After my coronation, the week passed quickly, and everything was turned upside down. Various nobles from all around France wanted to visit me, and I received countless letters from colonial nobility and other sovereign rulers. Innumerable meetings with multiple ambassadors took place day in and day out, and I barely had time for myself.
But now comes the first hurdle in my rule...
As I entered the Council Room, I was greeted by a sea of nobles.
"Presenting By the Grace of God, Most Christian King of France and Navarre, Count of Provence, Forcalquier and the lands adjacent, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois, Louis XVI"
As the announcer spoke to the gathered crowd, they bowed to me as I made my way to the end of the table, where a cushioned red chair was awaiting me.
I sat down and tried to ignore the stares I got from everybody. I don't even remember the last time I felt this kind of pressure, to the point that I ended up gazing at the paintings or chandeliers hanging from the ceiling instead. But alas, I can't do that as the King. I had to start the meeting. I was preparing for this with Maupeou and my soon-to-be First Minister of the State, Jean Frédéric Phélypeaux.
"By the will of God, I, proclaim this council assembled and started."
With my words spoken, ministers like René de Maupeou, Abbot Terray, Duc d'Aiguillon, and others of importance took their seats at the sides of the table, while others sat around us or left standing.
"Firstly, as the King of France and Navarre, I declare the stepping down of the Chief Minister of France, René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou
Controller-General of Finances Joseph Marie Terray
Minister of Foreign Affairs Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke of Aiguillon
Secretary of State of War Louis François, marquis de Monteynard
Secretary of State for the Navy Pierre-Etienne Bourgeois de Boynes
Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes
For your exemplary duty and the honor you've brought to France, you will be dismissed with all honors. Each one of you will receive a reward of 150,000 livres (approx. 1 026 649Euros) and you are granted a 70000(approx. 482554 Euros) livres yearly pension.
You all have 2 months to finish your work and relinquish your posts to your replacements. As such, I grant a Royal pardon to Jean Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas, and recall him from his exile, granting him the title of First Minister of France.
For the other roles, I call upon the following:
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot as the Controller-General of Finances
Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Charles Pierre Claret, comte de Fleurieu, as Secretary of State for the Navy
Louis Nicolas Victor de Félix d'Ollières as Secretary of State of War
Antoine-Jean Amelot de Chaillou as Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi
The other advisors and chancellors are, for now, the same.
Now then, sir Maupeou, what is our current situation?"
"Your Majesty, if I may be frank, France is, in a word, unbalanced.
The War of the Polish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession, and the recent Seven Year War took a toll on our finances, coupled with a couple of past disastrous years. Hailstorms, droughts, and early frosts have devastated crops, thus even our agricultural sector isn't doing quite well, further worsening our financial situation.
While the parlaments were dissolved by me, but their repeated rebelling against the crown cost us much. Only recently did we managed to push some needed reforms, but I estimate it will still take a couple of years till they will have a visible impact."
I just nodded.
At first I wanted Moupeou to openly say that we are balancing on the fine line of bankruptcy, but he and Phélypeaux protested saying that if word gets out then we will face rebellions left and right maybe even a civil war, because the crown will lose their prestige and power and the nobles will definitely try to take advantage of the situation and put themselves or orleans into power. After some thinking, I remembered that after the convocation of the Estates General in May 1789, its first meeting since 1614. The representatives of the Third Estate broke away, and then we all know what happened later...The Storming of the Bastille, the abolition of feudalism, state control over the Catholic Church, and a declaration of rights. Then Louis XVI tried to escape and was caught, the monarchy was replaced by the French First Republic, and lastly, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed.
"We will stay the course then, Sir Terray, for the upcoming month, I wish for you to closely work with the next Controller-General of Finances."
"It will be done, Your Majesty."
"Then we will move to the next topic, how are our diplomatic relations with the wider world?"
At my words, Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke of Aiguillon, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, stood up.
