Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 638 - 547: The Unbalanced European Continent
Chapter 638: Chapter 547: The Unbalanced European Continent
“Oh,” Lord Grenville’s collected intelligence shows that France’s textile industry costs are only about 15% higher than ours, and the steel industry has almost caught up with us. The French people have discovered huge coal and iron mines in the northern part of Crimea, Russia, which has provided them with a large amount of high-quality pig iron.”
“As for the wine industry, the costs for the French people have dropped by 40% compared to two years ago, and the quality has even improved.”
What he spoke of were the three most important industrial sectors between England and France—either fiercely competitive or with huge trade volumes.
William Pitt Junior paused, his expression turning grave, “In any case, France is strengthening at an incredible pace, like a colossal beast.”
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“In the past, we were blinded by arrogance and carelessness, but now we must first acknowledge the most critical point: we are facing an opponent more formidable than ever before.”
“This is not the France of the Seven Years’ War; it has already begun to disrupt the power balance of the European Continent.”
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The Marquess of Wellesley did not show any shock upon hearing these words; instead, he seemed relieved, “My old friend, your strategic acumen is as sharp as ever. Honestly, I have been worried during my journey that you might not have noticed these developments.”
William Pitt Junior shook his head, “It’s not my doing; it was outlined in a report submitted by the Duke of Leeds a few months ago.”
He said, taking a stack of documents from a briefcase next to his chair and handing them to Wellesley, “I was thinking of giving these to you in a couple of days since you’ve just returned from the Far East and need some rest. But just now, I suddenly felt that I need your help as soon as possible.”
“Oh, I definitely support you wholeheartedly…”
Wellesley immediately saw “CABINET CONFIDENTIAL” on the cover of the documents and hesitated, “I’m currently not holding a government position; this might not be appropriate, might it?”
“No matter,” William Pitt Junior waved it off indifferently, “Your opinion is exactly what this report needs the most.”
He leaned on the armrest, “Moreover, I hope you can serve as the Minister of the Army. If you don’t refuse, you’ll be a member of the Cabinet.”
“Minister of the Army?” Wellesley was startled, “What position is that?”
Indeed, because the British Army had betrayed the King during the Glorious Revolution and because England had less demand for an army, by this point, England had only a Navy Minister, and the army was managed by several senior generals in their own right.
William Pitt Junior spoke seriously, “As I just said, we must take the French seriously. This is an important military measure.
“Although young, you have earned prestige in the battles in the Far East, and the soldiers greatly respect you. You are the most suitable for consolidating the army.”
“Alright, I’m in,” Wellesley replied straightforwardly in front of his old friend, nodding, “We cannot leave this matter to those rigid old fellows. Actually, I do have some ideas for reforming the military.”
The soon-to-be Minister of the Army righteously flipped open the Duke of Leeds’s report and quickly skimmed through it, continuing, “According to the information I have about the French Army, they have made significant advancements in the past couple of years, even surpassing their industrial achievements.
“The Prussians got their hands on some French rifles, and I managed to acquire a few. It’s a revolutionary weapon that the French people call the ‘Caplock Gun’. Whether it’s range, power, or loading speed, it surpasses our most advanced Brown Bess 1769 by a good margin.
“One could say that our soldiers, when facing this weapon, would be inevitably defeated unless they have a more than 30% numerical advantage or the enemy all contracted malaria.”
William Pitt Junior, not familiar with military fields, frowned, “I have heard of this gun, but Sir Henry Conway believes it poses no threat.”
Sir Conway was among the most senior generals in the British Army at that time.
“That’s why I dislike those outdated fellows,” Wellesley twitched his mouth, “They have to be beaten up before they admit their method is outdated.
“Oh, and about the Mounted Artillery. Prince Edward and I proposed years ago to vigorously develop this invention by Frederick, and our old generals only agreed to establish two battalions.
“Do you know how astoundingly effective the French Mounted Artillery were on the battlefields in the Southern Netherlands and Silesia last year?”
William Pitt Junior nodded, “This is why I want you as the Minister of the Army. Now you can go ahead with these, and I will make sure Congress does not trouble you over the funding.”
“Only you have the courage to do this,” Wellesley gave a grateful look, “There are many aspects of the French Army that we should learn from, but I assure you, I can provide you with a British Army capable of defeating theirs…”
He was in the middle of speaking when he suddenly paused, the report from the Duke of Leeds causing him to furrow his eyebrows and look up at William Pitt Junior, “Are you sure there’s no exaggeration in this report?”
The other nodded, “The Cabinet has met several times regarding this, and everyone highly supports the content of the report.”
“This…”
Wellesley quickly flipped forward a few pages, where it was mentioned that France had already stabilized the situation in its North African colonies such as Tunisia and Tripoli, establishing preliminary governing systems, with immigrant numbers continuously rising.
Just last year, French immigration to North Africa exceeded 70,000 people, especially in the last month, reaching 11,000. This caused the price of tickets from Marseille to Bizerte to rise by 35%.
It is known that whether it’s England, Spain, Portugal, or any other colonial powers, stabilizing control over overseas colonies always takes a considerable amount of time, numerous wars, gradually wearing down the local population’s willingness to resist, and a significant investment of funds.
This usually takes 5 to 10 years. But the French people achieved it in just one and a half years!
Although North Africa is close to France, providing them with a significant advantage, this speed is still remarkably rapid.
Actually, if it weren’t for England’s previous interference, this period would have been even shorter. Joseph’s strategies of “Roman identity recognition” and “Miracle emergence” are highly effective, far beyond what any colonial empire could achieve through mere “persuasion” with guns.
Meanwhile, the report also stated that although the areas of Luxembourg and the Southern Netherlands Walloon Region acquired by France were small, it rapidly developed a large amount of coal and iron industries there.
Plus, the residents there originally had a relatively positive recognition of France, so the order of rule was established even faster. The Duke of Leeds estimated that, at most, in two years, France would recoup all investments made in these areas, perhaps even in one year.
The overseas colonies France lost in the Seven Years’ War were largely compensated by these territories.
