Upheaval in Paris

The trial voyage of the "Black Pearl" was a great success, and in the following period, they conducted more trials on the ship. However, the revolutionary situation did not allow them to proceed in a step-by-step manner. As soon as the Committee of Public Safety received news of the initial success, it immediately demanded that the ship be put into mass production.

Therefore, less than half a month after the maiden voyage, the relevant blueprints for this type of ship were sent to several naval shipyards, and production began rapidly.

As for the experimental ship "Black Pearl," it was also dispatched to Spain for combat drills and to smuggle caustic soda.

In fact, the "Black Pearl" was somewhat overkill in terms of speed, and its insufficient volume also resulted in low efficiency. Therefore, Joseph shifted his focus to further adjusting this type of ship to achieve a more balanced performance.

Time passed quickly, and spring arrived in the blink of an eye. On the day of the London plane tree in Germinal, Joseph received a special guest— Joseph Fouché. As a special envoy, Fouché had the authority to come to the Naval Research Institute to discuss relevant matters with Joseph. In fact, the Naval Research Institute needed Fouché's cooperation on many matters, and Fouché had indeed helped Joseph a lot in many ways before.

Fouché came to tell Joseph that he had received orders to return to Paris to report to the National Assembly. He also told Joseph that some political changes had recently taken place in Paris — Hébert and others had plotted a restoration, were arrested by the Revolutionary Tribunal, and after a swift trial, dozens of people, including Hébert and Chaumette, were sent to the guillotine.

Joseph knew, of course, that what Fouché said were all official statements. It was possible that Hébert and his men were doing other things, but to say Hébert they were plotting to restore the feudal monarchy was a complete joke. If Robespierre had once supported constitutional monarchy and even said, "What is a republic?", then Hébert, who succeeded Marat, was the most resolute opponent of the monarchy from beginning to end.

Fouché knew that he had always been regarded as an ally of Hébert, and now that Hébert's party had become a rebel group, his being summoned back would most likely not be for any good reason. So he came to Joseph, hoping to get some support from him.

"Mr. Bonaparte, you brothers know me very well and are aware of my loyalty to the Republic. But the current situation is perplexing, and the rumors are alarming. I know General Carnot is a man who can stabilize the situation, but he seems to have some prejudice against me. Well, of course, it's just because I've been a bit extreme in some of my past actions... But I still hope to have the opportunity to meet with General Carnot and explain things to him."

Joseph was also in a dilemma faced with this request. He knew that the Reign of Terror was reaching its climax, and intervening at this time could be very dangerous; but he also knew that this climax also foreshadowed its end, and if he did not act now, he would not be able to share in the fruits of the rebellion. Acting now could be like snatching chestnuts from the fire, or it could be like going down the mountain to pick peaches.

Joseph's history knowledge from his previous life wasn't great, but he did remember a little about the France Revolution. Apparently, when it came to Robespierre's downfall, the history books said that the struggle between the left and right wings within the Jacobins was extremely fierce, and Robespierre suppressed both, which damaged his foundation of rule and led to the collapse of his regime.

Joseph had memorized this passage entirely by rote to pass the exam. But now, looking back and comparing it to the present reality, the details suddenly seemed clear.

"Within the Jacobin, the left wing, of course, refers to Hébert, and the right wing, besides Danton, is Carnot. It seems Robespierre targeted Hébert first, and then Danton. Hmm, Carnot is also on the right, but considering that the Carnot of the Carnot Cycle I'm more familiar with from my previous life hasn't been born yet (Sadi Carnot was born in 1796), Carnot will definitely be fine. As for Fouché..."

Joseph didn't know what kind of influential figure this person would become in the future, but Joseph did know that this person was exceptionally capable and definitely worth recruiting.

"Mr. Fouché, as you know, due to my current special circumstances, I cannot write letters casually."

Fouché looked disappointed, but he didn't say anything, only nodded. He had seen too many cases of people kicking someone when they're down. Besides, his relationship with Joseph was merely acquaintance.

"However, it just so happens that Carnot has a mathematical problem that I discussed with him. I recently had a new idea, and I wrote it down. If you happen to be going to Paris, I hope you can give it to General Carnot."

