Special Tactics Training Camp (1)

The documents Joseph showed Lucien were weapons development plans. These weapons already had detailed blueprints, and there was more than one type. Lucien would never believe that Joseph had produced so many in just over a morning after seeing Lucien's plans. Moreover, Lucien was certain that in such a short time, not only could Joseph not produce so many things, but even if you dug Leonardo da Vinci up from the ground and resurrected him, he couldn't produce so many things in such a short time.

Therefore, the appearance of this file folder only means one thing: his brother had been making preparations in this regard for a long time.

However, this idea overestimates Joseph to some extent. These designs were actually just Joseph copying things from later times. The relevant design drawings had already been completed, but he just hadn't had time to use them yet. Now that he saw Lucien's suggestion, he just wanted to bring them out to scare Lucien.

Of these designs, the first one to fit Lucien's vision was the revolver.

In this era, so-called pistols were all flintlock pistols. Like the rifles of the time, these pistols had the problem of difficult loading. Each pistol could only hold one bullet at a time, and it could take more than a minute to reload after firing. Pistols had a very limited range to begin with, so when it came to actual combat with pistols, there was definitely no time to reload.

The accuracy of a pistol is inherently worse than that of a rifle due to the way it's held. And since it only carries one bullet, many people in that era felt that a swift sword was far more useful than a pistol. Even those who intended to use pistols would generally carry at least two, just like Carnot's two friends when he went to deal with Goriot.

Therefore, a firearm capable of continuous fire is simply a game-changer. Imagine you're holding a revolver, fire a shot at someone, but miss. The guy will assume you're out of bullets and doomed. So he pulls out a dagger, grins slyly, and approaches you, then you poke several more holes in him. In an urban setting, a few people, each armed with two revolvers, could easily commit mass murder... It's truly... truly an essential tool for home, travel, murder, and arson.

Moreover, revolvers have a relatively simple structure, and even with the technology of that era, they weren't particularly difficult to manufacture. It's just a pity that metal-cased bullets were still under development and couldn't be used yet. (Actually, even if it were successful, Joseph didn't intend to immediately use it on revolvers. Wouldn't it be better to release an older version first, let people buy it once, and then release a new version, let people buy it again?)

Therefore, Joseph's first revolver design still required a complex loading process: placing the primer, pouring in the gunpowder, and loading the bullet. It was only that, compared to a regular pistol, it could hold six bullets at once. As for reloading after firing all six bullets, it was still incredibly slow.

Besides revolvers, there are some special melee weapons. For example, small, detachable crossbows were a useful tool for assassination before the development of silencers. However, these didn't sell well later on; another melee weapon, the folding knife, actually sold much better.

Joseph designed two types of folding knives: a side-opening spring knife and the butterfly knife that became popular in later generations. In a sense, both of these are simply variations of daggers. However, unexpectedly, gangsters around the world praised them after using them. Although they were more expensive than daggers, they quickly replaced conventional daggers and became standard equipment for gangsters in various countries.

This is because these two items have two distinct advantages over ordinary daggers:

First, they are easy to carry. You can easily put a switchblade and a butterfly knife into a small pocket without worrying about hurting yourself. A dagger, on the other hand, is almost twice as long as these two types of knives. With the sheath, it's not very convenient to put it in a regular pocket. Removing the sheath would make it a little shorter, but if you try to stuff it in your pocket like that, you might accidentally trip and fall, which could be fatal.

Secondly, they are highly concealed during attacks. A dagger, while less conspicuous than a swift sword, still has its blade visible. But a butterfly knife or switchblade, however, has no visible blade; the attacker has no idea you have a knife until just before the attack. People's defensive actions differ significantly when facing someone with a knife versus someone without. A misjudgment is much harder to correct, greatly increasing the chances of a successful attack. Therefore, switchblades and butterfly knives are more insidious and dangerous weapons than daggers. Perhaps this is why, in later generations, many places where even guns are not prohibited have strictly controlled these two items.

Of course, when Lucien first saw the design, he didn't think about any of this. He just thought these two types of knives were quite unique. He also immediately understood why these designs were kept strictly secret—because they were so simple that anyone who saw them would be tempted to become pregnant at first glance.

So Lucien got busy in Joseph's office, and by nightfall he had finished the basic budget. Joseph was very satisfied with it and approved it without nitpicking.

"Well, regarding the establishment of the relevant agency, I think the first thing to do is to recruit talent. You'd better handle this personally. I'll write a letter to Carnot, and you take it with you. Carnot's status isn't what it used to be, but with his connections, getting a list of recently resigned personnel in the Paris police system shouldn't be difficult. Also, you can contact Fouché, but try not to get too involved with Fouché in this matter. Because in the long run, you'll be competitors. Frankly, I think his abilities far surpass yours. Especially in this area, no one in my family can compare to him. Be careful when dealing with him; don't let him sell you out and then help him count the money."

Upon hearing this, Lucien felt no resentment at Joseph's assessment that he was inferior, and by a great extent, to Fouché. Instead, he couldn't help but think, "Great! I can go to Paris! Finally, a vacation! Hahaha..."

