A room had been set aside at the imperial headquarters to serve as the negotiating chamber, and the moment Talleyrand arrived from Berlin the talks began in earnest. The foreign minister arrived at night and was immediately ushered into Napoleon’s private quarters, where he was met by the Emperor in a loose dressing gown.The air was humid and heavy, as if a storm was about to be unleashed over the Prussian countryside.

‘Sire.’ Talleyrand bowed his head. ‘May I congratulate you on your victory over the Russians. I imagine that the news has reached Paris by now and all France is celebrating.’

‘I’m sure of it,’ Napoleon replied curtly. ‘Sit down. I have sent for refreshments. I trust you had a comfortable journey.’

‘It might have been comfortable had these barbarous Prussians ever bothered to maintain proper roads. As it was my internal organs feel as if they have spent the last few days in a butter churn.’

Napoleon chuckled. ‘You were never one for the hard life, Talleyrand.’

‘Indeed, sire. Some are bred for the harsh conditions of waging war, and some are naturally inclined to the comforts of the salon. Sadly, I fall into the latter category and would be of little use to my country on the battlefield.’

‘True, you are weak and soft,’ Napoleon mused, and then decided it would be of benefit to humour his foreign minister. ‘But your skills at the negotiating table are every bit as valuable to me as the martial talents of my generals.’

‘Thank you, sire.’ Talleyrand nodded, and then leaned back in his chair and pulled out a silk cloth to dab his heavy jowls. ‘Once I have had some rest I will be ready to talk to our new friends.’

‘You can sleep later,’ Napoleon responded.‘Once we have conferred.’

‘Can we not wait until morning?’Talleyrand glanced down at his fob watch and saw that it was already past midnight.‘Dawn is no more than five hours away.’

‘We will talk now.’

There was a light tap at the door and a moment later it was opened and two servants entered carrying a platter of meat, cheese and bread, and a bottle of wine and two glasses. They set them down and retired in silence, closing the door behind them. Napoleon gestured to the food. ‘Eat, if you are hungry.’Then he poured them each a glass of wine and eased himself back in his chair. He held the glass in both hands and fixed his stare on the foreign minister. Talleyrand hurriedly picked at some of the food before he took a sip from his glass and cleared his throat.

‘Well then, sire, what advantage do you intend to wrest from this situation?’

Napoleon drank from his own glass before he replied. ‘The real threat to us is Russia. So, we must make Russia the partner of our labours. At the moment I have the Tsar eating out of my hand. He believes us to have everything in common, and I have indulged him in that thought. I have let him believe that it is my intention to divide Europe into two spheres of influence.While France is to be given power over the western half of the continent, Russia will have a free hand in the east. I have also said that I will not oppose any action the Tsar decides to take against the Turkish possessions in the Balkans.’

Talleyrand sighed. ‘Sire, I have only recently concluded an agreement with the Sultan to improve relations between France and Turkey.’

‘That does not matter now,’ Napoleon cut in dismissively.‘I only ever intended to befriend the Turks in order to open a second front against Russia. Now that Russia is about to become an ally, we can offer them Turkish lands to sweeten an agreement with the Tsar.’

Talleyrand drew a breath and continued patiently. ‘Diplomacy is a long game, sire. It takes time to build trust, to persuade others that we share common interests and ambitions. It is not an ad hoc process. It has taken years to win the Sultan round. If we abandon him now, I doubt we will be able to repair the damage to our relations for a generation at least. As for Russia, a month ago they were our mortal enemy. Now you would have them as our dearest friend. It is my experience that any friendship of value takes time to build. A friendship forged on the expediency of the moment is of little value, and can be broken just as swiftly as it was cobbled together. I urge caution, sire.We are not dealing simply with playing pieces that we can arrange on a board as the whim takes us.We are dealing with people, their instincts, their prejudices and their traditions. It is a sophisticated process, sire.’

‘I thank you for the lesson,’ Napoleon replied tersely. ‘But like all teachers, you are prone to see complications where a more direct approach works just as well, if not better. It is my judgement that Russia will serve as a powerful and useful ally.Therefore it is my command, and your duty, to see that Russia is befriended.’

Talleyrand stared at the Emperor for a moment, as if considering further protest. Then he took a sip of wine and laced his fingers together. ‘Very well, sire. What else do you intend to ask of our new friends?’

Napoleon set his glass down on the table and folded his arms. ‘First, in exchange for giving the Russians a free hand against the Turks we will be permitted to occupy some of the islands and coasts around the Adriatic. That will help consolidate our hold on Italy. Second, Russia is to join our embargo on trade with Britain, and put pressure on the other Baltic nations to follow suit.Third, the kingdoms of Portugal and Spain are trading openly with Britain.That must cease forthwith, and if it doesn’t it is my intention to remove their royal dynasties and replace them with monarchs selected from amongst my brothers. In these matters we will clearly need the consent of the Tsar.’

‘Clearly,’ Talleyrand agreed and pursed his lips doubtfully. ‘In your estimation, do you think Alexander can be persuaded to support such sweeping demands?’

‘Yes. I am sure of it. And with your silver tongue, my friend, our demands will be irresistible.’

‘Let us hope so.’ Talleyrand helped himself to another slice of cold sausage. ‘And what of Prussia? What terms do we offer King Frederick William?’

Napoleon laughed coldly. ‘For our dear cousin, the King of Prussia, I have little but contempt. Only when all seemed to go against me before Austerlitz was that coward prepared to throw in his lot with our enemies. The present war was caused by his folly and his ambition to humble France.’ Napoleon paused. ‘There can only be one fate for Frederick William and his nation: abject humiliation. We will strip Prussia of her present borders and offer to share the spoils with Russia. We will demand reparations, the scale of which will cripple her for years to come, during which time French troops will be garrisoned on Prussian soil. Furthermore, Prussia will be obliged to uphold the trade embargo against Britain, and declare war on Britain if I deem it necessary. Finally, I will require Frederick William to recognise the existing and any future kingdoms that I confer upon members of my family and other monarchs nominated by me.’