Talleyrand’s final stop in Poland was to attend the unveiling ceremony of the statue of the Regent of France in Warsaw.

Yes, this statue had begun construction when Kosciuszko retreated from Russia, initiated by Spione Piatoli, the king’s secretary who was skeptical of France at the time. He personally contributed 13,000 zlotys and raised another 10,000 zlotys for the construction funds, inviting the royal sculptor Andre-Jean Lebrun to take charge.

When Talleyrand arrived at St. John’s Cathedral Square, the streets leading there were packed with people.

Solemn music played around, and Stanisław August Poniatowski personally led a group of Polish officials to unveil the statue.

After the King, the Royal Minister, the Chairman of the Great Sejm, and Talleyrand each delivered speeches, the surrounding music abruptly stopped, followed by endless roaring cannon fire.

At the invitation of the King of Poland, Talleyrand personally unveiled the bright yellow curtain draped over the statue.

It was a statue over three meters tall. At the center of the statue stood the Regent of France, dressed in hussar military uniform, left hand resting on his sword, and right hand pointing into the distance.

Behind him were visible Kosciuszko, Madaliniski, the late General East Brovsky, along with Polish soldiers and Warsaw citizens.

Although the statue wasn’t tall—and it wasn’t possible to complete a larger statue in just a few months—it sat on a pedestal over five meters high, making the whole composition quite grand.

Talleyrand saw neatly arranged French and Polish letters on the pedestal—Protector.

As the curtain fell to the ground, thousands on the square, whether nobles or sans-culottes, all bowed simultaneously.

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted in shouts akin to landslides and earthquakes, "Long live the Regent!"

"Long live the Protector!"

"Long live France!"

Officers drew their swords, saluted close to their chests, eyes slightly red. They had retreated from Smolensk. They knew that if it weren’t for the Regent of France sending General Saint-Cyr, they would have frozen to death in Russia.

Women lifted their children high above their heads to give them a glimpse of the Regent’s appearance.

An elder who had traveled from Mozhili lay prone on the ground, muttering incessantly, "You are truly the Christ we have hoped for through our tears and blood!"

Talleyrand suddenly felt his granite-like heart warm, realizing that his light not only shines over France but would surely spread across the entire European Continent in the future!

A week later.

When Talleyrand arrived in Zurich, he encountered almost the same scene as in Warsaw, save for the sparse population of Switzerland, with only a thousand people coming to witness the ceasefire ceremony.

The ceasefire agreement was quickly signed, Austria would "respect" the Swiss people’s choice, and after the "foreign intervention troops" completely withdrew from Basel and other places, the Imperial Army would return to Vienna.

In fact, currently west of Zurich, there were less than 5,000 Austrian soldiers left, and the fastest-moving corps had already reached Innsbruck.

However, due to the hurried retreat, they left behind a large number of carts, ammunition, and even cannons near Basel—actually at the request of the Basel militia. These materials were used to compensate for the war damage to Basel.

The theme of news reports from various countries became "Peace always descends with France," "From Blaslav to Zurich, the arbitrator of European order," and the like.

It was just that most people didn’t notice that during the ceasefire ceremony, representatives from Bavaria, Wurttemberg, and Holy Rome sat on the same side of the long table, and before and after the meeting, did not salute the Holy Roman flag as customary.

Four days after the ceasefire agreement was signed.

In the ground-floor hall of the "Red House" in Basel Parliament Building, the new Speaker raised a document to show everyone: "Gentlemen, this is the proposal submitted by Member Marti regarding Basel’s application to join France.

"Now, Mr. Marti will explain the proposal, and you will vote on it in three days."

Goselan immediately stood up and said loudly, "I think we should vote today, not three days later. Look at the docks; if we pass the proposal one day earlier, countless ship owners on the brink of bankruptcy can be saved!"

A bespectacled member also rose, "Yes, let’s vote immediately!"

"We’ve driven out the Austrians; now it’s time to decide our future!"

Soon, voices of agreement echoed through most of the Parliament hall.

No pro-Austrian members raised objections.

In fact, after the Basel militia returned to Basel City, all the famous pro-Austrian members were expelled from the Parliament, and even three particularly stubborn individuals were arrested.

Yes, currently more than half of the Basel militia is commanded by retired French Captain Pelleger. Oh, he is now Brigadier Pelleger—Basel Parliament granted him the rank two months ago.

Meanwhile, the Swiss northwestern states like Schwyz and Brienz launched their own proceedings to join France.

...

Royal Palace of Madrid.

Spanish Minister of War Count Aranda first glanced at the anxious-looking Count Florida Blanca, then cautiously confirmed with the Regent of France, "Your Highness, when you say New Granada will break out in war, do you mean the Americans?"

"They are likely involved, but the focus will be on Florida," Joseph said, "and the Portuguese may indeed do this. Surely, there is a shadow of the British in this."

Count Aranda furrowed his brow, inclined his head in salute, "Thank you for the timely warning from Paris, truly indispensable."

He turned to Charles IV, "Your Majesty, we can mobilize about 5,000 soldiers from Mexico City and Tlacopan.

"If we immediately build batteries along the Negro River and Cassiqueiare Canal and dispatch these troops for defense, it should be enough to counter the Portuguese threat."

Seeing the King’s eyes full of clarity, he signaled for the attendant to bring a map, pointing to Manaus in Brazil’s northwest: "Here is the most likely base for the Portuguese to launch an attack. It currently houses two moderately-sized camps. If expansion begins now, within a few months, it can accommodate tens of thousands.

"The forces Noan can mobilize are mainly 30,000 Peninsula Army troops and a number close to that of Creoles. If you add Caboclos, the number will increase further. But don’t place too much emphasis on the combat power of the Mulatos."

By "Peninsula People," he meant pure Europeans from the Iberian Peninsula. The most combat-effective corps were those brought by the Portuguese Royal Family from Europe to Brazil.

Creoles referred to whites born in South America, more numerous but socially ranked lower than the Peninsula People.

Caboclos were mixed descendants of whites and South American natives, relying on whites for their livelihoods.

Charles IV, a bit tense, said, "Are you saying you plan to use 5,000 soldiers to resist possibly 60,000 Portuguese troops? I remember now New Granada is in turmoil everywhere..."