I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 690 - 691: The Crown Prince Stands on the Shoulders of Giants

"Mr. Chappe?"

Joseph felt the name sounded familiar. He looked at the young man, who seemed visibly nervous.

"You've already developed a working device? That's excellent news."

Chappe quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Indeed, I've designed a communication device."

Joseph nodded with a smile. "Can you demonstrate it to me?"

"Of course, Your Highness, I'd be delighted."

Chappe, both eager and anxious, unrolled a large blueprint across the desk.

"Your Highness, here it is. I call it the 'long-distance writing system.'"

He pointed to a structure on the blueprint resembling a water tower.

"The main structure is built atop a tall tower. It might look like a giant clothes rack, but it's actually a rotating beam with an arm on each side."

Joseph noticed the "antenna-like" T-shaped device atop the "water tower."

Chappe grew more animated as he explained:

"These two arms can rotate into different angles, and by combining them, they can create over 90 distinct positions.

"Each position corresponds to a letter. By stringing them together, we can form complete messages.

"A few kilometers away, there's another signal tower where operators use telescopes to observe the arm positions of the previous tower, record them, and decode the message.

"This second tower can then relay the message further.

"If we build one signal tower every 10 kilometers—I've conducted extensive tests, and this distance is sufficient to clearly see the arm movements—we could rapidly transmit messages over great distances."

Chappe looked at the Crown Prince with hopeful eyes.

"Your Highness, I believe this would be tens of times faster than delivering letters by horse!"

Joseph's ears perked up at the phrase "tens of times faster than horses."

He recalled reading about an optical communication system established under Napoleon. After his defeat at Waterloo, news had reached Paris in under two days, triggering chaos and eliminating any chance of stabilizing the government.

It must have been this invention by Chappe.

Joseph asked, "Have you built a functional signal tower? I'd like to see it in action."

Berthier stepped forward, slightly embarrassed.

"Your Highness, constructing a signal tower is quite costly. The General Staff is still evaluating its feasibility..."

Joseph sighed inwardly. He couldn't fault the General Staff—adopting new technologies was always a challenge. After all, most experimental projects end up wasting money.

But Joseph was confident in Chappe's design.

This was essentially an 18th-century telegraph system. For warfare, where information could be more critical than artillery, having a long-distance communication system before a war with Britain could offer France an immense advantage.

Joseph turned to Chappe. "How long would it take to build a signal tower?"

Chappe hesitated before replying, "If funding is sufficient, about 20 days."

"Twenty days?" Joseph frowned.

To him, it seemed like a two- or three-story water tower with a wooden framework on top—surely it could be completed in a week.

Chappe explained apologetically, pointing to the diagram.

"Your Highness, the signal rig requires precise pulley systems and bearings, which take time to manufacture.

"Of course, once mass production begins, construction will speed up significantly."

Joseph examined the blueprint again and asked, "How much does one signal tower cost?"

"About 2,000 francs, Your Highness."

Joseph's jaw dropped. 2,000 francs? That was almost enough to buy a house in the suburbs of Paris.

Looking closer at the intricate pulleys and levers in the diagram, he estimated that at least half the cost came from these components.

"Wait," Joseph said, puzzled. "Why does it need to be this complicated?"

Chappe patiently explained:

"Your Highness, we need to transmit 26 letters and 10 numbers. Each arm must rotate at least 45 degrees to be easily visible at a distance.

"That's why we require a rotating beam and two adjustable arms to generate the 40-plus positions needed. For example, this arm angled upward and the other to the left forms an 'A.' When the beam tilts 45 degrees, it forms a 'C.'"

Joseph stared at the gears and levers on the diagram, then asked, "How long does it take to display one letter?"

"With practice, about 5 to 8 seconds, Your Highness."

Each arm was over 3 meters long, requiring multiple rotations of the winch to adjust. Moving both arms and the beam together was undoubtedly time-consuming.

Joseph frowned. "You could simplify this to three vertical poles with extendable tops, using Morse code to transmit signals."

"Fixed vertical poles?" Chappe shook his head. "That would require 15 poles, each representing different letters in its extended or retracted state.

"Wait, what is Morse code?"

Joseph realized Morse code wouldn't be invented for another 40 years.

He picked up a pen and sketched a "- - -" on a sheet of paper.

"The extended top represents a 'dash,' and the retracted position represents a 'dot.' Using combinations of dots and dashes, you can represent letters. For example, this pattern represents the letter 'A.'"

Chappe's eyes widened.

A quick thinker, he immediately grasped the simplicity of the Crown Prince's idea.

Three poles could display up to 6 signals (dots or dashes) with just two extensions each. For operators, the task was as simple as pushing or pulling a handle six times—far quicker than cranking winches.

Moreover, this approach eliminated the need for pulleys and bearings, slashing construction costs to under 50 francs.

Chappe was ecstatic, nodding repeatedly.

"Your Highness, this is incredible! Such an elegant solution to a complex problem…

"Why didn't I think of it before?

"You're the most brilliant inventor I've ever met!"

Joseph chuckled awkwardly. "This credit belongs to Mr. Morse; I just borrowed his idea."

Chappe quickly rolled up his original blueprint.

"Your Highness, using this 'Morse code' system—am I pronouncing that right?—I estimate we could build a signal tower within a week."

"Excellent!" Joseph exclaimed. He turned to Berthier.

"Provide Mr. Chappe with all the resources he needs. Let's complete the test as soon as possible."

"Understood, Your Highness."

Joseph didn't know that, historically, Chappe had waited three years after submitting his proposal before receiving 6,000 francs for testing. Another year passed before construction began.

This time, Joseph shortened the process to an afternoon.

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