"Your Majesty, you have really put in a terrible spot!"
As soon as Jero Bonaparte t Minister Dico, Minister Dico complained to Jero Bonaparte with a bitter expression.
"Oh?" Jero Bonaparte asked with interest, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth, "We are separated by nearly 60 or 70 leagues. How can I influence you, the ’Father of the Imperial Navy’?"
"Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?" Minister Dico inquired.
"Go ahead!" Jero Bonaparte lowered his hand onto the armrest and asked.
"Isn’t it true that my wife followed your orders to Marseille?" Minister Dico said leisurely to Jero Bonaparte.
"Indeed, that’s correct!" Jero Bonaparte nodded in acknowledgnt. "I sent her there with the purpose of taking care of you!"
"But, a few days ago, she stopped all my work completely!" Minister Dico replied to Jero Bonaparte with a tone of slight complaint: "And she said she was following your instructions!"
After listening to Minister Dico’s "complaint," Jero Bonaparte’s expression also beca extraordinarily serious. Having spent a long ti with Jero Bonaparte, Minister Dico imdiately realized that Jero Bonaparte’s upcoming words were likely to be admonishnts against him.
Otherwise, the Emperor would not use such an expression to converse with him.
"Minister Dico, do you rember what you promised before I left Marseille?" Jero Bonaparte said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, are you referring to finding orders for the Toulon Shipyard?" Minister Dico tentatively asked Jero Bonaparte.
"No! That’s not it!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head in response to Minister Dico.
"Or is it reducing the naval budget?" Minister Dico guessed once again.
"That’s also incorrect!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head once more in response to Minister Dico.
"Your Majesty, I fear I can no longer recall what I promised at the ti! Please forgive !" Minister Dico apologized to Jero Bonaparte.
"You may not rember, but I rember very clearly!" Jero Bonaparte said coldly to Minister Dico. "Back in Marseille, you promised to cherish your health!
And this is how you cherish it? Theodore Dico, you’re not so young anymore. Do you still think of yourself as a young lad of 20 or 30?
Going three or four days without sleep—isn’t it a concern that you’ll die suddenly?"
Jero Bonaparte’s scolding did not make Minister Dico feel humiliated; rather, it made Minister Dico feel a warmth.
After all, a leader’s concern for your life proves they regard you as one of their own.
Not one of their own? Then who would care about a stranger’s schedule?
"Your Majesty, I apologize for not adhering to what I promised you!" Minister Dico said earnestly to Jero Bonaparte.
"Theodore Dico, I’m warning you once again! If you wish to ruin your health, then do so after you leave the Navy! I don’t want to see news headlines one day saying ’Minister of the Navy Dies Suddenly in Office from Overwork!’ "
At that ti, who knows how the opposing factions lurking in the shadows might sar us!" Jero Bonaparte, still not fully calm, continued reprimanding Minister Dico.
"Yes, Your Majesty, from now on I will definitely adhere to the promise!" Minister Dico quickly assured Jero Bonaparte, then tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, could you let my wife not return to Marseille with ?"
"Impossible!" Jero Bonaparte decisively refused Minister Dico, "Your wife will continue to represent in supervising your daily life in the future, so I hope you prepare for it!"
"Yes!" Unable to resist Jero Bonaparte, Dico had no choice but to comply.
"Honestly! Besides dealing with a mountain of paperwork every day, I still have to worry about your issues!" Jero Bonaparte complained once more.
"Your Majesty, you are incredibly busy and hardworking!" Minister Dico bowed in response to Jero Bonaparte.
"By the way, how is the material preparation of your Ministry of the Navy going? The Imperial Council is set for next Monday, so don’t let down!" Jero Bonaparte once again reminded Minister Dico to be prepared ahead of ti.
"Your Majesty, rest assured! I will list all expenditures from last year!" Minister Dico responded to Jero Bonaparte, "I assure you, every franc you invest in the Navy is well worth it!"
"I hope that’s the case!" Jero Bonaparte said blandly, then asked, "By the way! How about the progress of the latest model of the ship?"
"It is estimated to take at least another six months to complete! However, to launch the ship, it will have to wait until the end of this year!" Minister Dico replied to Jero Bonaparte.
After a pause, he continued to respond to Jero Bonaparte, "However, I already have the data on the new ship!
