I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 133

Memento Mori

“The Spanish ambassador came and whined about how this could happen.”

“Is that so? Well, it seems like a big deal has happened.”

When Louisiana fell into American hands, the Spanish side’s reaction was, in a word, ‘bewilderment’.

They had entrusted France with managing the troublesome American situation, but France sold the land as if they had been waiting for the opportunity, which was a natural reaction from Spain’s perspective.

From Spain’s point of view, they had essentially handed over Louisiana for nothing, and the power dynamic remained unchanged.

It was a situation where they couldn’t help but be upset, but they had nowhere to turn to complain.

“So, what did Your Majesty say to the Spanish ambassador?”

“Hmm? Well, I told him that the Nouvelle France [New France] area is not under my jurisdiction, so he should talk to you.”

“Ah, I see. I told him that it was a matter related to the home country’s diplomacy, so he should go and talk to Your Majesty.”

The responsibility-avoidance skill of a public organization. A taste of the infinite revolving door.

“But wouldn’t they be very upset if we do this?”

“We just returned the sewage they were trying to pour on us, so if they have any conscience, they won’t be able to say anything.”

Louis XV burst out laughing.

“It’s refreshing, so refreshing. I heard that the Nouvelle France development project is going well. Are there any difficulties?”

“No, there aren’t. We are primarily developing the Great Plains area in the center of the New World, and the results have been great. Once wheat production begins in earnest, the production volume will rise to unimaginable levels.”

The Great Plains of central America, especially the prairie region, has some of the highest soil fertility in the world.

Once they start producing food in earnest there, they will be able to feed the entire current population of Nouvelle France and still have plenty left over.

In fact, France is second to none in Europe in terms of productivity, but there are many structural problems here, so it can’t be helped.

“How is the scholarship foundation doing? Auguste seems to be unusually enthusiastic.”

“Thanks to you, brother, it’s going very well. The results are actually very good. Have the nobles been complaining to Your Majesty about anything?”

“There are quite a few who are expressing concern that you are giving excessive benefits to commoners. Especially these days, subversive ideologies such as republicanism are spreading.”

“Does Your Majesty also agree with what those nobles are saying?”

Creating a sense of crisis that the order of the class system is being shaken and trying to hinder us is something I had already expected.

That’s why I bothered to send all the officers from commoner backgrounds to Nouvelle France.

“Well… I wouldn’t be too concerned if you had commoners in key positions in Versailles or Paris, but it doesn’t seem that serious right now.”

“That’s right. And if we don’t give them this much reward, who would bother going all the way to the New World and risking their lives to develop the land?”

“That’s true.”

“Tell those who complain that I will give them a higher rank than the commoners, so they should come under me. However, tell them to be prepared to work more than 110 hours a week or fight on the front lines against enemies who don’t abide by gentleman’s agreements.”

War in this era has a kind of national rule, a code of conduct.

Officers are never deliberately killed.

Officers who are taken prisoner are released unconditionally if they pay the ransom.

Officers who surrender are treated with the utmost respect.

Because of these three sets of officer treatment, officers rarely die even on the battlefield.

If you break this code, you will be internationally criticized and become a public enemy.

Of course, if you get hit by a stray shell or bullet, you will die without exception, but that’s just bad luck, so there’s nothing you can do about it.

Records show how embarrassed the Native Americans were when they saw European countries fighting each other at this time.

They walk in rows and columns and fight each other hard, and when one side surrenders, the battle is over.

They even shake hands and exchange pleasantries with each other, saying they worked hard.

Of course, this spirit of fair play is only displayed when they fight each other, and it is impossible when fighting with the natives.

How would the natives have felt when the Europeans, who hunted them so cruelly, fought each other with so much warmth?

So, of course, the natives did not abide by the European rules.

If there are any nobles who are willing to take these risks, that’s great.

I am willing to welcome them with open arms.

“Okay. Next time the nobles say something, I’ll tell them that right away.”

“Your Majesty, if you are interested, shall I explain about the people from our foundation who are currently active?”

“Oh, yes. I really wanted to hear about it. But after talking to the Spanish ambassador this morning and chatting with you right away, I’m already tired. I must be getting old.”

“Then postpone all your schedule for today and just rest. I’ll make sure my brother can handle the rest.”

Louis XV is now in his mid-70s, so he can definitely feel tired easily even if he only works a little.

I told the servants to take good care of the king and left the room.

A servant who had been following me as I was about to leave the palace called out to me.

“Your Highness.”

“You are… Marquis Grouchy, right? Do you have something to tell me?”

“Yes. That is, I requested a consultation about my son’s problem last time, and you said you would listen to me anytime…”

“Ah, that’s right. Then, since I have enough time now, shall we talk for a while?”

Marquis Grouchy is a prestigious noble who has been gaining influence in the court since early on.

His power in the palace was so great that there were even rumors that he was an illegitimate child of the royal family.

Of course, I didn’t care about that, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

What I was interested in was not Marquis Grouchy himself, but his son.

“Thank you, Your Highness! Ha… I’ve been having a hard time lately because of my stupid son. But I’m glad that I can take a breather if Your Highness looks after him.”

Marquis Grouchy visibly relieved and led me to an empty room.

I sat down in a suitable place and listened to his complaints.

The story was that his son, who was supposed to inherit the marquisate, had eaten something wrong and was obsessed with strange ideas, which was causing him trouble.

“If it’s the marquis’s son, it must be Emmanuel Grouchy, right?”

“Yes. I only mentioned it once last time, but thank you for remembering it.”

“I am a person who is very interested in the kingdom’s excellent young people.”

Marquis Emmanuel de Grouchy.

