The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 278

Chapter 278: Common Prosperity

Dufresne skillfully presented small gifts to Chief Toue and High Priest Matro of the Māori. Their attitudes instantly became warm and hospitable.

After a series of somewhat clumsy greetings facilitated by a translator—since the Tahitian language was not entirely identical to Māori—Dufresne went straight to the point and addressed Chief Toue:

“Honorable Chief, I have come here on behalf of His Majesty, the King of France, to purchase some land from you. As for payment, you may choose weapons, clothing, furniture, or even technology. I assure you that you will be thoroughly satisfied with this transaction.”

Toue and the High Priest exchanged a glance and then smiled at Dufresne. “How much land are you looking to buy?”

Seeing that the chief appeared not to reject the idea outright, Dufresne thought to himself that the Crown Prince had overestimated these people—they were still just ignorant natives. He intended to employ the tried-and-true methods of colonizers, like the Spanish had used with the Native Americans long ago, trading trifles for vast tracts of land.

He immediately replied, “If possible, I’d like to purchase 50,000 mu initially, and then consider acquiring more depending on circumstances.”

The translator struggled for quite some time to explain the concept of “mu” to the Māori chief. Suddenly, Toue smirked coldly and shook his head. “Five hundred mu at most. We need some muskets.”

Dufresne’s face froze. He hurriedly countered, “You have so much land here that is of little use. Fifty thousand mu is nothing to you.”

“Five hundred mu.”

“Fifty thousand mu, and we can provide the muskets you want.”

“Five hundred mu. No other options!”

Unbeknownst to Dufresne, the Māori already practiced farming and held arable land in high regard. Wars over land were frequent among the tribes. How could they easily part with their territory?

In fact, decades later, the British encountered the same resistance and had to resort to massive military campaigns to “persuade” the stubborn Māori.

Taking a deep breath, Dufresne quickly reverted to the “script” provided by the Crown Prince.

He flashed a harmless smile. “Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. We are not looking for farmland; we want uncultivated grasslands.”

Toue remained firm. “Even grasslands are off-limits.”

Dufresne was left with no choice but to unveil his trump card. “Chief, what if the land I purchase remains under your ownership? I would merely use it for raising sheep, and your people would continue to manage it.”

“Huh?” Toue was momentarily taken aback. He probed cautiously, “And would you still provide me with muskets?”

“Absolutely!” Dufresne gestured to his assistant, who handed him an old matchlock musket. He presented it to the Māori chief. “Five hundred muskets of this type, along with 10,000 bullets and gunpowder. Additionally, 500 sets of linen coats and skirts, plus 300 blankets, in exchange for your 50,000 mu of grassland.”

Toue, incredulous, confirmed again, “The land wouldn’t belong to you, and my people could still use it?”

“Exactly!”

Toue was delighted. This arrangement was as good as not selling the land at all! In the meantime, they would receive a wealth of muskets, clothing, and blankets for nothing.

Dufresne smiled and added, “The only condition is that the land must be used for raising sheep.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I will provide the sheep,” he continued. “Your people will merely need to help care for them.”

“And, of course, I will pay your people adequate wages—whether in muskets or other items.”

“Moreover, the sheep will also belong to you.”

“What?!” Toue’s eyes widened—this was too good to be true! Not only was the land practically untouched, but they were also being gifted sheep. On top of that, they would be paid to look after them!

Dufresne went on, “However, you cannot slaughter the sheep casually—only when they are too old to produce wool. And your people must take good care of them; if any sheep are lost or injured, the damages will be deducted from their wages.”

“My only request is that all the wool produced must be sold exclusively to France. Yes, sold—since the sheep are yours. We will exchange the wool for appropriate goods.”

This was Joseph’s strategy for New Zealand.

Faced with the reality that the French navy could not compete with the British in the Pacific, Joseph sought to establish a stable colony in the region. Knowing that the Māori were worldly, fiercely combative, and highly united, his plan required a different approach.

The solution was to create shared benefits with the Māori.

The land remains theirs, the sheep are theirs, the wages for managing the sheep come from France, and the wool produced will be purchased by the French.

If anyone refused such an arrangement, they would undoubtedly be a fool!

This approach mirrored the modern livestock farming model: companies provide piglets to farmers and later buy the pigs at maturity. In New Zealand, the costs of land, labor, and wool production were negligible, making it extremely viable.

Given New Zealand’s natural conditions, even the indigenous people could easily raise sheep successfully.

Everything about this plan was flawless.

Furthermore, the arrangement forged a community of shared interests between France and the Māori. By paying wages, France also armed the Māori.

When the British attempted to interfere, the formidable Māori would give them a taste of their own medicine.

The Māori, despite still being in the Stone Age, possessed an extraordinary defensive system: the pā.

These were fortified positions, often built on hills. The Māori would transform the terrain into terraced platforms, constructing layers of palisades and towers. The former were made of sharpened stakes, and the latter of stones reinforced with flax.

Behind the palisades, trenches up to four meters deep were dug. Each breached palisade led to another trench and another set of defenses.

Remarkably, these primitive “fortresses” were inherently resistant to artillery!

Against cannon fire, the Māori would simply retreat to the trenches. Solid cannonballs were powerless against such defenses. Once the bombardment ceased, the Māori would emerge to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

In the mid-19th century, the British army suffered significant losses attempting to capture these pā. Each pā required thousands of cannonballs and lengthy sieges. Even when the British finally breached the last line of defense, the Māori would often escape through pre-dug tunnels.

Every Māori tribe built several pā, dotting the New Zealand landscape...

Even as late as 1840, the British had to rely on deceit to sign colonial treaties with Māori chiefs. Yet, uprisings soon followed, forcing the British to concede Māori autonomy.

Thus, brute force was never a viable option for New Zealand.

From the outset, Joseph’s plan was to have the Māori speak French, raise French sheep, and follow French Catholicism, creating a vision of shared prosperity.

As for the Māori aligning with the British?

Leaving aside the Māori’s reputation for honesty and stubbornness, years of French influence in New Zealand would ensure that British colonial ambitions came at tenfold or greater historical costs.

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