I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 316 Smoke of war (long chapter, please vote for me)

For a moment, the factory owners present became even more excited.

With the market, raw materials, the latest technology, and insurance companies to back up the investment, this business can definitely be done!

Of course, Joseph also knew that although these people were excited, when it came to investing livres, most of them would still shrink back until the first person to try it out really made money, and then they would follow suit.

69 Book Bar→69𝓈𝒽𝓊𝓍.𝓃ℯ𝓉

So Joseph then proposed an incentive plan: "In order to encourage everyone to use new technologies, factories that invest in automatic looms within three months will be able to enjoy a 50% tax reduction policy for three years. Factories that invest within five months can enjoy a 35% tax reduction.

"In addition, for investors with insufficient funds, the precision machinery factory can also provide rental services. You only need to invest two thousand livres to rent an automatic loom for one year. ”

The French Precision Machinery Factory is a new factory separated from the Royal Ordnance Factory. After all, the Ordnance Factory should focus on the production of weapons, and it is not a good idea to always let them make looms.

It happened that the Ordnance Factory recruited a group of craftsmen to produce automatic looms, so Joseph simply invested some money to separate these people and set up a new company.

In the future, it can also produce precision products such as lathes and boring machines, which can play a very important role in promoting industrial productivity.

As for the leasing of automatic looms, Joseph directly asked the Minister of Industry to apply for financial subsidies. For each loom rented out, the French treasury will subsidize the precision machinery factory with 4,000 livres - the price of an automatic loom is 5,800 livres. In other words, the precision machinery factory does not take any risks in renting looms.

Now there are many more textile owners who are really determined to try automatic looms.

To invest in three automatic looms, you only need to take out 36,000 livres, and 30,000 livres are used to buy steam engines. Steam engines are very valuable - many villages are looking for second-hand steam engines for irrigation, which can be easily sold.

With a 50% tax reduction, there is really no need to wait and see. You know, there will be no tax reduction benefits in five months.

Some smart factory owners have already formed groups of three or five to discuss investing in automatic looms together - the larger the capital scale, the more effectively it can reduce costs. Although there is no complete set of business operation theory, these people have actually opened factories of experience, and are all skilled capitalists.

After the "policy briefing", Joseph immediately took the Lyon Municipal Commissioner and the President of the Chamber of Commerce to inspect the large-scale textile factories in Lyon.

For the best-performing ones among them, he not only provided loan support - well, the French Reserve Bank was very fast in lending after seeing the note approved by the Crown Prince - he even personally taught the operators of several factories advanced concepts such as brand building, promotion, and cultivation of sales networks.

For the French textile industry, he almost took care of everything for the factory owners, except for chewing it up and feeding it to them.

Compared with their British counterparts who relied on their own talents to work hard, the textile owners in Lyon were so happy.

This If we still can't catch up with the British, it would be unjust!

Four days later, Joseph looked at the more than 30 application forms for the new automatic loom factory on the table with satisfaction, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. It seemed that his trip to Lyon could end.

The specific implementation work later would naturally be taken over by Mirabeau's people. He had already decided on the general framework, so basically there would be no problems.

However, when Joseph was about to leave for Verdun in the morning, he heard a faint noise coming from outside the window.

He opened the window in surprise and saw that the wall of the villa where he stayed was crowded with people. His guards and Lyon police were shouting and trying to disperse those people.

Before he asked, Emman hurried over and bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, those are textile workers in Lyon. They seem to have heard that automatic looms can reduce the number of employees in the factory by 90%, so they came to petition you. "

Joseph couldn't help but hold his forehead. The workers were worried about losing their jobs. It was also his fault for bragging too much...

In this era, workers are basically moonlighters. If they lose their jobs, their families will go hungry immediately.

He suddenly felt a headache. Although the workers' worries were unnecessary, on the one hand, the effect of automatic looms in reducing the use of manpower was not so exaggerated, and on the other hand, automatic looms could increase the sales of textiles in Lyon, which was equivalent to making the cake bigger. By then, the factory would definitely be expanded on a large scale, and the number of people required would only be more than now, not less.

