I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 285 Opening a new curtain

Not because of cowardice, but because the French navy is really no match for the British.

In order to support the independence of the United States, the French fleet bravely fought with the British in the Caribbean. As a result, they were beaten like dogs, resulting in the loss of a large amount of control of the Caribbean. In the end, in order to keep the sugar-producing base of Saint-Domingue, which later became Haiti, they had to exchange more than ten times the area of ​​North American land with the British.

Joseph would not make this mistake again in support of Mysore.

The purpose of exerting force in India is to consume the British, not to consume ourselves.

The most important thing for France right now is to develop industry. Start-up funds for a large number of industries such as steel, coal, textiles, and steam engines have already been thrown in. At a time when massive investment is needed for industrial expansion, industrial stagnation must not be caused by wasting money on wars.

After all, France’s finances are still in bad shape. If he could be as wealthy as the British, Joseph wouldn't mind playing big in India.

Berthier suggested: "Your Highness, if only limited assistance is provided, then what the Mysore people need most is an excellent commander. Perhaps, Major Lefebvre or Lieutenant Colonel Davout can be sent to India." trip."

The Lieutenant Colonel Davout he was referring to was Andre Davout, the commander of the Moulins Corps.

Joseph thought and shook his head. These two men were indeed qualified commanders. They should be more than enough to fight against the British Cornwallis. However, the Mysore War would involve almost half of India. In addition to the remote location, It can be said to be extremely dangerous.

He doesn't want his close relatives to do anything bad in India.

But who else could be sent? There aren't many old noble officers who can really fight, and I don't know them well enough.

He suddenly thought of a name and immediately looked at Berthier: "Do you think it is possible to let Marquis Lafayette go to Mysore?"

Lafayette, a French officer, smuggled himself to the United States to participate in the Revolutionary War in 1777 and became a major general in the Continental Army. Even George Washington respected him. In 1780, he played an important role in the Battle of Yorktown and helped the Americans defeat the British.

After returning to France, he was awarded the rank of brigadier general, but because he was a liberal and was not favored by the French military aristocracy, he was never reused. Until the outbreak of the Great Revolution, he served as the commander of the National Guards. He was regarded as the highest military officer in France at the time, and he was unparalleled. But in the end, because of his greed for power and his insistence on protecting the king, he eventually fell out with the Jacobins and fled abroad.

It was a very coincidental fact that Lafayette had fought against Cornwallis, the current Governor-General of India, in the United States. The latter had never taken advantage of him, which would give him a considerable advantage when fighting the British. psychological advantage.

Berthier and other staff members discussed in low voices for a while, then turned to the Crown Prince and said: "Your Highness, the Marquis Lafayette's ability to command operations is undoubtedly beyond doubt, but he is probably unwilling to take risks in the Far East..."

He put it more tactfully. Lafayette was reprimanded by the royal family for going to the United States privately, and he had an unpleasant quarrel with the military, so he would most likely not listen to the orders of the General Staff.

Joseph smiled slightly: "You can tell him that as long as he can help Mysore win, just like what he did in the United States, when he comes back, he can be promoted to Assistant to the Minister of War, or Governor of a certain province. I believe he will definitely accept this task.”

Joseph knew that Lafayette was a very power-hungry and ambitious man. He fought in the United States for several years. After returning to France, except for the rank of brigadier general, he did not receive any actual awards.

So as long as you give him a chance to rise, he will definitely not refuse.

And what Joseph gave him was actually a blank check - although the Kingdom of Mysore was quite powerful in India, Britain was heading towards a powerful empire on which the sun never set. It would be very difficult for Tipu Sultan of Mysore to be able to deal with the British for a few more years, and victory would be almost impossible.

Of course, if Lafayette's small universe really exploded and defeated the British in the Far East, there would be nothing wrong with him being an assistant to the Minister of War. You know, that is equivalent to destroying the biggest job of the British!

Berthier quickly wrote down the Crown Prince's order in his notebook, nodded and said: "Yes, Your Highness. I will try my best to persuade the Marquis Lafayette."

Afterwards, Joseph discussed Tunisia's military deployment with his staff until the sky darkened, which ended the meeting.

Returning to his bedroom, Joseph was so tired that he didn't even bother to take off his clothes, so he fell on the bed and fell asleep. After returning from Tunisia, he was bumpy on the road for eight or nine days, and finally he was able to take a good rest.

Upon seeing this, Perna and Eman looked at each other, stepped forward and carefully touched the crown prince's forehead and wrist to make sure he was not sick. Then she and the maid gently placed him on the bed and covered him with a quilt. , and then slowly retreated.

The candle goes out. Joseph, who was sleeping soundly, had a dream. In the dream, the European continent turned into an endless theater, and the huge curtain stretching to the skyline was slowly opened under the gaze of the gods...

Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The second floor of the Provisional Parliament Building.

The British Foreign Secretary, the Marquess Wellesley, looked at this simple building and said to the Dutch Speaker Campellon: "I still prefer the Earl's Castle in The Hague, where people can feel the majesty and solemnity at any time."

The "Count's Castle" he mentioned was the former Dutch Parliament Building. After the Patriot Party gained power in the Netherlands, it moved the Parliament to Amsterdam. Due to the rush, the new Parliament building had not yet been built, so this building was used as the temporary office of the Parliament.

Cambellon frowned slightly. The British obviously meant that Amsterdam was not "majestic and solemn" enough, but he immediately put on a smile: "The Hague is a thing of the past, Lord Marquis. And we will soon have it." The new parliament building, you see, is just two streets away and is no worse than the Count's Castle."

The Marquis of Wellesley smiled indifferently, followed Campellon into the living room, and sat down on the sofa: "Well, maybe you and your parliament don't have to rush to propose a parliamentary building in Amsterdam."

Campbellon immediately thought of William V who had been deprived of power: "What do you mean by this?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong." Marquis Wellesley waved his hand, "I mean, maybe the Dutch Parliament will soon renegotiate the address of the parliament with the voters of the Southern Netherlands. You see, Brussels is actually a good place. The place."

A strange look flashed in Cambellon's eyes: "My Lord Marquis, I don't quite understand what you mean."

"With Brabant making such a fuss, doesn't the Dutch Parliament have any plans?"

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