Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Clearly, the British were inspired by the sensational effect of installing gas street lamps in Paris, and they quickly secured an investment of over 700 million within four to five months, preparing to replicate it in London.

This alone showed how wealthy the British were. With such a start for themselves, they were probably ready to attempt to revive the glory of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Suddenly, Joseph thought of a question and looked towards Dupont, "Has England already mastered the gas distillation technology?"

"Um..." Dupont lowered his head to recall, "I haven't heard them mention this technology."

Joseph frowned, "Then they are going to invest in gas street lamps?"

Murdock shrugged helplessly nearby and said, "Your Highness, the British are notoriously shameless when it comes to stealing technology."

He gestured behind him, "There should be industrial spies from them in the distillery right now. As long as they have sufficient funds, they could replicate a gas distillation plant by next summer."

Speaking fluent French, with each mention of "the British," he evidently became a genuine Frenchman. Indeed, his assets and business were now in France, and he was recently ennobled at the Palace of Versailles, definitively breaking ties with England.

Joseph frowned again.

He knew that England and France had sent a large number of industrial spies to each other's countries, quickly replicating any new developments the other introduced. Historically, even significant technologies like the Jenny spinning machine took France only three to five years to clone. However, due to domestic business environments and raw material issues, they could never quite compete with England.

Moreover, England's research capabilities were inherently strong, being a leader of this era; Murdock was actually trained by them. So if they resolved to undertake it, even without stealing technology, they could likely develop it within just over a year.

Joseph felt quite annoyed. He had spent so much effort and money on gas street lamps, and while Paris hadn't yet attracted many talents or investments, London was poised to jump in and compete!

They proposed an investment of 7.5 million.

So, the British think they're great because they have money?

No! He clenched his fists secretly, determined not to let the British succeed so smoothly with the gas street lamps.

But how could he stop the British?

Catching the industrial spies might not be so easy. Was he supposed to assassinate the British technicians responsible for cloning the gas distillation technology?

He immediately dismissed this thought; resorting to underhanded tactics was always the worst option, as the British could easily suspect it was the work of France, and it might even lead to a diplomatic dispute.

However, he soon smirked mischievously. Couldn't he employ the cunning tactics used by those American arms companies in the future?

The standard procedure would be—first to bid low, secure a military contract to out compete rivals, then start increasing the price while exploiting a monopolistic position.

Of course, his goal wasn't to increase the price, but to crush the British competitors and then make a quick exit.

Thinking this, Joseph pulled Dupont aside to avoid others and asked, "Since you're aware of the British plans to invest in gas street lamps, you must have some connections there, right?"

Dupont became nervous immediately and waved his hands, "Your Highness, I heard about it from a business partner; I have absolutely no ties with the British Government!"

Joseph smiled and patted his back, "I fully trust you. However, if I wanted to take on the London gas lamp installation business, could you find someone to facilitate that for me?"

Dupont's eyes widened, and after a long pause, he said, "Your Highness, are you planning to sell the gas street lamp technology to the British?"

"Partially," Joseph nodded, "But given the special diplomatic relations between England and France, as you know, they might be quite resistant to a French company.

"So, I need your help to either set up or directly acquire a British company, then fund it, and personally take on the London gas lamp project."

"I can help with that, Your Highness. However, I can't guarantee that an agreement will be reached with London City Hall."

Joseph chuckled, "Do you think 300,000 francs could sway the London mayor and the project manager?"

Dupont was shocked again; the Crown Prince was clearly well-versed in business tactics and was very decisive.

After thinking for a moment, he hesitated, "Your Highness, this matter might involve the British Parliament, considering the huge investment..."

"Then add another 300,000 francs to win over the relevant members of Parliament," Joseph said without hesitation, "And another 100,000 francs for your trouble."

Dupont no longer demurred; 600,000 francs was a substantial amount for bribery and should be fairly persuasive.

He immediately nodded, "Your Highness, I'll try my best. As for the extra money, I'm honored to serve you and really don't need it."

Joseph assertively responded, "You need not refuse. I will arrange for the 700,000 funds to be delivered to you promptly."

"Please go fetch Director Fouche," he then instructed Eman, before turning back to Dupont, "We need to discuss further details of this business."

...

Indian Peninsula.

Outside Seringapatam, the administrative center of Mysore.

Marquess Wellesley looked gloomily at the distant Mysorean positions and asked his staff, "How long until the heavy cannons arrive?"

"General, due to continuous heavy rains in South Kannada, the ground has become very muddy, making it difficult to transport the 12-pound cannons. It might take another month to arrive here."

Since his arrival in India, Wellesley had nearly swept through his campaign with the tactic of overwhelming manpower, solving the strongholds of Mysore in South Kannada and pushing the front line to Seringapatam.

This had earned him a promotion to brigadier general. However, his large army had faced stubborn resistance before this city, dragging the campaign into the rainy season without further advances.

"A month..." Wellesley scratched his shoulder vigorously, where a mosquito as big as a mung bean had bitten him yesterday, causing severe itchiness, "I wonder if Cornwallis's supplies can last two more months."

Indeed, they could only wait for the heavy cannons' arrival to gain supremacy over Mysorean artillery and to capture Seringapatam, which would also require at least another month.

Before then, his troops would continue to be harassed by mosquitoes, malaria, dysentery, and Mysorean ambushes, causing him to doubt whether the army's morale or the logistical supplies would collapse first.

Since the start of the rainy season, the logistical support for him and Cornwallis had nearly ceased, while the Mysoreans seemed well-prepared with ample ammunition and food, unlike their previous approach. This had put him in a very awkward position.