Fouche's stratagem
The Intelligence Team of the Police Intelligence Division is specifically responsible for collecting and processing intelligence, formulating operational plans based on this information, and then handing them over to the Action Team for execution. 🐚♠ ♥😂
This highly specialized and detailed division of labor was unprecedented in the Intelligence Department of various countries in the 18th century.
Three hours later, the Intelligence Team presented two plans. After listening to their explanations, Fouche quickly selected the second plan and ordered its immediate execution.
The members of the Police Intelligence Division Action Team immediately sprang into action.
The group headed to Paris to make preparations. Thanks to the efficient rail transport, they returned to the Versailles Palace before dark.
At 7 p. m., three members of the Action Team disguised as musicians took several "tools" from them and headed straight for Madam Galan's concert hall on the second floor of the West Hall. They all had genuine identification, so there were no obstacles along the way.
In the Marble Courtyard, dazzling fireworks soared into the sky, accompanied by a chorus of music.
In the crowd, Madam Galan, beaming with pride, bowed slightly. Queen Mary smiled and placed the feathered headdress, symbolizing victory, on Madam Galan's head.
Just half an hour ago, she unsurprisingly won the singing and dancing competition with a selection from her junior Mozart's newly composed "The Magic Flute".
The surrounding Nobility and commoners erupted in a deafening roar of cheers, chanting her name repeatedly. More than half of them had bet on Madam Galan to win, and now they were raking in the profits—how could they not be overjoyed?
At the same time, three "musicians" pried open the door to Madam Galan's concert hall, slipped inside, closed the door, and quickly went to the spacious balcony.
They first carefully observed the situation downstairs. It was already dark, and most people were gathered in the Marble Courtyard, paying no attention to this area. The three of them immediately worked together to dismantle three of the sturdy Wood railings of the balcony, then took out identical wooden railings from their instrument bags and replaced them...
Tonight, Madam Galan, as the champion of song and dance, will perform at the King's birthday ball, so her music salon will be suspended for the day.
The spacious and luxurious Hall of Mirrors was brightly lit, and Louis XVI's birthday party officially began!
Royal House and dignitaries from various countries gathered together, looking respectfully at the King of France, who were performing the opening dance in the center of the Hall.
After the music ended, Louis XVI, his face flushed, nodded to the guests and then quickly fled back to the platform on the second floor of the Hall, looking completely exhausted.
The Lord Chamberlain then delivered another lengthy birthday speech. Next, Madam Galan sang the classical song "King Louis" for Louis XVI:
"Louis, my king, recruit soldiers and generals."
All the cavalrymen from the various vassal states have made their appearance.
"Louis, my king, commands loud and clear."
Who will follow me on my campaigns to distant lands?
"The devout rise up and take responsibility..."
Below the stage, Joseph silently glanced at the financial statements that Eman had just obtained from the inner court.
Just as he predicted, the dance competition resulted in a loss of Livre due to Madam Galan's "bug." Fortunately, the Sword Competition was a major upset, with Baron Vermorel, the Second Captain of the Queen's Guard, defeating two favorites to win the championship and thus earning over a hundred thousand livres in betting money.
With the addition of over ten thousand yuan in revenue from the "Welfare Lottery," the cost of the birthday celebration, which was 260,000 Livre, was barely covered.
As the ball progressed, people continued to offer music and dance, and even Godoy joined several court musicians to play a piece.
Fortunately, the Beauties of the Versailles Palace have gradually come to know that the Crown Prince doesn't like dancing, and with rumors circulating that the Queen's chosen "Crown Princess" is fiercely protective of Joseph, no one bothers him.
Joseph then spotted his diplomatic target in the crowd: a man in his forties who looked quite shrewd and capable—Joan Drake van der Kan Peilun, the Speaker of the Netherlands States General and a key leader of the Patriot Party.
Of course, he also has another role today: he is the special envoy of William V, the Netherlands Stadtholder. This was not appointed by William V, but rather because the States General was worried that the Stadtholder would compromise with the France, so they appointed him as the special envoy to French King.
The Dutch Speaker was very polite to the France Crown Prince. After all, France had always been a major financial backer of the Dutch Patriots' Party, and if it weren't for the help of "French Volunteers" at the end of last year, the Prussian Army might have already entered Rotterdam.
