Chapter 369: The Rebellion Against Heaven
Outside the Southern Netherlands Parliament Building
When King Charles II saw the Marquis of Wellesley, he was overjoyed, assuming that the British diplomat had brought news of London's decision to send reinforcements to Brussels. His eyes almost welled up with tears of relief. However, the Foreign Minister quickly dashed his hopes.
"Your Grace, personally, I fully support sending immediate reinforcements to you. However... I must be honest. The East India Company is facing some significant troubles in the Far East, and the Empire's main focus must be there for now. Perhaps at the beginning of next year, you may see reinforcements sent by Parliament. Of course, Parliament will certainly support you with military funding and weapons."
Not only did King Charles II feel disappointed, but even the Speaker of the Southern Netherlands Parliament, Vandernoot, grew anxious.
"My Lord Marquis, you must already understand the situation in Brussels. If we don't defeat the French quickly, once Austria redirects its forces here, it will be very difficult to hold Brussels, and the revolution will likely fail..."
The Marquis of Wellesley glanced at him coldly, his voice tinged with ice.
"Personally, I don't particularly support your revolution. However, for now, we have a common enemy to deal with. Oh, but should we continue discussing matters out here in the square?"
"No, no, we've prepared a grand feast for you," Vandernoot hurriedly motioned toward the parliament building. "Please, come inside."
Inside the banquet hall, the Marquis of Wellesley surveyed the long dining table, where dejected officers sat on either side, before turning to King Charles II.
"Your Grace, are you saying that the French have only 14,000 troops, yet you need to appeal to Parliament for help?"
Before Charles II could respond, the Dutch commander, General Bronckhorst, jumped in.
"My Lord Marquis, you may not realize it, but the French are equipped with an extraordinarily powerful firearm, and their cannons seem to appear out of nowhere, posing a severe threat to our forces."
The Foreign Minister scoffed, shaking his head. To him, this seemed like nothing more than an excuse for Dutch incompetence.
Annoyed, he tapped his spoon on the table, frustrated that he had come to Brussels hoping to find a military advantage to use as a bargaining chip, only to find a group of people expecting him to convince Parliament to clean up their mess.
Suddenly, Vandernoot, full of indignation, clenched his fist and declared, "We should ignite a revolution among the French people themselves and overthrow that tyrant!"
The newly appointed commander of the National Guard, General Ortelius, immediately agreed.
"Yes! We have many revolutionaries in Lille, Artois, and other regions. We can have them lead the French people in a revolution, to fight for their freedom and rights..."
Their passionate outbursts caught the Marquis of Wellesley's attention. He turned to Vandernoot and asked quietly, "Are you saying there are Southern Netherlands revolutionaries inside France?"
"Indeed," Vandernoot nodded. "Many of our revolutionaries fled to northern France to escape Austrian persecution. Over the years, we've established quite a few footholds there and have good relations with the local liberals."
The Marquis of Wellesley's eyes lit up.
"How many people can you mobilize within the next two weeks to stir up... call for revolution in France? And how many could join the cause?"
Vandernoot responded immediately, "We currently have over 40 people scattered across France, and if needed, we can quickly mobilize 200 more revolutionaries to head to France."
Historically, the Southern Netherlands revolution was strongly supported by the French Revolution, and there was close contact between the two. The Southern Netherlanders often received "sponsorship" from French nobles sympathetic to their cause, so many of them were stationed in France.
After some thought, Vandernoot hesitated.
"But the revolutionary momentum in France has slowed in the past two years... Many who once supported the revolution have turned into supporters of the tyrant. Especially among the French peasants and townspeople, who, after receiving some benefits from the tyrant, have become content with their current situation. So now may not be the best time to help start a revolution in France."
The Marquis of Wellesley first glared at him impatiently, clearly displeased.
"Is 'tyrant' the only word in your limited vocabulary to describe a king? Even if we dislike Louis XVI, we must still show him basic respect."
"Uh..." Vandernoot suddenly realized that the countries he relied on were all monarchies, and he nodded awkwardly. "Yes, yes, I apologize."
The Marquis of Wellesley then narrowed his eyes, tapping his spoon against the plate as he spoke in a low voice.
"In fact, France is currently sitting on a powder keg. If your people can make good use of this opportunity, they just might be able to spark a storm in France!"
The Hanoverian governor and the Dutch commander next to him looked at him in surprise.
The Marquis of Wellesley's tone carried a hint of satisfaction.
"You must have heard that the French government plans to abolish the traditional rents that peasants pay to landlords, but they have yet to announce how they will allow peasants to purchase land."
Charles II instinctively asked, "And so?"
"This is the perfect opportunity to plunge France into chaos!"
The others exchanged puzzled glances, clearly not understanding what the British Foreign Minister was getting at.
Seeing their confusion, the Marquis of Wellesley sighed in exasperation.
"Think about it—why hasn't France announced the land purchase plan yet? Because it's impossible to reach an agreement between the two sides involved—nobles and peasants.
"The nobles want the peasants to pay enough to maintain their luxurious lifestyles for generations, while the peasants want to get the land without paying a single penny. They are so determined on this issue that they would gladly see the other side hanged!"
Indeed, Wellesley had a keen strategic mind, immediately recognizing the core of the problem.
Historically, the French Revolution's first government, the Feuillants, also known as the Constitutional Monarchists, was overthrown because they created a land redemption policy that favored the nobility. They demanded that peasants buy out feudal rents and pay prices equivalent to 30 years of land income, sparking dissatisfaction among the peasantry and ultimately leading to the fall of the Feuillants.
The Girondins, who followed, abolished all feudal rents but recognized the rents on lands not granted by the king. This still didn't satisfy the peasants because much of the land had been bought cheaply by nobles or capitalists, and now the peasants were expected to pay a high redemption price for it.
The Jacobins, led by Robespierre, rose to power by calling for the burning of all noble land contracts and selling the land cheaply to the peasants, finally resolving the land issue in France.
However, the Jacobins succeeded only after most of the nobility had been executed. They essentially used the nobles' wealth to satisfy the peasants' demands.
But in the current France, the nobility was still very powerful.
(End of Chapter)
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