He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 324

(324) The Formation of the Prussian New World Alliance

What attitude should one take when meeting a former enemy in a faraway land?

“It’s been a while, Your Highness. How have you been?”

At the outskirts of the Pensacola Governor-General’s residence, Louis Antoine, the second son of the former Duke of Orléans, who had also come as a guest, asked with a smile.

*It seems he has become quite sociable while teaching children.*

Seeing him greet a descendant of the Bourbon royal family, who was once virtually an enemy.

Louis Charles Capet, seeing the son of the man who once demanded the execution of ‘father,’ replied.

“I am no longer a prince, Louis Antoine of Orléans.”

“Haha! Are you referring to the Freischütz’s [a militia or volunteer soldier] claim that you are not the king’s direct heir? All of France knows that’s a lie, doesn’t it?”

“I am alive because it is not a lie.”

Louis Charles stared at Antoine and asserted.

“I have no intention of claiming the throne, nor do I intend to assert that I am a member of the Bourbon family. I am merely here as the brother of the Duchess of Louisiana.”

Louis Charles Capet, son of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette von Habsburg of the old royal family.

During the revolution, Louis Charles was almost executed by Robespierre.

However, when Eugene put on a [show] in court to save Antoinette, Louis Charles’s life was also spared.

Along with the stigma of being born from an affair between the Swedish regent, Count Fersen, and Antoinette.

In a way, his birth was defiled.

However, the heir to the old royal family is in danger not only during the revolutionary government but also under the current Bonaparte regime.

Therefore, Louis Charles had deeply internalized that he was not the son of Louis XVI.

But that doesn’t mean he could live as Count Fersen’s illegitimate child in Sweden.

As he approached adulthood, Charles also had many worries.

As a result, Charles also crossed the Atlantic, following Marie Therese to the New World.

In this situation, Antoine, who keeps calling him a prince, cannot be seen favorably.

At that moment, someone roughly wrapped their arm around Charles’s shoulder.

It was Andoche Junot, the commander of the New France Vice-Royal Guard.

“Oh, that’s a difficult thing to say, young master. I think we’ll be scolded by the Vice-Queen, Your Highness?”

“General Junot, strictly speaking, the two of them are not yet married. Of course, that doesn’t mean nothing happens before marriage.”

“Oh, Deje, you don’t know anything. Sadly, they’re both virgins. Hehe! Teach them with your harem-making skills. No, wait. Hey, Hippolyte! Come here.”

Junot, who was lewdly telling Deje that Eugene and Marie were bachelors and virgins, gestured.

“Our new ‘Lieutenant’ seems to be a virgin too, so teach him a lot in the New World. Hahaha!”

“Oh, the commander is talking as if he’s a very chaste man?”

“Compared to the ‘Madam Hunter’ of Parisian high society? Hehe!”

Just as Hippolyte and Junot were laughing and joking, Charles blinked and asked.

“Yes, what does that mean?”

“What is it, young master? Don’t tell me you’re not a virgin even though you’re not married yet? Oh, man!”

“Ah, no, that’s not it, what about the lieutenant?”

Then Junot, still with his arm around Charles’s shoulder, turned to the officers.

“Well, it’s the young master. No, is he my subordinate now? Now, everyone. I introduce Lieutenant Louis Charles Capet, adjutant to the New France Garrison Headquarters. Note that he’s not the commander’s adjutant, but mine.”

“Oh, assigning new personnel seems to be the job of the headquarters, not the Vice-Royal Guard.”

“Ah, please let me have the adjutant, Deje. It’s not like you’re going to assign him to other friends, are you? General Dumas, are you perhaps interested?”

Dumas, a biracial and cold man, glanced back and turned his head.

“I decline the Old Royal Family personnel, General Junot.”

Originally, Dumas had been active under Napoleon during the Italian campaign.

He was kind of an Italian Legion member.

However, since then, he had been in charge of garrisoning the Roman Papal States, so he had few opportunities to make achievements.

Moreover, due to the limitations of being biracial, he voluntarily stepped forward when Eugene went to the New World.

However, because of the discrimination he had received for being biracial, he is a strong supporter of the revolution that abolished slavery.

Therefore, he cannot welcome Charles, the heir to the old royal family.

Junot, unconcerned by Dumas’s cold words, faced Charles.

