Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Chapter 1213: Chapter 1118: Paul I’s Bold Ambitions

As soon as the Russian Army appears in Afghanistan, the British will immediately react like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, dropping everything to dispatch troops to block them.

If Russia can continue to weaken Britain in Afghanistan for a few more years, France’s chances of victory in a future showdown with Britain will also increase.

The Russian Foreign Minister was suddenly overjoyed. He originally thought the French would flatly reject this plan, as even he found it somewhat unbelievable. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince of France agreed outright.

This was his major diplomatic success.

Count Osterman immediately nodded repeatedly: “You have made this plan even more perfect, esteemed Crown Prince. I think His Majesty the Emperor will certainly agree with your point of view.”

Joseph cooperatively smiled and nodded: “I will have Archbishop Talleyrand negotiate with the Ottomans as soon as possible to obtain the right for the fleet to pass through the Bosphorus Strait.”

Osterman, however, mysteriously continued: “Your Highness, perhaps in the future your fleet will be able to pass there at will, oh, and also include the Dardanelles Strait.”

Joseph squinted: “What do you mean?”

“The nation of infidels will be annihilated!” Osterman said, “His Majesty the Emperor proposes that our two countries respectively occupy the Ottoman territories in the Balkans and Anatolia.

“This is a goal the Christian world has strived towards for thousands of years.

“Future generations, when reciting the name of Jesus, will remember the magnificent achievements we established in spreading the holy light!”

Joseph sighed inwardly, Paul I indeed dared to think and act just as boldly as in history.

Seeing he did not object, Osterman continued: “After your troops land in Syria, our country will also launch an attack from the direction of the Black Sea simultaneously.

“The Ottomans absolutely will not be able to fight on two fronts at the same time and will soon surrender.

“Of course, the Austrians might have a different opinion.

“But faced with the powerful Allied Forces of our two countries, they won’t be able to change anything either.

“In fact, if you need, our country can launch an attack on Austria from the direction of Wallachia.”

Joseph thought to himself that if Russia actually made a move on Austria, France would probably have to send troops to aid Vienna.

No European country would want to directly border Russia. If Russia were to gain territory in Austria, who knows if the next Tsar might suddenly decide to cross the Rhine River and wage war against France.

He still appeared interested: “His Majesty the Emperor is indeed an extraordinary strategic master.

“In this way, our country will gain the Mediterranean Sea, and you will obtain the entire Black Sea, making it a great Crusade.”

After some commercial flattery, he immediately changed the subject: “But considering that we need to invest a large number of troops in India, the war against the Ottomans may have to be delayed by a few years.”

Hmm, if Russia jumps into Afghanistan, it will simply be impossible for them to have the strength to wage war in the Balkans.

As for Russia regrouping its strength more than a decade later to raise the prospect of a renewed assault on the Ottomans?

First, Paul I must live until then. Historically, four years from now, Russian nobles will launch a coup and overthrow this tsar who likes to make rash decisions.

After Count Osterman finished describing the grand strategy of the Tsar, the ball had reached its conclusion, and he brought up a light topic: “Your Highness, His Majesty the Emperor has also decided to invest one million rubles and a population of tens of thousands to fully develop the colony of Alaska.”

Russia had sent an expedition to explore Alaska a decade and a half ago, but due to its extreme barrenness, no large-scale colonization had occurred.

Only Paul I, this eccentric tsar, could make such a decision—Alaska is extremely remote from Russia’s core territories, making effective governance impossible. Once developed, it would either be swallowed by Canada or by the United States.

The latter part of Count Osterman’s words piqued Joseph’s interest: “His Majesty the Emperor has granted all exclusive trade rights in Alaska to Count Boblinsky.”

Joseph gestured towards the Russians with a glass of wine taken from a servant’s tray: “To the generous Emperor!”

Count Boblinsky just so happens to be a partner of the Gemini Trading Company. If he obtained the trade rights to Alaska, it essentially meant the company could have trading rights.

Not to mention, the fur business in Alaska alone brings in over ten million francs a year.

Moreover, there is another benefit. If French interests enter Alaska, it would be impossible for the Americans to nonchalantly purchase this 580,000 square kilometers of land.

As the final dance of the ball began, Count Osterman cautiously said to Joseph: “Your Highness, perhaps you have heard, His Majesty the Emperor has been honored as the protector by the Malta Knight Order. His Majesty plans to send officials to manage the Knight Order’s garrison and hopes to station a fleet there.

“You see, this fleet could support you in the future war against the Ottomans and even join the Combined Fleet to fend off the British threat.”

A glint of coldness flashed in Joseph’s eyes.

This tsar truly dares to think; he even extends his hand into the Mediterranean?

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One more point is not yet completed, please refresh after 15 minutes to see. I apologize.

In 1741, the Danish navigator Vitus Bering sailed to Alaska Bay. In 1784, Russians established a settlement in Three Saints Bay. The area became Russian territory in 1799.

04:18 Given Alaska’s strategic importance, why did Russia sell it cheaply to the United States? After the Crimean War broke out in 1853, Russia feared the Alaska colony might be seized by Britain and proposed selling Alaska to the United States. On March 30, 1867, the United States purchased nearly 1.7 million square kilometers of Alaska from Tsarist Russia for 7 million US dollars plus a 200,000-dollar fee, averaging only two cents per acre[3]. The date the land contract took effect was October 18, 1867, which is why the state marks that day as “Alaska Day.”

The Southwest District includes the plains from the Aleutian Islands to the volcanic area of Katmai National Park and is the original landing spot for Russian Americans in Alaska, accessible only by air and water. Two of the nation’s three largest fishing ports are in this district. The area’s indigenous people are the Yupik Eskimos and Aleuts, known for their basket weaving [4]. The region’s waters nurture numerous marine species, and over 230 types of birds flock to the Aleutian Islands[5]. The Extreme North Zone is home to the Inupiat Eskimos and features auroras and polar day phenomena. Traditional Inuit lifestyles, modern petroleum technology, and large herds of wild caribou intertwine to create a unique landscape. Kotzebue and Barrow are Alaska’s two largest Inuit communities. Within the district, the Dalton Highway connects Prudhoe Bay[14] with the Alaska Highway System, being the only road that allows access into the Extreme North Zone.