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The Fox of France - Chapter 545
🕑 Added 2024-05-07 00:14:54 +0000 UTCChapter 545: The Grand Finale (1)
Although Napoleon’s "horizon" was mocked by Joseph and Lucien, for now, indeed, there appears to be no force that can pose a threat to France. Thus, Napoleon could also consider some long-term measures.
"Metternich once said, a country, if it lacks outstanding talent internally and faces no formidable enemies externally, is very likely to walk the path of doom. Joseph, this is what you told me, right?" Napoleon said, "Now, we have met the first condition. So, I plan to discuss with you our future development direction."
Joseph was very pleased with Napoleon’s attitude and nodded, "Napoleon, at the pinnacle of honor, to remain so clear-headed is indeed commendable. You know, many people, after achieving such feats, become so arrogant that they lose sight of reality, believing themselves to be divine rather than human."
Although rarely praised by Joseph, Napoleon remained unimpressed and twisted his mouth, "What’s so difficult about that? Am I the kind of person who becomes conceited with a bit of success?"
Joseph and Lucien quietly watched Napoleon.
"Okay, maybe I am a bit," Napoleon admitted, "But, you know, recently, the government hasn’t had much going on, so I also have time to take on some of my duties at the Academy of Sciences."
The members of the Academy of Sciences have certain tasks such as paper review. The number is not large, and even if not completed, there are no severe penalties—just internal criticism at most. But for Napoleon, criticism of this nature was utterly unacceptable. Therefore, he had to complete his assignments—usually, the fellows from the École Normale would take turns assisting Napoleon; he just needed to sign his name. But lately, having taken a liking to science, Napoleon decided to get involved personally.
Of course, to ensure there were no issues in reviewing the papers, Napoleon habitually wanted to summon Laplace to help, only to find out that Laplace and Fourier had been invited to Italy to lecture. So, Napoleon looked around and saw only Monge available, but Mr. Monge had retired due to age, and Napoleon felt that Monge’s 'CPU' might have significantly declined, and it might be better to do it himself than rely on him.
Finally, Napoleon found the younger Gauss, an academician. Although Gauss had started as Joseph’s assistant, due to his gentle nature, Napoleon was sure Gauss wouldn’t blab about this to Joseph.
Then, Napoleon was struck with self-doubt. It’s just that Gauss was too exceptional. In some aspects, even more extreme than Joseph. Well, Joseph is certainly extreme, but his is a spherical extreme, especially in response speed when facing mathematical problems compared to Gauss. Many times, just as Napoleon finished reading a proof and hadn’t yet clarified the logical flow in his mind, Gauss had already spotted the issues in the proof, or its imperfections, and even suggested modifications. After receiving Gauss’s suggestions, Napoleon often spent hours trying to understand why Gauss would suggest such, along with the whole thought process and argumentation.
"Sometimes, I encounter some tricky issues, and, well, it’s normal, isn’t it? I go to Gauss, my God, Gauss just glances and gives advice and suggestions. And his advice and suggestions are always so insightful, so... what can I say, if I can avoid Gauss, I would never seek him out, that’s simply crushing one’s confidence. Joseph, although I can’t match you in mathematics, nor Laplace and Fourier, I don’t doubt my intelligence because of this. It's just that you guys devote more energy to this area. But, but Gauss, that guy is totally different, a normal human, no, it should be said that a human can't possibly think so complicatedly in such a short time... I even suspect that Gauss has already solved the 'Four Color Problem' mentally, he just can't write down the entire process! Engaging with him in mathematics feels almost like being crushed by a different species. So, I strongly suggest, if there’s a chance, we must dissect and study Gauss, I strongly suspect he’s not human!" Napoleon exclaimed.
"You're right, Napoleon, I’ve always thought the same," Joseph sighed, "This guy is really…"
"So, well, I do want to think of myself as divine, but when I think that there’s someone whose cognitive abilities are even more incredible than I can imagine, if I’m divine, what is he? Well, it’s best not to talk about this freak. Let’s talk about something happy, Lora is pregnant, and the Roman Empire has its future emperor," Napoleon said.
"It might be a princess though," Lucien interjected.
