I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 196 Fouche’s strategy

The intelligence team of the Police Intelligence Department is responsible for collecting and processing intelligence, and formulating action plans based on it, which are then handed over to the action team for execution.

This very professional and detailed division of labor model had never appeared in the intelligence agencies of various countries in the 18th century.

Three hours later, the intelligence team came up with two plans. After listening to their stories, Fouche quickly selected the second plan and ordered it to be implemented immediately.

The members of the Police Intelligence Operations Team immediately took action.

Several people rushed to Paris to make preparations. Thanks to the fast rail transportation, they returned to Versailles before dark.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, three members of the action team dressed as musicians took several "tools" from their hands and went directly to Mrs. Garland's concert hall on the second floor of the West Hall. They all had really authentic documents, so there were no obstacles along the way.

In the marble courtyard, brilliant fireworks soared into the sky and music sounded.

In the crowd, Mrs. Garland, whose face was full of pride, bowed slightly. Queen Mary smiled and put the feathered headdress symbolizing the championship on Mrs. Garland's bun.

Just half an hour ago, she unsurprisingly won the singing and dancing competition with an excerpt from "The Magic Flute" newly composed by her junior brother Mozart.

The surrounding nobles and commoners suddenly cheered like a mountain and a tsunami, and kept shouting her name. More than half of them bought Mrs. Garland to win the championship. They were making a lot of money at this time, how could they not be happy?

At the same time, three "musicians" pried open the door of Mrs. Garland's concert hall, ducked into the house, closed the door, and hurried to the spacious balcony.

They first carefully observed the situation downstairs. It was already dark at this time, and most people gathered in the marble courtyard. No one paid attention here at all. The three of them immediately worked together to remove three of the thick wooden fences on the balcony, and then took out wooden fences with the same appearance from the instrument bag they carried and replaced them...

Tonight, as Mrs. Garland's singing and dancing champion, she will sing at the King's birthday ball, so her musical salon is suspended for the day.

The spacious and luxurious Hall of Mirrors was brightly lit, and Louis XVI's birthday party officially began!

Royal families and dignitaries from various countries gathered together, looking respectfully at the French king and his wife who were performing the opening dance in the center of the hall.

After the song ended, Louis XVI nodded to the guests with a red face, and then quickly fled back to the platform on the second floor of the hall, looking exhausted.

The chamberlain gave another lengthy birthday message. Next, Mrs. Garland sang a classical song "King Louis" dedicated to Louis XVI:

"King Louis, please recruit some generals.

"The knights of the princes are all here.

"King Louis, your command is loud and clear.

"Who will follow me to conquer distant lands?

"Pious people, take responsibility..."

In the audience, Joseph silently glanced at the financial bill that Eman had just received from the inner court.

Sure enough, as he expected, due to Mrs. Garland's "bug" in the singing and dancing competition, the betting set lost thousands of livres. Fortunately, there was an upset in the swordsmanship competition. The second captain of the King's Guard, Baron Vermorel, defeated the two favorites in a row and won the championship, earning more than 100,000 in betting money.

In addition to the income of more than 100,000 yuan from the "welfare lottery", the cost of this birthday celebration of 260,000 livres was finally covered.

As the dance progressed, people continued to perform music and dance, and even Godoy played a song with several palace musicians.

Fortunately, the people in the Palace of Versailles have gradually come to know that the Crown Prince does not like dancing, and it is rumored that the "Crown Princess" appointed by the Queen fiercely protects Joseph, so no one bothers him. .

Joseph found tonight's diplomatic target among the crowd. He was a man in his forties who looked quite smart and capable - the Speaker of the Dutch Provincial Federation and the core leader of the Patriot Party, Joan De Lake van der Campelen.

Of course, he still has another identity today, that is, he is the special envoy of Dutch Consul William V. This was not appointed by William V, but because the Provincial Council was worried that the consul would compromise with the French, it appointed him as a special envoy to celebrate the French King's birthday.

The Dutch speaker was very polite to the French Crown Prince. After all, France has always been the financial backer behind the Dutch Patriot Party, and without the help of the "French Volunteers" at the end of last year, the Prussian army might have invaded Rotterdam.

