pappabearbooks Chapter 122 Aborted Halfway
Chapter 122 Aborted Halfway
Chapter 122 Aborted Halfway
"—No, I came for you."
Charles House's expression turned serious, and he asked in a stern tone, "Robin, are you planning to cooperate with the French royal family to open cotton plantations on the west bank of the Mississippi River?"
Seeing his expression, Chen Wenbin knew things had changed. He immediately stood up, pointed to the stairs, and said, "Charles, let's go upstairs to the study to talk!"
Then he looked at David Jones, "David, you come too."
David Jones quickly replied, "Yes, sir."
House glanced at the lawyers and Robin Company managers in the living room, nodded, and got up to follow Chen Wenbin to the study on the second floor.
"—Sit down! Tell me, what exactly happened? Did old Joseph send you?"
In the study, Chen Wenbin sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and asked.
"Not Mr. Courtes."
Major House sat down and shook his head, saying, "It was Lord Halifax, the Cabinet Secretary for Southern Affairs, who sent me to Paris to inform you of London's bottom line in the North American colonies!"
London's policy in the North American colonies was to eliminate the remnants of French influence and prevent Catholic Spain from penetrating the western colonies—your actions in Paris have crossed that line!
Upon hearing this warning, Chen Wenbin did not panic. Instead, he quickly recalled the information about the Southern Minister in his mind—he had never given up collecting intelligence on important figures since he came to Britain, and he naturally knew about this cabinet minister as well.
This Earl of Halifax was, in a sense, a man who married into the family. After marrying the Duchess of Montagu, he added his wife's surname to his name and quickly rose to prominence, serving successively as the Royal Horseman, High Commissioner of the North American Colonies, Governor of Ireland, Secretary of State for the Northern Affairs, and First Lord of the Admiralty.
Last year, he became Secretary of State for Southern Affairs in the Grenville cabinet, leading North American policy and emphasizing stronger control over North America. The recent Sugar Tax Act was drafted by him and a group of Tory MPs.
This old guy should be considered one of the heroes of North American independence. If he hadn't taken tough measures to make money in North America, those local tyrants probably wouldn't have been forced to rebel so quickly.
Now, a big shot like him has sent someone to Paris to tell him that he is not allowed to cooperate with the French in developing North America. What should he do?
Of course, the response is to express dissatisfaction, and then—temporarily abandon this business deal!
Otherwise, how could he, a baron, stand up to a powerful and established noble like the Earl of Halifax?
The fact that the other side would send Haus to Paris to issue a warning privately is already quite a show of respect.
Thinking this to himself, his expression quickly turned cold as he stared at Major House and demanded, "—Why? New Orleans and the west bank of the Mississippi River are now Spanish territory. We can also recruit immigrants from Britain and Ireland to develop the area—"
"Robin!"
Major House interrupted helplessly, saying, "The most important task for the cabinet right now is to improve the finances, not to get into a conflict with Spain in the western part of North America!"
The Earl's exact words were that he absolutely could not allow Britain to be drawn back into a years-long war for the New World; all risks had to be controlled from the outset!
After saying that, he thought for a moment and added, "The Earl said he understands your eagerness to develop cotton plantations. You can grow cotton anywhere on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The Cabinet and the Trade Commission are willing to provide all the necessary assistance. However, when it comes to diplomacy, especially with the French—you'd better follow London's arrangements."
Sure enough, the British were deeply wary of France; they didn't want to give France any chance at all!
If it weren't for the extremely negative impact, Chen Wenbin felt that Britain would be more than happy to pack up and send all the French immigrants in North America away.
It seems unlikely that a company in Western North America will be established anytime soon.
He sighed inwardly, his face still bearing a look of great dissatisfaction. He ignored Major House and instead looked at David Jones, asking a question.
"David, are any of His Majesty's letters among those you brought from London? I want to see them!"
"Yes, Sir! I'll go get it for you right away!" David Jones immediately stood up and said.
After he left, the study fell into a deathly silence.
Chen Wenbin didn't continue speaking. He rubbed his temples and leaned back on the sofa, seemingly deep in thought.
Major House felt extremely uneasy, wanting to speak several times, but seeing that Chen Wenbin didn't open his eyes, he could only swallow his words.
He had indeed been promoted to naval lieutenant commander and entered high society, but the man before him belonged to one of the most influential groups in Britain. The man's wife was from the Spencer family, and he himself was the private physician to His Majesty the King and many high-ranking nobles, possessing astonishing wealth.
If possible, Major House would still like to maintain his friendship with a big shot like Lord Chen.
Not long after, David Jones walked into the study carrying a black leather bag and placed a bundle of tied letters on the desk.
"Sir, here are all your letters. The one on top is a letter from His Majesty the King."
Chen Wenbin got up, picked up the letter from King George III, and began to read it. Major House was very curious about the contents of the King's letter, but without Chen Wenbin's permission, he could only sit there and wait.
Unsurprisingly, in addition to the usual greetings, George III also mentioned the North American West Company in his letter—he also disagreed with Chen Wenbin's use of French funds to establish plantations on Spanish territory, citing the Earl of Halifax's opposition and diplomatic influence.
Chen Wenbin was not surprised by this; the Earl of Halifax was an important member of the Royalist Party, and George III had to take his opinions seriously.
Since that's the case, then forget it. Anyway, Chen Wenbin has plenty of ways to make money. The issues of waterway control on the Mississippi River and New Orleans are easy to resolve, at most they'll just be a bit troublesome.
After a moment's thought, he sat down at his desk, picked up his quill pen, and began to write a reply to George III.
Fifteen minutes later, he rewrote the letter in cursive script, put it in an envelope, sealed it, thought for a moment, and then put it in his desk drawer.
"—Charles."
Chen Wenbin finally raised his head and turned his gaze to Major House, who immediately stood up.
"Jazz!"
"Just call me Robin! We're friends." Sir Chen picked up the letter from King George III on the desk and handed it to him, saying, "Take a look at this. Since His Majesty doesn't approve of this, I respect His Majesty's opinion. Go back and tell the Earl of Halifax that I will terminate all preparatory work for the North American Western Company and will not participate in any investments in Spanish territory!"
But I hope to recruit no fewer than 150 artisans and scholars in France. Is that possible?
Major House breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He carefully took the king's handwritten letter with both hands, nodded and smiled, "Of course, no problem! No one would be unwelcoming to craftsmen and scholars."
After he finished speaking, he quickly glanced at the letter in his hand, then looked up in surprise and said, "Sir, you're going to Prussia again?"
'
"yes!"
Chen Wenbin said with some annoyance, "The Berlin Academy of Sciences has sent me an invitation, and His Majesty also wants me to lecture there to deepen the alliance between Britain and Prussia. Charles, if you have nothing else to do, would you be willing to come to Prussia with me?"
This should be good for you too.