#856 - French strike back

As soon as Joseph alighted from the carriage, a group of royal family members or diplomats from the Italian states eagerly greeted him, standing respectfully on either side of the road, their eyes full of anticipation as they waited for him to approach.

Clearly, they had learned from their respective channels that the French Crown Prince was likely to visit the Tuileries Palace today, so they had been waiting here early in the morning.

France was now the 'boss' of Northern Italy, and this summit was likely to determine the future prosperity of the various states in Northern Italy.

If they could obtain some important information from the French Crown Prince before the summit began—no, even just exchange a few words with him and become familiar with his face—it might bring unexpected benefits to their country.

However, at this moment, a boy of about ten years old emerged from beside the stone pillars in front of the Tuileries Palace, accompanied by several officials.

Joseph's gaze swept over the others and finally landed on him.

The boy was none other than Ferdinand, the Crown Prince of Spain and eldest son of Charles IV, who would later become Ferdinand VII. Behind him was the Count of Floridablanca, the Chief Minister of Spain.

"It is an honor to meet you here, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince," Ferdinand said, bowing first and speaking in a childish voice. "Your glorious achievements have spread throughout Spain. My father mentions you every day, saying that you are his closest and most respected friend."

Joseph smiled and returned the greeting.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, the boy silently stepped aside, and Count Floridablanca, who had been behind him, came to Joseph's side.

"His Majesty has asked me to convey his congratulations on the great victory achieved by France," the Spanish Chief Minister said, bowing. "You see, this war broke out so suddenly. From the very beginning, His Majesty ordered the dispatch of troops to reinforce our most steadfast allies, but it was not until recently that the army completed its assembly.

"Currently, Marquis de la Romana is waiting in the port of Valencia with 50,000 troops, ready to go to Italy at any time to assist you in your operations."

Joseph smiled faintly upon hearing this.

Clearly, there was much disagreement within Spain about whether to get involved in the ground war. It was not until France had shown a clear trend of victory that they dared to confidently commit troops.

If these 50,000 reinforcements had been available when Napoleon first crossed the Alps, they might have truly influenced the course of the war.

But now, sending Spanish troops to Northern Italy would serve no purpose other than to give them the opportunity to interfere in Italian politics.

Moreover, Joseph was well aware of how weak the Spanish army's combat effectiveness was—it was definitely the bottom of the barrel among the major European powers.

He looked at Count Floridablanca and said, "Thank you very much for His Majesty's full support of France.

"But I suggest that Marquis de la Romana's army should gather in Cáceres in advance.

"The British army has lost a large number of troops in the German region, and even their Duke of York was almost captured by Lieutenant Colonel Saint-Hilaire. Now is a good opportunity for your country to reclaim its former territory of Portugal."

His voice was full of enticement: "Our two countries can join forces and even recover Gibraltar."

Count Floridablanca's pupils immediately contracted.

He had heard His Majesty the King mention the plan to 'join forces with France to recover the entire Iberian Peninsula,' but in his opinion, that was at least ten years away.

But the French Crown Prince suddenly proposed a joint military operation against Portugal!

This was not something he could decide immediately.

He nodded somewhat awkwardly: "Indeed, as you said, this is an opportunity. I will report this to His Majesty as soon as possible."

Joseph continued to give him a 'pep talk': "Once the battle on the Rhine is over, I will immediately send troops to assist you."

Of course, Joseph did not intend to invest too many troops in the Portuguese theater. After defeating the anti-French alliance, France would need to rest for a while. The main force for the attack on Portugal would still have to be the Spanish army.

And once Portugal was attacked, Britain would certainly not stand idly by—Spain's national strength was far greater than Portugal's, and with the addition of some French troops, Portugal would really be driven out of the Iberian Peninsula if the British did not help.

Portugal was the most important supply point and forward base for the British Navy in the Atlantic. Losing Portugal would mean that Britain would lose nearly half of its control over European waters.

Therefore, when Spain declared war on Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula would become a 'bleeding point' for Britain.

The British would have to continuously invest troops and logistics into Portugal, and thus would never be able to rest.

France only needed to slightly increase its aid when Spain was about to collapse—France and Spain were adjacent, and the cost of deploying troops or supplying them was much lower than that of Britain.

At that time, if Spain could really conquer Portugal, then Britain's influence in Europe would be greatly reduced, and Gibraltar would become an unanchored enclave, which could be taken back by Spain at any time.

This was the result that France most wanted to see.

Even if Spain failed to defeat Portugal, this was also a situation that France was happy to see.

France would end the war and focus on development, while Britain would continue to be consumed in Portugal.

It was not realistic to say that this would bankrupt Britain's finances, but at least it would prevent Britain from having the mind to cause trouble for France.

Moreover, unifying the Iberian Peninsula and recovering Gibraltar had always been politically correct in Spain, and no one dared to object.

Joseph and the Spanish Chief Minister walked into the South Hall of the Tuileries Palace, having roughly finished discussing the plan to advance into Portugal—which had been drawn up by the General Staff last year.

He raised his eyes to look at the summit's conference hall, signaled Count Floridablanca and the Spanish Crown Prince to sit down in the chairs in the front row, and continued:

"By the way, I have another gift to give to His Majesty Charles IV."

The two Spaniards immediately cast interested glances.

Joseph leaned forward: "I know that the church issue has been troubling Spain, severely restricting your development. Since His Majesty Charles III, you have been committed to church reform, but with little success."

Count Floridablanca immediately nodded slightly.

People often say that France is a 'dutiful son of Catholicism,' but in reality, the Roman Curia no longer has much influence over France. Among the major European powers, Spain is the most deeply controlled by the Curia.

Charles III carried out church reforms, weakening the church's interference in Spanish politics, but the church still has a huge influence on the economy, land, and people's livelihood.

Joseph said: "The reason why your country's church is so difficult to shake is because they have the support of the Roman Curia behind them.

"Therefore, if you want to completely eliminate the malpractices of the church, you must start from the root."