However, due to the disastrous defeat of the Netherlands in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War five years ago, they had no choice but to sign an alliance treaty with Britain. Although the Patriot Party is relatively repulsive to Britain, it does not dare to disobey Britain and get too close to France.

"Ah! You are so graceful and radiant today, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Cambellon saluted respectfully and sent a rainbow fart at the same time.

Joseph picked up two glasses of wine from the valet's tray, handed one of them to him, smiled and gestured towards the unoccupied corner:

"I have always wanted to meet you, distinguished Speaker. Do you mind chatting with me for a few words?"

"Of course, Your Highness, it is an honor."

Arriving at a more secluded place, Joseph first raised his glass and said:

“Your Excellency, Speaker, first of all I would like to congratulate our two countries on the results achieved in the fight against Barbary pirates.”

Campelon nodded in agreement:

“I wish the Mediterranean waterways will become smoother.”

In fact, the Netherlands was just forced by France to put together a small frigate and provided some funds.

After a few more pleasantries, Joseph asked:

"The two most important companies in your country, namely the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company, do not seem to be optimistic about their current operating conditions, right?"

Campelon frowned and could only nod:

"Your Highness, this is indeed the case. There have been frequent wars in these years. The financial resources of the Dutch provinces have been greatly reduced, and the demand for overseas goods has also been reduced. As a result, the two trading companies have often suffered losses."

"Then may I ask, does your council have any plans to improve the company's situation?"

Cambellon said with a grimace:

"Your Highness, I'm afraid this won't be easy...after all, the trade volume is there."

Joseph said straightforwardly:

"The most fundamental reason is that the British monopolized a large number of trade routes and continued to attack your colonies."

"This... does have factors in this regard."

Joseph sighed exaggeratedly:

"What a grand occasion it was that the sea coachmen traveled across the world's oceans back then!"

"..." Campelon could only lower his head and remain silent.

Joseph glanced at his expression and smiled:

"Your Majesty Speaker, maybe we can join forces."

"Join forces?" Cambellon immediately thought of something, shook his head and said, "Your Highness, unfortunately, the Netherlands does not have the power to fight against the British."

He doesn't dare to tie the Netherlands to either side between Britain and France - God is my witness, he can't afford to offend either of these two big countries!

"No, I'm afraid you misunderstood. I mean cooperation in trade, pure trade."

"Is what you are talking about related to the two trading companies?"

Joseph nodded and smiled:

"That's right. In fact, the French East India Company is also facing difficulties now. I suggest that we can combine these three trading companies from the two countries to expand their business scope, and perhaps we can regain our glory."

Joseph was well aware of the huge potential of the Dutch in developing their navy. In the first three Anglo-Dutch wars, the Dutch fleet fought vigorously and caused huge trouble for Britain.

However, due to the weakening of its national strength and the collapse of its enterprising spirit, the Netherlands has lost its ambition to dominate the ocean.

In fact, the Dutch are very talented in business. If they can seize development opportunities, they may be able to regain their former glory as sea coachmen.

The most important thing is that even if the Dutch really become a maritime hegemon, Britain will definitely suffer the most serious losses. As for France, in the worst case scenario, it can use its army to threaten the Netherlands, which is close at hand, so that it does not dare to harm France's maritime interests too much.

Archbishop Richelieu, the first French politician at that time, once said that if France wanted to achieve its hegemony, it must support the powerful Netherlands to deal with Britain.

Unfortunately, Louis XIV was eager for quick success and did not listen to him. He invaded the Netherlands for a small profit, which led to the gradual decline of one of Britain's strongest rivals.

And Joseph now wants to try his best to help Holland up again, or even give him a ride.

For example, the half-dead French East India Company was used as bait to bind the interests of France and the Netherlands, helping the Netherlands expand its trade scope and restore its national strength.

As a country that relies on the sea and eats the sea, the Netherlands is bound to build a powerful fleet if it has some power.

Due to its competitiveness in ocean trade, the Dutch fleet was a natural enemy of the British navy.

