CHAPTER 590: CHAPTER 581: THE ’CROWBAR’ TO LEVERAGE LUXEMBOURG

"So I conveyed to him through my father-in-law to put his mind at ease! The French Empire will bear all the consequences!"

De Luy, who understood the ins and outs of the situation, fell into deep thought, weighing the pros and cons of annexing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for France, and the potential issues France might face during the annexation process.

After a while, De Luy asked, "Your Majesty, in what form do you plan to govern the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg?"

Jerome Bonaparte was stunned for a few seconds, then a curious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he said, "Is there any other way to govern here besides direct annexation?"

"Of course!" De Luy nodded with a sly smile and said, "Your Majesty, forgive my frankness! In the current diplomatic environment, rashly annexing the territory of a European nation with independent sovereignty would have incredibly negative consequences! If not handled well, the French Empire might face the same situation as your uncle, Emperor Napoleon, did back then!"

De Luy’s words reminded Jerome Bonaparte of the "old story" during the Italian War when the French Empire annexed Savoy.

At that time, his cousin sent an army of 200,000 to help the Kingdom of Sardinia eliminate the Austrian Empire’s rule in the Italian Region. However, when seeking the spoils of Savoy and Nice, the French Empire was immediately ostracized by all European countries, including Alexander II, and its diplomacy fell into isolation.

If it weren’t for the fact that no country had plans for large-scale warfare around 1860, and since the Apennine Peninsula itself served as a backdoor to Central Europe, not receiving much attention from the Great Powers, it would have been very difficult for the French Empire to successfully annex them.

Nowadays, annexing Luxembourg by the French Empire is akin to kicking the front door of Central Europe, making it difficult for the German Region not to react.

At that moment, Jerome Bonaparte realized that he and his father-in-law had oversimplified the matter of annexing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg!

"So what do you suggest we do?" Jerome Bonaparte responded sincerely to De Luy.

"Your Majesty, since we cannot directly govern the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with the French Empire, why don’t we let the House of Bonaparte govern it!" De Luy responded to Jerome Bonaparte slowly.

"Are you saying we should choose a member of the Bonaparte Clan to govern Luxembourg?" A hint of resistance appeared on Jerome Bonaparte’s face, as he did not want the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which he had worked hard to acquire, to be someone else’s prize.

With the kind of noble traits the Bonaparte Clan possesses, they would struggle to govern even a small town!

Jerome Bonaparte harbored nothing but disdain for his noble relatives.

De Luy noticed Jerome Bonaparte’s reluctance and quickly explained to him, "Your Majesty, I am not referring to the current Princes of Bonaparte, but to the future Crown Prince!"

After hearing De Luy’s words, Jerome Bonaparte’s smile returned. He understood what De Luy meant: "Are you suggesting co-rule?"

"Exactly!" De Luy nodded and responded to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, after you seize the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, you can declare the Crown Prince as the Grand Duke of Luxembourg! Once the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, the French Empire can rightfully incorporate it into its territory!"

In fact, De Luy left out the latter part, which implied that if the Crown Prince could not maintain control in Paris, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg would become a private refuge for the Bonaparte Clan.

However, it was best not to say these things in front of Jerome Bonaparte.

"This is indeed an approach!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, realizing that a co-rule approach would be better than direct annexation.

For France, a Grand Duchy of Luxembourg embedded within the German Confederation provides a perfect pretext for interference, much like the Russian Federation repeatedly seeking NATO membership in the future.

For the Bonaparte Clan, the existence of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg offers a fallback.

If the Bonaparte Clan truly failed to maintain their rule in France, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg would be their best refuge.

The revolutionary zeal of the Parisian populace is enough to make every ruler of Paris tremble with fear.

Even Jerome Bonaparte himself was uncertain whether the Bonaparte Clan could maintain control over the French Empire until his eyes closed forever.

Historically, Napoleon III’s rule over France lasted only twenty-two years.

"However, even if we use the co-rule method, we must also consider the views of the Kingdom of Britain and Germany!" De Luy continued.

