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Chapter 1107: The Background Colors of an Era

Paris.

The Palace of Versailles.

Joseph skimmed through the report from Portier, the liaison officer for French-Irish relations, and his brow instantly furrowed.

"These Irishmen are far too naive." He glanced at the date on the report—it had been written the night before last—and immediately turned to Lavallette. "Notify Portier with the utmost speed. Tell him he must do everything in his power to restrain the Society of United Irishmen."

"Yes, Your Highness," the Director of the Security Bureau replied, though he hesitated for a moment. "But Your Highness, the scale of this unrest is immense. If we provide support to the Irish and that London Correspondence Society, we might be able to inflict catastrophic damage on Britain."

Joseph shook his head. "You are oversimplifying things. Britain is isolated from the European continent; as long as their Parliament remains indifferent to bloodshed, no riot can truly succeed."

'Let the Irish preserve their strength. Now is not the time to expend them.'

"Of course, we must seize this opportunity, but primarily to strike them in the court of public opinion. You may coordinate with Mr. Denico. Proceed in this manner..."

"Understood, Your Highness."

He looked out the window and let out a soft sigh. It seemed the European continent would soon face total war once again.

He knew all too well that a severe crisis was about to erupt within Britain. To manage it, the British government would most likely seek to deflect their internal contradictions outward.

On the other hand, Britain would never stand idly by and watch France's current rapid momentum of development go unchecked.

The conflict between Britain and France was structural. If Britain wanted to maintain its position as the world's preeminent power, it had to topple France.

The same held true for France. Only by suppressing Britain and dealing with its formidable fleet could France truly secure the space needed for its future growth.

Since war was inevitable sooner or later, the earlier they began preparing, the less damage the conflict would ultimately cause.

...

London.

10 Downing Street.

Lord Grenville signed the document and handed it to the Home Secretary, Earl Spencer. "Try to contain the scope of the impact, but move with absolute speed."

The latter bowed slightly. "Rest assured, Prime Minister. I will handle it."

Grenville cautioned him further, "Coordinate with General Wyndham in advance. Critics have already appeared in Parliament; we must not give them any ammunition to use against us."

"I understand, Prime Minister."

After dismissing the Home Secretary, Grenville picked up William Pitt Junior’s report and began reading it with focused intensity.

"Good God! 350 million pounds..." His features contorted slightly. "Where on earth am I supposed to find that much money?"

This figure was Pitt's estimate of the funds required to completely defeat France.

In truth, Grenville did not know that in actual history, the British would eventually spend over a billion pounds sterling to defeat Napoleon.

After the Battle of Waterloo, Britain’s national debt had skyrocketed to 850 million pounds—the equivalent of 21 billion francs!

Compared to that, France’s previous debt of two billion was practically a drop in the bucket.

Of course, by leveraging the rewards of victory and the staggering profitability of the Industrial Revolution, Britain would eventually stabilize its finances and rise to become the "Empire on which the sun never sets."

Grenville continued reading. Pitt’s proposal for raising funds included several key strategies:

Significantly increasing taxes on the colonies.

Strictly limiting colonial trade with other nations.

Regularly issuing additional paper currency.

Forming a trade system with allies that specifically excluded France—ideally bringing Russia into the fold.

And finally, borrowing heavily from major capitalists in the Netherlands and Germany.

By Pitt’s judgment, if everything went smoothly, Britain could raise nearly 400 million pounds over the course of the war.

That would be enough to defeat France.

Even if they lost a few battles, Britain could rely on its domestic stability to wage a war of attrition. Ultimately, by drawing on its massive colonial markets and the sacrifices of its allies, they would drag France down to total exhaustion.

'This is truly an era painted in the colors of blood and fire...'

Grenville shook his head and began drafting a plan for military expansion, considering how to persuade Prussia, Austria, and most importantly, Russia.

Indeed, Britain had always preferred fighting in groups. Going in alone was almost certain suicide.

"The army needs to reach at least 100,000 men. We also need 40,000 troops to defend the home islands." Grenville’s pen moved rapidly across the paper. "This will likely require a major overhaul of the conscription system. I should consult Marquis Wellesley on this. It would be best to recall him to London; he should be the one responsible for training the troops."

"The Navy’s size should ideally exceed the combined French and Spanish fleets by more than 20%. And then there are those steam warships..."

Thinking of this, he frowned. "It seems the Government Investment Fund will have to take direct control of that steam engine company."

He had already ordered an investigation by Reid. In all of Britain, only Boulton-Watt could produce a steam engine with more than 20 horsepower; other companies were even less capable.

By placing the company under official control, the government could force naval procurement prices to their lowest and use military oversight to accelerate research and development.

...

"Lower the price of sugar!"

"Arrest the corrupt officials profiting from our hunger!"

"Natural rights! Long live liberty!"

"Reform the electoral system!"

A massive, dark crowd shouted deafening slogans as they marched slowly toward St James's Palace.

Along the roadsides, members of the London Correspondence Society were giving loud orations on "Human Rights and Liberty."

Contrary to popular belief, the French were not the only ones passionate about Enlightenment ideas or demanding rights and freedom. During the French Revolution, Britain saw just as many protests and demonstrations as France.

Protests involving tens of thousands of people continued until 1799, growing more intense by the day. It was only when the British government enacted the Combination Acts—criminalizing labor unions and strikes, banning gatherings of more than fifty people, restricting the press, and allowing the arrest of "suspects" without a warrant—that the situation was finally brought under control.

It could be said that if Louis XVI had possessed even half the ruthlessness of the British government, he wouldn't have "lost his head" so easily.

As more than five thousand protesters passed through the streets south of St. James's Park, several British intelligence agents disguised as street vendors rushed to a small courtyard in the center of the block. They reported immediately to the commander of the Yeomanry Cavalry stationed there.

The Yeomanry was one of the more elite units among the British local militias.

Simultaneously, massive crowds of protesters in Manchester and Birmingham reached their respective town halls. Shouts for "Lower sugar prices" and "Electoral reform" echoed through the air without ceasing.

...

Montes stepped out of the villa belonging to the wealthy merchant Corey Potter. He gave a thumbs-up to his friend waiting in the carriage.

"He agreed. He'll lend us all the Chatham shipyard stocks he holds for a twenty-five percent cut of the profit."

As he spoke, a middle-aged man in a sophisticated black coat and spectacles suddenly squeezed into the carriage. He gave them a thin smile.

"I am Bryan Potter. Private secretary to the Home Secretary. I’ve heard rumors that the recent plunge in Chatham shipyard's stock was your handiwork."