I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 293 Candidates for President of the United States

Seeing the two men taking the pamphlets and preparing to leave, U.S. Ambassador Jones suddenly remembered the instructions in the French Dauphin's letter and hurriedly stopped them again. He solemnly said: "I believe you already have an understanding of the current situation. Keep Poland, Dealing with the Russian ambitions is the top priority, so I hope you can support the king. After all, he can call on more Polish people to resist Russia.

"Oh, also, you have to put aside your religious demands for the time being... I don't mean to stop you from spreading Catholicism, but that should be done after the crisis in Poland is resolved.

"If the Bal Alliance can make outstanding contributions in resisting the Russian invasion, I believe that the Polish people will also like Catholicism more."

When the two people heard the word "Baal Alliance", they subconsciously shrank their heads and looked around, looking extremely nervous.

Yes, they are the few remaining members of the Bal Alliance in Poland. Seven years ago, some patriotic Polish nobles established the Bar League in order to safeguard the country's political and diplomatic independence and oppose Russia's penetration of Poland.

At first, the alliance formed an army to expel Russian forces across Poland, and took advantage of the Krievsena uprising to expand into Lithuania-Ukraine [Note 1]. In addition, the alliance actively encouraged the Ottomans to go to war with Russia, which to a certain extent contributed to the Fifth Russo-Turkish War.

However, as the alliance grew, the policies implemented shifted.

The first was to declare his opposition to the King of Poland - after all, Stanislaw II was the former lover of Catherine II, and he was able to be elected King of Poland [Note 2]. There was also the factor behind the Russian Tsar bribing the Polish Parliament. Therefore, the Baal Alliance was very resistant to this king, announced that it would depose him, and even briefly kidnapped Stanislaw II.

Then the League fell into religious fanaticism and began to crazily promote Catholicism in Poland and persecute Protestants and Orthodox Christians.

So Catherine II united Prussia and Austria, and launched an invasion of Poland on the pretext of protecting the Polish king and the Orthodox Christians.

The Baal Alliance was defeated before the Russian army could hold out for long, but the Russian, Prussian and Austro-Austrian armies did not stop, but occupied their respective Polish territories.

This was the beginning and end of the first partition of Poland.

After the war, most of the leaders of the Bal Alliance and their families were imprisoned in concentration camps built in Lithuania, and a small number were exiled to Siberia.

Although the Bar Alliance failed, Joseph knew that they were the most determined anti-Russian group in Poland, and as long as they did not engage in religious fanaticism, they also had a high level of support among ordinary people and the military.

It would be most appropriate for them to promote Polish national consciousness.

As long as it can generate national consciousness, it can greatly enhance Poland's internal cohesion and at the same time reduce the living space for pro-Russian Polish traitors. You must know that Russia, Prussia and Austria were able to easily divide Poland, largely because Poland is divided into Polish, Lithuanian, Slavic, and German ethnic groups. They do not understand each other's language and have independent policies. They will undermine each other when encountering invasion by foreign enemies.

With Poland's population and land area, if it can really be twisted into a rope, it will be difficult for Russia, Russia and Austria to take it down in a short time.

Moreover, if the situation in Poland becomes irreversible in the future, we can also use the influence of the Bal Alliance to mobilize resistance among the Polish people and fight guerrilla warfare against Russia, Prussia, and Austria for several years.

The next day.

Tin Dome Palace.

This is the residence of Prince Poniatowski, nephew of the King of Poland.

At this time, Jones was strolling in the garden behind the house with several Polish nobles, just like an ordinary afternoon chat.

"Actually, what the major families are worried about is that the power of parliament will be limited if the free veto is abolished." An aristocratic old man in his sixties looked at the US ambassador to Poland, "So it is best to pass the three powers first. A separate constitution would also solve the problem of the free veto."

The "free veto" he was talking about was Poland's notorious one-vote veto system - any member of the parliament can veto parliamentary decrees with one vote, making it impossible for Poland to carry out reform and progress.

"Yes, I am very familiar with this kind of political wrangling." Jones nodded and said in Polish, "The U.S. Congress often does this too, and it is really a headache.

