The Fox of France - Chapter 457 (Patreon)

Chapter 457: Chain Reaction (2)

The Dutch Ambassador to France was the first to meet with the French Foreign Minister, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, to probe France's stance on the Cape Colony. Talleyrand expressed that France had always supported the Dutch's rightful claims. France had backed the Netherlands in their negotiations with Britain, demanding the return of the Cape Colony. This stance had never changed. The Netherlands and France were allies sharing both honor and disgrace, with mutual responsibilities and obligations to support each other.

Talleyrand's statement effectively meant that the Dutch could provoke Britain with France's support, ensuring that the British could not attack Rotterdam with their naval forces.

Indeed, the British had seized the Cape Colony but were forced to pay a nominal sum to the Netherlands under a treaty agreement. After France achieved an undisputed victory, the Netherlands underwent a revolution (orchestrated by France, yet with substantial support from the Dutch people — for the revolution made the Netherlands comrades in the French Revolutionary Wars, victors rather than subjects like Prussia and Austria.)

The revolutionary Dutch government claimed that the British "purchase" of the Cape Colony, which allegedly supported the oppressive regime against the revolutionaries, was invalid. The treaties signed by the overthrown regime were nullified, and the Dutch people refused to recognize them.

However, while claiming non-recognition, the Netherlands alone couldn't challenge Britain. In fact, the Dutch weren't particularly concerned about reclaiming the Cape Colony. They would have been very willing to negotiate with Britain about the colony again if the opportunity had arisen.

But that was unlikely, as the Dutch, notorious for their greed, would have every government transition through "revolution," branding the previous government as "reactionary," and then renegotiate with Britain to sell the Cape Colony again.

So, Britain naturally rejected the Dutch request. For a long time, the Netherlands stopped pressing the matter, mainly because France, at the time, was not ready to confront Britain directly. As allies (or vassal states), the Netherlands couldn't stir trouble independently. However, France's recent actions, actively seeking trouble with Britain, did not go unnoticed across Europe.

Particularly noteworthy was a speech by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in the Roman Senate, addressing the economic situation in Europe. Napoleon highlighted the importance of maintaining and advancing the unified European, and by extension, global market for economic recovery. He lamented that some nations, driven by selfish motives, engaged in actions harmful to free trade. Napoleon's speech painted a grim picture of a "iron curtain" descending over the English Channel, segregating the British Isles and their territories from the free trade system, affecting billions of people worldwide.

Napoleon argued that economic freedom was essential for political freedom and human rights. He equated the coexistence of freedom and democracy with the impossibility of Rome and Carthage coexisting, calling for the destruction of the metaphorical "iron curtain" to uphold free trade globally.

This speech was a clear call to arms against Britain, which vehemently protested. However, the French government dismissed the protests, indicating that it was a matter for the Roman Empire, highlighting the lack of formal diplomatic relations between Britain and the Roman Empire, thus nullifying any official protest.

Napoleon's speech, effectively comparing Britain to Carthage, signaled France's determination to confront Britain. As an ally of the Roman Empire, the Netherlands understood it was time to act.

Napoleon and Joseph Bonaparte appreciated the Dutch initiative. Napoleon believed controlling the Cape Colony was crucial for dominating the key trade route between Europe and India:

"The loss of crucial territories in India during the Seven Years' War, followed by a series of financial troubles, was significantly linked to that defeat. Britain's ability to cause disturbances across the European continent was largely due to their exploitation of India. Controlling the Cape Colony would expose the European-Indian trade route to our observation, allowing us to disrupt British exploitation of India. Stationing a fleet there would be a nightmare for Britain."

Joseph wholeheartedly agreed with Napoleon, noting the presence of extensive gold mines in South Africa, including the Rand Gold Mine, the world's largest, with over 53,000 tons of extractable gold, accounting for more than half of the global gold reserves.

Gold, being a natural currency, allowed the Roman banks to issue money without hesitation. Despite the economic crisis across Europe, France's economy was the strongest, attributed to its democratic principles, freedom, and free trade, rather than the gold mines allowing for unrestrained currency printing.

"We need to organize a rebellion in Cape Colony and ensure the insurgents quickly take control," Joseph said. "I recall that the Ministry of Peace had prepared several plans for this. Napoleon, let's review the most suitable plans for our current situation."

As Napoleon and Joseph began to review the Ministry of Peace's plans, the Spanish also made their move, targeting the ever-coveted fortress of Gibraltar.

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