Napoleon Is Becoming a Thinker?

Nitroglycerin, in original history, was invented in 1846 by the Italian chemist Sobrer. However, the raw materials required to manufacture it—such as glycerin, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid—already existed. At this point in time, there was no significant technical barrier to creating nitroglycerin. In fact, the synthesis of nitroglycerin is not particularly difficult; one only needs to ensure that a low temperature is maintained throughout the entire preparation process.

Yet, in original history, this simple precaution was mastered only at a tremendous, even bloody, cost. Mr. Lu Xun once lamented: "The history of humanity's bloody struggle forward is just like the formation of coal; it consumed a vast amount of wood, yet resulted in only a small piece." The history of technological progress is much the same. Many techniques that were mastered at a great price are, when stripped bare, actually quite simple.

Joseph certainly did not want Lavoisier to be blown up by nitroglycerin, so in the letter he wrote to Lavoisier, he explicitly emphasized the necessity of temperature control. Starting from the theory of molecular motion, Joseph argued that more intense molecular motion would cause the reaction to become violent, thereby increasing the danger. Therefore, controlling the temperature and keeping it at a consistently low level, while slowing the reaction rate, would greatly increase safety.

However, even with this key piece of advice, it was difficult to avoid all incidents. Just two days later, the first explosion occurred on the Duke of Orleans's estate. An assistant failed to strictly follow the operating procedures and injected the acid too quickly, resulting in a serious accident that left one dead and five injured. This was only because the quantity of nitroglycerin being produced was relatively small; otherwise, the remaining five would likely not have survived either.

This explosion gave Lavoisier quite a scare. He had been present at the time, but had stepped away for a moment because he was thirsty and wanted a drink, which was when the blast occurred. Of course, it is hard to say whether the assistant would have still ignored the safety protocols had Lavoisier been there. Duke of Phillips, on the other hand, appeared exceptionally calm and was even more interested in the substance. Having seen its power with his own eyes, he immediately realized that this thing had great potential. As for the casualties during the research process, well, they had sacrificed themselves for the advancement of science, which could be considered a worthy death. People must always die, but the significance of their deaths varies. To sacrifice oneself for the progress of science is a death heavier than the Alps. As for whether it might kill people during future production, well, production accidents are hard to avoid entirely; people even get hit by carriages while walking down the street. Besides, even if those workers died, they died for the construction of France, so what was the problem? In any case, it wouldn't be the Duke dying, just as the Duke would never be hit by a carriage while walking down the street.

Just as explosions were heard from time to time on the Duke of Phillips's estate, Joseph finished his business in Calais and returned to Paris. His younger brother Napoleon also arrived in Paris, bringing their brother Louis along.

"I took leave from the army, went back to Corsica, and brought Louis to you. Do you have any water here? I'm dying of thirst." As soon as he saw Joseph, Napoleon shouted.

"The water is over there, pour it yourself," Joseph said. He then walked over to Louis and said, "Well, Louis, you've grown taller again. You're already taller than Napoleon, hahaha. Napoleon, in our family, including the girls, I'm afraid you're going to be the shortest one."

Napoleon hated it when people made jokes about his height, but he knew that the more angry he appeared, the more pleased this detestable fellow Joseph would be. So, he simply ignored him, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down.

"How is everything at home?" Joseph asked again.

"Not very good," Napoleon said.

"It's nothing bad, just the same as before," Louis said.

"Being the same as before is the worst kind of bad," Napoleon remarked.

"What's wrong? After seeing the world, you're dissatisfied with Corsica? You look down on it now?" Joseph sat down in a chair by the table, slowly crossed his legs, and asked.

"How could I look down on Corsica?" Napoleon said with some dissatisfaction. "It's just that Corsica lacks change. In France, in Paris, you can always feel change—new ideas, new science, new opportunities—every day there is change, there is progress. But Corsica? Today is no different from yesterday, and yesterday was no different from the day before. When I talk to people, what they think in their heads is no different from ten, or even a hundred or two hundred years ago. This even includes those patriots; they only think about gaining independence and then closing the doors to continue living the life of centuries past. This is not a good thing; Corsica shouldn't be like this."

