Joseph immediately showed an expression of delighted surprise, stepping forward to caress the machine, which was of an antique design—in this era, perhaps it could be described as sci-fi in appearance— and turned to Louis XVI, saying, “You are absolutely the greatest master of mechanics in all of France, no, in all of Europe!”
“You have created this machine perfectly in less than half a year!”
“It is but a replica,” Louis XVI said with a curl of his lip, “and merely a boring contraption for weaving cloth…”
As he spoke, his eyes shone with excitement, “Right, my son, that rifled gun you mentioned last time, when shall we begin to develop it?”
“Whenever you want, we can start at any time,” Joseph replied with a smile, then patted the automatic loom beside him, “And I must say, this is not just some ‘boring contraption,’ it is the hope of French industry!”
“Do you remember the most important source of fiscal revenue for the British? It is their export of textiles. Your journey continues with empire
“Now, the British have begun to use this kind of machine in their factories, which can reduce the cost of textiles by more than 20%, while the output increases several times.
“Without your hard work, the textile factories in Lyon would soon be forced into a dead end by the British and ultimately shut down in large numbers. But now, we have the capital to compete with the British!”
A smile started to form on Louis XVI’s face, “Well then, can I at least claim to have saved Lyon?”
“Not just Lyon, but also Paris’s fashion industry, and a large number of sericulturists, cotton farmers, and hemp farmers. You have given them hope.”
Joseph continued, “Moreover, according to the information I have received, because this machine is expensive and needs to be driven by a water wheel, there are not many factories in England that use it. If we drive it with a steam engine and promote it on a large scale, we might even close the gap in the textile industry with England.
“This will increase the export volume of French textiles, yielding high fiscal revenue.
“In other words, you have also saved our finances. Archbishop Brienne will certainly be very grateful to you.”
Indeed, according to Joseph’s plans, it was not just about closing the gap. If they based on the automatic loom and simultaneously used the French-invented Jacquard machine, as well as the American-invented cotton gin, and concentrated them in Lyon to form an industrial chain, they could even surpass British textile efficiency!
These advanced concepts could only be suggested by someone like him, who had witnessed industrial integration and consolidation.
“Aha,” Louis XVI was instantly invigorated upon hearing this, “This is just a small gift I, as the King, give to France.”
He gestured to the weavers standing outside the door, “Etaule, Dominique, come and show the Crown Prince how this machine works.”
Seven or eight textile workers immediately came in, bowed to Louis XVI and Joseph, and then mounted the well-carded cotton on the automatic loom. They carefully set the machine, tied the thread ends and the shuttles, and finally, connected the connecting rod to the large water wheel at the Palace of Versailles.
The automatic loom immediately went into action, its paddles slowly turning, and a multitude of shuttles flew back and forth under the operation of the weavers—well, the automatic looms of this era could hardly be fully automatic, but even so, they were far more efficient than manual looms.
Soon, a piece of cotton yarn more than two meters wide appeared at the end of the machine, visibly extending at a pace detectable by the naked eye.
Louis XVI leaned toward his son’s ear with some pride, “See the connecting roller in the middle there? The British machines often get stuck there, but I added a spring to adjust the distance, and it has hardly ever had a problem since.”
“You are truly the Hephaestus of France!” Joseph immediately showered his father with praise. He had thought it impressive enough to replicate the British automatic loom, but the “top craftsman of France” had even made improvements! One must understand, the technical content of this device was essentially equivalent to a five-axis CNC machine from later centuries, a true high-tech product.
Louis XVI happily showed his son a thick stack of manufacturing process documents, and then summoned the more than ten assistants who had helped him build the loom, “With these blueprints, Mr. Frauhaus and the others will be able to produce the automatic looms.”
Joseph nodded in contemplation, wondering whether to locate the loom factory in Saint-Etienne or Nancy. However, starting a factory from scratch would take at least several months before production could begin…
Suddenly, he had an idea, and turned toward Frauhaus and the other craftsmen with a smile, “The first batch of looms will be made in the Royal Armory. Please complete at least ten as soon as possible, and then transport them to Lyon.”
The armory had all sorts of machinery, not to mention a large number of carpenters and blacksmiths who could assist, ensuring production efficiency would be anything but low.
Though the craftsmen were somewhat surprised, they bowed and accepted the command, beginning to move blueprints and tools along with the servants of the Royal Workshop.
Louis XVI then looked expectantly at his son, “Then let’s begin the research on that new gun.”
Joseph silently gave his father a thumbs-up. Having just completed such a large project, his father neither asked for a bonus nor a vacation; he was truly a model of French labor!
He took a deep breath, asked for paper and pencil from a servant, and began to draw a rough sketch of a gun on the platform where the cotton basket was placed beside the automatic loom, “First, we need to combine the percussion cap firing mechanism with the existing rifled guns.”
“That shouldn’t be difficult,” Louis XVI nodded, “We can use the experience from retrofitting flintlock guns to percussion caps.”
Joseph nodded, “Then it’s about perfecting the rifling process and modifying the dimensions of the primer chamber. I know it needs to be slightly enlarged, but the exact measurements will have to be determined through your experiments.
“After that, we will use a totally new type of bullet, that will ensure rifled guns are no longer useless!”
…
On the eastern outskirts of Paris, on the wooden railway heading to Reims, an exquisitely crafted carriage was speeding along.
In the spacious carriage, Joseph turned to the Minister of Agriculture, Venio, “After the completion of spring sowing, you must ensure the ‘phosphate rock’ is immediately transported to every parish.”
“Phosphate rock” was the colloquial term the French people used for the phosphate rock imported from Nauru, a term Joseph had heard so often that he had adopted it himself.
“Your Highness, the usage for each parish has been tallied last month. The phosphates mined in Tunisia have also arrived in large quantities.”
As Venio spoke, he seemed somewhat concerned, “However, with our current transportation capacity, it will be difficult to deliver them on time. As you know, phosphate rock is incredibly heavy…”
Joseph nodded, “That’s why we need to lay more wooden rails.
“For areas where transportation is overly difficult, we will first transition using large amounts of compost.”
[Note 1]Hephaestus is the god of artisans in Greek mythology, skilled in forging tools and sculpting.