"Your Majesty and all the gathered gentlemen, The bourbons in Spain refirmed their family compact so our alliance stand strong, though they are more occupaied with their colonial holdings rather than their European affairs, while his Majesty's marriage to Her Majesty Marie Antoinette lend us an alliance with our once rival Austria and after a coup by Gustav III we have an ally in Sweden, thus we politaclly isolated Prussia and Russia watches the Ottoman Empire with greedy eyes. Our relations with Britain, that perennial rival, remain strained, yet just like Spain, they are currently occupied by their colonies, and I have whispers that the American colonies grow restless under taxation. Trade disputes, legislative friction, and cries of liberty stir in the New World. Should conflict erupt, Your Majesty might find a chance to humble the English."
Those words got my attention as I always thought that the American Revolution started on December 16, 1773, when Sons of Liberty activists wearing costumes of Native Americans instigated the Boston Tea Party, during which they boarded and dumped chests of tea owned by the British East India Company into Boston Harbor. But it's quite logical that just as the French Revolution, the American Revolution started earlier with some smaller protests, but then escalated further, yet I wonder, maybe I can make the Americas revolt earlier?
"I do not propose action."
Aiguillon said smoothly, looking directly at me with a small smile.
"Merely observation—and readiness. We must be cautious, yet aware. For now, our allies must be secured, our posture dignified."
"Would Spain help us?"
One of the gathered nobles asked.
"As I mentioned, the House of Bourbon rules in Madrid, and family compacts endure. Yet they grow anxious. Charles III watches us. His ministers are wary of being drawn into another ruinous war."
"If Britain moved against her colonies, would they support us?"
I now ask as having the flotilla of Spain, while humbled by the British, combined with our Navy I think we could atleast contest agains them, actually now that I think about it hasn't Étienne-François de Choiseul the former minister of foreign affaris, war and navy tried to egg Spain to attack Britain or maybe I'm misremembering something?
"I have no answer, Your Majesty, yet I think if we moved first, no. But if we are patient—if the English overreach—we may find Spain eager to balance the scales."
Aiguillon inclined his head.
Well, that's reassuring. While I don't want war yet, I have to keep in mind the golden rule by which all Kings and dictators live by: "If you feel that your regime is failing, go to war to occupy people's minds with other things."
"What about the Italian states?"
I asked, as I knew nothing about Italy in this era, I know that Napoleon fought with some Italian states and Austria here, but I know nothing about the political situation of the Italian peninsula.
Aiguillon gave a thoughtful look and then continued.
"The Italian states remain fractured and irrelevant—for now, while it would be useful to have an Italian ally, but first we must rebuild not only armies and fleets, but our reputation. The key lies in showing firmness without rashness—generosity without weakness."
That was interesting to hear, so basically our situation is give more and taken even more, though it reminded me of a quote I heard, yet I don't know to whom it is credited.
"We shall not be provoked. But neither shall we be dismissed."
"Wise words, Your Majesty."
Aiguillon said, and I was a bit embarrassed that I spoke my thoughts openly. To hide my embarrassment further, I looked at Marquis de Monteynard, Secretary of State of War. His coat, rich with braid and insignia, bore the dignity of a soldier, but not the illusion of glory. France's army had bled too freely under Louis XV in the various wars of succession and in the Seven Years' War.
"Let us hear of the army."
I said, and Monteynard nodded as he stood up.
"If I may be honest, Your Majesty. Our army is alive, but broken. Beaten in the fields of Rossbach, Minden, and Quebec. Humiliated by England, stalled by Prussia, and drained of men and morale. The peace has offered us time, but not restoration."
He paused, laying a thick dossier upon the table, its spine cracked from use.
"As of this month, the French army counts roughly 180,000 men under arms. That number is deceiving. Many are under-equipped, under-trained, or drawn from rural levies without discipline or loyalty."
I furrowed my brow at the Secretary of War's words.
If the army was in an abysmal state, then how did the Revolutionaries managed to defend France against the early Coalition?
The only answer is that the early Coalition was akin to White Russia during Russia's Revoliution, where various White Russian generals were disorganized, without centralized leadership and self-serving aswell, while the Reds were highly motivated and centralized even if they didnb't have the equipment or the war experiance the Whites had, so maybe it was much the same during the revolution were England, Prussia and others acted on their own without cooridinating with eachother only to be met with zealous French ready to defend their Republic.
