Murdock stared intently at the dark machine rumbling in front of him.
Not until Sandler’s voice overpowered the roar of the machine could one hear, “Pressure normal! Throttle valve normal!”
Murdock immediately showed ecstatic joy, shouted “Release the steam,” and then embraced each assistant one by one to celebrate.
A factory supervisor jogged into the test shed and called out to Murdock, “Mr. Murdock, the Crown Prince has arrived!”
“Ah? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“You said that during the test, unless God Himself came, nothing should disturb you…”
“From now on, exclude both the Crown Prince and God!”
“Oh, alright…”
Once Murdock and others had performed their formalities, Joseph asked with a smile, “Just now, I seemed to have heard your cheers.”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Murdock pointed to the huge black lump in the test shed, excitedly saying, “We’ve succeeded! It was completely manufactured by our own technicians, and its power output, coal consumption are entirely in line with Watt Company’s products.”
“You are absolutely the best steam engine technician in Europe!” Joseph immediately praised, “In just over two months, you’ve built the most cutting-edge steam engine in the world. Congratulations to you and your technicians!”
In fact, this steam engine was just a replica of a British product, and it even used many parts that were easily available in the market.
However, it performed a cut above the best steam engine France could previously produce, and it was accomplished by Murdock and his team while they were busy setting up the factory.
Murdock and the others, filled with enthusiasm, started the new steam engine again to give Joseph a demonstration.
“Your Highness, with the successful experience of this steam engine, we can now start manufacturing new high-pressure steam engines,” Sandler yelled out.
Murdock echoed loudly from the side, “Right! We will surpass Watt Company’s products in one fell swoop!”
Joseph pondered for a moment but then shook his head, “For now, a 15-horsepower steam engine can meet most needs; our goal should be how to sell more machines. After increasing the product’s market presence, we can consider technological upgrades.”
Explore more at M V L
Murdock was briefly stunned, then quickly smiled and nodded, “The Highness is right, of course, recouping costs is most important.”
Joseph shook his head again, “It’s not just about making money. It’s more about nurturing the market, allowing people to become familiar with steam engines as soon as possible, and more willing to accept them. High-performance but expensive products will always be chosen by only a small number of users. Cheap and functional products are the main sales force.”
Murdock and Sandler both silently nodded in agreement.
Joseph continued, “Your next main goal is to improve the reliability of the steam engine, and then make its appearance more compact and neat as much as possible, making it easier to transport and install.
“Another thing is to provide various kits, such as those that can be directly modified to match current waterwheels, automatic looms, etc.”
He then looked towards the black machine not far away and asked, “Mr. Murdock, how much does this steam engine cost to build?”
“It cost about 13,800 livres, Your Highness.”
At this, Joseph’s eyes couldn’t help but twitch—true to its reputation as the pinnacle technology of the age, the price was indeed steep.
“After mass production, what can we reduce the cost to?”
“Estimated to be around 11,000 livres.”
Joseph nodded, “Then let’s set the selling price at 13,000 livres per unit.”
“I’m afraid that’s a bit too low, Your Highness!” Murdock immediately objected, “You see, the Watt Company sells a similar steam engine for 17,000 livres.”
Joseph smiled, “How many can he sell in a year?”
“Usually between 20 and 30 units.”
“What do you think of the price if we could sell 80 units per year, or even more?”
Murdock’s eyes widened, “Your Highness, with all due respect, I fear that sales figure may not be achievable…”
Joseph patted his shoulder and smiled, “What if the wealthy parishes in France were willing to pool money to buy a steam engine for irrigation, or the mining areas to buy some for pumping water, and Lyon’s textile workshops to drive automatic looms? Do you think we could sell 80 units then?”
Murdock hesitated, “Your Highness, those parishes have never bought steam engines before. As for the textile industry, as you know, France has not yet produced an automatic loom…”
“No need to worry about these things, the government will soon issue documents to the provinces, offering low-interest loans to parishes for purchasing irrigation equipment. And as for the automatic looms, I will have someone bring in the British goods and immediately begin copying them.
“If we still can’t reach the sales target, we could consider leasing, letting people use the steam engines first and gradually recouping the costs.”
The Watt steam engine didn’t really take off until the early 19th century, largely because of his company’s promotional efforts.
But Joseph had started by using administrative measures to open up the market for France’s steam engine companies!
With close technological capabilities, high sales volume would inevitably lead to more technical feedback and promote technological iteration.
Government action vs company action, Joseph believed, would mean that in not too many years, France’s steam engines would begin to sell back to England.
…
Less than a day after Joseph’s carriage left Nancy, he encountered couriers from Paris on the way.
Moreover, there were two batches, sent by Fouche and Brian respectively.
The content of the two letters was essentially the same: Necker had fled. Although an arrest warrant had not yet been formally issued—Carolina’s evidence was still en route—the Secret Police, Paris Police, and Police Affairs Department had already set out in full force to capture Necker.
Joseph immediately frowned, not expecting him to escape given such stringent arrangements.
After pondering for a moment, he wrote a letter to Brian, instructing him to order the governors of the border provinces to closely monitor the exit channels, especially those heading to England and Prussia.
Several days later, when Joseph returned to Paris, he saw Fouche already waiting by the roadside.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince, Fouche almost bowed his head to the ground, desperately blaming himself.
Joseph waved his hand to interrupt him, motioning for him to get in the carriage, “That tunnel must have been dug before you sent people to infiltrate his house. It seems he was prepared to flee at any moment, so it’s not entirely your fault.”
Fouche breathed a sigh of relief internally, “Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Highness.”
Joseph asked, “Have you found any clues to Necker’s whereabouts?”
“Not yet…” Fouche said, looking dejected, but quickly added, “However, I’ve set up checkpoints on all roads entering and exiting Paris, spotters in waste areas and bushes, and people watching over every farmhouse within a radius of a mile. I believe Necker is still inside Paris.”
Joseph furrowed his brow in thought, “Or perhaps, we could have the Secret Police conduct a house-to-house search?”
Necker was worth hundreds of millions and certainly warranted such extensive efforts.
Fouche then remembered something else and hastily spoke, “Right, Your Highness, besides the Police Affairs Department and the Secret Police, it seems there are others looking for Necker. There are even rumors in the underworld that this group has offered a reward of 50,000 livres for information on Necker’s whereabouts.”