He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 339

Became Napoleon’s Genius Son – Episode 339 (340/547)

(339) The Second Immigrant Fleet Arrives with the Submarine Inventor

Technology shouldn’t be too slow, but it also shouldn’t be too fast.

“Ah, I could have been the first in the world to successfully create a submarine!”

At the tip of the Florida Peninsula, off the coast of the new port city of Miami, the second immigrant fleet appeared.

This time, the fleet was focused solely on immigration, bringing the total number of people arriving to a staggering 150,000.

Of course, in return, France paid over 15 million francs to the British East India Company.

It cost as much as waging a war.

However, from the East India Company’s perspective, mobilizing this many ships meant they could transport a massive amount of sugar or even slaves, so they needed to recoup their losses.

Additionally, the fact that the French mainland was barely investing any budget into Nouvelle France [New France, the French colony in North America] also played a significant role.

Currently, Nouvelle France is essentially being run by investments from the Beauharnais Cartel [a powerful financial group].

The scouting cost to recruit the man currently stretching and boasting on the ship is one such investment.

“Mr. Fulton, didn’t that ultimately fail?”

“No, Mr. Bonaparte. The *Nautilus* certainly succeeded in submerging. It just didn’t last long enough!”

“Then it’s useless in actual combat, not to mention general navigation.”

The boastful man shouted at Lucien, the head of the fleet.

“Money, money, money! I couldn’t make it because I didn’t have enough money. If I had just a little more resources!”

The man’s name was Robert Fulton, an inventor from the United States.

Originally a painter, he became interested in invention and went to England, the center of the latest technology.

In England, he conceived machines for digging canals, inventions for textile machines, and the world’s first torpedo, but none of them were ever put into practical use.

Still, his abilities were recognized enough that he received a request from France to build a submarine.

From Napoleon himself.

Of course, as he was now discussing with Lucien, the world’s first submarine, the *Nautilus*, was a miserable failure.

It would only be remembered in later alternate history as the name of a nuclear submarine.

However, in the process, Fulton acquired one important technology.

The steamboat.

A ship that could only succeed with the comprehensive combination of a boiler, steam engine, propulsion system, and a steel hull.

Lucien shrugged on the sailing ship, powered by the wind, as he watched Fulton, who was full of dreams.

“In that case, returning to the New World with our fleet this time is the right choice for you.”

“I’ve heard the rumors since I was in London. Eugene Freischütz Bonaparte! The owner of the Beauharnais Cartel, overseeing banks, armories, and even the postal service, right?”

“Your main interest is probably the armory. My step-nephew is very interested in new weapons.”

Lucien looked around at the other ships with a tired face from the long voyage and managing the immigrants.

“It would be better to focus that effort and resources on more constructive things, but that’s probably difficult.”

Lucien once dreamed of revolution and even changed his name to Brutus.

But he opposed the imperial system and came to the New World, only to be caught up in a strange mission.

Of course, on the other hand, he was helping to create a new country in a new continent.

But if the New World also spent its days in war like the Old World, wouldn’t Lucien’s efforts be in vain?

Even Fulton, whom Eugene insisted on bringing, was a weapons expert.

At that moment, Fulton stroked his chin and shook his head.

“Hmm, that’s a deep misunderstanding about weapons invention, Mr. Bonaparte.”

“Why is that? Weapons only destroy everything.”

“It’s a matter of use. Even gunpowder, which is only used in war now, imagine using it to supply mines or construction materials.”

Lucien blinked as Fulton explained in a heated tone.

“The same goes for other weapons. My submarine is ultimately based on the steam engine! If you can float this on the sea, you can make a steam-powered ship. Look at this ship!”

Lucien pointed to the sails, fully spread to catch the trade winds, and shouted.

“You have to wait endlessly every time the wind stops, don’t you? If you accidentally enter the Sargasso Sea, you’re completely dead!”

Of course, it was not convincing because it was operating so well now.

But it would be different in the Sargasso Sea, or the area later known in alternate history as the Bermuda Triangle.

A so-called windless zone in the middle of the ocean, where even the currents spin around, making it difficult to get out.

Unpowered ships become lost if they enter this area.

Of course, in the early 19th century, its location was already known, and the East India Company captains were like ghosts at avoiding the Sargasso Sea.

But even if it’s not there, the wind often stops.

Lucien, a member of the Bonaparte family who likes new things, became interested.

