"Bamboozling" the Jacobins

The next day. ☮♕ 💘ඏ

Paris, second floor of the Industrial Planning Bureau.

"So, your sudden departure last night was just because you wanted to resign?" Joseph looked at the three people in front of him, then smiled. "I'm relieved to know that your wound is not serious."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Marat leaned on his cane and bowed slightly. "And thank you even more for your trust. However, we have still decided to leave the Investigation Bureau."

Joseph paused for a moment, then said, "Could you explain your reasoning?"

Danton interjected first, "We don't want to associate with those filthy Nobility!"

Desmoulins added, "And, I don't want to work for the Royal House anymore."

Joseph was both amused and exasperated. Everyone else resigned because they couldn't get promoted or receive a raise, but these guys had just been promoted and were now quitting.

Hmm, but that's very Jacobin...

"I'm a little curious, what do you all want?"

Marat declared firmly, "We want to remain loyal to the France people forever!"

Joseph thought to himself, "This time I'd better get rid of these Radicals completely, otherwise it'll be a problem if they keep resigning every now and then."

Moreover, they are the opinion leaders of the entire Liberals, and if we can win them over, we can greatly reduce the hostility of Radical Liberals towards the Royal House.

He recalled the sophistry he had seen on various forums in his previous life, and thought to himself: These theories should be enough to deal with 18th-century issues...

"Loyalty to the people." He nodded slowly. "In other words, it's about making people's lives better?"

Marat thought for a moment, and it seemed logically correct. "That's right, Your Highness."

"So you're going to resign for this goal?"

"Yes..."

"Have you considered who will supervise corrupt officials like Necker after you leave? Or another group of corrupt officials? Do you think this will make the France people's lives better?"

Marat and the others were immediately taken aback.

Joseph immediately struck at the heart of their argument. "I believe your hatred of the Royal House is unfounded."

"No!" Danton, the youngest and boldest, immediately retorted loudly, "It is precisely because the Royal House indulges in pleasure, disregards the suffering of the people, and blindly protects the interests of the Nobility that the people suffer so much oppression!"

"Is that so?" Joseph countered calmly, "Will the people necessarily be better off without the Royal House?"

Marat and others were deeply influenced by Rousseau, and almost without hesitation recited Rousseau's quote. "Natural Rights, everyone is born free, and no one can restrict another's freedom, not even King..."

Joseph interrupted him, "Mr. Marat, if people are born free, can the rules set by those who came before them bind those who come after?"

Marat was about to say "no" when he suddenly stopped. Wait, if he couldn't, then wouldn't someone who had never participated in voting on social rules be able to do whatever they wanted?

If it were "possible," wouldn't future generations be deprived of their freedom?

Joseph smiled. "You see, the idea that man is born free is fundamentally flawed. Each of us, including the King, is actually not free."

Danton chimed in from the side:

Rousseau said that we need to establish a rational social contract, and then everyone should abide by this contract!

Joseph immediately countered, "What do you mean by 'reasonable contract'?"

No great thinker could answer this question until the 19th century. No, even in the 21st century, people are just trying. Marat and others, with only Rousseau's most basic theoretical foundation, were bound to get confused.

"Yes..."

Desmoulins hurriedly replied, "Yes, it's Parliament. The people have ceded power to Parliament, and Parliament sets the rules!"

"Parliament?" Joseph asked with a smile. "Once Parliament gains power, will it necessarily act in the best interests of the people?"

"Is there anything to doubt?"

"No, they only think of themselves." Joseph shook his head. "Look at the United States, what kind of land purchase policy has their Parliament formulated? They have to buy 60 acres at a time, no less. The poor? Sorry, they can't buy land."

"Or look at our neighbor, Switzerland. The rules of the State Parliament serve only the interests of warlords and wealthy merchants, making it easier for them to control the cities and take the last penny from people's pockets."

"I dare say that if something like this happened in France, people would have already gathered Versailles Palace to protest. The King would be cursed a thousand times over, and in the end, these policies would be changed."

