"Hey, Napoleon, aren't you good at math? Why didn't you make a single question today? On the way to the library, one of the classmates caught up from behind and shouted at Napoleon with a grin.

Napoleon frowned, but said nothing. Another classmate next to him replied unconvinced: "Bonova, those questions are really too difficult." I dare say that although Mr. Joseph explained at the end, you still won't be able to do it if you take out the original question. Because you can't even read the question! ”

"So what? I've never boasted that I'm good at math. "In two days' time, there will be another class in military geometry, and then we will see if our mathematical genius will not be able to solve another problem!" ”

Bonova laughed, but turned a corner and went the other way—an aristocratic student like him who came to gild himself would not have honestly gone to the library to study on his own after class.

"Napoleon, you don't have to pay attention to that kind of guy at all, they are just incompetent, and they have to ......" The classmate next to Napoleon said to Napoleon as he looked at Bonova's distant figure.

"Anderson, I don't care about them at all. It's you, too excited. Napoleon said, "What should you do when a dog barks at you?" Either you ignore him, then pick up a big stick and beat him hard. Right? But what about you? It's ...... that you actually had a louder voice than a dog just now."

"You have a point." Anderson touched his head and said, "If I have a big stick in my hand, of course I won't say a word, and I'll hit it on the nose." But the problem is, don't I have a big enough stick in my hand, you know, although he is a vicious dog, but he is a dog with a knighthood, and what about me...... The stick in his hand is bigger than mine. Rushing up like this, I probably couldn't beat the vicious dog, but not saying a word made me angry. So I had to scold it. ”

"My brother said that." Napoleon said, frowning slightly, "Don't argue with a fool, because he will first take you to a project that is more stupid than anyone else, and then crush you with his rich experience in making fools." Even though the guy was a bastard, he still made a lot of sense to what he said. ”

Speaking of this, Napoleon couldn't help but grit his teeth again.

Indeed, Joseph was too much of a jerk. In class, he first came up with several questions under the pretext of knowing everyone's current math level, and then "randomly named" the students to go to the blackboard to answer the questions. The first few questions are so simple that fools can't go wrong — and fools are certainly not wrong. But in the end, Joseph came up with another question—damn it, it wasn't really difficult, it just dug an inconspicuous trap in the conditions, and deliberately added something misleading to the language. Then Napoleon was called up, and then, Napoleon, who was full of wariness of Joseph, complicated the problem himself, and as a result, he failed to do it within the stipulated time. Then Joseph politely asked Napoleon back to his seat, and then, in a very concise way, quickly showed the correct solution to the question, which even the fools could understand, and gave the illusion that I would do the same. (A common feeling of students when facing many math problems is that "you can understand it when you hear it, you will understand it when you look at it, and you will make it wrong when you do it.") Of course, if Napoleon had been thinking on the blackboard and they had used their brains, they might have found that the subject was not so simple, but the problem was that they were scumbags because they could use their brains as much as possible. ）

Then, near the end of the lesson, Joseph came up with another question to "test everyone's mastery of what they have learned today." Then, under the pretext that "the only one who failed to answer the last question", he named Napoleon again. And this question is really difficult. As a result, Napoleon did not do it until the end of the class. (Damn, it was only two or three minutes before class ended, how could you do it?) ）

"This guy is really a bastard! You must study hard, and you can't let this bastard be so proud again! Napoleon secretly encouraged himself in his heart.

As the two men spoke, they walked into the library.

While it was still dawn, the two went to the library to borrow two books, and then went to the reading room to read together. In order to ensure the safety of the books, it is strictly forbidden to fire candles in the stacks, so as long as it gets dark, the stacks cannot be used. However, the reading room of the Paris Military Academy Library can be lit free of charge – as long as you have a student ID, you can apply for a white candle attached to an iron candlestick, so you can still use it at night.

Napoleon and Anderson took the candles, took the book and went into the reading room, ready to find a brighter place by the window, and read the book while it was still dark. After all, the amount of time a candle can hold is quite limited.

