The romance of steel and steam

With the support of Soybean, coupled with Napoleon's invention of the "Supply Anywhere" system, the French Army's logistical capabilities would crush any opponent in Europe.

There's a saying about war, "Laymen look at strategy, experts look at logistics."

Logistics is always the most important aspect of war, which is why from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Three Kingdoms Period, everyone loved to burn the enemy's Provisions at the drop of a hat.

The logistical advantages provided by Soybean were even more important than new firearms.

Joseph continued, "In times of peace, Soybean can be purchased in large quantities from farmers and stored in Strategic Grain Reserve."

What he didn't say was that in the event of a severe Famine, this stuff could be mixed into bread as a staple food.

Venio followed Joseph's instructions all the way.

When he looked at the thick stack of work schedules at dinner time, he couldn't help but feel exhausted.

He had thought that as the Minister of Agriculture, he would be as leisurely as before, urging people to plant Potato everywhere, but he never expected that the Crown Prince would have so many tasks assigned to him.

It seems my promise to Lady Laclos to take her on a trip to Spain is going to fall through...

Two days later, the convoy arrived in Nancy.

Since Venio has been busy with Potato procurement, northeastern France has practically become a "Potato breeding base," and as the Minister of Agriculture, he must pay close attention to it.

Joseph, on the other hand, went straight to the Industrial Development Zone.

This was his destination. To expand the domestic Cake, vigorously promoting industrial development was fundamental. A small portion of the profits from the Industrial Revolution would be enough to satisfy the discontented Noble Class. Historically, this was exactly what the United Kingdom did.

Even from a distance, Joseph could see several thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.

In later generations, this would certainly have resulted in severe fines from the Environmental Protection Department, but now it is a symbol of progress and civilization.

This time, Joseph didn't have anyone notify the development zone; he only informed the development zone's head Lamo, an hour before he arrived.

So at that moment, only Lamo, William Murdoch, Sander, and about ten other people were at the door to greet us.

Joseph and the others boarded a hand-cranked cart running on Wooden Railway, heading deeper into the park. Because this section was downhill, the cart was still going very fast even though there were only two people operating the lever.

Joseph looked around and saw that nearly a third of the park had been built into factories, which looked much more vibrant than the sparse buildings he saw when he came last year.

Lamo wiped the soot off his face with a handkerchief— God be my witness, he had washed his face before leaving, it was just from the coal smoke he had picked up along the way—and then eagerly introduced to the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, now more than half of the factories in the development zone have achieved standardized production, and production efficiency has increased several times over compared to before."

"The remaining factories, oh, they can still only be considered Workshop now, many of them are newly built, but they are all implementing Standardized Production."

"Our goal is to have over 80% of our factories achieve standardized production processes by the end of this year."

The attitudes of these factory owners are very different now than they were last year—they have witnessed firsthand the incredible efficiency that other factories achieved after implementing Standardized Production.

Efficiency can reduce costs and increase output, and that's the gleaming Livre!

For capitalists, no one can stop them from doing anything that can make money. As a result, the "Production Management Consulting Company" that Jean Sonnet previously built is now thriving, and the cost of standardization reforms is constantly rising. Employees are busy until dark every day.

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Lamo stood up and pointed to a large factory area on the west side. "Your Highness, look, that's Viscount Olivier's Ironworks. Oh, he later invested twice more, and now it has three Blast Furnace and four Reflectory Furnace. In the first three months of this year, it has produced nearly 24 million pounds of Iron Ingot, and it is expected to produce more than 98 million pounds this year."

"Furthermore, his steelmaking workshop has hired many United Kingdom technicians, and the quality of the steel produced now has basically reached the level of Birmingham."

He added quietly, "The only downside is that the cost is still a bit high..."

Joseph nodded. France's Steel Industry had lagged behind the United Kingdom's for decades, and given the scarcity of Iron Mine, it would be difficult to catch up with the United Kingdom in terms of costs.

He recalled that when he came last year, the entire development zone produced only 7,000 tons of pig iron. Now, Viscount Olivier alone has produced 98 million pounds, or nearly 50,000 tons. This rate of progress is truly astonishing.

It's worth noting that France's total pig iron production last year was only 120,000 tons.

With the support of the park's policies and the help of standardized production, this Ironworks produced nearly half of the national output last year.

Manager Lamo continued, "Including the Grigault Brothers ' Ironworks and several other smaller ironworks, the entire development zone should produce over 200 million pounds of Iron Ingot this year."

200 million pounds is nearly 100,000 tons.

The Nancy development zone has essentially achieved the total pig iron production of all of France in the past.

Joseph couldn't help but smile. If the Ironworks in Saint-Etienne and Lille were included, France's pig iron production this year would likely surpass that of the United Kingdom by a considerable margin!

Although the cost may have been higher than in the United Kingdom, the production of steel made the Industrial Revolution possible.

This is a very good start.

He then asked Lamo, "And what about sales?"

"Your Highness, we have recently laid a large number of Wooden Railway, which has consumed more than 60% of the Iron Ingot. Most of the remainder is sold in Paris and the South provinces, and some is also sold to nearby countries such as Bavaria and Württemberg."

Although the Wooden Railway are mainly made of Timber, they are covered with a layer of Sheet Metal to prevent wear and tear. In addition, iron is also used for rivets, joints, and other parts.

Therefore, if it weren't for the significant increase in iron production in Nancy, even the 20 to 30 kilometers of Wooden Railway around Paris probably wouldn't have been laid.

If Iron Rail are to be laid in the future, the amount of steel consumed will be astronomical.

Joseph suddenly remembered the "Hot-Blast Ironmaking" technology. Although he was not very clear about the details, he had at least watched some documentaries and understood the principle.

This is a powerful tool for increasing pig iron production, and it can be developed by modifying existing Blast Furnace without the need to build new Blast Furnace.

He immediately instructed Lamo, "Please arrange for the owners of several Ironworks, and their key technicians, to come see me tomorrow morning. It's very important."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After the trolley had circled the endless Ironworks area, Eman began to wipe the soot off Joseph's face with a handkerchief.

Murdoch, who had been waiting for a chance to speak, gestured to the factory not far ahead as if to take credit. "Your Highness, your United Steam Engine Company has tripled in size in the past year."