Chapter 196: Fouché's Scheme
The Police Intelligence Bureau's intelligence team specialized in gathering and processing information, then formulating action plans to be handed over to the action team for execution.
This highly specialized and detailed division of labor was unprecedented in the intelligence departments of any country in the 18th century.
Three hours later, the intelligence team presented two proposals. After listening to their briefing, Fouché quickly selected the second plan and ordered its immediate execution.
Members of the Police Intelligence Bureau's action team sprang into motion.
Several agents hurried to Paris to make preparations. Thanks to the swift rail transport, they returned to Versailles before dark.
At 7 PM, three action team members, disguised as musicians, received several "tools" from them and headed directly to Madame Galan's music hall on the second floor of the West Wing. They carried genuinely authentic documents, encountering no obstacles along the way.
In the Marble Courtyard, splendid fireworks soared into the sky, accompanied by a symphony of music.
Amidst the crowd, a radiant Madame Galan bowed slightly. Queen Mary smiled as she placed the feathered headdress, symbolizing victory, onto Madame Galan's hair.
Just half an hour earlier, with a piece from her junior brother Mozart's recently composed "The Magic Flute", she had effortlessly secured first place in the singing and dancing competition.
At the same time, the three "musicians" pried open the door to Madame Galan's music hall, slipped inside, closed the door, and quickly made their way to the spacious balcony.
They first carefully observed the situation downstairs. By now, it was dark, and most people were gathered in the Marble Courtyard, with no one paying attention to this area. The three immediately worked together to remove three sturdy wooden railings from the balcony, then took out identical wooden slats from their instrument cases and replaced them...
Tonight, as the champion of the singing and dancing competition, Madame Galan was scheduled to perform at the King's birthday ball, so her music salon was suspended for the day.
The spacious and luxurious Hall of Mirrors was brightly lit, and Louis XVI's birthday party officially began!
Royalty and dignitaries from various countries gathered, respectfully gazing at the French King and Queen as they danced the opening waltz in the center of the hall.
When the music ended, Louis XVI, flushed, nodded to the guests, then quickly retreated to the platform on the second floor of the hall, looking utterly exhausted.
The Grand Master of the Household delivered another lengthy birthday address. Next, Madame Galan sang a classical piece, "King Louis", dedicated to Louis XVI:
"King Louis, my sovereign, summons his troops,
"Princes and riders, all arrive.
"King Louis, my sovereign, his command rings clear,
"Who will follow me to distant wars?
"The devout shall rise and take up the task..."
Below the stage, Joseph silently glanced at the financial statement Eman had just acquired from the Royal Household.
As he had expected, the singing and dancing competition had lost several thousand livres due to Madame Galan's "bug" in the betting pool. Fortunately, the fencing competition saw an upset, with Baron Veaumorel, the second captain of the Queen's Guard, defeating two favorites to claim the championship, which generated over a hundred thousand livres in betting profits.
Combined with the over a hundred thousand in income from the "welfare lottery", they barely managed to cover the 260,000 livres cost of this birthday celebration.
As the ball continued, various people offered music and dance performances, and even Godoy joined several court musicians on stage to play a piece.
Fortunately, the ladies of Versailles were gradually learning that the Crown Prince disliked dancing, and with rumors of the Queen's personally chosen 'Crown Princess' fiercely protective of Joseph, no one bothered him.
Joseph, meanwhile, located his diplomatic target for the evening amidst the crowd: a man in his forties, appearing quite astute and capable—Joachim Rendorp van Kemperen, President of the Dutch Parliament and a core leader of the Patriot Party.
Of course, he also held another identity today: a special envoy from Stadtholder William V of the Netherlands. This was not an appointment by William V himself; rather, the Dutch Parliament, fearing the Stadtholder might compromise with the French, had designated Kemperen as a special envoy to celebrate the French King's birthday.
The Dutch President was quite courteous to the French Crown Prince. After all, France had always been the financial backer of the Dutch Patriot Party, and without the help of "French volunteers" late last year, the Prussian army might have already marched into Rotterdam.
However, due to the Netherlands' crushing defeat in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War five years prior, they had been forced to sign an alliance-type treaty with Britain. Although the Patriot Party generally opposed Britain, they were hesitant to defy them too much or align too closely with France.
"Ah! You truly are graceful and brilliant today, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Kemperen bowed respectfully, offering effusive praise.
Joseph picked up two glasses of wine from a servant's tray, handed one to him, and smiled, gesturing towards an unoccupied corner:
"I have long wished to meet you, esteemed Mr. President. Would you mind a brief chat with me?"
"Certainly, Your Highness, it would be my honor."
Having moved to a quieter spot, Joseph first raised his glass and indicated:
"Mr. President, I must first congratulate our two nations on the achievements in combating the Barbary Pirates."
Kemperen quickly nodded in agreement:
"May the Mediterranean Sea shipping lanes become even more unobstructed."
In reality, the Netherlands had only been reluctantly drawn in by France, contributing a small frigate and some funds.
After a few more pleasantries, Joseph asked:
"The two most important companies in your country, the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company, seem to be in a rather unfavorable business situation, wouldn't you agree?"
Kemperen frowned, then had no choice but to nod:
"Your Highness, that is indeed the case. Wars have been frequent in recent years, and the financial strength of the various provinces of the Netherlands has greatly declined, leading to a reduced demand for overseas goods. Both trading companies frequently incur losses as a result."
"Then, may I ask if your Parliament has any plans to improve the companies' situation?"
Kemperen replied with a wry face:
"Your Highness, that would be quite difficult... after all, the trade volume is what it is."
Joseph stated bluntly:
"The most fundamental reason is that the British have monopolized a large number of trade routes and are constantly attacking your colonies."
"That... there are indeed factors contributing to that."
Joseph sighed dramatically:
"What a glorious era it was when the Sea Coachman traversed the world's oceans!"
"..." Kemperen could only lower his head and remain silent.
Joseph observed his expression and chuckled:
"Mr. President, perhaps we can join forces."
"Join forces?" Kemperen immediately thought of something and shook his head, "Your Highness, I regret to say that the Netherlands likely does not possess the strength to confront Britain."
He dared not tie the Netherlands to either side of the Anglo-French rivalry—God knew he couldn't afford to offend either of these great powers!
"No, you've likely misunderstood. I'm referring to a joint effort in trade, purely trade."
"Are you suggesting something related to the two trading companies?"
Joseph nodded and smiled:
"Exactly. In fact, the French East India Company is also facing difficulties. I propose that we merge the shares of our three trading companies, expand our scope of operations, and perhaps we can recapture our former glory."
Joseph was well aware of the Dutch people's immense potential in naval development. In the first three Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Dutch fleet had fought impressively, causing enormous trouble for Britain.
However, due to the Netherlands' weakening national power and crumbling ambition, they had lost their aspiration to dominate the seas.
The Dutch were actually very gifted in business. If they could seize development opportunities, they might truly regain the glory of being the former Sea Coachman.
Most importantly, even if the Dutch truly became a maritime overlord, the most severely affected party would undoubtedly be Britain. As for France, in the worst-case scenario, it could use its army to threaten the nearby Netherlands, preventing it from excessively harming French maritime interests.
Archbishop Richelieu, France's foremost statesman of his time, once said that for France to achieve hegemony, it must support a strong Netherlands to counter Britain.
Unfortunately, Louis XIV was shortsighted and didn't heed his advice, invading the Netherlands for trivial gains, leading to the gradual decline of one of Britain's strongest rivals.
And Joseph's current goal was to try his best to help the Netherlands rise again, even giving them a significant push.
For example, using the struggling French East India Company as bait, bind French and Dutch interests, and help the Netherlands expand its trade scope and restore national strength.
As a maritime nation that thrived on the sea, the Netherlands, if it gained some power, would inevitably build a strong fleet.
And due to competitive nature of long-distance trade, the Dutch fleet was naturally an enemy of the British Navy.
A flicker of light seemed to pass through Kemperen's eyes, but then he immediately frowned and said:
"Your Highness, if I may speak frankly, given the current trade situations of France and the Netherlands, even if we unite, the profits would be very limited. After all, the most lucrative overseas colonies are occupied by Britain, and the rest are in Spain's hands."
