Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Turning Passive into Active
Chapter 119: Turning Passive into Active
Bordeaux, as France's most important wine-exporting region, revolves around the wine trade. The soul of this city is tied to its wine industry.
The Royal Square, adjacent to Bordeaux's central transportation artery—the Garonne River—was once the palace of Louis XV. However, the king had long since stopped visiting, so the vast square and the nearby palace had become the trading grounds for wine merchants and cellar owners. As a result, people preferred to call it Exchange Square.
Every day, vast quantities of wine were traded here, destined for various parts of Europe and even across the ocean to the Americas.
At this moment, the grand main conference hall of the palace on Exchange Square was filled with about fifty or sixty nobles or their representatives. These nobles shared a common second identity—they were vineyard owners.
They owned the majority of Bordeaux's vineyards and operated wineries, controlling nearly sixty percent of France's wine production.
Three days ago, they received an invitation from Governor Count Monslow, who mentioned in the invitation that the real initiator of this gathering was the Prince himself. With two such significant figures involved, all the invitees made sure to arrive early and gather at Exchange Square.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sound of elegant music echoed outside the main hall of the Exchange Palace. The vineyard owners turned their heads toward the entrance, where they saw Governor Monslow respectfully following a young man in a deep blue coat into the hall.
The attendees immediately recognized the young man as the Prince and stood up, bowing respectfully as he entered.
After the Governor introduced the Prince with a grand welcome and gave a brief opening speech, Joseph raised his hand to signal the vineyard owners, speaking loudly, "Thank you all for attending this meeting."
He started with the usual pleasantries, praising Bordeaux's "long history and abundant resources," before moving on to the main topic. "The reason I've gathered you here today is to discuss the planting of potatoes."
Immediately, whispers filled the hall:
"I knew it, it's about those damn potatoes."
"We've been pressured to plant them for weeks now, but who knows if they'll be profitable."
"Yeah, growing grains is much safer…"
"Let him talk. I won't plant a single potato unless they lower the land tax."
"The Austrian woman even sent the Prince here; she must really care about this."
"This is a good opportunity. We must unite to demand a reduction in land taxes…"
"No! We should demand the land tax be abolished…"
Most spoke in low voices, but a few deliberately raised their voices loud enough for the Prince to hear.
Joseph smiled slightly and continued, ignoring the murmurs. "In recent years, droughts have often caused poor harvests. Potatoes, with their high yield, can quickly alleviate the food shortages caused by such disasters."
He looked around the room. "So, I hope you will respond to His Majesty's call and plant more potatoes this spring. Oh, the potatoes we'll use as seeds should arrive in Bordeaux in about ten days."
These vineyard owners, as land nobles, owned not only vineyards but also large tracts of arable land in the Bordeaux region. Their cooperation was key to spreading potato cultivation on a large scale.
In the audience, a noble with a peculiar upturned nose cautiously called out, "Your Highness, could you consider lowering the land tax?"
Immediately, someone echoed, "Count Ledni is right. Planting potatoes might lead to losses; it would be best to lower the land tax to compensate."
"Please, lower the land tax first."
"That's a separate issue," Joseph replied calmly. "If you have concerns about the land tax, you can submit your suggestions to the Finance Minister for review by the High Court. Today, I'm here to discuss potatoes."
The nobles in the audience looked displeased at this response, and the room fell into a tense silence.
Joseph, however, remained composed, explaining the various benefits of planting potatoes for over half an hour. Finally, he said, "I understand that switching to an unfamiliar crop is a difficult decision. Please take some time to consider it. Tomorrow at nine o'clock, we will meet here again, and I hope to receive a positive response from you all."
With that, Joseph stood to leave. Governor Monslow quickly stepped in, inviting the vineyard owners to a banquet to ease the tension in the room.
Joseph knew that he could have played his trump card—the "pasteurization" technique—right from the start, and many vineyard owners would have likely chosen to cooperate. But doing so would have made the land nobles feel that they were using the threat of not planting potatoes as leverage against the royal family.
So on his way to Bordeaux, Joseph had already planned to turn the tables, making the vineyard owners realize that cooperating with the Prince was beneficial, while opposing him would only lead to losses.