Although it is just the preliminary estimation by the designers at the design institute, it’s pretty close to the actual data!"
After speaking, Minister Dico took out folded data and drawings from his pocket and handed them over to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte unfolded the drawings and data, observing them carefully.
Ship Na (provisional): Kersson, Sevastopol
Displacent: 5900—6000 tons
Length: 80.72 ters
Width: 17 ters
Draught: 7.7—8.4 ters (estimated)
Speed: 13—14.5 knots (estimated)
Crew capacity: 570—600 people
Armant: 30 x 164-mm cannons
"The Kersson-class ironclad is an improved version based on the Friendship ironclad, using a design of a wooden hull covered in iron armor. However, compared to the Friendship, the armoring is thicker, thereby enhancing its protection capabilities..." Minister Dico explained earnestly to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte observed that the single-row cannon of the Kersson-class ironclad was fewer than that of the "Friendship Level" and asked Minister Dico whether this design would weaken the attacking power of the ironclad.
"It won’t, Your Majesty!" Minister Dico responded confidently to Jero Bonaparte, "We have conducted precise calculations, and concluded that reducing the artillery will not affect the ship’s power!"
"That’s good to hear!" Jero Bonaparte nodded, replying to Minister Dico: "I am very satisfied with the design of the new ironclad! I hope you can continue striving for excellence!"
"Rest assured! Our navy will definitely design even more outstanding warships for the Empire!" Minister Dico solemnly bowed to Jero Bonaparte and said, "We aim to seize the Trident of the Sea God from Britain’s hands as soon as possible!"
"Ahem... ahem, you should just keep the latter part in mind!" Jero Bonaparte cleared his throat and said to Minister Dico, "Our generation’s goal is rely to lay the foundation and strive to catch up with Britain. The task of surpassing Britain shall be left to the next generation!
Each generation has its own work, and we must not rush things!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Minister Dico replied firmly.
Following this, Jero Bonaparte discussed matters at length with Minister Dico.
It was not until noon that Jero Bonaparte and Minister Dico concluded their eting.
Subsequently, Jero Bonaparte summoned Bashirio and instructed him to visit Minister Dico’s residence to invite Madam Dico to Tuileries Palace, as Jero Bonaparte wished to express his gratitude to her.
After a while, Madam Dico was invited over by Bashirio.
Jero Bonaparte and his wife, along with Minister Dico and his wife, sat at a round table enjoying lunch.
Once lunch was over, Minister Dico and his wife left Tuileries Palace.
...
Ti hastily passed, and soon it was the ti for the annual Imperial Council.
Under Jero Bonaparte’s orders, the ministers from various departnts arrived at Tuileries Palace by carriage, and led by Chief Steward Bashirio, they reached the venue of the Imperial Council.
At this mont, Jero Bonaparte, Emperor of the Second Empire, was quietly seated at the head of the eting table, observing the ministers who continuously took their seats.
Once everyone was seated, Bashirio, representing Jero Bonaparte, tapped the ground a few tis with his cane and announced loudly, "The eting begins!"
Jero Bonaparte raised his hand and said casually to Minister Mane, seated in the second position to his right, "Minister Mane, as the Minister of Finance for the Empire, why don’t you start? Is there any issue?"
Mane promptly rose with a serious expression and responded to Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, I am already prepared!"
Jero Bonaparte gently patted the table, responding solemnly, "Then let’s begin!"
First, as the Minister of Finance, Mane reported to Jero Bonaparte on the comprehensive financial situation of the French Empire in 1855, naly: as of December 1855, the total revenue of the French Empire was approximately 23.8 billion francs.
This figure saw a significant decrease compared to warti, prompting Jero Bonaparte to inquire the reasons from Mane.
"Your Majesty, to stabilize the situation this year, we enacted nurous tax reductions, particularly on luxury goods!" Minister of Finance Mane promptly explained to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte then recalled that, initially to stabilize employnt rates, he had to grant certain tax deductions to the luxury goods sector and steel industry.
This led to a reduction in the Empire’s tax revenue compared to before the war.
"What was last year’s overall expenditure?" Jero Bonaparte further questioned.
"27.4 billion francs!" Mane reported once more to Jero Bonaparte.
"So, we not only failed to earn a penny last year, but also accrued over 3 billion in governnt debt? Is that correct?" Jero Bonaparte asked Minister Mane.
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