The Intelligence Division of the Security Bureau was tasked with gathering and processing information, and then devising action plans based on that information, which were then handed over to the Action Division for execution. This highly specialized and segmented division of labor was unprecedented in the intelligence agencies of the 18th century.

Three hours later, the Intelligence Division presented two plans. After listening to their proposals, Fouché quickly chose the second plan and ordered its immediate execution.

The operatives of the Action Division then set their plan in motion. A few of them hurried to Paris to make preparations. Thanks to the swift rail transport, they returned to Versailles before nightfall.

At 7 PM, three operatives disguised as musicians received some “tools” and headed straight to Madame de Garlande’s music hall, located on the second floor of the west wing. They carried legitimate identification, so they encountered no obstacles along the way.

In the Marble Courtyard, brilliant fireworks lit up the sky, accompanied by music. Amid the crowd, Madame de Garlande, beaming with pride, bowed slightly. Queen Marie Antoinette smiled as she placed the feathered headdress, symbolizing the champion, onto Madame de Garlande’s hair.

Just half an hour earlier, she had won the singing and dancing competition with a flawless performance of a new aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, as expected. The surrounding nobles and commoners erupted into thunderous cheers, chanting her name. Over half of them had bet on Madame de Garlande winning, and with their pockets now full, their joy was boundless.

Meanwhile, the three “musicians” had already picked the lock on the door of Madame de Garlande’s music hall. They slipped inside, closed the door behind them, and quickly made their way to the spacious balcony.

They carefully observed the situation below. By now, it was dark, and most people were gathered in the Marble Courtyard, with no one paying attention to their activities. The three operatives then worked together to remove three of the thick wooden railings from the balcony and replaced them with identical-looking ones from their instrument cases.

Tonight, as the champion of the singing competition, Madame de Garlande was scheduled to perform at the King’s birthday ball, so her music salon was canceled for the evening.

In the bright and luxurious Hall of Mirrors, the birthday ball for Louis XVI officially began. Royalty and dignitaries from across Europe gathered, watching with respectful attention as the French King and Queen performed the opening dance in the center of the hall.

When the dance ended, Louis XVI, his face flushed, nodded to the guests and quickly retreated to the second-floor balcony, looking utterly exhausted. The chief steward then delivered a long-winded birthday speech. Afterward, Madame de Garlande sang a classical piece, The Song of King Louis, in honor of Louis XVI:

“King Louis, call your men to arms.

All the knights assemble, ready to march.

King Louis, your command rings clear.

Who will follow you to the distant war?

The faithful rise up, brave and true…”

Below, Joseph quietly glanced at the financial statements Aymon had just obtained from the steward.

As expected, due to Madame de Garlande’s “bug” in the singing competition, the betting pool lost several thousand livres. Fortunately, the fencing competition saw an upset victory when Viscount Weymorel, the second lieutenant of the Queen’s Guard, defeated two of the top favorites to win the title, earning over a hundred thousand livres in betting profits.

Combined with the tens of thousands in revenue from the lottery, they just barely covered the 260,000 livres cost of the birthday celebration.

As the ball continued, people took turns offering music and dance performances, including Godoy, who joined a group of court musicians in playing a piece.

Fortunately, the ladies of Versailles had gradually learned that the Crown Prince did not enjoy dancing. And with the rumored future Crown Princess, known for her fierce temper, staying protectively by Joseph’s side, no one dared to bother him.

Joseph scanned the crowd, searching for his diplomatic target for the evening. He spotted a man in his forties who looked sharp and capable—Joan Derick van der Capellen, President of the States-General of the Netherlands and a core leader of the Patriot Party.

Of course, tonight, he had another role as the special envoy of Dutch Stadtholder William V. This was not an appointment by William V but rather one made by the States-General, who feared the Stadtholder might negotiate a deal with the French, so they sent Capellen as a special envoy to celebrate the King’s birthday.

