"Your Grace, don’t you realize that the demands you’ve made require a great deal of effort for us to fulfill?"

Marcel Yale looked displeased, doubting whether Duke Golitsyn truly intended to rebel against the Tsar.

Not to mention anything else, just the condition of restraining the Russian Army in the Finnish Region requires the cooperation of the Kingdom of Sweden.

The Kingdom of Sweden itself doesn’t have the capability to fight the Russian Empire, so they have long appealed to England and France, wanting them to be on the front lines against the Russian Army. In return, England and France must ensure their safety and guarantee that after the war, the Finnish Duchy is taken back from the Russian Empire and returned to them!

This condition from the Kingdom of Sweden is practically using the French Empire as a hired gun.

Not to mention restraining the Russian Army in Bessarabia, that condition would require the efforts of the Austrian Empire.

The last time they requested a non-confrontational military exercise from the Austrian Empire in the Danube Duchy, it required coercion (advancing into Italy) and inducement (investments worth billions of francs).

This time, wanting Austria to continue exerting pressure on the Russian Empire would likely cost much more than the last.

"Of course, I’m aware of that!!" Duke Golitsyn responded calmly.

"Then why do you think we would agree to your demands?" Marcel Yale asked Duke Golitsyn again.

"Fifty-fifty!" Duke Golitsyn answered, then countered: "Mr. Marcel, didn’t you agree to meet with me because you want chaos in Russia?

Now that I’ve stated my terms, you can pretend you haven’t heard anything!"

Marcel Yale pondered for a moment, then bit his lip and asked Duke Golitsyn, "How confident are you?"

Duke Golitsyn extended five fingers to Marcel Yale, saying, "If the French Empire can truly accomplish the aforementioned demands, I’d be about 50-60% confident!"

"Only fifty percent?" Marcel Yale responded to Duke Golitsyn with a hint of disappointment.

"Mr. Marcel, we’re facing a tyrant who has controlled Russia for over twenty years!" Duke Golitsyn continued to Marcel Yale, "Frankly, if it weren’t for him and his army suffering defeats on the Crimea Peninsula, we probably wouldn’t even have a ten percent chance!"

Then, Duke Golitsyn assured Marcel Yale that if he succeeds in overthrowing the Russian Empire’s rule, he would withdraw troops from Poland, Finland, and even the Caucasus Region, allowing them to establish independent nations separate from Russia.

Marcel Yale immediately asked Duke Golitsyn why he would do this.

Duke Golitsyn stated that Russia’s rule over the Polish and Finnish Regions was never popular, and rather than letting them become a burden dragging down Russia’s finances, it’s better to let them become independent.

Furthermore, France would likely also be pleased to see Poland become independent from Russia.

Marcel Yale remained silent for a moment and did not deny Golitsyn’s words.

Then, Marcel Yale informed Duke Golitsyn that due to the numerous demands raised, he must consult the Emperor far away on the Crimea Peninsula.

"Understood!" Duke Golitsyn nodded and then reminded Marcel Yale, "Please be sure to inform me of the reply as soon as possible! In a few days, I have to return to St. Petersburg."

"Don’t worry! I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!" Marcel Yale assured Duke Golitsyn.

Subsequently, at Duke Golitsyn’s invitation, Marcel Yale, Herzen, and Duke Golitsyn had a simple dinner together.

During the dinner, Marcel Yale subtly inquired why Duke Golitsyn was here at this time.

Duke Golitsyn merely smiled slightly and nonchalantly replied to Marcel Yale that he wanted to see the landscape of France one last time before instigating the coup.

That night, an encrypted telegram was sent from the underground chamber of the French National Intelligence Bureau, quickly reaching Jerome Bonaparte’s desk.

Using the light from the kerosene lamp, Jerome Bonaparte once again took out the codebook from his drawer and translated the encrypted telegram’s content.

Due to the length of the telegram, Jerome Bonaparte spent over two hours completing the entire translation.

Once fully translated, Jerome Bonaparte reviewed the content carefully.

After reading Marcel Yale’s report, Jerome Bonaparte muttered to himself, "Who exactly is this Duke Golitsyn? There doesn’t seem to be such a figure in history! However, this Herzian fellow does have historical ties with the Land and Freedom Society!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Given that this event isn’t recorded in the history Jerome Bonaparte is familiar with, it indicates that the coup led by Duke Golitsyn has little chance of success.