"No, these are just coincidences..."

"Really? Take the United States Congress, for example. After enacting oppressive policies, their members go home to enjoy their retirement two years later, leaving the problems to the next Parliament. Of course, the next Congress does the same thing; they have no scruples whatsoever because Parliament is merely their tool. Only King truly cares about the country because he has no 'next term.'"

Marat and the others hesitated and shook their heads. "No, there's definitely something wrong with what you said!"

Joseph said, "Human social culture has always been an oppressive structure; this is a fundamental and universal reality. The King is merely a symbol and an archetype of this phenomenon, as is Parliament, and indeed any high-ranking body."

"The past we inherit may be narrow and outdated, and needs to be constantly repaired and improved. But everything in the past has also brought enormous benefits. Every word and every idea we have is a gift from our predecessors, and the foundation that supports our lives is also brought by our predecessors, such as technology, wealth, and opportunities. Therefore, it is unreasonable to simply regard the social structure as pure oppression. It is not that we can simply deny everything from our predecessors when we encounter problems."

"There are no enemies between the Royal House and the people. They can work together towards the common goal of France."

"That's right, France has many problems, such as the unreasonable privileges of the Nobility and the exploitation of the poor by the rich. We are here to solve these problems, but they were not caused by the King."

Do you think everything will be better without King? No, it will only get worse. The Nobility and the rich will simply change their identities and continue their hedonistic and exploitative ways.

"You were working for the Royal House before, but look at the people of Paris cheering for you. Isn't that more helpful to them than you saying 'I will be loyal to the people' a thousand times?"

Joseph paused for a moment, then finally said, "To be honest, I have actually been implementing His Majesty the King's reform measures all along."

"For example, the Public Notary Investigation Bureau is one of them. As you have all seen, there have been Police Reform, Taxation reforms, financial reforms, and so on during this period. There will be more measures in the future until all of France's problems disappear."

→

"Aren't you willing to join me in accomplishing this great task?"

A long silence filled the room. Suddenly, Marat withdrew the resignation letter from the table, took a half-step back, bowed, and said with a complex expression, "Your Highness, I hope to see a better and more just France."

As May arrived, the weather became increasingly hot and dry, almost like July and August in previous years.

The last time it rained was three months ago. Large swathes of trees have been withered and yellowed by the Liège, and large cracks have appeared on the ground, like thirsty mouths looking up at the sky, waiting for the sweet rain to fall again.

However, the vineyards in the Lacheze parish in eastern Bordeaux present a vibrant, verdant scene.

Although the sun was blazing overhead, trickling streams flowed through the furrows beneath the grapevines.

Just three hundred paces west of the vineyard, a bronze Steam Engine was rhythmically clicking as it pumped water from the Garonne River into the irrigation canal.

Then the water flowed along the dug channels, covering a full three and a half acres of vineyards, saving the grapes from drought.

That incredibly useful Water Pump was a mass-produced 15-horsepower Steam Engine manufactured by the French United Steam Engine Company.

Near the farmland south of the parish, a Steam Engine of the same model was working tirelessly to ensure the village's crops could survive the dry summer.

Next to the Steam Engine was a thatched shed, where two shirtless farmers were sitting, half-closing their eyes to cool off.

A short while later, a middle-aged man in a gray coat arrived with a group of carpenters. From a distance, he shouted, "André, Orol, are you slacking off again?!"

The two farmers hurriedly put on their shirts and jumped up. "No, no, Mr. Dietri, we've been watching..."

Dietri glanced at the Steam Engine beside him and exclaimed, "Do you know how expensive this thing is? A full 13,000 Livre! Without it, all the crops in our parish would be dried up by the sun!"

"If it is damaged due to lack of water or coal, I swear, I will hang you all from the parish bell tower!"

"Please, please don't be angry. We promise we'll never doze off again." André said, picking up a shovel and filling it with coal. Orol immediately cooperated by opening the boiler lid of the Steam Engine and letting him add the coal.

