Chapter 146: Public Carriages and New Suspension System
Talleyrand immediately showed a look of pleasant surprise. "Everything as Your Highness commands."
Joseph nodded. "I hope you can serve as a diplomatic advisor and go on a mission to America."
"Yes, yes, I'm willing to go! Thank you, Your Highness!" Talleyrand hadn't expected such an Unexpected Harvest today, in addition to gaining the Queen's understanding.
In France at this time, after the Society of Jesus was banned, the Church had completely transformed into a department of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, along with some relief work. Although it possessed considerable wealth, it no longer held any real power.
Consequently, clergymen scrambled to secure government positions, as that was the true path to distinction. Archbishop Brienne was a prime example of such ambition.
For Joseph to offer Talleyrand a position with real authority was an enormous step up.
Naturally, Joseph also valued his diplomatic talent, and he needed someone with a knack for foreign affairs to step in after Vergennes was ousted.
He gestured for Talleyrand to continue forward. "I need you to go to America as soon as possible and unite with them to suppress the Barbary Pirates.
"Of course, they will need to pay a certain fee for this."
Joseph continued, "They currently pay over a million livres in tribute to the pirates annually."
"Yes, Your Highness," Talleyrand hastily confirmed. "Approximately 220,000 dollars."
At that time, the dollar was pegged to gold coins, with one dollar exchanging for roughly five livres.
Joseph nodded. "Plus the ransom for their kidnapped merchant sailors."
Talleyrand stated, "Reportedly, last year they paid over 130,000 dollars to redeem captured sailors."
"That totals over 1.7 million livres then." Joseph clicked his tongue. "We'll have them pay one-third of that, 600,000 livres annually, as a fee for the French Navy to assist them in combating pirates."
Talleyrand's eye twitched. 'Wasn't it the Crown Prince who wanted to eliminate the pirates? How did it suddenly turn into merely assisting the Americans?'
But he immediately displayed the professionalism of a diplomat, nodding solemnly. "That amount is entirely reasonable, Your Highness."
"And..."
Joseph truly wanted to reclaim the tens of millions of livres that Louis XVI had loaned during the American War of Independence, but that money was under an agreement, and the repayment deadline was still far off. The Americans had used French loans and supplies, along with the support of French troops, to drive out the British. Yet, after gaining independence, they immediately began Exchanging Flirtatious Glances with the British, severely undermining France's strategy to weaken its rival.
Recalling his father's excessive generosity, Joseph felt a wave of frustration.
He pondered for a moment before saying, "Have the Americans return the tens of thousands of Flintlock Muskets we supplied them with years ago. There was no agreement signed for these supplies, so we have the right to reclaim them. And make sure they include the corresponding gunpowder and lead shot."
The weapons supplied to the Americans back then were the latest model, the Charleville Model 1763. Those guns were still worth something.
Talleyrand's eye twitched again. 'The Crown Prince should go into the lending business; he'd definitely make a fortune.'
Joseph continued giving instructions. "Have the Americans ship these guns directly to Russia. They'll cover the shipping costs."
"Ah? Russia?"
Joseph nodded. "You will accompany the guns to Russia. I will send other senior diplomatic personnel to present a communiqué to their Empress, stating our willingness to ally against the Ottoman Empire. You will assist in diplomatic efforts to secure Russian support for our operations in the Mediterranean.
"Oh, those guns are meant to demonstrate our sincerity in supporting Russia's campaign against the Ottoman Empire. Of course, the Empress can express her gratitude with several million pounds of potatoes. Russia will cover the shipping costs."
The Russo-Turkish War? The Mediterranean? Potatoes? Even with his extraordinary intelligence, it took Talleyrand several seconds to connect the dots. He looked at the Crown Prince, his eyes filled with shock.
This series of maneuvers linked seemingly unrelated global situations, turning them into Joseph's advantage. And without spending a single coin, he had pleased the Russians.
What was even more incredible to him was that, judging by the Crown Prince's tone, these crucial national affairs would all be carried out according to his wishes.
'The Crown Prince wields such immense influence within the cabinet?!'
He quickly bowed. "Yes, Your Highness, I understand what needs to be done."
Joseph then smiled faintly. "If you can prove your capabilities during this diplomatic mission, I may consider promoting you to a more suitable position."
Talleyrand was so moved that he scoured his mind for every word imaginable, vowing his unwavering loyalty to His Highness and promising to devote all his efforts to fulfilling the Crown Prince's commands.
...
Inside a carriage workshop in Paris, Joseph pointed to a half-finished carriage, turned upside down, and addressed the artisans beside him. "Leave one spring here, and remove the others."
A middle-aged artisan immediately whispered nervously, "Your... Your Highness, these luxury carriages must have good suspension. If we only use two springs, then..."
Joseph smiled faintly. "It's fine, just switch to leaf springs."
The middle-aged artisan grimaced. "Your Highness, leaf springs are only used for common carriages. Their shock absorption is very poor."
"Are you referring to that type of leaf spring?" Joseph asked, pointing to a black carriage being assembled nearby. Two steel bars, a palm's width and nearly two meters long, were fitted to the underside of that carriage's body, used to support it and provide suspension.
The artisans nodded in unison.
Joseph picked up a pen and paper, explaining as he sketched, "That kind of leaf spring is too primitive.
"You need to stack four steel bars of different lengths like this, fasten them together, and then mount the wheel axle in the middle of the stack.
"Each wheel should have a set of these steel bars. Also, use medium-carbon steel... ah, that is, steel with moderate hardness and toughness. You'll need to test a few types and decide which one to use."
The youngest artisan's face lit up with sudden understanding. "That's right! If one steel bar isn't enough, use four. If two sets aren't enough, use four sets. That way, we can achieve much better shock absorption!"
The middle-aged artisan from earlier added, "We always used leaf springs to support the carriage body, but we never thought to apply them directly to the wheels. This way, when the road is uneven on both sides, the wheels can lift to different heights, reducing the carriage body's tilt."
Seeing that the artisans had largely grasped the principle, Joseph then instructed, "Please produce the complete Leaf Spring Suspension system as quickly as possible. This leaf spring suspension must be implemented on public carriages before Paris Fashion Week next week."
The carriages were already largely built; simply replacing the springs with leaf springs should be manageable within a little over a week.
Joseph added, "As long as you don't delay the public carriages, you will receive an extra two months' wages."
The artisans instantly grew excited, thumping their chests and assuring him they would complete the carriages on time.
A few days prior, after realizing the business opportunity in carriages, Joseph immediately spent over 100,000 livres to acquire a reputable carriage manufacturer in Paris.
The cost was covered by funds originally meant for building a firearms factory—Talleyrand, in gratitude for His Majesty the King's support in his promotion to Archbishop, had contributed 200,000 livres to help the King establish the factory. Thus, the funds originally provided by Louis XVI were "diverted" by Joseph.
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