"Is the army capable of defending the realm?"
I gazed at Monteynard.
"It is capable of holding borders and deterring minor threats. But it is not prepared for a major war—not against England, nor Prussia, nor any coalition they may form. Not yet."
I interlocked my hands as I gazed down at them.
"What is needed?" Louis asked simply.
"To simply put, your majesty. Discipline. Reform. Coin."
Monteynard lifted a finger with each point.
A few of the other ministers stirred at the final word.
Monteynard pressed on. "Discipline must be enforced at every level. Drills, inspections, officer accountability. We should toughen the penalty for the officers for mishandling the troops."
I nodded. Basically, we had to put a tighter leash on the officers. At the same time, I would want to abolish the buying of ranks in the army by the nobles, as this is more dangerous than lazy officers, but I will take what I get. Still, I will definitely push for more radical reforms once my position stabilizes. I just can't let people like Napoleon, Louis-Nicolas d'Avout, Michel Ney, and others to be cast away only because they were from small noble families or had commoner origins.
"And coin?"
I asked, already suspecting the answer.
"Even muskets cost money, Your Majesty. Powder, uniforms, horses, cannons—more still if we are to modernize fortresses or raise new regiments. I do not ask for extravagance. I ask for readiness."
I glanced sideways at Terray, who said nothing but tapped his inkwell absently. The finances were already stretched to breaking. Yet what was the use of a state if it could not defend itself?
"Begin the reforms, where you can, promote by merit. Enforce discipline. Improve what we have and keep me informed of what more is needed."
"Your Majesty. I will see to it that our army becomes invincible again."
I then leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. That was three ministries now. Three portraits of a kingdom in repair, and three weights added to my shoulders. I wondered if Louis XV had ever truly listened in these councils, or if he had grown deaf to them as his reign went by.
My eyes now turned to the final man at the table
Pierre-Étienne Bourgeois de Boynes, Secretary of State for the Navy.
Boynes, a rotund and meticulous figure in sapphire blue, adjusted his cuffs and stood. His face was framed by a powdered wig and punctuated by a small mole at his chin. Of all the ministers, he seemed least troubled.
"Let us hear of the navy."
I said as I inclined my head to him
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He bowed to me.
"The Royal Navy, once the pride of Richelieu's ambition and Colbert's discipline, still floats, while the wars have halved our number, yet we are still considered to boast one of the strongest navies."
I give a quick sigh of relief; at least something is going my way. While I know that England and Spain reign supreme, I hope that we could at least defend our shores.
"Your Majesty, "we now possess forty-three ships of the line. Of these, no more than twenty-eight are seaworthy. Our dry docks at Toulon, Brest, and Rochefort limp along with antiquated equipment. Sailcloth, rope, and gunpowder are rationed, and we are under sortage of officers. Yet we are rebuilding."
He then eyed me and, with a wave of my hand, he continued.
"In the last two years, we have reopened the naval foundries at Indret and Le Havre. We are modernizing hull designs based on the innovations of our new friends in Sweden and our familial ally, Spain. I'm gathering funds for opening a maritime school in Le Havre, intended for the training of officers and companies of marine guards, but we lack funding. Maupeou and Terray do what they can, but a fleet cannot be built on promises. We need sustained investment—over years, not months."
I glanced again at the current Controller-General of Finances, Joseph Marie Terray. It always came to this coin, coin, and more coin. The economy needs coin, banks need coin, the army needs coin, and now the navy needs coin as well.
"And what is the situation of our colonies?"
I asked, as the Secretary of State for the Navy also has to oversee the colonies.
Boynes called for one of his servants, who brought a giant map of the world and laid it on the table, and then his gaze dropped momentarily to the map.
