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Chapter 598: Song of Poland, Part Three

"In practical use, it can extract water from a mine shaft up to 60 meters deep at most," the geologist continued. "And the water flow might be as thin as a finger."

Joseph felt a sudden wave of disappointment but still wouldn't give up. He asked, "What horsepower is the water pump you're referring to?"

"26 horsepower, Your Highness," the geologist replied. "To my knowledge, that's the maximum power currently achievable by steam engines; the University of Paris uses one of this kind for forging experiments."

Joseph suddenly saw a glimmer of hope and leaned slightly forward. "If there were a 52-horsepower steam engine, do you think it could drain the water from this mine shaft?"

"The seepage is quite significant, Your Highness," the old scholar said, calculating for a moment with a pen before looking up. "If there were a water pump of that power, it could probably extract 15 to 18 cubic meters of water per hour from this depth. Oh, in fact, over 40 horsepower would be sufficient."

Joseph's eyes lit up immediately as he looked at the survey data. "So, six or seven water pumps would be enough to drain the groundwater here?"

"That is correct, Your Highness. But I must remind you, there are currently no steam engines of such high power..."

Joseph smiled. "No, Mr. Plinvin, there are now."

He had been concerned that the United Steam Engine Company's latest LJ52 model had no market, but now it had found its perfect use in the Polish silver mines.

It was truly a win-win situation!

After the geologist from the University of Paris departed, Joseph continued to review Father Sais's report.

"The Polish army needs to expand by at least 60,000 more soldiers. With recruitment and training, a year might be a tight timeframe, possibly even as short as six months."

Joseph's first thought was to send Polish soldiers to the Lyon Military Technical School for training, but he immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea.

Even if all three basic military academies in France combined their capacities, they would be far from accommodating 60,000 people, let alone the Lyon Military School alone.

Furthermore, this would clearly be proclaiming to the world that France intended to staunchly protect Poland, which would place France in a very unfavorable diplomatic position.

'Is there a way to train troops that's also cost-effective?'

Perhaps encouraged by the solution to the silver mine problem, he felt his mind clear considerably, and he quickly thought of a place that fit the bill.

'His Majesty Leopold II would certainly be very pleased as well.'

A smile appeared on Joseph's face as he picked up the report and continued reading. "Stanislaw II has agreed to travel to Petersburg and has appointed Prince Poniatowski as Hetman, also serving as Second Royal Minister."

"Hetman" means "Grand Commander" in Polish, similar to France's Minister of War. "Royal Minister" is the Polish equivalent of a prime minister.

In other words, Prince Poniatowski had become Poland's second most powerful figure.

Joseph nodded slightly. Stanislaw II's magnanimity was truly remarkable; knowing his own limitations, he willingly entrusted power to his nephew.

He then gestured to Eman, who was standing by the door. "Please inform Mr. Verin and tell him to prepare for a trip to Poland."

Verin was the Crown Prince's personal makeup artist, but Joseph wasn't fond of the heavy makeup favored by Parisian nobility, so Verin was practically semi-unemployed. Now, he finally had a chance to put his professional skills to use.

Father Sais also mentioned in the latter part of his report that Poland had accomplished a good deal of practical work over the past two years.

For instance, the Great Sejm, Poland's parliament, officially established the Federal Military Commission; it "persuaded" Russian troops within its borders to fully withdraw; it conducted Poland's first-ever census, modeled after France's; and, based on the remaining members of the Bar Confederation, it partnered with the Patriotic Party to form a new intelligence agency—the Committee of Liberty and Security.

At the same time, Stanislaw II accepted Joseph's advice and did not rush to promulgate the Constitution of May 3 as had happened historically. Instead, he made more thorough preparations within the parliament and implemented reforms in stages.

It could be said that, given Poland's current national strength, everything that could be done had essentially been accomplished.

...

Over half a month later.

On Tarnowskie Góry, in Krakow, southwestern Poland, Royal Minister Mawalofski, surrounded by dozens of officials, mine shareholders, and technicians, nervously watched the eight dark, cylindrical machines before him.

As workers continuously fed coal into the machines, thick black smoke billowed from the funnels, and the machines began to vibrate slightly.

Without warning, water suddenly gushed from the copper pipes at the bottom side of the machines, flowing down the mountain along the pre-dug drainage channels.

The crowd watched the surging water and immediately erupted in cheers. "Thank God! This thing really did pump out the water!"

"It's a miracle! That's over 80 meters deep."

"Look at this water flow; I estimate we'll have the shaft drained by dawn tomorrow."

"Indeed, we can resume excavation very soon!"

Mawalofski, on his part, excitedly nodded to Sander, who stood beside him. "Congratulations, Mr. Sander, your outstanding work is nothing short of miraculous!"

"It should be 'congratulations to us'!" Sander said with a smile. "And this isn't my accomplishment alone; the miracle belongs to the LJ52."

Upon receiving instructions from the Crown Prince, he immediately returned from Brittany to the company, taking all eight High-Pressure Steam Engines from stock and hurrying to Poland.

After an intense period of installation, the LJ52, with its formidable power, extracted the groundwater that had accumulated in the mine for over a century.

Mawalofski took a glass of wine from a servant and handed it to Sander. "Yes, congratulations to us! To the Paris Mining Development Company!"

Sander raised his glass with the others. "To the Paris Mining Development Company!"

The so-called Paris Mining Development Company had just been established by Joseph's order to acquire shares in the Tarnowskie Góry silver mine.

The company purchased eight LJ52 High-Pressure Steam Engines from the United Steam Engine Company and invested 1 million francs in the silver mine, thereby acquiring a 40% stake.

The steam engines cost 500,000 francs, and with other technical equipment, the mining development company invested over 1.6 million francs. Given the mine's annual output of 2 million francs, the investment could be recouped in two years, making this a hugely profitable deal.

The Polish government, for its part, was happy to facilitate the cooperation.

Firstly, the French company promised to increase the mine's output by at least three times. If realized, this would significantly contribute to Poland's national treasury.

Secondly, even if the target wasn't met, the 1 million francs in cash would help the Polish government solve numerous problems, and it would also serve to foster good relations with France.

Currently, with the groundwater successfully pumped out, the Polish government also stood to gain immensely.

After observing the water pumps operate steadily for an hour, the Polish Royal Minister warmly gestured to the manager of the mining development company and Sander. "Gentlemen, the celebratory banquet is about to begin. Let's return. Once the banquet concludes, we still have further cooperation agreements to sign."