Standing on the military port pier, Richard tternich looked at the orderly operations of the dock workers in the distance, displaying a hint of surprise on his face.
Of course, Richard tternich was not surprised by the port workers themselves, but rather by the strict discipline among the dock workers.
The workers on the dock operated like ants following a fixed trajectory, with discipline comparable to so regular army units. He couldn’t quite understand what force perfectly restrained them in place.
Even the dockworkers in London and at the Seine River don’t operate like this, and their Viennese counterparts are even worse than the previous two.
Richard tternich couldn’t help suspecting that the dockworkers before him were a formal military unit.
At that mont, the voice of Jero Bonaparte reached Richard tternich’s ears: "Your managent of the military port is quite good!"
"It’s all thanks to you!" Minister Deco said to Jero Bonaparte, "If it weren’t for the managent thods you designed, Toulon Military Port wouldn’t be what it is today!"
Managent thods?
Richard tternich subconsciously glanced at Jero Bonaparte. From what Minister Deco just said, it seed that the current state of Toulon Port was related to Jero Bonaparte.
For the first ti, Richard tternich felt that there might really be an "omnipotent" monarch in this world; Jero Bonaparte seed to have delved into every aspect.
Compared to Jero Bonaparte, the monarch he served was far inferior!
At this mont, he suddenly wanted to ask Jero Bonaparte how much knowledge he had in his mind.
However, Richard tternich refrained from asking Jero Bonaparte rashly.
After all, Jero Bonaparte was still a monarch, and Richard tternich’s question would indeed be sowhat presumptuous.
As Richard tternich pondered, he suddenly felt a hand resting on his shoulder.
He imdiately ca to his senses and looked towards the owner of the hand.
Sure enough, it was Jero Bonaparte.
"Mr. Richard, what do you think?" Jero Bonaparte proudly asked Richard tternich, patting him on the shoulder.
"Your Majesty, I think Minister Deco manages the military port very well! Although there are many workers in the port, each one works in an orderly manner," Richard tternich complinted Jero Bonaparte.
Then, changing the topic, he bravely inquired of Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, what exactly is the managent thod that Minister Deco ntioned just now?"
"Oh, that!" Jero Bonaparte pondered for a mont before telling Richard tternich, "It’s actually no secret; it just takes enough money and strict discipline!
The wages of workers at such ports aren’t given based on monthly salaries but are instead based on the unit price of each item. The price for transporting different things onto the ship varies, and each transport step is linked with the next. Any delay in one step ans that all workers in that section suffer losses.
Therefore, if they want to earn their wages, they must strictly discipline themselves while also supervising the workers of the previous transport step.
If any step of the transport process has an error, that person will suffer exclusion from the entire group of workers and will then be forced to leave!"
The managent thod described by Jero Bonaparte is essentially about using "diligent" workers to govern "lazy" workers. When all the lazy ones are squeezed out, diligent workers naturally beco the majority.
"Is that all it takes?" Richard tternich showed so doubt on his face, not quite believing Jero Bonaparte’s words.
"That’s all it takes!" Jero Bonaparte replied to Richard tternich with certainty; he didn’t want to reveal the existence of the Yellow Union he set up at the Toulon Military Port to Richard tternich.
Indeed, the reality was just as Richard tternich imagined.
Thinking that simple supervision alone could control the workers is indeed wishful thinking, and thus, Jero Bonaparte also established a Yellow Union. Ostensibly, this Yellow Union was set up to seek benefits for the workers. However, in reality, it was sothing Jero Bonaparte put in place to prevent the formation of real union organizations, with the aim of weakening the will of those who wished to resist among the workers.
It only took the "workers" (strikebreakers) within the union to spread rumors, for example, that Italians might co to seize their jobs, creating an employnt crisis feeling among the port workers, prompting them to obey obediently.
After all, each year a large number of Italians enter France through Savoy and Nice to work. Their wages are lower than those of French mainland workers, so many businessn prefer to hire those lovely and industrious Italians.
