Chapter 104:


    19. EuropeanSummit  1


    Among thecountless Parisian newspapers, there was hat boasted the biggest history. It was LaGazette.[1]


    Thenewspaper, which first appeared in the17th century under KingLouisXIV, hadbeen activeasa media outletfor the Bourbon royal family in theearlydays of itsestablishment.


    However, whenthe French Revolution broke out with the famousBastillePrison raid, it was able to survivethe de of the purge by changing itspositionfaster thananyone elseand absolutelyobeying therevolutionary forces.


    Since then, La Gazette had enthusiastically praisedthe leadingforces by changing faces quicklywheneverthe regime andpowerchanged.


    While maintaining the same lineasbefore, it managed to increased itsscale. The intellectuals had been verydisapproving of this, but nevertheless, theycouldnot denythat La Gazette was themost famousandrgestpressinParis.


    It wasstillthe newspaper with the most subscribers in Paris, whether it had grown cheaply or not. The editorsrecentlybeguntodointerestingthings to Parisians.


    Didie this morning? Check the mailbox, Raymond!


    Yes, Dad!


    As theday got colder, the boycalled Raymond, sniffing witha runny nose, went outsidethe house and openedthe red mailbox.


    Ashetucked his arminto thecold mailbox, a smile appeared on his brightface. Itcontained whatRaymond andhis father were waitingfor.


    Wow! Its here! It reallycame, Dad!


    The mancame hurriedly, leavingthe farms work behind, when he heard Raymondsfuss. What wasinthe hands of his son, who wasrunning around, was a specialmail.


    To JeanMedecin, the farmer on BaillyStreet in the 3rdDistrictinthe South-EastofParis. Thank you forbeingpart of thesubscriberswho regrly read La Gazette. La Gazetteisalways


    Hequickly flipped throughitand focusedonthestpage containing the main topic of interest. It containedwhat wasmaking the Parisianssoexcited.


    La Gazettepreparedthe following special questions to investigate oursubscribers, andfurthermore, the Parisians usual thoughts, politicaltendencies, satisfaction withlife, future values, and beliefs. The subscribers responses willbeused as data to be reflected in Paris public opiniontrends and wishes, as wesinthe blueprint of futurepolicies, so please respond carefully andclearly.


    La Gazettplieswith theLuxembourgDecree issuedbyHis Majestythe Emperor. We promisenot to discriminate against or do anything to suppress freedomofexpression based on theresponses of our subscribers.


    It wasthe first questionnaireofLaGazette.


    Thiswoulterbereferredtoasthe worldsfirstpublic opinion survey. Whetherheknew he wasfacing sucha historical moment or not, JeanMedecin wasjust showing interest and curiosityaboutwhat questionswouldbeasked.


    Hurry, hurry up and do it!


    Hehe, dontrush me


    JeanMedecin smiledathis son andturned the page. A question-and-answersection came intohis eyes.


    1. Hasthe financial situationofthe subscriberand his familyimprovedover thst 10 years?


    Please giveusthe answer byprehensivelyconsideringyour individual ie andassets, thestability of yourjob, andthe future. Writethe number 1 if it is better than how it was10 yearsago, thenumber 2 ifithas not changed, andthe number 3 if it has worsened.


    Jean Medecinthought fora moment. He was running agrapefarm inheritedfrom hisfather, andaswith allfarms, profitsvaried fromyear to year. Five years ago, the worst weatherconditions, cold waves, and hailhit and destroyedfarming fora year.


    But thesituation has improved a lot recently. The future haschanged to hope, too!


    Grapes grown on his farm werenot exclusively for brewing, so thetime fordistribution was short. Inordernot to losemoney, it had to be sold quickly, so if inventory umted, hehad to either sell it for a lower price or throw it away.


    However, as thewar ended and theeconomicsituation improved rapidly, the grapesonthe farmsold well withoutstocking.


    On topofthat, various taxes such as the sale tax, market tax, and farmtax wereabolished, increasing the liquidityoftransactions and leaving abigger margin even if he had to sell at alowerprice. Whatelse wastheretosay? Jean Medecinwrotedown thenumber 1 without hesitation.


