I Reincarnated as Louis XVI to Stop the Revolution and Be Happy with Antoinette

Locomotive

Due to the cooling caused by the eruptions of Mount Laki and Mount Asama, crops were already in a bad state. To make matters worse, heavy taxes were imposed, and pressure was applied to the privileged class for taxing policies to protect the nobility and clergy. This economic deterioration accumulated, and the frustration found an outlet through the means of revolution... Well, when you can't afford to eat wheat bread anymore, and the nobility and clergy enjoy food privileges due to their massive food stockpiles, it's not surprising that people get angry. If I were a commoner, I'd be determined to revolt against the privileged class.

It's said that the attack on the Bastille prison, often discussed in the context of the French Revolution, was a signal of the Revolution... This is something I'm determined to prevent. In fact, if a revolution occurs, I'll lose my authority as a king, and both my wife and I will face execution, courtesy of the nightmare of the Reign of Terror led by Robespierre. So, it's crucial to prevent it at all costs.

Why do they always seem to want to purge the competent men within the same organization? I used to wonder in history games, but then I realized that if they were more capable than me, they might try to take the top position from me. As a result, Napoleon staged a coup, and there was a lot of internal chaos until he established the empire... revolutions are a bitch!

As for taxing the privileged class, we're already working on that, so we should be fine in that regard. The problem is how long this cooling caused by the eruptions of Mount Laki and Mount Asama will last...

"Will it last for about five years...? If so, even if we switch to mostly domestic crops, we'll still need to switch to barley and rye because wheat won't grow... Maybe we should harvest hardy vegetables by spring and preserve them by drying and canning? It might work for that year, but I'd have to figure out what to do the next year..."

We don't know how long the effects of the eruptions lasted from 1783 onwards. In the game, the effects usually last for about 5 years, but in France, there were years of unstable climate even after that, with consecutive years of poor harvests. People faced food shortages, money problems, and a situation where they couldn't even afford bread. It's no wonder they got angry.

Among crops, I'm considering growing hardy vegetables and producing a large quantity of canned jams and preserved foods that can be stored for a long time. In regions near the equator like Taiwan or Saint-Domingue, food production might still be possible, so I'm thinking of allowing them to cultivate fields there. Hmm, but what did various countries do when Mount Laki erupted? Germany—the Kingdom of Prussia seemed to be growing potatoes, and different European regions were surviving on edible plants and whatever they could find. Even though they're still promoting the cultivation of potatoes today, it's a bit worrisome. It might be quicker to search for foods that are less affected by the climate and can be grown on slightly less fertile land.

"Hmm, were there crops that meet these conditions? Emergency food for famine... if we're considering non-perishable food, we could go with wild plants... but if we want to cultivate it as a food source, sweet potatoes or similar tubers, like that, might be a good choice. Ah, sweet potatoes, a staple from Japan, a food that becomes a must from autumn to winter!"

...Indeed, they are somewhat resistant to cold, have a substantial volume, and among the options, I can think of sweet potatoes. They come in good quantities, and most importantly, they have a natural sweetness, so they taste delicious without needing added sugar. They go well in miso soup, and they're quite tasty in stews. They probably work in Western dishes too, so this might be a good choice.

"I remember that in Japan, sweet potatoes were cultivated around Kagoshima during the Edo period as a famine relief measure... and they were introduced from Tanegashima, so they were called Satsuma potatoes (satsumaimo) in reference to the Satsuma Domain, right? In Europe, are they called sweet potatoes...? They have sweetness, and their nutritional value is decent, so they seem like a good choice!"