Chapter 942: International Law of the Sea
"All right, I understand."
Joseph sighed, setting down his pen and rubbing his aching wrist before heading toward the dressing room.
Truth be told, he had little desire for this meaningless meeting; his attendance was purely out of respect for the Danish Prince Regent’s pride.
Danish diplomatic officials had already coordinated with Talleyrand three days prior, so Joseph knew Frederick was coming to discuss the League of Armed Neutrality.
While such a league would certainly benefit France, it required a genuine means of restraining Britain to be effective.
For instance, the member states could combine their fleets to crush the British Navy.
But that was a pipe dream. Denmark and Sweden could never see eye to eye, and which Nordic country would dare form a joint fleet with Russia?
Consequently, even if an "alliance" were formed, the British would continue their blockades as they pleased.
A short while later, Joseph changed his attire and met Prince Regent Frederick at the gates of Versailles. After exchanging formal greetings, they walked side by side into the Hall of Peace.
"Indeed, this is all due to the misguided naval blockade policies of certain nations."
"Re-establishing the League of Armed Neutrality is undoubtedly the most effective way to counter this situation."
"Count Bernstorff has already departed for Russia to discuss this matter, and I believe His Majesty the Tsar will be supportive."
"The Netherlands, Prussia, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies are all eager for free trade and will likely participate actively."
"If you can persuade Sweden, then the League will be able to recreate its glorious achievements from fourteen years ago!"
Joseph, his mind still preoccupied with administrative reforms, appeared somewhat listless. "After the League is established, if the British continue to blockade Le Havre, Amiens, and Calais, what exactly can it do?"
Frederick paused, slightly taken aback, and quickly replied, "I believe the British Navy, under the pressure of the combined Franco-Spanish fleet, would not choose to make enemies of so many great powers."
Joseph let out a breath. "Your Highness, if I may be blunt, if Britain refuses to back down, would the Danish Navy actually launch an attack on the British blockade fleet?"
"This..."
Frederick had initially expected the French Crown Prince to enthusiastically support the League of Armed Neutrality, which would have allowed him to curry favor with France. He had not anticipated such a difficult question.
Joseph continued, "Or would the Russian Navy fire upon British warships?"
"This..."
"The British, after all, have no qualms about bombarding the League's escort vessels."
Frederick felt quite awkward. He stood frozen for a moment before clenching his fists, as if trying to regain his dignity. "As long as we remain firm, even without relying on the fleet, we can make Britain feel the pressure through other means..."
It was a throwaway comment, but it sparked an idea in Joseph’s mind.
'Yes, I have definitely fallen into a mental trap,' Joseph realized. 'Who says we must use a fleet to deal with a blockade? As long as we can put pressure on Britain, it will have an effect. Even a swarm of ants can bite an elephant to death.'
'For example, the member states of the League of Armed Neutrality could unanimously fine any British merchant ships that dock in their ports. They could prohibit British merchant ships from passing through certain waterways. They could even conduct a campaign of public condemnation.'
'Yes, public condemnation.' Joseph nodded to himself. 'Subjecting Britain to prolonged international condemnation would be a massive blow to its soft power.'
'However, relying solely on these few countries in the League is far from enough. It would be best to drag the whole of Europe into it, creating a massive whirlpool of public opinion and branding Britain as shameless and tyrannical.'
Of course, that would be difficult. Almost all the smaller nations were unwilling to offend Britain, and the larger powers with no maritime interests would likely be indifferent.
But now that the thought had taken root, Joseph turned to Frederick. "Your Highness, I have some new ideas for the League of Armed Neutrality."
The latter, still caught in his embarrassment, quickly replied, "I look forward to hearing them."
"First, we should maximize the number of member states," Joseph said. "We should transform it into a broad, long-term organization that upholds justice. Perhaps we should give it a more fitting name."
He suddenly recalled similar organizations from the future. "For example, we could call it the International Maritime Convention Organization."
"If there are enough member states, we can call upon all nations to jointly draft an International Law of the Sea to serve as a universal standard for maritime rights."
"If Britain persists in ignoring the Law of the Sea, they will be standing in opposition to the entire world."
"Furthermore, we can establish punitive rules within the Law of the Sea."
"For instance, member states could fine the merchant ships of any nation that violates the law or prohibit them from using their territorial waters."
"While not everyone has a powerful navy, small tasks like imposing fines are well within everyone's reach."
This time, it was Frederick’s turn to raise a doubt. "To form internationally recognized regulations, we would need at least seventy percent of European nations to sign on. I fear it will be very difficult to persuade so many to join." <samp>ʀаṇøḇЁ$</samp>
Joseph nodded. "We can start by building the framework and then use concepts that the vast majority of nations agree with to attract them."
"For instance, we can inherit the principles of the ancient Roman Empire—that the sea is a common asset to all the world and belongs to no nation. Each country would only have territorial waters extending a dozen or so nautical miles from its coast. Beyond that, no one may obstruct the ships of other nations."
"Getting the vast majority of countries to join an international maritime convention may be a long process, but it is worth the effort."
Frederick felt a surge of heroic ambition. Leading the world in signing a bill to regulate maritime rights was an unprecedented feat.
'If this succeeds, I will become an eternal legend of the seas!' Frederick thought. 'Of course, the French Crown Prince will be the protagonist of that legend, but I will surely be right behind him.'
The twenty-four-year-old Prince Regent squared his shoulders and said solemnly, "Your Highness, I shall visit the various nations of Europe and strive to persuade them as quickly as possible!"
Joseph smiled. "Thank you for your immense contribution to human civilization."
Despite his words, he estimated that the International Law of the Sea would take at least a decade to bear fruit. Still, it was worth it if only to spite the British.
'Moreover, leading the world in establishing such a global regulation would significantly increase France's international influence. This is the essence of soft power.'
Joseph’s schedule was packed to the brim. The morning after the Danish Prince Regent departed, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands arrived at the Palace of Versailles.
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