"Achille, I knew you would make this request!"
Jero Bonaparte said as he touched his pocket and pulled out two cigarettes, handing one to Achille Fuld.
Achille Fuld took the cigarette from Jero Bonaparte with both hands, then took out the matches he carried with him.
As Achille Fuld stood up to light Jero Bonaparte’s cigarette, Jero Bonaparte pressed his hand down and pulled out a matchbox from his pocket: "No need! I have it!"
Achille Fuld sat back in his original position, and Jero Bonaparte took out a match, struck it lightly against the box, and an orange-yellow fla ignited, slowly nearing the cigarette.
White smoke appeared between Jero Bonaparte’s thumb and index finger, and a touch of intoxication showed on his face.
Achille Fuld, sitting next to Jero Bonaparte, also lit his cigarette, took a drag, and said, "Your Majesty, forgive for speaking frankly!
If Georges Ossman continues to serve as the Governor of Seine Province, the entire Seine Province and even the entire Empire will be dragged down by his plans!
So far, Governor Georges Ossman has spent 1 billion francs on the renovation of Paris!
It’s estimated that another 1 billion francs will be needed to truly complete the renovation of Paris!"
"Achille, think positively!" Jero Bonaparte took another drag and said, "A large part of these expenses are not being paid by the Seine Province Governnt, but by bankers and real estate developers who contracted the land!
This invisibly eases the pressure on our governnt!"
"I admit that Governor Georges Ossman’s thods have indeed effectively reduced governnt debt, but the remaining debt is still a massive figure!" Achille Fuld argued, then added, "Your Majesty, I am not against the renovation of Paris!
Regarding the renovation of Paris, my opinion is actually the sa as Governor Georges Ossman, but I do not think this way is correct!
The renovation of Paris was initially a project that would take at least 30 years to complete, but Governor Georges Ossman insists on completing it in 15 years!
This will only result in gigantic debts for the governnt!
To pay off the debts, we will have to do things we are unwilling to do."
"Things we are unwilling to do?" Jero Bonaparte muttered, then said to Achille Fuld, "Do you an imposing new taxes?"
"Exactly! Your Majesty!" Achille Fuld said to Jero Bonaparte, "With the current finances of Seine Province, we need at least 5 years to pay off the debts!
If we choose neither to halt work nor to impose new taxes, then the finances of Seine Province will face tough challenges!
Especially with the possible financial crisis looming!"
Achille Fuld specifically ntioned "financial crisis" to prompt Jero Bonaparte to make a decision.
"If I neither agree to dismiss Georges Ossman nor want the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of France to help Seine Province through tough tis, what should I do then?" Jero Bonaparte asked Achille Fuld in a slightly threatening tone.
"Your Majesty, there’s only one way!" Achille Fuld looked firmly at Jero Bonaparte, then stood up and said to Jero Bonaparte, "Please allow to resign from the position of Minister of Finance; the Ministry of Finance should be entrusted to soone more capable."
Jero Bonaparte, after hearing Achille Fuld’s response, showed an unhappy expression, "Mr. Achille, are you pressuring ?"
"No!" Achille Fuld shook his head at Jero Bonaparte and said, "I am not pressuring you! I just believe my ability is insufficient to manage the current situation!"
"By dismissing Georges Ossman and stopping all renovation projects in Seine Province, would you be able to manage the current situation?" Jero Bonaparte frowned and asked Achille Fuld.
"Your Majesty, I’m not advocating stopping the renovation of Seine Province, but slowing its pace!
The pace of Seine Province is too fast; often the old district has not been completely demolished when the new district planning has already begun!
This causes many residents to raise their prices upon seeing the chance of getting rich, and the grassroots have to agree to all their terms to et performance targets!
The land acquired in Seine Province is sotis twice as expensive as the market price... As long as we can slow down, then those who hoard a lot of land wanting to sell to the governnt will beco anxious, and the value of the land will decline!!
We can also save quite a bit of money!" Achille Fuld explained to Jero Bonaparte.
"You do have a point!" Jero Bonaparte nodded and said to Achille Fuld.
"Your Majesty, does that an you agree?" Achille Fuld asked Jero Bonaparte.
"If I don’t agree, will you resign, Achille Fuld?" This ti Jero Bonaparte’s expression beca particularly serious, as he asked Achille Fuld.
