I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 665 Speed ​​Race
The chimney of the world's first steam paddle steamer, the "Poloskafi", spewed out inky black smoke. Then, the ship trembled slightly. The huge wooden wheel on the side gradually accelerated its rotation, knocking in the Seine, making a rhythmic "pa pa" sound.

The ship was a departure from Joffrey's original design.

The hull lines are more reasonable to increase stability and reduce resistance. The boiler and transmission system have been greatly optimized, increasing the effective power by 20%. The internal structures such as the cargo hold and cockpit are no longer sloppy as before, and the space is used to the extreme while ensuring strength.

No matter how talented civilian designers are, they are far inferior to the design capabilities of the military-industrial system supported by the state machinery.

All the latter needs is a flash of inspiration from the former.

Once they have inspiration, they will be able to quickly produce extremely refined industrial products for you.

The "Poloskafi" circled the river, showing its elegant figure, and then docked again at the pier.

Joseph and more than a dozen of his followers boarded the ship along the gangplank. Behind him, more nobles followed him and boarded the "Poloskafi" with excitement and curiosity.

Yes, how could Joseph, who knew the importance of publicity, miss this rare opportunity of the steamship's maiden voyage?

If the wine is delicious, the whole world must know about it as soon as possible, and then people will rush to give money.

Soon, the paddle wheel of the "Poloskafi" turned again, and amid the cheers of the onlookers, it came to a very long banner in the center of the river.

There were already seventeen or eighteen ships moored here, of varying sizes, including paddle boats and pure rowing boats.

The words on the banner that was half the width of the river read: The First Seine River Freight Ship Race.

The prize money for this competition held by the Palace of Versailles was as high as 3 francs, attracting almost all ship owners in France to participate. Of course, most of the ships were eliminated in the previous qualifying rounds, and the ones who could appear here were basically well-known strong players in the shipping industry.

Hundreds of reporters from various countries came, hired a large number of carriages, gathered on the shore, and prepared to follow the whole process.

Speaking of which, ships of this era, even steamships, were not as fast as horses.

On the front deck of the "Poloskafi", Joseph raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.

The loud bang echoed on the river. All the participating boat owners were so excited that their eyes were red, and they shouted at their crews to steer the boats forward.

Each ship carried 20 tons of cargo and more than 50 passengers. The ship that first arrived at the port of Le Havre and returned to Paris would win a prize of 3 francs.

Five or six smaller galleys sped away, leaving all their opponents behind and soon disappeared.

On the "Poloskafi", Joseph looked at the various garbage floating by on both sides of the ship and resisted the urge to cover his nose. After all, there were many nobles and reporters gathered around.

Although the sanitation of the Seine River has been greatly improved after the continuous management of the "Beautiful Paris" campaign in recent years, the smell is still very irritating when you are on the water.

Well, in fact, until the 21st century, this problem has not been completely solved...

Joseph took the perfumed handkerchief from Camelia, covered his mouth and nose, and kept repeating in his heart: After this game is over, the European inland shipping market will be dominated by steam paddle steamers. And, the fine for "dumping excrement into the Seine" will be doubled!
Until it left Paris, a large number of people stood on both sides of the Seine to watch, waving and cheering.

The odds for this race were set: the Silver Eel had the highest odds of 1 to 15, while the Poroskafi had odds of 1 to 3.5, which was not low. In fact, almost no one bet on the Poroskafi to win.

Therefore, Joseph estimated that by hosting this competition, not only would he not have to invest any money, but he would also be able to make a profit of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The stench on the river surface finally faded. Joseph looked around with a telescope and found that the "Poloskafi" was basically in the middle.

I guess some reporters have already started writing news releases saying that steamboats are useless.

However, before the boats reached Vernon, a small town more than 70 kilometers from Paris, the leading boats began to slow down.

These boats were able to stay ahead only because the rowers rowed very hard. At this time, the rowers were almost exhausted.

Several larger galleys, together with the Poroskafi, surpassed them and formed the first echelon.

Another four hours passed, and the paddle steamer still maintained its speed of 4 knots without any emotion, leaving all its opponents behind.

Only three galleys, the "Treasure in the Mountain" and the "Seven Birds", managed to catch up after entering Normandy and replacing all the rowers at all costs.

Camelia dutifully ran back and forth between the deck and the captain's room, informing the Crown Prince of the latest status of the ship, and occasionally went to the second cabin to bring coffee to poor Perna and comfort her.

Well, Perna also came along, still suffering from severe seasickness. She herself didn't know, maybe she was subconsciously expecting to receive the careful care of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, just like the time she went to North Africa two years ago.

At 6 p.m., the "Polescaffi" passed Rouen and no other participating boats could be seen on the river.

Not surprisingly, in the absence of wind, steam-powered ships were virtually invincible.

Joseph, surrounded by a group of nobles, went to the restaurant on the ship to prepare for the dinner.

The maid was busy going to the kitchen to confirm the dishes. If the chef on the ship was not good enough, she would have to cook by herself - the first task given to her by Her Majesty the Queen was to take care of the Crown Prince's diet.

What she didn't know was that at this moment, in the corner of the cabin, a pair of resentful eyes were staring at her.

If Camelia saw the face under the pink wide-brimmed hat, she might remember that the person's name was Annemarie Herriot - the noble lady who had bid with her for the true love ticket at Notre Dame de Paris.

"Damn Austrian bitch!" Herriot stared at her, gritting his teeth.

She used to be extremely conceited. She was born in the Palace of Versailles, was extremely beautiful, her family was a count family that had been passed down for more than two hundred years, and her father was very rich. In the past, everyone around her would please her, praise her, and greet her with a smile.

However, that Austrian bitch humiliated her severely in Notre Dame de Paris. And that bitch was much more beautiful than her, her family was richer than hers, and she could serve the Dauphin!
That day, after returning from Notre Dame, she was overwhelmed by jealousy and resentment, and even her personality became gloomy.

But today, after using many connections and spending a huge amount of money, she finally got the opportunity to travel on the same ship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but she saw that woman again!

She felt her chest tighten.

(End of this chapter)