Chapter 1393: Holiday
Joseph turned to the head of the Security Bureau. "How many protesters are there in northern Switzerland?"
"Around 400 people in Basel and Zurich, and over 200 in Schwyz."
Basel's urban population was just over 20,000, and Zurich, having been ravaged by war, hadn't fully recovered. Thus, a protest of over 400 people was already quite significant.
Joseph nodded. "The harder the pro-Austrian forces suppress them, the stronger the backlash will be later."
He then instructed, "Your primary task now is to send people to Austria to spread the word that their government has provided extensive aid to northern Switzerland in an effort to diminish our country's influence there.
"By the way, how much aid has Vienna given the Swiss?"
Lavalette opened his notes. "An estimated 100,000 to 120,000 florins, and over a thousand flintlock muskets, Your Highness."
"Too little. Publicize it as 1 million florins and 5,000 guns. I will have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spread the rumor that our country will not consider personal union requests from other Swiss cantons."
"Yes, Your Highness." Lavalette carefully made a note, then hesitated. "But wouldn't this weaken the pro-French forces in places like Basel..."
Although the head of the Security Bureau didn't fully grasp it, he didn't press further and instead shifted topics.
"Your Highness, there's another matter. Marquis Albuquerque of Porto has likely reached an agreement with Maheshi. The Braganza and Vimara Peres families have been gradually withdrawing from the Porto area since last week."
Joseph couldn't help but frown. Before he could ask, Alexandra, who was beside him, noticed his expression and whispered in his ear, "The Albuquerque family is the largest in northern Portugal. The Peres family has slightly less influence but is very close to the royal family."
Joseph nodded slightly.
'It seemed the nobility in northern Portugal were preparing to give up resistance. Braganza was the surname of the Portuguese Royal Family, and it was clear their power had failed to stop them.'
'This was hardly surprising. After a few years in South America, the Portuguese Royal Family was increasingly unwilling to pour gold into the "fire pit" of the Iberian Peninsula. Currently, every penny they invested in Brazil yielded several times its return, while Porto, constantly surrounded by Spanish forces, only devoured colossal military expenses.'
'Even the Portuguese nobles who had accompanied the royal family to America were now protesting and refusing to pay the special war tax.'
'As for the nobles who remained in northern Portugal, they had long since exhausted their fortunes. Seeing the diminishing aid from America, they were bound to have other ideas.'
'As for the Portuguese commoners, since Carlos IV, following Joseph's advice, had granted them a relatively lenient autonomous policy, almost no one troubled the Spanish army. In fact, they could now sell goods to member states of the common market through Spain, and their lives were even more prosperous than before.'
Joseph pondered for a moment, then wrote in the "To-Do" section of his notebook:
'Order the General Staff Headquarters to send reinforcements to Gibraltar and formulate a corresponding battle plan. Juno's corps must be the first to assault the fortress.'
'Yes, he knew well that once the Portuguese left Porto, even if the British army wanted to continue holding it, their operational range would be significantly reduced. This would make it harder for the British fleet in Porto's harbor to gather supplies, and they would even face the risk of attack from Spanish forces on shore.'
'Currently, the French and Spanish allied forces and the British troops in the Gibraltar fortress had reached a stalemate. If Britain's naval supply capability weakened, the fortress's fall would only be a matter of time.'
'Since they couldn't prolong it any further, it would be best for the French army to claim this victory.'
'In the future, when people spoke of the siege of Gibraltar, they would say, "The Spanish forces assisted the French in defeating the British," rather than, "The French forces assisted the Spanish."'
'This might seem like a mere difference in phrasing, but diplomatically, it was entirely distinct. On one hand, it would solidify the military hierarchy between France and Spain; on the other, it would grant France more leverage in the Strait of Gibraltar.'
Outside the carriage window, the neatly arranged roadside trees began to give way to naturally growing, somewhat untamed woods, signifying that the royal hunting grounds were not far off.
Lavalette was about to take his leave when Joseph stopped him. "Has all the aid for Mysore been delivered?"
The head of the Security Bureau quickly nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, the transport ship departed from the Island of Malta five days ago and must have arrived in Antioch by now."
Although Mysore's unauthorized war with Britain annoyed Joseph somewhat, as long as it could cause trouble for the British on the Indian Peninsula, the necessary funds still had to be spent.
Given France's current financial situation, allocating 10,000 flintlock muskets, 40 cannons, and corresponding military supplies like tents and gunpowder to Mysore was quite easy.
As the open sea was blockaded by the British fleet, the aid materials still followed the old route—unloaded from the Ottoman city of Antioch on the eastern Mediterranean, transported via the Euphrates River to the Persian Gulf, and then sent along the northern Indian Ocean to Mysore.
Joseph gave Lavalette a few more instructions, watched him depart, and soon the carriage came to a stop within the royal hunting grounds.
Joseph and Alexandra had barely alighted when they heard Queen Mary's voice. "My dears, you've finally arrived. I heard Armand say you were still in meetings this morning; I truly feared the sun would have set by the time you made it."
Armand was the name of her lady-in-waiting.
Joseph stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "It was a Senate meeting, and it concluded quickly. Moreover, with the Senate managing state affairs from now on, I will have plenty of free time to accompany you on hunts."
"Oh, thank God! That's wonderful!" Queen Mary happily pulled her son and daughter-in-law over to the tent in the resting area, pointing to a wooden table set on the grass. "Come quickly and taste Mr. Karem's newly created mille-feuille cake—it tastes like something out of a dream!
"Oh, and there's strawberry pudding, and your favorite nut shortbread."
Joseph gazed at the table and immediately saw several rectangular pastries, slightly shorter than a palm, prominently displayed. They had a golden crust, with many layers of pale yellow cake and cream alternating in the middle.
He blurted out, "Napoleon..."
Queen Mary looked at him in surprise. "What did you say just now?"
'Joseph felt a pang of awkwardness. This was clearly the Napoleon cake so common in later generations; his mother's new imperial pastry chef truly had some skill.'
He quickly covered up. "I meant... ah, a polite... lion. Yes, that's right, the cake's color is like a lion's mane, and it lies quietly on the plate, looking very well-behaved."
'Poli Lion' sounded somewhat similar to Napoleon.
Queen Mary clapped her hands, beaming. "That's a wonderful name! I'm sure Mr. Karem will also love this name for his new creation."
'The image of a sign reading "Polite Lion Cake" next to a Napoleon cake in a future patisserie flashed through Joseph's mind, making him secretly wipe a bead of sweat from his brow.'
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