To foster good relations with the French, Charles held a private banquet at the castle on the evening of the French fleet's arrival, inviting French Ambassador Girard and others.
For reasons unknown, Girard and his two main leaders, Rochambeau and Grasse, all agreed to attend Charles' banquet. This greatly disappointed the wealthy elite of Philadelphia, who had also planned banquets hoping to host one or two key figures from the French army. They sighed, realizing that the Defender of Philadelphia commanded more respect than they did.
Charles' guardianship of Diana had actually expired. His continued stay at the Diana family's castle was solely for the purpose of further developing his relationship with the earl Rogers's daughter.
Their affection for each other was already very deep, and they had no reservations about spending the rest of their lives together. Charles had already discussed with Diana and decided to set their wedding for after the war of Independence's victory.
As the future hostess, the earl's daughter accompanied Charles in entertaining the two earls and the Ambassador.
Given Charles' current wealth and status, the banquet was naturally not simple. French wines from famous estates, the finest caviar, foie gras, golden roasted lamb, and other French-style delicacies were continuously served. Even in France itself, this would be considered a very lavish dinner. The three French nobles, who had not enjoyed many good meals since arriving in America, were greatly pleased. Their compliments were so profuse that Charles found them almost embarrassing.
Charles intentionally sought to win over these individuals. Within the American Government, his influence, if not the first, was certainly among the top five. However, his age was still more than a decade younger than even the youngest, Jefferson. The interpersonal relationships and experience that require time to accumulate were far inferior to others. During wartime, relying entirely on personal ability is fine, but once a period of peaceful development begins, these relationships and experiences become especially important. Charles knew he was lacking in this area, so he had already begun to actively train it.
This was even more evident in diplomacy. Washington, Jefferson, and Adams all had their French and British friends. Often, if something happened, their friends would write to inform them, or if there were problems, these foreign friends would step in to help.
Although he seemed to have a good background, Charles couldn't actually leverage many connections. Not to mention his unconfirmed biological mother, even his British relatives had mostly cut ties. And as for Diana's earl father, several letters he had sent through intermediaries had failed to establish contact. This banquet for these French nobles was mainly to win them over and, incidentally, to see if he could connect with his biological mother in France.
"To the two earls and Ambassador, as an unofficial graduate of the Paris Artillery Academy, it truly pleases me to meet friends from France again today. Please allow me, in a personal capacity, to salute you!" In the drawing-room after the dinner, Charles casually chatted with Girard and the others.
"Oh! I've long heard that Councilor Charles is an excellent graduate of the Paris Artillery Academy. As a hero leading the American Revolutionary war, you are promoted by the Paris Artillery Academy as the pride of the academy. How is it that Your Excellency has not officially graduated yet?" earl Rochambeau asked, puzzled.
Charles himself didn't realize the extent of his success' impact on France. In reality, as someone with close ties to France, how could his immense achievements be overlooked by the French? Not only the Paris Artillery Academy, but even his maternal family was proud of his accomplishments on the American continent.
In British newspapers, Commander-in-Chief Washington was the most frequently featured, while in French newspapers, Charles was undoubtedly the most popular. Many ordinary French people knew more about his connections and experiences in France than he, the "person" himself, did. Of course, due to newspapers' usual habit of hyping popular figures, his reputation and experiences had taken on a touch of exaggeration and legend.
The reason the French army was not directly placed under the command of Commander-in-Chief Washington, but rather under the Continental Congress, was due to the consideration that the Continental Congress' military leadership was overseen by Charles.
"Uh, am I known by many people in France?"
Due to poor communication, Charles was unaware of his image among the French. He had never specifically discussed this topic with French merchants before.
"Of course! Your Excellency's mother is a French noblewoman, and Your Excellency studied at the Paris Artillery Academy before returning to America. After returning to America, you fought the famous Iroquois Conquest war and the Defense of Philadelphia, and the Paris Artillery Academy has called you the academy's most outstanding graduate in the past decade. These are all well-known facts in France. Many young people who support the American Revolution have actively applied to the Paris Artillery Academy for this reason. The academy has greatly benefited from you! Hahahaha..." Girard immediately said with a loud laugh.
"And the steamboats built by Your Excellency! The cooperation project with Your Excellency's steam warships is highly valued in the French Navy. Many of our naval officers and men know Your Excellency's name." earl Grasse, the naval commander, also interjected, adding a remark.
"Oh!" Charles, on the contrary, felt a bit embarrassed.
He was actually being used as a recruitment advertisement by the Paris Artillery Academy. Should he perhaps charge them a celebrity endorsement fee?
"Actually, I didn't graduate from the Paris Artillery Academy. I only studied there for a little over two years before returning to America early due to family changes. Alas! I still regret returning so hastily that I didn't even receive a formal graduation certificate from the academy." Charles sighed with regret.
If he had a graduation certificate, he would at least be a professional.
"Hahahaha! A graduation certificate? Leave that to me. I'll write a letter to your academy, and there will definitely be no problem. You are the pride of our French artillery!" earl Rochambeau patted his chest, assuring him.
As a Lieutenant General commander of the French army, his influence over such an artillery academy was beyond doubt.