"Saint-Domingue still yields more sugar than any island in the Caribbean. Martinique and Guadeloupe remain profitable. We have trading posts on the African coast and the skeleton of an Indian presence. But the shadow of Britain lies over them all. Without a navy to guard them, they are exposed to privateers, rebellion, and commerce strangled by English tariffs."
"And Canada?"
I asked because I remember that the French had colonies, but after the Seven Years War, I'm not sure if they lost all of their holdings in North America or just some.
"Gone with honor, but gone. The English flag flies over Quebec. It is not recoverable—at least not by diplomacy."
I fell silent. I really hoped that we had some colonies left, because of the oil, the gold, and all those furs.
But wait, didn't Napoleon sell Louisiana to the US?
"What of Louisiana?"
I asked.
"Your majesty, Louisiana was ceded to Spain in 1762. We could try to diplomatically ask for Spain to return it, but we will not be able to secure it properly, and the British could take this as a sign of aggression. The world is large, Your Majesty. If we cannot retake what is lost, we may still shape what is to come. The Americas ferment with unrest. The Indies remain contested. Spain, too, must watch her colonies. If we prepare, if we rebuild, the wind may shift in our favor."
I absorbed the words of Boynes. My thoughts drifted to a conversation with Marie Antoinette weeks earlier, when both of us talked about France and how she sees it, and what she said was that France now doesn't look or sound anything like all those courtiers spoke of it; today, France was bland and not colorful like it was spoken of.
While Marie, just like myself, was politically green, judging by how all her attempts to ingrain Austrian influence in the French court failed, she still had the education needed, and, unlike popular belief, she was kinda smart, and her social skills were unmatched.
I sighted...
It seems my kingship will be marked by rebuilding and then rebuilding some more.
It feels that instead of fixing the house and doing some maintenance on it, I will be building a new house instead.
Continue your work. I will find means to support it. Let it be known that the navy shall not be forgotten in this reign."
Boynes bowed low and sat down.
A quiet fell over the room again. All the reports had been given. The future had been painted in lines of caution and need—debt, decay, delay. But under each voice had stirred the same current: potential. If France was battered, she was not broken. If her enemies jeered, they also feared her return. We had the biggest agricultural power in Europe, while our armies were battered, we still could raise a lot of levies in quick time, while we lost a lot of colonies, which made us more concentrated, our power denser and not spread thin.
I straightened myself as I overlooked all of the nobles gathered here.
"I have heard your counsel. France has endured humiliation, but not extinction. We are not a relic to be pitied, but a kingdom to be restored. Finish the work you have left, impart your successes with all the knowledge you have, hide nothing. Sers, Pierre-Étienne Bourgeois de Boynes and Marquis de Monteynard, I want the paperwork of the expenses of the Navy and Army, and also how much more money you need. I will read them myself."
I smiled as there was a flicker of surprise on some faces. After all, kings rarely concerned themselves with paperwork. But I was not the late Louis XV. I want to learn, and I want to get a better idea of the situation. In the future, I will also receive a monthly report from each of my ministries. This council will meet again, and regularly. Not for pomp—but for progress."
I rose. The rest stood with me, chairs scraping gently on the marble floor. Maupeou gave a low nod of approval. Monteynard looked pleased. Aiguillon's expression remained unreadable. Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, silent throughout, now offered a rare, warm smile.
As I stepped out with a bitter smile, the Bourbon crown was heavy, but I would try my hardest to prevail or die trying.
I walked through the corridors of Versailles. It was already evening when the council ended, the salons and corridors of the palace hummed with distant chatter as I made my way to the King's private study, to my private study.
I sat alone, candlelight flickering over the polished surface of my desk. Before me lay a couple of books and scattered papers, the books where historical ones as I find interesting to compere how they saw Roman Empire or the Frankish empire from me a modern man, while the papers where the ones I asked of Terray about last years expenses and income and others were papers from Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes as I asked him to give me account of all the gardens, houses and other structers we had as well how much staff we had along the expenses of maintaing the Versailles over the year. I read the notes slowly, thoughtfully, contemplating what could be done to increase our finances while lowering expenses.
