all trash!"

    In other words,pared to the eldest and second brother, the more obedient J��r?mecked talent in science. So when he entered high school, Joseph gave up on his first training n for him.

    Then Napoleon took over this brother. After J��r?me graduated from high school, Napoleon arranged for him to enter the newly established Saint-Cyr Military Academy. But J��r?me showed considerable difort, even worse than when he was at the School of King Louis. Although he tried hard to learn, he was not cut out for it. So after seeing his grades, Napoleon angrily said, "He''s ruined my face! It''s better to send Pauline; she''d do better than him!" So Napoleon personally ordered that J��r?me, who had failed many subjects, be expelled from Saint-Cyr. So J��r?me''s student career ended like this.

    So, seemingly ording to the rules, J��r?me should have been handed over to Lucien for training. But whether it was the eldest Joseph or the second Napoleon, they both believed that J��r?me must not be handed over to Lucien. So J��r?me was sent back to Joseph''s ce again.

    And this time, Joseph arranged for J��r?me to be a director at the Roman Bank and then let him use his ears and eyes to see more and think more at the Roman Bank. Then report to Joseph here every week. It was also considered teaching him how to do business. So at this time, J��r?me appeared

    here.

    J��r?me currently had no real power in his hands. But after all, he was a Bonaparte, and the Bonaparte brothers were generally very united. So even though he didn''t have much power now, Monsieur Bovine still tried hard to maintain a good rtionship with him. He knew that Joseph sent J��r?me here to train his abilities, so he also took the opportunity to cooperate with him and asionally teach him some tricks of doing business. ?????��?��

    "Monsieur Bovine, let''s go together and meet that Jewish guy. We''ve had quite a few business dealings with him." Monsieur Bovine said to J��r?me.

 Chapter 424: Taking the Blame, Voluntarily

    Bovine walked over to Nathan Rothschild with J��r?me, warmly greeting him, "Hey, Nathan, it''s great that you could make it."

    "Ah, Monsieur Bovine, I think in the whole of Europe, there isn''t a banker who could resist your invitation," Nathan Rothschild replied in an exaggerated tone.

    "Well, Nathan, let me introduce you to a friend. This is Monsieur Andr�� Pizarro, the newly appointed director of our Roman Bank," Bovine said to Nathan Rothschild.

    Andr�� Pizarro was, of course, J��r?me''s pseudonym. Both Joseph and Napoleon did not want him to carry the "Bonaparte" surname everywhere. So now, in the Roman Bank, few people actually knew J��r?me''s true identity.

    "Hello, Mr. Rothschild," J��r?me said.

    "Hello, Monsieur Pizarro, you''re quite promising at such a young age," Nathan Rothschild replied. Although he didn''t know J��r?me''s exact identity, seeing someone so young be a director at the Roman Bank indicated either exceptional personal talent or significant family background. Thus, he offered thisplimentary remark without hesitation.

    "Nathan, if you''re free, let''s go over there and have a chat," Mr. Bovine said.

    Nathan Rothschild understood that Mr. Bovine might want to discuss something important with him, so he nodded to the others nearby, "Gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment." Then he turned to his wife, "Emma, feel free to explore here. Mr. Bovine and I have some matters to discuss."

    The three of them left the backyard and entered a small sitting room. They sat down on the sofa, and Mr. Bovine reached out as if to pick something up from the coffee table, but he eventually withdrew his hand empty."Bovine is a chain smoker, and his coffee table just happens to have cigars on it. He''s used to reaching for a cigar instinctively, but then he gives up. Mr. Bovine isn''t particrly considerate of others. So, with him... the identity of this Pizarro is probably quite extraordinary," Nathan Rothschild thought to himself.

    "Nathan, what''s your opinion on the current situation of railway stocks?" Mr. Bovine asked straightforwardly.

    This question wasn''t easy to answer. As an outstanding banker, Nathan Rothschild naturally knew that all railwaypany stocks, including the French Railway, were significantly overvalued. In terms of price-to-earnings ratio, the stocks of thesepanies were ridiculously high. Even the stock of the "French Railway Company," which had the least problems, had a price-to-earnings ratio of over two hundred. In other words, if you bought these stocks expecting to break even through dividends, you would have to wait for over two hundred years. With that kind of money, putting it in the bank would be a better option. So, the current railway stocks were purely spective, a bubble waiting to burst.

    From this perspective, the question wasn''t difficult to answer. But what did Mr. Bovine mean by asking this question at this time? Was he implying that he was preparing to short the market? That would be a big move. If Mr. Bovine, or rather, if the Roman Bank, started shorting the railways, the copse of railway stocks in France and even across Europe would be almost certain. At that time, countless investors'' bodies might litter the Seine (in Paris), the Main, and the Rhine (in Frankfurt). Even the Thames might not be spared.

    If the Roman Bank were a bank like the Rothschild Bank, Nathan Rothschild would have answered without hesitation: "Yes, the stock prices are indeed too high, full of bubbles. Now is a good time to short them."

    But the Roman Bank wasn''t an ordinarymercial bank. It was a central bank, which meant it had enormous power that other banks didn''t, but it also had burdens that other banks didn''t. It had to be responsible for the entire economy of France.

    If the entire railway stock market copsed, it might, no, it was almost certain to affect other aspects as well, leading to a potential economic depression. Then, there would be big problems.

    So, Rothschild thought for a moment before saying, "The railway stocks are indeed too hot. They need to cool down gradually. Otherwise, there is indeed a risk of a copse. However, cooling them down gradually is quite difficult to execute."

    Rothschild''s meaning was rtively subtle. He believed he had grasped the intention of the Roman Bank, which was probably hoping that he and the Rothschild Bank would join hands to gradually dete the bubble.

    Rothschild understood that he couldn''t refuse Mr. Bovine outright. After all, if the Roman Bank, or rather, if the military-industrialplex, or even the French government needed to shift me, could he resist it? Even if he hadn''t done anything, with the military-industrialplex controlling so many media outlets, they could still pin the me on him, trample him underfoot, and prevent him from ever standing up again. So, it was better to ept the me gracefully.

    So Rothschild asked, "So, how do you want us to cooperate?"

 Chapter 426: Persecution

    The carriage came to a halt again, and ahead was amotion, as if they had returned to the year ''93. Carnot stuck his head out of the carriage and asked, "What''s happening?"

    "Sir, there''s a crowd gathered in front of a bank, blocking the road," the coachman replied.

    Upon hearing this, Carnot couldn''t help but shake his head and said, "Ah, Bats, take another route, we need to hurry, I''m alreadyte today. Do you know a route without any banks?"

    This morning, Carnot had already taken several detours on his way to work.

    At this point, the crisis had spread to the banks, and once it affected the banks, its impact on society became evident. Numerous banks closed due to inability to handle the run on deposits, leading to many small and medium-sized banks dering bankruptcy.

    Generally, smaller banks tended to offer slightly higher interest rates thanrger banks to attract depositors, which naturally increased their operating costs. Moreover, in order to make enough money, they had to engage in more aggressive investments or even spection. Therefore, in this wave, these small banks engaged in aggressive spection were the first to copse in droves.

    With banks copsing, the money deposited by depositors naturally vanished into thin air. Many people had worked hard all their lives and, in pursuit of slightly higher interest rates, had deposited their lifelong savings in these small banks. Yet, within a few days, these small banks closed one after another, bankrupt, and as for the owners, it was said that they fled to America with whatever little money they had left.

    The coachman turned the carriage around, preparing to take another route, when a voice reached Carnot''s ears, "Who are these damn Jews, vampires, it''s them, who have swallowed our hard-earned money!"

    "Damn Jews! We can''t let them get away with this; we should kill all those Jews!" someone shouted.Upon hearing this voice, Carnot furrowed his brow. Frankly speaking, Carnot didn''t have a good impression of Jews either, and he even felt that some Jews truly deserved to be on the guillotine. However, that had to be after a trial in court, not like now, attempting to resort to vignte justice. Once vigntism became rampant, the Republic would regress to the old days of ''93.

    At this moment, the coachman had turned the carriage around, ready to leave. Carnot hurriedly shouted, "Stop!"

    The coachman halted the carriage. Carnot opened the carriage door and climbed onto the roof.

    "Citizens, please listen to me for a moment!" Carnot shouted loudly at the citizens who were preparing to act.

    "Who''s that?" someone said.

    "It''s General Carnot, the Minister of War."

    "What Minister of War, wasn''t it renamed the Ministry of Peace?"

    "Don''t argue, let''s hear what General Carnot has to say."

    Seeing everyone gathering around, Carnot also quieted down and asked loudly, "Do you all believe in the First Consul?"

    "We believe!"

    "We believe!" People shouted one after another.

    "Do you all remember the chaos of ''93? Do you want to live through those days again?" Carnot continued to ask loudly.

    The crowd fell silent.

    "I know many people have suffered unjust losses in this incident, and I also know that some Jews have plundered everyone like vampires. But since everyone trusts the First Consul, why go against him and our agreement by resorting to vigntism? Why not let the First Consul use thew to fairly judge them?" Carnot asked loudly.

    "That''s right!" someone said.

    "General Carnot makes sense; we should trust the First Consul. He will surely help us seek justice!"

    "But those Jews, they might have already taken the money and fled."

    "If that''s the case, there''s nothing we can do; we can only rely on His Majesty."

    "Let''s go to the Conste, let''s go to the Conste and plead to His Majesty." Someone else shouted.

    So, the crowd changed direction and headed towards the Conste.

    Carnot jumped down from the roof of the carriage and said to the coachman, "Let''s head to the Conste immediately."

    When Carnot arrived at the Conste, there were already many people gathered in the square in front. Napoleon also came out, standing on the steps of the Conste, delivering a speech to everyone. He assured everyone that the government would do everything possible to help them through this difficult time and hoped that everyone could trust the government and him.

    The crowd cheered for Napoleon, and Carnot stood on the side watching. After Napoleon''s speech was over and the crowd dispersed, he went to the Conste to request an audience with Napoleon.

    Upon hearing that Carnot hade to see him, Napoleon frowned. Carnot was his former superior, and if this man had any suspicions in the current situation, it wouldn''t be good. Nevertheless, he still had someone bring Carnot into his office.

    "Your Excellency, First Consul," Carnot said, "I''ve seen that many banks are facing problems now. Many people have lost their lifelong savings because of this. The situation is very dangerous; what actions do you n to take?"

    "This situation truly caught me by surprise; it''s like another tulip bulb craze," Napoleon said. "I have decided to suspend the stock market for three days to prevent excessive panic. At the same time, I have ordered the Ministry of Public Security to intensify the pursuit and crackdown on those who have absconded with funds. Furthermore, we will temporarily reduce taxes in the hope of stimting the economy. But, Carnot, you know, in terms of the economy, the government''s options are very limited."

    "What about the Bank of Rome? Aren''t they doing anything?" Carnot asked again.

    "The Bank of Rome is acquiring some of the more risky banks. But this also puts tremendous pressure on the Bank of Rome. More importantly, Carnot, you know, the problem with banks is not just what you mentioned. Banks are also linked to factories, and factories are linked to more people''s livelihoods. That''s the big problem. If there are indeed mass closures of businesses, then we..." Napoleon paused here and said, "Then we may have to expand the military."

    "Your Excellency, do you intend to wage war?" Carnot was surprised.

    "No, Carnot, I don''t want to. But sometimes, the situation pushes us, hoping we don''t reach that point...those damn Jewish spectors!" Napoleon gritted his teeth.

    "We indeed should fiercely crack down on those Jewish spectors!" Carnot also said. Punishing Jewish spectors would surely harm many innocent victims, but that was still better than war.

    The next day, an editorial titled "Vigorously Rectify the Financial Order and Ensure Stable Development of the National Economy" was published in The Scientific Truth Gazette. In this editorial, The Scientific Truth Gazette attributed this wave to the malicious spective behavior of some unscrupulous businessmen. The editorial also pointed out that these malicious spective behaviors not only harmed the market but also vited thews of France, and their inevitable fate awaited them was the severe punishment of thew! Beneath this editorial was the emergency state order issued by the government. ording to this directive, the stock market in France would be suspended for three days forprehensive rect

    ification.

    Following that, The Businessman Gazette also published news exposing the criminal activities of some unscrupulous businessmen��most of whom were Jews. The Businessman Gazette specifically pointed out that the earliest to short the stock market was the famous Jewish banker Rothschild. Of course, The Businessman Gazette also acknowledged that Rothschild had not engaged in any illegal operations and had suffered only minor losses in this wave, without making any ill-gotten gains. But the actions of other Jewish businessmen were truly despicable.

    Subsequently, the Council of State proposed an emergency bill authorizing the establishment of a special court tobat economic crimes.

    This bill was quickly passed, and the Special Court for Combating Economic Crimes was established. On its first day of operation, the court hung fifteen Jewish businessmen and sent more than sixty Jewish businessmen to the mines.

    At this point, the economic crisis, starting from France, had swept across Europe, and ming Jews for this crisis had be a trend throughout Europe. From St. Petersburg to London, there were bonfires where Jews were lynched everywhere. Terrified, many Jews fled to Turkey or sought refuge in France.

    Yes, fleeing to Turkey and France. Compared to countries with Christian beliefs, the Ottoman Turks were much more tolerant of Jews. Apart from not allowing them to build churches higher than mosques and requiring them to pay head taxes, they hardly discriminated against Jews in any other way, and there was practically no persecution like the kind of burning at the stake.

    As for France, it was the starting point of the persecution of Jews this time. However,pared to other countries in Europe, France was still considered a civilized country. At least, when persecuting Jews, they still went through the courts. Moreover, frankly speaking, the death sentences handed down by French courts were much less frequent than those fires in other countries. What was left was only hardbor and fines.

    Considering that it was almost impossible for Jews who fled from abroad to participate in illegal spection in France, so once they arrived in France, they even had no possibility of being sentenced to death or hardbor. At most, they were fined for illegal entry. Furthermore, considering that it was very inconvenient to reach Turkey because it required crossing a series of heavily guarded borders,pared to that, crossing the border into France was much simpler. Therefore, although France, which was the first to lead the persecution of Jews, became the number one refuge for Jews in Europe during this wave, many Jews who arrived in France quickly went to North Africa, which was under French control.

    Of course, there was an even better refuge, which was the North African region controlled by the French. Staying in France would still be met with rejection from the locals, such as suddenly being spat at or pped on the street. (Jews were not allowed to fight back; otherwise, the arriving police would unconditionally regard it as Jewish provocation.) In those North African regions jointly controlled by the French and the Turks, there was even less discrimination. So many Jews who arrived in France quickly went to North Africa.

 Chapter 427: Strategy

    Although Napoleon took some measures, the economic situation in Europe continued to deteriorate. Once banks encountered problems, no industry could escape unscathed. Various factories also began to experience problems with their financial chains breaking. Thus, the air quality in Paris suddenly improved, and the sky turned blue. Because in Paris, most factories either operated below capacity or simply closed down, some even went bankrupt.

    The bankruptcy of arge number of factories immediately led to a mass of workers bing unemployed. Frankly speaking, the living conditions of French workers were considered good throughout Europe. But even so, most workers could not have much savings, especially those who were unskilledborers. Once they lost their jobs, they immediately faced the problem of not having enough food to eat. Some factories couldn''t even afford to pay severance to their workers, so they had to let them take unsold shoes and jump into the streets to sell them at a discount.

    As for skilled workers, their ies were naturally higher, so they often had some decent savings. Some even calcted how much pension they could get with these savings. However, in an economic crisis, banks also had major problems, and arge number of banks copsed. As a result, some of the so-called "middle ss" almost overnight became destitute. When the economic tide receded, these seemingly prosperous "middle ss" were almost all left swimming naked.

    The mass unemployment immediately worsened the public security situation in Paris, with thefts and robberies bing rampant.

    The government immediately took action, announcing the issuance of a batch of special national bonds and calling on patriotic businessmen to buy them enthusiastically. Rothschild immediately announced the purchase of at least three million francs worth of special national bonds. The Roman Bank even bought forty million francs worth of special national bonds in one go.

    After the Roman Bank bought these bonds, Napoleon took this money and bought arge amount of grain from the Retired Soldiers'' Association, and formted an emergency grain distribution n based on household registration. In the city of Paris, people with registered legal identities could receive a small amount of grain for free every day. Of course, this amount of grain could not possibly feed a family. At most, it could only prevent them from starving to death quickly. But such benevolent governance was rare in French history. So the entire French people became even more closely united around the government led by Napoleon.

    "So, if you want to win over people''s hearts, you can''t just let themon people live a good life. People''s hearts will never be satisfied; they always want more. On the contrary, if you let them asionally fall into difficulties, and then only need to offer them very little, you can make them grateful. Well, how do they say it? ''Better to give timely help than add flowers to brocade?'' So, Napoleon, you must remember, if it doesn''t snow, we have to artificially make it snow from time to time..." Joseph said to Napoleon as Napoleon boasted that his approval rating had risen to nearly one hundred percent.

    "You''re right, Joseph. But are you sure we''re not overdoing it? After all, the losses to the industry are too great," Napoleon asked.

    "Economic crises are inevitable. They are not subject to human will," Joseph said, "Do you remember the political economy I talked to you about?""I remember. What you said was truly enlightening," Napoleon said.

    "This information must be kept confidential. We can''t let others see it, understand?"

    "Of course, such terrifying information must be kept secret. Compared to it, Machiavelli seems as innocent as a silly girl," Napoleon replied.

    What Joseph taught Napoleon was notplicated at all; it simply analyzed how overproduction was inevitable under market economy conditions.

    "The total price of all goods in society equals the total wages paid for the production of these goods plus the total profits obtained by enterprises or business owners. As long as total wages and total profits are not entirely spent on consumption, total demand must be less than total supply, and some goods will inevitably remain unsold. And once goods cannot be sold, producers will lower wages. Lower wages lead to further demand contraction, and then umtion leads to today''s situation. Joseph, your exnation is excellent. But now, our losses are also substantial," Napoleon said.

    "Wealth is rtive. While we may have suffered greatly, some countries may have suffered even more. As long as their losses are greater than ours, it''s our victory. It''s like ying chess; do you expect to win without sacrificing any pawns?" Josephughed, "Moreover, we''ve previously discussed principles for dealing with economic crises. Do you remember?"

    "It''s nothing more than seizing new markets to increase demand. Or eliminating some supply, preferably someone else''s supply, so that they give up the market to us. Well, the second method, the most direct means, is war. But Joseph, you don''t seem to be too keen on war," Napoleon said.

    "I just hope to be more certain before engaging in war. I don''t want to get caught up in a security war. Nowadays, the situation of the British is worse than ours. This crisis was started by us, and the harvested wheat has gone into our granaries. Hehe, much of that wheat is even British. With this wheat, we can still sustain ourselves through welfare measures. But for the British, from whom we''ve taken away all that wheat, can they afford to sustain themselves with welfare?" Joseph said.

    "It''s not impossible," Napoleon said, "But if they really intend to y this game, we can hold out longer than they can. Moreover, we can make them spend money elsewhere. We''ll recruit some unemployed people into the army at this time, expand the size of the army, and then use these troops to carry out some public works. It''s a kind of relief through work. On the other hand, if we suddenly expand the army, we''ll definitely frighten the British, and then they''ll be even more broke, won''t they?"

    Napoleon had the confidence to do so. On the one hand, he had harvested a lot of British wheat in the market. Many foreign capitals invested in French railways during the railway frenzy, including a significant amount from British capital. Now, this wheat was all in Napoleon''s granary. But there was something else that gave Napoleon more confidence, and that was the gold from North America.

    In the original history, in 1847, a very serious economic crisis urred, which almost shook the entire capitalist world. It brought a series of political consequences: the French rebuilt the republic; the Prussians forced the king to establish a parliament through rebellion; and in Austria, the revolutionary people shouted, and Metternich fled in a panic dressed as a woman. Of course, these were just appetizers; more importantly, in 1848, a brand-new political party issued its manifesto��the "Manifesto of the Communist Party"! And openly called for burying the entire capitalist system with revolutionary means.

    The revolutionary situation was excellent, the revolutionary forces... but the 1848 revolution suddenly disappeared, not even as a result of reactionary repression, but because in 1848, gold mines were discovered in San Francisco.

    These gold mines were located in remote areas where nobody cared. They were shallowly buried and easy to mine, so even paupers could go panning for gold. This was the historical gold rush. At that time, if a merchant

    ship stopped at a port in North America, the next morning, the captain would find that his ship couldn''t sail because all the sailors had resigned to go gold panning.

    ording to some Confucian masters, gold is useless, "it can''t feed the hungry or clothe the cold." But in a market economy, it''s not like that. Because gold is naturally money, and what is money? Money is demand! If this gold falls into the hands of the wealthy, it is used at most to build a pool of gold coins. But most of the gold prospectors are poor people. Gold in their hands is real purchasing power. So, because of these open-air gold mines, the economic crisis was alleviated, even eliminated, and then the revolution naturally came to an end.

    Nowadays, these gold mines were under French control, secretly mined under the surveince of the French gold troops. The French government had arge amount of undisclosed gold reserves. However, this gold still belonged to the state. Throughout this time, it was just right to use this gold to carry outrge-scale infrastructure construction, and incidentally turn the owners of this gold from theoretically all the French people into a military-industrialplex, into sacred and invible private property. With this batch of gold, Napoleon could unhesitatingly tell other countries, especially the British: "When ites to providing welfare, the one who definitely won''t hold out first is you!"

    Of course, it was not yet time to use that gold; at least, it was necessary to wait until the British couldn''t hold out anymore, to set up tariff barriers, and then retaliate with tariff barriers. Otherwise, if you distribute welfare recklessly without tariff barriers, you might end up making clothes for others.

 Chapter 428: Expanding the Military

    The economic crisis worsened, and in Paris, although those with valid French residency permits could still receive a certain amount of food supply, the number of illegal immigrants was increasing, leading to a continuous deterioration of social order in Paris.

    Just three days ago, a group of foreign thugs attacked a bread distribution station, stealing the bread intended for a certain district and even killing a staff member. After this incident was reported, it immediately sparked widespread anger among Parisians towards "foreigners." Although Fouch�� worked hard and managed to apprehend the "criminal gang" in just one day, some of the "criminals" in this gang, before being arrested, did not resist arrest. Instead, their final act was to quickly devour the stolen bread. The court, with remarkable efficiency, rendered a judgment: two main culprits were sentenced to death by hanging, and twenty aplices were sentenced to hardbor. However, the Parisian people were not satisfied with this judgment because they felt that all the scoundrels who dared to steal their bread at this time should be beheaded (although the guillotine had been abolished due to its political significance). Consequently, attacks by locals against foreigners on the streets of Paris continued to ur.

    The newspapers controlled by the Ministry of Truth continued to y the role of "France''s conscience," urging citizens not to "view foreigners through colored sses" and calling on them to demonstrate the "tolerance and kindness of the people of Paris." However, many responded with disdain, saying, "To hell with your kindness!"

    While the newspapers of the Ministry of Truth merely made noise without taking any real action, the Ministry of Public Security, capable of taking action, firmly stood on the side of the Parisian citizens. If Parisians assaulted illegal immigrants, well, the police didn''t see it; if Parisians injured illegal immigrants, well, then it must have been the illegal immigrants who injured themselves; (say, are you trying to extort French citizens?) If Parisians killed illegal immigrants, oh, such things happen, well, we will definitely catch the culprit within our lifetime!

    However, if illegal immigrants dared to fight back, it was a different story. If an illegal immigrant won a fight, it was attempted robbery and they would be sentenced to hardbor; if a group of illegal immigrants won a fight, it was an organized criminal group and they would be dealt with swiftly and severely. If they lost a fight, well, if one person lost, it was attempted crime; if a group lost, it was the Saint-Antoine district residents preventing group crime!

    The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice (the judiciary) almost openly discriminated against illegal immigrants, and there was a reason for this. It was said that the First Consul said to Minister Fouch��, "The people are living in difficult times, and they are bound to have grievances. These grievances must be allowed to vent. If they don''t vent against foreigners, do you think they will vent their dissatisfaction against us?"

    Thus, the entire economic crisis was caused by foreigners, and now these foreigners were stealing from us and robbing us. The French people, including those with residency rights, were filled with anger towards these illegal immigrants.

    In this situation, the government began to announce the expansion of conscription to protect France''s borders and defend the French people.

    The treatment of the French army had always been very good. One of Napoleon''s main principles was: "No soldier should be poor, no army should suffer." Although the French army had made concessions for economic development during weapons upgrades, since Napoleon became the First Consul, the army''s pay had never beenpromised. Because Napoleon knew that without the support of the army, the Senate of the Republic would be filled with brutes.Therefore, in France, being a soldier was a very promising career. Although it was not like during wartime when soldiers could directly receivend upon retirement, the military pay had been further increased, and there were many other benefits as well. So in France, being a soldier was even a matter of pulling strings.

    Now that France was expanding its recruitment, it immediately sparked a wave of patriotism. Although some people said thatrge-scale recruitment at this time might be to settle domestic economic crises and required external aggression, the French people, especially those queuing at the military registration medical examination centers, expressed their indifference.

    This was probably because during thete stages of previous wars, Napoleon''s army always managed to defeat the enemy with minimal losses, and after each victory, there were very generous victory bonuses. Especially for some veterans, after retiring from the army, when chatting with others, they would always say, "Military pay? That''s just a little bit. The real money is in victory bonuses. Let me tell you, as soon as the fighting starts, once thebat bonus is issued, you won''t remember how much the military pay is every month; once you win, once the victory bonus is issued, you won''t remember how much thebat bonus is, hahaha��"

    Moreover, retired soldiers also had their own organizations and banks they were linked to. Their savings were basically pooled into the Retired Soldiers'' Association and then deposited into the Roman Bank as structured deposits. The interest rate was higher than ordinary deposits, and they were unaffected by the current turmoil. So, while the technical workers were left with nothing as the economic tide receded, the lives of retired soldiers were hardly affected, which also fueled the enthusiasm of the French people for joining the army.

    The French people eagerly joined the army, frightening the surrounding countries. The Spanish Ambassador Barbard sought out Talleyrand, inquiring subtly whether Spain had done something to upset the French and emphasizing the longstanding friendship between the two countries, as well as their shared faith and tradition. Talleyrand, after receiving a certain consultation fee, assured them that France attached great importance to the traditional friendship with Spain and was willing to cooperate with Spain to ovee this crisis together.

    Next, it was the Austrians who approached Talleyrand. Metternich, who was supposed to return to Vienna immediately, suddenly received a notice from his homnd: do not return yet; first find out the details of France''s recent military expansion.

    Thus, with the pretext of soon leaving Paris to return home and wanting to enjoy a night out with friends, Metternich invited Talleyrand to the Moulin Rouge for an evening. During this time, after sessfully bribing him, Metternich bluntly asked about the French''s intentions and whether Austria could join in for mutual enrichment.

    In response, Talleyrand stated that the friendship between France and Austria had stood the test of time. Austria had no need for unnecessary worries. France''s military expansion was mainly due to domestic needs, and if military action was needed, it would definitely not be in Europe.

    Although Talleyrand''s words might not be entirely reliable, they were at leastforting for Austria. Metternich continued to inquire about the direction of the French, but Talleyrand refused to say more.

    One monthter, it was New Year''s Day, and during this month, France expanded its military by five hundred thousand, causing tremors throughout Europe. At this time, it was also when the French government issued the State of the Nation address and announced the new year''s budget, and the whole of Europe was waiting, paying attention, trying to discern something from France''s new State of the Nation address and budget.

 Chapter 429: The Arms Race

    On the first Monday after the new year, Joseph Bonaparte delivered the annual state of the nation address. He dered that France was facing new dangers due to the disruptions caused by some internal and external enemies. However, he emphasized that despite these challenges, France remained the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world, and he and his government were confident in oveing the current temporary difficulties to ensure France''s continued greatness.

    Following this, Joseph Bonaparte presented the new fiscal year budget to the Council of State. In this budget, he proposed adopting an active fiscal policy to stimte domestic demand and revive the French economy. A central aspect of this "expanding domestic demand" was a significant increase in military spending by France.

    Firstly, France hadpleted the expansion of its army by five hundred thousand troops. Of course, Joseph Bonaparte stressed that the expansion of the army was not aimed at aggression but rather at defending peace. The newly expanded army would not be organized intobat units but would be integrated into newly formed engineering corps.

    However, other countries did not believe this exnation. Their skepticism stemmed not from doubting that France would form arge engineering corps but from their understanding that even if these five hundred thousand were all engineers, they could still free up a considerable number ofbat troops.

    But the bulk of the increased military spending went to expanding the navy. In the new fiscal budget, a substantial sum was allocated for shipbuilding. It was said that the navy had previously proposed a frightening shipbuilding n, but when Admiral Treveil submitted it to Joseph Bonaparte, it was swiftly rejected, with Joseph Bonaparte adding a note on the cover of the n: "Petty!"

    So Admiral Treveil made significant revisions to the n. He proposed new objectives, namely the so-called twin goals: for the French navy to be the world''s premier navy, and for the total discement of French naval vessels to surpass thebined discement of the world''s second and third navies.

    Considering that the French navy already had an advantage in weapon quality, if they also had this numerical advantage, what chance would the British have? Although the British had reluctantly acknowledged that the French were slightly ahead in technology, they still maintained a slight numerical advantage. Additionally, considering that the British navy was better trained and had highermand capabilities (at least ording to the British themselves), the British navy remained the world''s number one.

    Especiallyst year, the Britishunched a steel battleship named the "Queen Elizabeth," which was even more powerful than France''s "Jean Bart" ss battleship. Its discement exceeded ten thousand tons when fully loaded (though its standard discement was just under eight thousand tons, slightlyrger than the seven-thousand-ton "Jean Bart," but the British preferred to promote its full discement). It was equipped with six of the world''srgest ten-inch rear-mounted rifled guns, each shell weighing 500 pounds. Inparison, the 150mm guns on the "Jean Bart" were like toothpicks or mushrooms. Of course, the British were unaware that the French 150mm guns used a recoil mechanism and a semi-automatic loading system, with a firing rate of five to six rounds per minute per gun. In contrast, the British 10-pounder guns could manage one shot every five or six minutes.

    Furthermore, the British imed that their warships had thicker and stronger armor. This was indeed the case, but the price paid for this was not mentioned by the British. The ship was jokingly referred to by the Royal Navy sailors as the "Iron Turtle." As a ship of simr size to the "Jean Bart," it had more and heavier guns and thicker armor. Consequently, there was insufficient discement left for the power system. These discement requirements had to be bnced between the size of the coal bunker and the size of the steam engine. If the steam engine was erged, speed was ensured, but range suffered. Therefore, the ship had topromise and reduce its maximum speed to 12 knots.The decrease in speed would, of course, bring various problems inbat. However, theunch of this ship still excited the British, who felt that they had finally caught up with the French in naval technology.

    However, when France openly announced their ambitious shipbuilding ns, the British suddenly felt suffocated.

    In France''s shipbuilding n, they intended to start constructing a new type of battleship called the "Augustus-ss" battleship. The standard discement of these ships would reach eleven thousand tons, their firepower would far surpass that of the "Jean Bart-ss," their armor would be further reinforced, and their speed would be maintained at the level of the "Jean Bart-ss." France nned to build sixrge shipyards specifically for the construction of these battleships and intended to produce eighteen "Augustus-ss" battleships over the next six years.

    If it were just a matter of the "Augustus-ss" battleships, it would be manageable, but the more deadly aspect was that France''s shipbuilding ns wereprehensive. It also included two-thousand-ton "Agile-ss" unprotected fast cruisers, four-thousand-ton "Virgil-ss" armored cruisers, and the next-generation sessor to the "Free Trade-ss" super cruiser, the seven-thousand-ton "Hermes-ss" super cruiser.

    Among these ships, the two-thousand-ton "Agile-ss" cruisers were primarily intended for colonial use, emphasizing speed and endurance, with moderate firepower and protection, posing limited threats to Britain. However, the four-thousand-ton "Virgil-ss" armored cruisers posed a greater threat to Britain. With a discement of four thousand tons, they were rtively bnced warships, with somewhat weak firepower but more than sufficient to deal with the existing two-thousand-ton steel-and-wooden-hull steam cruisers in British hands, and theirrger discement ensured good endurance. These cruisers could easily cross the Antic, coupled with a speed of up to 18 knots, making it impossible for the British to catch up or escape. They posed a deadly threat to Britain''s maritime routes. And in France''s n, they intended to build fifty of these!

    Then there were the "Hermes-ss" super cruisers, which had firepowerparable to the "Jean Bart-ss," but with a speed of up to 20 knots, albeit with slightly weaker defense. However, it was still better than any British warship other than the "Queen Elizabeth."

 Chapter 430: Trade Wars and Proxy Conflicts

    Shipbuilding isn''t something that happens overnight, but the announcement of this n immediately caused a huge reaction in the market. Building these warships requires arge amount of steel, many factories, numerous workers, and many engineers. To put it in terms of a saying from ater era:

    "The Soviet Union, the Party Central Committee, the National nning Committee, the Military Industry Committee, and nine Defense Industry Departments, along with 600 rted professions and 8,000 supporting manufacturers��altogether requiring a great nation to aplish it."

    Today, in France, the Republic reces the "Soviet Union," the ruling government reces the "Party Central Committee," and the military-industrialplex reces the "Military Industry Committee and nine Defense Industry Departments." Although France''s military industry hasn''t developed to the extent of having "600 rted professions and 8,000 supporting manufacturers," the warships of this era are simpler, and France''s existing industrial capacity is sufficient. As for the "great nation," isn''t Napoleon''s slogan now "Let France continue to be great"?

    With the introduction of this n, the stagnant industrial machinery began to operate again. Steel mills and various factories began hiring workers again, and various supporting factories began to operate, so factory workers started to receive wages, and the market began to show clear signs of recovery.

    "Investing in the military can stimte the economy for a while, but in the long run, unless we strike gold, such military investments will almost certainly lead to war. Because without war, there can be no war dividends, and economically, such actions will only lead to increasing debt and ultimately greater economic pressure. It''s like drinking poison to quench one''s thirst," Joseph couldn''t help but remind Napoleon, seeing his apparent satisfaction with the seemingly revitalized economy.

    "I''m well aware of that," Napoleon replied.

    The massive shipbuilding n also greatly relieved other countries on the European continent. The reason is simple: if the French aremitted to building arge fleet, their target certainly won''t be themselves. As for why the French are expanding their army, it''s undoubtedly to invade the British Isles.

    However, the use of these expanded engineering troops once again refreshed the understanding of other countries��there''s still this method. The French immediately announced a second n to expand domestic demand, which is the "French Five Major River System Governance n." ording to this n, in the years toe, France will connect the five major river systems within its borders through canals to make ind navigation more convenient.

    Furthermore, France will also conduct major dredging of river channels to allowrger sea vessels to enter French ind areas directly. Of course, this is a significant project, and the newly formed engineering troops were immediately put to use for such purposes.The third part of expanding domestic demand is tobat the dumping of foreign goods in France.

    The target of this action is also Britain. Napoleon used Britain of not adhering to the recognized principle of free trade when trading with France and the rest of continental Europe, and demanded that Britain immediately stop its discriminatory tariffs on French steel products, otherwise France would take reciprocal sanctions.

    In fact, in recent years, France has consistently had a trade surplus with Britain. Even though the British have imposed tariffs and other restrictions on French industrial products, this has remained the case. (Of course, France''s trade surplus hasn''te without cost; Britain has a trade deficit with France alone, but it has a trade surplus with the whole of Europe.) Since France is in a trade surplus position, it hasn''t cared much about Britain''s various behaviors in the past. But now, things are different. In Napoleon''s n, Jews are med for the economic crisis, and the consequences of the economic crisis must be med on the British.

    Because the most important way to solve an economic crisis is to reduce production capacity. But reducing one''s own production capacity isn''t a good thing; it''s better to reduce someone else''s. Throughout Europe, apart from France, only Britain''s production capacity is worth considering. Moreover, the British control so many colonies, all of which are the best markets for industrial goods. Who in Europe isn''t envious?

    So, when Napoleon''s State of the Union address and budget were announced, the countries on the European continent immediately followed suit. The Nethends was the first to follow suit, dering that Britain''s dumping behavior vited the principle of free trade. Therefore, as retaliation, the Nethends ns to double or even triple the tariffs on more than fifty kinds of goods imported from Britain.

    Following this, the Rhine Federation, the Northern Italian Republic, and even Austria joined in. They also stated that because the British were not ying by the rules and refused to open colonial markets to various European countries, they would also raise tariffs on British goods.

    Then it was the turn of the French to take action. French Foreign Minister Talleyrand summoned the British ambassador to France and demanded that Britain immediately adopt the same "open door policy" as Spain, allowing other European countries equal ess tomercial activities in British colonies.

    Of course, this was impossible, because if such demands were agreed to, whose colonies would they be? This was something the British would never agree to, at least not until French troops set foot in Buckingham Pce.

    So the British promptly rejected the absurd demands of the French and stated that if France imposed trade sanctions on Britain, Britain would also impose trade sanctions on France.

    After receiving this response, the French immediately announced punitive tariffs on more than thirty types of goods exported from Britain. The British, in turn, advised the French not to do things that harm others and themselves, then sternly warned the French not to underestimate the British determination to defend their interests. Then, after dying for a month and seeing almost all of Europe following France''s lead, starting to close markets to Britain, the British formally announced punitive tariffs on more than thirty products exported from France to Britain. Thus, a trade war officially broke out.

    Meanwhile, in Irnd, the ceasefire between the Irish and the British had been maintained for several years. During these years, both sides were not idle. The British continuously built fortifications in their controlled areas, trying to consolidate their control and prepare for future sweeps.

    The Irish, naturally, were not idle either. During these

    years, they expanded their own army, established a government with effective control over more than half of the ind, and greatly improved their own military strength.

    As for the rtionship between the Irish and the French, although there was no formal alliance, they were, in fact, in the same boat. On the one hand, the British were both their enemies, and on the other hand, they both had disputes with Britain over the ownership of the colonial markets. Therefore, the two sides had maintained a high degree of military and diplomatic coordination.

    At this time, the British intelligence department received a top-secret report from Irnd that made them all feel a sense of crisis. The report said that the French n to attack Britain had been decided, and the French army wouldunch an attack on Britain from Irnd.

    The content of the report was very detailed. ording to the intelligence, the French were nning to transport tens of thousands of troops to Irnd, thenunch a surprise attack on Britain through Irnd. Once Britain was attacked by France, it would immediately turn its attention to the threat from France. At that time, Irnd would undoubtedly be the battlefield where the two sides fought, and the British would undoubtedly immediately attack Irnd to prevent France from establishing a bridgehead in Irnd.

    For the British, Irnd was their Achilles'' heel. Once France established a bridgehead in Irnd, the British Isles would be threatened by France, and the British would face a huge threat.

    The content of the report was immediately forwarded to the upper echelons of the British government. After reading the report, the British government immediately convened an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.

    At this time, there was another piece of news that made the British even more flustered. The French had already dispatched arge number of engineering troops to Irnd to help the Irish improve their transportation and other infrastructure. ording to the report, the number of French engineering troops dispatched to Irnd was several times that of the British engineering troops stationed in Irnd.

    It seemed that the French were indeed nning to use Irnd as a bridgehead to attack Britain. If that was the case, the consequences would be disastrous for Britain.

    ....

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 Chapter 431: Armored Trains and Recoilless Guns

    To deal with the war with the Irish, just before the war began, the British Parliament temporarily recalled the Duke of Norfolk, seeking his advice on the current situation in Irnd.

    "Gentlemen, first, dispel any fantasies ofpletely resolving the Irish issue within a few months. Unless you are willing to provide me with an army of over five hundred thousand! Otherwise, don''t even think about resolving the Irish issue in a few months!" Facing the members of the House of Commons, the Duke of Norfolk responded frankly.

    "Your Excellency, are the rebels in Irnd really that strong now?" a member asked.

    "Now the so-called Irish Independent Army has at least over one hundred thousand men, and their equipment level is no less than ours, and their training level is quite high. With the current strength we have in Irnd, it''s extremely difficult not only to go out and suppress the rebels but even to defend the existing territories. If I don��t receive some reinforcements immediately, I may have to abandon some minor outposts to ensure the safety of a few important cities," the Duke of Norfolk replied.

    "Your Grace, I wonder why, under your administration, the strength of the Irish rebels has grown to such a dangerous extent?" a fellow of the Whigs asked. The usation implied in this question was quite clear.

    "I''ve been hampered by the ceasefire agreement you Whigs have been maintaining. I''ve warned you more than once over these years. When the ceasefire agreement was justpleted, I warned you that the ceasefire would allow the Irish rebels to rest and grow stronger. Since then, I''ve reminded you almost every two months that if we can''t stop the French from smuggling arms to the Irish, the Irish rebels will be increasingly powerful. But what have you done? For a few orders, for money, you dare not seriously block the passage of weapons to the Irish. Everyone knows what those agricultural products exported from France to Irnd every year really are! Rifles called ''bird repellents,'' directionalndmines called ''wild boar dispersers,'' and all sorts of other nonsense, all fell into the hands of the Irish rebels with your connivance.

    The current out-of-control situation in Irnd, as the Governor of Irnd, of course, I am willing to take some responsibility, but the main responsibility lies with you! I''ve said it before, Irnd is already a volcano about to erupt, but you don''t even allow me to pour a ss of water into the crater. I''ve asked you to rx your plundering of Irnd, and when necessary, you should try to appease them. But what have you done? You''ve been taxing the Irish as if you''re nning to collect taxes for the next century! You''ve tied my hands and feet, thinking that by putting me on the edge of the volcano, relying on my weight, you can suppress the boiling magma below? I''ve asked to resign more than once, but which one of you is willing to take my ce?

    Now, you actually have the nerve to ask me how the Irish rebels have developed to this point, isn''t it all because of your efforts? How dare you ask me what''s going on!"

    The Duke of Norfolk seized the opportunity to scold the entire government and parliament, but in summary, it can basically be summed up as follows:First, the situation in Irnd is extremely bad, extremely bad. It''s not about discussing how to eliminate the rebels anymore, but how not to be eliminated by the rebels. To maintain the situation, you need to give me money, give me people. If you don''t have anything, just wait for Irnd to copse!

    Second, the deterioration of the situation in Irnd is entirely your responsibility. If it weren''t for me, Irnd would have been finished long ago. I only have merits, and all the me is on you. If you don''t want to take the me, I''ll quit! Find someone else to do it!

    Third, Baby has been suffering for these years and has nowhere to vent. Baby wants to vent now, so you listen carefully!

    In short, after a chaotic consultation, the Duke of Norfolk got what he wanted.

    Of course, only part of it. Parliament certainly couldn''t give him five hundred thousand troops because it would cost too much money. And Britain was facing the threat of a shipbuilding race with the French at this time. Where could they find so much money to spend on this?

    So the Duke of Norfolk only got one-tenth of the five hundred thousand troops��fifty thousand. However, most of them were rtively elite forces. And Parliament also lowered the goal in Irnd to maintaining the situation rather than eliminating the rebels.

    In addition, Parliament also passed the decision to blockade the Irish coast and destroy the ports controlled by the Irish. Although it was unlikely topletely block the Irish from receiving support from the French, it would reduce the efficiency of French support for the Irish.

    In fact, when the temporary ceasefire was reached between Britain and the Irish rebels a few years ago, the Duke of Norfolk knew that the situation in Irnd would be difficult to predict in the future. Since then, he has been preparing for the current situation.

    The Duke of Norfolk made efforts in several aspects. Firstly, he has been trying to pass on the position of Governor of Irnd to anyone else, but this effort has failed shamefully because others are not fools, and everyone can see that Irnd is not easy to deal with. So the Duke of Norfolk''s efforts failed.

    So the Duke of Norfolk could only try to strengthen the defense.

    At this time, the emergence of railways provided the Duke of Norfolk with considerable assistance. With the support of the Duke of Norfolk, railways were established between several important cities in Irnd. The most important railway among them was the one from Dublin on the east coast to Galway on the west coast. This railway divided the whole of Irnd into two halves, which was strategically important.

    Relying on this railway, the British could quickly mobilize troops, while the movement of the Irish Independent Army would be restricted by this railway in various ways. Of course, to protect this railway, the Duke of Norfolk also tried his best.

    Athlone, located in the central position of this railway, became the most important military stronghold in Irnd. After carefully studying the French defense in Verdun, the Duke of Norfolk used simr methods to make this ce the most solid stronghold. More than six thousand regr British troops were stationed here.

    At the same time, along the railway line, there were tightly defended small strongholds at intervals. A little further away, there were support points where a regiment could be stationed. Relying on the railway, they could support each other quickly.

    In addition, the Duke of Norfolk also prepared four specially armored trains for this railway. These armored trains were like battleships traveling on the railway line. As long as more troops could be quickly brought in from within Britain, the Duke of Norfolk felt that he could hold on for a while longer. Of course, the premise was that the French wouldn''te up with any nasty tricks again.

    Apart from this railway, railways were also built between Dublin and some surrounding strongholds to enhance the rapid response capability of the British troops. So, from then on, most of the ground battles in Irnd were conducted around the railway.

 Chapter 432: Siege and Support

    On the second day after the Irish Republican Army dered the ceasefire agreement null, a detachment of the British Navy appeared off the coast of an area controlled by the Irish Republican Army, named "Carroll Harbor".

    This harbor was newly built after the ceasefire agreement and was now thergest port in the Irish anti-British stronghold. Because Carroll generously donated all his prize money to the cause of Irish independence after receiving the Prometheus Award, the port was named after him. Most French ships, especially those carrying various weapons and supplies, would dock here. Therefore, it became the first target for the British.

    Due to suspicion that the Irish had preemptivelyid mines near the harbor to obstruct the British fleet from shelling the port (after all, the French also had mines, right?), the British fleet did not directly approach to bombard the port. Additionally, there was a coastal battery near the harbor. Reconnaissance by hot air balloon revealed that there were over tenrge cannons mounted on the battery.

    Although the British estimated that most of these cannons were likely crafted by Irish carpenters, considering Irnd''s financial situation, they wouldn''t afford to mount over tenrge cannons on a battery. But even if one or two were real, a fleet without reliable high-explosive shells would still suffer significant losses facing such a battery.

    Therefore, the British fleet did not directlyunch an attack on Carroll Harbor but anchored outside to prevent any possible ships from entering the port.

    Irnd had a long coastline, and under the control of the "rebels," the coastline was not short either, making it not easy topletely cut offmunication between the French and the Irish. However, blocking theirrgest port could significantly reduce the amount of supplies they received. After all, the presence of a port facility had a significant impact on transportation. At the very least, dangerous things like cannons couldn''t bended.

    On the other hand, the Irish Republican Army was nning their first major operation��to seize Athlone and cut off the railway line between Dublin and Galway.

    "Comrades, this is the intelligence ourrades obtained through secret channels about the British defenses in the Athlone area," Commander Joyceid out a map on the table and said to the three battalionmanders gathered around, "Take a look, our division has fought hard to win the main attacking task this time. We must fight this battle well. Otherwise, if there''s such a thing in the future, would we still have the nerve topete with the Second Division?"

    Everyone crowded around to examine the map."The British defenseyout is very much like..." Battalion Commander Westwood said.

    "It''s very simr to what Advisor Velfor described to us, the defensive system the French used in Verdun," Battalion Commander rke also said.

    "ording to Advisor Velfor, the French themselves didn''t have many good ways to deal with this defensive system. If they had to attack head-on, they could only rely on firepower superiority, bit by bit," Westwood said, "But that''s the French way. The French have firepower superiority; we don''t."

    "Theyout of these fortifications is quite reasonable. If we attack head-on, the losses will be so great that we can''t afford it," Joyce said, "But, as Joseph Bonaparte once said, ''Most of the time, defense is a stronger way of fighting than offense, so a general skilled in offense will strive to create a situation where the defensive side has to leave their preset defensive positions and fight against him on a battlefield they didn''t anticipate.'' So, perhaps, we should try a different approach. Let''s not rush to target Athlone. Our goal is only to cut off and destroy the entire railway line, not necessarily to capture Athlone."

    Here, he stood up, pointing at the railway line that crossed the entire Irnd on the map. "Look, this is our real target, Railway Number 1. Along Railway Number 1, the enemy has set up a series ofrge and small strongholds. If we try to destroy the railway, we must first face the resistance of these small strongholds. These small strongholds are rtively sturdy. If we can''t take them quickly, the enemy can use the railway to swiftly mobilize troops to counterattack us. However, if we can quickly take down these small strongholds, then they will have to fight us in less ideal conditions.

    The British underestimate our ability to attack fortified positions. After all, they don''t know that we have some weapons that have never appeared on the battlefield. We should be able to take these small strongholds much faster than they expect. And their reinforcements may not be able to arrive as quickly...

    "We can feign a siege of Athlone and cut off the railway line from here and here," Second Battalion Commander Kane, who had been silent, spoke up, "This way, the enemies in Athlone won''t dare toe out easily. The British should send troops from Dublin and Galway, attacking from both ends to relieve Athlone.

    ording to what we know, the British have eighty thousand troops in Dublin, but apart from the mostly unreliable ''ck and Tans,'' there are only thirty thousand left, and some essential garrison troops��haha, with so many odds and ends in Dublin, they can''t afford to leave too few people. You see, they not only have to guard against us but even against those ''Auxiliary Forces.'' So, out of these eighty thousand troops, probably no more than twenty thousand can be mobilized. However, our strength is not enough to take on these twenty thousand, even if we call up all the county battalions and district toons, it''s still not enough.

    But if we can block them with a smaller force, for example, if the Second Division can hold off the attacking enemy, then we have the opportunity to concentrate our forces to deal with the other enemying from Galway.

    The British have over thirty thousand in Galway, but there aren''t many ''Auxiliary Forces'' here because it''s close to the base. But among them, four thousand are naval troops, so the total number of troops they can mobilize shouldn''t exceed ten thousand. If we concentrate our main forces and conduct a siege and reinforcement strategy, we might be able to take out these ten thousand. After we eliminate these ten thousand, I estimate that the British in Dublin will immediately retreat, and until they send arge number of reinforcements from the maind, neither Dublin nor Galway, nor the British in Athlone, will have the ability to attack actively. At this time, we can destroy this railway line without interference. Not only this railway line, but others as well. Without these railways, even if the British increase their forces, the threat will be much smaller."

    "Oh, well done, Kane!" Joyce patted him on the shoulder, "Well, let''s quickly develop the whole n and show it to President Russell. Hmm, I heard the Second Division also wants to stir things up."

 Chapter 433: The Attack

    The n of the First Division received more support from President Russell and the Military Committee, so the Second Division officially became a feint and ambush force.

    In order to create an appearance of concentrating forces to siege Aslon, the Unified Irishman Association mobilized the strength in their stronghold. County brigades and district squads were all mobilized. These warriors would be responsible for pretending to be part of the main force of the Second Division and surrounding Aslon.

    Just like during the Siege of Constantinople inter generations, when the numbers of the concentrated county brigades and district squads were counted, General O''Hara almost really had the impulse to attack Aslon fiercely, because... because he never expected that there would be so many people in the county brigades and district squads!

    Yes, the county brigades and district squads of the two major strongholds in all of Irnd were now concentrated, adding up to another fifty to sixty thousand troops. Coupled with the over forty thousand troops of the Second Division, it seemed entirely feasible tounch a strong attack on Aslon.

    But O''Hara still resisted the impulse. Firstly, it was because of discipline. Since the Military Committee of the Unified Irishman Association had already made the decision to feint attack, he would not arbitrarily change it. Unless the British bastards defending Aslon caused trouble themselves.

    Secondly, it was also because O''Hara knew that although the county brigades and district squads had a considerable number of troops, their training and equipment were significantly inferior to the main force. Their equipment level was just approaching the recognized "security forces" withoutbat effectiveness, and their training level was even worse than the "security forces". Of course, relying on sheer courage and determination to fight to the end, they might be able to beat those "security forces", but if they were to attack those sturdy fortifications, it would definitely not work without the fearlessness to sacrifice and the determination to fight to the end. But even with just these, it was far from enough.

    Since the n had been decided, the Irish Independent Army immediately took action.

    The swamp warfare expert, Colonel Edward Stanford, who had won glorious battles against the Irish, was now a regimentalmander, and his regiment was currently deployed in Aslon. Now, the United Kingdom hadpletely fallen out with the rebels, informing them that they should prepare for defense immediately, as the rebels would soonunch an attack on Aslon.

    Colonel Edward Stanford knew that the Duke of Norfolk was trying hard to dispatch as many troops from the homnd as possible, but until reinforcements arrived from the homnd, the British army in Irnd was currently at a disadvantage. The Irish would definitely try to seize this opportunity, attempting to take advantage of this timing gap to besiege Aslon in an attempt to destroy this most important stronghold and thuspletely dismantle this critical railway.To lure the Irish into besieging Aslon, it took some effort from the top. Firstly, the garrison at the stronghold could not be toorge. If it was toorge, the Irish would feel that there was no possibility of capturing it before the British mobilized troops inrge numbers from Ennd to attack it. Then the Duke of Norfolk, using this stronghold to attract the Irish, would swiftly bring the main force through the railway and engage in a decisive main battle. The concept of destroying the main force of the Irish Independent Army in such a major battle would be unachievable, and even if more troops were brought in, it would just be repeating the same story, with the British army continuously bleeding in small, densely packed battles, and the war seeming to have no end in sight.

    But if the number of troops stationed was too small, if they really couldn''t hold it and were truly eaten up by the Irish, it would be a big loss, and the subsequent war would be even more difficult to fight.

    Finally, after serious discussion, the British felt that relying on the "Bonaparte''s Gilded Shield" mode of defense, coupled with approximately six thousand real British Army soldiers, should still be able to hold out and persist until the main force arrived. And a force of six thousand people would not really frighten the Irish from attacking.

    Early in the morning, Colonel Edward Stanford woke up early. He got up from the bed, drew open the curtains, and looked out the window.

    At this time, it was still early, and the sun had not yet risen, and ayer of dark blue mist covered the earth. This was somethingmon at this time of year, sometimes, after the fog rose, it wouldn''t dissipate until noon. Such weather was obviously disadvantageous for defense, as the attacking side could use the cover of fog to quietly approach, and then use explosives and grenades to blow up a fortress all of a sudden.

    So, Colonel Edward Stanford immediately became tense. He quickly put on his military uniform, went out, took a few guards, and went to the frontline.

    When Colonel Edward Stanford arrived at the frontline defense works, the sun had already risen by time, but the fog had be thicker, a vast expanse of white, and the visibility had even dropped to less than thirty meters.

    "Any movement?" Colonel Edward Stanford asked Richard, who was on duty at this time.

    "I''m not sure, can''t see anything. Some people heard some movement over by the minefield. But don''t know what it is? Maybe people, but it could also be other things, like rabbits. We blindly fired a few shots over there, but we don''t know what effect it had."

    "Do our military dogs react?" Colonel Edward Stanford asked again.

    "There are some reactions, but if it''s rabbits, they also react the same. Last time there was a dog that chased a rabbit into the minefield, and then..." Richard shook his head.

    "Damn it," Colonel Edward Stanford said, "Today''s fog is heavy, it might not even dissipate for a while, you guys have to be more careful, be vignt, don''t let the Irish sneakily put explosives under your noses."

    "With such arge minefield outside, where would they juste in so easily?" Richard shook his head, but when he saw Colonel Edward Stanford''s expression, he added, "Of course, we''ll be more vignt."

    "Tom, I estimate that within the next two days, they will take action, you can''t take it lightly," Colonel Edward Stanford said.

    "Yes yes yes, Colonel, you can rest assured, I''ll sleep with one eye open," Tom replied.

    Just as they were talking, a group of Irish Independent Army soldiers had already arrived at the frontline minefield under the cover of the heavy fog.

    Unlike the inefficient probe mine clearance method of the British, the Irish sappers had the most advanced French mine detectors in their hands. This kind of thing, which used electromaic induction principles, could clearly sense metallic objects buried underground, making it much more sophisticated than the British sappers'' idiotic poking around with metal probes.

    Whenever they detected mines underground, the Irish sappers would stop, then take out long metal probes to urately determine the position of the mines, and then carefully dig them out. With the cover of the thick fog, these sappers quickly opened a safe passage in the minefield.

    Immediately after, soldiers carrying explosives and bazookas crossed the minefield and began to approach the British fortifications.

 Chapter 434: The Thick Fog

    But at this moment, the British military dogs were deployed effectively. They began barking wildly.

    "All units, be on alert! All units, be on alert! Anti-infantry directional mines ready! Cannons loaded with buckshot ready!" Captain Richard heard the chorus of barking from the military dogs and immediately picked up a microphone to shoutmands. Colonel Edward Stanford, who had been prepared to leave, also halted in his tracks.

    "They''reing!" Colonel Edward Stanford eximed, his eyes widening as he tried to peer through the thick fog to assess the situation ahead. However, the fog had not dissipated enough, and he could only vaguely make out a distance of twenty to thirty meters ahead.

    After the barking of the dogs, the Irishmen naturally knew that the British were now on guard. However, they still advanced in loose formation, carrying explosives and wielding bazookas.

    With visibility only about twenty to thirty meters, a sudden charge could easily reach them. In this era, there were no machine guns yet; the only alternatives were cannons firing buckshot and anti-infantry directional mines.

    While these two weapons had sufficient firepower density, their sustained firepower wascking. If the enemy surged forward inrge numbers after one round, the effectiveness of these weapons would beparable to that of machine guns. However, if the first wave of attackers was not substantial, and a second wave immediately followed after the first round, then the sustained firepower of this configuration would be problematic.

    Moreover, the barbed wire was set about forty to fifty meters away from the fortress. Under normal circumstances, this was an appropriate distance, where rifles, directional mines, and cannons loaded with buckshot all had a fairly good uracy.

    But at this moment, the barbed wire was obscured by the fog,pletely invisible.

    The British had hung many bells on the barbed wire; as soon as the bells rang, it indicated that someone was tampering with the wire. However, this design was intended for nighttime situations. At night, upon hearing any movement, searchlights would illuminate the area, and then rifles, cannons loaded with buckshot, and directional mines could open fire as needed. But at this moment, with thick fog enveloping them, the searchlights were useless.The Irishmen quickly reached the barbed wire. They carefully removed the bells from the wire and then used wire cutters to destroy the barbed wire, creating gaps in it.

    Of course, some bells were still rung during this process.

    "Captain? What should we do?" Captain Richard asked.

    "Fire! Have the soldiers fire towards the direction where the bells rang! But hold off on using the directional mines and cannons for now!" Colonel Edward Stanford said.

    So, the British began firing rapidly. However, since they couldn''t see their targets, these indiscriminate shots didn''t hinder the Irish Independent Army soldiers much.

    "Jerry, don''t worry, the British are just bolstering their courage," Captain Metternich, who followed behind, whispered to the soldier next to him, who was holding a rifle with a bay attached.

    "I know, I''m not nervous," the soldier replied, his hand gripping the rifle tightly, causing his knuckles to turn white from the pressure.

    Metternich chuckled softly and said no more, turning his gaze back to the expanding gap in the barbed wire.

    "Have the soldiers fix bays," Colonel Edward Stanford said. "Prepare for a counter-charge! Artillery, provide covering fire for target area number two!"

    The order was ryed, and British soldiers began fixing bays, readying to charge out of the trenches and engage in baybat with the Irish rebels.

    "Our baybat skills are unmatched by the rebels. We will surely win through baybat," Colonel Edward Stanford encouraged his subordinates. However, at the same time, he cursed the damn weather in his heart. Because he knew that while training was important in baybat, morale was even more crucial. Based on his experience dealing with the Irish, their training levels mostly didn''t match up to the British army, even their so-called "main forces"; however, their morale was surprisingly high, even among the local rebels.

    A unit with sufficiently high morale could withstand greater casualties in hand-to-handbat. And in hand-to-handbat, as long as one side''s morale didn''t copse, the exchange wouldn''t be much different. Colonel Edward Stanford was confident that his troops would have the upper hand in a hand-to-handbat situation with simr numbers. But here, his troops were outnumbered by the rebels! If they suffered heavy losses in hand-to-handbat, General Wilson, themander of the city defenses, would surely give him trouble...

    At this point, some faint figures had already appeared in the British soldiers'' sight. These scattered figures charged toward the British positions, simultaneously throwing grenades at them.

    The British soldiers fired at these individuals, or threw grenades back at them. Many Irishmen were brought down, but because the distance between the two sides was too close, some Irishmen still charged forward with explosives and bazookas. Then, with each explosion, some bunkers, along with the British soldiers inside them, were sent flying into the air.

    More figures emerged from the mist at this moment!

    "Fire! Fire! Use directional mines!" Captain Richard shouted.

    The cannons positioned further back began firing, knocking down some Irishmen, and directional mines were detonated as well. However, because the first wave of Irishmen had already damaged many of the directional mines with their explosives and bazookas, this round of simultaneous firing, although causing significant losses to the Irish, failed to stop them from continuing their advance. At this point, the British artillery and directional mines were toote to fire a second round.

    In fact, even the second wave of Irish attackers wasn''t particrlyrge. It was just because of the fog''s obstruction and the tense atmosphere that the British mistakenly perceived this wave to be muchrger than it actually was. However, despite this round of bombardment and directional mine attacks, the number of Irish casualties wasn''t as high as the British had imagined.

