The Fox of France - Chapter 498 (Patreon)

Chapter 498: Joint Statement

Before the Pope's arrival, Napoleon had already learned through telegraph that Joseph had invited him to France for a friendly visit, and he was also aware that Joseph hoped to gradually tie the Holy See to his chariot economically through this contact with the Pope.

Thus, Napoleon warmly received the Pope in Paris. They then conducted friendly negotiations at the consulate, where Napoleon expressed agreement and appreciation for the Pope's plans to vigorously promote charitable causes. He indicated his willingness to cooperate within his capabilities.

Following this, the Pope had a candid discussion with Minister Lucien about specific affairs, establishing the responsibilities and duties of both sides. Afterward, the Pope, accompanied by Minister Lucien, visited various universities and hospitals in Paris. Then, together with Napoleon, the Pope issued a joint statement.

"Pope Pius VII and the First Consul of the French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte, on behalf of the Holy See and the French Republic respectively, jointly declare the following:

The French believe that ensuring religious freedom, allowing every nation, every state, and every individual to freely choose to believe or not believe in religion, and to believe in this or that religion, is a natural human right that should not be interfered with by any secular power.

The Holy See believes, in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.' Secular authority should not interfere in matters of religious faith. In fact, in the history of the Church, interference by secular powers has caused the division of the Church and the emergence of numerous heretical beliefs. This historical lesson teaches that any attempt by the state to interfere in religion today is a violation of the fundamental principles of religion.

The French believe that respecting the natural human rights of all is an inescapable responsibility of the government, even in times of unavoidable war. For this reason, the French government makes the following pledge:

If combatants from the opposing side are captured, their basic human rights will still be protected by the government of the French Republic. The French government and its armed forces, when interrogating captured personnel, will not use violence or intimidation.

For the wounded among the captured, the French government will provide medical treatment to the best of its ability and will not allow any harm or brutality to be inflicted on the lives and persons of the captured, especially not murder, torture, use for biological experiments, or intentional failure to provide medical aid and care.

The French government and military also commit to not deliberately attacking enemy medical facilities and to protecting the safety of the opposing side's medical personnel.

The French government believes that even in war, the personal rights of civilians must be protected. The French government commits to not deliberately attack civilian facilities, not to attack, plunder, or otherwise harm enemy civilians.

The Holy See believes that all humans were created by God and should be brothers and sisters. War between brothers and sisters is a great tragedy. Even if war cannot be completely eradicated at this time, it is very important to avoid excessive atrocities during war.

The Holy See greatly appreciates the relevant commitments of the French government and looks forward to other countries making similar commitments to reduce the damage of war on brothers and sisters from all countries.

To show support for the good actions of the French government, the Holy See suggests that from now on, protected medical personnel of warring countries may wear a red cross to indicate their identity. Hospitals and other facilities should also display a clear red cross to facilitate identification by all parties.

The Holy See will organize medical personnel to assist the wounded of both sides during the war, an action that embodies Jesus' love for humanity. The Holy See requests that all parties protect the safety and dignity of the medical personnel organized by the Holy See."

Through this joint statement, both France and the Holy See have placed themselves on a moral high ground. Now, any country that does not adhere to the joint statement issued by France and the Holy See and conducts war is almost automatically viewed as barbaric.

Meanwhile, the Holy See has taken a significant step towards establishing a "Charity Empire."

At the same time, in North America, the situation of the war also began to change significantly.

Since France declared war on Britain, Louisiana quickly organized a volunteer army of up to fifty thousand men and began to attack Canada. However, the performance of the French forces in these offensive actions was not very good. General Arthur Wellesley's troops, relying on defense, repelled multiple French attacks continuously.

However, tactical success did not change the strategic passivity. After these battles, the British forces' supplies had become very tight because the sea routes were blocked, and all sorts of crucial materials could not be brought in. So now, General Arthur Wellesley's troops were even running low on ammunition.

Just then, an even more critical situation occurred—those French-speaking guys in Quebec suddenly declared independence and announced their withdrawal from the war, maintaining neutrality during the conflict.

The betrayal by those guys in Quebec was something the British had been prepared for. But being

 prepared did not mean they could effectively respond. Although the Quebecois claimed they would remain neutral, the British didn't believe this at all. More importantly, Quebec controlled the waterways, and their change in stance exacerbated the British logistical problems.

After Quebec declared "neutrality," French merchant ships immediately entered the Saint Lawrence River, bringing large quantities of materials to Quebec. This started to worry the British that the Quebecois' "neutrality" was merely a preparation for stockpiling enough resources to launch an attack.

At this point, the American army also began to regroup and launched a new attack on Canada. They advanced from the east, and "neutral" Quebec provided various conveniences to the American forces, including selling them supplies.

General Arthur Wellesley realized that if he continued to confront the French in the Great Lakes area, the Quebecois and Americans might cut off his already weak supply line, so he had no choice but to order a full retreat to Ottawa. However, retreating in the face of the enemy is no easy task. Especially since the French volunteer forces in North America, almost every soldier had a horse, which made their combat effectiveness in pursuit far surpass their performance in positional warfare. Ultimately, when Arthur Wellesley retreated to Ottawa, he had lost half his forces.

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