Novels online

Chapter 140: The True Devastating Weapon

France's current situation was such that merely being able to pay the interest was a blessing from God. As for the principal? Ha, that was unthinkable, even in dreams.

Joseph shook his head with a bitter expression, thinking, 'It would be great if all those banks that loaned money to the government suddenly went bankrupt...'

Besides debt interest, France's other major "bleeding point" was taxation.

The French government currently entrusted most of its tax collection to Tax Farmers. Each year, Tax Farmers would pay a lump sum to the government, and then they were free to collect taxes.

Later estimates suggested that the actual tax amount collected by Tax Farmers each year was more than one-eighth higher than the fees paid to the government.

Based on France's tax revenue of 500 million Livre last year, one-eighth would be 40 million Livre. All of that money went straight into the pockets of the Tax Farmers.

In reality, the Tax Farmers' profits were likely even greater than that; some statistics indicated that nearly 20% of the tax revenue was taken by them.

In other words, if the Tax Farmer system were abolished, the French government could increase its annual revenue by at least 40 million Livre!

Of course, implementing tax reform was also extremely difficult.

A very important reason for this was that Tax Farmers were also creditors of the French government. At the beginning of each year, they would pay the entire year's tax fees to the government upfront before commencing tax collection.

If the Tax Farmer system were suddenly abolished, it would mean the French government would go an entire year without tax revenue!

Joseph suddenly realized that neither increasing revenue nor cutting expenses was an easy task at the moment...

As he pondered, the square of Versailles appeared in his line of sight.

Joseph alighted from the carriage. A court official, sent by Louis XVI, hurried over from the carriage in front, a beaming smile on his face. "Your Highness, His Majesty said he is waiting for you at the Royal Workshop."

Joseph nodded his thanks to the official and headed towards the King's workshop.

As he rounded the pillar at the foot of the stairs, he saw a troubled-looking man approaching: Nicolet, the Census Minister.

Nicolet looked up, saw the Crown Prince, and quickly bowed. "It's been a long time, Your Royal Highness. May God bless you."

Joseph offered a polite smile, about to inquire about the signing of the Eden Treaty, when Nicolet, looking somewhat dispirited, bid his farewell and departed.

Joseph looked at Eman with a hint of surprise. "He seems troubled?"

Eman caught up with Nicolet's retinue, whispered a few questions, and returned to Joseph. "Your Highness, it seems Count Nicolet was... well, not performing so well during negotiations with the British. Archbishop Brienne admonished him for it, which is why he's feeling down."

Joseph nodded. It seemed Nicolet truly lacked diplomatic talent. Fortunately, the substance of the Anglo-French trade negotiations had already been settled by Joseph and the British Ambassador Hartley, so it wouldn't affect the signing of the treaty.

By the time Joseph reached the entrance of the Royal Workshop, the door opened from within, and a middle-aged man in priestly robes, with a broad, round face and thick lips, emerged, sighing and limping.

Upon seeing Joseph, the cleric paused for a moment, then immediately broke into a bright smile, enthusiastically bowing and greeting the Crown Prince.

Noticing the Crown Prince's puzzled expression, Eman quickly whispered, "Your Highness, this is Abbot Talleyrand of the Abbey of Saint-Denis."

Talleyrand? Joseph blinked. 'Talleyrand? The political survivor who navigated through the eras of Louis XVI, the National Assembly, Emperor Napoleon, and Louis XVIII, always landing on his feet?'

Talleyrand had served as the Archbishop of the Autun District, and later as Emperor Napoleon's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Louis XVIII's Prime Minister.

Whatever else could be said, in diplomacy, he was undoubtedly a master of the highest caliber.

Joseph smiled and nodded at Talleyrand, but before he could say more than a couple of words, Louis XVI's voice boomed from inside the workshop. "Joseph, is that you? Oh, my dear boy, I've been waiting for you for ages, come right in."

Talleyrand, understanding the cue, bowed and withdrew. Joseph stepped into the workshop and saluted Louis XVI with a hand over his chest.

Before the King could finish his formal greetings, he excitedly rushed over, seized Joseph by the arm, and practically dragged him to a workbench. He pointed to something covered with a blue cloth and asked conspiratorially, "Guess what this is?"

Joseph suspected it might be the completed Percussion Cap Musket, but he played along with an exaggerated tone. "Is it... a pile of jewels?"

Louis XVI shook his head triumphantly. "No, it's something far more precious than jewels."

As he spoke, he pulled back the blue cloth with a flourish. "It's the finest firearm in the world, developed by my dearest son and me!"

Immediately, two meticulously polished Percussion Cap Muskets, beautiful enough to be works of art, appeared before Joseph.

"Aren't you going to try them out?" Louis XVI gestured towards the firearms.

Joseph nodded, reached out, picked up one of the muskets, and examined it closely.

The barrel, trigger, and stock were largely consistent with the Charleville Model 1776 Flintlock Musket, indicating the use of proven components.

The most significant changes were to the firing mechanism and the priming pan.

The firing mechanism had changed from the bird's-beak shape of the flintlock to a hammer-like form. The priming pan was completely eliminated, replaced by a small, date-seed-sized cylindrical protrusion.

Joseph pulled back the hammer with a firm hand. Louis XVI immediately rummaged through a wooden box nearby and handed him a brass Percussion Cap.

Joseph looked at the Percussion Cap in his hand, then at the wooden box, where dozens more were casually scattered. He thought, 'Their safety awareness is terrible. Luckily, there hasn't been a fire; otherwise, it would have been a huge mess...'

He slipped the Percussion Cap onto the flash hole. Louis XVI quickly pointed towards an empty space in the corner. It seemed he had tested the musket there many times already.

Joseph aimed the muzzle at the empty space, squeezed the trigger, and a soft puff sounded. The musket wasn't loaded with gunpowder; only a slight wisp of smoke from the burning Mercury Fulminate emerged from the barrel.

From the feel of the hammer's strength and stability, Joseph could clearly tell that there was absolutely nothing wrong with this musket.

France's finest artisans truly wouldn't disappoint; he now had another devastating weapon at his disposal!

"Craftsman Louis XVI," however, seemed less than satisfied with his own performance. He muttered, "I originally thought it would be ready a month ago, but the issue of airtightness turned out to be incredibly complex."

He gestured towards the Versailles Palace waterwheel system outside the window. "If it weren't for that British Boring Machine you recommended, oh, and that Micrometer you invented, which helped immensely, this musket might still be leaking gas."

"You truly are the greatest master in the world!" Joseph praised, lifting the musket in his hand. "Without you, this musket probably wouldn't have appeared for decades."

Louis XVI squinted, pleased with the compliment, then whispered, "Let's go test-fire it in the woods east of the square; I often test muskets there."

Joseph, however, smiled and shook his head. "Testing muskets in the woods lacks atmosphere. Let's go to the shooting range and fire a few proper shots!"