    "Fix bays! Counter-charge! Artillery, cover target area number two!" Seeing the Irishmen charging up again, Colonel Edward Stanford ordered.

    If the Irishmen were allowed to charge again, and with more explosives, the losses would be too great. So, Colonel Edward Stanford decided to immediately counter-charge with bays to push back the Irishmen.

    Now influenced by the corrupt French, the martial virtue of European armies had gradually declined. Even the act of bay fighting, which used to be filled with martial virtue, had be rather pathetic.

    In the days when "bullets are for fools, bays are for heroes," everyone used bays honestly. That was true manliness, real bravery! But nowadays, rules had been spoiled by the French; they invented tactics where bays werebined with shotguns during baybat, controlling the distance with bays, and then using shotguns to spray opponents in the face��a despicable tactic. In reality, bay fighting, while still nominally called bay fighting, had essentially be spraying contests. It was truly pathetic!

    Nowadays, the whole of Europe, including Britain and Irnd, had been influenced by the French''s despicable tactics. So, their bay fighting formations were simr, mostly consisting of two rifles with bays paired with a pump-action shotgun. Thus,

    the battlefield was filled with the sounds of shotguns.

    At the same time, British artillery continued to shell the possible avenues where Irish reinforcements mighte from with shrapnel shells. While such blind artillery fire was not very effective, it still caused some difficulties for the subsequent Irish forces'' attacks. Therefore, the British soldiers managed to push back the Irish rebels through baybat and held the first line of defense.

    After repelling the first wave of Irish attacks, Colonel Edward Stanford saw that the fog was gradually dispersing and returned to his headquarters. Just as he entered the headquarters, someone informed him, "Colonel, General Wilson wants you to report to headquarters immediately."

    Colonel Edward Stanford immediately hurried to General Wilson''s headquarters.

    By this time, several other battalionmanders had also arrived. Seeing Colonel Edward Stanford, General Wilson said, "Now that everyone is here, let''s all discuss the situation on our respective defense lines."

    So, except for the Graves battalion, which served as the reserve, all the other battalions began reporting on the attacks they had faced and their current losses. Generally speaking, either there had been huge ammunition consumption or significant personnel losses. Some units had even lost their positions.

    "You''ve all noticed that due to the weather conditions, some unexpected situations have arisen. It''s hard to say whether such heavy fog will continue tomorrow. If this ghostly weather persists for the next few days, given today''s casualties and ammunition consumption rate, our situation will be very dangerous. Does anyone have any suggestions?" General Wilson said.

    "I suggest that we immediately send reports to Dublin and Galway, requesting reinforcements. Otherwise, if the heavy fog continues, our defense will likely encounter serious problems," Colonel Edward Stanford immediately spoke up.

    "But our mission from above is to hold this position for at least a month, until reinforcements from the maind arrive, and then..." another battalionmander said.

    "Today, my battalion hasn''t lost its position, and we''ve killed quite a few rebels. However, just my battalion alone has lost nearly seventy men this morning, and with the wounded who have temporarily lost theirbat capabilities, there are nearly a hundred men. If we have several more days of such heavy fog, my entire battalion will be renderedbat ineffective. I''ve just heard the results reported by everyone else, and the losses are no less than mine. Based on my experience in Irnd over the years, heavy fog at this time of year ismon. So, continuous heavy fog for several days is entirely possible. Once such a situation urs, copse is not impossible. Do we need to take such a gamble?"

 Chapter 435: Pressure

    Chapter 435: Pressure

    "Colonel Edward Stanford," General Wilson said, "You''ve been in Irnd for several years now. What''s the longest consecutive fog you''ve encountered?"

    "Probably three or four days. I don''t remember the specifics too clearly," Colonel Edward Stanford replied.

    "If it''s three or four days, we should be able to hold out," General Wilson said. "By using ammunition liberally, we should manage at least two weeks. In two weeks, we can still call for reinforcements��even if there''s a week-long fog, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive."

    Colonel Edward Stanford understood General Wilson''s reasoning. For General Wilson, abandoning a potential significant military achievement due to weather conditions was out of the question. Moreover, Colonel Edward Stanford also thought General Wilson''s n made sense. His earlier suggestion was more about appearing prudent. In the British Army, there was a slight difference in ethospared to the Navy. In the Navy, they preferred officers to be passionate and somewhat reckless, but in the Army, especially above the rank of captain, being conservative was seen as more reliable.

    But now that the general had expressed determination, everyone naturally showed support. And then everyone went back to arrange the defense.

    After repelling the Irish attack, the British naturally had to consolidate their defenses quickly. They had to repair the barbed wire, and eveny new mines. However, those damn dishonorable French had supplied the equally dishonorable Irish rebels with some vicious things, such as rifles using smokeless powder, equipped with telescopic sights, and dressed in colorful, patchwork clothes, the kind even beggars would disdain to wear, showing no sense of honor at all.

    And these guys with such rifles and dressed like that would hide far away, shooting at British soldiers who came out to repair barbed wire ory mines. And the Irish rebels'' marksmanship was quite good; almost every shot hit someone.

    Moreover, these Irish rebels were not only good shots but also exceptionally ruthless. Their first shot often wouldn''t kill directly; they''d wound a British soldier, making him lie there bleeding and calling for help, then shoot down those trying to rescue the wounded��this was incredibly insidious.

    Of course, some said these Irish rebels usually spoke French, and some even said those rifle-toting guys were downright damned Frenchmen. This kind of narrative had a market before the outbreak of hostilities. (At that time, these guys were already active in small-scale conflicts.) Because it was necessary to me France in this way and maintain a psychological advantage over the Irish rebels��Irish people were so stupid; they couldn''t possibly be this skilled.But after the outbreak of hostilities, such propaganda diminished because the British quickly realized that this propaganda had an unexpected consequence��many soldiers felt dealing with the Irish was one thing, but if they were to encounter the French on the battlefield, they became somewhat apprehensive...

    So, nowadays, the British army didn''t publicize that those guys were French.

    But whether publicized or not, these suspected Frenchmen caused some casualties to the British, disrupted their repair work, and greatly affected their morale. To drive these guys away, the British had to send cavalry, only to be hit by volleys from infantry positioned further away, and then hit by several rounds of "wild boar repellent" before being driven back.

    Taking advantage of the absence of the cavalry, the British repaired some of the barbed wire and rescued the wounded soldiers��although rescuing them turned them into burdens withoutbat effectiveness, but not rescuing them would be devastating to morale.

    As for replenishing the mines and hanging bells on the barbed wire, considering those rifle-toting guys were still outside, this wasn''t something they could do in broad daylight; if they had to do it, they had to wait until nightfall.

    Of course, when night fell, they couldn''t do it either because the Irish came to attack again at night. Now, there were no minefields outside the barbed wire, and it waste at night before the moon came out, so as soon as the sun went down, it was pitch ck around.

    The Irish naturally wouldn''t miss this opportunity because the decrease in visibility significantly reduced the effectiveness of the enemy''s defenses and firepower. This was advantageous for the Irish, who were at a disadvantage in terms of firepower. In fact, in history, armies with high morale but inferior equipment or even at a disadvantage often liked to engage in night battles, such as certain Eastern countries'' armies inter times. This trend persisted until the development of night vision technology, when it was reversed. And in this era,unching night attacks was also amon tactic for the Irish.

    However, there was no fog at night, so visibility was actually better than in the morning, plus there were searchlights, so the British defense was somewhat more orderly than during the day. But those searchlights suffered an unexpected blow; it seemed the Irish had a rifle with an extremely long range specifically for shooting at searchlights, and the searchlights often went out at critical moments.

    The Irish easily dealt with the barbed wire using mortars, and by this time, the British had begun using artillery to fire shrapnel to suppress the Irish charge. However, soon the British noticed something strange on the Irish side. They seemed to have dragged cannons to the front during the night. Suddenly, a fire burst out in the darkness, followed by booming cannon fire, and then... explosions would ur near the British artillery positions��damned Frenchmen, these were high-explosive shells!

    In fact, these high-explosive shells didn''t cause particrlyrge losses to the British, but they dealt a significant blow to British morale. Because the appearance of these things seemed to indicate that the Irish were more capable of assault than they had previously estimated. Originally prepared for one table of guests, they ended up with two tables; how could they handle this!

    After a night of fighting, with the support of recoilless guns, the Irish surprisingly captured several positions, and even until dawn, the British couldn''t drive them out��just one day, and several breaches appeared in the Aslon defense line.

    The next day, the Britishunched a counterattack against these positions captured by the Irish. But the counterattack was not smooth, with significant casualties on both sides, and the British couldn''t drive the Irish out of their positions. So, once again, the question of whether to call for reinforcements immediately arose.

 Chapter 436: The Unsuccessful Endeavor

    In truth, it wasn''t just the English who were caught off guard; even the Irish hadn''t expected such favorable weather from Providence in the past two days, making their assault seem remarkably smooth. Thus, at least the fellows from the Second Division, even began to entertain the idea of genuinely capturing Aslon. This thought even crossed the mind of Division Commander O''Hara, akin to a Jerry switcheroo��entertaining the notion of taking on Tom.

    However, as much as they entertained the notion of taking on Tom, doing so wasn''t going to be easy. Not to mention, they weren''t provided with sufficient ammunition from above. Especially significant was the depletion of one-third of the "Gustav recoilless gun" munitions overnight. So, if they truly wanted to take on Tom, they first needed to persuade the militarymittee to allocate more munitions.

    "This won''t do, the militarymittee has already made a decision; it''s a strategic choice that cannot be altered lightly. Moreover, our progress so far has been due to particrly favorable weather. But look, there''s no fog today, so the British counterattack was easily repelled by you... Hmm, speaking of which, our luck has indeed been good, but we can''t rely solely on luck in war, can we?" Thus, Commander O''Hara''s suggestion was vetoed by President Russell.

    However, Commander O''Hara still managed to acquire some munitions, as they needed to execute a feint to force the British to dispatch troops to relieve Aslon before their reinforcements were fully in ce. They indeed needed to apply more pressure on the British in Aslon.

    The weather ceased to aid the Irish; the fog did not reappear. Yet, relying on new weapons and high morale, the Irish still made unexpected progress against the British.

    But the British did not immediately dispatch troops from Dublin and Galway to relieve Aslon, indicating they believed they could hold out longer. Consequently, even President Russell had to tilt resources towards O''Hara to increase pressure on the British.

    The British adapted quickly to the Irish''s use of "recoilless guns." Though powerful, these weapons had limited range. The French imed a direct firing range of four hundred meters, but to ensure uracy, gunners often risked approaching within two hundred meters before firing. To conserve precious munitions, gunners would often risk closing to within one hundred meters to fire. At such distances, British volley fire posed a significant threat to the gunners.

    The British concentrated soldiers with excellent marksmanship specifically to counter the Irish "recoilless gunners." This resulted in the Irish losing gunners even faster than munitions. Without fog,ying mines became more challenging. The French provided the Irish with rocket-delivered mines, but constrained by financial issues, they had few of these expensive devices (far costlier than mine detectors) and using mine detectors to clear mines was slow. Even at night, due to British searchlights, clearing mines in front of British positions was extremely difficult.

    This made subsequent attacks even more difficult, and the British, still unhurried, awaited reinforcements from home. ording to intelligence from the confederation''s agents in Dublin regarding the daily arrival of British ships, reinforcements from Britain were continuously arriving, possibly exceeding twenty thousand men, with more still being dispatched to Dublin. It was estimated that in a few days, the total number of new British troops would rise to fifty thousand. Adding the original forces, just from Dublin, the British could dispatch seventy to eighty thousand troops. Such a force was beyond the Irish independence army''s blockading troops. The British didn''t send reinforcements to Galway, indicating they didn''t n to relieve Aslon from there. Thus, the n to block reinforcements from Dublin on the east and consume Galway''s reinforcements in a timely manner on the west was no longer feasible.Consequently, the Irish changed their n, incorporating the First Division into the siege of Aslon. However, this didn''t have the decisive effect hoped for, as the limited area of the Aslon fortress couldn''t amodate so many attacking troops. Therefore, the attacks over the following days made limited progress, but casualties increased significantly.

    The Duke of Norfolk''s requested fifty thousand reinforcements were essentially in ce. He even had the luxury of allowing them some rest before dispatching a seventy thousand strong force to relieve Aslon.

    Although the Duke of Norfolk was in no hurry when dispatching the troops, once they were on the move, he continuously urged them to elerate. He knew that once the rebels received news of the relief force, they would quickly flee. If they couldn''t catch them beneath the walls of Aslon, the subsequent war would be mired again.

    However, after departure, the British forces didn''t move as swiftly as the Duke of Norfolk had hoped because the train hauling the troops was ambushed shortly after setting out.

    The ambush didn''t cause significant damage to the British, who repelled the rebels without much effort. The real trouble was caused mainly by the

    rebels'' destruction of the railway. Although the British were somewhat prepared for railway sabotage, carrying various tools for railway repair on the military train, this still slowed them down. Even so, the Irish had to act immediately.

    Upon receiving news of the British relief force''s departure, the First Division was dispatched to conduct a dying action, ensuring other units, especially the county and district squads, could retreat smoothly. Before this, the First Division had utilized some captured British outposts between Dublin and Aslon, transforming them into a makeshift defensive line. Now, relying on this line, they resisted the British reinforcements.

    This defensive line was constructed hastily, and the British reinforcements had ample manpower and far superior firepower to the Irish. To cover the retreat of other forces, the First Division had to withstand the British forces. Although the First Division was well-trained and high-spirited, they managed to hold the British for only two days at the cost of significant casualties before the defense line was breached.

    By this time, the majority of the participating Irish forces hadpleted their retreat, but the First Division''s dying troops found it extremely difficult to withdraw, with the British persistently pursuing them. Finally, when the First Division managed to use their familiarity with the terrain to shake off the pursuit, their dying forces had nearly halved in number.

 Chapter 437: Seizing the Opportunity

    "First and foremost, we must acknowledge that this time we have suffered a painful defeat. Our revolutionary forces have incurred massive losses. During the siege of Aslron, as well as the subsequent process of obstructing the British reinforcements, we have sacrificed over fourteen thousand men from the first and second divisions, along with local forces. In addition, nearly ten thousand wounded have to leave the revolutionary army due to their injuries. After paying such a huge price, we failed to achieve any of the operational objectives we set before the war. Therefore, now we must summarize what the fundamental reasons for this failure are.

    Personally, I believe the following:

    Firstly, a bit of past sess made manyrades in our confederation, including myself, arrogant andcent. Thus, we failed to approach problems and analyze them from a realistic standpoint. Instead, decisions were made hastily. Looking back, our initial operational deployment was incredibly rash.

    We were blindly optimistic because of some past victories, believing that as long as we feigned an attack, we could definitely mobilize the enemy, who would then definitelye to reinforce without adequate preparation and fall into our ambush��as if the enemy was under ourmand, obliged to obey our orders. As for what to do in the event of an unexpected situation, we astonishingly did not have any contingency ns prepared in advance. Making hasty adjustments when the situation arose, it''s no wonder we failed.

    Was this mistake due to a chance urrence? No, idental errors do happen, such as tripping while walking, which could be considered idental. But to make so many mistakes in matters concerning the fate of a nation, that cannot possibly be by chance. It''s a problem with our own thoughts and our own style!

    We became arrogant, and with arrogancees conceit, making it impossible to view ourselves objectively. We were like the frog in Aesop''s Fables, thinking that puffing up our bellies would make us bigger than a bull. Arrogance inevitably leads to underestimating others, preventing us from judging others objectively. Thus, our predictions about the British were almost entirely incorrect. Arrogance also breedsziness, resulting in ack of initiative in thinking. Thus, we didn''t even have contingency ns.

    Therefore, this defeat was not idental but due to problems in our thoughts and style. If we cannot adjust our attitude and change our style, such failures will not be thest. Hence, in the time toe, even for the rest of our lives, we must always be vignt and continuously rectify our style. This is the guarantee of victory for the revolution.

    Comrades, although we have suffered another setback, our confidence in the inevitable victory of the revolution should not waver. Think about our original situation, overall, isn''t it much better now? And look at our enemies, isn''t their decline in strength obviouspared to before? The path of the revolution is tortuous, but the future of the revolution is bright. We must be full of confidence in the victory of the revolution..." - Russell''s Speech at the First Aslron Offensive Operational Summary Meeting

    On the British side, of course, it was a time of joy. Although this victory did notpletely annihte the "Irish rebels''" main force, it was the greatest victory in the "rebellion suppression" operations so far. Naturally, British newspapers greatly propagated this victory, and the Duke of Norfolk even received the Knight Grand Cross medal for it. Everyone congratted him and wished him quick sess in quelling the rebels.However, the Duke of Norfolk did not show much joy over this. In private, he told his friends that the situation in Irnd remained grim. He even hoped the British government would approve his retirement due to ill health and send someone to rece him��if not taking advantage of the victory to coax a fool eager to pluck peaches into being a scapegoat, it would be harder to find a substituteter.

    But the British government refused his request without hesitation. Despite the newspapers blowing this victory out of proportion, those in the know were aware that the main force of the Irish rebels was still atrge, and this peach was not easy to pick. So, celebration aside, medal awarding aside, the idea of finding someone to take the me wasughable...

    However, the British soon had no reason to be happy, as trouble brewed in North America.

    Ever since the French began developing Louisiana, the American route to the west was almost entirely blocked by the French. Because the border between northern Louisiana and the United States was unclear, there had been quite a few frictions between the French and Americans in the border area over the years. Initially, it was the Americans fighting the "French overseas citizens," followed by the Americans fighting the Indians, then the "French overseas citizens" fighting the Americans, and then the Americans fighting the Indians again, the "French overseas citizens" fighting the Indians, and finally, the Indians supported by the French fighting the Indians

    supported by the Americans.

    Although there were many minor skirmishes, the rtionship between the Americans and the French remained essentially peaceful. The Americans knew that with Louisiana in the way, the sess rate of going west was very low. So, the Americans turned their gaze to their neighbor to the north��Canada.

    In the original history, the Americans tried to take the Canadian region in 1812, taking advantage of Britain''s preupation with France, dered war on Britain, and attempted to capture Canada. Of course, this strategic objective was not achieved, and the White House even got burned down. However, in the end, the Americans dered they had won the war. Strangely, the British also considered themselves the victors of the war. In this typical zero-sum game of war, a story emerged where both belligerents were winners.

    In this timeline, with the American westward path blocked by the French, the Americanscked the confidence to wage a major war against the French. But as Britain and France seemed poised to sh again, and with Irnd stirring within Britain, the Americans immediately thought: If not now, when to eliminate Canada? Were they waiting for the French topletely defeat the Brits, then everyone would share Canada?

    So, the Americans found an excuse, iming absurdly that rabbits were not wearing hats��no, it was that the British and the Indians colluded to attack Americans. And then they dered war on Britain.

    To say that the British colluded with the Indians to attack Americans is not unjust to the British; they indeed did such things. However, they targeted not only Americans but also the "French overseas citizens." Simrly, the Americans colluded with the Indians to attack Canadians and "French overseas citizens." Then, the "French overseas citizens" also colluded with the Indians to attack Canadians and Americans.

    When all parties were equally matched, these were minor issues, but it became different when the British were restrained by the French. Thus, the Americans used this as an excuse to dere war on Britain.

 Chapter 438: Breaking the Deal

    The Americans made considerable preparations before dering war on Britain. First was the American Navy, which had just leased two warships from the French, the "Free Trade" and the "Common Market," super second-rate cruisers. At least until the French "Hermes-ss" super first-rate cruisers wereunched andmissioned, these two ships were the most powerful super cruisers in the world.

    Moreover, when leasing these two ships, the Americans didn''t just lease the vessels but even the personnel to operate them. In other words, apart from changing the g and issuing a few sets of new clothes to each French crew member, and cing a few American representatives on board, the ships were almost still French.

    The Americans took this action before the war with Britain, but by then, American newspapers were already incessantly using the British of aiding the Indians in attacking peaceful American citizens, undermining their God-given effort to obtain superior materials for making boots through theirbor.

    At this time, the American "leasing" of French warships clearly had a specific purpose. The French naturally understood what the Americans meant. However, after serious consideration, Napoleon approved the deal.

    "The British are currently our enemies, causing them trouble in any way is good. Of course, the Yankees are no saints either. If there''s another country that could match the British in being despicable, cunning, and ruthless, it definitely would be America! We also can''t allow it to truly annex Canada. That would pose a huge threat to our Louisiana. Just like any sheep, as soon as it dares to grow horns, it''s a threat and provocation to the lion. Thus, in the symbolism of religion, amb without horns is holy, an example for all to follow and learn from. And those that grow horns? Well, you know Lucifer has goat horns..."

    "Alright, Napoleon, don''t get sidetracked," Joseph said. "Although your analogy is interesting, um, this analogy, I mean the one aboutmbs and goats, who said that?"

    "Couldn''t it be me?" Napoleon said.

    "That sharp tone doesn''t sound like your style," Joseph remarked.

    "Ah, well, the analogy was Talleyrand''s. After all, he was a bishop; no one knows better than him how to critique the Church," Napoleon exined."The Americans will soon dere war on the British, then use these two ships to disrupt the maritime routes between Britain and Canada. We, in turn, should cooperate, perhaps conduct a military exercise or something, iming it''s to maintain world peace and trade freedom. Then we''ll tie down the British Navy, preventing them from sending supplies and reinforcements to North America," Napoleon added.

    "What about Canada?" Lucien asked. "We can''t really hand Canada over to the Americans, can we?"

    Napoleon smiled without answering.

    "Is that even a question?" Joseph scoffed. "If the British can''t get their weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Canada, does it mean we can''t either? Canada borders Louisiana!"

    "Ah, I see!" Lucien had an epiphany. "We sell weapons to the Canadians, and when Canada can''t hold on any longer, we can let the Canadians hire mercenaries from Louisiana. Then, set fire to the White House, and after the Canadian forces have expended themselves and America is weakened, won''t Canada be ours? Not to mention Quebec has so many French speakers. Napoleon, Joseph, is that what you mean? You guys are so wicked, hahaha, wickedly brilliant! Hahaha..."

    The British were equally aware of what it meant for the French to lease these warships to the Americans. Thus, the British Foreign Office immediately summoned the French ambassador to issue a formal protest, using France of disrupting regional peace. Of course, the British knew the French wouldn''t heed their protests, but the procedure had to be followed.

    ording to the procedure, France naturally stated that this was entirely a matter of internal politics between France and the USA, and the transaction was inplete ordance with international norms, leaving no room for British interference.

    An anonymous British official hinted to the newspapers that if war broke out between the US and Britain, and these two ships participated, should their crews be captured, Britain might consider them pirates and hang them from the yardarm.

    When French media asked Lucien about this report and what France''s reaction would be if such an event urred, Lucien unhesitatingly responded, "They are wee to try if they dare."

    Regarding the same question, Foreign Minister Talleyrand said, "We wish to be friends with Britain, to be partners, but if Britain views France as an ''enemy state,'' then all consequences will be Britain''s own responsibility."

    The two warships had just arrived in the US, filled up with coal and fresh water in Boston Harbor, and war broke out less than a weekter.

    These two American-gged warships immediately left Boston and, after rendezvousing with the US fleet,

    headed towards Halifax, Canada.

    Halifax is Canada''srgest naval base, where the British stationed a detachment of their fleet.

    After entering the steam power era, the British slightly modified three old sailing warships, equipped them with steam engines, added iron armor, and then sent them to Canada.

    Considering North America, the main potential enemies were the Americans and secondly the French. The Americans had suffered heavy losses in previous conflicts with the French, and although the French gradually returned the captured American ships to the Yankees, the Americans seemed to have lost confidence in building a strong navy. Their navy made limited progress afterward, only adding steam power to the original super cruisers. Because their hulls were more suited for high-speed travel, these modified ships were still faster than the British''s retrofitted battleships, and not having iron armor also increased their speed.

    ording to the American n, the fleet would first approach Halifax to see if they could catch the British naval detachment in Canada and eliminate them, then continue north to blockade the Saint Lawrence Seaway, intercepting ships sailing from Britain to Canada. ?

    After America dered war on Britain, the British detachment immediately left Halifax. Although this detachment had three "battleships," the battleships of the sail era had no fighting power against the steam era''s armored cruisers. Hence, while the British emphasized fighting upon encountering the enemy, they would avoid battles they knew they couldn''t win.

    The British n was as follows: relying solely on the North American detachment''s strength was insufficient to oppose the US forces with two French super cruisers. Instead of confronting the enemy''s main force, they would attack American coastal ships. Compared to the entirely steam-powered French warships, the North American detachment''s hybrid-powered warships had significantly greater endurance because they didn''t always need to burn coal to sail.

    Thus, the British believed they could harass the American coastline, forcing the American fleet, or at least those two French warships, to move south. Then, their "Indomitable" super cruiser hidden in the Saint Lawrence River (the first generation "Free Trade" sold to the British by the French) could emerge to eliminate the American warships left in the Saint Lawrence Bay.

    Therefore, when the American fleet arrived in Halifax, they found an empty harbor. Considering the port''sprehensive defense facilities, neither the Americans nor the French dared to directly attack the port. So, the US fleet continued northward to the Cabot Strait.

    Canadian Antic ports are quite interesting. Besides Halifax, most of Canada''s Antic ports are ind ports along the Saint Lawrence River. The Saint Lawrence River''s navigation conditions are so good that these ind ports are virtually indistinguishable from seaports at this time.

    Exiting the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River leads to the Saint Lawrence Bay, a broad water area almost surrounded bynd, with only the Belle Isle Strait and Cabot Strait connecting it to the Antic Ocean. The bay''s coastline is intricate, with many reefs and shoals, making navigation challenging. Therefore, the US Navy dared not directly enter the Saint Lawrence Bay to block the river''s mouth. They could only block the Cabot Strait. Further north, another navigable strait, the Belle Isle Strait, was considered, but given the unknown whereabouts of the British Navy, the Americans didn''t dare to spread their forces thin. After all, most ships would take the Cabot Strait, especially those British ships currently en route to North America��unaware, in the absence of radio, that the US had dered war on Britain.

    So, for a while, the US Navy enjoyed their time here, watching whales daily. Then asionally, they would intercept one or two British ships unaware of the war''s outbreak, but loaded with war materials. The Americans or French would stop them with cannon fire, board the ships, dere them captured, and then send them back to the US.

    However, the whereabouts of the British North American fleet remained a mystery.

 Chapter 439: Playing with the Navy

    While the Americans were happily intercepting British ships, the British North American squadron, which they had not caught, was also joyfully intercepting American ships. They sailed south along the American coast, first off Boston, casually capturing three American merchant ships and a homeward-bound whaling ship. The British had no nearby ports they could use; they couldn''t possibly control these merchant ships and then take them back to Canada, given that the American fleet was surely there now.

    As for taking them directly back to Britain, that was impossible too, because the ships'' reserves of fresh water and such were not enough to support such a long ocean voyage. Thus, the British could only board the ships, transfer some supplies their fleet could use, and then set the merchant ships aze. As for the sailors, they were left with a small boat, to row themselves back to America. After all, they were not far from the coast; a day or two of rowing would see them ashore.

    Then, continuing their journey south, they burned six ships heading to New York near its vicinity and captured two American merchant ships heading to Phdelphia at the Dware River mouth, casually destroying over a dozen fishing boats. News of the British naval fleet attacking American ships at sea also began to spread in the United States through the French''s telegraph.

    Those ships that were nning to leave the US for Europe mostly dared not to leave the port, but those returning from Europe to the US did not know about this. Thus, in the week that followed, the British managed to turn more than ten merchant ships into torches. If one were topare the tonnage captured in these raids, the British fleet clearly had the upper hand.

    Without wireless telegraphy, the news of the British rampaging along the American coast couldn''t be directly delivered to the American fleet waiting in ambush at the Cabot Strait. The Americans still thought the British North American squadron had hidden in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

    The Americans then dispatched a fast ship to the Cabot Strait, finding the American fleet, and only then did the Americans realize the British fleet had also taken to raiding. The loss suffered by the Americans was even greater than what the British had experienced in the Cabot Strait.

    Since the British had released almost all the sailors, the Americans had a clear understanding of theposition of this British squadron.

    "Three steam-sail hybrid battleships, two steam-sail hybrid cruisers. That is to say, the main warships of the British North American squadron were all there," General Cade, themander of the American fleet, concluded based on the information he had.

    He knew he couldn''t allow the British squadron to continue its rampage along the American coast; otherwise, the British merchant ships he captured would be of no use. But moving the whole fleet south was not necessarily a good idea either. It meant not only abandoning the blockade of Canada but also slowing down the response time��because the other ships weren''t as fast as the "Free Trade" and "Common Market."So, General Cade decided to continue intercepting British merchant ships with a few other ships and ordered the two fastest and most powerful French ships in the squadron to immediately head back to chase and destroy the British fleet.

    Thus, the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" left the squadron and headed south.

    The news of America dering war on Britain had also reached Europe by this time. The British immediately nned to send a powerful fleet to teach the Americans a lesson. Heh, if we can''t beat the French, can''t we beat you?

    But along with this news came another piece of news: the French imed that the British fleet had attacked a French merchant ship. The French Foreign Minister summoned the British ambassador, lodging a strong protest. The British ambassador, however, stated he was unaware of the incident and doubted the veracity of the French ims.

    However, the truth of the matter wasn''t important; it was just an excuse. Excuses, after all, are something the French can easilye up with, much like a certain country inter times could effortlessly produce a plethora ofundry detergent.

    Following this, the citizens of Paris took to the streets in protest, demanding the government take concrete actions to protect the safety of French shippingnes. Napoleon immediately ordered the army into a state of readiness, suspended the demobilization of the army for the year, and announced that the French navy and army would conduct arge-scalending and antinding exercise in Cis.

    Located on the eastern shore of the Strait of Dover, only a few dozen kilometers from the British coast, France conducting military exercises at this location posed a hypothetical risk of the French fleet mistakenlynding in Britain if they were not paying close attention.

    Thus, the British could only curse the French for their age-old untrustworthiness while canceling theirrge-scale n to support Canada, ordering both the British navy and army into a state of readiness to resist any potential French invasion.

    However,

    despite France''s assistance, the performance of the American navy was not up to par.

    First, the two super cruisers heading south failed to immediately locate the British fleet. The British, calcting the time, estimated that the super cruisers hired by the Americans might have already headed south and thus left the American coastline, beginning their search for American merchant ships further offshore.

    This strategy by the British significantly reduced their interception efficiency but also made it difficult for the Americans to find them. The "Free Trade" and "Common Market" sailed along the American coastline without catching a glimpse of the British fleet. ?

    On the other hand, the American ships still in the Cabot Strait faced significant danger.

    The British "Indomitable" super cruiser was dispatched in response to the news of the American rental of two super cruisers from France. Thus, this ship wasn''t part of the North American squadron''s lineup, and the Americans werepletely unaware of its existence.

    Now, with the French super cruisers having headed south, the Cabot Strait, not being wide, allowed the British at both ends of the strait to easily spot the entire American fleet with telescopes. They quickly concluded that the two French ships had left.

    Thus, on this morning, as the Americans were listlessly waiting in ambush and watching whales, their lookout spotted a distant plume of smoke to their east.

    Initially, the Americans were somewhat nervous about this smoke plume, as it could indicate the return of the British North American squadron. Without the "Free Trade" and "Common Market," the American fleet was no match for the British.

    However, the Americans did not panic, knowing their ships were faster than the British squadron, giving them the initiative to disengage if the situation turned adverse.

    Moreover, in other sea regions, a ship emitting ck smoke would likely be a steam-powered vessel, possibly a warship. But in this region, another type of ship could emit ck smoke: a whaling ship.

    Whaling ships of this eracked cold storage; to maximize profits from each voyage, they would directly cut and render whale blubber into oil on board, discarding most other parts of the whale, except for the baleen, into the sea.

    To render the whale oil (to prevent the blubber from spoiling), these ships hadrge boilers burning to boil down the oil. Thus, a smoke plume in this region might not necessarily indicate a steamship but could also be a whaling ship returning from a voyage. At this point, the American navy was still unaware of the exact nature of the opponent they were about to face.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 440: A Duel with the Enemy

    The column of smoke grew closer and clearer, a single column of smoke.

    "The British North American squadron consists of six ships; if it were them, we should be able to see six columns of smoke. However, there''s only one now, which must be a whaling ship returning home," reasoned the Americans logically. They dispersed their fleet in advance for a surrounding and interception maneuver��though whaling ships usually don''t have steam-assist power and aren''t fast.

    As the smoke column drew nearer, through General Cadet''s telescope, the ship finally emerged in full from the horizon.

    "Good heavens! That''s... that''s the ''Free Trade''! Damn it, how could she be here!"

    General Cadet had once participated in a two-against-one battle with the "Free Trade," a ship that had be a veritable nightmare for the Americans. So familiar was he with this super-cruiser that, despite the considerable distance between them, he recognized the ship that had haunted his nightmares more than once.

    "''Free Trade''? The ''Free Trade'' has returned? What about the ''Common Market'' then?" asked a young officer standing next to General Cadet, puzzled. He also noticed that General Cadet''s hands were trembling slightly.

    "It''s not our ''Free Trade,'' it''s the British ''Indefatigable''!" General Cadet steadied his nerves and then spoke in as calm a voice as possible, "Order the fleet to regroup immediately and prepare for battle!"

    The American fleet,prising three super-cruisers and three regr cruisers, began to reform and elerate, ready for the confrontation.

    General Cadet felt that although their ships were indeed far inferior to the British "Indefatigable" in performance, they had the advantage in numbers, which meant they weren''t without a fighting chance.After being ravaged by the French "Free Trade," the American navy had always been studying one question: how to counter the "Free Trade." When the French put the "Free Trade" up for sale, the Americans were the first to bid, hoping to buy back the ship that caused them nightmares. However, the British intervened and snatched the "princess" from the American navy with a higher price��thus proving, ording to the life principles his father taught him��to believe in God, to pay taxes ording to thew, and to hate the British, was indeed reasonable.

    After the British acquired the "Free Trade," the American navy continued to focus on how to deal with it.

    From the technical details made public by the French during the sale of the "Free Trade," the Americans discovered that their existing naval guns could not prate the defense of the "Free Trade." What to do? Naturally, they hurried to order from the French some guns capable of prating the armor of the "Free Trade." So, although the Americans didn''t get the "Free Trade" back, the money they brought to purchase it didn''t return to America either. Instead, it was spent on expensive French long-barrel cannons.

    These breech-loading, rifled long-barrel cannons, with an astonishing caliber length of thirty times, were expensive not just for exploitation, as the longer the barrel, the more difficult it is to drill. The initial velocity of the cannonballs reached up to 600 meters per second, allowing them to easily prate the iron armor of the first version of the "Free Trade" from a distance of 500 meters. In this era, a distance of 500 meters in naval gunnery was already considered quite far.

    Of course, the British also armed their newly acquired "Indefatigable" with the same type of cannons. This was one reason the Americans didn''t armor their super-cruisers: within the effective range of normal artillery, the armor couldn''t withstand French cannons anyway. So, they might as well save on the weight and gain speed by not armoring at all.

    With cannons capable of prating the "Indefatigable''s" armor, the Americans were quite confident about this battle.

    The two fleets began to close in on each other, with the American fleet''s six ships forming two columns to meet the advance. If both sides maintained their current courses, the "Indefatigable" would pass directly between the two columns of the American fleet. In the past, this tactic might have been considered, since back then the American cannons couldn''t prate the "Indefatigable''s" armor. All they had to do was to avoid the Americans'' desperate attempts at ramming.

    However, the situation was now different. The American cannons could prate the "Indefatigable''s" armor. So, if the "Indefatigable" chose this tactic, it could indeed benefit from being able to fire from both sides, but it would also suffer significant damage from receiving fire on both sides. Therefore, the British began to turn first.

    The British knew they had several advantages over the American fleet:

    First

    ly, their ships had a higher speed, giving them a better chance to win the T-positioning game, and their sailors were better trained.

    Secondly, the British had modified the "Indefatigable" by removing the original side-mounted cannon arrangement and instead mounted two cannons on circr railings at the front and back decks, which could rotate over a wide angle. ?

    After the British began to turn, the Americans also started to maneuver to avoid being outnked. The ensuing action saw both fleets circling each other on the sea, with the British trying to gain a position ahead of the Americans, while the Americans constantly maneuvered to keep their sides towards the British.

    The "Indefatigable" had a slight speed advantage, but the American ships were more agile in turning, making it difficult for the British to secure the T-position.

    After several turns, the distance between the two sides began to close, but due to the angle, the American side cannons couldn''t aim at the "Indefatigable" to fire, whereas the "Indefatigable''s" stern cannons could rotate and fire at the Americans. Although the British only had two stern cannons and everyone was maneuvering at high speed, making urate firing difficult, the initial volleys failed to hit.

    However, being under one-sided attack without the ability to retaliate was highly demoralizing. And just because the first few shots missed didn''t mean the subsequent ones would too. At this distance, a hit would definitely cause significant damage to the American warships.

    Indeed, after six unsessful shots, a cannonball finally struck the "Constitution," leading the American formation.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 440 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 441: You Are All Insects

    One point where Britain of this era far surpassed the United States was in its scientific and technological advancements. Without Joseph Bonaparte''s influence, Britain could proudly proim itself as the leading nation in technology, far ahead of others. However, due to certain circumstances, even the British hesitate to boast about their technological supremacy, though it remains significantly superior to that of the United States, almost likeparing civilized people to barbarians.

    Typically, whenever the French introduce a new invention, the British soon release a simr, albeit slightly more expensive and less efficient version. Other countries simply acknowledge the superiority of French innovations, dismissing British alternatives as inferior knock-offs that are prone to failure, preferring to purchase the superior French products.

    Although British imitations were known for their poor quality and high failure rate, there were instances when the British could dominate other nations with their knock-offs, especially when the French designated certain items as not for sale.

    For instance, the British used an armor-piercing incendiary shell against the Constitution. Initially, the French had used white phosphorus incendiaries to devastate the cities of the Barbary pirates. The British, upon learning of this through survivors who had witnessed the horrifying effects of these fires, managed to uncover the secret behind this formidable weapon��the use of white phosphorus.

    After conducting their research, the British not only replicated the French white phosphorus incendiaries but also innovated upon them. They noted that white phosphorus produced a significant amount of smoke duringbustion. By adding certain substances, the toxicity of the resultant smoke could be increased, making it highly lethal in confined spaces such as ship interiors. Consequently, the British developed a specialized semi-armor-piercing shell filled with enhanced white phosphorus. Upon impact and fragmentation, these shells heated up and scattered burning phosphorus throughout the ship''s interior, causing fires and releasing toxic fumes capable of quickly suffocating the crew.

    A shell of this design struck the Constitution, breaking apart upon pration and causing immediate and widespread devastation. Unlike conventional incendiary devices, which were merely heated iron balls, the British incendiary shells were much more efficient in setting fires, leading to uncontroble zes within moments.

    General Cad�� was on the Constitution when it was hit. Initially, he wasn''t overly concerned by a single cannon strike��such urrences were hardly unusual and seldom decisive. However, he quickly realized something was amiss as white smoke and mes began emerging from the gun ports.

    "What...how could this happen?" General Cad�� was bewildered, struggling toprehend the rapid esction from an isted hit to a full-blown disaster.

    Captain Johnson, in a state of panic, rushed to inform the general, "Commander, you must evacuate immediately!""What happened?" asked General Cad��.

    "The enemy has employed a new type of incendiary shell..." Johnson managed to say between coughs, "...it ignited the gunpowder, and...the smoke is too thick and toxic. Many who went to extinguish the fire...were ovee by the fumes...Commander, the fire is out of control. We must abandon ship."

    By then, the mes had intensified, reaching the upper decks. Many soldiers, without waiting for orders, jumped into the sea with whatever they could grab. The steam engine ceased operation, indicating the fire had reached the engine room.

    "Order an immediate dispersal and breakout," General Cad�� decided, realizing the vulnerability of his ships to the British''s new weapon. A single hit was all it took for the British to incapacitate an American warship��this was not a matter of ipetence but a testament to the enemy''s advanced technology. Facing British naval prowess, the American fleet seemed as fragile as insects.

    The order was ryed through g signals. General Cad�� and the captainunched a lifeboat and rescued the sailors who had jumped into the cold waters, which, influenced by the Labrador Current, were dangerously cold, even in summer.

    General Cad�� and the survivors rowed towards the southwest, towards the Nova Scotia penins, seeking refuge in Canadian territory.

    The remaining American ships scattered. The Indomitable managed to catch up with one, setting it aze with a single shot. The Americans were forced to abandon ship. Without the positions of other American vessels, the British ceased pursuit, capturing the Americans and returning to the Saint Lawrence River mouth.

    Dayster, the fleeing American ships returned to their ports, bearing the news of their significant defeat at sea.

    As if misfortune neveres singly, the Americans faced defeats not only at sea but also onnd.

 Chapter 442: The Great Defeat

    The British in Canada didn''t have many regr troops; the main force of the Canadian army was actually local militia. Simrly, the U.S. Army, from a European perspective, was essentially just militia as well. In terms of numbers, the U.S. Army had slightly more men. Logically, even if the U.S. Army was inferior, they shouldn''t have been easily defeated by the Canadian forces. Even in original history, before British reinforcements arrived, the U.S. Army had a clear advantage.

    "How could these Americans be so foolish!" Louis Bonaparte, the new chairman of the Louisiana Development Bank, cursed loudly in hisvishly decorated office in New Orleans'' most luxurious building. "Are we now supposed to supply the weapons and mercenaries we prepared for the Canadians to these American fools?"

    "Chairman, selling the weapons and mercenaries to the Americans isn''t really a problem. It''s still selling, after all," said a manager with a receding hairline.

    "Sergey, you''re right, but things have gone beyond our expectations, and it''s always frustrating," Louis replied. "Moreover, we don''t need to consider mercenaries yet. The U.S. still has people; it hasn''te to that point. Besides, the main issue with the U.S. military isn''t morale, but that... they''repletely unaware that the times have changed. However, certain British atrocities provide us with an excuse to intervene..."

    Indeed, the reason for the U.S. Army''s defeat was their utter backwardness. Unlike the Navy, which had been educated by the French and exposed to the world''s advanced levels, the Army was truly provincial.

    After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. Army hadn''t fought much. Even during the Revolutionary War, their performance was mediocre at best. If not for King Louis XVI''s aid to America, it''s hard to say how that war would have ended. During and after that war, the U.S. Army had only one example to learn from: the French Army. However, that was the French Army of the line infantry era.

    Thus, the U.S. Army still used outdated line infantry tactics because they knew nothing else. They weren''t even particrly proficient at it, as the U.S., in an effort to save money, kept the federal army''s size very small. The state militias, or what wouldter be the National Guard, were essentially militia with less training but slightly better weapons than the federal troops.

    The situation was entirely different for the British. In Europe, the British were repeatedly defeated by the Bonaparte brothers. Although they were left lying on the ground calling for their mothers, they at least knew what modern warfare looked like. So, they quickly adopted the Josephine defense. Then? The American provincials had no idea how dangerous the Josephine defense was.

    General William Hull''s U.S. forces, marching in formation and beating drums,unched a brave attack on Fort Amherstburg held by the British, and then, there was no "then."In short, the foolish Americans were cunningly overpowered by the British withndmines, shrapnel shells, barbed wire, and directional anti-infantry mines, leading to their copse.

    The failure of this single attack, though disastrous, didn''t result in many deaths. Only about two thousand men were involved in the first wave of the assault. Although at least half of these men were killed by the British in a disorganized manner,pared to the total numbers of both armies, the loss of over a thousand men wasn''t too significant.

    However, these men were killed almost instantly, right before everyone''s eyes. The efficiency with which the British killed these men was so high that it terrified the observing U.S. forces.

    The U.S. forces, mainlyposed of state militia, shared a significant w with the Vend��e rebels of the past: high morale when fighting on their own soil, but rapid morale decline upon setbacks elsewhere. Simply put, after this heavy blow, the entire army fell into self-doubt, with morale nearly copsing.

    Taking advantage of this, General Isaac Brock,manding the British forces (primarily Canadians),unched a counterattack. Using unfamiliar shrapnel shells and light infantry tactics, hepletely routed the stunned and disorganized U.S. forces. General William Hull, leading the remnants, retreated to Detroit, suffering heavy casualties and desertions along the way. By the time they reached Detroit, less than a thousand soldiers remained with General Hull.

    The British continued to advance towards Detroit. The citizens of Detroit, armed and ready, prepared to defend their city. Detroit, close to Canada and Louisiana, was a melting pot of Canadians, Americans, German-speaking French, and various Native American tribes, often engaging in conflicts. Hence, the residents, mostly well-armed whites, were prepared for battle.

    Under the call to "defend the city," over four thousand armed citizens of Detroit joined the fight against British invasion in just one day.

    However

    , the British, employing a cunning strategy, didn''t attack Detroit directly but bombarded the city with white phosphorus incendiaries.

    Perhaps due to the butterfly effect, the great fire that should have swept through Detroitst year didn''t happen. So, Detroit remained as it was before the fire, a city naturally evolved from the fur trade market, with no urban nning, narrow streets, and a plethora of haphazard wooden buildings, posing a significant fire hazard.

    This city was a tinderbox, and the British (Canadians) set it aze with incendiary bombs. Unlike the historical fire that eventually engulfed Detroit but spread slowly due to a single point of origin, allowing most people to escape, this fire spread almost instantly across the city, leaving no time for evacuation. The casualties from this fire remain disputed, but even the lowest estimates suggest no fewer than nine thousand deaths, with some estimates as high as twenty thousand. The British, however, consider these figures exaggerated, as Detroit''s poption wasn''t thatrge.

 Chapter 443: Intervention

    The atrocity that Louis mentioned refers to the British burning of Detroit. Although it was the French who invented the use of incendiary bombs to burn cities, they did so against cities of heathen pirates and barbarians, to liberate countless oppressed and enved Christians. This act, supported by the Pope and all of Europe, even the world, was a just action. The fires set by the French were divine justice, as if God Himself was destroying Sodom and Gomorrah through the hands of the French, fully embodying the righteousness of the Lord.

    However, the actions of the British in Detroit were utter atrocities! They attacked cities built by fellow Christians, noble Caucasians; they burned to death devout Christians who called upon the name of Jesus Christ until theirst moments. Such brutality shows that the British no longer deserve to be considered civilized; they should be seen as barbarians as terrible and evil as Att the Hun and Genghis Khan!

    The dy in spreading this news back to the European maind was due to theck of a transantic telegraph. Although the military-industrialplex had the technology for wireless telegraphy, it prioritized more profitable wired telegraphy due to its infrastructure and business generated from ry stations. This technology was kept secret and only installed on some navy ships, with its existence highly confidential, unknown to anyone beyond the captain and themunications officer. Thus, news couldn''t quickly reach Europe, and the European edition of "The Scientific Truth Gazette" hadn''t yet published editorials condemning the British. However, in Louisiana, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" had already begun to lead the charge in denouncing the British.

    As Louisiana developed, ns for transantic wirelessmunication were gradually being arranged. Talleyrand was negotiating with the Portuguese to purchase the easternmost Flores Ind of the Azores. They nned to build a wireless ry station there and another one on the French-owned Saint Pierre Ind, thus connecting the old and new worlds with wireless telegraphy.

    However, this n was still just that��a n, with some time before it could be implemented and even longer before it could be operational.

    With "The Scientific Truth Gazette" in Louisiana leading the charge, the Francophones in Louisiana who often spoke German also quickly organized. The Louisiana National Guard began to mobilize along the Mississippi River northward to guard against threats the "new age barbarians" might pose to Louisiana.

    During this, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" in Louisiana found a girl named Hannah, who was said to be a survivor of the Detroit fire. Tragically, she was French, although her French was not very fluent. She exined that before the war broke out, her family had gone to Detroit for fur trading. Due to a financial dispute, they didn''t immediately leave Detroit when the war started, which seemed reasonable as no one expected the British tomit such heinous acts.

    Even as British forces approached Detroit, Hannah''s family did not panic because this wasn''t their war. Being French, they held passports from France, which stated, "Wherever you are in the world, the mighty French army is your strong backing." Surely, the British wouldn''t dare harm a family holding French passports?

    Yet, defying all expectations, the British used incendiary bombs to set the city aze. Hannah''s father managed to escape the inferno with her in his arms, but her mother, brother, and several uncles perished in the mes. Even her father, severely burned, died from severe infections shortly after escaping Detroit.The French conste in Ottawa protested to the British, demanding they hand over the murderers of French citizens for trial andpensate the French for their losses.

    The British Governor-General in Canada expressed condolences for the French citizens who tragically died, willing to provide humanitarianpensation to the victims'' families. However, he stated the tragedy wasn''t the fault of the British but an unavoidable ident of war. Additionally, any misconduct by British forces should be investigated and tried by British courts, so handing over the culprits to France was an unreasonable demand that the United Kingdom would absolutely not agree to.

    Following this response, the Governor''s Office in Louisiana immediately announced the lifting of the previous trade dispute-based embargo onmercial loans and arms to the United States.

    Upon hearing this, the retreating Americans eagerly sought French support. President Thomas Jefferson sent special envoys to negotiate with Governor Marcel in Louisiana, hoping for French assistance with weapons and technical guidance, and even direct military support against the "evil British," as King Louis XVI had once provided.

    However, Governor Marcel, citing limited authority, stated that as a governor, he didn''t have the power to dere war on another nation unless they directly attacked French cities. Though sympathetic towards the American plight, he could only allow unrestricted American purchase of "civilian weapons" and engage in most business not threatening to French security and interests.

    The Americans also proposed leasing two modern cruisers from the French Louisiana squadron. Governor Marcel didn''t immediately reject the

    idea but noted it was beyond his authority alone.

    Jefferson''s envoy quickly understood Marcel''s implication: to proceed, they needed the endorsement of a truly influential figure. In Louisiana, there were unofficially two governors: Marcel in the Governor''s Mansion and the "Chairman of the Louisiana Development Bank" in the "White Castle," part of the bank��a figure of immense power, none other than Napoleon Bonaparte''s brother, Louis Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, Emperor of the Roman Empire, and protector of Corsica and North Africa.

 Chapter 444: Profiting through Intermediaries

    Chapter 444: Profiting through Intermediaries

    Early the next morning, the American envoy Andy Fred arrived at the "White Castle" manor, seeking an audience with Louis Bonaparte, the so-called invisible governor of Louisiana and chairman of the Louisiana Development Bank.

    His carriage wound its way up the mountainous road before arriving at the estate''s entrance. There, Andy Fred alighted from the carriage, walked to the entrance, and handed his business card to the gatekeeper. Shortly after, the gates opened, and a person dressed in a servant''s attire indicated to Andy Fred that Mr. Bonaparte was awaiting him in the drawing room.

    Andy Fred followed the servant into the manor, through a garden with a fountain, across a hall with marble floors, and then upstairs to a small sitting room on the second floor. A young man was waiting for him there.

    "Good day, please take a seat. I am Louis Bonaparte, the chairman of the Louisiana Development Bank. I''ve heard you have some business to discuss with me," Louis said, knowing that Americans, or people from the New World, prefer to get straight to the point.

    "That''s correct. As you know, we''ve recently gone to war with Britain, who is also an enemy of your nation," Andy Fred began.

    "No, Mr. Fred, you seem to be mistaken about a few things," Louis interjected, waving his finger to stop him, "Firstly, you may have misunderstood my position. I am the chairman of the Louisiana Development Bank, a businessman concerned solely with the growth of corporate wealth. That''s my area of interest. While some might suggest my involvement in politics due to my brother, that is often incorrect. If there seems to be any political interference by me, it''s likely a confusion between making money and politics.

    Moreover, even from a political standpoint, your statement has issues. First off, we do not consider Britain our enemy. France and Britain are currently at peace. Indeed, there have been some unpleasantness due to trade issues recently, but disputes among merchants aremon between any two nations. If, and I say if, the British change their stance on trade issues tomorrow, acknowledging and respecting the principles of free trade and open ports, then we are undoubtedly friendly neighbors. Thus, you cannot view us as enemies of the British.

    Of course, we are also undoubtedly friendly neighbors to the United States. So, we are willing to achieve a win-win situation through free trade. If you''re here about trade, you''vee to the right person. But if it''s for any other purpose, perhaps you''ve mistaken your visit."

    "Ah, Mr. Bonaparte, I indeed came to discuss trade issues," Andy Fred quickly said, "As you know, our country has been brutally invaded by the British. We need to purchase weapons, and we need to lease two cruisers from the Louisiana squadron.""You wish to lease two cruisers? That''s rather difficult..." Louis remarked.

    "We have already had sessful cooperation between our nations," Andy Fred said, referring to the U.S. government''s lease of the "Free Trade" and "Common Market."

    "It''s different," Louis shook his head, "During that lease, your country and Britain were at peace, so leasing those ships to your country was fully in line with trade and wartime principles. But now, your country and Britain are at war. While regr arms trade, especially civilian arms, is one thing - given the long border between Louisiana and your country, smuggling and such activities are inevitable. So, arge-scale influx of French-made civilian weapons into your country wouldn''t be too impactful.

    But cruisers are a different matter. They can''t be smuggled, and France can''t lease ships to a nation at war. That would vite France''s principle of maintaining peace. At least, we cannot directly lease cruisers to you," Louis exined, emphasizing "directly" for rity.

    The American''s understanding wasn''t an issue; they grasped the simple message.

    "Mr. Bonaparte, does this mean, if intermediaries could be involved, such an agreement might be feasible?" Andy Fred quickly asked.

    "I believe that''s a viable solution," Louis replied, "At least, legally, there wouldn''t be an issue."

    "Thank you for your guidance," Andy Fred sincerely said, "Additionally, Mr. Bonaparte, who do you think would be a convenient intermediary?"

    Andy Fred''s question wasn''t because the Americans couldn''t find a suitable intermediary. It was clear there were opportunities for legalmission and profit in this process. Such benefits should naturally go to Louis, or rather, the Louisiana Development Bank. If one didn''t understand this basic principle, the business deal was doomed.

    "Ah, I think Saint-Domingue would be a good choice, don''t you?" Louis answered.

    Just a year ago, Saint-Domingue had achieved independence, officially bing a "protectorate" of France, with Governor General Dussan Lucid

    ur bing the lifetime consul.

    Although "independent," Saint-Domingue was still part of France''s economic sphere and under French "protection," simr to how Bhutan is "protected" by India in modern times. Proposing the lease of cruisers from the mother country, which France would promptly agree to, posed no problem. After acquiring the French cruisers, Saint-Domingue''s immediate sublease to the Americans would appear as a loophole exploited by a nation unfamiliar with international norms. After all, a bit of maneuvering by a ck nation wasn''t out of the ordinary, was it?

    Of course, the process would involve "middlemen making a profit," but without such incentives, who would engage in this endeavor?

    After agreeing on the principle matters, the rest was detail, not requiring high-level discussions like those with Louis. After a brief further conversation, Andy Fred took his leave.

 Chapter 445: Advancing Towards Washington

    Just when the American forces faced setbacks both at sea and onnd, good news finally arrived from the ocean. After searching the seas for over half a month, the cruisers "Free Trade" and "Common Market" finally located a British squadron and engaged it in battle. They dealt a significant blow to the British��sinking two of their old-style battleships. However, under their cover, the remaining ships managed to escape, albeit with varying degrees of damage. It''s estimated they won''t bebat-ready for some time.

    This battle highlighted that old wooden warships converted into steamships stood no chance against true ironds. In the fight, the American (should be French, in context) 120mm caliber naval guns fired high-explosive shells that easily tore through the wooden hulls of the British ships, causing death with astonishing efficiency.

    On the other hand, the British, despite upgrading their ships with steel rifled cannons, were limited by the original build of their old wooden vessels��not worth the investment to fully upgrade. They simply reced the old iron cannons with steel ones, which were generally smaller and of limited firepower, unable to prate the armor of the "Free Trade" and "Common Market."

    Additionally, the difference in speed meant the entire battle was akin to two French warships thrashing a retirement home��utterly one-sided.

    Of course, the French sailors aboard the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" didn''t see it that way. They were quite pleased with themselves since, ording to the contract they signed with the Americans, they would receive a substantialbat bonus for every ton of British warships or vessels they sank or captured��a sum at least ten times what their American counterparts received. More importantly, the Americans promised to pay their wages in gold coins. Although in theory, a dor bill is equivalent to a gold dor, in times of American military setbacks, the bright yellow gold was far more appealing than the greenback.

    Regrettably, after spending a long time at sea hunting enemy ships, the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" nearly depleted their supplies, making it impossible for them to intercept the fleeing British warships. They knew the British vessels were damaged and had to return to Halifax Harbor immediately. If only they had enough fresh water and coal, they could have taken advantage of their speed to beat the British to Halifax and block them. But now, they had no choice but to give up on this opportunity and head back to resupply and collect their rewards.

    However, the French victory at sea wasn''t enough to turn the tide of the war. Onnd, they were still outssed by the tactically superior British forces. After burning Detroit, the British forces continued south. Near Clevnd, over ten thousand hastily assembled American soldiers faced off against General Isaac Brock''s seven thousand British forces (mainly Canadian militia) in a pitched battle. The British taught the Americans a lesson in tactics, introducing them to skirmish tactics and the coordination of infantry and artillery. With minimal losses, the British routed the American forces and advanced towards Clevnd.

    Fearing a fate simr to Detroit, the American forces didn''t even attempt to defend Clevnd and retreated from the city. The British, upon entering Clevnd, captured several American-made river gunboats in the shipyards��the Americans had retreated too hastily to destroy these vessels.

    The British paused in Clevnd for a while because they had expended a great deal of supplies in the previous battles. They needed to stop to regroup and wait for more supplies and reinforcements to arrive via Lake Erie.Meanwhile, the Americans hurriedly gathered troops from other areas in an attempt to drive the British out of Clevnd.

    During this time, the United States and the Republic of Saint-Domingue reached a leasing agreement, adding two cruisers to their fleet alongside the "Free Trade" and "Common Market," returning to Halifax Harbor. However, this fleet, flying the American g but almost entirely manned by Frenchmen, didn''t find any British ships at Halifax��seemingly, the British knew Halifax was too risky and had retreated into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence instead.

    The Gulf of Saint Lawrence, with its shallow waters and numerous reefs, was a region the French dared not enter. So, they instead blockaded the Cabot Strait and Belle Isle Strait to prevent British vessels from entering Canada.

    But by then, the British had already received news of America''s deration of war, making foolishly loaded British ships a rarity without escorts. This was a disappointment for the French naval officers and sailors who had dreamed of striking it rich.

    On another front, while General Isaac Brock awaited supplies in Clevnd, the Americans began amassing more troops around Pittsburgh, about two hundred kilometers from Clevnd. Smuggling ships, boldly flying the French g, continuously entered New York, unloading various smuggled civilian weapons and ammunition. These supplies were quickly loaded onto trains and sent to Pittsburgh, preparing to counter the British forces that could leave Clevnd at any moment to march south towards Washington.

    Additionally, a group of

    "French advisors" was temporarily hired at a high price to assist the American forces. Officially, the French government did not acknowledge the presence of these advisors among the American forces; they were merely "volunteers" willing to help the Americans.

    The inclusion of these French "volunteers" and the information they provided was an eye-opener for the American officers. However, it also made them increasingly concerned about the prospects of the war. They realized the vast gap between the American military and the armies of the European continent. There simply wasn''t enough time to train the soldiers, let alone the officers, in new tactics.

    General Isaac Brock soon received the reinforcements he had been waiting for. His forces now numbered twenty-five thousand, with both artillery and cavalry units strengthened. His superiors hoped he would march towards Washington to force the American forces into a decisive battle. Given the difficulty of mobilizingrge numbers of troops domestically due to French interference, a prolonged war would likely exhaust the less populous and industrially weaker Canada first. Therefore, General Brock was urged to quickly defeat the American forces and force the United States into seeking peace. ��

 Chapter 446: A Renovation of Strategy

    After the Canadians forcefully advanced, the Americans also realized it was best not to rely on urban warfare. There was a fear that the barbaric British might resort to using incendiary bombs to set Pittsburgh aze, as American cities of this era were mostly sprung up wildly with cheap wooden houses. An attack with incendiary bombs would truly be like the advertisement for Vulcan (the Roman god of fire) lighters from the Bonaparte munitions factory: ��Ignites with a single strike, guaranteed ignition every time.��

    Therefore, following the advice of French consultants, the U.S. military had already constructed fortifications along the road leading north to Clevnd from Pittsburgh, using these fortifications for defense. At this time, the U.S. military had about forty thousand soldiers, while the approaching British forces numbered only twenty-five thousand, most of whom, like their American counterparts, were militia.

    However, these French consultants looked down upon the Americans, firmly believing that if the Americans left their defensive positions to engage in field battles with the British, even with their superior numbers, the British would easily defeat them. The British, although also primarilyposed of militia, had many officers withbat experience in continental Europe or Irnd.

