Chapter 173: City-Wide Manhunt
Murdoch intently watched the black machinery rumble before him.
Until the voice of Sander, standing nearby, cut through the machine's roar: "Pressure normal! Throttle valve normal!"
Murdoch's face instantly lit up with wild joy. He shouted, "Release the steam!" then embraced his assistants one by one in celebration.
A factory supervisor jogged into the test shed and announced loudly to Murdoch: "Mr. Murdoch, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You said that during testing, no one should disturb you unless God himself descended..."
"From now on, the Crown Prince and God are exceptions!"
"Oh, alright..."
After Murdoch and his team offered their respects, Joseph smiled and inquired, "I believe I heard sounds of celebration just now."
"You are absolutely the best steam engine technician in all of Europe!" Joseph immediately praised. "To have built the world's most cutting-edge steam engine in just over two months—my congratulations to you and your team!"
In truth, this steam engine was merely a replica of British models, incorporating many readily available components from the market.
Nevertheless, its performance was a significant step up from the best steam engines France had previously been capable of producing, and Murdoch's team had accomplished this while simultaneously occupied with factory construction.
Murdoch and his colleagues eagerly started the new steam engine, giving Joseph a demonstration.
Sander, his voice booming, declared, "Your Highness, with the successful experience of this steam engine, we can now begin manufacturing new High-Pressure Steam Engines."
Murdoch loudly chimed in: "Exactly! We'll crush the Watt Company's products in one fell swoop!"
Joseph pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Currently, a 15-horsepower steam engine already meets most needs. Our goal should be to sell more machines. Once we expand our product's reach, then we can consider technological upgrades."
Murdoch paused, slightly startled, then quickly nodded with a smile. "Your Highness is absolutely right; recouping costs is, of course, paramount."
Joseph shook his head again. "It's not just about making money. More importantly, it's about cultivating the market, allowing people to familiarize themselves with steam engines early on, and making them more willing to accept them. High-performance, expensive products will always only attract a small number of users. Affordable and practical products are the main driving force of sales."
Murdoch and Sander both nodded silently at his words.
Joseph continued, "Your primary goals moving forward are to improve the reliability of the steam engine, and then to make its design as compact and neat as possible, facilitating easier transport and installation.
"Additionally, you should provide various kits, for example, those that can be directly adapted to existing water wheels, automatic looms, and similar machinery."
He then looked at the black machine not far away and asked, "Mr. Murdoch, what is the manufacturing cost of this steam engine?"
"It cost approximately 13,800 Livre, Your Highness."
Joseph's eye twitched slightly at the figure—'As expected of cutting-edge technology of this era, the price is certainly steep.'
"After mass production, how much can the cost be reduced?"
"Around 11,000 Livre, I estimate."
Joseph nodded. "Then let's set the selling price at 13,000 Livre per unit."
"That might be a bit too low, Your Highness!" Murdoch immediately objected. "You see, the Watt Company sells similar steam engines for 17,000 Livre."
Joseph smiled. "How many units does he sell annually?"
"Typically 20 to 30 units."
"What if we could sell 80 units, or even more, per year? How would you feel about that price then?"
Murdoch's eyes widened. "Your Highness, if I may be frank, that sales volume seems rather unlikely..."
Joseph patted his shoulder and chuckled, "If France's wealthier parishes are willing to pool funds to buy a steam engine for irrigation, and mining areas purchase some for pumping water, plus the textile workshops in Lyon using them to power automatic looms—do you think we could sell 80 units?"
Murdoch hesitated. "Your Highness, those parishes have never bought steam engines before. As for the textile industry, you know, France hasn't yet produced automatic looms..."
"Don't worry about those. The government will soon issue directives to the provinces, offering low-interest loans to parishes for purchasing irrigation equipment. As for automatic looms, I will have British models acquired, and we will immediately begin replicating them.
"If even that doesn't achieve the sales target, we can implement a leasing system, lending out the steam engines for people to use, and gradually recouping the costs."
Watt's steam engines didn't see widespread adoption until the early 19th century, largely because their promotion relied solely on his company.
Joseph, however, immediately employed administrative means to help France's steam engine company open up the market!
With comparable technical capabilities, high sales volumes would inevitably generate more technical feedback, driving technological iteration.
Government action versus corporate action—Joseph believed that it wouldn't be long before French steam engines would begin to be sold back to Britain.
...
Less than a day after Joseph's convoy departed Nancy, they encountered messengers from Paris en route.
There were two groups, in fact, dispatched by Fouché and Archbishop Brienne, respectively.
The content of both letters was essentially the same: Necker had fled. While no official warrant for his arrest had yet been issued—the evidence provided by Calonne was still on its way—the Secret Police, Paris Police, and Police Intelligence Bureau had all been mobilized, launching a massive city-wide manhunt for Necker.
Joseph's brow furrowed instantly. 'I didn't expect him to escape despite such tight arrangements.'
He pondered for a moment, then wrote a letter to Archbishop Brienne, instructing him to order the Governors of the border provinces to closely monitor all exit routes, especially those leading to Britain and Prussia.
A few days later, upon Joseph's return to Paris, he found Fouché already waiting by the roadside.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince, Fouché practically bowed his head to the ground, vehemently blaming himself.
Joseph waved a hand, cutting him off, and gestured for him to get in the carriage. "That tunnel must have been dug before your men infiltrated his residence. It seems he was prepared to flee at any moment, so you can't take all the blame."
Fouché secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your Highness's clemency."
Joseph then asked, "Have you found any leads on Necker?"
"Not yet..." Fouché shook his head dejectedly, quickly adding, "However, I've stationed checkpoints on all roads in and out of Paris, set up lookouts in wastelands and thickets, and have eyes on all farmhouses within half a kilometer of the city. I believe Necker should still be within Paris itself."
Joseph frowned, considering. 'Or, should we have the Secret Police assist in a house-to-house search?'
Necker's "worth" amounted to hundreds of millions, absolutely justifying such a massive undertaking.
Fouché suddenly recalled something and quickly added, "Oh, Your Highness, besides the Police Intelligence Bureau and the Secret Police, there's clearly another group searching for Necker. The underworld even has rumors that this group is offering a 50,000 Livre reward for information on Necker's whereabouts."
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