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Fast forward to late October 1788, and Brion had been working at the naval base for almost two months. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Although he came from the army and knew nothing about the naval fleet, with the best cooperation of Werneuve, he gradually became familiar with most naval affairs. It can be said that the current Werneuf is simply Briand's right-hand man in the navy.

After Brion discovered the naval talents of his countrymen, he immediately decided to woo him and promoted him to the rank of Captain. Nominally, he was just an ordinary high-ranking military officer, but in private he had become the most prominent and important figure in Brion's power.

During this time, Brion was dealing with the work inside the base, and at the same time, he was constantly learning about the disparity in strength between the French and British navies.

This era was also the age of sailing ships, and the main maritime fleets were made up of sailing ships. Although it is true that this kind of naval fleet is weak for the 21st century, this is the 18th century. The historic sailing ship was destined to become the main force at sea.

Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea, and of course the most important thing for the development of the fleet. During this period, Brion learned that the British Navy reached its first peak during this period, with more than 900 warships of all sizes and a total tonnage of more than 86,000 tons. In terms of firepower, the warship had a total of almost thirty thousand cannons. The number of people serving in the service is also the largest in the world, reaching 150,000, accounting for half of the British army.

However, compared to the world's most powerful navy, the French navy, which is the second largest in the world, is far behind. The entire Navy consisted of only about five hundred warships. In addition to the difference in numbers, what is even worse is that the combat effectiveness of the French battleships is simply not comparable to the capital ships of the third rank of the British Empire.

It is no wonder that in the Battle of Trafalgar, the combined French fleet, which was barely able to confront the British, was completely annihilated.

Although there is a little mistake of Villeneuve in history, it is only a matter of time before the war is defeated by the weak navy of the Napoleonic period and the desperate efforts of the British professional army.

However, now that he was the Minister of the Navy of the Bourbons, Briand's greatest hope was to be able to strengthen the French Navy in the same way as a powerful army. Doing so will not only strengthen his image in the army, but also take the opportunity to gain a new group of forces to integrate into Brion's side.

Britain's awesomeness lies not in the strength of its land forces, but in its maritime fleet and the sea that separates it from Europe. It is for this reason that there was never a war in England during the Napoleonic period. And the historical German tyrant Hitler also did not capture Britain lightning because of an English Channel.

Although Prussia, Austria, and Russia were all European powers, Napoleon defeated them. And this Britain is like a cunning water snake, which has been hiding at the bottom of the sea, instigating others to do that kind of fire-taking business.

However, it is useless to just look at the strength of other people's navies, and it is simply a fool's dream for France to become the hegemon of the European seas in a short period of time. In an instant, Briand thought of a man in history, who would perhaps become a stepping stone to modern industrialization in France!

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On October 25, 1788, Europe was once again in an uproar. The Prussian diplomatic corps rushed to France under the leadership of General Hohenloch, but their aim was not diplomatic alliance but coercion by force.

Previously, Prince Ferdinand, having received the promise of the treaty signed by Brion, immediately submitted it to the War Ministry for adjudication. After discussions between the Prussian king and the generals of the military department, and under the temptation of this great interest, the Prussian government finally decided to send people to France immediately.

Although this was a treaty signed by Briand to Prussia on behalf of France, it was actually a private agreement and was not legal at all. Therefore, the Prussian side decided to use military force to force France to recognize the legitimacy of this treaty. Of course, France had the right to declare the truth of the treaty, but Ferdinand had already calculated the outbreak of the Second Franco-Prussian War. Fighting a country that is already scared is much more affordable than signing a clause.

"Our kingdom wants your country to recognize our initiative in Westphalia, and at the same time in the matter of the lease of Alsace, we hope that France will guarantee as far as possible the industrial interests of our kingdom. Hohenloch was calm and unpretentious, showing a force he had never felt before: "I hope that the treaty we signed with the Duke of Baden will be honoured. ”

"I don't think the Duke of Baden can overstep his authority and sign a treaty with your government. Talleylan said as he looked at the last signature.

Indeed, now that the rebellion had been suppressed throughout the country, Brion had been abolished as commander-in-chief of counterinsurgency. Brion, who had lost the power to command the army, was no longer in a position to sign agreements with other countries, and it was still an overlord clause.