    In contrast, the American militia had at best some experience bullying Native Americans, possessing only a semnce of fervor and brute courage. The French consultants remarked, ��They are not real soldiers; they don��t even understand the most basic tactics.�� The strength of the lower-ranking officers often guaranteesbat effectiveness. Thus, the French insisted that the American troops would do well to simply stay in their trenches and avoid making a spectacle of themselves.

    The Americans were quite indignant at the French''s assessment. Many felt that the French were exaggerating the threats. The British had previously gained some advantages, primarily because they faced the Northerners. Although the United States only had thirteen states at this time, regional discrimination persisted. This phenomenon ismon in most nations, such as the distinction between Kanto and Kansai in Japan, or the North and South in the United States.

    The members of the U.S. military for this operation were mainly state troops reinforced from the Southern states. The Southerners tended to look down on the Northerners, seeing them as cowards and fools in warfare. Thus, even though the British had easily defeated American forces in two previous engagements, since the defeats were of "Northerners," the Southern reinforcements were not particrly surprised or disheartened, even harboring thoughts that ��Northerners truly are incapable of fighting.��

    These Southerners also did not hold the French consultants in high regard. Despite the widespread acim of the French army as unbeatable, many arrogant Southerners thought little of it, noting that they had seen the French army in action before.

    Of course, given their age, they couldn��t have participated in the Revolutionary War or fought alongside Lafayette��s French forces. Their knowledge of the French army came from their forefathers, who had actually fought in the Revolutionary War.

    However, there''s amon tendency among veterans worldwide to embellish stories. As the saying goes, "A veteran��s mouth is like the sea." When they start boasting, the tales be more borate and detailed than the finest beer foam.In their stories, the French were credited with a minor, non-critical role in the Revolutionary War, which, ording to them, was primarily won by the Americans themselves. The French were brave in battle, albeit a bit arrogant, but still not as formidable as ��your father here.�� However, they were considered better than the Northerners. This narrative wasmon among the older generation, aiming to impress the younger one, who often took these exaggerated tales at face value. On the battlefield, filled with dreams of charging valiantly at the British like the heroic Lion King against a pack of despicable, ugly hyenas, they expected a swift victory that would reaffirm the Southerners as natural-born warriors.

    Yet, the disdainful French did not think highly of them, believing that even in a two-to-one scenario, they were no match for the British, or rather, the Canadians. This was seen as an extreme insult, equating them to the detested Northerners!

    If it were just about this, it might have been bearable. After all, they believed a fierce charge on the battlefield would utterly defeat the Canadians, proving the French wrong. This thought alone was quite satisfying for the young ve owners.

    However, what happened next nearly drove these proud Southerners to explode. The French actually demanded that they dig trenches like lowly ves��was this a task befitting noble warriors? They were also instructed to fight from these trenches because it would significantly reduce the chances of being hit by enemy bullets.

    This logic, mathematically sound, was deemed cowardly, unprofessional, and insincere. Bullets, as everyone knows, are drawn to cowards on the battlefield and avoid the fearless heroes. Hiding is

    futile against bullets; only a brave charge can prevent one from being struck down.

    Moreover, one''s fate on the battlefield is determined not just by personal effort but, more importantly, by the will of God. If God decides someone should not die, could any bullet defy His will? If God wishes for someone to join Him in Heaven for a chat, would hiding prevent that? Thus, any attempt to avoid bullets through trenches was seen as ack of faith in God. Inter times, devout believers would refuse to wear masks during gues or avoid gatherings based on the advice of "unfaithful" scientists. They would instead rely on the Bible tomand the virus to flee, much likemanding evil spirits.

    Despite orders, the quality of the trenches dug by these Southerners was abysmal, cutting corners wherever possible. The depth and frequency of turns were all subpar, infuriating the French consultants who demanded rework. However, the French were only advisors without directmand authority, and General Andrew, the U.S. militarymander, feared that ordering rework might incite mutiny, so the fortifications remained as is.

    Unfamiliar with military developments, the U.S. military also faced issues with equipment. They had rifled guns and cannons butcked seemingly inconspicuous yet critical items like barbed wire andndmines.

    The French consultants strongly demanded these items, urging the Americans to procure or order them immediately. However, these items were not readily avable, especially in Louisiana. Barbed wire was bought up by those who spoke German more than French to protect their properties from wild bison. Landmines were sold to Mexicans. Thus, these essential items were hard toe by at the time.

    Under such conditions, with the help of French consultants, the U.S. military set up a "Joseph-style defense" that wascking in many respects. Yet, the French consultants believed that with the numerical advantage and high morale, the U.S. military should be able to hold off the British.

    The battle, however, left the French consultants dumbfounded.

    Initially, the U.S. military managed to stay in their trenches and fire at the advancing British forces. However, theck ofndmines, barbed wire, and ymore mines made it difficult to stop the enemy''s advance. After sustaining some casualties, the Canadians still managed to approach the American trenches. ??

    Had there been barbed wire, the Canadians would have been trapped and turned into easy targets. With ymore mines, they could have been directly hit with steel balls. Without these defenses, what should be done if the enemy got too close? The obvious response was to charge with bays to push back the enemy.

    This n was approved by the French consultants. So, the young ve owners eagerly fixed their bays and rushed out of their trenches, which they were reluctant to stay in.

    With the numerical advantage, the U.S. military gained the upper hand in the bay fight, forcing the Canadians to retreat. ording to the original n, if the Canadians retreated, the U.S. military should return to their positions and continue to hold their ground. But at this moment, these young ve owners had no intention of returning to the trenches. They saw this as an opportunity topletely defeat the British and show the fearful, faithless French what the world''s number onend army looked like in action. So, they pursued the Canadians.

    Had it only been these individuals who pursued, it might have been manageable since there were other units behind, and the U.S. military had plenty of men. However, to the French''s surprise, the Southerners in the trenches, upon seeing theirrades advance, spontaneously jumped out and charged without waiting for orders.

    Then, after advancing a certain distance, they were covered by British artillery firing canister shots, suffering heavy casualties. Despite this, these young ve owners stubbornly continued their charge, only to be cunningly attacked by the British with makeshift ymore mines, disrupting their assault formation. The British, seizing the opportunity, deployed over a thousand cavalry into the fray, causing the U.S. military to copse. They fled back to their positions, with the British following closely behind.

    The tactical skills of these young ve owners were poor at this point; they ran back to their positions, inadvertently providing cover for the advancing British forces. The French consultants were so frustrated that they suggested opening fire on them. However, this suggestion was not adopted, leading to theplete disarray of the American defense as the Britishunched a major assault and overwhelmed the U.S. military.

    Pittsburgh was indefensible, and in the end, General Andrew only managed to escape back to Washington with over a thousand men, including about a hundred from the French consultant group (the French had horses and could run faster than most Americans).

    From Pittsburgh to Washington, there were no longer any organized American military forces capable of stopping the British. The French consultants believed that it was no longer possible to defend Washington. President Jefferson had to urgently relocate

    the government south to Richmond. As they left, British cavalry appeared near Washington.

    The appearance of British cavalry threw Washington into chaos, with citizens fleeing the city. A few dayster, when the British main force arrived in Washington, they found it to be a ghost town.

    In the original history, the British set fire to the American President''s house, turning it ck. When the Americans returned to Washington, they painted the entire President''s house white to cover the burn marks, thus giving rise to the "White House." The exterior appears white, but underneath it''s all ck��a fitting metaphor for America.

    However, in that timeline, the British (or Canadians) burned down the White House because the Americans had previously set arge fire in Toronto. In this timeline, the Americans never had the chance to burn Toronto. Therefore, the Canadians refrained from burning the American President''s house.

    Instead, the Canadians decided to hold a graffiti contest at the American President''s house. Finding the decor tasteless, they "helped" by redecorating it in a postmodern style. For instance, the walls of the President''s office were adorned with a new message: ��Dear Americans, we''lle back often to check on your ''Art of War'' progress.��

 Chapter 447: Retreat

    If the Canadians who entered the White House were all genuine, English-speaking Canadians, it would have been one thing. Those folks, although quite nasty, have limited artistic creativity. At most, they might use some red paint to write nonsensical things, like using an "F" to start off some ridiculous phrase, for example, ��I F''d Y��, without any real technical content.

    However, among the Canadians, there are also those from Quebec who speak French. Quebec was once a French colony, which, after the French were defeated by the British in the Seven Years'' War, fell under British control. But the main residents there still spoke French, effectively bing English-speaking French people. It''s just like how, in Louisiana today, there are many French-speaking Germans.

    Speaking of which, these French speakers do not have a high sense of identification with Ennd. To be honest, their sense of identification with Canada isn''t strong either. Even centuriester, they sporadically im the need for a referendum for independence. But at this time, they were very enthusiastic about fighting the Americans. Of course, this is because��Americans were persecuting Catholics!

    Initially, many of the British immigrants who came to North America did so to avoid persecution from the Church of Ennd towards Puritans. However, as the saying goes, the young dragon yer eventually turns into a dragon himself. Once these followers of Calvin established their own country, they began persecuting others, such as Catholics, considered heretics.

    This could be considered a traditional skill of Calvinism. When Calvin was still persecuted by Catholics, in his most important work, "Institutes of the Christian Religion," he sincerely wrote: "To kill a heretic is a sin, and to end their lives with fire and sword is against all principles of humanity." But once Calvin became the de facto ruler of Geneva, he immediately organized arge barbecue for Servetus, a heretic who did not recognize the Trinity.

    Thus, when the Puritans, followers of Calvin, gained power in America, they followed their mentor''s example and attacked those "unpious heretics" vigorously. Many Catholics then fled to the French-speaking areas of Canada, taking their religious hatred with them.

    In terms of artistic creativity, French speakers are somewhat better than English speakers. For example, when Bill, a private from Ottawa, was about to write some crude words on the President''s desk with a bucket of ck paint, his friend Louis from Quebec stopped him.

    "What are you nning to write?" Louis asked.

    "Of course, ��Jefferson, I F''d your whole family.�� What else?" the naive Bill responded."That��s so unimaginative! Listen to me! First, you need to get a bucket of red paint. Then, you write this: ��Dear President Jefferson, I had a delightful time on your desk with your sister and daughter, and with the stuff they leaked out, I��m writing you this letter. They all say I��m much better at it than you...��"

    "Wow! Louis, you��re wicked! But, this is really interesting, haha... Let��s do it!"

    Then Bill went to get a bucket of red paint...

    Aside from the writings, those French speakers also left behind arge number of paintings in the White House, depicting Calvin going to hell, Calvin licking Lucifer''s boots in hell with the Puritans, and the like, quite vividly done.

    Additionally, the Canadians discovered a secret passage in the basement of the White House, but it seemed that it hadn''t been used in a long time, and it was unclear what it was for.

    However, the British offensive essentially ended there. Without reinforcements from home, the British, or rather the Canadians, faced an insurmountable problem��their military and logistical limits were very low. Now that the situation had reached this point, the supply line from Clevnd to Washington was constantly harassed by the Americans.

    Just as in another timeline, after Napoleon took Moscow and waited in Moscow hoping to see the Tsar''s envoy pleading for peace, General Isaac Brock also kept his army in Washington for a week, waiting for the possible peace envoy from the Americans.

    But the Americans, despite suffering several defeats, were not ready to seek peace immediately. They knew that the Canadian forces had reached their limit. As long as the American navy could continue to blockade the Canadian shipping routes, the Canadian forces would eventually be exhausted. Even if negotiations were necessary, it would be much better to negotiate at that time than now.

    On the other hand, although the Americans were spectacrly defeated by the British in directbat, the Americans had a lot of potential in conducting raids. The American people had many guns, and the guns they bought with their own money were generally better in performance than those procured by the state for the military. Plus, their frequent handling of guns meant their shooting skills were not bad. So, mounting horses and armed with guns, asionally attacking British supply convoys turned out to be quite effective.

    After staying for a week, General Isaac Brock began to lead his troops back along the same route. Just as in the original history, when Napoleon retreated from Russia, the Russian Cossacks followed Napoleon''s army, continuously attacking the French troops and causing significant losses.

    But the British situation was much better than Napoleon''s in another timeline. Indeed, American militia spontaneously followed the retreating British troops, attempting to attack them. However, the British had a much shorter distance to retreat, and more importantly, there was no fierce General Winter on the American side.

    Thus, the British retreat to Clevnd was rtively smooth, and those American cavalrymen who tried to take advantage of the situation mostly came up empty-handed, some even being counterattacked by the British and suffering heavy losses. The British not only sessfully retreated to Clevnd but also looted everything they could along the way��knowing that if reinforcements from home did not arrive quickly, their greatest enemy in North America for the foreseeable future would be theck of supplies.

    In the following period, the British forces centered around Clevnd, using their control over the Great Lakes to continuously raid nearby Americans, looting their towns and farms. Then, through the waterways, they sent these goods back to Canada.

 Chapter 448: Counterattack

    The series of victories previously won by the British actually did not change their strategic dilemma. Because of the constraints imposed by France, they were unable to deploy arge scale of reinforcements from their homnd, nor could they break through the American fleet''s blockade. Therefore, those most crucial military supplies could not be delivered to Canada.

    The industrial capacity within Canada itself was quite limited, and many vital military supplies could not be produced. The British had some stockpiles in Canada, but the quantities were not veryrge. They were sufficient for handling ordinary border skirmishes, but far from enough for arge-scale war.

    After the American independence, the British concluded that colonies should not have too strong and rtivelyplete agriculture and industry. The more iplete their industrial chains, the stronger their dependence on the mother country, making it less likely for them to seek independence.

    This reasoning certainly made sense, but any political measure could not have only positive effects without any negatives. For instance, the current practice of the British had very obvious negative consequences: once the maritimemunication between the homnd and the colonies was temporarily cut off, the colonies'' capability to support a war for independence was very weak. Even if the Canadian forces performed exceptionally well, these tactical sesses did not change their strategic predicament.

    "Unless we can receive more supplies, we will soon have to retreat from Clevnd," General Isaac Brock wrote in a letter to the Governor-General of Canada.

    Conversely, despite having suffered considerable losses, the wealthiest regions of the United States, particrly the South, had not been too badly damaged. Therefore, the Americans still had the financial means to purchase weapons and ammunition from those damn Frenchmen, who were just as demanding about money as the Jews.

    For instance, the leasing of cruisers to the Republic of Saint-Domingue involved only a symbolic payment of two francs for the rental of two French cruisers for an entire year. To demonstrate the unbreakable friendship between France and Saint-Domingue, even some of the crew''s sries, as well as a portion of the maintenance and supply costs, were still provided by the French government.

    The lifetime ruler of Saint-Domingue had not even had the chance to see those two cruisers before they were leased to the Americans, naturally, for much more than two francs��eight hundred thousand francs per ship! And the Americans were responsible for the crew''s sries, maintenance, and supply costs. Evidently, a portion of this money, along with the difference in price, was divided among certain middlemen.

    Apart from cruisers, even other weapons mysteriously involved middlemen making a profit. Because the French insisted they must retain a portion of the weapons to ensure the needs of French citizens in Louisiana were met. Especially during this time, with the American and British conflict intensifying and many boundaries between Louisiana, the United States, and Canada not fully determined, war could break out in Louisiana at any moment. Therefore, the French had to first ensure that French citizens had the means to defend themselves, even the German-speaking French citizens. In fact, in Louisiana, the German-speaking French were almost more patriotic than the French-speaking ones.This was quite normal, as these German-speaking French needed to rely on France to establish themselves in Louisiana without being bullied by Americans, British, or even Native Americans. France, at least in North America, genuinely considered them their own, which naturally fostered their patriotism.

    However, this meant fewer weapons avable for sale to the Americans. But that was not a major issue; as long as they were willing to pay, the Americans could intercept a portion of the weapons from another major customer, Mexico. Recently, after achieving a decisive victory and capturing the crucial Sochi silver mine, Mexico''s ability to pay significantly increased.

    Thus, not long ago, they paid arge sum to the French for a huge stock of weapons capable of recapturing Mexico City in one fell swoop. These weapons were already en route, expected to arrive in New Orleans within three to five days. Knowing the Americans'' urgent need for these weapons, the French kindly facilitated a connection. After the Americans offered a high enough price, the Mexicans agreed to hand over this batch of weapons to the Americans first. They could wait for the next shipment. After all, the Spanish could not possibly deploy more forces to Mexico in the short term, so waiting a bit longer was not a significant issue.

    Of course, the French surely profited from this deal.

    But for the Americans at this time, time was indeed the most preciousmodity. Because the French government, to coordinate with their military exercises, could not keep them going indefinitely. Every day of military exercises was costly.

    Once the exercises concluded, the French would not continue to maintain arge army in Cis, which was also very costly. Then the assembled forces would return to their respective bases, and the assembled ships would return to their home ports for maintenance. After suchrge-scale exercises, the French military would not make any significant moves in the short term.

    So, as soon as the French dispersed these forces, the British would immediately send reinforcements to North America. The United States must regain the advantage before this happens.

    Thus, within a few days, the Americans were rearmed. This time, they not only had guns and cannons but alsondmines and barbed wire. More importantly, after learning from previous lessons, their southern soldiers had be much more obedient.

    So, the Americans quickly organized an army of over forty thousand men in the South, beginning to assemble near Clevnd��if they could not recapture Clevnd, the Americans would be unable to disrupt the British control over the Great Lakes shipping, which would have many adverse effects on future operations. Therefore, for the Americans, recapturing Clevnd became the top priority in the next phase of the war.

    In the New Ennd region, ten thousand state militia urgently recruited by the State of New York also arrived near Clevnd.

 Chapter 449: Striking in the Shadows

    Considering that the U.S. military, from its organization to training, cannot yet be considered a fully regrized force��in the context of the Qing Dynasty, it might be likened to militia forces. Furthermore, in many respects, the military strength of the United States at this time bears simrities to that of the Qing. That is, in the Qing, the equipment and morale of the regr troops are generally inferior to those of the militia; in the United States, the federal troops'' equipment, morale, and treatment are generally inferior to those of the state militia.

    This time, however, the situation was supposed to change, because weren''t the weapons provided by the French to the federal forces? But when it came to distributing weapons, these resources were primarily allocated among the states, due to the small size of the federal army.

    Since you see the grand army as essentially a group of militia, then the way they are utilized must naturally differ from that of a formal military. Therefore, the French advisory group, led by French Army Colonel Sevigne, proposed a strategy based on their research in Turkey. This strategy targeted forces that had a huge material advantage butcked training and organization:

    "We need not pay any mind to the various actions of the British forces. All we need to do is ensure our fortifications are solid, rendering their schemes useless. Then, we can rely on our real strength to drive them out of Clevnd!"

    This method of "building strong forts and fighting a protracted war" would likely have been uneptable to Americans previously. However, after being struck twice in session and even having the Presidential Mansion turned into an adult art center, even the proud Southerners had to admit they were militarily inferior, and that bravery alone was no longer enough to ensure victory.

    Consequently, the U.S. military set up camp near Clevnd and began extensive construction of defensive fortifications, digging trenches, setting up barbed wire, andying mines... effectively encircling Clevnd onnd.

    However, merely encircling thend was not enough to truly threaten Clevnd. Because Clevnd is a port city, it could maintain its supply of personnel and materials through the Great Lakes. Cutting off Clevnd''s waterborne traffic would not be easy.

    In fact, the French had a way to cut off Clevnd''s water traffic. They possessed small mines designed for shallow areas such as ind waters. Each mine weighed just a few tens of kilograms, allowing even a small boat to carry many. The ships used for ind navigation were not as robust as seagoing vessels, and even these mini mines could easily sink one. By using small boats at night, they could gradually block the shippingnes to Clevnd.

    However, the French advisors did not propose this. The reason is quite simple: they were unaware that such weapons existed in the French arsenal. And the reason they were unaware was that selling these mines to the Americans did not align with France''s interests.For the French, the best oue of this war would be for both sides to bleed dry and harbor deep, multi-generational grudges, keeping them in constant conflict. This would ensure they posed no significant threat to Louisiana. If the Americans had such mines, the British, upon discovering the American mining operations, would surely retreat. This would allow the Americans to reim Clevnd without significant sacrifice.

    Thus, the French advised encirclement followed by repeated artillery bombardments to slowly wear down the British defenses. This tactic was certainly time-consuming andborious, but it served France''s interest in having the Americans and British exhaust each other.

    Consequently, the Americans and Canadians were locked in a prolonged bloodbath in Clevnd.

    Meanwhile, in Europe, the French military exercises in the Cis region had concluded smoothly. The French invited observers from various countries to watch the exercises, showcasing their new amphibious warfare techniques to the world, especially the British. For instance, they demonstrated quickly deployable floating docks made of concrete and floating breakwaters that could be moved on the water and sunk at appropriate locations.

    These technologies meant that once the French secured anding site, they could quickly offloadrge numbers of troops and materials without needing to capture an enemy port, increasing pressure on British defenses.

    However, dealing with this pressure was a problem for the future. For now, with the French fleet returning to its home ports and the army gradually leaving the exercise area, the British could catch their breath.

    After organizing suchrge-scale exercises, the British believed that the French would not be able to immediately organize an invasion of Britain, granting the British some temporary freedom of action.

    Thus, the British quickly decided to dispatch a fleet, including the newest "Queen Elizabeth" battleship, to escort an expeditionary force to America to defend British territories in North America.

    The movement of the British expeditionary force was an open secret in Europe. Just as in every major French naval base, there were British or economically tied to Britain merchants, simrly, around Britain''s major naval bases, there were French "legitimate businessmen."

    Part of their

    job was to count the ships in port daily. "Hmm, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5... the British naval main force is still here..."

    One day, upon counting, they noticed the "Queen Elizabeth" and several other ships were missing. Thus, the deployment of the British fleet was quickly confirmed.

    However, because transanticmunications still relied on ships, and civilian vessels couldn''t match the speed of warships, even though the "Queen Elizabeth" wasn''t particrly fast, news couldn''t reach North America as quickly as the British fleet.

    "Lucien, do you think our leased ships to the Americans will face danger?" Napoleon asked with a bit of concern, "I''m not worried about the ''Free Trade'' and ''Common Market.'' I know they can''t outfight that old British virgin, but they are faster than British ships. The British can''t catch them. But I''m a bit worried about the two cruisers Louister leased to the Americans. You know, those are colonial cruisers, theoretically faster than British battleships but not faster than British cruisers. Will there be any problems?"

    "No, there won''t be any of our ships being sunk or captured by the British, causing trouble for your propaganda." Napoleon replied confidently, "We have prepared for this."

    Indeed, the French in North America had made preparations. Although they did not know when the British fleet would arrive, they knew when their exercises would end. Thus, they could roughly guess when the British would arrive.

    Therefore, at the earliest possible time of the British arrival, they had already ordered the two colonial cruisers to leave the most dangerous Cabot Strait under the pretext of "mechanical maintenance" and return to New Orleans for "repairs."

    In reality, these ships were new and didn''t need immediate dock repairs. But with Frenchmen on board iming mechanical issues that needed maintenance, the few Americans on board couldn''t disagree. R?

    Thus, the two colonial cruisers were the first to leave.

    If the British went directly to the Cabot Strait, they could encounter the American fleet performing blockade duties, including the "Free Trade" and "Common Market" and two American hybrid-powered cruisers.

    But...

    "If we go directly to the Cabot Strait, we''re sure to catch the American fleet. But do you think we can keep those two French ships?" General Nelson, the fleetmander, said in the spacious conference room of the "Queen Elizabeth."

    "General, you know those ships are much faster than ours. Unless they enter a narrow area by themselves, we can''t possibly keep them," Captain Hardy of the "Queen Elizabeth" replied.

    "Based on the intelligence we had before we left, the American fleet, besides those two French ships, probably includes two steam-sail hybrid cruisers. We could capture those," Nelson''s aide continued.

    "General Nelson, if we can only sink twopletely outdated old warships but let the Americans prepare for our arrival, I think it''s pointless," a military officer spoke up.

    "Wellington, what do you think?" Nelson turned to ask.

    "I think we can''t just see ourselves as a convoy of merchant ships," General Arthur Wellesley said, "The French won''t give us much time. At most two to three monthster, they will stir up something in Europe. So, our fleet can''t stay here for more than a month and a half. Within this month and a half, we must strike a significant blow to the Americans, or it''s hard to say how the war will develop. And my troops, if they enter Canada first and then slowly push south from Canada, it''s hard to deliver a decisive blow to the Americans within a month and a half. Therefore, my suggestion is, we don''t go to Canada; we go straight here!"

    General Arthur Wellesley pointed at a spot on the map with his gloved hand.

    Nelson looked down at the map and nodded in agreement.

    The two French colonial cruisers were sailing south along the North American coastline. Leading the way was the "Fleur de Lune" cruiser, followed a bit behind by the "Vent de Lune" cruiser.

    "In another hour, we should reach Savannah. We can rest there a bit, replenish some supplies, and let the boys go ashore to rx," Captain Armand of the "Fleur de Lune" told his executive officer, Edmond.

    Savannah, the oldest port city in Georgia, remained the state capital and one of the most important ports in the South at this time. Southern products like cotton and tobo were shipped to Europe from here.

    Therefore, Savannah was quite prosperous, with plenty of entertainment for sailors. Everyone was looking forward to resting in Savannah, especially after receivingbat pay from the Americans.

    Soon, Savannah Harbor was visible through the telescope, but at that moment, the lookout shouted: "Fleet spotted, at ten o''clock!"

    Armand quickly looked in that direction, and indeed, there were smoke plumes

    on the eastern sea. The distance was still too great to see the fleet''s gs.

    After a while, the fleet''s masts finally rose above the horizon. Atop those masts fluttered the proud Saint George''s g��this was the British fleet!

    However, Armand wasn''t worried, as they had lowered the American g and raised the French tricolor when they decided to return to New Orleans. Thus, their current identity was not as a U.S. warship but as a French warship. Would the British dare to fire on a ship flying the French g?

    Although the British Navy was notoriously aggressive, the current situation should keep them sufficiently sober. Moreover, if they really had the gall, it would give the French a legitimate reason to fully engage British colonies in the Americas.

    So Captain Armand wasn''t worried about his safety.

    Soon, the British fleet was fully visible to Captain Armand. He immediately recognized the British "Queen Elizabeth."

    "The British sent this old virgin? The Americans are going to be in trouble," Captain Armand immediately concluded.

    To be honest, Captain Armand and the crew of the "Fleur de Lune" had a good impression of the Americans, thanks to the gold and silver coins used to pay their wages. But upon recognizing the "old virgin," Captain Armand had no desire to engage the British at sea. Two colonial cruisers against a massive fleet, including the "Queen Elizabeth"��did you think you were invincible?

    The problem was, there were Americans on the "Fleur de Lune."

    "Captain Armand, it''s the British fleet! We must stop them to give Savannah time to prepare!" Major Francis, the American representative, shouted loudly.

 Chapter 450: Blocked Path

    "Have you lost your mind? Do you have a death wish? Didn��t you see the size of that British fleet? Did you see that behemoth, the ''Queen Elizabeth''? Our cannons, even at point-nk range, might not even dent her armor, it''s that thick. Otherwise, why would the British name her after an old virgin? That ''old virgin'', ''Virgin Queen'', has lovers by the dozens, god knows how many illegitimate children. Hell, if we get hit by just one of her shells, we��re done for. Besides, how long could we possibly hold her off? Not even five minutes! I have to be responsible for this ship and everyone on board!" Captain rcon eximed, eyes wide with incredulity.

    "Captain, even if it''s just for five minutes, it could allow more people to escape," Major Francis said.

    rcon wanted to retort, "That''s the Americans'' problem, not mine!" But after a moment''s thought, he conceded, "You''re right, we can''t just do nothing."

    Turning around, he ordered, "Speed up, raise the British g, prepare the forward cannon. We��re going to fire at Savannah... as a warning shot. Signal the ''Moonlight'' to take the same action."

    This was the extent of what they could do for the Americans.

    At this moment, the British lookouts had already spotted the two French cruisers flying the tricolor.

    "Damn, Frenchies everywhere!" the captain of the ''Queen Elizabeth'', Hardy, cursed as he put down his binocrs. He knew these two ships were likely the ones mentioned in reports, rented to the Americans by the French. He wanted to rush over, unleash a barrage, and feed these Frenchies to the sharks. But now that these ships were flying the French g, it made him uncertain of their identity. What if these weren''t the ones leased to the Americans?

    Before setting sail, the British had considered what to do if they encountered French warships, even provocative ones. During the Seven Years'' War, this wouldn''t have been an issue. But now, Britain was at a disadvantage, as the Cab demanded naval restraint, patience. As long as the French didn''t show overt hostility, or to put it more inly, as long as they didn''t fire upon the British first, the British weren''t supposed to attack or even provoke, to avoidplicating the situation.

    "Now, France has a strongnd force in Louisiana. If they find an excuse to join the war, Canada is surely lost. Even Irnd might see turmoil. So, the navy must restrain, must restrain!" Prime Minister Pitt had said to the officers before they departed.Then, the action of the two French ships stunned the British �� they raised the Saint George''s g. Not the red triangr g symbolizing a warship''s courage and desperation, but the one representing Ennd. Wasn''t this impersonating the British navy right in front of the authentic British navy? What a move!

    "The French don''t want to fight us. They know well that with two colonial cruisers, they stand no chance against us. It would be suicide," General Nelson emerged from below deck, "I believe they intend to warn the Americans in Savannah �� they hoist our g and then fire a shot towards Savannah �� a creative approach. The French..."

    "General, shall we stop them? They are openly impersonating us. Technically, we could treat them as pirates," Captain Hardy asked.

    "No, at most it''ll take twenty minutes, and that time won''t change anything. We needn''t bother over such trifles," Nelson replied.

    As Nelson predicted, the two French warships flying the British navy''s Saint George''s g fired towards Savannah. After firing two shots, they lowered the Saint George''s g and raised the tricolor again, right in front of the British.

    "The French, when they can shamelessly not do so, they certainly will not," Captain Hardy cursed.

    "Hardy, to tell you the truth, we''re no different. The history of mankind is a struggle between those who value their dignity and those who do not. And the oue has always been that those who do not value their dignity, the scoundrels, triumph over the fools. The nations that exist today, not one is not a scoundrel," Nelson sighed.

    "General, so thepetition between us and France is to see who can be more shameless?"

    "Ha, somewhat," Nelsonughed, "I hope in the end we can say, ''The French were such fools! Ha ha ha.''"

    On the cruiser ''Moonlight'', the crew had just lowered the Saint George''s g and raised the tricolor.

    "Captain, look, the American gunboats are leaving port!"

    Captain rcon looked towards the port and saw two small steamers slowly making their way out. These were small gunboats built by the Americans for patrolling near ports. With

    a discement of no more than four hundred tons and a speed not exceeding 10 knots, they were equipped with a single 76mm cannon. This cannon was fixed openly on the foredeck,pletely exposed.

    During hisst stop in Savannah, Captain rcon had seen these small gunboats. The Savannah port''s anti-smuggling team had five or six of these gunboats, typically with two ready to move at any moment, boilers fired up. But they were of no use; against the British fleet, evenpared to the French colonial cruisers, they were insignificant.

    At this point, ''Moonlight'' had changed its gs, but Captain rcon still ordered to speed up to avoid the exiting vessels. He figured that unless those on the small vessels were both blind and foolish, they must have already noticed the smoke columns to the east and seen the French g raised again, understanding that the earlier misfired shots were not meant to bombard the city but to warn of the British fleet''s arrival.

    However, considering that these two small ships, with their two small cannons, dared to rush out, they must be full of fools. What if they hadn''t understood the situation and started firing at them? Therefore, Captain rcon''s order was entirely reasonable.

    The two foolhardy vessels didn''t chase after the French but raised a signal g to thank them. It seems the fools on board understood the French''s actions after all. Then, they headed straight for the smoke column forest. Obviously, the target of these two small gunboats, upon leaving the port, was the British fleet. ??

    "They''re going to their deaths. The British could destroy them in less than two or three minutes. They won''t win enough time for the ships in the port to escape," Captain rcon said.

    At this time, the British fleet was getting closer. This bit of time was useless; the steamships in Savannah port were mostly in a state of shutdown, and it would take no less than an hour to fire up the boilers and get the ships moving. As for the sailing ships, their crew was mostly not on board; without several hours, it was unthinkable to find enough hands to sail the ships out to escape. Thus, the rush of the foolhardy vessels was utterly pointless.

    What happened next was exactly as Captain rcon had predicted. Surrounding the two foolhardy gunboats, sudden sprouts of water columns appeared. Shortly after, the first gunboat was hit by a cannonball.

    The cannonball directly destroyed the steam engine of the small gunboat, leaving it paralyzed on the water. In the following half a minute, it took five or six cannon shots, tilted, and quickly sank.

    The second foolhardy vessel was slightly stronger; it managed to fire a shot �� of course, hitting nothing �� before the British firepower tore it apart.

    By this time, ''Moonlight'' and ''Windmoon'' had already moved away. The two ships began to slow down, preparing to watch the battle. Yes, in this era, observing naval battles was indeed a verymon urrence.

    "Captain, are we really not going to do anything?" Major Francis asked.

    "No, of course, we can''t just do nothing," Captain rcon said, "We''ll watch the battle from the side. When foreign warships are observing, their actions might be somewhat restrained. You know, my friend, if we were to engage the British, we wouldn''tst any longer than those two gunboats. But if we stay aside and watch, their atrocities might be somewhat curbed."

    "Ah, those two American ships, they were so... so brave. But they died so terribly," the executive officer Copa sighed.

    "Oh, Copa, do you know? I met a Mexican priest in New Orleans who told me something very interesting. He said, everyone dies, but different deaths have different meanings. Some deaths are as significant as the Rocky Mountains; others, as light as a feather. The same goes for warships. All warships meet their end, whether on the battlefield or in the shipyard. But a warship that dies for the people''s benefit weighs more than the Rockies; if it dies serving feudal rulers, exploiting and oppressing the people, it''s lighter than a feather."

    "Was the priest you mentioned a follower of liberation theology, perhaps?" Copa asked.

    "Ah, who knows? Nowadays, Mexico is full of those who follow liberation theology..."

    As their conversation went on, the British fleet had already formed up outside the harbor, blocking the port''s exit. Now, no ship could leave Savannah port.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 450 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 451: Two Lights

    After the British fleet assumed formation, it immediatelyunched an attack on the American artillery near Savannah.

    The Americans had built a fort near Savannah, but it had be quite outdated. The cannons there were still 76 mm muzzle-loaded rifled guns, which were no longer cutting-edge. This rapid development of artillery technology meant that what was once considered advanced weaponry had quickly be obsolete.

    British Army soldiersnded on a nearby beach and began their assault on the fort, while the Navy bombarded it from the sea to cover the Army''s attack.

    Most of Georgia''s militia had been sent north to fight against the Canadians, leaving the fort severely understaffed. Not only was there a shortage of personnel, but the number of cannons was also insufficient since many smaller guns had been taken north with the militia.

    Moreover, being a weekend, many soldiers and officers were not present at the fort. Thus, the British encountered little resistance and quickly captured the fort. Following this, British warships sailed directly into the harbor.

    British transport ships docked at the port, and British Army soldiers, bays fixed to their rifles, disembarked onto the docks.

    A few Georgia militiamen attempted to resist, but the British warships immediately suppressed their resistance with close-range cannon fire.

    Arge contingent of British forcesnded and quickly advanced into the city. Sporadic gunfire was heard throughout the city but was swiftly silenced. By 3 p.m., thanks to a sessful raid, the British had gained control over the entire city.

    The British then implemented a "scorched earth policy." They sealed all the warehouses in the city and inspected the contents. Anything useful was loaded onto ships. As for the merchant ships in the harbor, those in good condition were "requisitioned" by the British. Those deemed unfit for use were not wasted either. The British employed temporarily conscripted Americanborers to dismantle numerous buildings in the city. The bricks and other materials were loaded onto these ships.After three days, the British had essentially looted everything of value in Savannah. By then, over ten thousand Georgia militiamen, hastily conscripted, began to close in on Savannah.

    General Arthur Wellesley spent these days preparing a simplified version of the "Joseph Defense" outside the city. The American assault crashed against it, leading to heavy losses.

    Georgia then issued a general mobilization order,manding all males aged fifteen to sixty to report for duty with their weapons, ready to resist the British invasion. However, they did not immediately n to reim the lost territory but rather to prevent the British from advancing ind towards Anta.

    Neither General Nelson nor General Wellesley had the intention of marching hundreds of kilometers ind to burn Anta to the ground. This city, if possible, was better left for the Americans to burn. However, considering that the development direction of the United States in this timeline hadpletely diverged from actual history, it''s likely that Anta was spared from such a devastating fire.

    Four dayster, afterpleting their looting of Savannah, the British drove out the American inhabitants andmenced the second phase of their n�� "Burn Everything." After evacuating the residents, the British ignited several fires throughout the city, quickly engulfing it in mes.

    Most British ships, including those requisitioned, had left the harbor. The cavalry that set the fires boarded thest few transport ships, which then also departed. After thest ship left, the British anchored the less seaworthy ships filled with bricks and stones at strategic locations within the harbor. They then used timed explosives to breach the hulls, sinking these ships and creating artificial reefs at crucial points.

    Following the sinking of these ships, the British deployed small boats to scatter mines in the harbor and along the navigational channels, before leaving the zing Savannah with satisfaction.

    However, the British were not fully content because the French were observing nearby, forcing them to exercise restraint in their actions. For example, they expelled the city''s inhabitants before setting the fires. The original n�� a "Three Alls Policy" (Kill All, Burn All, Loot All)��was thus reduced to a "Two Alls Policy," omitting one-third of their intended actions, which was quite dissatisfying.

    The news of the British capturing Savannah spread quickly across the United States through the telegraph system. This news also reached the front lines near Clevnd, causing immediate panic among the American forces there.

    The Georgia regiment strongly demanded an immediate total assault on Clevnd to swiftly reim it and then return to defend their homnd. Alternatively, they proposed ceasing the siege of Clevnd to allow them to return and protect Georgia. The upation of Clevnd by the Canadians was infuriating, but for the men of the Georgia regiment, Savannah was a hundred times more important, just as Georgia was a hundred times more important than Ohio.

    Not just Georgia, but all coastal state militias were in a state of panic. If the British fleet could attack Georgia, they could just as well attack South Carolina, then North Carolina, Virginia, Marnd, Dware

    , and so on, up to Massachusetts. Everyone feared being the next target.

    A few dayster, as news of the British burning Savannah and continuing northward arrived, the siege forces around Clevnd grew even more anxious. Rumors spread that the British had massacred everyone in Savannah like Genghis Khan, then set the entire city on fire. The ze reportedlysted several days, leaving no building in Savannah standing. ?

    This rumor not only caused unrest among Georgia''s soldiers but also rmed the soldiers from South Carolina and North Carolina, as they were just north of Georgia. Now, with the British fleet moving northward, their cities were the next targets.

    Thus, the demands of the Georgia regiment became the demands of all state militias, and even President Jefferson could not ignore them. Frankly, the political stature of the American president at that time was much lower than inter periods. In modern times, even a controversial president could find ways to make governorsply, but in that era, the president had no leverage over the state militias or governors. If Georgians dered "Georgia First" and took their troops home, there was nothing the president could do.

    Therefore, President Jefferson personally went to the front lines near Clevnd to discuss with General Andrew Jackson, themander of the Tennessee regiment and the American forces outside Clevnd, and Colonel Sevigny, the chief advisor of the French advisory group, to hear their opinions.

    "In the current situation, having lost control of the seas along the coast, we can only switch to full defense," Colonel Sevigny said. "It''s a pity the United States hasn''t built a railway along the coast. If we had such a railway, our coastal defense would be much easier.

    As for your question, Mr. President, about whether we canunch a total assault to retake Clevnd, I must say that it is impossible. It exceeds the capabilities of our army. Even the French army would have to pay a tremendous price to quickly break through such a defense. I don''t mean to underestimate the American army, but the training and equipment level of the French army surpasses that of the American army. If you, Mr. President, insist on resolving the Clevnd issue quickly, then after solving it, you will not have enough forces left to strengthen coastal defenses."

    "What do you think, General Jackson?" President Jefferson asked.

    "A direct attack is impossible," General Andrew Jackson replied. Although known for his boldness, he had realized after these days of fighting that charging head-on against the "Joseph Defense" was suicidal.

    "However, Mr. President, retreating could also be dangerous. If the enemy takes advantage of this to counterattack, our retreat could be troublesome. But this also presents an opportunity. We could pretend to retreat, set a trap, and then catch the pursuing British off-guard. This way, we could safely withdraw," General Jackson added.

    "But this too requires time. In fact, getting the soldiers back will take time. It seems inevitable that our coastal cities will suffer damage. Additionally, Mr. President, I suggest you order mines as quickly as possible for harbor defense. It might be toote for the southern cities, but for the northern ports, especially those inside Chesapeake Bay, if we act fast enough and rely on mines, we can protect them," Colonel Sevigny also suggested.

    Chesapeake Bay is an estuary of the Antic Ocean extending from south to north into the American continent. The bay is 311 kilometers (193 miles) long and 540 kilometers (325 miles) wide, making it thergest bay in the United States. Many important American cities, such as the capital, Washington, D.C., and the major port of Baltimore, are located here. The entrance to the bay is less than 20 kilometers wide, with the narrowest part in the middle being about six kilometers wide. The navigable channels within the bay are even narrower. With enough mines, it''s entirely possible to block the British fleet from entering Chesapeake Bay.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 452: The Choice

    Speaking of which, the Canadians were actually not very familiar with the current situation of the war. At that time, except for the French, everyone elsecked radiomunication, so in fact, the British fleet had no way to contact the British forces on Canadian soil. Of course, the British''s actions had already been reported in the newspapers of Louisiana. (Needless to say, the French portrayed the British as if they were Mongolians)

    However, the issue was that newspapers in Louisiana were only avable in a fewrger cities like New Orleans. As for the areas along the borders with the US and Canada, they were basically small towns of farmers, essentially the size of viges. Many of these towns did not even have a sheriff with a horse and arge-caliber shotgun, let alone a newspaper office.

    Naturally, to guard against Canadians, Americans, Native Americans, and the French looking for shortcuts (whether they spoke German or French), or to put it more bluntly, to guard against all unfamiliar and untrusted Homo sapiens, each small town had a telephone, usually ced in the town hall. Its sole purpose was for emergency calls during sieges or to mobilize militias for rescue when another town was under siege. Moreover, the damn Louisiana Telephone Company charged not only andline fee but also based on call duration, and the fees were quite high. Thus, even formunicating with the outside world, people preferred writing letters, despite the mail carrier only visiting the town once every half month.

    Therefore, the "French" in these areas were also isted in terms of information. Generally speaking, even if someone was willing to read a newspaper, it would also take about half a month for it to arrive. The only ones perhaps better informed were those heretics who believed in "revolutionary theology" and set up "collective farms," as they needed to keep in touch with the outside world regrly. They had their own postal stations with daily mail collection and delivery. Moreover, if there was a major event, theirrades in more information-rich areas would use telephones to inform them.

    Thus, it was equally improbable for the Canadians to learn about the changes in the war situation from the "French" in the bordering areas. Because those people either knew as little as they did or were evil heretics, and who knows if their words were true?

    Moreover, during the previous battles, the British had captured some American soldiers and learned from them that British reinforcements had arrived and attacked the American South. However, General Isaac Brock was skeptical about the authenticity of this information. He feared that the Americans, unable to breach his defenses and suffering heavy casualties in their attacks, were using this false news to deceive him into making a preemptive strike, only to be ambushed and defeated.

    "My friends, in the previous engagements�� I mean the series of battles after we left Washington, in Clevnd�� we utilized the advantages of defense and the Americans''ck of experience to achieve a very favorable exchange rate. We can be certain that even if the Americans could eventually retake Clevnd with their numerical superiority, they would be too weakened to cause us trouble elsewhere due to the heavy losses they suffered here.

    If this news is true, the Americans will soon retreat. If we seize the opportunity to pursue them, we might achieve a great victory. However, we must also consider the possibility that our enemy has lost confidence in directly attacking our defenses. So, they use such news to deceive or motivate us, enticing us to leave our strong positions for an offensive. This would give them the chance to defeat us in open battle.

    Now, let''s consider our actions and the potential gains.If the news is true, considering our fleet is likely moving north along the coastline, their retreat to reinforce the coast would be pressed for time. Such a retreat must be swift, and thest thing they would want is to be pursued. If this news is true and we pursue them, the gains could be significant. Even if we can''t crush them, just by holding them back, we would be providing great support to our fleet.

    If the enemy intends to deceive us, they will surely set up ambushes along their retreat path or even try to hide a force to cut off our return.

    Now, we have two choices.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    First, we could ignore them and continue to hold our position in the city. This is the safest approach. We are already in a clearly advantageous position. Taking a cautious approach to secure this advantage without giving the Americans a chance to turn the tables is a good choice in theory. But letting go of such an opportunity would be a pity. Moreover, it''s uncertain how long our fleet can stay in North America. Who knows what troubles the French might cause us.

    Second, we could pursue the potentially retreating Americans. If sessful, we might achieve another great victory. But if we are deceived and the news is a trap, we could suffer huge losses. Once we are significantly weakened, the American military would take the opportunity to invade Canada, and

    all the advantages we''ve built up these days would be lost. The risk is very high.

    So, gentlemen, what do you think we should do next?" General Isaac Brock addressed his subordinate officers.

    "General, I think we should just ignore them and hold Clevnd. Even if the fleet arrives, our advantage is already very clear. Even if the French cause some troubleter, the situation won''t turn bad immediately. The fleet''s impact on America and the supplies we receive after their arrival would stabilize the situation and maintain our advantage. Even if the fleet has to leave due to French interference, we can maintain our advantage for a considerable time. America''s national strength is limited; they can''t sustain a standoff with us forever. Eventually, they will concede. So, I believe there''s no need for us to take risks," responded Major General Shelton, anothermander.

    The other British officers generally supported this approach. It''s understandable, as the British army has always been conservative. Moreover, these officers had already earned considerable honors in the war. Continuing to take risks no longer seemed worth the potential cost.

    Thus, "Let him be strong, I am the gentle breeze on the mountain; let him be imposing, I am the moonlight on the river" became the collective choice of all.

 Chapter 453: Never Let America Surrender

    The British fleet has been a constant headache for the Americans. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, another individual was fuming over this situation. This person was Louis Bonaparte.

    In the Bonaparte family, Louis was truly the first to independently stand out. Whether it was the eldest brother Joseph, the second Napoleon, or the third, Lucien, decisions were made after discussions among the brothers. Although the three brothers would arrogantly im, "What else could they do but hold me back?" in reality, they did support each other, leading to their current situation.

    However, the situation in the Americas was different. After losing India, North America held for France an importance equal to that of India for Britain. Joseph had repeatedly emphasized in family meetings: "France is the family''s present, but North America could very well be its future." He even expressed his willingness to directly control the situation in Louisiana.

    Napoleon, always fond ofughing at Joseph''s expense and suggesting that Joseph was only good at causing trouble, would decisively say, "Joseph cannot leave!"

    Joseph cannot leave, and neither can Napoleon. What about Lucien? Considering the need to bnce the Ministry of Police, and recognizing that Lucien, albeit not very effective, was still needed at crucial times, and taking into ount Lucien''s personal desires, (Lucien: What? Leave Paris and the Moulin Rouge for a backwater like Louisiana? Even if you made me king there, I wouldn''t go!)

    Given Louisiana''s importance and its distance, it was essential to have a trusted individual with the Bonaparte surname there. Thus, Lucien suggested, "Louis could go! He did quite well managing the Lorraine Steel Factory and his performance at the Roman Bank was also well-regarded. I think he is fully capable."

    Napoleon was skeptical of Lucien''s true intentions, possibly just wanting to send a brother off to free himself, Joseph, and Napoleon from the responsibility. Considering Lucien''s current job, which was indeed irreceable, and acknowledging Louis''spetency in business management as Lucien described��not yet legendary like Nathan Rothschild but still top-tier due to his substantial capital and deep understanding of economic fundamentals��Napoleon agreed.

    "I can''t do it, I can''t!" was Louis''s firm refusal at the time. "How can I, a businessman devoted to honest trade, suddenly be a governor in the Americas?"

    Of course, this was just a superficial excuse. Louis''s reluctance to go to the Americas was for reasons not unlike Lucien''s."Don''t worry, Louis. We don''t intend to make you a governor. You have no political experience, and cing you directly in such a position would be seen as nepotism," Napoleon earnestly exined.

    "I knew I couldn''t be the governor," Louis replied, his smile reaching his ears.

    "We''re just nning for you to head to Louisiana to open a bank and serve as its chairman," Joseph added leisurely. "You''ve done well at the Roman Bank, and I believe you''re fully capable of handling this job."

    "What..." Louis''s smile vanished instantly. "Joseph, you can''t gang up on me like this!"

    However, such protests were futile. The family meeting had already decided that Louis would go to Louisiana to be the chairman of the development bank. So, Louis set forth to Louisiana with two conditions: the first was to establish transantic wirelessmunication as soon as possible, and the second was that he would only serve for three years, after which someone else must take over.

    Joseph and Napoleon readily agreed. Of course, what would happen after three years would be dealt with then. If J��r?me had matured a bit by that time, he could rece Louis. If not, they would address it when the time came. After all, it wouldn''t be the first time they had not kept their word, especially Joseph, who once mentioned an Eastern philosopher named "Confucius" who said, "One must keep their word and ensure their actions lead to results, anything less is stubborn and inferior."

    Thus, amon trait among the superior is to treat their words lightly.

    However, after spending some time in Louisiana, Louis found the ce not as bad as he had imagined. In Paris, he was the youngest, overshadowed by Lucien, Napoleon, and Joseph, who could easily overshadow him. Bullying J��r?me had no appeal, as J��r?me was too insignificant.

    In Louisiana, Louis became the de facto ruler. Although Marcel, the governor, held the highest official authority, it was clear that the First Consul''s brother was the real governor. Thus, in Louisiana, Louis found himself bullying others, a source of joy since time immemorial, diminishing his longing for Paris.

    As a capable leader, Louis had been performing well, especially in his forte��making money. However, the current situation still infuriated him.

    "Chairman, based on thetest information, the British did not

    enter Chesapeake Bay. They encountered American shipsying mines at the bay''s entrance and sank them. However, this made the British wary of mines throughout the bay and concerned about being trapped by mines if they entered. So, they attacked and burned Cape Charles and Watchapreague, then continued north. Their next targets are likely Antic City and New York," a manager outlined on the map with a pencil.

    "Damn Americans, damn British, all worthless!" Louis cursed. "Burning Cape Charles and Watchapreague, what does that achieve? Any news from Clevnd?"

    "The American forces have safely retreated, and the British did not pursue."

    "If this continues, the Americans might seek peace. That cannot happen! We need a way to prevent them from seeking peace. Moreover, we cannot let America be defeated by the British. After all, if they lose with our support, who would dare to rely on us in the future? We must find a way to ensure the Americans achieve a victory! These worthless fools! After all the help we''ve provided, they still fail. It infuriates me!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 454: Submarines and Canned Goose Meat

    Although Louis was very dissatisfied with the Americans'' various actions, merelyining solved nothing. After all, no matter how much he cursed, even if he mobilized all the employees of the Louisiana Development Bank to join in the cursing, could they really curse Jefferson or Nelson to death?

    However, the situation in the American war could not continue like this; he had to find a way to turn the tide. Strategically, at least for now, Britain remained France''s greatest enemy. The reason France supported the Americans in dering war on Britain, targeting the British, was to prove to other countries around the world that Britain was merely a colossus with feet of y, a paper tiger. As long as one dared to fight, one could tear a piece of flesh from Britain.

    If the Americans could sessfully tear a piece of flesh from the British this time, it would expose the British''s weakness to the whole world, and then, perhaps a frenzy of partitioning the United Kingdom, or at least its colonies, might ur. This frenzy would not be limited to North America but would also spread to Africa and even to Central Asia and India in the future.

    But if the Americans gained nothing from this war, people would feel that the British were still real tigers. Then, at most, the French would continue to trouble the British, but other countries would merely watch the show. Thus, France could only rely on its own strength to deal with Britain, considering that France could not, like Britain, concentrate all its efforts on naval power. Thus, defeating Britain would still be a lengthy process.

    "At present, our naval forces, at least those in Louisiana, are insufficient to change the course of the war," Louis said to Governor Marcel, "Even if we join directly, it won''t be of much use. However, maybe we can send mercenaries to fight the British onnd?"

    "Sending mercenaries? That''s also a solution. However, we are notpletely helpless at sea," Governor Marcel said.

    "At sea? We only have a few colonial cruisers at our disposal, and together they are no match for that old British spinster," Louis shook his head.

    "I heard that not long ago, an American approached you and sold you a submarine?" Governor Marcel said.

    "You know about this? But that submarine wasn''t sold to us; it was given aspensation for a debt default," Louis said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om"That guy previously approached a friend of mine, trying to get some investment from him. My friend is a naval officer, and he said that the guy''s submarine wasn''t very useful, at best, it could sneak into an enemy''s naval harbor and ce a timed bomb under their ships��though I think it will be toote once the British take Antic City. However, after they capture their next target, perhaps there will be an opportunity to use this to attack them."

    The submarine sold to Louis by the American was actually just an improved version of a submarine used by the Americans during the Revolutionary War in 1776 to attack the British fleet.

    The concept of submarines was first proposed by Da Vinci, though he did not present a design. Later, peoplepleted several designs filled with fanciful ideas, some of which were even built and tested. For example, in 1620, the Dutch engineer Cornelius Drebbel built the first sessful submarine in history,ter known as the "father of the submarine". His submarine was a sealed boat driven by 12 rowers, who several times submerged over 5 meters deep in the Thames River for demonstrations. However, its use was limited to performances.

    For over a hundred years afterwards, there was little progress in submarine development; they were mostly used for demonstrations.

    During the American Revolutionary War in 1776, David Bushnell constructed a "submarine" out of wood to attack British warships. This submarine, named "Turtle", resembled a duck egg in shape, floating vertically in the sea, using a leather bag to fill and discharge water to adjust buoyancy, and moving forward with a hand-cranked propeller.

    Bushnell attached a powder keg outside the submarine and prepared a drill on the submarine, nning to drill a hole in the hull of a British warship and then attach the powder keg to explode it.

    This design was theoretically feasible, but in practice, the submarine, with only one crew member, had to control depth, direction, and propulsion... As a result, it was difficult to control and moved slowly. In fact, it never achieved a sessful attack.

    However, the submarine recently acquired by Louis had several improvements. It was a bitrger, capable of amodating two people, allowing one to control depth and the other direction, which was a significant improvement over the "Turtle".

    The most significant improvement, however, was the power source: it had shifted from manpower to a battery pack. With the battery pack and electric motor, it could move underwater at a maximum speed of three knots. This speed was still very slow

    , even slower than many ocean currents, but it was much faster than the "Turtle''s" hand-cranked propulsion.

    Of course, the bottoms of modern warships were no longer vulnerable to being drilled and attached with explosives by hand. But against steel warships, there was a simpler method: use arge ma to attach the explosiveden submarine under the ship, set the timer, and then leave.

    "Your meaning is, our warships carry this device, watch the British''s movements, and when the British enter the harbor to rest, we deploy it? Then, well, I''ve looked into this out of boredom. Doing so might actually have a chance of sess. We can try it," Louis said.

    "Should we tamper with the timed bomb, make it explode as soon as it''s activated, so no one gets captured and exposes us?" Governor Marcel said.

    "There''s no need," Louis shook his head, "Let them talk. We just deny it. If they dare to nder, we use them of shamelessly insulting us, demand a public apology and the elimination of the impact, or else, we''ll dere war on them! I don''t believe they dare to spout nonsense. To be honest, we''ve beencking a greater opportunity to get involved in this event."

    "If the British really suffer losses, they''ll find it hard to bear. But even if they do bear it, it''s useless. We can find a group of death row inmates, drag them to the border area, then dress them in British uniforms, and execute them all. Then, by cing a British rifle in each of their hands, we can use the British of invasion," Governor Marcel said.

 Chapter 455: A Clear Day with High Blue Waves

    The British dispatched the "Queen Elizabeth" to North America, which undoubtedly put a huge pressure on the Americans, but on the other hand, it significantly weakened their own strength in Europe.

    This situation immediately brought about a change.

    On the day Nelson''s fleet attacked Savannah, a French fleet appeared outside the port of Cardiff. This was a powerful fleet including the battleships "Engelbert" and "Caesar". After the "Queen Elizabeth" had gone to North America, there were temporarily no ships in the British navy of the same ss.

    However, the Royal Navy still mustered the courage to send a small fleet consisting of two armored cruisers close to the French fleet, and asked the French their intentions using signal gs.

    "They''re asking us our intentions?" On the bridge of the "Engelbert," Admiral Treveil said with a sarcastic tone, "Tell them we''re sailing freely. We go wherever we wish on the high seas. It''s none of their business!"

    So, the French fleet, just three miles from Cardiff port, formed a battle line, setting up a bombardment formation, and practiced tactics for shelling the port.

    Then, the French fleet turned around and left Cardiff, passing through the Strait of Saint George, and headed towards Liverpool in a grand manner. The British navy''s fleet naturally came from all directions to watch the French sail freely.

    The French fleet, unconcerned, continued at a speed of about six knots until they reached outside Liverpool port, where they unted their freedom of navigation before leaving Liverpool, sailing eastward, and then sailed freely off Dublin.

    During this process, more and more British warships began to follow them. From the initial two armored cruisers, almost the entire British navy had gathered.As more British warships followed, the French began to feel the pressure.

    "It''s time we left. Otherwise, they might really start having bad ideas," Admiral Treveil said. The Irish Sea is a rtively enclosed area with limited space. If the British managed to bring all their remaining naval fleets here, they might entertain the idea of using the advantageous terrain here to wipe out this French fleet.

    So, Admiral Treveil, after observing the British fleets following his own and checking the movements of the British fleets from spies near various British ports (the intelligence was first sent back to France by carrier pigeons and then ryed to the fleet through still-secret radiomunications), estimated the possible movements of the British and ordered to leave the Irish Sea.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    At Admiral Treveil''smand, the fleet turned south and quickly elerated to sixteen knots �� the highest speed "Engelbert" and "Caesar" could achieve.

    As the French fleet elerated, the British fleet following them began to falter. Except for the newest cruisers, the other warships couldn''t keep up.

    The French fleet powered southward, surprising the British. Indeed, the British had contemted taking advantage of the French fleet''s key ships being in this rtively enclosed area to concentrate their forces for a decisive strike. Of course, this idea had not yet gained enough government support. But it was indeed one of the possible options. The French maneuver, however, made this option impossible.

    Before the British fleet could gather in the Irish Sea, the French fleet passed through the Strait of Saint George again, returned to the Antic, and then turned west, heading towards the western coast of Irnd.

    By then, even the British''s armored cruisers couldn''t keep up with the speed of the French fleet. The French quickly shook off the British fleet and appeared near re County. Here, Carroll port was thergest port under the control of the Irish independence army. However, the British had always deployed a detachment consisting of four armored cruisers in Galway, using this force to blockade Carroll port.

    Now, as the British began to counterattack in Irnd, Irnd urgently needed more supplies.

    Several ships loaded with supplies desperately needed by the Irish had already arrived near Carroll port, but they could not break through the British navy''s blockade to deliver these vital supplies ashore.

    Now, the French fleet met with these merchant ships and headed directly for Carroll port.

    Today, two British cruisers "maintained presence" outside Carroll port. They suddenly saw a line of smoke on the horizon. Then, a group of menacing French warships appeared in the sight of these two cruisers.

    Themanders of these two cruisers, Colonel McDerford, realized upon seeing the opposing formation that it would be very difficult to stop them today. The opposing ships, both in number and quality, were beyond what his two cruisers could contend with.

    But he stillmanded the two cruisers to meet them head-on, shouting through a high-power loudspeaker imported from France: "You are about to enter British territorial waters, turn away immediately!" But the French hoisted a "D g" at the top of their masts. The British knew that in the French g signal system, the D g meant: "My ship

    ''s rudder is malfunctioning, beware of collision."

    To put it more inly, hoisting the D g, the real intention was to y bumper boats. Once the D g was hoisted, it meant a direct collision with any British warship trying to block them. That meant, "Move aside, or I''ll crash into you!"

    This tactic, also amon strategy inter maritime disputes, inspired the modern border poem:

    Clear skies today, high waves roll, D g flutters atop the lead ship''s pole.

    Command the barbarians to quickly evade, "I''ll crash without care," is the message conveyed.

    Describing this very tactic.

    As the French warships each hoisted the D g, they headed straight for the two British cruisers.

    If the British were a bit more clear-headed, they should have quickly realized that they had no chance of winning in this game of bumper boats. But the British dared not fire, nor did they dare to y bumper boats with the French fleet''s warships, knowing full well that they couldn''t win.

    But the Royal Navy has never had the habit of turning away in the face of the enemy. So they could only guard the shippingnes while continuing to loudly proim: "You are about to vite the territorial waters of the United Kingdom, please turn away immediately... please turn away immediately..."

    Then there was a loud "Boom!"

