Chapter 158: The Technical Alliance
Just as Talleyrand had disclosed to the Spanish, the Austrians were indeed attempting to negotiate with the French, and their conditions were similar to what Talleyrand had suggested: Austria was willing to exchange the Rhenish region for Lombardy.
In fact, the government was quite intrigued by the Austrian proposal. Acquiring the Rhenish region would mean extending the French borders to the banks of the Rhine, providing a relatively secure natural boundary to the north. On the other hand, Lombardy, separated from mainland France by the imposing Alps, would be administratively challenging.
Even Joseph acknowledged that the Rhenish region held more value than Lombardy. It wasn't just about the natural border; it was also about valuable resources. In this era, the Industrial Revolution had not fully taken hold, and the significance of crucial resources for the nation was not yet evident. However, as a time traveler, Joseph knew that Italy was a resource-poor country, lacking the essential coal and iron mines crucial for the first wave of industrialization.
If there was one country in Europe with abundant mineral resources, it was Britain. They possessed both coal and iron mines. France had relatively significant iron deposits in Lorraine, but coal resources were not ideal. Lorraine had a small coal mine, a mere vestige of the Saar coal mine, and it was the largest coal mine in all of France.
If an agreement with Austria were to be reached, it would mean that the abundant coal mines of the Saar region would fall under French control. This would essentially provide France with the necessary resources for the first industrial revolution.
However, at this moment, both Joseph and Napoleon were against this proposal. The reason was simple: even if the Rhenish region were gained, it would belong to France and not the Bonaparte family. On the other hand, Lombardy, while not becoming part of France, would remain under the control of the Bonaparte family.
Joseph couldn't voice this reason openly, but any matter could have a noble pretext if one wanted. So, Lucien stood up in the council and delivered the following speech:
"For too long, the people of Italy, like the people of France, have suffered under the oppression of the Church and the feudal aristocracy. Now, we have defeated the priests and nobles who rode roughshod over them and have brought freedom and liberation to the peasants and commoners.
The entire Italy, the people of all Europe, they all await us, just as fields parched by a long drought yearn for dark clouds and thunderstorms. It is for this reason that when our armies advance in Belgium, the Belgian people rise in revolt in response to us. When our armies pursue the fleeing Austrian forces in Italy, the Italian people welcome us with bread and wine. They provide us with food, act as guides - why do they do this? Because they see us as their liberators! Why have we achieved resplendent victories? It's not only because the entire French people stand behind us, but also because our armies, wherever they go, gain the support of the local people!
However, Joseph's military-industrial complex had a far less impressive production capacity than its grand name suggested because its production methods were still quite outdated. Steam engines and the Industrial Revolution had not yet made their way into military factories.
Joseph from the previous life had witnessed steam engines, at least the cylinder steam engine, being phased out. He only had a general idea of how they worked, and he was mostly ignorant of everything else.
This led to a paradox where the weapons produced by the "military-industrial complex" were incredibly advanced, but the methods used to manufacture them were still quite outdated, at least in Joseph's eyes.
To address this issue, Joseph instructed Lucien to suggest that other armories should be allowed to produce the new rifles under a licensing arrangement. In reality, the technology behind the Mini ball was rather simple, and once these rifles became widespread in the army, the secret couldn't be strictly guarded. Not just domestic manufacturers, even the Austrians, Prussians, and British would eventually learn about this technological secret. It would just take some time for them to equip their armies.
Furthermore, at this point, France didn't have a patent system. This meant that Joseph's competitors could also, over time, produce rifles that met military requirements. Even though Joseph could ensure that he profited the most from this arrangement through his influence in the military, others could still find ways to court non-Bonapartist generals, securing a share of the market.
Therefore, Joseph, with his knowledge from the future, devised a plan. He would use their technological advantage to create a cartel alliance, a plan that would ultimately help him build an industrial monopoly.
In general, the establishment of a technological cartel alliance requires a patent system. For someone like Joseph, a time traveler, patents were extremely crucial. Lucien had already proposed the establishment of a patent system in parliament. However, the proposal failed to pass, with a difference of about a dozen votes more against it than in favor.
This was a setback for Joseph, but launching a military coup over this defeat would be excessive. Joseph had a plan - he wanted to first attract some influential arms dealers who had the power to influence parliamentary voting through a technological alliance. Once these arms dealers joined the alliance, establishing a patent law would become a matter that greatly benefited them.
Once the patent law passed, this alliance would be tied even more closely, and the Bonaparte family, holding the source of the technology, would undeniably become the leaders of this cartel. Combined with Napoleon's influence in the military, Joseph believed he could transform this technological cartel into a conglomerate unified by technology patents and sales channels.
At that point, because there was no independent source of technology and sales channels, even if the companies within the alliance remained legally independent, all their economic activities would be subject to the headquarters' will. At that time, the "military-industrial complex" might truly live up to its name.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
