Chapter 234: Business Dealings
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 234: Business Dealings
"Britain's presence in Hanover poses a threat to the security of France," Talleyrand replied without hesitation.
"Hanover is also the sacred domain of our King," Sir Humphrey, Britain's new Foreign Minister, countered, "According to your nation's principles, you should recognize that private property is inviolable. Hanover is, indeed, the inviolable private property of our King."
"Ah, Sir, our legal code states that we must protect the legitimate private property of the French people. I dare say your King is not a citizen of France."
"But didn't you just say that the principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man are universal, and that you, the French, care about the human rights of foreigners as well?"
"Yes, we do have such principles, but, Sir, you must understand that matters have priorities. We ensure the human rights of the French people first, then the human rights of Catholics on the European continent, then the human rights of other Europeans and Catholics in other regions, and then... well, you can see, your esteemed King's interests are rather low on the list. At least, I think it would be challenging to protect your King's private property before the basic human rights of the Irish people are guaranteed."
"Mr. Talleyrand, can I understand from your words that if we are willing to ensure the human rights of the Irish people, then your country would be willing to protect my King's private property, or, to be more explicit, if we make concessions in Ireland, can we exchange that for concessions in Hanover?"
"Ah, Sir, I didn't say that, but... we find your proposal to be very peaceable..."
In reality, neither Talleyrand nor Sir Humphrey had any genuine interest in peace. Everyone knew that this negotiation was fundamentally just a formal ceasefire. However, both sides had sincere reasons for needing this ceasefire, albeit for different motivations. They all believed that these issues would ultimately be resolved through war, and thus, it was more straightforward to set aside disputes for now. After all, having a few more traps to spring in the future wouldn't hurt; they could always use them as an excuse to go to war later.
So, they earnestly discussed this exchange.
In the end, the French and the British reached a consensus on these terms:
Regarding Ireland, both parties believed that they should try to resolve the matter through peaceful means.
Sir Humphrey was very interested in this proposal. In fact, since France defeated Prussia, nearly the entire European market had closed its doors to the British.
As much as the French were engaged in smuggling activities when they were under blockade initially, the British, too, were continuously involved in smuggling with the Dutch and cooperating to bring goods into Europe. Truth be told, in the Rhenish League, though there was a legal blockade against Britain, it wasn't enforced very diligently. Nevertheless, even this relatively lenient blockade had caused significant trouble for the British economy.
Added to this was the economic strain resulting from their recent military failures and the drain on resources in the Irish quagmire. Britain's recent economic situation was far from ideal. Opening up the European markets to Britain at this time would be a beautiful prospect. In fact, this was a crucial objective in the ongoing peace negotiations – Britain had to quickly regain its strength before the next decisive war.
However, no matter how you looked at it, this was more advantageous for Britain, and the fact that the French had brought it up voluntarily made Sir Humphrey somewhat hesitant.
"Of course, free trade encompasses many aspects, not just limited to goods," Talleyrand continued, "It should also include culture, arts, and the reasonable flow of talent. For instance, I have some friends in the Bordeaux region who might become the new ambassador to England. You know, this friend of mine is a supporter of ours, and he has many vineyards in Bordeaux, producing some outstanding wines. I've heard that in your country, the wine business is quite lucrative. Well, he's a young man but quite generous... If possible, I hope he could receive your attention during his time in your country."
Sir Humphrey immediately understood what was being implied. Buying an ambassadorship and then using that position to conduct business and make money was a practice the British had invented, and in an alternate dimension, they continued this fine tradition even into the 21st century. Whether you were an illiterate who could claim the American army liberated Auschwitz, as long as you paid, you could buy yourself an ambassadorship.
So, if we translate the underlying meaning of this statement, it would be something like: "There's a guy who sells wine, and he gave me a lot of money to secure an ambassador position in your country. He paid for this position, and of course, he intends to do business and make money, as he's heard that French wine is popular in England. If you help him make money, he's a good guy willing to offer bribes."
"That's not a problem," Sir Humphrey said, "I have a friend here who will also require your assistance..."
This diplomatic negotiation, like many others in history, involved a delicate dance between national interests, diplomatic politeness, and personal ambitions, all set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era in European history.
