Finale (1)

Although Napoleon's "horizon" was ridiculed by Joseph and Lucien, there was indeed no force in the world that posed a real threat to France at the moment. Therefore, Napoleon could consider some long-term measures.

"Mencius said that a country without outstanding leaders within and without powerful enemies without is easily doomed to destruction. Hmm, Joseph, that's what you told me, isn't it?" Napoleon said. "Now, we have met the first condition. Therefore, I intend to discuss with you our future direction."

Joseph was very satisfied with Napoleon's attitude and nodded, saying, "Napoleon, it's truly remarkable that you can remain so clear-headed at the pinnacle of honor. You know, many people, after achieving such success, would become so arrogant that they wouldn't know their own limitations, thinking they were no longer human but gods."

Although he received a rare compliment from Joseph, Napoleon remained unimpressed, scoffing, "What's so difficult about that? Am I the kind of person who gets carried away with a little success?"

Joseph and Lucien watched Napoleon silently.

"Well, perhaps I am a little," Napoleon said, "But you know, the government hasn't had much to do lately, so I've had time to go to the Academy of Sciences to fulfill some of my duties."

Members of the Academy of Sciences have a certain number of papers to review. The number is small, and even if they fail to complete them, there are no mandatory penalties. At most, they receive an internal reprimand. However, for Napoleon, such a humiliating reprimand was absolutely intolerable. Therefore, Napoleon had to complete his assignments. Normally, this would be done by the students at the École Normale Napoleon in École Normale Supérieure, who would simply sign their names. But recently, having some free time, Napoleon, who genuinely loved Napoleon, decided to do it himself.

Of course, to ensure there were no loopholes when reviewing papers, Napoleon habitually wanted to bring in Laplace to do the work. However, he discovered that both Laplace and Fourier had been invited to lecture in Italy. So Napoleon looked around and realized that only Monge was available. But Monge had already retired due to old age, and Napoleon felt that Monge's "CPU" (i. e., his cognitive abilities) had probably declined significantly. If he were to help with the review, it would be better to do it himself.

Finally, Napoleon approached the younger Academician Gauss. Although Gauss had been Joseph's assistant, Napoleon was certain that Gauss, with his mild temperament, would not gossip and tell Joseph about the matter.

Then, Napoleon was so utterly demoralized that he questioned his very existence. There was no way around it; Gauss was simply too freakish. In some cases, even more freakish Joseph. Yes, Joseph was certainly freakish, but he was spherically freakish; in terms of mathematics, especially in terms of reaction speed when facing mathematical problems, he was several Laplace behind Gauss. In many places, Napoleon had barely finished reading a proof, before he even had time to grasp the logical flow, when Gauss had already spotted the problems or imperfections and offered suggestions for improvement. And Napoleon, after receiving Gauss's suggestions, would often spend several hours trying to understand why Gauss made that suggestion, and the entire thought process and reasoning behind it.

"Sometimes, I encounter some difficult problems, well, that's normal, isn't it? So I go to Gauss, and my God, Gauss just glances at me and gives his opinions and suggestions. And his opinions and suggestions are always particularly insightful, particularly... how should I put it, I would never go to Gauss if I could avoid it; it's practically destroying a person's confidence. Joseph, although I'm not as good as you in mathematics, nor as good as Laplace and Fourier, I don't doubt my intelligence because of that. This inferiority is just because you put more effort into this area. But, but that Gauss guy, he's completely different. A normal human being, no, I should say, no human being could complete such complex thinking in such a short time... I even suspect that Gauss guy has probably already proven the 'Four Color Theorem' in his mind, but he just can't write out the whole process! Well, discussing mathematics with him, there's a kind of... a feeling of being crushed by another species. So, I strongly suggest that you dissect and study Gauss if you have the chance; I strongly suspect he's not human!" Napoleon said.

"You're right, Napoleon, I've always thought so too." Joseph sighed. "That man, he really is..."

"So, well, I do want to think of myself as a god, but just thinking about it, someone with such incredible mental abilities—it's unbelievable to me—if I'm a god, then what is he? Hmm, we'd better not talk about this weirdo. Let's talk about something happy. Lola's pregnant, the Roman Empire has a future emperor," Napoleon said.

"Maybe she's a princess," Lucien interjected.

