I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 739: Complicated Battle Situation
It wasn't that Joseph was overly kind-hearted, but he just didn't want Spain to suddenly suffer a financial collapse in the middle of the war.

At that time, whether France allocates funds to "feed" them or watches them withdraw from the battle, it will be a very frustrating thing.

Joseph roughly reviewed the current situation in Spain and quickly determined where to stay.

That is the church.

The Spanish Church owns a large amount of property, levies high taxes on the people, and has a great ability to interfere in national politics. It is definitely the number one cancer in Spain.

He handed the shotgun to Eman to load, then turned to Carlos IV and said, "Your Majesty, have you ever considered taking advantage of this war to reform the church?"

The latter was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "If you can do it, that would be the best."

Joseph motioned for his followers to move away and continued, "First, you need an army that is absolutely loyal to you. I mean an army that only obeys your orders. The current Spanish army has too many interests tied to the church."

"How do we do this?"

"You can use the war as an excuse to establish a new Royal Guard. Select officers who have no connection with the church to be in charge, and recruit all soldiers from the American colonies, even Creoles. As for training, I can ask the General Staff to send people to help you."

Carlos IV looked bewildered: "How big a guard should this be, and where will the funding come from?"

Joseph rubbed his forehead and said patiently, "8 people are enough. As for the funding, you only need to control the smuggling activities of the American silver mines under your own name, and it will be enough to feed these soldiers."

The silver mines in the Americas were the economic lifeline of Spain, but hundreds of years after the establishment of the empire, various forces extended their hands to the silver mines.

Nowadays, various smuggling and illegal mining account for almost one-third of Spain’s total silver production!

Carlos IV blinked in confusion: "How do you control the smuggling activities you mentioned?"

Joseph exhaled: "You are the king, you only need to send a reliable envoy to America to publicize that the empire will crack down on smuggling. Then let him spread the word privately that he has a way to help smugglers avoid being checked, but he will charge 30% of the profit as a fee.

"The smugglers will come to you on their own."

Carlos IV's eyes suddenly lit up: "Yes, this is indeed a good idea!"

Joseph continued, "Then you can let the smugglers who 'surrender' to you report those who have not surrendered to you, and send the anti-smuggling team to clear them out, and you can get some income."

The King of Spain excitedly pulled his horse over and put his arm around Joseph’s shoulders: “Joseph, you are definitely the most talented person I have ever met!”

Of course, Joseph's method could indeed make some money in the short term, but in the long run, it would cause the smuggling of American silver mines to get out of control - with an official smuggling license, the license holder would expand the scale of smuggling like crazy.

However, considering that the independence movement will sweep across America in 20 to 30 years at most, these silver mines will no longer belong to Spain, so it is not a loss to take a few more bites before they "die".

Moreover, if this money could be used to help Carlos IV deal with the church, it would be a huge profit for Spain.

Joseph gave Carlos IV another reassurance: "I will also work to weaken the influence of the Holy See. You can let Count Aranda carry out the reforms."

There were sounds of dogs barking and followers shouting in the distance, and a dark figure emerged from the bushes ahead.

Carlos IV handed his hunting rifle to Joseph, pointed at the prey and said loudly: "Look there! It's up to you!"

That afternoon, Joseph and Carlos IV formally signed the Treaty of Franco-Spanish Alliance in the latter's hunting palace.

The treaty stipulates that the two countries will open their borders to each other; when one declares war on another country, the other will follow suit; a Franco-Spanish joint fleet will be formed to jointly maintain order in the Mediterranean, etc. Signing this treaty with France may be the most correct decision Carlos IV has made in his life.

Joseph did not stay in Madrid for long. The next day, he returned to France by car with a large number of gifts given by Carlos IV.

As soon as he left the Royal Palace of Madrid, he received the latest intelligence from Paris.

When Joseph flipped open the pile of documents, the first thing he saw was that several British cavalry battalions, totaling more than 1 people, had arrived in The Hague, Netherlands by ship, and their subsequent whereabouts were unknown.

Then, 5 Prussian troops passed through the Gelden area and approached Liege in the northwest of France. The General Staff judged that their target might be Liege or Luxembourg.

Behind them were two Austrian armies, advancing from the southwest and northwest respectively.

The former, with 3 men, should aim to join the Prussian army, while the latter, with 5 men, will probably attack Strasbourg or Saran on the eastern side of France through Switzerland.

What Joseph was most concerned about was that the Dutch navy began to move south. These warships were definitely going to join the British navy. The main force of the British Mediterranean Fleet was still unable to determine its exact location.

He asked Emand to spread out the map, briefly outlined the military deployment of the anti-French alliance, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

France has heavy troops stationed on its northwest, north and east sides, eyeing it covetously.

The British fleet would most likely attack France from the southern Mediterranean coast.

Of course, the British fleet could also go to Tunisia and land marines to carry out the attack.

Except for the coastal areas in the west and the part bordering Spain in the south, France was completely surrounded.

Joseph couldn't help but shake his head slightly. If any of these places were broken through by the enemy, it would be a heavy blow to France.

But if the troops were divided for defense, that would be exactly the situation the anti-French alliance wanted to see most.

Because the French army had fewer troops, the more dispersed they were, the easier it would be for the enemy to find their weak points and create gaps.

This situation is far more complicated than the first anti-French alliance in history.

Joseph stared at the map and couldn't help falling into deep thought...

On the afternoon of the day Joseph left for Spain, Queen Mary was weeping sadly in her tea room.

"Joseph once risked his life to fight for Austria on the Silesia front, and my nephew repaid him in this way..."

She wiped away her tears and choked up, "This is a shameful betrayal... They actually stood with the British. It's a shame..."

Louis XVI sat beside her somewhat at a loss, not knowing how to comfort her. He just kept murmuring: "My dear, leave everything to Joseph. Our son will surely be able to handle it..."

Yes, he had been listening outside the house during the cabinet meetings these days - as a king, he must be extremely concerned about such a major event as a national war.

But he was afraid that the ministers would ask him "how should France respond" and he didn't know how to answer, so he finally followed his socially phobic nature and chose not to show up.

(End of this chapter)