The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 644 - 317: Napoleon, France and the Russian Court

London, a restaurant near Oxford Street, decorated predominantly in York yellow hues.

Arthur sat at the dining table, handing over several bottles of wine from his personal bag to the restaurant waiter, as though he was opening a treasure chest.

"Please open all these bottles for me."

The waiter, glancing at the labels on the bottles, politely asked, "Sir, are you sure? It seems a bit wasteful to open so many bottles if there are only two of you."

Arthur merely smiled and replied, "Don’t worry, if we don’t finish, someone will take care of what’s left."

The Red Devil leaned in, inspecting the labels, and mumbled, "Johnnie Walker and Chivas? There probably isn’t better whiskey than these two from Scotland. They taste better mixed with black and green tea, but I personally prefer to add lemon juice and ginger water. It would be even better with some ice cubes. However, I don’t know if you humans are accustomed to such flavors."

Having said this, Agares’s gaze then moved to the other bottles, "Wow! Arthur, you really went all out! 1818 Hennessy, and even V.S.O.P labels, is this the royal-exclusive wine that George IV ordered from Hennessy Cognac? Although Hennessy isn’t on par with the best distilleries, this special-order must be quite expensive, right?"

Seeing the Red Devil almost drooling, Arthur took the opportunity when the waiter left and said, "Agares, no rush, Mr. Talleyrand and I won’t be able to drink much; the rest is all yours."

As he finished speaking, he saw an old man with silver hair, limping over with the aid of a cane.

Talleyrand glanced at the wine bottles in the waiter’s hand and chuckled, sitting opposite Arthur, "Drinking these wines in such a nondescript little restaurant seems rather wasteful, doesn’t it?"

Arthur responded with a smile, "If a few bottles of wine can get you to dine in a little roadside tavern, I think they are well worth it."

Talleyrand handed his cane to an aide and casually wiped his hands with a tablecloth, "It looks like you made a tidy sum on your trip to Liverpool investigating, huh?"

"That’s not quite right," Arthur joked, pointing to a scar near his eye, "Look, didn’t I get my comeuppance right away? On that note, I’d actually like to consult with you—you spread your ventures far and wide, but how have you managed to live to such an age?"

Talleyrand, amused by Arthur, chuckled and replied, "It’s simple. I only take what I can handle. Whether it’s Napoleon or the Bourbons, as much as they hate me, they can’t seem to part with me either. So, I’ve lived until now, while they’ve all ended up in coffins."

Arthur, glancing at the waiter pouring the wine, asked, "Hmm... that makes sense, but how do you know what is within your capacity?"

Talleyrand, setting down the tablecloth, said, "Young man, that’s quite a good question. Knowing your own limits does indeed take wisdom, a type of wisdom most people lack."

As he spoke, Talleyrand suddenly looked around and whispered, "The Bonaparte lad isn’t with you today, is he?"

Arthur shook his head, "No, I left him in Liverpool."

"Wise choice."

Talleyrand began, "Since that’s the case, I’ll use Napoleon for an example. Many people think my opposition to Napoleon started in 1808 with plots to elevate Mourel. However, both Fouché and I began to disagree with him as early as 1803. Back then, freshly triumphant over Britain regarding Switzerland, he proudly declared in front of all the Swiss: ’I tell you, I would rather sacrifice a hundred thousand men than let England interfere with your affairs. If the British Cabinet speaks a word for you, then all is lost, and I will merge you with France. If the English court even hints that they fear I might become your Federal President, then I will be your Federal President.’"

Upon hearing this, Arthur chuckled, "At that time, he was still the First Consul of France, not yet the Emperor, so I understand why he said that. He needed to show the French people he was a strong leader. Only in that way, could he advance further."

Talleyrand savored the wine and elaborated, "Indeed, but those who felt his strength were not just the French people rallying for Napoleon, but also other European nations, especially the specifically targeted British. After dealing with Switzerland, the next news was the disastrous defeat of the French Army in the West Indies of Santo Domingo. Worse still, Americans were also vehemently determined to resist the French from taking Louisiana.

Napoleon worried that firmly seizing Louisiana would push the neutral Americans into the arms of Britain. Thus, he simply sold Louisiana to the Americans at four cents per acre. However, such a nonchalant exit from America was quite humiliating for him. So, the setbacks he encountered in America had to be compensated for elsewhere.

The brilliance of Napoleon was that whenever he retreated in one aspect, he always launched a spectacular diversionary battle to act as a cover. Only in this way could he firmly capture the imagination of the French people and control the restive Paris.