Queen Mary's Reassurance and Contentment

Joseph, glancing around at the Nobility whose faces still bore expressions of discontent, continued loudly, "And their descendants, they only know how to rest on their glory, indulging in pleasure and accomplishing nothing, even going so far as to defy His Majesty the King and jeopardize the future of France in order to extract a little rent from the poor peasants!"

In this era, enlightened despotism was already a consensus among Europe Nobility. At the same time, Enlightenment thought had a profound influence. So when he said that it "influenced the future of France," even if the Nobility were dissatisfied, they subconsciously knew that he was right.

"If your ancestors knew what you were saying and doing here today, they would be ashamed of you!"

Joseph gave the Nobility no chance to object and immediately continued, "If I were you, I would follow in the footsteps of my ancestors, go to the battlefield like a warrior, fight for His Majesty the King and for France, strive to surpass the achievements of my forefathers, and gain remarkable glory!"

"Your eyes will be fixed on the vast continent of the European Continent, your hearts will be concerned with the rise and fall of empires, and you will fulfill the obligations entrusted to you by France to defeat powerful enemies and win endless wealth and glory! Not to secretly rejoice over a few Silver Coin paid by peasants, or to feel wronged like a little girl over losing that little bit of money!"

"You should make your ancestors proud of your Courage and cheer for your victories! Not use their name to maintain your empty and insignificant lives!"

Joseph finished speaking in one breath, and the Nobility present were stunned. The education they had received since childhood about Nobility honor made them feel excited, but at the same time, they were also deeply ashamed.

This is Joseph's strategy.

For these idle, unemployed, and troublesome Nobility, the Prussia had already provided a solution: all the descendants of Nobility who did not inherit lands were required to join the army as professional soldiers, and were rewarded according to their military merits. These Lesser Nobility were dirt poor, but in order to build up their fortunes, they fought incredibly hard on the battlefield, becoming the backbone of the Prussian Army. This is the origin of the Junker Nobles.

Joseph certainly didn't want to create a France version of the Junkers. With the large number of civilian soldiers in the Royal Guard Legion diluting the situation, these Nobility were unable to band together and form a group of interests.

However, although these Nobility were usually idle, they all had a good educational foundation, especially in horsemanship, swordsmanship, and shooting, which were compulsory courses.

With rigorous training and strict discipline, their individual combat capabilities are superior to those of civilian soldiers.

Furthermore, the French Royal Family itself is the largest Nobility, so these Old Nobles cannot be easily abandoned. At least they are relatively loyal to the King, their interests are most deeply intertwined with the Royal House, and they would never seek to overthrow the Royal House. If they can be integrated into industrialized France, it would actually be very beneficial to the Royal House.

Joseph also knew that simply giving speeches and inspiring people was far from enough. To truly win over a social class, it was necessary to provide them with corresponding benefits.

Seeing the reaction below the steps, he immediately pressed his advantage, saying, "You want to acquire Fief according to tradition? That's perfectly acceptable!"

"As long as you establish your merits with blood and sword, just like your ancestors, you will receive glory and rewards."

"France does not have much land, but it has almost endless land overseas. The Colony that your heroic battles have won for France will surely include your own Fief! In terms of both area and tax revenue, they will be a hundred or a thousand times greater than the small territories you inherited before!"

"Come, join the Royal Legion, and win your bright and glorious future!"

On the balcony, Queen Mary listened to her son's impassioned speech and watched as the eyes of the rioting Nobility gradually filled with fanaticism. She was shocked but also extremely gratified.

It turned out that his son didn't need him to bail him out at all. He stood there like an unshakeable tower, and all challenges and difficulties became insignificant in front of him.

A happy smile spread across her face. Ignoring the thousands of Nobility below, she turned and went back into the house, contentedly picking up a piece of Cake and putting it in her mouth. With Joseph around, perhaps she could finally relax more and enjoy delicious desserts in peace.

Southwest corner of the Versailles Palace.

flanked by four Guard, the Marquess of Marquess Wellesley, the United Kingdom Minister of Foreign Affairs, glanced somberly at the doors of the Hall of Peace.

He knew that an extremely difficult negotiation awaited him.

He had originally planned to incite riots in France to blackmail the France. However, before his ship even reached the Le Havre Port, he heard that the riots had been quelled.

But when God closed a door, He opened a window.

He learned that the riots were quelled because the French Government had implemented Land Redemption Policy that was very favorable to farmers.

So he confidently requested the France Ministry of Foreign Affairs to postpone the talks, hoping that things would escalate and the enraged France Nobility would confront the King. He reasoned that France, in its internal turmoil, would inevitably concede to the United Kingdom.

However, what happened took him by surprise.

The Nobility of the Versailles Palace suddenly fell silent, and it was even rumored that a wave of Nobility joining the army had swept through the area.

"These useless France Nobility!" he cursed inwardly. If it were the United Kingdom, they would surely have launched a Glorious Revolution by now, forcing the King to beg for mercy...

The doors to the Hall of Peace opened, revealing Talleyrand's limping figure.

Wellesley quickly stopped his wandering thoughts and gave the lame man a perfunctory bow, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Archbishop Talleyrand."

The latter smiled and returned the greeting, "It is also a pleasure to meet you, Marquess Wellesley. I hope we can have a pleasant conversation today."

"Oh, as you wish."

Wellesley gritted his teeth inwardly and followed the lame man into the spacious Hall. His eyes swept over the huge painting of "Louis XV Creates Peace" above the fireplace, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself: Hypocritical France!

The British and French Minister of Foreign Affairs exchanged pleasantries and sat down on either side of the long table, while the other seven or eight diplomats sat below their respective superiors.

After a few seconds of silence, Wellesley sighed softly and spoke first, "I've heard there have been serious riots in France recently. I hope you haven't been too affected."

"Of course, it was just farmers going into town for a bit; they were quickly dispersed by the Police." Talleyrand looked at him with a relaxed expression. "Oh, by the way, it seems your country has encountered some trouble in India as well. Oh, I'm sure you haven't been affected at all."