Let's Get Rich Together!

Joseph arrived in Paris, the first thing he did was to go find Carnot.

Upon entering the War Department building, Joseph followed the familiar route directly to Carnot's office. The office door was ajar, and Joseph gently knocked twice.

"Come in, the door's open," came Carnot's weary voice from inside.

Joseph pushed open the door and shouted as he walked in:

"Lazar, I'm back! Surprised?... Ah, Lazar, you don't look well... Are you sick?"

"Nothing much? Just got angry at those stupid monkeys... Ah, never mind that, why did you suddenly come back?" Carnot asked, sporting two panda eyes.

"I heard Robespierre is finished, and I thought Paris might be in some turmoil. I was worried that something might happen to the research institute, so I ran back without waiting for orders. Hmm, Lazar, you have to issue me a supplementary order later, so that I won't be accused of running back on my own." Joseph pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Carnot.

"Joseph ..." Carnot's expression was rather strange. "You don't know, do you... Ah... I'm so sorry, I couldn't save the research institute... The institute was shut down by those bastards! I really want to drag Robespierre out of his grave so he can chop off all those guys' heads!"

"The research institute is gone?" This news truly caught Joseph off guard. He had anticipated that some people, no longer under Robespierre's control, would jump out and act recklessly, even tampering with the institute. But he hadn't expected these guys to be so shameless and so swift. They didn't just tease him first; they went straight to...

"What happened?" Joseph asked quickly, needing to understand the situation immediately and try to mitigate the losses.

"It's all because of those bastards, those scumbags!" Carnot couldn't contain his anger any longer when he thought about all this mess. He angrily threw his quill pen on the ground. "Scumbags! Those scumbags who are getting in our way! They should all be dragged out and fed to the guillotine! Lately, they've been stealing better than thieves! They saw how amazing our research institute was, so they all ran to steal from it, to rob it..."

"Lazar, don't get agitated, don't get agitated... Lazar, what's done is done. Now we need to do our best to mitigate the losses. Stay calm. Come, Lazar, drink this water first..." Joseph quickly got up, poured a glass of water for Carnot, and handed it to him. "Lazar, it's time to drink some water."

Carnot took the water and drank it all in one gulp. He calmed himself down and then recounted the whole story to Joseph. Finally, he lowered his head and, filled with shame, ended his narration with these words: "Joseph, I'm so sorry, I couldn't protect us..."

"Lazar, cheer up," Joseph said. "We still have a chance to salvage the situation. Those bastards are just bastards! They can't even sabotage the right things! What's the most valuable thing in the research institute? Talent! And all that talent, they've taken it all to give back to society! We have to bring them back quickly... Hmm, Lazar, you know, I've made some money. Let me calculate, I have about 100,000 Livre in total, you know where it came from. You might have less, your expenses are high, and then, um, then Napoleon ... Damn it, I also have to apologize to you, I didn't manage this guy well. He's in the south, involved in smuggling (Joseph's smuggling ships were given priority to Napoleon), and he's made another 300,000 Livre. Let's team up, bring those people back, and rebuild a research institute and munitions factory that belong to us in the south. Right now, that's almost the only way to minimize the losses."

Carnot thought for a moment and said, "This is the only way now! Joseph, you're really amazing! You were able to calm down and come up with a solution so quickly. Actually, you're more suited to have a comprehensive view than I am. If you were in my position back then..."

"Come on, Lazar." Joseph shook his head. "You know me. If you can't handle it, do you expect me to?"

"Alright, let's not talk about that. Let's deal with the immediate problem," Carnot said. "The smuggling with Napoleon must be expedited. What is he smuggling now?"

"Of course, it's caustic soda and saltpeter," Joseph said.

"His smuggling operation needs to be expanded and expanded further, because our plan will definitely be very expensive in the initial stage. We need more money. Well, let's not limit ourselves to legal smuggling; we'll smuggle whatever makes money, including weapons, of course, we'll only sell them to real United States. Anyway, even if we don't smuggle, those scum will!"

"Besides United States, we can also sell to Native Americans," Joseph added from the side.

