The Fox of France

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, similar 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 accurate. 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 accidents continued to occur 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 calculating 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 exclaimed. "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 had competed with early steam-powered cargo ships in the Atlantic.

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 claimed 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 plan."

Carnot examined the document closely. Joseph couldn't help but ask, "Where's the coffee, Lazare? I was planning 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 plan 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 plan that's unnecessary? Is there anything that hasn't been calculated for the best cost-effectiveness? All the relevant calculations are in the appendix; have you looked at them?"

"I have, of course."

"So, is my math flawed?"

"Of course, it's not. But..."

"The only problem is that we can't come 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 explained, 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 the law 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 accuse me of negligence or even sabotage?"

"Oh... I understand," Carnot laughed. "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? Atlas?" Joseph scoffed, "Do you really think this is a matter where you need to 'cover' for me?"

"You should hand this plan 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 successful aspects, then, if it works, they can consider halving the budget. If it doesn't work, they've reviewed and approved the plan; 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 place 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 relatively safer."

...

A day later, at a meeting of the Committee of National Salvation, Carnot criticized all the penny-pinchers, including Robespierre, until the committee finally approved the new research plan. Shortly after, Joseph received orders to go to Toulon, where he would establish the Naval Technology Division of the Military Technology Research Institute.

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