There seemed to be a flash of light in Cambellon's eyes, but then he frowned and said:

"Your Highness, with all due respect, the trade situation between France and the Netherlands, even if they are united, the profits will be very limited. After all, the most profitable overseas colonies are occupied by the United Kingdom, and the rest are also in the hands of Spain."

Joseph smiled slightly:

"You can rest assured on this. France will use the trade concessions of some product-rich colonies to invest in new trading companies."

Today, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have not been discovered by European countries. The former is a huge wool producing area - in this era when the textile industry is king, wool is almost a strategic resource; while the latter has a large number of minerals and can also bring huge profits.

Apart from anything else, these two places alone are enough to support the joint French-Dutch "India Company".

Even now that Britain has just landed on the east coast of Australia, the Netherlands and France can develop in northern Australia simultaneously.

Coupled with the Dutch trade in Fuso, Guyana and other places, as long as it is managed properly, it will bring huge profits to both countries.

Of course, these interests will also face the covetousness of the British. However, by then it would have cut off the Dutch's financial path. The Netherlands will definitely have to fight the British.

Campbell said in surprise:

"Where do you mean the colony?"

After the Seven Years' War, France had only a handful of overseas colonies. How could it still be used to invest in them?

“I can’t tell you this until the joint trading company between the two countries is established.” Joseph said, “But I guarantee that the output of these places is absolutely abundant, even exceeding the current income of the Netherlands in the Far East.

"And I must remind you that if the Patriot Party fails to provide the Dutch people with the life they want, people are likely to return to missing their governor."

Seeing that Campelon was still hesitating, he threw out another huge bait:

"If our two countries have huge trade cooperation, then we can commit to signing a non-aggression treaty with the Netherlands."

Campbell's eyes were completely lit up.

You know, Britain at sea and France on land have always been the two biggest threats to the Netherlands.

France's invasion of the Netherlands during the Louis XIV era has been a lingering nightmare for the Netherlands. This is also an important factor in the Netherlands' unwillingness to completely surrender to France.

And if France can promise to ensure the security of the Netherlands, it will be a huge strategic benefit for the Netherlands.

He finally nodded vigorously:

"I will convey your good intentions to the Provincial Council and the two companies and try my best to facilitate this matter."

After all, the East and West India Companies were independently operated joint-stock companies, and the Dutch Parliament had no ability to control them and could only make recommendations.

Joseph smiled and nodded, then looked at the crowd at the dance:

"Perhaps our cooperation can also include Austria. You know how profitable their Ostend Company was, but it was forced to dissolve by the British. They should also want to rebuild their own East India Company. .”

The Ostend Company he was talking about was Austria's overseas trading company in the Southern Netherlands. Although it only existed for 10 years, it was the only time Austria realized its overseas trade dream.

The most important thing is that everyone is a sufferer of Britain.

Campelon was stunned by this bold idea for two seconds, and then said:

"Your Highness, according to the agreement between Britain and Austria, the Ostend Company cannot be re-established."

Joseph shrugged and smiled:

"Where is the Ostend company? The Austrian Archduke spent some money to buy shares in the French-Dutch Joint Trading Company and granted it some franchise rights. Doesn't this violate the agreement?"

Campbell immediately laughed too. The French Crown Prince's thinking is simply too flexible. A trading company jointly owned by the Netherlands, France and Austria will definitely have great potential in the future!

Joseph was a little regretful because the Austrian Archduke Joseph II, his uncle, would not attend the birthday celebration due to health reasons. The special envoy he sent was only a courtesy and had no real power. Otherwise, not only the United Trading Company, Joseph also wanted to have a good chat with his uncle about Silesia and even the unification of Germany.

The celebration lasted all night. After the disaster relief auction, the sky gradually brightened and the carnival crowd gradually dispersed...

According to the original plan, all the birthday gifts given to Louis XVI at home and abroad were auctioned at auction, and all the proceeds were used for disaster relief.

At the auction site, many nobles donated additional jewelry or expensive clothes for auction.

In the end, a huge sum of more than 2 million livres was auctioned, and in front of all Paris citizens, it was announced how much food the money would buy and where it would be shipped.