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Chapter 120: Turning Passive into Proactive

Chapter 120: Turning Passive into Proactive

As France's most important wine export hub, Bordeaux's very soul was in its wine trade.

The Royal Square, adjacent to the Garonne River — Bordeaux's main transport artery — was once the temporary palace of Louis XV. However, the King no longer visited, so the vast square and the palace beside it had been transformed into a marketplace for wine merchants and cellar owners.

Thus, people preferred to call it the Palais de la Bourse.

Here, countless volumes of wine were traded daily, subsequently dispatched across Europe, and even shipped far across the seas to America.

At that moment, fifty to sixty high-ranking nobles or their representatives were gathered in the main conference hall of the magnificent palace fronting the Palais de la Bourse.

These grandees shared another identity: vineyard owners.

They owned the vast majority of vineyards in the Bordeaux region, operated winemaking workshops, and controlled nearly sixty percent of France's wine production industry.

Three days prior, they had received an invitation from Governor Montsoreau. The invitation mentioned that the true convener of the assembly was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

A gentle melody wafted from outside the main conference hall of the Palais de la Bourse. The vineyard owners all turned their heads towards the entrance, where they saw Governor Montsoreau respectfully following a young man in a dark blue coat as they entered the hall.

Everyone knew it must be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so they rose in unison, bowing their heads respectfully towards the young man.

After Governor Montsoreau grandly introduced the Crown Prince and delivered a brief opening speech, Joseph, seated at the front of the hall, raised a hand to gesture to the assembled vineyard owners and declared, "Thank you all for attending this meeting."

He began with the usual platitudes about Bordeaux being "rich in history and abundant in resources" before getting to the point: "The main reason for gathering you all here today is to discuss the cultivation of potatoes."

A flurry of whispers immediately broke out among the audience:

"I knew it," someone murmured. "It's definitely about those blasted potatoes."

"They've been urging us to plant these things for over half a month now. Who knows if we'll lose money planting them?"

"Exactly. There's no risk in growing grain..."

"Let him talk. I won't plant a single potato, not unless he lowers the Land Tax."

"The Austrian woman even sent the Crown Prince. She must take this seriously."

"This is a good opportunity, then. We must unite and force him to lower the Land Tax..."

"No! It's got to be abolished entirely..."

Most of these voices were low, but a few intentionally raised their volume enough for the Crown Prince to hear.

Joseph smiled faintly, unperturbed, and continued, "In recent years, droughts have been frequent, and everyone's harvests have suffered greatly. Potatoes, however, yield abundantly and can quickly alleviate the food shortages caused by such disasters."

He scanned the room. "Therefore, I hope you all will heed His Majesty the King's call and plant more potatoes during spring sowing. Oh, the 'seed' potatoes should arrive in Bordeaux in roughly ten days."

As landed nobles, these vineyard owners held not only their vineyards but also extensive farmlands throughout the Bordeaux region. With their cooperation, potato cultivation could easily be scaled up across the land.

From the audience, a noble with an unusually upturned nose tentatively called out, "Your Royal Highness, might we consider a slight reduction in the Land Tax?"

Someone immediately chimed in, "Count Leudeny is right. Planting potatoes might lead to losses, so it would be best to lower the Land Tax to compensate."

"Please, first promise to reduce the Land Tax."

"Those are two separate matters," Joseph stated calmly. "If you have concerns about the Land Tax, you may present your suggestions to the Minister of Finance for review by the High Court. Today, I am only here to discuss potatoes."

At his words, the nobles all displayed expressions of discontent. A silence fell over the hall.

Joseph, however, calmly proceeded to enumerate the various benefits of potato cultivation, speaking for over half an hour. Finally, he concluded, "Very well, I understand that switching to an unfamiliar crop is a difficult decision.

"You may all return and consider it. I expect to receive a definitive answer from you here tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."

As Joseph finished speaking and prepared to leave, Governor Montsoreau hastily stepped to the center of the hall, cheerfully inviting the estate owners to a banquet, hoping to ease the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

Joseph knew perfectly well that he could have immediately presented his trump card, "Pasteurization technology," from the outset, and many estate owners would likely have agreed to cooperate.

However, doing so would make the landed gentry believe they had leveraged their refusal to plant potatoes to extort benefits from the Crown.

Therefore, on his journey to Bordeaux, Joseph had already planned to turn the passive situation into an active one, making the vineyard owners realize that cooperation with the Crown Prince would be beneficial, while resistance would only lead to losses.

After a rather dull banquet, Montsoreau again invited Joseph and the nobles to a ball hosted at his residence.

