Business

"The Britain presence in Hanover poses a threat to the security of France," Talleyrand replied without hesitation.

"Hanover is also His Majesty's sacred property," said Sir Humphrey, the newly appointed Britain Foreign Secretary. "Even according to your country's legislative principles, you should recognize the inviolability of private property. And Hanover is precisely the inviolable private property of His Majesty's King."

"Ah, Sir, our national laws state that we must protect the legitimate private property of the France people. I am certain that His Majesty the King is not a citizen of France."

"But didn't you just say that the principles of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man are universally applicable, and that you France people should care about the human rights of foreigners as well?"

"Yes, that's our principle. But, Sir, you must understand that there are priorities and a certain order to things. We will first guarantee the human rights of the France, then the human rights of Catholicism on the Europe continent, then the human rights of Catholicism in other parts of Europe and other regions, and then... well, you can see that His Majesty's priority is quite low. At least, I think that before the basic human rights of the Ireland people are guaranteed, we will hardly have time to protect His Majesty's private property."

"Mr. Talleyrand, may I interpret your words as meaning that if we are willing to guarantee the human rights of the Ireland people, then your country can protect His Majesty the King's private property, or to put it more clearly, if we are willing to make some concessions in Ireland, in exchange for your country's concessions in Hanover?"

"Ah, Sir, I didn't say that, but... we felt that your suggestion just now was very sincere in its desire for peace..."

In fact, neither Talleyrand nor Humphrey had any sincerity for peace. Everyone knew that this peace talk was essentially just a more formal ceasefire.

However, both sides, for different reasons, were genuinely keen on this ceasefire. So while neither side truly sought peace, both were sincere in their desire for a temporary peace. Moreover, because they both believed that these issues would ultimately be resolved through war, they were more inclined to shelve the disputes. After all, leaving more mines wouldn't be a problem; they could use that as an excuse to start a war later.

So everyone started discussing the exchange with great sincerity.

Finally, the France and Britain compromised on this issue and reached the following agreement:

Regarding the Ireland question, both sides agreed that it should be resolved peacefully whenever possible.

The Britain will guarantee that the Ireland people's natural human rights will not be illegally violated, guarantee that the Ireland people have the right to choose their own religion, and grant the Ireland people a certain degree of autonomy (of course, the Britain insist that this point must not be made public).

The France stated that they understood Britain's view on Ireland sovereignty and assured that they had no intention of encouraging Ireland to secede from the United Kingdom. However, they emphasized that the traditional friendship between the France and Ireland people, as well as free trade, should not be disrupted.

France assured Britain that it would not sell weapons of mass destruction to Ireland. (France: We're only selling civilian goods, believe it or not? Rifles, for hunting; grenades, for fishing; and landmines, of course, to protect the turnips in the vegetable garden and repel any aliens trying to invade and eat the Ireland people's turnips.)

Regarding the Hanover issue, France expressed respect for the Britain King's private property as Grand Duke of Hanover, and the profits derived therefrom. France also respected his right to participate in political activities in Hanover. However, the final status of Hanover could only be determined by the Hanover people themselves. To ensure the Hanover people could freely express their will, France could not accept any Britain military presence in Hanover.

In addition, to ensure the security of Hanover, at the invitation of the people of Hanover, France will maintain a limited military force in Hanover.

Britain stated that it supports all of the King's legitimate rights in Hanover and will strive to promote the restoration of these rights peacefully.

After temporarily acknowledging the status quo, Talleyrand immediately raised a new issue.

"Very well, Sir Humphrey. I think we can finally put aside those annoying matters and discuss what can truly benefit us all."

What do you mean?

"Sir," said Talleyrand, "You see, for years Britain has blockaded the France coast, preventing us from trading and making money. And we, recently, have also been preventing your country from obtaining raw materials and selling goods on the Europe." "This is not a good thing," he continued, "Because it hinders the prosperity of both nations. So, well, you may know, our country has signed trade agreements with many Europe countries based on mutual open doors and markets. To further our friendship with Britain and to make our peace more lasting, I suggest that our two countries also reach an equal agreement on mutual trade."

Sir Humphrey was also very interested in this issue. In fact, since France defeated Prussia, almost the entire Europe market had been closed to the Britain.

Just as the France, when they were blockaded, constantly engaged in smuggling, the Britain also continuously transported goods into Europe through smuggling with the Netherlands. And frankly, while the Confederation of the Rhine legally imposed a blockade on Britain, its enforcement was not particularly rigorous. Nevertheless, even this relatively lenient blockade had already caused considerable trouble for the Britain economy.

Coupled with the defeat in the war and the drain on resources in Ireland, Britain's recent economic situation is quite unfavorable. It would be ideal if Europe markets could be opened to Britain at this time. In fact, this is also an important objective of these peace negotiations— Britain must quickly rebuild its strength before the next decisive war.

However, no matter how you look at it, this matter is more advantageous to Britain, yet the France brought it up on their own initiative, which made Sir Humphrey somewhat hesitant.

"Of course, free trade encompasses many aspects; it cannot be limited to goods alone," Talleyrand added. "It should also include the free flow of culture, art, and talent. For example, some friends and I have investments in journalism. We hope that these areas can be opened up. That is, France people can start newspapers in Britain, and Britain can start France newspapers. We in France will guarantee that Britain newspapers enjoy the same press freedom as France newspapers, and you Britain should also guarantee that our newspapers enjoy the same press freedom as yours..."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute..." Sir Humphrey said, "There's something I feel seems to be a problem. For example, in your country, if your rule is that all France newspapers can only say 'Long live Napoleon,' then our newspapers can only say 'Long live Napoleon.' But in Britain, you know, our newspapers can say anything except 'the armed overthrow of the King,' so you can say anything except 'the armed overthrow of the King.' Wouldn't we be at a huge disadvantage? Perhaps we in Britain should first establish rules for news reporting that are the same as yours, and then..."

"How dare you slander us like this?" Talleyrand said angrily. "It is true that our newspapers are full of shouts of 'Long live General Napoleon,' but that's because our people sincerely support General Napoleon. And our press is completely free..."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I was talking about," said Sir Humphrey.

As Joseph predicted, the two sides clashed again over the issue of mutually opening up news and cultural markets. The Britain understood that the France wanted to use this opportunity to export revolution to Britain, but the Britain also needed the Europe market. Moreover, considering Britain press rules, the Britain felt they might not necessarily be afraid of France propaganda—it was just stirring up emotions, after all—and did they really think Britain press was truly free? On Britain soil, following Britain rules, could they possibly lose to these Gallic barbarians?

Of course, the final text still needs to be taken back for approval. Now that we've covered the most important things, we can move on to some lighter topics, such as how to make money.

"Sir Humphrey, I have a friend from the Bordeaux region who may become the new ambassador to Britain. You know, this friend is a supporter of ours; he owns many vineyards in Bordeaux, which produce some very fine wines—I've heard that wine is a very profitable business in your country these days. Well, he's still young, but a very generous man... If possible, I hope he will receive your patronage while he's in your country."

Sir Humphrey immediately understood what he meant. The idea of buying an ambassadorial position and then using that status to make money was a trick first invented by the Britain, and in another timeline, even into the 21st century, the United States still maintains this tradition. Even if you're an illiterate person who can recount the liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp by the United States army, you can still buy an ambassadorial post if you pay the money.

To put it simply: A wine seller paid me a lot of money to buy the position of ambassador to Britain. He bought the position, naturally, to make money in business, because he heard that France wine was very popular in Britain. He's a good man willing to bribe you if you can help him make money.

"That's not a problem," Sir Humphrey said. "I have a friend here who also needs your help..."