 Chapter 456: Chain Reactions (1)

    With a thud, a French cruiser collided directly into the midsection of the British cruiser, the Berkshire. Fortunately, the French cruiser didn''t have a ram, otherwise, the Berkshire would have been doomed. But being hit squarely in the midsection, the Berkshire sustained significant damage. Arge hole was smashed into its hull, thankfully not below the waterline, and a portion of the bridge was torn off.

    Another British cruiser also faced a collision with a French cruiser, but it swiftly turned the helm, avoiding the impact.

    However, this maneuver naturally opened up the route, allowing French merchant ships to smoothly sail into Carroll Harbor.

    The collision of French naval ships with British naval ones naturally caused a diplomatic stir. Upon receiving the news, the British Foreign Office and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs each summoned the other''s ambassador, issuing stern protests.

    The British summoned the French ambassador to protest against the French Navy''s barbaric collision with British naval vessels, demanding an apology from the French government, punishment of those responsible,pensation for damages, and assurance that the navy would be restrained from causing such incidents again.

    Almost simultaneously, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, the French Foreign Minister, summoned the British ambassador to protest against the British Navy''s unprofessional and barbaric interference with the French Navy''s freedom of navigation, intercepting and colliding with French naval ships. On behalf of the French government, Talleyrand demanded an apology from the British government, ountability for those responsible,pensation for the damages to France, and assurance from Britain that they would respect France''s right to free navigation.

    The diplomatic negotiations were essentially each side sticking to their statements. After everyone had said their piece, the British began to dispatch reinforcements to Irnd and instructed the British forces in Irnd to go on the defensive. The French, of course, took the opportunity to freely navigate. Consequently, the already heavily damaged Irish independence forces became active again.

    As a result, supplies and troops originally destined for North America were intercepted and temporarily redirected to Irnd.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Of course, the impact of this incident went beyond just this. The news spread, and in the eyes of the public, the British appeared even more like a paper tiger. If the French could touch this paper tiger''s tail, and the Americans could too, why couldn''t they?Thus, the Dutch, long-standing adversaries of the British, were also stirred into action.

    In 1795, seizing the chaos of war on the European continent, the British captured the Dutch colony in Cape Town. At the time, the Dutch were unable to resist and had to concede. Later, after peace returned to Europe, the Dutch repeatedly demanded the return of their colony in Cape Town. Naturally, the British responded with indifference: "Who cares about you?"

    This was understandable, as Cape Town controlled one of the most important sea routes of the time��the route from Europe to the East. For a global colonial power, the strategic importance of this colony was immeasurable. Having gained control of this colony, how could the British possibly give it back?

    However, the British colonization of Cape Town was not very sessful, as European affairs prevented the British from investing much manpower there. Thus, apart from the indigenous ck poption, most of the people in Cape Town were Dutch. These people, living far from the turmoil of Europe, used to bully the ck people, enving them forbor. They would asionally extort passage money, or rather, berthing fees, from passing merchants, and then sell supplies at high prices to make a profit. In short, they livedfortably, eating hotpot and singing songs, unaware of how good they had it.

    But who knew that this beautiful life would be envied by evildoers? Suddenly, a bunch of British people came out of nowhere and seized the port of Cape Town.

    Although the British did not actively bully the Dutch and merely took over the collection of tolls, the Dutch could still bully African cks and practice their ve trade, which had already disappeared in civilized European countries. Overall, the Dutch still lived quite well. Compared to other ces, the British in Cape Town could be said to be implementing benevolent governance.

    However, for benevolent governance to be effective, it must be preceded by a period where "benevolence and righteousness are not applied." This concept was discussed by the sage Confucius in the context of governance: "If there is a form of violence that treats people as if they were not human, not even equal to cows and horses, considered nothing; when people envy the lives of cows and horses, expressing thement that they are not as well-off as dogs in times of peace, and then they are given a status somewhat equal to cows and horses, as was thew in the Yuan dynasty where killing someone else''s ve warrantedpensation of a cow, people will wholeheartedly ept and praise the era of great peace. Why? Because although they are not considered human, they are at least equal to cows and horses."

    Even Mencius, a

    master of Confucianism, when discussing the feasibility of benevolent governance with the king of the Liang state, presented as evidence of its high feasibility the fact that "none of the kings today dislike killing people." This means that those kings had alreadypleted the preparatory work of "treating people as if they were not human." Now, by dering "you are now equal to cows and horses," they could win the support of the masses.

    The British in Cape Town did not go through the process of treating people as "not even human, not even equal to cows and horses, considered nothing" but directly offered a status "somewhat equal to cows and horses." As a result, it was no wonder that people harbored grievances.

    Indeed, the British left quite a lot for the Dutch. If the previous rulers of this ce had been African cks, those rights would not have been preserved for them at all. But the Dutch settlers in Cape Town did not feel privileged; they only knew that the benefits they once enjoyed had beenrgely taken by the British.

    This led the Dutch settlers naturally to harbor hatred towards the British. However, considering that the Dutch had been beaten by the British not just once or twice (although the Dutch had asionally managed to get the upper hand, they were ultimately defeated by the British), the Dutch settlers in the Cape Town region did not dare to confront the British directly.

    But now, with the glorious examples of North America and Irnd, especially this time, when the French openly yed bumper boats with the British without the British daring to fire a shot, it almost immediately becamemon knowledge that the British were a paper tiger. Thus, even the Dutch started to entertain thoughts of reiming lost territories. Of course, the Dutch settlers in Cape Town, being far away, were not yet aware of this incident, but the Nethends was already making preparations for them in advance.

 Chapter 457: Chain Reactions (2)

    The Dutch Ambassador to France was the first to meet with the French Foreign Minister, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, to probe France''s stance on the Cape Colony. Talleyrand expressed that France had always supported the Dutch''s rightful ims. France had backed the Nethends in their negotiations with Britain, demanding the return of the Cape Colony. This stance had never changed. The Nethends and France were allies sharing both honor and disgrace, with mutual responsibilities and obligations to support each other.

    Talleyrand''s statement effectively meant that the Dutch could provoke Britain with France''s support, ensuring that the British could not attack Rotterdam with their naval forces.

    Indeed, the British had seized the Cape Colony but were forced to pay a nominal sum to the Nethends under a treaty agreement. After France achieved an undisputed victory, the Nethends underwent a revolution (orchestrated by France, yet with substantial support from the Dutch people �� for the revolution made the Nethendsrades in the French Revolutionary Wars, victors rather than subjects like Prussia and Austria.)

    The revolutionary Dutch government imed that the British "purchase" of the Cape Colony, which allegedly supported the oppressive regime against the revolutionaries, was invalid. The treaties signed by the overthrown regime were nullified, and the Dutch people refused to recognize them.

    However, while iming non-recognition, the Nethends alone couldn''t challenge Britain. In fact, the Dutch weren''t particrly concerned about reiming the Cape Colony. They would have been very willing to negotiate with Britain about the colony again if the opportunity had arisen.

    But that was unlikely, as the Dutch, notorious for their greed, would have every government transition through "revolution," branding the previous government as "reactionary," and then renegotiate with Britain to sell the Cape Colony again.

    So, Britain naturally rejected the Dutch request. For a long time, the Nethends stopped pressing the matter, mainly because France, at the time, was not ready to confront Britain directly. As allies (or vassal states), the Nethends couldn''t stir trouble independently. However, France''s recent actions, actively seeking trouble with Britain, did not go unnoticed across Europe.

    Particrly noteworthy was a speech by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in the Roman Senate, addressing the economic situation in Europe. Napoleon highlighted the importance of maintaining and advancing the unified European, and by extension, global market for economic recovery. Hemented that some nations, driven by selfish motives, engaged in actions harmful to free trade. Napoleon''s speech painted a grim picture of a "iron curtain" descending over the English Channel, segregating the British Isles and their territories from the free trade system, affecting billions of people worldwide.

    Napoleon argued that economic freedom was essential for political freedom and human rights. He equated the coexistence of freedom and democracy with the impossibility of Rome and Carthage coexisting, calling for the destruction of the metaphorical "iron curtain" to uphold free trade globally.This speech was a clear call to arms against Britain, which vehemently protested. However, the French government dismissed the protests, indicating that it was a matter for the Roman Empire, highlighting theck of formal diplomatic rtions between Britain and the Roman Empire, thus nullifying any official protest.

    Napoleon''s speech, effectivelyparing Britain to Carthage, signaled France''s determination to confront Britain. As an ally of the Roman Empire, the Nethends understood it was time to act.

    Napoleon and Joseph Bonaparte appreciated the Dutch initiative. Napoleon believed controlling the Cape Colony was crucial for dominating the key trade route between Europe and India:

    "The loss of crucial territories in India during the Seven Years'' War, followed by a series of financial troubles, was significantly linked to that defeat. Britain''s ability to cause disturbances across the European continent wasrgely due to their exploitation of India. Controlling the Cape Colony would expose the European-Indian trade route to our observation, allowing us to disrupt British exploitation of India. Stationing a fleet there would be a nightmare for Britain."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Joseph wholeheartedly agreed with Napoleon, noting the presence of extensive gold mines in South Africa, including the Rand Gold Mine, the world''srgest, with over 53,000 tons of extractable gold, ounting for more than half of the global gold reserves.

    Gold, being a natural currency, allowed the Roman banks to issue money without hesitation. Despite the economic crisis across Europe, France''s economy was the strongest, attributed to its democratic principles, freedom, and free trade, rather than the gold mines allowing for unrestrained currency printing.

    "We need to organize a rebellion in Cape Colony and ensure the insurgents quickly take control," Joseph said. "I recall that the Ministry of Peace had prepared several ns for this. Napoleon, let''s review the most suitable ns for our current situation."

    As Napoleon and Joseph began to review the Ministry of Peace''s ns, the Spanish also made their move, targeting the ever-coveted fortress of Gibraltar.

 Chapter 458: Chain Reaction (3)

    The Spanish have been fighting the Mexican insurgents for years, spending a considerable amount of money and ruing significant debt. Recently, other colonies in the Americas have also begun to experience instability. To stabilize its colonies in the Americas and repay impending debts, Spain had no choice but to negotiate with the insurgents.

    Following France''s sessful approach in handling its Saint-Domingue colony, Spain proposed resolving the Mexican issue using the Saint-Domingue model. Representatives from both sides conducted negotiations in France for a month, leading to Mexico''s independence through redemption. As a result, they incurred a significant debt to the French. On the other hand, the Spanish, with the money they received, not only cleared their loans but also had a considerable surplus. Considering this surplus, along with the interest saved from ransoms and the reduction in military and institutional expenditures, the Spanish government found its financial intake not significantly less than when it controlled Mexico.

    This situation primarily arose because Spain''s extraction efficiency in Mexico was exceedingly low. The annual revenue Spain actually received from Mexico was quite limited. On the other hand, the Spanish''s excessive and oppressive taxation in Mexico caused widespread resentment, which could be described as enormously sinful. The reasons the Spanish government didn''t make much money are twofold: first, a lot of the money was embezzled by those handling it; second, the cost of maintaining stability due to oppressive taxation consumed arge portion of the revenue.

    Among these, the first issue, indeed, impacted influential individuals with significant power and interests. Therefore, despite the treaty bringing back a substantial sum and still recognizing Mexico as a member of the Spanish Federation with the King of Spain as its head, those economically affected strongly criticized the Spanish government for national humiliation.

    To counter these usations, the Spanish government needed to undertake actions to safeguard national interests. Naturally, reiming Gibraltar emerged as the best option.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Firstly, Gibraltar is under direct Spanish surveince. Its remation would be visible to all Spaniards, unlike the distant South American territories, regardless of their muchrger area. Even if Gibraltar couldn''t be reimed, the Spanish government''s patriotic stance would at least be recognized.

    Secondly, with the Roman Empire nowbeling Britain as "Carthage," and France pping Britain with the pretext of "telling you not to wear the hat," it was clear Britain was bing isted. Jumping on the bandwagon to reim Gibraltar posed virtually no risk to Spain. So, why not shout about it?

    Spain''s sudden interest in Gibraltar also aligned perfectly with French interests. Even Napoleon remarked, "King Charles IV might generally be dim-witted, but he was quite shrewd on this matter."

    Of course, merely shouting was not enough to draw Britain''s attention. The Spanish Navy, once mighty during the Age of Sail with ships like the "Sant��sima Trinidad" boasting four decks and 140 cannons, had quickly fallen behind in the steam era due to ack of industrial capacity. Spain had to rely on imports for modern warships, a clear sign that true modernization in national defense couldn''t be bought.The Spanish Navy turned to France for warship imports. Military hardware, especially battleships representing the pinnacle of military technology, fetched incredibly high profit margins in trade. Particrly when such trade also carried a protection fee aura. Simr to modern times, where certain countries spend billions on a few fastbat vessels (Littoral Combat Ships), spending far more than some Eastern powers on theirrge destroyers.

    Spain''s situation was akin, having purchased five so-called armored cruisers from France at the cost of building four super-cruisers. The high price wasn''t because the French were overcharging; indeed, the initial French prices weren''t unreasonable for old allies. The price hike came after difficult negotiations between Spanish and French officials.

    While reiming Gibraltar was a goal, Spain was unwilling to engage in battle due to Gibraltar''s formidable defenses. The fortress, essentially a steep rock, had been extensively tunneled by the British, with hidden artillery positions covering each other''s firing ranges, making a direct assault suicidal.

    However, when Spain sought French assistance for Gibraltar''s issue, France proposed a viable offensive strategy: a blockade.

    Land blockade was straightforward since Spain controlled the surroundingnd. However, Gibraltar''s supply primarily came by sea, and Spain''s naval power was insufficient for a blockade, especially after the naval technological revolution.

    The emergence of naval mines made the blockade feasible. Spain could use mines to blockade Gibraltar under the cover of night.

    This act would be tantamount to war. Yet, Talleyrand suggested that as long as Spain denied initiating the attack, France would believe Spain wasn''t the aggressor. As for whoid the mines, maybe it was the Americans��who could say?

 Chapter 459: Chain Reaction (4)

    Naturally, if the Americans were to take the me, it would only be fair to discuss the matter with them. At this moment, the American envoy, urgently dispatched, sought out Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, and he seemed to be in quite a hurry. This urgency stemmed from the British fleet''s burning of Savannah. After the great fire in Savannah, President Jefferson sent his envoy, Speil, aboard a French transport ship to France. Uponnding in Paris, Speil, without even stopping by the American embassy for a cup of coffee, hurriedly sought out Talleyrand.

    Talleyrand, already informed about the Savannah fire, and Speil, an old friend, exchanged pleasantries upon meeting. After the initial greetings, Talleyrandmented on how Speil had lost weight and then proceeded to vehemently criticize the British.

    "The First Consul has heard of the despicable crimesmitted by the British on your soil and extends his condolences. He has asked me to convey to you his belief that justice will prevail. He believes that the great American people will surely rely on their own strength to defeat the evil Carthage."

    While Speil appreciated the sentiment, he detected a potentially unsettling implication in the phrase "surely rely on their own strength to defeat the evil Carthage."

    Speil couldn''t help but ask, "Foreign Minister Talleyrand, could you rify what ''rely on their own strength'' means? Are you implying that France intends to sit back and watch from across the Antic rather than confront the British?"

    Given the circumstances, Speil couldn''t afford to be too forward with his questions, so he instead replied, "I believe, with God''s help, we will certainly defeat these barbarians. But as we fight against the world''s most formidable and wicked barbarians since Genghis Khan, we hope the civilized world will stand with us against these barbarians."

    "You are absolutely right, my friend," Talleyrand replied. "In fact, the entire free world has already stood up against the British''s wrongful actions. You mentioned your journey here by boat and train, so there are some things you might not be aware of yet. On the same day the British set fire to Savannah, our French fleet, in defense of free trade and navigation rights, engaged in a minor skirmish with the British fleet near Carrickfergus in Irnd. Our fleet was barbarously rammed by the British, but we stood our ground, maintaining our right to free trade with Irnd.

    Furthermore, the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Spain have both stood up against the evil Goliath. Especially Spain, as you know, the British have shamelessly upied Spanish territory for many years. Our Spanish friends, out of their love for peace, have always sought to reim their territory through peaceful means. However, the British have always mistaken our Spanish friends'' love for peace as a sign of weakness. So now, the Kingdom of Spain has decided to stand up and employ more effective measures to resolve the Gibraltar issue."

    Talleyrand''s response energized Speil, as it seemed France was about to lead the "free world" in a total assault against the British.While a powerful France wasn''t entirely beneficial, the French actions in Louisiana had been troublesome for the United States. But at least, for now, they appeared morally upright.

    "An empire stands not only on its military and economic strength but also on its ideals. An empire that loses its ideals, its sense of nobility, is almost certainly on the path to copse."

    This was a conclusion Joseph and Napoleon had drawn from their historical studies. So, France, even in handling international affairs with ack of fairness, still maintained a veneer of decency.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I am personally grateful to hear this. I agree that the free world should unite to defeat the English barbarians," Speil concurred.

    "Countries of the free world helping each other is a natural duty," Talleyrand responded. "For instance, the struggles of Irnd and Spain against Ennd also support America''s struggle; and America''s struggle, in turn, supports the just battles of us, as well as Irnd and Spain. Recently, our Spanish friends have something they need America''s support for..."

    The so-called need for American support naturally referred to the Spanish, and even the French,ying mines in Gibraltar, a task that now fell to America to acknowledge.

    Although Speil was somewhat dissatisfied with the French and Spanish''s hesitant actions, he did not oppose the request. This was not only because he was seeking French support but also because America needed victorious news to boost morale. Even if the action wasn''t performed by America, as long as it was acknowledged by the US, it could be used domestically to im a sessful strike against the British.

    Thus, an agreement was swiftly reached. Following this, Speil, arranged by Talleyrand, met with the First Consul Napoleon to discuss matters of mutual concern warmly. Napoleon, representing France, expressed his appreciation for the

    American people''s contribution to maintaining freedom, democracy, and national independence.

    Speil also thanked Napoleon for his support and stated that America, as a member of the free world, has always upheld free trade and religious freedom. He asserted that America does not discriminate against Catholics and does not tolerate any discrimination against Catholics. In fact, apart from the Church of Ennd, which essentially serves as Ennd''s spy organization, America treats all legitimate religions with equal respect.

    With French support and American endorsement, the Spanish began preparations for mineying operations near the Gibraltar harbor. To increase efficiency, the French resorted to their old tactics and "leased" several of their mineying ships to Spain. Then, under the cover of night, the French mineying ships began deploying mines near the Gibraltar fortress.

    These French vessels were among the world''s first warships designed specifically forying mines. With these ships, in one night, the French �C no, the Spanish �C ah, that''s not quite right... Correctly speaking, the Americans couldy forty mines in the main shippingnes outside the Gibraltar harbor.

 Chapter 460: Chain Reaction (5)

    The French, or to be precise, the French disguised in Spanish coats with an addedyer of American, are professionals at what they do. Once the tripartite agreement was reached, they sprang into action immediately.

    The operation, named "Blow", was carried out at night to avoid detection by the British and facilitate escape if discovered. Even the absence of a bright moon was considered, as navalbat capabilities in such darkness were almost nonexistent.

    However, operating under such darkness presented another challenge: urately determining position. Mines were to beid in "Area One" tonight and "Area Two" tomorrow. However, due to the darkness making it difficult to ascertain positions, mines intended for "Area One" could end up in "Area Two", leading to the unfortunate scenario of being blown up by one''s own mines the following day. Who would youin to then?

    Navigation wasn''t particrly difficult; from the port of Algeciras, just six kilometers east was Gibraltar. By utilizing the lighthouse at Algeciras and the one at Gibraltar Fortress, along with another light on the Spanish side, ships could easily determine their position.

    After Spain''s deration to reim Gibraltar, the British Navy heightened its alertness. Even at night, British sentries remained vignt.

    On this night of a waxing moon, which sets early, leaving only a dark blue sky before dawn, most were asleep, save for a few sentinels.

    Private Ham, who had just taken over his shift, was told to be extra vignt due to the tense situation. Despite the pitch darkness, especially over the sea where nothing could be seen, one had to rely more on hearing than seeing.

    The sea breeze carried the sound of the waves, which Ham listened to, bored, reminding him of his home in Scond...

    Suddenly, Ham heard a distant "thud", akin to arge fish leaping and diving back into the sea."Perhaps a dolphin," he thought. Dolphins weremonly seen frolicking in the bay, but usually during the day. Don''t dolphins sleep at night?

    But dolphins were not Ham''s concern, and with the sea pitch ck, he saw nothing more.

    Another "thud" sounded.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "It seems those dolphins are having a lively night, not sleeping quietly," Ham mused, his thoughts wandering aimlessly like Virginia Woolf suddenly fixated on a spot on the wall one January.

    In the dark, the sea performed its magic, conjuring images of dolphins leaping as Ham had seen from the cliffs of Scond in his youth. The Scottish sea breeze, cooler than here, where even the wind felt warm and damp...

    Lost in thought, Ham suddenly heard footsteps, indicating Captain Harington''s approach for inspection. Ham quickly gripped his rifle, ready to show his diligence.

    Indeed, Captain Harington soon appeared,ntern in hand.

    "Well done, Private, very alert!" Captain Harington praised Ham, patting his shoulder. "Any unusual activity?"

    "Sir, just the dolphins in the bay, very active tonight," Ham replied.

    "I''ve heard that dolphins might leap frequently if sharks or orcas are nearby," Captain Harington remarked, not overly concerned. After all, neither sharks nor orcas could attack them onnd.

    The dolphins remained busy until dawn approached.

    The next morning, a food-carrying ship from North Africa exploded upon entering Gibraltar and quickly sank. A British patrol ship sent for rescue also exploded.

    The explosion tore the patrol ship in two.

    "Mines! It must be those damned Spaniards, sneaking mines into our shippingnes!" General Wilk leaped up.

    News of mines in Gibraltar''s waters spread across Europe. The British immediately summoned the Spanish ambassador, demanding an exnation.

    The Spaniards denied involvement, distancing themselves from the incident. Subsequently, the American ambassador in France announced a press conference, where he dered that American naval forces had attacked the British in Gibraltar with mines, in retaliation for Britain''s crimes against humanity in America. He warned of continued attacks, not limited to Gibraltar.

    "We will fight in Gibraltar, in Irnd, in Scond and Wales, in Ennd, in the heart of the enemy��London. We will return the mes of war, the brutality the British inflicted on others, back upon them!"

    The American stance was credible to many, given the widespread news of British atrocities in Savannah. Media outlets, guided by the Ministry of Truth, exaggerated British viiny, prompting widespread condemnation across Europe. The narrative shifted, absolving Spain of suspicion and highlighting the justified nature of American retaliation, in line with the lex talionis.

    Even the British harbored doubts about the source of the mines, knowing Americacked the technology. They suspected French involvement, given the secrecy surrounding naval mine technology. The Americans likely received mines through indirect channels, simr to how France provided cruisers to America.

    Britain realized the strategic choice of Gibraltar by the Americans, necessitating local assistance, likely Spanish, given recent renovations and unusual lighting at a Spanish military club.

    General Wilk, informed by technical reports, considered disrupting the American''s navigation by turning off Gibraltar''s lighthouse.

    The British, learning from French anti-pirate operations, quickly developed their mine-sweeping capabilities, only to face improved French mines,plicating their efforts.

    The cycle of American minying and British minesweeping continued, with all British ports heightening security against potential American mine attacks. This strained Britain''s finances further, leading to increased borrowing and financial difficulties.

    With Britain''s focus on homnd and Gibraltar, a merchant ship left Rotterdam for Cape Town, carrying a leatherworker named Philip among others seeking better opportunities amid Europe''s economic downturn. Philip''s journey represented the many artisans facing hardship in Europe, looking towards America, India, or Africa for a new start.

    ....

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 460 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 461: Chain Reactions (6)

    Cobbler Philippe Treveil had a berth in the third ss of the ship. The third ss of this era was only slightly better than thepletely open fourth ss, offering each person at least a bed of their own and a smallpartment separated by canvas, which was narrow and provided neither soundproofing nor security against theft. These smallpartments were very simr in size to the cage homes found in a certain Pearl City ofter times.

    Apart from the cramped space, another simrity to "cage homes" was that the third ss was located near the ship''s waterline, so there were no windows in the third-ss cabins, making them stuffy and hot. Of course, the fourth ss, located entirely below the waterline, was even worse off.

    Passengers in the third and fourth sses were not restricted from going up to the deck. Truthfully, the deck was much morefortable than the cabins. However, not many actually went up to the deck. The reason was simple.

    Firstly, most of those in third ss were already ustomed to hardship and were quite adapted to such environments. Secondly, they all had luggage, and thepartments in third ss offered no protection against theft. Unless one carried all their luggage with them, a trip to the deck for somefort could result in returning to find their belongings pilfered by someone else.

    However, Philippe Treveil was different. He had minimal luggage, which all fit into a small bag, allowing him tofortably take it with him to the deck.

    But Philippe did not want to stand out from the others. He was on a special mission, so he aimed to draw as little attention as possible. As for the diforts of the cabin, after experiencing the exile and struggles of the Great Revolution era, he no longer cared about such diforts.

    As in history, steam-powered ships first found widespread application in passenger transport when transitioning to civilian use. The reason, of course, was that passengers generally had higher demands for travel time, while goods did not. Moreover, long-distance cargo transport could use the simrly fast clipper ships, but clippers''fort levels were entirely unsuitable for passenger transport.

    The ship Philippe was aboard was a steam-powered passenger ship, much faster than the previous sailing ships, but reaching Cape Town still required considerable time.

    During this time, the French had to continue finding ways to keep the British busy to cover their operations in Cape Town.Achieving this was not difficult. First, the battle betweenying and clearing mines continued near Gibraltar. It''s undeniable thatying mines was much simpler and more efficient than clearing them. In about a month, the American navy reported multiple sesses, using mines to sink seventeen British ships, including two mine sweepers.

    Of course, there were idents. For example, one night, an "American" vesselying mines in an area cleared by the British during the day hit a mine itself. The mineying warship sank, and many lives were lost. The "Americans" who luckily survived and swam back cursed the Spanish for the British''s irresponsible mine clearance.

    Two "Americans" were unfortunately captured by the British. Upon interrogation, it was discovered they couldn''t speak English. They confessed to the British: "We are Frenchmen. Hired by the American government."

    The British were furious, first holding a press conference to use the French of viting neutrality principles and threatening to hang these "mercenaries" as pirates.

    In response, the French naturally could not remain silent. However, the first to hold a press conference was not the French government, but the American embassy in France.

    The Americans acknowledged at the press conference that "some Frenchmen with a sense of justice, willing to fight for democracy and freedom, voluntarily joined our army. Though not American citizens, they indeed are members of our military. Additionally, we have consulted legal experts. Frenchw does not prohibit French citizens from joining the armed forces of friendly nations, just as Frenchw does not prohibit citizens of friendly nations from joining the French military��as long as they do so voluntarily."

    After acknowledging the participation of Frenchmen in the American military, the Americans talked about the indestructible friendship forged in blood between France and America. Both nations share simr republican systems and ideologies and are truly reliable allies. Finally, they directly appealed to the French public, encouraging French citizens to join the American military to protect the democracy and freedom cherished by both France and America.

    The French were not particrly moved by the Americans'' talk of friendship, as many proud Frenchmen still considered Americans barbarians. However, the American call for Frenchmen to join their military did interest many, as the Americans offered high military pay. Of course, the Americans'' requirements were not low; they needed experienced military personnel.

    After the American press conference, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also held a press conference. Foreign Minister Talleyrand stated that French citizens joining the American military did not currently vite Frenchw and was entirely a matter of personal freedom. If they died on the

    battlefield, the French government could only express condolences. However, though they had joined the American military, they remained French citizens. Their rights as prisoners of war should be protected, and the French government would not tolerate the British executing French prisoners of war.

    The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs then demanded the British allow French diplomats to visit the captured French citizens to ensure their basic human rights were not vited.

    The British angrily refused this request. Then, of course, French newspapers went into overdrive, using the British of disrespecting basic human rights. Following this, the French Ministry of Truth added fuel to the fire by publishing a document titled "The Human Rights Situation in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Irnd White Paper."

    In this white paper, the French listed various human rights vitions by the British, such as artificially causing famines in the colonies, shooting at workers'' movements at home, and ughtering peaceful civilians during wars. Through this series of propaganda, the British image hadpletely transformed from civilized people to barbarians, albeit scientifically knowledgeable barbarians.

    The British, anticipating a new wave of public opinion attacks after refusing the French visitation request, were prepared for a propaganda battle. They used the French of being warmongers, with Napoleon as the leader of the warlords, a deceitful leader at that. Initially, when signing peace agreements with other nations, Napoleon imed that France only wished to live freely and had no intention of exporting revolution. He assured the world that France would respect all nations'' sovereignty and not interfere in another country''s internal affairs. But today, wasn''t he interfering in British internal affairs?

    In response to these usations, Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul of France, personally responded. He stated that he certainly respected British sovereignty, and it was not the French government or he, Napoleon, who disrespected British sovereignty, but the British government itself.

    "Sovereignty is worthy of respect because it ultimately represents the collective expression of a nation''s people''s human rights. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau mentioned in ''The Social Contract,'' the sovereignty of a state is the application of the general will of its people. And our ''Deration of the Rights of Man'' also clearly states that ''sovereignty essentially resides in the nation.'' Therefore, anyone who respects another nation''s people will naturally respect that nation''s sovereignty.

    But if a government does not represent the general will, instead constantly viting it, oppressing its people, shooting at peaceful protesters, and imprisoning the true representatives of the general will, how can such a government im to represent a nation''s sovereignty? Remember, human rights are above sovereignty, for human rights are the mother of sovereignty..."

    Napoleon borated on his view from social, legal, historical, and many other perspectives. Regarding his speech, aterment aptly fits:

    "Napoleon''s views and arguments were quite sessful in terms of theory, logic, and evidence. Even if not perfect, they were close to perfect. However, the real implementation faced a huge problem: who has the right to judge whether a nation''s government truly represents its sovereignty? Napoleon set a dangerous precedent by acting as a foreign government, arbitrarily determining another nation''s government''s legitimacy. This turned the judgment of ''sovereignty'' into a matter of military superiority, where Napoleon decided which government had ''non-interfering sovereignty.'' Thus, the principles of ''respecting sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs'' were trampled by Napoleon into the mud..."

    Even as Napoleon made this speech, some immediately saw the artillery hidden behind his eloquent words. The British almost instantly recognized the malicious intent behind Napoleon''s rhetoric and immediately countered.

    But they found themselves in a huge dilemma on the battlefield of public opinion: their voice was too weak, at least on the European continent, so much so that the only way their voice could be heard on the continent was through the French Scientific Truth Gazette. And on the pages of the Scientific Truth Gazette, one could not read their full articles but only see bits and pieces of British statements through the French refutations.

    As the saying goes, "Lies spread with a shout, but truth requires a marathon to catch up." Often, this phenomenon isn''t because people are inherently foolish and prone to believing baseless rumors. A more decisive factor is likely the difference in volume between those spreading lies and those debunking them. When they shout, the whole city hears; when you shout, only those within a ten-step radius can hear. How can one not end up exhausted trying to debunk lies?

    So, at that time, all of Europe was cheering for Napoleon''s "human rights above sovereignty" theory, especially the academic world. Even in many British universities, some schrs sincerely sided with France, believing Napoleon''s viewpoint made more sense.

    The French were not just engaging in verbal battles. After the British refused the French visitation request, another fleet, escorted by the French navy, entered Carol Port. ording to information obtained by the British through spies, the French had delivered arge quantity of new weapons and a significant

    number of military advisors to the Irish in one go.

    Just two days after this "freedom of navigation," an English patrol ship hit a mine and sank off Galway Port. The Americans quickly took responsibility and American envoy Speer appeared in Irnd, issuing a joint statement with the president of the United Irishmen, Russell. In this statement, they announced an alliance to fight against the British colonizers.

    In retaliation, the British began aggressive mining operations outside Carol Port. However, they soon found it very difficult to mine the waters near Carol Port because the Irish had alreadyid a dense minefield there.

    Yes, the Irish had filled the waters near Carol Port with mines. The Irish would not block themselves, so they left a safe passage through the minefield. But the British were unclear about this safe passage, so British mineying ships crashed into the prepared Irish mines before they could mine the Irish port, sinking themselves first.

    The Irish''s creativity also inspired the British, who were worried about how to deal with the endless French-speaking American forcesying mines outside British ports at night. They immediately copied the Irish idea, beginning to mine the waters near their ports likely to be attacked.

    While this did hinder the "American Navy''s" operations, it came at a cost, one of which was the significant decrease in port efficiency due to artificially created winding passages.N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 462: The Sneak Attack

    Meanwhile, in North America, the U.S. Army, under the cover of the French Navy��more precisely, a French cruiser carrying Americans in an electric submarine (which was no bigger than a lifeboat), anchored near Monmouth in the British fleet''s waters. They dispatched a team of British soldiers ashore to foster Anglo-American goodwill. Following the British fleet closely, the French cruiser also anchored and, right under the noses of the British, lowered a small boat. This boat carried a few French soldiers and several bicycles made in France.

    The British knew these were French observers, who would follow the movements of the British Army and record their actions. Their bicycles indeed proved to be an excellent means of keeping pace even with cavalry units.

    Of course, having such a group following them was highly inconvenient for the British forces. Not only was there the concern of premature intelligence leaks, but it was also akin to having two French cruisers impersonating British ships right in front of them. Therefore, each time, the British left behind a few men to "persuade" the French not to follow, using methods other than firearms. The French, undeterred, insisted on following, leading to what almost became a tradition: as soon as the Frenchnded, there would be a boxing match to watch.

    Yes, the British "persuasion" involved sending an equal number of men to physically prevent the French from following by engaging in fistfights.

    This method was chosen to control the situation better, avoiding an esction into warfare through gunfire. The equal numbers were not due to British pride or sportsmanship but rather to make it difficult for the French toin about unfair treatment in the media after a defeat.

    After several such encounters, these skirmishes became an amusing diversion for the soldiers of both sides, who would even ce bets on the oues.

    As usual, the British left behind the necessary personnel, and a one-on-one friendly match ensued, ending in a five-to-five draw. Although today''s match did not produce a victor, the French were sufficiently injured to halt their pursuit of the British Army��god knows what the British troops intended to do under the cover of night, havingnded at dusk.

    The soldiers on the British ships cheered��despite the draw, they had won in practice.

    However, as the British celebrated, on the other side, shielded from the British fleet, a small wooden submarine wasunched from the position where the lifeboat had been lowered. Due to the French cruiser''s obstruction, the British were naturally unaware of this activity.The submarine, resembling a vertical giant goose egg, was lowered into the water. Two genuine Americans descended the ropedder from the French cruiser to the submarine, opened the door to this "goose egg," and climbed inside.

    As the door closed, the submarine began its slow descent, soon disappearing beneath the water''s surface.

    The diving depth of this wooden submarine was quite limited; it could barely exceed eight meters before its wooden hull would fail under the pressure. For safety, its typical operating depth was around four to five meters. Given the water''s rity, during daylight with good visibility, it was possible to spot such a submarine from a vantage point, such as a lookout post, which made it almost impossible to use the submarine effectively during bright noon.

    The submarine relied on a periscope to observe its targets,cking any form of low-light night vision technology. Even technologies to enhance the periscope''s light intake, such as coating technologies, were beyond the capabilities of this era. Therefore, if it was truly night, the submarine faced a new challenge: if they did not surface, they could not see the enemy.

    Thus, the submarine chose tounch its attack in the evening, when the light was dim but not so dim that the periscope became useless.

    The submarine was armed with a timed bomb weighing forty kilograms��thergest bomb it could carry, as the mas used to attach the bomb took up considerable weight.

    The submarine quickly dived to its predetermined depth and silently raised its periscope to survey the surroundings before heading towards the British fleet.

    Approaching the British fleet''s anchorage at slightly over two knots, the dim light prevented the British lookouts from spotting the approaching submarine.

    In a future era, a submarine closing in on its target like this would simplyunch torpedoes at the stationary ships. Unless those torpedoes were the problematic MK-14s developed by the Americans in the 1930s, the British would be doomed.

    However, in this era, not even spar torpedoes had been invented, so the American submarine could not yetunch an attack. It needed to get closer.

    Identifying the British ships was crucial at this point. The submarine carried only one bomb, and the Americans naturally wanted to hit thergest possible target. Their initial target was the "Queen Elizabeth" battleship.

    The target was rtively easy to find; the "Queen Elizabeth" was significantlyrger than the other ships, quickly spotted by the Americans, though

    she was surrounded by several British warships, necessitating some maneuvering to get close.

    After about half an hour, the "Turtle 2" submarine finally reached the shadow of the "Queen Elizabeth."

    As the sun set, casting itsst rays of twilight, darkness fell over the sea.

    "Turtle 2" slowly surfaced near the "Queen Elizabeth." One person opened the hatch, extending halfway out to remove a cover from a box-like object on the submarine, exposing the bomb''s mas. After one final verification of the target, "Turtle 2" submerged again.

    An hourter, "Turtle 2" returned to the French cruiser. By then, it was fully dark. However, finding the French cruiser was much easier than locating the "Queen Elizabeth," as the French, unlike the British who practiced ckout measures, lit up their identification lights at night. This ostensibly aimed to prevent misunderstandings, but the British felt the French did this to signal the British fleet''s presence.

    On the side away from the British fleet, "Turtle 2" lit up its identification lights. The French cruiser lowered hooks, and the two Americans attached the hooks to "Turtle 2," which was then hoisted back onto the cruiser.

    "Tony, did everything go smoothly?" a French officer asked an American watching the submarine''s retrieval.

    "Fairly smooth. The timer is set for 1 a.m., right when everyone''s deeply asleep. Let''s hope our bomb teaches the British a lesson!" Tony gritted his teeth as he looked towards the British fleet.

    Time moved slowly on the French cruiser, with both Americans and French staring towards the British fleet.

    "Damn, it''s only ten o''clock, and it feels like a century has passed."

    "Steve, don''t be impatient. It''s still early. If you can''t wait, you might as well take a nap, and I''ll wake you up," Tony joked with another American.

    "I''m not tired. I can''t sleep," Steve responded, staring intently at the darkened British side, though nothing could be seen except the sound of the waves brought by the sea breeze.

    "How much longer, Tony?" After some time, Steve couldn''t help but ask again.

    "It''s still early. Let''s see, it''s only ten-thirty now. We set it for 1 a.m. How about we y chess?"

    The two set up a chessboard under the light and began to y, with several French officers joining to give advice.

    However, with Steve''s mind elsewhere, his y was erratic, leading to a quick checkmate.

    "Damn, today''s not a good day for chess. I can''t believe I lost to you!"

    "Upset? Want to y another game?"

    "No, I''ve got a cat scratching at my heart; how can I y? Tony, what time is it now?"

    "Why the rush? It''s just about ten-forty. You barely made a few moves before getting checkmated."

    As they talked, a distant explosion suddenly echoed. The British fleet lit up, with searchlights sweeping in all directions.

    "What''s going on? Why did it explode now?" Tony was surprised.

    Steve stood up and rushed to the ship''s side, overturning the chessboard and scattering the pieces.

    "Why did it explode now?"

    "It''s normal," guessed a French officer. "The bomb had arge ma, which could affect the clock due to the steel in it. Maybe that''s why."

    Everyone continued staring towards the British side, but it was night, and even with the lights on, it was impossible to see the extent of the damage.

    "Wonder how the old maid is doing. If..."

    The next morning, as the sun rose, the French and Americans were disappointed to find the "Queen Elizabeth" still afloat. However, upon closer inspection, they noticed the "Queen Elizabeth" seemed to be listing slightly, no more than ten degrees.

    After retrieving the soldiers ashore the previous day, the British navy continued northward at a significantly reduced speed, around 4 knots. It seemedst night''s explosion, while not sinking the old maid, had caused some damage.

    Afterward, the British fleet did not visit any more American cities along the coast but went directly to Halifax Port in Canada, where they stayed for a long time. The French spected that the British were attempting further repairs on the "Queen Elizabeth."

    "Halifax Port doesn''t have the capacity to fully repair a warship like the ''Queen Elizabeth,''" the Governor of New Orleans, Marcel, told Louis. "The British can only reinforce the damaged areas before hastily sending her back to Britain. This means the British fleet''s pressure on the Americans will soon be relieved. Sea power will quickly return to the Americans."

    "Does that mean we might not need to prepare the convicts?" Louis asked.

    "If we want to strike Britain hard, then we need them. If we want Britain and America to continue depleting each other, then we don''t need them for

    now," Governor Marcel said. "But I worry the Americans might negotiate peace with the British."

    This was indeed a danger. Despite suffering losses without gains, the war''s continuation could bring greater losses to the Americans, possibly leading to total loss. If they were rational enough, they would indeed cut their losses.

    Moreover, if the Americans were wise, they would realize that French interests in North America did not align with theirs. In the long run, the French might even be more dangerous than the British. Unless the Americans were willing to abandon their "City upon a Hill" ambitions and content themselves as ornaments on France''s leg, the French and Americans were not true allies. In such a scenario, not only cutting losses but also the possibility of the Americans reconciling with the British was entirely usible, as seen when Sun Quan, who had resisted Cao Cao alongside Liu Bei, suddenly betrayed him to be the King of Wu under Wei.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "So we cannot allow the Americans to withdraw from the war now, nor can we let them join forces with the British," Louis said. "Damn, if Lucien were here, he''d be perfect for this. But since he''s not, we must act ourselves. Governor, we need to spread rumors that someone in the federal government has taken British money, nning to betray the sacrifices of the patriots and negotiate peace with Britain, selling out America!"

 Chapter 463: In Dire Straits

    The situation of the "Queen Elizabeth" in Halifax Harbor was about what the French had expected. Although Halifax is the most important naval base for the British in North America, its port facilities cannotpare with those on the maind. At most, it could maintain cruisers, but a warship like the "Queen Elizabeth" would find it difficult to receive proper maintenance here.

    "A navy''s strengthrgelyes from the ports that support it. Without suitable ports, if portsck the capability to maintain warships, then the navy''sbat effectiveness is significantly reduced. Once a navy''s ships are damaged in battle, theirbat power cannot be effectively restored. Thus, a seemingly powerful fleet bes a kind of one-time fleet. In fact, besides us and the French, the world''s other naval fleets can essentially be considered one-time fleets. This is because once they engage inbat, they inevitably sustain damage, and their damage cannot be recovered, so the fleet only haspletebat power in the first battle. After one major battle, the entire fleet loses its fighting capability. Indeed, far from Europe, in North America, our British fleet hasrgely be a ''one-time fleet''... I heard that the French have rather luxurious port facilities in New Orleans, capable of maintaining ''Indomitable-ss'' battleships. The French are again ahead of us in this aspect. If our forces and the French fleet were to battle in North America, our disadvantage would be even more pronounced. Moreover, the general backwardness of today''s coastal defense systems is also a major problem, especially the fortifications of military ports, because of outdated equipment, oftenck the capability tobat enemy warships..." Nelson wrote down some notes in his notebook, then sighed and put down his pen.

    A few days ago, he received orders from home via courier. The orders instructed the fleet to return to the maind as soon as possible after delivering the army to Canada. Although the letter did not specify the situation at home, Nelson could guess with his heels that it must be the French causing trouble for the United Kingdom again.

    Now the "Queen Elizabeth" was not fully repaired. In fact, in Halifax Harbor, the "Queen Elizabeth" could never be fully repaired. The British still haven''t figured out what caused the explosion. However, because the "Queen Elizabeth" was designed withpartmentalization during its construction, although the bottom of the ship was blown open, the timely closure ofpartments meant that the water ingress was not significant. The ship was only slightly listing.

    After arriving in Halifax, the British first patched up the big hole blown by the bomb from the outside, then used pumps to remove the water from the cabins. Thus, the listing was also gone.

    However, due to theck of equipment in Halifax, this temporary patch was not watertight, and the leaking was quite severe; the pumps had to keep running. Moreover, the patch was not sturdy enough; if encountered with higher sea conditions, there was a very high probability that the patch would fail.

    But this was the limit of what Halifax''s maintenance capabilities could achieve. So, the "Queen Elizabeth" had to return home ailing.

    Worried that high speeds might damage the patch, the "Queen Elizabeth''s" speed was restricted to below six knots, so the entire fleet''s speed was slowed down by this old virgin. Their speed had dropped back to the era of sail.

    When the British fleet arrived in Halifax, the "Free Trade" and "Common Market," which were lent to the U.S. Navy, had already received radio intelligence from the French cruisers that had been tracking the British fleet all the way. So they left the Cabot Strait and returned to New Orleans for repairs.These two ships even approached Halifax under the American g. Last time they passed through Halifax, they already knew that Halifax''s batteries were still using old cannons, so Halifax''s batteries were not to be feared. Steam-powered ships have an obvious weakness: boilers take a considerable time to start up��boiling water is not instantaneous, and even more so for steam engine boilers. If the British were unprepared and the warship boilers were not pressurized, it meant they might be without power for nearly an hour. In such a situation, although the British fleet was far stronger than those two French super cruisers in terms of strength, the French could take advantage of this vulnerable period to brutally assault them under the guise of the U.S. Navy.

    Because both the "Free Trade" and the "Common Market" were steam-powered warships, they would have ck smoke while sailing. The enemy could spot them from a considerable distance by this smoke and thus prepare in advance, so the French chose to approach the port at dawn. However, they were still discovered by the British patrol ships arranged by Nelson��Nelson had long been wary of such situations.

    The British patrol ship fired warning res into the sky and rushed towards the two super cruisers, trying to use their fearless attack to buy more time for

    the fleet in the port.

    The end of the British patrol ship was not much different from that of the American patrol ship that hadunched an attack on the British fleet outside Savannah Harbor. The French cannons easily turned the British ship into a burning torch.

    However, the sacrifice of the British patrol ship indeed bought time for their fleet. By the time the two "American warships" approached Halifax, some British warships had already left the port and began to form a battle line outside the port. More columns of smoke rose inside the port��clearly, the n to beat them while they were heating their boilers had failed.

    So, the two American warships made a light turn outside the range of the British guns and then headed south.

    As for the British fleet, they did not attempt to pursue��they could not catch up with these two "American warships."

    A few dayster, Nelson and General Wellesley bid farewell and set off on the long journey back to Britain with their fleet.

    At this time, a rumor spread like wildfire in the United States. The rumor imed that the federal government had sent a special envoy to Europe. However, the mission of this envoy was not to seek European support for the United States but to negotiate peace with the British government.

    The rumor stated that after suffering a series of defeats, the federal government hadpletely lost confidence in victory. They were preparing to cede territory and pay indemnities, as well as unconditionally open their markets to Britain, in exchange for the British king''s forgiveness for their daring offense against Britain.

    In fact, anyone with a bit of sense, aware of Britain''s current situation, would not believe such a rumor. With the state Britain was in, the Americans'' willingness to seek peace and end the conflict would likely make the British pinch themselves in joy. There would be no need for the Americans to cede territory and pay indemnities.

    But making such a judgment requires one precondition: the person making the judgment must have a brain. However, among the Americans, especially those of that era, there were not many people with brains, particrly in the southern states.

    This is actually normal. ntation owners, because of their outdated modes of production and living, tend to be rtively unsophisticated and know little about the outside world. A direct consequence of an insr life is a dulling of the intellect.

    Secondly, the South suffered severe damage in this war. Yes, the war seemed to be a matter for the North. But unexpectedly, the British navy came from the South,mitting arson and murder along the coastline, causing heavy losses in the South.

    Because the federal government''s emergency purchase of minester yed a significant role, preventing the British from achieving victories like Savannah again. But by the time the mines arrived, several southern states had already been ravaged by the British.

    The southerners wouldn''t think that the northern coastal cities were less attacked because the mines arrived in time. They believed that the northern cities were less attacked because the federal government had more troops there. And the reason the North had more troops was that the federal government had transferred the southern states'' troops to the North, leaving the southern states virtually defenseless against British ravages.

    Now, with such great sacrifices made by the South, the federal government was about to betray the country?! This was simply unbearable even for an aunt, let alone an uncle!

    As a result, arge number of media reporters surrounded Jefferson, bombarding him with questions about whether he intended to make peace with the British, even at the cost of ceding territory and paying indemnities.

    Of course, Jefferson knew that if he showed any intention ofpromising with the British at this time, he would immediately face a political storm. Not to mention, if peace were made with the British in such a manner, Georgia would probably immediately dere its withdrawal from the federation.

    Therefore, President Jefferson naturally denied it. He told reporters that although the British, by despicably attacking civilians, had temporarily gained an upper hand, the American people, blessed by God, would surely win the final victory. As for the envoy he sent, he had never had any contact with the British. His actions in Europe were all aimed at gaining more support.

    However, President Jefferson''s statement did not reassure all Americans, as various rumors continued to emerge. This situation persisted until the president''s special envoy, Speer, returned from Europe, bringing back various public and secret treaties he had signed with the French, Spaniards, and Irish.

    These secret treaties could not be disclosed, such as the Americans fighting in Spain now; but just the public treaties, such as the alliance with the Irish, clearly showed that the president''s envoy was indeed working to win the war, not to surrender.

    This certainly cleared President Jefferson of the suspicion of being a "traitor." But to clear himself of this suspicion, President Jefferson had to slightly exaggerate the support he received in the diplomatic field, such as iming that the Irish wouldunch arge-scale counterattack to win independencepletely. This exaggeration made

    the American people firmly believe that they would surely win, making the possibility of peace talks even smaller.

    Of course, the Irishunching arge-scale counterattack was not entirely an exaggeration. After the previous failures, the Irish recently received a lot of aid and indeed needed tounch an offensive to improve their offensive capabilities and boost morale.

    However, this offensive was not the rge-scale," "decisive" action that the Americans advertised. Chairman Russell and their French friends did not think that the time was ripe for such an action. This could be seen from the operation being named the "Learning n."

    In short, the goals of this offensive were quite limited, which was to continuously attack the railway crossing Irnd and ultimately make it unsustainable.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "The British railway is a noose around our necks. But the railway line is so long, they cannot maintain enough troops at any point. Now that we have received more weapons, our capability to storm has clearly strengthened. Although we still do not have the ability to quickly take down those most fortified core positions, we do have the ability to destroy a few small outposts and damage a section of the railway before they can react, as well as conduct small-scale ambushes." Chairman Russell said, "Weunch such an attack on the railway line every day, killing a few, a dozen, dozens, or even more British soldiers. If this continues, how long can this railwayst?"

    Russell''s confidencergely came from another new weapon they received from the French��a light infantry cannon.

    This was a cannon that could fire directly, designed with a series of weight-reduction measures, such as having two types of barrels, a shorter 60 mm barrel (which limited its initial velocity and gave it a rtively curved trajectory) and a longer 40 mm barrel. Moreover, everyponent was designed to be quickly disassembled and carried by soldiers.

    Although the shorter barrel meant that the cannon''s initial velocity was not high, it was still a genuine direct-fire cannon, more suitable for attacking bunkers than recoilless rifles, with longer range, higher uracy, and faster rate of fire. Even, if necessary, by switching to the 40 mm long barrel, this weapon could be used to ambush British armored trains from a rtively safe distance.

 Chapter 464: Acts of Kindness

    At the crack of dawn, Magidi was abruptly pulled out of his bedroll. "Magidi, it''s your turn to stand guard!"

    Scrambling up, Magidi grumbled as he clumsily dressed, "Roy, what''s the hurry? It''s not like anything''s going to happen. Why bother standing guard?"

    Magidi''s post was deep within the guerri-controlled area, previously a British outpost. Recently, due to the British needing soldiers everywhere, and this outpost''s proximity to the guerri zone, it had been abandoned.

    But Magidi''s casual "nothing''s going to happen" wasn''t entirely wrong, for they had reached a gentleman''s agreement with the guerris. They would hand over a bat loss" every month to the guerris, essentially supplying them with arms and ammunition (reported as battle losses), while promising to turn a blind eye to the guerris'' activities without interference. In return, the guerris ensured their personal safety and that they wouldn''t starve due to supply blockades.

    Frankly, the guerris were considered decent folks, reliable in their word, making them quite popr among the outpost''s security forces. Lately, the guerris even initiated a "trade-in" service with Magidi and his team, swapping worn weapons for new ones beyond the agreed bat losses," which could be reported as "damaged in use" for recements or used to im military honors from the British. Indeed, the guerris were seen as truly considerate allies.

    "Someone from above ising for inspection today, make sure everything looks right," Roy replied.

    "Damn it!" cursed Magidi.

    The inspection was essentially their own doing, as their reported captures andbat engagements had been excessively hightely. Their achievements were so remarkable that higher-ups decided to inspect and possibly award medals.

    However, no one in the outpost looked forward to these visits. The inherent issues here would be apparent upon close inspection. Moreover, medals didn''t trante to increased pay, rendering them pointless."Haven''t we informed the other side? Let them handle the reception, right? What a hassle!" Magidi, having donned his cap and grabbed his rifle, prepared to leave.

    "Handling the reception" meant they had informed the guerris about the impending inspection by the British��the "real superiors." The guerris wouldn''t normally miss such an opportunity.

    This had be the norm, reducing the frequency of inspections, especially by the "real superiors."

    Of course, there were times when the guerris couldn''t fulfill their "reception" duties due to various reasons. Hence, they didn''t guaranteepleting these tasks upon request, meaning preparations for superior inspections were still necessary.

    Magidi stepped out, heading to the lookout tower.

    "Jim,e down, it''s my turn!" shouted Magidi.

    No response. After another shout, Jim''s groggy voice came from above, "Alright,ing down."

    Soon, Jim descended, carrying a rifle nearly worn smooth, his dazed expression revealing he''d likely been napping.

    Wooden towers were poor defensive structures, offering visibility but exposing sentinels. Previously, when actual fighting was a concern, no British soldier would volunteer for such duty, risking being shot unexpectedly. If a sentinel died, he effectively served his warning purpose.

    Thus, only security forces, as expendable as the wooden towers, would man them due to their low cost.

    Now, the security forces preferred these towers for their height and narrow, inexpensive construction, offering privacy for napping unseen. Previously, fear of guerri sniper fire deterred them, but now, friendly rtions with the guerris, who kept their word as long as their "tribute" was paid on time, had changed that.

    As Magidi took over, intending to nap, he spotted a guerri unit hauling an unfamiliar cannon across the road.

    "Guess they''re off to wee the inspectors," Magidi thought. "Impressive, even bringing out cannons for the asion. Our superiors suremand respect!" ??��?��??

    Anticipating tonight''s share of the spoils, he admired the guerris'' reliability. Informing them often led to a bonus post-wee. After a recent guerri "reception" of a British foraging party, each man received two pounds��an act of true generosity.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    However, Magidi soon realized something was amiss as more cannons appeared.

    "My word, five cannons? Is our superior really worth all this? Such a grand reception... Or are they heading to attack the railway position? Wait, this isn''t the guerris; it''s the Independent Army!"

    Magidi urgently yelled below, "The Independent Army ising; hang the g!"

    Per their agreement with the guerris, they were provided a tricolor g of green, white, and blue to raise if faced with arge Independent Army force, signaling continued goodwill and peaceful coexistence.

    Quickly, the outpost''s security forces lowered the British g, raising the g of the Irish Independent Army.

 Chapter 465: The Railroad Ambush

    About three hundred independent soldiers casually strolled past Magid and their sentry post. Everyone in the post came outside, their hands empty, showing a simple and honest smile to the independent soldiers passing by them.

    The soldiers didn''t spare a nce at this bunch of dark-skinned dogs, continuing their silent march past them. They knew, despite the harmless appearance of these dark-skinned dogs now, there had been times when they caused more trouble to themon people than even the British devils. Their current docility was solely because the revolutionary people now had guns in their hands.

    "If the people don''t have shotguns in their hands, they''re ferocious wolves; once we pick up shotguns, they all bepdogs. Thus, without the people''s army, the people have nothing!" Watching the security forces disying a begging attitude, many soldiers couldn''t help but recall this phrase they learned during political studies.

    However, now was not the time for sentimentality; there was abat mission ahead.

    The independent soldiers kept moving past the "security forces''" sentry post without stopping. Only a few individuals left the ranks and approached the security forces standing there.

    The sentry postmander, Roy, recognized the approaching figure as Edward, the local squad leader.

    "Captain! What brings you here today?" Commander Roy hurried forward, bowing and scraping.

    "You see that?" Edward gestured towards the troops passing by.

    "Yes, yes." Roy didn''t understand Edward''s implication, but ording to his experience with dealing with the British, it was best to agree first."What do you mean, ''yes''? What are you agreeing to?" Edward said, "Do you even know what''s required?"

    "I don''t know, don''t want to know, dare not know." Roy hurriedly replied. Such matters were not to be known casually. Knowing too much could only lead to trouble.

    "I won''t hide it from you; we have an important military operation. We''re worried that once we leave, you''ll immediately inform the Brits..." Edward said.

    "Captain, how could that be? I''m Irish too. Don''t judge me by this dark coat I wear; in my heart, I''m truly Irish. How could we do something so heartless? Right,ds?"

    The other "security forces" soldiers naturally agreed, expressing their support for Irish independence as true Irishmen.

    "Captain, you know, we''ve dealt with each other not just once or twice. Could you really not trust me? When have I ever deceived you?"

    "Cut the crap, I just don''t trust you. The gunpowder you gave mest time was all wrong! So, today, my brothers and I will keep an eye on you. Don''t go anywhere; just stay here. Once the fighting starts, we''ll naturally let you go," Edward stated.

    "That''s it? That''s nothing. Let''s all just sit here; we won''t cause any trouble," Roy told his soldiers. Then turning back to Edward, he said, "Captain, about that gunpowder, it really wasn''t me who shorted you. How could I dare? It was the damn Brits who gave us the defective goods. I can''t be med for that. But Captain, I can''t let you suffer a loss either. Next month, I''ll give you two more guns; how about we call it even then?"

    As the independent soldiers continued their march, the railway line soon appeared before them. Along the railway line, about a hundred meters on each side, were wire fences enclosing minefields. At intervals, there were forts. These forts were rtively simple, their main purpose being to dy the independent soldiers'' attack, buying time for reinforcements to arrive.

    As for reinforcements, the fastest response naturally came from armored trains. Generally, as long as the British soldiers in the forts could hold off the Irish for half an hour, British armored trains could arrive. Each armored train was equipped with four cannons and could carry over three hundred infantrymen. In most cases, this was sufficient to turn the tide of battle.

    Once the independent soldiers were spotted by the British in the bunkers, they quickly called the nearest station, requesting immediate deployment of an armored train for support.

    The independent soldiers immediately formed up to prepare for the assault. They firstunched smoke grenades towards the British bunkers with grenadeunchers to obstruct their view. Meanwhile,bat engineers, under the cover of the smoke, quickly used explosive charges to destroy the wire fences.

    The British grenadeunchers responded. Although the smoke affected their aiming, the British had already gridded this area and conducted test firings. Besides this bunker, the British had one or two hidden observation points further away on the other side of the railway, allowing them to pinpoint the independent soldiers'' location and conduct blind firing with their grenadeunchers. Thus, despite the smoke causing some interference, the British fire remained quite effective.

    As a result, the grenadeunchers took down eight

    or nine independent soldiers. However, the limited power of the grenadeunchers couldn''t suppress the independent soldiers.

    After the wire fences were destroyed, the independent soldiersunched mine-clearing rockets, quickly clearing a path through the minefield��a significant advancement in their weaponry since the French had forcefully opened a path with their ships.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    By this time, the five cannons had alsopleted their firing preparations. These cannons had a significantly longer range than the grenadeunchers, and their prating and destructive power against targets like bunkers were also notably superior to recoilless guns. So, as they began firing, the British bunkers were immediately suppressed.

    The independent soldiers took this opportunity to charge forward, and then, the British in the bunkers raised a stick with a white shirt tied to it, signaling surrender.

    After taking the bunkers, they began dismantling the railway tracks��a task with many uses for the materials. Meanwhile, the artillerymen started to rece the barrels of two cannons and pulled them back a bit further, camouging them with leaves. At this moment, a ck smoke column rose in the distance��that was the British armored train approaching.

    "Comrades, don''t worry, that thing might look intimidating, but it can''t withstand our cannons. If we don''t teach them a lesson, they''ll really think they can fight us. Remember, once the train slows down, Gun 1 and Gun 2 target the engine, the other cannons will use armor-piercing shells on the troop carriages."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 466: A Pretext for War

    The British aboard the armored train had already noticed the damage to the tracks ahead, so the train began to slow down, and the infantry onboard started preparing forbat disembarkation.

    The train''s wheels squeaked loudly against the rails as it trembled and decelerated sharply, with soldiers grabbing onto whatever was nearby to maintain their bnce.

    The armored train''s braking system performed well,ing to a gradual stop close to the damaged section of the track, with soldiers readying their weapons for disembarkation. Just then, a series of cannon shots rang out.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The independence army''s two 40mm long-barrel cannons fired first. Their target was the British armored train''s power car, which, unlike conventional trains, is usually positioned in the middle to prevent damage from mines to the most crucial power car.

    However, in front of the cannons, such arrangement was futile. Two 40mm armor-piercing shells easily prated the thin armor designed to protect against rifle bullets, making it seem as fragile as paper in front of the 40mm shells.

