Chapter 265: Focusing on Industry
Joseph barely listened to the rest of Fouché's report; after all, he had the documents and could review them later. Once Fouché left, Joseph stretched and looked out the window at the sunlight.
Reflecting on the past year, he realized that through his efforts, France had managed to stabilize its debt, survive the famine, and improve the living conditions of the lower classes. As a result, the likelihood of a major revolution seemed minimal. The immediate survival issues had been tentatively resolved.
But this progress came at a cost—he had disrupted the privileges of the old nobility, creating new social problems.
The reality was that the "cake" of wealth and power in France was only so large. Giving more to the peasant class inevitably meant taking from the nobility.
So, to ensure that the nobility would unite around the royal family and continue to contribute to France's prosperity, the solution was clear: they needed to make the cake bigger. The nobility needed to be involved in this process of expanding wealth.
"How can we make the cake bigger?" Joseph mused as he picked up his teacup, only to find the tea had gone cold.
Noticing this, Emond quickly signaled a servant to bring fresh tea. "Would you like a piece of cake, Your Highness?"
"Oh, no, thank you," Joseph replied with a smile, shaking his head. "I need to save my cake 'quota' for when I visit Her Majesty the Queen."
"Praise your frugality," Emond said, not fully understanding but offering a compliment as he stepped back to the door.
The warmth of the fresh tea brought Joseph a sense of calm. He couldn't help but think of Napoleon. At that time, France also faced the problem of a cake that wasn't big enough, and Napoleon's solution was to direct internal pressures outward—taking other nations' cakes to share with the French.
Joseph sighed. War was the dominant theme of this era, with multiple wars breaking out simultaneously across Europe almost every year. If you didn't attack others, they would come after you. Everyone was trying to grab a bigger slice of the cake from other countries.
Of course, even if you were going to seize more cake, you couldn't be as reckless as Napoleon. His appetite was so large that it eventually led all of Europe to unite against France, dragging it down in the end.
"Two approaches," Joseph thought as he set down his teacup and picked up a pen, jotting down words like "Industry," "Agriculture," and "Trade." "Besides looking outward, we need to make the domestic cake bigger."
France was still primarily an agricultural nation, so increasing food production would have the most significant impact on expanding the cake. It would also quickly improve the living standards of the lower classes.
The most direct way to increase food production was through fertilizers. Currently, the phosphates being mined from Nauru and Tunisia—essentially mineralized bird droppings—could partially meet the demand, but the transportation costs were still too high.
Developing synthetic chemical fertilizers was the key to a true agricultural revolution.
However, the current state of chemical engineering worldwide was rudimentary. Only sulfuric acid could be produced on an industrial scale, while the other components of the "three acids and two alkalis" that formed the basis of chemical engineering were still only produced in small quantities in laboratories.
This was far from sufficient to support a national fertilizer industry.
Joseph drew a branch labeled "Chemical Industry" under "Industry," recalling the history of chemical development during the Industrial Revolution.
Then he remembered something—the gas lamp.
In the early 19th century, the British were the first to install gas streetlights in London, significantly improving both the city's convenience and its image. What they hadn't anticipated was that the gas streetlamp project would greatly accelerate the development of the British chemical industry.
The process of distilling gas from coal produced large amounts of coal tar. When British scientists found ways to utilize the many valuable components of coal tar, such as aniline, it led to a boom in industries like disinfectants, dyes, perfumes, and even explosives, which, in turn, spurred significant advancements in chemical engineering.
In this era, where the textile industry was king, dyes were a high-tech commodity.
Joseph nodded to himself. The gas lamp project was an excellent starting point.
Besides promoting chemical development, cheap and efficient gas lamps would also bring substantial benefits in other areas—lighting up the city would extend business hours, turning previously unproductive nights into profitable times. In industrial production, low-cost lighting would allow factories to operate longer hours, making night shifts possible.
All of this would directly boost the nation's GDP.
Additionally, the gas lamp project would stimulate France's coal industry and could eventually become a French industrial export, showcasing French innovation.
Seeing the long list of potential benefits from gas lamps, Joseph couldn't help but smile. The man who invented the gas lamp, Murdoch, was currently in Nancy, working on steam engines for France.
With all the pieces in place, the gas lamp project was ready to go.
The British innovation? Joseph was determined to claim it for France!
The next day, Joseph walked out of the meeting hall in high spirits. During the cabinet meeting, the "Food Production Act" had been approved. Once registered by the High Court, it would soon be implemented nationwide.
This was no surprise. Almost all the cabinet ministers were Joseph's allies, and given that France had recently experienced massive riots due to food shortages, increasing food production was the most politically correct course of action—no one would dare oppose it.
As Joseph thought about his plans for gas lamps, he turned to Mirabeau, who was walking beside him. "Are you familiar with gas lamps?"
Mirabeau thought for a moment before replying, "Your Highness, I recall reading a paper that mentioned something about them. These lamps use a type of gas made from coal. The light is very bright."
"That's correct," Joseph nodded. "I plan to install these lamps along the streets of Paris. If all goes well, we'll be able to light up the entire city at a very low cost."
"Streetlights?" Mirabeau clearly didn't grasp the full importance of gas lamps.
Joseph explained the immense value of gas lamps, and Mirabeau's eyes widened in amazement. "Yes, Your Highness, with factories running 24 hours and shops staying open all night, that would be incredible!"
"But the technology isn't fully mature yet," Joseph cautioned. "However, I know someone who excels in this field. I need you to help me draft a plan for installing these lamps throughout Paris, and make an initial budget. Oh, include Versailles as well."
"Yes, Your Highness. I'll prepare a report as quickly as possible!"
As Mirabeau spoke, he noticed one of King Louis XVI's attendants approaching. The man bowed to Joseph and said, "Your Highness, the King requests your presence in his workshop."
"I'll go right away," Joseph replied. He then turned back to Mirabeau. "We'll discuss the details later."
Before long, in the royal workshop, Louis XVI gestured toward a large wooden machine, nearly three meters wide and two meters tall, fitted with numerous cylinders. "This is the automatic loom you wanted," he said, though his tone was less enthusiastic.
(End of Chapter)
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