American Ambassador Jones, seeing the two men preparing to leave with the pamphlets, suddenly remembered the instructions in the letter from the Crown Prince of France and hurriedly called out to them, saying solemnly, "I trust you have come to understand the current situation. The primary task is to preserve Poland and to counter the ambition of the Russians, so I hope you will support the King, after all, he can rally more Polish people to resist Russia."
"Oh, and you must temporarily set aside your religious demands... I don't mean to stop you from spreading Catholicism, but that should come after Poland's crisis is resolved."
"If the Bar Confederation can make an outstanding contribution to resisting the Russian invasion, I believe, the Polish public will come to favor Catholicism even more," he added.
The two men, upon hearing the word "Bar Confederation," instinctively shrank and looked around nervously.
Yes, they were among the few remaining members of the Bar Confederation in Poland. Seven years ago, some patriotic Polish nobility, in order to maintain the country's political and diplomatic independence and oppose Russia's infiltration into Poland, had formed the Bar Confederation.
At first, the Confederation raised an army and expelled Russian forces across Poland, seizing the opportunity of the Rebellion of Kreivaishenna, expanding into the territories of Lithuania and Ukraine[Note 1]. In addition, the Confederation actively incited the Ottoman Empire to wage war against Russia, which somewhat led to the Fifth Russo-Turkish War.
However, as the Confederation grew, its policies began to drift.
First, it declared opposition to the King of Poland—after all, Stanisław August Poniatowski was Catherine II's former lover, and his election as King of Poland[Note 2] had the factor of the Tsar of Russia bribing the Polish Congress. Therefore, the Bar Confederation was extremely averse to this King, declaring that they wanted to depose him, and at one point even briefly kidnapped Stanisław August Poniatowski.
Then, the Confederation fell into religious fervor, starting to aggressively promote Catholicism in Poland and persecute Protestant and Eastern Orthodox believers.
Thus, Catherine II, in alliance with Prussia and Austria, launched an invasion of Poland under the pretext of protecting the King of Poland and the Eastern Orthodox believers.
The Bar Confederation could not withstand the might of Russia's large army for long and was soon crushed, while the Prussian-Austrian forces did not stop there but occupied the Polish territories they desired.
That was the beginning and the end of the first partition of Poland.
After the war, most of the Confederation's leaders and their families were imprisoned in concentration camps built in Lithuania, and a small part was exiled to Siberia.
Although the Bar Confederation had failed, Joseph was aware that they were the most staunchly anti-Russian group in Poland and that as long as they did not engage in religious fanaticism, they had considerable support among the civilian population and the army.
There was no one more suitable than them to promote Polish national consciousness.
By cultivating national consciousness, it would be possible to greatly strengthen Poland's internal cohesion while shrinking the space where pro-Russian traitors could operate. After all, the ease with which Russia, Prussia, and Austria could partition Poland had a lot to do with Poland's internal divisions among Poles, Lithuanians, Slavs, and Germans, who had their own languages, policies, and would sabotage each other in the face of foreign invasion.
Given Poland's population and land area, if they truly came together, it would be very difficult for Russia, Prussia, and Austria to subdue it quickly.
Moreover, should Poland's situation one day become irrevocable, it would also be possible to leverage the influence of the Bar Confederation to raise resistance forces among the Polish civilians and engage in guerrilla warfare against Russia, Prussia, and Austria for years. Read new chapters at freewebnovel
The next day.
Łazienki Palace.
This was the residence of Prince Poniatowski, the nephew of the King of Poland.
At this time, Jones was strolling through the garden behind the house with several Polish nobles, much like a casual afternoon chat.
"In fact, what concerns the major families is that the abolition of the liberum veto would restrict the power of the Congress," a nobleman around sixty years old looked toward the American ambassador to Poland, "So, it might be best to first introduce a constitution with the separation of powers, while simultaneously addressing the liberum veto issue."
What he referred to as the "liberum veto" was the infamously pernicious Polish practice wherein any member of parliament could veto any legislation, effectively preventing any reform and progress within Poland.
