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Chapter 614: The Sugar War

Ogé froze for a few seconds, then his eyes widened sharply as he asked incredulously, "Are you truly serious?"

Brissot nodded again. "Absolutely true. His Majesty's edict is right here with me."

Suppressing his excitement, Ogé asked, "So, how much will each black slave have to pay for their freedom?"

Brissot patted his arm. "There are no fees, and no restrictions, my friend. Everyone will be completely free."

Ogé's heart pounded furiously, but he eyed him with suspicion. "You're not here to stall for time, are you? Is there an army on its way to Port-au-Prince right now..."

"I can swear to God," Brissot said earnestly. "No conspiracy, no army. Slavery in San Domingo is now a thing of the past."

Ogé confirmed it repeatedly, finally no longer doubting. He began frantically making the sign of the cross, but was speechless for a long time. The dream he had fought for decades had suddenly come true.

Only then did he notice Brissot was still standing. He quickly pulled up a chair and offered eagerly, "Please, have a seat. This is indeed quite sudden. Could you tell me why His Majesty decided to bestow such great mercy?"

Brissot patiently recounted to him the King and Crown Prince's embrace and practice of the ideals of liberty, equality, human rights, and fraternity. As a seasoned abolitionist, these were topics he could speak on effortlessly.

Ogé, clutching the edict, nodded frantically in excitement. "Long live His Majesty the King! Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

"Oh, Monsieur Brissot, let us go to the Parliament and announce the edict at once..."

Brissot, however, raised a hand to stop him. "Monsieur Ogé, I'm afraid the edict cannot be made public yet."

Ogé froze for a moment, then burst out angrily, "I knew it! This is just a trick!"

"No, you must believe in His Majesty's resolve to abolish slavery," Brissot quickly interjected. "The San Domingo Parliament can immediately pass an abolition resolution, and I guarantee that even pro-slavery faction members will vote in favor.

"The French government will officially object, and even send troops as a show, but there will be no substantive action whatsoever."

Ogé sneered. "Hmph, why must it be this way?"

Brissot sighed with a helpless expression. "Please understand the government's difficulties. You see, publicly abolishing slavery would seriously impact the interests of other nations. For instance, Britain relies on black slave labor for its numerous plantations in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the West Indies.

"If the French government announces abolition, slaves in other countries will demand their freedom as well. France would then face severe diplomatic pressure. That's why we must proceed discreetly..."

Ogé slowly sat down.

He knew the special envoy was right. Currently, Britain, America, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and other nations still practiced slavery. They would certainly strongly oppose France's abolition policy, and if France faced too much international pressure, it might very well abandon its decision to abolish slavery.

"I apologize for my outburst earlier." He bowed slightly, then quickly added, full of hope, "This will take some time, but abolition will surely be accepted by all nations.

"Oh, regarding Britain, whom you just mentioned, they actually strongly support abolition in San Domingo. Not long ago, the Duke of Leeds even came to Port-au-Prince and offered funding to the abolition movement..."

Ogé wasn't speaking carelessly. He was indicating to Brissot that if the French government didn't keep its promise, they had other options.

He then smiled and waved his hand. "However, the abolition movement is no longer necessary now, so we will no longer have contact with the British."

Brissot, however, grew wary and quickly asked, "Are you saying the British supported you?"

"That's right."

"What kind of aid did they provide?"

"Well..."

"To be frank, I know you were planning an uprising. Were the British involved in this?"

Ogé hesitated for a moment, then nodded in admission. "We were preparing for an armed protest. The Duke of Leeds was also involved in the plan. He brought some flintlock muskets and cannons and promised to supply 30,000 Pound Sterling worth of provisions each month."

The British could never have imagined that the French government would voluntarily abandon San Domingo. This immediately rendered them worthless in the eyes of the abolitionist organization, and they were easily betrayed.

Ogé demonstrated his sincerity, looking at Brissot. "I assure you, once the Parliament passes the abolition bill, our armed forces will be disbanded immediately."

"No, your army needs to continue to exist..."

Brissot stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

According to the Crown Prince's previous plan, Ogé's armed forces were to secretly cooperate with the San Domingo Governor's army to drive the fanatics of the Boukman Movement towards British Jamaica, allowing them to slaughter the British there.

Meanwhile, the French forces in San Domingo would feign defeat against Ogé's army, abandoning a large quantity of weapons and equipment to them, then allowing Ogé's abolitionist forces to spread to the Bahamas and the West Indies, ultimately completely destroying the black slave plantation economy throughout the Caribbean Sea.

At that point, France would lose only San Domingo, while Britain would lose almost all its sugarcane-producing territories, as well as numerous cotton plantations in Jamaica and elsewhere.

The abolition movement could even affect Brazil, severely impacting Portugal, Britain's junior partner—Brazil was, after all, Portugal's economic pillar.

And with France appearing as the first victim of the abolition movement, no one would suspect France was manipulating it from behind the scenes.

If the sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean Sea, which accounted for 80% of the world's total sugar production, were largely destroyed, the sugar produced by France from sugar beets would gain pricing power over sugar in Europe!

But now Ogé had suddenly revealed that the British were also involved in San Domingo's abolition movement, which meant the plan could perhaps be slightly modified.

Brissot pondered for a moment, then said to Ogé, "We'll discuss your army later.

"First, I'd like to convey some of His Majesty the King's expectations."

Ogé frowned slightly, but still nodded. "I am at His Majesty's service."

Brissot took out a pre-drafted document and handed it to him. "His Majesty believes that after abolition, the property of all San Domingo residents should be respected. No one is to harm plantation owners."

"That is only right."

Brissot continued, "Plantations, however, will require workers to maintain operations. Therefore, after gaining freedom, black individuals are to continue working on their original plantations for two years. Of course, they will receive fair wages and the respect of the plantation owners."

Ogé pondered briefly, then nodded. "This point is acceptable as well."

He also knew that black slaves possessed no property, and after gaining freedom, would still need to depend on plantations to survive. As long as they were paid, they should be willing to stay.

Brissot glanced at Ogé and continued, "Plantations damaged by the Boukman Movement's rebellion should receive compensation. And those rioters must be severely punished."