Fouché also stood up. Since no one was around, he simply grabbed Joseph's hand and said, "General Bonaparte, thank you, thank you. A good man like you will surely be blessed by God."

Fouché knew that this last sentence was politically incorrect in this era. Christianity was being overthrown, Robespierre was promoting his so-called Cult of Reason, dragging Christ icons out of churches and burning them, replacing them with the worship of "reason" and historical figures. At this time, saying "God bless" was very inappropriate.

But Fouché knew that Joseph had a very close relationship with the church, and that the Bonaparte family had never made any statements against the church. He risked saying this in order to gain their trust further.

"No need for that, Commissioner Fouché. Actually, I have a personal matter I'd like to ask you for a favor. I have a friend named Armand, um, Armand Lavoisier. He's a fool, but he's also my friend. If possible, I hope you could look after him for me."

Fouché readily agreed, at least on the surface, and left with feigned gratitude. Joseph, however, grew increasingly frightened and unable to sleep, so he got up, lit a candle, and began to further refine his plans for the future.

Joseph's escape route was also a ship. It was designed as a "high-speed communications ship," ostensibly for transmitting important orders, especially to overseas colonies. But in reality, Joseph designed it for another purpose—if things really got out of hand, he and his family could escape on this ship. No ship in the world could catch it, not even the "Black Pearl."

Therefore, this ship is completely different in design from the previous "Black Pearl"—it is a catamaran.

Each hull of this ship has a torpedo-shaped buoy underneath. These buoys are completely submerged in water and connected to the hull above by several solid wooden masts. This results in a very small waterline. Most of the resistance a ship experiences in water comes from the shockwaves created when it breaks through the surface. These shockwaves consume a significant amount of the ship's energy. However, a ship with such a small waterline, even at high speeds, generates far fewer waves and consumes far less energy because of its smaller surface area and even smaller frontal area. This translates to significantly less drag, allowing it to travel faster than the "Black Pearl."

The catamaran structure also makes this ship far superior to the "Black Pearl" in terms of stability, seaworthiness, and comfort. If there is any drawback, it is that it has high material requirements, is difficult to manufacture, and cannot be made into a large scale.

"But what good is size? Like the king's twelve-horsepower four-wheeled carriage? Speed is what matters most, isn't it?" Joseph thought to himself.

After leaving Joseph's place, Fouché set off for Paris early the next morning. On the way, he carefully analyzed the situation. First, he felt that Robespierre would most likely not let him go, and now that Hébert and the others were finished, he was isolated and helpless. Although Carnot held a position of power and no one would easily touch him, Carnot didn't have many followers, at least not many in the political arena. Perhaps his only option now was to try and find a way to reach Danton.

Fouché had offended Danton before, and more than once. Politically, he had always been Danton's adversary. But Danton was a very rational person, able to let his reason prevail over his emotions. Fouché believed that Danton was not blind to the danger he faced.

"Perhaps, it would be better to establish connections with Danton and Desmoulins. Of course, repairing relations with Carnot is also essential." Fouché thought to himself, then suddenly remembered Joseph Bonaparte mentioning a friend named "Armand." Fouché actually knew something about this person.

"Armand Lavoisier and Desmoulins are on good terms. Desmoulins is a close friend of Danton. Getting in touch with him would be a good way to get things done," Fouché thought to himself, sitting in the carriage.

Just as Fouché was thinking about how to establish a relationship with Danton and how to join Danton's team, Danton was just woken up from his bed.

"Mr. Danton, run away quickly!" the man who woke him shouted. "Mr. Desmoulins, and several others have been arrested! Robespierre, Robespierre, and Saint-Just, they've attacked us! You must run! I've prepared a horse for you, you must run!"

Danton was taken aback, but he quickly calmed down. At least, outwardly he did.

"Desmoulins has been arrested?" Danton asked.

"Yes, with his wife," the man replied, then urged, "Run, Mr. Danton! It'll be too late if you don't run now!"

"Run?" Danton suddenly laughed. "How can I run? Like Condorcet, flee to another world, or like Talleyrand, flee to another country? Do you think I can stick my homeland to the bottom of my shoe and take it with me? No, I won't leave."

"You'll be beheaded!"

"Then let them chop me up. I think my head is still worth showing to everyone."