Chapter 201: Contending for North Africa
On the eastern edge of the hall, Alvin, the British newspaper merchant, watched Lavoisier approach the front platform. He nudged the listless young man beside him and whispered, "Clark, the bigshot's here. Record everything carefully, don't miss a single word!"
Yes, this was the same Alvin who had come to Paris to cover Fashion Week earlier in the year. After returning home, he sold all his property, took a risk, and bought the authorization for the Paris Business Journal, translating Battle Through the Heavens and Ladies, Please Stop into English for sale. Within just a few months, he made a fortune. He then acquired a small newspaper company and became its owner.
This time, he had come to negotiate with the Paris Business Journal about purchasing authorization for other novels, but he happened to stumble upon France's grand announcement of its measurement standards, so he rushed over with his reporters to cover it.
"Oh, yes, boss!"
Clark straightened up with a jolt, ready to record diligently. Then he saw the Frenchman named Lavoisier raise both hands, passionately exclaiming, "First, let us give our thanks to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince! It was his unwavering support that drove the standardization of measurements in France..."
Clark jotted down these words in his notebook, but inwardly, he felt a surge of disdain. 'These people certainly know how to flatter the royal family.'
He glanced around the elaborately decorated hall and muttered softly in English, "The French are so extravagant. They're just announcing a few units of measurement, yet they put on such a huge display."
Alvin shot him a glare and said gravely, "Put aside your pathetic ignorance. This isn't just about a few units of measurement; it's a magnificent creation of scientific civilization!"
On stage, Lavoisier had an assistant push out a glass case containing a copper rod and announced excitedly, "Everyone, please observe! This is the prototype for the standard unit of length, the 'meter'. It is defined as 'one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, measured along the meridian passing through Paris'..."
As Lavoisier finished and thunderous applause erupted from the audience, Alvin patiently began to explain to his employee, "Do you know why they made the definition of the unit so complicated?"
"Well..." Clark scratched his head. "To make themselves look impressive?"
Alvin interrupted him, "Such a definition can yield exactly the same results anywhere in the world. This means that whether you're British, French, or from North America, even if you're tens of thousands of miles apart, you can use the same units for measurement and calculation.
"Do you know what this means? It means that scientific theories across the globe can be described using the same 'technical language'. From this point on, human science and technology will advance towards perfection and unification!"
As an idealist, Alvin's focus was on matters like 'global science', but in reality, standardized measurements were even more crucial for the development of national industry and commerce.
For instance, baskets made in northern France couldn't be sold in the south because southerners wanted to load three 'mun' of grain at a time, while northern baskets could only hold a precise 'ounce'.
At this time, there were over 800 common units of measurement across France, and tens of thousands more with smaller applications. This led to additional restrictions on the circulation of goods between regions.
Even worse, in the realm of industrial production, not to mention between two cities, even if two workshops were just across the street from each other, screws manufactured by one couldn't be used by the other. How could anyone even talk about building an industrial chain then?
Unified units of measurement were the fundamental basis for connecting the arteries of industry and commerce.
Clark's eyes widened at his boss's explanation; only then did he understand why the French were making such a grand spectacle of this standardized measurement system.
Immediately after, Lavoisier had a pure platinum weight, encased in a glass dome, brought out and loudly declared it to be the prototype for the standard unit of mass, the 'kilogram'...
A week later, newspapers across almost all of Europe were reporting on the measurement standards established by the French Standardization Committee. The academic communities in various countries were all deeply impressed. As for whether to support France's standard units or create their own, governments across Europe were fiercely divided.
European countries hadn't yet noticed at this point that from the Paris Fashion Week at the beginning of the year, to Louis XVI's birthday celebration, and now this announcement of measurement standards, France had consistently held the core of international news topics.
...
Barbary Sea.
Two British armed merchant ships, escorted by two frigates, were sailing under half-sail, approaching Mitidja in Algiers.