“Did you hear that? Adjutant, your first mission is to guide the sons of the former Duke of Orléans here to the headquarters.”

“Yes? No, but.”

“Guide them properly. No matter what the outcome inside, these two will likely stay for quite a while.”

Then Louis Antoine asked, his eyes shining.

“Do you think the outcome will be bad, Commander Junot?”

“I don’t know. Well, since your brother is the son-in-law of the Russian imperial family, you don’t have to worry about safety issues.”

“So, it’s possible to become a hostage. I have experience with prison life, but I don’t want to do it again?”

However, Deje, the commander of New France, who was elegantly drinking coffee, opened his mouth.

“Rather, that might be safer. Perhaps you gentlemen might be forcibly enlisted in the army.”

Deje is from a fallen noble family and a military academy.

As a result, an elegant feeling is clearly conveyed from his pronunciation.

From Antoine’s point of view, it didn’t sound like a simple threat, so he politely asked again.

“What do you mean by that?”

“As you can see, our New France army lacks manpower to the point of immediately selecting an adjutant. Especially high-quality manpower to become officers. But, oh? There’s someone here with officer experience.”

“You’re going to use us, French exiles, as officers?”

Deje smiled and offered Antoine coffee.

“I can’t give you the rank of general, as the newly established French Empire will be a meritocratic society. Especially in this New World.”

Taking the coffee, Louis Antoine’s eyes shone.

“This will be a really interesting New World life.”

Once a lieutenant colonel in the revolutionary army with Louis Philippe.

A former aristocrat who has been killing time as a teacher in exile.

The time has come for Louis Antoine to return to the French army.

Of course, it depends on the outcome inside the meeting room.

***

However, if Antoine had come into the meeting room, he would have shouted that it was his achievement.

“The United States has a vast land but a smaller population compared to Europe. It’s one-sixth of the French population. On the other hand, the land size is about four times that of mainland France.”

Louis Philippe, a novice with only about a year of experience in America, was giving a passionate speech.

As of 1802, the land size of the American Federation is about 2 million square kilometers.

France is roughly 500,000 square kilometers based on its home country, so the land size is four times that.

On the other hand, the population is about 5 million in the United States and over 31 million in France, so Philippe’s calculation is roughly correct.

The problem is the growth rate.

Originally, the population at the time of American independence was about 3.9 million.

In just over 10 years, it has increased by 1 million, even though the industrial revolution has not occurred.

As the land expands in the future, population explosion will inevitably occur due to immigration and increased birth rates.

The current time is the only time when Europe can check the United States.

Eugene nodded without revealing his inner thoughts.

“I heard it’s similar to the size of Louisiana.”

“But there are less than 50,000 Europeans living in Louisiana, right? Hehe. The United States has no choice but to covet it.”

“Even though the population is only 5 million, do they need more land?”

Philippe replied simply.

“All Americans want to be landowners. Louisiana is a fertile land that Americans cannot help but want.”

One of the main drivers of the Western expansion in later generations.

Of course, the gold rush following the discovery of gold mines also played a role, but the bigger reason is land.

The desire of farmers to have their own land made the United States a giant country in the original history.

But in fact, most of the 24 [states] that are currently American territory have no vacant land.

That’s why they want Louisiana, a land larger than the United States territory, 2.12 million square kilometers.

“Everyone wants to be a landowner.”

“The citizens of the United States are particularly severe [determined]. The leader among them is Andrew Jackson. Have you heard of him?”

“I heard he’s a senator from Tennessee. An expansion hardliner, right?”

A man who would later become the President of the United States in the original history.

Currently, he is also a politician from Tennessee, the ‘western’ border of the United States.

If the western expansion is completed, it will be called the ‘southeastern’ United States, but now it is the west.

Philippe nodded and explained.

“That’s right. Of course, strictly speaking, he’s just a politician from the [West]. The political center of the United States is the major [states] of the [East], and the politicians there decide everything. They are the heroes of the Revolutionary War.”

The 13 eastern coastal states.

Originally British colonies, they led the Revolutionary War and are the forces that dominate the current United States.

However, this country called the United States does not yet operate as a single organism.

“I heard that factions called Federalists and Republicans are fighting each other.”

“Oh, you know a lot.”

“I have to do basic studies before coming to the New World. Is it actually like that?”

The strengthening of the federal state will happen after the Civil War.

Before that, [states] functioned as if they were independent countries.

