After listening to Jero Bonaparte’s words, Count Algou hesitated for a mont, and then replied to Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, I believe that maintaining the bitallic standard is the best strategy for the French Empire!"
"Tell your reasons!" Jero Bonaparte responded to Count Algou calmly.
"Your Majesty, according to the gold reserves during my tenure as president of the Bank of France, there is a significant gap between us and the Kingdom of Britain!
Moreover, our bank also reserves over 2000 tons of silver, and rashly changing the monetary system might bring considerable trouble to the silver we hold!" Count Algou explained to Jero Bonaparte.
What Count Algou didn’t know was that the gold reserves of the Bank of France were no longer the 40 tons they were when he left (historically in 1855, the Bank of France’s gold reserves were 32.5 tons), but nearly a hundred tons (to be precise, 101 tons) of gold.
A portion of this gold ca from France’s frenzied exchanges during the war, while another portion ca from the treasury of the Russian Empire.
It can be said that the French Empire now holds the largest gold reserves of any country in Europe. (Historically, Britain’s gold reserves had decreased from 104 to 74 tons, and during this period, due to Jero Bonaparte’s exchanges, Britain’s gold reserves were even less than this value.)
"Mr. Algus!" Jero Bonaparte smiled as he asked Count Algou, "How long has it been since you last learned about the gold reserves of the Bank of France!"
Count Algou was taken aback, then carefully replied, "Since I stepped down from the position of president, I haven’t had the opportunity to learn anything about it again!"
"Then let tell you about the current gold reserves!" Jero Bonaparte inford Count Algou of the current gold reserve figures of the Bank of France.
Count Algou showed a look of surprise on his face; he couldn’t understand how the Bank of France managed to more than double its reserves in less than a year after he left the position of president.
"The current gold and silver reserves of the Bank of France are in a ratio of about 1 to 20," Jero Bonaparte responded to Count Algou, "and according to my intelligence from the United States of Arica, there might be a large-scale silver mine in California!"
"Ah!" Count Algou’s face revealed a look of shock.
Count Algou didn’t quite believe Jero Bonaparte’s intelligence, but Jero Bonaparte’s previous actions made him have to believe these things.
Because Jero Bonaparte indeed has a gold mine in California!
"Though the current gold to silver ratio still remains at about 1 to 15, once this silver mine is exploited, the international market price of silver will plumt just as the gold price did before!
By then, the exchange rate of gold and silver will be far from this number!" Jero Bonaparte replied to Count Algou in a solemn tone.
"Your Majesty, who currently controls that silver mine!" Count Algou asked Jero Bonaparte urgently.
This news was of paramount importance to him!
"What? Are you planning to eliminate the witnesses?" Jero Bonaparte half-jokingly asked Count Algou.
"Your Majesty, I believe this silver mine must be under our control, otherwise it will pose a significant conflict with the silver reserves we hold!" Count Algou spoke frankly to Jero Bonaparte.
"Rest assured! The silver mine is currently under the control of my people! At least for a year or two, no information will leak!" Jero Bonaparte reassured Count Algou by patting his shoulder.
Count Algou couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart. Now it seed imperative for him to convert all the silver stored in the bank into gold as soon as possible.
"Mr. Algus, do you still believe that maintaining the bitallic standard is better than the gold monotallic system for us?" Jero Bonaparte asked Count Algou again.
"Your Majesty, I still believe that France should continue to practice the bitallic standard!" Count Algou answered Jero Bonaparte once more.
"Hmm?" Jero Bonaparte curiously glanced at Count Algou, "Why?"
"If our currency union consisted solely of France, then I would certainly recomnd that France complete the transition from bitallic to gold monotallic standard!" Count Algou expounded, "But our currency union is not made up of only us. Belgium, Switzerland, Sardinia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Württemberg (due to Jero Bonaparte’s tireless persuasion, the Kingdom of Württemberg agreed to join France’s currency union) still use the silver monotallic standard, and maintaining the bitallic standard is beneficial for the French Empire’s trade exchanges with them!"
"If the international market experiences a silver price crash, what do you plan to do?" Jero Bonaparte asked Count Algou.
