I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 689 - 690: Claude Chappe

Lord Marquis pointed a finger at Bayeux, exclaiming, "As soon as sugar production in the Caribbean declined, France suddenly ramped up beet sugar production. Isn't that a little too convenient?

"You must have orchestrated the collapse of Caribbean sugar supplies to sell your beet sugar at outrageous prices! Right now, sugar is selling at 1 shilling, 4 pence per pound. You're making a fortune!

"What else do you have to say for yourself?"

Bayeux burst out laughing. "You're quite the comedian, my dear envoy.

"Why don't you do the math yourself?

"Our losses in Saint-Domingue have reached 50 million francs, while our beet sugar factories only produce 2 million pounds per month, yielding less than 30 million francs annually.

"Do you think we would be so foolish as to destroy everything around us just to inflict losses on ourselves?"

This was a classic case of exploiting information asymmetry.

Saint-Domingue's actual losses were nowhere near 50 million francs. That figure was based on the assumption that no sugar would be produced at all. In reality, despite the devastation of war, the island was still producing 30–40% of its usual output.France's beet sugar production was far from saturated. As long as profits were guaranteed, production could easily double or triple in the future. Moreover, as sugar prices continued to rise, annual profits would soon climb from 30 million francs to 40 or even 50 million.The ultimate goal was the Franc as a sugar-backed currency. Even if the French incurred some losses in the short term, the long-term benefits of boosting the Franc's influence and circulation would make it all worthwhile.

"That…" Lord Marquis stammered, unable to respond.

The mood in the room shifted, and the representatives of other nations glared at him with renewed anger.

Seizing the moment, Bayeux pressed on:

"Let's talk about losses. France has already sent two expeditions to suppress the Saint-Domingue rebellion, at great cost."

In reality, those so-called "expeditions" had merely supplied weapons to Vincent Ogé's forces. Only about a thousand regular soldiers were involved, and the total expenditure for both missions barely exceeded 3 million francs.

By contrast, Britain had sent General Brandt and 4,000 troops to the Caribbean, spending over 40,000 pounds sterling, equivalent to 1 million francs.

"Our second expedition had just stabilized the situation in Saint-Domingue when General Brandt requested our forces to assist in quelling the rebellion in the Bahamas. As soon as our troops departed, Ogé seized the opportunity to capture Fort Maqua, plunging Saint-Domingue into chaos.

"I have every reason to suspect that Britain has been colluding with the rebels in Saint-Domingue to undermine our colony!"

"That's not true!" Lord Marquis shouted angrily. "General Brandt discovered that your officer, Galissonnière, conspired with the black rebels to expose our flank, leading to a disastrous defeat for our forces!"

On a battlefield involving tens of thousands of soldiers, maintaining absolute secrecy was nearly impossible. General Brandt had captured several black officers, who confessed under interrogation that they had orders not to attack French forces.

Only then did he realize he had been outmaneuvered by the French.

Bayeux sneered. "Your accusation is absurd and baseless!"

"I have witnesses!" Lord Marquis retorted, clenching his fists.

"Who are they?"

"Officers from the Bahamian rebels!"

Before Bayeux could respond, the other representatives burst into laughter.

"Testimony from black rebels? Really?"

In their eyes, black individuals weren't even considered fully human, let alone credible witnesses in such a high-stakes matter.

As the room quieted down, Bayeux continued:

"As for our beet sugar production, that was purely an accident.

"We weren't even aware of this technology until a Bavarian scholar approached the Crown Prince for research funding, leading to some experimental planting.

"The costs of beet sugar production are extraordinarily high; the Crown Prince is still losing money on it."

Given that detailed cost data was available only to France's agricultural minister, Bayeux was free to make up numbers to suit his narrative.

"This…" Lord Marquis was at a loss.

The French were too cunning. Even though he was certain they were the ones pulling the strings, nobody believed him. Instead, most were convinced that Britain's mishandling of the Saint-Domingue rebellion had spiraled out of control, causing widespread chaos across the Caribbean.

Even the Dutch and Portuguese delegates glared at him with intense dissatisfaction.

Both nations had colonies in the Caribbean and had suffered significant losses during the abolitionist uprisings.

In the end, the highly anticipated "European Sugar Conference" concluded without achieving anything substantial.

Bayeux had drafted a statement condemning Britain, but only Spain was willing to sign it. Other countries, concerned about their trade ties with Britain, decided to let the matter drop.

Nevertheless, the conference served as an excellent advertisement for French beet sugar. Within a week, trading volumes at the Paris Futures Exchange soared by 35%.

Even sugar futures contracts dated a year into the future were nearly sold out.

Simultaneously, the Franc experienced a surge in popularity. Merchants recognized it as more convenient than gold or silver coins and indispensable for acquiring scarce sugar.

As merchants began embracing the Franc, the general public soon followed suit.

At Versailles

In his study, the Crown Prince listened to Bayeux's report on the Frankfurt meeting, his brow furrowed slightly.

He had anticipated that soaring sugar prices would deal a severe blow to Britain.

At this point, Britain had only two options for resolving the crisis: either France voluntarily lowered its sugar export prices, or Britain launched a war to divert public attention.

Lowering prices was out of the question.

The sugar boom was driving the rapid expansion of the Franc. Just last month, the Treasury Bank had issued over 10 million Francs in banknotes, much of it absorbed by foreign merchants. This effectively validated the Franc's credibility as an international currency.

Lowering prices now would kill the momentum.

"Britain is likely to accelerate its preparations for war," Joseph murmured. "But that conflict is inevitable. Europe can only have one hegemon.

"The current hegemon, Britain, won't sit idly by as France challenges its dominance.

"The profits we've gained from sugar will give us an edge when that war comes."

As Bayeux left, Berthier entered.

Joseph greeted the Chief of Staff with a smile. "Perfect timing. I was just about to discuss accelerating our military preparations. What brings you here?"

Berthier gestured toward the door. "Your Highness, regarding your suggestion to apply the 'shipowner communication model' to military command… It turns out Mr. Claude Chappe had already submitted a similar invention to the General Staff. His system is even more advanced."

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