    After the shells prated the cylinders, they exploded, releasing a burst of high-pressure steam that enveloped everything, including the driver''s cabin, in white vapor. Later, the independence army soldiers found that the drivers and boiler workers had been cooked alive by the steam.

    Following the 40mm cannons'' fire, the other artillery units also opened fire on the armored train fiercely. When using the 60mm short-barrel cannons, due to their lower initial velocity, their prating power was far inferior to the 40mm shells. However, the 60mm armor-piercing fragmentation shells were still capable of prating the armor of the passenger cars, which were only designed to withstand rifle bullets.

    The French military had already begun equipping high-explosive shells, but since they were very expensive, the Irish opted not to use them unless necessary. Armor-piercing fragmentation shells, relying on shrapnel from the shell''s fragmentation upon prating the armor, did not require a fuse or explosives, making them much cheaper byparison.

    The British armored train had a total of six carriages, with the power car and coal-water car in the middle, nked by passenger cars, and each end of the train had a fire support carriage equipped with two cannons.ording to the n, one of the independence army''s artillery units'' important tasks was to strike the passenger cars before the British soldiers could disembark. Experiments by the French indicated that if they could fire a round or two of armor-piercing fragmentation shells at the passenger cars before the British soldiers could disembark, they could almost immediately incapacitate the troops inside.

    As the French experiments had shown, after a few volleys were fired at the passenger cars, several bloodied, shell-shocked British soldiers were seen scrambling down.

    These British soldiers didn''t even have their rifles; they just ran around, even forgetting that the surrounding area was mined, causing many of them to step onndmines.

    Then, the British fire support carriages responded by firing at the independence army''s artillery units, but due to hasty shooting, none of the shells hit effectively. Meanwhile, the independence army''s infantry, brandishing their guns, rushed towards the paralyzed British armored train.

    The few cannons on the fire support carriages could not stop the infantry charge, as they could not provide continuous fire. The armored train''sbat effectivenessrgely depended on the infantry it carried, but now those infantry were of no use, allowing the independence army''s soldiers to quickly approach and enter the cannons'' dead zones on the fire support carriages.

    As the soldiers were about to throw grenades at the stubbornly resisting enemy, they suddenly found the enemy''s cannon fire cease, and a white shirt was hoisted on a bay, waved at them. They also heard a voice shouting: "Don''t shoot! Don''t shoot! We surrender!"

    The British surrendered so readily, which was quite unexpected to the soldiers. Typically, thebat capability and will of the regr British army far exceeded that of the gendarmerie, and they rarely surrendered so easily.

    However, when the soldiers entered the passenger cars and saw the carnage caused by the armor-piercing fragmentation shells, everyone understood why the British had surrendered so readily.

    "The inside (of the passenger cars) was a horrific sight. The shells had pierced through the outer armor and fragmented upon entry, like bullets from a shotgun, ah, but much more potent than that. A shotgun pellet is at bestparable to a bullet from a revolver. But these were shells, and even the smaller fragments could prate a person and then wound another. Therger pieces could prate several people and, after passing through three or four, could bounce back from the armor on the other side and wound another person.

    The passenger cars were so crowded that there was no ce to hide during the bombardment. Continuous firing meant that they didn''t even have a chance to disembark, and in one carriage, apart

    from a few individuals, the majority of the British were either killed or severely wounded in the bombardment. It can be said that these few rounds of firing decided the oue of the battle.

    The independence army soldiers left those who were dead or injured and then used explosives topletely destroy the armored train before leaving the railway line with prisoners and trophies.

    Over the following month, the independence army mobilized over a hundred battalions tounch raids on various railway lines across Irnd, sessfully dislodging hundreds of British military positions, killing or wounding over six thousand British soldiers, destroying thirteen armored trains, and capturing arge amount of weaponry.

    During this battle, a situation previously rare urred: whether in terms of casualties or prisoners, the British forces far exceeded the gendarmerie. Many gendarmerie units excused themselves from battle with pretexts such as "the telephone is broken,pletely inaudible," (it was said some gendarmerie units cut their own phone lines, naturally bing unreachable due to sabotage by the independence army). Thus, aside from losing some weapons, they didn''t suffer significant losses.

    However, the British military reports showed their losses as astonishing. Including Captain Jarvis, their units reported being attacked by the independence army, suffering heavy casualties, with nearly half their men dead, and in some cases, only a third surviving. After all, if the genuine British lords suffered so many casualties, how could the gendarmeriee out unscathed? That would be tantamount to admitting collusion with the independence army. Hence, they had to significantly exaggerate their losses to justify themselves when the British lords were besieged by rebels.

    Of course, the "dead" Irish gendarmerie were mostly ghosts, or rather, individuals who existed only on payroll registers and not in reality. They all shared amon name: "ghost soldiers."

    The British faced another setback and retreated to major cities. Recently, Aslon, which had previously caused significant losses to the independence army, began to be isted. Although they weren''t surrounded again, the continuous destruction of railway lines made supplies increasingly difficult.

    "Damn it, where is our fleet? If we can''t cut off the French support for the rebels, we''ll bleed dry in the swamps of Irnd!" Faced with this predicament, the Duke of Norfolk began to shift the me desperately onto the British navy''s head.

    This was inevitable, as the situation was nearing out of control. If not ming others now, how could one surviveter? Just like theter "Knowing King," who would curse the rabbit whenever the polls were against him, the more hegged behind, the more ck pots he threw at the little white rabbit, requiring more imagination.

    However, the Duke of Norfolk didn''t know that at this moment, Nelson''s fleet was facing significant danger.

    To keep abreast of information from North America, the French navy dispatched several cruisers equipped with wireless equipment to patrol the Antic, acting as temporary wireless signal ry stations.

    Using this system, the French quickly learned about the British fleet, especially the "Queen Elizabeth," which was severely damaged and unable to sail at high speed. The fleet was currently returning home.

    "Joseph, look at the new intelligence, ''Queen Elizabeth'' is severely damaged and cannot sail at high speed. They are on their way back now. Do you think we should...?"

    "Are you suggesting we take advantage of their vulnerability?" Joseph, who was telling his daughter a story, paused to ask Napoleon this question.

    "Daddy, what happened to Snow White afterwards?" little Alice asked.

    "Ah, didn''t I tell you? The prince and princess lived happily ever after, right?" Joseph said.

    "What happened after that?" His daughter, unwilling to end it there, asked again.

    "After that? Well, they eventually died," Joseph said.

    "How did they die? Was there another witch who gave her a poisoned apple?"

    "There was no witch, but people grow old and die. If Snow White didn''t die, she would have turned into an old witch!" Joseph smiled, patting Alice''s head, then said, "Alright Alice, the story is over. Uh, go y by yourself for a while, I have some things to discuss with your uncle Napoleon."

    Alice ran out the door, thoughtfully closing it behind her.

    "I want to dispatch our main fleet to intercept them and eliminate them. As long as we can find them at sea and destroy them, we can gain a decisive advantage over the British navy and force them to further concede to us."

    "Who is themander of the British fleet?" Joseph asked.

    "General Nelson. He has performed excellently in a series of military operations before," Napoleon answered.

    Hearing this name made Joseph hesitate. Although, ording to Napoleon''s idea, the French fleet was far superior in tonnage and equipment level to Nelson''s fleet, the mere name Nelson was enough to make Joseph hesitate.

    However, after thinking for a while, Joseph finally made up his mind:

    "Our fleet, rtive to Nelson''s, is

    After talking for half a day and setting the general principles, the next steps were up to Admiral Treveil.

    Seeing that his older brother blessed the n, Napoleon felt even more confident about the operation.

    "As everyone knows, Joseph is a coward; he wouldn''t speak recklessly about uncertain things," Napoleon thought.

    Of course, France and Britain were still at peace. To attack the British, even though it was clear they were taking advantage of their vulnerability, a reason or pretext was still needed. If only France and Britain shared a border, then the French could dress some death row inmates in British army uniforms...

    However, this issue also didn''t require Napoleon to brainstorm; letting Lucien and Talleyrand discuss it was sufficient.

    After consulting, Lucien and Talleyrand came back to Napoleon and said, "We''ll send a warship, preferably a rtively significant one, to visit Britain, in a show-off manner. Then, the British will undoubtedly have protest actions against us. Next, we''ll have this ship explode and sink in a British port. Then we can use the British of blowing up our warship, followed by making a bunch of demands they couldn''t possibly agree to, and issue them an ultimatum. Then we can justifiably and legally go to war with Britain."

    "What kind of ss of warship do you think is appropriate?" Napoleon asked.

    "A super-cruiser," Lucien answered.

    "Nonsense, you really don''t know how to be frugal! Do you know how expensive a super-cruiser is?" Napoleon said displeasedly, "Moreover, super-cruisers are an important force inbat, we can''t waste them like this. Hmm, send an armored cruiser, that''ll do. Really, it''s just a pretext. Who doesn''t know it''s a pretext? Besides, as long as the British attack our ship, even if it''s just a patrol boat that sinks, that''s a sufficient pretext."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 467: Declaration of War

    Chapter 467: Deration of War

    The British aboard the armored train had already noticed the damage to the tracks ahead, so the train began to slow down, and the infantry onboard started preparing forbat disembarkation.

    The train''s wheels squeaked loudly against the rails as it trembled and decelerated sharply, with soldiers grabbing onto whatever was nearby to maintain their bnce.

    The armored train''s braking system performed well,ing to a gradual stop close to the damaged section of the track, with soldiers readying their weapons for disembarkation. Just then, a series of cannon shots rang out.

    The independence army''s two 40mm long-barrel cannons fired first. Their target was the British armored train''s power car, which, unlike conventional trains, is usually positioned in the middle to prevent damage from mines to the most crucial power car.

    However, in front of the cannons, such arrangement was futile. Two 40mm armor-piercing shells easily prated the thin armor designed to protect against rifle bullets, making it seem as fragile as paper in front of the 40mm shells.

    After the shells prated the cylinders, they exploded, releasing a burst of high-pressure steam that enveloped everything, including the driver''s cabin, in white vapor. Later, the independence army soldiers found that the drivers and boiler workers had been cooked alive by the steam.

    Following the 40mm cannons'' fire, the other artillery units also opened fire on the armored train fiercely. When using the 60mm short-barrel cannons, due to their lower initial velocity, their prating power was far inferior to the 40mm shells. However, the 60mm armor-piercing fragmentation shells were still capable of prating the armor of the passenger cars, which were only designed to withstand rifle bullets.

    The French military had already begun equipping high-explosive shells, but since they were very expensive, the Irish opted not to use them unless necessary. Armor-piercing fragmentation shells, relying on shrapnel from the shell''s fragmentation upon prating the armor, did not require a fuse or explosives, making them much cheaper byparison.

    The British armored train had a total of six carriages, with the power car and coal-water car in the middle, nked by passenger cars, and each end of the train had a fire support carriage equipped with two cannons.ording to the n, one of the independence army''s artillery units'' important tasks was to strike the passenger cars before the British soldiers could disembark. Experiments by the French indicated that if they could fire a round or two of armor-piercing fragmentation shells at the passenger cars before the British soldiers could disembark, they could almost immediately incapacitate the troops inside.

    As the French experiments had shown, after a few volleys were fired at the passenger cars, several bloodied, shell-shocked British soldiers were seen scrambling down.

    These British soldiers didn''t even have their rifles; they just ran around, even forgetting that the surrounding area was mined, causing many of them to step onndmines.

    Then, the British fire support carriages responded by firing at the independence army''s artillery units, but due to hasty shooting, none of the shells hit effectively. Meanwhile, the independence army''s infantry, brandishing their guns, rushed towards the paralyzed British armored train.

    The few cannons on the fire support carriages could not stop the infantry charge, as they could not provide continuous fire. The armored train''sbat effectivenessrgely depended on the infantry it carried, but now those infantry were of no use, allowing the independence army''s soldiers to quickly approach and enter the cannons'' dead zones on the fire support carriages.

    As the soldiers were about to throw grenades at the stubbornly resisting enemy, they suddenly found the enemy''s cannon fire cease, and a white shirt was hoisted on a bay, waved at them. They also heard a voice shouting: "Don''t shoot! Don''t shoot! We surrender!"

    The British surrendered so readily, which was quite unexpected to the soldiers. Typically, thebat capability and will of the regr British army far exceeded that of the gendarmerie, and they rarely surrendered so easily.

    However, when the soldiers entered the passenger cars and saw the carnage caused by the armor-piercing fragmentation shells, everyone understood why the British had surrendered so readily.

    "The inside (of the passenger cars) was a horrific sight. The shells had pierced through the outer armor and fragmented upon entry, like bullets from a shotgun, ah, but much more potent than that. A shotgun pellet is at bestparable to a bullet from a revolver. But these were shells, and even the smaller fragments could prate a person and then wound another. Therger pieces could prate several people and, after passing through three or four, could bounce back from the armor on the other side and wound another person.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The passenger cars were so crowded that there was no ce to hide during the bombardment. Continuous firing meant that they didn''t even have a chance to disembark, and in one carriage, apart

    from a few individuals, the majority of the British were either killed or severely wounded in the bombardment. It can be said that these few rounds of firing decided the oue of the battle.

    The independence army soldiers left those who were dead or injured and then used explosives topletely destroy the armored train before leaving the railway line with prisoners and trophies.

    Over the following month, the independence army mobilized over a hundred battalions tounch raids on various railway lines across Irnd, sessfully dislodging hundreds of British military positions, killing or wounding over six thousand British soldiers, destroying thirteen armored trains, and capturing arge amount of weaponry.

    During this battle, a situation previously rare urred: whether in terms of casualties or prisoners, the British forces far exceeded the gendarmerie. Many gendarmerie units excused themselves from battle with pretexts such as "the telephone is broken,pletely inaudible," (it was said some gendarmerie units cut their own phone lines, naturally bing unreachable due to sabotage by the independence army). Thus, aside from losing some weapons, they didn''t suffer significant losses.

    However, the British military reports showed their losses as astonishing. Including Captain Jarvis, their units reported being attacked by the independence army, suffering heavy casualties, with nearly half their men dead, and in some cases, only a third surviving. After all, if the genuine British lords suffered so many casualties, how could the gendarmeriee out unscathed? That would be tantamount to admitting collusion with the independence army. Hence, they had to significantly exaggerate their losses to justify themselves when the British lords were besieged by rebels.

    Of course, the "dead" Irish gendarmerie were mostly ghosts, or rather, individuals who existed only on payroll registers and not in reality. They all shared amon name: "ghost soldiers."

    The British faced another setback and retreated to major cities. Recently, Aslon, which had previously caused significant losses to the independence army, began to be isted. Although they weren''t surrounded again, the continuous destruction of railway lines made supplies increasingly difficult.

    "Damn it, where is our fleet? If we can''t cut off the French support for the rebels, we''ll bleed dry in the swamps of Irnd!" Faced with this predicament, the Duke of Norfolk began to shift the me desperately onto the British navy''s head.

    This was inevitable, as the situation was nearing out of control. If not ming others now, how could one surviveter? Just like theter "Knowing King," who would curse the rabbit whenever the polls were against him, the more hegged behind, the more ck pots he threw at the little white rabbit, requiring more imagination.

    However, the Duke of Norfolk didn''t know that at this moment, Nelson''s fleet was facing significant danger.

    To keep abreast of information from North America, the French navy dispatched several cruisers equipped with wireless equipment to patrol the Antic, acting as temporary wireless signal ry stations.

    Using this system, the French quickly learned about the British fleet, especially the "Queen Elizabeth," which was severely damaged and unable to sail at high speed. The fleet was currently returning home.

    "Joseph, look at the new intelligence, ''Queen Elizabeth'' is severely damaged and cannot sail at high speed. They are on their way back now. Do you think we should...?"

    "Are you suggesting we take advantage of their vulnerability?" Joseph, who was telling his daughter a story, paused to ask Napoleon this question.

    "Daddy, what happened to Snow White afterwards?" little Alice asked.

    "Ah, didn''t I tell you? The prince and princess lived happily ever after, right?" Joseph said.

    "What happened after that?" His daughter, unwilling to end it there, asked again.

    "After that? Well, they eventually died," Joseph said.

    "How did they die? Was there another witch who gave her a poisoned apple?"

    "There was no witch, but people grow old and die. If Snow White didn''t die, she would have turned into an old witch!" Joseph smiled, patting Alice''s head, then said, "Alright Alice, the story is over. Uh, go y by yourself for a while, I have some things to discuss with your uncle Napoleon."

    Alice ran out the door, thoughtfully closing it behind her.

    "I want to dispatch our main fleet to intercept them and eliminate them. As long as we can find them at sea and destroy them, we can gain a decisive advantage over the British navy and force them to further concede to us."

    "Who is themander of the British fleet?" Joseph asked.

    "General Nelson. He has performed excellently in a series of military operations before," Napoleon answered.

    Hearing this name made Joseph hesitate. Although, ording to Napoleon''s idea, the French fleet was far superior in tonnage and equipment level to Nelson''s fleet, the mere name Nelson was enough to make Joseph hesitate.

    However, after thinking for a while, Joseph finally made up his mind:

    "Our fleet, rtive to Nelson''s, is

    After talking for half a day and setting the general principles, the next steps were up to Admiral Treveil.

    Seeing that his older brother blessed the n, Napoleon felt even more confident about the operation.

    "As everyone knows, Joseph is a coward; he wouldn''t speak recklessly about uncertain things," Napoleon thought.

    Of course, France and Britain were still at peace. To attack the British, even though it was clear they were taking advantage of their vulnerability, a reason or pretext was still needed. If only France and Britain shared a border, then the French could dress some death row inmates in British army uniforms...

    However, this issue also didn''t require Napoleon to brainstorm; letting Lucien and Talleyrand discuss it was sufficient.

    After consulting, Lucien and Talleyrand came back to Napoleon and said, "We''ll send a warship, preferably a rtively significant one, to visit Britain, in a show-off manner. Then, the British will undoubtedly have protest actions against us. Next, we''ll have this ship explode and sink in a British port. Then we can use the British of blowing up our warship, followed by making a bunch of demands they couldn''t possibly agree to, and issue them an ultimatum. Then we can justifiably and legally go to war with Britain."

    "What kind of ss of warship do you think is appropriate?" Napoleon asked.

    "A super-cruiser," Lucien answered.

    "Nonsense, you really don''t know how to be frugal! Do you know how expensive a super-cruiser is?" Napoleon said displeasedly, "Moreover, super-cruisers are an important force inbat, we can''t waste them like this. Hmm, send an armored cruiser, that''ll do. Really, it''s just a pretext. Who doesn''t know it''s a pretext? Besides, as long as the British attack our ship, even if it''s just a patrol boat that sinks, that''s a sufficient pretext."

 Chapter 468: Naval Battle (1)

    As they maneuvered, the distance between the two sides narrowed to about four kilometers, and the British finally began to return fire against the French. However, the results of the British gunfire were the same as the French''s��none of the shells hit their targets, with the nearest onending a hundred to two hundred meters off.

    This was quite normal for the era, as ship cannonscked stabilizers and were greatly affected by the rocking of the ships, especially in the notoriously rough North Antic. Thus, missing targets at this range was to be expected.

    The gap between the fleets continued to close. The French had more ships and also held a speed advantage.

    In fact, there wasn''t much difference between the British and French in terms of steam engine technology. If there was any gap, it was that steel was cheaper in France, allowing for a slight edge in performance stability due to less concern over the cost of materials.

    Despite simr steam engine performance, French ships were generally faster due to differences in hull design and propeller manufacturing. This speed advantage meant that British ships could hardlypete with French ships in the civilian steamship market, except within Britain and its colonies.

    Moreover, the British "Queen Elizabeth" had to reduce speed due to damage, slowing down the entire squadron.

    The British had long recognized the French speed advantage as insurmountable, so they focused on stability and agility rather than speed in their ship design, prioritizing armor and firepower��a strategy somewhat reminiscent of another nation''s military vessels in an alternate timeline. This choice, though strategic, meant relinquishing initiative on the battlefield, including the decision to engage or disengage frombat.

    This was a disadvantage for a colonial power like Britain. If possible, figures like Nelson would have preferred a fleet that could swing the hammer aggressively rather than a "fleet of iron turtles."

    However, they had no choice. If they only had "eggs" capable of swinging hammers, they''d be at a disadvantage when confronted by French "turtles" with hammers ready to invade. Moreover, French "eggs" might roll faster if everyone were to be "eggs."The British believed they had a tactical advantage with their thicker armor andrger-caliber guns against the faster, but less armored and lightly armed French ships. Yet, as soon as battlemenced, the British realized their initial assessments were significantly off.

    British naval strategy divided ship performance into six categories: speed, maneuverability, maintenance (navigational capabilities), and firepower, protection, damage control bat capabilities).

    The British thought their ships were superior in firepower, protection, and maneuverability, while French ships excelled in speed and maintenance. Damage control was considered roughly equal. The British hoped that even if the French had the strategic upper hand, a direct naval engagement would reveal a slight British advantage, assuming equal numbers.

    However, the initial exchange of fire showed the British had misjudged the French, especially in terms of firepower. Despite therger caliber of British battleship guns, the astonishing rate of fire from the French suggested no significant British advantage in firepower.

    As for defense, British ships theoretically had thicker armor, but the actual effectiveness of this armor, given differences in metallurgy, was debatable.

    The numerical disparity on the battlefield onlypounded British concerns. Nelson''s squadron,prised of one modern battleship, three "super-cruisers" (smallerpared to their French counterparts but simrly fast, albeit with only standard cruiser armor), and six armored cruisers, faced a muchrger French force.

    Marshal Treveil''s fleet boasted two battleships, two super-cruisers, and fifteen armored cruisers, with the armored cruisers alone outnumbering their British counterparts by more than double.

    To maximize their numerical advantage, Marshal Treveil split his fleet into two divisions. The first, consisting of the battleships "Engdo" and "Caesar" along with six armored cruisers, aimed to suppress the British "Queen Elizabeth" and the super-cruisers. The second division,prising the super-cruisers "Prosperity" and "Long Peace" and nine cruisers, focused on eliminating the British cruisers before concentrating fire on the British gship.

    Recognizing the formidable French lineup, Nelson feared the worst. The French advantage seemed overwhelming, and Nelson believed that if he weremanding the French fleet, the British would likely not escape. ?????������S

    As the slow dance of gunfire continued, Nelson ordered the best-conditioned super-cruiser "Yorkshire" to break through the French lines.

    Thismand had two purposes: firstly, to quickly inform the homnd of the dire situation, as ignorance could lead to greater danger. Secondly, only French super-cruisers could catch the "Yorkshire," which, despite its speed, had less firepower and armor than the French counterparts. A head-to-head battle could still go either way, but sending two super-cruisers would significantly reduce the pressure on the French.

    After issuing the breakoutmand, Nelson signaled the "Queen Elizabeth" to hoist

    the "Z" g, ordering the fleet to "The United Kingdom demands every man do his duty."

    Knowing the fleet couldn''t escape, their only option was to fight and inflict as much damage on the French as possible.

    "Even if we''re sunk, we must render the French fleet incapable of action for a while, to buy the United Kingdom more time."

    The French ignored the escaping "Yorkshire" and continued to pressure the British fleet, splitting their forces to envelop the British from behind.

    Nelson, aware of the French strategy to use their battleships to engage his gship while their other ships targeted the British cruisers, knew he couldn''t counter this move due to the overwhelming French numbers. Splitting his already limited forces would y right into the French hands. Instead, Nelson decided to concentrate all his strength against the French''s first division.

    Understanding that this move was anticipated by the French��who expected the faster and more numerous second division to act as a hammer to the anvil of the first division��Nelson chose to charge directly at them. This risky y aimed to inflict as much damage as possible before the "hammer" could strike.

    The French''s first division continued to circle, positioning for a T-bone shot. If the British didn''t turn, they''d face the full brunt of this maneuver.

    At this critical moment, the "Cambridgeshire," leading the British line, unexpectedly turned sharply right, charging directly at the French''s first division.

    This move, risking a direct T-bone position, could potentially disrupt the French formation by changing the engagement from a T to an X, provided the British could endure the initial French volley.

    The "Cambridgeshire" as the spearhead, would bear the brunt of the French fire, shielding the "Queen Elizabeth." Once the "Cambridgeshire" fell, the "Queen Elizabeth," with its robust defense and powerful but slow-firing guns, would be in position to cause significant damage to the French ships.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Prepare the main guns, but hold fire until ordered,"manded Nelson, opting for close-range engagement over inurate long-distance firing.

    The British ships, more agile in turning, surprised the French, who couldn''t avoid the head-on collision. Marshal Treveil, understanding Nelson''s desperate gambit, saw no need to dodge. He recognized this as the most damaging strategy avable to the British under the circumstances.

    Facing direct fire, the "Queen Elizabeth" would sustain heavy damage but not enough to neutralize herbat capabilities. Her engines would roar, and her guns would thunder, albeit at a slower rate than the French.

 Chapter 469: The Naval Battle (2)

    The "Cambridgeshire" super-cruiser, leading the charge, naturally became the target of concentrated fire from the French forces. This, in fact, was precisely the reason the British had the "Cambridgeshire" in the vanguard��to shield the "Queen Elizabeth" and preserve its fullbat capability until it could close to an effective firing range.

    British "super-cruisers" are known for their thin armor butrge firepower. In pursuit of speed and to amodaterge-caliber cannons, British super-cruiserspromised on defense, equating, at best, to the level of British armored cruisers. Such armor, even against the standard armored cruisers, proves unreliable, let alone against the French battleships'' 150mm long-barreled cannons, which could easily prate their defenses as if they were made of paper.

    However, the tumultuous North Antic seas came to their aid. If in the calm Mediterranean, even the French armored cruisers'' 100mm cannons would have been enough to overwhelm them. These cannons, though limited in power, had a high rate of fire, pelting down like rain. The "Cambridgeshire," with its thin armor, could hardly withstand even such projectiles.

    In the North Antic, the scenario was somewhat different. French vessels always prioritized high speed (if you can''t outfight them, outrun them. At least, that was always Joseph Bonaparte''s emphasis��speed, speed, speed! But this emphasis on speed necessitated sacrifices in other areas, such as stability.

    Forrge ships like the "Invible" and "Caesar," this was manageable, but even for super-cruisers like the "Free Trade," stability was an issue. As for the French armored cruisers, with a discement barely reaching two thousand tons, their stability wasughable. A slight storm could easily rock the ship by over a dozen degrees. In such conditions, hitting an opponent at a distance depended purely on luck, making the cannons'' performance and the gunners'' skills almost irrelevant.

    Hence, while the French armored cruisers'' barrage seemed endless, their uracy was poor. With both sides about three kilometers apart, deviations of over a kilometer weremon.

    The "Invible" and "Caesar" with their 150mm cannons proved more effective as the distance closed to around two kilometers. The "Invible" scored the first hit, a semi-armor-piercing shell striking the "Cambridgeshire''s" mast, taking out the mast along with a significant portion of the chimney.

    Losing a mast was trivial, but losing a chimney directly affected boiler efficiency and thus power output. However, at this point, this issue wasn''t critical. The "Cambridgeshire" had another chimney, and since the "Queen Elizabeth" could barely manage about ten knots, the "Cambridgeshire" didn''t need to run at full power.

    But with the first hit, inevitably came a second. The "Invible" soonnded another shell on the "Cambridgeshire."This time, the "Cambridgeshire''s" luck seemed to run out. A shell struck near the bow, easily piercing the thin armor and plunging into the forward magazine...

    On the "Queen Elizabeth''s" bridge, Nelson watched as the "Cambridgeshire" momentarily shuddered, then a massive fireball erupted from below decks, engulfing the entire super-cruiser.

    The fireball and smoke rose, and Nelson saw the "Cambridgeshire" split in two in the explosion. The sound of the st reached the "Queen Elizabeth''s" bridge momentster, causing the ss to vibrate.

    The "Cambridgeshire" sank almost instantly, leaving behind arge, foaming whirlpool.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Now, it was the "Queen Elizabeth''s" turn to face the French fleet''s barrage. The distance between thebatants had closed to about two kilometers. French shells began to fall incessantly, with 100mm cannonballs sshing near the "Queen Elizabeth," boiling the sea around it.

    "The French cannons fire rapidly indeed," Nelson remarked to his aide, "Our estimates of French firepower were all wrong. They must have some technological secret."

    The French closely guarded their hydraulic recoil mechanisms, so much so that even the invincible French army had not equipped such devices.

    The British knew French naval guns were generally smaller in caliberpared to Britain''s 10-inch guns. From this, they inferred the French were aiming for a higher rate of fire. Additionally, French cannons had notably long barrels. For instance, their 150mm guns were over six meters long, even longer than the British 10-inch barrels. Moreover, the wall thickness of French gun barrels was not thinner than that of the British 10-inch guns��indicating that despite its smaller caliber, the French cannon endured significant chamber pressure. Such barrels were difficult to produce, so despite their slender appearance like toothp

    icks, they were not cheap, possibly even more expensive than the British 10-inch guns. At least, that was the case for the one Britain attempted to manufacture.

    The British, following their understanding, also produced a long-barreled 150. The test results showed that its armor-piercing capability was only slightly inferior to their 20-caliber 10-inch gun, but its rate of fire was considerably faster. Of course, it was also more expensive, with the cost of two long-barreled 150s equivalent to three 10-inch guns. Yet, the greatest concern was the severe barrel wear, reducing its lifespan to a third or a quarter of the 10-inch gun. Considering this, the British navy felt the 10-inch gun was more cost-effective.

    Despite British newspapers mocking French naval guns as mere toothpickspared to British artillery, the British navy never underestimated the French 150s. Yet, they still grossly underestimated the firing rate of French guns.

    As the distance closed, even the French armored cruisers'' guns began hitting their mark. Amidst Nelson''s reflections, a 100mm shell hit the "Queen Elizabeth''s" forward turret. However, the 100mm shell couldn''t prate the turret armor, exploding outside and causing no damage to the turret itself.

    But that didn''t mean the shell caused no damage. A shrapnel from the explosion flew towards the bridge, shattering a window pane.

    "Commander," the aide said, "please move to themand tower for directing the battle."

    Themand tower was a thickly armored enclosure equipped with telephones formunication with other departments, designed to protect navalmanders.

    "No, I''ll stay here," Nelson replied. Themand tower, despite its variousmunication equipment, couldn''t provide a direct view of the battlefield, makingmand based solely on others'' reports less effective.

    More shells fell. Another 100mm shell struck the "Queen Elizabeth''s" hull. Apart from damaging the paint, this shell had no significant impact.

    However, a 150mm shell then hit the "Queen Elizabeth''s" superstructure. Entering from the right, it passed through an empty crew rest cabin, shattered the bar next to the wine cab, pierced another cabin, drilled two holes in the chimney, and continued forward, falling into the sea on the left side.

    This 150mm shell didn''t cause any real damage, but its hit signified that the French battleships had targeted the "Queen Elizabeth," and a more effective firing phase was about tomence.

    Indeed, another 150mm shell struck the "Queen Elizabeth''s" bow. This shell pierced through the armor and exploded in a corridor, causing an unclear amount of damage.

    Another shell from the "Caesar" then hit, prating the coal bunker and starting a fire. However, the British damage control was efficient, and the fire was quickly contained.

    More 100mm shells fell on the "Queen Elizabeth," incapable of breaching the ship''s armor. However, most of the superstructure was unarmored, and these 100mm high-explosive shells, falling one after another, devastated the superstructure.

    The continuous barrage of 100mm high-explosive shells caused multiple fires on the "Queen Elizabeth," with the damage control teams suffering heavy casualties under the relentless shelling. The fires gradually became uncontroble, creeping closer to themand deck.

    Then, another 100mm shell fell near the ship. This shell, a near miss, didn''t hit the "Queen Elizabeth." In naval warfare, near misses can sometimes be more dangerous than direct hits because underwater explosions, due to water''s ipressibility, can have effects simr to torpedoes.

    But a 100mm shell was not arge-caliber cannon, and the impact of its near misses was limited.

    However, this shell exploded near a patch on the "Queen Elizabeth." The patch, already unstable from the long voyage, was further weakened by the explosion, tearing open and allowing seawater to pour in.

 Chapter 470: The Naval Battle (3)

    If it were not in the midst of battle, even if there was an issue with the patch and seawater rushed in, it wouldn''t pose much of a problem. Because at that time, the damage control personnel aboard the ship would be monitoring the situation around the clock. Should any issue arise, everyone would immediately spring into action, sealing off the watertightpartments. The ship might face some minor trouble due to onepartment taking on water, but it wouldn''t lead to a significant problem.

    However, the situation was different now. The "Queen Elizabeth" was on fire in multiple ces, requiring the attention of damage control personnel everywhere, and the constant bombardment also resulted in heavy losses among them. So, when seawater started pouring in, the damage control team couldn''t react immediately. By the time they noticed the issue, a significant amount of water had already entered. Although they managed to urgently close off somepartments (in the process, some sailors who couldn''t escape in time were trapped inside. These sealedpartments quickly filled with seawater, leaving the trapped sailors with no way out but death), the extensive flooding caused the "Queen Elizabeth" to begin listing noticeably.

    If the angle of the list exceeded a certain degree, the "Queen Elizabeth''s" cannons, especially the 10-inch main guns, would be unusable. Therefore, the British had to employ methods to correct the deck''s list.

    Typically, the mostmon and effective way to correct a list is to flood the corresponding opposite side''s watertightpartments to restore bnce.

    The British did just that, so the deck of the "Queen Elizabeth" gradually returned to level, and the ship''s 5-inch secondary guns began to fire back at the French armored cruisers.

    Compared to the French armored cruisers, the "Queen Elizabeth" provided a much more stable tform, so its secondary guns naturally fired with greater uracy. But even with the secondary guns, their rate of fire was evidently too slow to suppress the French armored cruisers.

    On the other hand, due to the passive flooding and the active flooding for bnce restoration, the "Queen Elizabeth''s" speed further decreased. Now her speed had dropped to around eight knots. However, her distance from the "Inflexible" had further narrowed.

    "How far is the enemy now?" Ignoring the approaching mes, General Nelson asked very calmly.

    "About 1700 meters," a staff officer replied."Let''s get a bit closer, to 1500 meters, then let the main guns fire at the enemy ship," Nelson said calmly, as if the warship he was on wasn''t engulfed in mes.

    The distance between the two sides continued to close, and more 150mm shells hit the "Queen Elizabeth". Now that the distance was much shorter, the enemy''s bombardment became significantly more efficient.

    Fortunately, the "Queen Elizabeth''s" ammunition magazine was reinforced with special armor. At least for now, there had been no incidents of the ammunition magazine being prated. However, at this time, the second French squadron had alsoe up from behind. Led by two super-cruisers, they were firing at the British armored cruisers from the rear.

    Due to being significantly outmatched in numbers and firepower, most of the British cruisers were suppressed, although they fought with the duty to Ennd as Admiral Nelson had demanded when he hoisted the Z g. But the vast difference in strength was not something that could be changed by mere spirit. Although they did manage to damage a few French warships, the French achieved much greater sess��nearly all of the British armored cruisers were aze under the French gunfire.

    This oue was quite expected. In fact, quantifying the numbers and firepower of both sides and inputting them into a bootleggedbat equation would show that the British performance in this battle was already quitemendable.

    After taking several more rounds of bombardment, the "Queen Elizabeth" finally closed to about 1500 meters from the "Inflexible".

    At this moment, a 150mm shell passed through themand bridge of the "Queen Elizabeth". The shell did not explode, but still caused significant casualties. Nelson''s aide-de-camp was hit by a piece of shrapnel torn by the shell andy unconscious on the ground; Nelson himself was struck by a piece of flying ss in the chest. He might have sustained some lung injury, as blood flowed from his mouth and nose, but he still managed to stand, leaning on the rail.

    "Prepare the forward main gun! Aim at enemy ship number one, fi..." Nelson was shouting into the microphone when he suddenly started coughing violently, spitting out foamy blood from his mouth and nose.

    "Fire!" Captain Hardy, also severely wounded, got up from the ground and issued themand.

    The forward main gun fired at the "Inflexible," which was only a little over a thousand meters away. As two fireballs emerged from the muzzle, two shells shot straight towards the

    "Inflexible."

    One of the shells brushed past the "Inflexible''s" bridge. If the shell had been a bit more urate, it might have wiped out Admiral Treveil and his staff in one fell swoop.

    The other shell hit the "Inflexible''s" bow.

    With a loud explosion, arge portion of the "Inflexible''s" bow was blown off, allowing waves to pour directly in.

    With its bow lost, the "Inflexible''s" speed immediately decreased, and its stability was significantlypromised due to taking on water. Overall, though the shell disfigured the "Inflexible," it did not cripple the ship.

    However, the British battleship''s main guns were reloading too slowly, and since they were bow-on to the enemy, their aft main guns could not fire unless the ships had already passed each other.

    Considering the speed of main gun loading, to be honest, by the time they passed each other, the forward main gun might not have been ready to fire. Initially, Nelson could have used better maneuvering to try to give the stern guns a firing angle, but now the ship was severely damaged and could no longer perform such maneuvers.

    "Pressurize and increase venttion, we''ll ram and sink the Inflexible!" Nelson finally stopped coughing. He struggled to keep himself from falling, looking at the "Inflexible," now closer and clumsier due to the loss of its bow, and reduced speed, and issued such an order.

    ....N?v(el)B\\jnn

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 Chapter 472: Impact (1)

    Four dayster, the French fleet returned to its most important naval base in the Antic��Brest Harbor. Before the fleet entered the harbor, the French military had already learned the oue of the battle through radiomunication. However, to continue keeping the operation under wraps, French newspapers did not report this news. Nheless, some influential media still got hints of it. For example, "The Scientific Truth Gazette" and "Businessman Gazette" were tipped off in advance that the French Navy might have undertaken a decisive action.

    Therefore, journalists from "The Scientific Truth Gazette" and "Businessman Gazette" were dispatched to Brest Harbor ahead of time. Before the main fleet arrived, the leadmunications ship entered the port first, followed by the port''s cannons firing salutes to announce the news of victory to everyone in the harbor area. Then, the main fleet made its entrance.

    Ten minutester, Pierre, a journalist from "The Scientific Truth Gazette," sweating profusely, rushed into the telegraph office and directly exchanged a ten-franc bill for the spot at the very front of the queue waiting to send telegrams. A few minutester, the news of victory was transmitted to the newspaper''s office in Paris via this telegraph line.

    A few hourster, newsboys holding emergency printed extras appeared on the streets of Paris. They ran while shouting:

    "Extra, extra! Read about the decisive battle between our navy fleet and the British navy fleet in the North Antic!"

    "Extra, extra! Naval forces achieve an epic victory!"

    ...

    Pedestrians on the streets stopped one after another to take a free copy of the extra from the newsboys. Yes, in France, such extras were always free.

    "What? The ''Queen Elizabeth'' of the British sank, and the expedition fleet waspletely annihted?" Everyone who saw the news couldn''t help but widen their eyes.This news spread across all of Europe as if it had wings, and even in Britain, people began to whisper it in private. The British government had long known about the French fleet intercepting the expedition fleet in the North Antic. However, they were not aware of the specific results of the battle. Of course, theck of returning military ships over the following days already hinted at a grim oue for the expedition fleet, but since it wasn''t the final news, many still harbored a sliver of hope. Moreover, to maintain morale, the British government also forcefully censored the news.

    However, censorship has always been aimed at the lower sses, and for the upper echelons, its greater purpose is to give them time to deal with emergencies and minimize their losses.

    In fact, everyone knew that this news couldn''t be kept secret for long because this defeat almost meant that Britain had lost control of the seas. French cruisers would continuously attack British trade routes, cutting off colonial supplies and preventing British goods from being exported. It was impossible to keep this situation a secret. While controlling public opinion is effective, it is also limited. It''s like, even with "Pravda," the Soviet Union couldn''t prevent Russians from knowing that it had dissolved. Without the Iron Curtain, many even believed that it was the Americans who liberated Auschwitz.@@novelbin@@

    However, before the news could no longer be concealed, and before the market inevitably reacted, those who knew the news in advance still had time to take various measures to minimize their losses, or even take this opportunity to make a profit. Just like how, before a pandemic inevitably spiraled out of control, a country''s senate could precisely sell off stocks before a market crash.

    After the outbreak of the war, Britain issued quite a few war bonds. These bonds offered high interest rates, which, of course, meant high risk. Many people of status had significant investments in them. Once the news was confirmed, the value of these bonds would plummet in the market. One of the main purposes of censoring the news was to allow those of high nobility to find someone to take over their holdings before the news became public; then they could short sell and make another profit.

    By the time the French spread the news across Europe, the British were still censoring it. By then, those of the highest nobility had already passed their hot potatoes to the scapegoats in exchange for gleaming gold coins. However, among those who took over, there were also some of the nobility who needed to quickly find someone else to take over, though they mostly no longer had the chance to short sell.

    In summary, by utilizing the time gained through censoring the news, those of the highest nobility mostly did not suffer direct losses, and even made a profit. Those of the somewhat nobility also managed to reduce their losses sessfully. And naturally, these losses ultimately fell on the heads of those in the big cities who full-heartedly thought of themselves as the "middle ss," who almost overnight, turned from the "middle ss" to the impoverished proletariat.

    "Joseph, what do you think the British will do next?"

    Napoleon asked Joseph.

    "What to do? How should they face the situation after losing control of the seas?" Joseph sneered, "Isn''t it simple? Those of the highest nobility in Britain have already understood that for their own interests, they can onlypromise with us now. At the same time, they must have already started propagating that we must fight to the end, unite, endure the hardships together, and defeat the French invaders. And those who have just be proletarians from the ''middle ss'' in the market turmoil will certainly be excited by such propaganda, feeling that ''taking over for the country'' is an utmost honor, while eagerly wanting to shed their blood for the call of the country. With their intelligence, they definitely won''t realize that their efforts only serve one purpose, which is to increase the bargaining chips of the most noble Britons when negotiating with us."

    "Do we need topromise with them?" Napoleon asked again.

    "Of course, but not now," Joseph replied, "If we truly don''tpromise and strictly block for two months, Britain will erupt in revolution, and then, of course, those of the highest nobility will either be executed or flee to the Americas. And Britain would have a revolutionary government, likely a very leftist one, like the Montagnards, following Marat and H��bert. Then, this fire might cross the Channel and burn back into Europe. In short, this situation is veryplex and very difficult to grasp. On the contrary, as long as we put enough pressure on them, letting them choose between bing the current Austrian royalty or the past French royalty, we can ensure our interests are maximized."

 Chapter 475: The Siege (1)

    If this had happened a few months ago, Captain Jarvis leading his men to apprehend someone would likely result in not just the target disappearing, but some of his own men as well. However, the situation had slightly improved recently, as the British forces had consolidated their troops. Now, in Dublin, the number of British soldiers might not even surpass the local Irish poption.

    This, in turn, somewhat improved Dublin''s "public safety". At most, the target of an arrest might disappear, rather than the arresting party itself.

    However, when Captain Jarvis and his men stormed into a certain courtyard, they found it deserted. Clearly, someone had leaked information.

    Jarvis was furious, berating his subordinates who participated in the operation. He threatened to hand them over to the British authorities. But everyone was not really afraid. Firstly, the British were too preupied with their own affairs to care about such minor issues.

    Secondly, the British''s crackdown on these matters had significantly decreased in intensity over time.

    It was rumored that after the British retreated to Dublin, to ensure defense, someone proposed to the Duke of Norfolk, the governor, that all Irish people in Dublin should be killed or expelled.

    However, both suggestions were dismissed by the Duke of Norfolk. Massacres? After wiping out the Irish, what would happen if they joined the French forcesnding in Britain?

    The Duke of Norfolk was not worried about the Irish seeking revenge on British civilians. Civilians were expendable. But he was concerned that such actions would greatly increase the cost of any potentialpromise. Most importantly, it could include himself and his family as part of that increased cost. Engaging in such detrimental actions to the nation, his family, and himself was unthinkable unless one was foolish.

    As for expelling the Dubliners, the Duke of Norfolk thought his subordinates were idiots. Was it because the rebels outside didn''t know Dublin well, or were they worried about having too few men?This attitude quickly made its way down the ranks. After all, not everyone at the bottom was a fool. They realized that the situation was off, with the higher-ups considering their own escape routes. Pressure could lead to mass desertions, and those at the bottom couldn''t bear such responsibility. So even the British were no longer pursuing these matters as rigorously.

    Captain Jarvis was heartbroken, realizing that as a "die-hard loyalist", he couldn''t be sure the British would take him back to Ennd when they retreated. So, he needed to quickly make more contributions. Otherwise, he would be useless if the British returned to Britain.

    As Captain Jarvis nervously pondered his future, the Irish independence army began appearing outside Dublin, escting the tension.

    The Irish independence army didn''t immediately attack Dublin. The city''s garrison was sizable, with strong fortifications and some areas supported by naval cruiser firepower. Although the Irish independence army had high morale and improved field capabilities, their ability to siege remained a significant weakness. So, they isted a few British strongholds to sever theirnd connections, waiting for French reinforcements.

    The British weren''t too concerned about these actions since Dublin was a port. As long as sea routes remained open, it wasn''t an issue.

    However, the Duke of Norfolk became very anxious upon receiving news that arge number of Irish farmers wereying railway tracks.

    Most of the railway from Dublin to Gorey was already under Irish control. The previously troublesome Ashtown had been abandoned by the British, who also destroyed many railways during their retreat. Seeing this situation...

    The Duke of Norfolk immediately thought of a legend about the French Urbain cannon.

    Napoleon hadined to Joseph about the defense system being too annoying. When France was defensive, it was fine, but now that France was the world''s strongest, facing foreign Urbain defenses was ufortable.

    Thus, the military-industrialplex initiated the so-called "Urbain n," named after the cannon used by the Ottoman Empire to conquer Constantinople. This led some to specte that the French intended to create a specialrge siege cannon. Using the name of the cannon that once shattered Christendom''s shield as the n''s name further proved France''s devoutness. Seeing the Irishying railways, the Duke of Norfolk naturally remembered this legend.

    "If there really is a new type of Urbain cannon, it would likely be transported by railway," the Duke of Norfolk thought.

    Historically, to transport the massive "Urbain Cannon," the Ottomans used 400borers and 60 oxen, taking six weeks to move it just 2.5 miles a day.

    The historical Urbain Cannon, although frighteninglyrge at the time, wouldn''t qualify for the "Urbain n" name given technological progress. The British''s own battleship 10-inch guns weighed over twenty tons, more than the Urbain Cannon''s 17 tons. Russia''s never-fired Tsar Cannon weighed 40 tons. For such massive cannons, railways were the most suitable transport method.

    Despite this spection, the@@novelbin@@

    Duke of Norfolk had few good options. He couldunch raids to disrupt the railway construction, but he knew it would cause significant casualties due to the Irish''s defensive works, weakening the city''s defenses. The best oue might dy the French "Urbain Cannon" by a few days or weeks, hardly worth it.

    But simply watching and waiting wasn''t an option. So, after consulting with the military, the Duke of Norfolk began constructing underground gun emcements on the city''s defensive line.

    Even if the "Urbain n" cannon was asrge as spected, these hastily built gun emcements wouldn''t withstand its shells. But they could significantly reduce the cannon''s effective range, minimizing casualties if not too many people were in each bunker.

    At this time, in Carroll Harbor, a massive French cargo ship docked. This was one of France''s newlyunchedrge cargo ships, with a discement of 15,000 tons, making it the world''srgest cargo ship.

    Using a crane installed half a month ago, the ship unloadedrgeponents, including various cannons and tbed railway cars.

    As the British suspected, the "Urbain n" did involverge cannons, but not a spectacle-level cannon. Despite Napoleon''s love for spectacles and his strong request for a gigantic cannon, Joseph ultimately produced a 280mm caliber cannon.

    Joseph even considered a 203mm caliber sufficient and cheaper. But Napoleon wanted something more impressive, threatening to cut the project''s funding if not satisfied.

    "Joseph, you promised me a cannon so thick and long that it would make the world tremble. I expected something as thick as a barrel. Even if not that thick, at least as thick as a bucket. And you bring me a 203mm, dinner te-sized toothpick? Uneptable!" Napoleon argued.

    Joseph insisted he never mentioned a barrel''s thickness, iming he pointed to a water lily leaf inside the barrel, not the barrel itself, as proof of God.

    Napoleon retorted, "Stop lying, Joseph. You''re as devout as Talleyrand and Fouch��. Mentioning God only means you''re lying. Why not say you pointed at the fish scales in the barrel?"

    After arguing, Napoleon acknowledged the practical limitations of super-sized cannons but insisted on their deterrent effect. Nations might not understand the technicalities, but a barrel-thick cannon would decisively impact morale.

    Joseph conceded that achieving barrel thickness was technically impossible unless they wanted a symbolic cannon like the Tsar Cannon, a beautifully decorated but never-fired 1586 Russian bronze smoothbore cannon.

    Thus, Napoleonpromised, demanding a cannon no smaller than the British battleship guns.

    Joseph and his team produced a 50-ton cannon with an 11-meter long barrel, requiring new nitrocellulose propent, making both the cannon and its ammunition expensive. Without a recoil system, the cannon relied on a specially designed tbed car and tracks for movement and positioning.

    The 280mm cannon, along with two 203mm cannons and twelve 100mm cannons, was mounted on tbed cars. Protected by armored trains, this nd battleship" set off from Carroll Harbor towards Dublin.

    The "Urbain n" involved not just arge-caliber cannon but a mobile artillery group capable of rapid railway movement, transforming field artillery''s capabilities. This nd battleship," escorted by the independent army and French army, reached Dublin''s frontline within two days, with the Duke of Norfolk''s gun emcements ready.

    Upon arrival, the French army took over key fortifications to protect this monumental nd battleship."

    The next day, the artillery trainunched its first bombardment on the British positions outside Dublin.

 Chapter 477: The Siege (3)

    However, the British, after all, are notparable to those barbarians from the colonies. The British of this era still possess a robust martial virtue, even within the British Army. Despite the demoralization they''ve suffered from the security operations in Irnd over the years, a few cannon shots were not enough to cause any significant issues. It was indeed disheartening that the wealthy fled first, but despite the heartache, the British defense did not exhibit any notable weaknesses.

    Thus, the only thing left was to slowly wear them down. At least, that was the case until the orders from the Turks and the Russians werepleted.

    A military meeting was convened by the French advisory group and the leaders of the Irish Independence Army. They gathered to summarize the military intelligence they had acquired over the past few days and to study thebat ns for the offensive operation.

    ording to the n, the Irish Independence Army would first approach the main British positions through tunneling, using the cover of night to disrupt the British wire entanglements and minefields.

    The offensive operation would focus on swift assaults, with French artillery providing short but intense preparatory fire, while the heavy artillery, under the direction of hot air balloons, would engage in counter-battery fire.

    "The British defense is quite formidable, as the British have been operating this defensive line for many years. Therefore, we must ovee impatience and not fantasize about quickly breaking through their defenses. We can only advance bit by bit, like peeling an onion,yer byyer. Any hasty actions will only cause significant and entirely unnecessary losses..." General Soult, the Frenchmander, spoke first. Because thest war ended too quickly and the subsequent peacested too long, Soult remained a general and had not yet be a marshal.

    However, Napoleon greatly appreciated his talents, expressing more than once that if Soult had been with him in Italy, he would have certainly be a marshal by now.

    "He is one of the best tacticians in Europe, stronger than many who have already been made marshals. I believe that with one more war where the army is needed, he will definitely be a marshal."

    Before this battle, General Soult had been serving as the principal of the ��cole Militaire, and many of the leaders within the Irish Independence Army were his students. Therefore, Soult''s words were quite effective.Following Soult''smand, the Irish began to approach the British positions through tunneling. Tunnels are difficult to attack with ordinary weapons, but the British had plenty of grenadeunchers and evenrger ones��mortars.

    Initially, the French-created grenadeunchers, in a way, were considered gueri warfare wonders. Naturally, the Irish Independence Army was also provided with plenty of these. Then, during the fighting, these widely equipped weapons were inevitably captured by the British. Once the British used these captured weapons, they found, "Hmm, really useful, very powerful, French stuff is good! We want them too!"

    Subsequently, the British began to equip their troops with knock-off grenadeunchers, and these shameless Brits even sold these weapons to other countries at low prices. This forced the French to lower their prices to maintain their market share, but the profits from this weapon were significantly below expectations. So, wasn''t it necessary to teach the British a lesson?

    Besides copying the grenadeunchers, the British also erged them, thus creating the mortar.

    The mortar and the grenadeuncher both have very curved trajectories, allowing them to hit targets directly in trenches, inflicting casualties on enemies within. So, when the Irish tunnels began to approach the British defensive positions, British mortars and grenadeunchers fired like rain, causing significant casualties among the advancing Irish.

    Of course, the Irish also had grenadeunchers and mortars, and the French army behind them had even more. They fired back fiercely. After a chaotic exchange of fire, both sides suffered damage. Generally speaking, in terms of casualties, the Irish suffered more; but in terms of weapons, especially the number of damaged grenadeunchers and mortars, the British lost more. The reason is simple: the British fired first and controlled the high ground, providing better targeting, hence their higher shooting efficiency and greater Irish casualties.

    The reason why the British lost more grenadeunchers and mortars is also straightforward: the propents used were different. The French had already begun to widely use nitrocellulose-based propents, which, although not as powerful or efficient byter standards, were far superior to the brown powder still widely used by the British.

    With the technological advantage in propent, French grenadeunchers and mortars had significantly longer ranges than the British knock-offs. When the French began counterattacking based on the positions of the ck smoke from the British grenadeunchers and mortars, the British found that their mortars and grenadeunchers could not reach their targets. Therefore, the British suffered greater losses in this regard.

    Under the cover of

    the French, the Irish continued to advance despite casualties, pushing the tunnel to near the minefields.

    At night, the Irish emerged from the tunnels attempting to clear mines. The British, meanwhile, mounted searchlights on a handcar. They asionally turned on the lights to sweep the minefield with beams of light, then immediately turned off the lights and moved to avoid potential iing bullets and shells. If their searchlight beams happened to illuminate the Irish attempting to clear mines, British bullets would fire rapidly.

    In this confrontation, it took the Irish and French three nights to essentially clear the first minefield. Ahead was the first British barbed wire.

    At this time, the news of France dering war on Britain and the oue of the Battle of the North Antic had already reached North America. The timing of this news was perfect, as the United States had just suffered a setback on the northern front. General Arthur Wellesley''s forces had once again defeated the U.S. Army near New York State, with troops pressing directly toward New York City.@@novelbin@@

    Within the United States, even before this, some had argued that peace should be restored as soon as possible. Naturally, these propositions were immediately met with rebuttal by the angry American public, especially the Southerners who had experienced multiple devastations by British fires along the coastline. They dered they would deal with these traitors "in the manner of patriots and warriors" to "forever silence their disgusting mouths." These voices temporarily quieted down. However, after a series of defeats, such opinions began to emerge again, even causing some wavering within the presidency. But once this news was confirmed, the entire situation changed dramatically.

 Chapter 479: The Siege (5)

    General Arthur Wellesley began to withdraw his troops from New York. Withdrawal is always the mostplex operation, especially when you have an army with the intent to pursue right in front of you, it bes even more troublesome. General Andrew Jackson, who took over the defensemand in New York, although not as experienced as General Arthur Wellesley, was not someone to be taken lightly. Once he confirmed the British were withdrawing, he began to harass the British forces relentlessly, slowing down their retreat.

    The Americans had a purpose in doing this. Although their ability to y tricks on the battlefield wasn��t top-notch, their skills off the battlefield were not to be underestimated. So, as soon as General Arthur Wellesley began his retreat, the Americans immediately understood his intentions and what he was worried about. Therefore, the Americans did their best to hold him back, while starting to spread rumors that the French in Quebec were contacting the Americans, nning to encircle and annihte General Arthur Wellesley��s British forces in a pincer movement.

    The organization and mobilization of Quebec''s National Guard required more time, so the American forces had to hold General Arthur Wellesley back, buying time for their allies.

    The method of spreading this rumor was interesting too; it was directly propagated through General Andrew Jackson''s speech to his troops.

    General Andrew Jackson, in motivating his troops, told them: ��We must continuously attack, hold them back, bite into them like a vicious dog, biting and never letting go. Because as long as we hold onto the British, they are doomed. Behind them, our allies are preparing; they are packing their muskets with bullets��this takes time. The British wild boars in front of us are trying to use this time to escape back into the woods. Now, what we must do is firmly bite into their retreat, not letting them escape. Once ourpanions have loaded their bullets, with a ''bang'', we will have our feast����

    Naturally, after hearing this, the troops were greatly motivated, and they caught up and engaged in battle with the British forces. Then, inevitably, some soldiers were captured by the British during the fight.

    Although the American soldiers were generally patriotic, they were also not particrly trained in resisting interrogation, so they quickly revealed the big secret General Andrew Jackson and his ns under British interrogation.

    General Arthur Wellesley naturally knew this was all American trickery. However, the issue was, those "French-speaking Englishmen" in Quebec now seemed genuinely to be stirring.

    Honestly, initially, due to fear of the "Revolution", those "French-speaking Englishmen" in Quebec were somewhat afraid of bing French again. But as France became increasingly strong and stable, the idea of bing French again started to appeal more to Quebec''s "French-speaking Englishmen". Especially after learning about Louisiana''s tax policies and economic development conditions, post-revolutionary France became increasingly attractive.Moreover, in these years, by leveraging their French-speaking advantage, some businessmen in Quebec also made a considerable amount of money from dealings with Louisiana. (Although they would jealously mock those ��French overseas citizens�� in Louisiana as ��German-speaking Frenchmen�� and indeed, those people did often use German or a mix of German and French in daily life, in Louisiana��s official and media circles, only onenguage was used��French, so eventually, a unique Louisiana French could emerge.) Many of them were also infiltrated by the "Ministry of Truth", bing spokespersons for France in the Quebec area.

    After the outbreak of the Anglo-American War, Quebec''s "French-speaking Englishmen" were very proactive; they organized self-defense forces and actively participated in the war. Religious reasons indeed yed a significant role, but using this opportunity to strengthen themselves in preparation for future changes was also an important consideration.

    Because the French used cruisers as temporary intermediaries to establish wirelessmunication between the Antic and the European continent, those in Quebec serving the "Ministry of Truth" even knew about France''s deration of war on Britain and the total defeat of the British fleet in the North Antic before the Governor General of Canada.@@novelbin@@

    Upon receiving this news, those in Quebec who desired to transform from "French-speaking Englishmen" back to "French-speaking French" immediately sprung into action. Under the guise of supporting the war, they trained more troops and also engaged in extensive construction in Quebec, building numerous defensive fortifications��of course, ostensibly these were to defend against those English-speaking... um, English-speaking Americans.

    Now, with allied forces retreating, Quebec''s "French-speaking Englishmen" went directly into the defensive fortifications, readying themselves for defense.

    This posture could naturally be interpreted as preparing to defend against a potential American attack, or it could be seen as preparing to defend against an attack by General Arthur Wellesley��s purely English-speaking British forces, or even as preparing to join forces with the English-speaking Americans to encircle the English-speaking British.

    Upon seeing the actions of those "French-speaking Englishmen"

    in the rear, the genuine British immediately became tense. General Arthur Wellesley immediately dispatched a cavalry unit to inquire what those "Quebec Volunteer Corps" intended to do.

    However, the Quebec Volunteer Corps, without any hesitation, opened fire on the British cavalry. A barrage of cannon and rifle fire killed half of the cavalry unit, and the rest naturally fled back on their four legs to report that the people of Quebec had revolted.

    However, not long after, a few of the English cavalrymen previously captured by the "Quebec people" returned. Apanying them was a member of the "Quebec Volunteer Corps" who exined to General Arthur Wellesley: "This was all a misunderstanding. Our men thought they were Americans, you know, they all speak English! And their ent was a bit off! You must understand, Americans often wear our uniforms to attack us. So we got nervous����

 Chapter 482: You Shall Return Like Lightning (1)

    Recently, France''s military industrial production has also reached a peak, but there is no synthetic ammonia avable, and Napoleon stubbornly refuses to adjust the distribution ratio of saltpeter between agriculture and the military. As a result, although France has invested a lot of money to increase the production of Chilean saltpeter, the production of gunpowder and explosives is still limited, especially given the current consumption in the war, leading to an ever-growing shortfall.

    This shortage, of course, has driven up the price of saltpeter. On the international market, saltpeter is practically priceless now. Even if you have the money, you can''t buy saltpeter anymore.

    Since saltpeter is so rare, the French''s various types of artillery shells and hand grenades, being deep-processed products of saltpeter, have naturally also increased in price. This has begun to make the situation difficult for the Russians. The Turks have their own source of saltpeter and can also purchase it from nearby Indians (although the British have ordered a ban on saltpeter sales, the price increase has turned this ban into a joke. Initially, the fellows from the British East India Company would catch smugglers of saltpeter and then log a small portion of the confiscated smuggled saltpeter into their warehouses, selling the majority to the Turks and pocketing the money. Then their saltpeter warehouses would always suffer from fires due to various reasons like dragon fire, espionage sabotage, or mishandling by the Indians, and as a mmable material, the saltpeter would naturally be burned off. Of course, after each such warehouse fire, the Turks would always be able to buy a batch of saltpeter.)

