Chapter 283 Napoleon's Ambitious Plan
Ten minutes later, the carriage carrying four distinguished figures pulled up at the grand entrance of the National Palace.
Toussaint Louverture explained that the National Palace served as the Dominion of Saint-Domingue's official residence, harking back to the days when it was also the French Governor General's abode during the colony's rule.
Inside the carriage, the three generals gazed out the window, their eyes falling upon the elegant architecture of the National Palace. It was styled similarly to French villas and neoclassical designs. The building's white fa?ade gleamed in the tropical sun, while ornate columns flanked the grand entrance.
Outside, a group of uniformed guards, adorned with plumed hats and polished bayonets, stood in formation to welcome the delegation.
With a graceful motion, Toussaint Louverture stepped out of the carriage, and the three generals followed suit.
Louverture led the way toward the entrance, where the three generals noticed a black man standing there as if waiting for them.
The moment Louverture arrived at the entrance, he turned to the three French generals and introduced that person.
"This man standing beside me is the Minister of State Affairs of the Dominion of Haiti. Jean-Jacques Dessalines."
Dessalines stepped forward and performed a salute in a manner that exuded both respect and authority. His uniform, adorned with intricate gold braids, bore the insignia of a high-ranking official.
"Welcome to the National Palace, esteemed French generals," Dessalines said. And caught sight of a black man. "Pardon might come out as insensitive but are you a French general?"
Just as Dumas was about to speak, Leclerc preceded him, stepping forward with a calm demeanor. "He is indeed a French general, Minister Dessalines."
"It must have been hard to believe that their fellow people hold the highest rank in the French Army," Desaix scoffed softly.
"Those are Leclerc and Desaix respectively," Louvateure introduced the two to Dessalines. "Now that we all know each other, why don't we discuss what it is that you want to discuss in my office?"
"Finally," Desaix exclaimed with a hint of impatience, eager to delve into the matters at hand. With that, they made their way through the grand entrance of the National Palace, its ornate doors opening to reveal marbled floors and walls.
As they reached the meeting room, a long, polished wooden table dominated the space. Louverture took his seat at the head of the table, and the French generals followed suit, facing their Saint-Domingue counterparts.
The servants of the National Palace entered the meeting room with a tray of coffee and a tiered dessert stand adorned with delicate éclairs, flaky croissants, and decadent macarons.
They set it down carefully at the table, and the generals couldn't help but admire the exquisite pastries that graced the stand.
Leclerc's stomach grumbled at the sight and couldn't prevent himself from grabbing a piece of macarons. Desaix and Dumas simply smiled at the hospitality being shown to them and waited for Desaix to finish the macaron.
Once Leclerc choked down the macaron, the meeting began with Desaix sharing the intentions and plans of the Republic of France to the territory of the Caribbean and the North American frontier. Dessalines and Louverture listened intently.
As Desaix concluded his presentation, he leaned back in his chair, allowing the implications of his words to settle in the room.
"You want to go to war with the Spanish Empire?" Louverture asked, looking at the three of them wide-eyed.
"But aren't the Empire of Spain and the Republic of France allies?" Dessalines added, confused as Louverture.
***
It was November 1801 in the capital city of France.
Desaix received a letter from the First Consul of France, asking for his audience in the Palace of Versailles. As a general serving the Republic, Desaix obliged and went to the Palace of Versailles.
There, he met Napoleon in his office, the First Consul of France, looking at the huge map mounted on the wall with his eyes fixed on the western part.
"General Desaix," Napoleon greeted without batting an eye, his attention still focused on the map.
Desaix replied with a respectful nod. "Your Excellency, how may I be of service?"
Napoleon turned away from the map, his gaze intense. "Come over here."
Desaix walked over to where Napoleon was standing. He took a glance at the map which displayed the territories of the Republic of France in blue, the United States of America in green, and the Kingdom of Spain in red.
The French blue color held sway over the central and northern reaches of North America, while Spain's influence extended across the eastern and southern expanses of the continent. In vibrant green, the United States of America staked its claim from the eastern banks of the Mississippi River to the Atlantic coast.
He was in awe to see that their territory in North America had grown a lot after the Treaty of London. Standing there, Desaix couldn't help but feel a surge of pride, an unspoken declaration of "Vive la France" echoing silently within him.
Napoleon, his gaze now fixated on the map, posed a question. "What do you observe in this map, General Desaix?"
Desaix wasted no time in responding, his voice filled with admiration. "Our territory in North America is truly immense, Your Excellency."
With a subtle shift in his focus back to the map, Napoleon continued. "It is indeed extensive, but not extensive enough."
Desaix's brow furrowed slightly. What could Napoleon mean by "not extensive enough"? Was he planning to expand it even further?
"I notice there are still regions marked in red," Napoleon remarked, his finger indicating the Spanish territories of Cuba, Florida, New Philippines, Santa Fe of New Mexico, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Navarra, Upper California, and Lower California. "I want those regions to be painted blue, not red."
A sense of clarity began to emerge as Desaix considered Napoleon's words. "Your Excellency, do you intend to expand New France by annexing these territories?"
Napoleon met Desaix's gaze with a determined look. "Precisely, General. We will extend the reach of New France and secure these regions as part of our grand vision. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to pass up."
"But doing so would lead to a war with the Kingdom of Spain, and isn't Spain our allies?"
Napoleon sighed as he had no choice but to explain everything to Desaix. "I never considered Spain as an ally, Desaix, until recently when I met the family of my wife who were powerful aristocrats in the Kingdom of Spain. Those aristocrats, especially my wife's father, wanted to take over Spain's governance as he was tired of the policy and the incompetence of the current king of Spain. I agreed on the idea so we will make a chaotic situation that would be too much for the Spanish royalty to bear and where people who rise up and call for a new leader."
"So, Your Excellency, based on what I heard from you. You want to annex the territories of the Kingdom of Spain in North America while installing someone in power that would be basically under control by your hand?"
Napoleon simply nodded. "Yes, and you are aware that I'm planning to become an emperor of France right?"
"I do, Your Excellency, and I support you on that," Desaix said.
"Well, the person who will govern the Kingdom of Spain shall be my wife's father," he explained, his tone measured. "He will act as a regent for my child, who is still in the womb. When the child comes of age, they will be crowned as the Emperor or Empress of Spain."
"I see, Your Excellency, not only are you going to annex the territory in North America but make Spain your puppet state as well? It's two birds in one stone. But how are you going to play it out exactly?"
"We are going to make the territory of Cuba provoke a war with the Republic of France and use that incident as a justification to start a war and legally invade Cuba, Florida, and the western territories of Spain."
"But what about the United States? They aren't going to stand idly from this," Desaix voiced his concern.
"The United States won't be that much of a threat if I send a larger modernized force in the region." Napoleon paused and sighed before continuing. "I remember that I promised Spain that I would buy Cuba from them with weapons, but I am taking back my words."
"I understand, Your Excellency. Who will take part in this operation?"
"Dumas, Leclerc, you, and the Dominion of Saint-Domingue," Napoleon replied. "I will inform the other two and our dominion about this operation."
"And what happens, Your Excellency, if you succeed?"
Napoleon's lips curled into a smile. "You'll see."
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