At this moment, a man who was reading a book with his head down on a table next to the large French window suddenly raised his head and shouted at them: "Napoleon, come here!" ”

Napoleon looked over there and saw Joseph looking at him with a smile on his face.

"Shit!" Napoleon gritted his teeth, but walked over anyway.

"Hello, Mr. Joseph." Anderson bowed politely.

"Anderson, did you understand everything you said today?" Joseph asked with a smile.

"Teacher, at first I thought I should have understood, but when I saw the last question, I felt that I didn't understand it at all. Until now, I still don't have a clue about that question. Anderson replied.

"There is indeed a big distance between mastering basic knowledge and learning to apply it in practice." Joseph nodded, and then he said to Napoleon, "Then Napoleon, have you figured out how to solve that problem now?" ”

"I know how to answer now." Napoleon was a little unconvinced, "Actually, I could have solved it if I had only given me a little more time." ”

"The speed of solving problems is also a manifestation of the mastery of knowledge." But Joseph said so.

"So on the same subject, you're only two-thirds as fast as Monge?" Napoleon couldn't help but say this.

This answer was beyond Joseph's expectations. He frowned and said, "In terms of calculations, Mr. Monge is indeed much better than me. However, in my opinion, my computing speed is enough to support my research. But Napoleon, if you want to pass the graduation exam early, you don't have enough problem-solving skills right now. ”

"Ah, Napoleon, you want to graduate early?" Anderson was taken aback.

"Yes, my family is financially strapped and needs me to earn money as soon as possible." "Moreover, I would like to be in the army as soon as possible, rather than here watching the foolish Parisian aristocracy." ”

"I agree with you, but I'm not going to put water on my subjects. Napoleon, if you really want to graduate early, then you should at least really have the level that a real graduate should have. Joseph said again.

Napoleon understood that Joseph's "true graduates" did not include the great nobles who came to gild, and not even the ordinary graduates. The "real graduates" mostly refer to the "excellent graduates". However, this high demand did not make Napoleon resentful, because he took it for granted.

"Napoleon, if you want to graduate early, you have to be very good." Joseph continued, "I've heard about your plans, so I've prepared a set of practice questions for you. ”

As he spoke, Joseph pulled out a small notebook from a bag placed next to him and handed it to Napoleon.

"Do it well!" Joseph said, then lowered his head and continued reading.

After that, the days were very peaceful, and Joseph either lectured, prepared for classes, and read books every day. Sometimes, he wrote letters about certain mathematical problems and discussed them with Monge and Laplace. Several more papers have been published one after another. In addition, Joseph, who had already solved the problem of eating, took his younger brother Lucien to Paris and arranged for him to study at the school of Louis the Great.

And Napoleon, who had already made a request to the school to take the graduation exams in advance. To this end, he is studying like crazy.

The days passed slowly, and the skirt of the goddess of spring swung up, and without even a decent spring rain, it drifted away. After the dry spring, the dry summer followed.

The price of bread in Paris has risen again, by a quarter compared to the end of last year.

This price increase is still within Joseph's affordability, but it is very fatal for ordinary civilians. At this time, the Parisians did not have the habit of taking to the streets to demonstrate when they had nothing to do, and some people who could not survive in Paris by normal means left Paris one after another, went to the countryside, or simply went to the Americas to find their way. Others who are also unable to survive in normal ways have taken the path of surviving in abnormal ways, such as theft and even robbery.

Still, these things did not threaten Joseph, he rarely left the school, and the claws of those thieves and the like couldn't reach him. In fact, thieves and robbers can only cause real harm to those who also live at the bottom of society. As for those who are superior, not to mention the high-ranking nobles, even the so-called "middle class" is not something that these people can easily endanger. This is one of the reasons why some white leftists in later generations were able to ignore the various problems brought about by the decline in social order and continue to sing high-pitched songs.