I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 186

The Father of Railways

In modern Europe, defeat doesn’t necessarily mean destruction.

However, there are often cases where countries have to accept humiliating conditions close to destruction.

The Potsdam Conference trampled on the pride of the rising power, Prussia.

“These are the conditions our empire requires.”

“How can we accept this!”

“Why not? All you have to do is sign the agreement. You should know that we are making huge concessions by not demanding Silesia back. If you want to continue the war, refuse to sign. But then, not only France but also our empire’s soldiers will cross the border, and we don’t know how far we will push.”

The clauses were coordinated in advance by the negotiation team, but King Frederick William II of Prussia could not easily accept them.

No matter how many times he looked, they were too harsh.

First, Prussia would pay 150 million francs in war reparations.

Of this, 20 million was to go to the Holy Roman Empire and 130 million to France.

Next, the Prussian standing army was limited to no more than 50,000 men.

Christian made sure to prevent Prussia from exploiting loopholes in the treaty, as in the original history, by using tricks like reserve forces.

Up to this point, it was bearable.

Even though the reparations were painful, it was natural to have the military restricted and money extorted when losing a war.

However, France focused not only on damaging Prussia but also on eliminating its growth engine itself.

“Even if the empire takes all of Bavaria, isn’t it too much to cede the Ruhr [a major industrial region in Germany]?”

“Then choose one of the two. If you don’t want to give up the Ruhr, return Silesia to the empire.”

“No, that’s…”

Prussia had no objection to the empire taking the Saarland [another industrial region, rich in coal deposits].

If the empire annexed Bavaria, it was their natural right to occupy the Saarland region.

However, the Ruhr had been one of the wealthiest areas in the Rhine region for hundreds of years, and recently, coal and steel were being mined there.

Of course, the German region had not yet fully undergone the Industrial Revolution, so they did not accurately know the importance of this area.

Still, everyone in Prussia knew that giving up this land would be a disaster in the long run.

“Besides, why should we cede Białystok [a city in present-day Poland] east to Russia? Russia has nothing to do with this war.”

“Of course, it does. Russia is our blood ally. Just because they are not here doesn’t mean Russia hasn’t exerted its power.”

France cleverly never monopolized the fruits of victory.

The Saarland, Ruhr, and Bavaria were all incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, so on the surface, the empire was the biggest beneficiary of this war.

Of course, more than 80% of the coal and steel from the Saarland belonged to France, and France could receive resources from the Ruhr at cost if needed.

However, this was based on a separate agreement between the Holy Roman Empire and France, so Prussia had no way of knowing this yet.

Moreover, they even subtly took care of Russia, which was secretly uneasy about the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire.

This was to give the Russian side a sense of reassurance that the alliance centered on France was unwavering.

In addition, Hanover and Saxony, which were thought to be completely shattered by this war, were not held accountable.

The reason was that they were adjacent to Prussia, so it would have been difficult to refuse Prussia’s coercion.

Of course, the two electorates were not foolish enough not to know what this signal meant.

In particular, Hanover was in a unique situation, as all the key nobles who had expected to be occupied by France had fled to England.

“Let’s get away from the traitorous English bastards and join the Holy Roman Empire!”

“Prussia is a sinking ship! What peace can we enjoy under a declining has-been!”

Neither Hanover nor Saxony had any major aversion to forming an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire, let alone France.

If it was not being incorporated into the empire and only forming a loose alliance, why wouldn’t they do it?

In Hanover, even mentioning the English lion [a symbol of England] was enough to get beaten up by angry citizens.

In the end, Prussia, isolated as Christian had calculated, had no other choice.

Frederick William II, confirming that he was surrounded by enemies, could not even control his trembling hands and simply signed the surrender document.

The Potsdam Conference, later criticized by Prussian historians as the worst treaty that handed over the country’s future, came to an end.

※※※

For the past few years, Europe had been in turmoil.

England, which had been rapidly building up its national power, seemed to be seizing world hegemony, but the traditional power, France, quickly counterattacked.

The Holy Roman Empire, which had been on its last legs, succeeded in a miraculous rebound, and Russia finally began to show its potential.

On the other hand, the once mighty Ottoman Empire, which had dominated the world in the past, had fallen to the point where it could no longer find its imperial dignity.

The Mughal Empire, which symbolized the mysteries of the East, was already unable to maintain its national form properly.

Still, the Qing Dynasty, which prided itself on being the strongest in the world, was holding on, but European countries began to believe that it was only a matter of time before it would collapse.

The hegemonic power of the new century to come will surely emerge from Europe.

Most people pointed to England and France as the leading candidates.

Anyone could see that, even without special insight or knowledge.

France seemed to be one step ahead now, but England didn’t think so.

England is different from other countries.

Unlike Prussia, which had been almost completely stripped, England had never suffered irreparable damage despite repeated defeats.

It is still successfully expanding its power in India and is rapidly industrializing at home.

Until now, England has been at the forefront of the world’s advanced technology.

Richard Trevithick was one of the engineers who studied such advanced technology.

Born into a mining family, he was in charge of assembling and operating engines at Watt & Company, the company founded by James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine.

He also had an ambition.

That is to become independent and establish his own machine factory.

It was not an easy path, but he was confident in his own abilities.

However, finding investors who understood and supported his ideas was not as easy as he thought.

In the first place, Watt’s steam engine patent had not yet expired, so other engineers were not actively jumping into research.

No investor would provide money if they couldn’t make money by commercializing it.

In the end, he had no choice but to wait for the patent to expire.

Until now, he had been thinking that way and had given up halfway.

But a helping hand came.

An investor who recognized Trevithick’s true worth came to talk to him in person.

However…

“Were you… French?”

