"How do we determine who our friends are and who our enemies are?" Joseph chuckled. "My brother, you've finally asked a question that's not entirely foolish. Well, Napoleon, think about it. What kind of people desire change in their lives? And what kind of people want to maintain the status quo?"
If it weren't for their previous conversation, Napoleon might have immediately responded, "Th...
2023-10-26 23:04:42 +0000 UTC View PostNitroglycerin, in the original course of history, was invented by the Italian chemist Sobrero in 1846. However, the raw materials for its production, such as glycerin, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid, had already existed. At this point in time, producing nitroglycerin was no longer a significant technological challenge. In fact, the manufacturing process of nitroglycerin wasn't too difficult; it...
2023-10-26 22:08:51 +0000 UTC View PostAfter leaving the Academy, Lavoisier didn't head home but instead took a carriage out of Paris towards one of the Duke of Orleans' estates. A few days ago, he had borrowed a piece of land from the Duke for his new scientific experiments.
Perhaps it was due to the king's long struggle to have a son (Queen Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first child eleven years after marrying him), whic...
2023-10-26 22:08:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe design of the Fort of Calais and its associated calculations were not particularly difficult, and Montreuil had entrusted this task to Joseph more as a means for him to earn some extra money. However, Montreuil soon realized that Joseph was gaining much more than just a few coins from this endeavor.
One day in July, while Montreuil was on a business trip to Nice, he received a thick l...
2023-10-26 22:07:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe fortress commander, Colonel Antoine de Verluf, was a tall man in his forties. He was quite pleased with Joseph's visit.
"Ah, Mr. Bonaparte, I thought you'd take a few more days to get here," Commander Verluf said. "I didn't expect you so soon. Well, do you need some rest?"
"Thank you, but I don't need it," Joseph replied. "In fact, I arrived last night. It was quite late when I ...
2023-10-26 22:07:05 +0000 UTC View PostIn that summer, Napoleon smoothly passed his graduation exam and successfully graduated from the Military Academy. He was assigned to the Raphaël Legion and received the rank of Second Lieutenant in the artillery. On the day he left Paris, Joseph went to the stagecoach station to bid him farewell. Napoleon was dressed in a new gray-blue military uniform, a sword hanging at his waist, looking e...
2023-10-26 22:06:57 +0000 UTC View Post"Hey, Napoleon, aren't you supposed to be good at math? How come you couldn't solve a single problem today?" On the way to the library, a classmate caught up with Napoleon from behind, playfully shouting at him.
Napoleon furrowed his brow but remained silent. His companion beside him, however, responded with irritation, "Bonnav, those problems were really tough. I dare say, even if Mr. Jo...
2023-10-26 22:06:20 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the recent experiment, Joseph's days returned to being both fulfilling and boring. His daily routine now revolved around studying the mathematics of this era. This was twofold: to avoid accidentally introducing futuristic concepts into the curriculum due to insufficient knowledge of the era's math and to prepare for future teaching.
Amid this busy schedule, winter gradually passed. ...
2023-10-26 22:05:18 +0000 UTC View PostA few days later, on a sunny morning, Joseph once again donned his formal attire, while Napoleon wore his military uniform. They boarded a light two-wheeled carriage bound for the Bertonne Castle on the outskirts of Paris, where they were set to participate in an experiment to measure the speed of light.
The Bertonne Castle was an estate belonging to the House of Orléans, perched atop a ...
2023-10-26 22:05:03 +0000 UTC View Post"Arrogance! Such a cursed arrogance," Joseph exclaimed. It was evident that Armand understood Joseph's words.
"Perhaps it's not just arrogance," Joseph pondered, "but rather a disconnect—the divide between the upper and lower classes. The French people are filled with anger towards the upper class, but the upper class may not even be aware of it, or they simply don't feel it. The king a...
2023-10-26 22:04:54 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph followed Armand into his family's courtyard and up the steps. He noticed that Armand's house was a typical Rococo-style building. The walls were adorned with various ornate carvings, decorated with gold and various other colors of paint. Such a building must have once been filled with extravagant grandeur, but now, the golden and colorful paint had weathered and peeled, leaving the entir...
2023-10-26 22:04:45 +0000 UTC View PostDuring dinner, Joseph told Napoleon that in nine days, he would be participating in an experiment to measure the speed of light at the French Academy of Sciences. He invited Napoleon to join him and see the world if he was interested.
Napoleon's face showed indifference, but Joseph could sense some excitement in his eyes. His words were just a façade. While Napoleon contemplated the invi...
2023-10-26 21:52:19 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day, even before the sun had risen, Joseph had already developed the habit of waking up early. In this age, there was no internet, no video games, not even electric lights. Most ordinary households couldn't afford candles or oil lamps, so the evenings were pitch dark. In his previous life, Joseph was used to staying up past eleven, but now he had adopted the habit of going to bed and r...
2023-10-26 21:51:52 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph knew that Cullen was quite skeptical about what he called "geometric drawing," and perhaps the true pioneer of "geometric drawing" was Montgri, who, being a child prodigy himself, was less doubtful about others of his age creating similar techniques.
In his previous life, Joseph had indeed studied geometric drawing. He believed that over hundreds of years of development, the geomet...
2023-10-26 21:51:25 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph couldn't contain his excitement as he greeted them one by one. But when he faced Laplace, he couldn't help but clench his fist discreetly and mentally berate himself – just like modern-day science students facing difficult questions on an exam paper. They'd gaze out the window in frustration and make a wish upon a passing shooting star.
Years ago, Joseph never had the chance to b...
