Chapter 574: The Stirring Rod Extended to North America
"Perhaps you are too pessimistic," Lord Grenville gently reassured the elder statesman. "We are not without gains.
"It has been over three months since the plan was launched, and the cost of French factory goods certainly exceeds 500,000 Pounds Sterling. While this did not achieve our initial goal, it still struck a blow against their industrial competitiveness.
"Furthermore, after this incident, France is bound to resent Austria and the Italian states, and dividing them is precisely our strategic objective.
"You have done very well."
The Duke of Leeds had prepared himself for reprimand, but he never expected Grenville to "explain" things in such a way. He looked at him and asked, "Do you truly believe that?"
"I swear," the British Foreign Secretary smiled. "In fact, that is precisely what I wrote in my report to Parliament."
He understood clearly that in the strategic struggles between great powers, victories and defeats were inevitable. One must never blame one's own people for incompetence due to a single failure, as that would affect morale.
"You are truly full of wisdom! Thank you very much."
"It's nothing," Grenville said with a dismissive wave, then added, "However, we must also seize this opportunity to continue striking at French industry."
"Mr. Hope's plan was ultimately just a small trick. To cripple a massive industrial system like France's, we must tackle it at the national level, focusing on raw materials and markets."
As Grenville spoke, he opened the carriage door for the Duke of Leeds, bowed, and motioned him inside. Then he sat opposite him. "I've brought back some good news from Russia.
"For instance, Empress Catherine has agreed to trade interests in the Balkan Peninsula and threatened military intervention in Silesia to compel Austria and Prussia to cease hostilities."
The Duke of Leeds exclaimed, "That truly is good news!"
Grenville nodded. "However, we must persuade Prussia to deploy over 80,000 troops to cooperate with Russia in attacking Poland, while also ensuring Austria does not oppose this action."
He raised a hand and made a downward motion. "Let's return to trade.
"I have signed supplementary trade clauses with Russia, which will expand our import of raw materials from Russia. Additionally, our country has obtained authorization to mine coal and iron in the southern Donbas, under terms identical to France's."
These two sentences seemed simple, but they represented significant diplomatic achievements.
Take Anglo-Russian trade, for example. Previous Tsars had always been wary of Russia's high dependence on the British market, constantly seeking alternative markets, such as France, and striving to reduce exports to Britain.
However, Catherine, in her desire to facilitate the war against Poland, uncharacteristically agreed to expand exports to Britain.
It was important to remember that, in terms of purchasing power, French companies were no match for British ones. An increase in British imports would inevitably reduce France's raw material sources, as Russian exports were primarily industrial raw materials.
As for the Donbas, if Britain could successfully develop large-scale coal and iron mines there, it could fracture the largest current Franco-Russian cooperation project, or even use cutthroat competition to drive out the French companies operating there.
Grenville continued, "So now we must turn our attention to France's other major source of raw materials."
The Duke of Leeds mused, "You mean... America?"
"Precisely," the Foreign Secretary affirmed. "Therefore, I hope you can make a trip to Philadelphia."
The Duke of Leeds frowned slightly. "But France and America are currently very cordial; I'm afraid it will be difficult..."
"We can achieve it if we are willing to relinquish some interests," Grenville said with a relaxed expression. "For instance, the Native Americans."
The Duke of Leeds was somewhat surprised. "Parliament agreed?"
"Yes, His Majesty the King signed off on it last week."
After being driven out by American independence, Britain had secretly funded Native American tribes in North America to retaliate against the Americans who had expelled them.
For years, Native Americans, clad in British fabrics and armed with Brown Bess muskets, had engaged in skirmishes with encroaching American pioneers in the mountains and wilderness, posing a significant obstacle to America's westward expansion.
Some Native Americans, even after being defeated, would flee into British-controlled territories. Besides Canada, the British still maintained a number of scattered strongholds in North America, which were only gradually occupied by the Americans until the 1830s.
If Britain were to abandon its support for the Native Americans now, America could acquire a vast amount of territory in a short period.
This was a strategic advantage of immense proportions!
The Duke of Leeds brightened. "The Americans have always coveted our market. If we can give their Congress a reason to accept us, I am confident I can persuade them to abandon the French!"
As a former British colony, American commodity production had originally been planned according to British demand. It was only due to the War of Independence that they had turned to France.
If trade levels with Britain could be restored, America would undoubtedly benefit more.
Grenville, however, did not stop there. "While you are negotiating with the Americans, you can take a detour to Saint-Domingue to pursue some activities.
"You may have heard that the Abolitionist and Pro-Slavery factions there are locked in bitter contention. Those 'second-tier' people are instigating uprisings with enslaved people everywhere to gain voting rights.
"Of course, the French still have strong control there, but if the second-tier people acquire weapons and funding, with the enormous numbers of Black people, they will certainly cause the French government a great deal of trouble.
"Perhaps even drive the French out of there."
Saint-Domingue, later known as Haiti, is located in the Caribbean Sea southeast of America and is currently one of France's most important colonies.
It is rich in sugarcane and is the largest single producer of sugarcane globally, apart from Brazil and the British West Indies. French plantation owners purchased vast numbers of enslaved people here to cultivate sugarcane, generating 30 to 40 million francs annually for France from the sugar trade.
However, it was precisely the brutal exploitation and abuse of enslaved people by plantation owners that led to fierce resistance.
After more than a century of colonization, Saint-Domingue saw the birth of many mixed-race descendants of white and Black people, known as the "second-tier people." The population here was divided into three tiers: white people as the first, mixed-race people as the second, and free Black people as the third. As for enslaved people, they were regrettably not considered human.
Haiti currently had 30,000 white inhabitants, over 500,000 enslaved people, and tens of thousands of mixed-race individuals and free Black people.
Influenced by European abolitionist thought, and also seeking greater political rights, the mixed-race class began to promote the Abolition Movement, demanding citizenship for enslaved people.
The white plantation owners responded with bloody suppression. However, as time progressed, the influence of the second and third tiers grew, and Saint-Domingue was on the eve of a storm.
Historically, in late August of this very year, the largest Black uprising in Saint-Domingue erupted, eventually ending French rule two years later.
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