Candidates for the American Presidency
When United States. Ambassador Jones saw the two men take the Pamphlets and prepare to leave, he suddenly remembered the instructions in the letter from the Crown Prince of France, and hurriedly called them back, saying solemnly, "I believe you are already aware of the current situation. Preserving Poland and dealing with the Russia ambitions are the top priorities, so I hope you can support the King, after all, he can rally more Poles to resist Russia."
"Oh, and also, you'll have to put aside your religious demands for now... I don't mean to stop you from spreading Catholicism, but that should be done after the crisis in Poland is over."
"If the Bar Confederation can make an outstanding contribution in resisting the Russia invasion, I believe the Poland people will like Catholicism even more."
Upon hearing the words "Bar Confederation," the two men instinctively ducked and looked around nervously.
Yes, they are the few remaining members of the Bar Confederation in Poland. Seven years ago, a group of patriotic Poland Nobility formed the Bar Confederation to uphold the country's political and diplomatic independence and to oppose Russia infiltration of Poland.
Initially, the alliance formed an army to expel Russia forces throughout Poland and, taking advantage of the Koliivshchyna Uprising, expanded into Lithuania and Ukraine [Note 1]. In addition, the alliance actively encouraged the Ottoman to go to war with Russia, which to some extent contributed to the Fifth Russo-Turkish War.
However, as the alliance grew, the policies it implemented shifted.
The first thing they did was declare their opposition to the King of Poland —after all, Stanisław II was Catherine II's former lover, and his election as King of Poland [Note 2] was partly due to the Russia Tsar bribing the Polish Parliament. Therefore, the Bar Confederation was very hostile to this King, declared its intention to depose him, and even briefly kidnapped Stanisław II.
Then the alliance fell into religious fanaticism, began to promote Catholicism in Poland, and persecuted Protestantism and Eastern Orthodox Church Christians.
Catherine II then allied with Prussia and Austria, using the pretext of protecting the King of Poland and Eastern Orthodox Church Christians, and launched an invasion of Poland.
The Bar Confederation was quickly defeated by the Russia army, but the Russian, Prussian, and Austrian armies did not stop there and instead occupied the Poland territories they desired.
This is the story of the First Partition of Poland.
After the war, most of the leaders of the Bar Confederation and their families were imprisoned in concentration camps built in Lithuania, while a small number were exiled to Siberia.
Although the Bar Confederation failed, Joseph knew that they were among the most staunch anti-Russian groups in Poland, and that as long as they didn't engage in religious fanaticism, they enjoyed considerable support among the general public and the military.
They are the perfect people to promote Poland national consciousness.
If national consciousness can be fostered, Poland's internal cohesion will be greatly enhanced, while reducing the space for pro-Russian Polish traitors. It should be noted that Russia, Prussia, and Austria were able to easily partition Poland largely because Poland was divided into Poland, Lithuanian descent, Slavic descent, and German descent groups, who did not speak the same language, had independent policies, and would undermine each other when faced with foreign invasion.
Given Poland's population and land area, if they can truly unite as one, it will be difficult for Russia, Prussia, and Austria to take it down in a short period of time.
Moreover, if the situation in Poland eventually becomes irreparable, the influence of the Bar Confederation can be used to raise resistance forces among the Poland people and wage a guerrilla war against Russia, Prussia, and Austria for several years.
The next day.
Tin Roof Palace.
This is the residence of Prince Poniatowski, the nephew of the King of Poland.
Jones was strolling in the garden behind the house with several Poland Nobility, as if it were an ordinary afternoon chat.
"In reality, what the major families are worried about is that abolishing the Liberum Veto will limit the power of Parliament," an Nobility of about sixty years old said, looking at the United States ambassador to Poland. "Therefore, it would be best to first pass Constitution with a separation of powers, and at the same time resolve the issue of the Liberum Veto."
The "Liberum Veto" he mentioned is Poland's infamous one-vote veto system—any member of parliament can veto a law passed by the Parliament, thus making it impossible for Poland to carry out reforms and progress.
"Yes, I'm very familiar with this kind of political wrangling." Jones nodded and said in Poland, "The United States Congress often does this too, it's really a headache."
