I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 319

“To think they’d call us all here… What are those guys from France thinking?”

“Who knows? They’re not planning to tell us to convert to Christianity or something, are they?”

“Europeans are all pretty much the same, so they might really do that…”

“There’s talk that France is a bit better than England, so let’s not jump to conclusions. But how’s your area these days? We can’t do anything because of those pirate bastards.”

The representatives from various regions, gathered in one place, exchanged opinions with uneasy voices, gauging the atmosphere.

The areas that France had taken over were spread across various parts of the Arabian Peninsula, so these people wouldn’t normally have any reason to gather in one place.

Therefore, the representatives weren’t on particularly bad terms.

Neighboring peoples or countries tend to have bad relationships, but those far away were outside their concern.

And they also shared the common experience of being tormented by the Ottoman Turks and the British until now.

“Anyway… just when we were trying to catch our breath after those Ottoman bastards left, the British came and made such a mess. We’re truly doomed.”

“But wasn’t England better than the Ottomans? The Ottomans were just devils incarnate.”

“If we had to compare, England was a bit better. But those guys basically tried to look down on us from the start…”

The regions where they currently lived all had something in common.

That was that their food production wasn’t very good.

In the past, the standard of wealth was directly tied to production, and land that couldn’t be self-sufficient wasn’t highly valued.

Most of the people living in these regions now weren’t originally settled inhabitants of this place.

They were mostly descendants of nomads who had been pushed out of power struggles and had no choice but to settle in such places.

Even now that they were trying to make a living through commerce, pirates were rampant, and trade routes were cut off, making even that impossible.

Moreover, with the Ottoman Turks rampaging like thugs from above and the British Empire causing trouble in the sea, how could they feel at ease?

In short, there was no hope for the future.

The representatives, putting on a calm facade and smiling, weren’t doing so out of confidence.

It was closer to a self-deprecating smile, suggesting that things couldn’t get any worse.

And Bernadotte, who had been entrusted with full authority over the region, was well aware of this situation.

Rather, he thought he had been demoted because he knew it so well.

“Nice to meet you all. I am Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, the governor-general of France, here to share your joys and sorrows and develop this region together with you.”

“Nice to meet you! I am Busaid from the Aden region.”

“I am Zaid from the Ajman Fortress.”

“I am Sabah from the Eyalet [Ottoman province]. I have long admired the reputation of France.”

The regional representatives were quite impressed by Bernadotte’s unexpectedly humble first impression.

At least, the atmosphere was completely different from that of the British governor who had previously occupied this area.

At least those guys would never have used words like ‘sharing joys and sorrows.’

Bernadotte placed a detailed map of the Arabian Peninsula on the table and unfolded his plans one by one.

“First of all, Aden is one of the best strategic points for accessing the Gulf of Aden. This area will be suitable for development centered around this point. I know that the Ajman Fortress is forming alliances with several local lords in the vicinity. France will definitely help you establish yourselves as overseas territories of France. The same goes for Eyalet.”

“Does that mean we will become colonies of your country after all? Just like England…”

“No. It’s different from England. And it’s not a colony, but an overseas territory. We don’t use the term ‘colony’ anymore. Of course, there will be no exploitation or forced labor whatsoever. Didn’t I tell you? We will have a relationship that shares both hardships and joys.”

“…Thank you for your words, but we still don’t really understand. Right now, we have our own way of life, and it will be difficult to integrate with your country.”

Whether you know it or not, it is almost impossible for the Islamic world to integrate with the Christian world.

This has been proven by countless histories of conflict, and Christian himself drew a clear line on this part.

Guangdong and Hong Kong were to be merged into France as part of France, but this place was not.

-Maybe in about 200 years, but 100 years is not enough. Arabia will remain as an independent overseas territory, so please keep that in mind and submit your plans accordingly.

Christian emphasized this several times before Bernadotte left Paris.

Bernadotte also did not forget the request of his beloved king.

“I understand your concerns. France recognizes the local religion, culture, and customs. There will never be any forced conversions. However, you must also respect us as much as we respect you. If only this condition is met, France and you can be good friends.”

“Well… that doesn’t seem difficult, if you really don’t force things like conversion.”

“But Governor, to put it bluntly, we are the poorest people in this Arabian Peninsula. We don’t have much power, and we have even less wealth. I don’t know how France can coexist with us.”

The point is, what use would they be unless they were unilaterally exploited and plundered?

In fact, Bernadotte thought so at first.

It is a transportation hub, but that alone feels subtly insufficient.

Of course, it would be nice if France occupied this area and monopolized all the wealth that comes out of it.

However, the problem was that Christian’s plan did not seem to be that.

‘I still don’t know how this is possible, but what can I do?’

It is the sad fate of a manager to do what he is told to do.

Bernadotte took out the photos he had prepared in advance and placed them on the table.

“Now, everyone, look at this.”

“Huh? What kind of picture is this?”

“Wow~ How can the picture be so realistic?”

“The skills of French painters are extraordinary.”

“Ah… everyone? This is not a painting, but a photograph. In short, it is a way to transfer the scenery of an actual object onto this paper as it is.”

Since it was a new technology that had recently begun to be introduced in France, the Arab representatives were constantly amazed and looked at the photos from side to side.

They even called a photographer to take a commemorative photo, and they entrusted the photos to their servants, practically whispering the instructions.

