I Reincarnated as Louis XVI to Stop the Revolution and Be Happy with Antoinette

Be a Sword, Be a Shield

(118)

"AT"

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The story begins to move in a big way. And world history plunges into a major alternate path.

★　☆　★

September 20, 1771

Click, click...

I am cutting the branches of tomatoes with scissors. These days, we are about to enter the full-fledged autumn season. It's almost time to finish harvesting the summer vegetables. I am gathering fresh and red tomatoes harvested from the Royal Farm Experimental Site.

Thanks to the breeding improvements, these tomatoes have grown large and are juicy and delicious even when eaten raw. They are also great for making soup by removing the seeds. They can be considered versatile vegetables. I put one tomato after another into the basket. There is a reason why I am harvesting tomatoes.

It's because the day after the decision was made to dispatch the Navy to Saint-Domingue, Lord Auguste fell ill with a fever and had to stay in bed. It seems the cause is mental stress. The court physician advised him to rest for at least three days, and as the Queen, I intend to cook homemade dishes to help heal his mental fatigue. I hope that by eating delicious food, he can distract himself even a little...

Since the recent uprising in Saint-Domingue, he has been blaming himself, thinking it might be his fault as the king. Even when I and Monsieur Hauser and other government officials try to console him, Lord Auguste shook his head and looked forlorn.

"I tried to work on legislative reforms, but it seems we still didn't have enough time for people's consciousness to change. It's my responsibility for failing to discern the situation, which led to the unrest in Saint-Domingue. I didn't thoroughly gather information and have cautious discussions..."

Regarding the emancipation of black slaves, Lord Auguste signed a declaration of emancipation to establish France's superiority in future generations by achieving progressive results. I also heard about this emancipation declaration from the Department of Land Administration. In July of this year, a law was enacted to call for the abolition of slavery, including black slaves, and to address the treatment of former slaves in French colonies.

Lord Auguste, who decided to abolish serfdom in the country, expressed his desire to free the black slaves who were being mistreated overseas, and it deeply touched his heart. As for their treatment, I have also heard, and it seems... they are subjected to even worse treatment than expected.

In the section covering the situation of slaves in the 1770 edition of French colonial territories, spanning 340 pages, it was noted that plantation farms and slave traders were using slaves as mere tools, subjecting them to extreme stress and depriving them of adequate food, leading to numerous cases of mistreatment and death in various locations.

"From 1767 to August of the previous year 1770, among the tens of thousands of slaves brought annually from Africa, 10% of them died due to stress during the maritime transportation to the colonies. Furthermore, another 10% died within a year due to harsh labor conditions in the colonies. In total, over 20% of the slaves died during transit, and many more died each year due to the dreadful conditions."

After seeing this section, Lord Auguste, following the abolition of serfdom, consolidated the abolition of black and colored racial slaves. Of course, discussions also took place about the economic situation supported by the slave system in the colonies. Instead of abolishing slavery, they proposed treating the slaves as laborers of the common class and revising labor regulations, abusive practices, and private punishments prevalent in their working conditions. This was documented and handed over to the promulgator in Saint-Domingue.