    The Turks transported this saltpeter to France and then paid a hefty processing fee to have it turned into ammunition to take back. Although in this "processing on delivery" arrangement, some of the Turkish ships always ended up losing a portion of the saltpeter, and naturally, the French during processing would also have a certain loss, followed by more loss during the shipping back, more than half of the saltpeter was lost in these processes. But at least, the Turkish ammunition was still being replenished.

    However, the situation for the Russians was much worse. Russia is vast and rich in resources, but not in saltpeter. Saltpeter is mostly found in dry deserts and semi-desert areas, and despite Russia''s vastness, deserts are not plentiful. For the Russians to purchase saltpeter, they could only look to the Far East, but at that time, without the Siberian railway, transportation was inconvenient, making it veryte to bring back saltpeter from there.@@novelbin@@

    Thus, afterunching round after round of attacks on the Turkish defensive positions, consuming arge amount of ammunition and lives, the Russian offensive had stalled. In these series of offensive operations, the Russian army suffered around forty thousand casualties. This number, in this era, is absolutely terrifying. Meanwhile, the Turks, despite having a defensive bonus and an army trained by the French, theoretically should have suffered fewer losses. But due to various internal issues, such as suddenly having only a little over a thousand men at a position that should have had ten thousand ording to records; or a sudden warehouse fire�� (the warehouse manager received an order that by tomorrow, a certain tonnage of certain materials must be sent to a certain ce, and then the warehouse would suddenly catch fire due to lightning, meteorites, sabotage by Armenian Christians, or other reasons.)

    As a result, the Turks, even though they were relying on the Joseph-style defense to hold their position, ended up suffering even higher casualties than the Russians, losing sixty thousand men, including some cannon fodder troops, but also thirty thousand of their most elite troops, fully equipped and trained in the French style.

    But it didn''t matter, in Turkey, people were the least valuable; Turkey had plenty of people. As such, in a battle of attrition, the Russians couldn''t oust them. Besides, for some, having more of the Sultan''s elite troops die wasn''t necessarily a bad thing.

    So, you see, now, they''ve managed to hold off the Russians and also drained the direct forces of the Turkish Sultan, killing two birds with one stone. How great is that!Overall, the Russians, after such significant expenditure and casualties, made very limited progress and thus had to prepare to retreat. Even the resilient Kutuzov and the fierce Bagration had to admit that the Russian army now had little ability to ovee the Turkish defensive positions.

    ��If we had a third more of our shells and ''little melons,'' I could definitely shred the Turkish defenses,�� General Bagration is said to have remarked.

    However, there were not a third more of these items, in fact, there were far fewer. So the Russian army now had to consider retreating.

    Retreating in front of the enemy is a tricky business, mishand

    led, it could lead to a devastating counterattack. Especially now, with massive casualties and nothing to show for it, the troops worn and morale low, it was even more so.

    On the other side, Sultan Selim III was also full of anticipation for the battlefield situation. His reforms had yielded good results, and his troops had severely damaged the Russian army. Of course, he too had paid a huge price, his truly loyal troops also suffered heavy casualties. So, if this battle ended in a mere draw, because of the dual loss of troops and wealth, he might not be able to suppress those conservative factions opposing his reforms as before.

    Thus, he needed a real, unquestionable, glorious victory.

    Therefore, the Grand Vizier Arghandab Mustafa Pasha, who wasmanding the front lines, soon received Sultan Selim III''s order��to pursue the possibly retreating Russian army, crush them, and regain the territories lost in the previous war.

    Grand Vizier Arghandab Mustafa Pasha knew his troops were in a tight spot, but also knew the significant meaning of victory for the Turks today, especially for the Sultan. Thus, he also made the decision to pursue the Russian army.

    After Kutuzov''s Russian forces began their slow retreat, Grand Vizier Arghandab Mustafa Pasha led his most elite forty thousand French-style troops, plus another thirty thousand other troops, in pursuit of the Russian army.

    Kutuzov''s retreat was well-organized; he fought and retreated, maintaining the organization of his troops. Although they suffered a bit due to morale and supply issues during the retreat, it wasn''t significant. However, Arghandab Mustafa Pasha wasn''t in a hurry; Kutuzov had a long way to go to reach a truly safe position. During this process, as long as Kutuzov showed a single w, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

    Kutuzov moved towards the south bank of the Danube, appearing to prepare to cross northwards. The Turks followed, but another Russian force, always hidden nearby, led by General Bagration, came out from the nk, cutting off the Turkish army''s supply line and retreat path.

    The Russian force cutting off the Turkish supply line had only less than twenty thousand men and didn''t have time to construct truly impregnable defenses. The Turkish army, numbering over seventy thousand, of which forty thousand werebat-capable, should have had no difficulty breaking through this more than ten thousand men blockade. But the battlefield isn''t just about numbers. Remember, Kutuzov''s thirty thousand troops were still there. If they turned around to attack Bagration, Kutuzov certainly wouldn''t just stand by; he wouldunch a pincer attack on the Turks. So before turning around to clear the supply line, Arghandab Mustafa Pasha had to first prepare defenses against Kutuzov''s side.

    This defensive preparation, of course, would take quite some time. By the time the Turks were ready on this front, General Bagration had also prepared his defenses.

    ��When I was in France, I once had the opportunity to visit His Excellency First Consul Bonaparte. It just so happened that both Consul Bonaparte and Chancellor Bonaparte were there, and they were studying a military issue on a sand table. As you all know, the Bonaparte brothers are both great military strategists, one excels in offense, the other in defense. So, seeing their map work was a truly rare learning opportunity for me. Unfortunately, my visit was brief, and I didn��t see their entire operation or the final oue. However, I did hear a concept from the Consul Bonaparte: the best offensive means is to create various situations that force the enemy to attack our defensive positions. A strategic offensive stance and a tactical defensive stance are not contradictory but canplement each other. Ourst war against Turkey was a practice of this idea..." This waster what General Bagration told students at the Saint Petersburg Military Academy. Just as he said, this battle was conducted under the guidance of this idea.

    The rest of the battle fully entered the rhythm of the Russians. Arghandab Mustafa Pasha��s troops firstunched a fierce attack on Bagration��s position, but despite their few numbers, the Russians had goodbat strength. Relying on fortifications, they held off the Turks�� initial rounds of attacks and inflicted significant casualties.

    Later, Kutuzov��s containment attack also firmly held back the most elite part of Arghandab Mustafa Pasha��s forces, preventing these troops from being fully deployed in the attack on Bagration��s position.

    Arghandab Mustafa Pasha naturally knew that if he couldn''t clear the supply path in a short time, therge army would copsepletely without supplies. On the first day of the breakout operation, apart from a portion of the elite, more were those "other troops" with barely anybat capability. Arghandab Mustafa Pasha knew, just like he wasn��t getting supplies, Bagration wasn��t either, so his n was to first use cannon fodder to wear down Bagration��s resources, thenunch a total attack with the real elite on the second day.

 Chapter 483: You Shall Return Like Lightning (2)

    Arendar Mustafa Pasha''s spection about General Bagration''s troops was not far off the mark. Bagration''s forces, moving swiftly with light equipment, indeed carried limited supplies and, after a day of battle, truly faced a shortage of ammunition. His position also made it challenging, if not impossible, for the Russian forces to send him supply reinforcements.

    However, the ammunition shortage among General Bagration''s troops turned out to be less severe than Arendar Mustafa Pasha had estimated. This was primarily due to two reasons: the battlefield remained under Russian control, which allowed them to im the right to search the bodies after thebat. Although the initial Turkish assault was primarily aimed at depleting Bagration''s bullets using weaker troops, which meant these troops carried less ammunition, there was still some avable, albeit scant, like thervae of longhorn beetles��small but still containing some protein after removing the head.

    Therefore, after clearing the battlefield, the Russians managed to secure some ammunition. Additionally, the main attackers, poorly trained andcking morale��akin to longhorn beetlervae, oh, that''s not right, the Sultan''s Guards (once the most formidable and terrifying force of the Ottoman Empire, having earned a reputation simr to a certain army in the East with the saying, "less than ten thousand, invincible; over ten thousand, unbeatable")��although now facing simr issues to that eastern army. To be honest, the Sultan''s Guards were still somewhat stronger, capable of serving as auxiliary troops and, under the supervision of the warmissars, could still charge the Russian positions, unlike the eastern troops who loved peace and the arts.

    The Sultan''s Guards, if engaged in a mutual exchange of fire, could hold their ground a bit longer, enough to deplete some of the Russian ammunition.

    However, General Bagration soon realized what he was up against. He issued an order to his subordinates: "Let theme close, do not fire, and when they are near, strike them down with bays!" The longstanding Russian military belief that "bullets are foolish, bays are brave" was indeed instilled by the Sultan''s Guards.

    This indeed proved that bays were the best tactic against the Sultan''s Guards. The Russian troops in the second trench waited for the Sultan''s Guards to approach the first trench. As the Guards threw a barrage of grenades in a disorganized fashion, it was enough to make any Russian, including Bagration, wince in pain.

    "Damn beasts! Stop throwing them recklessly! They''re mine! All mine!"

    Interestingly, the Russian trenches were uniquely designed, with only about ten meters separating the second and first trench lines. Before the smoke from the grenades had cleared, the Ivans, bays in hand, howled and charged forward. The Sultan''s Guards turned and fled, and the Ivans pursued them, stabbing as they went, then crouched to search the bodies to see what could be salvaged.

    Overall, the chance of the Sultan''s Guards dropping valuable items was low, and what they did drop was generally of poor qualitybeled "inferior," "damaged," or "broken." For instance, the grenades were typically of Turkish make (during Selim III''s reforms, with French assistance, the Ottoman Empire had started manufacturing modern weapons in their armories. However, due to corrupt management and shoddy workmanship, the quality was poor, and despite being expensive, these were the types handed to the Sultan''s Guards), and not many counterfeit low-quality items from Britainbeled "inferior" were found, let alone the genuine, superior "Bonaparte Melons."Nevertheless, having some ammunition was better than none. So after a day''s fighting, the Russian ammunition losses weren''t particrly severe.

    The next morning, as the mist cleared, Arendar Mustafa Pasha dispatched his most elite troops for a decisive assault on General Bagration''s Russian positions. He left behind the Sultan''s Guards, who had been frightened by the previous day''s killings, and some warmissars to fend off Kutuzov''s forces while he led his elite thirty thousand troops to charge at General Bagration''s positions.

    Seeing the Turkish uniforms, General Bagration knew the decisive moment had arrived. He delivered a passionate speech to his troops, telling them that this battle would determine the oue. If they could annihte the Turkish main force, then recapturing Constantinople and restoring Rome to its former glory would be within reach.

    This message resonated with the noble officers in his army, for whom the prospect of the double-headed eagle g flying over Constantinople was highly appealing. But for the other soldiers, referred to derogatively as the ''gray beasts,'' the idea held little allure. They knew nothing of Constantinople, the Senate, or the Roman people, and they were even ignorant of what the Tsar''s double-headed eagle g represented. The glory of the Senate and Roman

    people could not inspire them.

    So General Bagration addressed them differently: "Constantinople is the holynd of Christ, home to the most important Orthodox church��the Hagia Sophia, the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch, a ce of God and the Virgin Mary''s glory. But since the ursed heathens captured Constantinople, they have turned this glorious church into a heathen temple of the crescent moon!

    Devout believers, what an humiliation! The Virgin Mary weeps over this! Think, if we had the chance to liberate them, to expel those evil heathens from our Father''s holy temple and restore its radiance, yet failed to withstand them due to our weakness, missing the chance to reim God''s holynd, then what? When we grow old and die, when our souls reach Heaven''s gates, facing Saint Peter who holds the keys, could we step through Heaven''s gates with a clear conscience?

    The Gospel says: ''For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.'' If today, out of cowardice, weakness, fear of losing life, we let those heathens go; how can we deserve to enter the gates of Heaven in the future?

    Therefore, for the many saints, for the weeping Virgin Mary, for the salvation of our souls, I beseech you, Imand you, to summon all your courage and fervor, and fight to the death against those evil heathens!

    Today, in this battle, no one shall retreat! If a squad leader retreats, any soldier can shoot him; if a toon leader retreats, any soldier can shoot him; if apanymander retreats, any soldier can shoot him; if anyone, including myself, retreats, any soldier can shoot him!"

    The impact of religion in Russia, particrly among the lower ranks referred to as ''beasts,'' was profound. Had this speech been delivered to the French, it would likely have been met withughter, seen as a clownish attempt to amuse. Much like inter years, Yukio Mishima''s exhortation to revive the samurai spirit to a group of Self-Defense Forces officials, which wasrgely ridiculed. For modern ''muddy people,'' the era of "waves stirring in the Miluo River" had passed; for the French, the zeal of the Crusades was long over.

    But in Russia, this rhetoric was still powerful enough to inspire the troops. The soldiers were visibly uplifted by General Bagration''s speech. Pleased with the high morale, Bagration seized the moment to promise: "Win this battle, and vodka for everyone. If one day, we liberate Constantinople, I promise to drink with you for three days and nights!"

    This elicited a deafening "Hurrah" from the entire army.

    Then, the Turkish forces charged headlong into battle.

    The intensity of today''s battle far exceeded that of yesterday. Thebat will and skills of today''s Turkish troops were iparably superior to yesterday''s Sultan''s Guards. Under artillery cover, they braved the Russian bombardment, charging like a tidal wave.

    Due to limited time and materials, the Russian defensive positions were not robust, offering limited defensive benefits. Hence, almost every Turkish attack managed to breach the Russian lines, and each time, the Russians had to resort to hand-to-handbat to drive them back. The expenditure of ammunition was also iparably higher than the day before. At the most critical moments, General Bagration himself took up a revolver and a saber to join the fray.

    However, the situation for the Turks was also dire. Time and again, they charged and were repelled by the Russians, suffering heavy casualties. Even more critically, the Sultan''s Guards in the rear were increasingly unable to hold back Kutuzov''s advances. Just moments ago, these units even broke ranks, resulting in the loss of a crucial high ground to Kutuzov.

    If Kutuzov managed to position his artillery on this high ground, he could cover the surrounding targets, much like Napoleon did during the Battle of Austerlitz when he moved his guns onto the Pratzen Heights. Under those circumstances, the Turkish defensive lines would likely be breached before they could break through the Russian lines.

    To prevent this dire situation, Arendar Mustafa Pasha had no choice but to recall the troops originally intended to continue assaulting General Bagration''s positions to try and recapture the high ground. This move, however, also meant that today''s assault was unlikely to seed.

    As the Turkish troops began a chaotic retreat, General Bagration immediately noticed the change in the situation. Standing on his horse, he saw the disarray in the Turkish ranks, their gs askew. He immediately ordered a full-scale charge by the Cossack cavalry.

    The Cossacks, shouting "Hurrah," spurred their horses and, wielding sabers, charged at the retreating Turks. The Turkish cavalry had been redirected

    to counter Kutuzov''s attack, leaving them without cavalry to face the Cossacks.

    Had the infantry been prepared, the threat from cavalry, especially light cavalry like the Cossacks, would be limited. After all, the range and uracy of rifles far surpassed the Cossacks'' revolvers and their short sabers of just 90cm. But at that moment, the Turks were not ready to defend against cavalry. Their formation was disorganized, and their focus was on Kutuzov''s forces. By the time they realized the Cossacks were upon them, it was toote to respond appropriately.

    Yet, these Turks were still elite troops, trained by the French. Before the Cossacks could reach them, they managed to fire a volley that killed many Cossacks. However, they did not have the chance for a second volley.

    With a fierce cry, the Cossacks, using the momentum of their charge, threw oversized grenades and then shed into them with their sabers.@@novelbin@@

    This grenade assault further disrupted the already disorderly Turkish formation, and then the cavalry crashed into them. The cavalry captain, Marekhov, brandished his saber, and with a light drag, felled a Turk to the ground; then, with a swift chop to the left, he brought down another Turk trying to flee.

    Driven by the cavalry, the Turks scrambled in disarray, running back chaotically while the Cossacks, deliberately controlling their speed, herded them like sheepdogs with a flock, causing the disorganized fugitives to collide with other Turkish units, drawing them into the chaos and increasing the scale of the disarray like a snowball rolling downhill.

    To prevent the entire army from being embroiled, Arendar Mustafa Pasha ordered the troops to stop retreating and to fire on the charging fugitives, which finally repelled the Russian counterattack. However, this also meant that he was toote to reinforce the rear.

    Taking advantage of this, Kutuzov fortified the high ground. Now, it could be said that the situation was decisively in his favor.

 Chapter 484: You Shall Return Like Lightning (3)

    The overall situation was indeed determined. The Turks lost this battle as they failed to break through the Russian defenses today, and on their own front, they couldn''t hold back the Russians, losing the most critical high ground. Under such circumstances, there was no possibility for them to break through the Russian defenses tomorrow. At this point, it was difficult for them to avoid copse. In fact, if it weren''t for the approaching evening, which hindered new military actions from both sides, the Turkish forces might have copsed right then and there.

    The arrival of night temporarily saved the Turkish army but did not change their dire situation. The Turks were now unable to advance or retreat, and they wouldn''tst much longer.

    By noon the next day, the situation became even more unfavorable for the Turks as the Russian Danube River Fleet also joined the battle. This fleet wasn''trge, equipped with only a little over ten cannons. However, their participation provided crucial supplies to General Bagration. Now, there was absolutely no chance for the Turks to break through Bagration''s defenses.

    Of course, with the manpower of the Russian army, it was not possible topletely encircle the numerically superior Turks. In fact, they simply controlled the roads. If the Turks abandoned the roads, they could potentially escape. However, the risk was significant because the artillery and all their logistics depended on the roads, meaning they would have to abandon everything and march on foot.

    They could carry only a limited amount of weapons, ammunition, and food. With the enemy controlling the roads and moving faster, they would easily crumble under continuous attacks.@@novelbin@@

    Often, the side with the upper hand on the battlefield would create a situation of "encircling three and missing one," seemingly offering the enemy a route to escape. However, if the enemy took this escape route, they would likely be easily eliminated in the subsequent pursuit. Compared to a tight encirclement and assault, this tactic was much cheaper in terms of time, life, and material costs.

    Ar?ncdar Mustafa Pasha knew that if his troops abandoned the wagons and fled off the roads, considering the distance of one to two hundred kilometers, perhaps only one in ten would make it back. The Russians, while eliminating them, would hardly lose anything besides weapons and ammunition, a result even worse than staying put and eventually surrendering after running out of food and horses. Thetter, although resulting in a tenth of the casualties, would tie down the main Russian forces and buy time for the Turkish forces to react.

    Nevertheless, the news had to be sent out, so Ar?ncdar Mustafa Pasha dispatched a few cavalrymen, each with several horses, and hung bags of beans and other concentrates on the necks of these horses, breaking through from roadless areas to report the situation back home.

    The Russian cavalry kept an eye on the Turkish messengers and pursued them, but their Don horses, while hardy, easy to maintain, and docile, were not particrly fast. They certainly couldn''tpare to the Arabian horses the Turks had in terms of speed or stamina. (Of course, the Don horses were much cheaper to maintain and adapted well to cold climates, unlike the Arabian horses.)Thus, the Russian attempt to stop the Turkish messengers was unsessful. Using their horses'' speed and endurance, most of the messengers easily evaded the Russians.

    On the other hand, Ar?ncdar Mustafa Pasha gathered the remaining troops to fortify their defenses. He continuously encouraged his soldiers, assuring them that reinforcements from home would soon arrive to rescue them. They just had to "hold on," and there would be a way.

    However, Ar?ncdar Mustafa Pasha knew very well that there were no reinforcementsing from home. This statement was merely to boost morale so that the soldiers could hold out a little longer.

    Facing Ar?ncdar Mustafa Pasha''s irond defenses, Generals Kutuzov and Bagration did notunch a full assault to settle the battle. It wasn''t because they couldn''t, but because they were already in a winning position and didn''t need to incur significant casualties unnecessarily. After all, the Turkish supply lines were cut, and it wouldn''t be long before they copsed on their own.

    So, an odd quiet settled on the battlefield, with the Russian forces quietly watching the Turks, and the Turks watching the Russians, neither side initiating an attack. The war seemed to have turned into a silent standoff.

    But the Russians hadplete logistical support. The Turks, however, had no supplies. Tost longer, the Turks began rationing their food. The soldiers'' rations were halved, and soon they were dizzy with hunger, their legs trembling. But the food quickly ran out.

    Then, the Turks began ughtering their horses, but the number of horses was limited, and each soldier''s share was naturally very little, so most of the soldiers were still desperately hungry.

    The Russians, skilled at exploiting others

    '' misfortunes, didn''t directly charge to attack but did something even more horrifying. They chose an upwind position and started cooking sausages, letting the wind carry the aroma to the Turkish side.

    They also shouted to the Turks, telling them that if they came over with their weapons and surrendered, there would be pork sausages and vodka waiting for them.

    ording to the teachings of the Star and Moon faith, these two items were strictly forbidden. So theoretically, it should have been difficult to tempt someone who followed the Star and Moon faith with these items. But still, many Turkish soldiers, followers of the Star and Moon faith, came running over, weapons in hand, and started eating (the grilled sausages) and drinking (the vodka), bing disgraced apostates.

    After enduring for half a month like this, when even the local rats had moved away for safety, the Turks, driven to desperation by hunger, finally sent out representatives, hoping to discuss surrender terms with the Russians.

 Chapter 486: You Will Return Like Lightning (5)

    Sultan Selim III was killed, and his cousin, Mustafa, ascended as the new Sultan, bing Sultan Mustafa IV. Historically, Sultan Selim III, due to his reforms, angered the feudal lords within the country and was also deposed through a coup by his own pce guards. Simrly, Sultan Mustafa IV took the throne.

    However, in the original history, the army loyal to Sultan Selim III was not destroyed. As the saying goes, "If the monks can touch it, why can''t I?" Are the Sultan''s guards the only ones capable of staging a coup? So, the modern army loyal to Sultan Selim III immediately returned to fight. Everyone thought there would be a civil war in Turkey. But unexpectedly, the pce guards, who loved peace so much (to the point of uselessness), disbanded at the first sh, with the soldiers returning to their homes and mothers. Subsequently, Sultan Mustafa IV��s reign ended swiftly, and his brother, Mahmud II, became the Sultan.

    But in this timeline, because the army loyal to Sultan Selim III wasrger and stronger than in history, Sultan Selim III lived a few years longer than he did historically. However, when he was deposed in the coup, 40,000 loyal troops were still around, but they had been deployed to the Balkans to confront the Austrians. So at that time, these armies could still raise a call to return to Istanbul.

    In this timeline, however, Turkey��s modern army had mostly been destroyed by the Russians in war, and the remnants had been sent to suppress the Greek uprising. Even more damning was that after the coup in Istanbul, the new powers that be immediately viewed the modern army unfavorably, arresting themanding officers and even stopping the supply of essentials including food.

    Then, Assad Pasha, who led these troops, boldly revolted. With only a few troops at hand, seizing power was not an option, so Assad Pasha chose to be a ruler of an ind. He led his forces to storm a port,mandeering dozens of ships,rge and small, and took his army to Crete.

    The Turkish army on Crete was effortlessly conquered by them, and Assad Pasha dered himself the Governor of Crete. He sent envoys to other countries and to Sultan Mustafa IV, hoping to gain recognition for his position.

    Overall, Sultan Mustafa IV''s position now seemed more stable than it originally was in history, at least domestically, because there wasn''t an army of 40,000ing to dethrone him. However, there were more troubling matters, such as not having to face a rebellion army, but instead facing a Russian army of 50,000. In history, the pce guards couldn''t stop the rebellion, and now, could they stop the Russian army?

    Therefore, after the coup, Sultan Mustafa IV immediately reached out to European nations, including Russia, assuring them that any agreement previously signed under Sultan Selim III was legitimate and would be honored��although one of the reasons for the coup was Sultan Selim III''s alleged treachery.

    The Russian envoys were told to go to St. Petersburg to meet the Tsar and then carry on as usual.As the news of the Istanbul coup reached him, Napoleon was pouring a ss of red wine into his mouth.

    "Pfft!" Napoleon couldn''t control himself and spat the wine all over the table, unable to suppress a cough. Lora quickly got up to pat his back.

    After a while, Napoleon caught his breath and asked, "Is the news urate?"

    "Of course, would I have run here if it weren''t?" Lucien replied.

    "Did you notify Joseph?" Napoleon asked again.

    "Of course, I called him beforeing. Fanny answered; she said Joseph was discussing something with his students. But she agreed to inform him right away, and he should be here soon."

    "That''s not certain, discussing things with his students isn''t something that can be resolved quickly," Napoleon shook his head. "But he should stille soon, especially since this involves money!"

    As Napoleon expected, Joseph arrived quickly.

    "What''s going on? What happened? I knew it, those Turkish people are worthless mud that can��t be supported!" Joseph burst out as soon as he entered.

    "You''re right, Joseph," Napoleon had calmed down by this time, "But honestly, didn''t we support Turkey because they were weak?"

    Joseph was initially furious, but upon hearing this, he paused and then couldn''t help butugh.@@novelbin@@

    "Napoleon, you''re absolutely right!"

    Historically, supporting foreign proxies or, metaphorically speaking, "raising dogs," has always been a contradictory matter. Dogs cannot be too capable or useful. If they are too capable, they wouldn''t willingly remain as dogs; they��d aspire to be equals. But if the dogs are too useless, they also pose a problem because they can''t help in times

    of need and would only drag you down. However, considering that raising dogs isn''t usually for biting but for the meat, the choice often leans towards the less capable, those that won��t turn against you.

    Afterughing for a while, Joseph continued, "But these Turkish people, really... The Russians are about to reach Constantinople, and they are still ying these games. However, we can''t fully control these fools from making mistakes. The question now is, how should we respond to this situation?"

    "Constantinople must not fall into Russian hands," Joseph said.

    If Constantinople were to fall into Russian hands, the Russians would control the juncture between Europe and Asia, gaining a pathway into the Mediterranean and achieving a decisive geographical advantage in the Middle East. Joseph certainly didn''t want to have just settled the issue with Ennd to the west, only to have a powerful Russia emerge suddenly from the east.

    "Although those Turkish people have a new Sultan, the previous Sultan had signed treaties with us. What''s the name of the new Sultan?" Napoleon asked.

    "Mustafa IV," Lucien answered.

    "Oh, Mustafa IV, a criminal, a thug, a servile scoundrel, a chatan king, a thief who stole the precious crown from its stand and tucked it into his satchel! How could they y such a hand at this time?" Napoleon said.

    "This is very normal, verymon, isn''t it? Look at the performances of Philippe Equality during the Revolution, in a sense, wasn''t it the same?" Josephughed, "But for us, a king who came to power illegitimately might be more useful. His position is unprecedentedly weak; he wouldn''t dare to vite any agreements we signed with them, even if they were only preliminary. So, our ns can proceed as originally nned. No, the ns should be elerated. We need the Holy See''s volunteer army to arrive sooner and build defensive fortifications outside Constantinople."

    Philippe Equality, also known as the Duke of Orl��ans, behaved very revolutionary and radical during the Revolution, even among the most radical of the Montagnards. To demonstrate his devotion to the republic, he changed his surname to "Equality" and led the charge in sentencing King Louis XVI to death. However, everyone knew that the Duke of Orl��ans''s actions were aimed at positioning himself to be the King of France. Compared to the Duke of Orl��ans, Sultan Mustafa IV and the Turkish conservatives were not particrly bizarre.

    "You''re right, but there''s one thing: I think we should start by denouncing them, questioning their legitimacy, until they offer a higher price," Napoleon said.

    So, Foreign Minister Talleyrand urgently summoned the Turkish ambassador and made the following statement:

    "Your country''s Sultan Selim III was an old friend of the French people. France is very concerned about your country''s current situation and strongly opposes any use of illegal means to overthrow such a widely beloved and legitimate monarch."

    Looking at Talleyrand''s stern demeanor, the Turkish ambassador, Ahmadi, couldn''t help but think: "You French, who publicly executed your legitimate king, have the audacity to talk about a ''legitimate king''? Besides, Turkey has its own traditions; fratricidal conflict is a time-honored tradition..."

    However, he dared not speak these thoughts aloud; doing so might endanger his personal safety and the diplomatic rtions between the two countries. So, he exined: "Your Excellency, I know there are many rumors, iming a coup has urred in our country, that our current Sultan ascended the throne by killing his predecessor. But these are not true; they are fabrications by our enemies, the Russians, meant to sow discord between our nations. In fact, our former king, Sultan Selim III, had long been unwell. After the shameless aggression by the Russians, his health deteriorated further due to his concerns for the state, and he sumbed to his illness, returning to the embrace of the true God. Before his death, he left a will, bequeathing the throne to his cousin, our new Sultan, Mustafa IV. All of this was done under the witness of God."

    "Is that really the case?" Talleyrand asked.

    "Of course," the ambassador Ahmadi affirmed.

    "So, the rumors about your country''s clergy, and the new Sultan denouncing Sultan Selim III''s policies and nning to overturn them entirely, are also false? The various agreements reached during Sultan Selim III''s reign between our countries are still valid?"

    "Of course, our country always honors itsmitments. The agreements reached with your country will certainly be upheld..."

    Hearing this, Talleyrand smiled, "If so, some misunderstandings between our countries should be able to be resolved. Well, your country has just suffered losses on the battlefield and lost such a distinguished monarch as Sultan Selim III. Your country''s situation is quite dire. I heard that your country ns to

    make peace with the Russians? Even considering cedingnds in the Balkans to the Russians? My friend, as a friend, let me advise you. You should know that trying to deal with the Russians by cedingnd is like throwing wood onto a fire. The wood won''t stop burning until it''s all gone. Your country, thoughrge, has limitednd, but the Russians'' greed fornd is limitless. Therefore, I suggest you expedite hiring the ''South Italian Volunteers'' from Italy, finish paying them and pull your troops back before it''s toote. Additionally, because of your country''s recent upheaval, our bankers generally believe that lending to your country has be significantly riskier. Therefore, if loans are extended to your country, the interest rates must be increased slightly. We also require more coteral."

    After his meeting with Talleyrand, Ambassador Ahmadi immediately used the telegraph to report the situation back home. He soon received a response; Sultan Mustafa IV fully agreed to the French demands. Thus, arge number of South Italian volunteers soon boarded ships.

    To resolve the crisis, Sultan Mustafa IV was much more decisive in selling national interests than his brother, and his asking price was much lower. For example, hepletely mortgaged the mining rights around the Persian Gulf to the French to borrow money to hire Italians and purchase weapons and ammunition from France.

    Considering the increased loan interest rates, Turkey''s ability to repay was indeed problematic. Of course, the Turkish people, tightening their belts, could still manage to pay back. But this was not their usual habit. The Turks were more ustomed to defaulting a bit, but French debts were not so easy to default on. Fortunately, the French were interested in the barrennds near the Persian Gulf and even proposed using the region''s minerals as coteral and requested the right to station troops there. The Turks felt that selling the minerals in this area to the French to weather the crisis was not a bad deal after all.

 Chapter 487: You Will Return Like Lightning (6)

    After another bargain sale of their nation, the Turks finally managed to hold off the Russians by relying on a crusade sent by the Papal States��ah, it was the Southern Italian volunteers who based themselves along the Prut River.

    In fact, neither side engaged in much serious fighting. The Russians had depleted much of their ammunition in previous battles. (Kutuzov: I have already been very frugal!) And Ar?ncar Mustafa Pasha��s most significant act before surrendering was to deplete all kinds of supplies, especially ammunition, carried by the Turkish army. By the time they surrendered, the Russians were hoping to profit from the captured supplies. However, while they did capture a good amount of weapons, the ammunition was disappointingly scant. As a result, each Russian cannon was now allocated less than five shells on average.

    If the enemy had been a group of Sultan''s personal guards, the Russians might have still tried to fight seriously to see if they could st some ammunition out of them. But with the Italians... well, if it were many yearster and the Russians heard that they were facing "lovable Italians," there wouldn��t even need to be amissar to boost morale; their spirits would skyrocket on their own.

    Imagine that, "lovable Italians"! They always carry delicious Italian sausages, and Italians are versatile, each knowing how to y one or two musical instruments. With them around, one could stage an opera like "The Marriage of Figaro" right in the POW camps. The whole army could instantly gain a whole bunch of military bands. Moreover, the Russian cooks could all take a collective break��how nice would that be!

    However, the Italians of this era weren��t yet the "lovable Italians." In this time, the Italian states were fragmented, and warfare was amon urrence. Although Italians were famously slippery and dishonest, theirbat effectiveness was still guaranteed.

    Moreover, under themand of the old Marshal Suvorov, many Russian generals had personally seen how the Northern Italians had tormented the Austrians in defensive battles. Although the Austrians insisted that it was Frenchmen wearing Italian uniforms, everyone knew they were Italians. Since the Northern Italians were so capable, the Southern Italians probably weren''t too far off... With this in mind, and considering the current state of their forces, the Russians decided it was time to cut their losses.

    As for the Southern Italian volunteers, they had even less intention of attacking. After all, they were just there to make money. If they could get paid just for standing off, that was certainly better than fighting.

    Thus, the two armies faced each other across the Prut River. Meanwhile, Russia and Turkey began negotiations.

    The Russians, of course, started with oundish demands. They wanted territorial concessions and reparations, typical demands. They also wanted Turkey to allow Russian ships, including warships, free passage through the Bosphorus Strait. They demanded the restoration of the Hagia Sophia, converting it back from a mosque to an Orthodox cathedral, and the removal of the minarets added by the Turks.The Turkish instantly refused the demand about the Hagia Sophia. If they agreed to that, the legitimacy of the Turkish regime would be practically non-existent.

    Of course, when the Russians made this demand, they knew the Turks would refuse. It was just a way to put pressure on them and provide a pretext for Turkey to make concessions in other areas. It allowed the Turks to say to their people, ��Look, we still maintain our national interests, we have firmly rejected their unreasonable demands... What aboutnd and reparations? That��s not our fault, it��s because the previous Sultan Selim III was not devout enough, didn��t rely on true faith to solve problems, and instead indulged in the heresies of the infidels... Remember when we Turks were victorious in every battle? That was because we were devout believers in the true God. The more these reformers did, the worse they made things...��

    After such propaganda, the new Turkish Sultan even managed to sell this as a tragic necessity. Many yearster, there were still Turks who thought Sultan Mustafa IV was actually not too bad, and that he couldn��t be med for thend cessions and reparations. There was even an inte meme saying, ��Young I didn��t know the hardships of the fourth Sultan, only when old do I recognize a true Sultan.��

    The remaining issues werend and navigational rights. ording to Sultan Mustafa IV��s view, these were negotiable. It was just a matter of how much Turkish territory and resources could ensure national happiness.

    Sultan Mustafa IV said to his Grand Vizier Cevaz Pasha Mimars, ��My brother, Sultan Selim III, was far superior to me in talent and wisdom. But he ultimately failed. Do you know why?��

    Grand Vizier Mimars shook his head.

    ��Sultan Selim III pursued unreachable goals. He spent too much

    time stargazing and forgot what the earth was really like. He saw the infidel nations of Europe rising rapidly, bing stronger day by day, while our crescent moon g was not as dazzling as it had been years ago. So, he tried to learn from those infidel nations, without considering that fundamentally, those nations were different from Turkey.

    ��The rise of those nations came at the cost of weakening religion, and their kings had apletely different rtionship with the church than we do. Their kings have always struggled with the church for power. As the church weakened, government power increased. But we are different; in our tradition, religion and government are one. To weaken religion is to weaken the government. Perhaps his approach could have made Turkey stronger, but it would have weakened our government. My brother always thinks I��m a naive bumpkin who doesn��t understand the outside world. Ha...

    ��The rise of those infidel nations came not only at the cost of religion��s decline but even at the cost of the monarchy��s decline. Look, in Ennd, they were the first to behead a king, although they kept the monarchy, the king��s power and dignity were trampled by Parliament. At that price, Ennd once became the most powerful country in the world.

    ��To surpass Ennd, the French also beheaded their king and queen, and turned their kingdom into a republic��afterwards, they didn��t even have a king.

    ��After paying such a price, France surpassed Ennd and became the strongest country in the world. So, if we follow their lead, wanting to be as strong as they are, what price must we pay? Is it like Ennd, beheading a Sultan and then giving the next Sultan a set ofws dictating what he can and cannot do? Or like France, beheading both the king and queen, then turning Turkey into a republic?

    ��No, if we want to make Turkey as strong as it was under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, merely reaching the level of the French is probably not enough. Perhaps we need to sacrifice the entire Ottoman family. So, the path my brother took is definitely the wrong one. It��s a path that might preserve Turkey but not the Ottomans!

    ��If the rulers of Turkey are not the Ottomans, then no matter how advanced or strong Turkey bes, what meaning does it have? The real difference between me and my cousin is whether to preserve Turkey or to preserve the Ottomans.��

    So, the Ottoman Turkish elite quickly united around the idea that their first priority was to preserve the Ottomans, and their second priority to preserve the Ottoman nobility and clergy, and then, incidentally, to preserve Turkey.

    With this guiding principle, the rest was predictable. However, the French threw a spanner in the works. They not only encouraged the Turks, telling them that reparations could be considered (since Turkey had no money and would have to borrow from France, and at least in this timeline, no one who borrowed from the French dared default on principal or interest), but were adamant that territory already upied by the Russians could be ceded, but unupied areas must not be ceded. As for the Russian demand for navigational rights, they were even more upromising.

    ��Absolutely not let Russian warships enter the Mediterranean!�� The French ambassador to Turkey simply stepped up and directed Turkish diplomacy.

    ��But Mr. Ambassador, if we don��tpromise on this issue, the Russians will not agree. We can��t beat them right now...�� exined Grand Vizier Mimars.

    The French ambassador immediately responded, ��The Russian swords are sharp, are not our French swords also sharp? Allowing Russian warships into the Mediterranean harms our interests. If your country cannot protect our interests... do you intend to see how the French protect French interests?��

    So, the issue of navigational rights became really difficult to negotiate. No matter how much pressure the Russians applied, the Turks would not budge, since they had already offended the Russians and could no longer consider them friends. Of course, if they found out who was plotting to overthrow the Sultan, that might temporarily make them friends. But that was only temporary. Geographically, they were natural enemies. To satisfy the Russians and anger the much stronger France was clearly not workable. Thus, negotiations dragged on, but the Italians were not in a hurry, since each day of dy meant another day��s pay.

    Finally, the Russians became anxious. They needed a reparations payment to settle their war debts and to fund domestic legal reforms. So, the Russians took a step back. They proposed that Turkey ensure free passage for Russian merchant ships through the Bosphorus Strait, and as for warships, that could be discussed, such as excluding capital ships.

    Of course, defining what constituted a capital ship was another contentious issue. Eventually, it was agreed that battleships and super cruisers were not allowed through. Cruisers and smaller warships could pass, but the annual tonnage through the strait could not exceed a certain amount. The standards

    for battleships and super cruisers would be based on the existing standards of the French navy.

    With this most difficult issue resolved, Turkey and Russia signed a new peace treaty. ording to this treaty, Turkey ceded the entire Bessarabia region and parts of the Caucasus to Russia. In addition, they paid Russia one hundred million francs.

    Even for Turkey, which boasted of having wealth as vast as the seas, this was not a small sum easily procured. But the Russians demanded that Turkey pay in one lump sum, and the timeline was very tight. To gather this money, Turkey applied for a loan from the Bank of Rome.

    Eventually, Turkey spent a total of three hundred million francs, of which one hundred million was paid to the Russians, and the remaining two hundred million, of course, was thewful ie of the Bank of Rome.

    Just as the fires of war in the east gradually extinguished, in Irnd, the siege of Dublin also reached its final stages. After ceasing to supply ammunition to the Russians, the ammunition supply for the French artillery outside Dublin finally improved. The Franco-Irish forces'' attacks on Dublin became much more efficient.

    Now, the number of shells falling on the British daily was at least three times what it had been before. Additionally, with the ultra-long range of the French cannons, they had a clear advantage over the British artillery.

    Using hot air balloons for high-altitude observation, along with 280mm and 203mm cannons'' tremendous range, the French forces continued to destroy many British cannons. Particrly because the Britishcked smokeless powder technology, their cannons were very conspicuous when firing, allowing the French to quickly locate and bombard them.@@novelbin@@

    Now, a faction of the independence army had already upied thest strategic point leading to the city center, so the British had already been preparing to retreat.

    When ites to the history of world warfare, the British Army is not particrly outstanding in many respects, but there is one technique at which they excel, and that is organizing retreats, especially retreats by sea...

 Chapter 488: Retreat (2)

    The British had long since devised a retreat n and had begun implementing it. The first to be evacuated were the British civilians, who, in Dublin, were mostly wealthy individuals. Many of them boarded ships with a small suitcase containing Irishnd deeds. Yearster, these deeds would still be produced in Britain, with demands for the Irish government to respect private property, simr to how some Americans wouldter demand repayment from the Republic using President Yuan''s old loan receipts.

    After the wealthy civilians had departed, the next priority was essential supplies and various machinery. Despite Dublin''s modest industrial sector, including flour mills, any machinery was deemed invaluable to Britain. Thus, these machines were dismantled and loaded onto ships.

    Additionally, railway lotives and tracks, though they could have been used to bolster Dublin��s defenses, were also relocated to enhance defenses on British soil. As for Dublin''s defenses, well, the railway sleepers were left behind.

    The real challenge came with the withdrawal ofbat troops.

    Facing enemy assaults, withdrawing troops significantlypromised the defense of their original positions, potentially creating weak points and causing a copse under the pressure of enemy forces.

    Thus, recing the authentic British troops with so-called "security forces" at any point required extreme caution to avoid aplete defensive breakdown. The weakening or disappearance of defense was inevitable, but it was preferable for it to dissolve rather than copse under pressure.

    During this critical time, thebat effectiveness of these security forces was vital. The British began their final persuasion efforts, targeting the staunch coborators��those who still served the British and hadn''t yet defected to redeem themselves. These coborators weren��t actually suffering from Stockholm syndrome or a genuine love for Britain; rather, they were driven by rejection from the Irish.

    Havingmitted numerous crimes, these coborators couldn''t turn back. If the Irish independence army truly offered them a chance to start anew, they would''ve promptly betrayed the British. But the Irish, feeling it unfair to let these major offenders off easily, continued their struggle for three key reasons: fairness, fairness, and more fairness. If these perpetrators were forgiven, it would undermine the entire purpose of their revolution and the sacrifices of their people.

    Therefore, these staunch coborators had no way back.The British reassured them that as long as they remained loyal to the British Empire, they could be evacuated with the retreat.

    However, these staunch coborators weren''t entirely convinced by the British, given they had nowhere else to go��not even the Irish would forgive them, considering their extensive wrongdoing.

    Thus, they had no choice but to trust the British, who also needed to convince the subordinate coborators within their ranks.

    Typically, the Irish approach to dealing with coborators involved punishing the most culpable severely while offering a chance for redemption to the less involved soldiers.

    So, the security forces'' soldiers might adopt a strategy when facing the advancing independence army: raise their gun barrels slightly when the enemy was still distant and surrender as soon as they charged.

    This would make the British retreat exceedingly difficult.

    Nevertheless, the British had their methods, starting with spreading rumors.

    Preparation is key in all endeavors, including rumor-mongering, an area where the British excelled. Early in the standoff, to prevent the security forces from hedging their bets, the British engaged inprehensive rumor-mongering.

    This involved various forms of nder and impersonation��posing as security forces tomit atrocities in one area, then impersonating the independence army to annihte a security force elsewhere.

    Such tactics were now indispensable. The British showed the security forces photos of the independence army executing their ranks in rows, telling them the independence army harbored deep hatred and wouldn''t spare them.

    Yet, as effective as rumors can be, they have limits, and the Irish weren''t ignorant. They countered the rumors effectively.

    ording to the secondw of thermodynamics, rumors aimed at creating disorder have a natural advantage in spreadingpared to efforts to rify or bring order. This has led to the adage that spreading rumors is easy, but debunking them is hard.

    However, if one persistently relies on rumors to stabilize and develop their agenda, the scenario changes. Their rumor-mongering no longer aims to create disorder but to establish a new order, making their efforts inefficient as per the greatw of thermodynamics.

    This was evident in modern times in Red Rabbit Country, where rumors once forced its government into passivity. But as the rumor-mongers increasingly relied on this tactic, its effectiveness waned��not just in Red Rabbit Country, which coined the term "Don''t be too CNN," but also in their own nations, where the foundingrades aptly named them "Fake News."

    Now, the British faced simr challenges.

    The Irish used loudspeakers to assure the security forces thatying down their arms would restore their status as legal Irish citizens; returning with weapons to join the revolution was equally weed. The revolution didn��t discriminate based on timing; early orte, all were invited to earn their ce as revolutionary heroes.

    In addition to loudspeakers, they fired

    propaganda leaflets with mortars and grenadeunchers onto the security forces'' positions, urging them to seize theirst chance to be revolutionary heroes.

    The leaflets inly stated the ways to be heroes: capturing or killing unrepentant traitors, destroying crucial invader facilities, or gathering key intelligence.@@novelbin@@

    To substantiate their ims, those who had previously defected were now regrly broadcasting messages, convincing their formerrades of the independence army''s integrity and promises.

    For instance, a former squad leader, Roy, from the 12th Battalion��s 7th Squad, widely recognized among the troops, reassured them over the loudspeaker, ��Brothers of the security forces, you know me, Roy. Last month, I and a few brothers, with the traitor Ollicay��s head, defected to the liberators. Now, we��ve be liberating soldiers, receivednd in our homnd, and I��ve even be an officer. Brothers, the independence army keeps its word, truly honorable. Hurry over����

    The impact of this propaganda was undeniable, as the incident of Battalion Leader Ollicay losing his headst month had been highly sensational, known to every member of the security forces.

    Now, with this propaganda, Captain Jarvis of the security forces felt as if every non-British individual he saw was aiming to shoot him and decapitate him to im a reward from the other side. Captain Ollicay, once Jarvis��s fierce rival over extortion issues, had even insulted Jarvis a month ago, boasting of his greater allegiancepared to Jarvis. Yet, now that Ollicay��s head had been stolen, Jarvis couldn��t feel any joy but rather a deste sympathy, fearing he might be the next victim of head thieves.

    Due to this concern, Captain Jarvis now slept with one eye open, keeping a loaded revolver under his pillow and another, with an empty first chamber, within reach in his bedding.

    Despite the British efforts in spreading rumors, which had some effect, they also dispersed the so-called ��security forces�� among more closely monitored British troops, maintaining a minimal level of functionality.

    Besides rumor-mongering, the British also enticed the security forces with promises of evacuation to the British maind, iming all were "qualified Britons."

    However, merely verbal promises were hardly convincing, so the British actually evacuated a shipload of security forces. Selectively, they didn��t evacuate the most staunch coborators but rather a rtively average-performing unit.

    Why evacuate such a unit? The Duke of Norfolk exined:

    ��Why not evacuate the best-performing ��security forces��? Isn��t it obvious? Even the best among them are barely adequate. Now, when we most need them, we count on them to hold their ground. Why would we send them away? By evacuating an average unit, what do the Irish think? They��d assume if such a unit could be evacuated, then certainly they could too. Not everyone might think this way, but even if a fraction does, it��s a chance we can exploit to keep them fighting for us.��

    ��More importantly, what would the ��security forces�� officers think?�� another officermented.

    ��They��d think exactly as we hope. People in desperate situations often convince themselves of the best scenario that allows them to feel at ease, rather than the most logical or likely one,�� the Duke of Norfolk concluded.

    Just as the Duke of Norfolk anticipated, this move indeed had a significant effect. Some staunch coborators immediately adopted the expected line of thinking, their morale greatly boosted by the belief that if even those who performed worse than them were evacuated, then surely they, or at least their own ranks, deserved a chance too. After all, the ship wasrge, the Irish Sea calm, and surely it could slightly overfill with English-speaking soldiers, including those canine ones, after loading the British soldiers, military horses, and military dogs.

 Chapter 489: Retreat (3)

    Although the British army is very methodical about retreating, especially when allied or auxiliary forces are involved, the lines have be increasingly difficult to hold as the forces gradually withdraw. This has led to the most critical moment.

    Now, any further reduction of the defense area or withdrawal of troops has be impossible. Even minor withdrawals could likely lead to a precipitous deterioration of the front lines. Therefore, the British are no longer contemting small-scale retreats but are preparing for a total withdrawal. They n to load as many people as possible onto ships in a very short time, before the enemy can react.

    Achieving this requires significant throughput capacity at the ports and high organizational abilities among the troops. Dublin naturally has some advantages in this respect.

    Dublin is Irnd''srgest and most important port, with rtively good facilities for the era, capable of berthing arge number of ships. Its rtively sheltered location in the Irish Sea also allows more people to be loaded onto ships.

    Moreover, after the war entered a stalemate phase, the Duke of Norfolk had further expanded Dublin Port, adding several new docks. The original rationale was to facilitate troop reinforcements, but these smaller docks were likely also designed with rapid withdrawals in mind.

    Thus, the first condition for a rapid withdrawal has been met. The next challenge is how to organize the retreat efficiently.

    Over the past few days, the Duke of Norfolk has been busy meeting withmanders of the "security forces," speaking to them and awarding medals.

    After Napoleon established a system of medals, the British created their own, even more detailed system. It includes medals like the Royal Cross, generally awarded only to royal family members serving in the military and senior officers. Lower than that is the "Distinguished Gantry Medal," which, despite its name, is mainly awarded tomissioned officers. Regr soldiers and junior officers rarely receive such distinctions.

    Even lower is the Military Medal, awarded for bravery inbat to soldiers and junior officers. This medal is generally only awarded to genuine British forces, not to mixed units like the "security forces."Then there are "shoulder badges"��bronze oak leaves affixed to the uniform''s shoulder, a moremon decoration within the British forces. However, only the staunchest coborators in the "security forces" receive these.

    Overall, the British military''s medal system at this time isplete and distinctly reflective of the era''s social stratification: higher decorations for higher ranks and lower ones for the lower ranks. Unlike in some future countries, where the highest honors go to front-line soldiers.

    This time, the Duke of Norfolk has spent quite a sum to award numerous Military Medals to various leaders within the "security forces," with prominent figures like Captain Jarvis even receiving a Distinguished Gantry Medal, causing some dissatisfaction among the regr British forces.

    "Who awards a fighting dog such high honors?" Duke''s aide-de-camp, Tony Alkin, remarked.

    "Ah, Tony, it''s just a few ques. What''s the big deal?" the Duke replied nonchntly.

    "But Duke, these awards require approval from the Parliament and the King. If we were continuously winning, a one-time request for so many medals might pass. But now... they will surely have something to say."

    The Duke smiled slightly and said, "Ah, Tony, you are so young, so naive. Who told you I was going to ask for approval from Parliament and the King? Why bother with such formalities?"

    At this time, mass awarding of medals indeed gave rise to suspicions that this might be akin to ast meal before an execution. However, during his meetings, the Duke of Norfolk seriously conveyed the retreat ns, including the timing and order of embarkation. He also emphasized the need for strict secrecy and pointed out that any unit showing premature movement would be moved to the end of the retreat sequence.

    Most of the staunch coborators were given favorable positions in the retreat sequence. For example, Captain Jarvis was assigned an excellent spot. His unit would follow the authentic British regiments, which were scheduled to withdraw first thing in the morning. Once they had withdrawn, it would soon be Jarvis and his men''s turn. At the signal of the bugle, Captain Jarvis could lead his men to the docks for retreat. A ship was specifically reserved for Jarvis and his men. Once aboard, they would be safe.

    "Captain Jarvis, the matter of retreat must be kept in utmost secrecy. We suspect that there are spies from the rebels in your ranks. Therefore, the retreat operation must not be disclosed until the bugle sounds. No one must know beforehand," the Duke of Norfolk said earnestly.

    Jarvis knew that among his men, there were likely none currently in contact with the "rebels"��after all, there were battle lines and barbed wire. But many probably hoped to establish such contacts��a fact evident from their recent looks.

    The other side had mentioned that obtaining significant intelligence could be asmendable as securing a general''s head. If his men knew of this, who knows how

    many would attempt a "significant act of merit"? If not for the blood on his hands, Jarvis himself might have contemted such an act.

    "Governor, I will ensure utmost secrecy," Jarvis saluted sharply.

    "And if your soldiers see other units pulling back, how will you exin that?" the Duke of Norfolk asked further.

    "Governor, I will tell them that they are retreating to the next line of defense."

    In reality, there was indeed another line of defense behind them. Thus, most soldiers in the "security forces" believed they would first fall back to this final line, hold for a while, and then execute a total retreat. However, the true purpose of this so-called final line was merely to foster this misunderstanding.

    "Very good, Captain Jarvis, very good!" the Duke of Norfolk said, "When we reach Ennd, I hope to see you still serving the United Kingdom."

    "It is our greatest honor to fight for the United Kingdom," Captain Jarvis responded.

    Captain Jarvis, wearing a silver-white Distinguished Gantry Medal, proudly returned to his defensive position. It was mealtime, a rare moment of quiet during the siege.

    Taking advantage of this time, Captain Jarvis ate his meal and tidied up his personal belongings. He knew that no matter the arrangements, the retreat could easily be chaotic. He also had no intention of being thest man standing at his post. Once the situation became confused, who knew what might happen? If something went wrong and he couldn''t board the ship, everything would be lost.@@novelbin@@

    In his room, Captain Jarvis checked his two revolvers, loading them with bullets, and carefully looked out the window. Seeing no one outside, he withdrew his head, closed the window, drew the curtains, and then unlocked a cab. Inside was a safe, from which he took a long belt and a stack of gold coins.

    Over the years, Captain Jarvis had made quite a sum by collecting protection money, engaging in spective trading of important supplies, participating in smuggling and counter-smuggling, and then re-smuggling seized goods. Through these means, he had umted a fair amount of money. Captain Jarvis had little trust in paper money, even British currency, so over the years, he had converted part of his earnings into gold coins, and some, well, he had bought properties and houses in maind Britain during his vacations. Given the current situation, Captain Jarvis had proven to have a knack for investment. Yet, he was not entirely pleased with himself; he felt that had he chosen to buy a house in France back then, it would have been even better.

    Captain Jarvis picked up the specially made belt, which was essentially a long pocket that could hold small items.

    He began to stuff the gold coins into the belt one by one, then folded several documents��deeds��into long strips and carefully inserted them as well. He then took off the belt he was wearing and reced it with this one, patting it down with his hand. The coins were tightly packed inside, making no sound.

    Satisfied, Captain Jarvis touched the belt containing his fortune. Before the siege, he had sent his wife to Britain. The authorities were very pleased with this, considering it a show of loyalty to the United Kingdom. But for Jarvis, this was hardly significant. He didn''t really trust anyone, including the woman who might be his wife or his mistress, so his money, his truly important possessions, were all here with him.

    Because the belt was heavy with gold coins, it felt reassuringly weighty. He then holstered his two loaded revolvers and went out to inspect the positions.

    By evening, a full moon lit up the night, providing good visibility, so Jarvis set about organizing the night''s defenses.

    He told his "security forces" soldiers that tonight, they would abandon their current positions and fall back to the final line of defense.

    "The British to our side and behind us are retreating first. After they secure the key positions, we will be able to pull back around dawn."

    This procedure had been typical of previous retreats, so most soldiers didn''t suspect anything. Those who were suspicious were mainly concerned that, if the final line of defense failed, the British might abandon them. They didn''t realize that this so-called final line was designed not to confront the Irish independence forces but to deceive them.

    At midnight, rustling sounds came from behind and to the side of the position held by Jarvis''s "security forces," indicating that the British were beginning their retreat. Jarvis let his deputy supervise the men while he excused himself to coordinate with the retreating British on the rear guard arrangements.

    This was amon enough urrence, so the deputy didn''t suspect anything. Jarvis indeed saw the British orderly retreating and followed them towards the docks. However, at the dock area, he was stopped by military police who told him that the "security forces" could only retreat once the assembly bugle sounded.

    Thus, Jarvis had to wait there, watching one group of British after another board the ships, watching ship after ship arrive

    at and leave the docks.

    At the docks, wave after wave of British arrived and quickly embarked, leaving in an endless stream as if they could keep boarding and boarding until the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse sounded their trumpets, signaling the end of the world.

    "Ah, Captain Jarvis, you''re quite early," a voice called out.

    Jarvis turned and saw several people heading his way. He recognized them all��they were certified "staunch coborators" from the independence army, although Jarvis felt that some of them hardly deserved that title.

    "What are you doing here?" Jarvis asked.

    "Cut it, why are you here? That''s why we''re here," one coborator, who had always disliked Jarvis, retorted.

    "Let''s not quarrel now," another coborator said.

    "The military police will board soon. Then it''ll be our turn," another person said. "But look, how many ships are left at the dock? Clearly, these few ships won''t be enough to take all of our men. If we hadn''te now, we might not have a ship to board at all."

    This argument struck a chord, so everyone fell silent.

    At that moment, a carriage arrived at the dock. It was the Duke of Norfolk, apanied by a group of servants and his pet dog, ready to board a ship.

    As the Duke alighted, he noticed the "staunch coborators" and gestured to others before approaching with a few guards.

    "Governor, you''re here too?" Jarvis immediately stood at attention.

    "Yes, I must also leave. But Captain Jarvis, rest assured, we will return!"

    "Yes, Your Excellency, we will definitely return," Jarvis replied.

    "Hmm, Captain Jarvis, your unit isn''t scheduled to retreat yet," the Duke of Norfolk said, pulling out a pocket watch and adopting a stern tone. "And you others, it''s not your time either. You should return to your posts now."

    The nearby military police began to gather around.

    "Governor, you misunderstand. We just came to inspect the situation to ensure a smooth retreatter," Captain Jarvis quickly said.

    "Well, have you finished your inspection? Then go back. Return to your posts immediately," the Duke of Norfolk said sternly.

    "We''re going right now," Jarvis quickly said.

    Then the coborators exchanged nces and collectively saluted the Duke of Norfolk before turning to run away.

    But they didn''t really return to their units; instead, they turned a corner and stopped behind a building.

    "Are we going back?" someone asked.

    "Go back my ass," Jarvis said. "Look at how many ships are left. They can''t fit all these people. Let''s not let anyone go back!"

    While speaking, Jarvis drew his revolver.

    "Right, no one goes back. We''ll just wait here for the assembly signal," the others agreed.

    As dawn broke in the eastern sky, and the morning star appeared, the dock''s activity dwindled. The Duke of Norfolk''s entourage had boarded arge ship, which then left the dock. Now, few ships remained at the dock. The military police also began to board.

    "Damn, why hasn''t the assembly signal sounded yet?" a coborator said anxiously.

    "My goodness, the police have gone! Ah, those ships are preparing to leave, aren''t they going to wait for us?"

    "It must be that the bugler ran off, forgetting to sound the signal!" Captain Jarvis said. "Ah, thest ship is also gathering its ropes now. Let''s hurry over!"

    By then, only one ship remained at the dock, the rest sailing towards the open sea. There were no ships waiting outside the harbor.

    Several "staunch coborators" sprinted towards the dock, panting as they ran toward thest ship still untying its ropes.

    "Wait, wait for us," they shouted as they ran.

    But it seemed no one was waiting for them. Just as they were about to reach the ship, it gathered its ropes and started moving away from the dock.

 Chapter 490: Retreat (4)

    When Jarvis and hispanions reached the dock, the small sailboat had already left, running more than twenty meters away from the dock. Since they couldn''t perform the light-footed technique of running over water, it was naturally impossible for them to shout loudly and leap into the air, stepping with the left foot on the right and vice versa to fly onto the boat. However, they all jumped into the sea without hesitation, plunging into the ocean like a group of penguins.

    But their swimming motions were far less agile than those of penguins; rather, they were as clumsy as penguins onnd. Particrly Captain Jarvis, who had filled his belt with gold coins, was so heavy that he had to use more strength just to stay afloat rather than moving forward.

    However, the others were not much better; even swimming a bit faster, they could not catch up with the boat, even one powered only by sails. As the boat grew farther away, their distance from it increased from twenty to thirty, then to forty meters. No matter how loudly they shouted or how much they floundered, the boat continued to drift away.

    Eventually, their cries for help turned into curses. They started cursing that the king was mad, that the crown prince would be beheadedments that clearly vited thews of the United Kingdom. However, the British constables on the boat trampled over their duties by not turning the boat around to arrest them.

    Meanwhile, at the defensive line, more and more "security forces" realized they were being abandoned. They issued impeachment cries, which were as thunderous asndslides. These security forces frantically ran toward the port, kicking up clouds of dust visible from afar.

    Suchmotion naturally caught the attention of the independent forces and the French. Captain Jarvis estimated that it wouldn''t be long before the French started bombarding this area.

    Now, the boat was more than a hundred meters away, but suddenly it slowed down and even turned around, starting to approach them again!

    "Thank God! They''ve finally seen us! I love the United Kingdom!" someone joyously eximed.

    "I knew it; the United Kingdom would never abandon any of its loyal dogs," another person eximed with relief. Out of sheer joy, he identally swallowed some seawater, leading to a violent coughing fit, nearly causing him to sink.But although the boat was heading toward them, it didn''t stop by their side but instead passed them by, heading toward the dock. On the dock, a big yellow dog sat wagging its tail and barking happily. Indeed, the United Kingdom would never abandon any of its loyal dogs.