Thinking this, a smile appeared on his face. Joseph naturally noticed it, but he didn't take it to heart. He thought it was just a teenage boy's daydreaming about the future. However, he still talked with Lucien in detail late into the night about the various things he needed to be aware of after arriving in Paris.

Although Joseph was a cunning man, he was still very efficient. That very evening, he wrote the letter, and the next morning, Lucien took the letter, along with two attendants, and boarded the carriage to Paris.

Lucien arrived in Paris in the evening. He didn't go to Joseph's Paris residence (the original owner of the house had been guillotined during Robespierre's time, and Joseph had bought it from the government at a relatively low price), but went directly to the Carnot family's house. After all, he knew the place very well.

When Lucien arrived at Carnot's house, it was almost dinnertime, a time when Lucien felt particularly welcome to be able to freeload a meal. He got off the carriage and went up to knock on the door.

A day later, Carnot handed Lucien a list and said to him, "Lucien, this is the list of people purged from the Paris police force after the Thermidor. I suggest you pay close attention to a few people like these. Hmm, the first is Inspector Javert. He was very capable and had thwarted many Royalist Party plots. His work sent at least twenty nobles to the guillotine. Therefore, he was also hated by the Royalist Party. Heh, after the Thermidor came to power, some of his colleagues accused him of being a Jacobin, which led to his dismissal. He had a son and a daughter, and before his dismissal, he lived at number twenty-five Peacock Street."

Next is Manier. Like Javert, he was a good detective, but during an operation to arrest speculators, he was shot in the leg and became lame. Well, as you know, after the Thermidorians came to power, being injured while arresting investors was not considered honorable, but rather a crime. Therefore, he was also dismissed. And his situation is probably worse Javert's; Javert was at least able-bodied, while he was disabled. His current address is unknown, but Henri Dulan on the list is his friend; you can find Manier through him. Henri Durand lives at 45 Bernat Street. And..."

After giving Lucien a brief introduction of a few people, Carnot began to complain about the current situation. According to him, Royalist Party were now openly active everywhere in Paris. What was even more worrying was that the crackdown on Jacobin had led to serious royalist infiltration of the Royalist Party National Guard in various districts.

"Currently, nearly half of the National Guard in Paris has sided with the Royalist Party, while the other half remains undecided. They may not necessarily side with the Royalist Party, but they are also unlikely to side with the republic. To avoid an immediate rebellion, the government plans to hold elections, but the prospects for the elections are equally bleak."

"The government needs time. Perhaps they think that if they can buy time and wait for the economic situation and the situation on the front lines to change, their approval rating will rise?" Lucien said.

"How is that possible? How could there be such a change in such a short time?" Carnot said dismissively.

"My brother Joseph thinks they can use technical reasons as an excuse to declare this election invalid and hold another one later. They can use this method to buy time," Lucien said.

"But their various measures will not improve the country at all; they will only lead to increasingly serious problems."

"Then they will change some of the rules, just like the 1991 Constitution divided citizens into Active Citizen and Passive Citizen, effectively depriving some people of their political rights, or simply stipulating that Thermidorians must be in the majority in elections."

"This is subverting the sanctity of elections and fundamentally shaking the foundations of the republic. Even Robespierre wouldn't dare to do this. If the Thermidorians were to actually do it, a rebellion would immediately break out."

"Therefore, Joseph believed that the government had another option: they might take a military risk and launch an offensive from the Italy direction. And Napoleon was very confident of victory." Lucien revealed this to Carnot.

"Joseph also said that although he disliked the current government very much, no matter how incompetent and corrupt it was, it was still a republican government, and even its lowest point was higher than the highest point of autocracy. If a victory could ensure the stable continuation of the republican system, then such a military operation would still be valuable. He only hoped that the benefits of such a military victory would not be wasted," Lucien added.

"Sigh!" Carnot sighed. "Yes, they still support the Republic after all. But whether they will squander their victory is hard to say."

"That's not something we can decide," Lucien said. "Joseph said, 'Do what we can, and leave the rest to God.'"

Carnot nodded, then asked, "Are you planning to go see those people on the list tomorrow?"

"Yes, the faster this matter is handled, the fewer variables there will be," Lucien replied.

"Hmm, that makes sense." Carnot nodded. "However, Peacock Street and Bernat Street aren't exactly safe right now. Should I send a few more people with you?"

"No, no need," Lucien said. "Too many people will only attract attention. If the Royalist Party notice us, a few more people might not necessarily make us safer. I'll take Jacques and Pierre, that's enough."

"If it were Joseph, he would definitely have wanted to bring more people. In that respect, you might be more like Napoleon," Carnot laughed.

Lucien and his two attendants, Jacques and Pierre, stayed at Carnot's house that very day. The next morning, after having breakfast at Carnot's house again, Carnot went to the Ministry of War, while the three of them went out and took a public carriage on the street towards Peacock Street.