As One Wanes, Another Waxes

Joseph could be certain that providing loans to Caribbean Nations was a sure profit.

Take the 5 million Franc loan provided to the newly established Saint-Domingue Republic. Even without interest, they were unlikely to repay it within ten years.

The government leadership, made up of Blacks and Mixed-Bloods, had no experience in governance, and there was no industry whatsoever in the Caribbean. Relying on themselves alone, these small island nations simply could not develop.

Forget repaying their loans—if the national treasury did not collapse, they would already be lucky.

Thus, in the end, these loans could only be repaid through means such as mortgaging plantations.

In this way, France appeared to have abandoned the Saint-Domingue Colony, but after taking a roundabout path, more than half of the cane sugar industry here would still return to French hands.

Although the profits would certainly be lower than before, and France would no longer be able to monopolize the colonial market, France would also save enormous investments formerly needed to maintain the Colony—

For example, Saint-Domingue had previously had several hundred French officials and nearly two thousand soldiers. Their salaries alone had been a huge expense. If an uprising broke out on the island, it would swallow up an even more staggering sum.

But now, the Blacks and Mixed-Bloods on the island managed themselves. Even if they starved to death, the French Government would not need to spend money cleaning up the aftermath.

All things considered, France's gains from this place would not be much less than before.

Moreover, after obtaining freedom and self-rule, the Blacks and Mixed-Bloods would weep with gratitude toward France—such gratitude often became a tradition in these nations, remaining unchanged for centuries.

After that, Joseph also intended to help these newly established nations with development and teach them some