"At this time, what we need is a leader with extremely high political authority to unify different opinions."

Prince Poniatowski sighed helplessly: "His Majesty the King, uh, you know, he is always so easy to talk to..."

Jones turned to look at him: "Perhaps, you can call on those congressmen on behalf of Your Majesty."

The old man on the side immediately shook his head: "The Potocki family will not listen to His Royal Highness, oh, and the arrogant Czartoryski family."

He is the elder of the Poniatowski family. You can tell by looking at the last name that this is the family of the King of Poland, but it is far from the largest family in Poland.

At present, Polish politics is basically controlled by less than ten aristocratic families. If you want to pass anything in parliament, you cannot get around them.

Jones recalled the letter from the French Crown Prince and said solemnly: "Poland has reached a very dangerous edge. At this time, perhaps it should use some less gentlemanly methods. His Royal Highness is currently responsible for the recruitment and training of the army. You must take advantage of this." .

"As for the Potocki family, maybe they have done some despicable things. If this is known to other families, they will be very happy to divide their power."

Several senior members of the Poniatowski family immediately looked at each other in surprise. The old man lowered his voice and said, "I'm afraid this will cause a big mess!"

"So His Royal Highness needs to mobilize the army in a timely manner to stabilize the situation. As long as the Potocki family is solved, the Czartoryski family will definitely start to become cooperative."

Prince Poniatowski frowned: "Maybe there is no need to make such a big move. The conditions proposed by the Potocki family are actually negotiable."

Jones sighed in his heart. As the mouthpiece of the French Crown Prince, he could only do so much: "The decision lies with you, Your Majesty the Prince, but I can guarantee that the Potocki family will be eliminated within three months." The evidence of treason is given to you."

He had no evidence of the Potocki family's crimes, but the French told him there would be.

Joseph knew very well that historically, although the Poles were very procrastinating, they finally passed a constitution three years later - the May 3rd Constitution.

This constitution abolished the one-vote veto system, abolished the king's election system, changed it to hereditary, established the Polish political system of separation of powers, and paved the way for national development.

However, the May 3rd Constitution's restrictions on the power of the nobility touched the interests of some families headed by the Potocki family. They immediately colluded with the Russian Prince Potemkin to form the Tagovica Alliance and requested Russia to send troops to intervene.

Subsequently, the troops of the Tagovica Union and the Russian army defeated the Polish government forces. At the same time, Prussia and Austria invaded Poland from the west in accordance with the secret agreement with Russia.

The second partition of Poland begins.

The Potocki family has always been in cahoots with the Russians, and if you look for it, you will definitely find evidence.

Of course, Joseph was also prepared to "create" some evidence if he really couldn't find any evidence. As long as the Potocki family is brought down, someone will naturally confess.

And now that the Russo-Swedish war is in full swing, Russia cannot spare a hand to intervene in this matter.

As long as the May 3rd Constitution can be implemented smoothly for a few years, Poland's national strength will be greatly enhanced. Moreover, without the Potocki family's internal support, Russia's excuse to send troops will disappear, and it will become very difficult to carve up Poland.

If Prussia and Austria, especially the latter, believe that invading Poland will seriously deplete their own strength, then they will probably have to weigh whether they should join the war.

Because both Prussia and Austria have the desire to unify Germany, as long as there is no common interest in dividing Poland, they will definitely start a war for hegemony in Germany.

In that case, the strategic pressure faced by France will be greatly reduced. At least it can buy France a few more years of development time.

Prince Poniatowski hesitated for a while, then bowed to Jones and said, "Thank you for your help to Poland, Ambassador, I will definitely consider your suggestion seriously.

"Oh, the party is about to start, let's go inside."

…

USA.

New York.

"The votes are counted!" A middle-aged man wearing a short black vest opened the door and entered the room with excitement. Under the anxious and expectant gazes of the people in the room, he deliberately paused for two seconds before asking George. Washington stroked his chest and saluted, "Congratulations, Your Excellency, President!"

More than a dozen people in the room immediately burst into cheers and gathered around Washington to congratulate him.

