Chapter 1220: Fervor
A black "Gem VI" carriage was crawling through the crowded streets of Paris.
Inside, French Minister of Transport Theresa listened to the sounds of instruments and cheers drifting from outside the carriage window, shaking his head helplessly.
Currently, Paris was like a grand festival celebration. Almost everyone had spilled onto the streets, either singing and dancing or gathering around street orators, periodically erupting in cheers.
Theresa recalled the last time there had been such a lively scene was when France defeated the Anti-French Coalition.
What he didn't know was that even the most miserly factory owners had given their workers a day off to celebrate properly.
The carriage was forced to stop as a parade procession passed in front. He overheard someone by the window saying, "I feel like a true, dignified person now!"
"I heard that managers won't be able to arbitrarily dock our wages anymore."
"Yes, Mr. Strang told me we could sue them in such a situation."
"What if a noble beats someone? My younger brother's head was broken by a noble lord just last month."
"What does that mean?"
"It means..."
It was quite a while before the carriage started moving again.
Theresa's assistant suddenly inquired, "Sir, I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intends to establish a parliament?"
The news had been released by Joseph; such a profoundly impactful matter naturally required prior preparation.
The Minister of Transport nodded. "Indeed. His Royal Highness intends to establish two chambers."
"The House of Representatives will be responsible for drafting legislation, reviewing budgets, and determining tax rates. Its members will be elected by all citizens over 20 years of age, who have graduated from a public school, or whose annual income exceeds 1,000 francs."
"The Senate will be responsible for legislative review, financial management, foreign affairs and military matters, and other important governmental affairs. Its members will be appointed by His Majesty the King."
Upon hearing this, the assistant's face lit up with excitement. "Excellent! Now those incompetent idlers occupying positions will be purged. His Royal Highness is truly a beacon of enlightened rule!"
Indeed, in this era, "enlightened despotism" was considered a tremendous compliment for a monarch.
More than two hours later, Theresa's carriage finally drove into Versailles.
In the Crown Prince's reception room, Joseph unrolled the railway line plan previously submitted by the Ministry of Transport and addressed Theresa, "Currently, all lines except for Nancy must be suspended."
"As for privately invested railways, if construction hasn't begun, all projects must be postponed. No new lines will be approved."
The railway from Paris to Reims had commenced operation a month prior, and its astonishing transport capacity and speed had shocked everyone.
Many people traveled vast distances to Paris just to take the train to Reims and back, simply to experience the sensation of 'flying.' Even a ticket price of 10 francs couldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
Consequently, railway investment rapidly escalated. In just over a month, tens of millions of francs had been poured into railway construction. Dijon, Bordeaux, Lyon, and other areas had applied for seven new lines, and numerous newly established railway companies were actively seeking funds.
While Joseph greatly appreciated this nationwide enthusiasm for railway investment, France's most urgent matter at hand was war.
Railway construction consumed enormous resources. If manpower and funds were entirely diverted to railways, it would severely limit France's potential military scale.
Theresa quickly nodded and made a note. "Yes, Your Royal Highness."
Joseph continued, "Furthermore, we need to accelerate the construction of the Nancy line. If additional investment is provided, when do you believe it could be operational at the earliest?"
Nancy was already close to France's northeastern border. Once this line became operational, the capacity to transport troops and logistics from Paris would increase dozens of times over, which was crucial for future counterattacks against Prussia and Austria.
The Minister of Transport pondered, "It could be completed as early as the end of January next year, Your Royal Highness. The cost would likely increase by around 3 million francs."
"Good, then re-plan according to that timeline. I will have the Ministry of Finance allocate the funds to you."
Joseph then traced a line with his finger from Nancy to Strasbourg. "How long would it take to extend the railway line further to Strasbourg?"
Nancy to Strasbourg was only 110 kilometers, but this final short section would allow France's railway to reach the middle and upper Rhine River.
"That... I'll need to conduct detailed calculations, Your Royal Highness," Theresa replied. "But I estimate, with sufficient funding, it could be completed by May next year."
Joseph declared, "You will receive the necessary funds. Please begin planning immediately. Oh, and the production of locomotives must also keep pace."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
Two days later...
Joseph had just finished discussing increasing production capacity with Garman, the head of the Royal Armory, when Baron Gottesheim, head of the General Staff's Recruitment Office, rushed in, bowing to Joseph.
"Your Royal Highness, we've encountered some trouble with recruiting new soldiers..."
Joseph frowned instantly.
Leveraging the nationwide fervor sparked by the Declaration of the Rights of Man, he had Denico conduct intensive "Defend France" propaganda, detailing the Coalition Forces' significant numerical superiority over France and urging the French populace to actively join the army to repel the Anti-French Coalition.
The figure he had given Berthier was to recruit 150,000 new soldiers, but his internal expectation was actually 200,000.
After all, historically, Napoleon could easily mobilize a 650,000-strong army—and that was after France had endured the Famine of '88 and the devastation of the Great Revolution.
Now, France had been developing rapidly, so theoretically, mobilizing 470,000 soldiers should not be an issue—200,000 in the directly commanded legions, 70,000 in local forces, plus the newly conscripted 200,000.
Yet, the Recruitment Office reported trouble.
Joseph looked at Baron Gottesheim and asked,
"What's wrong? How large is the shortfall?"
"Shortfall?" The Baron paused, then hastily waved his hand. "No, Your Royal Highness, there is no shortfall. It's that too many people have come to enlist, and the General Staff's training grounds and personnel are severely insufficient."
Joseph felt a wave of relief and asked, "How many people have been conscripted so far?"
"In the Paris region alone, 36,000 people have enlisted," Baron Gottesheim reported urgently. "The Recruitment Office can't even keep up with compiling the lists. Both enrollment points are now packed with people, and some have even been trampled. Many more from nearby provinces are still on their way to Paris."
Joseph was also taken aback.
After all, Paris currently had a total population of only 850,000, and the eligible men combined amounted to only thirty to forty thousand.
In other words, almost all the young men of Paris had come!
Baron Gottesheim continued,
"Do you think we could open the Army Officer Academy and the military technical schools to temporarily accommodate the registrants?"
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