Chapter 395: The French Package
"I hope that riot didn't affect France."
Theodor and Talleyrand walked side-by-side towards the reception hall, while the Bavarian State Secretary, Foreign Minister, and others could only follow behind, acting as an entourage.
"That was no mere riot, Your Majesty," Talleyrand declared, his voice loud enough to ensure the surrounding Bavarian ministers could hear. "You must be aware of the Liberals' agenda. They have always sought to overthrow the monarchy and seize the nobility's wealth. They are a dangerous band of madmen! What happened previously in the northwestern provinces of France was precisely instigated by these madmen."
"They all deserve to be cursed," Theodor casually agreed, though inwardly he wondered why the French had come all this way to discuss such trivial matters, which had nothing to do with him. "Oh, I heard that the Netherlandish Rebels seem to be involved?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the French Foreign Minister nodded instantly. "The Liberals I just mentioned are those Netherlanders. They attempted to murder our King through a riot!"
Theodor thought to himself, 'You're already at war with the Netherlandish Rebels, so it's hardly surprising they'd stir up trouble in France.' Yet, he feigned concern, saying, "Fortunately, those scoundrels didn't succeed. May God bless Your Majesty."
The group entered the reception hall, and Talleyrand suddenly stated gravely, "Your Majesty, don't you find this matter strange?"
"Strange in what way?"
"Why would the Netherlandish Rebels be so audacious as to boldly launch a conspiracy targeting the French monarchy?" Talleyrand gazed at Theodor. "And isn't it odd that they could produce thousands of guns and millions of Livres in funding in such a short time?"
"All of this was orchestrated by a certain great power!" Talleyrand declared, indignantly waving his hand. "They once murdered their own king, then secretly supported the Netherlanders in rebellion, attempting to seize that land from the Holy Roman Emperor. Even after the Southern Netherlands came under rebel control, they remained unsatisfied, planning to spread that revolution to France!"
Theodor and all the ministers present immediately felt a tightening in their chests upon hearing this.
The Netherlanders' intention to assassinate the French King had little to do with them, but if the former sought to export revolution, that was an entirely different matter.
The Liberal revolution was a nightmare haunting the heart of every monarch, a plague that would instantly kill any empire it touched!
They immediately realized that this "great power" was the first nation to be infected by the "plague."
The Glorious Revolution had severed King Charles I's head and exiled James II.
Furthermore, from the current situation on the Southern Netherlands battlefield, with the Hanoverians actively supporting the Netherlandish Rebels, it was certain that the British stood behind the Southern Netherlandish Liberals.
Talleyrand continued, "The British Parliament controls their king; they control all of Britain. They want other nations to be like them, and if a king proves troublesome, they will murder that king. They will incite revolutions everywhere, and what happened in France is just the beginning! If monarchs do not unite to stop them, similar incidents will occur in Austria, Spain, Sweden, Bavaria..."
In the package Joseph had prepared for Britain, the situation in India was the main course, while accusing them of exporting revolution was the appetizer.
He vividly remembered how, historically, European monarchs' fear of France exporting revolution ultimately led to the formation of anti-French coalitions.
Britain had exploited this very point, rallying the various European nations and ultimately exhausting France to death.
Yet now, the British apparently hadn't realized that the trick they played by instigating the Netherlanders in France was, in fact, exporting revolution—the Southern Netherlands Parliament was controlled by Liberals, and many Liberals were also causing trouble in France, collaborating with French Liberals.
Since the British had handed them the cards, Joseph naturally didn't mind letting them taste the wrath of Europe's monarchs.
The Bavarian Foreign Minister hesitated, looking at Talleyrand. "Archbishop Talleyrand, perhaps you're being a little alarmist..."
Talleyrand immediately gestured towards the hall entrance. "I've brought someone. You can question him yourself."
Theodor, puzzled, gestured for the guards to bring in the prisoner escorted by French soldiers.
Talleyrand asked the man, "Who are you?"
"Steven Albert Visari."
A Bavarian official immediately recognized the name. "It's the Southern Netherlands Speaker... cough, I mean, the rebel leader's scribe!"
Yes, this was indeed Van der Noot's scribe, the highest-ranking member of the "Committee of Free Allies" captured by the French Intelligence Bureau.
Talleyrand continued his questioning. "Please tell everyone, why did Van der Noot intend to overthrow the French monarchy?"
Visari hung his head dejectedly and confessed, "It was at the instruction of the British Foreign Secretary Wellesley. He told the Speaker, 'You must launch a revolution to overthrow that tyrant,' and proposed a plan to spread rumors about France's land redemption scheme, using the discontent of French peasants and nobles to incite riots, ultimately ousting Louis XVI and establishing a French Parliament..."
An uproar immediately erupted in the reception hall.
While Visari didn't speak the entire truth—by saying what the French demanded, he would receive a sum of money to live out his days in America—he merely scrambled the order or misrepresented certain details, yet not a single word was fabricated. Even if the Bavarians were to investigate, they would most likely conclude that "the statements were true."
Talleyrand then gestured towards the outside of Munich Palace. "I've also brought more than 20 Netherlandish Rebels. If necessary, Your Majesty can send someone to interrogate them."
With Visari's testimony having established a preconceived notion, no matter what the others said afterward, everyone would likely attribute it to the British.
Several hours later, Grand Duke Theodor of Bavaria looked at Talleyrand with resolute eyes and declared earnestly, "We must unite and fully compel the British to abandon such terrifying notions!"
The next day, Talleyrand left Munich and hastened towards Württemberg.
His itinerary included Mainz, Upper Hesse, Austria, Sweden, and other nations, to whom he would repeat the same words he had spoken to the Bavarians yesterday.
Afterward, he would visit Saxony, Lower Hesse, and even Prussia. Though these nations were currently aligned with Britain, if it came to a major issue like exporting revolution, they would turn on the British at any moment.
Whether these nations believed him or not, he didn't care. Even if they disbelieved him, the British would waste considerable diplomatic resources trying to explain the matter away.
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