But it was difficult to explain this to the workers clearly.

Joseph thought for a while and told Emman: "Please tell Major Csode that there is no need to disperse the crowd."

Eman hesitated for a moment, but still stroked his chest and said: "Yes, Your Highness."

Soon, Joseph came to the gate of the villa. Someone shouted: "It's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! ”

Hundreds of Lyon workers who were separated by the police outside the wall suddenly fell silent.

Joseph looked around, climbed onto the roof of a carriage parked in front of the gate, and shouted to the ragged and anxious textile workers: "I understand your concerns. But I can guarantee that you will never lose your job because of the automatic looms!"

A brave worker squeezed forward and said nervously: "Your Highness, but my boss said that when the automatic looms arrive, more than half of the people will be fired..."

Joseph immediately said: "The government plans to build a textile processing base in Lyon and expand the Rhone River Terminal, which will require a large number of manpower. Unemployed textile workers will receive job opportunities first. The wages will not be lower than your original level.

“In addition, the laying of wooden tracks in large cities near Lyon will soon begin, again with priority given to recruiting unemployed workers.

"After these projects, large companies such as the Lyon River Transport Company and the Lyon Gas Lighting Company will be established. The government will also launch many large projects to promote the construction of Lyon. In short, there will be more and more places that need manpower in the future, and we will not need it at all. Afraid of not having a job.”

The textile workers who came to petition immediately started whispering, but their eyes clearly showed concern and disbelief.

Joseph smiled again and said: "Every two months from now on, I will personally send people to count the unemployment rate in Lyon. If the unemployment rate is too high, I will let the government fund to help unemployed families go to Saint-Etienne or Nanzion. Everyone. You must have heard of the industrial development zone over there - there are factories everywhere, as well as employee dormitories and schools, so work is not a problem.

"Oh, what I just said will be issued as an official announcement from the city government soon. Please rest assured."

The hundreds of people around suddenly fell silent, not only because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had solved the unemployment problem they were extremely worried about, but what surprised them was that the Crown Prince was so considerate of them and so approachable.

This is completely different from the impression of the royal family in their minds!

Joseph knew how much riots Lyon workers had caused due to unemployment in history, so he would not take it lightly.

For a moment, someone shouted first: "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Others were reminded and bowed to Joseph, shouting together: "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty the merciful Crown Prince!"

"You must be sent by God to save us..."

Joseph was a little sad when he saw this. He just gave these simple lower-class people a chance to work 14 hours a day, so that they could buy black bread for their families, which made them so grateful.

Perhaps, as the crown prince, he should do more for such poor people.

…

South Asia.

Southern peninsular India.

Outside Calicut Port, more than a dozen Arabian-style carriages were driving on the rugged and bumpy roads. From time to time, dark-skinned locals would quickly pass the carriages from both sides of the road with bare feet.

The Marquis de Lafayette did not urge the coachman to speed up because his butt could no longer withstand bigger bumps. In fact, he now regretted not listening to the guide's advice and taking the domed sedan carried by the locals.

But he quickly put this little unhappiness behind him, and even felt that the humid and hot weather and the bad roads were so lovely.

Because this will be the starting point for his rapid rise!

Unlike more than ten years when he went to the United States without permission to participate in the War of Independence, his visit to India this time was commissioned by His Majesty the King, so he would never win a lot of battles and be criticized when he returned to France.

The royal family promised him that as long as he helped Mysore defeat the British - just as he had done in North America - he would be able to ascend to the high position of Assistant to the Minister of War. That was the power he dreamed of!

Those military nobles who had laughed at him and ostracized him before would have to treat him with respect and even rush to fawn over him.

Thinking of this, a strong sense of excitement surged in his heart, as if he was about to go on a date with his favorite lady.

