"This… Ambassador, we have also captured the highest-ranking British army general in America. We think it might be better to see his attitude first?" Hancock glanced at Charles and the others next to him.
"Oh, are you not planning to wait until the war is fully won before negotiating?" Girard looked puzzled. "Cornwallis' attitude is not important. I think that while the war is still ongoing, we should dispatch troops as quickly as possible to support the battles that are still taking place."
The capture of Cornwallis was completely unexpected by the French. Before his arrival, Girard had assumed the main topics of discussion would be which American army unit to rescue first. There were no prior arrangements for negotiations, and he didn't know how to deal with the captured British army commander. He inwardly scoffed at the 'British army commander' for actually being captured by a group of 'farmers,' but outwardly, he decided to avoid the topic and first discuss how to strike the British army.
According to the Continental Congress' prior arrangements, Charles, as the chairman of the Military and Ordnance Committee, would answer questions regarding military matters.
"Ambassador, on the battlefield, our Continental army already holds a relative advantage. The British know this very well, which is why they are only stubbornly defending in Albany. As both earls may know, once these musketeers enter a defensive posture, it will cost us a great deal to conquer them. In any case, reinforcements from Britain cannot arrive in the short term, so we can slowly besiege them, wait until their supplies are exhausted, and then make them surrender. As for the battle in Richmond, we indeed desperately need the support of your country's elite army, but by now, they have probably already begun fighting, and any support would be too late. The battle results are likely to arrive within the next two days."
Jefferson, who was frequently responsible for contact with the French, immediately stepped forward to assist, saying:
"Girard, actually, if we can persuade Cornwallis, we can completely resolve the issue of those armies that no longer pose a significant threat through political means."
This situation clearly exceeded Ambassador Girard's expectations. He had originally thought that after several major battles between the American and British Armies, deep-seated hatred had been sown, leading to a relentless struggle. How could they be on the verge of victory, yet not actively attack, and even advocate for peace talks?
However, he didn't know much about military matters, so he naturally looked to the two earls for help.
"Indeed, it is very difficult to conquer musketeers relying on strong fortifications in a short period. However, gentlemen, you can rest assured that before the French expeditionary force came to America this time, we had already considered that the British might see the situation as unfavorable and retreat into fortresses for defensive operations. Therefore, we brought a large number of heavy cannons. As long as our French Artillery Corps appears, we can defeat the British army without heavy casualties," said earl Rochambeau, stroking his beard.
In his opinion, the Americans must not have artillery, which is why they couldn't deal with the British who were fighting defensively.
In reality, after Charles' Coal and Steel Conglomerate began utilizing Ohio's copper mines, the American army was now heavily equipped with copper cannons. In terms of artillery proportion, they might not match France, a traditional land power, but they were certainly no worse than the British, who had suffered multiple defeats. However, the soldiers besieging Albany were primarily militia, with the regular Continental army fighting the Hessian army in the South. Using those militia to bombard Albany, even if personally led by Washington, would still be very difficult. Now that the professional French artillery was willing to help, Charles and his colleagues were naturally delighted.
"If the brave and skilled French Artillery Corps can participate, it will certainly break the British army's defenses and help us achieve victory as quickly as possible!" Charles immediately agreed.
He then thought that the original plan could also be changed.
"However, the journey from Philadelphia to Albany is quite long, and heavy cannons are inconvenient to move. I think it would be best to go by sea. First, from Philadelphia to New York, and then from New York, disembark to the Albany front. That would shorten the time considerably." Charles suggested to earl Rochambeau, but his eyes were fixed on earl de Grasse.
By then, the few new American Navy ships in Philadelphia could join the formidable French Navy fleet, sail together to New York, and rendezvous with the ships there to form a formal fleet. It might even lure the British fleet out for a major American-French naval battle, completely resolving the problem of the naval blockade. And that newly formed Navy should also take this opportunity to gain some combat experience.
"That's no problem. It won't take long to get to New York, and the heavy cannons haven't been unloaded yet, so we can send them directly to New York," earl de Grasse immediately agreed.
"earl de Grasse, we have a small request: can our American Navy's warships in Philadelphia sail north with your powerful fleet to New York and rendezvous with our other warships?" Charles then made another request to de Grasse.
"Hahaha! Of course, that's no problem. If we encounter the British fleet at sea, just let your warships watch from the side; our warships will handle those troubles," earl de Grasse replied with a laugh.
Charles did not want to simply be protected by the French and immediately proposed:
"No! No! Your Excellency, earl, if we encounter the British fleet en route, regardless of their strength, please allow our warships to also participate in the combat. Their actions can be directed by you, but they must participate in the battle alongside you. This is their responsibility and honor!"
If the encountered British fleet was weak, then under the supervision of France, the big brother, engaging British warships would be the best practical training to accumulate experience. If the British fleet was strong, the French would probably not be able to protect them, so it would be better to actively participate in the war and take destiny into their own hands.
"This…" The generous earl de Grasse seemed a bit hesitant.
In his view, the so-called American Navy likely consisted only of a few armed merchant ships, at most cruisers. These cruisers were absolutely like an eagle catching chickens when dealing with armed merchant ships, hitting their target every time. But since the emergence of battleships, combat tactics had become entirely focused on line-of-battle engagements. When these cruisers engaged battleships, due to tonnage issues, they often sank after a single round of cannon fire. Currently, the main fighting forces between Britain and France were battleships. Cruisers simply did not qualify for direct frontal combat.
