Chapter 582: Lamarck's Resentment
Bailli looked puzzled.
"Your Highness, for over a hundred years, the essentials for marriage have remained unchanged. What new items could possibly be 'created'?"
Joseph smiled faintly.
"As long as the packaging and marketing are convincing enough, marriage can be made to require anything under the sun.
"By the way, which products are we most overstocked on this time?"
"Ah," Bailli began, counting on his fingers, "textiles, ironware, furniture, alcohol, paper goods, and carriages."
Hearing this, Joseph frowned. That damned Hope had managed to target nearly all of France's flagship industries in his scheme.
After some thought, Joseph said, "The textiles, ironware, and furniture are the least suitable for long-term storage. Let's focus on these first.
"For example, we can heavily promote the idea that marriage now requires the 'Three Essentials' to ensure a happy married life."
"The Three Essentials?"
"Yes: one set of French fashion, one set of synthetic-panel furniture, and one set of French iron cookware.
"From a marketing standpoint, focus on women. Make them believe that it's humiliating to get married without the Three Essentials."
Joseph began brainstorming like a modern marketing strategist.
"Here's how we'll promote it through several channels:
"First, spread rumors among the public. Let it be known that 'this is the latest French wedding trend' or 'French women won't step into a church without the Three Essentials.' Whether it's trade merchants or diplomats heading to Germany or Italy, they must mention this to at least ten people.
"Second, use newspapers. Hire well-known journalists to write 'scientific research' articles. For example, claim that 'ordinary iron pots contain harmful substances that could affect future generations, and only high-quality iron from Nancy or Luxembourg guarantees health.'
"Third, incorporate the Three Essentials into theatrical performances. The Marriage of Figaro would be perfect for this. I'll discuss adaptation rights with Mr. Beaumarchais and arrange for the play to be performed extensively in Vienna, Florence, and Brussels."
Bailli's eyes widened in amazement. He could already envision young women becoming obsessively fixated on the so-called Three Essentials before their weddings.
Joseph continued, "And don't forget to add a catchy slogan: 'Every French bride knows: for a once-in-a-lifetime marriage, you must treat yourself well.'"
Bailli suddenly grinned and bowed. "Your Highness, I believe these goods might not even need to be shipped to the Southern Netherlands and Tuscany.
"With your plan, French newlyweds could clear out the stock entirely on their own."
"What are you saying?" Joseph instantly grew serious, shaking his head.
"This strategy must never be used domestically!
"Not only should the Three Essentials campaign be prohibited in France, but we must also run counter-campaigns to neutralize any spillover from foreign markets. For example, promote ideas like 'Love is the only thing that matters in marriage' and 'Don't let material possessions tarnish the purity of marriage.'"
"Ah? But why?"
"Because this would severely harm our population growth rate."
"Surely it wouldn't be that drastic..."
Joseph sighed.
"These Three Essentials are quite expensive. Most ordinary families would struggle to afford them. Even if they save up enough, it would delay marriage.
"Moreover, if couples anticipate the heavy costs their children will face when marrying in the future, they might choose to have fewer kids.
"We cannot risk falling into a population trap just to sell a few more products."
Joseph vividly remembered how Napoleon's Code Civil had halved France's birth rate due to its inheritance provisions. [Note 1]
This population decline severely weakened France's manpower advantage during the Franco-Prussian War decades later, contributing significantly to their defeat.
Population size is one of the most critical factors in a nation's competitiveness!
Bailli's expression turned strange. He thought to himself, So it's fine to harm other nations' birth rates for sales, but not France's?
Still, he flattered Joseph: "Your Highness truly spares no effort for France's future. May God bless you."
As they conversed, the carriage came to a slow stop.
Eymond opened the door, and Joseph stepped out to see a sea of lush green stretching endlessly before him—rows upon rows of neatly planted sugar beets.
Joseph silently marveled. France truly was one of the best places in the world for growing sugar beets. Though this breeding lab had been operational for barely over a month, the crops were already flourishing.
Achard and several agricultural experts from the breeding laboratory hurried over to greet the Prince.
Among the welcoming group, Joseph spotted a familiar face he hadn't seen in a while—Dr. Lamarck.
After the group exchanged bows, Joseph curiously asked Lamarck:
"What brings you here?"
Lamarck had been reporting biannually on the progress of penicillin research. Though the concentration of penicillin extracted had steadily improved, it was still far from being medically viable.
Had the stress of his work driven Lamarck to seek solace among the greenery?
Lamarck quickly explained, "Your Highness, I heard about your new theory for rapidly cultivating superior breeds, so I came to learn from Dr. Achard."
"Ah? You're interested in crop breeding?"
Lamarck's expression turned woeful. "Your Highness, the key to developing Type I antibiotics lies in cultivating high-yield bacterial strains. Breeding bacterial strains has much in common with plant breeding.
"If your genetic theory had been developed two years earlier, my progress would have been much faster."
"Type I antibiotics" was the codename for the secret penicillin project.
Joseph froze for a moment, realizing he had indeed overlooked the application of genetic theory in cultivating penicillium strains. He inwardly cursed his oversight—it had cost them precious time.
Feeling awkward, he quickly changed the subject, turning to Achard as he gestured toward the verdant fields.
"What's the progress on your end?"
"By God's grace, everything is proceeding smoothly, Your Highness," Achard replied enthusiastically. "Over the past weeks, my team and I have conducted hundreds of crossbreeding experiments. With my prior experience in Bavaria, I'm confident we'll have a higher-sugar-content variety by next summer.
"Oh, and regarding beet seeds, over ten hectares of 'high-sugar beets' have been planted. They'll mature by September, providing enough seeds for farmers willing to grow them."
The "high-sugar beets" referred to Achard's earlier variety with an 8% sugar content. Thanks to Venio's tireless promotion over the past few months, many farmers in northern and central France had expressed interest in planting them.
However, with only one small sugar refinery operational this year, most harvested beets would still be used as vegetables. By next autumn, sugar production was expected to scale up to 5,000 tons per month.
[Note 1] Napoleon's Civil Code granted equal inheritance rights to all children, including illegitimate ones. To avoid fragmenting already limited landholdings, many French families chose to have only one child.
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