Unlock exclusive early access to The Complete Novel (All the chapters) before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 234: Business Dealings
"Britain's presence in Hanover poses a threat to the security of France," Talleyrand replied without hesitation.
"Hanover is also the sacred domain of our King," Sir Humphrey, Britain's new Foreign Minister, countered, "According to your nation's principles, you should recognize that private property is inviolable. Hanover is, indeed, the inviolable private property of our King."
"Ah, Sir, our legal code states that we must protect the legitimate private property of the French people. I dare say your King is not a citizen of France."
"But didn't you just say that the principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man are universal, and that you, the French, care about the human rights of foreigners as well?"
"Yes, we do have such principles, but, Sir, you must understand that matters have priorities. We ensure the human rights of the French people first, then the human rights of Catholics on the European continent, then the human rights of other Europeans and Catholics in other regions, and then... well, you can see, your esteemed King's interests are rather low on the list. At least, I think it would be challenging to protect your King's private property before the basic human rights of the Irish people are guaranteed."
"Mr. Talleyrand, can I understand from your words that if we are willing to ensure the human rights of the Irish people, then your country would be willing to protect my King's private property, or, to be more explicit, if we make concessions in Ireland, can we exchange that for concessions in Hanover?"
"Ah, Sir, I didn't say that, but... we find your proposal to be very peaceable..."
In reality, neither Talleyrand nor Sir Humphrey had any genuine interest in peace. Everyone knew that this negotiation was fundamentally just a formal ceasefire. However, both sides had sincere reasons for needing this ceasefire, albeit for different motivations. They all believed that these issues would ultimately be resolved through war, and thus, it was more straightforward to set aside disputes for now. After all, having a few more traps to spring in the future wouldn't hurt; they could always use them as an excuse to go to war later.
So, they earnestly discussed this exchange.
In the end, the French and the British reached a consensus on these terms:
Regarding Ireland, both parties believed that they should try to resolve the matter through peaceful means.
Sir Humphrey was very interested in this proposal. In fact, since France defeated Prussia, nearly the entire European market had closed its doors to the British.
As much as the French were engaged in smuggling activities when they were under blockade initially, the British, too, were continuously involved in smuggling with the Dutch and cooperating to bring goods into Europe. Truth be told, in the Rhenish League, though there was a legal blockade against Britain, it wasn't enforced very diligently. Nevertheless, even this relatively lenient blockade had caused significant trouble for the British economy.
Added to this was the economic strain resulting from their recent military failures and the drain on resources in the Irish quagmire. Britain's recent economic situation was far from ideal. Opening up the European markets to Britain at this time would be a beautiful prospect. In fact, this was a crucial objective in the ongoing peace negotiations – Britain had to quickly regain its strength before the next decisive war.
However, no matter how you looked at it, this was more advantageous for Britain, and the fact that the French had brought it up voluntarily made Sir Humphrey somewhat hesitant.
"Of course, free trade encompasses many aspects, not just limited to goods," Talleyrand continued, "It should also include culture, arts, and the reasonable flow of talent. For instance, I have some friends in the Bordeaux region who might become the new ambassador to England. You know, this friend of mine is a supporter of ours, and he has many vineyards in Bordeaux, producing some outstanding wines. I've heard that in your country, the wine business is quite lucrative. Well, he's a young man but quite generous... If possible, I hope he could receive your attention during his time in your country."
Sir Humphrey immediately understood what was being implied. Buying an ambassadorship and then using that position to conduct business and make money was a practice the British had invented, and in an alternate dimension, they continued this fine tradition even into the 21st century. Whether you were an illiterate who could claim the American army liberated Auschwitz, as long as you paid, you could buy yourself an ambassadorship.
So, if we translate the underlying meaning of this statement, it would be something like: "There's a guy who sells wine, and he gave me a lot of money to secure an ambassador position in your country. He paid for this position, and of course, he intends to do business and make money, as he's heard that French wine is popular in England. If you help him make money, he's a good guy willing to offer bribes."
"That's not a problem," Sir Humphrey said, "I have a friend here who will also require your assistance..."
This diplomatic negotiation, like many others in history, involved a delicate dance between national interests, diplomatic politeness, and personal ambitions, all set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era in European history.
