Chapter 265: The Horn of the Textile Industry's Counterattack
Joseph's face immediately lit up with delight. He stepped forward and caressed the machine, which had a simple design—though in this era, it might be considered futuristic in appearance—then turned to Louis XVI and exclaimed, "You are absolutely the greatest mechanical master in all of France, no, in all of Europe!
"You perfected this machine in less than half a year!"
"It's just a replica," Louis XVI pursed his lips. "And merely a boring contraption for weaving..."
As he spoke, a gleam reappeared in his eyes. "Oh, by the way, son, when do we start developing that rifled gun you mentioned last time?"
"Whenever you wish, Your Majesty," Joseph smiled gently. Then he patted the automatic loom beside him. "And I must say, this is no 'boring contraption,' but the hope of French industry!
"Do you recall the British's most vital source of revenue? It's their textile exports.
"The British have already started using these machines in their factories. They can reduce textile production costs by over 20% while increasing output several times over.
"Without your painstaking efforts, the textile factories in Lyon would soon be driven to ruin by the British, eventually leading to mass closures. But now, we have the means to compete with them!"
Joseph silently gave his father a mental thumbs-up. 'He just completed such a massive project, neither asking for a bonus nor taking a vacation. You truly are the model worker of France!'
The automatic loom immediately sprang to life. The warp beam slowly rotated, and numerous flying shuttles darted back and forth under the weavers' operation. True, automatic looms of this era were far from fully automated, but even so, their efficiency was vastly superior to hand looms.
"And this will increase France's textile exports, generating substantial national revenue.
He suddenly thought of something. He looked at Fulaohuang and the other artisans, smiling faintly as he said, "The first batch of looms will be manufactured at the Royal Armory. Please complete at least ten units as quickly as possible, then transport them to Lyon."
Louis XVI, in turn, looked at his son, saying expectantly, "Then let's begin developing that new rifle."
"It's not just Lyon; it's also Paris's fashion industry, and a large number of silkworm farmers, cotton growers, and flax cultivators. You've given them all hope."
"That won't be difficult," Louis XVI nodded. "We can use our prior experience converting flintlock muskets to percussion caps."
Joseph nodded. "Next, we'll refine the rifling process and modify the dimensions of the firing chamber. I only know that the firing chamber needs to be slightly enlarged; the precise dimensions will need to be determined by your experiments.
"In other words, you've also saved our treasury. Archbishop Brienne will surely be immensely grateful to you."
Joseph continued, "Furthermore, from what I've heard, because these machines are expensive and require waterwheel power, not many British factories are using them. If we power them with steam engines and promote them on a large scale, we could even narrow the gap with Britain in the textile industry.
Joseph nodded. "So, we'll also need to lay a large number of wooden tracks."
Inside the spacious carriage, Joseph looked at Minister of Agriculture Vergniaud and said, "After spring planting is complete, you must ensure that 'stone fertilizer' is immediately delivered to every parish."
Louis XVI, with a hint of pride, leaned close to his son's ear and said, "See that connecting roller in the middle? The British machines often jam there. I added an adjustable spring, and now it almost never has a problem."
He took a deep breath, requested paper and a pen from a servant, and, leaning over the platform on the side of the automatic loom where cotton baskets were placed, sketched a rifle. "First, we need to combine the percussion cap firing mechanism with our existing rifled guns."
In reality, Joseph's plan was far more ambitious than merely narrowing the gap. If, building on the automatic loom, they simultaneously used the automatic Jacquard loom invented in France and the automatic cotton gin invented in America, concentrating production in Lyon to form an industrial chain, they could even surpass Britain's textile efficiency!
Louis XVI cheerfully showed his son a thick stack of manufacturing process documents. Then he summoned the dozen or so assistants who had helped him build the loom. "With these engineering drawings, Monsieur Fulaohuang and his team can then build the automatic looms."
Joseph nodded in thought. 'Should the loom manufacturing plant be located in Saint-Étienne or Nancy?' However, building a new factory from scratch would take at least several months before it could commence production...
"Stone fertilizer" was the common French term for the phosphate ore brought from Nauru, and Joseph, having heard it so often, had adopted the name himself.
Such advanced concepts, in this era, could only be put forth by someone who had witnessed industrial integration and consolidation.
A smile began to spread across Louis XVI's face. "Hm, so, I've at least saved Lyon?"
He beckoned to the weavers standing outside the door. "Hector, Dominic, come and demonstrate to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince how this machine operates."
Seven or eight weavers immediately entered and bowed to Louis XVI and Joseph. Then they placed large frames of combed cotton onto the automatic loom, carefully adjusted the machine settings, tied the thread ends, and secured the shuttles. Finally, they connected the rod that linked to the large waterwheel at the Palace of Versailles.
...
The armory had all sorts of machinery, and a large number of carpenters and blacksmiths available to assist. Its production efficiency was certainly not low.
"Your Highness, the usage estimates for each parish were compiled last month. Large quantities of stone fertilizer mined from Tunisia have also arrived at port."
East of Paris, on the wooden tracks leading to Reims, a finely crafted carriage was traveling at high speed.
"Aha," Louis XVI instantly perked up at the remark. "This is merely a small gift from me, as King, to France."
"Afterward, we will use a completely new type of bullet, making the rifled gun a truly effective weapon!"
Vergniaud then added, a hint of difficulty in his voice. "It's just that, with our current transport capabilities, it will likely be difficult to deliver it on time. As you know, stone fertilizer is extremely heavy..."
"You are practically the Hephaestus of France!" Joseph immediately lavished praises upon his father. He had initially thought that merely replicating the British automatic loom would be impressive, never expecting the "Foremost Craftsman of France" to actually improve upon it! One must understand, this invention was essentially on par with the technical complexity of a five-axis machining center of later eras—undoubtedly a high-precision, cutting-edge product.
Though somewhat surprised, the artisans still bowed and accepted the order, and began moving the drawings, tools, and other items with the servants from the Royal Workshop.
"For regions where transport is too difficult, we'll have to transition using large-scale composting for now."
Comments