Chapter 708: 617: Add More Fuel to the Fire

Chapter 708: Chapter 617: Add More Fuel to the Fire

On the docks of Port-au-Prince, the Duke of Leeds, disguised as a sugar merchant, briskly boarded the merchant ship “Warm Breeze.”

“These foolish and greedy ‘mulattoes,'” he glanced back at the island and shook his head sarcastically, “do they think they’re the emperors of the Caribbean Sea? To actually demand 300,000 British Pounds of aid from me!”

The “mulattoes” he referred to was the common term for people of mixed black and white ancestry.

“Be careful on the gangplank,” the Duke of Leeds’s assistant helped him and chimed in, “They carry the blood of black devils; what noble characters could they possibly have? Greed is indeed their striking feature.

“However, these fellows are quite capable fighters. They defeated Mabuli’s forces in less than half a month.”

The Duke of Leeds, tapping the deck with his cane as he walked toward the forecastle cabin, said disdainfully, “It’s simply that the French are too useless. They always like to talk about liberty and equality. Ha, now they are truly equal to the black devils.”

“It’s a good thing for us,” the assistant said.

“Indeed, from now on Santo Domingo will have to pay wages to the free black citizens, which will increase the cost of their plantations by more than 20%. We no longer have to worry about competition from French sugar,” the Duke of Leeds nodded to the assistant who helped him open the door, “and I can leave this damned place sooner.”

After learning that the Abolitionist Organization had defeated the Governor’s forces, he immediately decided to return to England.

And that Oreal foolishly believed he had won some great battle and even asked the British for diplomatic support, as well as 300,000 British Pounds of material aid.

It was laughable, he and his Abolitionist Organization were just tools to be used to disrupt Santo Domingo, yet they actually considered themselves allies of England.

The Duke of Leeds took “Warm Breeze” to the Bahama Islands, where he transferred to a British warship to return to Europe. After all, a third-rate battleship was much faster and more stable than a merchant ship.

However, when he arrived at Bermuda to resupply at the port, a British warship rushed from England was also there.

The officers on that ship, learning that the Duke of Leeds was on the island, hurriedly came to deliver urgent instructions from the Foreign Minister.

The Duke of Leeds took out his cipher book, frowned as he translated the secret message, and quickly became solemn, instructing his assistant, “Help me contact a merchant ship; I must return to Port-au-Prince.”

The secret message read: The French Government had officially announced it would send ten thousand expeditionary troops to suppress the rebellion in Santo Domingo. The Foreign Minister authorized the Duke of Leeds to assist the abolitionists in Santo Domingo by all possible means to ensure that the chaotic situation there would not end.

“Damn!” the Duke of Leeds shredded the translation and threw it into the sea before returning to his cabin, where he wrote a reply to Lord Grenville, requesting 300,000 British Pounds in funds.

…

Paris.

Surrounded by a dozen officers, Joseph walked out of the Paris Military Technology School.

“Your productive work has enabled the school to operate smoothly,” he praised the military school official at his side, “As for the matter of horses, I will ask the General Staff to allocate some to you as much as possible. But there’s no need to increase the horsemanship courses too much, just ensure that most soldiers won’t fall off the horse, after all, it’s the job of the Army Officer Academy to train cavalry.”

The head of academic affairs bowed slightly with a hint of regret, “Yes, Your Highness, I will remember your advice.”

He originally wanted to take the opportunity to increase the dragoon courses, a type of troops that basically only needed to maneuver on horseback and would dismount to fight, so they were easier to train, but this was rejected by the Crown Prince.

Joseph wasn’t opposed to increasing the number of cavalry, but the Paris Military Technology School, which was split from the Paris Police Academy, had already recruited more than six thousand new students this year, and many drill sergeants were divided among military schools in Lyon and Toulouse. It wasn’t easy to ensure the quality of training for infantry and riflemen.

The great war on the European Continent might break out at any time, so it was necessary to first ensure the goal of adding fifty thousand soldiers within two years. It was better not to distract the lower-level military technical schools.

Principal Joseph encouraged the head of academic affairs and other officers for a while longer and was about to get into his carriage when he saw Fouché approaching quickly, bowing to him, and then speaking rapidly, “Your Highness, it’s news from the Caribbean Sea.”

The Crown Prince had instructed him to report the situation in Santo Domingo as soon as possible, so after receiving the intelligence from there, he immediately rushed to the Tuileries Palace and then here.

Joseph gestured for him to get in the carriage and asked, “Is everything going smoothly?”

“Overall, it’s quite smooth, Your Highness,” Fouché handed over the already translated intelligence, “However, some unexpected situations arose, so Mr. Brissot and Daleman had to adjust the plan temporarily…”

Joseph waited for him to give a brief overview of the situation in Santo Domingo, then nodded slightly, “I didn’t expect the British to make a move on Santo Domingo so soon.

“Brissot and the others have responded well; this will cause significant trouble for England. However, if Book goes to the United States, we’ll need to make some early preparations for our textile industry.

“Next, we need to protest against England and try to amplify the international impact of this event.”

He then looked at Fouché and said, “But the Duke of Leeds does not currently hold a position in the British Government, so Peter is likely to claim it’s just his personal action.”

Fouché nodded, “I’m afraid so, Your Highness. But this already embarrasses the British.”

“We need to find a way to keep the responsible government entrenched.”

Joseph thought for a moment, then asked Fouché, “Do you think the British know about the situation in the United States now?”

“They most likely don’t, Your Highness. Mr. Brissot sent back intelligence after sending Book to the United States. And for those black devils to arrive in the United States and then cause a stir, it would take at least more than half a month.”

“So we have half a month to deal with this,” Joseph nodded as he thought of someone, “You know about Wilberforce, don’t you?”

“Your Highness, do you mean William Wilberforce, the second Finance Minister of England?”

“Yes, he is indeed the leader of the British abolitionist movement.”

Fouché quickly added, “Yes, Your Highness, ‘the Clapton Saints.'”

“The Clapton Saints” was an important force in the “British campaign against the slave trade.” Since slavery was already abolished within Britain itself, British abolitionism was known as “the campaign against the slave trade.”

Joseph nodded, “Then let’s get some more of these folks involved. Send someone to England immediately, and proceed with the following plan…”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Several days later, a British abolitionist reporter, through the introduction of the Chamber of Commerce, made contact with Earl Middleton, a London city councilor, and through him, got the opportunity to interview William Wilberforce, the second Finance Minister.