Chapter 268 Napoleon Meets King of Spain
Meanwhile, an hour and a half earlier, Napoleon was escorted by his Elite Consular Godoy to the King's office in the Royal Palace Madrid. The Elite Consular Guards that came with him were forced to wait outside as there was a rule that forbade foreign troops from entering the royal palace.
It took Napoleon some time to assure his Elite Consular Guards that he would be fine and that they should wait patiently, to which they agreed reluctantly.
"We are here," Godoy announced, pushing the door of the King's office open.
As he entered the room, he executed a polite bow. "Your Majesty, King Charles IV, it is an honor to be received by the Spanish Crown."
King Charles IV nodded in acknowledgment, his expression formal. "First Consul Bonaparte, the pleasure is ours. We welcome you to the Royal Palace of Madrid."
Napoleon acknowledged the king's words with a nod, showing his gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I appreciate the warm welcome."
Seated in the ornate chairs provided, the discussions began in earnest
"I must say, your Prime Minister is quite persistent in wanting me to go here," Napoleon commented.
"That is because when we found out that you are visiting Spain, we had to receive you formally. After all, it was thanks to you, that Spain has elevated its status to one of the first-rate powers in Europe."
Napoleon chuckled but inwardly, he was scoffing. He didn't consider Spain as a first-rate power, they were weak, carried only by France's victory against the United Kingdom and Portugal. Well if he's feeling that way, then he'd have to let him.
"You made no mistake in allying with France, Your Majesty," Napoleon said.
"Napoleon, may I ask why you want to see the Duke of Castellano?"
"I have said this many times before," Napoleon began. "To meet the family of my wife, Ciela. I want to receive their blessings and I heard that Duke Alfonso is an industrialist. I am an industrialist too and perhaps we can reach an agreement where we can connect France and Spain directly through railways. You see, we have to transfer from one station to another just to get to Madrid, which is inefficient if you don't mind me saying."
"I see…Duke Alfonso de Castellano was a very rich man, investing all of his wealth in these toys."
"Toys?" Napoleon tilted his head to the side, confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"It seems that everyone is fond of these new technologies, albeit they are expensive," Charles said.
"Well, those technologies could help your country prosper through trade, Your Majesty. You see, an average caravan would take days to get from a rural city to the capital city. With railways, transportation becomes faster, goods can be moved efficiently, and it opens up new opportunities for economic growth," Napoleon explained. "Everyone is doing it, even the British who are crippled through defeat are still doing remarkably well. So you have to thank Duke Alfonso for advancing your country. Because in the future, a country that has no modern technology will be left behind."
Charles's right corner of his lips curled upward as he considered Napoleon's words.
"Okay, now that I am here, Your Majesty, there is something I'd like to propose," Napoleon said.
"What is it?" King Charles leaned forward.
"Is it possible that we can have the territory of Florida for our New France in North America?" Napoleon revealed and added. "I also want Cuba and your western North American territories such as Alta California, Nueva Mexico, and Nueva Filipinas."
King Charles leaned back in his chair, his expression shifting from curiosity to one of clear disapproval.
"Well, the people have already hated me for handing the Louisiana territory to France…"
"Louisiana is a French territory, we got it first, we only handed it to you because we lost in the Seven Years' war," Napoleon said. "So you don't have to feel bitter about it, it was never yours to begin with. As for the Florida and Cuban territory, that I acknowledge. I want to buy it."
"That I can't agree upon, First Consul Bonaparte. We have given you Louisiana, and you wanted more? How can you even control such vast territories that are sparsely populated, to begin with?"
"I have plans on that," Napoleon said confidently. "Well, can't say that I didn't try right?"
"Ever since you won against the British, it seemed to me that your ambition knew no bounds," Charles replied with a hint of resignation in his voice. He had seen firsthand the expanding reach of Napoleon's empire, and it left him uneasy.
"It's normal for a ruler of a country to be ambitious," Napoleon said. "After all, being ambitious is the driving force behind progress and greatness."
"But too many ambitions would surely end in conflict and chaos," Charles IV replied.
"That is if you are not careful," Napoleon corrected.
"I might be willing to negotiate about territorial changes if you agree to one thing," Charles asked, his tone growing serious. "My officers and generals who have seen the French weapons during our war in Portugal and Spain were interested in them. They wanted one for the army. If you allow us to buy those weapons from you, we can pay with land that has an equivalent worth. What do you say?"
"Okay."
Without hesitation, Napoleon knew that it was the best deal he could have got. Until now, Napoleon had kept their weapons secret from the other powers. But since they already found out about it, and are making one on their own, essentially starting an arms race among European nations, profiting from his invention is the only logical choice, especially when the European nations don't have infrastructure like France.
Supplying weapons to another country would boost the economy of France in all sorts of ways. With France only being the sole provider of arms to everyone, she can control the world.
For example, if a country that France is supplying deviates from France's foreign policy, he could blackmail them by cutting off the flow of French weapons into their country. Weapons after all need ammunition, spare parts, oil for lubrication, everything to work. France is the major major manufacturer of it all.
"We'll draft a proposal when I return to Paris," Napoleon said as he rose to his feet. "Your Majesty, thank you for your time. I have to go now, I have someone waiting for me."
With Napoleon exiting the Royal Palace of Madrid, he contemplated.
"It seems that I have to do things quickly from now on."
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