2023-10-26 21:51:17 +0000 UTC View Post"At least for now, I haven't found any mathematical issues. His mathematical tools are quite impressive," Laplace said. "It's just that explaining light with waves still has some unexplained phenomena, like what properties the ether must possess to transmit waves as fast as light. And if he interprets light as a transverse wave, why aren't there longitudinal waves in the ether?"
"Ah, my f...
2023-10-26 21:51:06 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph didn't worry too much about winning or losing the bet with Napoleon. In his past life, he had seen movies about Napoleon submitting an article to the French Academy of Sciences. It seemed that Napoleon had written an article analyzing social issues, but it had disappeared without a trace. So Joseph felt reasonably confident that he wouldn't lose this bet.
However, preparing this pa...
2023-10-26 21:50:58 +0000 UTC View Post"Well, my dear brother, since you've made such a judgment, you must have further plans, right? The French Revolution is a significant event, and I can't believe you intend to sit idly by. You must have more plans in mind," Napoleon inquired.
"This is a French affair," Joseph replied. "I don't want to get deeply involved. I plan to seize some advantages opportunistically. Do you understand...
2023-10-26 21:48:53 +0000 UTC View PostIn terms of latitude alone, Paris was actually a bit further north than Harbin. But thanks to the influence of the North Atlantic Current, the winter here was quite mild. Even at the end of November, the sunlight in Paris still felt warm and inviting.
Joseph walked along the leaf-strewn streets, with a small figure trailing behind him.
"Napoleon, your idea is intriguing. However, I ...
2023-10-26 21:48:04 +0000 UTC View PostOn a Sunday afternoon, just after lunch, Armand took Joseph to a café near the Archbishop's Palace. The Archbishop's Palace was the private domain of the Duke of Orleans, a high-ranking noble, and the eldest son of the Duke, who also happened to be named Joseph, had transformed the palace's corridors into various shops and cafes. Since these places were the private domains of the nobility, the...
2023-10-26 21:47:54 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph's life had indeed become as challenging as Armand had predicted. He survived on nothing but black bread and cold water, enduring this harsh existence for approximately two months. During this time, Joseph managed to transform his physique into something resembling a twig.
"Joseph, there's a theater troupe preparing a comedy called 'The Island Governor.' It's adapted from 'Don Quixo...
2023-10-26 21:47:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe Bonaparte family was a very traditional Corsican family. This meant that in their household, women didn't meddle in affairs much. Letizia was a good wife and a good mother, always enduring even the toughest times silently. But she was also a very traditional Corsican woman, and when it came to making decisions, she remained silent.
So, after Carlo's death, almost all decisions in the ...
2023-10-26 12:49:45 +0000 UTC View PostShortly after this conversation, Armand handed over two scripts, Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" and Milton's "Samson Agonistes," along with various poems and other materials to Joseph.
"These have been piling up in my place for the past two years, almost half a year... You know, I don't have that much time to work on these. Anyway, it's been delayed, so take your time. They're in no rush...
2023-10-26 12:49:31 +0000 UTC View Post"What is this?" Joseph furrowed his brow and asked. When it came to unknown substances, Joseph didn't have much of an appetite for trying them. It was clear that he wasn't one to indulge in extravagant feasts, even before his time-traveling adventures.
"Let me tell you, this crystalline liquid is the ambrosia that the Goddess of Youth, Hebe, served to Zeus, the Thunder God, during their t...
2023-10-26 12:49:19 +0000 UTC View PostIn the days that followed, their routine remained the same. They would buy two coach tickets, travel for a day to a town closer to Paris, rest in a monastery (or a hotel if necessary), and then buy another coach ticket. It was on the evening of the tenth day when Alphonso and Joseph finally reached the capital of France, Paris.
The coach traversed dusty streets and came to a halt on a str...
2023-10-26 12:49:06 +0000 UTC View PostIn the late afternoon, at nearly seven o'clock, the stagecoach arrived in Avignon. The distance from Marseille to Paris was almost two to three hundred "lieues" (a traditional French unit of length, approximately four kilometers per lieue), clearly not a journey the stagecoach could complete in a short time. In fact, there was no direct stagecoach from Marseille to Paris. Passengers heading to ...
2023-10-26 12:48:35 +0000 UTC View PostLouis the Great School not only offered prestigious scholarships but also had a well-earned reputation for high-quality education. Its origins could be traced back to 1563 when it was known as the "Clément School," a church school under the Jesuits. The school's practice of offering completely free education to day students drew the ire of the University of Paris right from its inception.
<... 2023-10-26 12:48:20 +0000 UTC View PostMr. Fauve recovered quickly from his seasickness, as one would expect after a good night's sleep. Such maladies fade after a restful night. So, early the next morning, they continued their journey after a full day of jolting in a four-wheeled carriage, the group finally arrived at the important town of Marseille in the south of France.
The two Joseph brothers were enrolled in a noble scho...
2023-10-26 12:48:04 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph and his younger brother, Napoleon, sailed for a day on a two-masted ship called the "Autumn Narcissus" in the calm waters of the Mediterranean. Early the next morning, they arrived at the port of Toulon in the south of France.
Toulon was France's largest naval port, home to its most crucial shipyards, and more than half of the navy's warships were stationed there. The commercial do...
2023-10-26 12:47:21 +0000 UTC View PostJust as Joseph had expected, he indeed found Napoleon in that cave. When he discovered Napoleon, the troublemaker was sitting on a rock, gazing out at the mist-covered sea.
"Hey, my foolish brother, what are you doing here?" Joseph called out.
"Nothing," Napoleon lazily stood up. "I was thinking I should leave a book in this cave for the future, so I'll have something to do when I c...
2023-10-26 12:45:39 +0000 UTC View Post