The Great Con Artist vs. the Old Fox

"That's great! Those damned pirates are finally going to be..."

Jefferson, who was in charge of United States foreign affairs, had only excitedly begun speaking when Franklin interrupted him with a weak, dry laugh, "Heh, Mr. Envoy, I think you must have left something unsaid, right? For a few mere United States merchant ships, it certainly wouldn't warrant such a large-scale operation by the French Navy. 💥🎯 👣🍓"

Franklin was a cunning old fox—during the American War of Independence, he was the one who shuttled between Britain and France, using France to threaten United Kingdom and United Kingdom to entice France. In particular, he coaxed and tricked Louis XVI into giving him tens of Livre livres in loans, as well as a large amount of military supplies and tens of thousands of France soldiers, which enabled the independence of the Thirteen Colonies United States colonies.

He wasn't as easily fooled as the young Jefferson.

Talleyrand nodded with a smile:

"Of course, King Majesty the King also aims for free trade around the Mediterranean Sea, benefiting all coastal nations. However, this is precisely what the United States, with its limited naval power, urgently needs."

Franklin glanced at Jefferson, who quickly smiled and said:

"Of course! Mr. Special Envoy, I am deeply grateful for this!"

"Ah, our Majesty is always so kind and considerate of you, our friends far away in Americas." Talleyrand then proceeded to describe how the France Royal Navy would be so mighty and powerful, and how it would surely sweep away the Barbary Pirates.

"As you know, the center of world civilization is ultimately still in Europe. The United States cannot survive and thrive solely on the desolate and isolated Americas. Oh, please forgive me for saying this, but it is indeed the truth."

"You can imagine how many fewer merchant ships the United States would lose each year, not to mention the Tribute and Ransom paid to pirates, if there were no pirate interference."

"In the long run, the increase in trade with the Mediterranean Sea countries will bring prosperity to the United States."

Franklin simply nodded calmly, because he knew that the cripple hadn't even gotten to the point yet.

Sure enough, Talleyrand said, then sighed:

"The navy has submitted a plan to eliminate the pirates; now there's only a small problem left."

Jefferson instinctively asked, "What's the problem?"

"As you know, our government's Finance situation isn't so optimistic, and such a large-scale military deployment will inevitably require substantial funding. Therefore, as a stakeholder in this anti-piracy operation, the United States might be able to cover some of the costs."

Franklin finally spoke:

"What you said makes perfect sense, so regarding the costs, how much do you think the United States should pay?"

Talleyrand said with a smile:

"The United States loses three to four hundred thousand US Dollar a year to Barbary Pirates, but now, by providing the Royal Navy with just two hundred thousand US Dollar, we can get rid of this problem."

US Dollar 200,000 is 1 Livre.

Talleyrand, who frequented the powerful circles of the Versailles Palace, was well-versed in the art of negotiation and left room for bargaining from the outset.

"That much?" Franklin frowned and pondered. "You probably don't know, but the income situation in various states isn't very good right now, and we just went through the Shays' Rebellion last year [Note 1]. I'm afraid it's difficult for us to come up with such a large sum of money."

As he spoke, he gave Jefferson a wink.

"Oh yes, the State Parliament probably won't approve that much money," Jefferson quickly chimed in. "If it were fifty or sixty thousand US Dollar a year, I think they would seriously consider it."

Talleyrand thought to himself with disdain: These North America country bumpkins are really poor, stingy, and love to scheme.

He smiled and shook his head, saying:

"Oh, you must have misunderstood. This is not a long-term expense. The operation will end in a few years. After that, you will no longer need to pay any funds."

"This time, we're not just targeting Pirate Ship at sea—yes, we've been doing this for over a century, but piracy persists. So, this time we're going to address the problem at its root—we'll send in troops to completely wipe out the pirate strongholds on land!"

He spread his arms wide, palms facing up, closed his eyes, and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

"From this day forward, the Barbary Pirates will be history, and the Mediterranean Sea will become a paradise for maritime trade."

→

Franklin's cloudy old eyes suddenly lit up:

"You mean the France army will land in North Africa?"

"That's not quite accurate," Talleyrand immediately corrected. "It's just fighting near the Barbary Pirates ' strongholds. We even hope that the North Africa nations will participate in eradicating the pirates."

Franklin hadn't expected the French Government to take such a large-scale action, and he was already somewhat tempted. If the Barbary Pirates could be completely eradicated within a few years, the United States would be able to reduce its losses significantly in the future.

Compared to that, paying several US Dollar 200,000 fees is not unacceptable.

However, the old fox still looked troubled:

"God is my witness, we are very willing to support His French King the King's actions and contribute some of the funding, but US Dollar 200,000 a year is indeed too much."

Talleyrand smiled kindly:

"Mr. Franklin, let me be frank with you. His Majesty has given me a floating allowance of US Dollar 20,000. To be honest, I'm thinking about returning to Paris as soon as possible every day, so I won't waste any more time. US Dollar 180,000 a year, you gain eternal peace on the sea route, and I gain the prosperity of Paris."

"Ah, a little less! You know, United States only recently gained independence and has just gone through war..."

"You're putting me in a very difficult position. You must know, France soldiers are risking their lives to help you fight the pirates!"

After a brief negotiation over the price, Franklin reluctantly agreed to submit the annual fee of US Dollar 175,000 to the Federal Parliament.

US Dollar 175,000 is approximately 870,000 Livre. This is significantly higher than the $600,000 base price Joseph offered to Talleyrand, but still far less than the amount the United States lost Barbary Pirates.

Having settled the main issues, Talleyrand smiled again:

"Actually, I have another sincere suggestion."

"I eagerly await the Special Envoy's advice."

"The United States needs to equip itself with two Warship, oh, small frigates will do, to fight piracy alongside the Royal Navy."

Franklin instinctively shook his head— the United States had just disbanded its navy a few years ago in order to save on military spending and was unwilling to maintain warships any longer.

Talleyrand immediately urged:

"You should know that even if the Barbary Pirates are wiped out, there will still be some small pirates like flies, occasionally emerging from the carrion. You can take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the Mediterranean Sea environment and escort your merchant ships in the future."

"Two frigates don't cost too much. In the future, they can also help escort smaller countries like Denmark and Tuscany, collecting fees and even making some money."

"Your suggestion is very pertinent," Franklin nodded. "Well then, Mr. Envoy, I will also submit your suggestion to Parliament. As for the final decision, that will depend on the Parliament vote."

"Oh, of course," Talleyrand said. "I recall the Royal Navy recently commissioned several frigates; if necessary, I can help you make connections. It will certainly be much cheaper than building new ships."

Thank you for your kindness.

[Note 1] Shays' Uprising: After the American War of Independence, most of the Continental Army was disbanded, but there was no money to pay the pensions of retired American forces. Instead, the government implemented a land sales policy that favored large capital and levied extremely high tax rates, which led to a very miserable life for many veterans.

In the autumn of 1786, veteran Shays, who had served Captain, and Luke Dayi led a mutiny of retired American forces in Concord, which at one point grew to 15,000 men.

In early 1787, the United States Congress feigned negotiations but instead mobilized a large force to surround Shays and ultimately suppressed the uprising.

I'd like to recommend a friend's new book, "Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796," and I welcome everyone to subscribe.

Introduction:

A flowerpot brings him to Tsar Russia in the late summer and early autumn of 1796, and the new story of Solovyov is slowly unfolding.

The main character is fictional, but most of the characters in this book are based on real people; the story, however, is another matter entirely.