Then I looked at the paperwork from the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi and frowned. Some buildings were unused, and others served no purpose. I will have them either demolished or abandoned to save every penny, because God knows it as well as I do, I will need every penny.
The kingdom was not so much poised as suspended on the edge of a future it was not ready for, and the future I feared. The debt alone was suffocating. The army, though proud, was frayed. The navy is scattered. And the colonies... vulnerable jewels across a dangerous sea dominated by the Brits.
Louis XV was lucky that he left this world as he did and left me with the weight of the crown.
I leaned back in my chair, eyes searching the painted ceiling. What kind of king must I be?
Not a warrior, at least not yet.
Not a philosopher, even if I admired Marcus Aurelius.
Not a sun, like Louis XIV, nor a shadow like Louis XV.
I let out a silent laugh.
When I was young, I imagined myself leading armies, crushing my enemies, and other stuff that a young teenager would imagine.
And I always wanted a title like the kings of old: "The Sun King", "Black Prince", "The Lionheart", "The Pious", "Philosopher Emperor", "The Restorer of the World", "Bulgar Slayer", "Soldier King", " The Great".
How cool would it be to be remembered as the King of the Sun or the King of the soldiers?
Yet it seems I will either be remembered as "The Builder" or as "The Last King"
I can even imagine what conversations will be around me?
So what did Louis XVI do? Um...Well, he built stuff
Or
So what did Louis XVI do? Well, he failed a lot of reforms and died at the hands of Revolutionaries.
Well, no matter if I must become The Builder, I will be it. Quietly, steadily. Brick by brick.
I looked at the time; the sun had already set, bringing the night in, covering Versailles in its shadow.
I stood, smoothed my coat, and began walking to my chambers.
There, Marie Antoinette waited for me by the window, her silver-white hair loosely tied, a small book in her lap, which she had not truly read. At my approach, she smiled.
"Well? How did your first council went?"
She asked as I approached her.
"Better than I hoped."
I said gently, kissing her hand.
"The ministers spoke plainly, and I listened."
She arched a brow at my words.
"Is France as grand as they say? The envy of Europe?"
I hesitated—but only for a moment.
"France has what others envy. Her land, her people, her spirit. The kingdom needs time, that is all. And good counsel."
I said as I sat next to her.
Marie laughed lightly and leaned into me.
"And it has you now, Louis. You will be good for it."
I wrapped an arm around her and looked out into the night. The stars above Versailles were faint, but steady. I did not tell her of the debt. I did not speak of the rotting ships in Brest, nor the army, nor the British ships that circled like wolves off the colonial coasts.
No. I gave her hope. Because she deserved it. Because she believed in me.
And because, in truth, I had no intention of failing, for me it's either do or die, and everything starts now.
A/N: Guess who's back? Back again, Roasin is back. Tell a friend.
In all seriuosness y'all should thank frosty the doggy on our DC server that he spams "New chap when you smuck?" and while I really wanted to upload this erlier IRL things happened, me and my friends went to a lakehouse for a week and then I had to recover for 2 days after that, then my friend's wedding happend nad i was the Bestman so I organazied the bachelor party aswell as the wedding and let me tell you I fucking hate organizing, like for the whole week I was like a teenage instagram star cheking my phone every 10seconds, like seriuosly I had to DRIVE to one blokes HOUSE just so he could tell me if he will be in the party or not (He said yes and then he ghosted me again for a week just for em to learn that he went to fcking Cyprus)
But I have great news, I managed to talk to a real writer, not an e-writer like me, but she literally publishes her stories on paper, so I asked her for writing advice, and honestly, for feeling burned out, and her advice was:
If you don't feel like writing, reread what you have written and then editi it and keep the burnout away just write a different story or a side story to your main story as writing different things actually helps jumping ideas around couse you can get inspired by a thing you wrote for another book and incoporate it in onother book, basically your copying yourself. So I thought about it and ama write a fanfic in either Nier, Haikyuu, Girl's Frontline, Nikke, or my latest craze, Umamusume(like seriously because of that damn game I called my uncle and begged him to let me ride one of his horses)
As always join DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz