Nitroglycerin, in its original history, was invented in 1846 by the Italian chemist Sobre. But the raw materials used to make it, such as glycerin, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid, already exist. At this point in time, nitroglycerin is not too technically difficult. In fact, nitroglycerin is not too difficult to produce, as long as it is important to keep the temperature low throughout the preparation process.

But in the original history, it was this precaution that cost a huge amount, even blood, to be mastered. Mr. Lu Xun once lamented: "The history of mankind's bloody war, just like the formation of coal, used a lot of wood at the beginning, but it turned out to be only a small piece. "In fact, the same is true of the history of technological progress. Many of the tricks that cost a lot of money to master are actually quite simple.

Joseph, of course, did not want Lavoisier to be blown up by nitroglycerin, so in his letter to Lavoisier, he explicitly mentioned the issue of temperature control. Josephus started from the theory of molecular motion, arguing that more intense molecular motion would make the reaction more intense, thus increasing the danger. Therefore, controlling the temperature so that it is kept low at all times will slow down the reaction, but it can greatly increase safety.

But even with this crucial guidance, it is still difficult to get out of the way at all. Just two days later, Lavoisier's first explosion on the territory of the Duke of Orleans occurred. One assistant did not strictly follow the operating procedures, and the acid was injected too quickly, resulting in a serious accident with one death and five injuries. This is also because the amount of nitroglycerin produced is relatively small, otherwise, most of the remaining five people would not have been able to save their lives.

Lavoisier was so frightened by the explosion that he was present at the time, but he was thirsty and had to drink for a while, and then the explosion occurred. Of course, if he had been there at the time, it is difficult to say whether the assistant would not have come according to the specifications. On the contrary, Duke Phillips seemed unusually calm, and even more interested in this thing. Because he saw the power of this thing with his own eyes, he immediately realized that this thing really had a great future. As for the casualties in the process of research, well, they were also sacrificed for the development of science, and they can be regarded as well-deserved. People always have to die, but the meaning of death is not the same. To die for the advancement of science, as they did, is to die more heavily than the Alps. As for whether people will be killed during production in the future, well, production accidents are also difficult to completely avoid, and some people will be hit by carriages while walking. Besides, even if those workers died, they died for the construction of France, so what's the problem? Anyway, he can't die here with His Royal Highness the Duke, just like His Royal Highness the Duke will never be hit by a carriage when he goes out on the street.

While explosions were heard from time to time in the Duke of Phillips' estate, Joseph finished his business in Calais and returned to Paris. And his younger brother Napoleon brought his younger brother Louis to Paris.

"I took a leave of absence from the army, went back to Corsica, and brought Louis to you. Do you have water here? I'm dying of thirst. As soon as he saw Joseph, Napoleon shouted.

"The water is over there, you drink it yourself." Joseph said. Then he walked up to Louis and said, "Well, Louie, you've grown a little taller again, you're already taller than Napoleon, hahaha." Napoleon, in our family, including girls, you are probably going to be the shortest. ”

Napoleon didn't like to be joked about his height, but he knew that the more angry he became, the more proud Joseph, the hateful fellow, might become. So he simply ignored the guy and just poured himself a glass of water, and drank it with a grunt.

"How's it going at home?" Joseph asked again.

"It's bad." Napoleon said.

"Nothing bad, the same as before." Louis said.

"It's the same as before, it's the worst of the worst." Napoleon said.

"What's wrong? Came out to see the world and was not satisfied with Corsica? Can't afford Corsica? Joseph asked as he sat down in a chair beside the table and slowly crossed his legs.

"How could I not look down on Corsica?" Napoleon was rather dissatisfied, "It's just that Corsica is too lacking in change." In France, in Paris, you can always feel the change, new ideas, new science, new opportunities, changing every day, progressing. But what about Corsica, there is no difference between today and yesterday, and there is no difference between yesterday and the day before yesterday. I talk to people, and what they think in their heads is no different from what they were 10 years ago, or even 100 years ago, 200 years ago. Even those patriots who only want to be independent, and then behind closed doors, continue to live the life of hundreds of years ago. That's not a good thing, Corsica shouldn't be like that. ”

"So what do you think Corsica should look like? Napoleon, it seems that you thought the same way back then. Joseph looked at Napoleon with a mocking smile.

