The true core of the French Cabinet

The East Hall Versailles Palace, the Conference Hall. 💗✎ ✌👹

Queen Mary, seated at the head of the conference table, was clearly in good spirits. Partly, the dance competitions of the past few days had been very relaxing for her, but the most important reason was that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had sent a report yesterday that the British Government had agreed to arrest Jeanne and send her back to France.

Finally, we won't hear that liar writing any more disgusting news about the French Royal Family.

Before the Cabinet Meeting officially began, she looked at the Crown Prince and asked, "Joseph, have you heard about what's happening in Spain?"

Joseph quickly changed to a sorrowful expression. "May His Majesty the old King enjoy eternal peace in heaven."

Yes, King Carlos III of Spain passed away not long ago.

Queen Mary made the sign of the cross and sighed, "May God have mercy on him."

"By the way, you should go to Madrid soon and convey my and your father's congratulations on the coronation of His Majesty Carlos IV."

Carlos IV was the Crown Prince whose wife cheated on him. Joseph had helped him deal with the adulterer, so they had quite a history. Moreover, the Spanish Royal Family and French Royal Family belong to the same Bourbon lineage, so it was only right and proper to offer a very formal congratulation to the new king on his accession to the throne.

Joseph nodded. "Yes, Mother. I'll leave tomorrow."

In fact, he was planning to visit Spain sometime. Not only Spain, but he also planned to visit all the major Europe countries.

With the rapid development of France industry, he needed to plan ahead and sign trade agreements with various countries to pave the way for the sale of France industrial products.

Queen Mary then gestured to Archbishop Brienne, "Please begin."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The latter bowed slightly, then looked at the Cabinet Minister around the conference table. "As Her Majesty the Queen just said, with the coronation of His Majesty Carlos IV, we need to prepare a diplomatic mission to accompany His Crown Prince on his visit to Spain."

"At the same time, some policies with Spain also need to be adjusted in advance..."

The French and Spanish Royal House are close relatives, and their interests are largely aligned, making them almost a semi-alliance. Policies will largely continue those of Carlos III, so this topic quickly came to an end.

Archbishop Brienne then said, "Next, we need to discuss the situation regarding the Ottoman."

"As you all know, Hamid I passed away earlier this month. He had previously designated his nephew Selim III as the new Ottoman Sultan."

"The Ottoman is expected to experience a period of instability during Selim III's reign."

Minister of War Duke of Broglie immediately said, "We can take this opportunity to find the sons of Tripoli Ali I and send troops to support him in recapturing Tripoli."

Ali I was the Pasha of the Karamanli Dynasty who had been overthrown in a coup by the Ottoman Army Benjiul not long ago.

Several Cabinet Minister nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Tunisia was, in a sense, seized from the Ottoman, and Tripoli, now under Ottoman control, remains a serious threat to Tunisia.

Therefore, France had to maintain a large military presence in Tunisia. Rather than dragging things out, it was better to take advantage of the instability within the Ottoman and resolve this problem directly.

Joseph immediately objected. "But that's probably not the best strategy."

Queen Mary was about to ask her son the reason when she noticed that the ministers who had just been enthusiastically supporting the military expedition had all fallen silent, as if they hadn't mentioned it at all.

She looked at Joseph with surprise. "Um, can you tell me why?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Joseph said, "the United Kingdom are behind Tripoli, and they certainly want us to get caught up in the fighting there. And if the Ottoman can reinforce their troops with the help of the British Navy, it will be difficult for us to stop them. It could easily turn into a protracted war."

"Most importantly, even if we drive out the Ottomans, we cannot occupy Tripoli. You know, Europe countries will be wary of our presence in the Mediterranean Sea."

Queen Mary frowned and said, "But if we miss this opportunity, the Ottomans may very well gain a foothold in Tripoli."

"Please rest assured, I have already made arrangements for this. The Ottoman are even farther from Tripoli than we are; without United Kingdom support, they will withdraw from there soon."

Joseph looked at Duke of Broglie: "Maintaining a legion in Tunisia for a short time is far less expensive than waging a war."

"Yes, that's right, Your Highness."

Queen Mary hesitated for a moment. "What kind of deployment are you referring to?"

Joseph smiled slightly, "I will submit the report to you later."

With the Ottoman issue temporarily put aside, Archbishop Brienne then presented the proposals put forward by Minister of Industry Mirabeau regarding the abolition of Tariff between different regions of France, as well as a proposal to reform the Tax Farmer System.

Of course, both of these things were done by Mirabeau at Joseph's behest.

Now that the French Reserve Bank has tens of Livre from the Duke of Orléans, it has the confidence to carry out these reforms.

Mirabeau, representing the Capitalist Aristocrat, naturally welcomed this immensely.

Eliminating Tariff between regions allows for smoother flow of goods, effectively expanding the market.

Of the three essential elements for industrial development—capital, technology, and market—the market is the most important. In fact, one could argue that a market can foster the other two.

As for the Tax Farmer System, it is a chronic problem in France Finance, swallowing up a large amount of tax revenue every year.

However, when Brienne put forward these two reform proposals, apart from Mirabeau and Bayei, the other ministers were more opposed than in favor.

Joseph wasn't surprised by this, given that it was a reform with far-reaching implications.

Local taxes not only affect the Finance of provincial governments but also the development of local handicrafts. Previously, if a region's handicrafts were weak, it could be protected by Tariff. However, with the abolition of Tariff, it would face competition from all over France. This would lead to the bankruptcy of most Workshop with low productivity, resulting in a wave of unemployment.

The problems with Tax Farmers are even greater. The government's tax department is incompetent and plagued by corruption. If the tax collection work were directly handed over to them, the French Government would go bankrupt next year—because the tax revenue collected might even be halved.

So Joseph had Mirabeau bring these things up simply to generate buzz and let the public know that these things existed, so that they could make some preparations in advance.

As expected, after more than an hour of debate, Queen Mary reluctantly announced that the two bills would be temporarily shelved.

Archbishop Brienne also breathed a sigh of relief, and then proceeded to the last matter. "Recently, a serious Rebellion has occurred in the Southern Netherlands. Mobs have surrounded the Governor's Mansion and driven the Austria officials out of Brabant."

"Vienna has not yet responded, but we should make some preparations in advance."

He placed this matter last because he considered it insignificant—riots are common in Europe these days, and France had just experienced one not long ago.

(End of this chapter)

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