Chapter 268: The Romance of Steel and Steam
With the addition of soybeans and the foraging strategy invented by Napoleon, the logistics capabilities of the French army would surpass those of any European opponent. There's a saying about war: "Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics." Logistics are always the most critical aspect of war, which is why, from the Spring and Autumn period to the Three Kingdoms era, armies loved to burn their enemies' supply lines.
The logistical advantages brought by soybeans could be even more important than new firearms.
Joseph continued, "During peacetime, we can purchase large quantities of soybeans from farmers and store them in our strategic grain reserves."
What he didn't mention was that if a severe famine ever occurred, these soybeans could be mixed into bread and used as food.
Vennieux had been following Joseph and taking notes all along the way. By the time they sat down for dinner, Vennieux looked at the thick stack of work assignments in front of him and couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. He had initially thought that being the Minister of Agriculture would be as easy as before—just going around and encouraging people to plant potatoes—but now he realized that the Crown Prince had given him a mountain of tasks. It looked like his plan to take Madame Lacroix on a trip to Spain was going to fall through.
Two days later, the convoy arrived in Nancy. Vennieux went off to handle the potato procurement. The northeastern part of France had almost become a "potato breeding base," and as the Minister of Agriculture, he needed to focus on it. Meanwhile, Joseph headed straight to the industrial development zone.
This was the primary goal of his trip. To expand the "cake" of domestic wealth, promoting industrial development was key. The profits from the Industrial Revolution could be used to placate the disgruntled noble class, just as the British had done in history.
From a distance, Joseph could see several thick black plumes of smoke rising into the sky. In the future, this would definitely result in hefty fines from environmental agencies, but for now, it was a symbol of progress and civilization.
This time, Joseph had not notified the development zone in advance, only informing its director, Lamo, an hour before his arrival. So, only Lamo, William Murdoch, Sandel, and a dozen others were there to greet him at the gate.
Joseph and the others boarded a handcart running on wooden tracks, heading deeper into the zone. Since the path was downhill, the cart moved quickly even with just two people operating the handles. As Joseph looked around, he noticed that nearly a third of the zone had already been built into factory areas, a stark contrast to the sparse buildings he had seen last year, giving the area a lively and industrious atmosphere.
Lamo wiped the black soot off his face with a handkerchief—he had washed up before leaving, but the journey had covered him in coal dust again—and eagerly reported to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, more than half of the factories in the development zone have already achieved standardized production, increasing efficiency several times over. The remaining factories, or rather workshops, are still new but are also moving toward standardized production. Our goal is to have over 80% of the factories standardized by the end of this year."
The attitude of the factory owners had drastically changed from last year—they had seen firsthand the terrifying efficiency of standardized production in other factories. Efficiency lowers costs, increases output, and ultimately results in a lot of shiny livres. For capitalists, nothing can stop them from pursuing profits. As a result, the production management consulting company that Sonne had established was now thriving, with fees for standardization services continuously rising. The staff was busy until dark every day.
Lamo stood up and pointed to a large area of buildings to the west. "Your Highness, that's the ironworks of Viscount Olivier. He has reinvested twice since then and now has three blast furnaces and four reverberatory furnaces. In the first three months of this year alone, they produced nearly 24 million pounds of iron ingots, and the annual production is expected to exceed 98 million pounds. Moreover, his steel workshop has hired many British technicians, and the quality of their steel now almost matches that of Birmingham."
He then added quietly, "Though the cost is still slightly higher..."
Joseph nodded. France's steel industry had been decades behind Britain, and with limited iron ore resources, it would be difficult to match Britain in cost. He recalled that last year, the entire development zone had produced only 7,000 tons of pig iron. Now, Viscount Olivier alone was producing nearly 50,000 tons, which was an impressive leap forward. Last year, France's total national pig iron production was just 120,000 tons.
With the support of the development zone's policies and the push for standardized production, this single ironworks was now producing almost half of last year's national output.
Director Lamo continued, "Including the Gregoire brothers' ironworks and a few smaller foundries, the development zone's total iron ingot production should exceed 200 million pounds this year."
That's nearly 100,000 tons.
The Nancy development zone alone had almost reached France's previous total annual iron production. Joseph couldn't help but smile. If you also included the ironworks in Saint-Etienne and Lille, France's pig iron production this year might surpass Britain's! Although the costs might still be higher than Britain's, having the steel production capacity was the foundation for an industrial revolution. This was a very promising start.
He asked Lamo, "And how are the sales?"
"Your Highness, with the recent construction of many wooden tracks throughout the country, over 60% of the iron ingots were consumed domestically. The remainder was mostly sold in Paris and the southern provinces, with some exported to Bavaria and Württemberg."
Although wooden tracks were primarily made of wood, they were covered with a layer of iron to prevent wear, and iron was also used in the rivets and joints. Without the significant increase in iron production from Nancy, even the 20 to 30 kilometers of wooden tracks around Paris wouldn't have been completed.
And when it comes to laying steel tracks in the future, the demand for iron and steel would be astronomical.
Joseph suddenly thought of the "blast furnace" technique. Although he wasn't clear on the specifics, he had seen enough documentaries to understand the basic principle. It was a powerful method for increasing pig iron production, and it could be adapted to existing blast furnaces without the need for new ones.
He immediately instructed Lamo, "Please arrange for the owners of several ironworks, and their chief technicians, to meet me tomorrow morning. There's something very important we need to discuss."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As the handcart rounded the seemingly endless stretch of ironworks, Aignan started using a handkerchief to help Joseph wipe off the soot from his face. Nearby, Murdoch finally found his chance to speak, pointing proudly to a factory not far ahead. "Your Highness, the United Steam Engine Company that you established has tripled in size over the past year."
(End of Chapter)
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