Chapter 176 The Anger of George III

"Sir Tom, this is an entirely unreasonable demand. We absolutely will not agree to it. I hope that when you meet Consul Napoleon later, you will not make such unreasonable demands in front of him. Otherwise, these negotiations will be very difficult to continue," Talleyrand said coldly, staring at Sir Tom.

Upon hearing Talleyrand's words, Sir Tom was somewhat shocked. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Talleyrand.

This undoubtedly made Sir Tom much more cautious. He didn't know what kind of behavior would trigger the French people. If this displeased the French and caused these negotiations to fail, that would be a responsibility that a diplomat couldn't bear.

"What is the opinion of the French government?" Sir Tom inquired cautiously.

"The French government demands that the British government issue an apology for this incident, guarantee never to interfere in the internal affairs of the Netherlands again, and provide compensation to the French government. Finally, our government demands that the British military be under the supervision of the French navy during the withdrawal," Talleyrand stated, laying out the French government's demands.

"What? These demands are too outrageous. France is treating Britain like a defeated country to be plundered. I cannot accept these demands," Sir Tom said angrily. The French demands were indeed too harsh, and the British could never agree to such terms.

"Your Excellency Talleyrand, I came here today with full sincerity to negotiate. But if your country insists on this, then negotiations are impossible," Sir Tom reminded.

"I can make one concession. Our country can lower the amount of compensation demanded from Britain. However, Britain must take responsibility for this incident and apologize to the French government," Talleyrand said firmly.

"I have already said it is impossible!" Sir Tom said angrily, then turned and left. Throughout the process, his face was grim, and he did not speak another word to Talleyrand, as if the reaffirmation of their friendship had never happened.

"Your Excellency Talleyrand, are we just going to let that British man leave like this? Shouldn't we be doing our best to resolve this incident at the negotiating table rather than the battlefield?" After Sir Tom left, a French diplomat approached Talleyrand and asked.

"I am well aware of that. However, even though we need to resolve this at the negotiating table, we still need to make Britain pay some price. I want them to know that France is not a place where they can come and go as they please. This way, the next time the British engage in similar activities, they will have some concerns," Talleyrand said confidently.

"What about Consul Napoleon? What should we do about him?" the French diplomat continued to ask.

"Go and speak to Prime Minister Napoleon," Talleyrand said, "Tell him that the British currently lack sincerity in negotiations. During this period, we must take action. It's best to further advance militarily to deter the British. Only this way can we make them soften at the negotiating table."

"Alright, that's it. I'll go report to Prime Minister Napoleon," Talleyrand said. He then left the Foreign Ministry and headed straight for the Palace of Versailles.

...

Inside the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon slowly set down Talleyrand's report, then stood up and paced back and forth. He was thinking deeply in this manner.

"Is this the final result of the negotiations?" Napoleon asked.

"Yes, Prime Minister Napoleon. The British are still very stubborn; they refuse to accept our proposed conditions. So I think we need to teach them a little lesson," Talleyrand said.

"A lesson for the British? That's not a bad idea. Perhaps doing so can really make the British retreat," Napoleon said, somewhat excited.

"Pass on my orders. Instruct Berthier to join up with Murat as soon as possible. Surround the British regiment at Middelburg. If necessary, even threaten them with artillery fire. We must create an atmosphere where our troops can devour them at any moment," Napoleon said.

At this moment, Napoleon had made up his mind. Naturally, the French army had a direction. Under Napoleon's command, Berthier's reinforcements quickly converged towards the Netherlands, while the French forces near Middelburg also began to act.

Countless French cavalrymen began to close in on Middelburg, surrounding the British regiment inside. Outside Middelburg, they set up artillery positions. These cannons were powerful, enough to make the British tremble in fear.

Even some daring French soldiers frequently fired shots under the cover of night to frighten the British. However, the French did not load the cannons with shells, only gunpowder, but even so, it was enough to keep the British soldiers awake at night.

Under immense pressure, the British soldiers were on the verge of collapse. They feared that on some ordinary night, while they slept, the French might suddenly attack and envelop them.

In this "crisis," pleas for reinforcements fluttered to the British Army headquarters like snowflakes. Inside the British Army headquarters at this moment, it was a scene of chaos.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from the War Office," at Buckingham Palace, a letter from the British Army lay on King George III's desk.

"Is it from Middelburg?" King George III asked his servant.

"Yes," the servant replied truthfully.

"Is it a request for reinforcements?" King George III asked further.

"Yes," the servant remained honest.

"Ah, you may go! I understand," King George III sighed and then said. In recent days, he had received numerous requests for reinforcements from Middelburg, to the point where he was becoming somewhat numb to them.

"Ah, have the Foreign Secretary, Duke of Edward Grey, and the First Lord of the Admiralty, Hood, come to see me," King George III continued with another sigh. There was no way he could ignore the suffering of his soldiers on the European continent. He had to find a way to rescue these troops; twenty thousand men were a significant number, and the already weakened British Army could ill afford such losses.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the servant respectfully bowed and slowly withdrew.

"Your Majesty!" a moment later, two men entered King George III's office.

"Hood, what's the situation in Middelburg? Can we rescue the Army?" King George III anxiously asked as Hood entered the room.

"Well, um..." Hood hesitated upon hearing this, as this was the fourth time King George III had asked the question in recent times. He wasn't sure how to respond anymore.

"Why? Isn't our Navy far superior to the French? Why can't we even manage to rescue the Army? What's the use of spending so much money to build up the Navy if the government can't even do this?" King George III shouted in frustration. He was dissatisfied that the powerful Royal Navy seemed to be of no use in the current crisis.

"Your Majesty, a decisive battle and a rescue operation are two different things. Besides, the French Navy's strength is not insignificant, and the Channel between England and France is too narrow. This makes it easy for the French Navy to find us effortlessly and engage in a decisive battle. By that time, we would also need to protect the Army's ships, which simply wouldn't be able to fight against the French Navy," Hood patiently explained to King George III. While the world saw the strength of the British Navy, they did not realize that the French Navy was equally formidable. Hood was not willing to take risks against such a navy without a sure advantage.

"In that case, we must rely on diplomatic means!" King George III turned to Edward Grey and asked.

"Your Majesty, I believe the French do want to resolve this through negotiation. The only point of contention now is that the French side is demanding an apology from us, and even reparations," Edward Grey said.

"No... I absolutely cannot agree to such conditions, even though these twenty thousand brave Englishmen are crucial, the honor of the British Empire is even more important," King George III said firmly.