He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 413

(413) Talleyrand Reshapes Europe at the Dinner Table

In truth, the war was not yet over.

“Is England really going to continue the war, Special Envoy Castlereagh?”

Talleyrand asked elegantly, tasting each of the dishes laid out on the lavish table.

Even when he was a refugee wandering through London and New York, Talleyrand had never given up on one thing:

Gourmet dining.

Now, as one of the powerful figures in Paris, Talleyrand spared no expense on fine dining for the same reason.

His philosophy was that the joy of life ultimately came from eating.

Fortunately, his guest today seemed to agree, constantly expressing admiration.

The special envoy paused his knife while cutting a well-roasted veal.

“Didn’t Ambassador Barras send a letter?”

“He did. It was so absurd that I couldn’t even report it to His Majesty. Of course, I will have to show it to him when he returns to Paris.”

“Then I should leave before His Imperial Majesty arrives.”

Talleyrand nodded gracefully in response.

“Of course, there is time to enjoy this banquet.”

The main course that the chef brought out next finally arrived.

-슥, 슥, 슥.

The British King’s special envoy, Castlereagh, tilted his head and stared at the dish.

Even in this era, British cuisine was notoriously bad, so nobles generally hired French refugees as chefs.

However, even Castlereagh, who had sampled most French dishes, had never seen anything like the dish served today.

It was soft but surprisingly chewy, with a strange elasticity.

Castlereagh, who had tentatively picked it up with a fork and chewed it, asked,

“Hmm, it’s salty yet has a peculiar flavor. What is it?”

“Foie gras. Goose liver dish.”

“Oh, goose liver?”

As Castlereagh showed interest, Talleyrand smiled.

“That’s right. We tie up the geese, force-feed them to fatten them up, and then when we slaughter them, their livers are very plump.”

Of course, foie gras has quite a long history.

There were times when even in ancient Egypt, they fattened goose livers for cooking.

However, it is clear that French gourmets revived the popularity of foie gras in modern times.

Perhaps losing his appetite, Castlereagh placed his knife and fork on the table.

“It sounds cruel.”

“Isn’t that how all food is? Unless you only want to eat plants.”

“No, it’s not that.”

Castlereagh, who was not particularly a vegetarian, lightly wiped his mouth with a napkin and twisted his lips.

“Does the Minister think of Europe as a goose?”

Was he going to devour Europe like a goose fattened on purpose?

With the current power of the French Empire, it was not impossible.

Currently, with the exception of Russia, there was no country on land that could stand against France.

However, Talleyrand shook his head again.

“Not me. The benefit of a goose is to get its eggs. If you cut open its belly, it’s just one meal. Doesn’t England think of India that way?”

“That’s true. You can tell just by looking at the globe. The world is wide, and there is still plenty of land to advance into. Even South Africa is completely empty, isn’t it?”

“With wars every day, how can we even bring up the idea of advancing south?”

Talleyrand, originally an advocate of African advancement, clicked his tongue and stared at Castlereagh.

“Compromise at the right time. Then, even without peace negotiations, both countries can enjoy peace while glaring at each other.”

Castlereagh had a strange expression.

Talleyrand was a very realistic diplomat.

There was no possibility that he would demand unconditional surrender from England in the current situation.

Moreover, the possibility of accepting peace negotiations was low, as Pitt had already declared.

Then this proposal clearly wanted a kind of [Cold War].

“How much do you want?”

“A ban on the capture of civilian ships. You can do whatever you want with warships.”

“Oh dear, that would eliminate the reason for the naval blockade, wouldn’t it?”

Talleyrand smiled and retorted to Baron Castlereagh’s question.

“How long are you going to keep your entire naval fleet stuck in Europe? Shouldn’t the British fleet be roaming the seas all over the world?”

The reason why Castlereagh didn’t change his expression just now was because he had quite a bit of diplomatic experience.

No matter how invincible the British Navy was, this was not the era of operating steamships.

Operating a fleet itself required manpower and had its limits.

France, following the United States, was imposing a naval blockade, which meant that the fleets in other colonial waters were empty.

No British diplomat was unaware that this situation had to be resolved.

“A deal requires give and take. Of course, France may have won on land, but it has never beaten England at sea.”

“I’ll give you back Hanover.”

“Huh? No, is that possible?”

The moment Castlereagh, who had been feigning resistance, was surprised, Talleyrand nodded.

“His Imperial Majesty doesn’t really like war, surprisingly. He just likes glory.”

One of Napoleon’s contradictory aspects.

Although he did not avoid war and therefore failed in the original history, he did not love war either.

However, he willingly went to the battlefield because he needed the glory of victory.

Simply returning the Kingdom of Hanover was not really against Napoleon’s vision for Europe.

On the other hand, from England’s point of view, it was what King George III desperately wanted.

“This, I might be able to persuade the Prime Minister. I understand. By the way, this dish is a masterpiece.”

It was a day when French and British diplomats explored each other’s intentions during a banquet.

***

However, there are diplomats in the world for whom exploration and gourmet dining are luxuries.

“Why aren’t you picking up your fork? Minister Metternich?”

Metternich stared at Talleyrand with sharp eyes as he pretended not to know and asked.

“His Imperial Majesty will not meet me. Minister.”

“What emperor are you talking about? Franz II? The shock must be severe.”

“Even though I brought the declaration of defeat, I couldn’t even get close. To His Imperial Majesty Emperor Napoleon.”