If you are interested in French history, you can’t help but know Où est Grouchy! [Where is Grouchy?], and that Grouchy is the main character of this topic right now.

He is still just a troublesome son who is causing his father trouble, but in the original history, he becomes one of Napoleon’s 26 marshals.

However, he did not have the abilities of Jang Ran, Davout, Massena, or Berthier, whom I had 미리 포섭해둔 [preemptively scouted] in advance.

However, Napoleon was not in a situation where he could use these capable marshals in his later years.

In the end, Grouchy, who had no choice but to take on a position beyond his capabilities in the Battle of Waterloo, contributed to Napoleon’s defeat in the Battle of Waterloo.

He wasted time playing hide-and-seek with the decoy forces left by Blücher of Prussia, and Napoleon’s main force was ambushed and defeated by the British and Prussian main forces in the meantime.

The troops led by Grouchy at this time accounted for one-third of the entire French army.

His judgment was so absurd that the British even thought that Grouchy had betrayed Napoleon at the last minute.

The one word Napoleon shouted at this time is the famous lament, ‘Where is Grouchy!’

Of course, later historians say that Napoleon would have fallen even if Grouchy had done his job properly.

And strictly speaking, Grouchy was not originally qualified to be the head of an army.

He was a person whose true value was revealed when he led a cavalry or operated a force of up to one division in size.

People originally have areas they are good at, and they are bound to make mistakes if they deviate from that boundary.

Even Napoleon, who is said to be a military genius, made too many wrong decisions when it came to the navy, didn’t he?

And Napoleon’s unique arrogance and dogmatism were so severe that his subordinates were very conscious of him.

The reason why Grouchy made a misjudgment at the last minute was because he stubbornly stuck to the first order he received because he didn’t want to be caught out by Napoleon.

We are giving special training in Nouvelle France to improve these shortcomings, so he will show a different side in the future.

Anyway, Emmanuel Grouchy was a person I did not contact in advance because I wanted to use him as the commander of the Imperial Guard.

Of course, the fact that he was from a prestigious noble family and could not be swayed in the same way as other people also played a part.

“Come to think of it, Your Majesty also expressed concern about republicanism. I don’t know how deeply your son is immersed in that ideology.”

“···I’m sorry. But my son doesn’t really want to deny the existence of the royal family. You know, when you’re young, you want to look smart for no reason, and you want to do something that seems different from others, don’t you? I’m sure that’s what he’s thinking.”

“Hmm… I’ll know if that’s really the case if I talk to him.”

“My son graduated from the Royal Military Academy with excellent grades as an artillery officer. He changed his 병과 [branch of service] to the cavalry and achieved excellent work performance again. He is a talented child, so if Your Highness guides him on the right path, I will never forget this grace.”

Marquis Grouchy bowed his head several times with a desperate look on his face.

Emmanuel Grouchy was labeled as a subversive who advocated republicanism even though he belonged to the Imperial Guard.

So, of course, he couldn’t be promoted, and his prospects were not bright.

Even if Marquis Grouchy, one of the powerful figures in the court, is looking after him now, he will be relegated to a minor position as soon as his father’s backing disappears.

“I understand. It’s a pity that the kingdom’s excellent talent is being demoted without being able to fully demonstrate his abilities. I’ll meet him and talk to him, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

If he is 감화되어 [influenced] with republicanism, I should tell Robespierre to meet him.

He wouldn’t refuse to advance in the world, so he’ll probably come running happily.

If you look purely at his abilities, it may be different, but if you look at his loyalty, Grouchy was the best of Napoleon’s marshals.

Loyalty was also an important ability for the commander of the Imperial Guard, so there is no one more suitable than him.

Deon is getting old now, so I need to let him rest soon, and I found a successor at just the right time.

And personally, I was curious.

What kind of mindset does a person who was born into a prestigious marquis family and actively advocates republicanism have?

Seeing is believing, so I’ll know when I see it in person.

I smiled and put a question that I had always wanted to ask into my mouth.

“So, where is Grouchy now?”

※※※

After the interview with Marquis Grouchy, I returned to the Tuileries Palace.

So far, everything is proceeding according to plan.

I would be relieved if the plan went wrong once in a while, but everything is going so well that I am 불안하기도 [uneasy] in reverse.

When I sent Bishop Quintano, the Spanish ambassador who came to Paris from Versailles to protest, back to Versailles, I felt like my 속이 뻥 뚫리는 [stomach was cleared out]. 꺼어억! [burp]

If things continue to flow like this without any variables, I will be able to sleep soundly until that day comes.

Now, since I have some free time for the time being, shall I spend some quality time with my beloved wife?

Holding a bottle of wine to set the mood, I entered the bedroom and approached Marie, who was sitting on the bed, with a smile.

However.

The moment I saw her sitting there with an expression I had never seen before, I 직감했다 [sensed] that the atmosphere was unusual.

“Madam, is there something wrong…?”

As if she didn’t even know I had come in, she looked up at me with a listless face.

“······.”

Was she crying so much that she couldn’t make a sound?

She handed me the letter she was holding in her hand with no strength, then buried her face in the pillow again and shook her shoulders.

Carefully looking at the contents of the letter, I could tell the reason at once.

The sender was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Joseph II.

His letter revealed his 침통한 심정 [grief-stricken heart] from the first line.

-I don’t know how to tell you this news without making you too sad. Today, my mother passed away.

The death of the Empress, who had ruled the empire for over 40 years.

The feeling that I had been so excited that I was about to pierce the sky with the unexpected sad news also 꺼졌다 [subsided] to the bottom of the earth at once.

Memento Mori End