"Then what do you think Corsica should be like? Napoleon, it seems you used to think this way too," Joseph watched Napoleon with a mocking smile.

"That just shows I've progressed and surpassed others," Napoleon replied. "As for what Corsica should be like, I think the future Corsica should be a land of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law, just as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu described."

"Napoleon, you have indeed progressed!" Joseph laughed. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"During my time back home, I've been thinking about this question. First, I think the fundamental problem in Corsica is not the French occupation, but that the people are not awakened. To truly change Corsica, we must first educate our people and awaken them."

"What?" Joseph was startled, staring at his brother with wide eyes. Is this guy losing it? Could it be that because I transmigrated here, the butterfly effect has caused him to give up on being a famous general and instead try to become a Lu Xun who awakens the masses?

Joseph hesitated for a moment and asked, "Napoleon, what exactly are your plans?"

"I plan to write a history of Corsica, just like the Commentarii de Bello Gallico," Napoleon said.

Hearing this, Joseph breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Napoleon was still Napoleon. The Commentarii de Bello Gallico was the work of the ancient Roman Emperor Caesar. This showed that the role model in Napoleon's heart remained a statesman and military strategist like Caesar. Creating a history of Corsica was merely a means for him to achieve political goals.

"I don't think much of your plan," Joseph shook his head. "You know, the illiteracy rate in Corsica is higher than in both France and Italy; very few people can read."

Napoleon opened his mouth to refute, but Joseph didn't give him the chance, continuing, "Napoleon, don't be in such a hurry to argue. I know what you want to say. You want to say that although few people in Corsica can read, as long as these people realize the problem and understand the new, correct ideas from the outside, they can not only change themselves but also lead others, because these people are already the leaders of the Corsicans. That's what you're thinking, right?"

Napoleon stared at Joseph for a while before answering, "Yes, that is what I think. Is there something wrong with that?" Because of his old habit of dealing with Joseph, he expected Joseph to immediately launch into a biting mockery, so his answer was a bit reluctant.

The facts proved his prediction was very accurate. Joseph immediately said, "My foolish brother, you are too young, too naive! You actually believe that you can convince people with reason! That is truly laughable."

Having said this, Joseph suddenly leaned forward, bringing his face close to Napoleon's, and stared into his eyes. "My brother, you must remember: what governs the actions of the majority is never their heads, but their backsides! The key is not what is right or what is moral, but what is beneficial to them and where their backsides are actually seated! Do you understand?"

After saying this, he straightened up and added, "Think about it with your head: what kind of impact would a 'land of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law' have on the people you rely on to get things done? Is it beneficial or harmful? Don't mention things like morality or ideals; just look at them as the kind of people Machiavelli described, and then think about whether they would support a 'land of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law.' To say nothing else, in France, you can see it too: who are the people most opposed to the 'land of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law' that you speak of?"

Napoleon was silent for a while, then finally spoke, "But, Joseph, they are not all Machiavelli. You know, we are also one of them." However, perhaps because he realized his own thought might indeed be a bit wishful, his rebuttal was quiet and lacked conviction.

"Napoleon, individuals and groups are different. There are individuals who betray their own interests, but there has never been—and never will be—a group that betrays its own interests," Joseph said. "Napoleon, if you want to change Corsica, that will inevitably lead to a redistribution of interests; that is launching a revolution. And since ancient times, in every revolution, do you know what the primary question is?"

Napoleon shook his head.

"Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This question is the primary question of the revolution," Joseph shamelessly adopted the thoughts of a great man as his own. "The many revolutionary struggles of the past that achieved little had many reasons for failure, but the most fundamental reason was the inability to unite true friends to attack true enemies. Revolutionaries are the guides of the masses; in a revolution, there has never been a case where the revolution did not fail when the revolutionaries led the way wrong. If we want to ensure we don't lead the way wrong and have the certainty of success, we must pay attention to uniting our true friends to attack our true enemies."

Napoleon lowered his head and thought for a while before looking up. The look of defiance in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a glimmer of yearning.

"Then how do we determine who our friends are and who our enemies are?" Napoleon asked.