The Fox of France - Chapter 542 (Patreon)

Chapter 542: Scapegoat

Simone opened the suitcase he was holding, revealing its contents. Remarkably, this travel case was a Kris brand, crafted from the finest crocodile leather and equipped with a lock rumored to be designed by King Louis XVI himself, one that couldn't be opened without brute force. Due to this type of lock, such compact travel cases were particularly expensive. Of course, anything from the Kris series was bound to be costly. Many people coveted items from the Kris series primarily because their high price made it easy to distinguish the owners from the less affluent. Naturally, those who bought them would never admit this, claiming instead that their purchase was "extremely special and tasteful."

This particular case was a new limited edition release of the year, considering that England was under blockade, it had surely entered the country through costly smuggling routes and ended up in Simone’s hands. Despite most Britons struggling with hunger and mortality, some still had the means to indulge in "unique and unparalleled taste."

At the moment, however, no one was concerned about the suitcase. It was perfectly normal for the Foreign Secretary to use such a case, especially since it was equipped with the most secure locks to safeguard confidential documents.

Simone placed the case on the table, dialed the combination lock, and with a click, it sprung open. He retrieved a thick folder of documents from it and handed them to the Crown Prince standing beside the table.

"Just as Your Highness and the Prime Minister anticipated, due to our advantages on the battlefield, the French have become greedier," Simone said. Although in reality, the French had been more reasonable than expected and hadn't exploited the situation to make unacceptable demands. However, Simone would not phrase it that way; doing so would diminish his critical role in the negotiations.

"They are even demanding military occupation of England and the cession of Dover to France," Simone continued.

In fact, the French had no plans for a military occupation of England. Such an action would be costly and likely lead to a protracted guerrilla warfare. Moreover, being an occupying force, especially one facing resistance, could negatively affect military discipline and combat effectiveness.

Simone's claims weren't entirely fabricated—the French had indeed made some demands regarding Dover.

Dover, one of the few ports on the west coast of the English Channel, had limited suitable landing spots due to its cliffs and lacked many ports. This rarity made Dover strategically important, and the British had always been very diligent in its defense. They had established a complex and robust defense system there, including sea mines, cruisers, and land-based fortifications like artillery, trenches, and tunnels. The artillery at Dover was equipped with eight 305mm cannons, the same caliber used on British battleships. However, these land-based cannons were far more formidable. Unlike the unstable conditions on a ship, these guns were mounted on solid ground, greatly enhancing their accuracy. While accuracy on a ship was poor even at distances around two kilometers, the guns on land could achieve high accuracy at five to six kilometers.

These cannons were also better protected. On ships, the British used steel turrets to shield the guns, but these turrets were limited in thickness due to weight constraints that a ship could bear. Furthermore, destroying the ship was often easier than hitting the guns directly. However, the cannons at Dover were different. The earth could support almost unlimited protective measures around the guns, like several meters thick concrete covers.

Besides the main artillery, the fortress also boasted over a hundred other cannons and a garrison of thousands—truly impregnable. It was said that after carefully studying the Dover fortress and conducting mock exercises, Napoleon's generals concluded that a direct assault would require sacrificing the entire French navy. After their victory at the "Battle of the North Sea Channel," Napoleon was even more convinced that not even the entire French navy would suffice.

Thus, one of the French demands was the dismantling of Dover's fortifications. To ensure these defenses were genuinely dismantled and not rebuilt, the French wanted to establish an office in Dover with staff specifically responsible for overseeing this task. However, this was not a military garrison, and the French certainly did not demand the cession of Dover. Such a demand, even if accepted by the British, would bring limited benefits to France and likely incite widespread resentment.

But considering the British political mindset and customs, if they had been the victors, they likely would have made such demands. People often judge others by their own standards. For example, those who commit genocide against ethnic minorities within their own country often accuse others of the same; those who interfere in other countries' internal affairs claim their elections are being meddled with; those who support slavery accuse others of enforcing labor. In short, those who are part of an anti-humanity slavery genocide gang tend to accuse others of being the same.

"This... This demand is truly difficult to accept... However," sighed the Crown Prince.

"But Your Highness, you know, the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand is

 a very greedy man," Simone interjected. "He made these demands, but he also hinted to me that much is up for negotiation."

Indeed, Talleyrand's greed was well known throughout Europe. Making money through diplomacy was typical for him. However, given the importance of the matters at hand, and the even greater opportunities for enrichment now available to him, Talleyrand needed to perform well. He could not afford to jeopardize a significant opportunity over a trivial amount.

But just because Talleyrand forsook this chance to profit didn't mean Simone had to. After all, this kind of money wouldn't be recorded officially and couldn't be traced. And certainly, Talleyrand wouldn't provide a receipt, so who would know who ultimately pocketed the money?