    The boat slowed down, neared the jetty, and a gangnk was lowered to the dock. People on the boat called out the dog''s name, "Spike, Spike, where did you go? Come on up, quick!"

    Spike stood up, wagging his tail, and started hopping towards the gangnk. But just as his front paws touched the nk, he hesitated, then turned his head back��at the end of the dock, a gray-blue cat leisurely strolled by.

    "Bark, bark, bark!" Spike barked loudly, turned around, and charged at the cat.

    "Spike, you silly dog! Come back! Come back!" a British constable shouted as he rushed down from the boat.

    "Spike is such a good dog," Jarvis thought as he quickly swam back. He needed to get on board before the constable could bring the silly dog��or rather, the good dog��back. Otherwise, considering the Britons'' performance, they might not wait for them.

    At that moment, due to the weight of his belt, Jarvis was among the slowest swimmers. But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining; now, he was the closest to the dock.

    Jarvis discarded the tworge revolvers hanging from his belt��they were utterly useless now��and swam back with all his might. As he swam, he prayed that the dog would buy them a little more time.

    The dog was helpful, or perhaps it was the cat that was very helpful, so by the time Jarvis swam back to the shore, climbed up, and ran to the gangnk, the dog and the constable hadn''t returned yet.

    But Jarvis was still stopped by several constables.

    "What are you doing!" the constables demanded.

    "Sir, the governor said we could board," Jarvis replied.

    The leading constable frowned and said, "This isn''t your ship. Your ship willeter."

    Jarvis looked out at the sea, where there were no shipsing their way, and onnd, the noise of copse was getting closer��what remained of the defensive forces had crumbled. Moreover, in the sky, a hot air balloon had already taken off��the Irish independence army''s attack and the French bombardment were about to begin!

    "Sir, please! Look at

    the situation; we can''t wait for another ship," Jarvis pleaded as he subtly blocked others'' view and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a bag (a contingency reserve filled with several gold coins) and handed it to the leading constable. The constable weighed the small bag in his hand, nced at the other constables beside him, and then pocketed it, saying, "Alright, there''s some room left on deck, you cane aboard. Just find a spot on the deck to stay."

    "Thank you, sir, thank you," Jarvis said as he boarded the deck. After him, several other "die-hard coborators" also boarded the ship after paying their way.

    The ship was notrge; it was an old-style brigantine that, in the past, would have had several cannons on its deck. However, like the ship, those cannons were now obsolete. Though the ship was no longer suitable for long voyages, it was still usable for coastal sailing, while the cannons werepletely useless. So, the ship was still in use, but the cannons were gone.

    The ship was small, so with so many people on board, even the deck was quite crowded. But for Jarvis and hispanions, just being able to board was bearable. After all, once they reached Britain, everything would be alright.

    At that moment, a sound as loud as a train racing across the sky filled the air. Everyone''s expression changed��it was the sound of a French 280mm cannon shell whizzing overhead. Such shells were enormously powerful; a direct hit on their brigantine, not to mention a near miss, could easily destroy it.

    The whistling grew louder, and then the shell struck about three hundred meters away at the port authority building, exploding violently. The walls of the three-story office building were blown up like leaves in a strong wind, flying high into the air. Some small debris evennded on the ship.

    However, the impact of the shell provided some reassurance��it was a slow-firing cannon, generally taking at least four to five minutes to reload. So, for a few minutes at least, they were safe.

    But then two smaller shells fell, fortunately far from them.

    Actually, considering only the artillery, the so-called "final defensive line" was clearly a deception. As they continuously abandoned positions, the French artillery got closer to the port. Initially, only the 280mm guns could reach the port;ter, the 203mm guns could also hit it. If they abandoned another line and retreated to the so-called st line," even 100mm guns could shell the port.@@novelbin@@

    "Why hasn''t hee back yet!" the constable captain was getting anxious. He kept checking his pocket watch, almost ready to order the ship to leave.

    "That silly dog, why hasn''t hee back? Damn it, forget about the dog! If we don''t leave now, we''ll be hit by shells!" Jarvis thought to himself. Just before, he had called the dog a "good dog," hoping it would run farther away, but in a blink, the dog became a "silly dog." In reality, the dog hadn''t changed��it was only his situation that had.

    It was like in the future, when some people sit in car seats, they think those riding electric bikes dart around chaotically, showing low quality; but when they sit on electric bike seats, they think cars at pedestrian crossings don''t slow down and beep randomly, showing no quality. This shows that "the butt decides the brain," a timeless facet of human nature.

    Just as the constable captain was about to issue themand to sail immediately, he saw from afar the constable running back, carrying the silly dog, and waving and shouting at them.

    Once the man and the dog were aboard, more people could be seen running toward them, all waving and shouting.

    These were the "security forces" soldiers and junior officers who had realized something was wrong. But they were still far away, while the constables'' ship had already left the dock, sails fully hoisted, heading out to sea.

    Jarvis stood on the deck watching the dock, over a hundred meters away, where arge group of "security forces" soldiers chaotically ran to the dock and shouted at the ship. As more people crowded in, those who couldn''t find footing fell into the sea, plopping into the water like souls jumping from Charon''s boat into hell.

    Jarvis breathed a sigh of relief, deeply happy for his own good fortune. He watched those struggling in the sea, happily anticipating better days ahead. He did not notice that the British constable captain, in the shadow of the sails, was peering at them and whispering with a group of constables.

    ...

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 490 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 491: Retreat (5)

    "Captain, I didn''t realize these Irish folks were so loaded! Just a single tap and so muches out," one gendarme said to his captain, eyeing Jarvis and hispanions from the corner of his eye.

    "Exactly, this is enough for the whole vige to dine out," another gendarme added, licking his lips.

    "Hack, you really are unambitious," the captain said. "Think about it, these guys can cough up fifteen or sixteen pounds just like that, and in gold coins no less. What does that tell you?"

    As he spoke, the captain flipped a one-pound gold coin into the air. The coin tumbled upward, then fell back down, a beam of sunlight piercing through a hole in the sail, lighting up the spinning coin brilliantly.

    A one-pound gold coin of that era weighed about eight grams, though considering purity, the actual gold content was just over seven grams. For a regr worker, a month''s ie was about three pounds. For female workers, it might not even reach two pounds, and for childborers, it could be just one pound. However, a gendarme''s ie was somewhat higher, with a weekly sry of one pound, and withbat allowance, it rose to one and a half pounds per week. That amounted to six pounds a month��a middle-ss ie by those standards.

    Of course, this was just theoretical ie, as even the legitimate British forces were starting to dy payments due to the poor economic situation.

    "What does it tell you?" Hack hadn''t grasped the captain''s point yet.

    "Do you know? The Duke of Norfolk has a golden retriever," the captain, for some reason, brought up an unrted topic. "I''ve seen him take that dog hunting, shooting down a wild duck, and then the dog would go fetch it. It''s such a gentle and beautiful animal, much better than Robson''s silly dog that chases after cats."

    As they spoke of Robson''s foolish dog, they all burst intoughter."Later, I was at a pet store in London visiting a friend. There, I saw almost the same breed of dog. Out of curiosity, I asked my friend how much such a hunting dog would cost. Guess how much?" the captain asked.

    "How much?" said Hack.

    "Guess!"

    "Fifty pounds? Captain Smith, am I right?" another gendarme said.

    "You country bumpkins haven''t seen the world!" Captain Smith eximed. "Just the selling price is about four hundred fifty pounds, and with the professional training fees, it''s about another two hundred pounds. Heh, quite a sum, right? But for the wealthy, that''s just the price of a dog. Think about it, these guys easily whipping out fifteen or sixteen pounds, what does that tell you?"

    "Ah, Captain, I get it now!" a gendarme suddenly realized. As he spoke, he suddenly worried his voice was too loud, quickly lowered it, and covered his mouth with his hand while sneakily ncing toward Jarvis and his group.

    "Captain!" he lowered his voice. "You mean these guys are really rich, so they don''t care about this little amount of money?"

    "Leonard, you''re finally getting it," Captain Smith also lowered his voice.

    "But are they carrying all their money on them?" Leonard asked again.

    "Who knows," Captain Smith replied. "But look at that guy. See his belt? It''s thick and weighs down his waist. There''s probably something there. Look at him, soaking wet from the sea, he took off his jacket andid it aside, but he didn''t take off his pants. That''s to avoid us noticing something about his belt. Look at that other guy. Took off both his jacket and pants, but refused to take off his shoes. Watch how he walks; those shoes are likely hiding something too. And..."

    As Captain Smith pointed out the suspicious aspects of these men, everyone''s eyes gleamed yellow, as if countless gold coins were shining within them.

    "Captain, should we..." another gendarme whispered in a low voice, sounding like a hyena whimpering in the night, while his eyes shed with a predatory gleam.

    "Why not? The ship''s crew are our own, and no one knows they boarded our ship."

    "The crew members know," someone said.

    "Just give them a sum to keep quiet. Who''d want to make trouble over a few Irishmen?"

    Their voices grew quieter and their eyes more ferocious as they spoke.@@novelbin@@

    Yet Jarvis, drying his wet jacket on a barrel and wearing his still damp pants to avoid drawing attention to the secrets hidden in his belt, was blissfully unaware of all this. Far from the fires of Irnd, aboard a ship bound for Britain, his heart was full of happiness. In his belt were money, a full 10 kilograms of gold coins, and several property deeds.

    "Once we reach Britain, I can finally live well,"

    Jarvis thought, looking at the sky so blue, the sun so warm, the sea breeze so gentle... And then he thought of the house he bought in Britain.

    "I have a house, facing the sea, with flowers blooming in spring..." Jarvis''s heart was so full of joy he almost wanted to shout out his happiness to everyone.

    Like Jarvis, the other "die-hard Irish traitors" were also immersed in the happiness of having survived great adversity, anticipating their future blissful lives. They, too, had exchanged theirpatriots'' blood for far more money than Judas Iscariot ever did; the properties they bought in Britain were muchrger than the field of blood that Judas acquired.

    Now these fellows werezily sunbathing on deck, the breeze cool, yet none heard the ominous cries from the blood in their gold.

    As Jarvis and the others dreamed of the future, the gendarmes aboard the ship weremunicating with each other. The ship was notrge, currently hosting about a dozen sailors, over thirty gendarmes, and eight "die-hard Irish traitors," crammed to the brim.

    The gendarmes soon learned that these "die-hard Irish traitors" were rich pickings. They discussed briefly and all felt this was divine providence. As the saying goes, "What God gives you, you must not refuse." To refuse God''s benevolence would surely, no, definitely lead to bad oues. So, they quickly reached a consensus. The sailors joined in too, willing to ept this divine gift.

    So, having a religious belief really was a wonderful thing. Because whatever you do, you can always me the deities.

    "Captain, let''s do it!" Leonard, always impatient, urged.

    "Don''t rush, they can''t escape anyway," Captain Smith said. "But their wealth is definitely on them, and they''re all up on deck. If we act now and they jump into the sea, and if we don''t catch them, wouldn''t we lose out? So, we need a n to get them all down into the hold. Then we can finish them off there and make sure to get the money!"

    "We were only allowing them on deck, now if we call them down, they might suspect something because they have money on them," Captain Zillings said. "I''ll dere the ship is leaking, need everyone''s help, and then we can bring them down with that excuse. Control them, get the money, and then deal with them."

    This suggestion received unanimous support, and so it was settled. By the afternoon, the sun had shifted westward, and the retreat ships were faster than this old ship, so now only this lonely vessel remained on the vast sea.

    By then, Jarvis'' clothes and pants had dried, though they were stiff with salt, not veryfortable to wear. However,pared to the impending happiness, this was nothing.

    At that moment, a gendarme, sweating profusely, came up from below deck, barely showing half his body before shouting. "Everyone down, everyone down to help... This damned ship is leaking! Damn it, all down to help, including you damned Irish! Get down here!"

    Since it was an order from the officer, the "die-hard Irish traitors" naturally obeyed. Several of them didn''t suspect anything and followed down into the hold. Compared to outside, the hold was quite dark, and those who just went down could hardly see anything.

    In the pitch dark, a hand grabbed Jarvis'' wrist. Jarvis thought the person was worried he might fall, so he extended his hand to help. Although the other person couldn''t possibly see clearly in the dark, Jarvis still smiled and said thanks.

    However, the person didn''t care for that at all, grabbing his hand and twisting it violently, pinning it behind his back. Another person pounced out, grabbing his other hand, and together, they forcefully pressed him to the ground.

    "Officer, officer, I''m one of you, one of you!" Jarvis shouted, hoping for luck. But the men holding him down didn''t care, reaching for his waist, unbuckling his belt, and then pulling it out.

 Chapter 494: The Inauguration of Ireland (2)

    The years-long War of Independence has brought immense destruction to Irnd. Almost every vige in our base areas has martyrs, and in the fiercely contested regions, hardly a household��s home has escaped being burnt down. Although the Confederation has always adhered to the principle of carrying out revolution while promoting production, the bulk of our able-bodiedbor has been recruited into the military, and much of the agricultural work has had to rely on women, the elderly, and children. Moreover, with the British asionally employing their ��Scorched Earth Policy,�� our agricultural production has also been greatly damaged. Without the selfless support of the French, Irnd would have already experienced famine.

    Therefore, Irnd��s current primary task is the restoration of agricultural production.

    For this purpose, the Irish Independence Army is undergoingrge-scale demobilization, with the numbers being reduced by half. Only the most experienced and capable fighters will remain in the military. A portion of these elite troops will also take on international responsibilities��continuing to fight to overthrow British imperialism.

    Irnd is rich in peat due to its many marshes, which many Irish families use as fuel. However, the calorific value of peat is low; it��s fine for domestic cooking but less suitable for industrial use. Low-grade peat can also be used as fertilizer. In the eyes of the French, this material has little economic value, but for Irnd now, it is of great importance, especially the mining of low-grade peat, which is crucial for the recovery of Irish agriculture. Thus, the exploitation of peat bes our first important direction.

    Additionally, ording to British surveys, Irnd has some copper and silver mines, but their reserves are quite limited and not of high quality. However, lead and zinc mines are quite good. This is probably a future focus for the development of Irnd��s mining industry.

    However, Irndcks the most crucial coal and iron mines, so the development of heavy industry is basically very challenging. But for a nation destined to be fierce, what need is there for heavy industry? Since when do dogs need to buy their own bones? Only those that have to buy their own bones are actually fat pigs without even the qualifications to be dogs.

    However, Irnd has excellent hydropower resources. In the southern and northwestern mountainous regions of Irnd, there are numerous rivers with significant drops, which are very suitable for the development of hydroelectric power. With electricity, not only is agriculture greatly benefited, but the development of many light industries has also be possible.

    ��The next step, the most important thing inside Irnd is economic reconstruction. Due to theck of coal and iron resources, Irnd is not suitable for the development of heavy industry. But from what I understand, the hydropower resources in the mountainous areas of southern and northwestern Irnd are indeed very abundant. Relying on the Antic moisture, Irnd receives plentiful rainfall, and the difference in altitude between the mountains in the south and northwest and the ins in the center provides very favorable conditions for us to build cascading power stations.

    Everyone probably knows that today in Europe, French agriculture is the most secure. We are free from droughts and famine. What do we rely on? We rely on an electricity-based irrigation system. With electricity, during droughts, we can use electric power to pump river water, even groundwater, to irrigate our fields; during waterlogging, we can pump excess water back into the rivers. This has multiplied the resistance of French agricultural production to natural disasters, making nearly every year a bumper harvest year. If Irnd could establish such a water-powered irrigation system, the Irish people would also enjoy bumper harvests every year.Sufficient electricity will also make the development of light industries possible. Textiles, as well as the food industry, can develop rapidly, and the development of these industries will also make Irnd be prosperous.

    Comrades, friends. At this moment, I am suddenly reminded of something my brother Napoleon said a few years ago after defeating the reactionary forces on the European continent that interfered with the French Revolution, during a session of the French National Assembly discussing the fundamental tasks of the revolution. He said: ''The French people must win a prosperous, happy life! They have the right to a wonderful prosperous life, which should not be trampled upon by those greedy feudal rulers.'' Simrly,rades, why do the Irish people revolutionize? Fundamentally, isn��t it also in pursuit of a wonderful prosperous life?

    Comrades, the battles of the past few years have fully demonstrated how adept we are at destroying an old world; and in the future, a greater, more arduous goal awaits us. That is, to prove to the whole world how adept we are at building a new world!"

    At the founding meeting, Joseph''s speech elicited enthusiastic apuse from the representatives.

    In the following days, under Joseph��s facilitation, the Roman Bank provided Irnd withrge amounts of interest-free and low-interest loans to support the economic development

    of Irnd. At the same time, Joseph also represented the French Academy of Sciences and the University of Paris to establish an educational assistance n with Irnd.@@novelbin@@

    "Education is the foundation of a nation''s development. ''Even in poverty, education cannot be neglected,'' as Frederick the Great rose Prussia, relying heavily on promoting education. Today, if Irnd wants to develop well, it must also focus on education. For instance, to build arge number of hydroelectric stations, we need a lot of engineers specializing in electricity. In the short term, we can rely on hiring French engineers to solve the problem, but in the long run, Irnd must cultivate its own builders. Therefore, education is of utmost importance. We must pay great attention to it.

    During British colonial rule, they not only did not establish schools in Irnd but also prohibited Irish people from studying abroad, from applying for degrees and schrships at universities in Britain. Why did they do this? Isn��t it to keep us ignorant, to continue to exploit us, enve us.

    Our Frenchrades are willing to provide us with selfless help in this regard. Our two countries will set up an education fund together to promote education. Our Frenchrades will send us a group of teachers every year to support our basic education, helping us establish aplete primary education system.

    Moreover, our Frenchrades will also provide our excellent students with full schrships for studying abroad. Each year, they will offer such opportunities based on a certain proportion of our high school graduates. After several years, the cultural quality of our people will be significantly enhanced. Our culture and economy will both see significant development.

    Of course, given such selfless help from our Frenchrades, we cannot have nothing to give in return. Although our Frenchrades did not think of these when helping us, we Irish are not ungrateful. Our capabilities are limited, and it''s difficult for us to help our Frenchrades, but we are willing to fight alongside our Frenchrades at any time. Friends of France are friends of the Irish; enemies of France are enemies of the Irish. Therefore, I request the Confederation to authorize me to represent the Confederation, the new Irish government, and sign a ''Franco-Irish Friendship and Cooperation Treaty'' based on equality and mutual assistance with the government of the French Republic." At the final preparation meeting, Chairman Russell made such a request to the whole assembly.

 Chapter 495: The Inauguration of Ireland (3)

    In the days that followed, representatives from other countries also arrived at Port Carroll. Not only allies from France, such as the Republic of Northern Italy, the Dutch Republic, the Rhine Confederation, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Austrian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire sent delegates, but the Pope himself from the Holy See also came to Irnd to attend the Irish foundation ceremony.

    For the Pope, the independence of Irnd signified an expansion of Catholicism in Europe. It was the first expansion in many years. Although the Pope himself did not contribute much to this achievement, being able to take part in it was significant.

    Furthermore, the Russians, who had remained neutral until then, also sent observers and began to engage with the Irish, discussing the possibility of establishing diplomatic rtions.

    All the preparations and receptions kept the Irish Confederation extremely busy. They were not yet a fully functional government andcked sufficient diplomatic personnel. Suddenly, so many representatives from friendly countries arrived, some even heads of state, which made the task of hosting them quite overwhelming for Russell.

    Almost everyone in the Confederation who had been abroad or spoke a foreignnguage was mobilized as a reception official, but there was still a shortage of manpower. Many times, the people involved in the reception didn''t even speak foreignnguages, and their English, heavily ented with Irish, was barely understandable to some foreign guests, leading to many amusing incidents.

    However, all the countries participating expressed understanding. Of course, some might have superficially understood, but once they returned to their rooms, they would sarcastically remark on how fitting it was for the Irish, who were known for growing potatoes.

    On March 3, 1813, the day of the Irish foundation ceremony arrived. It was a bright, cloudless day. Ourrades from the Irish Confederation, under the leadership of Comrade President Russell, gathered at the podium.

    The podium was set up in an open area near Battery No. 2, originally a rangefinding station belonging to the battery. Only minor adjustments were made: the rangefinding instruments were dismantled, and tables and chairs were arranged with a banner hanging above, serving as the makeshift podium.

    This podium was quite modestpared to the grand venues used for major ceremonies in other countries, such as the Pce of Peace in France. However, President Russell believed that since Irnd was still a poor country and the money of the Irish people hard-earned, it was better to be frugal.Thus, the foundation ceremony of Irnd was rtively simple. ording to Carroll, it felt very much like the election of a vige chief in a French rural area.

    Joseph naturally was invited to the podium, sitting alongside Pope Pius VII.

    "Ah, President Joseph, good to see you," smiled Pope Pius VII upon seeing Joseph, his face beaming with joy. "It''s wonderful to meet you here. Truly, this is divine providence."

    This was the first time Pope Pius VII had met Joseph, but he was well aware of Joseph''s true status within the Bonaparte family. Not because a devout believer had confessed in the church, but because the Holy See now had significant economic dealings with the Bonaparte family.@@novelbin@@

    Over several centuries, the Holy See had amassed considerable wealth. This wealth could not just sit idle; the best way to effectively manage it was through banking. However, Catholic doctrine prohibits earning money through lending. Thus, the Holy See could not run a bank itself.

    But rules are rigid, while people are flexible. Just as the Knights Temr, a Catholic organization, managed to establish the world''s first international bank. Although the Temrster became heretics, none of their charges included lending money.

    In theory, the Temrs did not lend money; they only collected rent. For example, they would lease a sum of money or property and then collect rent. Is there anything wrong with that? Absolutely not. Christ himself wouldn''t say that collecting rent was wrong. If he had said so and his disciples had remembered it, Christianity would never have gained recognition from Rome, let alone be the state religion of Rome. At most, it could have remained a phantom, a ghost wandering over Europe.

    After the fall of the Temrs, the Holy See did not denounce renting property and collecting rent as a legitimate and legal means of wealth umtion. Subsequently, several major banks that rose in Italy, especially those backed by the Medici family, had the Holy See''s involvement.

    After the rise of Roman banking, there were many dealings with the Holy See. The Holy See entrusted a significant amount of money and property to Roman banks, which paid rent or dividends to the Church as agreed annually. ?��??????

    Given the extensive economic interactions between the Church and Roman banking, the Holy See was quite familiar with the internal affairs of the Bonaparte family. They knew that although this man rarely made public appearances and had a much lower profile than his brothers, he was the real helmsman of

    the family.

    "Your Holiness, it is also an honor for me to see you. To be honest, I am surprised that you havee all this way in person. This is still technically a war zone. Who knows what dangers might still exist?" Joseph said.

    "Ah, if the Caesar of the Roman Empire cane here, why can''t an old priest like me?"ughed Pope Pius VII. "The Irish diocese has been fallen for a long time. Since the start of the independence war, the Holy See has stood with the Irish people in their quest for freedom, even sending priests to help. Now that the British heretics have been expelled, the diocese should be reestablished, so how could I note to see it?"

    The Irish are Catholics. But now, there are several factions within Catholicism. Not to mention, the French Church''s version of Catholicism, which is considered heretical, and the Holy See dares not dere them heretics. This is truly... However, the people of the French Church are rtively honest and faithful, rarely spreading their version of the faith. But now, there is another more terrifying heresy under the guise of Catholicism��liberation theology!

    Of course, most of the proponents of liberation theology have now gone to the Americas to build their "kingdom of heaven on earth." But Europe is not entirely free of their presence. Their teachings are very provocative, and if these individuals were toe to Irnd and seize the opportunity to cause trouble, it would be a real problem for the Holy See. So the Pope must urgently reintroduce authentic Catholicism.

    Furthermore, based on what the Pope had learned, the French and Irish had prepared an Irish Reconstruction n. Just by thinking about it, one could tell that there would be many opportunities to make money. Well, the Holy See does not love money, but having money is more conducive to spreading the Lord''s gospel, isn''t it? Not to mention, during Mass, if there''s a little more of Christ''s blood and body (represented by the bread broken and shared, and the wine), more people mighte to receive blessings. But the Church cannot perform the miracle of feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish; naturally, it''s all about "sweet, sweet money."

    So, meeting Joseph here was very fortunate for the Pope, and indeed, a significant reason he came so far was to discuss some important matters with Joseph.

    However, this was not the time to discuss such things. So Joseph asked the Pope, "Your Holiness, which ship did you take toe here? Did you get seasick along the way?"

    Pope Pius VII immediately understood Joseph''s implication and smiled as he replied, "I came aboard a ship from Herd Shipping. I shouldn''t be too picky, but the ship really wasn''t veryfortable, especially for an old man like me."

    Joseph responded, "Your Holiness, after things settle down here, why don''t you take my ship, and we can return together?"

 Chapter 497: The Empire of Charity

    In the luxurious salon of the "Caesar" battleship, formerly the "Caesar" Hotel, Joseph and Pope Pius VII held a cordial and friendly meeting, discussing issues concerning the spiritual and cultural development of Irnd. Joseph proposed to the Pope that the Holy See should focus on healthcare and education as its primary areas of effort, as this would not only ensure revenue but also maintain the church''s image.

    Pope Pius VII agreed with Joseph��s suggestion and expressed his gratitude. However, he also expressed some concern about the Republic of Irnd''s decision not to establish a state religion, opting instead to adopt France''s policy of "religious freedom."

    "I''m not saying that the French policy is bad, but there is a difference between Irnd and France," the Pope said. "France has always been the core region of Catholicism. The French have been believers of the true faith for generations and are most favored by God. Even without a state religion, the French people will continue to adhere to the correct faith. But Irnd is different. These days, I''ve talked with Irish clergy and have noticed many issues because of the persecution and suppression by those dreadful heretics, which has led to misunderstandings about our doctrines. Though they remain loyal to the true faith, the poison of heresy has seeped in over the years. How can we adopt a policy of religious freedom now?"

    "Your Holiness," Joseph said, "which significant heresies exist in Europe today besides our true Catholic Church? Only the Eastern Orthodox Church to the east, and those calling themselves Protestants. These heretics, cunning as they are, skilled at leading astray thembs of God, but if priests loyal to the true faith preach the real Gospel, with the might of God, could they not outshine these heresies?"

    Joseph paused, then continued, "Relying on the might of God, the true Catholic Church has an unmatched ability to preach. Your Holiness, consider how many seminaries we havepared to these heretics. Their theological theories don��t evene close to ours. And think about how many priests we train each yearpared to them. So, in terms of preaching capabilities, plus our support, the true Catholic Church, in its charitable endeavors, can achieve far more than these heretics.

    "For instance, you know, Your Holiness, that French medical standards far exceed those prevalent in regions dominated by heretics. If the Catholic Church coborates sincerely with us in setting up charitable hospitals throughout Europe, imagine the impact. I don��t believe those sheep led astray by heretics wouldn��t fall ill. When they do, would they choose the inferior hospitals of the heretics or our superior ones?

    "Perhaps some overly stubborn individuals will stick to their superstitions. But the effectiveness of our hospitals, visible to anyone with eyes, will speak for itself. Although, theoretically, the level of medical expertise has no rtion to the purity of faith, themon folk won��t think so. They''ll just see that these hospitals belong to the Catholic Church and can save their lives, which must mean the Catholic Church is the true faith.

    "Jesus Christ once said, ''How ungodly this generation is. No miracles shall be shown to them.'' But isn''t the advancement in medicine a kind of miracle? Didn��t Jesus perform miracles while spreading the truth? Without walking on water or the miracle of the loaves and fishes, would so many have followed Him? Even now, how many followers of heresies aren��t swayed by miracles? Now that we hold miracles in our hands, should we still fear the flock will follow the heretics?"@@novelbin@@

    Pope Pius VII nodded, "The advancements in medicine are indeed God��s reward for our devotion. But to build charitable hospitals on arge scale is also a massive undertaking."Joseph understood what the Pope implied �C the old man was worried about the cost. Clearly, even a Pope not ustomed to modern life didn��t understand that charity could be the most profitable venture.

    "Your Holiness, have you considered something Jesus said: ''For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.'' Those who only want to keep money close will surely lose it; but those who part with it will gain even more. Charitable hospitals can receive donations, and with our influence, we can secure tax-exempt status for these hospitals across many European countries. Furthermore, we could implement tiered healthcare, where our charity is directed only towards the very poor, while the wealthy who receive treatment in our facilities would be charged. We could explicitly state that their fees support charitable works �C though, to be honest, what church activity isn��t a charitable work?"

    Indeed, what church activity couldn��t bebeled charitable? Even building luxurious cathedrals filled withvish items could be seen as showcasing devotion and pleasing God �C wasn��t that a public good, a charity? Even if the money was simply stored in a bank, using

    just a small portion of the interest for charitable deeds each year, that too was sustainable charity. Many future charitable organizations would use only three to four percent of their total assets for charity each year �C nearly a standard practice.

    Clearly, Joseph''s words had opened a new door for Pope Pius VII, showing him a vista he had never seen before.

    "Ah, President Bonaparte, this is truly worth studying," Pope Pius VII said, smiling so broadly his eyes narrowed into slits, his dark yellow eyes appearing to transform as well.

    Two dayster, the "Caesar" battleship returned to Le Havre. At Joseph''s invitation, Pope Pius VII and Joseph took a train to Paris for a visit, following a temporary n made aboard the ship to discuss with Napoleon and Minister Lucien how to establish a "Charitable Empire."

 Chapter 500: The Augustus-Class Battleships

    Since maritime traffic had been cut off, the British were in a precarious situation, especially concerning food security. Since the "Enclosure Movement," domestic food production in Britain had been declining. Moreover, without something like a "minimum arablend red line" and considering the UK''s unsuitability for agricultural development, Britain could notpete with France, Ukraine, or other European countries in crop production.

    Thus, for many years, the UK had relied on the international market to solve its food problems. As long as there was money, food could be bought, unless the nation hadmitted actions that provoked universal condemnation. Why wouldn��t imported rice and flour be appealing?

    Of course, the British had some assurances in this approach, as the Royal Navy had always been formidable, making a maritime blockade challenging. As long as there was no blockade, the cultivatednds in the overseas colonies were sufficient. Thus, this national strategy was indeed not mistaken.

    However, with the rise of France, particrly the technological revolution led by the French Navy, the reliability of the British Navy significantly declined. At this point, it would have been prudent to adjust the policy. Indeed, the French had even provided the British with time to adjust their policies.

    As early as theunch of the first "Free Trade" ship, the British had realized it was increasingly difficult to ensure the safety of their maritime transport routes. Even Nelson, at that time, could no longer guarantee the security of the shippingnes.

    If they had immediately reverted to agriculture from pasture, it would have been timely. Although converting all pastures back to farms wouldn''t suffice to support the UK''s consumption needs, it would have been significantly better.

    But woolen manufacturing was one of the UK''s most important industries, a major exporter and money-maker during peacetime. Convert pasture back to farnd? What about the wool industry? Without it, how would the UK finance an arms race? Thus, converting back to agriculture wasn''t going to happen in this lifetime; the focus had to remain on strengthening the navy to maintain food security.

    However, it wasn��t correct to say the British were unprepared; they had built more storage facilities and increased the proportion of reserve food. Thus, theoretically, even if the navy encountered temporary difficulties, the UK could sustain itself for a considerable time.

    Moreover, within the UK, the efficiency of governance was quite high, so incidents like granary fires were rare. At least for now, the blockade hadn''tsted long, and food prices hadn''t risen too sharply, so such issues hadn��t yet urred. But if the situation persisted and food truly began to run low, it would be difficult to predict the oues.Relying on the food in the granaries, if they immediately reverted to agriculture, it would still be timely. But converting pastures to farms, and then back again, was not a trivial expense. Many felt that if the changested only a year before reverting, it wasn��t worth the hassle.

    Thus, although the British government introduced measures to encourage converting pasture back to farnd, not manyndowners heeded the call. This wasn��t because they didn''t love their country, but because they respected economic principles more. They also preferred to bet on the revival of the navy and even on peace negotiations.

    A revival of the navy was indeed a slight possibility. After France proposed a new shipbuilding program, the British quickly followed suit. To counter the French "Augustus-ss" battleships, the British urgently designed the "Lionheart-ss" battleship, with a discement of 15,000 tons, and began construction on three ships at once!

    Of course, suchrge battleships couldn��t be built quickly; it would take no less than two years toplete. But theoretically, the UK''s food reserves could barelyst until then. As for other resources, the UK had coal and iron, and the production of steel was also guaranteed.

    But those truly knowledgeable understood that ships designed in haste and built under rushed conditions, often without sufficient training time, almost meant that these battleships'' realbat effectiveness was very questionable. In a sense, constructing these ships was both a gamble on national fortune and a bid to increase bargaining power in future negotiations.

    Moreover, under the current circumstances, these battleships under construction nearly became the source of courage for the UK to continue fighting.

    In the Battle of Dublin, the French used new 280 mm cannons, leading the British to suspect these cannons were the main armament of the French "Augustus-ss" battleships. Hence, the cannons for the "Lionheart-ss" had to be redesigned.

    In fact, Joseph was quite willing to let the British continue harboring such illusions. Leading an alliance of eight nations (France, Irnd, the Nethends, Rhine Confederation, Prussia, Austria, Northern Italy, Spain) tond in Ennd and burn down Buckingham Pce was a captivating idea, but...

    Landing in Ennd was indeed no easy task.

    The closest British coast to France was all damn cliffs,

    with only a few gaps suitable fornding. When Duke William of Normandynded in Britain, those gaps had little defense. But now, those ces were heavily fortified with gun batteries. Moreover, the British had heavily mined the nearby waters. Even if the entire French navy were deployed, it was unlikely to gain an advantage against these batteries.

    Of course, the French could take a longer route,nding from the direction of the Antic in Scond, where the terrain was much better. But from there, the fleet��s travel time at sea would be several times longer, meaning their transport capacity would reduce to a fraction of its original. In anding operation, if they couldn''t rapidly deploy an overwhelmingly superior force and supplies ashore, even if theynded, they would likely be driven back into the sea.

    The UK had a fairly developed railway system, which could transport troops very efficiently, certainly much faster than circumnavigating half of Britain by sea. Thus,nding at a few points on the English Channel was risky, but taking a long route from Scond was equally dangerous.

    Since that was the case, engaging in a decisive naval battle topletely crush the hopes of the British and then forcing them to sign a series ofnd cession and indemnity treaties seemed like one of the best options for the French. ???????��?

    Of course, the current strength of the French navy was not enough to contend with three "Lionheart-ss" battleships, but the French hadn''t been idle in the arms race. Although the "Lionheart" wasrger than the "Augustus," that didn''t necessarily mean it was stronger. French industry was more advanced, and their shipbuilding capabilities were superior. Thus, French warships could bemissioned faster and in greater numbers than their British counterparts.

    ording to intelligence, the British "Lionheart-ss" was essentially a scaled-up version of the "Queen Elizabeth." In other words, it was a ship with thicker armor,rger caliber guns, and equally slow speed. After all, in the previous naval battle, the "Queen Elizabeth" had managed to exchange one enemy battleship under disadvantageous conditions, which the British saw as a validation of their design philosophy. So, the British version of the "iron turtle," was considered superior to the French "fast-running thin skins." Although the British were unsure how thick the French battleships'' armor really was, for morale reasons, they still portrayed them as fragile eggshells.

    But the "Augustus-ss" was a much bigger step forward from the previous "Eblis-ss" than the "Lionheart" from the "Queen Elizabeth."

    Joseph Bonaparte, President of the French Academy of Sciences, personally participated in the design of this warship, giving it a distinctly futuristic vor.

    The most notable feature was the centerline step-turret arrangement. On the centerline of this battleship, turrets were arranged in a stepped fashion, each housing two twin-gun turrets. These turrets would be equipped with brand new 203 mm gun barrels, a total of eight big guns, doubling the firepower from the previous "Eblis-ss."

    Of course, mounting so manyrge guns consumed a significant amount of weight, leaving less avable for armor. If armor was arranged in the same way as on the "Eblis-ss," then the "Augustus-ss" defense would be at most only slightly better than its predecessor. After everyone upgraded their cannons, such armor could indeed be described as thin-skinned with arge filling.

    But Joseph proposed a new protection concept from the future: "focused defense."

    Inter times, as naval guns became increasingly powerful but the discement of warships could not increase indefinitely, trying to wrap a warship in sufficiently thick armor would only lead to one oue: the ship would sink immediately uponunch, like the old warship or ater Spanish submarine that had a decimal point misced in its design.

    Thus, in future warship designs, the approach of armoring every part of the ship was abandoned in favor of cing thick armor only on the most critical areas affecting the ship''s survivability andbat capability, leaving other non-essential areas unarmored.

    In this way, if the opponent''s armor-piercing shells hit the unarmored sections, they would likely just pierce through and fly out of the ship, causing limited damage. If it was a regr high-explosive shell��well, those areas weren��t critical, so while they would be damaged, the impact would be limited. Moreover, if the enemy used such shells during a sea battle, it meant they likely couldn��t threaten the truly important areas, giving an opportunity to retaliate with genuine armor-piercing shells.

    So, although the "Augustus-ss" battleship had far less total armor weightpared to its rivals, its actual defense capability was not necessarily inferior to therger and heavier "Lionheart."

    On the French shipyards, five "Augustus-ss" battleships and five "Hermes-ss" super cruisers were under construction, and if nothing@@novelbin@@

    went awry, these French warships would bepleted before the British ones.

    By then, defeating the British in another naval battle would shatter all British hopes. Moreover...

    "And perhaps, Britain might even undergo a revolution," Napoleon said with a smile to Lucien, "You should well n for this. But now, focus your efforts onpleting the matters in North America first."

    Just a few days ago, the Americansunched a major attack on Ottawa. After suffering tremendous casualties, the Americans virtually exhausted the British ammunition and stormed into Ottawa. Then, naturally, a massacre began.

    The Americans killed every living person they encountered, whether man, woman, elderly, or child.

    A group of American soldiers, rifles in hand with blood-stained bays, surrounded a building��many British had fled into this building. The Americans encircled itpletely, even bringing in artillery aimed at the building. Many British had taken refuge here. However, the American soldiers did not storm in because a French g was flying above the building.

    This was thergest Catholic church in Ottawa. Moreover, the Holy See had transferred the protection rights of the church in North America to the French.

    Father Tom, a German-speaking French priest, stood at the entrance of the church, the French g fluttering atop the small steeple, turning it into a temporary sanctuary.

    The Americans did not wish to provoke the French, even if it was just a German-speaking French priest. If those who sought refuge in the church were only civilians, the Americans would have probably let it be. But someone had witnessed more than a dozen British soldiers in uniform entering the church; they couldn��t just ignore that.

    So, the Americans surrounded the church, demanding Father Tom hand over the British soldiers hiding inside. But Father Tom insisted these individuals were unarmed and thus could not be considered soldiers, and that the church could not expel anyone seeking safety under God��s protection.

    "You must respect the sanctuary, respect the right of sanctuary!" Father Tom firmly stated.

    ...

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 500 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 501: The Rift

    Chapter 501: The Rift

    At first, the Americans were truly startled by the priest. But soon after, someone shouted from behind, "Father, you cannot harbor sinners! Step aside, we do not wish toy hands on you!"

    With that shout, a dark-skinned American lieutenant with a long scar on his face approached. He stood before Father Tom, his hand resting on the revolver at his waist, and with bloodshot eyes, he said, "Father, many murderers, many sinners have taken refuge in your church. This sacred ce should not be used to protect them. Please hand them over to us."

    But Father Tom stood his ground, smiling, "My child, the sacred church does not protect true sinners. But my child, from a religious standpoint, the authority to judge who is a sinner lies in God''s hands; from a secr perspective, you are a soldier, not aw enforcement officer, you have no right to take any action."

    Moreover, Lieutenant, I am not blind. I have seen what you have done since entering the city. Lieutenant, look around and then tell me, what do you see? The whole city is burning! Do not tell me these fires started naturally or were set by the Canadians themselves! Now, if I hand over the people seeking refuge in this holy church to you, what terrible things might happen? Do you think I do not know? Lieutenant, go back, please retreat in front of God��s holy temple!"

    "Father, this is war, and coteral damage happens. And we were not the first to start burning cities. When the British were burning our cities, Father, did you step out to stop them?" The American lieutenant clearly had no intention of retreating.

    "Lieutenant, do you see that g behind me? Did we stand out to stop them? Decades ago, when you were oppressed by the British, it was we, the French, who stood with you, fought alongside you, and you were able to win independence with our help. And in this war, after the Britishmitted atrocities that enraged both heaven and man, for the sake of God��s justice, we, the French, also stood out. Lieutenant, if we had not stood out, the front line would still be at New York!" Father Tom replied with righteous indignation.

    The American lieutenant was at a loss for words for a moment. He did not realize that Father Tom had used a typical sophism��shifting the concept. The lieutenant had clearly said, "Did you stand out to stop it?" but the father had changed it to "Did the French stand out to stop it?" Even if the lieutenant realized this, it actually made no difference. With this move, Father Tom had made the Americans feel disadvantaged under that tricolor g, and their morale was already suppressed. The rest would just require Father Tom to handle it properly without making the Americans furious.

    Additionally, what could a small southern American ve owner, an American lieutenant, do against a missionary whose life''s work was his eloquence? So, don''t challenge someone''s profession with a hobby; it surely won''t end well. It''s like in another timeline, when the father of Russian literature, Pushkin, challenged Dantes, an officer of the Tsar''s guard, to a duel with pistols.

    Now the lieutenant regretted it. If he had simply ordered two soldiers to calmly control the priest and then go in and capture the Canadians, it would have been resolved. What? Sanctuary in the temple? Sorry, I''m a farmer, I don''t understand; what French g? Sorry, my eyes are bad, I didn''t see it. Wouldn''t it be sweet to leave the remaining squabbling to those professionals?But now it was toote; his earlier actions had clearly shown that he knew this was a church and that there was a French g above it. So if he tried this tactic now, it would make the diplomats who cleaned up after them very ufortable. Thus, the lieutenant was already in a difficult position.

    But the lieutenant did not want to just give up, so he said, "Father, but our men did indeed see British soldiers enter your church. These soldiers have not surrendered, and even if they had, they should be detained in a POW camp, not staying in your church. So, at the very least, we should be allowed to take these soldiers away."

    "Lieutenant, where do you n to take these soldiers?" Father Tom asked.

    "To the POW camp, of course," the lieutenant replied.

    "Then, Lieutenant, would you dare to ce your hand on the Bible and swear by the salvation of your soul that they will be taken to the POW camp and not just killed around the corner by your men?" Father Tom asked.

    "Father... I..." The lieutenant''s voice lowered. After all, men from the American South are generally very devout. A little lie is one thing, but to swear on the Bible, risking one''s salvation, that''s a lot of

    pressure for a true believer.

    "Lieutenant, can you tell me where your POW camp is? I think, now, it should no longer be a military secret. I would like to visit it. If your POW camp is truly humane, in ordance with the spirit of the humanitarian deration between the Holy See and the French Republic, then I can safely let these poor people enter your camp. Well, my child, can I visit your POW camp?" Father Tom continued.@@novelbin@@

    However, the Americans had not prepared a POW camp, not even a makeshift one like those ofter times. Why have a POW camp? Capture a British man, ask him if he has ever been to the American South. If he says yes, shoot him; if he says no, he''s probably lying, shoot him anyway. Why need a POW camp?

    So, the lieutenant hesitated, unsure how to respond.

    Seeing the lieutenant''s hesitation, Father Tom took the opportunity to suggest, "Lieutenant, if this matter is too difficult to handle, you might want to consult your superiors."

    The American lieutenant listened and nodded, "Alright... but Father, the city is currently chaotic, many British are still resisting, still firing wildly. You''d best not wander around."

    Then the lieutenant instructed the soldiers nearby, "Keep this ce secure, do not let those dangerous criminals run inside."

    The soldiers saluted him, and the lieutenant returned the salute and turned to leave.

    As the lieutenant left, Father Tom breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at the American soldiers nearby and began to preach about forgiveness and salvation.

    While preaching, Father Tom''s gaze asionally drifted towards the road.

    After a while, the sound of horse hooves came from the road, and a troop of cavalry bearing the French g galloped towards them. Father Tom watched the approaching French cavalry and breathed a sigh of relief.

    The French had essentially left only a token force in the besieged city, and the main force was this cavalry regiment, tasked with reaching the church quickly if the city defenses copsed. As for Father Tom, besides being a priest, he also received stipends from the Ministry of Truth and the Ministry of Public Security.

    Now, Father Tom, along with this regiment of French cavalry, had the most important task of trying to save as many Canadians as possible to prepare for future propaganda efforts.

    This preparation for propaganda primarily involved portraying both the Americans and the British as barbarians. Further, it would generalize Anglo-Saxons as uncivilized barbarians. So, among the remaining French cavalry, besides many medical personnel, there were also many journalists.

    Frankly, the Americans of this era were still very naive, yes, very naive. They did not yet understand the power of manipting global public opinion. This effect could even directly tear the United States apart.

    During this war, the contradictions between the northern and southern parts of America had already be apparent and even intensified. The Southerners felt that they had suffered the most in the war, but the little benefits that were avable actually all went to the North, and they felt this was very unfair. Meanwhile, the Northerners thought that if not for the stubbornness of the Southerners, the war would have ended much earlier. And if not for the stubbornness of the Southerners, the most important and best territories in thetter stages of the war would not have been mostly upied by the French. If they had been willing to give the surrendering British a chance, why would those people resist the Americans to the death, and upon seeing the tricolor g, immediately surrender?

    Generally, the Southerners thought the Northerners were too cunning, taking all the benefits for themselves and even acting saintly, which was despicable. The Northerners thought the Southerners were stubborn and stupid. In short, one side thought the other was bad, the other thought they were stupid.

    Then the French came in and stirred things up. Over the years, French media had also infiltrated quite a bit into America. Of course, many newspapers, nominally still American, were actually often backed by French financiers. Under their maniption, these contradictions became even more pronounced.

    Of course, the French couldn''t overtly instigate, so their approach was often subtle. Southern newspapers, when reporting on the war, would first emphasize the dire situation, then praise the Southern soldiers for their brave fighting, once again saving the North, saving the North. Such propaganda made the Southerners happy while subtly forming a stereotype of the Northerners��cowards in war, slick, only surviving because of our support. If it were up to them, they would have surrendered long ago.

    Northern newspapers, when telling stories of Northern troops bravely fighting, liked to describe the simple-minded, blindly aggressive, arrogant, and strategically troublesome Southerners.

    Such reports, when viewed individually, seemed to praise their own people, mentioning Northerners or Southerners seemed not the main point, just aparison. But as these reports umted, these stereotypes

    were generally epted by both sides��the seeds of division were unknowingly nted in the hearts of Americans.

 Chapter 503: A Blackwash

    As the news coverage deepened, the Ottawa Massacre was also widely reported. Of course, the French handled the reporting with great care.

    "Remember, the coverage of this event must adhere to the following principles," Lucien said, reclining on a sofa in a salon at the Moulin Rouge, his head resting on the legs of Ad��le, the current star of the Moulin Rouge, as hezily directed a few of his subordinates.

    Ah, this was one of Lucien''s ways of working. Generally, those who discussed work with Lucien here were his close confidants.@@novelbin@@

    "Americans, though barbarians, are for now our barbarians," Lucien said, his words muffled slightly by a grape Ad��le had fed him.

    "Since they are still our barbarians, we can''t directly attack their barbaric actions. That would seem too unkind of us. However, we need to let the European people know that the Americans, like the British, are barbarians. Hmm, Gatien, what do you think we should do about this?"

    Gatien, the new editor-in-chief of ''The Scientific Truth Gazette'', who had just taken over after the previous editor retired with a tidy sum and bought a small manor on the outskirts of Paris to enjoy his days, naturally wanted to make a mark. Now was his time to shine, or why else would he be sitting in this coveted position?

    Now that Lucien had posed the question, he certainly needed to perform well. So he responded, "Minister, I think we can handle this with a coteral damage approach."

    Looking at Lucien for approval and seeing no objection, he continued, "When we report such events, on the surface, we should appear to be celebrating the heroes among our Frenchmen. Incidentally, include those Americans. For instance, at Ottawa, Father Tom and Captain Lebiedzowski saved many civilians. We can focus our reporting on their disy of humanitarian spirit and casually mention the American involvement in the massacre.

    Considering the Americans are still our barbarians, just ming them wouldn''t be right. When mentioning their atrocities, we could describe them as being blinded by hatred stirred up by British brutality or lost in the heat of battle. The idea is to expose their actions while also attempting to whitewash them on our side. However, this whitewashing needs to be carefully managed so that it doesn''t actually cleanse them entirely. Sometimes, we might even leave obvious signs of our attempt to whitewash, which paradoxically makes them appear even darker. This approach will tarnish the American image without making it seem like we have ulterior motives��after all, look, we''re even trying to whitewash them."After this exnation, Gatien anxiously looked back at Lucien.

    Lucien nodded, swallowed a slice of orange Ad��le had fed him, and said, "That''s a good idea! Mr. Gatien, you will make a fine editor! For example, an American soldier, right in front of Father Tom, bays a little girl. How do we wash this in a way that makes it obvious to the audience that we are trying to whitewash them, yet the effect is that it gets darker?"

    "Just say due to deep-seated hatred and intensebat, the American soldier''s mental state waspromised. Hmm, hasn''t the Academy of Sciences recently conducted a lot of research on ''mental disorders''? And hasn''t Academician B established the world''s first ''mental illness treatment center,'' achieving great results? We could describe this soldier as a mentally ill person, his condition resulting from the severe harm inflicted by the British barbarians. We could even have Academician Bment, hinting at widespread mental issues in the American military. So..."

    "So, the entire American army gets painted as a mentally ill force!" Lucienughed heartily, then added, "This method is good, but not enough. We need to dig deeper, tracing the roots back to British cultural influence. Though America and Britain are enemies, their cultures are linked. We must attribute their issues continuously to their culture.

    Hmm, British people''s genocide against indigenous poptions, intolerance at home, and oppression of those who are different. America embarked on a path of resistance for these reasons. But Americans have not realized that the brutal Red Dragon lurking in British culture also hides deep within their psyche.

    Look, even while resisting Britain, Americans didn''t stop ughtering other weaker nations, like the Native Americans. Their first president, Washington, was a barbarian skilled in making boots from native skins. They suffered from British barbarians and were also corrupted by their culture, yet they were unaware. Without even noticing, they gradually became the very people they despised.

    So, Americans are truly pitiable; they have been deeply poisoned by Britain. And they haven''t even noticed it yet, let alone defend against it. They are like, hmm, like the dragon yer in ''The Tale

    of Clever Christine,'' who, after putting all his effort into killing the dragon, didn''t notice the dragon''s blood sttering onto him. So, after he decapitated the dragon, how did the tale go?"

    "''He sat in the pool of the dragon''s blood, his eyes began to turn red, his body swelled, and scales grew on his skin��he became the very dragon he had just killed.'' That''s what it says there," another subordinate replied.

    "Exactly, although the dragon hasn''t been in yet, the American''s skin is already itching, scales are about to form. Unless they can truly awaken from within, unleashing a revolution against their own culture from their hearts, this tragedy won''t stop. Thus, we must remind our American friends to learn more from the advanced, humanitarian French culture to cleanse the evil from their souls. Ultimately, to be truly civilized. Our propaganda must follow this form," Lucien concluded.

 Chapter 504: The Most Dangerous Foe Interferes

    The Ministry of Truth''s efficiency is not particrly high, especially when ites to handling issues they have monopolized, which the Ministry of Public Security cannot intervene in. Like all bureaucratic structures, they always dy. If it can bepleted in the afternoon, it will not be done in the morning; if it can be postponed to tomorrow, it won''t be handled today.

    As for propaganda against the United States, it was originally something that the Ministry of Public Security could not intervene in. Thus, although the principles had been set by Lucien, the work was still far from truly beginning in full swing until one day, Lucien received a report.

    This was a highly confidential report, one that in all of France, apart from Lucien, only a few were qualified to see. Not even Napoleon or Joseph could view this report, nor were they even aware of its existence. It is said that in all of France, only two such highly confidential reports existed��one within the Ministry of Truth and the other within the Ministry of Public Security.

    The title of the Ministry of Truth��s report was "Research and Judgment on Recent Actions of the Ministry of Public Security". It was believed that the corresponding report by the Ministry of Public Security was likely titled "Research and Judgment on Recent Actions of the Ministry of Truth". Typically, the hostility between departments with ovepping functions is always very severe, even surpassing all other enemies. This is simr to the feuds between navy and army fools or between different intelligence agencies.

    "Peterson, make a call and get Gauthier, Victor, and Becl��re here immediately. Tell them to drop whatever they''re doing ande here now, right now, as fast as lightning!"

    Although Lucien demanded these men toe immediately, it still took some time on the road. Moreover, it was now peak time for leaving work, as Lucien was ustomed to starting his work in the afternoon or even in the evening. Thus, it took about an hour for them to arrive at Lucien''s office. However, this dy also gave Lucien some time to control his emotions.

    "Take a look at this." Once everyone was seated, Lucien pulled out a piece of paper from a folder for everyone to see.

    After everyone had passed the paper around and read it, Lucien put it back into the document bag and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

    Becl��re, responsible for North American intelligence, immediately said, "They are stealing our job! ording to the division ofbor, cultural matters are our responsibility, their meddling will disrupt our ns.""They will definitely im they also have authority over religious matters. They will certainly say that," said Gauthier.

    "The guys from the Ministry of Public Security really have no shame. As long as they can be shameless, they definitely will be," Victormented. "I''ve never seen such brazen people."@@novelbin@@

    They all together cursed the Ministry of Public Security as bastards, and Fouch�� as a shameless chameleon.

    Lucien sat on the side, watching everyone vehemently cursing the Ministry of Public Security. After they had vented for a while, he finally spoke up, "You can curse from this afternoon until dawn tomorrow, but will that kill Fouch��?"

    Everyone then fell silent.

    "Alright, now let''s discuss our strategy," Lucien said.

    The paper they had just reviewed indicated that their people had noticed that the Ministry of Public Security had sent arge number of spies to North America through means such as priest training. They might have even learned about the Ministry of Truth''s next moves��which was not surprising, as just as the Ministry of Truth considered the Ministry of Public Security their primary enemy, the Ministry of Public Security regarded them in the same way. It was said that if someone in the Ministry of Truth could obtain secret documents from the desk drawer of the British Prime Minister, they would definitely earn Lucien''s praise; but if someone could get documents from Fouch��''s drawer, they would be Lucien��s most trusted confidant. The same was true for Fouch��''s side.

    After a moment of thought, Victor spoke, "The Ministry of Public Security has already started to move. Our ns are an open secret; we can''t hide them from Minister Fouch����that old fox is just too cunning. So, Your Excellency, I think we should take a dual approach.

    "On one hand, Your Excellency should go to the First Consul to discuss our ns thoroughly and seek further support; on the other hand, we need to elerate our actions. The First Consul is always impatient, and even if we gain his support, when he asks Minister Fouch�� to scale back his scheming, will Fouch�� listen? He might agree outwardly, but he won''t really stop trying to outdo us or set traps. Just as if the First Consul asked us not to trouble the Ministry of Public Security or sabotage them, we would only agree on the

    surface while continuing our activities, albeit more covertly. But being covert naturally reduces efficiency. We speed up a bit, they slow down a bit, and thus, the main share of the cake remains ours. Mr. Minister, now, I think this is the only way forward."

    Lucien nodded in agreement. During the previous discussion, he had alreadye to the conclusion that they had to proceed on both fronts. He then told the others, "I''m going now to see Napoleon; you get moving on this and don''t dawdle any longer, do it quickly, the faster the better!"

    So, Lucien immediately went to the government,ining to Napoleon about Fouch��''s infringement. Napoleon, however, was unimpressed and remarked, "Lucien, you fool! You have far more resources at your disposal than Fouch��, and yet you can''t manage on your own ande running to me? Aren''t you ashamed?"

    Despite saying this, Napoleon still sent someone to remind Fouch��, "Don''t mess everything up."

    Napoleon''s message was clear:peting for credit was eptable, but undermining each other was not.

    With the "threat" from the Ministry of Public Security, the operational efficiency of the Ministry of Truth immediately improved. After all, if the credit for this operation was stolen by those bastards at the Ministry of Public Security, then everyone could forget about their performance evaluations. Thus, the entire Ministry of Truth, either genuinely or ostensibly, rallied around Lucien with the highest efficiency to initiate a sweeping critique in the United States, aimed at uprooting the reactionary thoughts of the notorious British pirate culture.

 Chapter 505: Education and Competition

    For many years, France''s soft power outreach to other nations has primarily involved two methods. One, more apparent, involves establishing newspapers and other forms of media; the other, more subtle yet perhaps more impactful in the long term, is education.

    France''s leadership in science and technology is now almost a universally epted truth. Thus, students from around the world inevitably flock to France for their studies. These international students naturally uphold France''s prestigious academic status. This doesn''t mean that all students prefer France over their homnds. Indeed, many arrive with the intent of "learning from the master to eventually surpass them." However, their time in France inevitably influences their political and ideological perspectives, especially given the lofty universal values France espouses.

    Consequently, the mindset of these students who arrive with the intention of "learning from the master to eventually surpass them" begins to shift. Initially, some may think that mastering French science and industrial technology suffices��especially those from noble backgrounds who despise ideas like revolution and equality. But after spending time in France, they realize that French systems, industry, and science are inextricably linked.

    This is particrly true for students in engineering and technology. For instance, Russians who return home to initiate legal reforms and industrial activities find that many essentials taken for granted in France are simply unworkable in Russia. As a result, the factories they establish, intending to take advantage of Russia''s vast natural resources andparatively lowerbor costs, end up being inefficient and costly. Even students who mortgage their familynds to fund factories find themselves bankrupt within a few years due to various bizarre reasons, ultimately returning to France to work as engineers.

    As for students in the humanities, if they were to criticize French systems and question the universality of French values after spending so much on their education, wouldn''t their efforts and expenditures be in vain?

    Thus, students naturally and widely praise French soft power. Those who remain in France contribute to its construction; those who return home promote it. The majority of those studying science and technology stay in France, while most in the arts return to their countries.

    One of the advanced practices learned from France is the emphasis on education. The French government invests heavily in education, not only leading the world in total educational spending but also in the percentage of fiscal revenue devoted to it.@@novelbin@@

    These students, especially those in the arts,monly advocate upon returning home that their countries should emte France''s strong emphasis on education.

    Moreover, France actively supports education in Europe��after all, educated technicians migrate to France; educated artists promote French universal values. For example, when Prussia had to cut education funding due to economic strains from war indemnities, Napoleon allocated a portion of these indemnities to support Prussian higher education."The great development of education by Frederick the Great made Prussia a dominant power in Europe. Now, the vigorous educational policies of our First Consul Napoleon have positioned France as a world leader. Clearly, education is the foundation of statecraft, the basis of wealth, and the key to national strength. Thus, to develop our nation, we must also heavily invest in education. Every year, the French government provides a stipend to every French national student enrolled in universities redited by the French Academy of Sciences. It also offers financial aid and low-interest loans from the Bank of Rome to support the studies of impoverished students. This is a crucial reason for France''s scientific leadership. We should learn from this," said John Thornton Kirnd, the President of Harvard University, in a letter to the President upon his appointment.

    Yet, the U.S. federal governmentcks the funds for such educational endeavors, making national education initiatives in America challenging. Subsequent wars only exacerbate this issue.

    Nevertheless, President Kirnd strived to advance American education, seeking funds from phnthropists and improving educational standards by employing French students and schrs at Harvard.

    At that time, Harvard''s academic standing couldn''tpare with Europe''s elite universities, particrly those in France. In European eyes, Harvard was considered a third-rate institution��simr to the prestigious but internationally unrecognized universities in Republican China. A returnee with a foreign degree, even a counterfeit one, could easily be a professor at such an institution.

    In America, this phenomenon was also evident. Over the years, numerous American students have studied in France. Initially, Napoleon was not particrly weing of American students, especially those studying science and technology.

    Napoleon once told Joseph, "Why do these Americanse to France to study? Studying Moli��re, Gounod, Rousseau, Voltaire might be eptable, but why science and technology? Given the distance between America and Europe, the industrial products they might produce after learning our techniques couldpete with ours due to high transportation costs. This is not good."

    However, once the Louisiana development was underway, Napoleon ceased his objections. But as American industry suffered due topetition from Louisiana, not just in global markets but even domestically, the number of American students focusing on humanities like Moli��re, Gounod,

    Rousseau, and Voltaire in France increased.

    These individuals often became professors in various American universities upon their return. To secure higher positions and sries, they had to convince others that the education they offered was worth the expense. Thus, the American universities became major centers of French cultural influence.

    In addition to the media, American universities are a crucial part of the Ministry of Truth''s strategy.

    However, the Ministry of Truth isn''t the only entity interested in these students��the dreadful creatures from the sewers, the disgusting chameleons, the remnants of the guillotine, and the officials from the Ministry of Public Security also target them.

