Fox of France

Simeone opened the suitcase he was carrying in his hand. Well, this suitcase was actually produced by Chris. It was made of the best crocodile leather, and it was equipped with a kind of leather that was said to be invented by King Louis XVI. A password lock that cannot be opened except for violent demolition. Well, also because of this lock, this small travel suitcase is extremely expensive. Of course, no matter what is in the Chris (Chris) series, there is nothing cheap. And the most important reason why many people are rushing to the Chris (Chris) series is because it is expensive enough. So that you can easily distinguish yourself from those poor ghosts while holding it. Of course, those who bought it would never admit this, declaring that they bought these expensive gadgets mainly because it was "very special and very classy".

Moreover, this suitcase is a newly released limited edition this year. Considering that the UK has been in a state of blockade, this suitcase must have entered the UK through expensive smuggling methods and fell into the hands of Simeone. Obviously, even though most people in the whole of the UK are already struggling with starvation and death, other Britons still have the money to enjoy "unique and unparalleled taste".

But now, no one cares about this suitcase. It is completely normal for the foreign secretary to use this suitcase, and for good reason, because this suitcase has the most secure lock, which can ensure that confidential documents will not be stolen by others. peep.

Simeone put the suitcase on the table, turned the combination lock, and the lock popped open with a "click". Simeone opened the suitcase, took out the thick documents inside, and handed it to the crown prince standing by the table.

"As His Royal Highness and the Prime Minister expected, because they have an advantage on the battlefield, the French are more greedy than before," Simeone said. Although in fact, the French behaved more "reasonable" than they imagined, and did not take advantage of the danger to make more unacceptable demands. But Simeone wouldn't say that. If he said that, how would it reflect his key role in the negotiation?

"They even demanded the military occupation of England, in addition to the original demands, and demanded that we cede Dover to France," Simeone continued.

In fact, the French did not intend to engage in military occupation in Britain. It costs a lot of money to do so, and it is easy to fall into the vast ocean of people's war. In addition, being an occupying army in a foreign country, especially an occupying army that will encounter resistance from the locals, is actually quite harmful to the military discipline and combat effectiveness of the army.

Of course, Simeone's words were not completely made up. The French did make some demands on Dover.

The coast of England towards France is dominated by cliffs, and there are not many places suitable for landing, and of course there are not many places with ports. Dover is a rare port on the west coast of the English Channel. It is also one of the few places where large troops can quickly land on the British Isle.

Thinking so, the British have always been very careful about the defense here. Here they built complex and fortified defenses. This system consisting of minelayers and cruisers at sea, as well as forts, trenches, and tunnels on the road is very strong. The turret here is equipped with eight 305mm cannons, which are the same type of artillery as the British battleships. But compared to the artillery on the battleship, they are much more terrifying. They are erected on solid, unshakable ground, so their shooting accuracy is by no means comparable to that of cannons on swaying warships. On the warship, even at a distance of about two thousand meters, everyone's hit rate is extremely low. But on the fort, this guy has a pretty high hit rate even for targets five or six kilometers away.

And these cannons are better protected. On the battleship, the British also prepared steel turrets to protect it. But the thickness of the turret is limited, too heavy for the ship to bear. Moreover, if the enemy wants to destroy this cannon, it does not necessarily need to directly hit the cannon itself, and the same is true for hitting a warship. And hitting a warship is much easier than hitting a cannon.

But these cannons on the Battery of Dover were different. The earth is not like a warship, which cannot be sunk by any shell. Moreover, the earth has a carrying capacity unmatched by warships, and can almost infinitely increase the thickness of the turret shell that protects the cannon. For example, the concrete roofs on the cannons of the Dover Fort are several meters thick.

There are eight main guns, and there are more than one hundred other artillery pieces in the entire fort, plus tens of thousands of defenders, it is really indestructible. It is said that Napoleon's generals, after conducting serious research on the Dover Fort and conducting exercises on the map, came to the conclusion that if they really wanted to attack here, they might have to fill in the entire French navy. And after the French Navy won the "Battle of the North Sea Strait", Napoleon was even more certain that it was not necessarily enough to fill in the entire French Navy, but it was certainly not enough to fill them all in.

Therefore, one of the demands made by the French is to dismantle Dover's defense facilities. In order to ensure that Dover's defense facilities will be truly dismantled and not rebuilt, the French will set up an office in Dover. In the office, some personnel are stationed to take charge of these matters. But this is not a garrison, and the French certainly did not ask Britain to cede Dover. Even if the British agreed to such a request, the benefits to France would be limited, and it would easily arouse widespread resentment.

However, with the habits and political level of the British, if they are the victors, they will really make such a request. Therefore, they also believe that the French will really make such a request. In general, a person is in the habit of inferring others from himself. For example, those who engage in genocide against aboriginal minorities in China always like to accuse them of genocide; those who like to interfere in their internal affairs always like to say that they interfere in their elections; People engage in forced labor. In short, I am a genocidal gang against human slavery, and I like to accuse others of being a genocidal gang against human slavery.

"This... this request is really unacceptable...but." The crown prince sighed.

"However, Your Highness, you know that French Foreign Minister Talleyrand is a very greedy person. He made these requests, but at the same time he also hinted to me that there is room for discussion on many things."

