Carlos IV stared intently at Joseph, his excitent evident. "Are you just saying this, or...?"
Joseph replied seriously, "The Queen herself sent to Madrid."
Carlos imdiately beca even more excited, his chest heaving as he firmly patted Joseph on both shoulders. "France will always be Spain's closest brother!"
Joseph continued to paint a picture of a bright future where France and Spain would control the entire Iberian Peninsula together. Carlos IV was so inspired that he was practically ready to march his army to Gibraltar right then and there, drive out the British, and then march on Lisbon!
Seeing Carlos IV so eager, Joseph casually ntioned, "Once we reclaim Gibraltar, Ceuta won't be of much use to you anymore. Perhaps France could use it as a supply port."
Ceuta is a port on the opposite side of Gibraltar, guarding the southern entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Ceuta had been under Portuguese control since the 15th century, but over a hundred years ago, Spain took it from Portugal.
Carlos IV barely hesitated before agreeing. "Of course, that's no problem! Allow to gift Ceuta to my French brothers on the day I set foot in Gibraltar."
While Ceuta's location is strategically important, it's not as useful to the Spanish navy due to the difficulty of supplying it, given its location outside Europe. However, this isn't an issue for France, as North Africa is a core area of interest for France, and Morocco is destined to fall within France's sphere of influence.
In other words, for France, supplying Ceuta is like supporting a territory from the mainland.
Helping Spain expel the British and reclaim Gibraltar, while also securing the southern entrance of the strait, was an incredibly advantageous deal for France.
Seeing Carlos IV's enthusiasm, Joseph poured so cold water on him. "Of course, the British currently have formidable naval power, making Portugal a tough nut to crack.
"We need to focus on developing our national power first. Once our finances are robust, we can build a strong fleet. Only when our combined naval forces can challenge the British should we move to reclaim Gibraltar!
"As for the army, we don't need to worry. Without interference from the British fleet, the combined forces of France and Spain could conquer Portugal within two months."
Back in the day, when Napoleon's army rely approached Portugal's borders, the Portuguese quickly surrendered. However, the British navy was still in control, so occupying Portugal wouldn't have ensured stable governance. That's why Napoleon only took Portugal's overseas colonies before ordering a withdrawal.
Carlos IV nodded in silent agreent, calming down. With Spain's current strength, they couldn't afford to provoke the British; and France, having just barely recovered from a catastrophic financial crisis, likely couldn't spare much to assist Spain.
So, focusing on developnt and building a navy was the wise course of action.
Joseph then offered Carlos IV so advice on reforms and developnt. In fact, Carlos III had left Spain with a strong foundation.
n like Campomanes and the Count of Aranda were highly capable ministers. Even though the Count of Floridablanca was wary of France, he was still considered a wise statesman. And Carlos III's forr Pri Minister in Naples, Bernardo Tanucci, could be brought to Spain to assist in governance.
As long as Spain kept pace with France and maintained stability in its colonies, it might not experience a significant rise in power, but it would retain its place among Europe's great powers.
Moreover, Spain's naval construction had always been decent. After all, this was the country that once had the Invincible Armada, so its foundations were still solid.
Over the next few days, Joseph and Carlos IV discussed everything from colonial managent to noble control, to trade cooperation between France and Spain. Although it was unclear how much Carlos IV understood, Joseph did his best. The rest would depend on Spain's fate.
Of course, there was no shortage of Spanish feasts and various balls each day.
Three days later, Joseph bid farewell to a reluctant Carlos IV and left Madrid. He traveled east to the port of Valencia, boarded a Spanish naval ship, and sailed north. After disembarking at Toulon, he took a carriage toward Austria.
In Strasbourg, Joseph observed the several carts filled with gifts that Talleyrand had brought and couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. His mother was certainly generous, sparing no expense when sending gifts to her brother.
Oh well, it's her private money; she can spend it however she likes…
He gestured for the Foreign Minister to board the carriage, first comnding him on successfully retrieving Jeanne from England, and then carefully explaining the diplomatic mission in Vienna. This mission would shape the direction of French policy for a long ti to co.
In Poland, Warsaw...
U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Jones, scrutinized the two n before him. If the French intelligence agency hadn't assured him repeatedly, he would have found it hard to believe that these two were the ones who could "change the course of Poland."
The taller of the two wore a coarse cloth coat and gray-black trousers. His hands and face were rough, like those of a fisherman who had spent years at sea. The other man was a chubby, balding clergyman in a tattered gray robe, looking like he had co from a remote rural church.
The two n bowed to Jones and greeted him in French. Despite their appearances, their manners and speech were cultured, completely at odds with how they looked.
Jones returned their bows politely, checked the window to ensure they weren't being watched, then retrieved two booklets from his coat pocket and handed them to the n. He reminded them, "Please take good care of these. There are no copies."
The "fisherman" carefully took the booklets. The title on the top one was "The Glorious Polish Nation."
His expression shifted as he flipped to the next one: "I May Speak Russian, But I Am Forever a Pole."
As he skimd the booklets, his expression beca increasingly excited. He looked at Jones and exclaid, "This is wonderful! Who is the great thinker behind this? This is exactly what we need!"
Jones shrugged vaguely. "I've heard it's a German."
In reality, these booklets were commissioned by Joseph from the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte a few months prior. Fichte, though not deeply versed in Polish studies, was an expert at stirring nationalist sentints—a key requirent for this task.
With generous compensation from his patron, Fichte poured his passion into quickly producing these works, which articulated the concept of Polish national identity.
"Please print these as soon as possible and distribute them throughout Poland," Jones instructed. "There's no need to worry about funding; the sponsor will contact you shortly."
Joseph had run out of patience with the Polish parliant's endless delays and saw no other option but to unleash the potent weapon of national consciousness.
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