Chapter 1456: The Honey Trap
Chapter 1456: The Honey Trap
Joseph was a little puzzled. "The Ottoman forces in the north far outnumber the Persians. How could they have been beaten back so pathetically?"
Berthier reported, "It seems the Russians are secretly aiding Persia, Your Highness. The rebels in Western Georgia were able to reach Tbilisi so quickly likely because they passed through Gori."
"What about the reaction from Constantinople?"
"Selim III has already dispatched Imanzade with eighty thousand troops to the Transcaucasia region as reinforcements, Your Highness," Berthier said. "It is estimated they will arrive in Armenia in a month at the latest."
Joseph could not help but narrow his eyes. 'In other words, a clash of unprecedented scale is about to erupt in Transcaucasia. For a long time to come, Russia will not need to invest many troops in that direction.'
"So, where will the Russian troops originally deployed in Georgia go?" Joseph asked aloud.
Berthier reacted quickly. "Are you suggesting they will be transferred to the Western Front?"
"Alexander's strategic planning is quite impressive," Joseph said with a nod. "In that case, the Polish army is in even greater danger. Please inform the Poles of the situation in Transcaucasia and urge them to retreat as soon as possible."
As Berthier took his leave, Joseph remained concerned about the battlefield in Eastern Europe. He was considering whether to have Charles personally visit Poland when he saw Eman approaching quickly with the Director of the Security Bureau.
"Your Highness the Prince Regent." Lavalette bowed, then glanced around to ensure the guards and the sanatorium staff were at a distance before stepping forward. "There is some news regarding Prince Charles."
Joseph nodded. "Go ahead."
"First, the woman involved with Prince Charles has been confirmed to be Queen Louise of Prussia," the Director reported. "They likely met the year before last when Your Highness went to attend the signing of the supplementary terms of the Franco-Prussian armistice."
"Based on an analysis of the scraps of talk Baron Morten blurted out while drunk, it was likely the Queen of Prussia who actively approached the Prince."
Joseph frowned, stopping beside a red pine tree.
This Louise was quite famous in that regard. Historically, after Napoleon had completely routed the Prussian army during the Battle of Jena, he had looted the Prussian Royal Palace and intended to dismantle Prussia entirely.
At that time, William III and the Prussian nobles had fled east to Königsberg, while Louise had gone alone to Tilsit to meet Napoleon.
In that tent in the small town, the Emperor had soon been infatuated by her beauty, leading him to agree to many compromises regarding the treatment of Prussia.
He later mentioned, "She was very charming and extremely flirtatious with me, but the price I paid was too high." He had even admitted he "almost gave in" on core conditions like leaving Magdeburg to Prussia.
Joseph had not expected Louise to use those same tactics on Charles.
It was easy to imagine that if even a seasoned veteran like Napoleon could not withstand her methods, the young Charles was surely "walking into the lion's den."
Fortunately, that Prussian noble was a blabbermouth; otherwise, there was no telling how long Charles would have been manipulated by that woman.
Lavalette stopped as well and added, "Your Highness, according to information we obtained from her private physician, she does not seem to have any... specific diseases."
Joseph nodded and looked at the Director. "Then, what does she want from Charles?"
"We can only infer a portion of it, Your Highness," Lavalette said. "First, Prince Charles once asked Monsieur Gaudin if there was any possibility of turning Prussia's war reparations into loans. He lied, claiming he had purchased Prussian railway bonds and that delaying the reparations would significantly increase his returns."
Joseph exhaled. "How did the Ministry of Finance handle it?"
"Monsieur Gaudin humored the Prince but made no actual adjustments."
"Good. What else?"
Lavalette took out a notebook and read, "We also noticed that not long ago, Prince Charles's shares in the Alphonse-Boutin Ironworks were transferred to a man named Maréchal."
Joseph frowned. "The Alphonse-Boutin Ironworks?"
"It is a company based in Saint-Étienne. They have purchased nearly one-third of the coal mines in places like Nassau and Westphalia."
"Continue."
"That Maréchal owns a coking plant in Cologne. Using the shares he holds in the Alphonse-Boutin Company, he has been purchasing large quantities of low-cost coal. However, our agents discovered that the output of this coking plant does not exceed ten tons per month. Most of the coal he buys is actually being shipped to Stendal."
Stendal was a city in western Prussia.
"The Prussian government also recently issued several targeted procurement plans funded by their royal family, mainly for purchasing steel products like iron rails. Among them, several iron smelteries that benefited significantly—for instance, the Krupp Cast Iron Foundry—have more than doubled their production capacity in less than four months because of this plan."
A cold smile flashed in Joseph's eyes.
It seemed Prussia was unwilling to work down-to-earth by just growing sugar beets; they were still thinking about taking a gamble on the military front.
He was all too familiar with the name Krupp. It would eventually become Germany's largest arms manufacturer, producing countless of the world's most advanced cannons at the time.
Clearly, since modern-day Prussia had failed to secure the coal and iron mines of the Ruhr Area, they had to obtain large quantities of coal from elsewhere if they wanted to develop a steel industry.
And Charles was the "supplier" Queen Louise had chosen.
Lavalette asked cautiously, "Your Highness, do you think we should bring Prince Charles back to the country?"
Joseph instinctively wanted to nod, but he suddenly paused.
He remembered that this was the first time his brother had truly fallen for a woman. If he were forced back, it would surely trigger his rebellious streak—Charles was currently at the peak of his "rebellious phase."
Even if Joseph could explain the logic to him, it would inevitably leave a psychological scar, perhaps even resulting in a "forbidden fruit" obsession.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "We must make Charles return of his own accord."
"You are to coordinate with Governor Trudaine and have him go to Cologne—"
Baron Trudaine was the newly appointed Governor of Essen, the French enclave on the northwest side of Prussia.
Lavalette noted this down carefully, sounding somewhat surprised. "Your Highness, do you mean to ignore the matter of the Alphonse-Boutin Company selling coal to Maréchal?"
In the tasks the Prince Regent had just assigned him, he was to repeatedly utilize the Alphonse-Boutin Company. Previously, Lavalette had assumed His Highness would likely confiscate the shares held by the Prussians.
Joseph smiled. "Of course. Not only will we not interfere, but I will also vigorously support that fellow named Maréchal. And, I will help Queen Louise realize her dream."
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