Negotiation (3)

"Then may I ask, if we insist on Saint-Domingue's independence, how much will the France government require us to pay for the land?" Toussaint Louverture

"One hundred and fifty million francs," Victor replied. "Of course, we can provide you with a special low-interest loan, and you can use your annual trade income to repay the principal and interest."

"This number is too high," Toussaint Louverture said. "It means you will continue to bleed us Black people for another generation or two!"

"But even so, you still have trade routes," Victor said. "Saint-Domingue has always been France territory. We can allow France citizens to live freely here, but we cannot unconditionally allow it to become independent without any response. That would embolden some of our internal enemies. Moreover, if it remains France territory, France will have many more trade goods. Saint-Domingue's sugar and coffee bring the Republican government nearly ten million francs in revenue every year. We cannot afford to lose that."

"Your income is a form of plunder against us Black people," Toussaint Louverture said scathingly.

"That might be true during the Kingdom period, but not now," Victor said. "Like other parts of France, paying taxes is a citizen's responsibility. It's impossible to enjoy civic rights without bearing any responsibility. You've read Montesquieu's works; you should understand that rights and obligations are unified."

If you insist on no-deal independence, then you can forget about trade with France. Legally speaking, your independence would be the plunder of France territory. The First Consul's decision not to send troops to suppress you and to massacre the black people who followed you in the rebellion would be the greatest goodwill he could offer under these circumstances. Therefore, you will lose your trade route with France.

The Spain will certainly seize this opportunity to expand sugar and coffee production in Cuba —frankly, it's easy, these things have no technological barriers whatsoever—and they obviously don't need to trade with you. As for the Britain, they, like the Spain, would love nothing more than to kick you out of the supply chain. So you will also inevitably lose your trade lines with them; in fact, their trade with you was already limited to begin with.

Therefore, after a no-deal secession, you and the Black people you so wholeheartedly support will only be able to try Saint-Domingue. I estimate that you won't find many people in the entire Saint-Domingue who know how to grow wheat. Moreover, the climate in Saint-Domingue is simply not suitable for growing these crops. And then there might be a famine... So, even from an economic perspective, paying 150 million francs for land would be more economically worthwhile than a no-deal secession. Of course, economically speaking, remaining in France is still the most worthwhile option."

Governor Toussaint Louverture remained silent.

"Actually, Saint-Domingue isn't a suitable place for Black people to establish independence," Victor raised a new topic. "Because the land here is really only suitable for growing sugarcane and coffee; it's not very suitable for growing anything else. This means that establishing a nation here would be extremely dependent on trade. And all the world's trade routes are in the hands of white people. This means that if you establish a nation here, you will either be extremely poor or you will have to be dependent on a white country. In that case, if you really want to establish an independent nation for Black people, why not go somewhere else?"

"Change the location? What do you mean?" Toussaint Louverture was taken aback again. To be honest, this envoy had brought far too many surprises tonight.

"Still in Louisiana, the land there is suitable for growing crops. You can also pay to buy a plot of land in Louisiana at the price we mentioned earlier, which is 21 centimes per acre, to use as the land for establishing your country. The land price there is much cheaper. It will be much easier for you to buy it."

"I heard it's all plains over there. And we're unfamiliar with the place," Toussaint Louverture said, shaking his head. He was clearly still worried that once they all went to Louisiana and left their familiar surroundings, the France would turn their backs on them.

"Your Excellency," Victor said, "You can also remain in France for the time being, on the one hand, to implement the plan that remains in France —I mean, to eliminate those conspirators and confiscate their land to alleviate the land conflict here. On the other hand, during this time, you can gradually send people to Louisiana in stages to purchase land and settle there. In this way, over several years, you can gradually transfer those who are willing to go to Louisiana to establish an independent nation. In the process, you will also become familiar with the situation there and judge our sincerity. Finally, you will build your own nation in Louisiana, on the fertile land along the Mississippi River, and we will also guarantee the civil rights and legal private property of those blacks who wish to remain in Saint-Domingue."

Governor, let's be frank. If war breaks out between France and you, the United States and Britain will side with you, hoping to use the blood of your people to weaken us—not just France, but us. A strong France or a wealthy Black republic would be fundamentally disadvantageous to them. This is why we try our best to avoid such a situation.

In Louisiana, if we were to wage war against you, you are closer to Britain and the United States. Don't say that plains are unsuitable for fighting; do the Ireland know? They live on plains, only a few dozen nautical miles from the Britain mainland. The Britain could even mobilize over 100,000 troops to suppress them, but were they suppressed? And how far is Louisiana from mainland France? If you can't even... Of course, the Ireland are all white."

The moment those words, laced with blatant racism, were uttered, Toussaint Louvidulton was enraged. He stood up and retorted, "So what if they're white? We've fought white people, we're no less than them!"

"In that case, what is there for Your Excellency to hesitate about?" Victor laughed. "This approach is almost certainly the most advantageous for you. When a good deal comes knocking, it's best not to hesitate too much."

Clearly, Victor had brought Toussaint Louverture so many surprises tonight that he was finding it difficult to judge how much of the First Consul's envoy's words were credible, and which were trustworthy and which were not. He felt he needed time to process the information the envoy had brought before making a decision.

He then said to Victor, "Mr. Treville, the suggestions you have brought are indeed somewhat unexpected. I think each of these suggestions involves very complex matters. I suppose I cannot reply to you and His Excellency the First Consul immediately. I think I need some time to carefully consider your suggestions."

Victor also stood up, extending his hand to Toussaint Louverture, and said, "This is a major matter, for everyone. Before making such a decision, no amount of caution or deliberation is appropriate. I await His Excellency the Governor's decision."

The two shook hands, thus concluding the meeting.

The next day, Victor got up, ate breakfast, and found the adjutant who had received him the day before already waiting there. He told Victor that the governor was still in a meeting and that he would accompany him.

"Oh, I forgot to ask your name yesterday," Victor said.

"Matt," the black adjutant said, "Oka Matt."

"Well, Mr. Matt, may I wander around Saint-Domingue?" Victor asked.

"Of course, the governor said you are our most honored guest," Matt replied. "Except for certain military restricted areas, you are free to move about."

At this point, Matt hesitated for a moment, then said with a somewhat hesitant and embarrassed tone, "However, if you're going to the port, you'll have to wait while I call a squad of soldiers... The port isn't very safe, and the people there aren't very friendly towards white people."

Victor was well aware of this. In fact, when he passed through the port area in his carriage yesterday, he noticed the way the black people around him looked at him, even the black soldiers who came to greet and escort him looked at him with malice.

This wasn't the first time Victor had seen such looks. Ten years earlier, when the hurricane of revolution had just swept across France, Victor had lived in a carriage with his brother and father and had seen the same looks in the eyes of the poor people in the Saint-Antoine District. At that time, his father had completely disregarded the hateful looks in the eyes of these "poor devils" and "scum of the lower class."

However, when the flames of revolution ignited, those proud aristocrats and upper-class individuals were easily torn to shreds. Amidst the chanting of "It will be alright, it will be alright...", Victor's parents were hung from lampposts; only he and his brother, by sheer luck, escaped...

"Saint-Domingue is already on the eve of a similar storm," Victor thought to himself. In fact, in the original history, after the French Army's final defeat in Haiti and Haiti's independence, the new Haiti government immediately organized a massacre of white Haiti, killing at least two thousand. Victor, born into nobility, actually felt considerable sympathy for the Haiti white slave owners. However, being of noble birth, he had chosen the side of the revolution, and he had to appear more resolute and ruthless than others to truly climb the ranks.