The Royal Palace of Madrid.
The Chief Minister of Spain, Count of Florida Blanca, shook his head repeatedly:
"No, no, this will cause trade in Baton Rouge and Shreveport and other places to collapse, and..."
Talleyrand imdiately raised his voice: "Have you calculated how much it will cost to send troops there? It could very well exceed the trade revenue you ntioned.
"Moreover, if the Aricans are not deterred, your expeditionary force will be stuck in a prolonged confrontation with them, with military expenses disappearing as quickly as burning paper.
"According to the Crown Prince’s strategy, if all goes well, the New Orleans Port could resu navigation in two months, and certainly not more than four months at most."
Seeing that Count of Florida Blanca was still hesitating, he looked at several other prominent Spanish ministers and said sternly:
"The Portuguese battlefield is where our greatest interest lies.
"It’s like two bulls wrestling; whoever steps back first will imdiately beco passive!
"We’ve invested heavily in troops in Coimbra; we should not be influenced by the distant North Arica.
"Why are the British encouraging Arica to threaten New Orleans right now? It’s because they’re close to their limits.
"We should continue to increase our stakes and crush them in one fell swoop!
"Imagine the mont when His Majesty’s glory shines over Gibraltar once again, and you will find that the little trade in Louisiana is far from significant."
The Minister of War, Count Aranda, first turned to the Count of Florida Blanca: "I believe the Crown Prince’s proposal is worth trying."
Campos nodded in agreent: "The Coimbra battlefield is indeed more important.
"As for the cities in Louisiana, we can provide subsidies to help them through the difficult tis."
According to their previous plan, they intended to send an army of 7,000 to New Orleans for three months. The required military expenses would amount to 700,000 escudo gold coins, nearly 8 million francs.
This sum is enough to subsidize the Louisiana immigrants and restore order in New Orleans.
The Finance Minister, Compones, looked at Talleyrand sowhat hesitantly: "To be honest, this plan is indeed risky."
It’s no wonder these leading Spanish ministers were hesitant because, in Joseph’s plan, they had to directly "interrupt" the operations of New Orleans Port.
This would imdiately leave the entire Louisiana Colony’s immigrants without a source of inco.
Talleyrand imdiately said righteously: "The Crown Prince has promised that if the Aricans still do not withdraw, our nation will no longer consider the Franco-Arican Alliance and will dispatch the Atlantic Fleet to support your country’s military actions."
The Spanish ministers exchanged glances, and finally, Count of Florida Blanca nodded, signaling Talleyrand: "Please accompany to see His Majesty."
...
London Mayfair District.
In a modest-looking villa on the west side of Grosvenor Square, mber of Parliant Lord Richard Montes glanced disdainfully at the Bolton before him, rubbing the teacup, "Your appetite is indeed large. However, I suggest you apply after half a year when the investnt fund should have raised at least 600,000 pounds by then.
"If luck is on your side, you might secure a portion. Is there anything else?"
Seeing that the painstakingly arranged eting was about to end, Bolton quickly signaled Frank, who had co along.
The latter imdiately turned to close the door and bluntly said, ignoring the MP’s surprised look: "25,000 pounds, my lord. Our company is at a critical stage of developnt and urgently needs this investnt. If you can veto the 800,000-pound investnt project, we are willing to offer 30,000 pounds as a token of appreciation."
"Oh, God." Montes frowned and called out to the door, "Brian, I have another eting to attend, please see these two gentlen out."
He was joking; these two, who he t for the first ti and had no rapport with, actually offered a bribe of 25,000 pounds face-to-face.
He suspected it was a trap set by political opponents.
"Please wait a mont." Frank hurriedly made a calming gesture, saying, "I swear, this money will not bring you any trouble. Even if soone is eavesdropping outside now, they can’t accuse you."
Montes smiled, curiosity prompting him to signal the attendant: "Brian, hold on for now."
Frank imdiately explained the sche his superior told him:
"... You see, in this way, you and our company will have no ties, and no one will associate you with the fund matter.
"Even if soone discovers so clues, or even if there is a leak within our company, as long as you firmly deny it, the court cannot convict you."
Montes’s smile beca genuine: "I must admit, you are indeed geniuses."
He pondered for a mont and nodded: "Let’s do as you said. But you have to let the Fund Managent Committee discover a problem, so that I can maneuver in Congress.
"Oh, and without MP Finn Lightford and MP Steven Matthews, this would be difficult to achieve."
Frank smiled: "I’m afraid this requires you to act as a liaison."
Montes was straightforward: "I will need an additional 10,000 pounds, and 15,000 pounds for each of them."
"Very reasonable, very reasonable. It is a pleasure working with you."
That afternoon, Frank and Bolton also visited the Chairman of the Governnt Investnt Fund Committee, Sir Malik, promising a 20,000-pound bribe, using the sa thod as with the MP.
Sir Malik gladly agreed, demanding an additional 3,000-pound benefit for each of the three key mbers of the managent committee — these three paynts had no convoluted thods and were paid directly.
If the worst-case scenario ever occurred, these three would take the fall. After all, only they had traceable bribery evidence.
Malik’s efficiency was high. By noon the next day, he submitted a report to the Congressional Fund Review Group, involving five investnt items totaling 740,000 pounds.
So companies had tax evasion issues — a common occurrence in present-day Britain, easy to find. Others had projects that lacked rigorous technical verification, requiring re-examination with the cooperation of the Academy of Sciences.
And the Congress side was equally efficient, with all five investnt cases that were just voted on being rejected unanimously by Montes and the other three core MPs.
Subsequently, the Fund Managent Committee received an application from the Bolton-Watt Steam Engine Company for a project to develop the latest 180-horsepower steam engine, with an investnt amounting to 800,000 pounds!
And as early as a few days ago, London’s newspapers had already begun a massive flood of reports on "revolutionary technological breakthroughs, the future of steam power," "180-horsepower high-pressure steam engine, leading the whole of Europe by a cliff."
Reviews
All reviews (0)