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Chapter 1020: Gunpowder Smoke Over South Africa

Paris.

The Palace of Versailles.

"Seven companies raised less than six million francs in total?" Joseph asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at Gaudin, the Minister of Finance.

The latter had just reported that the seven newly established companies in the Rhineland, including the potash fertilizer plant, had only managed to raise 5.8 million francs after being listed in Amsterdam for a month and a half.ʀÑÖÉ$

Joseph knew well how much cash those Dutch financial titans held. Even the common folk there had some savings, thanks to the prosperous maritime trade. However, they were clearly not enthusiastic about investing in the Rhineland.

Gaudin explained, "Your Highness, some of these factories aren't even finished yet. Furthermore, the Dutch seem more inclined to invest in British industries or their own domestic shipping."

Joseph flipped through the report submitted by the Finance Minister. When he reached the section on "promotion," he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Storytelling," he said. "How many times have I told you? You need to know how to tell a story."

"Simply stating in a dry tone that a company owns a coal mine in Cologne with a certain annual yield will never pique anyone's interest."

"You must start with the origin of the mine. For instance, tell them that thousands of years ago, God's inkwell spilled there, turning into a coal seam over a thousand meters thick. Then, mention how a Monsieur Estree found clues in his ancestors' journals and indeed discovered the mine in Cologne. Add that the French nobility have all fallen in love with honeycomb coal stoves, and that it's the height of Parisian fashion to hold salons around such a fire, with sales doubling every four months. Throw in a story about Parisian noblewomen publicly bidding for the last basket of coal for their respective salons, until it finally sold for a hundred francs..."

Gaudin stared at the Crown Prince with wide eyes before hurriedly pulling out a notebook to begin scribbling.

Joseph sighed. "Never mind. I'll have Monsieur Scheller go to Amsterdam."

According to previous estimates, the gap for the Rhineland's first phase of financing this year was around twenty million francs. They were currently missing more than half of that.

Gaudin continued, "Your Highness, the Milan Stock Exchange opens next month. The situation there will surely be much better than in the Netherlands."

Joseph nodded. "Ensure the rating companies keep pace. And remember—storytelling..."

As he was speaking, he heard Eman lightly rap on the door. "Your Highness, Monsieur Lavalette has a report for you."

"Show him in."

The Deputy Director of the Security Bureau hurried into the room. He bowed to the Crown Prince, glanced at Gaudin beside him, and stepped forward to whisper, "Your Highness, we've just received word. London decided three weeks ago to occupy the Cape of Good Hope."

"At this moment, the East India Company's warships should be nearing the Cape. They might even have begun their landing."

Joseph's brow creased slightly.

Britain saw that the Netherlands no longer held much utility and was moving in to take a piece of the meat.

He recalled that historically, the British had also taken advantage of the chaos when Napoleon invaded the Netherlands to occupy the Cape of Good Hope. It wasn't until over a decade later, in an attempt to woo the Netherlands into the Anti-French Coalition, that they returned it.

Once Napoleon's armies marched into The Hague, the British annexed South Africa again through the Battle of Blaauwberg. It could be said that Britain had always been eyeing this rich colony.

Joseph signaled the Director of the Security Bureau to share the intel with Gaudin—there was no need to keep the British's schemes a secret.

Lavalette gave a brief summary and then turned back to Joseph. "Your Highness, should we provide support to the Boers?"

The so-called "Boers" referred to the Dutch immigrants who had settled in South Africa since the 17th century, later joined by French Huguenots and Germans.

These white settlers had intermarried with local South African natives like the Xhosa and Zulu. The white descendants were considered Boers, while the darker-skinned mixed-race descendants were known as "Basters," who lived in dependency on the Boers.

Joseph instinctively wanted to nod, but he paused and asked the Security Director, "What forces do we have at the Cape of Good Hope that can be mobilized?"

The latter thought for a moment and replied, "Your Highness, approximately twelve spies and fewer than thirty firearms."

"However, now that the British blockade fleet has withdrawn, we can provide supplies there at any time..."

Joseph raised a hand to cut him off. "I'm afraid it's too late."

He knew that during the Boer War in history, the Boers had caused immense trouble for Britain, forcing the British government to deploy over 400,000 expeditionary troops and taking three years to suppress the uprising.

But that was at the end of the nineteenth century. Currently, there were only about twenty thousand Boers in all of South Africa. Even including the mixed-race Basters and the "Malay slaves" the Dutch had brought from the Far East, the total population did not exceed sixty thousand.

Among them, the number of adult males capable of fighting was likely around fifteen hundred.

In other words, even if France moved an entire arsenal to South Africa, it would be impossible for the Boers to stop the British Royal Marines. Furthermore, the distance from France to the Cape of Good Hope was vast. By the time French transport ships arrived, the battle would likely be over—and at such a distance, the endurance of steamships was insufficient.

Lavalette asked, "Your Highness, do we just let it be, then?"

Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Cape was a massive treasure trove. It held the largest gold mines in Africa, with an annual output reaching over a hundred tons!

Although only a small portion of South Africa's gold mines had been discovered so far, there was no guarantee the British wouldn't strike the main vein at any moment. At the same time, South Africa's diamond production was also very high. While the returns might not match the gold, they would still bring in thirty to forty million francs annually.

Therefore, the British must not be allowed to gain a firm foothold in South Africa!

He quickly scanned his memory for the situation near South Africa, and a name soon surfaced in his mind—Shaka Zulu.

The founder of the Zulu Kingdom, often called the "Napoleon of South Africa."

Of course, at the moment, he was just a child. However, the Zulu tribes were known for their prowess in battle. Men like Shaka's father, Zulu Jama, could be cultivated.

Then there were the Xhosa people to the north of the Cape, whose combat effectiveness was currently through the roof.

Over the span of more than a century, they fought eight Kaffir Wars against the Boers and the British.

Although they almost never won, they had made life miserable for European colonizers using nothing but bows and spears.

If they were given a few thousand flintlock muskets and taught a bit about guerrilla warfare, the suffering the British would endure would increase tenfold.

It would be even more stinging for the British if the Boers were directly led to fight alongside them.

Of course, there was a difficult problem: how to resolve the conflict between the Boers and the native South Africans.

Joseph couldn't come up with a solution immediately, but he suddenly noticed Gaudin still standing nearby and couldn't help but smile.

Since the British were making a move on South Africa, he could use this opportunity to give them a nasty headache in the Netherlands.