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The Fox of France - Chapter 526
🕑 Added 2024-05-04 06:06:21 +0000 UTCChapter 526: Negotiations
After several months of resolving various procedural issues, the negotiations finally moved into a substantive phase. However, due to weather conditions, the discussions were paused for a few days. After another month, a breakthrough was reached: the British agreed to evacuate all Dutch civilians from the city, and assured both the French and the Dutch that the movable and immovable properties left by these civilians in Cape Town would be respected.
Evacuating the peaceful civilians from the city was in the interests of both the French and the Dutch, as it would reduce collateral damage during future assaults on the city.
For the British, this was also a favorable action. Firstly, it eliminated the risk of the Dutch civilians inside the city stabbing them in the back during intense fighting. Secondly, by evacuating these people—ah, rather, by courteously escorting them out—they could reduce the logistical pressure inside the city. After all, you can't really starve these folks to death.
The primary reason, however, was that since the British agreed to let the Dutch civilians leave Cape Town, the French and Dutch, in turn, were expected to allow British civilians to leave based on the principle of reciprocity.
The French and Dutch agreed in principle to the British request but debated endlessly over the technical details of how to actually transport the British civilians away.
The British suggested sending ships from India to transport their civilians to India.
However, the French and Dutch vehemently opposed this plan, accusing the British of intending to use the ships from India to bring new troops. They berated the British for their lack of sincerity in negotiations and threatened to launch an attack immediately. However, out of a love for peace, they merely made these threats verbally.
Yet, the French did offer a rather creative counter-proposal.
Philippe Treveil leisurely said, "We don’t trust your ships, but your request to relocate the civilians aligns with the spirit of the 'Paris Declaration'. So, we are willing to facilitate this in principle. I know that there are steam-powered port facilities in Cape Town, and thus coal to support their operation. As you may also know, we have two mixed passenger and cargo steamships currently idle. Now, if you could provide some coal and cover the transport costs..."
"So, you will use your ships to transport our people to India?" Bonaparte was quite interested in this proposal.
"How could that be possible?" Philippe Treveil spread his hands, "From Cape Town to India is far too far and too slow. We would load your people and then take them to a neutral port on the East African coast. How about Maputo? That's a Portuguese port, and the Portuguese are neutral in our conflict. Maputo is also relatively bustling, and there they could soon board a ship to India. Then your people can go to India, though I think it’s entirely superfluous. After your inevitable defeat in the war, we would have to trouble ourselves to transport you from India back to Europe—which would be quite bothersome."
Philippe Treveil's dismissive attitude was indeed infuriating, and Bonaparte was very tempted to outright reject his proposal. However, considering that outright rejection would waste an opportunity to delay, he stood up and said:
"Regarding your counter-proposal, I cannot give you an immediate answer. I suggest we adjourn for two days, and then discuss this new proposal further."
After a brief consultation with Barbier, Philippe Treveil agreed. Although Barbier was somewhat anxious, since the French were not in a hurry, his anxiety was of little use. Moreover, after the last unsuccessful attack on the fortress, everyone was reluctant to take such risks again. Treveil also assured them that the British navy could not possibly break through the French naval blockade and reappear on this battlefield.
Thus, the peace talks were paused again, and everyone went to rest. Philippe Treveil even went fishing by the seaside. Overall, the battlefield was a scene of boring tranquility.
Just as Philippe Treveil was bored to the point of itching, Leon Berthier found himself in a danger he had never anticipated before.
The expedition team required that everyone apply mosquito repellent to any exposed skin at regular intervals. According to studies by the Academy of Sciences, malaria, the deadliest infectious disease in Africa, which had sent countless colonizers to heaven or hell, was transmitted by damned mosquitoes carrying the parasite in their blood.
Therefore, before entering the mountains, all team members were wrapped up tightly, in Leon Berthier’s later words, "like mummies."
The physical exertion of trekking daily through dense jungles and often needing to clear paths with machetes was immense. Being wrapped up so tightly, like mummies, naturally reduced the body's ability to dissipate heat, quickly depleting physical strength and significantly reducing human activity.
Even Francois Gregoire, the scholar leading the expedition, had to compromise, agreeing to let the team expose more skin, though he repeatedly emphasized the need to
thoroughly apply the mosquito repellent.