However, due to the Netherlands' crushing defeat in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War five years earlier, it was forced to sign a treaty of alliance with the United Kingdom. Although the Patriot Party was somewhat hostile to the United Kingdom, it did not dare to defy United Kingdom or get too close to France.
"Ah! You are truly radiant and magnificent today, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Kan Peilun bowed respectfully, showering him with compliments.
Joseph took two glasses of Wine from the servant's tray, handed one to him, and smiled as he gestured towards a secluded corner:
"I've always wanted to meet you, Your Excellency Speaker. Would you mind if I spoke with you for a few minutes?"
"Of course, Your Highness, it is my honor."
Upon reaching a more secluded spot, Joseph first raised his glass in a gesture of respect:
"Your Excellency Speaker, first of all, I would like to congratulate our two countries on the achievements made in combating Barbary Pirates."
Kan Peilun quickly nodded in agreement:
May the Mediterranean Sea shipping routes be even smoother.
In reality, the Netherlands was only dragged along by France to assemble a small frigate and provided some funding.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Joseph asked:
"Your country's two most important companies, the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company, seem to be in less than optimistic business conditions right now?"
Kan Peilun frowned and could only nod.
"Your Highness, that is indeed the case. Frequent wars in recent years have greatly diminished the financial resources of the Netherlands provinces, leading to a decrease in demand for overseas goods. Consequently, both trading companies have frequently incurred losses."
"So, does your Parliament have any plans to improve the company's situation?"
Kan Peilun said with a bitter face:
"Your Highness, that may not be easy... after all, the trade volume is what it is."
Joseph said bluntly:
"The root cause is that the United Kingdom monopolized a large number of Trade Route and constantly attacked your Colony."
"That... that's certainly a factor."
Joseph exclaimed dramatically:
"What a magnificent sight it was when these Carriers of the Sea traversed the world's oceans!"
"..." Kan Peilun could only lower his head and remain silent.
Joseph glanced at his expression and smiled:
"Your Excellency Speaker, perhaps we can join forces."
"Join forces?" Kan Peilun immediately realized something and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness, unfortunately, the Netherlands probably doesn't have the strength to oppose United Kingdom."
He dared not align the Netherlands with either England or France— God is my witness, he couldn't afford to offend either of these two great powers!
"No, you've misunderstood. I meant cooperation in trade, purely trade."
"Is what you're saying related to the two trading companies?"
Joseph nodded and smiled:
"That's right. In fact, the French East India Company is also facing difficulties now. I suggest that we merge these three trading companies from both countries to expand their business scope, which might allow them to regain their former glory."
Joseph was well aware of the Dutch people's enormous potential in developing their navy. In the first three Anglo-Dutch War, the Netherlands fleet fought impressively and caused great trouble for the United Kingdom.
However, due to its weakened national strength and collapsed ambition, the Netherlands has lost its ambition to dominate the seas.
In fact, the Dutch people have a great talent for business. If they can seize development opportunities, they might actually be able to revive their former glory Carriers of the Sea.
Most importantly, even if the Dutch people did become the dominant maritime power, United Kingdom would undoubtedly suffer the most severe losses. As for France, in the worst-case scenario, it could use its army to threaten the nearby Netherlands, preventing it from jeopardizing France maritime interests.
Cardinal Richelieu, the first France statesman of his time, once said that if France wanted to achieve hegemony, it had to support a powerful Netherlands to counter United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, Louis XIV was too eager for quick success and didn't listen to his advice. He invaded the Netherlands for some petty gains, which led to the gradual decline of one of the United Kingdom's strongest rivals.
Joseph's current priority is to help the Netherlands recover, or even give it a boost.
For example, by using the half-dead French East India Company as bait, the interests of France and the Netherlands were tied together, helping the Netherlands expand its trade and restore its national strength.
As a country that relies on the sea for its livelihood, the Netherlands would naturally want to build a powerful fleet if it had any power.
Due to their competitive nature in long-distance trade, the Netherlands fleet was inherently an enemy of the British Navy.
A glint seemed to flash in Kan Peilun's eyes, but he immediately frowned and said:
"Your Highness, if I may be frank, given the trade situation between France and the Netherlands, even if they were to unite, the profits would be very limited. After all, the most profitable overseas Colony are occupied by the United Kingdom, and the rest are in Spain's hands."