Fortunately, the noble ladies of Bordeaux harbored some awe for the unfamiliar Crown Prince, so Joseph was not "besieged" at the ball. Instead, he enjoyed the opportunity to savor some authentic Bordeaux wine.

Just as he endured the rest of the ball and was stepping out of the ballroom, a middle-aged man hurried up from behind.

Eman, ever vigilant, immediately intercepted him.

The man quickly bowed, placing a hand on his chest in a respectful greeting to Joseph from a distance. "With utmost respect, Your Royal Highness. I am Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud, serving at the Bordeaux High Court. Might I have the honor of a few words with you?"

Joseph found the name vaguely familiar. 'Vergniaud?' he thought. He suddenly remembered, 'Isn't this the renowned orator of the Girondins?'

Right, the Girondins got their name because several of their key leaders hailed from the Gironde province, and Vergniaud was one of them. Of course, the Gironde province was only delineated after the French Revolution; at present, there was only Bordeaux or the Aquitaine region.

Joseph recalled that Vergniaud was among the few Girondins who advocated for cooperation with the Crown, but he was unsure why the man sought him out.

He gestured to Eman. "Please allow Monsieur Vergniaud to approach."

Eman nodded and stepped aside.

Vergniaud hurried forward a few steps, bowing again. "Thank you, Your Royal Highness."

Joseph smiled. "How may I help you?"

Vergniaud glanced around, and seeing no other nobles present, he spoke with a solemn expression. "Your Royal Highness, forgive my presumption. In truth, you really shouldn't have come to Bordeaux this time."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Your Royal Highness, the grandees recently refused to plant potatoes, and you arrived immediately afterward. You may intend to resolve this matter before spring sowing, but it will only make the nobles believe you are desperate, emboldening them to bargain with you even more firmly."

Joseph blinked in surprise. 'It feels as if Monsieur Vergniaud cares even more about potato cultivation than I do,' he mused.

Vergniaud continued, "Your Royal Highness, I have heard news from Paris that a severe drought is highly probable this year.

"Yet those grandees will pay it no mind. They are wealthy; even the worst harvest won't affect them. Some are concerned that potato yields won't be as profitable as grain, but most are simply looking to use this opportunity to lower the Land Tax!

"But as you know, disasters have been frequent in recent years, and Bordeaux's farmers are already penniless, utterly unable to withstand another drought.

"I've been to Prussia; its people relied on potatoes to fight famine. Now, we, too, need potatoes. The farmers of Bordeaux need potatoes!"

Joseph was somewhat moved. He hadn't expected this lawyer to care so deeply about the suffering of the common people and be so willing to work for the improvement of their lives.

He nodded. "Yes, I have indeed come to persuade everyone to plant potatoes."

Vergniaud appeared very anxious. "Your Royal Highness, the vineyard owners have formed an alliance. Oh, I myself manage a small vineyard, and they approached me as well. They declared they would absolutely not plant potatoes unless the Land Tax was lowered."

"Are you here to persuade me to lower taxes?"

"No, Your Royal Highness, the Land Tax must not be lowered," Vergniaud asserted. "The nobility must fulfill its duties to the nation!"

Joseph looked at him with interest. "Oh? Then what do you propose we do?"

Vergniaud's expression turned somewhat bleak. "For now, the government can only provide funds as a subsidy for potato cultivation. Driven by profit, some will surely be willing to plant them."

'He truly embodies the compromising spirit of the Girondins,' Joseph thought.

He shook his head with a smile. "Monsieur Vergniaud, you must be aware of France's financial situation; there simply isn't that much money. Besides, it won't be necessary. In ten days at most, everyone will be clamoring to plant potatoes."

Vergniaud offered an awkward smile. "Your Royal Highness, you jest. Unless you lower the Land Tax, they will absolutely not—"

Joseph immediately interjected, "How about we make a wager?"

"A wager?"

"If, within ten days, more than half of the vineyard owners do not voluntarily plant potatoes, I will provide a potato subsidy as you suggested."

Vergniaud asked, "And if the opposite is true?"

"Then you must do something for me."

Joseph knew that Vergniaud was a skilled orator with excellent administrative abilities. Securing him would save Joseph a great deal of trouble.

Vergniaud hesitated for only half a second before extending his hand. "Very well, Your Royal Highness, as you wish."

Joseph clasped his hand, then bade farewell and departed.

Perhaps it was the effect of the wine he had consumed that evening, but as soon as Joseph returned to his chambers, he fell asleep instantly and deeply.

