Buying Cannons
After an all-night negotiation, both Watt and Young Boulton. were exhausted. After all, they were not young anymore. In later times, someone Young Boulton Jr.'s age would be considered someone who was not a candidate for a ventilator, and Watt would be the kind of person who should be removed from a ventilator as soon as possible, even if he were put on one.
Of course, if they are still as wealthy in future generations as they are now, then there's no need to worry about this. After all, the principle of "the rich get the best" has been followed since ancient times, and even His God Emperor said, "That's life."
Joseph visited them in the evening, explaining that he had only arrived that night. His immediate visit upon arrival clearly demonstrated Joseph respect for Watt, a senior figure in science. However, Watt harbored a growing suspicion: Joseph's choice to arrive at this particular time, and to immediately discuss business, suggested he might be trying to take advantage of their weakened state.
Thinking of this, Watt quickly pulled Young Boulton aside and carefully reviewed the terms that had just been agreed upon until both of them felt a headache coming on before putting down the clauses in their hands.
"Mr. Watt, I don't see any loopholes. Although we didn't gain much from Dean Bonaparte, we certainly didn't lose out. This should indeed be a win-win cooperation. Besides, my head is starting to spin, and I don't think we'll gain anything more by continuing the research, so let's stop here," said Young Boulton.
"Yes, yes. I'm dizzy too," Watt said. "Matthew, are you still able to sleep?"
"How could that be?" said Young Boulton. "You think I'm still in my thirties? Back then, I could fall asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, no matter the time. But now, if I miss my bedtime, no matter how tired I am, even if my head feels as heavy as granite, I just can't fall asleep. Well, Mr. Watt, what about you?"
"Me? I'm much older than you, of course I've been like this for a long time. Sigh, since I can't sleep anyway, how about we go get something to eat first, and then go for a walk together?" Watt said.
"Okay," said Young Boulton, "France breakfast, well, that's my second favorite thing about France."
"What do you like best first?" Watt asked.
"Good weather, always good weather," Young Boulton said.
"Your opinion is basically the same as mine, except I need to adjust the order of first and second. Hmm, I'm already considering whether to fire our damn cook."
The two ate a breakfast far superior to gazing at the stars, and then headed towards the Peace Palace together.
The sun was shining brightly that morning, and from afar, the Peace Palace, covered with a layer of white marble, gleamed. As the two walked over, they noticed that there were many more people around the Peace Palace than yesterday.
"It's opening tomorrow, no wonder there are so many people," Watt said.
"Should we go check it out? Maybe there'll be even more new things," said Young Boulton.
"No," Watt suddenly said, "We've already seen the most important things for us. And, more importantly, we've already spent our money. Even if we see the rest, we don't have any more money to do. Besides, if we see them now, it'll be pointless by the time the opening ceremony. Hmm, let's go look around somewhere else first."
"Indeed, we have already accomplished our main mission, haven't we?" said Young Boulton. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have done the work. From now on, I have leisure time reserved for me."
"Haha, Matthew, you've distorted the Bible!"
"No, Mr. Watt, I am paying homage to the Bible."
The two chatted and laughed as they walked in another direction...
However, when the actual opening ceremony began the next morning, both of them regretted it somewhat.
The opening ceremony was actually quite good, referencing elements from later opening ceremonies, including various group exercises and a float parade, making it very lively. For those who hadn't seen much entertainment back then, it was naturally even more enjoyable. However, for an old man like Watt, it was a little too noisy.
But that wasn't a big deal. Although it was a bit noisy, it was still quite enjoyable. It was only later, when Lucien himself gave his speech, that was truly awful. This guy rambled on and on for who knows how long, comparing this grand event to the Dionysian festival of ancient Greece, then to Rome civilization, then to common prosperity... He rambled on for over an hour, and even Watt, sitting in the front row, almost dozed off. Finally, Lucien ended his lengthy speech with this one sentence. "May there be peace in the world!"
Then came a salvo of cannon fire, intended to wake those who had been hypnotized by Lucien and urge them to spend money.
