Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

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“Alright, I understand.”

Joseph had no choice but to put down the pen, rubbing his slightly sore wrist as he headed to the dressing room.

Honestly, he truly didn’t want to engage in this meaningless meeting; not rejecting it was entirely to save the Regent of Denmark’s face.

Denmark’s diplomats had discussed this matter with Talleyrand three days ago, so he knew Frederick was coming to discuss the Armed Neutral Alliance.

The Armed Neutral Alliance is indeed beneficial for France, but for it to truly be effective, there need to be means to constrain England.

For instance, if all member countries could unite their fleets and defeat the British Navy.

But obviously, that’s impossible.

Denmark and Sweden never could get along.

And which Nordic country would dare to form a combined fleet with Russia?

So even if an “alliance” were formed, the British would continue their blockades as usual.

Before long, Joseph had changed his clothes and arrived at the gates of the Palace of Versailles, exchanging greetings with Regent Frederick of Denmark, before walking together into the Peace Hall.

Frederick first spoke extensively about the friendship between France and Denmark, swiftly shifting the topic to trade between the two nations: “Unfortunately, affected by the war, our trade with France has sharply declined. This is very concerning to me.

“Yes, all of this stems from certain countries’ erroneous naval blockade policies.

“And reactivating the Armed Neutral Alliance is undoubtedly the most effective means of dealing with this situation.

“Count Burnstov has already traveled to Russia on this matter, and I believe His Imperial Majesty the Tsar should hold a supportive view.

“Countries like the Netherlands, Prussia, and Two Sicilies, with their desire for free trade, will also actively participate.

“If you can persuade Sweden, then the ‘alliance’ can relive the glorious achievements of 14 years ago!”

Joseph’s mind was still occupied with administrative reform, appearing somewhat uninterested: “After the ‘alliance’ is established, if the British continue to blockade Le Havre, Amiens, and Calais, what can it do?”

Frederick was slightly taken aback and quickly said, “I believe under pressure from the French-Spanish Combined Fleet, the British Navy won’t choose to be enemies with many major countries.”

Joseph exhaled and said, “Your Highness, pardon me for being direct, under circumstances where the British do not retreat, would the Danish Navy launch an attack on the British blockade fleet?”

“This…”

Frederick originally thought the Crown Prince of France would excitedly support the Armed Neutral Alliance, and he could use this to curry favor with France, but he hadn’t expected such a challenging question.

Joseph continued, “Or would the Russian Navy fire on British battleships?”

“This…”

“The British, after all, dare to fire upon ‘alliance’ escort ships.”

Frederick appeared slightly embarrassed and loudly declared, “As long as we remain firm! Britain will certainly…”

Joseph nodded, “You are right, firmness is indeed necessary.”

——————

In the same year, Jones brought letters from Washington and Jefferson, leading a fleet to visit France. The visit aimed to persuade the French Government to engage in combat against England; the French Government hesitated and Jones returned unsuccessful. In January of the following year, Jones took the risk and independently went to sea to battle against the British Army. The region of activity of “Team Unmoveable” spanned the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the English Channel, the North Sea, and the Irish Sea. Jones bravely fought, capturing and burning multiple British ships, frequently landing to fight, destroying coastal castles and fortresses. The naval commanders of the British Empire hated him to the core, vowing to capture this “American pirate” and hang him to death. In the 1778 war against England, several colonial powers in Europe joined based on their colonial interests, and France signed the Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France. Thus, a France and America Combined Fleet cruised in the North Sea. One evening in September, near the edge of the Fort Flam borough, the Allied Forces encountered a powerful British escort fleet. At that time, besides Jones’s flagship “Good Man Richard,” there were two warships he commanded—a three-masted cruiser from the United States and a French frigate, both facing a British escort ship with advanced 50-gun armament. Under one salvo from this ship, all American artillery was silenced, the enemy ship had victory in sight, and the American ship was in great peril, but Jones made a decisive move, initiating one of the fiercest and most brutal battles in sailing fleet history. Before “Richard” wrapped around the enemy ship, it was already scarred full of bullet holes and damaged. At this moment, someone shouted, “Hey, brothers on Richard, surrender now!” Jones replied: “I haven’t started the fight yet!” Thus began a close combat melee. Although the British ship captain was no ordinary opponent, he was a little less brave than Jones, and the battle continued until late at night when the British finally lowered their flag. Just as Jones transferred his crew to the captured enemy ship, “Good Man Richard” quickly sank into the ocean as the grappling hooks broke. After this, Jones repeatedly made meritorious achievements in battles with the British colonial forces, contributing significantly to the victory of the United States Independence War. In the 1780s, on the other side of the world, the expanding Russian Empire faced two lines of war, with the north dealing with Sweden and the south dealing with Turkey. Russian Empress Catherine II decided to hire the renowned US Navy officer to serve her. In July 1788, Jones braved difficulties in the Baltic Sea, finally reaching Saint Petersburg on the 23rd, and the next day he met the Empress. An American Military Academy officer walked out of the Empress’s office as a Russian Navy Brigadier. Jones later recalled: “Her Imperial Majesty is very concerned about the United States, deeply believing that the American revolution would influence governments in various countries.” Jones also introduced the already passed but not yet effective US Constitution to the Empress. What exactly drove this US Navy officer to accept the Empress’s invitation? Fame and fortune, making contributions, were certainly some reasons, but the most important motivation was Jones’s vast ambition, believing that extensive international cooperation among major powers was urgent for the newly independent United States. He explained the significance of international cooperation using “armed neutrality.” The so-called “armed neutrality” refers to the Armed Neutrality declaration issued by Russia on February 28, 1780, leading to the establishment of an Armed Neutral Alliance with several European major powers, jointly responding to the British military actions of frequently robbing and attacking ships of neutral nations at sea, thus isolating Britain entirely. Furthermore, two years earlier, they allied with France, signing the Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France.

Russia during the reign of Catherine II was in a complicated international environment where Western European capitalism was rapidly rising, and the feudal system was swiftly collapsing.

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