I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 301

Russia’s unconditional and complete surrender.

Despite the alliance between England and Russia, this war, ending in defeat, would be recorded in history as a symbolic event heralding the establishment of a new world order.

The signing ceremony of the surrender document took place in Paris.

There were opinions against making it too grand, but where else could it be?

If there’s an opportunity, the French are always ready to revel in national pride, no matter the occasion.

The government decided to promote the construction of a triumphal arch to commemorate the victory of this war.

Ironically, the location was set where the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile [a famous monument in Paris] was built in the original timeline.

The day of the surrender document signing was designated as Victory Day, and they celebrated the victory with all sorts of extravagances, such as holding festivals for a week beforehand.

They even printed several copies of the same surrender document, and representatives from each country had to sign multiple times.

I even divided them into those to be kept in the royal family, those to be kept in the museum, and those I would take as souvenirs, and left my signature with different pens for each.

Louis XVI deliberately signed the document to be preserved in the royal family with a pen his wife used to use.

His intentions were clear, but most citizens seemed to find it endearing.

The newspaper portrayed Louis XVI as the greatest romantic of this era and focused on the prince who would go to Russia in the future.

“So, it has been decided that the second prince will go?”

“Yes. I can’t send the Dauphin [the heir to the French throne], after all. Fortunately, Pierre is also showing enthusiasm, so he will be able to do well in Russia.”

The prince’s range of actions will be determined by public opinion in Russia, but there won’t be any problems for the time being.

All the anti-French factions have already been purged, and everyone from the Tsar to the ministers are filled with pro-French sentiments.

He’s not even an outsider, and he’s a prince who inherited the blood of the Romanov family [the Russian royal dynasty], so there will be less resistance.

“All the princes are bright, so there won’t be any problems.”

“Still, can you take some time before going to Russia to tell them various things? Like Charles or Beatrice.”

“Of course. They are princes, but personally, they are also my nephews.”

“Yes, yes. I’m counting on you. Pierre, that child, is also secretly hoping that you will help him.”

Having Russia’s next Tsar under my control is a significant issue for me and for France.

Of course, I was about to step forward on my own, even if the King didn’t ask.

And at this point, when France’s national pride is soaring to the highest.

I officially put the Nouvelle France [New France] issue on the table.

It is said that generosity comes from abundance, and people tend to be generous to their neighbors when they are mentally and materially well-off.

Now is the time to drop the word ‘Nouvelle’ in front of Nouvelle France.

※※※

In this Great War, what initially garnered great attention was the land war in Asia, but no one denied that the naval battle ultimately brought the decisive conclusion.

In particular, the dramatic development of building an even stronger and more magnificent fleet after being defeated by Nelson’s divine mercenary tactics at Trafalgar [a famous naval battle where the British defeated the French and Spanish] and then achieving victory caught people’s attention.

In that respect, Nouvelle France was quite lucky.

If the battle had ended smoothly on land, France’s core asset would have been useless, as it would not have contributed to the war.

But now everything has changed.

The industrial cities of the Great Lakes have firmly established their place through the American Civil War.

In addition, through this war, Nouvelle France’s enormous production power became widely known in Europe, and countless attention began to pour in.

The facilities expanded to build warships and the costs consumed were all extracted from England, so there was no loss.

Strictly speaking, Nouvelle France had grown too fast until now, so they couldn’t accurately grasp their position.

Starting with the Great Lakes, they had tremendous advantages in industry from the beginning.

Here, they gained tremendous agricultural production by seizing the central plains, and although they don’t know it yet, they have secured the future growth engine by acquiring southern Texas.

Production is overflowing, and labor is lacking, so they are actively receiving immigrants from Europe, and the population is exploding.

So much so that even immigrants from Asia are coming.

In this situation, Nouvelle France was changing so much that even the residents were confused, to put it a bit exaggeratedly.

Of course, the Governor-General and the parliament had a hard time gauging exactly where their power and influence were until now.

That was somewhat proven by this Great War.

Even England, which had no rivals other than France, seemed to be no better than them in terms of production power.

Even if it’s not right now, it was estimated that Nouvelle France alone would surpass England’s national power in just a few decades.

The speed of scientific technology and academic development is progressing so fast that even they can’t control it.

As a result, various gatherings centered on intellectuals naturally increased, and various voices began to emerge socially.

Of course, there were hardly any who said that they should be separated from France, and they were immediately bombarded with criticisms for talking crazy and faded away.

However, even those who said that separation was not possible all agreed on the claim that Nouvelle France’s position should be made clearer.

This is basically because Nouvelle France’s identity is not properly established.

It is natural to say that Nouvelle France is not France.

The origin of Nouvelle France was a pioneering colony created by France in the New World, and that fact itself has not changed even now.

Of course, the first Nouvelle France was brutally defeated by England in the Seven Years’ War and disappeared.

The current Nouvelle France is the same in name only, and everything else, such as the system, ideology, and operating philosophy, is different from then.

From the beginning, unlike other colonies, they don’t even pay colonial taxes, so it’s actually an oxymoron to call it a colony.

So what is Nouvelle France?

It is neither a colony, nor completely merged with the home country, nor does it have its own independent government or king to be called a dependent state.