In the bow cabin of the frigate 'Robinson', the Duke of Leeds was looking through a porthole with a telescope at the grayish-yellow coast illuminated by the distant scorching sun.
There was a fortress there. At that moment, countless figures were busily moving about on it.
He knew British engineers were directing artisans to reinforce the gun emplacements.
As they drew closer, the Duke of Leeds could clearly see that the gun emplacements were largely complete. A British-made 24-pounder cannon, secured to dozens of thick cables, was being dragged up to the fortress by hundreds of Algerian slaves.
"Heh heh, I really want to see the Frenchmen's astonished expressions when they're suddenly bombarded by these heavy cannons."
He chuckled, lowering his telescope, and said to Stuart, the new British consul in Algiers, who stood nearby, "The French meddling in North Africa under the guise of combating pirates is indeed a clever move. Russia has even sent us several diplomatic notes, stating that France's actions also help protect Russian maritime trade."
Stuart nodded with a smile, "Indeed, Your Grace. It's just that the French have forgotten our close trade relations with the Ottoman Empire. These Frenchmen are decent enough with fashion and jewelry, but when it comes to strategy, they're still a bit lacking."
The ship slowly came to a halt, and the Duke of Leeds, led by the captain, walked towards the deck, but his mind couldn't help but recall the meeting at 10 Downing Street three months prior.
It had been a bright, clear day, much like today...
"Mr. Fox has finally remained silent." The 29-year-old British Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, indicated the sofa before him with a pleased expression. "Please, have a seat, Duke of Leeds, General Jervis."
Parliament had just approved his special appropriation for the situation in North Africa, and he was naturally in high spirits.
He gestured for servants to bring tea and pastries, then pointed to the not-so-spacious office and complained to the two men, "It's truly difficult to get Parliament to allocate funds, wouldn't you agree? Look around, there isn't even a proper conference room here. We have to discuss matters in this cramped space."
General Jervis settled into his seat and immediately asked, "Mr. Pitt, the report you submitted to Parliament this morning — ah, the one about the rising food prices — is it truly related to the French? I haven't heard a single thing."
Pitt smiled. "To be precise, it's highly likely. However, those individuals are extremely cunning and left no discernible traces.
"I also stumbled upon it by chance in a report from the Dublin intelligence department, which stated that at the beginning of the year, some Irishmen helped two grain merchants purchase a large quantity of grain, amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling."
The Dublin intelligence department he referred to was specifically responsible for countering Irish rebel forces and was considered one of the British government's most capable intelligence agencies.
At this time, the British Empire was nothing like the future global intelligence progenitor; MI6, Scotland Yard, and the like had not yet emerged. At this point, the British, having embraced liberal ideas relatively early, were highly resistant to government intelligence agencies, resulting in their intelligence capabilities being quite ordinary compared to other powerful nations.
Pitt continued, "You see, those Irishmen have always had an unclear association with the French, so I grew suspicious and commissioned Lloyd's of London to investigate further.
"And they did indeed uncover some things. For example, British grain merchants reported that the people purchasing the grain often spoke French in private and had paid them in livres. Furthermore, France had suffered a severe harvest failure and was desperately in need of grain.
"In short, the investigation concluded that the French were likely responsible for the fluctuations in our grain market."
This year, Britain had also suffered a severe drought, leading to a significant reduction in grain production. However, Britain had been a grain exporter for several decades and had a considerable amount of grain stockpiled domestically. Coupled with its convenient river transport system, it wasn't expected to face famine.
To Pitt's surprise, when he tried to allocate grain to the affected areas, he discovered that people had been buying up large quantities of grain since the beginning of the year, even depleting the reserves of many cities!
When the news broke, grain prices in the British market surged instantly. Although the government strictly controlled grain prices, it had no sway over prices in private transactions, much like the trick Parisian bakers had used before.
Seeing that some severely affected areas in Britain were on the verge of unrest due to lack of food, Pitt reluctantly had to stabilize grain prices through government subsidies. Although this ultimately prevented riots, it resulted in a loss of 500,000 to 600,000 pounds sterling.
