I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 187

< Swamp >

Talleyrand and Trevithick arrived in Paris as scheduled and came to my office immediately.

Talleyrand first had Trevithick wait outside the door and came in to report.

“Prime Minister, I brought him as you ordered.”

“Good. You’ve done well. Were there any particular issues?”

“At first, he said he was a citizen of the British Empire and couldn’t sell his conscience, but his attitude changed as soon as I showed him the bag of money.”

“I figured. I never thought it would fail from the start.”

Money solves everything.

It’s a phrase that symbolizes the negative aspects of materialism, but it’s also a sad saying because you can’t unconditionally say it’s wrong.

Failed to do something with money?

Then it’s not that the task can’t be done with money, but simply that there wasn’t enough money.

With a very few exceptions, that’s the case most of the time.

“But Prime Minister, it seemed that Mr. Trevithick didn’t quite know what he was supposed to do.”

“That’s inevitable since the explanation was lacking. I’ll explain the details, so have him come in. I need to get his consent on the detailed contract terms as well.”

“Understood. But… can I consider my mission a success?”

“Of course. You’ll receive a position befitting your abilities. I’m considering you for the next Minister of Foreign Affairs. Are you interested?”

“If you trust me, I’ll show you the results!”

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord is a legendary figure who cannot be left out of the history of modern European diplomacy.

He was a key player in establishing the international order in Europe, along with Stuart of England and Metternich of Austria.

Even after Napoleon’s downfall in the original history, France was able to remain a major power in Europe thanks to his help.

He left behind as many legendary anecdotes as his abilities, but that doesn’t mean he was without flaws.

He was suspected of taking a large amount of bribes by actively using his position, and he caused controversy due to his private life being promiscuous.

In particular, he not only had his nephew’s wife, who was his heir, as his mistress, but even openly took her to official events.

It is said that he had almost 30 illegitimate children because he was constantly having affairs.

At this point, it may be necessary to see that his way of thinking is fundamentally different from that of ordinary people.

Talleyrand’s eccentricities do not end here.

He had so much pride in French cuisine that he used it appropriately in diplomacy.

If you look at it now, it sounds like a cooking manga [Japanese comic about cooking], but sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.

Surprisingly, this attempt was well-received and left many achievements.

The problem is that his pride in French cuisine was so excessive that he had a history of causing too much aggro [aggravation] against England and the United States.

In summary, he is definitely capable, but at the same time, he is a double-edged sword that must be held tightly.

Still, I know this man’s strengths and weaknesses clearly, so I will be able to minimize the risks and maximize his abilities.

“Then, you should also sign this contract here.”

“Yes? Is there something for me to sign too?”

“Of course. Ministers wield enormous influence, so they must have a sense of responsibility and work. If you just do it for a while and run away because it’s too hard, there will be no consistency in national policy, and the citizens will suffer the damage.”

“I guess so.”

Talleyrand quickly scanned the details of the contract with a look of understanding.

From the standards of that time, I am confident that my contract did not deviate from social norms.

The key point is that even if he writes a resignation, I can reject it at my discretion, but I have never seen a person who does not sign for this reason.

Lavoisier did, Laplace did, and this time Talleyrand also stamped his seal without saying anything.

Far from raising objections, he was full of excitement at the thought of being able to fully demonstrate his abilities.

“Prime Minister, I will never disappoint you in the future! Thank you for your support!”
Trevithick, who came in as if to take the baton from Talleyrand, who went out with a smile, was no different.

He carefully checked the contract I handed him and did not erase the smile on his face.

“I am just grateful that you think so highly of my abilities. But can I really modify the steam engine without worrying about the patent?”

“Yes. We plan to use it only here without disclosing it to the outside until the patent expires, so no one will say anything. You don’t have to worry about anything and do whatever you want.”

“Yes. But… I heard that there is a significant flaw in my idea. Can you tell me what it is?”

“It’s not that difficult. You’re thinking of improving the train… no, the conventional horse-drawn railway to create a much larger wagon, right?”

Trevithick nodded with a face that still didn’t understand.

In fact, it’s easy to overlook until you actually make it.

Anyway, he was only thinking of modifying the steam engine to move a much larger and heavier engine than before.

The development of the modern era and the development of railways are so closely intertwined that I had more knowledge than most engineering students.

Of course, I don’t know the structure or principles of the engine at all, but the causal relationship of the events was firmly embedded in my head.

“Let’s assume that you succeeded in creating a much better high-pressure steam engine than what’s currently on the market. Then this engine would naturally be much larger and heavier than railway wagons, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course. Still, according to my plan, enough power will be generated to move such heavy objects.”

“That’s not the problem. Can the rails really withstand the weight of that heavy engine moving? Even if it’s just once or twice, an enormous burden will be placed on the rails dozens of times a day. Can you guarantee that it won’t break or dent?”

“Ah… …!”

Trevithick froze in place as if struck by lightning.

When you get caught up in one thing, your vision sometimes narrows on the obvious side.

The rails at that time were made of cast iron, and this cast iron was too weak to withstand the weight of a locomotive weighing more than dozens of tons.

In the end, Trevithick succeeded in creating the world’s first steam locomotive, but he never solved the problem of track damage.

This problem was solved decades later.

“I never thought of that. Right now, I’m just focused on being able to move bigger and heavier objects… but if this cannot be commercialized… …”

“Now you understand what I mean, right? If you had been working on development alone in England, it would have ended in tragedy like this.”

