It’s not about being timid, it’s just that the French Navy is truly no match for the British.
In order to support the American independence, the French fleet had to toughen up and engage the British in the Caribbean Sea, but ended up being beaten like dogs, resulting in the loss of a great deal of control over the Caribbean. In the end, in order to preserve the sugar-producing base of Santo Domingo, later known as Haiti, they had to exchange North American lands ten times larger with the British.
Joseph would not make such a mistake again for the sake of supporting Mysore.
Exerting force in India was meant to drain the British, not themselves.
The most important thing for France right now was to develop industry. A huge amount of start-up capital had been poured into steel, coal, textiles, steam engines, and many other sectors, just when massive investments were needed for industrial expansion, they could not afford to waste money on warfare and cause the industry to stagnate.
Ultimately, it’s because France’s finances are too poor. If France were as wealthy as the British, Joseph wouldn’t mind going all-in in India.
Bertier suggested, “Your Highness, if we only offer limited support, then what the people of Mysore need most is an excellent commander. Perhaps Major Lefebvre or Colonel Davout could be sent to India.”
The Colonel Davout he spoke of was André Davout, the commander of Murat’s Corps.
Joseph thought for a moment and shook his head. While both men were certainly competent commanders, who would likely have more than enough to match wits with Cornwallis, the Mysore War was almost set to sweep up half of India, and being so far away, it was extremely dangerous.
He didn’t want to risk his closest direct followers in India.
But who else could he send? Among the officers of the Old Nobility, few were truly capable of fighting, and he didn’t know them well enough.
Suddenly, he thought of a name and turned to Bertier, “Do you think it’s possible to send Marquis de Lafayette to Mysore?”
Lafayette, a French officer, who snuck off to the United States in 1777 to join the war for independence, became a major general in the Continental Army, and even George Washington treated him with great respect. In 1780, he played a significant role in the Battle of Yorktown and helped the Americans finally defeat the British forces.
Upon returning to France, he was made a brigadier general, but because he was a liberal and not favored by the French Military Nobility, he had never been put to significant use. It wasn’t until the outbreak of the French Revolution that he became the commander of the National Guard, effectively France’s highest military commander at the time, enjoying unparalleled glory. However, in the end, due to his greed for power and his insistence on protecting the King, he fell out with the Jacobins and fled the country.
And coincidentally, Lafayette had clashed with the current Governor of India, Cornwallis, in America, where the latter had never been able to gain the upper hand against him. This would give him quite the psychological advantage in combat against the British.
After quietly discussing among themselves for a while, Bertier and his staff turned to the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, there is no doubt about Marquis de Lafayette’s capability in commanding warfare, but he might not be willing to risk going to the Far East…”
He spoke euphemistically. Lafayette had been reprimanded by the Royal Family because he had gone to America on his own accord and had an unpleasant fallout with the military, so it was likely that he wouldn’t obey the General Staff’s orders.
However, Joseph just smiled slightly, “You can tell him that if he can help Mysore achieve victory, just like he once did in the United States, upon his return, he could be promoted to Assistant Minister of War or Governor of a province. I believe he would accept the mission.”
Joseph knew that Lafayette was a man with a strong desire for power and great ambition. After fighting in America for several years, upon his return to France, he received a brigadier general’s rank but no substantial rewards.
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So as long as he is given a chance to rise, he will certainly not refuse it.
Moreover, the promise Joseph gave him is actually a blank check—although the Kingdom of Mysore is quite powerful in India, England is an ever-expanding mighty empire. It is already quite difficult for Sultan Tipu of Mysore to hold out against the British for several years, and victory is almost an impossibility.
Of course, if Lafayette really had an explosive burst of energy and managed to defeat the British in the Far East, making him an assistant to the Minister of War or something of that sort wouldn’t be out of the question. You should know, that would be equivalent to smashing the British’s biggest livelihood!
Bertier quickly noted down the Crown Prince’s orders in his notebook and nodded, “Yes, Your Highness. I will do my best to persuade Marquis Lafayette.”
Afterward, Joseph discussed the military deployment in Tunisia with the staff members until dusk fell and the meeting came to an end.
Returning to his own chamber, Joseph was so tired that he couldn’t even bother to take off his clothes and fell asleep on his bed. Since returning from Tunisia, he had been jostled about on the road for eight or nine days, and could finally get some good rest.
Seeing this, Perna exchanged a glance with Eman and stepped forward to carefully check the Crown Prince’s forehead and wrist to make sure he was not sick. Then, along with the maids, they gently placed him properly on the bed and covered him with a blanket before slowly withdrawing.
The candles were extinguished. Joseph, deep in sleep, dreamed a dream where the continent of Europe became an endless theater, and that colossal curtain stretching to the horizon was slowly drawn back under the gaze of the gods…
Netherlands, Amsterdam.
Second floor of the temporary Parliament House.
The British Foreign Minister, Marquess Wellesley, surveyed the austere building and said to the Dutch Speaker Campelen beside him, “I still prefer the Earl’s Castle in The Hague, where one can always feel a sense of dignity and somberness.”
By “Earl’s Castle” he meant the former Dutch Parliament House. After the Patriot Party gained control of the Dutch government, they moved the Parliament to Amsterdam. Because it was done in a hurry, the new Parliament House was not yet built, and this building was used as a temporary workplace for the Parliament.
Campelen’s brow furrowed slightly, the meaning in the Englishman’s words being quite clear that Amsterdam was not “dignified and somber” enough. However, he quickly put on a smile and replied, “The Hague belongs to the past now, my lord. And we will soon have a new Parliament House. Look, just two streets away, and it is every bit as grand as the Earl’s Castle.”
The Marquess Wellesley simply smiled indifferently and followed Campelen into the reception room to sit down on a sofa: “Well, perhaps you and your Parliament needn’t rush to build a Parliament House in Amsterdam.”
Campelen immediately thought of William V, who had been stripped of power: “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand me,” said the Marquess Wellesley with a wave of his hand. “I mean, perhaps the Dutch Parliament will soon have to discuss the location of the Parliament House with voters in the Southern Netherlands again. You see, Brussels is also a nice place.”
A flicker of realization crossed Campelen’s eyes: “My lord, I don’t quite follow you.”
“With all the trouble in Brabant, surely the Dutch Parliament has some plan, doesn’t it?”
Your journey continues on empire
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