Chapter 191: The Beginning of the Empire

"Sir Edward, I have good news for you. The French have backed down," Haarlepete said with excitement, unlike Edward who was full of confusion. He hurriedly walked up to Edward and spoke.

"What? The French have backed down? Is that true? What concessions have they made?" Edward asked eagerly. Clearly, Talulang's retreat had surprised Edward as well. He had thought they would continue to stalemate with the French for a while longer.

"The French have promised not to build naval bases or deploy their navy in the Netherlands in the future. Sir Edward, this is a huge concession for the French!" Haarlepete said, extremely excited.

To be honest, he hadn't expected the French to abandon their plans to build a naval base in the Netherlands. This was not only good news for the British, but also for the Dutch. The naval base in the Netherlands not only threatened Britain but also made the Dutch uneasy. But now the French had retreated, promising to abandon their plans to establish a naval base in the Netherlands. This undoubtedly relieved both countries.

"Sir Edward, I must say, the French have indeed made a significant retreat this time. When negotiations resume later, shouldn't you... also make a concession?" Haarlepete tentatively asked.

"Should I make a concession too?" Edward murmured, unsure of what the French were thinking. So, he didn't know whether he should move forward or back.

Should he seize the initiative now, further forcing the French to retreat, or should he be content with his success and facilitate the negotiations?

"Sir Edward, I think we should step back now. After all, we have already achieved what we wanted. The French were forced to give up their naval base in the Netherlands because of us, which must be very uncomfortable for them. If we continue to force the French to retreat, I think they are likely to overturn the negotiating table and terminate the negotiations. By then, our efforts will have been in vain." Seeing Edward silent, Haarlepete quickly stepped forward and said.

"Yes, you have a point. France is a powerful country, and Napoleon is an ambitious leader. They will not allow their interests to be too badly damaged. Forcing them too tightly at this moment may have the opposite effect. It won't be good then." Edward nodded.

"Mr. Haarlepete, I have made up my mind. You can call for negotiations again." Then Edward turned to Haarlepete and said.

As Haarlepete, Edward, and Talulang each represented their respective countries and presented their opinions, the negotiations resumed in the afternoon. This time, the negotiations were less tense than before. 

Although France had only made a slight concession, it gave hope to the British side. This was undoubtedly a good start. 

Subsequently, both sides bargained further, hoping that the terms brought by this round of negotiations would bring benefits to their respective countries.

"I have made my position clear. My country can step back and refrain from constructing naval bases in the Netherlands. But the British side must acknowledge that these are legitimate French territories. At the same time, they must apologize for the unauthorized landing of the British army on our territory. Moreover, the British troops caused significant losses to our country during this unauthorized landing, which the British government must compensate for. The provisional amount for compensation is set at 8 million francs," Talulang said firmly, leaning on the negotiating table.

"No, no, no, this cannot be accepted. The British government has never paid war reparations to any country, not even a single pound. So this is something my government cannot accept," Edward continuously shook his head and said.

"Are you saying your country wants to get away scot-free?" Talulang asked with an unfriendly expression.

"Not at all, Ambassador Talulang. I understand that your country has made a significant concession, so my country is also willing to make a concession. That is, my country is willing to recognize that the Netherlands belongs to France. But the condition is that France must not construct any military installations in the Netherlands. As for war reparations, please refrain from bringing it up again," Edward replied.

"So, what you mean is that the tens of thousands of people in Dunkirk died in vain under the bombardment of the British Navy?" Talulang's eyes flashed dangerously, staring at Edward firmly.

"But we also have many soldiers who died under French soldiers. They are also life."

"No, Sir Edward, this is different. The dead British are soldiers. Since they have come to the territory of another country, they must be prepared for war. But Dunkirk is a civilian in France. For your country's attack on civilians in the war, it must be punished." Talulang slammed the table hard to show his anger.

"Compensation is not possible, there is no precedent. However, it is true that our navy did cause some damage in Dunkirk. How about this? Out of humanitarian considerations, my country is willing to provide your country with some financial assistance, 1 million francs. How does that sound?" Edward looked at Talulang and spoke.

"But this is the entire Dunkirk, and tens of thousands of French citizens. Are they worth only 1 million francs in your eyes?" Talulang replied.

The signing of the "Memorandum of Understanding on Anglo-French Conflict" marked the conclusion of the war between the two countries, which had lasted for more than three months. This war changed the geopolitical landscape of Western Europe. In this war, France successfully annexed the Netherlands and defended against the attacks of the British.

From now on, the Netherlands would become an integral part of France. Although the scale of this war was not large, with each side deploying less than 100,000 troops and no significant naval engagements, it completely changed the situation in Western Europe.

Under Napoleon's leadership, the French army was like a storm, continuously defeating its enemies. They first defeated the old European power, Austria, and obtained the Netherlands. They then fought against the strongest country in Western Europe, Britain, and did not fall behind.

These two wars showed the world the combat effectiveness of the French army. After this, no one in Europe dared to underestimate this country, which had just risen from the revolution.