"Heh heh, I'm happy anyway!" Napoleon decided to ignore Lucien.

"Ah, congratulations, Napoleon. Hmm, what are your thoughts on the future?" Joseph steered the conversation back on track.

"Me? I'm wondering what future endeavor could surpass my current glory?" Napoleon asked.

"There's nothing to worry about in terms of war going forward," Joseph said. "Unless you're planning an expedition to Russia, or you're planning to wipe out Turkey."

"An expedition to Russia, to wipe out Turkey?" Napoleon shook his head. "Compared to conquering Britain, neither of these things is particularly glorious—it's just thrashing a bunch of barbarians."

Joseph shook his head and said, "You're right. Compared to defeating Britain, the benefits of these two things are limited. Winning would bring limited advantages, and if something goes wrong, it would be embarrassing. Especially Russia, that place is too cold, and even if we conquer it, development would be very difficult. It's economically incompatible. Moreover, it's too big. Our army is no longer the same as before, and the logistical requirements are much greater. And the road conditions in Russia are a nightmare for our current army."

For some purpose, Joseph also specifically emphasized the difficulties and unprofitability of attacking Russia.

"I know, I had the guys in the staff make plans and study Russia a long time ago. Those damned Russia can't even build a road properly—but considering the permafrost, there's really nothing we can do," Napoleon replied nonchalantly.

To solve the engineering challenges of building roads in permafrost regions, especially seasonal permafrost, the Russia once sought help from the French Academy of Sciences. After studying the matter, the France simply shrugged and said, "We have no solution to this either."

As for railways, the Russia had negligible railway mileage, and more importantly, their gauges were not quite in line with Europe standards—supposedly a means of defense against potential Europe invasion.

"If the Russia try to intervene in Europe, we can easily defeat them, but invading Russia, at least for now, is a thankless and foolish thing to do." Napoleon finally dispelled Joseph's concerns with this sentence.

"Therefore, militarily, in the short term, or even in the foreseeable future, defeating Britain would be our military pinnacle."

"And what about politics?" Joseph asked again.

"In politics, the current pinnacle should be when I don the Rome crown," Napoleon said.

"No," Lucien said. "Your current political peak should be the implementation of the Civil Code. You know, in the history of the Roman Empire, and indeed in human history, there have been many emperors. But those who can be called 'legislators' are few and far between. Especially now, all the laws in Europe will use your code as their model. So I think, in posterity, this is your most glorious achievement. I don't think you can ever surpass it."

Napoleon glanced at Lucien. Lucien's earlier assessment of his legal code had made him quite pleased, but on the other hand, he was also somewhat suspicious. What was wrong with this guy today? He seemed to have ulterior motives.

Under Napoleon's gaze, Lucien actually lowered his eyes and even glanced at Joseph.

Napoleon then looked at Joseph calmly met Napoleon gaze. Then, Napoleon spoke first:

"I see now, you guys are in cahoots, aren't you? You keep saying we've reached the peak, are you trying to persuade me to retire?"

"Yes and no," Joseph replied.

"Speak like a human being!" Napoleon said, clearly dissatisfied.

"This is the most successful moment for France, and also the peak of your prestige. After this, your approval rating can only decline; it can never be this high again. People might even blame you because of potential future economic problems. You know, I mean it," Joseph said, looking at Napoleon. "So, at this time, if you magnanimously declare your intention to retire to preserve France democracy and ensure it remains a republic forever, then you will not only be a political giant, but also a saint of virtue. You will be a symbol of the entire France spirit, and in a sense, you will truly be..." "You are a god. In politics, anything that disagrees with you is considered blasphemous in France, and even the whole world. So, even if you retire, no one dares to go against your will. Your influence still looms over France, and even the world. If the government's policies succeed, the people will praise you; if they fail, your successor will be the one condemned. So, your retirement is not about leaving power behind the scenes, but about taking power and moving it behind the scenes. And moving behind the scenes, Napoleon, this is the path our family has long determined."

"But... but I feel like I could serve another term," Napoleon said.

"Napoleon, if you were to serve another term, are you sure you could still achieve such glory when you retire?" Lucien interjected again.

"I need to think about it some more. Also, Lucien, speaking of the family's original plans, according to the plan, you should have a legitimate heir by now, but you don't even have a legitimate wife..." Napoleon roared.