Chapter 833: A Future of Peace
Kemperen swallowed hard, his throat tight with nerves, as he reached out with trembling hands to take the document.
As his eyes scanned the terms line by line, a flicker of surprise darted through his panicked gaze, though it was quickly replaced by a mask of heavy solemnity.
He passed the few pages to Daendels, the Speaker of the Parliament, whose expression soon mirrored his own disbelief.
The armistice conditions could be summarized in just four points:
First, the Netherlands would try all war criminals involved in the invasion of Wallonia. The trial process would require full supervision by French judges throughout.
Second, the Netherlands must provide reparations for the damages caused during the invasion of Wallonia. The initial calculated amount was 700,000 Dutch guilders.
Third, the Netherlands would declare permanent neutrality. The High Court would legislate to oversee the nation’s neutral status and would prosecute any politician who dared to compromise it.
Fourth, the Dutch Parliament’s administration of the country had clearly been a failure, proving that the nobility was indispensable to national governance. The Dutch Parliament would increase its "noble seats" by thirty-five percent, and these seats could only be held by hereditary nobles with a lineage of six generations or more.
Daendels looked tentatively at Joseph, his voice cautious. "Your Highness, are these all the terms?"
Daendels exchanged glances with several Dutch dignitaries, and the collective tension in the room seemed to dissipate significantly.
To be honest, these conditions were so lenient they hardly felt like a surrender agreement; they seemed more like the results of an ordinary diplomatic negotiation.
Take the war reparations, for instance.
Before arriving, the Dutch Parliament had been prepared to offer 6 million Dutch guilders—roughly 75 million francs—just to appease the French. In an extreme scenario, they were even willing to go as high as 8 million guilders, or 100 million francs.
The Netherlands had a highly developed financial industry, possessed numerous colonies in the Far East and North America, and controlled the mouth of the Rhine River trade. Though the country was small, it was incredibly wealthy. If they grit their teeth, they could have managed to produce 100 million francs.
Yet, the French had only asked for 8.7 million francs!
This was likely nothing more than the actual military expenditures incurred by the French army. It was practically an act of magnanimity.
Then there was the "permanent neutrality" clause.
After this crushing defeat, the Netherlands wanted nothing more than to distance itself from future conflicts. Kemperen and his associates had originally feared that France would force the Netherlands to declare war on Britain, Prussia, or Austria. They never expected a simple demand for neutrality.
On that point alone, they felt a sincere urge to offer prayers of gratitude for the French Crown Prince.
However, regarding the addition of noble seats to the Parliament, both Kemperen and Daendels wore expressions of bitter resignation.
They both hailed from the Patriot Party. It was they who had launched the uprising to drive out William V and seize power. Naturally, they were loath to let the nobility return to the halls of government.
Seeing their hesitation, the Dutch Foreign Minister, Brancken, who sat to the left, leaned in and whispered, "Mr. Prime Minister, in our current situation, allowing the nobility to participate in politics might not actually be a bad thing."
"Oh? Explain your reasoning."
"First, the nobles have been secretly organizing rebellions in The Hague. Following our defeat, they are likely to use public discontent to trigger a coup. It would be better to invite them into the Parliament directly to prevent the country from falling into total chaos."
Brancken’s voice dropped even lower.
"Secondly, in the coming years—perhaps even decades—both the nation and the Parliament are going to face a very difficult period..."
Kemperen nodded slightly. After this defeat, the Patriot Party was bound to face immense criticism. At the same time, great powers like Britain, France, Prussia, and Austria would undoubtedly continue to squeeze and manipulate the weakened Netherlands.
'You mean... let the nobility share the burden of the Parliament's pressure?' Kemperen mused silently.
"Yes," Brancken whispered with a nod. "I even feel that this French demand is more beneficial to us than harmful. We still control sixty-five percent of the seats. The nobles won't be able to cause any significant trouble."
If Joseph had overheard this conversation, he likely would have burst into laughter.
Why did these lawyers and journalists-turned-politicians from the Patriot Party think they could suppress noble houses that possessed vast wealth and had operated in the Netherlands for centuries?
The reason Joseph had included this clause was precisely to plunge the Dutch Parliament into a state of perpetual internal friction.
The hereditary nobles had been ousted from the center of national power by the Patriot Party and hated these liberals to the bone. Once they regained access to power, they would surely exhaust every effort to work against them.
The Patriot Party had the advantage of public support, while the nobility had the advantage of wealth and influence. Once these two sides began tearing at each other, the Netherlands wouldn't be able to accomplish anything significant for a long time.
Kemperen and the others spent a few more minutes whispering among themselves. Eventually, they decided that allowing the nobility back into the Parliament was not unacceptable.
Once they reached a consensus, Kemperen looked toward Joseph and asked tentatively, "Your Honorable Royal Highness, if our country accepts these terms, will your forces withdraw immediately?"
Joseph gave a calm nod. "All troops will be withdrawn from the Netherlands within one month."
"Oh, and one more thing," Joseph added. "The armistice agreement is to be signed publicly in Amsterdam. Anyone who wishes to watch may attend."
Kemperen replied without hesitation, "Of course. That is perfectly acceptable."
Just half an hour later, the meeting that would decide the future fate of the Netherlands came to an end.
Kemperen had arrived with a stomach full of prepared negotiation tactics, but he hadn't used a single one. Throughout the entire process, he had simply followed the rhythm set by the French Crown Prince.
Watching the backs of the Dutch officials as they departed, a cold smirk played across Joseph's lips.
He hadn't forgotten how he had once helped the Dutch Patriot Party topple William V, only to be stabbed in the back by those very same Dutchmen.
He was not some saint who believed in repaying malice with kindness.
On the contrary, his principle was that every grudge must be settled, and settled with interest.
The surrender terms he had offered Kemperen were mostly for show. After all, the post-war phase would involve the integration of regions like the Rhineland and Northern Italy. He needed to establish a favorable international image for France.
In history, Napoleon had failed to account for this, creating a deep-seated perception of France as a predatory and vicious power. Small nations only bowed their heads out of necessity when French military might was at its peak. The moment French national strength wavered, they immediately leaped up to join the anti-French coalitions.
In the game of international politics, one needed more than just military deterrence. One had to create a circle of shared interests and a sense of political and economic security for other nations. Only then would others follow France with peace of mind.
As for the real price the Dutch would pay, that would naturally be collected by the Flemish Republic.
France would distance itself from the Flemish Republic at the first opportunity. After all, the enmity between Flanders and Wallonia was well known to the world, and now Wallonia had been annexed into France.
If the Flemish people wanted to secure the capital necessary to build their own state, they would have to be the ones to play the villain in this scenario.
As if fearing that France might change its mind, the Dutch Parliament moved with incredible efficiency to pass the armistice terms Joseph had proposed. They even prepared the 8.7 million francs in reparations immediately.
A week later, the Franco-Dutch Armistice Agreement was officially signed at Dam Square in front of the Amsterdam City Hall.
Joseph did not attend this ceremony, which was largely a performance for the world. Instead, he left the task to Saigul and Lefebvre.
In the center of Dam Square, Count Saigul stood before a crowd of three to four thousand Dutch citizens and delivered an impassioned speech about peace.
He lamented how certain Dutch conspirators had attempted to destroy the friendship between France and the Netherlands, but declared that the benevolent King of France had decided to let bygones be bygones and lead both nations toward a peaceful future.
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