Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 673 - 582 Caribbean Strategy (Seeking Double Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 673 -582 Caribbean Strategy (Seeking Double Monthly Tickets)

A group of people walked along the edge of the sweet beet test field, and Joseph said, “Then, can you ensure that enough sweet beets are provided for the sugar refinery before October of next year?”

Achard, who was familiar with France’s sugar industry plan, confidently nodded and said, “Yes, Your Highness. The people from the Church have been learning seed-loading techniques from me. As long as there are enough farmers planting, producing 5,000 tons of sugar per month is the minimum.”

Joseph nodded slightly upon hearing this.

If that was the case, his sugar-production strategy could be implemented.

This time, he had to hit the British hard enough for them to feel the pain!

After visiting the hybrid test fields of wheat and corn, he returned to the Palace of Versailles.

...

He was preparing to set off for Brittany tomorrow to advance the deployment of the Steam Engine on ships, and he might stay there for some time. Therefore, he had to have dinner with his parents today to avoid his mother nagging him again.

Talleyrand was also here, so he could take the opportunity to discuss the arrangements in the Caribbean Sea with him.

One hour later, the Foreign Minister had already appeared in the Crown Prince’s reception room.

He had come on his own initiative.

Talleyrand rushed in, performed a quick bow, and took out a report saying, “I was just on my way to find you at the Tuileries Palace.

“This is an urgent report from the Vida de Labayetri Marquis of Saint Domingue, sent one and a half months ago. The Book Rebel Army is slaughtering plantation owners in the north of the island, and the scale has already reached thousands of people.

“Meanwhile, Vincent Ore is calling for those sympathetic to the slaves at Port-au-Prince to pressure the Congress and hinder the suppression of the rebel army…”

Joseph took the report and listened to Talleyrand’s detailed description, finally getting a clear picture of the situation on Saint Domingue Island.

The biggest current trouble was a black slave Rebel Army known as the “Book Movement.”

These slaves believed in Voodoo and harbored extreme hatred towards white people. Their flag even depicted the body of a white infant.

Wherever the Book Movement went, they would kill all the white people, usually in a torturous manner, not sparing even the white abolitionists.

Of course, their hatred had a cause. The methods they used to torture white people were those that plantation owners had previously used to mistreat black slaves.

Meanwhile, the leader of the abolitionist movement on the island, Vincent Ore, although opposed to the Book Movement, as they did not spare even him, also had a great deal of sympathy for the black people in the rebel army and would often use his political influence to help them.

This led to the Governor of Saint-Domingue launching several encirclements against the Book Movement, but always to no avail.

With the scale of the slave revolt currently quite large, hundreds of plantation owners and their families have been killed in the northern part of the island, causing extreme panic.

Talleyrand said anxiously, “Your Highness, given the current situation in Saint-Domingue, I suggest we immediately send an expeditionary force to quell the turmoil.”

No wonder he was so anxious; Saint-Domingue was indeed too important to France.

This small island was acquired by France in exchange for millions of square kilometers of land in Canada, with an annual trade income of up to 40 million francs, simultaneously supporting the sugar supply of the whole of France and some parts of Germany.

If the unrest on the island were allowed to continue, not only would France lose tens of millions of income, but from then on, they would have to buy expensive sugar from the British—by that time, the British would definitely dare to sell white sugar for 10 francs per pound!

However, Joseph shook his head.

He was very clear that this revolt was the spark that would become known in history as the “Haitian Revolution.”

In a few months, Ore would personally take to the field to lead the uprising and eventually bring about Dusang Luvituer, the true “terminator.”

Luvituer was of slave descent, but exceptionally skilled in war. After the outbreak of the revolt in Saint-Domingue, he led a Rebel Army primarily composed of black slaves, with mixed-race people joining, and defeated the French Army on the island.

Afterward, he successively defeated the Spanish army, which tried to take advantage of the chaos on Saint-Domingue, as well as the British army with the same intention.

In the end, Napoleon sent Charles Leclerc with 30,000 French troops to land in Saint-Domingue and quell the revolt. They captured Luvituer by tricking him with a false negotiation.

However, it was not long before Luvituer’s successor sent Leclerc running with his tail between his legs, resulting in up to 30,000 French casualties.

So, to deal with the uprising on the island, a military crackdown was certainly the worst option. Due to the distance, the cost of deploying troops was extremely high. Even if they could win, the cost of the war would be a disaster for France’s finances.

If it had been earlier, Joseph might have adopted a strategy of dividing the black and mixed-race people, granting freedom to some slaves to divide the black population internally, and letting the Catholic Church invest in a “holy war” against Voodoo. This approach would probably have resolved the uprising in one or two years’ time.

However, he now had Achard’s sweet beets, and the “high sugar sweet beets” spreading in the central and northern provinces, so the strategies available were entirely different.

First, France could be self-sufficient in sugar and could even sell it to neighboring countries once production increased, which gave them confidence.

Second, France’s cane plantations in the Caribbean only earned less than 40 million francs a year, while England raked in over a hundred million!

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And if England lost the sugar from Trinidad and the West Indies, they had no other source of sugar to compensate. With the exaggerated sugar consumption in England, a lack of sugar could even topple the government!

Joseph looked at Talleyrand and said, “I do not wish to send troops to Saint-Domingue, but I would like you to go there.”

“Ah? Me?” Talleyrand was surprised, “Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but the blacks there are not accustomed to negotiations.”

“That’s because we haven’t offered enough,” Joseph said with a smile. “What if we handle it this way…”

Moments later, Talleyrand no longer showed his previous anxiety and pondered with his head bowed. “Your Highness, although your plan is very risky, I cannot deny that the rewards could be incredibly high.”

He suddenly shook his head, “However, I am not the right executor for this plan. With my current status, as soon as I appear on the island, it will immediately draw British attention.”

After some thought, Joseph also expressed agreement, “Then, do you have a recommended candidate?”

“Jacques Pierre Brissot de Warville,” said Talleyrand, “a fervent abolitionist, and very capable, especially good at oratory.”

“Brissot?” Joseph quickly remembered the name. One of the leaders of the Girondin Party, he had drafted the petition demanding the deposition of the King, and after taking power, he had overseen France’s declaration of war against England, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Talleyrand continued, “He used to work as a Clerk for the Duke of Orleans, so he never had the opportunity to hold an official position. However, he does not have deep ties with the Duke of Orleans.”