After the opening ceremony, Watt and Young Boulton., as planned, wandered around the square outside the Peace Palace, looking at all sorts of exotic goods they had never seen before. Even in the semi-open-air exhibition halls, they could see many novel and creative little things. For example, Watt found something called a "typewriter" at the booth of a rather inconspicuous small business, which was quite interesting.
This thing is actually not difficult to design, but it is quite easy to use. The typist who gave the demonstration typed out a full page of text in just a short time, which was much faster than handwriting, and he was still able to keep the font clear and neat.
Watt immediately went up to inquire about the price of the device and, incidentally, subtly asked if it was patented. However, he quickly received a disappointing answer—the device was already patented.
"This thing may seem simple, but it will sell very well in the future," Watt said to Little Bolte disappointedly. "Unfortunately, we have neither the money nor the manpower to do this business."
As the two were talking, they saw a person who looked familiar walk by not far away.
"Hmm, that person seems familiar..." Watt said.
"Hmm, it seems so, it seems to be from Foreman..." Little Bolte suddenly stopped talking.
The man who just walked past was Lieutenant Commander Foreman of the British Navy. Watt and Little Bolte had dealt with him when the British Navy was developing steamships. However, he was dressed in civilian clothes, like a businessman, so he was probably on some secret mission.
Watt and Little Bolte knew that it was best not to interfere in such matters and to pretend they hadn't seen anything.
Lieutenant Colonel Foreman had just come out of the Peace Palace, chatting with an Italy businessman. Just moments before, he had disguised himself as a Mexico businessman and discussed the sale of cannons with the people from the "Bonaparte Arsenal," taking the opportunity to learn about the cannons' performance.
If the guys at Bonaparte Arsenal weren't exaggerating, this cannon, in terms of power and especially its penetrating ability, even surpassed the 36-pounder guns used on battleships. And this cannon was so lightweight. This greatly worried the British Navy officer.
"That Orca we encountered before, if equipped with such cannons, could already penetrate the hull of our battleships at normal engagement range. Considering the Orca's significant speed advantage, it would definitely be able to seize the top position when facing our battleships. Therefore, in a one-on-one battleship confrontation, it could even contend with a first-class battleship like the 'Victory.' This is terrifying; it completely subverts the way naval warfare is conducted..."
The Britain have yet to build a steam warship comparable to the Orca. They've tried many methods, such as placing paddle wheels at the stern and increasing the length-to-width ratio, but their new steam warships still fall significantly short of the Orca.
"In any case, even if we can't acquire the technology of the 'Orca' for the time being, at least we can't let the France leave us too far behind in terms of artillery."
Lieutenant Colonel Foreman then proposed to the France that he wanted to buy one or two of these cannons to study and see if he could make a copy; that would certainly be the best option.
The France had been very enthusiastic about all his inquiries before, but his attitude changed immediately after the France expressed his desire to buy two cannons.
"Sir, we don't do this kind of small business," the France said, his face full of disdain for the penniless small businessmen, as if blaming himself for wasting so much of his time.
"So, what's the minimum order quantity you'll accept?" Lieutenant Colonel Foreman asked.
"No fewer than 12," the France replied simply.
Foreman quickly calculated in his mind that the price exceeded the authorization he had received. He tried to negotiate further with the France, but at that moment, an Italy businessman approached. This Italy was from the Papal States, and he was clearly very familiar with the France. The France immediately abandoned Forman and began to flatter the Italy.
Soon, the Italy was preparing to place an order for a total of 48 cannons. Even with the best equipment, the Papal States' army had limited combat power. These purchases were largely just a matter of paying protection money, much like how wealthy patrons in later generations paid protection money to the God Emperor.
Watching the Italy easily sign the purchase contract, Foreman suddenly thought of a solution— the France only wholesale, not retail, but he could easily buy one or two cannons from the Italy!
So he got up, walked over to the Italy, introduced himself, and explained that he only had enough money to buy two cannons, but the France wouldn't sell less than 12. He then proposed that he could buy two cannons together with the Italian.
"Sir," the Italy looked at him suspiciously, "I can tell you're someone who makes a living at sea. You wouldn't be doing that kind of business in the Caribbean Sea, would you? But I don't care. I don't think God cares either. But if you want my help, you must show me some sincerity."