The Fox of France - Chapter 273: Strategy

“Napoleon, do you plan to send an expeditionary force?” Joseph asked.

“I’m somewhat concerned; those guys can fight,” Napoleon replied.

The Haitian black army had proven their prowess by defeating the French in Haiti, then turning back to conquer the British and Spanish forces remaining in Haiti, despite their limited numbers. According to the old veterans who had served in the Haitian French army and later fought back in France, their combat strength was quite close to the rebellious forces in Guadeloupe—of course, the ones who had not left Guadeloupe.

The main force of the Guadeloupean rebels was easily crushed by Napoleon, but he was well aware that the rebels he had defeated weren’t the true Guadeloupean rebels. The genuine rebels, before the nobility demanded that they march on Paris, dispersed and returned home, scattered throughout Guadeloupe. These scattered rebels, with the morale they had in the Guadeloupe region, would be challenging to deal with. With such high morale, any army would be formidable.

“And our navy is too weak; we can’t possibly blockade all of Santo Domingo. The British and Americans will surely support them. How we handled Ireland is precisely how they’ll handle Santo Domingo. Damn the British, but the ungrateful Americans; they would all have been hanged by the British if it weren’t for us, the French! Yet now, they forget their debts and hinder us!” Napoleon continued to complain.

“Americans didn’t join the anti-French alliance, which is quite generous on their part. After all, we have a history of conflict with the United States. We killed one of their founding fathers and exiled another,” Joseph remarked, with a smile.

“What did you say… Ah, you’re right, it’s almost like that,” Napoleon first appeared stunned but then grasped the meaning. “Louis XVI, that idiot, could indeed be considered a founding father of America. And Lafayette won’t speak well of us either.”

“Napoleon, remember, between nations, there is no loyalty, only interests,” Joseph added.

“I am well aware of that,” Napoleon replied. “But losing Santo Domingo like this is hard to accept. It involves a lot of money.”

“Very well, very well!” Joseph applauded with satisfaction. “Napoleon, you’re becoming more mature. You now understand the importance of patience when necessary. Of course, losing Santo Domingo unconditionally would be unbearable, considering the immense financial interests at stake. However, I think we can send someone there to meet with that black governor… What’s his name?” Joseph looked at Napoleon.

Napoleon rolled his eyes and said, “How am I supposed to know? Who bothers to remember the full name of a black man?”

“General Toussaint Louverture,” Lucien chimed in.

Napoleon glared at Lucien and demanded, “That’s not a full name. What is his full name?”

Lucien responded, “How would I know who would bother to remember the full name of a black man?”

Well, their attitude did indeed carry a hint of racial prejudice, but considering this was the early 19th century, there was no notion of Black Lives Matter, and even the question of whether black people should be considered human beings was still a matter of debate. Napoleon and Lucien’s attitudes were far from being particularly reactionary.

“Enough, let’s not dwell on these irrelevant matters,” Joseph said. “The important thing is how to minimize losses and even create problems for the British and Americans. First, consider our bottom line, then ponder the issues we and they have. Think about what results both sides can accept. Now, guess what… well, you guess, what’s their bottom line?”

Napoleon remained silent but glanced at Lucien.

“Isn’t it independence?” Lucien said.

Joseph shook his head, and right when he was about to speak, Napoleon suddenly jumped up from his chair and said, “My foolish brother! What on earth is going through your head every day? If you keep this up, next time we hold a meeting, we should kick you out and let that troublemaker take your place. If that… only wanted independence, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. But you’ve forgotten that political actions always have economic reasons. He doesn’t just want nominal independence; he wants to change Santo Domingo’s land system, just like the French Revolution! That’s where our real conflict lies!”

Lucien stood still for a moment and then suddenly clapped his hands. “Isn’t that simple? We can handle this! Just because these black people don’t have land, right? Well, now, theoretically, these black people are all French citizens. So, theoretically, they have the right to immigrate to Louisiana. To encourage immigration, we can apply the same system we’ve established: cultivate the land for five years, and you gain ownership. It’s applicable to them, isn’t it? Let them immigrate to Louisiana! Even though they’re black, they still speak French.”

“Do you think they’ll trust us? Won’t they be worried that we’ll load them onto ships and transport them straight to Georgia to be sold to those American folks?” Napoleon said. “But your suggestion makes some sense. Let me think about it.”

“Consider their weaknesses, Napoleon,” Joseph advised. “Santo Domingo’s prosperity is built on trade. I believe that the one who can dance on the three eggs – France, England, and Spain – should also understand this. We need to make him believe that if he unconditionally seizes the land of the white Frenchmen, he and his country will be excluded from the entire trade network. Once excluded from this trade network, even if they get the land, they’ll be in for a hard time.”

“Even if they do pay, the British, the Spanish, and the Americans won’t let them into the trade network because they are not a good example. If we let them live the high life, it will encourage internal rebellion. Instead, only we can continue to offer them trade opportunities. I think we can have a good discussion from this perspective with Toussaint Louverture; he should be someone we can talk to,” Lucien said.

“So, what is our bottom line then?” Napoleon asked again.

“Santo Domingo remains part of France. White people’s land can only be redeemed, but we can provide them with low-interest loans. Of course, we should guarantee their French citizenship. This way, they owe us money and can only use our trade channels. We can also bind them to our chariot,” Lucien replied.

“We should also request control of the ports, at least control of the naval base, to arrange a fleet there for deterring the British and Americans. We need to build fortifications quickly, stockpile coal, and then bring in steamships. By then, with the American navy, well…,” Napoleon said. “Furthermore, transferring white people from Santo Domingo to Louisiana will increase the number of French whites in Louisiana. However, these people…”

“I don’t recommend letting them go to Louisiana,” Joseph interrupted. “They are indeed French, genuine French, but will they remain loyal to France? We may believe we’ve gained them more redemption funds, but will they see it that way?”

So, there was a moment of silence among the group. After a while, it was Lucien who spoke first.

“They won’t be grateful to us; they’ll only feel we’ve sold out their interests. And these people had close ties with the nobility at home when they occupied large tracts of land and made a lot of money. If they had been at home during the revolution, they would have been labeled enemies of the republic, or worse,” Lucien explained. “Though they have French citizenship, they are not our people.”

“So, don’t count on them,” Napoleon added. “How about we just… agree to their independence, no, it should be ‘self-governance,’ and secretly agree to their future independence but demand some special benefits, such as ‘military protection’ and asking them to pay for the land.”

“What about the white landowners?” Joseph inquired.

“They are not our allies in interests,” Napoleon said. “I don’t care about them!”

“Our Ministry of Truth should also take this opportunity to vigorously promote our ideals of ‘liberty, equality, fraternity.’ Those Brits and Americans thought they could cause trouble for us, didn’t they? I’ll make them worry about Santo Domingo’s example themselves!” Lucien chimed in.

“This approach might harm Spain,” Joseph added.

“Joseph, you’re not the King of Spain, why should we care about them? Even if we accidentally harm them, can they not form an alliance with us? Dare they? Being our lapdogs is already their honor,” Lucien said dismissively.

“But we have other colonies in different regions,” Napoleon reminded. “We shouldn’t shoot ourselves in the foot. So, the Ministry of Truth doesn’t need to put too much effort into promoting this matter. As for causing trouble for the British and Americans, Santo Domingo’s presence there, and them acquiring it peacefully, is already causing them trouble.”

So, the tone for handling this matter was set, and now they needed to find an emissary.