Chapter 616: Since You Insist on Joining the Fun, Don't Blame Me For Being Ruthless
In the second-floor conference room of the Port-au-Prince Parliament Hall, Ogé and three Abolitionist Faction deputies watched Brissot speak passionately, repeatedly trying to stop him from continuing.
The other two Pro-Slavery Faction deputies were too stunned to move.
Brissot paid no mind to their expressions, raising his arms and declaring loudly, "We cannot be content with the liberation of the black slaves in Santo Domingo alone. This great endeavor should radiate its brilliance across the entire Caribbean Sea!
The sinful and shameful system of slavery must disappear from this world.
In Jamaica, Barnabas, and even the West Indies, wicked whips still lash those who should be free!
And we, the disseminators of the spirit of freedom, we possess an army capable of fighting the slaveholders, supported by 500,000 free black people. What reason do we have not to liberate the slaves of the Caribbean Sea..."
Finally, Ogé, steeling himself, stood up and said, "Mr. Brissot, we do indeed wish to see slavery abolished in other Caribbean regions, but it seems that should be up to the British and Spanish themselves to do..."
The other deputies nodded in agreement, "Interfering in those places could very likely invite retaliation from Britain and other nations."
"Mr. Brissot, abolition is a problem that requires a long time to resolve..."
"Forgive us, but we truly cannot do that..."
Brissot surveyed everyone, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Is this what you mean by 'breaking the chains and letting freedom and equality shine upon every inch of land watched over by God'?
Is merely liberating the 500,000 black slaves of Santo Domingo the fulfillment of your ideals?"
Ogé could only respond resignedly, "Well, Mr. Brissot, to be frank, this is not in our interest, so..."
"You speak of interest?" Brissot smiled. "Then what if I told you that Santo Domingo could gain independence? Would such an interest satisfy you all?"
Silence instantly fell in the conference room.
Ogé and the others exchanged glances, then looked at Brissot. "Forgive me, I don't understand. Is this a metaphor, or..."
"No, it is independence." Brissot said calmly, "To establish the Republic of Santo Domingo, with your Parliament minting currency, deciding trade methods, tariffs, diplomacy, military, and so on. The French government will not interfere with you in any way."
A middle-aged deputy suddenly chuckled, "Special Envoy, you certainly have a way with jokes."
"No, I am not joking." Brissot took an edict from his person. "His Majesty the King has agreed to relinquish the Santo Domingo colony, allowing you to establish your own nation."
Ogé eagerly took the edict and saw the King's and Queen's signatures and imperial seals on it. His hands trembled with excitement as he passed it to the deputy beside him.
Moments later, everyone's faces were flushed with excitement, their eyes gleaming, as they confirmed with each other that they hadn't misunderstood.
If they could shake off their colonial status, they would gain enormous advantages—for instance, no longer paying taxes to the French government, not having their market exclusively open to France, minting their own currency, managing their own finances, and so forth. Especially for these deputies, they would leap from being obscure colonial deputies to national legislators, their power multiplying countless times over!
It was worth noting that previously, Joseph had only promised to reduce Santo Domingo's tax rates by 70% and grant the Parliament greater authority, which was enough to win over most of the Pro-Slavery Faction deputies to support abolition. These were just a tiny, insignificant fraction of the many benefits that came with establishing an independent nation.
After a moment, Ogé was the first to raise his fists and declare loudly, "Long live His Majesty the King! Thank you for bestowing freedom and independence upon Santo Domingo!"
The other deputies were about to cheer along, but Brissot raised a hand to interrupt them. "Gentlemen, His Majesty's permission for Santo Domingo's independence comes with preconditions."
All eyes immediately turned to him.
"First, His Majesty requires that the entire Caribbean Sea region must abolish the system of slavery completely.
Second, the island of Jamaica, the Bahamas archipelago, and the West Indies must also achieve independence. Ideally, they should form a Caribbean Confederation with Santo Domingo."
The deputies murmured amongst themselves. To be honest, the difficulty was immense, but the temptation of Santo Domingo's independence and nation-building was clearly greater.
Brissot waited for a moment, then added, "The French government will also provide Santo Domingo with weapons, ammunition, and 2 million francs annually in funding."
Ogé and Governor Mably exchanged glances. Swallowing with difficulty, Ogé looked at Brissot and said, "Special Envoy, allow us to discuss this. We will give you our answer by noon tomorrow."
"Very well, gentlemen. However, I must remind you that this matter must be kept absolutely confidential."
Brissot didn't even wait until noon the next day. At 10 PM that very evening, Ogé and Mably came to his room together, stating that Santo Domingo would, without hesitation, lead the Abolition Movement in the Caribbean Sea region.
These two old rivals, who had battled in the Santo Domingo Parliament for over a decade, now appeared remarkably united.
Then Ogé, with a worried expression, said, "But you know, Special Envoy, this will not be easy to achieve..."
Brissot smiled and nodded, signaling his aide to summon an Intelligence Bureau officer.
"This is Major Delman. He will brief you on a simple plan."
Delman handed two documents to Ogé and Mably. "First, we must ensure that other countries believe the French government opposes abolition. Otherwise, under pressure, France will be unable to support Santo Domingo."
Ogé and Mably both nodded.
Delman continued, "Therefore, the Governor's army and the Abolition Movement's army will ostensibly remain in a state of conflict.
Since the British have unexpectedly intervened in Santo Domingo's situation, Mr. Brissot and I plan to exploit this."
Ogé looked somewhat surprised. "How do we exploit that?"
Delman waved the document in his hand. "The French government will publicly announce, to punish the Santo Domingo Parliament's decision on abolition, that it will dispatch ten thousand expeditionary troops to the island to eradicate the Abolitionist Faction.
Mr. Ogé will then use this as an excuse to seek assistance from the British, stating that without increased aid, the Abolition Movement will have no choice but to surrender to the French government. It would be best to get them to pay a large sum of aid at once, rather than small monthly payments.
At that time, a Pro-Slavery Faction deputy will 'coincidentally' overhear your conversation and make it public. You will then 'reluctantly' admit to it under pressure.
Afterward, your army will 'rout' the Governor's army, seize a large quantity of weapons and equipment, and thousands of the Governor's soldiers will 'surrender' and be incorporated into your ranks."
Ogé's eyes widened. "That... that's also possible?"
Brissot interjected, "Once the government's expeditionary force lands, it will be 'ambushed' by your forces, then routed and forced to retreat to British Jamaica. You will seize even more weapons and supplies, and even a few warships..."
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