I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 191: The Winds of Europe

In the center of the ring, Soleil lightly tapped her opponent's sword with her own in a show of respect. Then, she stepped back three paces, turned sideways, placed her left hand behind her back, and assumed a textbook fencing stance.

The spectators immediately began whispering among themselves:

"Oh! It looks like this lady really knows how to use a sword."

"Don't you know? She's the sister of Viscount Frez and was trained by the Marquis de Villafuerte, a master swordsman."

"Marquis de Villafuerte? That renowned Spanish fencing master?"

"Yes, that's him."

"Aha, it seems we're in for a good show today!"

The referee rang the bell to start the match, and Soleil's gaze instantly sharpened. She feinted towards her opponent's left chest with a swift motion, her feet moving with incredible agility. Almost simultaneously, she turned to the right, lowering the tip of her sword to aim for the young man's abdomen.

The tall young nobleman wasn't inexperienced; despite being caught off guard, his defensive stance remained intact. With a swift movement, he deflected Soleil's sword to the side.

But before their swords could clash, Soleil had already retracted her sword, stepping back half a pace. She noticed an opening in her opponent's upper body and quickly thrust her sword towards his face.

The young man felt he couldn't dodge in time, so he swung his sword in a wide arc, hoping to force Soleil to retreat.

However, Soleil moved with the grace of a butterfly dancing among flowers. She nimbly dodged back, evading the sword's arc, and once again aimed a direct thrust at his thigh.

The young man's next two clumsy blocks and counterattacks were easily dodged by Soleil, who retaliated with precise thrusts at tricky angles.

The audience erupted into applause and cheers.

But after just five or six exchanges, Soleil suddenly felt her left heel hit something.

She realized immediately that it was the edge of the platform, and a wave of anxiety washed over her. She had been relying on her speed to dodge and counterattack, but she had overlooked the limited space of the ring.

Her opponent seized the moment of her distraction and, without hesitation, swung his sword at her—he wasn't about to show any leniency just because she was a lady. With hundreds of nobles watching, including the Crown Prince himself, he had every intention of showcasing his skills before the King in two days.

Trapped by the edge of the platform, Soleil couldn't dodge. She had no choice but to raise her sword to block.

A sharp clang echoed as the swords met, and Soleil felt her wrist go numb. Strength was not her strong suit.

Her opponent took advantage of the situation, striking from a different angle. She had to block again, but the difference in strength was too great this time, and her sword was knocked aside. The young noble immediately lifted his sword, its wooden-covered tip pressing against her abdomen.

Defeated...

She had come aiming for the championship, but she lost in the first round.

Soleil's mind went blank, and it wasn't until the referee urged her off the stage that she walked down in a daze.

She remembered boasting to the Crown Prince that he should bet on her to win, confidently promising she would bring him a prize. Now, she felt so ashamed that she wished she could dig a hole and disappear.

Her mind flashed back to the Crown Prince's hand showing five fingers when he placed his bet. Given the royal family's status, he must have bet at least 500 livres!

Maybe even 5,000 livres...

Yes! It must have been 5,000 livres!

It's all over, completely over. Soleil nearly burst into tears. The Crown Prince had given her the opportunity to compete, but she had caused him to lose so much money. What should she do now? Would the Crown Prince hate her? Yes! He would definitely hate her!

The sound of the audience's laughter reached her ears. Though it wasn't mocking, most people found the little incident rather amusing.

But to Soleil, the laughter felt like being caught red-handed as a guilty cat. She hunched her shoulders and lowered her head, muttering to herself, "No one sees me, no one sees me, no one sees me!" Then, she dashed past the crowd, disappearing into the throng.

No, this can't happen!

As she walked away, she shook her head repeatedly. That was 5,000 livres! She couldn't just pretend nothing happened!

Yes! She made up her mind. Although she couldn't pay the money back now, she would eventually repay every livre to the Crown Prince!

Meanwhile, in the stands, Clementine was still cheerfully waving her candy, expressing her disappointment, "Cousin, I was going to give that lady some candy after she won, but she left so quickly.

"Well, at least you only bet 10 livres on her."

Joseph smiled and said, "This might not have been the best environment for her."

"Then where is she good at sword fighting?" Clementine asked, tilting her head.

