Chapter 652: Poland's "Big Brother"
Currently, several main streets in Paris had been fully asphalted, offering a smooth and pleasant sight, imbued with a sense of the future far beyond its time.
The carriage halted in the "New Paris Business District" between Paris and Versailles Palace. Prince Poniatowski exclaimed, "I truly hope Warsaw can be this prosperous one day," as he stepped out of the carriage. He looked up to see the newly constructed stadium ahead, its exterior clearly mimicking the Colosseum in Rome.
The surrounding buildings appeared somewhat sparse, and there weren't many pedestrians. Only two wooden tracks stretched somewhat forlornly towards the stadium. However, considering that three years prior, this area had been nothing but forest and wasteland, the overall construction speed was already quite impressive.
Prince Poniatowski first followed the French official who greeted him into the athletes' dedicated lodging to visit the Polish athletes participating in these games.
The accommodation, meals, and round-trip travel expenses for these athletes were all provided by the French government—anyone who met the qualifying standards would receive these funds.
As a result, as many as 18 Polish athletes had come to Paris. The athletes' dedicated lodging itself was bustling with people, and the French official beside him smiled as he informed the Prince that over 200 athletes from various countries around the world had come to participate in these games.
It's worth noting that the first Olympic Games, more than a century later, had just over 250 athletes. In the 18th century, with its extremely underdeveloped transportation, this was undoubtedly an unprecedented spectacle.
However, Prince Poniatowski's mind wasn't on the games at all. After briefly encouraging the Polish athletes, he hurried straight to Versailles Palace without delay.
He knew that his visit to France this time would likely determine Poland's future fate.
Joseph chose this location for the meeting for two reasons: firstly, there were fewer extraneous personnel, which wouldn't draw attention. Secondly, the space was vast, and tools like maps and sand tables were readily available.
"It is a great pleasure to see Your Royal Highness again, Crown Prince," the Prince said, bowing with a hand over his chest. "His Majesty the King asked me to convey his gratitude for the generous and selfless assistance you have provided to Poland."
Joseph returned the smile and then gently guided him to a seat. "We are relatives; there's no need to be so formal."
Louis XV had married a Polish princess, so France and Poland were indeed connected by marriage.
"Time is precious, so let's get straight to business," Joseph said, skipping the pleasantries and adopting a serious expression. "First, you absolutely must remove the Prussian officers from your army."
The Prince nodded. "Yes, Your Royal Highness, you mentioned this to me several years ago, but they haven't..."
Joseph wanted to give the stubborn giant before him a few sharp knocks on the head, thinking, 'Do I understand history, or do you?'
But he could only suppress his emotions and offered a reason the Poles couldn't refuse. "As you know, our country's relationship with Prussia isn't particularly good. We've fought wars in the Southern Netherlands and Silesia in recent years.
"And when Poland resists aggression, our country will certainly send a military advisory group, and even some volunteer forces, to help you.
"I imagine they would certainly not want to encounter Prussians within the Polish army. Conversely, the Prussians would likely feel the same way."
Prince Poniatowski's expression grew solemn and conflicted—the Crown Prince of France's meaning was clear: he had to choose between France and Prussia.
Joseph felt he was practically breaking his back for Poland, clearly helping them, yet he had to keep coaxing them as if they were children.
Seeing that the Prince remained silent, he continued, "Oh, and by the way, I plan to invest in Gdańsk port, with an initial 4 million Francs, and further additions depending on the situation later on.
"As you know, our country's trade volume with the German region is growing steadily, and Gdańsk will become an important distribution hub for our goods." This time, Prince Poniatowski nodded with a smile without a moment's hesitation. "That's wonderful. Ah, do you have any additional conditions?"
"No conditions. It's an investment to acquire shares in the port; it's that simple," Joseph replied.
Prince Poniatowski was overjoyed.
He had originally expected France to demand certain trade or port usage privileges, or even port management rights, just as Prussia did.
He never expected it was merely a straightforward investment!
He immediately nodded repeatedly. "Thank you for your generosity. I will have Count Mawalofski personally oversee this matter, and I guarantee your investment will yield excellent returns."
Poland had now gambled its entire treasury on war preparations. He naturally welcomed anyone investing in civilian sectors.
Joseph, on the other hand, primarily aimed to block the Prussian army at Gdańsk.
For Prussia, the significance of acquiring this seaport far outweighed occupying a few Polish provinces.
Since the Poles had left themselves undefended against Prussia, he would have to intervene on their behalf.
At the same time, this deal was by no means a loss for France.
Gdańsk was a shipping gateway that controlled more than half of the Eastern European market. Although he stated he didn't want any special privileges, after the investment, French merchant ships would at least receive better service there, and perks like not having to queue when docking would certainly be part of the package.
Moreover, once war broke out there, France would become the "good brother" who saved Gdańsk. At that point, even if France didn't demand privileges, the local council would be scrambling to offer them.
Joseph continued, "Furthermore, I also wish to help Warsaw build an armory to produce Charleville Flintlock Muskets, as well as cannons."
Prince Poniatowski was practically speechless.
Poland's arms production capability had always been stagnant, naturally due to a lack of funds to invest in firearms factories and cannon foundries.
After the Tarnowskie Góry silver mine expanded its output, the Polish government's coffers were no longer so depleted, but the allocation for building a firearms factory was still planned for three years in the future.
He never expected the Crown Prince of France to address his most pressing concerns and directly invest in building an armory. If this factory could commence production before a Russian invasion, it would give Poland much more confidence when facing its enemies!
It was important to remember that Poland's current firearms self-sufficiency rate was less than 30 percent. A large number of flintlock muskets and ammunition needed to be purchased from abroad, not to mention heavy artillery.
He then remembered something important and hastily asked, "Your Royal Highness, regarding the funding for this armory... the Polish government likely couldn't provide much."
Joseph waved his hand dismissively. "No need to worry. The Bank of France will provide you with low-interest loans, as well as artisans and technicians. Of course, to avoid unnecessary diplomatic trouble, the funding and technical sources for the armory must remain strictly confidential."
"Of course, I can assure you of that."
"Oh, and one more thing: the investments in both the port and the armory will be made using Franc banknotes."
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