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Chapter 194: The Winds of Europe, Part 4
🕑 Added 2025-01-17 23:26:29 +0000 UTCChapter 194: The Winds of Europe, Part 4
Joseph, seemingly unsatisfied, waved his hand energetically, saying, "It's unfortunate that there are still Ottoman fortresses on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Only by swiftly eliminating them can we ensure the stability of the ports necessary for Black Sea trade.
"Afterward, Russia should advance south of the Danube River and seize control of the Danube's mouth from the Ottomans! And on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, Georgia—that small nation under Russian protection—still has its Black Sea access points occupied by the Ottomans and is being pressured by the Persians. They desperately need Russia's rescue."
He looked at Paul seriously, "If necessary, France is ready to offer you help at any time!"
Crown Prince Paul was taken aback. It seemed to him that the French Crown Prince was even more aggressive than his own mother, Catherine the Great. Joseph was practically suggesting that Russia should take control of everything around the Black Sea except for the southern coast, which was the heartland of the Ottoman Empire. If there had been anyone else present, they might have thought Joseph was the Russian Crown Prince.
In reality, Joseph was merely reciting the historical outcomes of several Russo-Turkish wars. These areas were exactly what Russia had long coveted, and any Russian would be thrilled to hear this.
As expected, Paul nodded enthusiastically, "This is also the wish of His Majesty…"
Joseph quickly interjected, "This is all at the behest of His Majesty. Please be sure to convey this to Her Majesty the Empress."
As the Crown Prince of France, his words carried significant diplomatic weight.
Russians are straightforward, both in gratitude and vengeance.
Paul immediately reciprocated, saying, "I assure you, we will also provide full support for France's actions in North Africa!"
After parting with the Russian Crown Prince, Joseph returned to his chambers, only to find his servants looking rather helpless as they surrounded the Spanish Crown Prince. Antonio had clearly drunk too much, his hair disheveled, and he appeared utterly despondent.
Seeing the French Crown Prince return, Antonio immediately stood up with his wine glass in hand, his eyes red once again.
Joseph, with no other choice, joined him in a few drinks, silently patting him on the back in a gesture of comfort.
Soon, Antonio passed out. Joseph instructed the servants to carry him to bed. Just as they were about to leave, Fouché hurriedly approached and bowed to Joseph, saying, "Your Highness, do you want us to keep watching the second floor of the South Wing?"
He was referring to the team monitoring the Spanish Crown Princess.
"No need," Joseph replied, shaking his head. Antonio was clearly incapable of handling the situation, and there was little Joseph could do to help.
Glancing back at Antonio, Joseph offhandedly asked Fouché, "Is there any way to give him the courage to deal with that unfaithful woman?"
Fouché hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Your Highness, dealing with the woman might be troublesome, but dealing with her lover shouldn't be too difficult."
"Oh?" Joseph inquired, "What do you have in mind?"
Fouché's expression turned eager and cold, "It would be simple to destroy him. It wouldn't be too hard."
Joseph frowned. He wasn't fond of using underhanded tactics, often dismissing them instinctively. However, he couldn't forget Antonio's look of pain. Perhaps a straightforward approach would be most effective.
He turned to Fouché, "Can you ensure there won't be any complications?"
"Rest assured, Your Highness, it will just appear as an accident. No one will suspect anything."
"Tomorrow is His Majesty's birthday, so keep it low-key."
"Understood, Your Highness."
At lunchtime, a tall, handsome man in his thirties crossed paths with Joseph in the hallway and immediately stepped forward to bow to him.
Aymon, standing by, quietly informed Joseph, "Your Highness, this is Prince Poniatowski of Poland."
Joseph gave a slight nod but deliberately turned away, ignoring the Polish Prince, and walked off with an air of indifference, leaving Poniatowski feeling awkward as he watched Joseph leave.
Versailles was full of prying eyes, and since Joseph had chosen to align himself with Russia, he had to show a certain distance from Poland.
