The Fox of France

Napoleon's victories in Italy sent shockwaves throughout Europe. The feudal rulers of Europe trembled before the might of France, especially those nations still at war with the French.

After the capture of the Mantua fortress, instead of immediately marching north to Vienna, Napoleon decided to return to Milan with his army, leaving a portion of his forces as garrisons.

In Milan, General Napoleon listened to General Augereau's report on crushing the counter-revolutionary uprising by the Milanese nobility. He praised Augereau for his bravery and resolve in quelling the rebellion, saying, "Those reactionaries must be defeated, just like you sweep away dust from a house!"

When he learned that some nobles involved in the revolt had fled to anti-French, reactionary nations to escape justice, Napoleon was furious. He stated, "Wherever they run, they cannot escape the hand of justice!" He also warned countries that supported the rebels in secret, emphasizing that the French people were kind but not weak. Those who insulted French dignity and interests would face the wrath of the French, no matter how far they fled.

Napoleon acted on his words, immediately sending diplomatic notes to the Duchy of Parma and the Republic of Venice, demanding explanations for their involvement with the rebels.

Parma and Venice were in a state of turmoil. These two neutral countries had never been particularly friendly towards France, having historical ties to Austria. However, their actions during the French-Austrian conflict had been somewhat neutral. As for the nobles who had fled to their territories, in those times, it was common for Italian nobles to move from one city to another. How could anyone claim they were secretly supporting the rebels?

But they knew that in the age of artillery, the French were clearly more formidable. They quickly sent representatives to apologize to General Napoleon, admitting their oversight in allowing the nobles to seek refuge and escape justice. They offered compensation for the inconvenience caused to Napoleon.

"Damn!" Napoleon said when he met the representatives, "What are you doing here now? You conspired with those rebels and now you're pretending to be the good guys?" Augereau quickly expressed his anger as well.

"Oh, we were truly fooled by them," one of the representatives replied. "They came to our country, claiming to do business. How could we have known they were criminals on the run? Now they've escaped to other countries that oppose the great French people, evading justice. We apologize, General Bonaparte. This was a mistake on our part. Fortunately, you, the French, and especially you, General, have always been generous and do not hold grudges against small countries like ours. We are willing to compensate to make up for your losses."

"However..." Napoleon said.

So, both countries compensated Napoleon (not France, which means the money didn't go into the treasury), paying him millions of florins. Napoleon's reputation as a conqueror was enough to scare the various Italian states.

Napoleon sent the money directly to Joseph. In a letter, he bragged about his success and asked, "You've been doing business for so long, how much have you earned? Look at me, I say a few words, and I've earned so much. So, you're not as good in business as I am."

After reading the letter, Joseph was reportedly infuriated and sent a reply. Napoleon's staff then noticed that the general hadn't slept well for several nights.

"General, is there something bothering you? You haven't been sleeping well these past few days," his aide asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Napoleon replied nonchalantly. "There's just a little scrooge who gave me some very interesting math problems. You know, when I'm bored, I like to exercise my mind with math problems and relax a bit."

Joseph sent Napoleon several math problems. As soon as Napoleon opened the letter, he knew it was Joseph's revenge. But Napoleon, who never believed in bad luck, just smiled slightly and said, "A few math problems? Since there's nothing else to do, I'll let you win this one." He willingly fell into Joseph's trap.

"Have you solved those problems, General?" the oblivious aide asked.

"Oh, I've got some ideas," Napoleon said, his eyes gleaming.

Napoleon's victory also created pressure for the Spanish. Spain had some interests in Italy, and with Napoleon's success, nearly all of Italy had closed its doors to Spain, even so-called "neutral" countries. Nobody believed that Spain could protect itself. With no hope of victory in this war, Spain found itself in a tough spot.

Napoleon's triumph in Italy had left the entire anti-French coalition in despair. The British were still holding on, thanks to their powerful navy and their isolated island. But Spain was different. It shared a border with France.

Spain had a formidable navy, but its army was nowhere near as strong as Austria's. They used to console themselves by thinking that the Pyrenees Mountains would protect them, but after seeing Napoleon's performance in Italy, their confidence was shattered. If the mighty Alps couldn't stop the French, what chance did the Pyrenees have?

Additionally, Spain had some disputes with the British over their overseas colonies. Through various channels, they hinted at willingness to make peace with France based on equality and mutual respect.

During this time, Talleyrand, who had just returned from Italy to Paris and became Foreign Minister with Barras' support, saw his opportunity. He quickly contacted the Spanish through his connections and made a bold demand for war indemnities and colonial compensation. He informed them that Austria was also in talks with France and had even proposed trading Lombardy for the Rhineland. He warned Spain that if peace was achieved between France and Austria, Spain would have to pay more for peace with France.

Talleyrand's terms were quite harsh, and Spain found them difficult to accept. But with the bleak outlook of the war, they couldn't outright refuse. They knew that Austria was genuinely considering peace with France and had asked Britain for financial support. If the British couldn't provide the funds due to their ongoing economic crisis, Austria might seek a separate peace with France.

The timing was unfortunate for the British, as they were experiencing their own economic crisis. Although not as severe as later global crises, it still left them with limited financial resources. Italian banks, which they could have borrowed from under normal circumstances, had also become hesitant due to the situation in Italy. So when Talleyrand threatened that Austria was ready for peace, Spain believed him.

Since everyone was willing to sell out their allies, Spain decided to go all in. Talleyrand's initial demands were too steep, so the Spanish paid him a large sum of money. The exact amount remained undisclosed. In any case, Talleyrand was a man of integrity. As soon as he received the money, he changed his tone. He quickly informed the Spanish that he had secured a peace deal without territorial cessions or indemnities. Spain would declare an alliance with France, working together to maintain peace and order in Europe and the world.

Amidst the astonishment of the Spanish delegation, they realized that the plan actually made sense. Since they were already betraying their allies, why not do it more thoroughly? So, the deal was sealed. In early July, Spain announced its withdrawal from the anti-French coalition and formed an alliance with France, jointly committed to preserving peace and order in Europe.