"There’s no need to worry too much about the German side. As long as Prussia and Austria don’t unite, we don’t need to fear them!" Jerome Bonaparte shared his thoughts with De Luy: "Moreover, I also plan to deepen cooperation with the Austrian Empire. I believe that, for the sake of money, those Austrians won’t trouble us too much!

As for Southern Germany, my father-in-law will help us mediate!

Regarding the Kingdom of Britain, the only thing I can think of is to use the ongoing Crimean War to force the Kingdom of Britain to accept the established facts!"

After listening to Jerome Bonaparte’s ideas, De Luyis tactfully expressed that the Southern German Principalities might find it difficult to resist the military force of the French Empire and may have to agree to France’s opinions, but the Kingdom of Britain might be hard to subdue.

"So what should we do?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired.

De Luyis pondered for a moment before saying to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, just a few days ago, I received a letter from the French counselor in Egypt, and I was planning to present it to you in a few days!"

De Luyis, saying this, walked over to the desk and retrieved a letter from the French counselor in Egypt.

"Luyis, we were discussing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; why have you suddenly shifted to Egypt!" Jerome Bonaparte said with a hint of displeasure.

"Your Majesty, please make sure to read this!" De Luyis handed the letter to Jerome Bonaparte.

Looking at the enigmatic Minister of Foreign Affairs before him, Jerome Bonaparte opened the envelope to examine the contents of the letter.

The contents of the letter were straightforward: a man named Muhammad Said hoped the French Empire could assist them in seizing the position of governor from the current Governor of Egypt, Abbas. Once he succeeded, he would immediately overturn Abbas’s policies and become France’s most loyal "partner" (lapdog).

It should be mentioned here that although Egypt was nominally still part of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottomans had completely lost governance over Egypt and the authority to appoint governors.

Currently, the internal affairs of Egypt are managed by Abbas, the grandson of Muhammad Ali.

Governor Abbas is a typical pro-Turkish and pro-British figure. During his tenure, the French Empire’s investments in Egypt have not flourished and have been fraught with challenges.

Said, Abbas’s uncle, is also one of Egypt’s heirs. Currently, Said is imprisoned by Abbas.

One could call him a deposed Crown Prince!

...

After reading through the letter, Jerome Bonaparte set the envelope aside, got up, and paced back and forth twice before solemnly asking De Luyis, "Is the information genuine?"

"Your Majesty, I guarantee the information is a hundred percent accurate!" De Luyis assured Jerome Bonaparte confidently.

"Said... Said..." muttered Jerome Bonaparte softly after hearing De Luyis’s words, constantly searching his mind for information about Said from the letter.

I recall there was an assassination in Egyptian history which led to the governor’s death. Could it be this? Jerome Bonaparte speculated.

At that moment, Jerome Bonaparte regretted not studying thoroughly earlier, realizing he now had to rely on limited information to make a judgment.

"Luyis, how does your ministry evaluate this son of Muhammad Ali?" Jerome Bonaparte asked De Luyis.

De Luyis elaborated on Said’s background and experiences, including his upbringing in Germany and subsequent studies in France.

"According to reports from our counselor, Said possesses strong liberal tendencies and is inclined towards us! If he were to become the Governor of Egypt, the empire’s interests in Egypt would be secured!" De Luyis responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"So, you agree with taking action against Abbas?" Jerome Bonaparte asked De Luyis coolly.

"Indeed!" De Luyis nodded in reply to Jerome Bonaparte, "If the empire can assist Said in securing the governorship of Egypt, Said will undoubtedly reciprocate with loyalty!

The Kingdom of Britain’s standing in Egypt would also be challenged!"

"You intend to leverage Egypt to influence the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg!" Jerome Bonaparte immediately grasped De Luyis’s strategy.

No one understood the implications of the Suez Canal for the Kingdom of Britain better than him.

As long as France could sway Egypt, they could use the Suez Canal to pressure the Kingdom of Britain to retreat in certain areas.

After all, the Kingdom of Britain would not wish to provoke both a strong land army and a nearly equal naval power.

Subsequently, the Kingdom of Britain occupied Cyprus and then supported the French Republic’s occupation of Morocco.

The current French Empire was much stronger than the future Third Republic, and Britain’s concessions would inevitably be even greater than before.