Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

“So short a time?”

Big Mongolfier hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, this is just a test hot air balloon. In the future, we can make it larger to carry more fuel.”

Little Mongolfier softly added on the side, “But that will make the inflation time longer when launching…”

Joseph sighed, “What fuel are you using?”

“A mixture of straw and wool, Your Highness.”

Joseph thought no wonder it doesn’t fly long, how much heat can burning this stuff produce?

It seems that modern hot air balloons use propane or liquefied natural gas as fuel.

Well, that’s impossible right now, let’s skip it.

Farther back, it should have been using kerosene…

Currently, France’s coal tar industry can refine kerosene, but it’s still at the laboratory process stage, with very low output and very high cost.

Joseph finally said helplessly, “Then let’s use alcohol for now.”

Although alcohol’s energy value is not as high as kerosene, it is definitely far superior to straw and should allow the hot air balloon to float for much longer.

However, alcohol is also not cheap. Besides, carrying a few barrels of alcohol on the battlefield can’t prevent soldiers from sneaking a drink.

Let’s make do for now and get kerosene as soon as possible.

Not only can it provide fuel for hot air balloons, but kerosene lamps are also a very lucrative industry. The famous future Mei Fu Company initially established its position as a petrochemical giant relying on kerosene lamps.

But Lavoisier is currently in the Palatinate working on a fertilizer plant, so who can this matter be given to?

Joseph suddenly recalled the future concept of “economic benefits driving technological innovation.”

With so many chemists in France and so many chemical plants, if they are given enough material incentives, unexpected surprises may be yielded.

He took out his notebook and wrote down the line “Kerosene Refinement Technology Bidding.”

Afterward, Joseph discussed with Bertier and other staff about the application of hot air balloons in the army.

It was initially decided to equip each infantry division with 3 hot air balloons, operated by engineers.

A staff officer regretfully said, “Such a powerful reconnaissance tool, it would be great to equip each regiment with one.”

Bertier nodded, “Actually, if the information gathered by the hot air balloons can be quickly communicated to every officer, that would work too, just like the Sharp Signal Machine.”

The speaker had no intention, but the listener was interested. Joseph’s heart was moved – indeed, if the Sharp Signal Machine were equipped with every regiment, wouldn’t command efficiency increase tenfold?

Have engineers carry prefabricated materials and quickly build signal towers on the battlefield?

That doesn’t seem very realistic.

Even if the engineers exhaust themselves, it would at least take half a day to set up a simple signal tower. Even if it is built, battlefield situations change rapidly; it might become obsolete before being used twice, and signal towers can’t move with the troops…

Joseph suddenly thought of the future’s foldable aerial work platforms – using an articulated X-shaped support to lift the platform more than ten meters into the air. With two people on it, one sending signals and the other observing through a telescope, isn’t that a miniature Sharp Signal Tower?

This device can also be mounted on a carriage, dragged around everywhere.

Though a ten meters high platform certainly doesn’t have the observational distance of a fixed signal tower, it is enough to exceed most trees, allowing mutual communication over two to three kilometers.

Ordinarily, in a battle involving tens of thousands of people, the battlefield width is only about ten kilometers; three or four “Sharp Signal Cars” would suffice to cover the whole battlefield.

By then, the orders from the French General Commander could reach all mid-level officers within three to five minutes. Meanwhile, the commander can quickly ascertain the status of each corps.

This efficiency is a few magnitudes higher than currently relying on order officers to ride horses sweatingly to deliver commands!

Joseph’s thoughts continued to extend.

If the hot air balloon were also equipped with Sharp Signal Tower signal personnel, and one or two hot air balloons were raised between the stationary signal tower and the front lines, without flying too high, communication between the rear and front could be linked.

It doesn’t seem much to say, but it fills in the “last few tens of kilometers” blind spots of Sharp Signal Towers.

If realized, future orders issued from Paris could appear in front-line commanders’ hands within two hours. Conversely, too.

Continuing the extension.

Two battle zones that are very far apart, like Italy and the Southern Netherlands, could also use Paris as an information relay station, jointly deploying coordinated operations.

This process might only take less than 4 hours.

What is the concept of 4 hours?

For an army of one hundred thousand, conveying the General Commander’s orders to its flanking corps might take this long!

Being someone who understands future warfare arts, Joseph knows deeply how much the efficiency of information transfer affects a military’s combat potential.

Efficient communication forces fighting inefficient ones are like nimble monkeys thrashing sloths.

The sloth’s brain has yet to send commands to its arms, while the monkey already threw several punches and leaped away.

Thus nations in the future would invest enormous funds in military informatization, making the extent of informatization the primary standard for judging military strength.

Joseph suddenly realized that, once the hot air balloons and mobile signal towers were fully developed, the French Army would outperform every European military force in warning, reconnaissance, order transmission, inter-corps coordination, information sharing to friend-foe identification comprehensively.

This, isn’t it essentially an information-age army for this era?

Adding on the training level and morale of France’s direct troops, defeating many with less becomes entirely possible!

Joseph took a deep breath, secretly thinking: I didn’t expect the biggest enhancement of this military reform would be here.

He immediately summoned all the staff to the Military Academy’s conference hall to expound on the concept of forming an “informatized” army.

The meeting lasted until after 6 PM, when Joseph heard the staff’s occasional stomach growling protests; thus, he adjourned the session, continuing the discussion at the General Staff tomorrow.

Weary, he left the conference hall, intending to head to the Military Academy’s dining hall, only to see Talleyrand standing outside, evidently waiting for a while.

“Why have you come here? Is there something urgent?”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs hurried a few steps forward, bowed, and then said softly, “Your Highness, news just arrived this afternoon. William II passed away the day before yesterday.”

Joseph immediately frowned.

He remembered William II was supposed to die a couple of years later according to history; why did it suddenly happen early?

He looked at Talleyrand, “Please explain the specifics.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Talleyrand leaned on a cane, following at the Crown Prince’s side, “Carl Ludwig suffered a great defeat to the Prussian Army in Silesia, sequentially routing Taunus and Mollen’s forces, and encircled Prince Hornlow’s main forces at Legnica.

“After receiving the news, William II experienced convulsions, and symptoms of coma, and stopped breathing in merely a few hours.

“Currently, William III is in the process of coronation. Wilhelmina has been sent to a monastery, with the Prussian political situation temporarily overseen by Prince Henry.”

Joseph walked into the Military Academy’s dining hall, found a random seat, and motioned Talleyrand to sit opposite: “So, how does Potsdam plan to handle the Silesian situation?”

“It is said that Baron Friedrich has already gone to London to seek British mediation; Prince Henry’s stance should lean towards a quick cessation of fighting,” Talleyrand said, “As you know, Prussia currently, whether financially or militarily, can no longer sustain the war.”

Joseph immediately frowned.

He originally thought Prussia could hold out against Austria for some years, didn’t expect William II to suddenly die. Judging by his symptoms, it was likely a stroke or heart attack suddenly triggered by shock.

Now with Prussia rapidly facing upheaval, surrendering to Austria becomes probable.

The latter might even seize more land in Silesia, thereby quickly recovering from the power loss caused by the Anti-French Alliance’s failure previously.

This situation leads to an increase in Austria’s dominance in the Germanic region.

Which is not good news for France at all.