Indeed, Talleyrand's greed was known to everyone in Europe. Taking advantage of diplomatic opportunities to make money is also Talleyrand's basic operation. However, the matters involved this time are so important. Of course, what is more important is that Talleyrand has already got a greater opportunity to make a fortune, but it is not yet determined how much of this opportunity he can take. For this reason, he needs to show a good performance. At this time, he can't lose the big for that little money.

But Talleyrand gave up this opportunity to make money, which does not mean that Simeone will give up this opportunity. Anyway, this kind of money will definitely not go to the account, and there is no way to check it, and it is definitely impossible for Talleyrand to give a receipt, so who knows who took the money?

"Well, how did the discussion go then?" asked the Earl of Liverpool.

"Talleyrand made a certain concession. He gave up the military occupation and the cession of Dover. He said that he could persuade the First Consul to give up these two demands on the grounds that it would cost too much. Of course, he was the only one. , is not enough to convince the First Consul. So he still needs help from more people. And this needs money... In addition, he said that even if he is willing to work hard for it, the dismantling of Dover's defense facilities will not be tolerated Negotiated. In addition, they need to set up an agency in Dover to oversee the dismantling of the defenses and ensure that they will not be rebuilt. Of course, this agency can be under another name and will not wear military uniform. His Royal Highness, Prime Minister Your Excellency, I have tried my best, but I have only achieved this result."

"My friend, this is already very good. You have handled it very well, very well." The Earl of Liverpool said, "Besides these, do the French have any other requirements?"

"It's basically the same as last time's 21. I tried my best to convince Minister Talleyrand that treating the UK too harshly is not conducive to turning an enemy into a friend. So he reluctantly agreed to make a little change, but the change Not much, a lot of textual changes to put less pressure on our government. But on the most critical issues, he didn't budge."

"It's normal, after all, we are a defeated country." The Earl of Liverpool sighed.

"The specific content is in the memo. This is already the limit of what I can do." Simeone said.

So the Earl of Liverpool and the Crown Prince studied the memorandum.

After reading it for a while, the Crown Prince suddenly said, "Mr. Prime Minister, did I read it wrong? Why do I think these terms are really good?"

"Ah, Your Royal Highness, these clauses have only changed in terms of expression, and the substance has not changed much. For example, the two sides have opened up the market on an equal footing. It seems that the French market is completely open to us, but even in the mainland, we It is impossible to compete with French products, so how can it be possible to compete with them in the French market? Therefore, it is meaningless to say that France is also completely open to the market." The Earl of Liverpool explained, "There is also this one, you see , although they are also very equal on the surface, but..."

"So that's how it is!" The Crown Prince exclaimed, "The French are really cunning! But...this expression is really good. I was almost deceived just now, let alone other people?"

"Basically, it's still the 21. It's a pity that I'm incompetent and can't get better conditions for the United Kingdom." Simeone said again.

"No, my friend, you have done well enough. Even better than we expected." The Earl of Liverpool said, "We thought that the conditions of the French would be much harsher than this. As for what you said There is no substantive difference between the new memorandum and the previous 21. In fact, it is already very remarkable to be able to achieve this. After all, what is lost on the battlefield cannot be completely found at the negotiating table. back."

After saying this, the Earl of Liverpool sighed again.

"So, His Royal Highness, Your Excellency Prime Minister, can we sign a formal peace agreement based on this memorandum?" Simeone asked again.

"Yes, and the sooner the better." The Earl of Liverpool said, "The news of the military failure can no longer be suppressed. We have just sent Lord George Kirkburn to the military court. We hope to use this matter to divert our attention. Well, can France quickly sign a peace agreement with us in accordance with this memorandum?"

"Minister Talleyrand also hopes to achieve peace as soon as possible, but to speed up the negotiations, we must first complete the agreement with Minister Talleyrand." Simeone replied.

"How much does he want?" asked the Dauphin.

Simeone's heart was pounding. He knew that because of Talleyrand's reputation, before this departure, the country had even prepared a special sum of money to buy Talleyrand. He calculated the figure for that amount of money, and then said a figure that was slightly more than that amount.

"One and two million pounds. It must be all gold coins, not banknotes," Simeone said.

"Well, this is a little more than we prepared, but if we can really sign a peace agreement according to this memorandum, it will be worth it." The Earl of Liverpool said.

"For the poor ones, let's find a way. We will prepare the money tomorrow morning. Then..." the crown prince said.

"We then transferred the money to the account designated by Minister Talleyrand," Simeone said.

"My friend..." the Earl of Liverpool began again suddenly. His expression was a little weird, and his words were a little hesitant, "Well, my friend, you know, no matter how you try to hide it, this agreement is an unequal agreement, and you will be scolded if you sign such an agreement." Yes. Sometimes... I mean, you have done a great job of being able to sign such an agreement, but...but not everyone knows our difficulties. So once this agreement is signed, it must be... So, ah , my friend, do you understand what I mean?"

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I understand!" Simeone showed a sad expression.

The prime minister's meaning is actually not difficult to understand, that is, to sign a traitorous treaty, someone has to take the blame. Now this dark and big pot can only be carried by Simeone. As the saying goes, the great chivalrous man is responsible for the country. Simeone doesn't carry this pot. Could it be that the prime minister and the crown prince will carry it? That is to say, after signing this treaty, Simeone must take the blame and resign because of "diplomatic disadvantages".

"Of course, we will not treat you badly, and we will never treat any friend badly. Well, tomorrow we will give you 1.3 million pounds, and the extra 100,000 pounds will be our compensation for your sacrifice. "