“Yes. My name is Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. I work for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Moreover, he was a government official, not a civilian.

Trevithick, who had been full of expectations until just now, turned cold.

“Let me tell you in advance that I am a proud citizen of the British Empire. I have no interest in whatever conditions France offers.”

“Is that so? Did the British government preemptively recruit Mr. Trevithick? If so, we will give up neatly.”

“No, it hasn’t been discussed with the government in advance, but…”

“Then just listen to the story once. Our Prime Minister instructed us not to force you if you still refuse.”

“Prime Minister? Are you saying that the person who sent you is the Prime Minister of France? Duke Louis Christian of Orléans?”

Trevithick also knew the name well.

The Achilles’ heel that is no different from the seizure button of British politicians.

England’s greatest enemy, who is said to have both demonic wisdom and insight.

The article that England will not be able to gain world hegemony unless it overcomes this person decorated the headlines of newspapers from time to time.

But such a big shot sent a government official to contact him, an ordinary engineer?

“You have to make a plausible lie to deceive me. Do I look that stupid?”

Now, even the statement that this Talleyrand guy is a French government official is not credible.

Reading that atmosphere, Talleyrand calmly handed over an official document with the government seal stamped on it.

“If you are suspicious, you can ask a verified institution to check it later. Either way, if you listen to my story, those suspicions will disappear.”

“You keep talking about the story, but what story are you talking about? Yes, let’s say that the French Prime Minister sent you. But logically, how does that Prime Minister know what I’m researching and send you? I’m not that famous.”

“Actually, I don’t know who you are at all. So I spent several days just confirming whether the Richard Trevithick living here is the person the Prime Minister mentioned. But he is fundamentally different from people like me. How does someone who is busy with work in France know about the ideas of an ordinary engineer in England? It’s simple. The Prime Minister is originally that kind of person.”

Is this some kind of crazy person’s nonsense again?

Just as he was about to report to the guard, Talleyrand rummaged through his bag and took out a piece of paper and read the letters written on it.

“Richard Trevithick. Currently researching steam engines in his own way and has a plan to improve the low-pressure steam engine to a high-pressure steam engine. He has a plan to use this improved engine to pull much larger objects than before, but it seems difficult to overcome realistic difficulties.”

“…No, where did you get that…”

“The Prime Minister wrote it himself. Is that enough to believe?”

“…So…no…how?”

Improving the conventional steam engine and applying it to railways was one of his secret plans that he had never told anyone before.

Currently, horse-drawn railways are operated through wooden tracks, but if a steam engine is applied to this, something innovative may come out.

If it succeeds, he might make a fortune.

But if someone else has already had the same idea, it’s a big deal.

“Mr. Talleyrand! Has France already started producing railways using steam engines?”

“I’m not a scientist, so I don’t know. But the Prime Minister may have asked to bring Mr. Trevithick to work on it.”

“I haven’t even started properly here yet…”

“That’s the difference between your government and ours. The Prime Minister even knew that there was a major flaw in Mr. Trevithick’s plan. And he said he wanted to improve it together. Of course, I don’t know the details, so I can’t answer even if you ask what it is.”

At this point, he feels like he’s possessed by Satan.

But unlike the beginning, the fact that he can’t deny the other person’s words made his head more complicated.

There is a major flaw in the plan he is devising?

How does a human being he has never seen know that?

But to point out that point, he was bothered by the fact that the human being he had never seen knew his plan.

“If there is a flaw in the invention I’m trying to make, shouldn’t you be recruiting someone else in the first place?”

“That question will be automatically resolved when you accept the conditions we have presented and meet the Prime Minister.”

“…What are the conditions?”

Even though the other party is a nasty French guy, it would be okay to listen to the story.

Come to think of it, wasn’t one of the developers of the smallpox vaccine that Louis Christian invented an Englishman?

After thinking a little more, he definitely remembered.

The person who sublimated the idea of a doctor who almost didn’t see the light in England into an invention that would remain in history was the current Prime Minister of France.

And the English doctor who helped him became incredibly wealthy and was praised by all medical scientists around the world.

“Our request is simple. Mr. Trevithick, please come to France and focus on the invention with the research team we have formed. All expenses incurred will of course be borne by us, and the profits to be gained from this in the future will be settled at a reasonable rate.”

“So, in simple terms, you’re telling me to sell my knowledge to you.”

“Yes. And in case of emergency, we are thinking of adding a clause that you should not inform the British side of this fact.”

Listening to this, it became clear.

So, those French bastards are advising him to betray his country and stick with them.

What do they think of him, a citizen of the great King, to play such tricks?

No matter how greedy he is for wealth and fame, he cannot be deceived by such sweet talk.

“I’m sorry, but I will firmly refuse.”

“Is that so? But wouldn’t your mind change if you saw this?”

“No matter what you show me, my conscience as an engineer…”

Trevithick, who was about to say something cool, stopped talking as soon as he saw the contents of the heavy bag that Talleyrand had put forward.

The French currency is packed tightly in a large bag that comes up to his knees.

He couldn’t even guess how much this was, but he was sure that he would never be able to touch this much money in his entire life.

Still, if he gives in to this, he will only be a vulgar technician who succumbs to money.

“If you thought you could buy my conscience with this money, you’re making a big mistake…”

“If the contract is concluded, we will give you as much as the amount in front of you now.”

“…”

“…”

After a moment of silence.

Trevithick quietly looked back and forth between the bag Talleyrand handed him and the paper with the contract details written on it.

“If you came here thinking you could buy my cooperation with this money…”

“If we came?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Trevithick quietly wrote his name on the contract.

It’s not possible to buy even my conscience with that money. There was too much money to shout that.

The Father of Railways End