Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Chapter 704: Chapter 613: The Sugar War

Oreal stared blankly for several seconds before his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief, “You’re serious?”

Brisso nodded, “Absolutely certain. His Majesty’s decree is with me.”

Oreal, struggling to contain his excitement, asked, “So, how much must each slave pay for their own freedom?”

Brisso patted his arm, “There are no fees, no limits, my friend, everyone will be completely free.”

Oreal’s heart pounded wildly, but he looked at Brisso suspiciously, “You’re not here to stall for time while an army is on its way to Port-au-Prince…”

“I swear to Jesus,” Brisso replied earnestly, “no plot, no army. The slavery in Santo Domingo is history.”

Oreal confirmed several times over until at last, he was no longer doubtful. He began to frantically cross himself, yet found himself at a loss for words. The dream he had fought for decades had suddenly come true.

Only then did he notice that Brisso was still standing. He hurriedly brought over a chair, offering eagerly, “Please, take a seat. This is rather sudden. Could you tell me why His Majesty has decided to grant such great mercy?”

Brisso immediately began to patiently explain to him about the King and the Crown Prince’s recognition and adherence to the ideas of freedom, equality, human rights, and fraternity. As a veteran abolitionist, these concepts came naturally to him.

Then he solemnly took out the Abolition Decree and handed it to Oreal.

The latter, holding the decree, nodded excitedly, “Long live His Majesty the King! Long live the Crown Prince!

“Oh, Mr. Brisso, let’s go announce the decree at the Congress right now…”

But Brisso raised his hand to stop him, “Mr. Oreal, I’m sorry, but the decree cannot be made public yet.”

Oreal was taken aback and then angrily retorted, “I knew it, this is all a scam!”

“No, you must trust in the King’s resolve to abolish slavery.” Brisso urged, “The Saint Domingo Council can immediately pass the abolition resolution, and I guarantee that members of the Slave-holding Faction will vote in favor.

“The French Government will express opposition and may even send the army to put on a show, but there will be no substantive action.”

Oreal scoffed coldly, “Hmph, why do it this way?”

Brisso sighed with a look of helplessness, “Please understand the government’s predicament. Public abolition would severely impact the interests of other countries, such as Britain, who rely on slaves for their extensive plantations in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the West Indies.

“If France declares abolition, slaves in other countries will demand their freedom. France would face severe diplomatic pressure. Therefore, we must proceed clandestinely…”

Oreal slowly sat down.

He knew the envoy was right. Currently, British, American, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch amongst others, were slaveholders, and they would certainly oppose France’s abolition policy. And if France faced too much international pressure, they might very well abandon the decision to abolish slavery.

“I apologize for my behavior earlier,” he bowed slightly, then said with renewed hope, “It may take some time, but abolition will be accepted by all nations.

“Oh, speaking of Britain you mentioned earlier, they are actually very supportive of abolition in Santo Domingo. Not long ago, the Duke of Leeds visited Port-au-Prince to provide funding for the abolition movement…”

Oreal had not misspoken. He was indicating to Brisso that if the French Government did not keep its promise, they had other options.

He then waved his hand with a smile, “But now there’s no need for the abolition movement, so we will not continue contact with the British.”

Brisso, however, became wary and asked quickly, “You mean, the British support you?”

“That’s correct.”

“What support have they provided?”

“This…”

“Speak frankly, I know you’re brewing an uprising. Do the British have something to do with it?”

Oreal hesitated for a moment, then nodded in admission, “We are prepared for an armed protest. The Duke of Leeds has been involved in this plan. He has brought some flintlock guns and cannons, and has promised to provide 30,000 British Pounds of supplies per month.”

The British could never have anticipated that the French Government would voluntarily give up Santo Domingo, rendering them valueless in the eyes of the abolitionist organization and easily betrayed.

Oreal demonstrated sincerity, looking at Brisso, “I assure you, once the Council passes the abolition law, our armed forces will disband immediately.”

“No, your army must continue to exist…”

Brisso paused mid-sentence.

According to the previous plan of the Crown Prince, Oreal’s forces would secretly cooperate with the Governor of Saint-Domingue’s troops to drive the fanatics of the Book movement to British Jamaica, letting them slaughter the British there.

On the other side, the French Army in Saint Domingo would pretend to be defeated by Oreal’s forces, abandon large amounts of arms and ammunition to them, and then allow Oreal’s abolitionist force to spread to the Bahamas and the West Indies, ultimately devastating the entire sugar plantation economy of the Caribbean.

In due time, France would lose just Saint Domingo, while Britain would lose nearly all of its sugarcane-producing territories, as well as a large number of cotton plantations in places like Jamaica.

Even the abolition movement could extend to Brazil, heavily impacting Portugal—a close ally of Britain—and Brazil was Portugal’s economic pillar.

As the first victim of abolition, France would never be suspected of manipulating events from behind the scenes.

When sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean, accounting for 80% of the world’s sugar production, were destroyed, France’s beet sugar would gain control of sugar pricing in Europe!

But now Oreal suddenly mentioned that the British were involved in the abolition movement in Santo Domingo, so perhaps the plan could be modified slightly.

After a moment of thought, Brisso said to Oreal, “We can discuss your army later.

“First, I’d like to convey some expectations from His Majesty the King.”

Oreal frowned slightly but nodded, “I am at His Majesty’s service.”

Brisso took out a document he had prepared earlier and handed it to him, “His Majesty believes that after abolition, all the properties of the citizens of Saint Domingo should be respected. No one should harm the plantation owners.”

“Of course.”

Brisso continued, “And plantations will need workers to maintain operations. So, after the blacks gain their freedom, they must continue to work in the plantations where they were originally employed for two more years. Certainly, they will receive proper remuneration and respect from the plantation owners.”

Oreal thought for a moment and nodded, “That is also acceptable.”

He too knew that without any property, the freed slaves would still have to rely on the plantations to survive. As long as they were paid, they would likely be happy to stay.

Brisso glanced at Oreal and added, “Plantations that were damaged during the Book riots should receive compensation. And those rioters must be severely punished.”