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Chapter 287: The True Core of the French Cabinet

The East Wing of Versailles, the conference hall.

Queen Mary, seated at the head of the conference table, was clearly in high spirits. The cultural performances over the past few days had relaxed her greatly, but the most significant reason was the report the Foreign Minister had sent yesterday: the British government had agreed to arrest Jeanne and extradite her to France.

Finally, she wouldn't have to hear any more disgusting news about that fraudster writing about the French royal family.

The cabinet meeting hadn't officially begun, so she first turned to the Crown Prince. "Joseph, have you heard about the situation in Spain?"

Joseph quickly adopted a solemn expression. "May His late Majesty rest in eternal peace in heaven."

Indeed, King Charles III of Spain had passed away recently.

Queen Mary crossed herself and sighed, "May God have mercy on him.

"By the way, you should make a trip to Madrid soon. On behalf of your father and me, congratulate His Majesty Carlos IV on his coronation."

Carlos IV was the Crown Prince who had been cuckolded by his wife. Joseph had once helped him deal with the adulterer, so they had quite a history. Moreover, the Spanish and French royal families both belonged to the Bourbon line, so it was only proper, both personally and politically, to formally congratulate the new king on his ascension.

In fact, he had already been planning a trip to Spain. Not just Spain, but he intended to visit all the major European powers.

As French industry rapidly developed, he needed to lay the groundwork in advance, signing trade agreements with various nations to pave the way for the sale of French industrial goods.

Immediately after, Queen Mary gestured to Archbishop Brienne. "Please begin."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Archbishop bowed slightly, then looked towards the cabinet ministers gathered around the conference table. "As Her Majesty the Queen just mentioned, with the coronation of His Majesty Carlos IV, we must prepare a diplomatic mission to accompany His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on his visit to Spain.

"At the same time, some of our policies concerning Spain will need to be adjusted in advance..."

The French and Spanish royal families were closely related, and the two nations' interests were largely aligned, forming a quasi-alliance. Most policies would continue to follow those established during the reign of Charles III, so this topic concluded swiftly.

Archbishop Brienne then continued, "Next, we must discuss the situation regarding the Ottoman Empire.

"I trust you are all aware that Hamid I passed away earlier this month. He had previously designated his nephew, Salem III, as the new Ottoman Sultan.

"During Salem III's ascension to the throne, the Ottoman Empire is likely to experience a period of instability."

"We can seize this opportunity," the Duke of Broglie, Minister of War, immediately interjected. "We can find the descendants of Ali I of Tripoli and send troops to support him in retaking Tripoli."

Ali I was the Pasha of the Karamanli dynasty who had recently been overthrown in a coup by the Ottoman officer Benjiur.

Several cabinet ministers nodded in agreement at his words.

Tunisia, in a sense, had been seized from the Ottomans. Now, with Tripoli under Ottoman control, it remained a serious threat to Tunisia.

To counter this, France had to maintain a large military presence in Tunisia. Rather than continuing to drain resources this way, it would be better to take advantage of the Ottoman's internal instability and resolve this problem directly.

Joseph, however, immediately voiced his opposition. "That might not be the best strategy."

Queen Mary was about to ask her son for his reasoning when she noticed that the ministers who had just enthusiastically supported sending troops had all fallen silent, as if the matter had never even been brought up.

She looked at Joseph, surprised. "Ahem, could you explain why?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Joseph replied. "The British are behind Tripoli; they would certainly relish seeing us bogged down in a quagmire of conflict there. And if the Ottomans could reinforce their forces with the help of the British Navy, we would find it very difficult to stop them. This could easily turn into a prolonged war.

"Most importantly, even if we drive out the Ottomans, we cannot occupy Tripoli ourselves. You know, other European nations would become wary of our presence in the Mediterranean."

Queen Mary frowned. "But if we miss this opportunity, the Ottomans might establish a firm foothold in Tripoli."

"Rest assured, I've already made arrangements for this. The Ottomans are even further from Tripoli than we are; without British support, they'll soon withdraw from there."

Joseph looked at the Duke of Broglie. "Maintaining the legion in Tunisia for a short time will be far less costly than launching a full-scale war."

"Yes, that's correct, Your Highness."

Queen Mary still hesitated. "What arrangements are you referring to?"

Joseph offered a slight smile. "I will submit a report to you shortly."

With the Ottoman matter temporarily set aside, Archbishop Brienne then presented the Minister of Industry, Mirabeau's, proposal to abolish tariffs between the different regions of France, as well as a proposal to reform the tax farmer system.

Naturally, both proposals had been made at Joseph's behest to Mirabeau.

With the French Reserve Bank now holding tens of millions of livres acquired from the Duke of Orleans, it had the backing to implement these reforms.

And the Capitalist Nobility, represented by Mirabeau, naturally welcomed this with open arms.

Abolishing tariffs between regions would allow goods to circulate more smoothly, effectively expanding the market.

Among the three essential elements for industrial development—capital, technology, and markets—the market was the most crucial. One could even say that a market could stimulate the creation of the other two.

As for the tax farmer system, it was a chronic problem plaguing French finances, devouring a significant portion of tax revenue each year.

However, when Brienne presented these two reform proposals, opposition from the other ministers outweighed support, with only Mirabeau and Bailly in favor.

Joseph wasn't surprised by this; after all, these were far-reaching reforms.

Local taxes not only affected the finances of provincial governments but also the development of local handicraft industries. Previously, weaker local industries could rely on tariffs for protection. But with tariffs abolished, they would face nationwide competition. Most workshops with lower productivity levels would likely go bankrupt, triggering a wave of unemployment.

The issues surrounding tax farmers were even greater. The government's tax collection departments were ineffective and rife with corruption. If tax collection were handed directly to them, the French government would likely face bankruptcy next year, as the collected revenue could potentially be halved.

Thus, Joseph had Mirabeau present these matters merely to gauge public opinion and prepare the ground, allowing all sectors of society to become aware of the proposals and make advance preparations.

As expected, after more than an hour of debate, Queen Mary reluctantly announced the temporary shelving of both proposals.

Archbishop Brienne also sighed in relief, then moved on to the final item. "Recently, a serious rebellion has erupted in the Southern Netherlands. Rebels have surrounded the Governor's Palace and driven Austrian officials out of Brabant.

"Currently, Vienna has yet to respond, but we should make some preparations in advance for this."

He had placed this matter last because he considered it insignificant; riots were a common occurrence in Europe these days, and France itself had experienced one not long ago.