In 1802, this tendency is even more severe, and the pro-federal state and pro-state autonomy factions are fighting.

“That’s right. Republicans who value the rights of each state, Federalists who value the federal state. The side that France should join hands with is naturally the Republicans, right?”

“Who is stronger now?”

“The Republicans are stronger. Thomas Jefferson, who became president this time, is also a representative Republican who created the Democratic-Republican Party. He also happens to be a Francophile [admirer of France and French things].”

It was in 1800 that the 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, took office.

It was also then that the capital was moved to [Washington D.C], which was being built under the design of French architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant.

Even the French embassy in the United States is still staying in Philadelphia, as the functions are still being transferred.

The fact that Jefferson took power is thanks to his pro-French foreign policy and state autonomy, so it can be said that the era of Republicanism has won.

“But, things will be different in the Louisiana issue. Hehe.”

Philippe smiled strangely.

In the actual original history, Jefferson was the president who bought Louisiana, or [Louisiana Purchase].

However, as a pro-French faction, he will definitely postpone the option of waging war with France.

That’s what Eugene is trying to expect now.

Eugene roughly knew, but it’s definitely different to hear the detailed information from a local expert.

But Eugene could acquire this level of information if he tried.

Furthermore, there is no need for Philippe to come all the way to tell him.

Eugene threw a word to Philippe to slowly bring up the main point.

“I roughly understand the situation. The background of why the United States wants to attack Louisiana and Florida too. But, so what are you trying to say?”

Philippe, thirsty, gulped down the hot coffee and said.

“Didn’t the Vice-King, Your Highness, create the board [plan]? The joint attack on the British New World colonies from Alaska. If there’s a commotion in Canada, the pressure from the United States will naturally be delayed.”

“But I heard that the situation in [mainland] Russia is not good? It’s impossible for us to attack Britain right now.”

“You have to do it. Otherwise, Tsar Pavel’s regime will collapse.”

It is the Orléans ducal family that once aimed for the French revolutionary government regime.

But now that Philippe has become the son-in-law of Russia, he has been caught up in the interests of the Russian Empire.

Also, having come to the New World, Philippe’s political life is now directly linked to the expansion of Russian power in the New World.

In that respect, Eugene felt a sense of kinship with Philippe.

“We need results by the beginning of next year, 1803. It only needs to be enough to show to the Russian nobles. If you do that, the Russian New World Governor-General’s Office will fully cooperate with France.”

Philippe said desperately while pretending to be very relaxed.

Eugene stared at Philippe and smiled.

He has no intention of being completely swayed by Philippe.

However, having come to the New World, there is a plan that Eugene was trying to execute.

It seems that he can use that plan while showing off to Russia.

“It was what I originally promised. It’s too far to send people to the Alaska Governor-General’s Office to inform the Tsar again, right? I’ll show you the results by the end of this year.”

With this, the meeting was decided with Eugene and Philippe joining hands.

***

Music is played in the center of Pensacola.

-Bbambbam! Bbambbam! Bbambbambbam!

The so-called military band is a necessity for the 18th-century army.

The French Revolutionary Army, or now the Imperial Army, has not completely abandoned the old customs, so the military band came to the New World together.

But the military band soldiers probably didn’t know that their first mission was the treaty signing ceremony.

Sitting on the stage in front of the Governor-General’s building, Marie, who was watching the military band’s performance, asked Eugene in a low voice.

“Eugene, what are you going to do? I don’t know much about politics, but I know a little about managing supplies from the Beauharnais Cartel. It’s impossible to start a war now.”

“It’s worth making you the boss all this time. Our Vice-Queen, Your Highness.”

“Don’t tease me. Are you really going to fight Britain? We’re still allied with Britain in the home country, right?”

Eugene smiled strangely.

“We don’t have to fight, Marie. The leading power in this New World is not us anyway.”

Marie blinked.

Of course, France has not yet completed its immigration policy and is not rooted in the New World.

But how can they face the strong players in the New World, the United States and Britain, if they are not the leading power?

However, instead of adding an explanation, Eugene stood up and raised his glass.

“Now, everyone. Let’s make a toast. To the eternal alliance between France and Russia!”

Generals including Louis Philippe on the Russian side and Junot on the French side raised their glasses.

“For the eternal alliance!”

Of course, there is no eternity in this world.