"It shows that I have improved and surpassed others." Napoleon replied, "As for what Corsica should look like." I think that the future Corsica should be a country of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law, just like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu depicted. ”

"Napoleon, you have indeed progressed!" Joseph laughed, "So what are you going to do?" ”

"I thought about this a lot during my time back home. First of all, I think that the most fundamental problem in Corsica is not the French occupation, but the inability of the people to wake up. To make a real difference in Corsica, we must first educate our people and awaken our people. ”

"What?" Joseph was taken aback and stared at his brother with wide eyes. "There's something wrong with this guy, right? Could it be that because of the butterfly effect brought by our crossing, this guy doesn't plan to be a famous general, but plans to be a Lu Xun who awakens the people? ”

Joseph hesitated for a moment and asked, "Napoleon, what exactly are your plans?" ”

"I'm going to write a history of Corsica, like the Gallic Wars." Napoleon said.

Hearing this, Joseph breathed a sigh of relief, it seems that Napoleon is still Napoleon. The Gallic Wars is the work of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome. This shows that Napoleon's role model in his heart is still a statesman and military strategist like Julius Caesar. The history of Corsican was only a means to achieve his political ends.

"I'm not too optimistic about your plans." Joseph shook his head and said, "You know, the rate of illiteracy in Corsica is higher than in France and Italy, and there are very few people who can read. ”

Napoleon opened his mouth and was about to refute, but Joseph did not give him a chance, but continued: "Napoleon, don't be in a hurry to argue first, I know what you want to say. You want to say, although Corsican can read less people. But as long as these people recognize the problem and learn about the new and correct ideas outside, they can not only change themselves, but also lead others, who are the leaders of the Corsicans in the first place. That's what you think, right? ”

Napoleon stared at Joseph for a while before replying: "Yes, that's what I thought, is there anything wrong with that?" Because he was expected to be at once a harsh taunt to Joseph, according to his old habit of dealing with him, the answer was somewhat reluctant.

Facts have also proved that his prediction is very accurate. Joseph immediately spoke: "My foolish brother, you are too young and naïve! You actually believe that you can convince people with reason! It's laughing. ”

At this point, Joseph suddenly leaned forward, got close to Napoleon's face, stared into his eyes, and said, "My brother, you have to remember that it is never their heads that govern the actions of most people, but their butts!" The point is not what is right and ethical, but what is good for them and where their ass sits in! Do you understand? ”

After saying this, he straightened up again and said: "Think about it with your head, what kind of impact does a 'country of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law' have on the people you have to rely on to achieve things together?" Is it beneficial, or is it harmful? Don't talk about morality, ideals, and so on, and you think of them as people like Machiavelli portrayed, and then think about it, would they support 'a country of freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law'? If nothing else, in France, you can also see who are the most opposed to what you call 'a country of freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law'? ”

Napoleon was silent for a moment, then he spoke: "But, Joseph, they are not all Machiavelli. You know, we're one of them. It's just that, perhaps because he himself realizes that his idea may indeed be wishful thinking, his rebuttal is very low and not strong enough.

"Napoleon, the individual and the group are not the same. There are individuals who betray their own interests, but there has never been - and will never be a group that betrays their own interests. "Napoleon, if you want to change Corsica, it will inevitably lead to a redetermination of the way in which the benefits are distributed, that is, to start a revolution." And since ancient times, in all revolutions, what is the most important question, you know? ”

Napoleon shook his head.

"Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This question is the first question of the revolution. Joseph shamelessly took the ideas of the great men as his own, "The revolutionary struggles of the past, which were ineffective, failed for many reasons, but the most basic reason was the inability to unite true friends against real enemies. Revolutionaries are the guides of the masses, and the revolution does not fail without revolutionaries leading the wrong way. If we are to have the certainty of success without taking the wrong path, we must take care to unite our true friends against our real enemies. ”

Napoleon lowered his head and thought for a moment before he raised his head, the unconvincing look in his eyes had disappeared, but instead showed a longing light.

"Then how do we determine who is our friend and who is our enemy?" Napoleon asked.