Chapter 389 The Secret War between Britain and France

Chapter 390 The secret war between Britain and France

Marquis Wellesley was choked as if there was a lump of mud in his chest. He took a deep breath and nodded:

"Yes, we have encountered a little challenge in the Far East, but the East India Company has massively increased its troops, and the natives of Mysore will soon be punished."

"So you are here to inform me of the good news that the British army is invincible." Talleyrand made an exaggerated expression: "It seems that we have nothing to talk about in the Far East. Oh, congratulations in advance to His Majesty the King of England Brilliant victory!”

Wellesley looked at him looking like he didn't deserve a beating, and really wanted to just say "we'll see" and walk away.

However, he immediately remembered the 1.7 million pounds of special bonds issued by the British East India Company just last week. This money was specifically used to solve the Mysore problem-at the current exchange rate, that was a huge sum of more than 42 million livres.

This is only the first batch of bonds. After paying for the salaries of additional soldiers, purchasing weapons, supplies, and assisting Indian allies, it has been almost spent. At least a further £800,000 is likely to be issued next month.

You know, the British Royal Navy, at the request of the East India Company, sent 25 warships, loaded with more than 5,000 marines, to South Asia to help resist the Mysore Army. These warships and soldiers went to fight tens of thousands of miles away, but they were all gold-eating behemoths.

Once the East India Company did not progress smoothly in the war with Mysore, this huge loss would cause the East India Company's stock price to plummet. At the same time, as the Anglo-Indian trade was affected by the war, the East India Company's revenue would also have problems.

You know, the East India Company is not just a company, it is also the most important "blood transfusion pump" of the British Empire, contributing a huge amount of funds to Britain every year. Its profitability will directly determine the British government's fiscal surplus.

What's more, the British, especially the upper class of Britain - which included almost all members of Parliament - were basically shareholders of the East India Company.

If the East India Company's share price collapsed, the British, whose wallets were hit hard, would be quick to oust the Tories. Even King George III, who strongly supported Peter the Younger, would lose political prestige as a result.

Wellesley knew that his mission on this trip was to obtain the best war environment for the East India Company in India, and now he had to endure this dead cripple.

He pondered for a moment, with a smile on his face: "Dear Archbishop, you know that defeating Mysore is just a matter of investing money. Fortunately, Britain can easily come up with this little money."

He leaned forward slightly, looked at Talleyrand and said: "The investment in Tunisia is a heavy financial burden for your country.

"Oh, if I made a mistake in my calculations, please point it out directly. Your country's finances should only be enough to support the situation in North Africa until the end of this year. By the way, I heard that you are preparing to invest in a large-scale iron smelting plant in Luxembourg, which will further If we squeeze out military spending, we may not be able to survive until the end of the year.”

"I'm really impressed that you are also proficient in finance." Talleyrand looked unconcerned, "Fortunately, Tunisia is very close to France, so it doesn't cost much.

"And how much money did you invest in India this time? 2 million pounds?"

He smiled and waved his hand: "Of course, this is nothing to the East India Company, which is rich and powerful. It is just the 'domestic tax' for only half a year [Note 1]."

The so-called "domestic tax" was the revenue paid by the East India Company to the British government. This does not include dividends to shareholders. This shows how amazing the East India Company's ability to make money was.

Talleyrand caught the eye of the British Foreign Secretary: "You see, the key to the problem is that France can afford to lose North Africa. After all, we didn't invest much money in Tunisia, and we didn't even buy land there. many.

"And can Britain wave goodbye to India as freely as we do?"

Wellesley immediately paused. The dead cripple is right, Britain can't afford it, that's why he came to Paris to suffer this cowardice.

He tried to keep a smile and pretended to pick up the tea cup to drink water, avoiding Talleyrand's gaze: "So, there is no need for our two countries to continue to waste money on things that have nothing to do with them, right?"

He has made it clear that Britain will stop supporting Algiers and Tripoli, France will stop sponsoring Mysore, and everyone will save money and live their own lives.

Talleyrand nodded: "Your proposal is very useful. So, is it time for the UK to officially recognize our country's interests in the Maghreb countries?"

The Marquis of Wellesley really wanted to give the lame man a cane. You, France, took advantage of the chaos and grabbed Tunisia. How could you drag in all the Maghreb countries with just one mouth? This also includes Morocco, which is the fucking sphere of influence of our British Empire!

"This is completely unreasonable." He shook his head. "At most, it recognizes France's power in Tunisia."

"Perhaps it would be good for our country to establish some diplomatic relations with Mysore."

"In that case, the Royal Navy will block the Strait of Gibraltar at any time!"

"I very much doubt that while your country is in a state of distress in India, it still has the energy to operate in the Mediterranean..."

“When challenged, the heritage of the British Empire astonishes everyone.”

"Well, that doesn't count Morocco. However, our country wants to obtain trading rights in the Indian Carnatic."

"Your appetite is too great, and it will be harmful to your health, Archbishop. Listen to me, it will be in everyone's interest to let Mysore withdraw and France gain Tunisia."

Carnatic is a large state in the southeast of India, dozens of times larger than Pondicherry, the French foothold in India. This will break the British monopoly on Indian trade, and the British will never agree to it.

Of course, Talleyrand was just asking for an exorbitant price. The French fleet was not yet sufficient to maintain trade to the Far East.

"Then return Dominica and Antigua to our country..." Talleyrand was talking about two small islands in the Caribbean that produce sugar cane.

"No, you are wrong. Mysore is replaced by Tunisia. This is my bottom line..."

…

After a sincere and in-depth exchange of views, the two old foxes ended the meeting in a very harmonious atmosphere without reaching any agreement.

In fact, this is the norm in diplomatic negotiations. Everyone first finds out the opponent's trump card, then goes back to use their own methods, and then talks. Until one party is unwilling to continue investing...

Wellesley left the Palace of Versailles with a sullen expression. In his carriage, he wrote a letter to Lord Talmos, the British envoy to the Maghreb countries, asking him to urge Algiers and Tripoli to put pressure on Tunisia. .

Then he wrote to Cornwallis, the Governor-General of India, asking him to concentrate all his efforts on achieving a great victory to increase his bargaining chip against the French.

At the same time, in the prince's palace, Talleyrand also reported the contents of the talks to Joseph.

[Note 1] Talleyrand used an exaggeration here. In fact, at the end of the 18th century, the domestic taxes returned by the East India Company to the UK were approximately more than 3 million pounds per year.