Napoleon in 1812
Chapter 112:

19. EuropeanSummit – 9

If onewere to express the situationonthe second dayofthe Strasbourgtalksinone word, then‘panic’ would be thebest choice.

Thesmalland medium-sized countriesofthe Confederationofthe Rhine, which hadbeen tryingtocreate aplacefor themselveswhilebeingwary of thegreatpowers, were unable to wake up to the radical changesinAustria’s attitude.

Austria wassilent or tacitlysympathetictoall issues ledbyFrance after voting in favor of thepermanent military right betweenmember states.

The balance of the conference hallcompletely collapsedasthe hostcountry of thetalksand the country withthe second largest speaking power among the memberstates weregrouped together.

“Didn’tI tell you? That thingswouldgowell.”

“…That’s right.”

Carnot still lookeduneasy. He didnot trust Talleyrand, and hadstronglyopposed hisappointment. However, as it appeared, Talleyrand broughtresults.

“Butthat doesn’t change thefact that he is adangerous person. Your Majesty mustalways remember thatfact.”

A person whobetrayedhis countryonce could do it twice. Carnot knewthat Talleyrand was a man whocouldchange his face at any time if he got theopportunity. However, to put it theotherway around, italso meant that Talleyrandcouldnot betray Napoleon unlesshewas defeated.

“I will never collapse as long as I amsitting on thethrone. So theMinisterdoesn’t have to worry at all.”

Carnotcouldnot helpbut bow hishead at Napoleon’s words, which seemedlike an oath. Whocoulddevalue this saying as theEmperor’s arrogance?

Evenifone looked back on the path thatNapoleonhad taken so far, hehad proved himself enough. Carnot thoughtthat no words could be applied in front of thishuge human being.

===

Thepurpose forcreatingthe Union evenwhen theFrench Empire gave up its conquest wasnot simply because it wanted to unite pro-French forces andattract publicopinion beforepreparing for a great war.

A lot of small and medium-sizedcountries hostiletoeach other attended theStrasbourg talks because of the pressure from France. Even themiddle-sized countries above them never got along well.

Inthis situation, any threatening actionbetween them was prohibited if an alliance was formedand apermanent mutual defense networkwas established. ‘I’m annoyed, but I can’t fight for now’ could summarize well the mindset of those who hadbeen consciousofeach other, checking, and struggling so far. Relationships would be re-established.

‘Logisticsbetween countries, which had been temporarily blockedbyhostile relations, willflow again, promoting the revitalization of thecity-oriented marketeconomy. The circulation of capitaland the exchange of goods andresources meanthat newaddedvaluecan be created. In the end, juststoppingdisputescan boost the countries’ productivity. And the Empire, the masterofall this, musttake full advantage of thefruits of stopping these disputes.’

Carnot succeededinengraving the image of a justand tolerant bureaucratineveryone’s mind throughoutEurope thanks to hisDeclaration. But on thecontrary, his true opinions wereextremely pragmatic andnationalistic.

How unified trade lawsand tariffscouldplay a big role in revitalizing themarket economyhad alreadybeen sufficientlyproven throughthe ‘RegionRevolution’ that took place across France.

Carnotmade an ambitiousplan to realize thiswithin the international unitofthe Union and to lead the Union’s wealth andeconomy, centeredonFrance.

Therewas no doubt thatthis huge painting would benefitFrance, so Napoleon immediately agreed.

Of course, there was an order in narratives. Thediscussion on this was just astoryinthe distantfuture right now. Without certaintyand trust in its existence, the newborn Union was still only agroupofsand grains.

Although it wasonly forwartime, the currentmilitaryrightofpassage alone made member statesfeel uncomfortable, so what would happen if they talked about unified tariffs? Theywouldget angry and opposeit. However, it was necessarytoprepare a bridgeheadfor the process now.

“Thebiggest reasonfor the Union’s creation was because, as youall know, we dreamedofa Europethat enjoyed peace withoutwar. However, I’mashamed butthis wasnot the only thing I had announced at theFrench Imperial Council.”

Carnot onceagainpreachedthat memberstates of the Union shouldjointly develop and pursuebetter future values. He added thatclosecooperationbetween memberstates was neededtoachieve this process.

“Weshould be abletopurchaseproductsfrom memberstates first rather than products fromcountries thatare not part of the Union. However, the law cannotforceconsumers to buy expensiveitems. Therefore, reasonable pricesshould be set forreasonable consumption, allowingcitizensofmember countries to voluntarily purchase products from the other countriesbelonging to the Union. Tothis end, I arguethat tariffs betweenmember states need to be lower and differentfor foreigncountries.”

In other words, this was to sign anew tariff agreementbetween membercountries and imposelowertariffs than foreigncountries. Lower tariffs meant thatproductscouldbesold to consumersatrelatively lowprices.

