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Home Life of Being a Crown Prince in France Chapter 243 - 200 Chasing Deer in North Africa
Life of Being a Crown Prince in France
Chapter 243 - 200 Chasing Deer in North Africa
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On the eastern edge of the hall, the English journalist Alvin saw Lavoisier approach the front desk and nudged the lethargic young man beside him, whispering:
"Clark, the big shot is here. Take meticulous notes for me, and don't miss a single word!"
Yes, this was the same Alvin who came to Paris to cover Fashion Week. After returning to his country, he sold all his property, took a risk and bought the rights to the Paris Commercial News, translating "Battle Through the Heavens" and "Madam, Please Stop Your Steps" into English for sale. In just a few months, he made a fortune and then bought a small newspaper, becoming its owner.
This time, he came to discuss the purchase of other novel distribution rights with the Paris Commercial News, but happened to catch the grand event of France announcing its measurement standards, so he brought his reporters over to interview.
"Oh, yes, boss!"
Clark jolted to attention, stood up straight, and assumed a serious note-taking posture. Then he saw the Frenchman named Lavoisier raise his hands high, passionately exclaiming, "First, let us thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! It was he who fervently promoted the standardization of France's measurement system..."
Clark casually scribbled down these words in his notebook but felt disdainful inside; these people really knew how to brown-nose the Royal Family.
He looked around the grandly decorated hall, mumbling in English under his breath:
"The French really are extravagant, making such a big fuss over just announcing a few units of measure."
Alvin glared at him and said in a low voice:
"Put away your pitiful ignorance. This is about more than just a few units of measurement; it's a great enterprise of scientific civilization!"
Onstage, Lavoisier had an assistant push forward a glass case holding a copper rod and excitedly announced:𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
"Ladies and gentlemen, please observe, this is the physical prototype of the length unit 'meter.' Its definition is 'one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along the meridian that passes through Paris'..."
Clark wrote down diligently, still grumbling to himself:
"Oh yes, with this, the French lords will find it much more convenient to collect taxes. No more converting between different units."
After Lavoisier finished speaking, amid the thunderous applause from below, Alvin patiently explained to his subordinate:
"Do you know why they made the definition of a unit so complicated?"
"This..." Clark scratched his head, "to show off how powerful they are?"
Alvin cut him off:
"Such definition allows for exactly the same results to be obtained anywhere in the world. Which means, whether it's the British, the French, or the North Americans, even separated by tens of thousands of miles, they can use the same units for measuring and calculations.
"Do you understand what this means? It means the entire world's scientific theories can be described in the same 'technical language,' and from here on, humanity's science and technology will move towards perfection and unity!"
As an idealist, Alvin focused on matters such as "world science," but in fact, the significance of standard measurement for the development of national industry and commerce was even more crucial.
For example, baskets made in the north of France couldn't be sold in the south because the southerners wanted to fill them with three 'muids' of grain, but the northern baskets could only hold a precise 'ounce' amount.
At this time in France, there were over 800 commonly used measures, and if counting the lesser-used ones, there were tens of thousands more. This led to additional restrictions on the circulation of goods between regions.
Even worse was in industrial production. Not to mention between two cities; even workshops separated by a single street could not interchange their screws. How could they talk about building an industrial chain?
A unified system of measurement was the foundation for unblocking the arteries of commerce and industry.
Clark's eyes widened as his boss's words enlightened him on why the French made such a big deal out of this standardized measurement.
Suddenly, Lavoisier had someone bring over a pure platinum weight covered by a glass case and loudly proclaimed it as the physical prototype of the mass unit 'kilogram'...
A week later, almost all European newspapers were reporting on the measurement standards established by the French Standards Commission. The academic communities of all countries were greatly shaken. Whether to support the French units of measure or to create their own set, the governments were in heated dispute.
What the European countries didn't notice at that time was, beginning with the Paris Fashion Week at the start of the year, to Louis XVI's birthday celebration, to this announcement of measure standards, France had consistently dominated the core of international news topics.
...
Barbary Coast.