Capellen greeted the French Crown Prince with respect. After all, France had long been the main supporter of the Dutch Patriot Party, and without the help of “French volunteers” last year, the Prussian army might have already marched into Rotterdam.

However, after the Dutch defeat in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War five years ago, they were forced to sign a treaty with Britain, aligning themselves with the British. While the Patriot Party disliked Britain, they were also hesitant to get too close to France, fearing British retaliation.

“Ah! You look absolutely splendid tonight, Your Royal Highness!” Capellen said, bowing respectfully and piling on the flattery.

Joseph took two glasses of wine from a servant’s tray and handed one to him, smiling as he gestured towards a quiet corner.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you, Mr. President. Would you mind having a word with me?”

“Of course, Your Highness, it would be my honor.”

Once they were in a more secluded area, Joseph raised his glass in a toast.

“Mr. President, let me first congratulate our two nations on the success we’ve had in combating the Barbary pirates.”

Capellen quickly nodded in agreement, “May the Mediterranean trade routes remain open and secure.”

In reality, the Netherlands had only contributed a small frigate and some funding after being strong-armed by the French.

After a bit more small talk, Joseph asked, “It seems that your country’s two most important companies, the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company, aren’t doing so well these days?”

Capellen frowned but nodded, “Yes, Your Highness, that is true. The constant wars in recent years have significantly drained the resources of the Dutch provinces, leading to a decline in demand for overseas goods. Both companies have been suffering losses as a result.”

“And does your parliament have any plans to improve the situation for these companies?”

Capellen sighed, “Your Highness, that won’t be easy… After all, trade volume is what it is.”

Joseph got straight to the point, “The root cause is that the British have monopolized many trade routes and continue to undermine your colonies.”

“That… does play a role,” Capellen admitted.

Joseph exaggeratedly sighed, “Ah, the days when the Dutch ruled the seas, when the ‘carriers of the world’ dominated the oceans—what a glorious time that was!”

“…” Capellen could only lower his head in silence.

Seeing his reaction, Joseph smiled, “Mr. President, perhaps we could join forces.”

“Join forces?” Capellen immediately guessed where this was headed and shook his head. “Your Highness, I’m afraid the Netherlands doesn’t have the power to challenge Britain.”

He wasn’t about to tie the Netherlands to either side of the Anglo-French rivalry. Neither of these great powers was a foe he dared provoke!

“No, I think you misunderstand. I’m talking about a partnership in trade, purely in trade.”

“You mean something involving the two companies?”

Joseph nodded and smiled, “Exactly. In fact, the French East India Company is also facing difficulties. I suggest that our two nations’ three companies merge to expand their operations. Perhaps we can revive their former glory.”

Joseph was well aware of the Dutch’s immense potential in developing a navy. In the first three Anglo-Dutch wars, the Dutch fleet had held its own, causing significant trouble for Britain.

However, due to their weakened state and loss of ambition, the Dutch had lost their dreams of maritime dominance.

The Dutch had a natural talent for commerce. If given the opportunity to develop, they might once again reclaim their position as the “carriers of the world.”

Most importantly, even if the Dutch did become the dominant naval power, the biggest loser would undoubtedly be Britain. As for France, in the worst-case scenario, they could always use their army to threaten the nearby Netherlands, preventing them from harming French maritime interests too much.

France’s foremost statesman, Cardinal Richelieu, once said that for France to achieve its grand ambitions, it must foster a strong Netherlands to counter Britain.

Unfortunately, Louis XIV’s impatience led him to ignore this advice. He invaded the Netherlands for petty gains, causing one of Britain’s strongest adversaries to decline.

Now, Joseph intended to revive the Netherlands, even giving them a push.

For instance, by offering the ailing French East India Company as bait, he could tie French and Dutch interests together, helping the Dutch expand their trade and restore their national strength.

As a maritime nation, the Netherlands would naturally build a strong navy if they regained some power.

