Chapter 234: The Crown Prince's First Regency
A court official hurried in, knocking on the door before bowing to Joseph and Mirabeau. "Your Highness, Count, Her Majesty the Queen requests your immediate presence in the East Wing meeting hall."
"Has something happened?" Mirabeau had a bad feeling.
"It seems there are riots in multiple locations..."
When Joseph and Mirabeau arrived at the meeting hall, they found the Queen and several ministers already seated around the conference table. Even Louis XVI, rarely seen in such gatherings, was present, all looking solemn.
Before they could bow, the Queen gestured for them to sit, then turned to Brienne. "Archbishop, please begin."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Brienne turned, his face grim. "As you all know, the riots in the southern provinces due to food shortages have become extremely serious.
"From Paris south to Moulins, riots have erupted almost everywhere. The scale of the unrest in places like Montpellier, Foix, and Brittany has reached tens of thousands of people."
Had Sorel not "broken into" the Bastille, startling the Duke of Orleans into acting prematurely, the northwestern provinces would not have been spared either.
Brienne paused, then continued, "Previously, General Nemouet submitted a report on behalf of the army, stating that the riots occurred too suddenly, and it would take at least two months for forces in various regions to mobilize and begin suppressing them."
"They are deliberately delaying!" Baron Breti immediately exclaimed, enraged. "When I served, we could be combat-ready in a week at most!"
"It seems very likely that you are correct," Brienne nodded, producing a document. "Just now, the Duke of Mouchy presented a proposal to Her Majesty the Queen. It primarily includes the following demands:
"Abolish the Royal Supreme Court and restore the tradition of the Assembly of Notables electing the Chief Justice.
"Repeal the decrees requiring nobles to pay land tax and other levies.
"Repeal the Mill Rights Act and dismantle the mills built by various parishes..."
The Queen's clasped hands were so tight that her knuckles had lost all color. She couldn't help but denounce, "They are completely extorting us by exploiting the riots! Extorting His Majesty and all of France!"
Joseph took the document from Brienne and saw that it also included: Abolish the Press and Publication Bureau, with the High Court responsible for news censorship.
Integrate the Berthier Legion into General Maret's command, and merge the Moulins Legion with the Montcalm Legion.
From now on, the Royal Family must obtain the War Minister's signed consent to deploy the army; otherwise, the army has the right to refuse orders...
There were six or seven more clauses, all amounting to outrageous demands, shamelessly attempting to strip the Royal Family of its power. If all were accepted, Joseph's year of reform efforts would be completely undone, and the nobility would once again hold sway over the Crown.
Brienne waited for the Queen to vent her anger before continuing, "Over twenty generals have signed in support of the Duke of Mouchy's proposal.
"The Duke of Mouchy says that if His Majesty can meet these demands, the military's efficiency will greatly improve."
After a long while, Queen Mary looked at everyone wearily. "Do any of you have suggestions?"
Census Minister Nicolet cautiously offered, "Your Majesty, riots in many areas have already persisted for nearly ten days, and even Lyon and Trévoux have begun to experience unrest."
These two places were already in north-central France, very close to strategic locations like Moulins and Lyon.
Nicolet continued, "This will cause very severe damage to the nation, and the riots could eventually escalate into... rebellion.
"Many of the Duke of Mouchy's proposals merely restore previous customs. Your Majesty might consider accepting some of them to end the turmoil in the south as quickly as possible."
Joseph frowned slightly, not even considering the Duke of Mouchy's demands. He silently calculated the forces he could mobilize.
If all the police academy students were integrated, two cohorts would total around 6,500 people. Adding the Berthier Legion and the Moulins Legion, that would be 14,000.
The Paris Legion's 3,000 men could also be included. In the most extreme scenario, he could even mobilize the Paris Police, adding another 3,000—given the training and morale of the Paris Police, they would be at least above average compared to the old French army.
The security of Paris could be temporarily handled by the King's Swiss mercenary regiment. After the police reforms, gang members in Paris had almost been eradicated by repeated police crackdowns, so the public security pressure was truly low.
This meant he could raise an army of 20,000, and it would be a force with considerable equipment and combat power.
The Duke of Orleans had previously conducted a very thorough intelligence investigation of the Royal Family, concluding that the maximum force the Crown could mobilize was 13,000 men.
