I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1268 The Monarch (Seeking Double Monthly Tickets)
After a passionate speech, Joseph looked around at the dozens of monarchs present and began to address the main topic: "We will discuss the following matters at this meeting—"

"First, there's the restoration of order in North Germany..."

His words immediately made the monarchs present tense.

With hundreds of thousands of French troops eyeing the North Germans, how could the French crown prince's talk of "restoring order" not make them uneasy?

Archbishop Maximilian Franz of Cologne immediately snorted and said in a voice just loud enough for those around him to hear, "Hmph, the Franks actually want to be the masters of Germany. We must let them know that this is nothing but a pipe dream!"

He was the youngest son of Queen Theresa of Austria and the uncle of the current Holy Roman Emperor, so naturally he was determined to thwart any French attempts.

Nobody responded to him.

However, Count William IX of Hesse-Kassel whispered to Duke Karl August of Thuringia and others beside him:

"If it comes to a last resort, we will support Prussia as our leader to fight against France."

Marquis Henry XI of Reuss chimed in softly, "Yes, we must not let the French rule the right bank of the Rhine!"

Count Frederick Franz of Mecklenburg frowned and said, "I saw His Majesty Wilhelm II not long ago, and he seems to have lost his will to fight."

William IX said firmly, “That’s because Prussia has exhausted its war-making capacity, but if they had the support of all the North German countries, the situation would be completely different.”

"That's right, as long as we stand together, we are fully capable of competing with the French!"

Joseph's voice came from ahead again: "...Secondly, we must ensure the security and independence of the northern German states..."

"Finally, the development of North Germany after the war is also something we must pay attention to..."

The Archbishop of Cologne muttered dismissively, "Only a fool would consider the French occupying forces as a guarantee of security."

Immediately someone chimed in, "Just you wait and see, His Majesty the Emperor will soon be able to fight back..."

"Yes, the war isn't over yet."

"The French dream of becoming the 'new Holy Roman Emperor' is pure fantasy."

The murmurs in the hall grew louder and louder, but Joseph seemed not to hear them at all, and waved to the guards at the door.

The latter immediately led his men to move a wooden board, taller than a person and painted with a map of North Germany, to the north side of the hall.

Joseph took a thin wooden stick from Emmanuel and turned to point to the yellow area on the map: "These imperial cities, such as Dortmund, have theoretically become no man's land after the Holy Roman Emperor's forces were driven out of North Germany."

The "imperial municipalities" he referred to were actually free cities. These places were legally the private property of the Holy Roman Emperor, who granted them a high degree of autonomy. At the same time, these free cities also paid substantial taxes to Vienna.

Joseph then pointed to Bielefeld: "Furthermore, Prussia has pledged to relinquish all its territories outside its homeland, such as Bielefeld and Ansbach. These places are currently unmanaged."

"Of course, Berlin received a large portion of Hanover's territory as compensation."

He looked around the room again and smiled, “So, as the first step in building a new order in North Germany, we must first determine the ownership of these regions.”

"For example, Nuremberg would be very suitable to be ruled by Bavaria."

The North German monarchs exchanged surprised glances. Was the French Crown Prince implying that these territories were to be divided among them?!

Yes, the Holy Roman Empire's influence over the German regions has been deeply entrenched for centuries. Furthermore, the people, languages, and customs there are completely different from those in France, making it difficult for France to achieve dominance through military force.

Even if the states could be temporarily suppressed, endless uprisings and covert resistance would ensue, making the cost of governance far outweigh the benefits. Furthermore, in the process of resisting French rule, the northern German states would gradually develop a national identity due to their shared hatred of the enemy, and ultimately move towards unification.

Historically, Napoleon set a terrible example.

After conquering North Germany, he established the Confederation of the Rhine to govern it, but it eventually became the prototype of Germany. After Prussia unified North Germany, it did not even change the laws and government structure of the Confederation of the Rhine, which was very convenient for him.

Joseph's goal was to ensure the continued independence of the northern German states, and then to use France's enormous economic and cultural influence to continuously penetrate the region, turning it into France's "backyard."

These "unclaimed lands" were the "irresistible temptation" that Joseph offered to the North German state.

"Now, let's discuss how to allocate these spaces."

Before Joseph could finish speaking, the hall erupted in shouts: "I believe that Nassau is the most reasonable place to manage Frankfurt!"

"We have very close trade ties with Frankfurt, and it is only right that..."

“I agree! Ownership should be determined by trade relations, like Goslar…”

“Ansbach is so large, perhaps a portion could be allocated to Würzburg.”

Soon, officials distributed documents to the attendants of the various monarchs, explaining them diligently: "These are proposal forms for the ownership of 'unclaimed lands.' Please fill them out and submit them to Count Foch."

"These proposals will be discussed in a later meeting."

Of course, some countries that still have expectations for Austria, such as Cologne and Hesse-Kassel, have remained silent.

After the meeting that day, Count Foch had received dozens of proposals.

Then came the routine banquets and dances. These occasions also became diplomatic battlegrounds for political leaders from various countries.

While most countries were circling around French officials trying to get information, William IX, Count of Hesse-Kassel, was secretly gathering a small circle of people to rebel against France.

The summit continued the following day.

After Joseph entered, he first greeted the monarchs of various countries politely, and then immediately gestured towards the door: "Today we have another distinguished guest here. He will have very important news to tell you all."

As the music began, a priest dressed in a red archbishop's robes entered the hall.

“It’s Archbishop Muzarelli!” someone recognized him.

Muzarelli went to the north side of the hall, first bowed to Joseph, and then took out a document with gold trim, which he showed to everyone: "This is the letter of full authority granted to me by the Holy See."

"The Vatican has now granted the Grand Duke of Baden's request to be elevated to the rank of King. This is the document signed by the Pope."

An uproar immediately erupted in the hall.

It's important to know that in the entire German region, apart from the Holy Roman Emperor, there was only one king, Prussia; the rest of the monarchs were dukes, counts, or archbishops.

And tiny Baden has become a kingdom!

Muzarelli continued: "The Vatican has now approved the request of the Grand Duke of Bavaria to be elevated to King. This is the document of investiture signed by the Pope."

(End of this chapter)