Chapter 657 Political Gains

Chapter 658 Political Gains

Auriol had recently received 50,000 pounds from the "Abolition League" of Saint-Domingue - yes, it was exactly what the British had previously paid to Brissot - and used this money to purchase troops. Required logistics supplies.

Then, taking advantage of the fact that the Governor of Jamaica sent troops to reinforce the Bahamas, he led his army to invade Kingston again.

Jones returned to Barbados with a vow of revenge and 50,000 pounds.

He originally thought that he would have to lie dormant for a period of time before he could resume his resistance to the great cause, but he did not expect that the British would leave Barbados soon after and went to reinforce the Bahamas.

How could Jones miss such a good opportunity? He immediately summoned hundreds of black soldiers and began to attack sugar cane plantations.

In this way, the independence movement in the entire Caribbean region was like a huge wave swept up by a hurricane, showing an unstoppable momentum.

In the officer conference room of the third-class battleship "Black Mountain" of the British Expeditionary Force, Brand was holding the table with both hands and yelling at Lieutenant Colonel Galissonnier sitting opposite: "If it weren't for your incompetence and cowardice, we would You will never be defeated by those niggas! You and the French government are all responsible for the situation in the Bahamas!”

As he spoke, he glanced at the Spanish commander García Cortez, obviously trying to get his support.

Lieutenant Colonel Galissonier sneered and countered with a louder voice: "Who bribed that greedy envoy to transfer my troops from the Magua Fortress to reinforce Nassau?

"It's you!

"Your stupid behavior led to the loss of Magua. My soldiers learned that they had lost their supply base, which led to low morale, and they happened to be attacked by niggas.

"You are the one responsible for all this!"

Cortes also looked at Brand: "At that time, we should have gone to reinforce Magua first. Facts have proved that your combat deployment was wrong."

"You, you guys..."

Galissonier interrupted him coldly: "Our government will protest to the United Kingdom on this matter!"

Cortez shook his head: "General Brand, your series of mistakes have caused the situation in the entire Caribbean to deteriorate..."

At the same time, the Republic of Saint-Domingue finally elected its first president.

Vincent Auger was elected without any surprise.

On the day after his inauguration, he and senior government officials held a very important meeting with Brissot in the Parliament Building.

"There is no doubt that this is a victory for freedom and equality!" Brissot took the lead in an impassioned speech, "and this is a great and hopeful country. Congratulations to you, and congratulations to the Republic of Saint-Domingue!"

"This is all due to the kindness of His Majesty the King and the guidance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Auger said politely, "Saint Domingo, and even the liberated people in the entire Caribbean, will always remember them!"

Other Santo Domingo officials also spoke excitedly, expressing their gratitude to France in various ways.

After some polite remarks, Auger got down to business: "Dear Mr. Envoy, you know that the newly established republic still faces extremely difficult difficulties.

"The first is the military threat from Britain and Spain."

He wasn't exaggerating at all. Although Saint-Domingue is a French colony, it is currently the center of the abolitionist movement in the Caribbean. If the British wanted to suppress the abolitionist organizations in their colonies, they had to first eliminate this "command center".

Therefore, after the next batch of British Expeditionary Forces arrives in the Caribbean, there is a high probability that they will attack Saint-Domingue first.

At the same time, Spain may also join the British army in order to protect its island Juan from the abolitionist movement.

Brissot nodded and said with a smile: "Since our expeditionary force has 'surrendered', all their weapons and equipment will be left to you. This is enough for you to arm an army of tens of thousands of people." I will I will also go to the United States and try to get some more weapons.

“You need to use these months to recruit as many soldiers as you can.

"And I believe that rebel armies in other areas will also try to reinforce you."

"Thank you for your generosity!" A mixed-race man in his forties and somewhat bald stood up, "But the Congress simply cannot afford enough military expenditures to maintain such a large army."

Brissot knew that he was Straw, the new Finance Minister of Saint-Domingue, and immediately nodded and said: "You don't need to worry about this. In fact, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has approved a loan of 5 million francs for Saint-Domingue. This is enough to support You defeated the British."

The military expenditure of 5 million francs is not enough in Europe, but it is a huge amount of money in the Caribbean - black soldiers hardly need salary, and only need to be provided with food and accommodation, and they are willing to pick up guns and fight against the British. Because once they were defeated, they had to return to the plantations as slaves, or even be hanged directly by the British.

At the same time, military supplies such as military uniforms, leather boots, and tents can also be omitted.

All 5 million was used to purchase food and ammunition, which was enough for an army of 10,000 to consume for one or two years.

Auge and others immediately showed excitement: "This is great!"

"As long as we have military spending, we will definitely be able to defend Santo Domingo!"

"Thank you, His Highness the Crown Prince, for being the leader of freedom!"

Straw asked cautiously: "Mr. Brissot, how much is the interest on this loan? You know, Saint-Domingue has experienced such a turmoil, and the finances will probably be very tight."

“33%,” Brissot said, “Saint-Domingo’s debt repayment risk is very high, and it will be difficult for His Highness to get the bank to lower the interest rate.”

Strau nodded silently. He knew that Saint-Domingo, as a new country, had to be an enemy of Britain, and apart from France, there was no other country willing to lend money to it.

But such a high interest rate was almost unbearable for Saint-Domingo.

Brissot seemed to see his concerns and continued: “Of course, His Highness knew that your financial situation might not be very good, so he specifically instructed me to waive the interest for you.”

“Really?!”

Not only Strau, but also Auger and others looked at the French envoy with surprise.

Brissot nodded: "Of course, Your Highness has a small condition."

"Please tell us, we are willing to serve Your Highness at any time!"

"In the next ten years, the sugar cane produced in Saint-Domingo can only be sold to those who have obtained Your Highness's trade license." Brissot added, "Of course, you don't have to worry about the price. It will not be lower than 70% of the Philadelphia landed price."

There will be transportation and labor costs when transporting from Saint-Domingo to Philadelphia, plus the profit of merchants, which usually increase the purchase price by 25% to 30%, so this purchase price is very fair.

Auge and the Minister of Finance looked at each other and nodded immediately:

"Thank you, Your Highness, I think this condition is very reasonable."