I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1384 The Division of Switzerland

After dinner, Joseph accompanied Alexandra to the Grand Trianon Palace.

The sounds of clanging and banging filled the air as dozens of craftsmen worked diligently on renovations and alterations under the glow of gas streetlights.

“Look, an open-air art studio will be built over there,” the Crown Princess said enthusiastically, pointing to the high platform next to her. “Sitting there, you can see the entire fountain and the woods over there.”

"This place will be converted into a concert hall. Although it's not very big, the echo effect will definitely be excellent."

Joseph smiled and nodded repeatedly, and occasionally offered simple suggestions for adjustment.

Yes, this is now the Crown Princess's "private lounge area".

This place was originally built by Louis XIV for Madame de Maintenon, and was later used by the king to entertain guests. However, Louis XVI spent most of his time in the royal workshops, which led to the place almost falling into disrepair. So he simply gave it to his daughter-in-law as a wedding gift.

Entering the pink-walled palace, Alexandra pushed open the spacious bedroom door and turned to Joseph, saying, "Your place has practically become an office. Why don't you rest here from now on, so that no one will bother you in the middle of the night?"

She had long complained about how ministers often came to report on their work at the Crown Prince's palace past 10 p.m.

As soon as she finished speaking, Emmanuel quickly approached and bowed somewhat awkwardly, saying, "Your Highness, may I bother you for a moment?"

"Please tell me."

“Your schedule for tomorrow may need to be adjusted,” Emmanuel said, opening his notebook. “The Consul of Geneva, Mr. Galinda, has arrived at Versailles and wishes to be received by you.”

"Three members of parliament from the state of Solothurn, as well as the speaker of the state of Lucerne, have also come to Paris, but Count Segur suggested that they be placed later in the order of their arrival."

"At the same time, Mr. Bai also said that His Highness Ludovico wants to see you."

"And your original schedule for tomorrow was to inspect Baron Lavoisier's rubber laboratory..."

Alexandra sighed inwardly. It seemed that even if His Highness moved to the Grand Trianon Palace, this place would most likely become his new "office".

Joseph was surprised by the Swiss's efficiency. After a moment's thought, he instructed, "Have Ludovico wait. Arrange for all three Swiss cantons to meet with him tomorrow."

The cantons of Geneva and Solothurn had previously expressed their desire to join France through diplomatic channels, and this visit was to finalize that intention.

Since the Bernese parliamentarian returned, he has been celebrating wildly.

Other states soon learned that the terms offered by Paris for unification were quite generous, such as "the state parliaments will be fully retained, and the governor will continue to rely on the parliaments for governance," "the Ministry of Transport will build urban steam railcars," and "trainee doctors will be sent from France to carry out medical reforms."

The Geneva small council quickly passed the resolution to enact the law unanimously—the rights and status of the members of parliament remained almost unchanged, and they could still enjoy the prosperity of France, so what was there to hesitate about?
Most importantly, it was France's attitude that showed it—it generously accepted these poor places.

The states of Solothurn and Lucerne followed suit.

The following day at noon, Joseph hosted a grand banquet to entertain the Swiss guests.

With the two sides working together, things progressed very quickly. Just two days later, the parliaments of the three countries submitted their "Application for Unification" to Paris as usual, and published advertisements in newspapers throughout Europe.

Thus, thanks to its strong soft power, France passively acquired eastern territory nearly the size of Luxembourg with almost no effort. While western Switzerland celebrated with excitement, several German-speaking cantons in the north were gripped by serious anxiety.

Basel, Switzerland.

On the second floor of the Financial Guild, Baron Björn Reiter, the Austrian trade representative to Switzerland, frowned as he watched the protesters walk past the windows. He said to the diplomat beside him, "Mr. Stol, you have to do something. I've heard the Trade Guild is starting to lean towards France. If we let these guys continue like this, the Basel Parliament will eventually give out!"

Since the canton of Bern became the province of Haut-Germany, a trend of "adopting French law" has swept across Switzerland.

However, the urban aristocracy in Basel was mostly Austrian—they had always avoided getting too close to France, let alone becoming French themselves.

Therefore, the Basel Parliament decisively announced a ban on any discussion of matters related to unification with France.

However, as a city whose livelihood depends on trade and transshipment, Basel has become increasingly influenced by France in recent years.

Baden and Württemberg, located across the Rhine, were both members of the French trade network. Goods imported from Italy also inevitably passed through France.

This makes businesspeople and ordinary people very willing to join France, as they can immediately enjoy the tariff preferences of the French trade system.
As a result, citizens quickly took to the streets to protest, and the protests became increasingly intense as news spread that Geneva and other places had applied to join France.

Diplomat Stol sighed: "To be honest, I submitted a report to Vienna last week. It is said that His Majesty the Emperor is still hesitant."

“You know, getting involved here could very well anger France.”

A loud, booming voice came from outside the window: "Every village in Bern has been equipped with 'Prince Irrigation Machines,' and those hillsides that were previously uncultivable have been turned into fertile fields. Before long, the harvest there will double!"
"But our parliamentarians have selfishly isolated Basel from civilization and progress!"

Well, the water pumps that Joseph "donated" to Bern were called "Prince's Irrigation Machines" by the local farmers. Of course, there weren't as many as one per village, but rumors always tend to be exaggerated.

Along with this, the news that Bern would build new steam railcars and even gas streetlights was also widely discussed.

The people around immediately erupted in shouts of "Join France!" They were speaking German.

Baron Rhett slammed the window shut in frustration, then turned and said, "Anger France? Ha, has the Empire become this cowardly now?"

Stol quickly waved his hand and said, "You see, this is a necessary diplomatic strategy. The Empire is implementing reforms and now needs a stable international environment..."

Baron Rhett interrupted him: "Just don't give France any reason to criticize."

“Provide the Basel Parliament with some weapons and funding, along with intelligence support, and they can easily disperse the troublemakers.”

"You know, if we lose Switzerland, the Empire's power will be completely withdrawn from Western Europe!"

Stol's expression also turned serious: "I will submit your suggestion to Count Kobutzl."

Similar to the situation in Basel, large-scale protests also broke out in the cantons of Zurich, Schwyz, and Uri over whether to join France.

Meanwhile, several states in the eastern mountainous region remained relatively calm – these areas are almost impoverished and far from France, so people there don't seem to have any particular interest in France.

(End of this chapter)