The Fox of France

Carnot, upon hearing the proposal, neither opposed nor immediately endorsed it. He understood that the military was the cornerstone of the Bonaparte family; they were unlikely to deceive the army. However, precisely because the military was their bedrock, Joseph and his kin would certainly not compromise the soldiers' treatment. Thus, reducing military expenses would likely impact either equipment or training.

After pondering, Carnot spoke, "I don't have many objections, but two points to consider."

He paused briefly, then continued, "Firstly, when you sell weapons abroad, Joseph, you must... hmm, are you implying that most of the weapons you sell to foreigners are substandard?"

"How would they know?" Joseph replied. "Otherwise, they won't sell."

"What if they realize they have more than us or if they perceive their weapons to be on par? Would they consider taking risks? Are the weapons you sell better than what they already possess? Could they falsely believe they've significantly enhanced their capabilities?" Carnot inquired.

"That's possible," Joseph nodded.

"So, we must make them aware that the weapons they buy from us are inferior. Compared to ours, their weapons are like monkeys compared to humans," Carnot explained.

"That might affect our revenue," Joseph argued.

"No, Joseph," Carnot countered, "they already recognize the vast disparity between their past and current capabilities. We just need to emphasize the gap between them and us. If they don't buy our substandard weapons, not only can't they match us, but they also can't match their neighbors. The more they realize they're not our match, the more they'll feel the necessity to purchase our weapons, even the substandard ones."

"Darn, isn't this akin to paying protection money?" Joseph nearly slapped himself for needing a local to remind him of this tactic so widely played in the future. It was utterly embarrassing!

In the future, when speaking of substandard weapons, people often thought of a certain nation, but another superpower, Lighthouse Nation, also excelled in this. For instance, when selling tanks, they'd remove critical depleted uranium armor and replace it with outdated composite armor. (Due to investing in depleted uranium armor tech, they neglected advancements in composite armor.)

Arms trade always involved expert procurement. Did the countries purchasing Lighthouse tanks not realize what they were getting after removing the depleted uranium armor? Yet, Lighthouse's substandard versions sold well. Why?

Firstly, while Lighthouse's substandard versions couldn't match their originals, they were still superior to what other countries produced, or those countries couldn't produce them at all. Secondly, buying Lighthouse's substandard weapons was akin to paying them protection money. Apart from Lighthouse, no one else could easily intimidate those buyers. Hence, the actual quality of the weapons didn't always correlate with their marketability.

However, to achieve this effect, it would be best to have France confront an opponent they could easily defeat, much like Lighthouse once did. But presently, in continental Europe, there seemed to be no immediate candidate for such a scenario. Austria was no longer a hostile nation, and there was no benefit in attacking them. Russia was an option, but the distance posed an issue. Moreover, Russia wasn't the type to forget after being beaten, unlike the aforementioned.

Given the absence of a direct target, they could follow Great Mao's strategy: stage a "Western-81 Military Exercise" to intimidate others.

Of course, replicating the scale of Mao's "Western-81" exercise, involving ten army groups, over three hundred thousand troops, thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, and numerous aircraft, was inconceivable for Joseph's or even France's lifetime.

Furthermore, organizing such an exercise aimed at saving money and selling weapons would be excessively costly.

However, there was one aspect of "Western-81" worth emulating—inviting the hypothetical enemies to witness the exercise and scare them. Joseph believed France could invite those still harboring illusions, allowing them to witness a "high-tech war" and effectively advertise French weaponry.

"Joseph, you've got that gleam in your eyes again. Have you thought of something?" Carnot, having worked alongside Joseph for years, knew him well enough. Just by observing his expression, he could tell Joseph had struck upon an idea.

"Shouldn't we organize a joint military exercise and invite our 'friends' from other countries to witness?" Joseph suggested.

"Are you saying we should flaunt our capabilities to our 'friends' during this exercise?" Carnot caught onto the enthusiasm. "Alright, let's discuss. Firstly, what abilities do we need to showcase?"

"Rapid mobility, especially with heavy firepower units, artillery's swift mobility; immense and swift firepower, like rear-mounted cannons and shrapnel shells; formidable breaching capabilities under cover of firepower, advancing trenches and using grenade tubes and trench guns..." Joseph listed off.

"You missed one thing that we can certainly exhibit to others," Carnot interjected.

"What?" Joseph asked.

"The navy!" Carnot exclaimed. "What truly stimulates and compels others to swiftly buy weapons is the navy. Let the 'Free Trade' demonstrate in the naval exercise how to disrupt free trade. And I'm aware you've been working on those updated models..."

"I promised Napoleon not to sell rear-mounted cannons until the next generation appears," Joseph stated. "But the substandard 'Free Trade' can be easily sold. Let's have it demonstrate during the exercise, then sell it off to the Ottomans or even the British..."

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