Chapter 208 - Peace

 Napoleon's army stormed into Berlin, with the man himself leading the way through the Brandenburg Gate, savoring the moment of grandeur.

During this era, when an army entered an enemy city, it often resulted in looting, killing, and unfortunate fates for young maidens. However, Napoleon's French forces behaved with remarkable civility. There were no widespread plundering or evidence suggesting that the virtue of Berlin's women deteriorated after the French arrival.

Strictly speaking, the discipline of Napoleon's troops was not rooted in a sense of class or military honor; it was primarily due to their substantial combat allowances. After victorious campaigns, Napoleon's troops received combat allowances that sometimes exceeded their annual regular pay. This naturally incentivized soldiers, especially after a victory, to maintain discipline.

The fundamental reason for these high allowances was Napoleon's knack for acquiring funds efficiently after each triumph. His most common method involved cracking down on aristocrats and suppressing counter-revolutionaries.

In fact, if King Frederick William III of Prussia had understood this trait of the French army and noticed that this time there were no mass looting or land redistribution, he should have realized that Napoleon did not intend to annihilate Prussia at this point.

Napoleon would never engage in a losing transaction. These allowances would undoubtedly be paid by the Prussians, but the manner in which they were collected mattered. The first method would focus the animosity of the Fritzens on the French, providing Prussian nobility with the opportunity to instill nationalism in the people and motivate them to fight for their cause. In contrast, the second approach, despite the intermediaries' profit margins, spread out the animosity among them and led them to repress nationalism to maintain their rule.

This was especially relevant to Prussia at present. With Berlin lost, most of the remaining territory still under King Frederick William III's rule was formerly Polish land. The population now predominantly consisted of Poles, and Prussia was rapidly transitioning from a German nation to a Polish one. Given this scenario, Prussian rulers, predominantly German nobility, dared not foster nationalism.

For this reason, after capturing Berlin, Napoleon chose not to pursue Frederick William III but to wait in Berlin for the next Prussian envoy for negotiations.

On the other hand, when Archduke Charles returned to Austria with the agreement, Emperor Francis I initially felt that the terms that required his forces to completely withdraw from Italy were unfavorable. By this point, his troops had seized several Italian cities, including advancing towards Milan, where the logistical support of the Italians could not keep up.

Moreover, the issue of security for the adjacent regions of Italy was not resolved effectively in the agreement. The phrase "gradually reduce arms sales to these areas and reach a final resolution after some time" left the duration of "some time" ambiguous.

Emperor Francis I was initially displeased and even had doubts about Archduke Charles's competence. He was reluctant to sign the agreement immediately. However, when Napoleon swept through Prussia with swift and decisive victories, Emperor Francis I quickly changed his attitude. He apologized to Archduke Charles and openly praised Metternich, who had put in significant efforts to make the agreement happen, as a promising talent. He even intended to appoint Metternich as the ambassador to France.

Metternich then proposed that, before assuming the role of ambassador, he should serve as a special envoy to mediate the war between France and Prussia.

"Your Majesty, if Prussia is excessively weakened, it will not be beneficial for our country," Metternich argued.

So, this time, in Berlin, Napoleon waited not only for Prussian envoys but also for Metternich, who came with the Prussian representatives.

Napoleon received the two envoys and, during the negotiations, initially insisted on a reparation of 150 million francs. However, thanks to Metternich's persuasive skills, Napoleon eventually expressed goodwill and made some concessions. Consequently, both sides signed the "Treaty of Berlin."

The "Treaty of Berlin" stipulated that Prussia must compensate France with a one-time payment of one billion francs. If Prussia needed a loan, it could only borrow from banks specified by the French government. The collateral for these loans would be Prussia's customs duties.

In addition to the reparations, Prussia granted France unilateral most-favored-nation treatment, as well as unilateral market access and national treatment. French citizens could freely move and engage in any occupation in Prussia without government interference. Once French goods entered Prussian territory, they were subject to tariffs (the tariff rate was determined by the alliance of French government-specified lending banks), and the Prussian government was prohibited from imposing any other taxes on these French products.

Prussia had to cede all territory west of the Elbe. These lands would not be annexed into France but would join the newly established Rhenish Confederation, a confederation under French protection. After losing the territory west of the Elbe, Prussia had effectively become a nation with a majority of Polish inhabitants.

This was almost an unequal treaty that would lead to the demise of Prussia. But this was not all the trouble that King Frederick William III had to face. Encouraged by the Prussians' disastrous defeat, Polish nobility once again supported "independence enthusiasts" in an uprising. At this point, Prussia had no power to suppress them, and it seemed that Prussia was about to lose more than half of its land and population.

At this juncture, Prussia's friendly neighbors, Russia and Austria, came to Prussia's aid. They both expressed their willingness to send troops to help Prussia quell the rebellion.

The attitudes of the Russians and Austrians were easy to understand. They had both participated in the partition of Poland. If the Poles created a new Poland within Prussian territory, it would also adversely affect their controlled areas. Therefore, their assistance had a certain level of sincerity.

However, Prussia dared not accept their goodwill so easily. Who knew if their intervention would lead to the suppression of the Polish uprising but also result in Polish territory becoming Russian and Austrian land?

So, King Frederick William III opted for a straightforward approach—selling out. He returned to Berlin with Queen Louise and hosted General Napoleon Bonaparte at the palace. During the banquet, both sides engaged in a very warm and friendly conversation. The king and the beautiful Queen Louise left a profound impression on Napoleon. Especially when the king left the banquet early due to health issues, Queen Louise, acting as the host, displayed her grace, kindness, and attentiveness, which captivated Napoleon.

Drawing from a description in a novel written by the renowned author Alexandre Dumas, when Lucien proudly showcased the various mermaids he had captured and displayed to Napoleon, the latter dismissively said, "Your trophies are nothing special. None of them can compare to Queen Louise. She is a true natural wonder."

After this banquet, Napoleon visited the Prussian palace, still under French protection, several times and quickly reached an agreement with Prussia. They arranged a loan agreement titled "Loan Agreement on Post-war Reconstruction of the Country" or simply "Reconstruction Loan Agreement." The agreement included a sum of 30 million francs, but France did not need to provide actual gold or silver; instead, the Prussian captives, officers, and some seized weaponry were converted into money and handed over to the Prussians.

After the agreement was reached, the French army gradually withdrew from Prussia, and the Prussian soldiers and officers, once captives, started returning to the service of King Frederick William III. They prepared to quell the domestic uprisings.

As for Napoleon, after leaving Berthier in charge of the withdrawal process, he hastily headed to Luxembourg. Now, he was on his way to Paris to claim his most significant war trophy.

Utilizing a combination of frequent changes of horses and resting in carriages along the route, Napoleon managed to return to Luxembourg from Berlin in just a week. Subsequently, he traveled with a cavalry escort to Paris, bearing the array of military flags captured during these battles. It took him five days to finally reach the French capital.

On that morning, amid the cheers of the Parisian citizens, Napoleon rode a white horse, flanked by the battle-hardened soldiers. They headed to the French Parliament, where Napoleon would report his triumphs.

The soldiers proudly cast the captured military flags on the steps leading to the Parliament building. Napoleon, wearing a satisfied smile, dismounted from his horse and stepped on these flags as he walked toward the entrance, escorted by an elite guard.