Chapter 20 Budget (Seeking Investment)

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Castri's face turned green. Staring with wide eyes, he shouted, "Your Highness, how can you say that? The fleet is France's sharpest spear; it must never—"

Joseph looked at him calmly. "Marquis of Castries, may I ask, while we build one battleship, how many can the British build?"

"Well," Castri hesitated, lacking confidence, "probably one and a half…"

Seeing the Crown Prince smile silently, he became somewhat exasperated and added, "Two. Those Brit bastards launch their new ships at an incredibly fast rate—even more than two!"

Joseph nodded. "So, no matter how desperately we build ships, we can never surpass the British Navy."

*He said the one thing everyone present knew but never dared to openly admit, plunging the meeting into dead silence.*

Joseph continued, "If that's the case, why waste vast resources on shipbuilding? For escorting merchant ships, the current fleet is sufficient."

*Of course he understood the importance of the fleet and would never oppose expanding the navy. What he objected to was the continued waste of funds on large but useless old-style wind-powered battleships.*

*The British hold significant advantages in shipbuilding, with abundant shipyards, skilled craftsmen, and ample financing. Furthermore, Britain's insular geography allows them to allocate land resources toward their navy—a luxury France simply doesn't have.*

In a head-to-head race to build ships, France was destined for defeat. Ten years later, the Battle of Trafalgar would prove this point. Despite pouring every resource into ship production and teaming up with Spanish and Dutch fleets, France was still crushed by the British Navy, who ground them into the seabed.

The aftermath saw Britain's complete blockade of France's commercial sea routes. From then on, Napoleon began his decline, while Britain rose to become the "empire upon which the sun never sets."

Thus, there was only one way forward—abandon the now-fashionable multi-layered wind-powered battleships and leverage cutting-edge technology from his mind. They needed to move straight to ironclad ships equipped with steam engines and stronger artillery to deliver a dimension-reducing blow to British battleships.

*But such plans could not be disclosed during cabinet meetings—not with someone like Orleans likely to leak the information.*

"But…" Castri knew the Crown Prince was engaging in sophistry but didn't know how to refute him at the moment. His chief worry was that the Queen might actually listen to the Prince and cut all new ship projects.

Archbishop Brienne gave Joseph an approving glance. *This young man understands negotiation!* Moreover, having just taken office, he already knew to assist in advancing his fiscal reduction plan. *Perhaps he might actually prove to be a useful ally.*

The archbishop coughed lightly, feigning seriousness as he said, "Your Highness, while our finances are somewhat strained, we absolutely cannot abandon naval development. Cutting down one battleship is already the limit."

Mono chimed in as well, advising, "Our overseas colonies also require battleships to maintain order; otherwise, the mobs there will stir up trouble every few days."

Finally, Queen Mary made the decision: "Joseph, while reductions in spending are necessary, we cannot act too aggressively. Marquis of Castries, for now, follow Archbishop Brienne's proposal—cut one battleship and two second-class ships. However, I also urge you to carefully review the construction of other new vessels to eliminate waste."

The near-total annihilation of Castri's ship plans left him nodding feebly, his strength drained. "Yes, Your Majesty."

*He sighed internally: the Crown Prince is still too young to fully grasp the significance of the navy to the nation. He focuses solely on reducing expenditures, but in the future, he must be interacted with more to change his perceptions.*

Brienne, having successfully subdued the trickiest faction—the navy—felt significantly relieved and proceeded to announce the next round of reductions: "Concerning Dutch matters, I believe you're all aware of the situation. The Patriot Party resisted for less than a month before being utterly defeated by the Prussians. Considering this, I propose ceasing all aid to the Dutch Patriot Party, which will save the treasury 250,000 livres per month."

Joseph furrowed his brow slightly, recalling details about the Dutch Patriot Party movement.

*It was an uprising led by emerging Dutch capitalists and citizens aiming to overthrow William V. With French support, they had initially ousted Stadtholder William V and established the States-General.*

*However, thanks to the machinations of William V's wife, Prussian Princess Wilhelmina, Prussia intervened militarily, crushing the Patriot Party, restoring William V, and rendering France's early investment a complete waste.*

The cabinet ministers unanimously supported dropping the Dutch rebels. After all, with 20,000 Prussian regular troops now in Holland, the Patriot Party's modest forces were no match. It was prudent to cut losses early.

Queen Mary surveyed the room. "Are there any other opinions?"

"I believe…" Joseph rose to his feet.

War Minister Saint Priest, originally planning to make one last stand for the Dutch investment, felt a chill run down his spine as soon as the Crown Prince spoke. *Based on his earlier stance against naval spending, he seems to be anti-war, and with the Queen's favor, Dutch aid is sure to be axed.*

Joseph declared emphatically, "Your Majesty, I believe not only should we continue aiding the Patriot Party, but we should increase support and even adopt a posture of military intervention against Prussia. Under no circumstances can we let the Patriot Party collapse!"

"Oh?" The Queen appeared genuinely surprised. "Explain your reasoning."

"Firstly, Holland is the outlet for Rhine River trade routes. If we control it, we can effectively restrain Prussia.

"Secondly, Holland's flourishing commerce could be integrated into our sphere of influence—trade profits alone would recoup the cost of aid.

"Finally, inevitably, we will face war with Prussia in the future. Possessing Holland allows us to pin down substantial Prussian forces in the West."

"And if we allow Prussia to control Holland, all these advantages will transform into Prussian assets!"

*In truth, Joseph omitted two critical points.*

*First, Holland boasts rich coal and iron reserves. Now that the industrial revolution's starting pistol has fired, countries with abundant coal and iron resources will hold significant advantages.*

*Second, the Patriot Party is adept at inciting unrest. Once driven out by the Prussians, they would flee to France. Historically, they created considerable troubles during the French Revolution.*

As his words concluded, a subtle but palpable shift in the cabinet ministers' expressions occurred.

*The Crown Prince's argument was sound and compelling, yet they found it disconcerting that he vehemently opposed battleship construction but enthusiastically supported aiding the Dutch. Especially his claim that "war with Prussia is inevitable"—could it possibly mean…*?

*One by one, they lowered their gazes, trying desperately to suppress the most dreadful thought.*

Brienne spoke first: "Your Highness, our financial situation simply cannot accommodate further aid for the Dutch."

Joseph replied, "Didn't you just save a sum by canceling battleship construction? Allocate some of that to them."

Naval Minister Castri nearly broke down in tears. *Thank you so much, Your Highness.*

War Minister, on the other hand, felt a wave of joyous gratitude. *Thank you so very much, Your Highness.*

"Well…" Brienne silently rejoiced that fiscal control still rested in his hands.

Queen Mary stepped in to assist. "Joseph, your reasoning is solid. However, even if we increase aid to the Patriot Party, they may still struggle to resist the Prussian army."

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