"At this juncture, what we need is a leader with extremely high political prestige to unify differing opinions."
Prince Poniatowski sighed somewhat helplessly, "His Majesty the King, well, you know, he's always so easy to talk to..."
Jones turned to him. "Perhaps you could represent His Majesty in appealing to those councilors."
The old man beside him immediately shook his head. "The Potocki House Clan won't listen to His Highness the Prince, oh, and the arrogant Czartoryski Family too."
He was an elder in the Poniatowski Family, a family whose surname indicates it was the family of the King of Poland, but it was by no means the largest family in Poland.
Currently, Poland politics is basically controlled by fewer than ten Nobility Aristocratic Family, and it is impossible to get anything passed in Parliament without going through them.
Jones recalled the letter from the Crown Prince of France and said in a deep voice, "Poland is on the verge of a very dangerous situation. At this point, perhaps we should use some less gentlemanly methods. Prince Highness is currently in charge of the recruitment and training of the army. You should make good use of this."
"As for the Potocki House Clan, they may have done some despicable things, and if other families knew about them, they would be very happy to divide up their power."
The senior members of the Poniatowski Family exchanged surprised glances, and the old man lowered his voice, saying, "This could cause a huge uproar!"
"Therefore, Your Prince needs to mobilize the army in a timely manner to stabilize the situation. Once the Potocki House Clan is dealt with, the Czartoryski Family will certainly begin to cooperate."
Prince Poniatowski frowned. "Perhaps we don't need to make such a big fuss. The conditions proposed by the Potocki House are actually negotiable."
Jones sighed inwardly. As the mouthpiece of the Crown Prince of France, this was all he could do. "The decision rests with you, Your Prince. However, I can guarantee that I will deliver the evidence of the Potocki House Clan's treason to you within three months."
He didn't have any evidence of the Potocki House Clan's crimes, but the France told him he would.
Joseph was well aware that although the Poles were historically very slow, they had at least managed to pass a Constitution three years later— the Constitution of May 3.
This Constitution abolished the veto system, eliminated the election of the King and replaced it with hereditary succession, and established the Poland political system of separation of powers, paving the way for national development.
However, the restrictions on Nobility power Constitution of May 3 threatened the interests of some families, led by the Potocki House Clan. They immediately colluded with Prince Potemkin of Russia to form the Targowica Confederation and requested Russia intervention.
→
Subsequently, the Targowica Confederation's forces, together with the Russian Army, defeated the Polish Government Army, while Prussia and Austria, in accordance with a secret agreement with Russia, invaded Poland from the west.
The Second Partition of Poland began.
The Potocki House Clan has always had ties with the Russia; if you look hard enough, you can definitely find evidence.
Of course, Joseph was also prepared for the possibility that he might not find any evidence, in which case he would "create" some. Once the Potocki House Clan was brought down, someone would naturally confess.
With the Russo-Swedish War raging, Russia is unable to intervene in this matter.
If the Constitution of May 3 can be successfully implemented for a few years, Poland's national strength will be greatly enhanced. Moreover, without the Potocki House Clan acting as an inside agent, Russia's pretext for military intervention will disappear, making the partition of Poland extremely difficult.
If Prussia and Austria, especially the latter, believed that invading Poland would severely deplete their strength, they would likely have to reconsider whether they should join the war.
Because both Prussia and Austria-Hungary desired the unification of Germany, as long as they did not share the common interest of partitioning Poland, they would inevitably begin a war to vie for Germany.
That would greatly alleviate the strategic pressure on France, and at least buy France a few more years of development time.
Prince Poniatowski hesitated for a moment, then bowed to Jones: "Thank you for your help to Poland, Your Excellency Ambassador. I will certainly give your suggestion serious consideration."
"Oh, the banquet is about to begin. Let's go inside."
United States.
New York.
"The votes are in!" A middle-aged man in a black vest burst into the room, his face beaming with excitement. Under the anxious gazes of everyone present, he paused deliberately for two seconds before bowing deeply to George Washington, saying, "Congratulations, Your Excellency the President!"
The dozen or so people in the room immediately cheered and surrounded Washington, offering their congratulations.
