Holy Roman Empire

The leader said: "I'm sorry, Baron Fedoren. We took the liberty to visit this time mainly for..."

Baron Fedoren interrupted directly: "I know what you are for, but there is still a month before the bank loan expires.

If there is any problem, we will talk about it at that time, or contact the people in the public relations department. Please don't disturb my work now.

Thank you!

Fick, take the two gentlemen to rest. "

After hearing Baron Fedoren's words, Fick's middle-aged man immediately made a gesture of invitation and said, "You two, please follow me."

The leading middle-aged man said unmoved: "Baron Fidolun, you misunderstood. We came here today to solve your problem, not to collect the loan in advance.

If it is convenient, please give us half an hour.The following conversation needs to be kept confidential, and it is best for us to communicate alone. "

Baron Fedoren was taken aback...

Chapter 143 The Storm Is Coming

The office door closed again, and everyone retreated.One of the two bank representatives stayed inside while the other stood outside the door, seemingly preventing others from approaching and eavesdropping.

Baron Fedoren frowned, which was clearly an expression of distrust, but considering the current dire situation, he had no choice but to restrain his anger.

"Come on, why is it so mysterious? Let me explain first, if you want to get the machinery factory's attention, you don't need to waste your time here.

The machinery factory is my child, no matter how poor I am, I will not hand it over.You BNP Paribas are not qualified to take it from me! "

When he said this, Baron Fedoren was full of confidence.Although the power of the aristocratic group has declined, it still holds the power of the French government.

Although the capitalists are rich, their political voice is still inferior to that of the nobles.

As a rare successful businessman among the nobles, Baron Fedoren has a strong network of contacts, and even a consortium will feel a headache once it is mobilized.

In this context, there are many people peeping at the machinery factory, but very few who really dare to take action.

The middle-aged man smiled awkwardly: "Your Excellency the baron, you are too worried, how dare we hit your idea?

In the past week, the stock market has fallen continuously, and the market has reached the brink of collapse.I am here on behalf of BNP Paribas this time to discuss with you how to get through this impending economic crisis. "

Undoubtedly, the BNP Paribas also approached the idea of ​​a machinery factory, but found that it was a hard bone, and the meat was all in the cracks of the bone.

Baron Fedoren rolled his eyes: "That's enough, the old man is still self-aware. If the economic crisis is something I can decide, I won't worry about money now."

Sudden large-scale defaults, machinery factories lack cash flow, this is a well-known thing in the capital market.

You can't hide it. Baron Fedoron didn't intend to slap his face swollen to look fat, and he didn't think he could fool the vampires in the bank.

The middle-aged man restrained his smile, and said seriously: "Your Excellency, the next thing is very important, if you decide to listen, then you must ensure that the content of the conversation will not be leaked.

I can assure you that what I will talk about next will only benefit you and not harm you.Including the troubles you encounter now, can be easily solved. "

Naked provocative methods, but Baron Fedoren decided to continue listening because of the opportunity to solve the funding gap.

As for whether to keep it secret or not, it depends on what the news is.As long as the interests are large enough, secrecy is a joke.

"Tell me, if it's good for me, do you still have to worry about the news leaking!"

The middle-aged man nodded, and said slowly: "Your Excellency, you should have found out. Now all European countries have experienced overcapacity to varying degrees, but France has suffered the most.

In the final analysis, our industrial production costs are too high to compete with Britain and Austria.

In order to solve the problem of industrial raw materials, we have also made a lot of efforts, but with little success.

The main reason is that the energy problem has not been solved. We have to buy coal at exorbitant prices internationally, and there is often a shortage of supply. All walks of life suffer from it.

In order to solve this problem, we hope that the domestic business community can unite and work together to persuade the central government to implement the China-EU strategy as soon as possible.

As long as the energy problem is solved, domestic industry and commerce will soon usher in spring.

At that time, your order may be directly queued to a few years later, and the company that cancels the order in breach of contract will also beg you to pay the balance. "

In order to implement the China-Europe strategy, the problem cannot be solved by mere words. The French government must expand its arms and prepare for war.At that time, the domestic unsalable strategic materials will be digested immediately.

If Austria intervenes and a European war breaks out, the strategic materials needed will be even more astronomical.

As an upstream machinery and equipment manufacturer, Baron Fedoren's machinery factory is also a beneficiary.

Although the benefits are great, Baron Fedoren frowned. After a long silence, he slowly said: "You are playing with fire. If an accident happens, the French Empire will be destroyed!"

Although the benefits are great, the accompanying risks are even greater.The Central European strategy of the French government was regarded as an ideal strategy from the beginning of its formulation.