After an uneventful banquet, Monslow invited Joseph and the nobles to a ball at his residence.
Fortunately, the young ladies of Bordeaux held a certain reverence for the unfamiliar Prince, so Joseph wasn't "attacked" at the ball and was able to enjoy some authentic Bordeaux wine.
As the ball finally came to an end, Joseph was just leaving the hall when a middle-aged man hurried up behind him.
Emond immediately stepped forward to block him.
The man quickly bowed from a distance, addressing Joseph, "May God be with you, Your Highness. I am Pierre-Victorien Vernio, a member of the Bordeaux High Court. May I have the honor of speaking with you for a moment?"
Joseph thought the name sounded familiar. Vernio? Suddenly, he remembered—wasn't this the famous Girondist orator?
Right, the name Girondist came from the fact that several of their key leaders were from the Gironde province, and Vernio was one of them. Of course, the Gironde province would only be established after the French Revolution; for now, it was still part of Bordeaux or the Aquitaine region.
Joseph recalled that Vernio was one of the Girondists who advocated for cooperation with the royal family, but he wasn't sure what this man wanted to discuss.
He signaled Emond, "Let Mr. Vernio through."
Emond nodded and stepped aside.
Vernio quickly approached, bowing again. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Joseph smiled. "How can I help you?"
Vernio glanced around, making sure no other nobles were nearby before speaking seriously. "Your Highness, please forgive my boldness, but you really shouldn't have come to Bordeaux."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Your Highness, the great nobles here recently refused to plant potatoes, and now you've come right after that. You might be trying to resolve this before spring planting, but it makes the nobles think you're in a weak position, which will only make them more determined to bargain with you."
Joseph blinked in surprise. Vernio seemed more concerned about the potato issue than he was.
Vernio continued, "Your Highness, I've heard rumors from Paris that there's a strong chance of a severe drought this year. And these great nobles won't care about that. They're wealthy enough that even a poor harvest won't affect them. Some of them are worried about the profitability of potatoes compared to grain, but most of them see this as an opportunity to push for lower land taxes!
"But you know, in recent years, disasters have left Bordeaux's farmers impoverished. They can't survive another drought. I've been to Prussia, where people rely on potatoes to survive famines. Right now, we need potatoes too. The farmers of Bordeaux need potatoes!"
Joseph was moved. He hadn't expected this lawyer to care so deeply about the plight of the common people and to be so willing to advocate for improving their lives.
He nodded. "Yes, I'm here to persuade everyone to plant potatoes."
Vernio looked anxious. "Your Highness, the vineyard owners have formed an alliance. Oh, I also manage a small vineyard myself. They approached me as well. They said if you don't lower the land tax, they absolutely won't plant potatoes."
"Are you here to persuade me to lower the tax?"
"No, Your Highness, the land tax must not be lowered," Vernio insisted. "The nobles must fulfill their obligations to the state!"
Joseph looked at him with interest. "Oh? So what do you suggest?"
Vernio's expression darkened. "The only option now is for the government to provide a subsidy for planting potatoes. With financial incentives, some will definitely agree to plant them."
Joseph thought to himself, You certainly embody the Girondists' spirit of compromise.
He shook his head with a smile. "Mr. Vernio, you must be aware of France's financial situation—we don't have that kind of money. Besides, it's not necessary. In ten days at most, they'll be scrambling to plant potatoes."
Vernio smiled awkwardly. "Your Highness, you must be joking. Unless you lower the land tax, they won't…"
Joseph interrupted, "Why don't we make a bet?"
"A bet?"
"If, within ten days, more than half of the vineyard owners haven't voluntarily planted potatoes, I'll do as you suggest and provide a subsidy for potatoes."
Vernio asked, "And if they do?"
"Then you'll have to do something for me."
Joseph knew that Vernio was an excellent speaker and an efficient worker. If he could recruit Vernio, it would save him a lot of trouble.
Vernio hesitated for only a moment before extending his hand. "Alright, Your Highness, it's a deal."
Joseph shook his hand and then took his leave.
