NOVEL NEXT Chapter 388 Queen Mary's Peace of Mind and Comfort
Chapter 389 Queen Mary’s peace of mind and comfort
As he spoke, Joseph looked around at the nobles who still had dissatisfied expressions on their faces, and continued to speak loudly: "But their descendants only know how to lie on their share of glory, covet enjoyment, do nothing, and even serve. The poor peasants will not hesitate to go against the wishes of His Majesty the King and affect the future of France by getting a little bit of tax in their hands!”
In this era, enlightened autocracy has become the consensus of European aristocrats. At the same time, Enlightenment thought also had a profound influence. So he said "affecting the future of France". Even if the nobles were dissatisfied, they subconsciously knew that this was right.
"If your ancestors knew what you said and did here today, they would definitely be ashamed of you!"
Joseph did not give the nobles a chance to refute, and immediately continued: "If I were you, I would follow the steps of my ancestors and go to the battlefield like a warrior, fighting bloody battles for His Majesty the King and France, to achieve achievements that surpass those of my ancestors. , and gained an eye-catching glory!
"Your eyes will be fixed on the vast European continent, your hearts will be focused on the rise and fall of empires, and you will be fulfilling the obligations entrusted to you by France to defeat powerful enemies one by one, thereby winning endless wealth and glory! And It’s not like you secretly rejoice over the mere few silver coins paid by farmers, or you feel aggrieved like a little girl because you lost that little money!
"You should let your ancestors be proud of your courage and cheer for your victory! Instead of using the name of your ancestors to maintain your empty and insignificant life!"
Joseph finished speaking in one breath, and the nobles present were stunned on the spot. The education they had received since childhood about the glory of the nobility made their blood boil with excitement, but at the same time they were ashamed.
This was Joseph's strategy.
For these nobles who were idle, had no income, and were very capable of making troubles, the Prussians had actually already provided a solution - let all descendants of the nobles who did not inherit the territory join the army, become professional soldiers, and receive rewards based on military merit. These little nobles were extremely poor. In order to earn a fortune, they worked very hard on the battlefield and supported the backbone of the Prussian army. This is where the Junker nobility comes from.
Joseph naturally does not want to create a French version of Juncker. Diluted by a large number of civilian soldiers from the Guards Corps, these nobles could not unite to form an interest group.
However, although these nobles are idle on weekdays, they all have a good educational foundation, especially riding, swordsmanship, and shooting, which are all required courses.
As long as they are rigorously trained and disciplined, their individual combat capabilities will be stronger than those of civilian soldiers.
In addition, there is another point. The French royal family itself is the largest aristocracy, so they cannot give up these old aristocrats casually. At least they are relatively loyal to the king, are most closely tied to the interests of the royal family, and will never seek to overthrow the royal family. If they can be integrated into France in the industrial age, it will actually be very beneficial to the royal family.
And Joseph also knew that it was not enough to win blood through speeches alone. If you want a class to work for you in a down-to-earth manner, you must provide them with corresponding benefits.
He looked at the reaction at the bottom of the steps and immediately struck a chord while the iron was hot: "You want to obtain a fief according to tradition? That's absolutely fine!
"As long as you use your blood and sword to make meritorious deeds like your ancestors did, you will receive glory and rewards.
"France does not have much land, but there is almost endless land overseas. The colonies won by your heroic battles for France will surely have your own fiefdom! Both the area and tax revenue will be a hundred times greater. A thousand times more than the little territory you inherited before!
"Come, join the Royal Legion and win your brilliant and glorious future!"
On the balcony, Queen Mary listened to her son's impassioned speech and watched the eyes of the troubled nobles gradually fill with fanatical light. She was shocked but also extremely relieved.
It turns out that the son doesn’t need to cover for him at all. He stood there like an unshakable tower, and all challenges and difficulties became insignificant in front of him.
She smiled happily, ignored the thousands of nobles below, turned back to the house, happily picked up a piece of cheesecake and put it in her mouth. With Joseph here, maybe I can rest more and enjoy delicious desserts in peace in the future.
…
Southwest corner of the Palace of Versailles.
Under the protection of four guards, the British Foreign Secretary, the Marquis Wellesley, glanced gloomily at the door of the Peace Hall in front of him.
He knew that there would be an extremely difficult negotiation waiting for him.
Originally he planned to cause riots in France to blackmail the French. Unexpectedly, before his ship arrived at the port of Le Havre, he heard the news that the riots had subsided.
But God closed his door and opened a window for him.
He learned that the reason why the riots subsided was that the French government promulgated a land redemption policy that was very biased towards farmers.
So he confidently asked the French diplomatic department to postpone the meeting, just to wait for the matter to ferment and the angry French nobles to attack the king. Under internal chaos, France was bound to make concessions to Britain.
However, the development of things shocked him extremely.
The nobles in the Palace of Versailles suddenly stopped fighting, and it was even heard that there was a wave of nobles joining the army.
These useless French nobles! He cursed in his heart, if it were the British, they would definitely launch a glorious revolution at this time, making the king beg for mercy...
The door of the Peace Hall opened, and Talleyrand's limping figure appeared.
Wellesley quickly stopped his random thoughts and bowed to the cripple, caressing his chest hypocritically: "Nice to meet you, Archbishop Talleyrand."
The latter smiled and returned the greeting: "I'm glad to see you too, Marquis Wellesley. I hope we can have a pleasant conversation today."
"Oh, it will be as you wish."
Wellesley secretly grinded his teeth and followed the lame man into the spacious hall. The corner of his eye glanced at the huge oil painting "Louis XV Creates Peace" on the fireplace, and he couldn't help but mutter in his heart: Hypocritical French people!
The British and French foreign ministers made another polite gesture and sat down on both sides of the long table. The other seven or eight diplomats sat at the head of their respective chief officials.
After a few seconds of silence, Wellesley breathed a sigh of relief and spoke first: "It is said that there have been serious riots in France recently. I hope you have not been too affected."
"Of course, they were just farmers walking into the city, and they were quickly dispersed by the police." Talleyrand looked at him with a relaxed expression, "Oh, by the way, your country seems to have encountered some troubles in India. Oh, you must not have been affected at all."