However, Poniatowski wasn't too upset. Poland was in decline, its internal struggles severe, especially after losing large territories to Russia, Prussia, and Austria a decade earlier. It wasn't surprising that a major power like France would look down on them.
As Poniatowski turned the corner, a young stranger suddenly approached, bowed, and slipped a note into his hand.
Surprised, Poniatowski held the note tightly until he reached a secluded spot where he unfolded it.
The note was from the French Crown Prince, containing just one sentence, inviting him to meet at a certain location outside Versailles at 2 PM.
The summer afternoon was scorching, especially since it hadn't rained in France for some time.
Poniatowski wiped his brow, ready to check his watch again, when two of France's finest "Jewel" carriages pulled up beside him.
A moment later, inside one of the carriages, Joseph sized up the rather dignified Polish prince and smiled, "I apologize for meeting you this way, but I assure you that our upcoming conversation is very important for both you and Poland."
Joseph knew that the current King of Poland, Stanislaw II, was unreliable. Years ago, he had been installed on the Polish throne by Catherine the Great, with whom he had been romantically involved[1].
Perhaps because of her overwhelming dominance in their relationship, Stanislaw II remained deeply intimidated by her, even after becoming king.
This led to his decision during the Second Partition of Poland, where, despite the main Polish army still being intact, he was convinced they couldn't possibly defeat Russia, and ordered a full surrender.
Looking across Poland, most nobles were too focused on their own political interests, either siding with Prussia or colluding with Russia, with little regard for Poland's survival.
Only the man before him, the King's nephew, Prince Poniatowski, and the renowned General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, remained committed to military reform and fought against the Russians during the Second Partition. They were worth cultivating.
Especially since Kosciuszko had yet to rise to prominence, the responsibility of military reform in Poland currently rested with Poniatowski. As a prince, he also wielded considerable influence over Polish politics.
Since Poniatowski was now in France, Joseph seized the opportunity to introduce some strategies that might help Poland "rebound."
How much of it Poniatowski would implement was up to Poland's fate.
Poniatowski studied the young French Crown Prince for a few moments before nodding solemnly, "I trust you, Your Highness. Please go ahead."
Joseph sighed softly, "First, you must understand that Poland is in grave danger. Within about five years, you could face the threat of national extinction."
Historically, the Second Partition of Poland would occur in about five years.
Poniatowski was taken aback and shook his head slightly, "Your Highness, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?
"While Poland faces many threats, we are still a major nation, and we have an alliance with Prussia. If threatened, Prussia will come to our aid."
Joseph was speechless. The Polish were indeed naive; Prussia was the most eager to partition Poland, even more so than Russia!
Prussia believed that it might not be able to handle Poland alone, so it secretly encouraged Russia to join in while pretending to be an ally on the surface.
In history, as soon as Russia sent troops, Prussia immediately broke its alliance with Poland and attacked from the other side.
Joseph spoke firmly, "If you want to save Poland, the first thing to remember is to never trust Prussia!"
The Polish prince was surprised, "Why do you say that?"
"I…" Joseph wished he could tell him he had read the history books, but instead, he said, "France's intelligence system has obtained absolutely reliable information that gaining control of northwestern Poland is Prussia's primary strategic objective."
"What? How is that possible?"
"You can verify this with your own intelligence network," Joseph said, not expecting immediate belief, but hoping that if the Poles remained vigilant, they might eventually see the signs.
Poniatowski nodded, then asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
"First, I don't want to see Prussia's plans succeed."
Poniatowski had no reason to doubt this—Prussia was closely aligned with Britain, and since Britain and France were arch-enemies, it made sense that France wouldn't want Prussia to grow stronger.
Joseph continued with genuine sincerity, "But more importantly, I have great sympathy for Poland and do not wish to see more suffering fall upon the Polish people."
Poniatowski dismissed this part. Words like "sympathy" and "goodwill" were just window dressing in international politics.
"Thank you very much for the warning, Your Highness."
