July 10th, 1803.
Twenty days have passed since Lucien informed Napoleon about the pope accepting his invitation to Paris.
His acceptance of his invitation meant one thing for Napoleon, and that is the Pope had accepted to bless his crowning ceremony in January. He couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of actually becoming an Emperor.
He had been keeping it to himself, waiting and waiting for the right moment. And that moment came when the plebiscite was decided. With the trust of the people placed upon him, he will make sure that it will be a long-lasting empire, one that will last for centuries.
Their carriage carrying him was driving down the streets of Lyon. Just like Paris, Lyon is undergoing beautification and modernization by demolishing old buildings to make way for new parks and boulevards, widening the streets, and excavating roads for sewage, drainage, and water pipelines.
"It felt like I have never left Paris," Lucien commented as he was looking out of the window. "Just how much has changed since the revolution broke out. The old France is unrecognizable anymore, I don't mean it in a bad way."
"I always get that comment," Napoleon said. "How far are we from the rendezvous point?"
"Thirty minutes, brother," Lucien answered. "Oh, brother, I heard that a civil war broke out in the Helvetic Republic a month ago. Is it resolved yet?"
Napoleon glanced at Lucien as the question brought back memories. A month ago, two weeks prior to his visit to Milan, he received news from the Helvetic Republic that a civil war broke out.
The Helvetic Republic was established as a satellite state under French influence in 1798. It was meant to replace the old Swiss Confederation and bring about a more centralized government. However, the imposition of French laws, conscription, and taxation created tension among the Swiss cantons.
The Helvetic Republic was a patchwork of regions with different languages, cultures, and traditions. The centralizing reforms imposed by the French administration clashed with the desire for local autonomy in some cantons. This tension eventually escalated into armed conflict.
But what was the specific trigger for the civil war?The final straw was the enforcement of mandatory military service by the Helvetic Republic's central government. Many Swiss resented being forced to serve in foreign wars under the French flag. They saw it as a violation of their sovereignty and a betrayal of their neutrality.
Discontent led to protests, uprisings, and clashes between pro-French and anti-French factions within the republic. The situation escalated quickly, and before long, a full-blown civil war erupted.
At that point, Napoleon had to put his foot down and started making decisive actions to put a stop to it.
"I sent General Ney with an instruction to resolve the issue quickly," Napoleon began. "According to his last letter, The representatives of the Helvetic Republic agreed with the terms to re-establish the Swiss confederation, acknowledging the traditional autonomy of individual cantons and recognizing their sovereignty, and reduced the number of cantons from 19 to 13. A Diet was established where each canton had representation. The Diet would have limited powers, primarily related to foreign affairs and defense. Lastly, the Helvetic Republic would be renamed into the Swiss Confederation. It's a good experiment."
"Experiment?" Lucien tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean brother?"
"Well, in the future, I plan on centralizing the government of our puppet states, particularly Italy. We might encounter the same problem we faced in Switzerland. I can use the same mediation we employed in Switzerland to resolve the issues," he explained, sighing.
In this world, the people were really averse to the idea of centralized government as they would rather be loyal to the states and regions they had known for generations. There was no sense of nationalism or unity like he had been able to foster in France.
But it doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing, because it would be easy to conquer states that are deeply divided and lack a sense of national identity. If there was a perfect time for territorial expansion, it was in this era. It was evident in Italy where the northern region of Italy submitted to his rule.
"Brother, I have something to ask you, is it okay?" Lucien asked in a serious tone.
"What is it?"
"Brother, you will become an Emperor in the first month of 1804. When you achieve that, what's your plan? Are you going to conquer the whole world?"
"That is really a serious question," Napoleon remarked, chuckling softly.
"I need to know, brother," Lucien replied with a hint of urgency in his voice. "Your ambitions have always been grand, and I know you have plans beyond France. I want to understand."
Napoleon leaned back in the carriage, contemplating Lucien's question. It was true; his ambitions extended far beyond the borders of France. He had always envisioned a grand empire, one that would reshape the world order and bring lasting change.
"Conquering the world isn't feasible, Lucien," Napoleon said. "Such ambitions are beyond the grasp of any one nation, no matter how powerful. However, I do intend to leave a lasting mark on the world. How will I do that? You'll see."
Lucien was slightly disappointed when Napoleon left him hanging. "Okay, another question brother. This won't be about your ambitions but your solution to the problem."
"Okay, I'm listening," Napoleon lent an ear.
"Brother, a lot of Frenchmen have migrated to Paris for opportunities, and this led to a huge influx of people living in the city. In the case of transportation, horse-drawn carriage is the preferred mode of transportation. However, critics are already saying that in the next twenty years, the city of Paris will be buried under nine feet of manure. Some Parisians are already complaining about the smell of horses."
"Oh about that huh? Well, I have already heard about it," Napoleon said.
"So what solutions do you propose?" Lucien asked.
"There are already alternative transportations. The steam locomotives and the electric trams."
"But they are not enough, brother and you know it," Lucien said. "Constructing a railway line is expensive and there's no way we will fill every street with sleeper rails and overhead wires for trams—"
"Oh, there is another one," Napoleon interrupted. "One that wouldn't need horses, overhead wires, and steam."
"What is it?" Lucien looked at Napoleon expectantly.
"It's not yet developed, but it's going to hit the roads soon," Napoleon revealed.
Napoleon was acutely aware of the challenges posed by horse-drawn carriages in the rapidly evolving modern world. The statistics were staggering—each average horse contributed 22 pounds of dung and discharged five gallons of urine daily. Considering the staggering number of horse-drawn trips in Paris alone, approximately 40,000 a day, and accounting for the fact that some carriages required multiple horses, the arithmetic painted a grim picture: a daily deluge of 1,100,000 pounds of horse dung and 250,000 gallons of urine.
Such a scenario was almost inconceivable. 19th-century cities found themselves inundated by tons of semi-solid, adhesive horse waste, all of which had to be laboriously transported out of the city every day. The consequences were dire—a breeding ground for bacteria and swarms of flies that propagated diseases, turning city life into a perilous endeavor. And when the rain came down upon these mounds of refuse, there was the ever-present threat of it seeping back into the heart of the city, compounding the health hazards and further compromising the quality of life for its inhabitants. Horses aren't a sustainable source of transportation in the coming decades.
What is the solution? Automobiles! Automobiles saved the modern city from the smells and diseases. Unlike horses, automobiles don't urinate and defecate in the streets. What's more, it doesn't get tiring. It's the reason why Napoleon is widening the roads in the first place, to give way to the advent of automobiles.
He is not introducing technology one after another just because he wants it but needs it. And it would be a shame if the capital city of a superpower is filled with horse waste in the years to come.
"You'll see my solution, Lucien, in about five years or so."