Two British armed merchant ships, escorted by two escort ships, were sailing half-mast towards Mitidja in Algiers.
From the forecastle of the escort ship 'Robinson,' the Duke of Leeds peered through his telescope at the sunlit, gray-yellow coastline in the distance.
There stood a fortress. At the moment, it teemed with busy figures moving incessantly about.
He knew that British engineers were directing the workmen to reinforce the artillery battery.
As they drew closer, the Duke of Leeds could clearly see that the artillery battery was almost complete. A British 24-pound cannon was being hauled up to the fortress by hundreds of Algiers slaves tied to thick cables.
"Heh, I'd love to see the French's astonished faces when they suddenly get bombarded by these heavy guns."
He chuckled, retracting his telescope, and said to Stuart, the new British consul in Algiers, standing beside him:
"The French took the guise of fighting Pirates to set foot in North Africa, a shrewd move indeed. Russia has even sent us multiple inquiries, stating that France's actions also help safeguard Russian maritime trade."
Stuart nodded with a smile:
"Indeed, Your Grace, the French simply forget our close trade relations with the Ottoman Empire. These Frenchmen might do well in fashions and jewelry, but when it comes to strategy, they are still somewhat lacking,"
The ship slowed to a halt, and the Duke of Leeds, guided by the captain, made his way to the deck, his mind inevitably drifting back to the meeting three months ago at 10 Downing Street.
It was also a clear day like today...
"Mr. Fox finally kept his silence," said the 29-year-old Prime Minister William Pitt, delightedly motioning towards the sofa, "Please have a seat, Duke of Leeds, General Jervis."
Congress had just approved the special funding he put forward for the situation in North Africa, putting him in a great mood.
He gestured for a servant to bring tea and pastries and then pointed to his not-so-spacious office and complained to the two men:
"Getting Congress to allocate funds is no easy feat, is it? Look at this place, to this day there's not even a decent meeting room. We can only discuss matters in this cramped space."
General Jervis took his seat and immediately asked:
"Mr. Pitt, the report you submitted to Congress this morning, ah, about the rise in grain prices, does it really have to do with the French? I haven't heard a thing."
Pitt smiled:
"To be precise, it is very likely. Those people are quite cunning and have not left much in the way of clues.
"It was an accident that I saw a report from the Dublin Intelligence Department, stating that at the beginning of the year, some Irish had helped two grain merchants purchase a large amount of grain, worth several hundred thousand British Pounds."
The Dublin Intelligence Department he mentioned was specifically responsible for dealing with the Irish Revolutionary Forces, one of the British Government's most capable intelligence departments.
At this time, the British Empire was nothing like the world intelligence godfather of later times, with MI6, Scotland Yard, and the likes, yet to emerge. The British, having adopted liberal ideas earlier, were very resistant to government intelligence agencies, leading to a rather average intelligence capability among powerful nations.
Pitt continued: "You know, those Irish have always been unclear with the French, so I had some suspicions and commissioned Lloyd's of London to continue the investigation[Note 1].
"They did indeed find something, such as British grain merchants saying that the people who bought those grains often conversed in French in private and had paid them in livres. In addition, there was a serious shortfall in France, which had a great need for grain.
"In short, the investigation suggested that the fluctuations in our grain market were very likely caused by the French."
This year England also faced a severe drought, drastically reducing grain yields. However, England had been a grain exporting country for the past few decades. With a significant supply of grain stockpiled domestically and an efficient river transport system, famine was not imminent.
By the time Pitt thought to reallocate grain to the disaster areas, he was shocked to find that since the beginning of the year, there had been large-scale grain purchases, even buying up the reserves of many cities!
As the news spread, grain prices on the British market soared, and although the government strictly regulated grain prices, they couldn't control the prices in private transactions—as had happened before with the Paris bakers.
With some areas of Britain about to experience unrest due to a lack of food, Pitt regrettably had to stabilize grain prices through government subsidies. Although eventually, he managed to avert outright riots, this action resulted in a loss of five to six hundred thousand British Pounds.
