I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 123

< Wait Just Ten Years >

I gave Wilberforce plenty of encouragement and sent him back.

Marie also seemed quite pleased with the conversation we just had.

“You made a good decision. I also believe that the decision you made this time is the right thing to do. You may receive a lot of criticism, but I will support you so that you can carry out your beliefs to the end!”

“Ah… well…”

It’s not like I stepped up because of a burning sense of justice, but when she reacts like this, even I feel a little embarrassed.

But from other people’s point of view, it would seem that I’m doing this purely out of good intentions.

Of course, Marie has always seemed dissatisfied with slavery, so it’s not unreasonable for her to react like this.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of conscience when I received my wife’s proud gaze with my whole body, even if no one else did.

I casually tossed a word to Deon, who was listening to the conversation next to me.

“As you know, this must be kept top secret, so don’t ever let it out. At least, if other people find out that I’m involved before things get on track, things could go wrong.”

“Would I be so reckless as to blurt it out? By the way, I didn’t think Your Highness would agree so readily. I thought you would answer that you would give me an answer later, as always.”

“I have to take his side so that Wilberforce can be more active. To put it simply, you can think of it as pushing him on the back.”

“Is it okay? There will be tremendous backlash.”

Marie nodded and added her thoughts to Deon’s worried question.

“So, aren’t you going to watch Wilberforce’s activities first? Still, many of the French aristocrats have nothing to do with slaves, right?”

“Even though the number has decreased a lot since the Seven Years’ War, it doesn’t mean there are none at all. Many aristocrats have shares in slave trading companies, and many aristocrats still have business in Saint-Domingue [modern-day Haiti], where slaves are actively used. And there are quite a few people who expect the slave business to rise as they recover Nouvelle-France [French colonial territory in North America] and have invested in it.”

As Deon said, there were plenty of people in France who would not welcome the abolition of slavery.

Of course, even so, the fact that they are people who cannot read the big picture does not change.

“They’re fools who don’t even know that Nouvelle-France is not suitable for industries that use slaves. There’s no need to pay attention to such stupid people. The biggest problem is that if the vested interests who don’t like me find out about this, they will attack me somehow.”

It is too optimistic to think that even aristocrats who do not lose money from the abolition of slavery will agree with this.

Rather, there is a high possibility that they will unite under the pretext of protecting the interests of the aristocrats who benefit from slavery.

“So you’re going to step back until the time is ripe.”

“Yes. And France is at its most precarious time right now, so it’s best not to cause any rash actions.”

“Yes?”

Deon and Marie tilted their heads almost simultaneously as if they didn’t understand.

“Isn’t France at its peak right now? You won the war against England, you got Nouvelle-France, and Austria and Prussia are giving you a hand. When I read letters from my brother or mother, their inner thoughts are revealed…”

“The public’s perception is as the lady says. But the reality is not.”

The reason why they easily won the war against England was because they brought in Spain, the Netherlands, India, and the United States.

In addition, Russia and Austria also declared their participation, and it would be absurd if they could not win this.

The same goes for the War of the Bavarian Succession.

England is not in a position to participate in the war, but even if Prussia stands alone, all that will come back is destruction.

It was not a power gained solely by France, but a victory of diplomacy created through meticulous work.

“The real benefits that France has gained now are debt reduction that can last for a while, and the abundant supply of saltpetre thanks to the recovery of influence in the West Indies. Of course, with these two alone, France’s power has become much stronger, but it is by no means the position of an absolute powerhouse recognized by other countries.”

“…I see. So there’s a bit of a bubble?”

“That’s right. If the situation goes strangely and France has to fight a war alone, other countries will know this fact in an instant.”

They thought I was incredibly strong, but if they get the impression that I’m not as strong as they thought, it will be a headache in many ways.

Therefore, it is best not to bring up any problems that are expected to cause conflict until preparations are complete.

Deon, who had been listening carefully, muttered quietly as if he had realized something.

“I see. So you accepted the Gibraltar Mutual Defense Treaty with Spain.”

“Oh, you’re quick to notice.”

As expected, Deon understood right away because he was someone who had actually participated in the war.

On the other hand, Marie, who still had little knowledge in this area, still looked like she didn’t understand.

“There are many people who say that the Gibraltar Mutual Defense Treaty is more beneficial to Spain? After all, Louisiana was too far away for Nueva España [Spanish colonial territory in North America] to manage, but they were able to give it away and use France’s power. Of course, if the colony is successfully developed, Nouvelle-France will also gain a lot of benefits, so it’s not a loss.”

“The Gibraltar Mutual Defense Treaty has a prerequisite. The side that attacks first must be England. And Spain and France must be allies.”

The only country that could aim for Gibraltar right now is England, and there is no reason to lend a hand if they are not allies, so that’s obvious.

But there is a blind spot hidden here.

“In other words, if Spain wants to protect Gibraltar, it must continue to maintain its alliance with France.”

No matter how much England lost the war, it is still much stronger than Spain.

If Spain breaks away from France, England will devour Gibraltar as if it had been waiting for it.

Knowing this, Spain will not be able to hide its anxiety even though it has obtained Gibraltar, which it had so desperately desired.

As the only gateway from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, its strategic value is immeasurable.

Just occupying Gibraltar can put tremendous pressure on Mediterranean countries.

“But France is right next to Spain, so it can gain an advantage with its superior ground forces. So Spain can never let go of our hand.”

Of course, it is best for France to have Spain hold Gibraltar rather than England.

Therefore, under the pretext of a mutual defense treaty, Spain is being used as a shield against England.

Marie nodded with a face that she understood to some extent after listening to my explanation.

