Make France Great Again

After the flag signal soldier representing Jerome Bonaparte loudly responded to the Ottoman Empire’s fleet, the Ottoman Empire once again replied to Jerome Bonaparte, saying that their Sultan, considering that His Majesty Emperor Jerome Bonaparte might not accept his invitation to Constantinople, had specially prepared a suitable gift for His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte and hoped that His Majesty could accept a token of the Ottoman Empire’s goodwill.

"I don’t want the gift! Please convey my thanks to your Sultan Abdul!" shouted Jerome Bonaparte, standing at the bow of the ironclad ship, towards the opposite ship.

From the opposite ship, they immediately shouted back: "Your Majesty, if you do not accept the gift, everyone on our ship is likely to be questioned by His Majesty the Sultan!

Please be sure to accept it!"

Seeing that it was unavoidable to decline, Jerome Bonaparte had no choice but to let the Ottoman Empire’s ship approach. When the two ships gradually came closer, Jerome Bonaparte realized that the person commanding this ship was none other than the Grand Admiral Mahmoud of the Ottoman Empire Navy.

Soon after, a small boat carrying Mahmoud and his entourage slowly slid from the Ottoman ship towards the ironclad ship where Jerome Bonaparte was stationed.

When Mahmoud and his group approached the vicinity of the ironclad ship, several ropes were lowered from the ironclad, and Mahmoud, with agility unbefitting his age, climbed the side ladder of the ship and stepped onto the deck of the ironclad.

His entourage followed Mahmoud’s steps onto the deck of the ironclad one after another.

Jerome Bonaparte walked slowly to Mahmoud, extended his hand with a smile, and said, "Mahmoud, long time no see!"

"Your Majesty, it’s truly my honor to see you here!" Mahmoud first bowed to Jerome Bonaparte to show respect, then extended his hand and replied.

"Alright! No need for excessive flattery!" Jerome Bonaparte quickly interrupted Mahmoud’s compliments, as he did not wish to waste too much time in this sea area.

Upon realizing that Jerome Bonaparte was unwilling to engage in excessive conversation, Mahmoud quickly took the emerald box held under the arm of one of his attendants.

Is it jadeite?

Jerome Bonaparte instinctively thought that this box might be made from a whole piece of jadeite. If so, the value of the item inside was at least several times greater than that of the box itself.

Seeing the slightly dazed Jerome Bonaparte before him, Grand Admiral Mahmoud couldn’t help but reveal a slight smile.

In terms of national power, the Ottoman Empire indeed could not compare to the French Empire.

However, in terms of heritage, the Bonaparte Clan fell far short of them.

"Honorable His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte, this is the gift our Sultan prepared for you and Her Majesty Empress Augusta!"

Mahmoud opened the emerald box, inside which lay two gemstones of different colors, one blood-red and the other azure blue.

From the quality of the gemstones, although not unparalleled in the world, they could still be regarded as rare.

At least among all of Jerome Bonaparte’s collections, none had reached that level.

Gazing at the two gemstones before him, Jerome Bonaparte couldn’t help but be momentarily lost in thought.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to present these two gemstones on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan! The Sultan has said that only a monarch like you is worthy of owning such gemstones!" Mahmoud’s voice reached Jerome Bonaparte’s ears. Snapping back to reality, Jerome Bonaparte quickly adjusted his demeanor.

No matter how good a gemstone is, it is ultimately just an accessory to power.

Abdul was willing to present the gemstones to him merely to align with the center of European power.

If one day he lost power, he feared he would have to take on the role of presenting gemstones to others.

At this thought, Jerome Bonaparte’s greed for the gemstones diminished significantly.

He responded to Mahmoud blandly, "These gemstones are indeed too precious!"

"Compared to your friendship, any gemstone would pale in comparison!" Mahmoud quickly replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

The outstanding performance of the French Empire in the Crimean War had shocked the ruler and ministers of the Ottoman Empire.

Through this war, they clearly saw who truly ruled over Europe.

Therefore, the Ottoman Empire decided to gradually align closer with the French Empire, while maintaining good relations with the Kingdom of Britain.

Compared to the friendship with the French Empire, two gemstones were practically negligible.

Did you not see that the Austrian Empire, which remained neutral during the Crimean War, secured the Danube Duchy without shedding a drop of blood after the war? (The Ottoman Empire still doesn’t know that the Polish Duchy, or rather Kingdom, is also about to become an Austrian sphere of influence.)