"Alright, let's get moving!" Carnot said. "And as for the Naval Research Institute, get Napoleon to take control of it quickly, before those guys get their hands on it. There's valuable stuff there!"

"I told him before I came," Joseph said.

"Alright, then let's not waste any more time. I suggest we divide the work like this. First, is your money ready?" Carnot asked.

"I have about 300,000 Livre ready," Joseph replied.

"Very well, if you trust me. Give me 120,000 Livre, and I have 80,000 Livre here. I'll go to Labas immediately and try to buy the 'Naval Research Institute' as soon as possible," Carnot said. "As for the personnel, I have a roster of all the personnel here, but they are all scattered now. It will take time to find them one by one. As for you... it's a pity, Joseph, if only you could be two of us. I can send one of you back to Toulon to stabilize the research institute, and the other can stay here and help me with some things." Carnot said, frowning.

Joseph knew why Carnot was frowning; the matter in Paris involved using connections and back channels. Carnot was too embarrassed to do such things, so it would be great if Joseph could do it for him in Paris. But he was also worried that in Toulon, without Joseph's supervision, there might be some losses.

"Many things in Paris don't actually require our direct involvement," Joseph said. "Lazar, there's someone who can act as our front man."

"Who?" Carnot asked.

"Joseph Fouché, from what you just said, this guy is in a bit of a predicament. I think he should be willing to lend us a hand," Joseph replied.

"I know you don't have a good impression of this person." Seeing Carnot frown, Joseph knew he didn't think highly of Fouché, so he said, "But Fouché is still very capable. Including finding people and pulling strings, let him handle it. Hmm, Lazar, I'm not underestimating your talent, but different people are suited for different things. I think Fouché would be much more efficient than you in these matters."

Carnot nodded. Though somewhat proud and stubborn, he wasn't the type to deny the reality of the world. "You're right, Joseph, Fouché is indeed more suitable than I for these matters. However, I still have some concerns. You know, shortly after Robespierre's downfall, Fouché came to me—when I was still in the 'Committee of Public Safety.' He astutely pointed out the potential dangers I might face and hoped to join forces with me. But I refused him. Do you know why?"

Before Joseph could answer, Carnot continued, "Because I'm a little afraid of him. This guy was too good at bringing down Robespierre. He's too adept at intrigue and scheming. Robespierre called him a viper, and that's absolutely true. If he gets a stable position in the upper echelons, I worry that he could be even more terrifying than Robespierre. I think that Labas and his group might have had this in mind when they were deliberately suppressing him. It's just that they didn't expect that Labas and his group would make him even more terrifying than Robespierre without Fouché..."

Upon hearing this, Joseph couldn't help but recall a comment he'd read in his past life about Lady Wang in "Dream of the Red Chamber": "A person cannot be talented; if one is talented and relies on it, one will kill many. A person also cannot be without talent; if one is without talent but misuses it, one will kill even more." Looking at it now, this statement was incredibly true.

"Precisely because he is dangerous, it's best to keep him under our noses. Lazar, do you know where we can find him?" Joseph said.

"Hmm, that makes sense." Carnot nodded. "I know where he lives. Shall we go find him together after work?"

"Okay." Joseph nodded.

When it was time to leave work, Carnot and Joseph boarded a carriage together, taking with them a dozen or so cavalrymen, and headed towards the Saint-Antoine District.

Saint-Antoine District is the largest slum in Paris, with narrow streets and rampant chaos. Especially these days, with soaring prices, life has become increasingly difficult for the poor, so the area has naturally become more and more chaotic. A steady person like Joseph would really not dare to come here without some entourage.

The carriage stopped outside a crooked alleyway. Fouché's residence was located in this alleyway, but the carriage could no longer proceed.

Joseph and Carnot dismounted, and Joseph reached inside his coat to grasp the handle of the musket hidden there. The cavalrymen also dismounted and escorted Joseph and Carnot into the alleyway.

After walking along the sewage-filled alley for a while, we came to a crooked, dilapidated house. A soldier who had led the way said, "This is it."

Joseph nodded, glanced at Carnot, then stepped forward and knocked on the door.