“Thank you, Governor!”

“I will keep it as an heirloom.”

“Ah… yes. First of all, I’m glad you like it. But what’s important is not the photographic technology, but the scenery captured in this photo. This place is French Guangdong, which used to be part of the Qing Dynasty [the last imperial dynasty of China]. You also know the Qing Dynasty, right?”

“Of course. Isn’t it a great power in the East? I heard that it was defeated by France and split into a dozen pieces.”

The photos contained recent views of Hong Kong, the capital of French Guangdong, and Beijing, the former capital of Qing.

“I’ve included general street scenes from both sides. To avoid accusations of manipulation, I’ve only taken pictures of places known as bustling areas, so please compare them.”

“You can see the difference at a glance. This place called Hong Kong seems to be a completely different world. Even Baghdad, which was so developed in the past, can’t be compared.”

“Yes. The economic level of French Guangdong and the countries that were part of the Qing Dynasty is clearly different to anyone. But before this place became French territory, it was not much different from other regions. In other words, if you align with us in the future, the scenery in this photo will become your daily life.”

“…You’re saying that the place where we live will become like this?”

“Now, other regions of the Arabian Peninsula may ignore you, but in a few decades, it will be the opposite. Rather, you will treat them like beggars.”

Christian gave a simple answer to the question of what to do if Muslims stick to their ways and do not listen.

-If you taste the taste of capital, everything will change.

Of course, there was a prerequisite.

Not only the ruling class but all the people should taste the capital pouring in.

Once they are addicted to the sweetness, they will never be able to return to their previous lives.

The problem was how to do this, but the king seemed to have a plan, so I don’t worry.

“Can we really be like this place called French Guangdong?”

“His Majesty has promised it for sure. This is the future you will enjoy.”

“Heo… to the world.”

“If this is true, we would be very grateful, but what benefits does France get?”

Bernadotte also wanted to know that.

But how can I tell you if I don’t know anything?

I have no choice but to cover it up with fabricated words.

“Of course, we will take as much pleasure in your success as you do! Sharing all the pain and pleasure! This is how France respects the local people. And this is proven by the wealth that France in the Pacific, the Atlantic, and Guangdong has built up. Now it’s your turn to become the France of the Middle East.”

“Well, there are precedents…”

“Are there any conditions we have to meet?”

“As I said before, our relationship is based on mutual respect. And… let’s see.”

Bernadotte, taking out a letter stamped with the royal seal from his arms, bowed politely to the royal crest and unsealed it.

“This is His Majesty’s letter to you. I don’t know the details because it’s written by him.”

“Oh oh… the King of France directly to us?”

“I will read it with a humble heart.”

Bernadotte, who saw the letter with the representatives, now understood roughly what Christian was planning.

Because the conditions written in the letter were so clear.

“…The cost of developing each region is fully borne by France, but it can exercise its stake in the facilities accordingly. However, the wealth generated by this will never be monopolized by France, but will be sufficiently shared with the local area…”

“If the economic power of ordinary citizens is low, it will naturally lead to insecurity, which threatens the safety of the French army and French citizens stationed there. Therefore, the representatives of the region should promise to spare no effort to improve the living standards of the citizens. France will provide support for this?”

“If the economic power of each region becomes significantly better than other regions, it will naturally incur the public anger of foreign countries. As this naturally leads to a threat to security, France will do its best to ensure the safety of overseas territories. To this end, locals should tolerate and assist in the installation of French military facilities.”

It was all beneficial to the Arab leaders just by reading it.

The naive representatives smiled brightly and signed immediately, but Bernadotte, who had more experience, vaguely guessed Christian’s plan.

‘There must be a huge amount of gold mines buried here.’

The point is to secure the development and the stake in the wealth generated by it.

I don’t know how much this will be, but Christian is judging that it is so huge that there is no problem even if he shares it with the local area.

There is also a way for France to monopolize it, saying that it will take as much as it invests, but in this case, it can cause local backlash.

If it is at a level that can be shared, it is best to win the hearts of the locals in the long run.

Another thing is the subordination of national defense.

In fact, this area is one of the most remote areas where military power cannot be said to be good even in the best of times.

If they had proper military power, would they have been struggling to deal with pirates even though several cities were united?

In this situation, what if a gold mine is discovered and a huge amount of wealth flows in?

Of course, the Ottomans or other countries in the Middle East will drool and rush in.

However, if France takes over the national defense instead, that worry will disappear.

Since they are not able to defend themselves anyway, they will not have much of a choice.

If they are subordinated to France in this way, from the economy to national defense, they will not even dare to break away even after time passes.

Bernadotte clicked his tongue at the king’s grand plan.

‘By the way… how much gold is buried to make such a plan?’

Even if there are mountains of coal or iron ore buried, they cannot create this level of wealth.

In the end, all that’s left is gold… Is there some legendary El Dorado [a legendary city or empire of gold] buried?

I had questions, but I don’t doubt it.

While Bernadotte was taking the signatures of the local leaders, a report arrived that all the pirate ships in the Gulf of Aden had been smashed.

‘I don’t like it, but his actions are really ghostly fast.’

I can’t believe he’s already moving so busily.

In this way, the modern calligrapher and the largest oil fields in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar all went under the shadow of France without even knowing it.

However, it was such a comfortable and warm shade that they would never think of leaving forever.