The Fox of France

Indeed, establishing the Temple of God in North Africa is undoubtedly a generous gift to the Holy See. Not only can it significantly enhance the prestige of the Holy See, but it can also bring tangible income and power.

Throughout Europe, the power of the Holy See is declining significantly. In various countries, not to mention major powers like France, Spain, and Austria, even the small countries surrounding the Papal States don't hold the Holy See in high regard. According to the Holy See's own experience, in relatively poorer areas where non-believers have the upper hand, the sheep there are easy to herd, and there is much wool to be sheared.

"Bishop Leonard, of course, to ensure that we can reasonably and legally assist the activities of the Church in North Africa, we need the Church to grant us the protection of the faith throughout Africa," Lucien said.

In an era not too distant, when Western colonizers could claim a country by merely positioning a few cannons on its eastern coast, "protection of the faith" was always a good reason and excuse for powerful nations to invade others.

"If the Church encounters harassment from non-believers in North Africa, or faces practical discrimination, or even martyrdom, without the authorization of the Holy See, our support and assistance would be less convenient," Lucien added.

Bishop Leonard naturally understood what "harassment from non-believers, or facing practical discrimination, or even martyrdom" meant. This statement should not be taken literally, as protecting the rights of Catholics in North Africa; rather, it should be understood as France wanting the Church to be more proactive in North Africa, even to the point of instigating incidents, so that France can step in to defend the faith and, incidentally, secure more benefits for itself. Of course, this is purely incidental.

For example, according to the agreement between France and Turkey, French laws apply within the French concession. Moreover, in the Barbary States, the French also have "consular jurisdiction." With the "protection of the faith," French missionaries, even if not directly affiliated with the French Church (which is far less effective in indoctrinating the people, especially the sufficiently ignorant ones, compared to the original Catholicism), can be considered French. They would also enjoy the protection of French "consular jurisdiction."

According to the agreement between France and Turkey, missionaries are not allowed to leave the concession to preach in the interior of the Barbary States; such actions would be considered a crime. However, based on this agreement, if French missionaries enter the interior of the Barbary States, according to consular jurisdiction, Turkey can only hand them over to the French consulate. The French consulate can then release them without charges. Therefore, regardless of any Turkish prohibitions, missionaries can do whatever they want.

Of course, regions that adhere to different beliefs are quite barbaric, especially the Barbary region, a haven for pirates. The people there are naturally fierce, a slight provocation might lead to unsheathed scimitars. Preaching deep into non-believing territories might result in the beheading of those missionaries, much like modern-day South Koreans going to Afghanistan for missionary work.

However, "Is this not a blessing?" To put it more plainly, isn't this what France, and indeed the Church, needs? Even if a French missionary commits a crime, they can't be casually killed by non-believers. In such a situation, the French government can naturally step in, demand severe punishment from Turkish authorities, and seek compensation. This would further expand their rights in the region, and the Church, of course, can also get a share. Even the missionary who made a great sacrifice can be canonized by the Holy See, gaining immense glory in the afterlife. How wonderful—regardless of for whom.

Of course, if the Church feels that training a formal missionary is expensive and draining resources, they can find a newly liberated Christian in North Africa, have him swear allegiance to France, and tell him, "After your death, I will take care of your wife; you need not worry." In this way, the cost can be further reduced.

Certainly, the Turks will be dissatisfied with such actions. But times have changed. When King Francis I and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent established the famous "Unholy Alliance," France was trembling under the siege of the Habsburgs and the English. They urgently needed assistance from Turkey.

In 1544, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V led his army to invade France, reaching the outskirts of Paris. At the same time, the Turkish army launched an attack on Hungary, aiming for Vienna, ultimately forcing Charles V to retreat and seek peace. At that time, France genuinely needed a powerful non-Christian ally like Turkey.

During the French Revolution, France faced a blockade from almost all of Europe. Many strategic resources had to be obtained from Turkey. So, this non-Christian ally remained valuable.

However, today, almost all of Europe is practically submissive to France. The importance of this ally, Turkey, has significantly diminished. If, in the past, the French saw the Turks as partners at the dining table, now, in the eyes of the French, Turkey is increasingly becoming the food itself. France is already considerate enough not to directly demand mining, road construction, or church building in Istanbul. (Of course, even in Istanbul, the French have extraterritorial rights, obtained during the reign of King Francis I.)

Furthermore, in North Africa, from the perspective of French interests, direct rule by the French may lead to religious conflicts. Therefore, having the Turks rule is a relatively cheaper option. However, it is crucial not to let the Turks win the hearts of the people in North Africa. So, there must be significant tensions between the Turks and the local non-believers. To maintain their rule in the region, the Turks must rely on French power, obediently becoming puppets for France. It's like in another dimension, during the late Qing Dynasty, or even in the era of an eternal sage, one could only serve as the general agent for Western powers.

From another perspective, as soon as the Holy See joins this plan, it ties itself to the chariot of France. From then on, the Holy See, or rather the Catholic Church, becomes the vanguard of French colonial activities.

Of course, this is not a bad thing for the Holy See. It indicates that the Holy See is still very valuable; value leads to usefulness, and usefulness leads to status. So the Holy See can further cling to the thighs of France. Although sometimes Father France might bully the Holy See a bit, holding onto the thighs of Father France allows the Holy See to bully many others. Isn't this the best thing in the world?

However, some necessary bargaining is still required. So, Bishop Leonard thought for a moment and said, "Respected Minister Bonaparte, seeking back the lost sheep for God is the responsibility and honor of any shepherd. However, when preaching in regions dominated by non-believers, we also need to gather more information, including the support we can receive, the extent of our actions, and, as you believe, due to our temporary financial issues with Austria, our operational capacity has declined. So, we hope to gain the understanding and assistance of our French friends..."

This was followed by more intense bargaining. Although both sides had the willingness to cooperate, precisely because of this, the arguments became more

heated. The Holy See constantly cried poverty, hoping the French could provide more economically convenient aid and a larger share of economic benefits in North Africa.

But because both parties genuinely had enormous sincerity, they ultimately reached an agreement. France obtained the protection of the faith throughout Africa, and the Holy See gained a new diocese in the future, along with the right to build churches, propagate religion, and collect tithes in this diocese.

Both sides also agreed that any potential politically influential actions by the Holy See in North Africa in the future would require prior consultation with the French government's representative, i.e., the local consul, and obtain the understanding of the French consul.

Furthermore, within the North African diocese, the three banks designated by the Holy See would have equal rights as French banks. They would be treated as French banks in this region and would be allowed to engage in commercial activities equally, receiving the same protection from the French government.

When the Holy See made this request, Lucien immediately said, "You're saying you have no money? What about these banks? Aren't they yours? You clearly have money!"

Bishop Leonard countered, "Bank money can't be considered our money. It belongs to the depositors; we merely manage it on their behalf. Also, due to Austria, our bank urgently needs profitable projects."

"This won't work," Lucien said immediately. "This involves not just money but also commercial competition. We are concerned that your banks might maliciously lower interest rates, reducing everyone's potential earnings!"

Leonard naturally stated that the Holy See's banks would never engage in such despicable practices. He guaranteed that the Holy See's banks would never offer different interest rates from French banks, nor provide any covertly lower rates. Lucien insisted that the Holy See was skilled at deception, and they couldn't trust these promises. After one final round of bargaining, they finally decided to establish a joint banking alliance to oversee this matter.

Thus, the negotiations between the two sides concluded successfully.