Public Carriages and a New Suspension System
Talleyrand immediately showed delight. "I will obey your orders, Your Highness."
Joseph nodded. "I hope you can serve as a diplomatic advisor and go to the United States."
"Yes, yes, I'm willing to go! Thank you, Your Highness!" Talleyrand never expected that besides gaining the Queen's forgiveness, he would also receive this unexpected reward today.
At this time in France, after the Jesuit Order were banned, the Church had completely transformed into a "Ministry of Education" and a "Civil Affairs Bureau," along with some relief work. Although it possessed considerable wealth, it had little real power.
Therefore, the priests were all eager to get a government position, as that was considered a real stepping stone to success. Among them, Archbishop Brienne was the most outstanding.
For Joseph to give Talleyrand a position with real power was a huge promotion.
Of course, Joseph also valued his diplomatic skills, and it just so happened that after overthrowing Vergennes, there was a diplomatic talent needed to fill the gap.
He gestured for Talleyrand to continue forward, "I need you to go to United States as soon as possible to join them in fighting the Barbary Pirates."
"Of course, they will need to pay a certain fee."
Talleyrand suddenly understood why the Crown Prince had said earlier that "fighting pirates would only make money."
Joseph continued, "They must be Tribute the pirates over a million Livre a year now."
"Yes, Your Highness," Talleyrand hurriedly replied, "Approximately US Dollar 220,000."
At that time, the US Dollar was pegged to the Gold Coin, and 1 US Dollar could be exchanged for approximately 5 Livre.
Joseph nodded. "Add the Ransom for their kidnapped merchant ship crew."
"It's said they paid over US Dollar 130,000 last year to ransom the captured Sailor," Talleyrand said.
"That'll be over 1.7 Livre in total," Joseph clicked his tongue. "Let them pay one-third, 600,000 Livre annually, as payment for the French Navy's assistance in combating piracy."
Talleyrand's eye twitched. Wasn't this supposed to be the Crown Prince to eliminate the pirates? How did it suddenly turn into assisting the United States?
But he immediately displayed the professionalism of a diplomat, nodding solemnly. "This amount is very reasonable, Your Highness."
"Besides..."
Joseph genuinely wanted to reclaim the tens of millions of Livre loan that Louis XVI had provided to support the American War of Independence, but the loan was subject to an agreement, and the repayment deadline was far from approaching. Meanwhile, the United States, with France loans and supplies, and the support of the Army of France, had driven out the United Kingdom. However, after gaining independence, they turned around and began flirting with the United Kingdom, significantly undermining France's strategy of weakening United Kingdom.
Joseph felt a pang of disappointment at his father's extravagant spending despite his poverty.
He thought for a moment and then said, "Make the United States return the tens of thousands of Flintlock Gun they provided them back then. There was no agreement for these supplies, so we have the right to reclaim them. Oh, and the accompanying Gunpowder and lead Lead Bullet must also be brought along."
The rifles supplied to the United States back then were the latest Charleville 1763. These rifles are worth some money.
Talleyrand's eye twitched again. The Crown Prince should go into the money lending business; he could definitely make a fortune there.
Joseph continued, "Have the United States ship these guns directly to Russia. They'll cover the shipping costs."
"Huh? Russia?"
Joseph nodded. "You will also go to Russia with the gun. I will send another senior diplomat to deliver Diplomatic Note to their Empress, indicating our willingness to join forces against the Ottoman. You will assist in the diplomatic work to secure Russia support for our actions on this side of the Mediterranean Sea."
"Oh, those guns are meant to show our support for Russia's war against the Ottoman. Of course, the Empress can express her gratitude with millions of pounds of Potato. The shipping costs will be borne by Russia."
The Russo-Turkish War? The Mediterranean Sea? Potato? Even with his exceptional intelligence, it took Talleyrand a few seconds to grasp the connection between these events, and his gaze towards the Crown Prince was filled with shock.
This series of maneuvers connected seemingly unrelated global situations, turning them into an advantage. And without spending a single penny, they pleased the Russia.
What he found even more unbelievable was that, judging from the Crown Prince's tone, these important national affairs would be carried out according to his wishes.
The Crown Prince wields such considerable influence within the Cabinet?!
He quickly bowed and said, "Yes, Your Highness, I understand what to do."
Joseph smiled again and said, "If you can prove your abilities during this mission, I may consider promoting you to a more suitable position."
Talleyrand was immediately moved and searched for every word he could think of, expressing his utmost loyalty to His Highness and his willingness to do everything in his power to fulfill His Highness's orders.
Inside a Carriage manufacturing Workshop in Paris, Joseph pointed to a half-finished Carriage upside down and said to the Craftsman beside him, "Just leave one spring here; remove the rest."
A middle-aged Craftsman immediately whispered nervously, "Your Highness, this kind of luxurious Carriage must have good shock absorption. If we only use two springs..."
Joseph smiled and said, "It's alright, we can just use Leaf Spring instead."
The middle-aged Craftsman said with a pained expression, "Your Highness, Leaf Spring are only used in ordinary Carriage. They have very poor shock absorption."
"You mean those Leaf Spring?" Joseph pointed to a black Carriage being installed nearby. The carriage had two palm-width, nearly two-meter-long steel bars installed at the bottom to support the body and achieve a shock absorption effect.
The Craftsman all nodded in agreement.
Joseph picked up a pen and paper and began to draw, explaining as he went, "That kind of Leaf Spring is too primitive."
"Like this, stack four steel bars of different lengths together, fix them in place, and then place the wheel axle in the middle of the steel bars."
"Each wheel needs a set of these steel strips. And by the way, it needs to be Medium Carbon Steel... ah, the kind with a good balance of hardness and toughness. Try out a few different kinds before deciding which one to use."
The youngest Craftsman had a look of sudden realization. "That's right! If one steel bar isn't enough, use four. If two sets aren't enough, use four sets. That way, we can achieve a better shock absorption effect!"
The middle-aged Craftsman added, "We used to use Leaf Spring to support the car body, but we never thought of using them directly on the wheels. This way, when the road surface is uneven, the wheels on both sides can be raised to different heights to reduce the tilt of the car body."
Seeing that the Craftsman had a general understanding of the principle, Joseph instructed, "Please have the entire Leaf Spring System made as soon as possible. This Leaf Spring Suspension system must be used on Public Carriage before next week's Paris Fashion Week."
The Carriage is basically finished; if we replace the springs with Leaf Spring, a little over a week should be enough time to make it usable.
Joseph added, "As long as you don't delay the Public Carriage, you'll be able to receive two more months' wages."
The Craftsman immediately became excited, patting their chests and promising to complete the Carriage on time.
A few days ago, after Joseph thought of the business opportunity in Carriage, he immediately spent over 100,000 Livre to acquire a well-known Carriage Dealership in Paris.
The funds came from the money intended for building the Firearm Manufacturing Plant — Talleyrand had contributed 200,000 Livre to King King in gratitude for his support in his promotion to Archbishop. Thus, the funds originally provided by Louis XVI were "misappropriated" by Joseph.
(End of this chapter)
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