    2. What do youthinkaboutthe implementation of policies promised by the Empires cab and theoue of recentforeign policies?


    Here, foreign policyrefers to external expeditions and diplomatic achievements. Ifyou think it was sessful, write thenumber 1


    Ofcourse its1. How can I alreadyforget the great victoriesofHis Majestythe Great Emperorand the invincible Grand Army?


    His son Raymond, whowas watching fromthe side, ppedwhilesmiling as if he agreed.


    In 1804, theday the republic wasconverted intoanempire. As he ascended to thethrone as Emperor, the risinggeneral promised to preserve theterritory of the republic, respect freedom of religion, equality of rights, political, civilfreedom, and aabundantlife forindividualsand families. There hadbeen many twists andturnsinthe middle, but in the end, he keptall his promises.


    3. Which countrydoyou think is the biggest enemy threatening the safety, territory, and sovereignty of the FrenchEmpire?


    Forthis question, please write downthe nameofthe countryyou are thinking of, not anumber.


    Hmm Ofcourse, these arethe sly andvicious indbastards. Obviously!


    Excited to see if hisfathersanswer was good again thistime, Raymond raisedhis armsand hurrahed. Then, in theFrench folksong Song of theOcean writtenbyGeorges Caron, the partLets beatall the inders! wassung like amedley.


    Asthe war esctedagainbetween Franceand the UnitedKingdom, antipathy betweenthe people of thetwo countries began to re up. That waswhy JeanMedecin wasable to pick Britainrightaway without any hesitation.


    4. What area do you think needs to be betterfor the development andfuture of the Empire?


    1 for awiderterritory, 2 for a richer Empire, 3 for the welfare of citizens, 4 for theimprovementofexternaldiplomatic rtions(omitted)


    Jean Medecin, who wascurrently supportinghis old parents, wrote thenumber 3. In addition, he sincerelywrotedown theanswers to various questions. Overall, many subscribers answered that theywere satisfiedwith thecurrent situationand ruleofthe Empire.


    Along withJean Medecin, probably theabsolutemajorityofthe other citizens of Paris no, even the Frenchcitizensbeyond Paris, would think alike.


    Withthe liftingofcensorship in themedia, art, and publishingindustries, the French were freetocriticize the government, cab, andmilitary. At first, they had been warythat it wasaninvestigation trap fromthe secret police, but they soonrealizedthat it wasnot. Newspapepanies werenot asked to revise or deletearticleseven if they openly criticized governmentpoliciesintheirheadlines, andeven if citizens on thestreet cursed thegovernment, guards and policedid not arrestthem or brutally assault them.


    TheFrench people, who gained therighttoexpress their feelings as they pleased, fellinlove with the sweet taste of true freedom that theyhad never enjoyedbefore.


    Insalons and squares, they wereable to express their opinions ording to their politicaltendencies freely, and discussions or disputes were resolved among themselves, and no outside public power intervened.


    Thanks to this, the Frenchpeople had therighttomake legitimate criticism without risk.


    Nevertheless, it was surprising thattherewas no criticism of theEmperor, who was theone who made France prosper in its goldenage.


    All of this is thanks to HisMajestys grace. Thatsright.


    Hehad createdanenvironmentwherepeople could staywarm andfill their stomach, while leading the Empiretothe top, presenting a widerangeoffreedom, welfare, and fortableand stable life. They did nottoleratecriticism or usationagainst theEmperor, not becausesomeone ordered them, but on their ownwill.


    While feelingtheircountry constantly developingand advancing, and while watching the back of the Emperor leadingit, the Frenchpeople weregiving unchanging, absolute supportfor one person.


    Im curiousaboutotherpeoplesopinionsinParis. Theymust be thinking about theEmpire and HisMajesty just likeus, right?


    JeanMedecin answered while stroking Raymondshead.


    Of course. The 800,000 citizens of Paris are wise people, different fromthe people of Israel, who didnot recognize Moses, theirsavior.


    JeanMedecin wrote down the address of the headquartersofLaGazette andreturneditwith thecarefully writtenquestion-and-answer sheet. Asthe timewas gettingmore turbulent, he hoped thatthis small questionnaire would helpthe Empire andthe Emperor.