"That's certainly no problem. Those instructors at the artillery academy would be eager to rely on Councilor Charles, this great figure, a leader of the war of Independence. If they were accidentally dismissed by the academy, they could easily come to you for a job.
The academy has always promoted you as their graduate. This time, they will definitely agree." earl Grasse also said somewhat sourly from the side.
Why didn't Councilor Charles choose to study at the Naval Academy back then? Otherwise, he could now be considered the pride of their Navy.
"Then I truly must thank the earl!" Charles said politely with a smile.
After these few sentences, Charles and the three French nobles immediately felt much closer. What was originally just official pleasantries now had a sense of camaraderie.
Charles seized the opportunity to pose a question:
"Since you all know that I have a French mother, may I presume to ask about her current situation? I have written to France several times to inquire, but I haven't been able to contact her. I will soon be marrying the earl Rogers's daughter, and I would really like to invite her to witness our wedding."
"Oh?" Girard glanced at Diana, who was leaning happily against Charles. "Then I must truly congratulate Your Excellency and the earl's daughter!"
earl Rochambeau and earl Grasse also smiled and congratulated the couple, making Diana's face flush red. Fortunately, the wedding plans had already been announced, and such congratulatory scenes were not new to her, so it was still within her acceptable range.
"Ambassador, could you convey my invitation to my mother? I can't reach her at all." Charles reiterated his request.
Girard was a bit embarrassed, but still had to answer:
"Your Excellency's mother is also a very distinguished countess. Although it might not be convenient for her to come to America, we should be able to convey your message on your behalf. As for why you cannot contact her, that is beyond our knowledge."
He couldn't help but inwardly grumble about the internal affairs of these nobles, which mostly involved scandals. Even if he knew, he couldn't possibly say. As for the inability to contact her by letter, that was also predictable. The countess' earl husband was still alive, so even if she received the letters, it wouldn't be convenient to reply.
The two earls, regarding the issue of "contact," could only pretend not to hear.
After hearing Girard's reply, Charles roughly understood the situation. It seemed that the relationship between his biological mother and biological father was indeed very complex. However, no matter what, the body he now occupied was given by those two. Now that he was getting married, it was only right, both emotionally and logically, to send an invitation to the living parent.
As for the specific situation of his biological mother, he was not in a hurry to inquire from the three. Since French newspapers had already published clear details about his background, he figured he could find a newspaper to read and clarify the matter himself. Asking a few outsiders now, if there was any inconvenient information, would only lead to awkwardness for him.
"Then I truly must thank Ambassador. It is indeed my good fortune to have spoken with you all today." Charles smiled in gratitude.
"Your Excellency need not thank us. In fact, we also carry a mission from France, requiring us to meet with you. Here is also a personal letter from Foreign Minister Vergennes, which he entrusted us to deliver." Girard produced a letter and handed it to Charles.
Charles accepted it on the spot and read it carefully.
His French, after several years of instruction from translator Moulton, was now proficient in both conversation and reading. The content of the letter, however, contained nothing truly confidential. It merely expressed, through the letter, the French Government's friendship towards the American Government and Charles personally, hoping that Charles would continue to use his status to act as a bridge and link between France and America.
As a formal diplomatic document, to avoid complications, it was unlikely to hide any special content.
Girard then explained:
"Vergennes knows that Your Excellency has half French blood and has long heard of Your Excellency's crucial role in establishing the Franco-American alliance. He hopes that Your Excellency can further serve as a bridge between France and America, and our French Government is willing to unconditionally support Your Excellency in further obtaining leadership in the American Government."
This was a very clear hint.
After hearing this, Charles' biggest feeling was that of foreign relatives interfering in politics! Although these French did not set any conditions, he could fully imagine that once he ascended to a higher position with the help of the French, could he still refuse when they made "friendly" requests in the future?
However, since they were actively showing goodwill now, he certainly couldn't refuse. After all, an extra bit of strength meant an extra bit of success. Although he had no further ambitions at the moment, receiving help from France would be beneficial to him in all aspects. Even merely economic assistance could bring him great advantages.
"I am very grateful for Vergennes' regard. Gaining France's friendship has always been something I hoped for." Charles immediately subtly accepted the French's goodwill.
The subsequent conversation naturally involved more specific discussions on cooperation. At this time, the French had no clear economic interests with America, other than purchasing surplus raw materials at low prices. So, while it was called cooperation, it mainly involved Charles purchasing some scarce goods from France and simultaneously selling some products to France, including machine-woven cloth produced by his textile factory.
Charles had one special request: to sell various advanced steam engines to Europe while ensuring the protection of his patent technology.
At this time, Watt in Britain had already begun to improve the steam engine, leading to its large-scale industrial application. Girard and the others had heard about this and knew that France and other countries also had a great demand for new steam engines, but they couldn't purchase them quickly due to British technological protection.
However, Charles' steam engine had been tested through steamboats, and Girard and the others believed that the steam engines produced by Charles should be no worse than Watt's. Hearing that Charles was willing to sell them, they immediately agreed to the patent technology requirement without hesitation.
Charles' banquet for these Frenchmen not only secured him a foreign ally but also resulted in a large business deal, naturally making him extremely happy. And Girard and the others, not only planted a pro-French individual among the new American leadership but also secured a large order, making them equally delighted.
For a time, both host and guests were joyful.