CHAPTER 597: CHAPTER 588: FOCUS ON CONSUMPTION, SUPPLEMENT WITH INTERSPERSING

Albert and Jerome Bonaparte, after agreeing to drag Franz Joseph into the situation, Jerome Bonaparte said to Albert, "Once Nicholas I orders his soldiers to attack Sevastopol Fortress at all costs, there’s only one thing we need to do, and that’s to drag the defense of Sevastopol into the winter! Let those Slavs feel the harshness of the Crimean winter. When they want to retreat, we’ll send out troops to cut off their route to the heartland of the Russian Empire! This is what’s called ’shutting the door to beat the dog’!"

After listening to Jerome Bonaparte’s description, Albert immediately felt a surge of excitement.

Jerome Bonaparte’s strategy of shutting the door to beat the dog was indeed much more reasonable than the cabinet’s discussion of opening a second (Sweden) and third battlefield (Caucasus).

After all, Britain itself does not have much manpower to spare.

The current plan for a large army corps of over a hundred thousand men proposed by the British War Department is actually only less than 40,000 men.

These troops are simply not capable of taking on the task of opening new battlefields and at most only serve to fill in the severely depleted British Army in the Crimean Peninsula.

It should be known that Commander Lagren’s telegrams requesting reinforcements are sent to London every two or three days, and currently, the cabinet is extremely annoyed by Commander Lagren.

Therefore, a few days ago, Palmerston had no choice but to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss Britain’s manpower issues, and in that meeting, the Duke of Newcastle’s plan to recruit mercenaries received unanimous approval from the cabinet ministers. The Duke of Newcastle planned to recruit German mercenaries, especially Hessians, in the German Region to fight for the Kingdom of Britain.

They hoped that the recruited Hessian mercenaries would be as loyal and reliable as they were during the Napoleonic Wars!

However, no one, including the Duke of Newcastle, realized that the era of Hessian mercenaries had passed.

With technological advancements, the once destitute Hessians can now go to prosperous regions like the Rhine Land to work.

As long as they’ve saved enough for a ticket to the New Continent, Germans can leave the highly competitive German Region and go to the New Continent they’ve dreamed of.

In the New Continent, they no longer have to endure the layers of exploitation by local princes. Those with a bit of courage could even establish a foundation in the New Continent.

With the option of the New Continent available, very few people are willing to become the lackeys of the Kingdom of Britain.

After all, the Kingdom of Britain treats its soldiers worse than livestock... No, it could be said it’s even worse than livestock. At least livestock needs to be well-fed and cared for to produce, but the food of those mercenaries is even worse than that of the regular British army. As long as it doesn’t immediately kill, anything can be eaten by both mercenaries and regular troops.

Because the Kingdom of Britain cannot recruit enough suitable manpower domestically, and Albert himself is a potential German nationalist (Albert’s German national sentiment is secondary to British interests), he was quite displeased with Palmerston’s plan to recruit fellow Germans in Hesse as cannon fodder.

Therefore, Prince Albert immediately agreed to Jerome Bonaparte’s war of attrition tactics. However, Prince Albert also hinted at Jerome Bonaparte that the Royal Family could not immediately express clear support for France’s opinion. France needed to pressure the British Cabinet through Lagren, then the Royal Family would assist.

"Only in this way will our stubborn Palmerston change his view!" Prince Albert shrugged and replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"I understand!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and answered Prince Albert.

"By the way! How do you plan to appease Franz Joseph? It’s never pleasant for anyone to be used as a pawn!" Prince Albert asked Jerome Bonaparte.

"I think if our two countries respectively provide a loan to the Austrian Empire, the Austrian Empire should consider the money and swallow its pride!" Jerome Bonaparte suggested to Albert.

"Provide a loan?" Prince Albert asked Jerome Bonaparte with a hint of doubt, "Are you sure the Austrian Empire still has the ability to repay debts?"

"It should have!" Jerome Bonaparte deliberately used an uncertain tone to reply to Prince Albert, "After all, the market of the Austrian Empire is not too small; it should have the ability to repay debts!"

"Although the Austrian Empire has a large territory, its market is very small, and many people are tied to the land!" Albert is clearly not too keen on investing in the Austrian Empire.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Habsburg Kingdom once defrauded Britain because of debt issues.

Currently, the Austrian Empire owes the Kingdom of Britain a large sum of money that’s yet to be repaid.