"It's nothing," Joseph said. "Also, Poland's constitution needs to be accelerated."
"Constitution?" Poniatowski hadn't expected the French to comment on Poland's internal affairs.
"Forgive my bluntness, but your current constitutional plan is overly ambitious, leading to too many discussions and slow progress."
Joseph continued, "Poland's biggest problem right now is the 'liberum veto,' which should not be entangled with the constitutional process. From what I can see, your Sejm won't finish the entire constitution for another three or four years."
The "liberum veto" allowed any member of the Polish parliament to veto any decision, which meant that foreign powers like Russia or Prussia could easily bribe a few members to block any legislation they didn't like.
It also meant that Polish members, looking out for their own interests, often vetoed many policies that would have benefited the country. The end result was that hardly any good policies were implemented in Poland for over a century, leading to the country's decline.
Poland's Sejm planned to abolish the liberum veto through the new constitution, but until that happened, Poland would remain stagnant.
"What do you suggest?"
"Pass a separate law to abolish the liberum veto," Joseph insisted. "Poland is in dire straits; you must act quickly!"
Joseph wasn't sure if the Polish prince had taken his advice seriously, but he continued, "Poland's army also needs to be expanded quickly. To ensure basic national defense, you need at least 100,000 regular troops. Right now, you only have 10,000."
Poniatowski was surprised; Polish military studies had also concluded that they needed to expand to 100,000, which aligned with the French Crown Prince's recommendation.
In reality, Joseph was merely sharing Poland's constitutional goals four years early. However, by then, there would only be a year left before the Second Partition, and Poland would only manage to raise 37,000 troops, far short of the minimum needed.
Joseph continued, "Also, tell your Sejm not to rush to abolish serfdom.
"I know that abolishing serfdom would greatly enhance Poland's national power, but all reforms come with a 'period of pain' before the benefits are realized. Poland can't afford that right now.
"Of course, you can improve the conditions for serfs, but the priority should be to unite as much strength as possible to resist external threats."
Historically, Poland's overly aggressive serfdom reforms alienated many of the old noble families. When Poland was invaded, these nobles deliberately obstructed efforts, severely weakening the resistance.
Poniatowski found this somewhat amusing. Poland's current reforms were based on the ideas of freedom, equality, and constitutionalism—weren't these ideas imported from France? From thinkers like Rousseau and Montesquieu?
Yet here was the French Crown Prince advising Poland to temporarily retain serfdom…
As the carriage rolled along, Joseph also conveyed France's intention to provide some support to Poland through the United States, urging them to complete their preparations as quickly as possible.
Once he had said all he needed to, Poniatowski returned to his carriage and took a different route back to Versailles.
...
On Louis XVI's birthday.
All of Paris was in a festive mood. The public gathering points where the government distributed free food became meeting places for the citizens.
Every three hours, government-sponsored theater groups performed free shows.
During the intervals, people brought out their instruments, playing and singing songs that praised the wisdom, valor, and benevolence of the king. The atmosphere was one of complete peace and prosperity.
No one remembered that France was facing one of its worst grain shortages in centuries.
At the same time, the celebrations at Versailles were reaching their peak.
Both the singing and fencing competitions had reached the quarterfinals, and experts were discussing the strengths of the contestants, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
In a small, inconspicuous room on the second floor of Versailles, Fouché was asking his subordinates in a low voice, "Are we sure there won't be any complications?"
"Yes, sir. Godoy has attended the music salon hosted by Madame de Garlande every evening at 9 PM since he arrived at Versailles four days ago."
Fouché nodded in satisfaction. He had already discovered that Godoy had originally caught the attention of the Spanish Crown Princess because of his skill in playing the guitar and singing. Music was his meal ticket.
[Note 1] At this time, Poland had a system where nobles elected the king. Due to Poland's chaotic political situation, Catherine the Great used her influence to get Stanislaw II elected to the throne.
(End of Chapter)
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