I Am the Crown Prince in France

"How great! Those damn pirates are finally going to be..."

Jefferson, who was in charge of U.S. foreign affairs, was halfway through speaking excitedly when he was interrupted by Franklin's dry laughter: "Haha, Mr. Special Envoy, I think you must have left something unsaid? For the sake of our American Those few merchant ships would certainly not cause the French Navy to go into such a big fight.

Franklin was an old fox—during the American Revolutionary War, he was the one who traveled between Britain and France, using France to threaten Britain and Britain to lure France. In particular, he coaxed and deceived tens of millions of livres in loans from Louis XVI, as well as a large amount of military supplies and tens of thousands of French soldiers, which supported the independence of the thirteen states of the United States.

He was not as easy to fool as young Jefferson.

Talleyrand nodded with a smile:

"Of course, His Majesty the King also seeks free trade around the Mediterranean and the benefits of all coastal countries. However, this is the most urgent need for the United States, which does not have much naval power."

Franklin glanced at Jefferson, who smiled quickly and said:

"Of course! I'm deeply grateful for that, Mr. Envoy!"

"Ah, our Majesty is always so kind and thinking about all of your friends in America." Talleyrand then described how majestic the French Royal Navy was and how it would surely sweep away the Barbary pirates.

"You also know that the center of world civilization is still on the European continent. If the United States wants to survive and develop, it will definitely not be able to rely on the desolate and lonely America. Oh, please forgive me for saying this, but this is indeed a fact.

“You can imagine, without the interference of pirates, how many merchant ships the United States would lose every year, as well as tributes, ransoms, etc. to pirates.

"As for the long term, the increase in trade volume with countries along the Mediterranean Sea will bring prosperity to the United States."

Franklin just nodded calmly, because he knew that the lame man hadn't started to talk about the important point yet.

Sure enough, Talleyrand said and sighed:

"The navy has submitted a plan to eliminate pirates, and now there is only a small problem left."

Jefferson subconsciously asked: "What's the problem?"

"As you know, our government's financial situation is not that optimistic, and such a large-scale military deployment will inevitably require a lot of funds. So, the United States, as a stakeholder in this anti-piracy operation, may be able to bear some of the costs."

Franklin finally spoke:

"What you said makes sense, so in terms of costs, how much do you think the United States needs to pay?"

Talleyrand said with a smile:

"The United States loses three to four hundred thousand dollars every year due to Barbary pirates, but now it only needs to provide the Royal Navy with a funding of two hundred thousand dollars to get rid of this trouble."

$200,000 is 1 million livres.

Talleyrand had been among the powerful in Versailles for many years. He was familiar with the art of transaction and left room for counter-offering from the beginning.

"Is that much?" Franklin frowned and pondered, "I'm afraid you don't know that the current income situation in each state is not very good. We just experienced the Shay's riots last year [Note 1]. I'm afraid it will be difficult to come up with such a large sum. money."

He said, giving Jefferson a wink.

"Oh, yes, the state Legislature will probably not approve such a large amount of money." Jefferson hurriedly agreed, "If it is fifty or sixty thousand dollars per year, I think they will seriously consider it."

Talleyrand said with disdain: These North American country bumpkins are really poor and stingy, and they also like to scheme.

He smiled and shook his head:

"Oh, I'm afraid you misunderstood. This is not a long-term expenditure. The operation will end within a few years. After that, you don't have to pay for it.

"This time we are going to fight more than just pirate ships on the sea - yes, we have been doing this for hundreds of years before, but pirates are still raging. So, this time we are going to solve the problem fundamentally - sending troops, Completely wipe out the pirate strongholds on land!"

He opened his arms with his palms upward, closed his eyes, and seemed to enjoy it very much:

"From now on, Barbary pirates will become history, and the Mediterranean will become a paradise for maritime trade."

Franklin's cloudy old eyes suddenly lit up:

"You mean, the French army will land in North Africa?"

"What you said is not accurate enough." Talleyrand immediately corrected him, "We are just fighting near the stronghold of the Barbary pirates. We even hope that the North African countries can participate in the elimination of pirates."

Franklin did not expect that the French government would make such a big move, and he was already a little moved. If the Barbary pirates can be completely eliminated within a few years, the United States will be able to reduce large losses in the future.

In comparison, paying a fee of $200,000 several times is not unacceptable.

However, the old fox still looked embarrassed:

"As God is my witness, we are willing to support His Majesty the King's actions and bear some funds for this, but US$200,000 per year is indeed too much."

Talleyrand smiled kindly and said:

"Mr. Franklin, let me tell you the bottom line. The floating authority given to me by His Majesty is 20,000 US dollars. To be honest, I think about returning to Paris as soon as possible every day, so I won't waste time. 180,000 US dollars per year, you Gain eternal peace on the waterway, and I gain prosperous Paris.”

"Ah, less! You know, the United States just became independent and went through war..."

"You are making things too difficult for me. You know, the French soldiers are using their blood and lives to help you deal with the pirates!"

Subsequently, the two sides argued over the "price" for a while, and finally Franklin reluctantly agreed to submit the annual fee of US$175,000 to the federal Congress.

$175,000 is about 870,000 livres. This was already much higher than the base price of 600,000 that Joseph gave Talleyrand, but it was still far less than the amount of money lost by the Americans due to the Barbary pirates.

After discussing the main issues, Talleyrand smiled again and said:

"Actually, I have a sincere suggestion."

"I look forward to Mr. Special Envoy's advice."

"The United States needs to equip two warships, oh, just a small frigate, to work with the Royal Navy to fight against pirates."

Franklin subconsciously shook his head - in order to save military expenses, the United States had just disbanded its navy a few years ago, and it was not willing to maintain any more warships.

Talleyrand immediately persuaded:

"You have to know that even if the Barbary pirates are wiped out, there will still be some small pirates popping up from the carrion like flies from time to time. You can take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the environment of the Mediterranean and escort your own merchant ships in the future. .

"Two frigates don't require much money. In the future, we can also collect fees for escorting small countries such as Denmark and Tuscany, and we can even make some money."

"Your suggestion is very pertinent." Franklin nodded and said, "Well, Mr. Special Envoy, I will also submit your suggestion to the parliament. As for the final decision, it depends on the vote of the parliament."

"Oh, of course." Talleyrand said, "I remember that the Royal Navy just commissioned a few frigates not long ago. If necessary, I can help you match them. The price will definitely be much cheaper than building new ships."

"Thank you for your kindness."

[Note 1] Shays's Rebellion: After the American Revolutionary War, most of the Continental Army was demobilized, but there was no money to pay pensions for retired American troops. However, the government implements a land sales policy that favors large capital and imposes extremely high tax rates, resulting in a very miserable life for a large number of veterans.

In the autumn of 1786, Shays, a veteran who had served as a captain, and Luke Dye led a U.S. military uprising in Concord, which once grew to 15,000 people.

At the beginning of 1787, the U.S. Congress pretended to negotiate, but mobilized heavy troops to surround the Houses, and finally suppressed the rebels.

I recommend a friend's new book "Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796". Everyone is welcome to subscribe.

Introduction:

A flowerpot brings a time travel to Tsarist Russia at the turn of the summer and autumn of 1796. This new story of Solovyov is slowly unfolding.

The protagonist is fictional, but most of the characters involved in this book are well-documented, and the story is another matter.