Of course, they could unite with the Italians to protest, but at that ti, the workers were not so conscious.
However, even if they were willing to unite, Jero Bonaparte would order soone to disrupt it.
In an era of rising nationalism in the 19th century, calling for a grand unification of the proletariat was practically impossible.
The reason Jero Bonaparte did not want to tell Richard tternich about the Yellow Union was to prevent the Austrian Empire from accelerating too quickly.
Using the Yellow Union in conjunction with nationalism is optimal; for the Austrian Empire, nationalism would only lead to a dead end.
Seeing Richard tternich still in doubt, Jero Bonaparte decisively ended the topic and then ordered Minister Dico to take them to the location of the new warship.
Under the guidance of Minister Dico, Jero Bonaparte and Richard tternich walked to the end of the pier and arrived at the location where the French battleships were docked.
Richard tternich’s expression changed from calm to astonishnt as he was greeted by an entire row of battleships, standing like giants on the sea, creating a trendous impact on him.
In front of these giant warships, anyone would feel how insignificant they are!
At this mont, Richard tternich couldn’t help but think of the Austrian Empire’s warships at the Venice Port. Compared to the warships before him, the Venice Port’s warships seed like child’s play.
These warships were only a part of France’s fleet in the Toulon Military Port, with another part currently in the Black Sea Region.
If these two parts were combined, they should be able to rival Britain’s fleet in the diterranean, Richard tternich thought to himself.
As Richard tternich’s gaze swept over the battleships in the military port, his eyes rested on the battleship in the middle.
This battleship was very different from the others; the others were made with wooden hulls, while this battleship had a hull made of iron and oak mixed together, with a layer of steel plating on the outside (a 12.7mm armored deck, which, from a modern perspective, didn’t provide much protection against artillery, but at least pointed the way for future ironclad warships).
This thod of building warships with iron completely overturned Richard tternich’s "common sense," making him doubt whether these warships could be used in real combat.
"Your Majesty, we used an iron hull as per your instructions, and plated it with an armored deck to increase the entire ship’s defense capabilities.
However, due to the iron hull, to lighten its weight, we reduced six of the 164mm cannons based on our experience with the previous warship (the Napoleon was equipped with 36 164mm cannons)," Minister Dico explained to Jero Bonaparte fluently. "This ship is 83.26 ters long, with a width of 16.7 ters, a displacent of 6326 tons, and its draught and speed are 9.7 ters and 12.5 knots respectively..."
After Minister Dico provided all the fleet data to Jero Bonaparte, Jero Bonaparte compared it with the previous "Napoleon" as a reference.
In terms of ship length (Napoleon had a length of 17 ters), displacent (5529 tons), and speed (11.75 knots), this fleet far surpassed the Napoleon.
It could be said to be the first real ironclad warship, although the Napoleon could also be considered an ironclad warship.
After all, with the Napoleon as a pioneer, this new warship could be successfully born.
"You have done excellently!" Jero Bonaparte nodded his head, then asked Minister Dico if they had nad this warship.
"Your Majesty, if you don’t mind, we would like to na it after you!" Minister Dico responded to Jero Bonaparte.
"My na? That would not be appropriate!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head.
"Then you can na it!" Minister Dico handed the naming rights of the warship to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte took a careful look at the warship in front of him, then glanced at Richard tternich and said, "Mr. Richard, what do you think I should na it?"
"Your Majesty, that depends on you!" Richard tternich replied imdiately, also curious about what na Jero Bonaparte would choose for the ship.
After pacing back and forth a few tis, Jero Bonaparte looked again at the battleship before him: "Since this battleship was reviewed by Richard tternich and together, let’s call it Friendship. I hope the friendship between the French Empire and the Austrian Empire will be as indestructible as this warship. What do you say, Mr. Richard?"
"Your Majesty, that na is more than suitable!"
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