The Fox of France

Chapter 239: Copper and the Troublesome Polina

In Joseph's office, Napoleon and Joseph were having a heated argument. The reason for their dispute was rather simple: Joseph had suggested replacing all the copper cannons of the French army with iron ones.

"If you had cheap steel ready right now, I might consider it, but your steel-making is still in the laboratory! You're proposing to replace our copper cannons with blasted cast iron cannons. No, absolutely not! I, Napoleon, will never compromise our military strength for the sake of convenience!" Napoleon, rarely raising his voice to his older brother, retorted.

"Napoleon, iron cannons may be a bit heavier, but they are not entirely unusable. We won't be embarking on any large-scale campaigns in the near future, will we?" Joseph argued. "And, Napoleon, we are in dire need of copper. Very, very dire need."

"Then find a way to buy it," Napoleon said firmly.

"Devil take it! If buying it were an option, I wouldn't be in such a hurry. Napoleon, do you have any idea that in the past few months, copper prices all over Europe have nearly doubled? Our neighboring countries have already started using paper currency because their citizens are selling copper coins directly to us. From Tsarist Russia to England, we've been buying up every ounce of copper available in the market. The British have begun restricting copper exports, the Spaniards and Austrians are increasing their prices at a rapid pace. As for France, the common folk have already sold all their copper items, even church bells have been replaced with iron. But it's still not enough!"

"Then you need to figure it out, there's no other way," Napoleon retorted.

"Come on! Right now, your precious copper cannons are already worth much more than before. If you agree to return those copper cannons to us for smelting, I... I will give you two, no, two and a half iron cannons of equivalent specifications for each copper one. How does that sound?"

"Even during normal times, one copper cannon could fetch two iron ones," Napoleon coldly replied. "No deal! You have to add more. I must make the army feel like I am strengthening them, not weakening. It's four iron cannons for one copper, and you have to ensure the quality, not those shoddy ones you're sending to Prussia to deceive our army!"

"Come on, Napoleon, why do you tarnish our exported iron cannons like that? Due to the use of new technology, our exported iron cannons may not match copper cannons in performance, but compared to British iron cannons, they already have the edge. The Prussians recently replaced all their copper cannons with iron ones because they needed to pay their debts. After comparing our iron cannons to the British ones, they concluded that our iron cannons are no worse than copper cannons, and they're even better than the British ones. How can you say our iron cannons are bad?"

"You're deceiving yourself! The Prussians are only dealing with those incapable Poles. They can use iron cannons because the Poles have no cannons to speak of. Are they really satisfied with the performance? What kind of performance are they asking for? Their only requirement for performance is that it should be cheap, right?"

"Oh, Napoleon, why are you so stubborn? These iron cannons are excessive products. In a little while, when cheap steel from Krakow comes into play, these things will be completely useless. We can make their performance better, of course. For instance, by using a combination of cast iron and wrought iron for the gun barrels, it won't be much worse than copper cannons, albeit a bit heavier. But the price... well, it won't be that much cheaper than the old copper cannons. Also, the production won't ramp up immediately, unlike the regular iron cannons we're exporting to Prussia. Napoleon, don't be so obstinate. Soon, I promise, you'll have steel cannons."

"Forget it. You've promised me that many times recently," Napoleon sighed. "I don't understand why. The Copper Union's copper mine in Prussia will start production soon, that's what you said. The copper mine is enormous. With that and our new technology, we could drastically increase copper production. And... " Napoleon's spit was almost reaching Joseph's face.

"Goodness, I need an N95 mask," Joseph thought to himself.

Then he tried to explain, "But Napoleon, this takes time, and we can't afford to wait right now."

"Why can't we wait? It's just your power plants. Let them wait," Napoleon said.

"Listen, Napoleon, have you forgotten that it's almost time to water the wheat fields? We promised the farmers all over the country, especially those veterans serving as village heads, that we would make their lives comfortable. How can we achieve that comfort? By increasing wheat yields. How can we increase wheat yields? By having more irrigation. How can we expand the area of irrigated land?"

Veterans, with the support of the army, have been digging more irrigation ditches. It's made some difference, but it's not enough. The water in the ditches can't reach the wheat fields by itself. Relying on human or animal power is also limited. To significantly expand the irrigated land, we need electric pumps. And electric pumps rely on the electricity supplied from power plants. And, as you know, generators, electric motors, and wires all need copper. If we want an unprecedentedly bountiful harvest this year, we must quickly build as many electric pumps as possible before the extensive watering of the wheat fields. Furthermore, more than half of our soldiers are farmers from the countryside. If they see the changes that electric pumps bring to their hometowns, to their loved ones, their support for us will only grow stronger."

"Yes, you led them into battles and helped them earn a lot of money, making them landowners. That's already something for them to be grateful for. If you can ensure their crops thrive and their descendants are well-fed, it's not just a crown they'd offer you; they might even build a temple in your honor."

This last sentence piqued Napoleon's interest. He thought for a moment and asked, "How many electric pump stations can we set up right now?"

Joseph had been waiting for this question. As soon as Napoleon said that, he knew that Napoleon was interested. So he said, "Hold on, let me have my wife bring the irrigation plan map. We can look at it together."

Joseph then went outside and saw Fanny playing chess with Polina, who was dressed in men's clothing. Polina was in a difficult position in the game, on the verge of having one of her pawns promoted to a queen. (By the way, I've always wondered why in chess pawns can become queens so early, did they have Mulan back then?) When Joseph and Napoleon came out, Polina quickly stood up and said, "Is there something I can help with? I'm done with the game, work is calling."

"Oh, Polina, we need to find that hydraulic plan map," Joseph said.

Polina turned around, rummaged through a filing cabinet for a while, and then pulled out a file and handed it over. "It should all be in here; you can take a look."

Fanny walked over at this moment, took the file, and spread out the map on the massive table in Joseph's office. Once that was done, she smiled and escorted Polina out of the room.

Napoleon watched Polina as she left and furrowed his brow slightly. "Joseph, you really should rein in Polina. Look at her; she always dresses like a man – what's that about?"

"What's wrong with that? Men's clothing is far more practical, isn't it? Look at me; I can get dressed, ready in five minutes, but Fanny, I swear, it takes her an hour just to put on clothes. It's really... a waste of time."

Napoleon knew what Joseph meant by "wasting time." Joseph had once told him when teaching him, "Life is made up of time, wasting time is wasting life." Napoleon often used this phrase with his generals and government officials, to the point that if someone were to compile a book of famous quotes, this one would likely be attributed to Napoleon.

However, at this moment, Napoleon had a different view of Joseph's philosophy. "Women, they should cherish time? They have plenty of time, and that can lead to all sorts of chaos. Damn it, there's something I need to tell you, but you mustn't get too worked up— a few days ago, Fouché told me he saw Polina dressed as a man, exploring Paris's entertainment industry, um, you know, that kind of entertainment."

"What?" Joseph exclaimed, instantly getting to his feet. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Just a few days ago, while you were at the Saar coal mine," Napoleon said. "I questioned Lucien about it, and he confirmed that it was true. But Lucien said they didn't do much, just conducted on-site research. Because Polina is writing a novel and needs to understand such situations."

"He said what, and you believe him? That scoundrel, he's just itching for trouble..." Joseph muttered.

"I don't believe it, but Polina really is writing a novel, and it's quite good. I've read it, and many scenes are described with a very lifelike quality, for instance... no, wait, I suspect that Lucien, that rascal, probably took Polina to a gambling house."

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