When he arrived at the Palais de la Bourse conference hall the next morning, he noticed that seven or eight fewer people were present than the day before. Naturally, these absent nobles had all found various excuses and informed Montsoreau of their leave.

Joseph remained unconcerned. He immediately began by asking bluntly, "So, who among you is willing to sign a potato cultivation contract right now?"

A silence once again fell over the audience. 'Coming here today was merely a gesture of respect for the Crown Prince; does he really still expect us to care about potatoes?' was the unspoken sentiment.

Vergniaud immediately rose and declared, "Your Royal Highness, I am willing to plant 65 hectares."

He was merely a lawyer with some personal assets, and this was the extent of his arable land.

Then, several other vineyard owners who had good relations with Vergniaud responded, "Your Royal Highness, I too can sign a contract for 104 hectares."

"I can plant 78 hectares as well."

Joseph nodded with satisfaction, then scanned the room once more. "Anyone else?"

The vineyard owners cast disgruntled glances at Vergniaud and the others, but under the Crown Prince's persistent questioning, they felt compelled to make at least a token commitment to save face.

Someone hesitantly murmured, "I'll plant 5.2 hectares."

A qing was typically 100 French mu; therefore, this commitment was less than half a qing.

Other nobles quickly followed suit. "Then I'll plant 6.5 hectares."

"I'll plant 5.2 hectares."

"I'll take 3.9 hectares..."

Joseph watched them make their reluctant commitments, then suddenly announced, "Oh, right, I've been so preoccupied with potatoes that I almost forgot something else."

He gestured to Eman, who immediately had documents distributed to the assembled nobles.

Joseph continued, "This is the 'French Brewing Technology Association' I've been planning, to facilitate the exchange of brewing techniques among you. The papers in your hands detail some of the new technologies currently held by the association."

The estate owners in the audience were instantly filled with questions. 'Why the sudden shift to winemaking? And what is this "technology association"?' they wondered.

However, as they began to flip through the documents in their hands, their eyes widened with each passing moment.

Someone couldn't help but exclaim, "A new technology that reduces brewing failure rates to negligible levels?! How is this possible?"

Another chimed in, "And this technology can eliminate sourness from the wine, increasing its quality manifold!"

"Good heavens! And it extends preservation time by more than tenfold!"

The vineyard owners immediately erupted into discussions, their voices growing louder and louder.

Vergniaud was equally astonished. He, too, had a winemaking operation and was quite familiar with the craft.

First and foremost, winemaking was never without its failures. To maintain a failure rate below ten percent was the mark of a truly master vintner. Generally, a thirty percent failure rate for wine production was considered acceptable.

Even more unimaginable was a technology that could eliminate sourness from wine.

It was well known that the presence or absence of sourness was a crucial indicator of a wine's quality.

Wines of ordinary quality always carried a slight sourness, affecting their taste. Only higher-end wines could achieve an almost undetectable sourness.

In other words, this technology could elevate all wines produced to premium quality!

And the price difference between ordinary and premium quality wines could be more than tenfold!

Someone immediately rose in excitement, holding up the document in their hand and asking Joseph, "Your Royal Highness, are these technologies truly real?"

Joseph smiled and nodded. "Of course, they are real. Patents have already been filed at the Paris Patent Office, and they should be registered before long."

An elderly vineyard owner voiced his suspicion, "Your Royal Highness, forgive my frankness, but I have been in the winemaking business for decades and have never heard of any technology like this. This couldn't be..."

Joseph looked at the nobles, who were now waiting anxiously, and immediately rose. "Whose wine cellar is closest to here? I can give you a live demonstration."

...

Arsen Wine Cellar, northern suburbs of Bordeaux.

Although it was now winter, this cellar still contained grapes that had undergone special fumigation and then dried for storage, ready to be used for winemaking.

Before long, the craftsmen placed several barrels of already pulped grapes and winemaking water before Joseph.

Joseph then requested a heating stove and large wooden buckets, gesturing for the surrounding vineyard owners to step away for a moment.

Once Clauzel had 'escorted' everyone out, Joseph immediately had Eman help him fill a large pot with water and place it on the stove to boil.

Once the water boiled, he mixed cold and boiling water into a large wooden tub, then used the thermometer he had brought to measure the temperature until it reached precisely 65 degrees Celsius.

He then placed the smaller bucket containing the grape pulp into the large wooden tub, started a timer, and continuously monitored the temperature. As soon as the water temperature dropped, he immediately added hot water, ensuring the grape pulp consistently stayed above 60 degrees Celsius.