Unlock exclusive early access to The Complete Novel (All the chapters) before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
Chapter 234: Business Dealings"Britain's presence in Hanover poses a threat to the security of France," Talleyrand replied without hesitation."Hanover is also the sacred domain of our King," Sir Humphrey, Britain's new Foreign Minister, countered, "According to your nation's principles, you should recognize that private property is inviolable. Hanover is, indeed, the inviolable private property of our King.""Ah, Sir, our legal code states that we must protect the legitimate private property of the French people. I dare say your King is not a citizen of France.""But didn't you just say that the principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man are universal, and that you, the French, care about the human rights of foreigners as well?""Yes, we do have such principles, but, Sir, you must understand that matters have priorities. We ensure the human rights of the French people first, then the human rights of Catholics on the European continent, then the human rights of other Europeans and Catholics in other regions, and then... well, you can see, your esteemed King's interests are rather low on the list. At least, I think it would be challenging to protect your King's private property before the basic human rights of the Irish people are guaranteed.""Mr. Talleyrand, can I understand from your words that if we are willing to ensure the human rights of the Irish people, then your country would be willing to protect my King's private property, or, to be more explicit, if we make concessions in Ireland, can we exchange that for concessions in Hanover?""Ah, Sir, I didn't say that, but... we find your proposal to be very peaceable..."In reality, neither Talleyrand nor Sir Humphrey had any genuine interest in peace. Everyone knew that this negotiation was fundamentally just a formal ceasefire. However, both sides had sincere reasons for needing this ceasefire, albeit for different motivations. They all believed that these issues would ultimately be resolved through war, and thus, it was more straightforward to set aside disputes for now. After all, having a few more traps to spring in the future wouldn't hurt; they could always use them as an excuse to go to war later.So, they earnestly discussed this exchange.In the end, the French and the British reached a consensus on these terms:Regarding Ireland, both parties believed that they should try to resolve the matter through peaceful means.Sir Humphrey was very interested in this proposal. In fact, since France defeated Prussia, nearly the entire European market had closed its doors to the British.As much as the French were engaged in smuggling activities when they were under blockade initially, the British, too, were continuously involved in smuggling with the Dutch and cooperating to bring goods into Europe. Truth be told, in the Rhenish League, though there was a legal blockade against Britain, it wasn't enforced very diligently. Nevertheless, even this relatively lenient blockade had caused significant trouble for the British economy.Added to this was the economic strain resulting from their recent military failures and the drain on resources in the Irish quagmire. Britain's recent economic situation was far from ideal. Opening up the European markets to Britain at this time would be a beautiful prospect. In fact, this was a crucial objective in the ongoing peace negotiations Britain had to quickly regain its strength before the next decisive war.However, no matter how you looked at it, this was more advantageous for Britain, and the fact that the French had brought it up voluntarily made Sir Humphrey somewhat hesitant."Of course, free trade encompasses many aspects, not just limited to goods," Talleyrand continued, "It should also include culture, arts, and the reasonable flow of talent. For instance, I have some friends in the Bordeaux region who might become the new ambassador to England. You know, this friend of mine is a supporter of ours, and he has many vineyards in Bordeaux, producing some outstanding wines. I've heard that in your country, the wine business is quite lucrative. Well, he's a young man but quite generous... If possible, I hope he could receive your attention during his time in your country."Sir Humphrey immediately understood what was being implied. Buying an ambassadorship and then using that position to conduct business and make money was a practice the British had invented, and in an alternate dimension, they continued this fine tradition even into the 21st century. Whether you were an illiterate who could claim the American army liberated Auschwitz, as long as you paid, you could buy yourself an ambassadorship.So, if we translate the underlying meaning of this statement, it would be something like: "There's a guy who sells wine, and he gave me a lot of money to secure an ambassador position in your country. He paid for this position, and of course, he intends to do business and make money, as he's heard that French wine is popular in England. If you help him make money, he's a good guy willing to offer bribes.""That's not a problem," Sir Humphrey said, "I have a friend here who will also require your assistance..."This diplomatic negotiation, like many others in history, involved a delicate dance between national interests, diplomatic politeness, and personal ambitions, all set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era in European history.Unlock exclusive early access to The Complete Novel All the chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