"Hehe, regardless, I’m happy!" Napoleon decided to ignore Lucien.
"Ah, congratulations, Napoleon. Hmm, what are your thoughts for the future?" Joseph steered the conversation back
.
"Me? I'm thinking, what career could surpass the current glory?" Napoleon replied.
"In terms of war, there's not much left," Joseph said, "Unless you plan to invade Russia or decide to take down Turkey."
"Invade Russia, take down Turkey?" Napoleon shook his head, "Compared to conquering Britain, these two things aren’t as glorious—just beating a bunch of barbarians."
"You're right, compared to defeating Britain, these two things offer limited benefits. Winning brings limited benefits, and if something goes wrong, it’s simply embarrassing. Especially Russia, that place is too cold, hard to develop even if we conquer it. Economically, it doesn’t make sense. Plus, it's too large, our army isn’t the same as before, it demands much more in terms of logistics. And the road conditions in Russia, for our current army, are simply a nightmare."
With a certain purpose, Joseph also specifically emphasized the difficulties and unprofitability of attacking Russia.
"I know, I’ve already had the staff department plan and study Russia. Damn Russians, can’t even fix a road—though considering the permafrost environment, we really can’t do much either," Napoleon responded nonchalantly.
To solve the engineering challenges of constructing roads in permafrost areas, especially those that are seasonal, the Russians had once asked the French Academy of Sciences for help. After studying the matter, the French simply spread their hands and admitted they were stumped.
As for the railways, the Russian rail mileage was so insignificant it wasn’t worth mentioning, and more importantly, their rail gauge didn’t match the European standard—supposedly, this was also a means of defending against potential invasions from Europe.
"If the Russians try to interfere in Europe, we can easily defeat them, but invading Russia, at least for now, is an ungrateful fool’s errand," Napoleon concluded, dispelling Joseph’s concerns.
"So, militarily, in the short term, or even within the foreseeable future, defeating Britain is the pinnacle of our military achievements."
"What about politically?" Joseph asked.
"Politically, the current peak should be my wearing the crown of Rome," Napoleon said.
"No," Lucien spoke, "Your current political peak should be the implementation of the ‘Code Napoleon’. You know, in the history of the Roman Empire and even humanity, there are many emperors, but those who can be called ‘legislators’ are few. Especially now, all of Europe’s laws will be based on your code, so I think, in posterity, this will be your most glorious achievement. I don’t think you could surpass this."
Napoleon looked at Lucien, slightly proud of Lucien’s praise of his code, but on the other hand, he was somewhat suspicious, what’s up with him today? It feels like he has an ulterior motive.
Under Napoleon’s gaze, Lucien even lowered his eyes, and even glanced towards Joseph.
Napoleon then looked at Joseph, who calmly met his gaze. Then, Napoleon spoke first:
"I see, you’ve conspired, haven’t you? You keep saying we’ve reached the peak, are you trying to persuade me to retire?"
"Yes and no," Joseph replied.
"Speak plainly!" Napoleon demanded, clearly dissatisfied.
"Now is the most successful moment for France, and your prestige is at its highest. From here on, your approval rating can only decline, it cannot stay this high. Even due to potential economic problems in the future, people might blame you. You know I’m speaking the truth," Joseph looked at Napoleon and said, "So at this moment, if you nobly express your intention to retire, to ensure France remains a democracy, to ensure she remains a republic, then you are not only a political great man but also a moral saint. You would symbolize the spirit of France, in a sense, you’d truly be divine. Politically, any disagreement with you would be considered sacrilege by France, even by the whole world, so even if you retire, no one would dare go against your wishes. Your influence would still loom over all of France, even the world. If the government’s policies succeed, the people would still praise you; if they fail, the blame would surely fall on your successor. So, your retirement wouldn’t be a step away from power, but rather a shift behind the scenes. And Napoleon, this was the path we determined for our family long ago."
"But... but I feel like I could still serve another term," Napoleon said.
"Napoleon, if you serve another term, are you sure when you step down, it would still be as glorious?" Lucien interjected again.
"I need to think about it, and besides, Lucien, speaking of the family’s original plan, by now, you should also have a legitimate heir, but you don’t even have a lawful wife..." Napoleon roared.
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