And given the inherent competition in overseas trade, the Dutch fleet would inevitably become an enemy of the British navy.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Capellen’s eyes, but he quickly frowned again, “Your Highness, with the current trade situation in France and the Netherlands, even a merger would yield limited profits. After all, the most lucrative overseas colonies are in British hands, with the rest mostly controlled by Spain.”

Joseph smiled, “You needn’t worry about that. France is willing to offer some of its resource-rich colonies as trade concessions to the new joint venture.”

At this time, places like New Zealand and Papua New Guinea had yet to be developed by European nations. The former was a massive producer of wool—a strategic resource in this age dominated by the textile industry—while the latter had abundant mineral resources that could bring in significant profits.

Even just these two locations would be enough to sustain a joint Dutch-French “India Company.”

Furthermore, the Dutch had trade ties with Japan, as well as holdings in places like Guiana, which could also yield substantial returns if managed well.

Of course, these gains would draw the attention of the British, but by then, cutting off the Dutch from their wealth would be like cutting off their lifeline, and the Netherlands would fight tooth and nail.

Capellen was astonished, “Which colonies are you referring to?”

After the Seven Years’ War, France’s overseas colonies were few and far between—did they still have enough to offer?

“That will be revealed once the joint Dutch-French East India Company is established,” Joseph said. “But I assure you, these locations are rich in resources, even more so than your current holdings in the Far East.

“And I must remind you that if the Patriot Party cannot deliver the lifestyle the Dutch people desire, they may start longing for the days of their Stadtholder.”

Seeing Capellen still hesitating, Joseph dangled a massive carrot in front of him.

“If our two nations establish substantial trade cooperation, I can promise to sign a non-aggression pact with the Netherlands.”

Capellen’s eyes lit up completely.

After all, Britain at sea and France on land had always been the two greatest threats to the Netherlands.

The invasion of the Netherlands by France during the reign of Louis XIV remained a nightmare that the Dutch could not shake. This was a major reason why they had always been reluctant to fully align with France.

But if France could guarantee the safety of the Netherlands, it would be a huge strategic advantage for the Dutch.

He finally nodded firmly, “I will convey your proposal to the States-General and the two companies and will do my utmost to make this happen.”

After all, the East and West India Companies were independent, shareholder-owned entities, and the Dutch parliament could only offer suggestions, not control them.

Joseph nodded with a smile and then glanced at the crowd at the ball.

“Perhaps we could also involve Austria in this venture. You know, their Ostend Company once brought in enormous profits but was forced to dissolve under British pressure. I imagine they, too, would like to rebuild their East India Company.”

The Ostend Company was Austria’s one and only successful foray into overseas trade, though it lasted only ten years.

But most importantly, all three nations—France, the Netherlands, and Austria—had suffered at the hands of the British.

Capellen was taken aback by this bold idea, but then he said, “Your Highness, according to the Anglo-Austrian treaty, the Ostend Company cannot be re-established.”

Joseph shrugged with a smile, “Who said anything about an Ostend Company? The Austrian Archduke could simply invest some money in the joint Dutch-French East India Company and grant it some exclusive trading rights. That wouldn’t violate any treaties, would it?”

Capellen burst out laughing. This French Crown Prince’s thinking was certainly flexible—a joint Dutch-French-Austrian trading company could have a bright future!

Joseph, however, felt a bit of regret. His uncle, Austrian Archduke Joseph II, had not attended the birthday celebration due to health reasons. The envoy he sent was only there for ceremonial purposes and had no real authority. Otherwise, Joseph could have discussed not just the joint East India Company but also Silesia and even the unification of Germany with his uncle.

The celebration continued throughout the night. After the charity auction for disaster relief, the sky began to brighten, and the crowds slowly dispersed…

According to the original plan, all the birthday gifts given to Louis XVI by both domestic and foreign dignitaries were auctioned off, with the proceeds going towards disaster relief.

At the auction, many nobles also donated jewelry, clothing, and other valuables for auction.

In the end, over 2 million livres were raised, and the government publicly announced how much grain would be purchased with the funds and where it would be sent.

(End of Chapter)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep