Chapter 819: Times Have Changed
Joseph was in no hurry to celebrate.
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies might simply be posturing to drive up their price with Austria. Their true diplomatic trajectory would only be confirmed by observing their actual conduct in the future.
Nevertheless, even a verbal gesture of goodwill toward France served to bolster French influence across the Italian peninsula. It was worth a bit of encouragement.
Talleyrand continued, "Your Highness, before I departed Italy, Parma officially lodged a diplomatic protest with Austria. They have demanded an explanation regarding the Argentau Legion's unauthorized entry into Parma's territory and requested compensation for the damages incurred."
Joseph nearly burst out laughing.
The Duke of Parma was certainly quick to adapt. Previously, when the armies of great powers marched through his lands, he wouldn't have dared to utter a peep. Now that he had aligned with France, he was immediately taking the opportunity to irritate Austria.
'Well, it seems Parma deserves some encouragement as well,' Joseph thought.
Once Talleyrand finished his briefing on the Italian mission, Joseph nodded with a smile. "You have fulfilled your mission with exceptional diplomatic wit, securing the nation's interests. It is truly admirable."
"Oh, by the way, I have reviewed your expense report. Everything seems to be in order. Once we return to Paris, you may settle the accounts directly with the Director-General of Taxes."
The so-called "expense report" was, in reality, a ledger of the profits he had skimmed during his time in Italy.
With the French army's rapid advance, the Italian states had gone to great lengths to curry favor with the diplomatic envoy. The bribes had been increasingly lavish.
From this single trip, he had collected over a million francs in cash alone, not to mention various works of art and real estate.
According to the Crown Prince's prior promise, he would receive a "commission" totaling 230,000 francs—and that was the after-tax figure.
"I was merely doing my duty, Your Highness. Serving you and France is the honor of my life."
Talleyrand bowed deeply, then signaled to Count Segur, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Count promptly produced a document and placed it respectfully before Joseph.
Talleyrand spoke with a touch of pride, "Your Highness, this is the diplomatic plan for Italy that I, Archbishop Brienne, and the Duke of Broglie have formulated. Please, have a look."
"Oh? A diplomatic plan?"
Joseph opened the folder with interest. The first page featured a map of Italy, where many regions were shaded white.
Talleyrand explained from the side, "Your Highness, although our nation has gained significant territory in the Lombardy region, these areas lack direct road connections to France. Administering them will be exceedingly difficult."
"Fortunately, Genoa remains under our control, and we can easily replace the members of their council. By next year, they could announce Genoa's annexation into France."
"Following that, we can pressure Sardinia to relinquish Pavia. This would allow us to establish a reliable border in Northern Italy."
"Of course, we might need to offer Sardinia some compensation. Our proposal is..."
Joseph finally realized why those patches on the map were white. These high-ranking ministers had already mentally categorized these territories as French soil.
When he saw that Parma, Pavia, and even more than half of the Papal States were marked white, he couldn't help but chuckle. He interrupted Talleyrand, "Please, wait a moment. What makes you think we should be expanding in Northern Italy at all?"
Talleyrand blinked, stunned. "Your Highness, expanding territory is the fastest and most direct way to increase national power. We naturally need Italy."
Joseph nodded. "Very well. Let us imagine we occupy the majority of Northern Italy. What happens next?"
Talleyrand was taken aback again. "What happens? Why, the population increases, tax revenue rises, and we gain more conscripts and ports..."
Joseph smiled thinly. "You are mistaken. What we will harvest is never-ending riots and the eternal hatred of the Italians."
There was one thing he didn't say: such an occupation would ultimately drive the Italians to complete their unification.
Talleyrand dismissed the concern. "Your Highness, there might be some dissatisfaction in the short term, but if we station enough troops, it can be resolved quickly."
Joseph sighed inwardly. He knew that in history, it was precisely the expansionist strategy designed by Talleyrand and Napoleon that eventually drained France's national strength. It seemed Talleyrand was still wedded to that old mindset.
Times had changed.
Under the influence of the Enlightenment, a sense of national identity was awakening across Europe, and Italy was progressing especially fast. It was no longer possible for the Italians to be fully integrated into France.
He looked at Talleyrand and asked, "In your opinion, which is higher: the cost of maintaining stability in these regions or the revenue gained from them?"
"The revenue, of course, Your Highness," Talleyrand replied, then added, "Well, perhaps the costs might be higher in the first few years due to the military presence, but once the unrest is suppressed, the profits will increase rapidly."
Joseph countered, "And what if, a few years down the line, the British or the Austrians send spies to incite further riots?"
Talleyrand remained confident. "We can certainly suppress them. The combat effectiveness of Italian armies is notoriously weak, to say nothing of a mere mob."
Joseph shook his head. "Wrong again. An endless cycle of insurgency is far more difficult to deal with than a standing army."
He thought of the Americans in a later era who easily defeated the irregular forces of Afghanistan, only to dump 2.3 trillion dollars into the abyss over the next twenty years before finally retreating in disgrace.
Noticing Talleyrand's skeptical expression, Joseph continued, "A riot that costs only one franc to incite will take at least ten thousand francs to pacify."
"Perhaps you should ask a few nobles in Turin or Parma whether they truly wish to be ruled by a foreign power."
Talleyrand fell silent.
He didn't even need to ask. Milan was a perfect example; Austria had ruled there for nearly a century, yet Italian uprisings occurred almost every year, even without outside instigation.
Joseph spoke with sincere and earnest intent. "Even if we could control Northern Italy for ten or twenty years, what comes after? A war of independence will inevitably break out, dragging France into a quagmire."
"Perhaps it is time we adjusted our strategic thinking."
"The future world will no longer belong to the era of old-style colonialism."
Talleyrand asked instinctively, "Then what does the future hold?"
"The era of economic colonialism."
"Economic... colonialism?"
Joseph nodded. "In the future, national power will be determined by industrial strength."
"For industrial production, the most critical factors are raw materials and markets."
"If a region's raw materials and markets belong to France, why would we ever need to occupy the land itself?"
A look of shock crossed Talleyrand's face. The more he pondered the Crown Prince's words, the more sense they made.
After all, administration and military garrisons were incredibly expensive. If riots broke out, the military expenditures became a bottomless pit.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Your Highness, if we don't occupy the land, how can we guarantee our access to those materials and markets?"
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