Chapter 379: Expectation Management
Joseph slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "Exactly! We must immediately present a land redemption plan!"
Brienne hastily began, "Your Highness, but the plan..."
Joseph completely disregarded him, turning to Queen Mary instead. "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will deliver a suitable redemption plan within ten days. The situation will calm down in a month at most!"
Queen Mary was startled by his words. She had urgently convened the cabinet ministers to discuss countermeasures for the riots, yet the Crown Prince seemed to take it so lightly?
"But the land redemption plan has been in the works for nearly half a year and still hasn't satisfied all parties," Queen Mary said, looking at her son incredulously. "Are you really confident?"
Joseph thought to himself, 'Originally, no, but with the Southern Netherlanders stirring up such a ruckus, I'm actually eighty or ninety percent confident now.'
However, on the surface, he confidently declared, "Yes, Your Majesty, I suddenly conceived a very suitable plan while in Luxembourg."
Queen Mary surveyed the other cabinet ministers and saw that not a single one raised an objection. Archbishop Brienne, Baron Breteuil, and the others had initially intended to speak, but after Joseph gave them a look, they immediately lowered their heads and fell silent.
"So, it's decided then?" Queen Mary looked at everyone again. "The Crown Prince will be responsible for drafting the land redemption plan, and everyone should cooperate with him as much as possible. Meeting adjourned."
As Joseph emerged from the meeting hall, Archbishop Brienne, Vergniaud, and Archbishop Talleyrand immediately followed him, all looking worried.
The three exchanged glances, and Brienne was the first to speak. "Your Highness, you know that the land redemption plan simply cannot satisfy everyone. The revisions you requested last week are only one-third complete..."
Minister of Agriculture Vergniaud also quickened his pace, leaning closer to whisper, "Your Highness, I believe that if the Southern Netherlanders are involved in this, they are likely waiting for us to announce the plan. Then they can seize the opportunity to incite dissatisfied individuals and cause even greater unrest."
Talleyrand immediately interjected, "Your Highness, perhaps we should mobilize troops and send them to the northwestern provinces. That is the quickest way to quell the unrest."
Joseph glanced at him and shook his head internally. 'Mobilizing troops would play right into Van der Noot's hands. France's remaining domestic military strength is limited; if the situation escalates, they would have no choice but to recall overseas troops to maintain order.'
By the time they reached Joseph's private chambers, he gestured for them to sit and smiled faintly. "Please believe me, I do have some redemption plans that can take effect quickly."
"Quickly take effect?" Brienne lowered his head in thought. "Are you suggesting significantly lowering redemption fees, appeasing the rioting peasants, and calming the situation?"
"No, quite the opposite," Joseph declared loudly. "Please spread the word in the northwestern provinces that the government intends to set the redemption period at fifty years."
"What?!"
Joseph, ignoring their astonished expressions, added, "The redemption must also include fifty years of various rents and taxes on the land, and it must be paid in a single lump sum."
Brienne and the others' faces darkened at his words.
Rumors of having to pay thirty years of redemption fees had already sparked riots, and now the Crown Prince had just increased it to fifty!
Is he trying to provoke the peasants into storming Versailles?
Talleyrand was the first to react. "Your Highness, are you trying to secure the interests of the nobility, so they will help calm the situation?
"By the way, I've heard that many young nobles have recently gone spontaneously to Lille and Reims, preparing to teach those rioters a lesson. Your Highness's plan will surely encourage even more people to participate!"
Brienne shook his head anxiously. "Your Highness, this will only make the situation more chaotic..."
Joseph simply looked calmly at the Minister of Agriculture. "I have already decided. Please announce it as such."
"This... Yes, Your Highness."
As Vergniaud stood and left, Joseph then turned to Talleyrand. "Please use your diplomatic talents to spread the word in Versailles that the fifty-year plan is merely Vergniaud's wishful thinking, and the cabinet has decided that, in order to quell the riots quickly, the redemption period will be limited to two years, with no need to redeem any rents or taxes."
Talleyrand's eyes widened instantly. "Your Highness, the nobles will surely go mad..."
"I want them all to go mad," Joseph said, smiling and nodding. "This is called 'Expectation Management.'
"Only by first drastically lowering everyone's expectations, and then giving them a slightly better plan, will they be likely to accept it."
Brienne and Talleyrand were stunned for a moment. It was indeed as the Crown Prince had said: when both nobles and commoners were despairing over the "vicious" redemption plan, if the government offered a compromise plan of ten to fifteen years, both sides might breathe a sigh of relief and agree.
Brienne then thought of another problem and frowned, looking at Joseph. "Your Highness, but before that, the nation will likely experience immense chaos... I mean, both plans you're proposing are too harsh and will inevitably provoke their fury."
Joseph nodded. "You are quite right. Therefore, this is the time to bring in our friends—the Southern Netherlanders."
"Ah?"
...
Reims.
Saint-Just waved vigorously to the peasants carrying flintlock muskets behind him and roared angrily, "Fifty years! Those vampires only want to drain us completely!
"Only by wresting power from their hands do we have a chance to survive!"
Among the crowd behind him, Liberals immediately began shouting along, "Let the Estates-General decide how to redeem!"
"We will never accept a fifty-year redemption policy!"
"Drive out those greedy officials, reconvene the Estates-General!"
"A Constitution! We need a Constitution without the King's involvement!"
Days earlier, the riots they incited had been dispersed by Reims police. They had thought they would need to plan for some time before launching a new wave of unrest, but unexpectedly, the French government had suddenly "helped them greatly."
That terrible policy of "fifty years, including rents and taxes, also to be redeemed" immediately aroused the peasants' fury. They merely issued a casual call, and peasants from the villages surrounding Reims immediately converged there, joining them in launching a riot.
Led by Saint-Just and others, over a thousand peasants also shouted slogans like "Estates-General" and "Drive out corrupt officials," carrying pitchforks, clubs, and muskets as they surged aggressively towards the city hall.
Just as they rounded Nafol Street, with only three blocks remaining to the city hall, suddenly, over two hundred young nobles dressed in hunting attire formed into five neat horizontal rows and charged at them, eyes gleaming ferociously.
Saint-Just was startled for a moment, but then immediately linked arms with the peasants on either side, shouting, "The King's lackeys are here! Don't be afraid, everyone, we outnumber them greatly!"
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