“That means you have a way to solve the problem of track durability.”

“That’s why I brought you here, even spending a lot of money.”

Knowing that there is a solution to a problem that has already been solved is like a cheat key in this transitional stage of technology.

Of course, if there are no scientists to actually create the results, I can’t do anything alone, but there was no need to worry about that.

I have not only France’s coffers, which have succeeded in improving their constitution, but also the reparations taken from Prussia.

With this, France can advance at least 50 years ahead of other countries.

And the results will prove how meaningful a 50-year gap will be in this turbulent period.

※※※

Trevithick, who had settled in Paris, was fully aware of how narrow-minded his thinking had been.

France, which he had only seen in newspapers, was just a bunch of cunning and vicious losers.

They were just boastful people who gathered allies by sticking to this side and that side like bats, but lacked substance.

In comparison, England is developing brilliantly on its own without relying on external forces.

This fundamental difference will ultimately determine the fate of the two countries.

Until now, Trevithick had just vaguely believed what the newspapers were saying.

But when I came here, it wasn’t like that.

In his opinion, France’s rate of development was on a different level compared to England’s rate of development.

Something is constantly going up to the point where I am convinced that yesterday is different from today, and tomorrow will be different from today.

The whole country feels united based on the enormous resources and funds that come in without limit.

France’s national power is constantly growing like a rolling snowball.

The center is, of course, the Prime Minister of France, Louis Christian.

From what I’ve seen, he’s definitely a strange person.

He doesn’t hesitate to give advice or directions even in fields where he doesn’t have much knowledge, and strangely, it’s not wrong.

I don’t know the specific path to reach the destination, but I definitely know the direction.

It was all timely advice, so it was more than just a dreamer with a rich imagination.

Even with the high-pressure steam engine he is currently developing, completion has been brought forward by several years thanks to Christian.

Thanks to this, he is now giving a brief explanation of the concept of steam locomotives in front of France’s top leaders from early in the morning.

“…Our ultimate goal is to lay railways across the country and operate steam-powered locomotives. If realized, it will be a completely different world from what we have known so far.”

“The speed is not satisfactory now, but there is a lot of room for technical improvement. I think we can move at a speed comparable to that of a horse within 10 years.”

Napoleon and Jacques Necker’s eyes widened at Trevithick’s explanation.

Of course, the shock felt by the two experts in military affairs and economics was completely different.

“Are you saying that this engine, which can carry enormous amounts of materials, can move at a speed comparable to that of a horse? Then this is not transportation, but an economic revolution! The logistics laws we have known so far will be fundamentally changed! Wait a minute, that will inevitably indirectly affect the financial sector, but this is… …”

“No. This is a military revolution. If that railway is laid across the country, soldiers and supplies can be transported at a speed that cannot be compared to the existing one. Then the future war will inevitably change into a completely different form from what it has been so far. This is a major issue that requires a fundamental review of France’s strategic system!”

The people who attended the meeting left Trevithick alone and began to predict the changes that the railroad would bring, expressing their enthusiasm.

Lavoisier, who was called from the New World for this purpose, carefully added a word.

“It’s a good thing. Now is the perfect opportunity to unify the domestic weights and measures, which are all over the place. We have already demonstrated the performance of the metric system on a trial basis in Nouvelle-France [New France, a former French colony in North America]. How about applying it to the mainland?”

At first glance, it was a suggestion that seemed to have nothing to do with the railroad, but Christian immediately responded to this more than anything else.

“I was going to do that anyway. You have experience leading this in Nouvelle-France, so I’ll leave this to you, Lavoisier.”

“Yes.”

“And it is clear that Napoleon and Necker’s proposals also require sufficient review and discussion. At this point, you understand why I called you all together from early in the morning, right?”

“…Yes?”

“No way… …”

The atmosphere in the conference room, which had been a place of heated discussion, changed suddenly.

France’s powerful figures, who were facing each other with anxious eyes, smiled bitterly as if they had given up on something.

Lavoisier, who had known Christian the longest, asked the question that he didn’t want to know, but had to know.

“So… how many items do we have to discuss today?”

“First of all, I’m thinking of discussing the changes in the military system as Napoleon suggested. There are about 5 items related to that, and then we should move on to economic-related items as Necker pointed out, right? A total of 6 items were selected considering logistics and finance, and the overall market changes that encompass them. We also need to discuss how the country’s system can keep up with all these changes without falling behind, so let’s see… …”

“… …”

“There will be a total of 18 items to be discussed at this meeting. Trevithick, I’ll give you the data, so listen carefully and give your opinion as an engineer. Good policies cannot be made if the voices of the actual field are neglected.”

To start building a railroad, they are holding discussions on such a vast topic before starting.

Trevithick’s heart was pounding as he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the reason for France’s recent remarkable development.

Yes. The country is constantly moving forward because the best experts in each field are fully demonstrating their abilities.

But strangely, unlike Trevithick, whose heart was pounding with excitement, Napoleon carefully raised his hand with half-dead eyes and asked.

“Prime Minister, will dinner be provided at today’s meeting?”

Everyone watched Christian’s face with trembling eyes.

And Christian gave a refreshing answer with a look that asked what was so obvious.

“Breakfast will be provided tomorrow, so please feel free to attend.”

“Yes!”

“… …”

Napoleon, Lavoisier, Necker, and other experts slowly nodded, leaving Trevithick alone, answering cheerfully.

It’s not that I don’t feel motivated, but should I say that there’s something strangely eerie about it?