Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Chapter 463: Chapter 376: Saving Angel (Please Follow)

Joseph briefly explained the characteristics of benzene to Lavoisier and immediately turned to Mirabeau:

"In the coming period, you will likely be very busy.

"First, you need to work with Mr. Lavoisier to build a soda ash production factory as soon as possible. Oh, I will arrange for the Bank of France Reserve to earmark funds specifically for this purpose.”

"Meanwhile, you also need to establish two casein factories. One in Paris, with a smaller scale, producing about 50,000 kilograms per month. Another in Brittany, reaching a monthly output of 500,000 kilograms.”

"Following that will be the construction of a beverage factory in each of Paris, Nancy, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Marseille. The drinks will be sold in glass bottles. I will send the specific formula directly to the factories.”

Just now in the carriage, Lavoisier mentioned that the soda ash production process would produce baking soda, which reminded Joseph.

Baking soda, when added to lemon or vinegar, would generate a large amount of carbon dioxide, wasn’t that the 18th-century carbonated beverage?

Previously, baking soda was expensive, and nobody could afford to drink it, but with industrial production, it became possible to use it to make high-end beverages.

A bottle of water, a few grams of baking soda, a bit of sugar, and some fruit juice. Such a novel, bubbling drink that could relieve heat and quench thirst, as long as it was marketed properly, could even be sold at a price higher than premium wines. It was practically a printing press!

Joseph continued, “Most importantly, we need to prepare two furniture factories, one in Paris and another in Brittany. Initially, design them to produce over ten thousand sets of wardrobes and tables and chairs per month.”

Mirabeau’s pen, whirling as he took notes, suddenly stopped, and he looked at the Crown Prince in amazement:

"Your Highness, are you saying that we should build factories to produce furniture? Forgive me for speaking frankly, but I’m afraid that might incur losses

No wonder he questioned this idea, as in this era, furniture was mostly considered a “personal art piece” of carpenters, and those who needed furniture would typically order it custom-made. Then carpenters would take a couple of months to make them a set from processed wood planks.

What use would there be for a factory in this production model? And they were expected to manufacture 10,000 furniture sets a month.

Paris had just over 600,000 inhabitants, which would be like every year, five people needed to change their furniture!

According to the habits of the French people at the time, a set of furniture was expected to last for generations, often up to eighteen. Usually, only newlywed couples would order new furniture. Selling 10,000 sets of furniture a month was utterly impossible.

Joseph smiled slightly:

"Please trust me. The initial goal of 10,000 sets of furniture per month is just a start; the scale will later expand by tenfold. Not just in France, I will have the whole of Europe, and even the Far East and the Americas, change their furniture. Oh, as for the specific requirements of the furniture factory, I will have someone give them to you later.”

He had no intention of making furniture in the way woodworkers crafted art pieces. With standardized shaped boards, only a small number of designers were needed to design the furniture’s appearance, and the rest would be cutting boards and nailing according to the blueprint.

This kind of work was something any worker who didn’t know carpentry could do. With two to three months of training, they could be competent, making mass production completely feasible.

Afterward, Joseph gave detailed instructions to Mirabeau and Lavoisier about building the factories, and soon it was getting dark.

After the two had left, Joseph sent someone to notify Brent, the general manager of the Paris Angel Company, to come to his office early the next morning.

It was known that baking soda was not only useful for beverages but also an excellent deodorizer!

Mixed with talcum powder and the like, applying it to areas prone to body odor, such as the underarms and groin, could effectively remove odors.

The reason why the perfume industry in France was so well-developed was largely because people avoided bathing, leading to strong body odors that needed to be masked with perfume.

It was common for a French nobleman to spend several hundred livres on perfume each year.

And if Paris Angel could produce a cosmetic that reduces body odor at its source, it would undoubtedly become a strong competitor to perfumes.

Moreover, baking soda can be used as a mouthwash to reduce bad breath.

One can imagine that in the future, nobles attending official events or dates will rinse with Paris Angel’s mouthwash before stepping out, otherwise it would be disrespectful to others.

According to Joseph’s plan, the Paris Angel Company would also join the chemical industry chain, sparking the next wave of sales fervor.

…

In the city of Reims, in the mid-northern part of France.

In an open space outside a rural church on the outskirts of Reims, a long-haired young man wearing a black short coat, white tight pants, and a simple white scarf around his neck, with an exceptionally handsome face, stood on a broken-down ox cart, giving an impassioned speech to a few dozen peasants:

"Yes! The government has deceived us!”

"To keep everyone tolerating high taxes, enduring the exploitation by nobles and officials, they steady you with lies.”

"They say they will abolish the nobles’ privileges, but in fact, it is only the small taxes like the mill tax and the hunting tax that have disappeared. The most important annual tribute and the tithe still remain!”

"That King, sitting in the Palace of Versailles, living in luxury and idleness, tells you the land will be handed over to you. But I must tell you the truth, the King and his bureaucrats have decided to make you pay an indemnity equivalent to thirty years of your land’s produce, plus thirty years of annual tribute and tithe. By the time you are crippled by backbreaking work, your eyes clouded, your teeth gone, that land you have toiled on for decades will still not belong to you!”

The peasants immediately exchanged looks and burst into discontented murmurs.

After a moment, a brawny peasant shouted to the young man on the cart:

"What good does it do for you to tell us this, your lordship? Whether it is 20 or 30 years, we have no choice but to accept it and pay.”

"No, you are wrong!” the young man waved his hand emphatically, “Apart from resigning ourselves to fate, we can also resist!”

"As long as we unite, those bureaucrats will see your anger and tremble, retracting their shameful redemption scheme!”

"We have already contacted people from dozens of parishes. In five days, everyone will gather in front of the Reims City Hall with stones, sticks, and even muskets, to teach those shameless officials a lesson!”

His inflammatory tone made the peasants’ blood surge, and immediately, they excitedly began to raise their fists:

"Teach them a lesson!”

"We won’t pay another 30 years of money!”

"Let’s join this lord and fight back!”

As the peasants dispersed, full of rage, a middle-aged man emerged from behind a nearby haystack and handed a glass of water to the young speaker, speaking with exaggerated emphasis:

"Mr. Saint Just, you were splendid! These peasants will surely join the revolution you lead! Tell me, are we going to Zephir Village today as well?”

Saint Just drank several gulps of water, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said loudly:

"Of course, there are hundreds of French people waiting to be saved there!”

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