Joseph chuckled and remained silent, thinking that the Royal Palace would be a good place—there, even hundreds of soldiers couldn't catch her.

After the afternoon's fencing matches ended, Joseph, the Spanish Crown Prince, and Clementine walked down from the stands, chatting and laughing. Aymon quickly approached Joseph's side and whispered, "Your Highness, Archbishop Talleyrand has returned and is waiting for you in the drawing room."

Joseph nodded slightly, knowing that Talleyrand had likely returned from his tour of America and Europe with important news to report.

He excused himself from Antonio, handed Clementine over to her maid, and made his way to his chambers.

As he walked, he thought about Antonio and his green hat situation. This needed to be addressed soon.

After pondering for a moment, he turned and gave Aymon some instructions. Aymon nodded and promptly left to carry them out.

When Joseph reached his drawing room, Talleyrand immediately came forward and respectfully bowed. "May God bless you, Your Highness. I've been thinking of you constantly during my travels. As soon as I arrived, I came straight to see you."

Though Talleyrand's words seemed like polite flattery, he was actually reaffirming his loyalty—letting Joseph know that upon returning to Versailles, he had bypassed the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to report directly to the Crown Prince.

"Oh, I've missed you too, Archbishop Talleyrand. Please, have a seat," Joseph smiled, gesturing to the sofa. "Your journey took you over 7,000 miles, didn't it?"

Talleyrand nodded, "Over 7,800 miles, Your Highness, including two crossings of the Atlantic."

"That must have been exhausting," Joseph said, signaling a maid to bring Talleyrand some coffee and pastries. "You could have returned with Crown Prince Paul's entourage."

Talleyrand thanked the maid, then turned back to Joseph, smiling, "Your Highness, I took a ship back, which departed several days after the Russian Crown Prince, yet here I am ahead of him. I also thought it best to report some matters to you directly."

Joseph leaned forward slightly, "Please, go ahead."

"The situation in America is exactly as you predicted. The Federalists are very supportive of purchasing warships and joining forces to combat piracy," Talleyrand reported. "If it weren't for a lack of funds, Mr. Hamilton would have wanted to buy a small fleet."

Joseph remarked, "Our aim is to sell them old ships, not to help them build a powerful navy."

Talleyrand immediately nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. I also sensed that they have an unusual interest in the Caribbean."

"You have a keen eye," Joseph replied, knowing that once the Americans had some money, they quickly built up a substantial fleet and clashed with France in the Caribbean.

The result was that France lost significant interests in the Caribbean, and combined with the Haitian Revolution, France's colonial profits in the Americas nearly vanished.

"We must both utilize and restrain the Americans. Especially, we must prevent them from expanding westward. They have a devilish greed for North American land," Joseph said seriously.

Talleyrand dismissed the concern, saying, "Your Highness, the Americans are stingy and lack boldness. I don't think they'll dare challenge Spain's interests."

Currently, Spain controlled the western territories of North America.

Joseph didn't bother to explain further. Historically, it had only taken the Americans a little over a decade to nearly consume all of Louisiana.

Talleyrand continued, "As for trade, Hamilton privately assured me that, at the same price, we would have priority over the British for their cotton."

"Excellent," Joseph nodded in satisfaction. North America was currently the world's largest exporter of cotton. With a steady supply from America, France would be better positioned to compete with Britain in the textile industry.

The American matters were relatively straightforward, and Talleyrand soon moved on to his diplomatic experiences in Russia.

"Your Highness, after arriving in Saint Petersburg, I quickly met with their Tsar. Over the next ten days, she summoned me twice more, indicating her great interest in Russian-French relations."

Joseph wasn't surprised by this. Russia and France had many shared interests, and the potential for cooperation was vast. Catherine the Great, one of Russia's most prominent rulers, would surely recognize this.

Talleyrand added, "The Tsar expressed her gratitude for the guns and uniforms you sent her. The uniforms, in particular, have become almost exclusive to the officers."

At this time, Russia's manufacturing capabilities were among the weakest in Europe. While they could produce flintlock guns, the quality was still inferior to that of top-tier European weapons.

