I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1171 The Storm in the Americas

"The Wind Spear?" Lord Hawksburg looked at the military advisor standing at the door with surprise.

The latter quickly came to his side and whispered:
"It seems to be a rapid-fire gun developed by the Austrians, Your Excellency. It is powered by a high-pressure airbag and can fire 20 times in half a minute."

"However, this thing leaks air very badly and needs major repairs after only three uses. It also needs to be improved."

Lord Hawkesburg immediately shook his head:

"The battlefield is only suitable for mature weapons. I think we should still focus on equipping people with percussion cap rifles."

Count Bellergard hurriedly said, "Please believe me, this is absolutely a revolutionary weapon! In fact, we have already equipped a legion with it, but because of the complexity of the manufacturing process, the production volume is still relatively low."

"So what do you mean?"

"We hope your country can participate in the research and development of the Wind Spear. Ideally, you could invest 50 florins to expand the factory that manufactures it."

50 florins is equivalent to 5 pounds.

Lord Hawkesburg flatly refused:

"I'm sorry, I have not received authorization to invest in new types of weapons."

Franz II, however, was eager to ask the British:
"You also mentioned earlier that you could persuade Saxony to join the war?"

Saxony was also one of the most powerful of the German states.

Lord Hawkesburg, clearly prepared, smiled and said:

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten the 'German Common Defense System'? If they refuse, you, as the Emperor, have the right to punish them."

The Austrian ministers present were all secretly marveling at the treachery of the British.

The so-called "German Common Defense" was a clause in the Imperial War Law passed by the Holy Roman Empire's Diet in the 15th century. As one of the electors of the Holy Roman Empire, Saxony was obligated to send troops to reinforce the German states when they were attacked.

Although these outdated provisions have long been abandoned, they have not been declared abolished either.

However, Austria can use this to hold Saxony hostage, especially with Prussia's cooperation, which Saxony cannot refuse – Saxony is positioned right between Prussia and Austria.

As Lord Hawkesburg proudly recounted his strategy, he failed to notice the disapproving look in Earl Bellard's eyes.

The British were completely indifferent to the Military Commission's key projects. He scoffed; the Wind Gun was an advanced weapon that even the French were willing to trade political interests for, and it had to be taken seriously!

……

United States.

Sixth Street, Philadelphia, the Presidential Palace.

Adams stared at the documents on the table and said to War Secretary Timothy Pickering, who was sitting across from him:
"This means that we are going to war with the French."

“Mr. President, we must get the entire Mississippi River, and most importantly, New Orleans. That’s the Union’s living space,” Pickering shouted. “Less than 15,000 Frenchmen occupy enough land to support a million Americans. And right now, this may be our only chance to get it.”

Adams picked up the quill pen, looking very nervous:

"Hopefully this is not another American revolutionary war."

Pickering, however, was full of confidence:
"We defeated Britain last time, and we can defeat France just as easily this time."

"A major war is about to break out on the European continent, at which point the French will have no time to attend to their North American colonies. Moreover, the British have assured us that they will send a fleet to blockade the Gulf of Mexico."

“Governor St. Lucy Anna has fewer than two thousand soldiers. If all goes well, we can occupy the entire Mississippi River basin in less than three months.”

He had habitually ignored the Native Americans. Even though over 12 Native Americans had settled in St. Louis, he viewed them as uncivilized savages who posed no threat to the American army. Adams took a deep breath and finally signed his name on the document before him.

That was a secret Anglo-American agreement that included the US abandoning its alliance with France and granting each other most-favored-nation status. Britain recognized US ownership of Florida, Louisiana, and other territories, provided the US with a low-interest loan of £25, and a large amount of weaponry.

In addition, Britain promised that after the war against France ended, the United States would not have to continue repaying the loans it owed France during the War of Independence.

Adams handed the document to Pickering and added:

"Get the Tennessee and Kentucky legislatures to recruit troops as soon as possible. Tell them that all attacks on the west bank of the Mississippi River before the war in Europe began were decisions made within their states and had nothing to do with the federal government."

"Yes, Mr. President."

……

Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro.

A group of six or seven hundred people, mostly Caboclos, but also nearly a hundred white people, had gathered in front of a brand-new three-story building, craning their necks to look at the wooden platform in front of the building.

This is Rio de Janeiro's first library, built by Crown Prince João for the Brazilian people. The Crown Prince will also give a speech at the opening ceremony.

The scheduled speech time had passed, but the Crown Prince still hadn't appeared.

At that moment, João was in a carriage more than 400 meters away from the library, frowning as the Duke of Arces, the Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil, reported on his meeting with the British envoy the previous day.

“That’s about it, Your Highness.” The Duke of Alques put away his notebook. “Sir Sean said the weapons and the loan will arrive next week. He would like to see you.”

Joang frowned, looking out the car window at the cornfield:

“God, what I need to do now is build factories, banks, and ports.”

"That's right, there are indeed 300 million people here, but at least 50 of them are thinking about rioting every day!"
“If I were to send the Royal Guard to attack New Granada now, the Caboclos would declare independence tomorrow.”

Duke Alques said expressionlessly:
“Your Highness, but we cannot refuse the British government’s request.”

Currently, the Portuguese monarchy is entirely dependent on Britain for its rule. For one thing, if Britain were to even slightly raise tariffs on goods from Brazil, the newly formed Portuguese-Brazilian Union would quickly collapse financially.

A servant approached the carriage and whispered, "Your Highness, the people are waiting for your speech."

"Cancel the speech and return to the palace."

The carriage started moving, and João bowed his head in silence for a long time before saying to Duke Alques, "Recruit 5 soldiers. Remember, no Cabochonians."

"Yes, Your Highness."

……

Northwest of Persia lies Azerbaijan.

Nearly 3 Persian troops marched past the city of Tabriz, with only a small cavalry unit of less than 200 men breaking away and heading straight for the south gate of the city.

No one stopped them, and the cavalrymen continued all the way to the governor's mansion before stopping.

The Russians left more than half a year ago, and the Azerbaijani officials who remained are nowhere to be found.

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(End of this chapter)