    This is typical; among the students in France, some are deeply patriotic, while others seek to change their personal destinies. Public Security officials first monitor these students, selecting potential targets, then engage in exploratory contact, including direct financial inducements or schemes involving debt traps and gambling to coerce them.

    Thus, Public Security has a vastwork of student spies. Because of these individuals, certain actions by the Ministry of Truth are quickly uncovered by Public Security.

    "Obviously, some American traits are unnecessary and even dangerous for us in France, such as their inexplicable sense of mission and aspirations to be a great power," said a Public Security official. "Our old adversaries are now moving. For instance, a literature professor at Yale named Fafnir recently wrote an intriguing article titled ''I Don''t Care About the Rise of Great Powers; I Only Care About the Dignity of the Common People,'' which has sparked widespread discussion. I believe the Ministry of Truth is behind this.

    Of course, such actions aren''t solely orchestrated by the Ministry of Truth. It''s part of arger national strategy. I know many don''t think highly of the Ministry of Truth��honestly, who in our department does? They''re inefficient, corrupt, and wasteful. If we handled their responsibilities, we''d achieve much better results for the same cost," said Fouch�� in a spartan office with only a table and a few chairs, speaking to his subordinates.

    "Indeed, if we had their resources, we would have achieved much more by now," his subordinates chimed in, expressing disdain for the Ministry of Truth.

    "Gentlemen, there''s no need to say more. You know how much trouble the Ministry of Truth has caused us over the years. This time..."

    "Let''s give them a taste of their own medicine!" one subordinate said fiercely.

    "Exactly, let them see what we''re capable of!" another added.

    Fouch�� nced at them, knowing such statements were just bravado. They were all cunning, aware of what could be said and what couldn''t be acted upon.

    "Enough, stop the nonsense," Fouch�� said. "Dealing with America and evolving its culture peacefully is a national policy of utmost importance. If we intentionally sabotage these efforts, it would be treasonous. Lucien might not be verypetent in many areas, but the First Consul and the Chancellor are both intelligent. Do you think they wouldn''t notice if we interfered? If they discovered that we were undermining national interests for the sake of our department, what would be the oue? Who would be the real losers then? If we truly sabotage the Ministry of Truth''s efforts, that''s exactly what they''d want because it would undermine the entire nation, essentially sabotaging ourselves. ???????��

    The First Consul is well aware of the rivalry between our departments��how could he not be? But he has established a clear principle:petition is permissible, but sabotage is not.

    Consider why France has two intelligence agencies. One significant reason is to fosterpetition between us, as it enhances our efficiency," Fouch�� continued, smiling. "Take our own department as an example. If we know that the Ministry of Truth is also pursuing a case, our efficiency immediately improves, and so does theirs. This is exactly what the First Consul wants. But if we engage in sabotage, that''s not what he desires. The final judgment on who wins or loses in our struggle with the Ministry of Truth lies with the First Consul. He''s Lucien''s brother, and although he is a very fair man, his brotherly ties also influence him. Thus, we must avoid sabotaging the Ministry of Truth even more than they must avoid sabotaging us��I actually wish Lucien would sabotage us more often."

    "So, Minister, what should we do?" one subordinate asked. "Are we just supposed to..."

    "Of course, we can''t let this opportunity pass. The First Consul wants us topete with the Ministry of Truth, so we shallpete and aim to outperform them while keeping a close eye on any shorings or gaps they might have. If they do slip up, we''ll quietly fill in the gaps and document these instances to report to the First Consul. That''s the best way to deal with the Ministry of Truth. Do you understand?"

    Everyone nodded. Then Fouch�� smiled again: "Of course, because

    Over the years, France has primarily employed two means to exert its soft power over other countries. One more apparent method is through media such as newspapers, while the other, though more discreet, might have a more significant long-term impact��education.

    France''s preeminence in science and technology has be almost a consensus across the world. Thus, it''s inevitable for countries to send students to France for study. These students naturally uphold France''s authoritative position in academia. This isn''t to say that all international students love France more than their own countries. In fact, manye with the intention of learning from the best. However, studying in France inevitably influences their political ideologies, especially given France''s lofty universal values.

    As a result, the perspectives of students aiming to emte French excellence gradually shift. Initially, some might believe that studying French science and industrial technology is sufficient. Especially among some aspiring nobles who abhor revolutions and equality. Yet, after spending time in France, they realize the inseparability of France''s system, industry, and science.

    Especially among those studying engineering, such as the Russians, returning to their homnd, they embarked on legal reforms. However, they found that many indispensable elements in France were simply non-existent in Russia. The factories established through legal reforms were costly, with poor quality and sky-high expenses. Initially, these Russian students believed that with Russia''s vastnd and abundant resources,bined with significantly lowerbor costspared to France, it should be ideal for establishing factories. However, the reality was different.

    Some students even mortgaged their family''snd in Russia to establish factories, only to go bankrupt within a few years due to various reasons. Eventually, they sold their machinery and returned to France to work as engineers in French factories.

    For those studying humanities, the situation is even clearer. If France''s system and universal values are questioned, then what was the point of spending so much money to learn those things? Wasn''t it all a waste of money?

    Thus, it''s natural for international students to extol France''s soft power. Those who remain in France contribute to its development, while those who return to their homnd promote France. Most engineering students remain in France, while most arts students return to their countries.

    One of the advanced experiences international students learn from France is the value of education. France invests substantial funds into education each year, with the government''s education expenditure ranking first globally, both in total amount and as a percentage of fiscal revenue.

    Particrly among arts students, onemon advocacy upon returning home is to emte France''s education system and vigorously develop education.

    France also strongly supports education in Europe. After all, nurturing engineering talent results in theming to France, while fostering artistic talent leads to the propagation of France''s universal values. It''s a win-win situation. Thus, when Prussia faced economic difficulties and had to cut education funding due to war reparations, Napoleon allocated a portion of Prussia''s reparations for higher education.

    "During the reign of King Frederick II''s vigorous development of education, Prussia once dominated Europe. Now, under the leadership of the First Consul Napoleon, France''s vigorous development of education has propelled it to the forefront of the world. This illustrates that education is the foundation, wealth, and strength of a nation. Therefore, to develop our country, we must also vigorously develop education. The French government provides an annual subsidy to every French national student enrolled in universities redited by the French Academy of Sciences, and can provide loans to needy students at low interest rates through the Bank of Rome to support their studies. This is a crucial reason for France''s scientific leadership in the world. We should learn from it," purportedly stated in a letter from John Thornton Kirnd, the president of Harvard University, to the president upon assuming office.

    However, the federal government of the United States had no money, so national education was met with the attitude of "Our great United States has its own national conditions here." Later, with the outbreak of war, such matters naturally received even less attention.

    Nevertheless, President John Thornton Kirnd made efforts to develop education in the United States. Besides obtaining funds from enthusiastic individuals as much as possible, one way to improve education was to hire French exchange students, and even French schrs, to teach at Harvard.

    During this time, Harvard''s academic status was iparable to European universities, especially those in France. In the eyes of Europeans at that time, Harvard was nothing more than a second-rate university. Its status was probably simr to that of Qingbei during the Republic of China era��though a top-tier institution domestically, it might not even qualify as a university preparatory institution in the eyes of Westerners. Simr to the Qingbei era, a returnee from abroad could often be a professor at such a "top-tier institution" simply with a foreign diploma, even a fake one, and a somewhat renowned foreign teacher.

    Such situations also existed in the United States. Over the years, many American students also studied in France. Frankly, at the outset, Napoleon wasn''t particrly weing to these American exchange students, especially thoseing to study science and technology.

    Napoleon expressed to Joseph, "You said these Americanse to France to study and only need to learn from Moli��re, Gounod, Rousseau, and Voltaire. Why bother with science and technology? America is so far from Europe that if they learn science and technology and return to America to industrialize, our industrial products won''t have enoughpetitive pressure on them due to high transportation costs. That''s not good, not good at all."

    However,ter on, Louisiana was heavily developed, and Napoleon didn''t mention it again. After all, American industry couldn''tpete with Louisiana''s.

    But because American industry suffered greatly due to Louisiana''s industrial prowess, not only could they notpete on the world stage, but even the American market was inessible to them, and even the domestic market was struggling. So now, the number of Americans studying in France for Moli��re, Gounod, Rousseau, and Voltaire is increasing.

    Many of these people return to America and be professors at various universities. To secure higher status and ie, they must convince people that what they can learn from them is worth the price. Therefore, if one were to ask where the most French-spirited Americans are in America, it would undoubtedly be at those universities.

    So, aside from the media, various American universities are an extremely important part of the Truth Department''s n.

    Of course, it''s not just the Truth Department that''s targeting exchange students��those sewer rats, disgusting mutants, and leftover corpses from the guillotine in the Public Security Department are also targeting exchange students.

    This is normal. Among the exchange studentsing to France, some are very patriotic, while others just want to change their personal fortunes. Public Security Department personnel first identify these exchange students, then select potential targets, and then find opportunities for exploratory contact, including direct economic bribery or using traps such as consumer traps or gambling to make them heavily indebted, and then coerce them. In short, these are all old, but effective, methods. The fact that these tactics continue to exist proves their effectiveness.

    As a result, the Public Security Department also has arge number of exchange student spies in its hands. The existence of these individuals means that some of the Truth Department''s initial actions were discovered by the Public Security Department. Then...

    "Clearly, some of America''s characteristics are unnecessary and even dangerous for us in France. For example, the American sense of a mysterious mission and their aspirations to be a great power are particrly troublesome," a Public Security official noted. "Our old adversaries have started to act. Recently, a literature professor at Yale named Fafnir wrote an interesting article titled ''I Don''t Care About the Rise of Great Powers; I Only Care About the Dignity of the Common People,'' which immediately sparked widespread discussion. I suspect the Ministry of Truth is behind it."

    Of course, these maneuvers are not orchestrated solely by the Ministry of Truth; they are part of a broader national strategy. Many have a low opinion of the Ministry of Truth��truth be told, who in our department doesn''t? They''re inefficient, wasteful, and corrupt. If it were up to us, we could do a much better job with the same resources," Fouch�� dered in a sparsely furnished office, addressing his subordinates.

    "Exactly, if we had the resources they have, we would have achieved far more by now," his subordinates concurred, expressing their disdain for the Ministry of Truth.

    "Gentlemen, we need not dwell on this further. You are all aware of the numerousplications the Ministry of Truth has caused us over the years. This time around..."

    "Let''s turn the tables on them!" one subordinate interjected fiercely.

    "Right, let them witness our capabilities!" another echoed.

    Fouch�� nced at them, knowing these statements were merely for show. They were all shrewd enough to know what could be said and what actions could not be taken.

    "Enough with the chatter," Fouch�� cut in. "Addressing the cultural influence over America peacefully is a critical national policy. If we deliberately undermine these efforts, it would amount to treason. Lucien might not excel in many areas, but the First Consul and the Chancellor are astute. Do you really think they wouldn''t notice if we were to interfere? If they discovered that we werepromising national interests for the sake of our department, what do you think the consequences would be? Who would ultimately be the loser? If we were to actually sabotage the Ministry of Truth''s efforts, that''s exactly what they would hope for, as it would undermine the entire nation, effectively sabotaging ourselves."

    "The First Consul is fully aware of the tension between our departments��how could he not be? But he has established a clear directive:petition is eptable, but sabotage is not."

    Consider why France has two intelligence agencies. A major reason is to fosterpetition between us, as it boosts our efficiency," Fouch�� exined, smiling. "Take our department as an example: if we know the Ministry of Truth is also working on a case, our efficiency immediately improves, and theirs does too. This is precisely what the First Consul desires. But if we engage in sabotage, that is not what he wants. Ultimately, the First Consul will be the judge of who wins or loses our disputes. He may be Lucien''s brother, and though the First Consul is an exceedingly fair individual, familial ties inevitably have some influence. Therefore, we must avoid sabotaging the Ministry of Truth more than they must avoid sabotaging us��I, for one, wish Lucien would attempt to undermine us more often."

    "So, Minister, what should we do? Are we to just let things slide?" one subordinate queried.

    "Of course not, we cannot let this opportunity slip by. The First Consul expects us topete with the Ministry of Truth, so we shallpete and strive to outperform them. Simultaneously, we''ll keep a close watch for any faults or oversights they may have. If they slip up, we''ll discreetly rectify those issues and document the instances to report to the First Consul. This is the most effective way to handle the Ministry of Truth. Do you understand?"

    Everyone nodded in agreement. Then Fouch�� added with a smile, "Of course, since theyck our analytical capabilities and something goes wrong, as long as we can fix the error withoutpromising national objectives, it''s ideal. We can cover up their mistakes without harming the country''s goals, and that''s the best oue."

    The room erupted inughter, understanding the implication of Fouch��''s words. Direct sabotage was uneptable, but leading the Ministry of Truth into error and then ying the hero to save the day was entirely feasible. This strategy would not only prove their department''s superiority but also align with national interests without directly confronting the Ministry of Truth.

 Chapter 506: The Tempest at Sea

    As soon as Professor Fafniel''s article was published, it immediately sparked strong reactions. In his piece, he publicly urged the American people to abandon their "unrealistic grand national dreams" and pursue smaller, more tangible happiness.

    Professor Fafniel stated in his article that the United States has strayed from its founding principles. At the time of its founding, the people of North America did not aim to build a so-called "great power" because they had witnessed how such powers oppress and enve their people.

    Originally, it was to escape religious persecution from a "great power" that ancestors fled to North America. The subsequent American Revolution was entirely spurred by the exploitation from a "great power."

    Upon gaining independence, a major concern for the American people was whether, after driving away a tyrant thousands of miles away, they would face thousands of tyrants within a mile. Therefore, initially, North Americans were very cautious of government power, imposing significant restrictions on it.

    It was because of this caution that North Americans could enjoy a period of free and peaceful happiness. However, this happiness was at risk of being undermined by ambitions to be a "great power."

    A "great power" necessitates a government that amasses substantial financial and material resources. Historically, Britain exploited its people and colonies precisely to amass these resources.

    The world''s wealth is finite; if it''s not in the hands of the people, it''s in the hands of the government. A "great power" really refers to a powerful government. Therefore, to be a "great power" inevitably leads to plundering the popce andpeting with them for benefits.

    In America today, there is a dangerous trend towards building a "powerful nation." Under this trend, America continues to try to expand its territories, leading to military conflicts with neighboring Native American tribes, northern adversary nations, and even countries that helped America win its independence, eventually culminating in war.

    Professor Fafniel worries that all this is part of a grand conspiracy. Some are using war to try to establish a big government that can interfere with people''s freedom, and striving to be a "great power" is a manifestation of this conspiracy.Thus, in conclusion, Professor Fafniel calls on everyone to be vignt and resist the temptation to be a "great power," to preserve the dignity of themon people.

    Honestly, Professor Fafniel''s article is full of holes and doesn''t stand up to scrutiny. For one thing, isn''t France a great power? Don''t the French people have dignity?

    Naturally, there are those who havee forward to criticize Professor Fafniel. Their method of criticism is quite interesting.

    They first point out that it is very imprecise to set "the rise of a great power" against "the dignity of themon people." There are examples in the world that manage to ensure both "the rise of a great power" and "the dignity of themon people," such as the French Republic. To not consider how to learn from such a good example as the French Republic, and instead fixate on the evil path of countries like Britain, is clearly wrong.

    Why can France''s rise as a great power coexist with the dignity of its people, while Britain''s cannot?

    "Of course, this is due to the differences between British culture and French culture," replied Mr. Greded, a professor at Harvard University and a Doctor of Law from the University of Paris.

    "Traditionally, France is an agricultural country, where agriculture is introspective, cooperative, and seeks harmony with the world. Therefore, when faced with contradictions, the French are always willing to empathize with others. This is why the French people have a particrly strong capacity for empathy. When establishing a powerful state, their goal is very clear: to protect the rights, freedoms, and justice of the people.

    Let''s take the First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, for example. Many Americans like topare President George Washington with Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, but in fact, they are fundamentally iparable.

    Firstly, in terms of achievements, although President Washington was themander of the Continental Army and also won some victories, we must realistically say that before French troops participated in the war, President Washington was more often defeated than victorious. In the most critical and difficult battles of the War of Independence, even if we cannot say that they were all fought by General Lafayette and his French troops, most were indeed due to the efforts of the French military, which is very certain.

    As for Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, he was under siege by tyrants across Europe, turned the tide, and thoroughly defeated these European tyrants. In terms of military achievements, Consul Napoleon Bonaparte can bepared to military leaders like Alexander the Great.

    In terms of state governance, President Washington''s achievements are notparable to those of Consul Napoleon Bonaparte. America operates a federal system, where states arergely autonomous, and

    the president, especially President Washington, often acted more as a coordinator between the states. But Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was a true manager of France. Under his leadership, France''s progress amazed the entire world. That is why Consul Napoleon Bonaparte''s support in France and globally far exceeded any previous leader. Even Augustus and Charlemagne cannotpare with him in this regard. ?��?????S

    Therefore, President Washington''s political achievements and prestige also cannotpare with Consul Napoleon Bonaparte. Besides, Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was a great jurist and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. In all respects, Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was the greatest figure of his time, even a perfect man of the era.

    So, when people praise President Washington for upholding the democratic system, do not forget that President Washington never had enough power and prestige to undermine democracy and establish a dictatorship.

    But Consul Napoleon Bonaparte did. His power and prestige were sufficient for him to go further, but the French people did not oppose him bing a dictator or even an Augustus. However, Consul Napoleon Bonaparte remained loyal to democracy and upheld it. In this respect, Consul Napoleon Bonaparte truly faced the temptations of power and overcame them.

    Why could Consul Napoleon Bonaparte ovee such temptations, always remembering his origins, loyal to the French people? This, of course, can be attributed to France''s introspective, cooperative culture that seeks harmony with the world.

    In contrast, what is British culture like? British culture is a culture of piracy. Due to theck of warm, fertilend, many Britons lived by robbing and plundering. If you pay attention to British legends, you''ll find that there are many stories praising thieves and pirates. They do not consider robbery and murder shameful at all.

    So, we can see that for the sake of interest, the British use pirate methods against the Spanish and Dutch abroad; domestically, they use unjustws to dispossess peasants of theirnd and oppress citizens of different faiths. Because in British culture, these are not shameful but glorious.

    We Americans are victims of this shameful culture. Our ancestors in Britain, persecuted for their faith, had no choice but to risk escaping to North America. Later, unable to endure the British oppression, we initiated the War of Independence.

    But as another Bonaparte, the president of the French Academy of Sciences, said: ''When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.'' In this world, no nation has suffered as much persecution from Britain as we have, nor has any nation been entangled with the British for as long. We are resisting British tyranny, but at the same time, British tyranny has deeply infiltrated our culture, even our souls.

    So, after the Mayflowernded in North America, we initially received help from local Native Americans and survived the toughest times. Butter, we shed with them over faith and other issues, and eventually, we annihted them. I''m not saying that the Native Americans werepletely innocent, but why couldn''t we use advanced culture and correct faith to win them over instead of resorting to such brutal methods? Think about how Jesus Christ reacted when denied by others, insulted, and persecuted. Are we still qualified to call ourselves his followers?

    Moreover, our Deration of Independence could have been much greater. But at the moment of its publication, some critical sentences were deleted. These sentences criticized the British for invading and enving some nations��African cks��who had never wronged them, selling them into very for bloody profits.

    Why did we delete such sentences full of humanitarian glory? Because we were also profiting from British atrocities,plicit in their crimes, unwilling to sacrifice our interests for justice. Here, we can clearly see that English greed and tyranny exist in us as well.

    Let''spare with France. During the monarchy, France also participated in the ve trade and relied on oppressing ck ves for profit. But when the gs of liberty, democracy, and fraternity were raised high, we see how France responded to the just demands of the ck people in Saint-Domingue.@@novelbin@@

    With France''s military power at the time, it would have been easy to crush the hardly powerful ck resistance. If Saint-Domingue had been ruled by Britain or even us, what would have happened? Undoubtedly, the blood of ck people would have dyed all of Saint-Domingue red.

    But how did France handle this? France did not betray its conscience for profit; they not only did not suppress these ck people, they recognized their citizenship rights and actively supported them in building their own country, turning the former Saint-Domingue, now the Republic of Haiti, into a paradise for ck people. This is the real practice in line with the spirit of Christ, the superiority of French culture demonstrated so perfectly, admirable to all.

    Only a civilization rooted in rich soil can create such a broad and profound culture, produce a perfect man like Napoleon Bonaparte,

    and create a great nation like the French Republic. The pirate culture born from the violent seas can only lead us to struggle painfully in plunder and ughter, both against others and ourselves. Humans are not marine creatures; we must stand on solid ground.

    Be loyal to thend, just like being loyal to your conscience; embrace thend, just like embracing our mother. Only by standing on solid ground can we truly beplete, powerful people.

    I do not oppose America bing a ''great power,'' nor do I think there is a contradiction between ''the rise of a great power'' and ''the dignity of themon people.'' But the ''rise of a great power'' must be based on us leaving the tyrannical primitive sea and stepping onto the generous and benevolentnd; otherwise, the ''rise of a great power'' can only trample on the ''dignity of themon people.''

    Flee the sea andnd on earth, America!"

    Such an article, of course, sparked even more controversy, especially among the southern ve owners, who were extremely angry. They furiously cursed Greded in their newspapers, dering that he would surely go to hell.

    At first, these people even attempted to debate with Greded in the newspapers. But clearly, those simpleton ve owners, who couldn''t even understand basic syllogism, were logically so deficient that they were refuted into silence in the debates, ending up with a mere "what you said is false."

    Since criticism couldn''t tackle Greded, those spirited southerners naturally thought of the critique of arms. And this was precisely what the Ministry of Truth wanted to see.

    The Ministry of Truth had noticed that some southern newspapers even openly called for "heavenly punishment for the national traitor." And some soldiers involved in massacres, highly resentful of Greded''s criticisms, like a southern militia in Georgia called "Pure Faith," had already put Greded''s portrait and name on their shooting targets.

    Their newspapers naturally immediately exposed these actions in the newspapers of Massachusetts. Then the public opinion in Massachusetts was naturally in an uproar, although many in Massachusetts did not agree with Greded''s views. But freedom of speech is protected by the Bill of Rights. So the Governor of Massachusetts even had to step forward to call on Georgia to respect freedom of speech.

    And Georgia''s response was: "Putting that guy''s name on a target is also a form of expression, a form of speech, and also freedom of speech."

 Chapter 508: The Gunslingers

    Three individuals came together for a detailed discussion, all agreeing that assassination was indeed an intriguing and effective strategy. Minister Lucien suggested two potential targets, and the others felt the first should be attainable. Intelligence and counterintelligence in America at this time were virtually nonexistent.

    American counterintelligence��if it existed��was solely managed by local police. How could police handle counterintelligence work? (Fouch��: What are you saying? But for American police, being quick on the draw is enough, even if their brains are smaller than walnuts. Actually, having a cerebellum is sufficient.) Local police in America simplycked such capability.

    On the other hand, the Ministry of Truth could easily stir up some real Southern fools to do the job, pinning the me on them without any technical difficulty. However, the second target, framing the Ministry of Public Security under Napoleon, posed a real challenge but was worth detailed study.

    "Why don''t we gather all the files on simr operations conducted by the Ministry of Public Security over the years and study their tactics, then mimic their techniques?" suggested Viktor.

    "That''s unnecessary," Vifor responded, shaking his head, "We have been studying and learning their operational characteristics and absorbing their sessful experiences. Of course, they have also been learning from us, so after all these years, our styles have be indistinguishable. So, Viktor, we can''t smear them in terms of operational style."

    "What about using new techniques that none of us have used before?" Viktor asked again.

    "Ah, if there must be a difference in our styles, it''s notpletely nonexistent. The most significant and obvious difference is that if any new technical methods appear in such cases, it''s likely us who innovated them because we have a much closer rtionship with the Academy of Sciences than they do," Vifor replied.

    "Does that mean it would be easier for the Ministry of Public Security to frame us than for us to frame them?" Lucien inquired.

    "Theoretically, yes," Vifor answered, "But technically, they rarely surpass us.""Once there is such a case, Fouch�� would rather show it off to Napoleon, to show him that although his Ministry of Public Security��s research institute receives limited funding, it��s still highly efficient," Vifor continued, "At least that��s how it used to be. Because ultimately, the issue between us boils down to budget concerns. Besides, there can never be conclusive evidence in such cases, so going to a brother to frame his sibling is not a wise choice."

    Lucien remained silent, understanding Vifor��s reasoning. Fouch�� indeed wouldn��t do such a thing, but this fact only made Lucien more frustrated. His resources far exceeded those of Fouch��, and Napoleon was his brother, yet he was unable to suppress Fouch��, who was often trusted more by both his brother Napoleon and Joseph.

    However, it was always worth trying to achieve the second target. Thus, the n was quickly approved.

    By this time, the war on the North American continent had ended. Soldiers returned to their hometowns, but some found that life seemed off-kilter. For instance, in a bar, a couple of unfortunate fellows were drinking andining.

    "Hahaha, you got kicked out for that?" Tall Martinughed until tears nearly came.

    "What''s so funny? I bet if someone reached for your neck in the middle of the night, in pitch darkness, what would your reaction be?" short James retorted irritably.

    "So you punched your wife without looking, just abo?"

    "Ah!" James sighed, taking a sip of beer, "And you? What happened at home for you?"

    "Ah, me? Nothing much, just identally grabbed my wife��s hair and pped her twice during an intimate moment, and then��"

    "And then you were kicked out? Hahaha��"

    "No, but now my wife looks at me with fear. Sometimes, when I talk to her, she trembles as if I were a beast. It��s not just her; even when I��m with the children, she looks on with fear in her eyes. ???��??��S

    Later, I couldn''t stand it and asked her what was wrong. At first, she wouldn''t tell me, but after I pressed her, she revealed the truth.

    You know, those Northerners, they say in the newspapers that we behave like beasts in Canada, killing and raping,mitting all kinds of atrocities. They even suggest we might have be addicted to crime and can no longer live normal lives.

    That night, I had�� Damn it, I��ve survived death numerous times in the war, and I thought I��d be weed as a hero when I returned. But inadvertently, even my wife��s gaze turned into that of seeing a criminal��"

    "It��s those damn Northerners!" James eximed, "They hindered us during the war and now talk like this. I read the newspapers; that Fafniel and that Grad, they attack us fiercely

    , iming we are inherently no better than the British."

    This was somewhat unfair to Fafniel and Grad. In fact, neither had said Southerners were naturally bad. They merely stated that all people originated from God and inherently possessed a noble essence, including Southerners. But like humanity''s ancestors, Adam and Eve, who were tempted by the devil and stained with sin, Americans, particrly some in the South, were too influenced by British culture. The harsh conditions of the battlefield highlighted these evil cultural influences, turning what could have been good husbands and fathers into devils on the battlefield. They were both victims and perpetrators. The psychological damage they suffered might never heal, and they might never live normal lives again.

    This wasn��t entirely unreasonable. In fact, to be effective in deception, one must not bepletely irrational. From this perspective, Comrade Trump single-handedly destroyed the Lighthouse Country''s years of efforts in propaganda (deception), worthy of the g in his heart.

    But the Southerners wouldn��t perform a careful readingprehension like a small-town quizzer. So, Fafniel and Grad''s words were simply interpreted by them as implying Southerners and British were inherently bad people.

    "Those two damn Northerners." Martin set down his drink and cursed.

    "I heard the club has reopened; let''s go distract ourselves," James suggested.

    "Alright, there''s nowhere else to go anyway."

    The club they referred to was a nearby shooting club. Before the war, a group of young men would gather there to practice shooting, exchanging various hunting techniques from turkey to Native American scalps. When the war began, most club members, except for a few who were too old, joined the fight. The club naturally ceased operations but now, at least in North America, the war was over, and it was normal for the club to reopen.

    The two paid their tab, mounted their horses, and headed toward the shooting club.

    The club, for easy shooting, was located at the edge of a forest outside the small town. They rode through the town and, after a while, heard the crackling sound of gunfire in the distance.

    "It looks like it really has reopened."

    Thinking this, they spurred their horses into a trot, and soon, "Yorkson Shooting Club" appeared before them.

    The club had a two-story building, with a bar upstairs and a storeroom downstairs. The two dismounted at the club''s entrance, and a ck ve working there took their horses away.

    They were very familiar with the ce and headed straight for the shooting range.

    The shooting range was an open space below the small building. About a hundred meters ahead was a thirty-meter-high earthen mound. cing the shooting range here, facing the mound, effectively prevented bullets from straying elsewhere. Before the war, the town''s young people often gathered here, drinking upstairs in the bar while betting on the shooters below.

    However, today there were fewer people than before the war. After all, war is not hunting, and the British are not Native Americans; they are not so easily bullied. So many of the young revelers from those times were missing. Yet, the gunshots at the shooting range were still dense.

    The two circled the building to the shooting range.

    They immediately noticed there were quite a few people on the range, almost all who had survived the battlefield were here. But no one was holding beers and betting, and the targets seemed different from usual, switching from normal ringed chest targets to two caricatured portraits.

    Just then, a shooter finished his bullets, packed up his rifle, and greeted them: "Martin, James, you guys came too?"

    "Just looking around, seeing if we could meet some old friends," James said. "Who are on those targets?"

    "Who else but those two damn Northerners!" another person aiming replied without looking up.

    "What''s the use of doing this? Do you believe in Native American witchcraft? Do you really think that hanging a painting there and shooting at it can kill those two guys?" Martin suddenly blurted out.

    This statement made the shooters stop. The area quieted down for a moment, only the rustling sound of the portraits tacked to the targets was heard in the wind.

    After a while, someone unwillingly said, "What else can we do, those guys are Americans, they have freedom of speech. After all, they are not unprotected Native Americans."

    Hearing this weak response, Martin chuckled.

    "You know, back when North America was still a British colony, the Boston Tea Party and Lexington''s resistance were also against thew. If everything were done ording to thew, would there even be an America?"

    "Martin, thews back then were evilws made by the British, but now ourws are made by us Americans. We can''t go against our ownws."

    "Who said we are going against our ownws? Ourws don''t allow such tant treasonous acts. If it were really ording to thew,

    those two should have been arrested and sentenced long ago. It��s just that the courts in the North won��t uphold the nation!" Martin hadn��t even finished speaking when someone else interrupted.

    Then everyone joined in, debating whether the two hadmitted treason. But as with most debates, the purpose wasn''t to reach a correct judgment but to find something that resonated with their emotions. Thus, most people felt that these two should have been shot for treason long ago. Some even more radically suggested: "Isn��t lynching an excellent American tradition? What��s all this fuss about following thew? Just do it! Besides, shoot those two guys in the North, thene back to Georgia, wouldn��t that solve everything? Would those Northerners reallye to Georgia to arrest someone?"

    Indeed, in this era, there really was no such thing as cross-state arrests. The United States at this time had no national police system; police forces were state-based. Massachusetts police couldn��t possiblye to Georgia to make an arrest. Theoretically, Massachusetts police could lock down a suspect, request an arrest warrant from a Massachusetts court, and then ask Massachusetts to send this warrant to Georgia for the local police to assist. However, Georgia was under no obligation to cooperate, especially since the governor would undoubtedly offend voters by doing so. Thus, such a request for cooperation would most likely be tossed directly into the trash in most cases.@@novelbin@@

    "But running to the North would cost quite a bit. If I weren''t broke, I��d have gone and shot them myself," Martin concluded.

 Chapter 509: Setting Out

    In fact, during this period, the people of the South were truly impoverished.

    Firstly, the war wreaked havoc. The British had burned many port cities and the cotton fields near the coast.

    Originally, the economic outlook of the South was already bleak due to the absence of cotton orders from Britain during the war. This,bined with the destruction caused by the war, only added insult to injury. However, there was some good news. Although the British orders had ceased, the demand in the European market still existed. The price of cotton fabrics in Europe had generally increased, and it was said that the British had burned all the American cotton fields (of course, this was an exaggeration), which caused market tension, and after a significant drop, the price of cotton did rebound somewhat.

    But the rebound in cotton prices was far frompensating for the losses of the war. More devastatingly, Martin and James lived right by the sea, where the British also set fires. Cities were half burned down, thankfully, the people had fled. Many cotton fields were also burned. As for the stored cotton, it waspletely burned by the British. Thus, when cotton prices rebounded, they did not benefit. In fact, those more ind and the French in Louisiana actually took advantage of the rebound��if they hadn��t sold their cotton before the prices went up.

    Considering the cost of rebuilding their homes, people really didn��t have much money. Even if they had money, much of it had already been lent to friends.

    So when Martin mentioned he was broke, everyone sighed together.

    ��These are tough times! I used to drink French wine, and now I can only afford local beer,�� another personmented.

    ��Everything��s gone up in price, except for guns and ammunition, which are cheaper than before,�� someoneined.

    On the North American continent, whether in Mexico or former Canada, the war had ended. Therefore, firearms and ammunition, which had once been scarce, were now in surplus and being sold at a discount. Although shipping these items to Europe seemed profitable, the round-trip freight costs made this business less appealing. Of course, that wasn��t the main reason. The main reason was that France did not want to see such arge amount of second-hand weapons appear in Europe, encroaching on the market that belonged to the French.@@novelbin@@Thus, in Georgia, everything was expensive except for firearms and ammunition. Even though everyone was poorer, they didn��t need to worry about wasting bullets when shooting for fun. Often, out of boredom, people would fire a few shots into the air just to hear the noise, since it was cheap.

    Of course, the economic hardship, coupled with the widespread avability and exceptionally low prices of firearms and ammunition, naturally led to one consequence: rampant crime.

    The difficult life and chaotic public safety situation deeply troubled everyone.

    ��What��s worse, I still have to support a bunch of ves! Honestly, I envy those French factory owners in the west. Look how straightforward they are��when there��s work, they open their doors and pull in a bunch of new immigrants; once there��s no work, they shut down the machines and kick all the workers out, not keeping a single idler. But for us ve owners, it��s really tough. Now that the cotton fields are burned, we don��t need the ves for any work, but we still have to support them. This is really���� another personined.

    So, it��s clear that freeborers are much better than ves.

    Also, because of this, no one could afford to support Martin.

    ��It��s safe to say, no one here is having a good time,�� someoneined.

    ��Not everyone, Dyson��s doing pretty well. His Louisiana wine has made him a lot of money,�� someone loudly added.

    Everyone then burst intoughter because Dyson��s Louisiana wine was initially a failed venture of his. A French business partner, having incurred losses in business, had mortgaged a batch of Louisiana wine to Dyson.

    Although Louisiana was also French territory and some French had brought grapevines there to make wine, the quality of these wines couldn��t evenpare to Bordeaux wines, let alone those from Italy or Austria. Thus, the main use for Louisiana wine was to be sold to low-end taverns, then diluted and passed off as Italian wine. But it wasn��t just directly passed off; it was mixed in.

    So, although it was still wine, Louisiana wine was priced about the same as beer. Basically, it was something that couldn��t be sold off. Dyson��s friend quickly went bankrupt and disappeared to who knows where.

    Compared to the money Dyson had lent to his friend, the Louisiana wine was truly worthless. However, unexpectedly, the war broke out, and after the war started, the demand for alcohol significantly increased, but the supply faced issues.

    With fewer ships heading to Europe, and most cargo being directly rted to the war, the amount of grape wine imported from Europe drastically reduced. As a result

    , the previously disdained and considered only fit for household ves to drink, Louisiana wine suddenly became valuable. Its price soared, and with everyone else being poor, Dyson actually made a fortune from this batch of wine.

    "Dyson, you��ve made a fortune, why not give some money to support Martin to go to Massachusetts and take out those two bastards?" someone shouted.

    "I can offer him a drink, but funding him tomit murder, that��s not right," Dyson replied with a smile, shaking his head.

    "Come on, Dyson, it��s just a murder. Who here hasn��t killed someone? Besides, can those two even be considered human?" someone loudly said.

    "How about this, Martin��s always been a good shot, and you��re not bad either, Dyson. Why not have a wager, old rules, three hundred feet, chest target, ten shots. If Martin wins, you give him a hundred dors, which should be enough for a trip to Massachusetts. If you win, well, for the next month, Martines here to work for you every day." R????????��??

    The wager didn��t seem fair, as a waiter''s sry definitely didn��t need to be as high as a hundred dors. However, considering the removal of national traitors wasn��t Martin��s personal affair, it was not uneptable, but Dyson suggested a modification.

    "If it��s ten shots, I might as well just give the money," Dyson said, "Martin is a better shot than I am. If we have to bet, let''s bet on one shot. Also, since this isn��t just Martin��s private matter, if Martin loses, then let it be, but if he wins, each of you present muste here and work for me for one day. How about that?"

    Betting on one shot had a lot more chance involved than ten shots, as there was no opportunity for adjustment. This way, where the skill level was not significantly different, luck yed a muchrger role. This obviously gave Dyson, who was a slightly worse shot, a better chance of winning. Just liketer generations changed table tennis matches from twenty-one points per game to eleven points per game to increase the randomness of the matches. Although the change was well-intentioned, the final oue proved that if the skill wascking, relying on these tricks had limited use.

    Since Dyson��s proposal was reasonable, everyone agreed. So Dyson had someone bring rifles��top-notch French goods, now worthless.

    The two men then went to the shooting range, and everyone else followed, with those originally at the range stopping to watch the duel.

    Dyson had someone set up a target three hundred feet ahead. Then he said to Martin, "Why don��t you shoot first?"

    The shooting range was outdoors, so there were rtively more disturbances, making the first shot more difficult to execute well. However, Martin did not object. He loaded a bullet into the rifle, raised it, aimed for a while, and then fired.

    "Nine rings!" The target caller loudly announced his score. At this distance, using a rifle that wasn��t his regr one and scoring nine rings with one shot was already quite impressive.

    Even Martin himself was very satisfied with his shot, so he put down his rifle and said to Dyson, "Alright, your turn."

    Dyson looked at Martin and said, "A nine-ring shot, how am I supposed to match that?" As he spoke, he raised his already loaded rifle, aimed for a while, and then fired as well.

    "Seven rings!" The target caller immediately announced the shooting score.

    "Actually, my shot wasn��t bad either," Dyson said as he put down the rifle and extended his hand to Martin, adding, "But your shot was just too good."

    Since the oue of the wager was determined, Dyson, being a straightforward man, went directly to his office and soon came back with a wallet.

    From the wallet, Dyson pulled out two crisp hundred-dor bills and handed them to Martin, "A hundred dors might be a bit tight, so I''ll lend you another hundred. If you return and haven''t used it all, just give me back the surplus. Hmm, you sure you want to go to Massachusetts and settle the score?"

    "Of course, with so many witnesses, can I not keep my word?" Martin replied.

    "In that case, I have to write a letter for you. You know I do business, and I have friends all over North America. I have a French friend who��s currently doing business in Boston. When you get there, you can look him up; he might be able to help you out," Dyson said.

    "Is this friend of yours reliable?" Martin asked. He was nning tomit murder and didn��t want to get caught by the police in Massachusetts because of some unreliable person.

    "If he were unreliable, I wouldn��t introduce him to you," Dyson said, "Alright, continue to enjoy yourself here, I��ll go write that letter."

    So Dyson went back to his office. After a while, he came out with an envelope.

    He handed the envelope to Martin, "The envelope isn��t sealed. Check the content first, and if you think it��s okay, then I��ll seal it."

    Martin pulled out the letter from the envelope and read it through. It didn��t say much, just told the French friend, Mr. Pidou, that Martin was his friend,ing here to handle some matters, hoping he could provide some help within his capabilities.

    "A lot of things, I can��t directly write in a letter," Dyson said, "But Pidou is a reliable friend, someone you can trust your back with. After you meet him, you can tell him your ns directly. If possible, he will definitely want to help you."

    Martin then expressed his thanks to Dyson, who, in front of him, sealed the envelope and handed it to him. Then, raising his ss, Dyson said, "Friends, let''s raise a toast to wish Martin sess."

    Everyoneughed for a while, and Martin then returned home. Although he was very dissatisfied with the two traitors, he hadn��t intended to travel thousands of miles to take their lives. It was just that at the club, after having a couple of drinks and being egged on by everyone, he actually agreed to do it.

    But it was toote to back out now, as reneging on such a matter would mean he couldn��t mix in the local area anymore. So, although he was somewhat nervous, he was determined to carry out the task.

    So, he told his wife that he needed to make a long trip soon to handle some matters. Then he boarded a ship and headed north by sea.

    If he were a bit further west, in Louisiana, taking a train would have been a good option. The French had built a north-south railway along the Mississippi River, stretching from New Orleans up to the regions near the Great Lakes. It was said that the French nned to extend this railway to Quebec in the future.

    But in the current United States, there was no such railway connecting the southern and northern parts of the country, nor was there a river like the Mississippi linking the north and south. Therefore, the most convenient means to the north was still by sea.

    Martin carried a rifle and a revolver on board. At this time, America had almost no gun control, and it was normal for people traveling long distances to carry guns, and no one minded.

    Soon, Martinnded at Boston harbor. Then he followed Dyson��s address to find Mr. Pidou.

 Chapter 510: Opportunity

    Martin found the fur trader named Pedur, who only purchased furs from fully-furred animals, showing no interest in leather products from mostly bare-skinned animals. This disinterest left many American fur traders quite disappointed. Despite being selective, Pedur was known for straightforward transactions.

    Martin approached Pedur and handed him a letter, then inly stated his purpose.

    "Oh, this is tricky," Pedur remarked, "You say I''m a fur trader, a legitimate businessman, howe..."

    "A legitimate businessman? Please, there isn''t a single fur trader who''s genuinely in legal business," Martin retorted.

    "Let''s assume that''s true," Pedur conceded, "But I am a businessman, I''m all about the money, not about taking lives."

    "Dyson mentioned you have a few lives on your hands."

    "That''s incidental damage in the process of making money. I never aim for their lives; they just unfortunately get in the way of me getting paid. So, indeed, I''m all about the money, not harming anyone," Pedur responded calmly.

    "Fine, but the killing is on me, not rted to you. I just need a bit of your help, and it��s also good for future business, right?"@@novelbin@@

    Pedur thought for a moment and then said, "I can��t get involved in anything directly rted to this matter. I can offer some help since Dyson is my friend. But I don''t know what you''re here for, you just asked me some business questions, and I told you out of friendship. Moreover, the people you��re targeting are influential, and if this gets out, it could seriously implicate me. Hmm, Dyson will have to offer me much morepensation next time."After this conversation, Pedur continued, "About that Professor Fafniel and Grede, they''re both influential figures from Harvard. Not many here are unaware of them. Well, let��s first discuss your general n."

    Martin��s n was straightforward: to learn Fafniel or Grede��s routine and wait for them along their usual routes, then take them down with two revolvers, and flee on horseback.

    "Your n is too crude," Pedur shook his head. "What about after it''s done? How will you escape? This is important; you don''t know how precious life is. You''re unfamiliar with this ce, your ent doesn''t match, it won��t be easy to escape. Before doing this, you must n your escape route thoroughly, whether you seed or fail. Imagine if you were caught in Massachusetts. What would the court there do? They��d hang you out to dry without hesitation.

    "You have family, right? Would they like to read in the papers that you were hanged? So, the most important thing is to have a good escape n. Hmm, don��t do anything else these days, just work as a salesman for me. This job requires moving around streets, which will help you get familiar with theyout of Boston �� especially from Harvard to the port area. As for their movements, I''ll keep you informed."

    The next morning, Pedur gave Martin a small box hanging around his neck filled with French cigarettes and various small items for women, encouraging him to go out and sell them.

    "This box is too heavy," Martinined. "Can��t it be lighter? I��m just supposed to learn theyout, not really..."

    "You are really doing this, do it well, I''ll pay you," Pedur tapped him on the shoulder.

    For the next few days, Martin roamed the streets in the potential operation area by day and returned at night to exchange information and strategize with Pedur.

    "Your original n won��t work; you can��t kill both at the same time. They work at the same university but not in the same faculty, so it''s rare for them to appear together. You can only target one. Recently, due to the southern states'' anger over their statements, and many have openly vowed to kill them, they��ve been very cautious. Besides sses, they hardly appear in public, making assassination difficult."

    "So what do we do? Can you find out where they live?" Martin asked.

    "You still want tomit a crime indoors? That won��t be easy. Both are wealthy, so they live in upscale areas. Hmm, you��ve been to Newton area, right? What did you feel?"

    "There are lots of police everywhere. Just looking around, you could see at least one or two police officers. I tried selling cigarettes there and got questioned by several officers," Martin said.

    "At night, there are even more police. Plus, you can''t prepare by entering their homes beforehand, but your target might be prepared. In his home, he knows theyout better than you and is ready. With a shotgun and a dog, not just one person, but even two or three couldn��t break in easily. Plus, any slight noise would bring a swarm of police. So, if you n

    tomit the crime indoors, I''d rather you just buy a rope in the market and hang yourself, saving everyone the trouble," Pedur clearly disapproved of the n.

    Martin was disappointed, but he knew Pedur made sense. Newton area being recognized as Boston��s safest wasn��t without reason.

    "So what do we do now?" Martin asked.

    "We just have to wait and see if another opportunity arises. This might take some time. Now you see why I wanted you to be a salesman? Otherwise, the money you brought might not even be enough." R?����?��??

    Martin continued to work as a salesman to earn his wages; otherwise, as Pedur said, he really would run out of money.

    However, a turnaround came quickly. That afternoon, as Martin returned, he saw Pedur waving a newspaper: "Martin,e here, look at this news."

    "What happened?" Martin asked.

    "Your waiting opportunity has arrived," Pedur said. "Look, Mr. Bobbron, a literature professor from the University of Paris, has been invited to visit Harvard University. Do you know what this means?"

    "I know," Martin replied. "Such a schr��s visit would surely prompt a wee ceremony at Harvard. Given that the auditorium isn��trge enough and considering the sunny weather these days, the ceremony is likely to be held outdoors."

    ...

    Hello there! We''ve just hit the fantastic milestone of 510 Chapters. Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at <b>Novelupdate</b>.

 Chapter 511: Slaying the Dragon

    Given that the event was held outdoors, there was an opportunity for assassination. There were two methods to choose from: one was up close, using a revolver or even a hand grenade. This method''s main advantage was a high sess rate. If the first shot missed, there was still time for a follow-up shot.

    However, the downside was also very clear. Trying to assassinate someone with a gun in such a crowded environment and escape unscathed was highly unlikely.

    "There will definitely be a lot of police at the venue. Although they won��t body search everyone to see what they carry, bringing two revolvers in shouldn''t be a problem. But after firing, escaping from a ce swarming with police seems highly unlikely. Even worse, you might even drag me into this. So, let''s discard the close-range assassination n," Mr. Pidou initially dismissed this approach.

    "What other ns might work then?" Martin asked.

    "I hear you''re quite a shot?" Pidou inquired.

    "Fairly decent," Martin replied.

    "If you had a good rifle, one that uses smokeless powder, how far could you hit a target?" Pidou asked.

    A good rifle that uses smokeless powder naturally referred to the modern French rifles. It was said that even the French army hadn��t fully equipped these due to the high cost of smokeless powder, only elite sharpshooters were issued such weapons.

    However, in the civilian rifle market, one could buy such a weapon if they were willing to spend the money, although it was quite expensive. During the North American war, Martin had seen such a rifle with arade who was a wealthy man owning hundreds of ves, so his equipment was always top-notch. Compared to ordinary rifles, this type of rifle had a much smaller caliber, just over 0.3 inches. The smaller caliber meant smaller bullets. But because the powder was more potent, this gun''s effective range far exceeded ordinary rifles, and in the hands of some experts, it could even urately shoot targets three to four hundred meters away.At the time, Martin, who liked guns, also asked about the price and then forced himself to forget about it. But now that Pidou mentioned it, Martin immediately remembered that rifle.

    "Are you talking about the Krieghoff hunting rifle? Ah, that''s a really good piece, just too expensive. One Krieghoff could buy you twenty regr hunting rifles. If it��s a collector''s edition with an ivory handle, it''s even more outrageously expensive. And what��s worse, the bullets are costly. Each bullet could buy twenty regr bullets. Bullets are consumables, not everyone can afford such luxuries," Martin said.

    "Yes, it''s a bit pricey, but it''s a good rifle. Indeed, only the wealthy could afford such a hobby. I mean, if I had such a rifle, would you be confident in hitting a target at three hundred meters?" Pidou pressed.

    "I don''t know, I��ve never used it. But probably not. You know, even the best sharpshooter can''t shoot well with an unfamiliar rifle," Martin responded.

    "Alright, there��s still some time ording to the news. Well, I��ll lend you the rifle, and you can practice on your own. Bullets will be charged at market price."

    "Then I''d rather go for a close assassination," Martin said.

    "Damn, isn''t your life worth a few bullets?" Pidou eximed.

    "I''m very poor now, a poor man''s life isn''t worth much!" Martin answered without hesitation.

    "The devil! How could I... Alright, I��ll give you a 40% discount."

    "70% discount!"

    "Then go for the close assassination! Hmm, should I prepare some poison for your suicide?"

    "How about 60% discount, can that work?"@@novelbin@@

    "The most I can do is 50%, and I��ll be there with you to watch you shoot��otherwise, how can I trust you won��t just report false numbers and sell my bullets on the ck market?" ????�¨�??

    "How can you be so suspicious of me? What about basic trust between people?"

    "Don''t talk about trust; talking about trust costs money! If you��re willing to pay the original price for the bullets, I guarantee I''ll trust you!"

    In the following days, Pidou took Martin hunting in the forests outside the city, using the opportunity to practice shooting. It turned out that Martin''s shooting skills were indeed very solid; after just a dozen bullets, he could already hit long-distance targets quite urately. So, three dayster, Martin took the initiative and told Pidou he thought the training was sufficient, and the rest could be done with an empty gun��the damned bullets were still too expensive, even at half price.

    "Basically, these are legendary bullets meant for shooting vampires," Martin said.

    Then, a few more days passed, and it was time to survey Harvard University to familiarize themselves with the environment

    .

    Another week went by, and finally, the newspapers reported that Professor Bobblon had arrived in Boston this morning and would be delivering a lecture at Harvard University''s stadium to the students the day after tomorrow.

    Martin and Pidou quickly started discussing the situation.

    Pidou spread out a map on the table��a map they had drawn from memory, not particrly precise but still usable.

    "Look, this is the stadium, and the podium is in this direction. I estimate that our target will appear on the podium. Regarding identifying the target, hmm, we saw him once in Newton, although from a distance, and he quickly went inside. Hmm, if he''s on the podium, can you recognize him?"

    "No problem, his build isn''t easy to mistake. Plus, one shoulder is higher than the other, a very distinct feature," Martin said.

    "Good, now we need a somewhat concealed spot from which we canunch an attack and make a quick getaway after," Pidou said.

    "Look, this is a sports equipment storage room for Harvard, normally storing various sports gear. There usually isn��t anyone around, and even less so at this time. You go there the evening before, get the door open, and hide inside. Because the field will be upied the next morning, there��s no need to worry about anyoneing here," Pidou said. "After firing, you immediately drop the gun,e out from this spot, and turn down this road where I��ll have a horse waiting for you. Get on the horse and ride away in this direction��based on our observations these past few days, there are the fewest police in this direction. Then, keep heading north to the forest where we practiced shooting. I��ll meet you there with another horse, then we turn east and head straight to the coast where a boat will be waiting for us."

    Evidently, Pidou��s n was thoroughly meticulous. Martin thought it over and found no ws, nodding in agreement, "Thank you, you are a good man."

    Although Pidou was stingy, he indeed was a big help.

    The next evening, Martin carried Pidou''s rifle in a cello case, disguising himself as a college student, and went near the sports equipment storage room by the stadium. Taking advantage of the minimal people around, Martin easily unlocked the padlock on the storage room door with a set of tools he had prepared. Then, he entered the storage room, opened the window, came out through the window, locked the door from the outside, climbed back through the window, and closed the window. From the outside, it waspletely unnoticeable that anyone had entered the room.

    Martin spent the night in the storage room, enduring bites from dozens of mosquitoes, even getting a bite on his eyelid, which was both painful and itchy.

    However, after the sun came up, the situation improved a lot. Many of the bloated mosquitoes from the night before, their bellies swollen with blood, could barely fly and were gasping on the walls. With a sense of revenge, Martin pped them one by one, quickly covering his hands with his own blood.

    After killing those mosquitoes, people started moving around the sports field, and Martin carefully hid, peeking out from behind the curtains at the field.

    Gradually, more students and people started sitting on the podium. Martin kept his eyes fixed on the podium. After a while, even more people gathered, but Fafnir hadn''t appeared yet. Martin was worried; what if he didn''t show up at all? Then he would have suffered the mosquito bites for nothing.

    After what felt like an eternity, Martin finally saw a tall figure with one shoulder higher than the other step onto the podium and sit down behind a table.

    "There he is, that''s him!" Martin suppressed his excitement and gently picked up the rifle. The bullet was already loaded, but Pidou had given him only one bullet.

    "You won''t have time to load a second bullet. If the first shot misses, you won''t get another chance. So don''t waste time; fire the shot, and whether it hits or not, turn and run immediately."

    Because he only had one chance to shoot, Martin was a bit nervous. From the storage room to the podium was just under two hundred meters��a distance at which Martin was quite confident. So, he calmed himself down, aiming and murmuring under his breath, "Lord, you are my fortress..."

    It took Martin about four or five minutes to aim, during which his breathing and heartbeat gradually calmed and even slowed down. Finally, he was ready, and the gunshot rang out.

    The bullet hit Fafnir directly in the chest. Initially, Martin had wanted to aim for his head, but to be safe, he opted for therger target of the chest. After all, given the medical technology of the time, the chances of surviving a chest shot were very slim.

    Fafnir, struck by the bullet, reached

    out in the air as if trying to grasp something, then fell down. However, Martin didn''t have time to watch; he dropped the gun, opened the opposite window, and jumped out. Then he ran along the predetermined route as fast as he could.

 Chapter 512: The Case Unfolds

    Martin sprinted along the tree-lined path until he saw a horse tethered under a tree at the predetermined spot. Rushing over, he untied the reins, leapt onto the horse, and spurred it into a furious gallop northward. Meanwhile, the police officers maintaining order had yet to react.

    Riding fast, Martin swiftly exited the campus. Among them, a couple of oblivious police officers blew their whistles at him, signaling that such reckless riding was against the rules and that he should stop to pay a fine. Naturally, Martin ignored them and continued on. Those officers,cking horses themselves, could only curse from behind, vowing to deal with him if they ever caught him.

    Soon, they would learn of the incident at Harvard University, realizing the fleeing figure was the perpetrator. By then, Martin felt he would be far beyond the reach of the Massachusetts police.

    After escaping the police''s pursuit, Martin continued forward. Knowing his mad dash was conspicuous, anyone familiar with the Harvard assassination could identify him as the suspect. His only chance of escape was to outrun Boston''s police response.

    The horse Pidur prepared for Martin was excellent, running like the wind. However, after a while, even a fine horse''s speed began to wane��not being a nuclear-powered Mongolian warhorse, it was bound to tire from such relentless running.

    However, the prearranged forest was now very close. From a distance, Martin could already see the forest and a lumberjack''s cabin on its edge.

    The lumberjack had previously perished in a bear attack��after all, not every lumberjack could withstand a bear''s paw and still joke about it with the bear brothers. Due to this incident, the lumberpany abandoned their logging ns in the forest, reasoning that with North America''s abundance of trees, it wasn''t worth battling bears over a few. Thus, the cabin was left abandoned, though it became amon stop for hunters.

    However, even the hunters had not encountered the bear brothers, so their numbers dwindled. Yet, the cabin remained un-abandoned, often serving as a venue for illicit transactions.

    Martin looked back; no dust clouds followed. The dry weather and dirt roads would have revealed any pursuers from afar. Confident no police were in pursuit, which was expected given Massachusetts police efficiency, he slowed down, allowing the horse a gentle trot toward the cabin��a necessary cooldown after intense activity.As Martin approached the cabin, just twenty meters away, he noticed three horses tied next to it. Mr. Pidur stood smiling beside one of them, alongside two others ready to escort Martin eastward to a ship.

    "Mr. Pidur!" Martin dismounted and approached, arms wide for an embrace.

    As Pidur stepped aside, the person beside him revealed a hidden revolver and simultaneously, another individual on the opposite side drew and fired at Martin.

    Caught off-guard and within five meters, Martin was quickly felled by six bullets. His eyes wide open in disbelief until his death.

    After emptying their revolvers, the gunmen drew another and approached to confirm Martin''s death. Pidur inspected the body and dered him dead. "It''s done. The rest is up to you."

    The lead gunman nodded and kicked Martin''s corpse to confirm his death��surviving twelve bullets would have been miraculous. They then entered the lumberjack''s cabin, emerging shortly after dressed as tax police.

    Thus, a usible narrative was established: the cabin was a known spot for smugglers, making it routine for tax enforcement to inspect. The officers didn''t know Martin was a fugitive; they treated him as a potential smuggler who drew a weapon in panic. The ensuing shootout left him dead.

    With Martin dead, any direct links were severed. Painting Southerners as barbaric and cowardly��capable only of underhanded tactics��was straightforward, potentially even inciting further disdain toward them.

    Meanwhile, the tax police who killed Martin, undoubtedly agents of the Ministry of Truth, secured rapid promotions within America''s paramount enforcement body��a significant boon for both the ministry and France.

    Pidur promptly departed, leaving an older tax officer to secure the scene while a younger one rode back to Boston to report.

    Halfway to Boston, the young tax officer encountered Boston mounted police, who stopped him.

    "Brother, did you see a young man riding north on a horse?"

    "No, I came from that direction and saw nothing," the tax officer replied, then inquired, "What happened?"

    "Someone murdered at Harvard and was seen fleeing this way. Did you encounter him?"

    "No." The young officer kept hisposure. "But there''s a westward fork ahead. If he came this way, he would have taken it."

    "Thanks for the tip," the mounted officer said, grateful for the misleading information.

    The parties separated��the mounted police pursued the now unreachable criminal, and the young tax officer hurried back to the tax bureau to secure his credit for the incident. ???��??��?

    Upon

    returning, the young officer reported to Director Dulles. "Director, a significant matter to report."

    "Ah, Pope, what is it?" Director Dulles inquired.

    Pope ryed the events as nned, then added, "On my way back, I encountered a group of mounted police chasing a murderer from Harvard��I believe the man we killed was him. I directed them onto another route��I didnt want them taking credit for our work. You know they would."

    Director Dulles nodded in agreement. "Pope, you did well. We''ll go to the scene now and secure our credit before the police can im it."

    Thus, Director Dulles mobilized all avable personnel and headed to the site to protect their jurisdiction.

    In the interest of securing and maximizing their credit, Director Dulles imposed a gag order on all involved. The incident at such a prestigious institution as Harvard University, particrly in front of international guests, had severely embarrassed Massachusetts and, by extension, Boston.

    Mayor Landon was furious upon learning of the incident, to the point of smashing his sses. "A man was murdered in one of the busiest districts in front of hundreds, and he managed to escape! I''ve repeatedly emphasized security, to prevent such chaos. And what did you do? You ignored my warnings, treating them like mere bluster. Last month,st week, I warned you about the Southerners. And now... it''s infuriating! What can you say now?"

    "Mayor, we will catch the murderer," Police Chief Hughes responded ufortably.

    "Catch him? How long will that take? It''s already been two days, and I promised the public a resolution within three. It''s almost dawn, do you have any leads?"

    "We need more time..." Chief Hughes replied.

    Mayor Landon, barely restraining his anger, was about to throw his teacup at Hughes when his secretary interrupted: "Mayor, Director Dulles has arrived with thetest on the case."

    "Let him in quickly!" Mayor Landon said, hastily picking up his sses.

    "Mayor, I have news," Director Dulles began as he entered. "Two days ago, our officers encountered a suspicious individual, possibly a smuggler, who suddenly drew a gun and fired at them. They returned fire and killed him. Initially reported as an armed smuggling incident, upon further investigation today, we discovered the deceased might be the Harvard murderer."

    "What?" Mayor Landon was shocked, his sses falling off again.

    "Yes, Mayor. We have strong reasons to suspect he was the murderer. His body matches the descriptions on our wanted posters. Eyewitnesses near the victim, Professor Faneuil, had seen the murderer with a cello case at Harvard. Our sketches were based on these descriptions. These witnesses have now confirmed that the man we killed is the same individual."@@novelbin@@

    "Is this true?" Mayor Landon was still skeptical.

    "Mayor, I''ve brought the officers involved in the shooting and several eyewitnesses. You can question them yourself," Director Dulles confidently suggested.

    Convinced by Dulles''s assurance, Mayor Landon interviewed the "good young men" and the witnesses thoroughly.

    "Now we can confirm, the bastard our young men killed was indeed the damned murderer!" Mayor Landon dered, "Excellent work, boys. It wasn''t just luck that you stopped him��it was your dedication and professionalism. Unlike some, who were close to the murderer without recognizing him. Chief Hughes, you and your men should reflect on this and learn from the tax department!"

    With that, Mayor Landon patted the young officers on the shoulders, pleased with their performance. "Well done, boys! You''ve got spirit! You''re worth training! Ha ha ha..."

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!