Lure the Tiger from the Mountain

Napoleon dismissed the enticements offered by certain scientists, or more precisely, by the group at the École Normale Supérieure.

"You're all cowards, each one of you terrified of Joseph. Seriously, who among you could withstand Joseph's pressure? You made this suggestion at the Academy of Sciences, and Joseph immediately vetoed it, and then... Honestly, some people call me a 'poisonous minister,' but within the Academy of Sciences, Joseph's 'poisonous minister' level far surpasses mine! I'm at most as 'poisonous' as the Sun King —no, not even that far. I'm at most as 'poisonous' as Octavian. But Joseph, within the Academy of Sciences, is at least as 'poisonous' as Nero, or even Sultan Mehmed II."

The moment he glares at you, your hearts pound; the moment he says something is wrong, you immediately declare that you've truly made a mistake. Even Sir Newton never dared to be so vehemently critical of me at the Academy of Sciences of Britain. You've made similar suggestions before, but what good did they do? Joseph rejects them, and not one of you dares to argue with him! Don't even think about trying to fool me with this trick again!"

"Ah, Your Majesty, you can't say that about us. This matter isn't entirely our fault," Laplace said first.

"If it's not your fault, is it mine?" Napoleon said.

"This..." Laplace fell silent.

"Your Majesty, you also bear some responsibility for this," Monge suddenly spoke up. "You yourself were too quick to back down when facing your brother. As for us, you should know that we are not weak people, but Dean Bonaparte is always right, always right, which puts immense pressure on us. Don't even mention us, look at Mr. Carnot. Mr. Carnot isn't afraid of Dean Bonaparte; he's Dean Bonaparte's former superior, and many times, he's the only one who disciplines Dean Bonaparte. But in matters concerning the Academy of Sciences, have you ever seen Mr. Carnot argue with Dean Bonaparte? Your Majesty, you yourself can't handle it, how can you expect us to be able to?"

"If I had your scientific achievements, I could certainly handle it!" Napoleon spoke the truth.

"Your Majesty, it's not that there's really no way," Laplace suddenly said.

"What? You're not planning to risk everything and fight Joseph head-on, are you? Ah, Mr. Laplace, I'm so touched. Don't worry, we'll all remember your contribution," Napoleon said, pursing his lips.

"Your Majesty, you are a great military strategist. If a position is too fortified and there is no hope of taking it, then we shouldn't foolishly charge into it. Moreover, this position is defended by the iron wall of France. Mr. Laplace means that we should use a roundabout approach."

"How do we take a roundabout approach?" Napoleon asked.

"As long as President Bonaparte is still exercising his powers, nothing we do will make a difference," Laplace said. "However, if we can find a reason to have President Bonaparte temporarily leave the Academy of Sciences ... for example, we could invite some members of the Academy of Sciences of Britain to visit France. Then, naturally, we would have to return the visit, and if the president of the British Academy comes, then President Bonaparte, as the president of the Academy of Sciences, would naturally have to go with us. Or, we could have the Confederation of the Rhine invite us to conduct scientific outreach and lecture around Europe, and as a political necessity, President Bonaparte could lead the delegation. Then, while President Bonaparte is away, we could suddenly convene a meeting and quickly pass a resolution. That way, when President Bonaparte returns, His Majesty will already be an academician of the Academy of Sciences."

"You wish. Joseph will pass on these kinds of trips to Dean Lavoisier. Dean Lavoisier will be more than happy to oblige," Napoleon said. He knew Joseph too well; Joseph had never been very interested in such things, while Lavoisier, who had now basically retired from the front lines of research, had become quite enthusiastic about these kinds of gigs.

"This is not a problem, Your Majesty," Monge said. "In fact, this is precisely where we can exploit it. We can first make contact with foreign countries about these matters, and of course, to lull Dean Bonaparte into a false sense of security, we can arrange for Dean Lavoisier to lead the delegation in the plan..."

Napoleon frowned. "You mean, we agree that Mr. Lavoisier will go first, and then when the time is almost up, we'll say that Mr. Lavoisier is ill, and then Joseph will take his place at the last minute? Hmm, as long as there's money, persuading Mr. Lavoisier isn't difficult. And within the Academy of Sciences, Mr. Lavoisier is one of the few who isn't afraid of Joseph. That's a plan! We could even have Mr. Lavoisier chair the subsequent meetings after Joseph leaves the country. That way, even if Joseph returns, out of respect for Mr. Lavoisier, he'll have no choice but to accept the outcome."

At this point, Napoleon became pleased. He stood up, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Gentlemen, this is a good idea. But I must remind you that the most important thing for this to succeed is secrecy. Do not let a word leak out. I warn you, Joseph is not only a scientific genius, but also a military genius. He is also very skilled in intelligence work. Many commercial intelligence reports ultimately have to be judged by him. Do not let him see through anything. Hmm, if you are not good at these kinds of activities, I will have Lucien contact you..."

The next morning, Napoleon summoned Lucien and discussed the matter with him for a long time. After bribing his brother with many gifts, Lucien then made this suggestion to him.

"First, we decided that Dean Lavoisier would lead the group. Then, well, Napoleon, you know, this kind of thing is a government-funded trip. My sister-in-law is Mr. Lavoisier's niece, and Mr. Lavoisier has always been very fond of our little Alice. Mr. Lavoisier suggested that we take little Alice out for a trip as well. I think Joseph definitely won't object. He'll probably even support it. Then we'll help my sister-in-law prepare things for little Alice's trip. After everything is ready, we'll have Mr. Lavoisier suddenly fall ill. Then, well, you know, Joseph dotes on his precious daughter. As long as Alice insists on going, how could he disagree? And if Mr. Lavoisier can't go, who will he trust to take care of Alice? It can't be Pauline, can it?"

"Pauline, not to mention my brother, even I am worried," Napoleon said.

"Yes, then my brother was even more worried, so he had no choice but to take her there himself, right?" Lucien said smugly. "That solved the problem, didn't it?"

"Indeed." Napoleon nodded, reaching out to pat Lucien on the shoulder. "Lucien, you've improved a lot! Really, much better than before."

"However, Mr. Lavoisier and the others must undergo some training to avoid giving themselves away. You know how cunning that Joseph fellow is," Lucien said.

"Indeed! Joseph is truly cunning," Napoleon agreed. At the same time, both brothers suddenly recalled the times they had been tricked by "cunning Joseph," and they couldn't help but shudder.