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Chapter 145: Public Carriages and a New Suspension System
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 22:30:38 +0000 UTCChapter 145: Public Carriages and a New Suspension System
Talleyrand immediately looked overjoyed. "I will do as you command, Your Highness."
Joseph nodded. "I want you to serve as a diplomatic advisor and go to America."
"Yes, yes, I'm willing! Thank you, Your Highness!" Talleyrand didn't expect that, in addition to gaining the Queen's forgiveness, he would also receive this unexpected opportunity.
At this time in France, after the Jesuits had been disbanded, the church had become more of an "Education Department" and a "Civil Registry Office." Despite its wealth, it had little real power left.
So, many clergy members were eager to join the government, where real power and prestige could be found. The best example of this was Archbishop Brienne.
Joseph's offer of a position with real authority was a significant step up for Talleyrand.
Joseph motioned for Talleyrand to walk with him. "I need you to go to America as soon as possible and work with them to combat the Barbary pirates. Of course, this will require them to contribute to the cost."
Talleyrand instantly understood why the Prince had said earlier that "fighting pirates would only make money."
Joseph continued, "Right now, they're paying over a million livres annually to the pirates."
"Yes, Your Highness," Talleyrand responded. "Approximately $220,000."
At this time, the U.S. dollar was backed by gold, and one dollar was worth about five livres.
Joseph nodded. "And that's not counting the ransoms they've paid for their captured sailors."
Talleyrand added, "Last year, they reportedly paid over $130,000 to ransom captured crew members."
"So, that's a total of over 1.7 million livres," Joseph calculated, clicking his tongue. "Tell them they can pay one-third of that, around 600,000 livres annually, for the French navy's assistance in dealing with the pirates."
Talleyrand's eyebrow twitched. Wasn't the Prince planning to eliminate the pirates? How did that suddenly turn into merely helping the Americans?
But his diplomatic training kicked in, and he nodded seriously. "That amount is quite reasonable, Your Highness."
"And another thing..."
Joseph briefly considered demanding the repayment of the massive loans Louis XVI had given to support the American War of Independence. But those loans were governed by agreements, and the repayment deadlines were still far off. After winning their independence with French help, including loans, supplies, and military support, the Americans had quickly cozied up to the British, undercutting France's efforts to weaken Britain.
Recalling his father's overly generous nature, Joseph felt a pang of frustration.
He sighed and said, "Ask the Americans to return the thousands of flintlock muskets we sent them during the war. Those supplies weren't part of any formal agreement, so we have the right to ask for them back. Oh, and make sure they include the powder and bullets."
Back then, France had provided the Americans with the latest Charleville 1763 model muskets. These could still be valuable.
Talleyrand's eye twitched again. The Prince might have missed his calling as a moneylender—he certainly knew how to turn a profit.
Joseph continued, "Tell them to ship these muskets directly to Russia. The Americans should cover the shipping costs."
"To Russia?" Talleyrand asked, surprised.
Joseph nodded. "You will accompany the shipment to Russia. I will send a senior diplomat to deliver a formal note to their Empress, indicating that we are open to joining forces against the Ottomans. You will assist in the negotiations, securing Russian support for our actions in the Mediterranean.
"Oh, and the muskets will serve as a token of our goodwill in supporting their war against the Ottomans. Of course, the Empress can express her gratitude by sending us several million pounds of potatoes. The shipping costs will be on them."
Russo-Turkish war? Mediterranean? Potatoes? Even someone as sharp as Talleyrand needed a few seconds to connect the dots. When he finally understood, he looked at the Prince in awe.
With this maneuver, the Prince had linked seemingly unrelated global events to serve his agenda, all without spending a dime, while gaining favor with the Russians.
What amazed Talleyrand even more was how casually the Prince spoke, as if the highest matters of state were entirely under his control.
Did the Prince really wield that much influence over the government?
He quickly bowed. "Yes, Your Highness, I understand what needs to be done."
Joseph smiled. "If you prove your abilities on this mission, I'll consider promoting you to a more suitable position."
Talleyrand was deeply moved and swore to serve the Prince faithfully and carry out his orders to the best of his abilities.
…
In a carriage workshop in Paris, Joseph pointed to an overturned half-finished carriage and said to the craftsmen beside him, "We'll leave just one spring here. The rest should be removed."
A middle-aged craftsman, looking anxious, whispered, "Your Highness, this is a luxury carriage. It needs good suspension. If we only use two springs…"
Joseph smiled. "It's fine. Just replace them with leaf springs."
The middle-aged craftsman looked pained. "Your Highness, leaf springs are usually only used on ordinary carriages. The suspension isn't very good."
"Are you talking about those leaf springs?" Joseph pointed to a nearby black carriage being assembled. The underside of the carriage had two hand-width, two-meter-long steel strips supporting the body for suspension.
The craftsmen nodded.
Joseph picked up some paper and began sketching while explaining, "Those leaf springs are too basic.
"We need something like this—four steel strips of different lengths stacked together and fixed in place. The axle should rest on the middle of the steel strips.
"Each wheel should have its own set of these steel strips. And remember, use medium-carbon steel—the kind that balances hardness and flexibility. Test a few options and decide which works best."
The youngest craftsman suddenly understood. "Oh! If one strip isn't enough, we use four. If two sets don't work, we use four sets. This way, the suspension will be much better!"
The middle-aged craftsman added, "We used to have leaf springs carry the carriage body, but it never occurred to us to apply them directly to the wheels. This way, if the road is uneven, the wheels on each side can move independently, reducing the tilt of the carriage."
Seeing that the craftsmen grasped the concept, Joseph said, "Please work quickly to build this entire leaf spring system. I need it installed on the public carriages before the Paris Fashion Week next week."
The carriages were nearly complete, and replacing the coil springs with leaf springs should take about a week.
Joseph added, "As long as you finish on time, you'll receive two months of extra pay."
The craftsmen were instantly motivated, eagerly promising to complete the carriages on schedule.
After realizing the potential of the carriage business a few days ago, Joseph had immediately spent over 100,000 livres to acquire a well-known carriage company in Paris.
The funds came from the money allocated for the firearms factory—Talleyrand, in gratitude for the King's support of his promotion to archbishop, had donated 200,000 livres to the factory. The original funds allocated by Louis XVI were thus "redirected" by Joseph.
(End of Chapter)
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