“But you told Congressman Wilberforce 10 years. Does that mean that in 10 years, any problems that arise will be resolved to some extent?”

“I guess so.”

“Hmm? You don’t seem to be very sure about that.”

“I can’t help it. People’s growth doesn’t always go as expected.”

Marie, of course, and even Deon this time, stared at me as if asking what I was talking about.

I didn’t bother to answer and instructed Deon on the schedule for the future.

While watching the American Revolutionary War and the Frontier War, I desperately felt the need for excellent commanders.

The reason why the natives were swept away like fallen leaves was not only due to the difference in weapons and tactics.

The capabilities of the Native American commanders and Washington, who oversaw the plans on the American side, were so different that it was embarrassing to compare them.

Of course, the best thing to do is to create a system that does not rely on one genius, but such a thing cannot be created overnight.

Then, at least until such a system is created, the existence of someone who can be entrusted with the military with peace of mind is essential.

Fortunately, the seeds were sown a few years ago.

It will take at least 10 more years for it to bear fruit, but we will soon be able to see how smoothly it is growing.

※※※

In the modern era, almost all European countries operated a junior military academy system.

Most aristocratic children who wanted to become soldiers received basic education here and aimed to enter the military academy in Paris.

However, the competition rate for these junior military academies was surprisingly high.

This is because even though aristocratic children mainly went there, the proportion of aristocrats in France itself was much higher than in other countries.

In particular, places like the Brienne Military School, which provided free education to poor aristocrats, boasted tremendous competition rates.

In terms of the entire military academy, it cannot be said to be so prestigious, but free education was a great benefit even at this time.

From that point of view, Napoleon Bonaparte, who came from a rural village in Corsica, was very lucky.

For some reason, he has recently been feeling how lucky he is.

This is what happened when Napoleon first arrived here.

He was not wealthy, so he arrived at the military academy a week before the entrance ceremony to stay in the school dormitory as long as possible.

He had a letter of recommendation from Corsican Governor Marbeuf, but that didn’t really matter.

In his arms was a letter of recommendation from the royal family that was hundreds of times more valuable than the governor’s letter of recommendation.

At first, he thought his father was bluffing.

No matter how rural Corsica is, there is no one who does not know the name Louis Christian.

But why would that great prince care so much about their family, which is not very outstanding?

He couldn’t shake off the suspicion that it might be a forged letter of recommendation.

However.

“Are you Napoleon Bonaparte?”

Before he could even unpack his luggage in the dormitory, Napoleon received a call from the principal.

The principal was even unable to hide his nervousness as he looked at himself, who was only 10 years old.

“Yes. I am Napoleon Bonaparte.”

“Ahem, yes. I heard you brought a letter of recommendation from His Highness the Duke of Orléans… that is, His Highness Prince Louis Christian?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong with the letter of recommendation…”

“No, no, how could that be? In fact, I had already been contacted from Paris. They asked if a child named Napoleon had successfully completed the entrance procedures with a letter of recommendation.”

Napoleon realized that his father was not lying.

Well, even if it’s a rural area, if you get caught cheating in the name of the royal family, you’ll be beheaded right away.

“Was that call sent directly by His Highness the Prince?”

“Yes. It wasn’t sent through an agent, but a handwritten letter from His Highness the Prince.”

I feel good because I feel like I’ve become someone great, but the more I think about it, the less I understand.

Why? What did the prince, who is the greatest hero of France, see in the Bonaparte family that made him care so much?

“Napoleon… I’m asking just in case, but do you know His Highness the Prince?”

“According to my father, His Highness personally held me when I was young… I don’t know more than that.”

It’s a story that I’ve been telling every birthday, so I can accurately describe every action of how the prince held me.

The principal, who listened carefully to Napoleon’s story, tilted his head to the side as if something was wrong.

“Is that all? You don’t have a deep relationship with His Highness the Prince or anything like that?”

“Yes. As far as I know, there is no such thing. As you know, I am from Corsica, far from the mainland, so I cannot have contact with His Highness in Paris.”

“Huh, that’s strange… why…”

Is it such a problem to overreact to bringing the prince’s letter of recommendation?

Of course, considering that the prince’s handwritten letter arrived, it’s understandable, but the principal’s attitude seemed to have something more.

The principal handed several documents to Napoleon, who was watching him.

“This is part of the benefits that His Highness told me to give you.”

“…Yes?”

Could there be something else besides the letter of recommendation?

His mouth naturally opened as he hurriedly checked the contents.

As the principal said, several benefits were listed, but the two things that caught Napoleon’s attention were:

First, a periodic allowance in the name of a scholarship will be given while staying in Brienne.

It was a precious donation like rain during a drought for the poor Napoleon, even if it was for other aristocrats.

And the second was that if he achieved a certain level of grades, he would be given convenience to advance to the military academy in Paris with the prince’s recommendation this time as well.

If he is being protected by the prince to this extent, the high-ranking aristocrats of the military academy will never be able to ignore him.

This means that the worry that his mother was so worried about before coming here, that he would suffer from the tyranny of the aristocrats, has disappeared.

But this was not the end.

The principal dealt the final blow to Napoleon, who was desperately suppressing the corners of his mouth that kept trying to go up.

“Above all, His Highness the Prince said that he would personally attend the entrance ceremony in a week. So be especially careful about your behavior.”

“Yes, His Highness the Prince will attend the entrance ceremony… Huh?”

Napoleon, completely out of the realm of understanding, forgot that he was in front of the principal and asked back in a shocked tone.

“Who’s coming?”

< Wait Just Ten Years > End