Chapter 852 France's counterattack
When Joseph got off the carriage, a group of royal members or diplomats from the Italian state came up diligently, but they just respectfully separated the sides of the road, full of expectations Waiting for him to come.
Obviously, they learned from their respective channels that the French prince would probably come to the Duille Palace today, so they waited here early in the morning.
Now France is the "talent" of Northern Italy, and this summit is likely to determine the future prosperity and frenzy of the states of Northern Italy.
If you can learn some important information from the French prince before the summit begins, no, even if you just talk to him and get familiar with him, you may bring unexpected benefits to the country. .
However, at this moment, a teenager in his teenager walked out from the stone pillar in front of the gate of the Duille Palace with several accompanying officials.
Joseph's eyes swept through the others and finally fell on him.
The boy was the eldest son of Carlos IV, the Crown Prince of Spain, Ferdinando, who will be Ferdinando VII in the future. The one behind him is the Earl of Florida Blanca, the chief minister of Spain.
"It's honor to see you here, dear Prince, Your Highness." Ferdinando bowed first and said in a childish voice, "Your glorious record has spread throughout Spain. . His father would mention you every day, saying that you are his closest and most respected friend. "
Joseph also smiled and returned the favor to him.
After the two of them said a few polite words, the boy quietly retreated aside, while the Earl of Florida Blanca, who was originally following him, came to Joseph's side.
"Your Majesty asked me to convey his congratulations to France's great victory on his behalf." The Chief Minister of Spain bowed, "Look, this war broke out too suddenly. His Majesty the King ordered the delegation from the very beginning The army reinforces our strongest allies, but the army has not yet completed its assembly until recently. "The Marquis of La Romana is currently on standby in Port Valencia, and can go to Italy to assist you in the battle. "
Joseph just smiled indifferently when he heard this.
It is obvious that Spain has very disagreement on whether to get involved in ground war. Until France has shown a trend of winning, they Only then can you dare to join the army with confidence.
If Napoleon had just crossed the Alps and had received these 50,000 reinforcements, it would have really affected the direction of the war.
But at this time, letting Spain send troops to Northern Italy is of no use except giving them the opportunity to interfere in Italy's political situation.
And Joseph knew very well how combat effectiveness of the Spanish Army was, and that was definitely the lowest among European powers.
He looked at the Earl of Florida and said, "Thank you very much for your strong support to France.
"But I suggest that the army of the Marquis of La Romana should be in advance. Cáceres assembled.
"The British army lost a large amount of troops in the German region, and even their Duke of York was almost captured by Lieutenant Colonel St. Ellaer. Now, it is a good opportunity for your country to regain their homeland in Portugal."
His The voice was full of temptation: "Our two countries can join forces to even recover Gibraltar."
Earl of Florida Blanca's pupils suddenly shrank.
He had heard His Majesty the King mention the plan to "join France to recover the entire Iberian Peninsula", but in his opinion, that would be at least ten years later.
But the French prince suddenly proposed to send troops to Portugal together!
This is not something he can decide immediately.
He nodded awkwardly: "It is indeed an opportunity as you said. I will report this to Your Majesty as soon as possible." Joseph continued to give him a "heart-willing shot": "Waiting for the Rhine River When the battle is over, I will send troops to help you immediately."
Of course, Joseph did not intend to invest too much troops in the Portuguese battlefield. After defeating the anti-French alliance, France needs to rest for a while. The main force in attacking Portugal must be the Spanish army.
After Portugal was attacked, Britain would definitely not be able to stand by - Spain's national strength is much stronger than Portugal, and with some French troops, if the British did not help, Portugal would be really Drive out of the Iberian Peninsula.
Portugal is the most important supply point and forward base for the British Navy on the Atlantic Ocean. Losing Portugal means that Britain will lose nearly half of its control over European waters.
So, when Spain declares war on Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula will become the "blood loss point" of Britain.
The British had to continuously invest military and logistics supplies into Portugal, so they could never rest.
France only needs to increase its aid slightly when Spain is about to endure it - France and Spain are bordering, and the cost is much lower than that of Britain, whether it is investing troops or replenishing supplies.
At that time, if Spain can really defeat Portugal, Britain's influence in Europe will be greatly reduced. At the same time, Gibraltar becomes an enclave without support and will be taken back by Spain at any time.
This is the result that France hopes for the most.
Even if Spain never defeated Portugal, this is also a situation that France is happy to see.
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France ended the war and developed with peace of mind, while Britain continued to consume it in Portugal.
It is not realistic to say that it can drag down the British finances, but at least it can make the UK not have the intention to cause trouble for France.
Moreover, unifying the Iberian Peninsula and regaining Gibraltar has always been the political correctness in Spain, and no one dared to raise objections.
When Joseph and the Spanish Chief Minister walked into the southern palace of the Duille Palace, they had roughly finished their plan to march into Portugal - this was formulated by the General Staff last year.
He looked up at the conference hall of the summit, signaling the Earl of Florida Blanca and the Crown Prince of Spain to sit down in the front chairs, and continued: "By the way, I'm There is also a gift to give to His Majesty Carlos IV. "
The two Spaniards immediately cast an interesting look.
Joseph leaned forward: "I know that the church problem has always plagued Spain and seriously restricted your development. Since His Majesty Carlos III, he has been committed to church reform, but it has achieved little success."
Fogh Count Lorida Blanca nodded slightly immediately.
People often say that France is a "Catholic filial son", but in fact the Holy See no longer has any influence on France. Among European powers, Spain is the one that is most controlled by the Holy See.
Carlos III carried out church reforms, weakening the church's intervention in Spanish politics, but the church still has a huge influence in economy, land, and people's livelihood.
Joseph said: "The reason why the church in your country is difficult to shake is because they are supported by the Roman Catholic Church behind them.
"So, if you want to completely eliminate the disadvantages of the church, you have to fundamentally solve them."
(End of this chapter)