Chapter 616 - 292: Colonizing Oman (Part 2)

In fact, judging by Rufelli’s accomplishments in the Tunisian war, it would be difficult for him to become the Prime Minister of France again.

But the problem is, everything has to be viewed in comparison. During this period, the situation in France was not calm, with the country changing prime ministers multiple times in just a few years, at one point even having three different prime ministers in just over a year.

This led to the difficulty of government decrees reaching various regions, and even when they did, before they could be properly executed, the high-level French Cabinet would replace them with new decrees.

In such chaotic political circumstances, Rufelli strongly advocated for external colonial expansion to mitigate the impact of internal political disorder, which indeed won him some support.

As the year 1883 arrived, the changes in the French political scene presented an opportunity for Rufelli.

The renowned nephew of Emperor Napoleon of France, the former King of Westphalia’s eldest son, Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte, declared his desire to become King of France, causing quite a stir.

As Napoleon’s direct nephew, Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte’s claim to the French throne attracted the attention of some within the Royalist Party, as there was a Bonaparte faction within the Royalist Party.

The reason Napoleon III was able to establish a dictatorial rule and rebuild the French Empire had a lot to do with the Royalist Party, especially the Bonaparte faction within it.

For the French Government, they were destined not to remain indifferent to Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte’s claim.

The royalist factions within France are quite powerful, but due to the numerous royal families that have ruled France, the Royalist Party in France split into the Orthodox Faction, the Orleanist Faction, and the Bonaparte Faction, with the so-called Orthodox Faction essentially supporting the Bourbon family.

This meant that the French Government had to make a choice. Either tacitly acknowledge Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte’s claim, which could very likely lead to a repeat of Napoleon III’s dictatorship, turning France back into a monarchy.

Or push for an expulsion bill before all this happens, forcibly expelling Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte to stabilize France’s fragile republican rule.

Under normal circumstances, it would be easy for a French Prime Minister to push for an expulsion bill. Since the Prime Minister is the head of government elected by Parliament, how could Parliament oppose the Prime Minister’s proposal?

But the issue is that at the time, the French Prime Minister, Armand Fallières, was seriously ill, and his position as Prime Minister was even temporarily held.

This led to the expulsion bill proposed to the Senate by the French Government being firmly rejected by opponents, and the ailing Prime Minister Armand Fallières, realizing that the situation was beyond his control, decisively announced his resignation after the Senate rejected his expulsion bill.

After Prime Minister Armand Fallières announced his resignation, Rufelli immediately welcomed a great opportunity.

He successfully won the election and smoothly ascended to the position of Prime Minister of France again.

Without any hesitation, the reinstated Prime Minister Rufelli immediately intensified the French Government’s colonial invasion of Vietnam, declaring the use of more troops to conquer Vietnam if necessary.

France’s plans for Vietnam had spanned several decades, with countless clashes between the French and Vietnamese armies during this time.

This time, the attack on Vietnam was clearly better prepared, with the military budget alone exceeding tens of millions of francs, and even two warships from the European fleet were dispatched to Southeast Asia, demonstrating the importance the French Government placed on this war.

In fact, even before the outbreak of the Tunisian war, the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau had reported France’s colonial invasion plans to Carlo.

But due to the conflicts in the Tunisian war at that time, France postponed its attack on Vietnam. The final outcome of the Tunisian war did not turn out as the French Government had expected, which led to over a year of chaos, making it even less likely for them to launch a war against Vietnam.

Now that Rufelli had once again become the Prime Minister of France, it seemed that France’s war against Vietnam was indeed inevitable.

However, as a competitor of France, Carlo would not sit idly by while France launched a war against Vietnam.

For Carlo, drawing France into the quagmire of the Vietnam War was undoubtedly the best course for this war.

Carlo did not care who won or lost this war, the only concern was the extent of France’s casualties in this war.

In other words, the French could win the war, but they must incur significant casualties and spend heavily on military expenses.

Only this way could the French recuperate for a while and temporarily abandon the expansion of their African colonies.

For Carlo, the transmigrator, the outcome of this war and the real adversary of France were very clear.

If France were to be drawn into the quagmire of war, the best way was to assist France’s enemies, making it harder for France to win the war easily.

Upon confirmation by the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau that France was about to launch a larger-scale offensive, Carlo had the relevant sales personnel at the Royal Military Factory contact Vietnam and its backing countries to find ways to sell Spain’s weapons and equipment.

Whether it was Spain’s standard Vitali M1872 Rifle or the currently mass-equipped steel cannons, they could all be sold to Vietnam and its backing countries.