It can be said that the British Government has a trust crisis with the Austrian Empire Government.

"We can designate the loan to be invested in specific fields!" Jerome Bonaparte quickly responded to Albert, "For example, in railways and infrastructure! No country can ignore the construction and maintenance of these two. We just need to withdraw at the right time, then not only will we be safe, but we can also make a big profit!"

"You mean railway speculation?" Prince Albert immediately understood Jerome Bonaparte’s meaning.

"Exactly!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded in response to Prince Albert.

"This is indeed a good project!" After thinking carefully for a moment, Prince Albert raised his head again and replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Let’s see how it goes! If Franz Joseph shows real resistance, only then do we tell him about providing a loan!"

Afterwards, Jerome Bonaparte and Prince Albert discussed the issues of Sweden, Denmark (essentially Germany), and the Apennine Peninsula. After exchanging opinions, they both agreed that it was best to maintain the status quo regarding Sweden, Denmark, and the Apennine issues.

Finally, Prince Albert stood up to return to the Louvre, and Jerome Bonaparte also stood up to see Prince Albert out of the Elysee Palace.

Watching Prince Albert’s carriage leave the Elysee Palace, Jerome Bonaparte was about to take a carriage back to the Tuileries Palace when Mokar appeared before Jerome Bonaparte and reported to him: "Your Majesty, while you were speaking with Prince Albert, Mr. Cavour from the Sardinian Kingdom came looking for you!"

"Cavour?" Jerome Bonaparte was stunned for a few seconds, then showed a pained expression and said, "What does he want this time?"

Although Jerome Bonaparte was not prepared to help Cavour unify the Apennine Peninsula, it didn’t mean that Jerome Bonaparte didn’t care for Sardinia, this little brother!

The existence of Sardinia could be said to be a stake Jerome Bonaparte planted in the Apennine to warn the Austrian Empire not to oppose France; otherwise, Sardinia would invite France into the Apennine to sweep the entire peninsula.

How to utilize Sardinia without being bound by it is indeed a problem.

Especially when faced with talents like Cavour, who are skilled in both diplomacy and domestic affairs.

If Cavour were not in Sardinia, his stage might have been much broader than now.

"Where is Cavour now?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Mokar.

"Mr. Cavour said he is currently waiting for your audience at Princess Mathilde’s residence!" Mokar said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"My sister!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and sighed again, "Alright, I won’t return! Let’s take this opportunity to meet our guest from afar! Let’s go to my sister’s residence!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mokar hurriedly responded.

The carriage carried Jerome Bonaparte to Mathilde’s residence.

...

Jerome Bonaparte stepped down from the carriage in front of the residence and walked straight to the front door, knocking gently.

"Who is it?" came the voice of the residence maid from outside.

"Open the door quickly, I am a suitor of Princess Mathilde!" Jerome Bonaparte said in a high-pitched voice through the door.

"You’re late; the Princess is holding a salon!" the maid from inside responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"I don’t care! I must see the Princess!" Jerome Bonaparte continued in a high-pitched playful manner.

"What’s with you, being so rude!" The maid’s voice grew nearer, and as the door opened, she realized: "My apologies, Your Majesty!"

The maid, who had been angry, suddenly turned her anger into fear when she saw it was none other than Jerome Bonaparte standing outside.

Oh my! What was I doing just now!

"Shh!" Jerome Bonaparte made a silencing gesture and then asked the maid, "Mr. Cavour is inside, isn’t he?"

"Yes!" The maid quickly nodded and replied.

For the corpulent gentleman, the maid remembered him vividly.

"Then take me to an empty room first, and then quietly inform my sister that I wish to meet with Cavour, and have her call Cavour out! Do you understand?" Jerome Bonaparte instructed the maid word by word.

The maid nodded and then led Jerome Bonaparte to an empty room: "Your Majesty, please wait here for a moment!"

Then, the maid left Jerome Bonaparte’s room and went to the room where Princess Mathilde was.

At this moment, the gentlemen and ladies surrounding Princess Mathilde were quietly listening to her reviews of Parisian literature. The sound of the maid entering the room attracted everyone’s attention.

"What’s happened?" Princess Mathilde paused her review and asked the maid.

The maid came to Princess Mathilde’s side, leaned to her ear, and conveyed Jerome Bonaparte’s message to her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment!" Princess Mathilde paused the ongoing literary review and then turned her gaze to Cavour: "Mr. Cavour, could you step outside with me for a moment?"