But he never imagined that Joseph's strongest combat power was "hidden" in the police academy.
This was also due to his preconceived notion, a habitual way of thinking that police were just thugs working for the government, and even with some training at a police academy, they wouldn't have much combat effectiveness.
However, from recruitment to training to equipment, the Paris Police Academy already far surpassed most regular military academies. Not to mention, Joseph had incorporated advanced systems into this force; the combat power of the police academy students against ordinary French soldiers could at least achieve a two-to-one advantage.
Joseph's finger gently tapped the armrest of his chair, but he shook his head inwardly—currently, the western and southern provinces of France were rife with riots, and these 20,000 men simply wouldn't be enough to handle it all.
Moreover, unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to conscript the Paris Police, as it would somewhat impact the stability of Paris. So, under normal circumstances, he only had 17,000 men.
At the same time, he also had to guard against those military nobles stabbing him in the back.
It was unlikely these fellows would openly rebel, but they could easily disguise themselves as rioters and ambush his troops.
In this scenario, he couldn't disperse his army to suppress riots everywhere—small detachments would be too vulnerable to ambushes.
In the meeting hall, the cabinet ministers had clearly reached a consensus to some extent on accepting the blackmail from the military and the Assembly of Notables—they simply couldn't think of any other solutions.
Queen Mary and Louis XVI listened to the ministers' discussion with gloomy expressions, seemingly acquiescing to this outcome.
"The cancellation of the land tax and the abolition of the Press and Publication Bureau are absolutely unacceptable!" Mirabeau declared loudly.
"I believe everything else can be negotiated, but the Royal Supreme Court must be preserved," Brienne said, still bitter about the previous tax reform and keenly aware of the importance of controlling the High Court.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Vergennes, an ally of the Duke of Orleans, was vehemently advocating for accepting all demands to "allow the army to suppress the riots quickly."
It wasn't until three in the afternoon, with everyone starving, that they failed to reach an agreement. They had no choice but to adjourn for lunch.
While waiting for the chef to serve the meal, Brienne leaned closer to Joseph and whispered, "Your Highness, I've already allocated funds to purchase grain from Spain and Sardinia. If we can hold out for a month, this grain will alleviate the situation in seven or eight provinces..."
'It's still far from enough,' Joseph shook his head slightly, but suddenly grasped something from Brienne's words.
'I was stuck in a fixed mindset, only contemplating how to deploy troops to quell the riots, forgetting that the root cause was grain!'
The rioting provinces weren't without grain; their reserve grain had been diverted.
'If I could produce a batch of grain now, not too much, just enough to feed each province for half a month, or even ten days, to stabilize the starving populace. Once order is restored and the reserve grain is transported back to its original locations, the chaos would resolve itself.'
He fell into deep thought. 'Enough grain to feed all the western and southern provinces of France for half a month, and it needs to be quickly distributed to the victims...'
'This can only be achieved with God's help!'
Joseph was startled by this thought. 'God's help?'
'That's right!'
'How could I forget, I really can ask God for help!'
'Doesn't France have a group of God's "representatives" who own their own farmland and property, and are most keen on hoarding grain?'
'That's the Catholic Church!'
After the Great Revolution, the National Convention confiscated church assets, and the amount of grain in their cellars astonished the deputies, and once relieved the winter famine of spring 1792.
Due to the Church's transcendent nature in this era, no one would ever consider targeting its assets. Of course, apart from the archbishops, few knew how much grain the Church hoarded.
But Joseph, as a man from a later time, not only knew how much grain the 'hamster-like' Church had stockpiled, but also had no psychological burden about "shearing the Church's wool."
Once his mind was open, Joseph felt as if the day had dawned.
Church assets were located throughout France, meaning grain cellars were everywhere. The victims barely had to travel far to receive relief grain.
And the Church's grain reserves were definitely enough to feed the southern provinces for half a month—no, even one or two months. Because the "shortage" of grain merely meant there wasn't enough for everyone, leading to soaring prices. Just enough grain to plug the deficit would suffice.
He then thought of many other things. The great chaos orchestrated by the Duke of Orleans and the military might also be a good opportunity.
If handled properly, it could even solve the intractable problem of the military nobility once and for all!
