A Trap

"You're using my time to bargain with me," Napoleon said.

Metternich remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"However, this condition is still not good enough." Napoleon shook his head. "This benefit alone is not enough to win you such a dignified peace."

"So, General, what suggestions do you have?" Metternich asked. He was already prepared to bribe Napoleon, because they knew from the various Italy states that General Napoleon Bonaparte was a very greedy man.

"Mr. Metternich, do you remember how Spain withdrew from the war?" Napoleon said with a smile.

Metternich was first startled, then secretly delighted.

Spain withdrew from the war on the condition of an alliance with France. Therefore, it successfully avoided territorial concessions and reparations. If this were the case, then... especially since Russia had recently allied with France, if France then allied with Austria, what would happen to Russia ...? Why would the France make such a demand?

"Of course you can't get the Spain terms. If we agree to the Spain terms exactly, our Russia friends will be unhappy." Napoleon's next words shattered Metternich's illusions and proved that Napoleon was not out of his mind.

"So, General, what do you mean?" Metternich felt that the talks seemed to have gone beyond his expectations, veering off course from his pre-planned strategy. This made him slightly flustered, because in a sense, this situation meant that he had lost the initiative in the negotiations.

"For our two countries to achieve lasting peace, we cannot rely solely on a piece of paper like an agreement. You know, agreements are often unreliable. There have been countless instances of this between our country and yours, and in the end, it still didn't... well, don't rush to defend your country. After signing the agreement, both our country and yours have indeed done many things that went against the agreement. You see, such things are often difficult to avoid, and when these things accumulate, they can completely destroy the relationship between our two countries, rendering the peace agreement a worthless piece of paper. If we are to talk about peace again today, we should naturally try our best to avoid this outcome beforehand."

After saying this, Napoleon leaned back in his chair, smiling as he waited for Metternich to process the meaning of his words.

If it were Metternich, the prime minister many years later in history, or even just the Metternich to France a few years later, they might have seen the hidden meaning in Napoleon's words. But at this time, Metternich was too young and naive. He didn't truly understand the dagger hidden in Napoleon's smile and could only reply in a very general way, "As long as our two countries can uphold love..."

"No, Mr. Metternich, I'm afraid you haven't quite grasped what I mean." Napoleon sat up straight, resting his elbows on the table and his head on his clasped fists. "Goodwill and promises can't guarantee anything, at least not for long, because these things are inherently impermanent. So 'do not swear by the moon' (a line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the next line being 'it is fickle, waxing and waning each month; if you swear by it, perhaps your love will be as fickle as it'), the only reliable thing, the only thing that can truly unite us and make our friendship grow, is shared interests. You see, since Spain and our country achieved peace, our friendship has grown stronger day by day, and isn't a large part of the reason behind this that this peace has benefited both of us? And I think there are some aspects of the agreement we reached with Spain back then that we could learn from each other."

"What exactly are you referring to?" Metternich asked.

"Our mutual trade agreement with Spain," Napoleon said.

This reciprocal trade agreement established a trade community between France and Spain, granting each other "most-favored-nation" treatment on an equal footing. Under this agreement, except for certain goods, each party exempted or reduced tariffs on the other's goods. No tariff levied by either party on any goods could exceed half the tariff levied on similar goods from any other contracting party. Both parties agreed to grant each other's nationals the same rights as their own nationals in terms of residence, business, and other lawful activities within their own territory and domain, and to grant each other's merchant ships the same rights as their own vessels. In addition, there were detailed rules addressing specific issues, such as mutual respect for intellectual property rights.

Overall, this agreement, both in its wording and its content, is very equal and can be considered a model of equality and mutual benefit. After signing this agreement, both Spain and France merchants gained more benefits as a result.

According to Joseph, this situation of equality and mutual benefit is only temporary. Soon, this equal and mutually beneficial trade agreement will become an unequal treaty. This is because the "Zeus Plan" has made great progress, and the other "Hephaestus Plan" is also progressing steadily. Now, as long as there are stable coal and iron mines, the success of these two projects will not be a problem, and then France's production capacity will experience explosive growth.

By then, this supposedly equal and mutually beneficial agreement would have become something like the later Sino-American Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation—nominally equal, but in reality, an unequal treaty that would completely colonize the other side. Therefore, when signing this treaty with Spain, the France deliberately extended the treaty's duration to twenty-five years. Furthermore, they stipulated that it would be automatically extended upon expiration if no objections were raised.

This agreement is, in reality, a huge trap. What's even more frightening is that once it's implemented, abolishing it in the future will be extremely difficult. Leaving aside the immense power of the France army after the Industrial Revolution, even within Spain itself, it would face fierce opposition from the comprador class formed by Spain who had amassed wealth through the sale of France goods. In some cases, it's even possible that the entire Spain government could be transformed from an economic vassal to a political vassal—once you fall into this trap, climbing out will be incredibly difficult.

A few days earlier, after Napoleon and Joseph met at Verdun, Joseph predicted that it wouldn't be long before the Austria and Prussia would sue for peace with France. Therefore, he specifically emphasized to Napoleon that other issues could be discussed, but the trade agreement must be implemented.

This trap, built on a future technological revolution, is far too insidious. Not to mention the still immature Metternich, even a more cunning old fox like Talleyrand wouldn't be able to truly see through it.

So Metternich was equally confused, but this was no time for him to hesitate any longer. Napoleon spoke again:

"Regarding this matter, well, I have the relevant documents of the trade agreement between France and Spain. This document is publicly available; I believe you can easily find it if you want to, but it will take time, and time is the most precious resource right now. You can take this document back and discuss it with His Excellency Archduke Karl. However, you must be quick. You know, time is the most valuable asset in your negotiations. Every second wasted means your bargaining power diminishes, and I naturally have the right to demand more compensation. If I do not receive your reply by noon tomorrow, I will have to begin military action."

Metternich then got up to take his leave. Because he was preoccupied with the trade agreement, he was somewhat absent-minded and almost forgot to take the documents about the Franco-Spanish trade agreement that Napoleon had given him.

Metternich rushed back, and by the time he met Archduke Karl, it was already dark. Ignoring his fatigue and hunger, Metternich immediately relayed his meeting with Napoleon to Archduke Karl.

After listening, Archduke Karl thought for a moment and then asked, "Did General Bonaparte make any other requests?"

"No, he just said that time is very precious, and after saying all that, he asked me to come back immediately to discuss it with you," Metternich replied.

Archduke Karl nodded and said, "It's clear that General Bonaparte attaches great importance to this trade agreement. Mr. Metternich, what else do you know about this trade agreement between the Spain and the France?"

Metternich shook his head and said, "I don't know much about this agreement. However, it seems the Spain don't have many complaints about it. From that perspective, the agreement shouldn't have too many problems. Also, Your Excellency, I thought of something on my way back. You know, the Bonaparte Family is a newly wealthy and famously rich family in France. They run many businesses, from arms to shipbuilding, shipping, and mining. Many people say they are already the richest family in France. I wonder if they hope to use this agreement..."

"That's one possibility," Archduke Karl nodded. "I've heard some things about General Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy; many people have mentioned his greed. It's said he obtained tens of millions of francs from His Holiness the Pope alone, and he pocketed most of it... Perhaps what you're saying is one reason."

"Your Excellency, the Bonaparte Family will undoubtedly hold a very important position in France in the future; they may even become the true rulers of France. If our country possesses much of their wealth, then perhaps our nation will indeed be much safer," Metternich said. "Furthermore, I think we can add some other conditions..."