It has been more than 30 years since the plan was drawn up from the time of Napoleon III to the present, and the French government still has not put it into practice.

It's not that everyone doesn't want to. In fact, all the French governments have wanted to complete this great strategy. The key is that their strength does not allow it.

Although France is powerful, there is still a huge gap compared with the union of European countries.Once the operation is not good and a new round of anti-French war is triggered, it will be fatal.

The middle-aged man shook his head: "Your Excellency, high risks come with high returns. If you don't want to take risks, how can you solve the predicament we are facing now?

Besides, now is also the best time to do it.Britain and Russia fought fiercely in Central Asia, and they contained each other. At this time, there was only one Austria blocking the road in front of us.

If this opportunity is missed, once the Anglo-Russian War is over, we will never have another chance.

Regardless of the recent years, our economy has recovered well, but compared with other European countries, our development speed is almost at the bottom.

This will only get worse as time goes on.If we take action now, we still have a slight chance of winning, and our chances of winning will be lower as we go forward.

In fact, we should have acted as early as 1880, during the Russo-Prussian War.It's a pity that an opportunity was wasted because some people looked forward and backward. "

Purely from the perspective of strength comparison, 1880 was indeed the time when France had the highest success rate in challenging the European order.

Immediately after the gunfire of the Paris Revolution, the French economy suffered a severe blow, and it is only now recovering.

Unfortunately, this is not the end of the matter, but only the beginning of the disaster.Looking at the economic crisis, if there is no way to survive the crisis, the French economy will be hit hard again.

In the long river of history, ten years is not worth mentioning at all.But for France, the wasted decade was a decade of economic lag behind.

As early as more than ten years ago, the economic aggregate of the French mainland surpassed that of the British Isles, but now it has been overtaken by the British.

Compared with Austria, the gap in economic strength is even greater.If this tossing continues, perhaps in the next ten years, the gap between the two sides will not be in percentage points, but in times.

Everyone has underestimated the importance of the economy these days. When calculating the overall national strength, the economy accounts for a negligible proportion.

Relying on the prestige left over from the Napoleon era, after years of government propaganda, in everyone's subconscious mind, France is still the world's largest army power and the world's second naval power, and ordinary people can't feel the pressure.

But the consortium is different, they are the most economically sensitive.A prosperous economy means more money. If the economy is in a disadvantaged position for a long time, the strength gap between them and Anglo Capital will gradually widen.

Whether it is long-term development or short-term interests, the consortium has the need to promote the China-Europe strategy.

The main reason for attracting Baron Fedoren is that the capital is interested in his network, which can influence the government's decision-making to a certain extent.

These things cannot be bought with money.Even now, the political spokesperson of the French consortium does not have a high voice.

It is okay to influence some small decisions, but if you want to promote the China-Europe strategy, you must win the support of the nobles.

"Ugh!"

After sighing, Baron Fedoren closed his eyes and fell into a fierce inner struggle.

The more you know, the more trouble you have.The current situation in France cannot be hidden from their elites at all.The deeper the understanding, the harder it is for Baron Fedoren to make a choice.

Seeing that Baron Fedoren was in hesitation, the middle-aged man added: "As long as you are willing to promote the Central Europe strategy, regardless of whether it succeeds or not, the bank's loan can be postponed until next year.

If the China-EU strategy is approved by the government, we can also provide another loan to the machinery factory. "

"Loans from banks" are not just "loans from BNP Paribas". The implication is that Baron Fedoren knows very well that it is nothing more than several major French consortiums jointly promoting this plan.

Unlike the nobles and France who are tied together, once the empire is destroyed, everyone's good days will be over.

The choice of capitalists has always been very large.Even if they lose the bet, they can also withdraw and retreat to other countries for development.

It's just that you need to start from scratch, and the cost is higher.If it is not necessary, everyone will not easily abandon France.

Baron Fedoren sneered: "You guys are so generous! That's enough, I know what to do. I still have a meeting next, so I won't keep you any longer."

The middle-aged man was not annoyed at being treated rudely, he knew that the matter was done, and left the office politely with a smile on his face.

From the beginning to the end, Baron Fedoren never asked the middle-aged man's name or identity.It's not because of his arrogance, but because there is really no need to care about a small person.

It is also taboo to make decisions for the government and promote the China-EU strategy.The big shots won't show up at all, and those who come out to join forces are all dispensable pawns.

It's nothing more than a successful plan. If the plan fails and attracts the hostility of the French government, these little pawns are ready-made scapegoats.

Looking out the window, after a long time, Baron Fedoron connected the phone line, took out the phone book, and started connecting...

……

Baron Fedoren was not the only one who was lobbied. Since the stock market crash broke out, capitalists have been secretly connecting in series.

