The Fox of France - Chapter 261 (Patreon)

Chapter 261 - Promotion and Spy Catching

The Paris International Goods and Commodities Fair was just a month away, and it had become a significant affair for the Ministry of Truth. Both domestically and internationally, the Ministry of Truth had to extensively promote this event, turning it into the most prominent spectacle in Europe.

Internally, they needed to emphasize the benefits of the fair for people from all walks of life.

"For the farmers, we must promote the fact that the fair will bring them immense benefits. When we talk about it, remember not to use 'they' or 'you' too much. Instead, use 'we' and illustrate the past hardships and the present sweetness. For example, we can say that in the past, after a bountiful harvest, we couldn't sell all the surplus grain in the market. Every region had an abundant harvest, and the market was flooded with grains, so we couldn't get a good price for our produce. If we didn't sell, storing the surplus would cost us money. If we sold, it felt like we were at a loss.

Back in the old days, the nobles and unscrupulous merchants would conspire to depress the prices of our grain, even during bountiful harvests. We produced surplus grain, but by the time we sold it, we made less money. They would either hoard the grain, waiting for times of famine to sell at exorbitant prices, or export it abroad to make more money. We put in all that hard work to grow the grain, and they pocketed all the profits!

But now, things are different with the First Consul. He truly cares about us, the farmers! He thinks about spring sowing and summer tilling, flood control, and drought resistance. He knows how tough life is for us farmers, so he organized this International Fair. With the surplus grain, we can sell directly to foreign countries. No nobles or middlemen to skim off the profits; it's all ours.

What if foreign countries also have surplus grain? Well, my friends, do they have irrigation pumps like we do? Do they have power stations? Most importantly, do they have a First Consul like ours? They have nothing but a bunch of nobles just like ours used to be. How can they claim to have a surplus year after year? Remember that!"

Lucien was giving instructions to his subordinates at the Ministry of Truth, who were diligently taking notes with paper and pens.

"Also, we need to intensify our foreign publicity. We must make sure that the English, Dutch, Germans, Spanish, Russians, Turks, Americans—everyone in the civilized world knows about this grand event and understands that coming here is an opportunity to get rich. Find ways to make it even more appealing, like entering Ali Baba's treasure trove—no, actually, it should be more like Alexander the Great's treasure trove!"

The Ministry of Truth issued directives, and French newspapers, especially those published abroad, went all out to promote the International Fair. For instance, in London, while British newspapers were busy attacking each other, the French "London Businessman" newspaper had dedicated most of its efforts to publicize the International Fair. In recent days, the newspaper had even added two extra pages of content, with almost the entire issue revolving around the fair.

Some were direct product advertisements, such as various wines and metal products. Most of these ads did not include specific prices but enticed merchants with phrases like "excellent quality at an affordable price that exceeds expectations." Some articles offered knowledge and education, complete with illustrations, to inform readers about various products, such as wine categories and how to choose the best wine, the differences in material for various metal products, and their pros and cons. Others introduced products from different regions of continental Europe, as well as the current trade situation.

For example, this year, there was a bountiful harvest of grains in France, and grain prices might decrease. Additionally, due to the influence of current fashion trends, woolen products might become popular in France this year.

Meanwhile, the "Scientific Truth" newspaper focused on providing data-based reporting on the upcoming fair. It emphasized that nearly all European goods and all types of merchants would converge at this event. Just considering the ease of obtaining information about various products during the trade conference would significantly reduce trade costs and allow everyone to earn more money.

News of the International Fair quickly caught the attention of various merchants. Regardless of their stance on peace or war, whether they dealt in textiles or arms, their attention was captivated by the fair. Even arms dealers were thinking about exporting some weaponry to the Europeans during this event.

However, the British Admiralty found itself in a state of panic. In the latest issue of the "London Businessman," there was a depiction of French weapons.

On this page, there were advertisements for various French weapons, including the well-known muzzle-loading rifles, various mines, various cannons, and something depicted only in a picture with no accompanying text.

"This looks like our naval mines, doesn't it?" Others couldn't quite identify what it was, but the folks at the Admiralty recognized the object instantly.

"It does look similar, but there are some differences. Our naval mines have ten trigger mechanisms, whereas this one has only eight. However, the rest is uncannily alike—same anchor chains and even identical fuse deployment. What's going on?"

Indeed, the mysterious weapon depicted without any explanation in "The London Businessman" bore a striking resemblance to the British naval mines. If you were to analyze it with color palette software, you'd undoubtedly find a match for plagiarism. The current concern, however, was:

"How did the French acquire this technology?"

The Admiralty knew that if this technology fell into French hands, it spelled trouble for the British.

The British could use these mines to blockade the Irish coast, and the French could do the same to British shores. True, the French navy didn't possess the capability to contest maritime supremacy with the British, but they had other means that could thwart the Royal Navy. For instance, French high-speed warships.

Even to this day, the British Navy had not unraveled the mystery behind the propulsion technology of French steamships, making it nearly impossible to intercept these vessels. The French could make full use of these high-speed steamships to lay mines in British waters, even close to British harbors.

Of course, the British could reciprocate and lay mines near French ports, both on the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean, but France relied on its ports far less than Britain did. Furthermore, France had access to the ports of "allied" nations. If the British attempted to mine these ports, it would mean isolation from the rest of Europe.

So, without an efficient mine-clearing technology in place, the plan to blockade Ireland using mines would remain locked away in a cabinet. Developing efficient and reliable mine-clearing technology was a monumental task, even if Joseph Fouché devoted his full attention to it and nothing else; it wouldn't be resolved in his lifetime.

More critical than efficient mine-clearing technology for the British now was figuring out how the secrets of these naval mines had been leaked. The British knew that due to the madness of a certain individual, the existence of mines had already been disclosed. However, that individual's writings did not contain the critical technical details.

The Admiralty had been investigating who had leaked related information to that individual. According to their conjecture, the culprit was likely not a French spy because, if it were, the spy could have simply reported it to the French without playing these tricks. They were more inclined to believe it was someone among the British, who didn't want to see their business affected by a war. But now, that hypothesis seemed less credible. Who could have foreseen that on the French side, there was someone who had time-traveled and possessed the unique ability to get pregnant with just a glance?

This was like a question on a certain website: if the modern-day Chirrut were transported back to pre-Ursa, and they had a conventional weapon fight, what would be the outcome? The answer: most likely, all the personnel at Sukhoi Design Bureau would be dragged out and executed by the NKVD. Likewise, the British felt that their research institutions were now teeming with French spies.

"We have a French spy right here in our Admiralty! We must find and expose this traitor, then tie him to one of these mines for testing! Or cut him into pieces to feed the sharks!" The First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord William, nearly fainted upon hearing the news, and he vented his rage in this manner.

Lord William's anger was entirely justified, and someone had to be held responsible for this within the Admiralty. Even if they managed to unmask that treacherous spy and deal with him, this leak incident wouldn't be easily resolved. It was highly likely that he'd soon have to "courageously take responsibility" and retire with a pension.

Soon, the king also got wind of the matter and stated, "Everyone who had access to this technical information must be investigated, regardless of their identity. We will not allow any traitor to escape unpunished in Britain!"

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