“You’re putting a steam engine on a ship?”

“That’s right! With coal, you can sail even without wind. It’s a revolution in weaponry and a revolution in transportation.”

“Is that really possible?”

Suddenly, Fulton laughed heartily and hit the ship’s side.

“Haha! Isn’t this an era where even steam cars have come out? It’s definitely possible!”

In fact, the idea of a steamboat itself is not new.

Since the invention of the steam engine in the mid-18th century, many inventors have challenged the steamboat.

They simply failed to stabilize the complex mechanisms.

Moreover, Europe’s rivers were not wide, so there was no reason to invest resources in researching steamboats.

On the other hand, the New World has vast lands, roads are still lacking, and steam locomotives have not yet been invented.

So interest in steamboats was relatively higher in America than in Europe.

The same is true of Fulton, who is originally American.

“Amazing. That’s interesting. I’m almost tempted to help.”

“Huh? I’m glad you’re interested in science. But help? Aren’t you the head of this fleet, Mr. Bonaparte?”

“I’m just a temporary worker, Fulton.”

Lucien muttered, looking at the harbor far away again with a tired face.

“I have no intention of cooperating with France, which has become an empire.”

The same goes for the New World.

After all, it will become a land where his stepfather Eugene or Duchess Marie reign as the real rulers.

But Fulton, an American citizen who denied the king and founded a republic, shook his head.

“Is that so? I don’t know much about politics, but seeing that even someone like me is called a talent, King Eugene doesn’t seem like an ordinary person, does he?”

Lucien frowned at the very simple logic of the inventor.

“Yes, that’s the real problem. Both my brother Napoleon and Eugene are extraordinary. That’s why it’s difficult to overthrow the imperial system.”

Furthermore, it may be why even Lucien still works for France.

***

However, the extraordinary stepfather was facing an unexpected problem in Pensacola.

“Yo, no, ahem. The biggest problem is the lack of coal, Your Excellency.”

Eugene and Nouvelle France occupy nearly half of the continent that would become the United States in alternate history.

But what does it mean that there is no coal in the resource-rich New World?

This is a problem that arises because the New World is also a land where resources are unevenly distributed.

Eugene tapped his head as he listened to the report from Marquis de L’Hôpital, the Minister of the Interior, an Ancien Régime [the old aristocratic order] aristocrat who still hadn’t abandoned his reggae-style speech.

“We’ve built factory facilities, but it seems we’ll have to import everything.”

“By the way, importing from England is too expensive.”

“Of course, we’ll have to import from America. Haven’t any significant coal mines been discovered in Nueva España [New Spain, the Spanish colony in North America]?”

The Marquis de L’Hôpital scanned the report and briefly reported.

“Yes, most are focused on silver mines-yo. However, thanks to that, there are many mining technicians in Nueva España-yo.”

Originally, the United States becomes an industrial powerhouse from the Industrial Revolution era in alternate history due to its vast mineral resources.

However, the resources needed for this Industrial Revolution, namely iron ore and coal, are mostly concentrated in the north.

For example, the Great Lakes, which border British Canada, or the Appalachian Mountains, which divide the east and the center.

Then what are the famous resources in the south in modern alternate history?

Eugene smacked his lips as he stared at the map.

“Should I sell oil instead?”

“What is that-yo?”

“It’s like sticky tar, but it burns well. There must be a lot of that in the New World. There’s some in Louisiana right now.”

Oil can be found within the territory of Nouvelle France that Eugene has secured.

Of course, it’s not an era where oil can be extracted from the sea, so it has to be dug from the ground.

The land famous for the so-called oil rush is alternate history Texas, which is currently occupied by Spain.

Florida produces oil offshore, so it’s not a consideration either.

However, there is an oil field near New Orleans, in the southernmost part of Louisiana.

“I heard that the richest family in Louisiana is the Macsang family, right?”

“Yes, they almost went bankrupt in a major fire, but I think they’re still holding on. The father, Gilbert, is dead, and the son, Antoine, is probably the current head of the family.”

“Call him. I need to get him to develop oil.”

This is the clan that supported the Chouteau family, who became the margrave of St. Louis.

Originally of French descent, they repeatedly resisted when the Louisiana dominion was transferred to Spain, and lost their power.

But wealth lasts three generations, and they are still a so-called local magnate who are quite influential in Louisiana.

I know the approximate location, but it’s probably still an undeveloped area, so I need a local influential figure.