Asa result, Carnot’s proposal was to strengthen the domestic marketwithin the Union andprevent wealthfrom leaking outside.

It wasa very goodand irresistible cause, but there was a traphere. The factthat Britain and Francewere theonly twocountries to haveachievedthe mechanicalrevolution.

‘Themechanical revolution makes it possible to mass-produce quality and cheaper products withless labor andthe sameraw materials. Originally, only Britain enjoyedthe benefits of thisinnovation anddominated the European market, but nowweare intervening and fighting forthe pie. Therefore, measures to cuttariffs withinmember states areneeded.’

Since the UnitedKingdom wasanoutside country, it would notbenefit from thismeasure, whileFrance was a member country, so itsproductswouldbesold at lower prices.

In other words, France would haveanadvantage in price competition withthe United Kingdom. In fact, it wasa proposal with Napoleon and Carnot’s willingness to usethe entire Union andtomake it into aFrench consumption warehouse.

“TheKingdom of Polandwill obey the will of the Empire.”

“The Kingdom of Italy agrees as well.”

Countries faithful to Francesuch as Poland, Westphaliaand Italy expressed their approval as if they had been waitingtodoit.

In addition, the pro-Frenchsmalland medium-sized countriesofthe Confederationofthe Rhine, Denmark, Naples, and Sicilyjoined quickly, creating public opinion. Prussia objected again thistime, but it could not go against the trend.

The eyes of the rest of the countrieswere on Austria. Would it followthe willofFrance again thistime? They lookedatFranzI, whoseeyes were closed, Metternich, who had an expressionless face, andKarl Ludwig, who wasslightlybiting his lips. It wasMetternich whoopened his mouth among them.

“Austriaapproves, too.”

A groan was heard from the Prussian side. Foreign Minister Hardenbergclosed his eyes, andMarshal Blücher could be heard clenchinghis teeth. Thesecond meetingwas literally ledbythe French.

===

“Austria must definitelyhave an explanation forthis.”

This was what Friedrich Wilhelm III, who leftthe palace with astiffface after themeeting, told Austrian foreign staff. TheKing, who had been criticizedfor being moderate and passive throughouthis reign, didnot hidehis anger at Austria’s actions today.

“Thiswill be a humiliating day foryou and your country, seriously! I hope you feel fortunate that I have patience anddiscernment.”

ToAustria, who had decided to forma unitedfronttogetherwith Prussia to containFrance, butsuddenlybrokeits promiseand joined theenemy’s side, Blücher uttered these ferocious words.

Austrian foreignofficials and escortofficerswarned him, but Blücher continued to threaten them, saying, ‘This is asacred meetingplace, and thetalksare not over yet, sothinkcarefully and stopped thiswhileit’s still at this level!’ Therewas onlya cool and sinister atmosphere remaining after thePrussianofficials left.

“Foreign Minister, what thehell is going on?”

“Ifyou weregoingtochange yourposition, you shouldhave at least discusseditwith us!”

Small andmedium-sized countries such as the Grand Duchy of Frankfurtand the CountyofIsenburghad beensemi-forcedly cooperating with France as members of the Confederation of the Rhine butsought to benefitfrom Austria in thismeeting. They asked Metternich as if theywere arguing.

“…I’m sorry. It’s because of the internal situationofthe Austrian Empire. Please understandthat we cannotreveal the reason.”

Passing by them, whohad apuzzled expression on their faces, theAustrianofficials leftthe palace. What on earth washappening betweenFrance and Austria? Thequestions of these member stateswere solvedatthe verynext meeting.

===

“As I’mtelling youinadvance, the rating setdoes notmean discriminating against any memberstate. All memberstates willbeprotected by the Union andwill enjoy thesame benefits, rights, andpeace.”

Onthe third day of theStrasbourg talks, French Empire’s ForeignMinisterArmand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt[1](promotedfrom Vice Minister to Minister of ForeignAffairs duringthe Russianexpedition) announced the criteria fordividingthe ratingsofmember states in theUnion.

To quantify theranksofall member states, the evaluation indicatorswere largely dividedinto three areas: population, economy, and military. Among thethree, the oneplaying thegreatestrole in thecalculationofgrades was thepopulation.

Citing the‘Declaration of the RightsofMan and of theCitizen’ set by France’s National Constituent Assembly in 1789, Caulaincourt said thatall citizens of member statesdeservedfreedom andsovereigntyasindividuals, regardlessofnationalityand origin.

Caulaincourt’s logic was that the more citizens acountry had, the more power it should have in the talks of theUnion.

Next, theweight and role thatthe member statescouldoccupy in the security anddevelopmentofthe Union wereused as indicators.

Ifa membercountry wasattackedbyanexternalenemy, member stateswere obligatedtolaunch ajointfrontagainst it.

