Chapter 268: The Romance of Steel and Steam
With the addition of soybeans, coupled with Napoleon's invention of the "on-site resupply" model, the French Army's logistics would crush any opponent in Europe.
There is a saying about warfare: "Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics."
Logistics has always been the most critical part of war. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Three Kingdoms, burning the enemy's supplies was a universal tactic.
The logistical advantage brought by soybeans was even more important than the new firearms.
Joseph continued, "During peacetime, we can purchase soybeans in large quantities from farmers and store them in strategic reserve granaries."
What he didn’t say was that in the event of a severe famine, soybeans could also be mixed into bread to serve as rations.
Vénio had been taking notes along the way, following Joseph tirelessly.
By the time they had dinner, he looked at the thick stack of work assignments with a heavy heart.
He had thought that as the Minister of Agriculture, his primary role would be as it was before—just urging people to plant more potatoes—a relaxed and carefree duty. He had not expected the Crown Prince to assign him so many tasks.
It seemed the promise he made to Madame Lacroix to take her on a trip to Spain was going to fall through...
Two days later, the convoy arrived in Nancy.
Vénio went off to oversee the potato procurement efforts. By now, northeastern France had essentially become a "potato breeding base," and as the Minister of Agriculture, he needed to pay close attention to this.
Meanwhile, Joseph headed straight to the industrial development zone.
This was his destination for the trip. To expand the national economic "pie," promoting industrial development was essential. The dividends of the Industrial Revolution, even if only partially tapped, could satisfy the disgruntled aristocracy. Historically, the British had done exactly that.
From a distance, Joseph could already see several thick columns of black smoke billowing into the sky.
In a future era, such scenes would undoubtedly incur heavy fines from environmental agencies. But at this time, they were symbols of progress and civilization.
Joseph hadn’t informed the development zone of his visit until an hour before his arrival.
As a result, only Alexander Lamo, William Murdoch, John Sandler, and about ten others were at the gate to greet him.
Joseph joined them in a hand-powered rail cart running on wooden tracks, heading into the heart of the zone. The route was downhill, so despite only two people manning the levers, the cart sped along quickly.
Joseph gazed out at the scene: nearly one-third of the industrial zone was now filled with factories, a stark contrast to the sparse structures he had seen the previous year. The area now brimmed with vitality.
Lamo wiped coal dust from his face with a handkerchief. (God as his witness, he had washed up before leaving, but the smoke along the way had undone his efforts.) He enthusiastically introduced the Crown Prince to the developments: "Your Highness, more than half the factories in the zone have now achieved production standardization. Efficiency has increased several times compared to before.
"The remaining factories—well, they’re still more like workshops, many of them newly built—but they are also in the process of adopting standardized production.
"Our goal is to have over 80% of the factories standardized by the end of the year."
The attitudes of the factory owners this year were very different from those of last year. They had witnessed firsthand the staggering efficiency gains of standardized production.
Efficiency lowers costs and increases output, which translates to glittering silver livres!
For capitalists, nothing can stand in the way of profit. Consequently, the "Production Management Consulting Company" established by Jean Sonet was now thriving. Fees for implementing production standardization kept rising, and its employees were working until nightfall every day.
Lamo stood up and pointed to a large cluster of factory buildings to the west. "Your Highness, that’s Viscount Olivier’s ironworks. Oh, he made two additional investments later on, and now owns three blast furnaces and four reverberatory furnaces. In the first three months of this year, he produced nearly 24 million pounds of pig iron, and the annual output is expected to exceed 98 million pounds.
"Furthermore, his steel workshop has hired a number of British technicians. The steel quality they’re producing now is almost on par with Birmingham."
He added quietly, "Though the costs are still slightly high..."
Joseph nodded. France’s steel industry had lagged behind Britain’s for decades. With its limited iron ore resources, catching up in terms of costs was always going to be difficult.
He recalled that last year, the entire industrial zone's pig iron output was only 7,000 tons. Now, Viscount Olivier's works alone were approaching 50,000 tons. This rate of improvement was astounding.
Last year, France’s national pig iron production was only 120,000 tons.
Thanks to the industrial zone's supportive policies and standardized production, this single factory now accounted for nearly half the previous year's total national output.
Lamo continued, "Including the Grégoire Brothers' ironworks and several smaller iron plants, the industrial zone’s total pig iron production this year should exceed 200 million pounds."
Two hundred million pounds—close to 100,000 tons.
The Nancy development zone alone was now rivaling France’s entire previous pig iron output.
Joseph couldn’t help but smile. With the addition of ironworks in Saint-Étienne and Lille, France’s pig iron output this year might even surpass Britain’s!
Though the costs might still exceed Britain’s, an increased steel supply was the foundation of the Industrial Revolution.
This was an excellent beginning.
He asked Lamo, "How are the sales?"
"Your Highness, a significant portion—over 60% of the pig iron—has been used domestically for the construction of wooden tracks. Most of the remainder is sold in Paris and the southern provinces, with some going to nearby buyers in Bavaria and Württemberg."
Wooden tracks primarily used timber, but the top layer was covered with iron to prevent wear. Additionally, rivets, joints, and other components also required iron.
Without the substantial increase in Nancy’s iron output, even the 20-30 kilometers of wooden tracks around Paris wouldn’t have been feasible.
In the future, when iron tracks were laid, the steel consumption would be astronomical.
Joseph suddenly thought of the "hot blast furnace" technology. While he wasn’t familiar with the details, he had seen documentaries and understood the basic principles.
This technology was a game-changer for pig iron production, and it could be adapted to existing blast furnaces without requiring new ones.
He immediately instructed Lamo, "Please arrange for the owners of a few ironworks, along with their chief technicians, to meet me tomorrow morning. This is a matter of utmost importance."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As the rail cart passed the endless ironworks, Eymond began wiping the black soot from Joseph’s face with a handkerchief.
At last, William Murdoch saw his opportunity to speak and proudly gestured toward a factory not far ahead. "Your Highness, your United Steam Engine Company has tripled in size over the past year."