For a moment, Metternich clenched his teeth and spoke more directly than ever before.

“I want you to mediate the negotiations, Minister.”

Metternich prided himself on being second to none when it came to stalling for time.

However, the survival of the Kingdom of Hungary now depended on time.

If he was even a little late, the Grand Armée’s Unicorn artillery might turn Budapest to ashes.

Of course, Napoleon was not such a cruel person, but that was something Metternich could not know.

“Hmm, have dinner first. This [Hors d’oeuvre] [appetizer] is very delicious. It’s the skill of my chef, Monsieur Carême. Come, eat.”

Talleyrand only smiled gracefully, recommending the hors d’oeuvre, or appetizer.

However, from Metternich’s point of view, he had no time to eat.

Metternich, staring at the hors d’oeuvre with a distorted expression, suddenly asked.

“Does France want to destroy Hungary?”

Talleyrand’s knife stopped.

“That would be difficult. Hungary is famous for its delicious ingredients. I’ve always wanted to try goulash soup.”

“Isn’t that food that commoners eat?”

“Originally, gourmet dining doesn’t discriminate against class. Of course, the ingredients of royalty and nobles are more luxurious, but.”

Of course, Talleyrand, whose tastes were all aristocratic, would not really covet goulash soup.

Rather, Talleyrand’s words were closer to an indirect expression of wanting to devour even Hungary.

Talleyrand, looking at Metternich trembling with amusement, spoke again.

“If you really want Hungary to survive, sacrifice Austria.”

Metternich’s eyes widened because it was not a word he had prepared for.

“What, what are you talking about?”

“His Majesty is hesitating. He wants to completely nip it in the bud at this opportunity, but if he does, he may face a full-scale popular uprising. You are not the problem.”

“Who is rebelling?”

He was saying that he would save Hungary.

But the reason was strange.

Metternich, who had never worried about popular uprisings, found it difficult to know who was rebelling.

However, Talleyrand, who had directly witnessed the revolution causing the king to commit suicide, was different.

“Freemasons, Illuminati, or anti-imperialists who put them forward. For now.”

Freemasons, Illuminati, or Rosicrucians.

All of these were secret societies that were born in the 17th century, flourished in the 18th century, and became objects of fear in the 19th century.

In fact, even the Freemasons alone had the Duke of Orléans serving as Grand Master, so it could be said that they were closer to a public society.

The Holy Roman Empire had suppressed these organizations from even gaining a foothold from the beginning, and even more so after the revolution.

However, Talleyrand, who had experienced the French Revolution and was once a member of the Freemasons, saw it differently.

They were not simply scary organizations because they were secret societies.

Those who idealize a republic, and furthermore, a world where all people are equal.

Naturally, they were pro-revolutionaries and could become the core leaders of the uprising.

However, their situation changed when faced with an invasion by a foreign tribe.

This meant that a German national uprising could occur against the French invaders.

Of course, Metternich shook his hand because it was something he had never thought of.

“Those are forces that were easily suppressed even when the old Holy Roman Empire was intact.”

“We are not. We are a [civilian empire] [an empire based on the support of the people] based on the support of the citizens. The situation is different from the highly respected Habsburg family, who only think about lineage and history.”

“What exactly do you want? The annexation of Austria?”

Talleyrand tilted his head this time.

“Complete division. French generals will be appointed as lords in each divided territory. In fact, French officials will go and govern.”

The people who would be appointed as lords would of course be marshals of the French Empire.

However, Napoleon would not leave the marshals to go and govern even Austria.

So they would only become absentee landlords, and in reality, it would become a vassal state controlled by French officials.

Metternich replied with a miserable face.

“Annexation is correct.”

“I said division. Of course, Franz II will be deposed, and the throne will disappear. Instead, the King of Hungary will survive.”

“Where are you planning to send Emperor Franz?”

Turning his gaze back to the food, Talleyrand replied casually.

“Well, if England allows it, I’m thinking of sending him to the New World.”

As someone who has experienced exile in New York, Talleyrand can say that it is not a bad thing.

***

A true gourmet does not stop gourmet dining even without a partner.

“Are you alone today, Minister?”

The chef asked the Foreign Minister, who was dining alone at night.

The man who would later be called the founder of French cuisine in the original history, Marie-Antoine Carême.

Talleyrand smiled as if praising Carême and replied.

“Yes, gourmet dining alone is also a delicacy. Hmm.”

“That’s right. It’s a new [Dessert] [sweet dish served at the end of a meal]. It took me quite a while to make this.”

“Hmm, I should treat Princess Hortense to this when I see her next time. She seems quite lonely these days.”

Instantly, Carême turned around busily with a pale expression.

“I, I’ll go back to preparing the food.”

It was widely known that Talleyrand, despite being a cripple and quite old, was a playboy who dominated French high society.

However, the fact that one of Talleyrand’s lovers in the original history was Hortense was not a well-known story.

Talleyrand smiled as he thought of Hortense, who was feeling lonely as Dejé was far away across the Atlantic.

“Huhu, you can kill enemies on horseback, but you can’t rule the world.”

Suddenly, Talleyrand put down his utensils and got up from his seat.

“Then, until the Emperor and the Viceroy return, shall we cook this Paris?”

The sound of the cane hitting the floor echoes through the mansion.

-Tok, tok, tok.

It was one day when the true power of Paris, Foreign Minister Talleyrand, reshaped Europe in place of the absent Emperor.