The Fox of France

Chapter 30: Is Napoleon Becoming a Philosopher?

Nitroglycerin, in the original course of history, was invented by the Italian chemist Sobrero in 1846. However, the raw materials for its production, such as glycerin, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid, had already existed. At this point in time, producing nitroglycerin was no longer a significant technological challenge. In fact, the manufacturing process of nitroglycerin wasn't too difficult; it mainly required maintaining a low temperature throughout the preparation.

But in the original history, it was precisely this detail that cost a tremendous, even bloody, price for people to grasp. Lu Xun once sighed, "The history of humanity advancing through bloodshed is like the formation of coal. It consumed a vast amount of wood at the beginning but ended up with only a small piece." Technological progress follows a similar pattern. Many techniques that were acquired at a great cost are, in essence, quite simple.

Joseph, of course, didn't want Lavoisier to perish in a nitroglycerin explosion. That's why he explicitly mentioned temperature control in the letter he wrote to Lavoisier. Joseph reasoned that more vigorous molecular motion would intensify the reaction, making it more dangerous. Therefore, by maintaining a low temperature throughout, despite slowing down the reaction, it significantly increased safety.

However, even with this crucial guidance, achieving perfection was challenging. Just two days later, Lavoisier experienced his first explosion on the Duke of Orleans' property. An assistant failed to follow the operational procedures strictly, injected the acid too rapidly, and caused a serious accident, resulting in one death and five injuries. This was largely due to the relatively small amount of nitroglycerin being produced; otherwise, the other five individuals might not have survived.

This explosion frightened Lavoisier considerably. He was present at the time, but he had momentarily left to quench his thirst. Of course, if he had been there, it's hard to say whether the assistant would have been equally careless. However, the Duke of Phillips seemed particularly composed and even more interested in this matter. Having witnessed the power of this substance, he immediately realized its great potential. As for casualties during the research process, well, they sacrificed themselves for the advancement of science, a death of greater significance. People are bound to die, but the meaning of their deaths varies. Sacrificing themselves for the advancement of science, like them, means dying for a cause greater than the Alps. As for whether people might die during production in the future, well, industrial accidents are challenging to entirely avoid; people also get run over by carriages while walking. Moreover, even if those workers were to die, they would be dying for the construction of France, so what's the problem? In any case, they won't die at the Duke's residence, just as the Duke would never be run over by a carriage when he walks in the street.

While periodic explosions resounded at the Duke of Phillips' estate, Joseph completed his business in Calais and returned to Paris. His brother Napoleon, along with his younger brother Louis, had also arrived in Paris.

"I took leave from the army and made a trip to Corsica to bring Louis to you. Do you have any water here? I'm dying of thirst," Napoleon exclaimed upon seeing Joseph.

"The water is over there. Pour yourself a drink," Joseph said. Then he approached Louis and said, "Louis, you've grown taller again; you're even taller than Napoleon now. Haha. In our family, including the girls, you might become the shortest one."

Napoleon didn't like others making fun of his height, but he knew that the more he showed his anger, the more Joseph, that annoying guy, would be pleased. So, he simply ignored him and poured himself a glass of water, then drank it down.

"How is everything at home?" Joseph asked.

"Not good," Napoleon replied.

"There's nothing wrong, it's the same as before," Louis said.

"The same as before is the worst kind of 'not good,'" Napoleon retorted.

"What's wrong? Have you come out into the world, seen it, and now you're not satisfied with Corsica? Can't stand Corsica anymore?" Joseph asked, reclining in his chair and propping up his legs.

"Why would I dislike Corsica? It's just that Corsica lacks change. In France, in Paris, you can always feel the dynamism, new ideas, new science, new opportunities; everything changes and progresses daily. But in Corsica, today is the same as yesterday, and yesterday is the same as the day before. I talked to people, and their thoughts haven't changed in ten years, even a hundred years, or two hundred years. Even the patriotic idealists are the same; they only want independence and then lock themselves away, continuing to live as they did hundreds of years ago. This is not a good thing; Corsica shouldn't be like this."

"What do you think Corsica should be like then? Napoleon, it seems like you used to think the same way," Joseph said, a mocking smile on his face.

"That shows that I've progressed beyond the others," Napoleon replied. "As for how Corsica should be, I believe the future Corsica should be a country of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law, just as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu depicted."

"Napoleon, you've indeed progressed!" Joseph chuckled. "So, what are your plans?"

"During my time in Corsica, I've been thinking about this. Firstly, I believe that Corsica's fundamental problem is not France's occupation but the people's lack of awakening. To truly change Corsica, we must educate our people and awaken them."

"What?" Joseph was taken aback, his eyes widened as he stared at his brother. "Does this guy have a problem? Does he not want to be a great general anymore because of our time-travel and the butterfly effect, and now he wants to be a Lu Xun who awakens the masses?"

Joseph hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Napoleon, what are your specific plans?"

"I plan to write a history of Corsica, just like 'The Gallic Wars,'" Napoleon said.

Upon hearing this, Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Napoleon was still Napoleon. 'The Gallic Wars' was a work by Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor. This meant that Napoleon's role model remained political and military leaders like Caesar, and writing the history of Corsica was merely a means to achieve his political goals.

"I'm not entirely optimistic about your plans," Joseph shook his head. "You know, the literacy rate in Corsica is even lower than in France and Italy. Few people can read."

Napoleon opened his mouth, ready to argue, but Joseph didn't give him the chance and continued, "Napoleon, don't rush to argue. I know what you want to say. You want to say that even though few people in Corsica can read, as long as these people realize the problem and understand the new, correct ideas from outside, they can not only change themselves but also influence others. Because these individuals are natural leaders in Corsica. Is that what you're thinking?"

Napoleon stared at Joseph for a while before answering, "Yes, that's what I think. What's wrong with that?" He answered somewhat reluctantly, likely due to his prediction based on his old habits when dealing with Joseph, expecting his brother to respond with sharp sarcasm immediately.

Indeed, his prediction turned out to be quite accurate. Joseph immediately retorted, "My naive brother, you're too young and naive! You actually believe you can persuade people with reason! It's quite amusing."

At this point, Joseph suddenly leaned forward, bringing his face close to Napoleon's and stared into his eyes. "My brother, you must remember that the primary driver of most people's actions is not their brains but their behinds! The key isn't what's right or moral, but what's advantageous for them, where their behinds are positioned! Do you understand?"

With that statement, he straightened up again. "Think with your head for a moment. In a 'free, equal, just, and legal state,' what impact does it have on the people you need to collaborate with to achieve your goals? Is it beneficial or harmful? Forget about morality and ideals; consider them all as Machiavellian individuals. Then think, will they support a 'free, equal, just, and legal state'? Not to mention, in France, who opposes this 'free, equal, just, and legal state'? Napoleon, do you remember what the primary question in every revolution is?"

Napoleon shook his head.

"Who is our enemy? Who is our friend? This is the foremost question in a revolution," Joseph explained, shamelessly presenting great thoughts as his own. "In the past, most failed revolutionary struggles had many reasons, but the fundamental one was their inability to unite true friends to attack true enemies. Revolutionaries are the guides of the masses, and no revolution has succeeded without the leadership of revolutionaries. If you want to be certain of not straying and succeeding, you must unite our true friends to attack our true enemies."

Napoleon remained silent for a while, and then he finally spoke, but this time, there was a sense of longing in his eyes.

"So, how do we determine who our friends are and who our enemies are?" Napoleon asked.

....

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