The date was January 15th, 1830.
Snow fell steadily outside the Palace of Versailles, blanketing the gardens in white. Inside, the palace HVAC system kept the air comfortably warm.
Napoleon II was in his office drinking a warm chocolate coffee with marshmallow.
He exhaled in satisfaction. "This weather plus this chocolate drink makes a good pair huh?"
As he was enjoying his drink, Napoleon II’s secretary, Charles, entered his office.
"Your Imperial Majesty, this is the report from the first Council of State session," Charles said, stepping forward with a thick folder. "It’s about the budget they are requesting for this year. It needs your signature before the Treasury releases the funds."
Napoleon took the folder with one hand, still holding the cup in the other.
"That was fast," he said.
"They didn’t waste ti," Charles replied. "Every ministry submitted detailed breakdowns. They’re... ambitious."
Napoleon set the cup down and opened the folder.
The first page showed the allocation summary, neatly organized by ministry.
He read it aloud while Charles stood by.
"Defense... one billion francs," Napoleon said.
Charles nodded once.
"Infrastructure and Communications... four hundred million francs."
"Education... four hundred million francs."
"Energy... three hundred million francs."
"Transportation... three hundred million francs."
"Comrce... two hundred million francs."
"Science and Technology... two hundred million francs."
"Housing and Urban Developnt... one hundred million francs."
"Public Health... one hundred million francs."
"Agriculture... one hundred million francs."
"Environnt and Natural Resources... one hundred million francs."
"Colonial Affairs... one hundred million francs."
Napoleon flipped to the final page.
At the bottom, the total was stamped in bold ink.
Three billion francs.
He stared at it for a mont, then leaned back in his chair.
"Well," he said quietly, "they certainly didn’t think small."
Charles gave a small shrug.
"You did tell them to plan for growth," he said.
Napoleon closed the folder with a soft thud.
"And they listened, which is good."
He rested his hand on the cover.
"Three billion francs," he repeated. "And it’s going to be the standard each year depending on what the country needs. Defense has the highest budget huh?"
"You did say sir that you are going to remilitarize the French Army," Charles said. "One billion francs for a year would cover that and it can increase."
Napoleon II grabbed his pen and signed the papers.
"There," Napoleon said, sliding the folder back toward Charles. "Treasury has its orders."
Charles accepted it carefully.
"That authorizes full release," he said. "I will send this to the Treasury Your Imperial Majesty. I’ll leave you for now and return in the afternoon."
"Take your ti," Napoleon II said, waving his hand dismissively.
With that, Napoleon II was alone again.
He rose to his feet and left the office and went to the map room where inside of it was the canvas with the map of the world.
There, Napoleon II stared at the map, smiling as his ambitions were now getting closer to his national goal. But Napoleon II had a dream, an Empire like the British Empire. No it’s not a huge swathe of territory. He wanted the thing that maintained those colonies.
The Navy.
Britannia still ruled the wave in this current year as they boast the largest fleet operating around their waters and their colonies. Not only that, Britain had already had modern ships using steam as a main propulsion.
He too wanted France to have modern battleships. He had spent a decade and a half to mature the naval infrastructure of France. He had told his father not to build more ships-of-the-line since it’s going to be obsolete.
And his father wanted to see a battleship he was so proud of to show before he died.
Of course Napoleon II would fulfill that promise. But that promise would co at cost. Because the mont he introduced modern battleships, the British and other navies would certainly scramble to make their own.
What do you an make their own? They can make their own battleships?
Unfortunately yes, they could make their own battleships based on just looking at French ships. Historically, that’s just how an arms race works. One party invents a new weapon, the other party copies it. But how? Well each party already has the sa level of knowledge, concepts, and understanding. For example, if France launched a steam-driven armored battleship tomorrow, British observers wouldn’t need blueprints. They would watch how it moved, how the hull sat in the water, how the funnels were arranged, how the guns were mounted. Their shipyards already had ironworks, engines, and naval architects. They would fill in the gaps fast enough.
But France still has an advantage, and that was in advanced tallurgy. The British would spend years to understand why the French battleship was lighter yet stronger.
A battleship that carried thicker armor without sinking deeper into the water ant more speed, more range, and more guns without sacrificing stability. British engineers would see the silhouette and asure the draft. They would run their own calculations. And they would realize sothing didn’t add up.
Not to ntion, the British Navy relies on coal and a single-stage steam engine which is inefficient in all levels. Napoleon II imagined his ship to be run on oil, particularly diesel, and in steam turbines.
Why steam turbines? Well, compared to single-stage or compound steam engines, a steam turbine converts heat into motion without the violent back-and-forth of pistons. And it has a lot of moving parts compared to steam turbines, which are just blades rotating in one direction driven by the expansion of steam.
It boasts higher thermal efficiency, aning more miles traveled per ton of fuel. On a warship, that translated to longer patrols, fewer refueling stops, and greater operational reach.
The question is, what type of ships would France have? There would be battleships, battlecruisers, heavy cruisers, destroyers, frigates, submarines, minesweepers and layers, amphibious assault ships, and as for aircraft carriers, that would be for later since he hasn’t introduced aircraft yet.
Napoleon II already had the technical and schematic drawings of each ship. He just has to pass it to the Navy and the shipbuilders who would build it. And in five years, he would have himself a fleet of modern warships. He can’t wait for it.
However, before he could unleash those battleships, there must be a prerequisite to make it possible. It’s sothing Napoleon II had wanted to introduce since they already have a mature industry capable of mass producing things.
Ships projected power overseas. But industry, movent, and logistics inside the empire still depended on horses, rails, and canals. Effective, yes, but limited in flexibility.
There was a gap.
And he intended to fill it this year.
"The automobile,"
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