I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1139 School
Yes, this dye is one that Joseph saw in a documentary about Egypt. The Egyptians mastered this extraction technique thousands of years ago and have been using it ever since.

Later, Napoleon brought "Egyptian blue" back to Europe. Its elegant color quickly gained popularity among the nobility, resulting in a more than 30% increase in the shipment of blue textiles in France that year.

In fact, what Joseph didn't tell Leroy was that "Egyptian cultural consumption" was the real money-maker.

Currently, this mysterious ancient country in the eastern Mediterranean is almost a myth to Europeans.

Historically, the exploration of Egyptian civilization by archaeologists brought by Napoleon sparked an Egypt craze in Europe that lasted for decades.

Various Egyptian-style lion paw chairs, papyrus-inlaid furniture, and Cleopatra-style headdresses instantly became fashionable in Europe, driving massive consumption.

When Napoleon returned to France, Egyptian-style sheer tulle skirts accounted for 40% of the total women's clothing produced in Lyon!

The play "Cleopatra" was performed more than 200 times in Paris in one year, and all of them were sold out.

Even sphinx-shaped statues are selling like hotcakes.

As for other archaeological works, newly discovered species specimens, Egyptian herbs, and even mummy powder, they can only be considered as extras.

Joseph roughly estimates that Egyptian culture could increase France's annual revenue by more than 5 million!
Of course, the most important thing is always the Suez Canal.

He only vaguely remembered that a natural lake called "Bitter Lake" was used in the middle of the canal; the rest had to be determined by on-site surveys conducted by French geologists.

However, he can at least help geologists avoid two detours—

First, the ancient canal routes from the Pharaonic era can be trusted. Second, the Red Sea is not 10 meters higher than the Mediterranean Sea.

Yes, these two mistakes in history slowed down the canal planning process by many times, and it wasn't until the mid-19th century that the feasibility study was finally completed.

Currently, Massena's troops are gathering in Toulon and will travel by ship to Egypt in about two weeks.

Selim III had prepared an army of nearly 7 men, ready to launch an attack from the Sinai Peninsula immediately after the French landed on the western side of Egypt, thus forming a pincer movement against the Mamluks.

At the same time, the Franco-Spanish allied forces will launch a fierce attack on Gibraltar to divert the British attention and also to block any British fleet that might be sent toward Egypt.

After that, once Muhammad Ali had developed his power, France could use some "diplomatic means" to gain control of the Suez region without offending the Ottomans.

During this process, French geological experts should have largely completed the planning, and then they can begin excavating this canal, which can be called the "carriageway of Europe".

Yes, the cooperation of the Ottomans and Egypt was necessary to build the Suez Canal.

Otherwise, even if they don't send troops to attack the construction teams, simply refusing to provide labor will prevent them from digging a single cubic meter of soil for the canal.

"Your Highness."

Emmanu's soft reminder interrupted Joseph's reverie.

When Joseph looked up, he saw a middle-aged nobleman standing with more than 20 people bowing in front of the courtyard gate, clearly to welcome him.

Leroy, who was standing nearby, quickly introduced, "Your Highness, this is Viscount Dubison."

Joseph smiled and stepped forward, saying to the middle-aged man, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Debisson."

“Your generosity has brought knowledge and reason to Paris. I believe that countless Parisian children will remember your name forever.” The latter, flattered, bowed again: “I have only done something insignificant, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“You are such a humble gentleman,” Joseph said. “Those are four schools, and I heard you spent over twenty thousand francs?”

“Ah, yes, Your Highness, 23,000 francs,” Viscount Dubison hurriedly replied.

He paused, then gestured to the young girl behind him: "Actually, most of the money came from Miss Clary. I was only in charge of the construction of the school building and the recruitment of teachers and such."

“Miss Clary?” Joseph felt like he’d heard the name somewhere before, but couldn’t quite place it. He guessed she might be a noblewoman from Versailles. “You are a remarkable lady. How did you come up with the idea of ​​building a school?”

"It's...because..."

Clary seemed very nervous and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Seeing her troubled expression, Joseph tried to make conversation, saying, "Then let's take a look around the new school first."

Viscount Debisson hurriedly replied, "Oh, okay, this way please."

Once inside the courtyard, Joseph noticed the sign that read "New Primary School" hanging on the simple little building in the center of the yard.

Yes, this is a primary school, a new type of school unlike anything seen in this era.

However, the name was indeed a bit too straightforward. Joseph pondered for a while, but as someone who had difficulty coming up with names, he really couldn't think of a suitable one.

Once inside the school building, Viscount Debisson eagerly introduced the facilities: "Your Highness, there are 11 classrooms here, which can accommodate 260 students."

"That's the teachers' lounge. There are six teachers at this school. That's the bakery over there..."

Joseph asked in confusion, "Only 6 teachers for 11 classrooms?"

“You know, not many people want to work here. So I plan to have the older kids teach the younger ones.”

Joseph nodded: "I will help you find enough people. For example, grant the teachers government employee status."

This is his entry point to break the church's monopoly on the French education system, so it has to be done properly. If necessary, he can even have students from the University of Paris "intern" here for a few months.

Yes, just as Joseph was pondering how to wrest control of education back from the church, the Viscount Dubison and Mademoiselle Clary raised funds on their own to build four "non-profit schools" in Paris, specifically for children who could not afford private preparatory schools, to provide them with educational opportunities.

When the Dean of the Academy of Sciences, Leroy, mentioned to Joseph the Viscount Dubison's school, saying that it only charged 7 sous per month in tuition and provided half a pound of bread per day, Joseph's eyes lit up.

This is simply the best weapon against church schools!

Moreover, this is a privately built school, unrelated to the French government or the royal family, so there's absolutely no need to worry about the church causing dissatisfaction.

There are still private schools now, but they cater to the elite and capitalists, and the fees are extremely high.

Viscount Dubison's school was only cheaper; the church had virtually no influence there.

Joseph immediately sent people to contact Viscount Dubison to provide guidance on the school's construction and teaching methods.

(End of this chapter)