"Well, what was the outcome of the discussions?" asked the Earl of Liverpool.

"Talleyrand has made some concessions. He's dropped the demands for military occupation and the cession of Dover. He claims he can use the high costs as a reason to persuade the First Consul to drop these demands. However, he alone cannot convince the First Consul; he needs more support, which means money... Moreover, he's willing to make an effort, but the dismantling of Dover's defenses is non-negotiable. Additionally, they require the establishment of an agency in Dover specifically to monitor the dismantling of the fortifications and ensure they are not rebuilt. Of course, this agency could operate under another name and without military uniforms. Your Highness, Mr. Prime Minister, I have done my utmost, but this is the best result I could secure."

"My friend, that is already very good. You have handled this very well, exceptionally well," said the Earl of Liverpool. "Besides, do the French have other demands?"

"It's basically the same as the previous twenty-one points. I have done my utmost to convince Minister Talleyrand that treating Britain too harshly would not be conducive to turning enemies into friends. So he reluctantly agreed to make some changes, but they were not substantial, mostly just tweaks in wording to reduce the pressure on our government. But on the most crucial issues, he remains firm."

"That's normal, after all, we are the defeated party," the Earl of Liverpool sighed.

"The specifics are all in the memorandum. This is the limit of what I can achieve," said Simone.

The Earl of Liverpool and the Crown Prince then began to study the memorandum together.

After a while, the Crown Prince spoke up: "Mr. Prime Minister, am I mistaken, or do these terms actually seem quite favorable?"

"Ah, Your Highness, the terms have only been rephrased; the substantive content hasn't really changed. For example, the mutual opening of markets may seem like the French market is also fully open to us, but even domestically, we cannot compete with French goods, let alone on their market. So, the so-called full market opening by France is actually meaningless," explained the Earl of Liverpool. "And this clause, look, it seems fair on the surface, but..."

"I see now!" exclaimed the Crown Prince. "The French are indeed cunning! But... this phrasing is really good; I was almost deceived by it, and what about others?"

"It's still those twenty-one points. I regret that I am unable to secure better terms for the United Kingdom," said Simone again.

"No, my friend, you have done well enough. Even better than we expected," said the Earl of Liverpool. "We thought the French demands would be much harsher. As for what you said about the new memorandum and the previous twenty-one points not being substantially different, the fact that you achieved this is already remarkable. After all, what we lost on the battlefield cannot be fully recovered at the negotiating table."

Having said this, the Earl of Liverpool sighed again.

"So, Your Highness, Mr. Prime Minister, can we base our formal peace treaty on this memorandum?" asked Simone.

"Yes, and the sooner the better," said the Earl of Liverpool. "We can no longer suppress the news of our military defeat. We've just sent Lord George Cockburn to a military court, hoping to divert attention with this event. Um, can France quickly sign a peace treaty with us based on this memorandum?"

"Minister Talleyrand also hopes to achieve peace quickly, but to expedite the negotiations, we must first fulfill our agreement with Minister Talleyrand," Simone replied.

"How much money does he want?" the Crown Prince asked.

Simone's heart pounded. Knowing Talleyrand's reputation, even a special fund had been prepared domestically before this trip to bribe Talleyrand. Simone thought about the amount of that fund, then stated a figure slightly higher than that.

"One million two hundred thousand pounds. It must all be in gold coins, not paper money," said Simone.

"Hmm, that's a bit more than we prepared, but if we can really sign the peace treaty based on this memorandum, it's worth it,"

 said the Earl of Liverpool.

"The difference, we'll figure something out. Tomorrow morning we'll have the money ready. Then..." the Crown Prince said.

"Then we'll transfer the money to the account designated by Minister Talleyrand," Simone said.

"My friend..." the Earl of Liverpool suddenly spoke again, his expression a bit strange, his words somewhat hesitant, "Um, my friend, you know, no matter how we disguise it, this agreement is ultimately an unequal treaty, and signing such a treaty is bound to be criticized. Sometimes... I mean, being able to sign such a treaty, you've made a great contribution, but... but not everyone knows our difficulties. So, once this treaty is signed, it will definitely... So, ah, my friend, do you understand what I mean?"

"Mr. Prime Minister, I understand!" Simone's face fell.

The Prime Minister's meaning was not hard to grasp—it meant that someone had to take the blame for signing a "traitorous treaty." Now, this large, dark pot could only be carried by Simone. As the saying goes, the greatest hero is he who takes the blame for his country. If not Simone, then who? The Prime Minister? The Crown Prince? It meant that Simone would have to resign due to "unfavorable diplomacy" after signing the treaty.

"Of course, we won't let you down; we never let down any friend. Hmm, tomorrow we'll give you one million three hundred thousand pounds. The extra hundred thousand will be your compensation for this sacrifice," said the Earl of Liverpool.

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