The Fox of France

Chapter 287: International Students

In the end, the responsibility for formulating this plan was handed over to Joseph, primarily overseen by Montesquiou. It wasn't because Lucien was the busiest among the brothers, needing to work around the clock for twenty-four hours. It was more due to Joseph's lack of trust in Lucien's scientific expertise.

After approximately a month of research and deliberation, various scientific papers related to electricity began to appear in the pages of the French Academy of Sciences' journal, "Nature."

With the publication of these papers, two significant developments swiftly unfolded.

The first was the application and approval of patents. While certain technologies had remained confidential when the relevant knowledge was shrouded in secrecy, now that the scientific knowledge had been disclosed, patent applications were submitted for various technologies, such as the screw propeller.

Although the British had already been testing screw propellers, and they appeared quite straightforward, there was a substantial difference between screw propellers and screw propellers. Their structural forms and operational speeds were different, resulting in a significant efficiency gap. Furthermore, screw propellers demanded a high level of manufacturing precision. As a result, the British screw propellers, despite being tested, had no competitive edge in commercial use, at least for the time being. Without competitiveness, they couldn't secure orders, and without orders, they had no funds to invest in research. This widened the performance gap. At most, their navy could employ them.

Moreover, considering that France, the Netherlands, the Rhine Confederation, and Prussia had all signed agreements recognizing each other's patent rights in continental Europe, if a patent for the screw propeller was successfully obtained in France, it meant that every ship using screw propellers built by the British, aiming to enter the harbors of these countries, had to pay a patent fee to the French. The ultimate result would be that the money invested by the British in screw propellers wouldn't be recovered, and they would have to rely on their national budget.

The second rapidly advancing matter was that France started introducing a range of products, including electric motors, into the market. New power stations began construction in various regions of Europe.

These power stations were, of course, part of the military-industrial complex's business. They not only increased the profits of the military-industrial complex but also displaced most other power sources in those regions. Consequently, virtually all industries in these regions would depend on these power plants in the future, and the military-industrial complex controlling these power plants would wield tremendous economic influence over these areas.

Furthermore, a few months ago, a new open-pit copper mine in the Sudeten region of Prussia began producing a large quantity of copper. This was the best copper mine in all of Europe, with shallow deposits and high-grade ore. Its large-scale extraction, combined with the newly constructed copper smelter nearby, increased Europe's copper production by nearly a quarter. Moreover, there was room for further expansion.

The development of this copper mine caused the previously skyrocketing copper prices in Europe to begin declining. This made electric power even more competitive.

On the other hand, the development of this copper mine gave Prussia a big sigh of relief. Originally, Prussia was financially suffocated due to war reparations. Now, the operation of this major copper mine rapidly brought in substantial revenue for Prussia. However, it also brought Prussia another problem - its economy was becoming increasingly reliant on mining.

Another effect of France's actions was the substantial increase in foreign students studying in France. Although the French government didn't offer many spots for studying the electrical technologies they most desired to learn, the series of public scientific research achievements in electricity further solidified the impression that "France's scientific level was the best in Europe." Consequently, there was a noticeable increase in students coming to learn other technical disciplines.

Joseph welcomed this situation. Some had previously raised objections, believing that too many students learning these scientific technologies would diminish France's relative advantage in scientific knowledge compared to other countries. However, this pessimistic view was quickly refuted by Joseph.

Joseph pointed out, "For every foreign student who comes to study in France, their tuition fees are enough to provide free education to over twenty children or allow two to three young French individuals to receive higher education through scholarships. Thus, in terms of overall benefit, it's undoubtedly favorable for France. Moreover, many outstanding foreign students who excel in their studies will stay in France. In this way, they become part of France's strength."

"The more students come from underdeveloped areas, the more this holds true. Because much of what they learn in their own countries won't find much application there. Unless they're extremely patriotic and willing to endure all sorts of hardships as heroes, the majority of them will stay in France."

"As for those studying law, arts, literature, and the like, it's even more so. When they return to their countries, they'll discover that their countries are at odds with France in various ways. Moreover, through our education, we can make them ideologically align with us and our European Union ideology," Joseph stated.

Joseph said this because in a previous lifetime, in another dimension, he had witnessed firsthand how, through similar means, a certain country had effectively turned the entire Third World into a talent pool, recruiting their most exceptional students. This strategy had enabled them to build a significant technological advantage. During those years, nearly half of the best students from the two top schools in a certain Eastern nation ended up working in various universities and research institutes overseen by the same country. Additionally, students from "the largest democracy" flooded Silicon Valley.

Furthermore, on another front, Joseph continued with these efforts, molding his standards and his moral compass into a global norm and establishing the so-called "universal values." This garnered him a large following of passionate supporters.

Without the high-quality young talents harvested from these "fishponds," Joseph would find it very challenging to maintain his lead in science and technology, especially after he had veered onto the treacherous path of finance and industrialization.

Andrei Obolensky was one such student, hailing from Russia. In France, there were quite a few Russian students, and French universities actually welcomed them. However, this wasn't because the French and Russians were particularly friendly; it was because Russian students tended to be quite wealthy. The majority of Russian students came from aristocratic backgrounds.

This also meant that Russian students possessed another characteristic: most of them studied various forms of art. Art was more suitable for aristocratic students compared to the complexities of science and the intricacies of law. Typically, art students had plenty of free time, and on weekends, places like the Moulin Rouge were often filled with Russian-accented French speakers.

However, Andrei was different from the rest. He had specifically come to study electricity.

In January, in St. Petersburg, Andrei was perusing the latest issue of "Nature" under the guidance of his teacher, Mr. Shelpukhovsky. At that time, he had been wholeheartedly committed to going to England to study steam engine technology. However, electricity, this novel fascination, captured his imagination, and he resolved to come to France to study it.

Andrei hailed from a noble family, descendants of the Romanovs, and some even considered the entire city of St. Petersburg to be distant relatives. However, these connections were of little use when it came to studying electricity in France. This field didn't have many full-time professors, as most of the instructors were engineers working for the military-industrial complex. Moreover, a significant number of slots for foreign students were already occupied by the French. As a result, it was exceptionally challenging for foreigners to qualify for studying this subject, as they had to outperform more than ninety percent of their competitors in the entrance exams.

However, Andrei prevailed with his true capabilities, earning a spot as a student in the "Electrical Engineering" program at the University of Paris.

His instructor was reputedly a student of a great scientific figure, always in a hurry. After each class, he hurriedly collected his lecture notes and departed, leaving the students with a pile of assignments that often kept them busy until midnight. According to senior students, this was his way of giving back to society, as it was said that the great figure, too, enjoyed assigning challenging assignments to students.

Nevertheless, this enriching daily life made Andrei's academic progress especially pronounced. Of course, it also made him the subject of ridicule among many of his fellow students, particularly those who came from Russia.

"Andrei, you've been in Paris for quite a while now, and tomorrow is Sunday. Won't you be swamped with assignments again, unable to even step out the door?" Andrei's friend Anatole teased him.

"This time, there aren't any assignments. In fact, the teacher didn't assign any work this time. It's because Assistant Professor Denard fell ill. You know, our assignments are usually reviewed by Assistant Professor Denard. But since there's no one to review them, the teacher didn't want our assignments to pile up, so he decided not to assign any this time."

"Ah, he's quite foolish. He could have just provided you all with a standard answer and called it a day," Anatole said. "By the way, does that mean you'll have some free time tomorrow? I think you've been in Paris for quite a while, and you probably haven't even been to the Moulin Rouge, have you?"