Chapter 646: Trade Conflicts
Kevin flipped through the loss report and suddenly thought of a question:
"You just mentioned that a small town on the outskirts of Namur managed to mobilize more than 50 police officers?"
Captain Pickering nodded.
"Yes, Mr. Kevin. And that day, they kept more than 30 others in the police station as reserves."
"That many?" Kevin was astonished. Even in Britain, police stations in such towns would usually have no more than 20 or 30 officers.
Pickering shrugged.
"That's nothing. Namur itself has over 800 police officers, and Mons has more than 900.
"In Wallonia, police stations also include two other types of personnel: 'auxiliaries' and 'service squads.' We initially thought these were just support staff, but after this operation failed, we discovered that they're functionally identical to regular police officers—just without uniforms."
Indeed, Joseph had equipped Wallonia with more than 6,000 police officers, essentially treating them as a military force to ensure stability and control. However, to avoid alarming Flanders and the Austrian government, he rebranded some of them under different titles, leaving only about 1,300 officially listed as "police."
Kevin quickly asked,
"Then how many police—or police-like personnel—are there in the entire Wallonia region?"
"Over 4,000, I'd estimate," Pickering replied.
Kevin squinted.
"Wallonia's population is less than a million, yet they have so many police officers? Maintaining and training such a force must cost a fortune."
Captain Pickering added,
"And their response time and shooting skills are exceptionally high."
Kevin nodded and ordered,
"Immediately investigate Wallonia's police recruitment, training processes, and funding sources. My instincts tell me there's more to this than meets the eye."
Diplomatic systems and intelligence agencies have always been closely intertwined. Even in the 21st century, embassies worldwide often serve as bases for intelligence operations.
As the assistant to the Foreign Minister, Kevin had the authority to direct certain intelligence personnel.
One Month Later
Potsdam, Prussia
In a room adjacent to the ballroom at Sanssouci Palace, British Foreign Minister Lord Grenville twirled his walking stick and looked at his assistant.
"So, you're saying that the French have spent a significant amount of money training at least 5,000 police officers in Wallonia?"
Kevin nodded.
"Most of them are equipped with flintlock rifles, and they have over 1,000 horses, including 600 mounted officers.
"Twenty percent of their salaries are covered by the Walloon Chamber of Commerce, with the rest directly paid by Paris."
Grenville's sharp mind quickly grasped the implications.
"Why does France have such significant interests in Wallonia to warrant this investment?"
"My investigation indicates that the Walloon Chamber of Commerce and the local council are almost entirely under French control."
"Just give me the conclusion," Grenville said.
Taking a deep breath, Kevin explained,
"Although I lack concrete evidence, it's highly likely that the French Industrial Development Fund has acquired nearly a third of the coal mine shares in Wallonia. The remaining shares are mostly owned by French-controlled companies, even if they're nominally held by local Southern Netherlands mine owners.
"In addition, the ironworks and coal processing plants are likely French investments."
Grenville's eyes gleamed with understanding.
"Is that why the previous plan failed?"
Kevin hastily clarified,
"I'm not trying to make excuses for my failure…"
"No, I'm not blaming you," Grenville interrupted with a sudden smile.
"In fact, your intelligence gives us more room to maneuver and more sophisticated methods."
He patted his assistant's shoulder.
"Far better than relying solely on agitation and violence."
"What do you mean?" Kevin asked.
Grenville turned back toward the ballroom.
"Vienna's young, impulsive new emperor, as I understand, is quite rash and easily influenced. He likely isn't pleased with the current situation in the Southern Netherlands."
Paris
Versailles Palace, Hall of Peace
Count Rheinfels pressed his hands firmly on the table and declared loudly,
"The current, highly imbalanced trade situation is absolutely unacceptable for our country!
"His Majesty the Emperor has graciously refrained from pursuing France's dominance in the South German markets, but Austria's tariffs must be raised to ensure fair trade between our nations.
"In addition, we need to establish new import regulations for French steel and chemical products."
France's Minister of Trade, Bailly, immediately pushed a copy of the Rhine-Seine Treaty toward the Austrian delegation and, with a blank expression, said,
"The treaty was signed just two years ago. We see no reason to modify it. Frankly, your country should focus on improving its industries and lowering costs rather than blaming everything on the trade agreement."
Bailly's inexperience in diplomacy showed as he directly countered Austria's unreasonable demands. Normally, Talleyrand would have handled such negotiations, but he was currently in the Ottoman Empire, leaving Bailly in charge.
Count Rheinfels, following Emperor Francis II's directive to take a hardline stance, responded:
"No, this is clearly a problem with the agreement.
"French steel products cost nearly 35% less than ours. It's evident that you concealed the true state of your industries to secure lower tariffs.
"As for chemicals and furniture, your industries were barely developed when the treaty was signed. This suggests that the agreed-upon tariffs were baseless and must be renegotiated."
Although Bailly had permission to slightly increase Austria's tariffs—France's industrial strength meant such adjustments wouldn't greatly impact its trade—the Austrian minister's aggressive stance made it clear that a minor increase wouldn't suffice.
Moreover, Austria's proposal to establish "product entry regulations" implied that French steel and chemicals would require special government approval to be sold in Austria.
This left little room for negotiation. Bailly firmly rejected Count Rheinfels' demands, intending to wait until Austria softened its position before resuming talks.
Unexpectedly, the Austrian minister immediately retorted,
"Then I must remind you that if our trade demands are not met, Austria will coordinate with the Italian states to impose punitive tariffs on French goods."
At that moment, a French diplomat quietly entered the Hall of Peace and whispered something to Bailly.
Bailly frowned as he looked back at Count Rheinfels. Austria had mobilized 30,000 troops to conduct military exercises in Tuscany, clearly to pressure France during these trade negotiations.
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