"Yes, I am all too familiar with this kind of political wrangling," Jones nodded, speaking Polish, "It's really headache-inducing in the U.S. Congress as well."𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"At such times, we need a leader of the highest political authority to unify the differing opinions," he said.
Prince Poniatowski sighed with a sense of resignation: "His Majesty the King, ah, as you know, is always so agreeable...," he said.
Jones turned to look at him: "Perhaps, Your Highness could represent His Majesty in rallying those Congress members."
The senior nobleman beside him immediately shook his head: "The Potocki family certainly won't listen to His Highness, oh, nor will the haughty Czartoryski family."
He was an elder of the Poniatowski family, obviously the King of Poland's family, yet not the largest family in Poland.
At present, Polish politics was essentially controlled by fewer than ten noble families, and getting anything through Congress without their cooperation was practically impossible.
Jones, recalling the letter from the Crown Prince of France, said gravely, "Poland is at a very dangerous edge, and perhaps at this moment, we need to resort to some less gentlemanly means. Currently, Your Highness is in charge of the recruitment and training of the army, and you must use that to your advantage."
"As for the Potocki family, perhaps they have done some deeds that would be despised by others. If other families learned about it, they would surely delight in dismantling their influence."
Senior members of the Poniatowski family exchanged surprised glances upon hearing the elder's words. Lowering his voice, the old man said, "This is likely to cause a major upheaval!"
"That's why His Highness the Prince needs to deploy the troops at the right time to stabilize the situation. Once the Potocki family is dealt with, the Czartoryski family will certainly begin to cooperate."
Prince Poniatowski frowned and said, "Perhaps there's no need for such drastic measures. The terms proposed by the Potocki family are, in fact, negotiable."
Jones sighed inwardly. As nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Crown Prince of France, this was all he could do. "The decision is yours, Your Highness, but I can assure you that within three months, I will provide you with evidence of the Potocki family's treason."
In truth, he did not possess any incriminating evidence against the Potocki family, but the French people had assured him that there would be some.
Joseph was well aware that despite the Polish tendency for delay, they had eventually passed a constitution— the May 3rd Constitution— three years later in history.
This constitution abolished the liberum veto, ended the election of kings in favor of hereditary succession, and established a Polish political system with the separation of powers, paving the way for national development.
However, the May 3rd Constitution's limitations on noble privileges touched upon the interests of some families, led by the Potocki family. They immediately colluded with the Russian Prince Potemkin to form the Targowica Confederation and requested the Russian Army to intervene.
Subsequently, the Confederation's forces, together with the Russian Army, defeated the Polish government forces, while Prussia and Austria, following a secret agreement with Russia, invaded Poland from the west.
The Second Partition of Poland began.
The Potocki family had always been in collusion with the Russians, and evidence could certainly be found if one looked for it.
Of course, Joseph was also prepared for the eventuality that no evidence could be found; in which case, he would "create" some evidence. Once the Potocki family was brought down, there would naturally be people who confessed.
At present, the Russo-Swedish War raged on hotly, and Russia could not spare resources to intervene in this affair.
As long as the May 3rd Constitution could be properly implemented for a few years, Poland's national power would increase significantly. Moreover, without the Potocki family as their inside collaborators, the Russians would lose their pretext for sending troops, making the partition of Poland very difficult.𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
If Prussia and Austria, especially the latter, believed that invading Poland would seriously deplete their strength, they would mostly weigh up whether they should join the conflict.
Without the shared benefit of partitioning Poland, they would definitely start warring over dominance in Germany.
In that case, the strategic pressure against France would be greatly reduced. At the very least, it could secure several more years for France's development.
Prince Poniatowski hesitated for a long time before bowing slightly to Jones: "Thank you for your help to Poland, Your Excellency the Ambassador. I will surely give serious consideration to your suggestions."
"Oh, the banquet is about to begin. Let's go inside," he added.
...
United States.
New York.
"The votes are counted!" A middle-aged man in a black waistcoat burst into the room with excitement, pausing deliberately for two seconds under the anxious gaze of everyone before bowing to George Washington, "Congratulations, Mr. President!"
The dozen or so people in the room instantly burst into cheers, crowding around Washington to offer their congratulations.
Washington's face turned even ruddier, but he took a deep breath and looked at the bearer of news: "Mr. Thomas, can you tell me the specific voting results?"
"You received 50 votes, a landslide victory!"
Washington felt a sense of relief. Fifty out of sixty-nine votes was an absolute triumph.
He also felt fortunate that the Crown Prince of France had provided him with support; otherwise, considering Hamilton's astonishing popularity before the election, it might have been Hamilton celebrating the election victory right then.
You should know that even with French support, Hamilton still got 33 votes![3]
Initially, Joseph brought Hamilton the political achievements of eradicating pirates in the Mediterranean and sending them back to the United States for public trial, making the latter's reputation unrivaled for a time, even eclipsing that of Washington, the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
There's no helping it, people are forgetful; the Revolutionary War had been over for several years, how could it be as fresh in their minds as the hanging of pirates a few months ago?
However, Joseph quickly realized that Hamilton was a very radical hawk and had a special obsession with the military.
If he were to be elected President of the United States, it was very likely that a standing army would be re-established—currently, the United States only had militia, with no professional soldiers—and this would greatly speed up the United States' westward slaughter of Native Americans and the devouring of North American land.
An United States with merely thirteen states isn't concerning, but a United States occupying half of America would become the nightmare of all Europe.
Joseph certainly needed to prevent this situation from arising.
So he sent someone to the United States to support Washington, whose overall style leaned more moderate. At least during his administration, the United States still muddled through with its militia.
His method was simple: provide Washington with some campaign funds, while also establishing a newspaper in the United States, "American News," available at a very low price—with France's inexpensive wood-based paper and printing technology, the newspaper could cost 60% less than its American counterparts and still make a 10% profit.
Moreover, with the exclusive American publication rights to novels such as "Refining the Skies", "The Master of Besties", and "Ladies, Please Stop", "American News" quickly monopolized the American newspaper market within a very short time.
Subsequently, they published daily articles about the events of the Revolutionary War, continuously mentioning Washington's great contributions, while attributing the success in fighting the Barbary pirates to the Federal Congress. Therefore, those congressmen all praised "American News" for its objectivity and fairness.
With arrangements by the French campaign team, Washington gave speeches all over the United States, variously showing off, and his public approval rapidly surpassed Hamilton's.
Of course, Washington returned the favor; Jones, the ambassador sent to Poland, was a trusted confidant and extremely diligent in his work.
While Washington was celebrating his election as President, the manager's office of the "American News" was meeting to discuss the opening of branch offices.
Following the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince, "American News," a relatively orthodox publication, wasn't enough to cover all Americans. They also had to start up an entertainment-focused newspaper to attract the lower classes of America.
In the upcoming congressional elections, the newspaper aimed to "secure" the election of at least ten congressmen; truly a daunting task.
Find adventures at freewebnovel
...
While riding in a carriage through Baden, Talleyrand looked across at the Crown Prince with a smile and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, have you seen some good news?"
Joseph pushed a report that had arrived from Nancy just before leaving the French border towards him and said, "Take a look; this is last month's sales report from the United Steam Engine Company."
"Our high-pressure steam engines have already been sold to England, and we keep getting orders," he added.
The Foreign Minister, clearly not quite understanding the significance of the steam engine, offered a forced smile and said, "Oh, selling one for 11,000 livres is indeed good business."
"Yes, it may well be the best business," Joseph nodded with a smile.
You should know that Watt Company's low-pressure steam engines also sold for 480 British Pounds, that is 12,000 livres, but only had 60% of the power of the French products.
If most of the output of the United Steam Engine Company hadn't been reserved for domestic supply in France, Watt's company might well be out of business by now...
[1] At the end of the 18th century, Ukraine was still a geographic term, a large part of which belonged to Lithuania.
[1] Poland, at the end of the 18th century, practiced a royal election system where the king was elected by a congress of nobles. This gave foreign powers an excellent opportunity to interfere in Polish internal affairs—by bribing Polish congressmen, they could elect a king of their preference. Catherine II did exactly that to place her lover Stanisław August Poniatowski on the throne.
[2] During America's first presidential election, each presidential elector could vote for more than one candidate.