Since Bishop Talleyrand sold the land of the church, the financial crisis of the new government seems to have been temporarily lifted. But it is not easy to sell land worth more than 3 billion livres at once. It's expensive, and no one can afford it; If you sell it cheaply, you will suffer too much. So someone proposed a new method, that is, relying on these lands, to issue a kind of banknote.

According to the original plan, the amount of such banknotes was to be issued in proportion to the value of the ecclesiastical land. Theoretically, the government could also recycle these notes by gradually selling church land. So theoretically, the value of these banknotes is still guaranteed.

These banknotes are called finger notes. Today, Joseph's salary is mainly paid in this banknote.

Cano thinks that Joseph's time after returning home from work must have been spent studying mathematical problems, otherwise it would be impossible to explain why he could make discoveries from time to time despite such a heavy workload.

But in fact, the main thing Joseph did when he returned home every day was not actually to study academics, but how to turn the money in his hand into silver coins or other things that were more reliable in Joseph's opinion, such as land and food.

If this kind of thing were to be put a few years later, when Robespierre was in power, it would be like sticking his head under the guillotine. But at this point, this kind of thing is what everyone is doing. Robespierre is said to have proposed in parliament to limit the maximum price of grain. But the proposal was unsurprisingly rejected, and it didn't even make it to the stage of formal discussion, because at this time, almost everyone in the council, except Robespierre, was making money from it.

Joseph didn't do it alone, in fact, he also pulled a few partners. One is his old partner Lavoisier, and the other is Danton, whom he met through Armand.

Both partners, who later came to power during Robespierre's reign, were guillotined. However, that was a few years later, and Joseph felt that as long as he paid attention to proportion, did not do too much, and stopped early enough, plus he was "useful", it should not be a big problem.

Relying on the news on it, several people made a lot of money from trading.

In the midst of such a fulfilling life, Joseph suddenly received a letter from Napoleon from Corsica, which mentioned that Paulie had returned to Corsica.

Pauli was a hero of the Corsican independence movement. Joseph's father had been Pauly's lieutenant and had fought with the French. Later, after the failure of the resistance, Pauli went into exile in England, while Joseph's father returned to France. Joseph knew that for a long time, Paulie was an idol in Napoleon's heart. Napoleon had always aspired to lead Corsica to independence and freedom with him.

But from this letter sent by Napoleon, Joseph could indeed sense that Napoleon was in a bad mood. Although Napoleon did not say much in his letter, the sense of disillusionment between the lines could be easily felt.

"What's wrong with this guy?" Joseph thought, "Maybe I should really go see him." ”

However, Joseph really couldn't spare time for such busy affairs now, so he could only send another letter to Napoleon, on the one hand to comfort him, and on the other hand, simply invite Napoleon to Paris. Because in Joseph's opinion, Corsica was too small, and there was no future for development on that small island.

A week after the letter was sent, Joseph came home from work, and as soon as he entered, he saw a dwarf sitting at a table playing chess with Lucien, while Louis stood aside and made a gesture: "Napoleon, Napoleon, move the bishop and chase his knights......"

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Napoleon put down the chess pieces in his hand and looked up.

"Joseph, you're back a little later today than Lucien said." Napoleon said. His face was full of smiles, and he didn't see the frustration of the previous letter.

"Why did you come so soon, I gave it to you...... You didn't hear back from me, did you? Joseph asked with a slight frown as he took off his coat and handed it to Aunt Sophie, who greeted her.

"How is it possible?" Napoleon stretched and put the chess pieces back on the board, "I heard that you wrote a week ago, and by that time I had already left for Paris. If I had stayed in Corsica, I might have received that letter right now. ”

"Napoleon, you can't get down. You said you were going to get my revenge! Louis interjected.

"Joseph is back, and what else is going on. Besides, Lucien had already lost this game, so why bother to eat him without a penny? Napoleon said disapprehantly.

"You also have a slight advantage in the situation, and you don't have more power than me, where will I lose?" Lucien was not convinced.