"See, that's perfect." Orol glanced at the boiler's water level again, then looked at the parish Stadtholder with a fawning smile.

Dietri glared at the two men, thinking to himself that he should send another supervisor.

A little over a month ago, looking at the parched farmland in the village, he was almost in despair.

Although the villagers drove horse-drawn Carriage back and forth to transport water for irrigation, the little water they received was hardly any help. If it didn't rain within five days, all the Potato planted in the village would die, and then the Wheat...

Just then, the Water Pump they had ordered arrived. They were purchased with a loan from the Agricultural Bank, which had been established shortly after the parish was founded.

Several technicians who came from Nancy completed the installation of the Water Pump in two days, then added coal and lit it.

Then water from the Garonne River was continuously pumped up, far more than 100 horses could carry, and in just a few days all the crops in the village were saved.

The parish Stadtholder Dietri, wiped the sweat from his brow and instructed André and Orol to help the carpenter unload the timber from the Carriage.

Looking at the wooden planks that were taller than a person, André grinned and asked, "Mr. Dietri, are you building us a cabin to rest in because you think we're working so hard?"

Dietri kicked him hard in the buttocks and yelled, "You lazy bum, all you want to do is rest!"

"This is to build a protective canopy for the Water Pump."

"A protective shed? What is it used to protect against?"

"I don't know," Dietri said casually, directing the carpenters as they dismantled the thatched shed over the Steam Engine. "It's the Governor's order. All Steam Engine, Waterwheel, windmills, and the like must be covered with sturdy wooden sheds."

He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked out over the vast wheat field. "God help us, let's hope we can get through this year's dry season."

In southeast Paris, a fierce-looking man emerged from the Celebrity Brothel. He casually waved to the thin, dark-skinned young man behind him and said in a gruff voice, "Take Viscount Donik back. When he sobers up, tell him I'll invite him over again after this deal is done."

"Okay, Mr. Imano. Thank you for your hospitality."

As soon as the young man turned and left, the drunkenness in Imano's eyes vanished. He strode to his Carriage on the other side of the Brothel and said to the coachman in a deep voice, "Quickly, to the Marquis's house."

The Carriage sped along, Imano was already incredibly excited. Just now, he had heard from the drunken Viscount Donik a piece of news that could make him rich overnight—about the person his boss hated to the core.

He didn't notice that a Carriage was following him at a distance until he entered Marquis Ludo's Villa, at which point it turned and left. Inside the carriage sat Viscount Donik, who had been completely drunk just half an hour earlier. He also had another identity: the captain of the Police Intelligence Division Operations Team Four.

Marquis Ludo locked the Study door before turning to Imano and whispering, "Is the information accurate?!"

The latter nodded repeatedly. "Viscount Donik's brother-in-law is an officer at the Bastille; he said it when he was drunk."

A cold glint flashed in Marquis Ludo's eyes as he repeated, "Leaving Paris at ten o'clock in the evening four days from now, right?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Very good, you did a great job!"

After Imano left, Marquis Ludo immediately instructed his butler to invite several luminaries of the Banking Guild to his home.

Still in his Study, the Marquis Ludo gritted his teeth and said to the group, "Necker will secretly leave Paris in four days, perhaps with Secret Police escort, but this may be our only chance to deal with him!"

Count Capeville immediately flashed with murderous intent, and he clenched his fists, saying, "No matter the cost, I will kill him!"

As the group was discussing how to proceed, Ludo's steward knocked on the door and said, "Master, His Crown Prince has sent someone to ask you to go to the Industrial Planning Bureau."

Ludo's heart tightened. Had his knowledge of Necker's whereabouts been leaked?

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out. Not long after, he met His Crown Prince on the second floor of the Industrial Planning Bureau.

Joseph waited until he bowed, smiled and gestured for him to sit down, then took out a document and asked, "I see from your bank account that you previously invested 2 Livre in the United Kingdom Automatic Loom industry?"