Perhaps it was the effect of the wine, but as soon as Joseph returned to his bedroom, he fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, when he arrived at the conference hall in the Exchange Palace, he noticed that there were seven or eight fewer people present than the day before. Of course, these absent nobles had provided various excuses to Governor Monslow.
Joseph didn't mind. He got straight to the point, asking, "So, who's willing to sign the potato planting contract now?"
The room fell silent again. Those who had shown up were merely paying lip service to the Prince; they had no intention of planting potatoes.
Vernio immediately stood up. "Your Highness, I'm willing to plant 5 hectares."
As a lawyer with some property, this was all the land he had.
Several other vineyard owners who were on good terms with Vernio followed suit. "Your Highness, I'll sign for 8 hectares."
"I'll plant 6 hectares."
Joseph nodded in satisfaction and looked around the room again. "Anyone else?"
The vineyard owners cast annoyed glances at Vernio and the others, but under the Prince's pressure, they reluctantly made a show of cooperation, not wanting to offend him.
Someone hesitantly mumbled, "I'll plant 40 acres."
A hectare is 100 French acres, so this was less than half a hectare.
Other nobles chimed in, "I'll plant 50 acres."
"I'll plant 40 acres."
"I'll plant 30 acres…"
Joseph smiled as he listened to them half-heartedly agree. Then, he suddenly raised his voice, "Oh, by the way, I've been so focused on potatoes that I almost forgot about something else."
He signaled to Emond, who promptly had his men distribute documents to the nobles present.
Joseph continued, "This is my plan for the 'French Brewing Technology Association,' which will facilitate the exchange of brewing techniques. These papers detail some of the new technologies the association has to offer."
The vineyard owners were puzzled at first. Why was the Prince suddenly talking about brewing and some technology association?
But as they began reading the documents, their eyes widened in disbelief.
Someone couldn't help but exclaim, "A new technique that reduces the failure rate of brewing to nearly zero?! How is that possible?"
Another added, "And this technique can produce wine without any sour taste, dramatically improving the quality!"
"My God, and it extends the shelf life by over ten times!"
The vineyard owners immediately started discussing, their voices growing louder.
Vernio was equally stunned. He had some experience in the wine industry and knew his stuff.
First, in winemaking, failures were almost inevitable. A failure rate of less than 10% was considered exceptional, achievable only by top-tier winemakers. Generally, a 30% failure rate was acceptable.
But what was even more astounding was the claim of a technique that eliminated the sour taste in wine.
The presence or absence of a sour taste was a crucial factor in determining the quality of wine. Ordinary wines often had a slight sourness that affected the flavor, while high-quality wines were virtually free of sourness.
In other words, this technique could elevate all the wine produced to a high-quality standard!
And the price difference between ordinary and high-quality wines could be tenfold or more!
Someone stood up excitedly, holding the document and asking Joseph, "Your Highness, are these techniques real?"
Joseph smiled and nodded. "Of course, they are. They've already been filed with the Paris Patent Office and should be registered soon."
An older vineyard owner looked skeptical. "Your Highness, with all due respect, I've been in the wine business for decades and have never heard of such techniques. Could this be…"
Joseph looked at the eager faces of the nobles and stood up. "Who has a wine cellar nearby? I can demonstrate these techniques for you right now."
…
In the northern suburbs of Bordeaux, at the Arsen Wine Cellar.
Although it was winter, the cellar still stored grapes that had been specially smoked, dried, and preserved for winemaking.
Soon, the workers brought out several barrels of mashed grapes and water for Joseph.
Joseph then requested a heating stove and a large water bucket before signaling the vineyard owners to step outside.
Once Crozod had "escorted" everyone out, Joseph immediately set to work with Emond, filling the large pot with water and placing it on the stove to heat.
As the water boiled, he mixed it with cold water, pouring it into the large wooden barrel. He then took out the thermometer he had brought along, checking the temperature until it reached exactly 65 degrees.
He then placed the small barrels of grape mash into the large wooden barrel, starting the timer and continuously monitoring the temperature. Whenever the water temperature dropped, he quickly added hot water to ensure the grape mash stayed above 60 degrees.
(End of Chapter)
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