The fact that there is a title of Governor-General is proof that it is not an independent country.

The owner of an ambiguous identity standing on an ambiguous boundary that is neither a colony nor an independent country is Nouvelle France.

In this flow, a newly spotlighted claim was spreading like wildfire throughout the New World.

“Now that it’s come to this, let’s form our own government!”

“Woo-woo-woo! Separatists, don’t cause controversy and get out!”

“No, shut up and listen! The important thing is not to completely separate from France, but to make sure we have a leader to lead us!”

“We already have great leaders, so what nonsense is that! In the end, it’s just a disturbance to separate and become independent!”

“What’s the use of being just a Governor-General and Acting Governor-General! Wouldn’t it be better to establish a constitutional monarchy with Governor-General Christian as our king rather than such an ambiguous position?”

“…Come to think of it, that’s true?”

In Nouvelle France, Christian was almost a living god and an inviolable being.

To be blunt, the citizens of Nouvelle France did not have as deep loyalty to the royal family as in mainland France.

It was Christian himself, not the royal family, who made this land dazzlingly developed, eliminated discrimination from the mainland, and promised enormous wealth and a brilliant future.

In particular, this claim gained strength among immigrants from other countries or natives rather than those from France.

It is natural that they had no loyalty to the royal family at all.

It is impossible to continue to ignore the opinions of citizens who are increasingly gathering into one.

Eventually, this agenda was brought up to the Nouvelle France Colonial Council.

“Recently, words of concern about our future have been constantly rising. I believe the Acting Governor-General has also heard about it.”

A question that everyone thought should be discussed, but hoped someone would step up first.

The person who opened the gate was a native councilor called the wise Radun.

“No one can deny that our navy played a decisive role in ending this war. The voices of citizens who want treatment befitting our current status are growing day by day. I would like to ask the Acting Governor-General what he thinks about this.”

“Well… As far as I know, my father, the Governor-General, also thinks so. He told me to prepare because there will soon be a movement in the home country to raise the status of Nouvelle France.”

“Does raising the status mean that we will be completely incorporated into the other provinces of France on an equal footing? Then can I assume that this colonial council will also be incorporated into the parliament of the home country and we will become members of the French parliament?”

“Well. I haven’t heard the details yet. Still, the home country will soon send a request for me and other representatives from Nouvelle France to return to the home country and tell them the story. How about having a detailed discussion after that?”

As Christian’s eldest son, Theodore prided himself on having faithfully performed the duties of Acting Governor-General so far.

In fact, Nouvelle France had achieved remarkable growth while he was in office, and was making progress day by day, especially in the area of embracing diverse races.

However, conversely, this part aroused anxiety among the minority people living in Nouvelle France.

“Acting Governor-General, I’m sorry, but the current situation is that there are many citizens who can’t wait until then. It would be nice if we were incorporated into France, but is there any possibility that the system and administration will be unified with the home country? I have been receiving worrying concerns from many tribes these days.”

“The strength of Nouvelle France comes from the harmony in which various ethnic groups live together. I think the Governor-General and I have shown this through our actions so far.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m saying this. If this place is no different from other provinces in France, then the position of Governor-General will also disappear, right? Of course, the Governor-General is the Prime Minister of France, but the Prime Minister is not a lifetime position, and his duties are different from those of the Governor-General.”

“As Councilor Radun said, Nouvelle France has such a large territory that there are places with different cultures that can be seen as different countries for each state. But can we be completely tied to France across the Atlantic?”

This time, a councilor from Swedish immigrants supported Radun.

At this point, Theodore could understand what they were worried about and what they wanted.

“So, can I understand that you just want the Governor-General to continue to be the chief executive of this country?”

“Yes. Even now, countless intellectuals are contributing columns to newspapers about what path Nouvelle France should take, but most of the arguments are similar.”

Radun raised his voice, showing the numerous newspapers he had brought one by one.

“Toronto Rivera is even arguing that the King of France should be promoted to Emperor and Governor-General Christian should be enthroned as the King of Nouvelle France. It has been proven that the constitutional monarchy system is working well in the home country, so there shouldn’t be any problems if we do the same.”

“But my father wouldn’t want that.”

“Wouldn’t he change his mind if we earnestly requested it? Anyway, not only us, but also countless citizens of this land want our status to be raised, but on the other hand, they are also anxious. We have a duty to give an answer.”

So, to sum it up, they want to be treated completely equally with mainland France, but on the other hand, they are a bit reluctant to be completely incorporated.

At first, I thought it was nonsense, but Theodore could now somewhat sympathize with what they were worried about.

Since there are precedents in England and the United States, it would be unsettling to trust the politicians of mainland France as they are.

But no matter how I think about it, I don’t think my father would accept the request to become the king of this country.

I don’t know how things are going in France right now, but I can’t ignore the public opinion in the home country either.

I was also worried that what they were shouting might be seen as them trying to break away, just like the United States did.

“First of all, I fully understand your feelings. I will go to the home country and tell them well.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“Then we’ll just trust the Acting Governor-General.”

My stomach hurts from the pouring expectations and trust.

At this point, more troubled than ever, Theodore pulled out the best card he could use.

Dear Father.

‘Please do it.’

End