Even the old guns that Talleyrand had brought back from America were highly prized by Russian soldiers. Catherine had immediately distributed those 15,000 Charleville muskets to the frontline troops in the Russo-Turkish War.

As for the uniforms, Joseph had them specially made in Lyon to help open up the Russian market for French clothing—1,800 uniforms in total.

At this time, military uniforms weren't standardized, and in Russia, they were particularly chaotic. As long as the colors were somewhat consistent, it was acceptable.

So this batch of uniforms, designed by French designers, looked much more "fashionable" than the existing Russian military attire and was immediately snatched up by Russian officers.

Even though these uniforms weren't cheap, costing over 60 livres each, Joseph's deal was still very profitable—France had gained political support for the Russo-Turkish War by sending a few guns and uniforms. After all, when Russian soldiers armed with French guns and dressed in French uniforms won victories, France would share in the glory.

Meanwhile, Austria had sent tens of thousands of soldiers to fight the Ottomans directly, but Russia's gratitude toward them wouldn't necessarily surpass that toward France.

Moreover, the uniforms sent to Russia were so popular that other nobles were eager to purchase them.

In fact, two additional batches of the same style had already been shipped to Russia, each selling for over 100 livres.

Talleyrand smiled as he continued, "The Tsar of Russia expressed her support and gratitude for our actions in North Africa to contain the Ottoman navy. She even hopes we can extend our operations to the area around Alexandria Bay."

Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly at this. Alexandria Bay was near Egypt, so Catherine was essentially saying that Russia recognized North Africa—from Algiers to Egypt—as France's sphere of influence!

This meant that among the major European powers, only Britain had yet to acknowledge France's claims to North Africa. Of course, Prussia likely wouldn't recognize it either, but with Prussia's pitiful navy, their stance on North Africa was irrelevant.

Talleyrand added, "At the same time, the Tsar of Russia hopes we will support some of their demands concerning Poland.

"Though Russia is currently tied up with the Ottoman conflict, she hinted that once the southern campaign is over, they plan to expand toward Poland again."

Joseph sighed inwardly. No wonder Catherine the Great had been so generous in supporting France's claim to North Africa—she had more demands in return.

Russia's ambition to dominate Poland was well-known. Historically, Catherine had indeed collaborated with Prussia and Austria three times to completely divide and conquer Poland.

However, Russia also bore the heavy burden of disrupting European order due to the partition of Poland, so they naturally sought the support of other major powers.

Especially now that Austria was still lukewarm about partitioning Poland, Russia needed France to take a stance.

Talleyrand suggested, "Your Highness, perhaps we can use Poland to gain more from Russia."

Joseph shook his head, "While Poland may not hold many of our interests, we should try to prevent Russia from swallowing it entirely—or at least not too easily."

Talleyrand was puzzled, "But why?"

"Because Prussia and Austria must never become too close."

"I still don't quite understand, Your Highness."

Joseph had chosen Talleyrand as a key figure in his diplomatic strategy, so it was important to explain some of the broader political concepts to him.

So, Joseph patiently explained, "On the European continent, France's most direct rival is Prussia. This is not only because Prussia covets the Rhineland, but also because they act as Britain's proxy on the continent. Weakening Prussia is equivalent to weakening Britain."

Talleyrand nodded thoughtfully. Britain was France's arch-nemesis and the greatest obstacle to France's dominance in Europe. The two nations had been at odds for centuries, with each trying to contain the other. Therefore, strategically opposing Britain was "absolutely correct" for France. Conversely, Britain was also doing everything possible to contain France.

Still, Talleyrand didn't quite see how this connected to Poland.

Joseph continued, "And to counter the Anglo-Prussian alliance, we must draw Austria to our side. Fortunately, Prussia and Austria have many points of contention, such as Silesia."

Silesia was a fertile region in northwest Austria. Over 50 years ago, when Emperor Charles VI of the Holy Roman Empire died, his daughter Maria Theresa—also Louis XVI's mother-in-law and Joseph's maternal grandmother—succeeded him. At that time, Prussia used the pretext that women had no right to inherit the throne to start the War of the Austrian Succession.

Austria couldn't defeat Prussia and, under pressure from Britain, eventually ceded Silesia to Prussia.

Since then, Silesia had been a thorn in Austria's side.

(End of Chapter)

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