Washington's red face became even redder in an instant, but he took a deep breath and looked at the messenger: "Mr. Thomas, can you tell me the specific votes?"

"You got 50 votes, an overwhelming advantage!"

Washington suddenly felt relieved. 50 votes out of all 69 votes was definitely considered a big victory.

At the same time, he was secretly thankful that the French Dauphin had helped him. Otherwise, given Hamilton's astonishing popularity before the election, he would have been the one celebrating his election at this time.

You know, even with the support of the French, Hamilton still got 33 votes! 【Note 3】

Joseph brought Hamilton the achievements of eradicating pirates in the Mediterranean and sending pirates back to the United States for public trial, which made the latter unparalleled in the limelight, even surpassing Washington, the commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War.

There is no way, people are forgetful, and the War of Independence has been over for several years, so how can I remember the hanging of pirates a few months ago?

However, Joseph soon realized that Hamilton was a very radical hawk and had a special obsession with the army.

If he is elected as the president of the United States, he is likely to re-establish a standing army - currently the United States only has militias and no professional soldiers - and this will greatly speed up the United States' westward slaughter of Indians and devouring North American land.

A United States with only thirteen states is nothing to worry about, but a United States occupying half of the Americas will become a nightmare for all of Europe.

Of course Joseph wanted to prevent this from happening.

So he sent people to the United States to support Washington, whose overall style was relatively moderate. At least while he was in power, the United States relied on militias to get by.

His method is very simple. He provides some campaign funds to Washington and at the same time creates a newspaper "American News" in the United States and sells it at a very low price. With cheap wood, paper and printing technology from France, the newspaper is 60 yuan cheaper than its American counterparts. % can still make 10% profit.

Coupled with the exclusive U.S. publishing rights of "Refining the Sky", "American News" unified the U.S. newspaper market in a very short period of time.

What followed was the daily publication of the Revolutionary War in newspapers, constantly mentioning Washington's great contributions, and at the same time crediting the Federal Congress with the credit for combating the Barbary pirates. Those lawmakers therefore praised "U.S. News" for its objectivity and impartiality.

Under the arrangement of the French campaign team, Washington gave speeches and performed various shows across the United States, and his public support rate quickly surpassed Hamilton's.

Of course, Washington reciprocated the favor. Jones, the ambassador sent to Poland, was his confidant and he was dedicated to his work.

While Washington was celebrating the election of the president, a meeting was being held in the manager's office of the "American News" newspaper to discuss opening a branch.

According to the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, a more orthodox newspaper such as "The News of the United States" is not enough to cover all Americans. A newspaper focusing on entertainment content must be opened to attract people at the bottom of the United States.

In the subsequent U.S. congressional elections, newspapers will have to "recommend" at least 10 congressmen, which is an arduous task.

…

Driving in Baden's carriage, Talleyrand looked at the Crown Prince opposite and smiled, and asked tentatively: "Your Highness, have you seen any good news?"

Joseph pushed the report sent from Nancy to him before leaving the French border: "Look, this is the sales of the United Steam Engine Company last month.

"Our high-pressure steam engines have been sold to the UK, and orders are still coming in."

The Foreign Secretary obviously didn't understand the significance of the steam engine, so he smiled and said: "Oh, one can be sold for 11,000 livres. It's really a good business."

"Yeah, I'm afraid it's the best business." Joseph smiled and nodded.

You know, the low-pressure steam engine produced by Watt Company costs 480 pounds, which is 12,000 livres, but its power is only 60% of the French product.

If most of the United Steam Engine Company's production capacity were not supplied to France, Watt's company might not be able to continue operating...

[Note 1] At the end of the 18th century, Ukraine was still a geographical term, and a large part of it belonged to Lithuania.

[Note 1] Poland implemented a king election system at the end of the 18th century, and a parliament composed of nobles elected the king. This gave foreign countries an excellent way to interfere in Poland's internal affairs - as long as they bribed Polish parliamentarians, they could elect their favorite king. This was how Catherine II sent her lover Stanislaw II to the throne.

[Note 2] During the first presidential election in the United States, each presidential elector could vote for more than one candidate.