He looked at the tropical jungle in the distance, quickly gathered his thoughts, and began to think about how to quickly open up the situation during this trip to Mysore.

In fact, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had compiled a series of strategies for him before leaving, but it was difficult for him to believe the effectiveness of the methods designed by a young man who had never been to India.

He recalled the crown prince's plans and whispered to himself: "After all, I have to act according to my own circumstances.

"Fortunately, this is a kingdom with a population of nearly 20 million. Even if it is consumed slowly, it can still kill the East India Company guys."

Yes, Britain's political, military and trade management in India are now fully entrusted to the East India Company, which only needs to pay a share to the British government every year.

For cost-saving reasons, the East India Company had less than 3,000 troops in India. In peacetime, it mainly relied on Indian soldiers recruited from Indian states. The latter usually has 40,000 to 80,000 people depending on needs.

In other words, there are only 3,000 enemy troops with strong combat effectiveness.

Lafayette couldn't help but smile when he thought of this. This was simply a gift from God to himself. Not only was the Kingdom of Mysore strong, but starting from Tipu Sultan's fathers, it had trained nearly 60,000 powerful warriors according to the European model. army.

Moreover, Mysore has a unified ethnic group and religion, relatively open politics, and its overall national strength is much better than that of the surrounding princely states.

If this trip to India goes well, maybe he can return to Paris before the end of the year and be promoted to Assistant to the Minister of War.

After more than ten days of torrential rain and intense sunshine in the tropical climate, Lafayette's motorcade finally arrived in Mysore, the capital of Mysore.

Tipu Sultan gave him a very grand welcome ceremony. In fact, France had sent envoys to Mysore before, but it did not provide much support. It even had certain interests in Travancore, which did not deal with Mysore.

This time the French are obviously going to really help Mysore.

The messenger who came to contact in advance said that the person coming to Mysore this time was the famous French general, Marquis Lafayette, who had defeated the British in the United States.

At the same time, the latter would bring troops and a large amount of weapons.

In the open Arabian palace, Lafayette glanced at the food in front of him, which was enough for ten people to eat for three days, but did not do it. Instead, he turned his head to look at Tipu Sultan and said directly: "Your Majesty, how are you going to deal with the Travancore seizure of the Mysore Fortress this time?"

The Indian man next to him immediately translated simultaneously.

Tipu Sultan had learned that France had decided to give up its interests in Travancore, so he did not shy away: "Dear general, I have ordered the army to assemble and attack the Travancore people who are overconfident in three months!"

Lafayette smiled and immediately said what the prince had repeatedly told him: "Your Majesty, if you want to win, you must always keep your eyes on the British.

"Although they are not many in number, they are your real enemies! "

Tipu Sultan was startled, then nodded slightly. The reason why Mysore failed in the first two wars was that the enemy army was commanded by the British.

He looked at Lafayette: "So what is your suggestion?"

"Drive the British in Kannada and Malabar into the sea as quickly as possible, and then concentrate the forces to deal with Manata!"

Lafayette said: "I brought 300 elite soldiers and a large number of craftsmen this time, as well as 13,000 flintlocks and 30 cannons. I will help you defeat all enemies in one fell swoop!"

...

Prussia.

Potsdam, Sanssouci Palace.

William II waved the secret report in his hand angrily and shouted to Prince Heinrich: "The despicable Austrians actually want to sneak attack Silesia! "

The report in his hand was just sent by Saxony, which said that Austria had gathered nearly 100,000 troops and could launch an attack on Silesia at any time.

Prince Heinrich looked at the king who was walking around in anger, and sighed in his heart, if only his brother was still alive.

No, if his brother was still alive, the Austrians would not dare to take Silesia at all.

He is Frederick the Great's younger brother, the uncle of the current Prussian King William II, and the most influential person in Prussian politics.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry." Prince Heinrich seemed very calm, "Since we have received intelligence in advance, we can quickly mobilize troops and take the opportunity to severely damage the Austrians, and it is not impossible to even seize part of Moravia. "