Chapter 379: Crisis: Not Just "Crisis"
Joseph gestured to Fouché, saying, "Come with me in my carriage."
As the head of the National Intelligence Bureau, Fouché wasn't yet part of the cabinet, but his presence would be necessary at this emergency cabinet meeting. Just a few days ago, Fouché had reported to Joseph that there was unusual activity among the liberal groups in northwestern France. Joseph had ordered the Intelligence Bureau to investigate, but before they could act, protests and riots had already broken out.
As the carriage sped toward Versailles, Joseph listened to Fouché's latest intelligence reports and frowned slightly.
"So you're saying that this was instigated by the 'Tennis Club' organization, and that they're receiving support from foreign powers?"
He knew that this so-called Tennis Club was a group of radical French liberals. However, with many key figures from the historical Jacobins and Girondins already under Joseph's influence and the absence of a devastating famine, the liberal movement had been relatively quiet in recent years. This sudden surge in activity made Joseph suspect foreign intervention.
Fouché nodded. "Yes, they are well-funded, and the rioters in Lille and Reims have a large number of flintlock muskets. Our investigations suggest that these were provided by the Southern Netherlands Parliament."
The Southern Netherlands had sent over 200 people to France to incite unrest, but the Intelligence Bureau had already caught around a dozen of them. After interrogation, most had confessed.
Joseph's expression darkened instantly. Vandernoot was bold—was he not afraid that Joseph might just send the Royal Guard to dismantle his parliament?
Fortunately, the police reforms in Lille and Reims had already been completed. The police had managed to disperse the rioters in just one day, despite facing gunfire. If this had happened in one of the eastern provinces, where police reforms hadn't yet been implemented, the military would have been needed, and many lives could have been lost before order was restored.
Even with the new police forces, the situation couldn't be taken lightly—riots, once started, could cause immense damage to a city, even after they were quelled.
Moreover, protests were ongoing in more than a dozen cities, though they had not yet turned violent, but they were still seriously disrupting public order.
Seeing Joseph's expression, Fouché straightened up and said, "Your Highness, please give me another chance. I promise to arrest all the treacherous agents from the Southern Netherlands within a month!"
"Are you confident?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Fouché nodded. "The Intelligence Bureau has already launched operations in the northwestern provinces, and we've gathered a lot of intelligence. We can even arrest everyone involved in the 'Tennis Club.'"
Joseph asked about Fouché's plan in more detail and, satisfied there was no exaggeration, was about to nod in approval when he suddenly had a thought.
If the Intelligence Bureau could swiftly apprehend the instigators, the riots wouldn't be much of a concern. In that case, this crisis could actually present an opportunity.
As he tapped his fingers on the armrest, Joseph reviewed the situation in his mind. Soon, a smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Vandernoot, it seems I should be thanking you for this."
Fouché looked at him in surprise. "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
"Don't arrest them just yet," Joseph instructed, raising a hand. "But keep them under close surveillance so that we can arrest them at any time."
Though surprised, Fouché nodded immediately. "Yes, Your Highness."
Joseph continued, "Also, you must quickly identify the channels through which the Southern Netherlands is funding and supplying these operations in France. Make sure you gather solid evidence and monitor everyone involved closely."
"Understood, Your Highness!"
The carriage pulled up in front of the gates of Versailles. Joseph quickly made his way to the cabinet meeting hall, where the guards immediately opened the gilded doors for him.
All the cabinet ministers were already seated. When Marie Antoinette saw Joseph enter, she suddenly felt a sense of relief, her earlier panic subsiding.
She quickly beckoned her son to sit beside her.
Once Joseph had taken his seat, Archbishop Brienne stood up and cleared his throat.
"Everyone is likely aware of the recent peasant riots in Lille, Reims, and other parts of northwestern France," he began, nodding slightly towards Marie Antoinette. "Her Majesty the Queen hopes that we can come up with a strategy to quickly calm the situation."
As soon as he finished speaking, more than half of the cabinet ministers turned to look at Joseph.
It wasn't that they were all relying on him to make decisions, but rather that they instinctively felt he might have a solution.
Marie Antoinette noticed this and suddenly remembered something Joseph had told her earlier.
"Are you all waiting for the Prince to give you some advice?" she asked.
The ministers quickly realized their behavior was inappropriate, and they coughed awkwardly, shifting their gazes elsewhere.
Joseph, however, stood up and addressed his mother directly.
"Your Majesty, this riot escalated so quickly because it was fueled by agitators from the Southern Netherlands."
He then summoned Fouché into the hall to present the intelligence gathered by the bureau.
After Fouché had finished, Joseph turned to the ministers and said, "Our top priority now is to get the protesters to leave the cities and return to their homes."
Archbishop Brienne frowned. "But, Your Highness, the root of the peasants' dissatisfaction lies in the rumors that the government will demand 30 years' worth of land revenue and rent before they can buy land. Unless we can immediately announce the terms of the land purchase, they will likely continue to protest."
That's human nature—when there's no hope, people will endure a lifetime of oppression without complaint. But once there's a glimmer of hope, they will want more. It's not greed; it's that they finally realize they can live as actual humans, not as feudal serfs.
In fact, Joseph's goal in abolishing the feudal rent system was to increase the population of France by more than 20 million.
Before, only the 100,000 or so nobles in France were truly considered citizens. The common people had no sense of belonging to the country. Only by giving them land and freeing them from feudal oppression would they begin to see themselves as French citizens, willing to contribute to the nation.
In history, after the Revolution, how was France able to raise an army of 600,000 while still maintaining supply lines? Because at that time, 30 million Frenchmen were eager to serve their country, proud to be French.
Moreover, land privatization was a necessary step for the Industrial Revolution. If all the land was held by feudal lords and the peasants were busy paying rent, where would the labor force come from to support industrial development? You could build as many factories as you wanted, but without workers, you wouldn't produce a single screw.
(End of Chapter)
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