"Your Majesty, I will submit my resignation!" Achille Fuld responded unwaveringly to Jero Bonaparte.
"In that case, I can agree to let Georges Ossman leave the position of Governor of the Seine Province!" Jero Bonaparte said to Achille Fuld.
Achille Fuld’s face showed a look of joy after hearing this, and he quickly bowed to Jero Bonaparte.
"However!" Jero Bonaparte changed his tone and said to Achille Fuld, "You must agree to two conditions!"
"Your Majesty, what are those two conditions?" Achille Fuld asked Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte raised a finger and said solemnly, "The first condition is that Georges Ossman will only resign from the position of Governor of the Seine Province. His position as the candidate for the Ministry of Public Works and his role as a mber of the Seine Province Municipal Committee should be retained. In other words, Georges Ossman will still have the right to guide the developnt of the Seine Province. You should be able to explain this condition!"
Achille Fuld hesitated for a mont; he understood that His Majesty the Emperor was making the greatest concession by agreeing to dismiss Georges Ossman.
Retaining the position of candidate for the Ministry of Public Works and a mber of the Seine Province Municipal Committee should be close to the Emperor’s bottom line.
Thus, Achille Fuld lifted his head and responded forcefully, "Your Majesty, I can agree to this condition!"
"Also, the Bank of France must continue to subsidize the five major railway bureaus!" Jero Bonaparte proposed the second condition.
"Your Majesty, the financial condition of the five major railway bureaus is still sound and does not require subsidies!" Achille Fuld said to Jero Bonaparte.
"But if an economic crisis arises, can you guarantee that the finances of the five major railway bureaus will remain sound?" Jero Bonaparte questioned.
Achille Fuld fell silent, and after a while, he replied to Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, if the railway bureaus (more precisely, the five major railway companies under them) truly cannot sustain their finances, then the Bank of France and the Ministry of Finance will certainly not stand idly by!"
"With your assurance, I am relieved!" Jero Bonaparte said with a smile to Achille Fuld.
Afterward, both Jero Bonaparte and Achille Fuld threw their cigarettes into the ashtray.
After Achille Fuld left, Jero Bonaparte sighed lightly once again.
...
Ti flew by quickly, and more than a month passed.
In this period, France rapidly sold off half of the Prussian Kingdom’s bonds, as well as railroad bonds from the Austrian Empire and the Sardinian Kingdom, then used the profits from selling the bonds to trade with the Kingdom of Britain, purchasing gold, which forced the Bank of England to raise its discount rate.
While selling off the Austrian Empire’s railroad bonds, the then Austrian envoy to France, Richard tternich, ca before Jero Bonaparte, pleading for Jero Bonaparte to delay the sale.
Richard tternich told Jero Bonaparte that the current Austrian market had beco panic-stricken due to the sale by Jero Bonaparte.
If the French Empire continued to sell off the railroad bonds of the Austrian Empire, then the bankers within the Austrian Empire and those from Britain and Prussia would follow suit in selling the railway bonds.
If that happens, the Austrian Empire’s railroad bonds would beco the trigger for an economic crisis within the Austrian Empire.
Having already sold half of the Austrian Empire’s railroad bonds, Jero Bonaparte considered that the friendship between France and Austria outweighed those railroad bonds and decided to cease selling the Austrian Empire’s railroad bonds.
(More crucially, the railroad bonds of the Austrian Empire that the French Empire currently holds are mostly for railroads around Bohemia and Vienna. Jero Bonaparte believes those railroads near industrial zones and the capital are unlikely to result in losses, which is why he didn’t continue selling.)
anwhile, Jero Bonaparte assured Richard tternich that although the French Empire was withdrawing from the railroad sector now, it was willing to invest in other areas of the Austrian Empire.
Richard tternich quickly inquired of Jero Bonaparte about which areas he was willing to invest in, so that the Austrian Empire could implent preferential policies.
Jero Bonaparte told Richard tternich that he wished to establish a mining company in the Romanian Kingdom (which the Austrian Empire had rged into the Romanian Kingdom for easier governance), and a food processing company in Hungary.
"Your Majesty, the gold mines of the Romanian Kingdom have long been exhausted over the years!" Richard tternich reminded.
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