Prussia was the northern power of the European will, and Westrallia had long been allied with France in order to preserve it, and was guaranteed by France. Moreover, Prussia had already annexed Saxony, and if it was left free to develop, Prussia, which was then in Central Europe, would be difficult to control.

This is not only a concern for France, but also for Britain and Austria.

Before Hohenloch could speak, Talleyrand continued: "We will never recognize the legitimacy of this clause, the Kingdom of Wester is our neighbor of France, and we will never allow others to trample on the sovereignty of Europe out of humanity." ”

"It seems that your government has already strengthened its resolve, right?"

Hornloch was a little surprised by the tough attitude of the other party, but he was not nervous, because the biggest capital had not yet been sold.

"That's right. ”

The corners of Hornloch's mouth raised: "Then we have to meet on the battlefield, as long as I go in a while, there will be 40,000 troops! The defeat of France will surely be repeated on the battlefield! I think the Russian friends should also agree to our action!"

"It's 。。。。。。。。 ”

Sure enough, Prussia's military suppression still worked, and France, after a devastating uprising, no longer had the strength to confront Prussia. And this result was also thought of by Prince Ferdinand, who had said before the departure of the mission: "War is not everything, and perhaps more is gained by threats than by war." ”

Eventually, with Talleyrand's obedience and Louis XVI's vague consent, a new Treaty of Reims was finally introduced. The Prussians were given the capital and power to expand their territory, while the French remained in fear.

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"Hmph, the Prussians have finally struck. Brion crossed his legs and sat in the speeding carriage reading the newspaper.

Almost all of the headlines now contain changes to the Treaty of Reims, which also heralded the imminent annexation of the Kingdom of Westphalia by Prussia.

However, Brion does not particularly care about some trivial matters on the mainland, just like the current political defeat in France, in other words, Briand will become the savior of France in the future. Of course, the historical Napoleon the Great did just that.

Now, all Brion had to do was go and meet the American guests he had so much trouble to invite.

After walking for nearly three hours, the carriage stopped in front of a very nice apartment.

Brion walked up slowly, pulled out a key and opened the door.

"Ah, it's the Duke of Baden!" a middle-aged man in the room who was nearly thirty years old saw Brion stand up with a smile on his face and shook Brion's hand.

Brion also stepped forward with a smile, politely took off his military hat and tucked it under his armpit, shook hands with the well-dressed man very solemnly, and then greeted him cordially: "I'm really sorry to let you come so presumptuously, how are you doing?" Mr. Fulton. ”

That's right, this man is the father of the world's steamboats, the American inventor Fulton, and it was in 1802 that the steamship he built was successfully launched on the Seine River in France. And it was with this in mind that Brion couldn't wait to work with this world-famous inventor in the future.

There was only one way to defeat the British, and that was to fight at sea. However, France's naval warfare capabilities were simply not comparable to those of Britain, so Briand hoped that Fulton's talents would bring the world into modern industrialization ahead of time. As long as France was the first to industrialize the manufacture of steamships, the British navy, which had no roots, was bound to collapse.

Fulton laughed, "Of course, Duke. I don't know how to thank you for being the first person in the past few years to support me in my invention project, and for buying me such a large apartment and an underground laboratory. Before I come back, I also brought some previous research materials with me, if you are interested, you can check them out. ”

With that, Fulton sat back at his desk, flipping through what seemed to be the case for Brion to find various materials.

"To be honest, I'm not in a hurry. Brion smiled and sat across from his desk, "I know you've never stopped researching the ships of the future, so I'll always support you in your nautical research." My sponsorship is more about your friendship and my optimism about the future of sailing. ”

"I don't think you're really like an aristocrat, but a scientist, and especially your insight into physics is so impressive, and your conjecture, steam-powered steamship, is nothing short of epoch-making. Fulton said, looking at Briand.

Fulton and Brion began to talk until the night. For Fulton, Brion was a great scientist, and he could talk about some physics and mechanical dynamics that he didn't even know.

Who knows, these are some high school physics knowledge. When Brion was in his third year of high school, although his English scores were weak, he was still good at studying mathematics, physics and chemistry. can barely fool this great scientist with some vague theories, and if he really plays research, he is guaranteed to be exposed in less than an hour.

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