Joseph carefully pondered, and soon a complete plan formed in his mind.
After lunch, the cabinet ministers resumed their heated debate on how to compromise.
It was at this moment that Joseph suddenly stood up, motioning for silence, and then bowed to the Queen and Louis XVI. "Your Majesties, I believe we should not make the slightest concession to those who dare to threaten you and threaten France!"
A flicker of light immediately returned to Queen Mary's previously disheartened eyes. She knew that without a sufficient army, the current crisis could not be resolved, but she was deeply gratified that her son possessed such courage.
Joseph continued, "Please grant me full authority to handle this matter. I am confident I can end the riots in the provinces."
Queen Mary smiled and shook her head. "Joseph, my dear, I know you wish to contribute to France, but this time..."
Joseph, however, looked towards Archbishop Brienne.
The latter caught his gaze and immediately stood up. "Your Majesty, I believe His Highness the Crown Prince is the only one who can resolve the current predicament."
He chose his words carefully. "In fact, he possesses extraordinary abilities that you might find difficult to imagine."
As Joseph's gaze swept over the other cabinet ministers, Mirabeau and Baron Breti also rose. "Your Majesty, I too believe you can place your absolute trust in His Highness the Crown Prince."
"I share the same view."
The Minister of the Navy looked back and forth, then also stood up to express support.
In the meeting hall, everyone except the Foreign Minister and three absentees chose to side with Joseph.
Queen Mary hadn't expected her son to have such influence. Before she could fully recover, she heard Louis XVI speak beside her, "Perhaps we can let Joseph try."
He then mumbled in a very low voice, "He even managed to design a percussion cap musket."
Queen Mary was still hesitating when she suddenly remembered the astonishing methods her son had employed in North Africa. Perhaps he truly had a way to deal with this crisis... She finally nodded slowly, looking at Joseph. "Then, the Crown Prince will be responsible for handling the riots in the provinces.
"During this period, he may issue edicts on behalf of myself and His Majesty the King.
"I ask you all to cooperate with him to the best of your abilities."
"Thank you for your trust."
Joseph bowed to Louis XVI and the Queen, then unhesitatingly pointed at Vergennes. "Effective immediately, you are relieved of your duties."
Vergennes nearly fell out of his chair. 'How did a discussion about riots suddenly turn to me?'
"Your Highness, you have no right to do that!"
"No, I do," Joseph said calmly. "You would severely impede the process of quelling the riots. Therefore, you must leave the cabinet."
"You are slandering me!"
Joseph turned to Queen Mary. "Your Majesty, I am certain this is absolutely necessary. After the matter is resolved, I will provide you with a satisfactory explanation."
Vergennes and the Duke of Orleans were too deeply entangled, and the Duke of Orleans was one of the masterminds behind this incident, so this internal mole absolutely could not be kept.
Queen Mary looked troubled. After a moment, seeing that no one objected, she looked at Vergennes and said, "Count Vergennes, please take a temporary leave of absence. If it is later proven that you are innocent, I will reinstate you."
Vergennes froze for a few seconds, gave a casual nod to the Queen, and angrily turned to leave.
'Finally, I've gotten rid of this fellow who always caused trouble for me!'
Joseph felt a surge of exhilaration. The taste of power truly was addictive!
Subsequently, he instructed Brienne to continue issuing orders to the armies in various regions in the King's name, commanding them to immediately disperse the rioters and maintain order.
This order explicitly stated that small garrisons were allowed to act autonomously without reporting to their superiors when suppressing riots. An edict was attached, stipulating that civilian officers who distinguished themselves in suppressing riots could be promoted to Lieutenant and above.
Whether anyone would execute the order was up to the army, but he had to try.
As for matters like purchasing grain and carrying out propaganda to stabilize public morale, Joseph gave only brief instructions, then declared the cabinet meeting adjourned.
The most important work was yet to come.
Half an hour later.
A "Jewel" type carriage headed towards Paris. Inside the carriage, Joseph looked at Talleyrand, who sat opposite him, and smiled. "Archbishop, the position of Foreign Minister is now vacant. Are you perhaps interested?"
A flash of surprise crossed the lame man's face. He quickly put a hand to his chest and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your trust. I will not disappoint you."
Joseph nodded. "Before that, I need a small favor from you."
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