Joseph exchanged a few more pleasantries before asking,
"The two most important companies in your country, naly the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company, don’t seem to be doing very well lately, are they?"
Campelem furrowed his brow and had to nod,
"Your Highness, the situation is indeed as you say. There have been frequent wars in recent years, which have greatly diminished the wealth of the provinces of the Netherlands, and subsequently lessened the demand for overseas goods. This has often led to deficits for both trade companies."
"Then may I ask if your Congress has any plans to improve the companies’ situation?"
Campelem replied with a pained expression,
"Your Highness, that is rather difficult... after all, the volu of trade is what it is."
Joseph said bluntly,
"The fundantal reason is that the British have monopolized many trade routes and continue to hit your colonies."
"This... indeed plays a part."
Joseph exaggeratedly sighed,
"The glory of yesteryears, when the Dutch dominated the world’s oceans as the carriage n of the sea!"
"..." Campelem could only bow his head in silence.
Observing his expression, Joseph smiled and said,
"Your Excellency, the Speaker, perhaps we can join forces."
"Join forces?" Campelem imdiately thought of sothing and shook his head, "Your Highness, unfortunately, the Dutch likely don’t have the strength to confront the British."
He did not dare to ally the Netherlands with either England or France— God as his witness, he could not provoke either of these great powers!
"No, you may have misunderstood . I’m talking about joining forces in trade, purely in trade."
"Does what you’re suggesting have to do with the two trading companies?"
Joseph nodded with a smile,
"Exactly. In fact, the French East India Company is also facing difficulty now. I suggest that we rge the three trading companies of both nations to expand the business scope, which might just restore so of our forr glory."
Joseph was well aware of the imnse potential the Dutch had in developing a navy; during the first three Anglo-Dutch wars, the Dutch fleet fought impressively and caused significant trouble for the British.
However, due to the weakened state of the Netherlands and a collapse in their ambition, they had lost their desire for mariti dominance.
Indeed, the Dutch had a natural talent for comrce. If they could seize a developntal opportunity, they might truly revive the glory days of being the carriage n of the sea.
Most importantly, even if the Dutch truly beca the mariti overlords, the British would be the ones to suffer the most in terms of interest. As for France, in the worst case, they could use their army to threaten the Netherlands, which was close at hand, and prevent them from causing too much harm to France’s mariti interests.
Cardinal Richelieu, France’s foremost statesman of the ti, once said that if France wanted to accomplish dominion, it was essential to support a strong Netherlands to counter England.
Regrettably, Louis XIV, seeking quick success, did not heed his advice and invaded the Netherlands for a trivial gain, leading to the gradual decline of one of England’s strongest competitors.
Now, Joseph intended to do his best to prop up the Netherlands again, even pushing them forward a step.
For instance, using the almost defunct French East India Company as bait to tie French and Dutch interests together, thus aiding the Netherlands to expand their trade reach and restore their national strength.
As a nation that relied on the sea for its livelihood, the Netherlands would undoubtedly need to establish a strong fleet if they gained any significant power.
And due to competitive interests in overseas trade, the Dutch fleet was naturally an enemy of the British Navy.
A glint seed to pass through Campelem’s eyes but was quickly replaced by a frown as he said,
"Your Highness, forgive my frankness, but given the trade situation of both France and the Netherlands, even if we join forces, the profits would be very limited. After all, the most profitable overseas colonies are occupied by the British, and the rest are in the hands of the Spanish."
Joseph smiled faintly,
"You can rest assured on this account. France will bring so trade concessions from its richly resourced colonies to invest in the new trading company,"
As of now, places like New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have not yet been developed by any European nation. The forr is a supermassive source of wool—at a ti when the textile industry reigns supre, wool is practically a strategic resource; while the latter possesses an abundance of minerals, which can also yield significant profits.
Not to ntion, these two places alone are enough to sustain a French-Dutch "India Company."
Even now, as England has only just landed on the eastern coast of Australia, France and the Netherlands could very well develop simultaneously in the north of Australia.
Add to that the Dutch trade in Guyana and such places, and with proper managent, it could bring both nations an enormous amount of profit.
Of course, these interests will also be coveted by the British. However, by then, it will have beco about cutting off the Dutch’s sources of wealth. The Netherlands will definitely have to fight to the bitter end with England.
Campelen exclaid in surprise:
"Which colonies are you referring to when you speak of these?"
After the Seven Years’ War, France’s overseas colonies could be counted on one’s fingers, and they still had so to contribute as investnt capital?
"As for that, you will be inford after the joint French-Dutch East India Company is established," Joseph said, "But I assure you, the output from these places is absolutely abundant, possibly even surpassing the current inco of the Netherlands in the Far East.
"Moreover, I must remind you that if the Patriot Party cannot provide the Dutch people with the lifestyle they desire, people might begin to long for their Stadtholder once again."
Seeing that Campelen was still hesitant, he threw out another huge lure:
"If our two countries have a significant trade cooperation, then our side can promise to sign a non-aggression pact with the Netherlands."
Campelen’s eyes lit up completely.
It is known that the British at sea and the French on land have always been the Netherlands’ two greatest threats.
The invasion of the Netherlands by France during the reign of Louis XIV has always been an inescapable nightmare for the Dutch, and this is an important reason why the Netherlands has been reluctant to fully tilt towards France.
But if France could promise to guarantee the safety of the Netherlands, that would be of trendous strategic benefit to the Netherlands.
He finally nodded vigorously:
"I will convey your generous offer to the provincial congress and the two companies and do my utmost to facilitate the matter."
After all, both the East and West India Companies were independently operated joint-stock companies, and the Dutch Parliant had no power to control them; they could only give advice.
Joseph nodded with a smile, then looked towards the crowd at the ball:
"Perhaps, we can also include Austria in our cooperation. You know, how lucrative their Ostend Company was in the past, only to be dissolved under pressure from the British. They probably also eagerly wish to rebuild their own East India Company."
The Ostend Company he referred to was the Austrian overseas trade company based in the Southern Netherlands. Although it existed for only 10 years, it was the only ti Austria realized its dream of overseas trade.
Most importantly, they all suffered at the hands of the British.
Campelen was stunned by this bold idea for a couple of seconds before he said:
"Your Highness, according to the agreent between England and Austria at the ti, the Ostend Company cannot be reestablished."
Joseph shrugged and said with a smile:
"Who’s talking about an Ostend Company? The Archduke of Austria could put in so money to invest in the joint French-Dutch East India Company and grant it so trade concessions; that wouldn’t violate the agreent, would it?"
Campelen imdiately laughed as well. The thought process of the Crown Prince of France was simply too flexible—a joint trade company with shared Franco-Dutch-Austrian stakes would have great potential in the future!
Joseph, however, felt a hint of regret, as the Archduke of Austria, Joseph II, who was also his own uncle, couldn’t attend this birthday celebration due to health reasons. And the special envoy he sent was rely a formality and held no real authority.
Otherwise, it would not be just about the joint East India Company; Joseph had matters regarding Silesia, and even the unification of Germany, that he really wanted to discuss with his uncle.
The celebration lasted all night. After the charity auction for disaster relief, as dawn began to break, the reveling crowd gradually dispersed...
According to the initial plan, all the birthday presents given to Louis XVI from both dostic and foreign sources were auctioned off, and the proceeds were entirely used for disaster relief.
At the auction, many nobles also donated additional jewelry and expensive clothing for bidding.
In the end, they raised a total of more than two million livres, and in full view of all Parisians, it was announced how much grain this money would buy and where it would be delivered.
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