Considering this, how much military contribution could be made had certainlytobeanimportant factor in determining therating of members. The economic indicatorwas similar.

With the birth of a group of countries called‘Union’, economicblockages would inevitablyproceed, and countries with specialties, products, and goods thatcouldhelp theUnion’s joint development deserved preferentialtreatment.

France, thehost country and chair country, setthe ratingsofmember states acrosstheseindicators as follows:

ChairCountry – France.

ViceChairCountry – Austria.

Standing States– Prussia, Denmark, Naples, Poland, Bavaria.

FederalStates – Saxony, Westphalia, Switzerland, Italy, Württemberg, Sicily, Baden, etc.

SmallFederal States– Other small countries, city-states.

The first thing thatcaught the eyes of the foreign officials of themember states was… the presence of Austria’s name nexttothe awkwardand subtle position of Vice Chair Country. In the midst of their colorful facialexpressions, Metternichsighed lightlyand recalled his reunion withTalleyrand.

===

Austria had been properly caught forhiding Fouché for years. Metternich, whopredicted thathewouldbedragged by Talleyrand at thisrate, made a counter-proposaltoovercomethe situation by demonstrating his natural talent fordiplomacy.

“I admitall my faults. What your countrywantsinreturn is our cooperation in thetalks. It sounds good. After today, Austria will actively supportFrance’sside at theStrasbourg talks. Wewill provide you with Joseph Fouché’swhereaboutsand clues to findhim. We will alsopromise as much military supportaspossiblefor the futurewar thatyour country willparticipatein.”

“Hehe, thisisa sign of sincerity that exceedsthe expectations of me andthe Imperial Ministry of ForeignAffairs. It’s only naturalfor the FrenchEmpire to keepsecret the fact thatyou havehidden Fouché… I’m sureyou haveadditional suggestions here?”

Givewhat youcan and receive whatyou need. There was no blockage in thenegotiations becausethey were bothexperiencedand similardiplomats.

“In calculating the ratingofmember states, the intention of your countryistohave several mid-sized countriesunderthe chair country. Thus, if there is competition betweenthem, France can exercise strongdecision-making power in the Union, asthe onlychaircountry.”

Talleyrand nodded without showingany expression, and Metternich continued.

“Pleaseprovide a place for us under thechaircountry andabovethe centralstates. We will not challengeFrance’sauthority, butplease allow us to exercise our rightsasa secondcountry, different fromthe other member countries.”

Asifhehad beenwaiting forthesewords, Talleyrandshowed adeep smile.

===

“Hehehe! Austria… Austria! Did they betray us forthis littletitle? Thisisthe moment when the Habsburgsthat dominatedEurope completelydegeneratedinto Frenchdogs!”

Blücher’s insultsdid not reach theears of theAustrianforeign officialswho werefar away. However, if theyhad heard him, itcouldhave been aserious diplomatic issue, so Prussian officialsshould havestopped or warnedhim.

However, noone on the Prussian side stoppedBlücher. No, they could not do it.

“Prussia got thesame grade as Denmark and Bavaria?”

Denmark’s population was only over2 million, andBavaria’s one wasa littlemore than that, but farless than 4 million. Onthe other hand, Prussiahad apopulation of 6.6 million. Inaddition, its military power andeconomicpowerwere also incomparable to these twocountries.

Naples and Poland, evenifthey were groupedtogether, could not be compared to Prussia in any wayinpopulation, economy, ormilitary. And they werenot groupedtogether. In the end, thiswas aFrench trick to keepPrussia in check andpressureit.

Creak

Friedrich Wilhelm III gritted his teeth slowly. Austria’s unexpected betrayal, France’s dirty tricks, and other memberstates’ doubtful views. This wasmore than he had endured during theTreatiesofTilsit.

Hehad never beenhumiliated to this extend in hislife. Aseveryonewas lookingathim, FriedrichWilhelm III rose from his chair. Almost at the same time, Prussian foreignofficials and escortofficersstoodaswell.

“I don’t think Prussiadeservestobeinthis circus.”

With that one sentence left, FriedrichWilhelm III and the Prussian officialsimmediatelyleft themeeting. Therewas onlycold silence remaining after they left.

“Let’scontinuethe talks. We will decide later which memberstatewill becomea standing state to fill Prussia’s vacancy.”

Napoleon expelled Prussiaina light tone as if thissituation was reallytrivial.

Member statesofthe Union swallowed their salivalooking at Napoleon andFrance. Then theyrealized. Napoleon’sdeclarationonthe first day of thetalksthat Francewouldhave a reasonable, fair, and democratic position was nothing but superficial.

In the end, the Strasbourg talks werejust onewell-organizedpuppet showcontrolled by thepuppet master calledFrance.

TL notes

[1]Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt

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