Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1511 - 1417

———— A little more to finish typing, please refresh and check again after half an hour ————

Moreover, even if you find the right oak wood, it can’t be used for shipbuilding as soon as it’s felled. It needs to be air-dried for at least 10 years, while the British Navy requires 14 years.

This is because the wood contains a lot of moisture inside. If used directly to build ships, it will shrink and twist after drying, causing the structural strength of the hull to greatly reduce at best, or directly leak water and become scrap at worst.

Therefore, keel wood for battleships is considered a precious strategic resource in any naval power, with the cost of a single keel usually accounting for 5% to 8% of the total cost of the ship.

Previously, France, taking advantage of its good relations with Russia and the United States, purchased a large batch of shipbuilding oak, but with the advent of iron keels, they ended up lying idle in warehouses, gathering dust.

Joseph squinted his eyes and asked the Navy Minister, “Aside from the construction needs of the ‘Decisive-class,’ how many keels and rib woods do we have left?”

Marquis Leesar replied without hesitation, “One keel suitable for a First-class Ship, and 14 keels for a Third-class Ship. There’s quite a bit of rib wood, enough to construct at least 34 Third-class Ships.”

Joseph nodded and instructed, “Spread the word that the Navy Department has decided to build 15 Alexander-class battleships.”

The Alexander-class is currently the most advanced pure wind-powered Third-class battleship in France, a new modification benchmarked against the 74-gun Téméraire class.

Marquis Leesar hesitated for a moment and said, “Your Highness, 15 ships might be too many. The Navy simply doesn’t have enough budget for such construction. If spread over three years, at most we can add three ships a year…”

Joseph immediately shook his head: “You misunderstood. What I meant was to ‘spread the word,’ in fact, we won’t build a single one.”

“What do you mean?”

Joseph smiled and said, “Have a corrupt officer from the ‘Brest Shipyard’ contact the British and sell all this oak to the British Navy.”

The Navy Minister’s eyes widened instantly, “How can this be?”

Joseph signaled him to relax, “The price should be three times the market price, and it must be paid in gold coins, not British Pounds banknotes. Oh, and try to acquire a few special passes from the British, they might be useful in the future.”

Marquis Leesar probed, “Are you suggesting some trick with this timber?”

“After the incident with the healing wood ship shaft, the British will undoubtedly be more vigilant, so sell them good wood. This money would be enough for us to start constructing three more ‘Decisive-class’ ships.”

Marquis Leesar said urgently, “But Your Highness, this would also allow the British to start constructing more Third-class Ships.”

Joseph nodded, “That’s precisely the result I want.”

Currently, England’s financial situation is also very tight. Building several expensive warships means less available funds for other areas.

And in future naval battles, having a few more traditional wind-powered warships would only provide more cannon fodder.

Conversely, if the French Navy adds three steam battleships, it would significantly enhance combat effectiveness.

Marquis Leesar knew that the Crown Prince’s decisions were usually correct, so he bowed and accepted the order. Then a question came to his mind: “Your Highness, what if the British don’t buy it? I mean, three times the price might be too expensive.”

“Three times is the final deal price, the opening price should be five times the market price,” Joseph smiled, “For the British, the greatest value of these raw materials is in slowing down our shipbuilding speed. They will definitely accept.”

After lunch, Joseph was frowning, looking at the report just sent by Baron Breti about Poland’s request for a loan of 9 million francs, when Eman’s voice came from outside the door: “Your Highness, Mr. Bomasha and they have arrived.”

“Please let them in.”

Joseph nodded, picked up a pen, and signed on the loan document. The Great Sejm of Poland, with 95% approval, decided to continue the war against Russia, leaving Sais, who went to persuade Poland to temporarily rest and restore its national strength, helpless.

——————————

Bomasha’s “The Marriage of Figaro” has a muddle-headed judge and a drunken gardener. In that era, these people caused so many events due to Figaro’s marriage. From a storyline perspective: Figaro and Susanna’s love line is the most normal in the whole play. A pair of lovers protect and help each other no matter what happens. On the other hand, the story of Amaviva and Susanna presents a laughable concept of ‘droit du seigneur.’ Amaviva loves Susanna, but instead of pursuing her normally, he wants to obtain Susanna through force. This idea also reinforces the absurdity of the play. The storyline between the old doctor Bartolo and Figaro is a so-called ‘revenge’ drama; Figaro helped Amaviva gain victory over Bartolo to win Rosina, hence Bartolo always harbors resentment against Figaro. His revenge process is full of absurdities and irony. As for the story of Rosina and Susanna, at the beginning of the second act, the Countess finds Susanna to inquire about the matters between the Count and Susanna. Perhaps women tend to unite on issues, and Rosina starts to complain about the Count to Susanna, as they both long for beautiful love. As a sequel to “The Barber of Seville,” Rosina has become the Count’s wife in “The Marriage of Figaro.” In the opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” the Countess expresses her heartfelt feelings with a song “Grant me peace, O Love,” lamenting her sorrow over the Count’s waning love. Here, the Countess’s voice not only explains the progress of the plot but also sets up a foundation for the unfolding of the narrative and the development of conflicts. Because of her loss of love, the Countess plans with Susanna to set a trap to regain her own love, leading to subsequent series of events. The unfolding of the plot is closely linked with the relationship between the Countess, Cherubino, Susanna, and the Count, giving the whole story a complete plot and logic. The Countess and the Count’s once beautiful love ends due to the Count’s infidelity, leaving the Countess very sad and eager to win back her love. At this time, Cherubino is hiding in the house, making the Countess flustered. In Act 1, Scene 7, Basiliop reveals to the Count that Cherubino’s relationship with the Countess is suspicious, while the Countess’s door remains tightly closed. Coupled with the Count holding a fake love letter written by the Countess, it made the Count extremely furious. In the confrontation with the Countess, she seems panicked and flustered, speaking incoherently, unable to resist.