    ===


    When conflictsofinterestorideologyarosebetween countries, it had been along-standing practice of international diplomacy to first go to theambassadorsofthe criticizedcountry when protesting.


    Even the Ottoman Empire andthe RussianEmpire, thetwo ironsupporters, were apanied by ambassadors in diplomatic affairs, and extremelyrefrained fromcriticizingothercountries in official meetings.


    However, Britains response thistime wasbreakingthat practice. PrimeMinisterCharles Grey gavea speechopenly criticizing France at Westminster Parliament, without talkingfirsttothe French ambassador in London at thetime.


    The British added, The French vited ourpropertyrights first, ignoring internationalws, so itsappropriateretaliation! butofcourse, theFrench sidecouldnot think thatway. This was a hugedisrespect to theFrench Empire andtoNapoleon.


    TheEmperor, who was respectedand reveredbyhis great and proud country, wasattackedbythe inders, sowouldthe passionateFrench staystill?


    TheangryParisians roselike wildfire andcriticized theattitudeofthe BritishPrimeMinisterand Cab, while painters and novelistsalso publishedsatire or short storiesmocking Britain and British politicians.


    Inresponse, London media reported on theestimated amount of damagereturnedtoindividual British citizens, listingpanies that suffered losses from Frances patentpiracy.


    In areas where citizens of bothcountries frequentlymet, it wamon to see hate protests or quarrels.


    Asthe confrontationbetween thetwo powers dominating WesternEurope intensified, theatmosphere of peace becameanold saying andwarfare began to circtethroughout Europeagain.


    War! It seemed that the time to cry forwar was about toe again. Notonly theFrench but also all Europenow paidattention to whatNapoleon, the Emperor of the Empire, would say.


    The remarks or expressions of the absolute ruler governingthe Empire hada differentlevelofinfluence and executionpowerthan theprimeministerofa constitutional monarchy.


    Withjust oneword, the war that had stopped could resume in an instant, andinreality, Napoleonhad often usedthis kind of surprise deration of war. Despite theattention focusedonhim, theFrench Emperordid not make an official statement.


    Even the warEmperor is reluctanttodere waragainst Britain, which rules thesea!


    Or maybe there is a secret agreementbetween thetwo countries.


    Theneighboringcountries of France andBritain made the above reasoningwith thegiveninformation. Maybe there would not be a war? Whileoptimismprevailed, news thatwouldsurprisethe entire Europehit the continent.


    (omitted) So far, the historyofthe European continent hasbeen a series of constant disputes, quarrels, and intimidation, to the extentthat it canbeconsidered a historyofwar. Those whosufferedduring thatperiod and those whodied bleeding were all ordinary European citizens.


    But didthe war bring groundbreaking benefits? Itdid not. Afterall, warismerely apolite expressionfor theft and plundering. Nowwehave to stop thiswheelofbloodthat only burns human potential without development.


    This cannotbeachievedbythe willofonly onecountry. Therefore, we insistonholding regr meetings thatwill lead the newera by establishing a new cooperative rtionshipand system between European countries andseeking harmony and coexistence.


    Thismeeting hasneverexisted before, where heads of European countries cangather for peace, bnce, and stability on theEuropeancontinent to haveimportant and sometimescasual discussions.


    Through this, we need to cultivate a sense ofplementaryresponsibilitybycoordinating disputes and quarrels in line withthe new erate.


    If all Europegathers itsmind, itcan preventthe tragedyofthe Great War. I sincerelybelieve andhope that the honorary heads of European countrieswill eptand cooperate forthemon development andvalueofEurope.


    These werethe words of Franois Carnot, Minister of the Administration of theFrench Empire. The remarkshemade in theImperialCouncil quickly spread throughout the European continent. Carnot wascalled the double heart of theEmperor Napoleon Bonaparte. His words soon became Napoleons intention.


    The war, which was likelytobetriggered overthe French andBritish patentdisputesand insults, had already beenburied under anew topic thatwas shakingEurope as awhole. Thiswas enough to mute the British side, which was preparingfor war.