Moreover, through the telegram sent by Marcel Yale, Jerome Bonaparte realized that Duke Golitsyn also failed to understand the Russian Empire.

The idea of a democratic Russia was non-existent, not only in the 19th century but even in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Even a state like the Soviet Union that advocates democracy relies on the power of strong individuals.

Once the strongman is gone, the entire Russia would revert to its original state.

Not to mention the subsequent Russian Federation, excessive democracy would only lead the entire nation toward boyarization.

Therefore, Jerome Bonaparte could be certain that if Duke Golitsyn still clung to his idealist thoughts, he would inevitably face the fate of walking up to the gallows.

Even someone as strong as Lenin, when seizing power in Russia, had to resort to centralization, needing a vanguard, the Cheka, the grain collection team, as well as the Steel Father, Dzerzhinsky, Father of the Red Army, Bukharin...

However, for an excessively idealistic idealist, are these not just another form of Tsars?

Not to mention that the Loyalty Association in Duke Golitsyn’s hand was not even as effective as the Mensheviks of 1914.

Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte instinctively wanted to abandon his cooperation with Duke Golitsyn.

After all, Duke Golitsyn’s failure was already a certainty.

Why should Jerome Bonaparte expend resources to support a loser?

He only needed to utterly destroy the Russian Imperial Army on the Crimea Peninsula, and the Russian Empire would certainly seek peace with him.

Do I... really need to do this? Would creating a temporarily fractured Russian Empire truly benefit France?

Jerome Bonaparte began to silently deduce the scenario of the Russian Empire exiting the stage.

If Duke Golitsyn could actually capture St. Petersburg, he could rely on the city’s industry and resist the Royalist Party outside of it, much like Lenin later did.

It must be noted that the industrialization level of the Russian Empire in 1854 was far inferior to that of 1915, with almost all areas outside St. Petersburg remaining agricultural.

This also means that as long as Duke Golitsyn completely occupied St. Petersburg, he could engage in a prolonged struggle against the Royalist Party forces outside of St. Petersburg.

Even if Duke Golitsyn eventually perished, St. Petersburg would lose its sole industrial city due to this struggle.

At that time, the Russian Empire under Alexander II would be even weaker than it was in the same historical period, becoming more reliant on French capital.

At that point, Jerome Bonaparte would calmly strategize in the German Region, step by step luring the Kingdom of Prussia into his trap.

Of course, in the short term, defeating the Russian Empire, besides helping Britain eliminate the threat to India, offers no benefits to France itself.

Moreover, Palmerston himself was also a fanatic wanting to dismantle the Russian Empire.

However, in the long term, the decline of the Russian Empire would benefit France more.

After all, Jerome Bonaparte had always harbored a dream of crushing Prussia and rebuilding the Rhine Alliance.

And among the external forces obstructing him from crushing the German Region, the threat of the Russian Empire was undoubtedly the greatest.

Having understood all this, Jerome Bonaparte decided to help Duke Golitsyn, even if the cost France pays might not match the gains.

If he let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away, he would surely regret why he did not do so at that time.

Thus, Jerome Bonaparte sent a coded telegram back to Marcel Yale.

Jerome Bonaparte told Marcel Yale that he agreed to all the conditions proposed by Duke Golitsyn.

Regarding diplomatic matters, Marcel Yale could discuss them in detail with Minister Valvesky.

...

The telegram was sent to the National Intelligence Bureau at 2 in the morning, and the telegraph operator immediately delivered it to Marcel Yale’s room.

Marcel Yale, after reading the telegram, was surprised at Emperor Jerome Bonaparte’s decisiveness, for he thought the Emperor would need some time to ponder before responding, yet he agreed to Duke Golitsyn’s request so quickly.

Early the next morning, a carriage departed from the main gate of the National Intelligence Bureau and headed south, soon arriving at the Ossai Pier.

Upon entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marcel Yale went straight to the Minister’s office door and knocked.

"Come in!" Minister Valvesky’s voice came from inside the room?

Marcel Yale pushed the door open and entered the room, saying to the still working Valvesky: "Minister Valvesky, I have something I’d like to discuss with you! I wonder if you have time now?"