The Kingdom of Sweden, towards the end of the war, also gained a great advantage by acquiring the Grand Duchy of Finland.

With the help of the French Empire, they also obtained the rights to the Crimean Khanate. Although the Crimean Peninsula was a negligible concern to the Ottoman Empire, having it was better than not.

Faced with Grand Marshal Mahmoud’s praises, Jerome Bonaparte’s face also showed a contented smile.

Through this campaign against the Russian Empire, the French Empire has initially established its prestige over all of Europe.

The most important thing for a leader is to try to accommodate every small ally in the distribution of benefits, rather than grabbing everything for oneself.

Desiring everything leads to one result: getting nothing at all.

Jerome Bonaparte constantly reminded himself not to repeat the mistakes his uncle made.

The Bourbon Dynasty in Spain was a staunch ally of France, yet they were forced to turn against them.

The Rhine Region could have been controlled by annexation or by fostering satellite states, yet his father (Prince Monfort being the King of Westphalia) was supported, a good-for-nothing who wasted resources.

In short, Jerome Bonaparte decided on the matter of dividing benefits to maintain a mentality of "one superpower, many strong nations" on the European continent.

This not only avoids putting France in a position of being everyone’s target but also allows for the maximum expansion of influence in Europe.

"Good! I shall accept your gift on behalf of Augusta!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and then ordered his attendant to take the jewels. "By the way, don’t forget to attend the peace conference to be held in three months!"

"Your Majesty, we will certainly attend on time!" Grand Marshal Mahmoud answered to Jerome Bonaparte. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Afterwards, Jerome Bonaparte casually chatted with Grand Marshal Mahmoud, during which Mahmoud seized the opportunity to express his hope that through the French Empire, he could purchase ships from the Russian Empire.

According to Mahmoud, since the Russian Empire was destined to demilitarize the Black Sea Region, it would be better to sell the ships anchored at Odessa Port at a low price than to sink them directly.

After hearing Mahmoud’s words, Jerome Bonaparte nodded in agreement. He told Mahmoud that he would certainly assist the Ottoman Empire government in negotiations, striving for them to purchase the remaining fleet from Alexander II at a reasonable price.

After their conversation ended, Mahmoud saluted Jerome Bonaparte and disembarked, while Jerome Bonaparte likewise issued orders to continue sailing on the Friendship Ironclad.

...

Time flew, days and nights passed by like a shuttle weaving through fabric.

In the blink of an eye, Jerome Bonaparte had been at sea for more than a week. During this time, Jerome Bonaparte spent most of his days communicating with soldiers on the ironclad ship, while frequently gazing at the calm sea alongside Vilnius and Richard Metternich.

"Richard, I swear this will be my last time on a ship!!" Jerome Bonaparte said through gritted teeth, as he looked out at the sea.

For Jerome Bonaparte, the first sea voyage was a novel experience, but the second was pure torment.

"Your Majesty, please be patient! We are almost at Toulon!" Richard Metternich quickly reassured Jerome Bonaparte.

In all honesty, these two sea voyages made Richard Metternich develop a resistance to traveling by ship, thus deciding firmly that "if I can take a train, I will absolutely not take a ship!"

"Alas!" Jerome Bonaparte sighed deeply again, then returned alone to his cabin.

Another day passed, and the fleet finally arrived at Toulon Military Port. It was early dawn, with a thin mist shrouding the Toulon Port, rendering the city and ships hazy and indistinct in the fog.

The lookout at the Toulon Port, upon seeing the fleet faintly appearing in the distant fog, immediately sent a signal indicating that a vessel was entering the port.

The officer who received the signal also reported this news up the chain of command, until it finally reached Minister Dico, the highest officer of the Toulon Military Port.

Upon hearing the report, Minister Dico immediately realized that His Majesty Emperor Jerome Bonaparte was likely in the fleet. Based on the fleet’s departure from Crimea and Constantinople, and the time needed to traverse the Bosphorus Strait, it was roughly this time that Jerome Bonaparte’s vessel should arrive.

"Quick! Prepare the carriage!" Minister Dico ordered preparations for the carriage and then rode to Toulon City Hall.

The Mayor of Toulon, upon receiving news of Minister Dico’s arrival, hurried out of his office to greet him.

Upon meeting, Minister Dico quickly ordered the Mayor of Toulon, "Quickly organize personnel to go to the military port for the reception!"