The Fox of France - Chapter 274: The Free Trade

The task of selecting an envoy fell to Lucien. After all, when it came to deceivers, the Ministry of Truth had them in abundance, even more so than the Department of Foreign Affairs. Of course, the Foreign Affairs had its own advantages; many of its members received salaries from both the Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Truth, or the Ministry of Public Security, or even all three departments simultaneously.

Lucien found a remarkably capable individual within his own department. In their previous collaboration, this person had helped him uncover a plethora of individuals who, while officially employed by the Ministry of Truth, had their hearts and pockets in the Ministry of Public Security. Thus, this individual had earned Lucien’s trust.

After conversing with this person, Lucien became more convinced of his capabilities. He had calloused hands from working as a craftsman when necessary. He could put on the guise of a naive and honest worker when required, but he spoke five languages fluently, received a decent education, had a clear and calculating mind, and possessed the courage not to fear death or making others face it. In simpler terms, he was a natural swindler and a bandit.

This individual was known as Victor de Tréville. Judging from his name, he appeared to be of noble birth. However, his circumstances had led him down a different path. Just as Guo Wen, a nobleman in “The Year 93,” had firmly sided with the revolutionary masses, Victor was a progressive nobleman who had seemingly betrayed his own lineage to stand with the broader revolutionary movement. He had severed ties with his brother, who remained loyal to the reactionary camp. Victor had made significant contributions during the crucial battle in which Napoleon seized power and had now become one of the stars in the Ministry of Truth.

So, when Lucien received the mission, he immediately thought of Victor.

But Victor faced a significant problem, despite his prominent role. He had always been working within a secret department.

To many, working in a secret department appeared to be a position of immense power and prestige, but this was a misunderstanding influenced by various dramas. The more secretive a position, the more expendable it tended to be—after all, sacrificing someone no one knew was simple. Even those in well-known positions like commandants of the King’s Musketeers were often less influential and powerful than one might assume, especially when compared to legitimate civilian officials and even more so to those from the commoners’ class. To truly rise in the ranks, one had to find a way to transition into the public eye, to become a figure whose name could appear in the newspapers. Victor knew that this mission, representing First Consul Napoleon, could be the opportunity he had been waiting for.

So, upon receiving the task, Victor immediately returned home. He only told his wife, “I have a mission,” and left, leaving his luggage behind. He was accustomed to these departures, and his wife did not ask where he was going or when he would return, as these details were usually classified. Before leaving, Victor added, “I might be gone for a while,” and his son, Edgar, with his childish voice, said, “Daddy, don’t forget to bring me some paint when you come back. I’m running out of colors.”

Victor smiled and acknowledged his son before heading out. A carriage was already waiting for him at the door.

“Take me to La Salle Dock,” he instructed the coachman.

La Salle Dock was a dock on the Seine River, from where one could board a steamship bound for Le Havre. In order to protect the secret of the propeller, apart from naval warships, civilian steamships were still required to use paddlewheels. This, of course, reduced the speed of the ships, but because they operated day and night, it was the quickest way to reach the Atlantic coast from Paris. However, if you were traveling in the opposite direction, from the Atlantic coast to Paris, taking a mail coach was still faster.

By the time Victor reached Le Havre, the Ministry of Truth staff had already prepared a ship for him to sail to Santo Domingo.

It was a large steam frigate known as “The Free Trade,” boasting three towering masts and two large smokestacks. The term “large steam frigate” indicated that it was the latest experimental warship of the French Navy. It had a displacement equivalent to that of a second-rate battleship, roughly 2,300 tons.

Aside from the significant increase in displacement, it also featured several new technologies. The first was the steel keel.

During this era, acquiring keels for shipbuilding was a precious strategic resource. Although there were techniques for joining keels, the strength of joined keels could not compare to that of an unbroken, naturally grown giant tree. Additionally, the use of joined keels had significant limitations. Consequently, keels greatly restricted the size of warships and other vessels.

The advent of affordable steel changed this situation. Steel was stronger than any timber, and it could be made as thick or as long as desired. The only drawback was steel’s vulnerability to rust in a maritime environment. Most ship components could be replaced, but the keel could not. If a ship’s keel suffered severe corrosion, the entire vessel was essentially lost.

Of course, this issue had potential solutions, such as adding chromium to steel to create stainless steel. Stainless steel was already being produced in the laboratories of the military-industrial complex. However, chromium had only recently been discovered, and its extraction was not straightforward, making the production of stainless steel costly. Additionally, the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel produced in the lab was not yet sufficient to withstand the salty maritime environment, and its strength was also subpar compared to ordinary steel. Thus, this technology was unsuitable for building ship keels.

Another related technology was galvanizing the entire steel keel. On Earth, zinc reserves were far scarcer than chromium, but its extraction was relatively straightforward. A mysterious Eastern superpower had been producing large quantities of metallic zinc for centuries, and up until the 19th century, zinc was one of their major exports.

Zinc had a low melting point, making the galvanizing process quite simple. There was no need for electroplating; hot-dip galvanizing sufficed.

This frigate’s keel had undergone this process.

The use of steel keels reduced the overall cost of this 2,300-ton behemoth slightly. The most significant savings, however, came in construction time.

This ship still used a mix of steam and sails but featured two larger steam engines and dual propellers.

Naturally, the steam engines and coal bunkers occupied a significant portion of the ship’s space, leaving it with only one complete gun deck and a short lower gun deck.

Compared to the “Equality,” the “Free Trade” had significantly greater firepower. It sported a total of twenty 110mm-caliber breech-loading cannons: two in the bow section, and the remaining eighteen distributed on both sides of the ship. The upper gun deck had seven cannons on each side, and the second gun deck had two cannons on each side.

While the number of cannons had only increased by two, each cannon had seen a significant boost in firing rate and power.

The “Free Trade” had undergone numerous short voyages in nearby waters for testing, but the journey across the Atlantic was a first. This long voyage was precisely why she had been designed: to sail to the New World and safeguard the freedom of trade between the old and new continents.

In reality, the ship wasn’t entirely prepared for such a long voyage. However, the changing situation in Haiti demanded the presence of a warship capable of holding the fort. Napoleon had thus requested the “Free Trade” to embark on this oceanic voyage prematurely.

The evening Victor boarded the ship, it set sail from the harbor, venturing into the vast sea.

The “Free Trade” wasn’t particularly fast, averaging around 7 knots. This was because they hadn’t yet activated the steam engines and relied entirely on the sails. While the coal bunkers on the ship were spacious, they couldn’t sustain a journey across the Atlantic.

Victor had never experienced long sea voyages before, so the initial days at sea were quite intriguing. However, the novelty quickly wore off, and the days grew monotonous. Crossing the Atlantic took over a month, during which Victor could only see a blue sky and a blue sea, and beyond that, more blue.

Occasionally, they encountered one or two other ships, but most vessels kept a considerable distance or immediately changed course after seeing the “Free Trade’s” size.

“Mr. Tréville, is this your first time on such a long sea voyage?” Captain Lazara asked as he noticed Victor gazing aimlessly at the sea.

“Yes, indeed, it’s my first long voyage,” Victor replied. “I’ve been on sea journeys before, but they were in the Mediterranean, from Marseille to Genoa. Back then, I thought the sea was vast, but now I see that the Mediterranean is truly quite small. By the way, Captain, how much longer until we reach Santo Domingo?”

“Oh, Mr. Tréville, you’ve asked that question more than once,” Captain Lazara replied. “Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after, but we’re getting closer.”

Victor chuckled in embarrassment and was about to say something when he heard the lookout shout, “Ship spotted at eleven o’clock!”