First came the business community, followed by members of Congress and government officials, and a massive public relations campaign kicked off.

Unknowingly, French public opinion also began to change.Experts and scholars have attributed a series of problems, such as the stock market crash, unemployment, and low treatment of workers, to the speculation of coal prices in the two countries.

To sum it up: the despicable and shameless Beetle and Germany have plundered the wealth of France by raising the export price of coal.

Of course, some street tabloids also included John Bull by the way in order to attract people's attention.After all, Britain is the world's largest coal exporter these days.

These are all small problems, and the conflict between Britain and France is not a day or two, so it doesn't matter if you write more.

In line with the principle of looking for persimmons, experts and scholars decisively chose not to see it, but asked the government to take tough measures against Germany and the two countries to avoid the loss of national wealth.

Chapter 144 South or East?

With the rise of public opinion hostile to the two countries, large-scale demonstrations broke out among the people.

From Paris to Rome, demonstrations broke out in any French city with a population of more than 5 people.

All kinds of chaotic slogans are heard endlessly, anti-coal profiteering, anti-unemployment, demands for higher wages, demands for the government to further liberalize voting rights...etc. Social groups, whether related or not, jumped out.

For a time, the voices of the French people were heard all over Europe.It's just that this kind of call is a bit chaotic and a bit confusing.

In the Palace of Versailles, listening to the heart-piercing shouts of the people outside, Napoleon IV was furious.

public opinion?

There is no Internet these days. If there is no manipulation, news will spread naturally, and it may not be able to spread throughout the country in three to five months, and it is even more impossible for demonstrations to break out in major cities across the country.

"The police department will check for me to see who is behind the scenes!"

No emperor likes to be pushed around, and Napoleon IV was no exception.Even if the China-EU strategy is to be implemented, it will be carried out under his leadership, rather than being pushed to the shelves.

Minister of Police Adonis replied anxiously: "Your Majesty, there are a lot of participants this time, including capitalists, students, nobles, military, government officials and other groups.

According to the information held by the police department, the first to take action was the domestic business community, and then it spread rapidly. "

The police department does not know who is behind the scenes, but this kind of information on the surface can still be found.

Adonis's political acumen is still very bright. He has been thinking about countermeasures since the outbreak of public opinion, and now it is naturally at his fingertips.

The law does not blame the public, which is the biggest feature of France.Even the participants in the last revolution, Napoleon IV, could not liquidate them all, let alone now.

It is useless to know that the business community did it. There is no way to pinpoint the original culprit. Napoleon IV couldn't find anyone if he wanted to settle the score.

He slapped the table fiercely, and Napoleon IV said viciously: "Damn the consortium, don't think that you can get away with it like this."

Since the business community dominates, it is natural that the consortium must exert its strength, and there is nothing wrong with keeping this account on the consortium.

In fact, the relationship between the Bonaparte family and the French consortium has not been very good, and there are many conflicts between the two parties because of interests.

Especially during the Paris Revolution period, the consortium fueled the flames and took advantage of the fire, which intensified the contradictions between the two sides.

Don't look at Napoleon IV's concession and compromise, but the resentment in his heart has accumulated.In order to curb the growth of the consortium, Napoleon IV worked hard.

From a development point of view, this is an inevitable result.The power of the consortium is constantly expanding, and the French pie has not grown bigger. The expansion of emerging forces will inevitably collide with vested interest groups.

The Bonaparte family was successfully restored with the support of the peasant class and the aristocratic class. Napoleon IV must represent the interests of these two classes.

The French consortium has strong financial resources and great influence, but its politics and military are weak. Facing the nobles who control political power, they are obviously not opponents.

If you want to continue to grow, you can only find a way to make the cake bigger.

Promoting the China-Europe strategy is the best way. It not only solves the shortcomings of domestic industrial and commercial development, but also promotes the development of the capitalist economy and further strengthens the power of the consortium.

Foreign Secretary Karel Kadlec reminded: "Your Majesty, we can take our time when it comes to finding out who is behind the scenes.

Recently, European countries have been asking us questions about the China-EU strategy, and the domestic commotion has aroused the vigilance of all parties.

Just last week, the Belgian government decided to add another reserve corps. Once the plan is completed, the total strength of Belgium will reach 15.4.

The German Federation also held a state conference. George I proposed to follow the example of Austria and implement a national reserve system, and then train 150 million reserve troops.

And with the existing main force unchanged, the standing army has increased by 30 reserve troops. Now they are busy discussing the distribution of troops in each state.

If the Germans' plans were allowed to work out, their actual standing army would be over half a million.Under extreme mobilization, the combined strength of the two countries will exceed 50 million. "