Joseph smiled faintly:
"You can rest assured on that point. France will offer trade concessions for some resource-rich colonies as equity in the new trading company."
At present, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea had not yet been discovered by European countries. The former was a super-massive wool producing area—in this era dominated by textile industries, wool was almost a strategic resource; the latter possessed abundant mineral resources, which could also bring immense profits.
To say nothing else, these two places alone would be enough to sustain the joint Franco-Dutch "East India Company."
Furthermore, Britain had only just landed on the eastern coast of Australia, and the Netherlands and France could completely develop simultaneously in Northern Australia.
Coupled with Dutch trade in Japan and places like Guyana, if managed properly, it would bring enormous profits to both countries.
Of course, these interests would also face covetousness from the British. However, by then, it would be a matter of cutting off the Dutch's financial lifeline. The Netherlands would absolutely have to fight Britain to the death.
Kemperen was astonished:
"Which colonies are you referring to?"
After the Seven Years' War, France had only a handful of overseas colonies left. Could they still be used for equity?
"That, I can only tell you after the joint trading company between our two nations is established," Joseph said. "But I guarantee that the output from these places will be absolutely abundant, even exceeding the Netherlands' current income from the Far East.
"And I must remind you, if the Patriot Party cannot provide the Dutch people with the life they desire, people may very well start to remember their Stadtholder fondly again."
Seeing Kemperen still hesitate, he threw out a huge lure:
"If our two nations have extensive trade cooperation, then our side can promise to sign a non-aggression treaty with the Netherlands."
Kemperen's eyes lit up completely.
It was important to remember that Britain at sea and France on land had always been the two greatest threats to the Netherlands.
France's aggression against the Netherlands during the era of Louis XIV was a persistent nightmare for the Dutch, and this was a significant factor why the Netherlands had always been reluctant to fully align with France.
If France could promise to guarantee Dutch security, it would be a huge strategic boon for the Netherlands.
He finally nodded vigorously:
"I will convey your kind intentions to the Dutch Parliament and the two companies, and do my utmost to facilitate this."
After all, both the East and West India Companies were independent stock companies, and the Dutch Parliament had no direct control over them, only the ability to make recommendations.
Joseph smiled and nodded, then looked towards the crowd at the ball:
"Perhaps, we could also include Austria in our cooperation. You know how substantial the profits of their Ostend Company once were, only to be dissolved under British pressure. They, too, must be eager to rebuild their own East India Company."
The Ostend Company he referred to was Austria's overseas trading company in the Southern Netherlands. Although it only existed for ten years, it was Austria's sole realization of its overseas trade dream.
Most importantly, they were all victims of Britain.
Kemperen was startled for two seconds by this bold idea before responding:
"Your Highness, with all due respect, according to the agreement between Britain and Austria back then, the Ostend Company cannot be re-established."
Joseph shrugged and chuckled:
"What Ostend Company? If the Archduke of Austria invests some money as equity in the joint Franco-Dutch trading company and grants it some exclusive operating rights, that wouldn't violate the agreement, would it?"
Kemperen immediately laughed along. The French Crown Prince's thinking was simply too flexible; a joint Dutch-French-Austrian trading company was bound to have great potential in the future!
Joseph, however, felt a touch of regret, because Archduke Joseph II of Austria, his own uncle, was unable to attend this birthday celebration due to health reasons. The special envoy he sent was merely a formality and held no real power. Otherwise, besides the joint trading company, Joseph had matters concerning Silesia, and even the unification of Germany, that he wanted to discuss thoroughly with his uncle.
The celebration lasted an entire night. After the charity auction for disaster relief, the sky gradually brightened, and the revelers slowly dispersed...
According to the original plan, all birthday gifts given to Louis XVI, both domestic and foreign, were put up for auction, and all proceeds were used for disaster relief.
At the auction, many nobles additionally donated jewelry or expensive clothing for auction.
Ultimately, a staggering sum of over two million livres was raised, and it was announced to all citizens of Paris how much grain this money would buy and where it would be transported.
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