I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 886: Gathering in Paris (Recommended, please help!)

Hundreds of years ago, the Tuscans firmly believed that as long as a country's economy and culture are sufficiently developed, it can gain the respect and even admiration of other countries without the need for an army.

Based on this, Tuscany previously handed over all national defense to the Austrian garrison.

When Napoleon marched to Mantua, all the Austrian troops in Tuscany were taken away by Argentau.

Today, the total number of troops in Tuscany is less than a thousand, and these soldiers are usually responsible for urban security, with basically zero field combat capabilities.

Pastor Bena repeated what he had just said several times, then turned and left.

From beginning to end, no one dared to stop him.

Two days later.

Pitti Palace, Florence.

Adrian, Duke of Florence, sat up from the soft velvet bed and looked around in confusion before he realized that this was the royal palace.

Yes, after Father Bena’s speech that day, more than half of the Tuscan soldiers fled that night.

Not many officers ran away - most of them swore allegiance to the Duke of Florence across the street.

On the other side, Ferdinand III, the former Grand Duke of Tuscany and younger brother of the Holy Roman Emperor, was controlled by officers in the city and handed over to the Medici family.

However, according to the previous instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Father Bena sent Ferdinand III back to Austria.

Joseph knew that it was useless to hold Ferdinand III captive, so he might as well let him torture Francis II. As a Grand Duke and a relative of the Emperor, Ferdinand's annual pension was at least 700,000 or 800,000 florins. In the future, the Emperor would have to pay for it.

The Duke of Florence turned his head, but did not see his wife, who was more than 20 years younger than him, lying beside him last night.

He put on the clothes handed to him by the maid and walked out of the bedroom. He heard his wife Caterina's voice coming from the next room: "Take this dress with you as well. It's very suitable for wearing when you meet Her Majesty the Queen. Oh, be careful with my perfume, it's worth 300 ducats..."

The Duke of Florence pushed the door open and saw maids busy at work and all kinds of luggage scattered everywhere.

Caterina turned around and saw her husband, and immediately gave him a hug: "Honey, are you awake?"

The Duke of Florence gestured towards the house: "What are you doing?"

"Of course, we are preparing to go to Paris." Caterina responded and waved to the attendant beside her, "Romon, where is the document? Bring it to the Duke for his signature."

"Yes, ma'am." The servant hurriedly handed a few pages of paper respectfully to the Duke of Florence.

[The Birth of Venus cannot be released...]

The latter glanced at the paper and saw top works of art such as "The Birth of Venus by Botticelli", "Medusa by Caravaggio", and "The Holy Family with St. John by Michelangelo".

He looked at his wife in surprise: "What is this?"

"A gift for His Majesty the King of France." Caterina said, "I heard that the French army collected a lot of art when they entered Milan. Their King will definitely like this."

Seeing that her husband was still in a daze, she thought he was reluctant to leave, so she leaned over to his ear and whispered:
“You should know whose power it is that enables us to live in this palace.

"There must be supporters of the Habsburgs in Tuscany. If you want to secure your position, you must please the French royal family."

The Duke of Florence nodded and signed the document obediently.

Caterina smiled with satisfaction and said, “After the coronation ceremony tomorrow, we will rush to France overnight.

"By the way, you have to hurry up and learn French. Although I can help you speak it, it will make the nobles of the Palace of Versailles look down on you..."

...Palace of Versailles.

Joseph flipped through the text of the Rhine Trade Alliance Agreement in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.

Tariffs are lower than under the previous Seine-Rhine Agreement, and there are almost no restrictions on access.

When he saw the member states that signed the agreement, he couldn't help but wonder: "Why is Mainz included?"

Bai, who was sitting opposite, explained hurriedly: "Your Highness, Mainz is worried that our army will cross the river to attack them, and wants to join the trade alliance in exchange for our country's security guarantee.

"Besides, I heard that their diplomats were treated coldly in Vienna, which was probably also a way of expressing dissatisfaction with their emperor."

Joseph continued browsing the member states and then saw Baden.

He immediately shook his head and laughed.

Archduke Karl Frederick was quite politically wise. He traveled thousands of miles to join the Iberian-Apennine Common Market and the Rhine Trade Confederation.

After this, Baden can have the best of both markets and will surely make a fortune.

However, as France's younger brother, Baden has always performed well, so it is reasonable to give him some sweet rewards.

Joseph looked at the country names on the document and felt a surge of heroism in his heart.

After the signing of the two trade agreements, France now has a huge free market stretching from central Germany in the north to North Africa in the south and central Italy in the east.

This will provide strong support for France's industrial revolution.

Although it cannot compare with the UK in terms of market size and raw material sources, it is closer and easier to manage.

When France's influence is expanded to southern Italy and the whole of North Africa, it is hard to say who will be richer between Britain and France in more than ten years!
As Joseph and Bai were talking, they heard a noise outside the house.

Emmanuel knocked on the door and entered the room, bowing to Joseph and saying, "Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Florence has sent some gifts."

Soon, Joseph saw the servants carefully bringing in world-famous paintings and placing them carefully on the velvet carpet.

Joseph's eyes swept over these works of art that could only be seen on computers in the future, and he couldn't help but sigh.

The Duke of Florence is quite knowledgeable about the ways of the world, but these gifts...

You said to sell it, but that's definitely not appropriate. If I keep it, it can only be placed in the Louvre.

It would be better to cash it out into a few hundred thousand ducats.

The Duke of Florence was still on the road at this time, but these gifts were delivered first.

Seeing this, the Tuscan official standing by couldn't help but feel anxious. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, if you are not satisfied, His Majesty said that David and School of Athens can also be delivered. It's just that the transportation will be slower."

"David?" Joseph thought of the nearly three-story-high stone sculpture and shook his head. "No, no, these are good enough."

Queen Marie's maid, Countess de Berninac, knocked on the door and entered. She looked at the paintings in the room with shock, then knelt down to Joseph and said, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen asked me to remind you to memorize the etiquette of meeting the Holy Father."

"Holy Father?" Joseph was a little surprised.

Emman hurriedly reminded, "Your Highness, the Pope will arrive in Paris in four days."

(End of this chapter)