Chapter 376: Saving Angels
After briefly explaining the properties of benzene to Lavoisier, Joseph immediately turned to Mirabeau and said:
"You'll likely be very busy in the coming period.
"First, you must work with Monsieur Lavoisier to establish a soda ash production plant as quickly as possible. Oh, and I'll arrange for the French Reserve Bank to provide a special allocation for this.
"At the same time, you'll also need to construct two casein glue factories. One in Paris, smaller in scale, producing around 50,000 kilograms per month. The other in Brittany, which should achieve a monthly output of 500,000 kilograms.
"After that, establish a beverage factory in each of Paris, Nancy, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Marseille. The drinks will be bottled in glass and sold. I will directly provide the specific formulas to the factories."
On the carriage earlier, Lavoisier had mentioned that baking soda would be a byproduct of soda ash production, which reminded Joseph.
Baking soda mixed with lemon or vinegar would produce a large amount of carbon dioxide—wasn't this precisely the carbonated drink of the 18th century?
Previously, baking soda was prohibitively expensive, making it unaffordable for consumption. However, with industrial production, using it to create high-end beverages became a possibility.
A bottle of water, a few grams of baking soda, a splash of sugar and fruit juice. This novel, effervescent drink, capable of quenching thirst and providing relief from the heat, could even fetch prices higher than fine wine with proper promotion. It was nothing short of a money-printing machine!
The pen Mirabeau held, which had been busily recording, immediately paused as he looked at the Crown Prince with surprise:
"Your Highness, are you saying we should build factories to produce furniture? Forgive my frankness, but this would likely result in losses..."
His skepticism was understandable. Furniture in this era was essentially a carpenter's "personal artwork." Those who needed furniture would commission a carpenter, who would then spend a month or so crafting a set of furniture for them, starting from processing the raw lumber.
What was the point of building a factory for such a production model? And to produce ten thousand sets of furniture per month?
Paris had a population of only just over 600,000, which was equivalent to saying only five people would replace their furniture each year!
According to current French customs, a set of furniture was expected to last for eighteen generations, and typically only newlyweds would commission new pieces. Ten thousand sets of furniture per month would be utterly impossible to sell.
Joseph smiled faintly:
"Please trust me. Ten thousand sets of furniture per month is just the beginning; the scale will expand tenfold later. Not just France, I intend to have all of Europe, and even the Far East and America, replace their furniture. Oh, as for the specific requirements for the furniture factories, I will have someone deliver them to you shortly."
He certainly had no intention of making furniture as a carpenter would craft works of art. With standardized synthetic panels, they would only need to recruit a few designers for the aesthetic aspects, while the remaining work would involve cutting the panels and nailing them together according to the blueprints.
This kind of work could be handled by easily recruited laborers with no prior carpentry experience, who could become proficient after two or three months of training, making mass production entirely feasible.
Afterwards, Joseph began to detail the factory construction specifics to Mirabeau and Lavoisier, and soon dusk settled.
After the two left, Joseph sent someone to inform Brent, the General Manager of Paris Angel Company, to come to his office first thing in the morning.
It was worth noting that baking soda wasn't just for beverages; it was also an excellent deodorizer!
A mixture of baking soda and talcum powder, applied to areas prone to odor like the armpits and groin, could effectively neutralize smells.
The reason France's perfume industry was so highly developed was largely due to people's reluctance to bathe, leading to strong body odor that required perfume to mask.
It was common for a French noble to spend several hundred livres on perfume each year.
If Paris Angel could release a cosmetic product that reduced body odor at its source, it would undoubtedly become a powerful competitor to perfumes.
Furthermore, using baking soda as a mouthwash could reduce bad breath.
It was conceivable that in the future, whenever nobles attended formal occasions or went on dates, they would rinse with Paris Angel's mouthwash before leaving, as failing to do so would be considered disrespectful to others.
According to Joseph's plans, Paris Angel Company would also integrate into the chemical industrial chain, sparking the next wave of sales.
...
Reims, a city in north-central France.
In a clearing outside a rural church on the outskirts of Reims, a strikingly handsome young man with long hair, dressed in a black short jacket, white tight-fitting trousers, and a simple white cravat around his neck, stood atop a dilapidated ox-cart, delivering an impassioned and stirring speech to the dozens of farmers gathered before him:
"That's right! The government has deceived us!
"They have used lies to placate you, all to ensure you continue to endure exorbitant rents and the exploitation of nobles and officials.
"They claimed to abolish noble privileges, but in reality, only trivial sums like the milling tax and hunting levies have disappeared. The most crucial annual tribute and tithes still persist!
"The King, who sits in Versailles indulging in luxury and idleness all day, told you that he would grant you land. But I must tell you the truth: the King and his bureaucrats have decided to make you pay a redemption fee equivalent to thirty years of the land's output, in addition to thirty years of annual tribute and tithes. By the time you are too worn out by arduous labor to walk, your eyes clouded, and your teeth gone, the land you've tilled for decades will still not truly belong to you!"
The farmers immediately exchanged glances, and a wave of discontented murmuring erupted among them.
After a moment, a farmer with large, calloused hands called out loudly to the young man on the ox-cart:
"My esteemed sir, what good does saying all this do? Whether it's twenty years or thirty, we can only resign ourselves to paying the money."
"No, you're mistaken!" the young man exclaimed, waving his hand emphatically. "Besides resignation, we can also resist!
"As long as we unite and let those bureaucrats witness your fury, they will tremble in fear and retract that outrageous redemption plan!
"We've already contacted people from dozens of parishes. In five days, everyone will gather in front of Reims City Hall, armed with stones, sticks, and even muskets, to teach those shameless officials a lesson!"
His inflammatory tone caused the farmers' blood to surge, and they excitedly began pumping their fists along with him:
"Teach them a lesson!"
"We won't pay for another thirty years!"
"Let's resist with this esteemed sir!"
After the angry farmers dispersed, a middle-aged man emerged from behind a nearby hay bale, handed a cup of water to the young speaker, and said in an exaggerated tone:
"Monsieur Saint-Just, you spoke magnificently! These farmers will surely join the revolution you lead! Tell me, are we still going to Zesgehuchten village today?"
Saint-Just took several deep gulps of water, wiped the sweat from his brow, and declared loudly:
"Of course! Hundreds more French people await our salvation there!"
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