This mosquito repellent, purportedly an improved version of a local remedy by the Academy of Sciences, had a pungent smell similar to the local concoctions. But its effectiveness was quite limited. Perhaps the local mosquitoes had already adapted to the locals' remedies, developing resistance to them.
As a result, Major Leon Berthier was bitten a few times by mosquitoes and then contracted malaria, developing a fever. Fortunately, the expedition was prepared for malaria, a common disease in Africa at that time. They had quinine, which in this era, was not the high-purity, chemically synthesized industrial product of later times, but rather a very crude form of quinine bark powder. Despite this, quinine production was still very low, and because the drug was tightly controlled by major corporate alliances, it was also quite expensive, often more than what the lives of many malaria patients (mostly indigenous Africans) were deemed worth.
This, of course, was a tragedy if one still acknowledged that the lives of black people were also lives. However, as the saying goes, "Misfortune may be an actual blessing," because quinine had not yet been widely used as in later times, there was no widespread resistance to quinine among most common malaria parasites of later times. Thus, quinine remained a miracle drug for malaria.
After using quinine, Major Leon Berthier's symptoms eased somewhat. A few hours later, his high fever subsided, and his head was no longer so painful, but he was still extremely weak. Fortunately, the exploration team had reached their destination and no longer needed to trek long distances, just needed to conduct local surveys.
Major Leon Berthier's illness lasted about a week, but this did not affect the progress of the exploration. Indeed, the day after he recovered, Francois Gregoire, the scholar, summoned him to show him "an astonishing discovery."
"Major, I have something to show you, just discovered this morning," said Francois Gregoire, standing under the sun outside Major Leon Berthier’s hut, waving a cloth bag.
Major Leon Berthier stepped out of his hut, still weak from his recent recovery and, due to the mosquito prevention efforts, Francois Gregoire had ordered the lighting of many smoky, wet grass bundles around the camp, causing a pervasive smog. Stepping out into this, Major Leon Berthier couldn't help but cough violently.
"Sir, this smoke is too suffocating," said Major Leon Berthier.
"Ah, Major, it's the only way to keep those damned mosquitoes at bay. Hmm, you're looking quite well, you've recovered very quickly," said Francois Gregoire.
"Sir, what have you discovered?" asked Major Leon Berthier. Seeing the scholar's face beaming with irrepressible joy, he had a hunch that made his heart thump wildly.
Francois Gregoire handed the cloth bag to Leon: "See for yourself."
Leon reached out to take the bag, and as the scholar let go, Leon felt the bag's weight suddenly pull down his arm.
"What is this?" Leon's heart raced as he opened the bag with trembling hands. A large, oddly shaped lump full of holes and reflecting brilliant golden light under the sun appeared before him, dazzling him and making him feel weak and dizzy, almost causing him to collapse.
"This is... this is..."
"This is a natural gold nugget," said the scholar proudly.
Leon couldn't help but look around. The place was so desolate, if others became greedy... Then he thought of taking this large piece of gold and disappearing to the Far East under a pseudonym...
However, such thoughts had already been anticipated by the leaders. They had promised that any gold discovered during the exploration would be evenly distributed among all participants as their legitimate income. Moreover, the soldiers in this team had been specially selected, each with families back home. The likelihood of them harboring sinister intentions was significantly reduced given the legal share of gold for all.
In fact, when the gold nugget, witnessed by the Major, the scholar, and all soldiers and staff, was placed into a prepared large box and locked, no incidents of gold theft or internal conflict occurred. However, to guard the box, the number of people staying in the camp each day was doubled.
Another effect was that everyone's attitude towards the exploration had changed, becoming much more active than at the start. In the initial days, when nothing had been found, many soldiers had complained and even hoped to end this "exploration" quickly. But now, aside from those guarding the gold at the camp, the rest of the soldiers were eager to spend every possible hour searching for more gold nuggets—knowing that everyone had a share.
It seemed the scholars, however, had shifted their work focus, now genuinely paying attention to the flora and fauna. According to the scholar, he was now doing some private work for himself.
But in the days that followed, they never discovered another natural
gold nugget as large as that first one. However, they continued to find some smaller gold pieces. If it weren't for the fact that they lacked the tools to mine these veins, and because they discovered a large number of Zulu activities nearby, making it unsafe to continue staying, they might have suggested extending the exploration for several more months.
But now, the Zulu spears and shields painted with snakes and lions convinced everyone that it was time to return to France to enjoy the gold, and they all decided to leave.
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