At the current exchange rate, that was a staggering 14 million livres!
The opposition party, including Fox and others, seized upon this to furiously attack Pitt, causing him to lose face.
On hearing this, the Duke of Leeds laughed:
"From what you've said, it's as if the French knew they were going to face a shortfall this year. Regardless, it doesn't matter now; we can use this to garner Congress's support for your special funding bill."
Pitt gave him an approving look:
"Indeed. As soon as Congress learned that the French caused the grain price fluctuation, there were immediately no more objections to the funding,"
The Duke of Leeds nodded: "Those fellows in Congress have no idea about the seriousness of France's grand campaign to 'exterminate the pirates'!
"Once they take control of North Africa, that will greatly compensate for the loss of their colonies in the Americas.
"You know, for those colonies, we lost so many soldiers and so much money during the Seven Years' War. Yet, for the sake of a little funding, Fox and his ilk are willing to let France have its way with North Africa."
Peter said, "Fortunately, we now have the allocation, with 500,000 British Pounds, which is not a small sum."
"Regrettably, we have to consider the attitude of the Russians," General Jervis frowned and shook his head, "so we cannot send troops directly to North Africa."
"Send troops?" the Duke of Leeds gave him a very covert glance, "No, that's not within our sphere of influence, too close to Spain and France. Supporting the local forces is already the best choice."
Peter nodded, looking at Jervis:
"Your Excellency, in your professional opinion, what is the real target for the French people?"
Although the British had learned about France's North Africa strategy from their intelligence system in France and the Duke of Orleans, they could only infer the specific details on their own.
General Jervis, chairman of the Naval Committee, thought for a while and said, "I believe it should be Algiers."
"Can you explain your reasons?"
Jervis nodded: "Firstly, Morocco is far from France and is within the sphere of influence of Spain, so it is unlikely that the French will go there."
"And the Bey of Tunisia has had a stable power after more than twenty years of rule. Given that Tunisia is very wealthy, France would find it difficult to achieve a quick victory if they rashly conflicted with it."
"Tripoli is similar. Its Pasha holds real power, and although it isn't as wealthy as Tunisia, its military strength, especially the navy, is quite formidable."
"So, whether Tunisia or Tripoli, as long as they can hold off the French for a few months, the Ottoman Empire would most likely step in to provide support."
"Moreover, the French people also know that we will not ignore their expansion. When that time comes, they can only retreat in disappointment back to the northern coast of the Mediterranean."
Peter pondered and nodded:
"It seems Algiers is indeed the best target."
Jervis, rubbing his forehead, said, "The Imperial Guard and navy of Algiers are at odds, and local powers are not to be underestimated either. The infighting among the three parties is very chaotic."
"If the French win one or two battles there, the locals are likely to tilt towards them."
"Moreover, I've heard that the fleets of France and the United States have just sunk two ships of the Algiers Navy."
Peter then looked at the two senior ministers in front of him:
"So, what strategy do both of you think we should adopt in response?"
The Duke of Leeds took a sip of his tea cup and said:
"It will be very difficult for us to intervene in North Africa rashly, after all, it is not our traditional sphere of influence."
"So, first, we need to establish connections with the forces there."
Peter nodded and said:
"You are the Foreign Minister. You'll have to exert some effort in this aspect."
"The Ottoman will be key," said Leeds, "we have a good trade relationship with the Ottoman, and we can use that to influence them. And although the Ottoman no longer have much control over North Africa, they most definitely do not wish for the French to become the master there."
"Thus, we can support Algiers through the Ottoman. We might even give a position like an advisor to our people through the Ottoman."
Jervis added, "If we want to prevent the local forces in Algiers from tilting towards the French, it's best to keep the French fleet off the Mediterranean."
"You mean?"
"Send people to help Algiers fortify their coastal defense fortresses."
[Note 1] Lloyd's of London was the largest insurance service company in England at the time. To investigate the policyholders' situation and whether there was suspicion of insurance fraud, they employed a large number of intelligence personnel, causing the company's domestic intelligence capabilities to exceed those of the British Government at one point.