"Hehe......" Napoleon just smiled, but did not answer.

"Napoleon, have you figured it out? I'm talking about the Poly thing. Joseph walked over to the table, reached over a chair, sat down, and glanced at the chess game on the table. As Lucien said, he did not suffer in terms of pawns, and even had an extra pawn, but the situation was also as Napoleon said, his pawns were in a more reasonable position, the important passages in the center of the board were almost completely controlled by his pawns, and his pawn chain was more complete. Joseph felt that Napoleon's victory was almost a foregone conclusion.

"Figured it out, in fact, the day after I sent that letter to you, I figured it out." Napoleon said, "Paulie is too old, he is still stuck in decades ago." And I can't be like him, a zombie from decades ago. ”

"Go on." Joseph said.

"Joseph, remember that investigation you asked me to do?" Napoleon said.

"Of course I do."

"Do you know what the results of the investigation are?" Napoleon shook his head.

Joseph did not ask, he knew, Napoleon himself would have spoken.

"Most Corsican aristocrats, like Pauli, are zombies who lived decades ago. Of course, this is also normal, for them, a few decades ago, the Italians were gone, and the French did not come, it was indeed a good time for them. Speaking of which, their desire for independence is higher now, but not because of anything else, but because they are frightened by what is happening in France, and they are afraid that such a change will affect them. If Corsica could be rowed away like a boat, they would want to row the island to an isolated place to hide so that it could escape the tide of time.

As for the Corsican peasants, they are even more fools. The Corsican nobility at least knew what their interests were, and they didn't even know that. They are like ignorant animals, muddy. The whole of Corsica, still sleeping in the fog of the Middle Ages, may need a great storm to wake them up.

In short, if I had worked with Pauly, given the current situation in France, there might have been a war. It is indeed impossible to take this opportunity to get rid of France, but that independent Corsica is not the Corsica I want, it will only become a zombie like Pauli. I don't want a Corsican like this!

And if Corsica is to keep up with the times, the only way to do this is to let the storm of the French revolution blow into Corsica. So, I don't think it's a good thing for Corsica to be independent these days. ”

"So you fell out with Paulie?" Joseph asked.

"Nope." Napoleon said, "How can I go and mess with a zombie?" And even more so in Corsica? Our mother and sister are still in Corsica. Corsica is a dead place, but it's also quieter and more suitable for women than Paris. As for me, I just won't follow a phantom anymore. I should really thank you for this, Joseph, because without your method, I might not have been able to see the truth so easily, and I would not have been able to make up my mind so easily. ”

"Okay, let's not talk about these things for now." Joseph said, "Napoleon, what are you going to do now?" ”

"I'm still on leave for a while, and I'm going to stay with you for a while and see Paris. And then go back to the army. Napoleon said.

"You mean you want to stay with me, eat me and mine, be a parasite?" Joseph sneered.

"Are you still going to enslave me? Just like when Aunt Sophie was away, you pushed the housework to Lucien, and Lucien pushed the housework to Louis? Napoleon laughed.

"Isn't that a matter of course?" Joseph laughed too, "I am now working with Captain Carnot as an advisor to Lafayette to study the reform of the French military structure. Judging by your performance in Corsica, I don't think you're particularly stupid because you've improved a lot. So there are some things, I think, you can be barely qualified to help me deal with them. ”

Joseph made it clear that he was going to shamelessly exploit his younger brother as cheap labor, and Napoleon naturally wanted to say without hesitation: "I, Napoleon, will starve to death, die outside, jump from here, and I will not let you squeeze it!" "But, but...... It's really interesting to be involved in something like this, and to think about it, to intervene in the entire military structure of one of the most powerful countries in Europe as a second lieutenant...... It smells so good!

"How could anyone involve a fool like you in such a big thing?" Napoleon shook his head, "This will definitely go wrong." And once something goes wrong, hold you accountable, and a stupid guy like you will definitely be dragged out and shot. Joseph, though you are a fool, you are also a fool of the Bonapartes. I must watch you, lest you fool around and lose your head. ”