"Your Majesty! By then, we can adjust the gold-silver ratio of the silver coin or stop the free minting of silver coins! In this way, France can still engage in trade exchanges with them!" Count Algou replied to Jero Bonaparte.
"That does make so sense!" Jero Bonaparte’s obsession with the gold standard gradually faded under Count Algou’s persuasion.
In his heart, the priority of establishing an international organization similar to the European Union far exceeded that of France transforming into a country with the gold standard.
Count Algou smiled slightly and did not speak.
"Let’s do as you said!" Jero Bonaparte spoke again, "After you return, prepare a little!
At the Currency Union conference in early September, you’ll represent France!"
"Yes!" Count Algou hastily replied.
Subsequently, Count Algou was given the dismissal order by Jero Bonaparte.
...
A few days passed again, and Jero Bonaparte finally received the news of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert coming over.
It rained that day, and Jero Bonaparte instructed General Vayan to block the Paris Railway Station until Queen Victoria and her husband arrived.
At the sa ti, Jero Bonaparte also summoned Baron Haussman, governor of Seine Province, and the "hero" of the Crian War, Marshal Pelissier.
During his conversation with Baron Haussman, Jero Bonaparte gave orders to him, instructing him to lock down the World Fair on the evening of Queen Victoria and her husband’s arrival.
The next day, he must strictly limit the number of people at the World Fair, and in any case, ensure the personal safety during Queen Victoria and her husband’s visit to the World Fair.
"Your Majesty, why don’t we directly announce the closure of the World Fair for a day?" Baron Haussman suggested.
"What about the people at the World Fair? We can’t have the entire exhibition hall with just a few people," Jero Bonaparte retorted to Baron Haussman.
"Your Majesty, we could hire people to pretend to be attendees of the fair! This way, we can ensure the safety of the queen couple and also make the fair appear less desolate!" Baron Haussman proposed a solution again.
"This solution..." Jero Bonaparte pondered for a mont, then said to Baron Haussman, "It is indeed a good solution, but I do not like it!
So let’s still do as I said!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Baron Haussman had no choice but to comply with the capricious monarch before him.
After finishing with Baron Haussman, Jero Bonaparte turned his gaze to Pelissier.
"Marshal Pelissier, when Victoria and Albert arrive, you will accompany to welco them!" Jero Bonaparte said to Pelissier.
"It is my honor!" Marshal Pelissier respectfully replied to Jero Bonaparte.
Ti quickly arrived at the day when Queen Victoria and her husband arrived. At 10 o’clock in the morning, Jero Bonaparte, Augusta, Friedrich, and their retinue departed from the Tuileries Palace by carriage, arriving at the railway station at 10:30 escorted by Dragoons.
At this ti, there was still half an hour before the Victoria couple’s train arrived. Since Augusta was holding Friedrich in her arms, Jero Bonaparte allowed Augusta and Friedrich to remain in the carriage, ntioning that once the train arrived, he would send soone to notify them, so they could get off to greet them.
Half an hour later, accompanying a distant whistle, Jero Bonaparte imdiately ordered Vayan beside him, "Quickly ask Augusta to co over!"
After a while, Augusta appeared on the platform holding Friedrich.
The train carrying the Victoria couple also slowed down gradually and eventually stopped at the platform.
Subsequently, the Victoria couple alighted from the train, followed by several children.
The oldest was about ten years old, and the youngest just 5 or 6 years of age.
They were Victoria and Albert’s children.
"Welco back to France, my friend!" Jero Bonaparte stepped forward to warmly embrace Prince Albert.
"I am really glad my friend could personally co to receive us!" Albert also responded with a smile to Jero Bonaparte.
"You are my best friend, how could I not co to greet you!" Jero Bonaparte said to Albert, and then turned his gaze to the eldest (male) child beside Albert, couldn’t help but exclaim, "This is Crown Prince Edward, he’s grown so much!"
The person being watched by Jero Bonaparte was Albert’s eldest son, the future monarch of Britain, Edward VII.
At this ti, Edward VII gazed at Jero Bonaparte with a look of admiration.
Reviews
All reviews (0)