Misappropriation

Upon returning to Paris, Joseph immediately went to find Carnot. He was a frequent visitor to the Carnot household, so when he knocked on the door, the Carnot servants, seeing that it was Dean Bonaparte, let him in without even announcing himself.

Upon entering the living room, the first thing you hear is Carnot's cursing. "You idiot! Didn't I explain this problem to you yesterday? I just swapped X and Y, and you... You're driving me crazy! Ugh, I swear to God, I'd rather face an entire Europe army than an idiot like you! You really are..."

Now that peace has been restored for a long time, compared to the war years, Carnot has far fewer things to do, so he has a lot of time to stay at home studying and teaching his son.

Joseph followed the sound and went into the small study next door. There he saw Carnot standing next to the desk, his eyes wide with anger. On the desk were crumpled draft papers and a broken pencil lying on the floor. Carnot's six-year-old son, Nicolas, stood by the desk, pale and bewildered.

"Oh, Lazar, what's wrong? You shouldn't be yelling at a child like that." Joseph immediately began to criticize Carnot.

"Ah... Joseph, when did you arrive? Really..."

"Nicolas, come to your uncle," Joseph said to Nicolas first.

Nicolas immediately ran to Joseph's side.

"Lazar, you gave Nicolas the problem, but he couldn't solve it?" Joseph asked.

"Hmm, it's a very simple question... I just explained almost the exact same question to him yesterday... This kid, he's driving me crazy..." Carnot said.

"Let me see the question?" Joseph knew that Carnot's son was very intelligent.

Carnot then handed Joseph a crumpled piece of paper.

Joseph glanced down at him. "Lazar, how could you do this? You're giving a six-year-old a problem with two variables, let me see... Good heavens, it's a quadratic equation! Lazar, are you out of your mind? You're using a quadratic equation to torment a little kid, and you still have the nerve to yell at Nicolas? I have to be fair, I'm sure you couldn't have solved this problem when you were ten, or even twelve! Hmm... Nicolas, don't cry, Uncle will stand up for you, your father is outrageous! Hmm, Lazar, put your hand on your heart and tell me, could you have definitely solved this problem when you were twelve?"

"I already explained this problem to him yesterday..." Carnot's voice lowered, clearly a little guilty. Often, parents tend to have overly high expectations of their children, hoping they can achieve what they themselves cannot. In this respect, Lazar Carnot was clearly no different.

"What the hell! A six-year-old child who can understand this conceptually is already a genius, let alone with the skill involved. How is that possible?" Joseph said.

"Mozart was composing when he was five years old."

"That's art, not mathematics! Besides, who else in the world can do that besides Mozart? Does not being able to do what Mozart did make you a fool? Then what about me, and you— Lazar, you're even more tone-deaf than me, you can't even sing scales in tune—are we all fools? I think in terms of scientific talent alone, Nicolas is definitely better than you. He'll definitely get into the Academy of Sciences someday, and earlier than you. You know, you probably couldn't even solve this problem when you were 12!"

"But..." Carnot became increasingly embarrassed, "Joseph, I mean, your assistant, it seems, can..."

"My assistant?" Joseph was taken aback, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Lazar, I was wondering what was going on! So you've been provoked! Hahaha, Lazar, you know, some guys are truly unreasonable monsters. I was almost scared to death when I first met that guy!"

You know, this bastard, at 12 he was already questioning the fundamental proofs of elemental geometry, at 16 he derived the general form of the binomial theorem, at 17 he discovered the prime number distribution theorem and the least squares method, and at 19 he drew a regular 17-gon using only a compass and straightedge... Hmm, recently he's had another brilliant idea, which I wholeheartedly agree with, and we should have results soon. Just you wait and see, his new achievement will terrify the entire Europe mathematical community... Hahahaha, um, honestly, not being as good as that bastard is like someone studying music not being as good as Mozart, there's nothing to be upset about. Really, we shouldn't compare ourselves to those bastards, otherwise, how can we even eat?

Upon hearing this, Carnot glared at Joseph and said, "Joseph, you're a bastard too! Alright, what brings you to my house?"

"Ah, Nicolas, go outside and play by yourself for a while. Uncle has something to talk to your father about," Joseph said, patting Nicolas's head.

"Hmm," Nicolas responded and left.

"Nicolas, don't be naughty outside, don't cause trouble!" Carnot added.

Nicolas walked out the door, and then very considerately closed it behind him.

Joseph then walked to Carnot's desk, took a document from his briefcase, and showed it to Carnot.

Carnot lowered his head to look at the documents, while Joseph sat down in the chair next to him, crossed his legs, and waited.

After a while, Carnot put down the documents in his hand and said to Joseph, "Joseph, this is another invention that can change the world! Hmm, this also means that we can further reduce our military strength. Joseph, did you come to see me because of this?"

The military applications of railways are undeniable. They can rapidly mobilize large numbers of troops and vast amounts of supplies to key locations. If France and France allies possessed a relatively complete railway network, it would mean that within its coverage area, the France army's mobilization capabilities would far surpass those of a hypothetical enemy. This would allow the side possessing the railway network to deploy troops more quickly and establish a force advantage in crucial areas. Historically, during the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia relied on its railway network to rapidly concentrate its army and decisively defeat France.

The army's high strategic mobility also allows for a significant reduction in the size of the standing army. Previously, because troops from the rear could not reach the battlefield for a considerable period of time—as seen in the Battle of Verdun, where the Italian Legion called back for reinforcements took a long time to arrive— France had to maintain a large enough force to stand alone on any strategic front. This naturally meant a substantial army size.

However, with a railway network, the situation changes. Only one army can control a large area. This significantly reduces the number of troops needed. The money saved from reducing the army can be used for other purposes, such as training, equipment, and personnel benefits.

"Lazar, you're right. With this, we can reduce the size of our standing army and invest more money in military training, new weapons development, and the navy. Moreover, a nationwide railway network would greatly benefit the country's economic development, as it would significantly reduce transportation and time costs. For example, in recent years, the proportion of our military spending in the national budget has been declining year by year, but the allocation to the military hasn't decreased much. Considering the large number of soldiers we've demobilized after the war, in fact, the average amount spent on each soldier has been increasing every year. Therefore, overall national economic growth will certainly bring more benefits to the military," Joseph said.

"But we cannot easily reduce the number of troops until the railway line is completed. And you should talk to your brother about these things," Carnot said.

"Of course. But I have some thoughts that involve the military, and I hope to discuss them with you." Joseph nodded. "After all, the most important reason why the whole world is willing to trade freely with us these days is that they can't defeat us. Therefore, we must never weaken our military. However, railway construction takes time. Generally speaking, if it's entirely reliant on corporate investment, we will definitely only invest in lines that can recoup our investment in the shortest amount of time. I think Lazar, you should understand that."

Carnot nodded in understanding.

"Often, the most economically important railway lines are also the most militarily important. But that's not all. So there are some regions where, economically speaking, laying railways may not be very profitable in the short term, but they are extremely important militarily. If we only consider economics, the construction of these lines will be delayed considerably. This will also slow down the speed at which we can reduce military spending. So, I'm thinking, could we do this—have the War Department allocate a portion of its funds for the construction of these railways? Although these railways won't be as profitable as some others, they will still be quite profitable. The War Department can also gain some economic benefits from these railways. What do you think?"

"The army cannot have its own finances, Joseph, you said it yourself," Carnot retorted.

Joseph laughed. "Of course. But this money isn't given directly to the military; it's first given to the government, and then the government transfers it to the military. To put it more clearly, it's essentially the government cutting military spending a little over the next few years, but in return, it will increase military spending significantly in the future."