The Fox of France

Chapter 60: The Toughest Way to Keep Yourself Safe

Lazare Carnot, a name Joseph had heard before, but not in his history class. After all, Joseph had studied history with his sports teacher in his past life. In fact, Joseph first heard of Lazare Carnot from his math teacher and his physics teacher.

The math teacher had mentioned him in the context of the "four-color theorem" but didn't provide much information. The physics teacher, on the other hand, mentioned another Carnot - Sadi Carnot - while discussing thermodynamics and went on to mention that Sadi Carnot's uncle was a mathematician and a military strategist, and his nephew even became the President of France (referring to the third president of the Second Republic, Marie Franois Sadi Carnot).

Later, Joseph saw Lazare Carnot's image in a movie about the French Revolution. In that movie, Lazare Carnot was portrayed as a significant figure in a conspiracy against Robespierre. He was the only one openly opposing Robespierre in that group. Strangely, the infamous Robespierre never sent him to the guillotine, or even considered it. In the movie, it was the new government that almost executed Carnot after they had dispatched Robespierre to the guillotine. It was only when someone said, "If we kill Carnot, who will organize our army for us?"

That was the extent of Joseph's knowledge about Lazare Carnot. In comparison, Joseph knew even more about the yet-to-be-born son of Lazare, who would go on to establish the principles of thermodynamics.

However, those who truly understood the history of the French Revolution knew that Lazare Carnot was a pivotal figure in those turbulent times. He was one of the rare individuals who held power steadily from the monarchy to the republic and then to the empire, all while remaining deeply unpopular among the ruling factions.

During this time, there were only three individuals who could stand as firmly as Carnot did. Two of them were famous chameleons who thrived on diplomacy and opportunism.

But Carnot was different. He remained an unlikable republican throughout. He openly opposed Robespierre when he was in power, and he openly criticized the empire when Napoleon declared himself emperor. Neither Robespierre nor Napoleon liked him, but they had to rely on him. The entire French military was organized under his watch. Some even said that without Carnot's efforts, there would be no grand army for Napoleon to sweep across Europe. In a way, Lazare Carnot was the father of the modern French military.

Carnot also had a strong interest in mathematics, and since they had some free time, the two of them began discussing mathematical problems. During this conversation, Joseph realized that Carnot had fallen into the same trap he had set for Marat.

"Monsieur Bonaparte, have you made any progress on the 'four-color problem' recently?" Carnot asked.

Joseph was taken aback because he hadn't thought about the problem since he first posed it. He knew the problem was theoretically solvable, but the proof was exceedingly complex, far beyond what a human could accomplish. (The solution required a computer, which performed a hundred billion checks in the process.) Carnot's sudden question caught him off guard.

"I had some ideas, but I hit a major roadblock in the process, and I haven't made any progress since," Joseph replied. "Otherwise, I would have written a paper and collected the prize. You know, bread was unusually expensive for a while."

"I had some thoughts as well, but I encountered a similar issue right at the start. I was thinking..." Carnot began, dipping his finger into his teacup to draw on the coffee table.

Joseph took a closer look and realized that Carnot's approach wasn't bad. He believed that the essence of the problem lay in the impossibility of constructing five or more mutually adjacent regions on a plane or a sphere. However, he soon found an insurmountable problem: there were too many configurations to deal with, and it was impossible to address them all.

"That's pretty much in line with my thoughts," Joseph said. "But I also have another idea..."

Joseph introduced the concept of "reducibility" and explained it at length. Then he added, "But facing the vast number of configurations, it's nearly impossible to prove them one by one. It's like trying to remove the Alps with a single pickaxe."

They both laughed at this point. They understood that this problem was not going to be solved in the short term. They shifted the conversation to other topics.

During their chat, Joseph learned that Carnot came from a common background. He had graduated from the military academy a decade ago and had earned the rank of lieutenant, now holding the rank of captain.

Becoming a captain immediately after graduating from the military academy was no small feat. Most military academy graduates started as second lieutenants at best. Carnot's rapid advancement showed how exceptional he was during his time at the academy. However, more than a decade later, he had only moved up one rank from lieutenant to captain.

This wasn't due to any other reason, but rather because the French military of that era had a glass ceiling. In general, for a common officer, becoming a captain was the highest achievement. Carnot's promotion to captain indicated his exceptional abilities.

"These days, the National Convention is quite uneasy about the military, especially regarding aristocratic officers. This is when a capable common officer like you becomes extremely valuable," Joseph thought.

They continued to talk for a while. At that point, a servant entered and addressed Carnot, "Mr. Carnot, the Marquis would like to see you. Mr. Bonaparte, the Marquis apologizes for the delay and asks you to wait a bit longer."

Carnot rose to his feet, bid Joseph farewell, and followed the servant outside. Joseph remained in the sitting room, sipping tea as he waited.

This time, he didn't have to wait long. Shortly after, another servant came to escort him to meet the Marquis de Lafayette.

Joseph stood up, straightened his clothes, and followed the servant through a corridor into the formal reception room.

Lafayette's reception room wasn't as grand as the Duke of Orleans' where you could practically host a ball. It was similar in size to the sitting room and lacked ornate decoration. It had an almost plain and down-to-earth feel to it. Joseph wondered if this was by design or had been the case all along.

Lafayette was in the middle of a conversation with Carnot. When he saw Joseph enter, he stood up and came over to welcome him. After Joseph took a seat, Lafayette smiled and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, I've invited you here today because there is something I hope you can help with."

According to Lafayette, he had noticed Joseph's performance in organizing the National Guard in the district. Many of his friends had mentioned Joseph, praising his talent in organizing and training troops. Joseph was modest and explained that he was not being humble but rather honest. He pointed out that he had no military education, despite wearing a military uniform, and was just a technician with a background in mathematics. He questioned how he could shoulder such a responsibility.

Lafayette, however, informed him that the National Convention had already made the decision, and it was him they wanted. Moreover, Joseph wouldn't be carrying the weight alone. The person primarily responsible for this was Lazare Carnot, and Joseph would be his deputy. Carnot had just spoken highly of Joseph during their conversation and believed he had valuable insights into military matters. He had made it a requirement to have Joseph on board. Would Joseph be willing to contribute to France's cause?

At this point, Joseph didn't have much to say. He was concerned that refusing might turn him into an enemy of the powerful Lafayette. He had initially thought of reciting a poem, but he realized that the two lines he had in mind, when translated into French, would have the wrong meter and rhythm. So, he suppressed the urge to summon his magical powers and answered, "I am willing to serve France."

As he left Lafayette's mansion, Joseph couldn't help but mull over the decision he had made. Was it the right choice? Lafayette was indeed on the rise, but with his limited knowledge of history, Joseph knew that Lafayette was not the central character of this era. He was merely a supporting actor in the grand drama of this time. Joseph had accidentally crossed his path, and he wondered if this was the right move.

Many years later, when he looked back on this decision, Joseph would reflect on how this night's actions had been incredibly correct. By following Lazare Carnot, he embarked on a path to become an indispensable "technocratic bureaucrat." In the original history, even Lazare Carnot's reckless actions did not lead to his death. Joseph, essentially a coward, was not fond of risking his life like Carnot. Therefore, his position would prove to be much safer.

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