Washington's face flushed even more, but he took a deep breath and looked at the messenger. "Mr. Thomas, could you tell me the specific vote count?"
"You've won 50 votes—an overwhelming victory!"
Washington breathed a sigh of relief; 50 out of 69 votes was a resounding victory.
He was secretly relieved that the Crown Prince of France had helped him; otherwise, given Hamilton's astonishing pre-election reputation, he would probably be the one celebrating his election now.
It's worth noting that even with the support of the France, Hamilton still received 33 votes! [Note 3]
Joseph brought Hamilton the achievements of eradicating pirates in the Mediterranean Sea and sending them back to the United States for public trial, making the latter unparalleled in his fame and even overshadowing Washington, the Continental Army commander War of Independence.
There's nothing we can do; people are forgetful. The War of Independence happened several years ago. How could anyone remember the execution of pirates just a few months ago?
However, Joseph quickly realized that Hamilton was a very radical hawk and had a particular obsession with the military.
If he is elected President of the United States, he will likely re-establish a standing army—currently, the United States only has a militia and no professional soldiers—which would greatly accelerate the pace of the United States' westward extermination of Native Americans and its annexation of North America lands.
A United States with only Thirteen Colonies is not a threat, but United States occupying half of the Americas would become a nightmare for all of Europe.
Joseph, of course, wanted to prevent this from happening.
So he sent people to the United States to support Washington, whose overall style was more moderate. At least during his time in power, the United States relied on militias to get by.
His method was very simple: provide Washington with some campaign funds and at the same time create a newspaper in the United States American News, which was sold at a very low price—using cheap France Wood Paper and printing technology, the newspaper was 60% cheaper than its United States counterparts and still made a 10% profit.
With the exclusive United States. publication rights to ""Refining the Firmament"," The American News quickly unified the United States newspaper market.
What followed was daily reporting on the War of Independence, constantly mentioning Washington's great contributions, while attributing the victory against the Barbary Pirates to the Federal Parliament. The congressmen, for this, praised the * American News * for its objectivity and fairness.
Meanwhile, Washington, under the arrangement of his France campaign team, gave speeches and staged various performances across the United States, and his approval rating quickly surpassed Hamilton's.
Of course, Washington reciprocated by sending its ambassador to Poland, Jones, a trusted confidant who was extremely diligent in his duties.
While Washington was celebrating its presidential election, a meeting was being held in Newspaper Office manager's office of the American News to discuss opening a branch office.
As instructed by His Crown Prince, a more orthodox newspaper like the * American News * was insufficient to reach all United States; a newspaper with primarily entertainment content was also needed to attract the United States working class.
In the subsequent United States congressional elections, the Newspaper Office had to "send off" at least 10 members of Congress—a daunting task indeed.
Traveling in the Carriage in Baden, Talleyrand smiled at the Crown Prince opposite him and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, have you seen any good news?"
Joseph pushed a report sent from Nancy before he left the France border in front of him, "Take a look, this is the sales data of the United Steam Engine Company last month."
"Our High-Pressure Steam Engine have already been sold to the United Kingdom, and we keep receiving orders."
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, clearly not understanding the significance of the Steam Engine, said with a forced smile, "Oh, one can sell for 11,000 Livre, that's quite a good deal."
"Yes, it's probably the best business opportunity." Joseph nodded with a smile.
It's worth noting that Watt Company's low-pressure Steam Engine cost Pound Sterling 480, or Livre, but its power output was only 60% of that of the France one.
If the United Steam Engine Company hadn't had to supply most of its production capacity to the France domestic market, Watt's company would likely have gone out of business...
[Note 1] At the end of the 18th century, Ukraine was still a geographical term, and a large part of it belonged to Lithuania.
[Note 1] In the late 18th century, Poland adopted a system of electing the King, with the King elected by Parliament composed of Nobility. This provided foreign powers with an excellent tool for interfering in Poland's internal affairs—by bribing Poland parliamentarians, they could elect their preferred King. Catherine II used this method to put her lover Stanisław II, on the throne.
[Note 2] In the First United States Presidential Election, each presidential elector could vote for more than one candidate.