"Your Excellency, earl, please rest assured. The officers and crew on our battleship are primarily active-duty personnel from your country, with a small number of retired sailors and ordinary American recruits. The warship is also basically the same model as France's from a few years ago. Perhaps they don't have much combat power yet, but I think in terms of coordination, they should not cause you any trouble." Charles thought de Grasse was doubting the American Navy's combat effectiveness.
"No! Your Excellency, Congressman, it's no trouble. I am willing to lead those few ships." The hesitation on de Grasse's face immediately vanished.
Upon hearing it was a battleship, earl de Grasse immediately felt much more at ease. Coupled with the fact that his own country's naval officers and crew would be operating it, he figured the combat effectiveness should be limited, at least he wouldn't have to worry about their safety during combat.
Hearing that Charles and de Grasse had reached an agreement, the other individuals from both the American and French sides were also very pleased.
Hancock took the opportunity to raise the issue they had long prepared to discuss.
"Ambassador Girard, we have currently captured General Cornwallis, the British army's commander-in-chief. How do you think we should treat him?"
"I think, as a formally captured person, he should enjoy the rights due to a captured general," Girard said slowly, while his mind began to race, considering specific countermeasures. "However, theoretically, once he is captured, he loses command of the army. It would likely be difficult for us to use him to persuade other British army and mercenary forces to surrender. Instead, we can follow custom and have him write a letter to inform the British Government of his situation, allowing the British Government to send representatives to negotiate the specific issues of his release and ransom."
Relatively speaking, as a professional diplomat, Girard's experience in handling such matters was far more professional than that of these few amateur American figures.
Hancock looked back at Charles and the others, and seeing their approving glances, he replied on the spot:
"That's fine, we can agree to him writing a letter home. But Ambassador, do you think it's appropriate for us to propose peace terms to Britain at this time?"
Girard frowned slightly, not answering immediately.
The original goal of the French Government was to see the United States formally declare independence from the British Colonies. Achieving this goal would significantly weaken Britain, which would naturally benefit France. It could be said that France's sole purpose in deploying troops and providing financial aid to the United States was to force the British to recognize American independence. In this sense, now, as a good time for peace talks, it should naturally be supported.
However, before his departure for the United States, he learned that France and other European continent countries were currently engaging Britain in direct combat in other parts of the world. At this time, the United States, having defeated the British army, was no longer merely an object of aid, but an equal ally capable of tying down a large number of British army soldiers. This was also one of the reasons why Girard and his colleagues were so polite to the Americans.
Regarding the American-British peace issue, he wanted to delay it to prevent Britain from disengaging quickly, but also wanted to resolve it quickly to achieve the goal of weakening Britain. Such a critical choice could not be immediately communicated with his home country, which naturally made him very conflicted. However, as a professional diplomat, he ultimately spoke according to his authority:
"Your Excellency Chairman Hancock, although I should await instructions from my home country regarding peace talks, I personally believe this is a good opportunity. In any case, it will take some time for the intention of peace talks to reach Britain. We can certainly send Cornwallis' letter to Britain first, naturally hinting at peace talks. When the envoy for the Cornwallis issue arrives, we can formally raise this issue in person. And I can now have the fleet dispatch a fast ship to relay this news back to France, awaiting clear instructions from home. I estimate the timing should be just right."
Although he did not directly state whether or not to hold peace talks, this method of handling things had already pointed Charles and his colleagues down a very clear path.
"That's good. Then we will first convey the message of our willingness to negotiate his release to the British through Cornwallis. After two months, when the British envoy and the response from France have both formally arrived, we can then proceed with pre-peace talk negotiations." Hancock, after consulting with Charles and the others, expressed his agreement.
After resolving some military and diplomatic issues, the American-French coordination meeting naturally also discussed some economic cooperation.
American agricultural products and raw materials were piled up like mountains. After the arrival of their powerful fleet, the French generously expressed their willingness to protect shipping lanes, allowing these stockpiled goods to be sold. Of course, many of the intermediaries for these sales were of French nationality. In return, after delivering the aid on board the ships, the French Government would provide a large amount of low-interest loans to the American Government.
Charles also took the opportunity to propose many requests for purchasing advanced production equipment from France, primarily including various machine tools, mining and smelting equipment, and various chemical engineering equipment, etc.
Americans previously paid no attention to these things, and many were produced using their own designs, in small workshops, or in family-style production, completely unable to keep up with the mainstream technological level of Europe. Although Charles had developed many advanced industrial methods in Pittsburgh and purchased a considerable amount through New Orleans, the quantity was very small due to the long distance. Now, through bilateral relations between the two countries, as allies, they could not only purchase in large quantities but also acquire the best and cheapest goods.
At the same time, in the name of reciprocity, Charles also stated that he would provide France with a large quantity of precious furs, as well as provide shipbuilding materials such as canvas, iron nails, and tar for French colonial populations and ports in America, and even directly sell steamboats.
In Charles' view, American-French economic cooperation was far more important than military cooperation.
Currently, while the Americans had suffered heavy casualties in the war, they were at least no longer afraid of the British army's remaining troops, provided Britain did not send reinforcements. Conversely, the economy, due to long-term blockades and the war, was on the verge of collapse. The powerful French Navy, appearing three years earlier than in actual history, undoubtedly gave the Americans a great help.
Thus, if a quick armistice could be achieved, the American economy could immediately recover. There would be no need for it to collapse after winning the war, as in actual history. As a result, after an external victory, domestic uprisings and unrest would cease.