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Chapter 1011: The King of Egypt

"Really? That is wonderful news."

Dalson realized something was amiss as soon as the words left his mouth. He cleared his throat quickly. "Ahem, I mean, you are doing this to bolster the prestige of the Janissaries. How could you say you are helping me?"

Muhammad Ali toyed with his coffee cup, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I have heard that if Austria defeats the Prussians, they will soon become powerful enough to pose a serious threat to France.

"The latest reports from the front indicate that the Prussians are struggling to hold their ground. At a time like this, an attack on southern Austria would force them to divert a significant portion of the forces they currently have deployed on the northern front."

Dalson was momentarily stunned. He was about to offer a denial when Muhammad Ali waved him off.

"In truth, I do not understand much of high-level strategy. However, Baron Memark is my dearest friend, and since he is a friend of yours, I wish to offer whatever assistance I can."

"I thank you on behalf of Baron Memark," Dalson said after a brief hesitation. "However, do you truly have enough troops? I mean, an army capable of actually affecting Vienna?"

Judging by Muhammad Ali's uniform, Dalson estimated him to be a mid-level officer in the Janissaries; he likely didn't hold much command authority.

"Rebellion is stirring in Greece," Muhammad Ali explained. "I have been appointed as the commander to suppress it. The Grand Vizier has placed eight thousand troops under my command."

Dalson was about to point out that this was nowhere near enough when the young officer continued, "However, I lived in Albania for a very long time. That was a major factor in why I was sent to Greece to put down the revolt."

Albania sat just north of Greece, less than a hundred kilometers away.

"I have deep connections with many of the Albanian tribes. As long as the incentives are right, their warriors are ready to follow me into battle at a moment's notice."

Dalson was delighted. "And what exactly would it take to 'incentivize' them?" he asked eagerly.

"Roughly nine thousand Sultani gold coins would be enough to get a thousand men to sell their lives for me. Oh, that would be about fifty-four thousand francs."

Dalson fell silent.

Given the fighting capacity of the Ottomans, it would take at least fifty thousand troops to make Vienna feel truly pressured. If they were relying on Albanian irregulars, they would likely need even more.

That meant they needed 2.3 million francs. Archbishop Talleyrand had only provided him with a budget of 800,000 francs, supplemented by certain political concessions.

He sighed. "I'm afraid I cannot produce that much money..."

The young officer shrugged. "It is only a million francs or so. Perhaps you could arrange a short-term loan through Baron Memark."

"A million? That would only cover eighteen thousand soldiers. Combined with your own forces, that is only twenty-six thousand men."

Muhammad Ali shook his head. "No, no, not that many. Twenty thousand in total. I must set aside some funds to purchase logistics and supplies."

Dalson shook his head in return. "But such a small force cannot possibly hope to shake Bucharest..."

The young officer exuded confidence. "It is enough."

"Last time, Lord Mustafa led an army of one hundred and ten thousand and suffered a crushing defeat."

Muhammad Ali locked eyes with him, his expression deadly serious. "That was because I was not the commander. Trust me, twenty thousand men are more than enough to throw Wallachia into chaos.

"Of course, if you could provide seven or eight thousand flintlock muskets, I would be even more certain of success. You know how it is—the Albanians are dirt poor, and most of them lack proper weapons."

Dalson stared back at him for several seconds before finally nodding. "I will do my best to prepare as many firearms as possible. However, this will take some time."

"I depart for Greece in three days, Baron. We can meet in Lezhe."

...

Paris.

A wooden stage had been erected in the Tuileries Palace square. Above it hung a red banner that read: Kerosene Refining Equipment Bidding Conference.

Below the stage, dozens of people in various styles of dress had gathered into four small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

At exactly ten in the morning, Count Chaptal, the Vice Minister of Industry, arrived with a dozen officials. The crowd fell silent instantly, their eyes turning toward him.

In a room on the second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Joseph watched the bidding site through a window.

Chaptal gave a brief nod to the assembly before stepping onto the stage. He produced a leather-bound document and began to read aloud in a booming voice.

It was the French Tendering and Bidding Law, passed just half a month prior. Joseph had specifically prepared it for this occasion.

In reality, the British Ministry of Supply had begun using a crude form of bidding to procure materials over a decade ago. However, their version was still in its infancy—the process was simplistic, and the subsequent funding and inspections lacked any standardized criteria.

Historically, it wouldn't be until 1830 that the British would begin to formalize the bidding process and introduce corresponding regulations.

This model was the government's best tool for leveraging private productivity. It not only allowed skilled private factories to secure large orders but also encouraged fair competition among manufacturers.

Most importantly, it provided a structural safeguard against collusion between officials and merchants. While such corruption could never be entirely eradicated, this system ensured that officials could no longer operate in the shadows based solely on their own whims. It represented a massive leap forward in administrative management.

Joseph had essentially copied the bidding systems of the future to create the first set of standardized bidding regulations in all of Europe.

Afterward, Chaptal's assistant read out the scope of the bid, the requirements, the evaluation criteria, and the core terms of the contract.

Following a rhythmic drum roll, Chaptal announced the formal start of the bidding.

Four factories in total submitted their bidding documents to the staff. Immediately after, the event moved into the technical presentation phase.

Typically, a panel of experts would conduct a preliminary review to understand the technical specifications of the bids before hearing the presentations.

However, Joseph already had a solid understanding of the principles behind refining kerosene from coal tar, so he opted to skip the document review step.

As the technicians from the first two factories left the presentation room, Joseph, sitting in the back row, began to frown slightly.

When it came to such cutting-edge technology, these two factories were clearly just guessing. They weren't even close.

The second factory, in particular, had proposed using centrifugal separation for purification. It was typical of the early Industrial Revolution era, where everyone seemed to rely on wild, imaginative leaps of logic.

Soon, the technicians from the third factory entered the room to begin their presentation.

Joseph glanced at the information in the bid. The middle-aged man on stage was a chemist named Philippe Lebon. He had been hired by the factory at a high salary specifically to research industrial kerosene refining techniques for them.

"After dehydration and desalting, the coal tar is injected into a distillation kettle for an initial fractional distillation at 170 degrees Celsius. This is primarily to separate components such as phenol and naphthalene. The specific technical details are as follows..."

As Lebon continued his explanation, Joseph's eyes finally began to light up.