Chapter 640: The World's First Steam-Powered Battleship
It was now late March. Given the utter chaos in the Caribbean Sea, this year's sugarcane planting was undoubtedly out of the question.
Joseph couldn't help but recall the report submitted by the Minister of Agriculture a few days prior, detailing the sugar beet cultivation.
The Agricultural Advisory Service had already signed a contract with the Church. Large tracts of Church land were being converted to sugar beet cultivation. Currently, France's sugar beet planting area had reached 247,000 hectares, with another 67,000 hectares still being cleared of previously sown grains. These new fields would be ready for sugar beet within a month at most.
France possessed the world's most suitable climate and soil for growing sugar beets, allowing for a very flexible planting period. Even if sown in early May, a bountiful harvest was assured.
This year, the Caribbean Sea's sugarcane harvest was bound to be severely deficient. Consequently, all of Europe would likely rely on French sugar beets for their sugar supply. As for whether a pound of sugar would sell for 3 Francs or 5 Francs, that would truly be up to their discretion.
Joseph then considered the future political landscape of the Caribbean Sea.
Given the current situation, the independence of the major islands was inevitable. In reality, due to the Caribbean Sea's distance from the European continent, it was difficult to control. Even without his prior intervention, a wave of independence would have swept through the region within a decade or so.
In that case, France might as well align with the trend, be the first to recognize the independent status of the Caribbean Sea nations, and extract as much political benefit as possible.
Indeed, if managed skillfully, many colonies could remain significantly under the control of their former colonial powers, even a century after gaining independence.
For a simpler approach, they could adopt a "prosecutorial model"—establishing powerful, seemingly independent institutions within these nations that could be subtly influenced by France. This would ensure stable control while avoiding direct public opposition.
Furthermore, it was crucial to foster anti-British and anti-American sentiments in the Caribbean Sea from the outset. The latter, especially, could turn the Caribbean nations into an important force for constraining the United States in the future.
Joseph suddenly recalled Brigadier General Wayne's venomous "killing two birds with one stone" scheme.
The 18th-century world still operated under the stark law of the jungle, so such incidents were quite common, quickly forgotten, and rarely caused a stir.
However, if someone widely publicized the events and constantly reminded people to remember the hatred, the outcome could be entirely different.
This was what later generations would call 'setting the narrative.'
Reporters should write detailed exposés, making sure the Caribbean nations learned the truth about how Booke's Black rebel army was deceived and slaughtered by the Americans. The millions of Black people there would undoubtedly empathize, becoming irreconcilably opposed to the United States.
Of course, it was also important to downplay the disgraceful actions of the Native Americans in the affair, to prevent the Black population and Native Americans from turning against each other first.
On the morning of the second day after Joseph's arrival in Brittany, Fouché followed close behind, handing him a report Brissot had just sent back from Saint-Domingue.
It was still news from a month and a half ago.
Joseph rubbed his forehead. In this era without telegrams, the efficiency of communication was simply infuriatingly low.
However, when he saw the report's contents, he almost couldn't hold back a laugh. "The British are asking us for help?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Fouché nodded. "Bland's army has suffered continuous losses and now numbers just over 2,600 soldiers, barely enough to manage the unrest in Barbados. Meanwhile, intelligence from London indicates the British are organizing a second expeditionary force, comprising over 5,000 men, but it won't depart for over a month. Before then, Bland requires our troops to stabilize the situation in the Bahamas."
At the end of the report, Joseph saw that Brissot had refused the British request, using the excuse of "worsening Black unrest in Saint-Domingue."
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "We should agree to General Bland's request."
Fouché frowned in confusion.
He knew perfectly well that the abolition movement in the Caribbean Sea had been instigated by their own people. Were they now to fight themselves?
Seeing his surprise, Joseph smiled faintly. "First, we can help, but it must come with a price. The sponsorship from the Duke of Leeds is almost depleted; this is a good opportunity to have Bland replenish the rebel army's funds."
Indeed, the funding for the vigorous abolition movement in the Caribbean Sea primarily came from the 250,000 Pound Sterling Ogé had secured from the Duke of Leeds. The French government had provided less than 500,000 Francs in comparison.
Fouché hesitated. "Your Highness, what then? The Bahamas are British territory. If we truly send troops there, we likely won't be able to merely put on a show as we did in Saint-Domingue."
Joseph swirled the teacup in his hand. "Then we'll simply fight a battle in the Bahamas. If Saint-Domingue happens to fall at the same time, all nations will certainly blame Britain. And then we can..."
Half an hour later, Fouché departed with the Crown Prince's instructions, while Joseph, in high spirits, traveled by carriage to Brest Bay.
Hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniforms were already neatly lined up on the dock. The moment Joseph alighted from his carriage, they simultaneously raised their rifles in salute, and military music erupted all around.
The Marquis of Castelli, the Naval Minister, approached him with a retinue of officers and shipyard managers. After a round of customary greetings, Castelli eagerly pointed towards the distant sea, unable to conceal his excitement. "Your Highness, everything is ready. We can begin at any moment."
Joseph looked in the direction he indicated and saw four warships anchored there. One of them, adorned with numerous colorful flags strung along its rigging, had faint black smoke drifting above it. This was the Light of the Mediterranean, the world's very first steam-powered battleship.
Under the frantic efforts of the Brest Shipyard, this new battleship, carrying all the Navy's hopes, had been completed in less than half a year.
The crowd surrounded Joseph as they walked towards the frigate "Hessonite," which was moored at the dock. The inaugural sea trial demonstration would take place farther out at sea, so they would need to observe it from a ship.
Murdoch walked beside the Crown Prince, presenting with an air of seeking praise. "Your Highness, the average time between failures for the LJ52A high-pressure steam engine now exceeds 30 hours, fully meeting operational requirements. Mr. Trevithick played a crucial role in this improvement process."
Trevithick, hearing this, quickly bowed and gestured. "It is my immense honor to leave my mark on this magnificent machine."
Joseph noted the "A" appended to the high-pressure steam engine's model number, indicating significant modifications. Previously, Sander had stated it would take a year to complete reliability improvements, yet with the combined efforts of these three geniuses of steam engineering, they had achieved it in just half that time.
Of course, the Poles also deserved some credit.
The Tarnowskie Góry silver mine had dozens of high-pressure steam engines installed for pumping water, operating almost day and night. This provided a wealth of real-world usage data, significantly accelerating Murdoch and his team's improvements.
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