Chapter 288: The True Core of the French Cabinet
Versailles Palace, East Wing, Conference Hall
Seated at the head of the conference table, Queen Marie was in a noticeably good mood. Partly because the singing and dancing competition over the past few days had been relaxing, but mostly because the Foreign Minister had sent a report the day before confirming that the British government had agreed to arrest Jeanne and extradite her to France. Finally, there would be no more news of that con artist writing slanderous things about the French royal family.
Before the cabinet meeting officially began, she turned to the Crown Prince and asked, "Joseph, have you heard about what's happening in Spain?"
Joseph immediately put on a somber expression. "May His Majesty the late King rest in eternal peace."
Indeed, the King of Spain, Charles III, had recently passed away.
Queen Marie crossed herself and sighed. "May God have mercy on him. By the way, you should visit Madrid soon to convey our congratulations to King Charles IV on his coronation."
Charles IV was the same Crown Prince whose wife had been unfaithful, and whom Joseph had once helped deal with the adulterer, creating a certain bond between them. Additionally, the Spanish and French royal families were both branches of the Bourbon dynasty, so it was only proper and necessary to formally acknowledge the new king's ascension.
Joseph nodded. "Of course, Mother. I'll depart tomorrow."
In fact, he had been planning to visit Spain soon. Not just Spain, but all the major European powers were on his list of countries to visit. With France's industry developing rapidly, he needed to lay the groundwork for future trade agreements to ensure a market for French industrial products.
Queen Marie then signaled Archbishop Brienne to begin. "Please, Archbishop."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Brienne replied, bowing before addressing the rest of the cabinet members seated around the table. "As Her Majesty just mentioned, with the coronation of King Charles IV, we must prepare a diplomatic mission to accompany His Highness, the Crown Prince, on his visit to Spain. Additionally, some policies regarding Spain will need to be adjusted accordingly..."
Since the Spanish and French royal families were closely related, and their interests largely aligned, the two countries were practically semi-allies. As a result, most of the policies from the reign of Charles III would likely remain unchanged, so this part of the discussion concluded quickly.
Next, Archbishop Brienne said, "Now, let's discuss the situation in the Ottoman Empire. As you may know, Sultan Abdul Hamid I passed away earlier this month. Before his death, he appointed his nephew, Selim III, as the new Sultan. During Selim III's transition to power, the Ottoman Empire is likely to experience some instability."
War Minister Duke de Broglie immediately suggested, "We could seize this opportunity to find the descendants of Ali Pasha of Tripoli and support them in reclaiming Tripoli."
Ali Pasha was the former ruler of the Karamanli dynasty in Tripoli, who had been overthrown in a coup by the Ottoman officer Bengioul. Several cabinet ministers nodded in agreement.
Taking Tripoli from the Ottomans had always been a concern for France. Now that Tripoli was under Ottoman control, it posed a significant threat to French interests in Tunisia. France had to maintain a large military presence in Tunisia to counter this threat. So, rather than continue this costly stalemate, it might be better to strike while the Ottoman Empire was unstable and deal with the problem directly.
However, Joseph immediately opposed the idea. "That might not be the best strategy."
Queen Marie, who was about to ask why, noticed that the ministers who had been so enthusiastic about military action had suddenly fallen silent, as if they had never supported the idea at all.
She looked at Joseph in surprise. "Ahem, could you explain why?"
"Certainly, Your Majesty," Joseph replied. "There are British interests involved in Tripoli, and they would love nothing more than for us to get bogged down in a conflict there. If the Ottomans receive support from the British Navy, it will be difficult for us to stop them. This could easily turn into a prolonged war. Most importantly, even if we manage to drive out the Ottomans, we can't occupy Tripoli ourselves. You know that such an action would alarm all the other European powers about our presence in the Mediterranean."
Queen Marie frowned. "But if we miss this opportunity, the Ottomans might solidify their control over Tripoli."
"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements for that. The Ottomans are even farther from Tripoli than we are, and as long as they don't have British support, they'll soon have to withdraw from there."
Joseph turned to Duke de Broglie. "Maintaining our forces in Tunisia for a short period will be much less costly than starting a war."
"Indeed, Your Highness," Duke de Broglie quickly agreed.
Queen Marie was still hesitant. "And what are these arrangements?"
Joseph smiled slightly. "I'll submit a detailed report on it later."
The issue of the Ottomans was temporarily set aside. Archbishop Brienne then brought out two proposals from Minister of Industry Mirabeau regarding the abolition of internal tariffs in France and the reform of the tax farming system.
Of course, these were both initiatives Joseph had instructed Mirabeau to pursue. Now that the Royal Bank had secured tens of millions of livres from the Duke of Orleans, there was enough financial backing to push through these reforms.
The capitalists, represented by Mirabeau, were naturally in full support of these measures. Abolishing internal tariffs would smooth the flow of goods across the country, effectively expanding the market. Among the three major factors in industrial development—capital, technology, and market—the market was the most crucial. It could even be said that with a market, the other two would follow.
As for the tax farming system, it was a chronic issue in French finance, swallowing up a large portion of tax revenue each year.
However, when Brienne presented these two reform proposals, they were met with more opposition than support, except from Mirabeau and Finance Minister Bailly.
This didn't surprise Joseph. After all, these were sweeping reforms with far-reaching implications. Abolishing local tariffs affected not only the finances of provincial governments but also the development of local handicrafts. Previously, if a region's handicraft industry was weaker, it could rely on tariffs for protection. But with tariffs abolished, these industries would have to face competition from all over France, leading to the bankruptcy of many less efficient workshops and a rise in unemployment.
The issue with the tax farming system was even more significant. The government's tax collection agencies were inefficient and riddled with corruption. If they were to take over the tax collection duties from the tax farmers, the government could be bankrupt by next year—because the amount of tax revenue collected could be cut in half.
So Joseph had Mirabeau propose these reforms mainly to start a conversation and prepare society for these changes, which would take time.
As expected, after more than an hour of debate, Queen Marie reluctantly announced that the two proposals would be shelved for the time being.
Archbishop Brienne, relieved, moved on to the final agenda item. "There has been a serious uprising in the Southern Netherlands recently. The rebels have surrounded the governor's mansion and driven the Austrian officials out of Brabant. Vienna has not yet responded, but we should make some preparations in advance."
The reason Brienne saved this issue for last was that he considered it insignificant. After all, uprisings were common in Europe these days, and France had just experienced one not long ago.
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.