Technical Alliance

Just as Talleyrand revealed to the Spain, the Austria were indeed trying to negotiate with the France, and Austria conditions were indeed similar to those Talleyrand had described: Austria would exchange the Rhine Region for the Lombardy France.

In fact, the Directory was quite interested in Austria's proposal. Gaining the Rhine Region would mean pushing France's border to the Rhine River. France would then have a relatively secure natural border to the north. Lombardy, on the other hand, was separated from mainland France by the Alps, making it inherently inconvenient to manage.

Even Joseph felt that the Rhine Region was far more valuable Lombardy. This was not only because of the natural boundaries, but also because of the mineral deposits.

In this era, the Industrial Revolution had not yet fully begun, and the crucial importance of minerals to a nation had not yet become apparent. However, Joseph, as a time traveler, was well aware that Italy was a country extremely poor in mineral resources. Italy possessed neither coal nor iron ore, which were of utmost importance to the first wave of industrialization.

When it comes to the country with the best mineral resources in Europe, Britain is definitely the best, with both coal and iron ore mines on its own soil. France has relatively large iron ore mines in Lorraine, but its coal resources are not particularly ideal. There is one coal mine in Lorraine that is a spur of the Saar Coal Mine, but it is already the largest coal mine in all of France.

If such an agreement were reached with Austria, it would mean that the Saar Mining District, rich in coal, would fall entirely into France hands, thus providing the necessary resources for the first industrial revolution.

However, at this time, both Joseph and Napoleon opposed this plan. The reason was simple: even if they acquired the Rhine Region, that region would belong to France, not Bonaparte. And Lombardy? It certainly wouldn't become part of France, but it would be under Bonaparte's control.

Joseph, of course, could not object based on the above reason, but anything can be presented with a plausible excuse if you so desire. Thus, Lucien delivered the following speech in Parliament:

"For a long time, the Italy people, like the France people, have lived a life of suffering under the oppression of the Church and the feudal nobles. Now we have defeated those priests and nobles who rode on their backs and brought freedom and liberation to the peasants and common people."

All of Italy, all of Europe, is waiting for us, like farmland after a long drought yearning for clouds and thunder.

It is for this reason that when our army marched into Belgium, the Belgium people rose up in revolt in support of us; and when our army pursued the fleeing Austria army in Italy, the Italy people greeted us with bread and wine. They provided us with food and acted as guides—why did they do this? Because they saw us as their liberators! Why were we able to achieve victory after victory? It was not only because the entire France people stood behind us, but also because our army received the support of the people wherever it went!

If, at this juncture, we abandon the Lombardy people who have just gained freedom and liberation with our help, and plunge them back into the inferno of feudal autocracy, then I would like to ask: how will the people of Europe view us in the future? In the future, when those feudal autocratic states unite again to attack us, can we still expect the people of Europe to stand by our side?

Moreover, how reliable is this so-called 'peace'? Do our enemies genuinely want peace?

No! Absolutely not! I think anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that our enemies have no sincerity for peace whatsoever, because their hatred for the France Revolution has not changed at all.

They continue to shelter those France traitors and exiles, they continue to support that clown who proclaims himself King of France, and in their propaganda they still refer to us as rebels—anyone with eyes can easily see that they don't need peace at all; what they need is simply a ceasefire that allows them to lick their wounds and regain their strength. And once they feel they've healed, they will bare their teeth at us again!

Gentlemen, I love France as much as you do; I love peace as much as you do. Because we France people all love peace. But we France people are not fools! To betray our loyal friends for a peace destined to be torn apart—a peace that violates neither moral nor military principles—is something we France people can accept?

No! Absolutely not! To accept such a peace would not only be a betrayal of our allies, but also a betrayal of the ideals of France, and a betrayal of France itself!

Lucien's speech was certainly quite good, but what truly made Lucien so compelling was the powerful attitude it represented. This powerful attitude was:

"The Rhine Region is ours, Lombardy is ours too. We will never give up either place! If they want peace, they must accept this peace; otherwise, let the war continue!"

Of course, since this force opposes such a peace and demands a peace that is "mine is mine, and yours is also mine," then this peace must be fought for by them.

As for how to achieve this, some have suggested that the priority should be to equip the Army of the North with new weapons to improve their combat effectiveness and strive for greater victories.

The person who put forward this view was a member of parliament named Alfred, and his view received a lot of support. Obviously, these people did not want to see Napoleon's military achievements be too prominent, and therefore hoped that he could establish merits in Joubert and Moreau in the north to balance Napoleon.

Both Joseph and Lucien understood this meaning, but neither had any reason to oppose the suggestion. First, the north was the real main battlefield, and if it weren't for the intense fighting in Italy, military equipment should have been prioritized for the north. Second, Carnot also supported this approach. Third, it was business; it was about money!

However, the actual production capacity of Joseph's Military-Industrial Consortium was far less impressive than its name suggested. This was because its production methods were quite backward. Steam engines and the Industrial Revolution had not yet been implemented in the military factories.

In Joseph's previous life, steam engines, or at least cylinder-type steam engines, had been largely obsolete. Joseph only knew a general idea of their principles; he was completely ignorant of anything else.

This resulted in the fact that while the weapons produced by the "Military-Industrial Complex" were very advanced, their methods of producing these weapons were still very backward—at least in Joseph's eyes. Therefore, their production capacity alone was actually somewhat insufficient.

At Joseph's behest, Lucien proposed that other arsenals could also be licensed to produce the new rifle.

In fact, the technology behind the Minié Ball was quite simple. And once this rifle began to be widely adopted by armies, even Napoleon's army, it was simply impossible to keep this secret. Not to mention domestic manufacturers, even the Austria, Prussia, and Britain would likely learn the secret in no time. It would just take them time to equip their armies with it.

At that time, France did not have a patent system, which meant that it wouldn't be long before Joseph's competitors could produce the same rifles that met the military's requirements. Even if Joseph could guarantee that he would earn the largest share by leveraging his influence in the military, those other military personnel would still find ways to win over generals who were not part of Bonaparte's system, thereby securing a share of the market for themselves.

Given this, Joseph from the future naturally devised a solution: to leverage technological advantages and establish a Carter alliance.

Generally speaking, the existence of technology-based Carter requires a prerequisite: the existence of a patent system. For a time traveler like Joseph, patents are even more crucial. Prior to this, Lucien had already proposed establishing a patent system in parliament. However, this proposal failed to pass, with the number of votes in favor being about ten fewer than the number against.

This was a setback for Joseph. But launching a military coup for such a setback seemed excessive. So, Joseph devised a plan to first use a technology alliance to win over some arms dealers who had the power to influence parliamentary votes. Once these arms dealers joined the alliance, establishing patent laws would become very advantageous for them.

Once the patent law is passed, the alliance will be bound even tighter, and the Bonaparte Family, which controls the source of the technology, will undoubtedly become the leader of this Carter. Coupled with Napoleon's influence in the army, Joseph even felt that he could eventually turn this technology Carter into a syndicate unified by technology patents and sales channels.

By then, without independent sources of technology and sales channels, even though the companies within the alliance will remain legally independent, all their economic activities will be subject to the orders of headquarters. Only then will the term "Military-Industrial Complex" truly be fitting.