At that moment, Louis Charles, the adjutant of the stepfather’s guard, rushed in and reported.

“Your Majesty, news from Miami! The second immigrant fleet has finally arrived!”

The Marquis de L’Hôpital exclaimed in admiration.

“Yo-that’s great. The construction of Miami will accelerate even more, won’t it-yo?”

“I’ll leave that to you, Marquis de L’Hôpital. Don’t forget to work with DuPont.”

“I understand. But why are you preparing to leave?”

Eugene smiled for the first time in a while and replied leisurely.

“Isn’t Fulton, whom I invited, coming? Now that things have come to this, I should have him take charge of the internal combustion engine.”

Of course, the more urgent matter is definitely the steamboat.

***

Inventors are a race that only expresses respect to outstanding colleagues in the same industry, not to powerful people.

“I, I, I’m honored. To meet the conqueror of Egypt, the pioneer of the steam car, like this!”

It probably wasn’t just Eugene’s imagination that he seemed more interested in the steam car.

Eugene smiled strangely as he looked at Fulton, whom he met without even unpacking his luggage.

Fulton repeatedly failed in his early years in alternate history, but he met Livingston, a former French ambassador whom Eugene had also met, and achieved great success again.

I was curious about the reason, but I understand it now that I see him in person.

He has a trustworthy and handsome appearance at a glance.

“I just revived an invention that was made a long time ago.”

“That’s amazing! Do you know how many abandoned inventions there are in England? Mr. Brunel, Mr. Polly, and even Mr. DuPont! I saw the innovation of the Beauharnais Cartel well in Paris!”

“I called you to entrust you with the last puzzle of that innovation, Mr. Fulton.”

Eugene told Fulton.

“I want to entrust you with two inventions. One is the steamboat, and the other is the internal combustion engine.”

Fulton blinked and tilted his head. It’s a living group.

“Yes? No, I’ve been thinking about the steamboat for a long time, but ‘internal combustion engine,’ what is that?”

“Simply put, it’s an engine that runs by burning oil instead of coal.”

“Is that possible?”

Eugene said calmly to Fulton, who was blinking, as if it were obvious.

“I don’t know if it’s possible. That’s why I’m telling you to invent it.”

Of course, Eugene knows that the petroleum internal combustion engine will dominate the world in alternate history.

But at first glance, it’s a very irresponsible attitude, like entrusting Volta with an early generator.

However, invention is originally a series of experiments that try out ideas in a situation where the success or failure is unknown.

Fulton, a handsome man who switched from painter to inventor, shrugged.

“Okay. Then is there enough oil? Should I use whale oil or something?”

At that time, a middle-aged man wearing a hat carefully entered the Miami Governor-General’s office.

“Ah, hello. I’m Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent. Your Majesty.”

Eugene’s eyes lit up as he looked at Maxent.

“Somehow, you have the same name as your father. I heard quite a bit about your father’s reputation even in the Old World.”

“Y-yes, I inherited my name from my father.”

“Okay, did you find the oil in the place I designated?”

Then Maxent looked back at the black slaves, who had now changed their status to freed slaves.

“W-we found it, but I don’t know if this is oil.”

Two freed slaves carefully brought a log barrel.

A black, sticky black liquid can be seen.

Suddenly, Eugene picked up a candle that was shining in the Governor-General’s office and placed it on top of it.

-Whoosh!

The moment he saw the flames soaring, Fulton shouted first.

“Oh, it’s burning!”

“It’s oil that comes from stone, so you can call it petroleum. This comes from the southern part of Louisiana, our land.”

“The firepower is better than I thought?”

Eugene looked at Fulton and asked.

“It may take a tremendous amount of time. But would you like to try it? Of course, you can start with the steamboat first. I’m just telling you to research it.”

After all, it’s not a situation where he has occupied so-called Texas.

So, from Eugene’s point of view, it’s not too late even if it’s developed slowly.

Besides, if it’s urgent, he can import coal and iron ore from the United States.

Suddenly, Fulton’s eyes lit up as he carefully looked at the burning oil.

“That sounds interesting. I’ll give it a try. If I have enough money and resources, nothing is impossible in the world! Of course, the steamboat too!”

September 1803, autumn.

The inventor of the world’s first submarine, *Nautilus*.

It was the moment when Fulton entered Eugene’s palace and met oil.

Furthermore, it was the day Eugene first started developing the steamboat.