At the current exchange rate, that amounted to a staggering 14 million livres!
Fox and other members of the opposition party seized on this incident to relentlessly attack Pitt, causing him immense embarrassment.
The Duke of Leeds heard this and chuckled, "From what you're saying, it sounds as if the French knew they would suffer a poor harvest this year. However, the exact truth doesn't really matter; this incident can be used to gain Parliament's support for your special appropriation bill."
Pitt gave him an approving look. "Exactly. Once Parliament learned that the French had caused the grain price fluctuations, no one opposed the appropriation anymore."
The Duke of Leeds nodded. "Those fellows in Parliament simply don't understand the gravity of the French 'exterminating pirates' with such fanfare!
"If they use this to seize control of North Africa, it will largely compensate for the colonies they lost in America.
"Remember how many soldiers and how much money we lost in the Seven Years' War for those colonies. Yet, those like Fox are willing to let France make a move on North Africa for a mere appropriation."
Pitt said, "Thankfully, we've secured the appropriation now. 500,000 pounds sterling isn't a small sum."
"Unfortunately, we have to consider Russia's stance," General Jervis said, frowning and shaking his head. "We can't send troops directly to North Africa."
"Send troops?" The Duke of Leeds subtly rolled his eyes at him. "No, that's not our sphere of influence either, and it's too close to Spain and France. Supporting local forces is already the best option."
Pitt nodded and looked at Jervis, saying, "General, from your professional perspective, where do you think the French are truly aiming?"
Although the British had learned of France's North African strategy through their intelligence network in France and the Duke of Orleans, they could only infer the specific details themselves.
Jervis, Chairman of the Naval Committee, pondered for a moment and said, "I believe it should be Algiers."
"Could you elaborate on your reasons?"
Jervis nodded. "Firstly, Morocco is quite distant from France and falls within Spain's sphere of influence, so the French are unlikely to go there.
"As for Tunisia, its Bey has ruled for over two decades, consolidating his power. Furthermore, Tunisia is very prosperous, making it difficult for France to achieve a swift victory if they rashly provoke a conflict.
"Tripoli is similar. Its Pasha holds real power, and while not as wealthy as Tunisia, its military strength is considerable, especially its navy.
"Therefore, whether it's Tunisia or Tripoli, if they can resist the French for a few months, the Ottoman Empire will most likely intervene to support them.
"Moreover, the French know that we won't idly stand by while they expand. In that event, they'll have no choice but to retreat ignominiously back to the northern shore of the Mediterranean."
Pitt nodded thoughtfully. "It seems Algiers is indeed the most opportune target."
Jervis rubbed his temple and said, "Algiers' Janissaries are at odds with its navy, and the local factions are not to be underestimated. With three parties constantly bickering, the internal situation is extremely chaotic.
"If the French win just one or two battles there, the locals are very likely to side with them.
"Furthermore, I hear that French and American fleets recently sank two Algerian naval vessels."
Pitt then looked at the two high-ranking officials before him, "So, gentlemen, what strategy do you propose we adopt to counter this?"
The Duke of Leeds took a delicate sip from his teacup and said, "Our rash intervention in North Africa would be extremely difficult, as it's not our traditional sphere of influence.
"Therefore, the first step must be to establish contact with the local powers there."
Pitt nodded. "You are the Foreign Secretary. This area will require your efforts."
"The Ottoman Empire will be key," Leeds stated. "We have good trade relations with the Ottomans, and we can leverage this to influence them. Although the Ottoman Empire no longer has much control over North Africa, they certainly wouldn't want France to become its master.
"Therefore, we can support Algiers through the Ottomans. We might even arrange for the Ottomans to provide our people with a consultant status."
Jervis interjected, "If we want to prevent the local powers in Algiers from siding with the French, it would be best to block the French fleet in the Mediterranean."
"You mean?"
"Send people to help Algiers reinforce its coastal defenses."
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