Chapter 267: The Romance of Steel and Steam
With the advantage of soybeans, coupled with Emperor Napoleon's "on-the-spot resupply" method, the French army's logistical capabilities would crush any European opponent.
When it comes to warfare, there's a saying: "Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics."
Logistics has always been the most crucial aspect of war, which is why, from the Spring and Autumn period to the Three Kingdoms era, everyone loved to burn the enemy's provisions at the drop of a hat.
The logistical advantages brought by soybeans were even more vital than new firearms.
Joseph continued, "When there's no war, we can buy large quantities of soybeans from farmers and store them in strategic reserves."
What he didn't mention was that in the event of a severe famine, these could also be mixed into bread as rations.
Vergniaud took notes diligently as he accompanied Joseph.
By dinner time, he looked at the thick stack of work assignments and felt a wave of exhaustion.
He had originally thought that as Minister of Agriculture, he would be as leisurely as before, merely urging farmers to plant potatoes everywhere. He never expected the Crown Prince to hand down so many tasks.
Two days later, the convoy arrived in Nancy.
Vergniaud went off to handle the potato procurement. The northeast of France had now almost become a "potato breeding ground," and as Minister of Agriculture, he had to give it his full attention.
Joseph, meanwhile, headed straight for the industrial development park.
This was his destination for the trip. To expand the nation's economic pie, vigorously promoting industrial development was fundamental. Just a fraction of the Industrial Revolution's dividends would be enough to appease the disgruntled nobility. Historically, this was exactly what the British had done.
From a considerable distance, Joseph could already see several thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.
In a later era, this would undoubtedly incur severe penalties from environmental agencies. But now, it was a symbol of progress and civilization.
This time, Joseph hadn't had anyone notify the development zone. He had only informed Rameau, the person in charge of the development zone, an hour before his arrival.
Thus, only Rameau, Murdoch, Sandel, and about a dozen other people were waiting at the entrance to greet him.
Joseph joined them in a hand-cranked cart running on wooden rails, which sped towards the deeper parts of the park. Because this section was downhill, even with only two people pushing the lever, the cart still moved at a rapid pace.
Joseph looked around and saw that nearly a third of the park was now covered with factory buildings. Compared to the scattered structures he'd seen during his visit last year, the area now vibrated with life.
Rameau wiped the black soot from his face with a handkerchief—God be my witness, he'd washed his face before leaving home; this was all accumulated coal smoke from the journey—Then, he eagerly began to brief the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, more than half of the factories in the development zone have now achieved Production Standardization, and their production efficiency has increased several-fold compared to before.
"As for the remaining factories—oh, they can only be considered workshops for now, and many are newly established—they are all also in the process of implementing Standardized Production.
"Our goal is to have over 80% of the factories achieve Production Standardization within this year."
The attitude of these factory owners was now vastly different from last year. They had witnessed firsthand the terrifying efficiency achieved by other factories after implementing Standardized Production.
Efficiency meant lower costs and increased output, which in turn meant gleaming silver livres!
For capitalists, no one could stop them from pursuing profitable ventures. Consequently, Gensonné's "production management consulting firm," which he had established earlier, was now thriving. The fees for standardization reforms were constantly rising. Employees, meanwhile, had to work until dark every day before they could leave.
Rameau stood up and pointed to a large expanse of factory buildings to the west. "Your Highness, look, that's Viscount Olivier's ironworks. He has since made two additional investments, and now boasts three blast furnaces and four reverberatory furnaces. In the first three months of this year, they've already produced nearly 24 million pounds of iron ingots, and this year's total production is expected to exceed 98 million pounds."
"Furthermore, his steel refining workshop has hired quite a few British technicians, and the quality of the steel produced now largely matches the standards in Birmingham.”
He added quietly, "Though the cost is still a bit high...”
Joseph nodded. France's steel industry had lagged behind Britain's for decades, and with inherently fewer iron ore deposits, it would be difficult to match Britain's costs.
He recalled that during his visit last year, the entire development zone's pig iron production was only 7,000 tonnes. Now, Viscount Olivier's single factory alone had reached 98 million pounds, or nearly 50,000 tonnes. This rate of progress was astonishing.
To put it in perspective, last year, France's national pig iron production was only 120,000 tonnes.
With the park's policy support and the benefits of Production Standardization, this single ironworks produced nearly half of last year's national output.
Director Rameau continued, "Including the Grigore Brothers' ironworks and several other smaller iron factories, the entire development zone's iron ingot production this year should exceed 200 million pounds."
Two hundred million pounds was nearly 100,000 tonnes.
The Nancy development zone alone had essentially reached the previous total pig iron production of all France.
Joseph couldn't help but smile. If they added the ironworks in Saint-Étienne and Lille, France's pig iron output this year might well surpass Britain's considerably!
Although the costs might also be higher than in Britain, having steel production was essential for the Industrial Revolution to even be possible.
This was a very promising beginning.
He then asked Rameau, "What about sales?”
"Your Highness, a significant number of wooden rails have recently been laid domestically, consuming over 60% of the iron ingots. Most of the remaining supply is sold in Paris and the southern provinces, while some is sold nearby to countries like Bavaria and Württemberg.”
While wooden rails primarily used wood, they were still covered with a layer of iron sheeting to prevent wear and tear. Furthermore, iron was also used for parts such as rivets and joints.
Therefore, if Nancy's iron production hadn't significantly increased, even the twenty or thirty kilometers of wooden rails around Paris likely couldn't have been laid.
In the future, laying Iron Rails would require astronomical quantities of steel.
Joseph suddenly recalled the 'blast furnace ironmaking' technique. Although he wasn't entirely clear on the specifics, he had at least seen some documentaries and understood the basic principles.
This was a powerful tool for increasing pig iron production, and it could be adapted from existing blast furnaces, without the need to construct new ones.
He immediately instructed Rameau, "Please arrange for the owners of a few ironworks—oh, and their key technicians—to meet me tomorrow morning. There's a very important matter to discuss.”
"Yes, Your Highness.”
As the rail cart rounded the seemingly endless expanse of the ironworks district, Eman also began to wipe the black soot from Joseph's face with a handkerchief.
Murdoch, standing nearby, finally found an opportunity to speak. He gestured triumphantly towards a factory building not far ahead. "Your Highness, your United Steam Engine Company has tripled in size over the past year.”
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