I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 686 - 687: The Paris Agricultural Commodities Futures Exchange

Joseph took a sip of milk, setting down the document, silently offering his blessings to Kościuszko.

This information was already nearly two weeks old—Poland was simply too far from Paris. That meant Kościuszko, the Polish "God of War," was likely already near Bryansk, shaking Russia to its core.

Joseph admired Kościuszko greatly and sincerely hoped he would return to Poland alive.

In fact, if the general staff's original plan had been fully executed, there was a fair chance Kościuszko's forces might escape this ordeal intact.

Of course, it was only a chance.

Joseph sighed softly, then picked up the next document, detailing troop movements in Austria and Prussia.

Both nations were playing coy, clearly hiding their preparations for an invasion.

Joseph smirked—those two were waiting for Russia to crush Poland, planning to swoop in and claim the spoils.

However, their greed had granted Poland a rare reprieve.

The optimal strategy for the Russo-Prussian-Austrian alliance would have been to strike simultaneously, surrounding Poland on three fronts. Had that occurred, Poland would have faced an almost hopeless situation.

In Joseph's worst-case scenario projections, he had advised Poland to sign a truce with Austria, ceding the Little Poland region to stabilize their rear. After defeating Russia, they could attempt to reclaim the lost territory.

Luckily, Prussia and Austria's greed had bought Poland several months—enough time to recruit more troops. During wartime, military expansion progresses several times faster than during peace.

By the time Prussia and Austria made their move, Poland would at least have some forces ready to resist.

Additionally, news of Poland's counteroffensive against Russia would soon reach the western front, potentially shaking Prussia and Austria's confidence in victory. That loss of confidence could dampen morale significantly.

What Joseph didn't know was that thanks to Mesmer's exceptional "inspirational work," many Prussian and Austrian soldiers—especially Austrians—harbored strong sympathies for Poland.

If these nations launched an attack on Poland, their troops' morale would likely plummet by half.

Joseph shifted to a report on developments in the Ottoman Empire.

The first batch of 800 Topiji soldiers had completed basic training and returned to Constantinople. The second group of 800 was set to "graduate" in two months.

Training these soldiers at the French camp in Tunisia had been far more effective than within the Ottoman Empire itself.

Previously, 600 Topiji soldiers had spent nearly two years training in the Ottoman system but hadn't achieved the same results as this new group, trained for only six months.

Sultan Selim III was highly satisfied with these French-equipped soldiers and was already discussing plans to invade Egypt with his ministers.

French intelligence estimated the Ottoman Empire would act within 3 to 5 months, likely after the second batch of troops completed their training.

Joseph's most pressing interest, however, was a shipment of supplies the Ottomans had sent to the Black Sea as per their agreement.

As for the Ottoman officer named Muhammad Ali, Steyr reported that he had yet to be identified. The problem was that "Muhammad Ali" was an extraordinarily common name in the Ottoman Empire.

Even narrowing it down to Albanian heritage, there were still 12 officers with that name in the Ottoman military.

Steyr was continuing his investigation to determine which one Joseph had described as having "investment potential."

Joseph wasn't in a rush.

Muhammad Ali, the future ruler of Egypt, would need at least another decade to come into prominence. Steyr had plenty of time to identify the right person.

In his report, Steyr also mentioned the promising performance of steam paddlewheel ships.

The Eastern Mediterranean Trade Company had purchased 12 steamships, which were performing admirably. Operating costs were only 70% of traditional oar-driven ships, and the round trip across the Mediterranean had been cut nearly in half.

This was despite a lack of coal resupply ports along the route. With more ports, transportation costs could drop even further.

Currently, a coal depot had been established in southern Greece, and plans were underway for similar facilities in Italy and Tunisia.

Joseph shook his head.

"Twelve ships just aren't enough."

Brest's shipyard had limited production capacity for steam paddlewheel ships, and most of what they produced was snapped up by river shipping companies. Even when the Eastern Mediterranean Trade Company offered higher prices, it struggled to secure enough vessels.

Moreover, steamships still had relatively small tonnage, so their impact on Mediterranean shipping routes wasn't yet revolutionary.

The company would need at least a hundred steamships before it could start reshaping Mediterranean trade.

And that would require significantly more investment in shipyards.

After breakfast, Joseph took a carriage to Paris' financial district, formerly the site of the Bastille.

The newly established Paris Agricultural Commodities Futures Exchange was located on the third floor of the financial center.

After months of preparation, the exchange was finally ready to open.

Though branded as an agricultural exchange, its core commodity was sugar.

Last week, intelligence on the Caribbean situation had arrived in Paris.

The British expeditionary force had landed on Tortuga, on the northern coast of Saint-Domingue. The French government issued a symbolic statement welcoming the British effort to quell the abolitionist uprising.

The battles were likely in full swing by now.

Regardless of the outcome, sugarcane yields this year would be disastrously low.

October coincided with the sugar beet harvest season. Sugar beet refineries in northwestern France would produce sugar at a rate of 2 million pounds per month. Combined with the 4 million pounds of sugar Steyr had purchased in Egypt over the past few months, this was enough to solidify the exchange's pricing power for sugar in Paris.

As Joseph's carriage approached the financial center, he heard loud commotion ahead. Looking out the window, he saw the square in front of the center packed with people—it was busier than Christmas Mass.

Joseph's guards, led by Cossade, cleared a path for him to enter the building.

After music, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a speech, Joseph declared:

"The Paris Agricultural Commodities Futures Exchange is officially open!"

Cheers erupted from the hall and the square outside.

Before Joseph could leave, frenzied merchants rushed toward the trading counters, prompting Cossade to draw his pistol. It took 80 royal guards considerable effort to escort the crown prince out of the trading hall safely.

The merchants' desperation was understandable. News of the Caribbean slave rebellion had already reached Europe. Sugar prices had risen by more than 40% recently, and even at inflated prices, sugar was hard to come by.

Now, word spread among European merchants:

The Paris Agricultural Commodities Futures Exchange would sell 6 million pounds of sugar.

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10