Joseph smiled slightly:
"You can rest assured about that. France will use trade concessions from some of its resource-rich Colony as capital to invest in new trading companies."
New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have not yet been discovered by Europe countries. The former is a super-large Wool- producing region—in this era where the Textile reigns supreme, Wool is almost a strategic resource; while the latter possesses abundant mineral resources, which can also bring huge profits.
Putting aside everything else, these two places alone are enough to support the Franco-Dutch joint venture "India Company".
Even now, with the United Kingdom having only just landed on Australia's east coast, the Netherlands and France could easily develop in northern Australia simultaneously.
In addition, the Netherlands' trade in Fusang and in places like Guiana, if managed properly, could bring enormous profits to both countries.
Of course, these interests would also be coveted by the United Kingdom. However, at that point, it would become a matter of cutting off the Dutch people's source of income. The Netherlands would absolutely have to fight the United Kingdom to the death.
Kan Peilun exclaimed in surprise:
"Which Colony are you referring to?"
After the Seven Years' War, France had very few overseas Colony left; how could they possibly be used as equity investments?
"I can only tell you that after the United Trading Company between the two countries is established," Joseph said. "However, I assure you that the output of these places will be absolutely abundant, even exceeding the current income of the Netherlands in the Far East."
"And I must remind you that if the Patriot Party cannot provide the Netherlands people with the life they want, they are likely to miss their Stadtholder again."
Seeing that Kan Peilun was still hesitant, he threw out another huge bait:
"If our two countries have substantial trade cooperation, then we can commit to signing a non-aggression treaty with the Netherlands."
Kan Peilun's eyes were completely lit up.
It should be understood that United Kingdom at sea and France on land have always been the two biggest threats to the Netherlands.
France's aggression against the Netherlands during the reign of Louis XIV was a persistent nightmare for the Netherlands, and a major factor in the Netherlands ' reluctance to completely align itself with France.
If France could promise to guarantee the security of the Netherlands, it would be a huge strategic advantage for the Netherlands.
He finally nodded vigorously:
"I will convey your goodwill to the States General and the two companies, and do my best to make this happen."
After all, the East and West India Company were both independently operated joint-stock companies, and the Dutch Parliament had no control over them, only the power to offer advice.
Joseph smiled and nodded, then looked at the crowd at the ball:
"Perhaps Upper Austria our cooperation. You know how profitable their Ostend Company was back then, yet it was forced to dissolve by the United Kingdom. They must also be eager to rebuild their East India Company."
The Ostend Company he referred to was Austria overseas trading company in the Southern Netherlands. Although it only existed for 10 years, it was the only time Austria realized its dream of overseas trade.
Most importantly, everyone involved is a victim of the United Kingdom's problems.
Kan Peilun was stunned for two seconds by this audacious idea before saying:
"Your Highness, according to the agreement between England and Austria back then, Ostend Company cannot be re-established."
Joseph shrugged and laughed:
"Where is this Ostend Company? The Archduke of Austria invested some money in the Franco-Dutch United Trading Company and granted it some franchise rights. Doesn't that violate the agreement?"
Kan Peilun immediately laughed along. This Crown Prince of France's thinking was simply too ingenious; a trading company jointly owned by the Netherlands, France, and Austria was bound to have a bright future!
Joseph was somewhat disappointed because Archduke of Austria Joseph II of Austria, his own uncle, was unable to attend the birthday celebration due to health reasons. The envoy he sent was merely a courtesy call and held no real power. Otherwise, Joseph would have wanted to discuss not only the United Trading Company, but also matters concerning Silesia and even the unification of Germany with his uncle.
The celebration lasted all night. After the Disaster Relief auction, as dawn broke, the revelers gradually dispersed...
According to the original plan, all the birthday gifts given to Louis XVI from both domestic and foreign countries were auctioned off, and all proceeds were used for Disaster Relief.
At the auction, many Nobility also donated jewelry or expensive clothing for auction.
In the end, a total of over 2 Livre was auctioned off, and in front of all the Paris Citizens, it was announced how much grain this money would be used to purchase and where it would be shipped.