Holy Roman Empire

As for the overseas assets of the consortium, just pretend you don't know anything.I only hope that you can be safe, that is not something you can keep. "

Looking at his immature son, Maxim Sidorov regretted that he was playful when he was young, so much so that his eldest son is only 15 years old now.

At this age, it is simply unrealistic for him to play tricks with a bunch of old foxes.

As for the others, it is a pity that Maxim Sidorov can't trust anyone now, having been used to robbery and doves occupying magpie's nests.

……

The capitalists are looking for a way out, and the nobles are not idle either.Although Europe has a tradition of not killing nobles, revolutions are an exception.

According to past experience, every time there is a great revolution, Paris will kill a lot of people.No matter noble or not, there is only one life.

If France is not the three major royal families, but only the Bonaparte dynasty, the aristocracy will stand on the side of the emperor for their own interests, and Napoleon IV's chances of winning this time are very high.

It is a pity that there are not only three royal families in France now, but the Bonaparte dynasty has the lowest reputation among the nobles among the three royal families.

If there hadn't been this European war, Napoleon IV would have secured his throne, and when the next generation came up, the Bonaparte dynasty would be able to take off the nouveau riche hat and be truly accepted by the aristocratic group.

Unfortunately, there is no if in reality.In the eyes of the ancient nobles, the Bonaparte dynasty was the source of disaster and would bring endless troubles to France, so they would not support them at all.

The weirder the atmosphere in Paris, the more active the aristocrats who support Bourbon and Orleans, and many people are preparing to emulate Napoleon III and use the revolution to seize power.

In the Palace of Versailles, looking at the gathered intelligence, Napoleon IV gritted his teeth angrily, but there was nothing he could do.

The risk of going to war with the consortium is already very high. If you attack the nobles again, the Palace of Versailles will really change its owner.

In this aristocratic world, the emperor also needs to follow the rules. As long as people don't raise their flags to rebel, the emperor has no reason to do anything to them.

Putting down the documents, Napoleon IV said fiercely: "Take action immediately, we cannot let those guys run away with the wealth of France. If anyone resists, they will be killed on the spot!"

It is inevitable to be discovered. Not everyone is as cautious as Maxim Sidorov. Not only does he attract attention in front of him, but he even arranges his children to run away with ease.

And some daring guys, while running away, did not forget to sweep the bank's vault, trying to run away with gold and silver.

It's drunk to think about it, and it is possible to run away with a few tons of gold. Those guys with hundreds of tons of silver are just looking for death.

Even if it is not discovered by the emperor, such a huge amount of wealth will arouse the greed of customs bureaucrats.Either it was swallowed up in France, or it was hacked in Britain.

Then, of course, there is no more.If such a big movement could not be discovered, Napoleon IV would have been kicked out of power long ago.

This scene is happening at the pier in Paris.A row of luxurious convoys were stopped by customs before boarding the ship.

A middle-aged wealthy businessman roared aggressively at the staff: "Why don't you let us board the ship, I have legal procedures, who gave you the right to seize my goods?

Get your bureau chief quickly, I want to complain!Did you hear me, I will take your skin off if you slow down. "

In recent years, capital has risen strongly in France, and the social status of the rich has been raised infinitely.Yelling at the staff is just pediatrics, and even dare to go up and slap photons when they encounter powerful ones.

Anyway, they have money, so they are not afraid of lawsuits at all.Even if he wins the lawsuit, this kind of civil dispute is just a loss of money.Most of the time, the damages are not enough to cover legal costs.

In this context, not to mention ordinary people, even ordinary government officials have lost their deterrent power in front of capital.

The young man explained helplessly: "I'm very sorry, sir. According to the latest decree issued by the government: In order to combat the outflow of gold and silver, from now on, all gold and silver are prohibited from leaving Hong Kong.

Your procedure was approved before, and now it has lost its legal effect. If you have any doubts, you can complain to the relevant department.

However, I advise you not to do useless work.The official who was in charge of the issuance formalities has now been suspended for investigation, and it won't be long before someone will ask you for questioning. "

The middle-aged man was about to go mad when an army appeared at the pier.Under the command of the officers, the soldiers directly took over the convoy.

As soon as the middle-aged man stepped forward to argue, he was pinned to the ground by two soldiers walking towards him, and he was not given a chance to defend himself.

……

Chapter 218 Civil Unrest Breaks Out

The government troops are dispatched wantonly, so naturally they cannot keep the secrets.In fact, every move of the French government has been closely watched by the consortium, but everyone did not expect that Napoleon IV would actually overturn the table.

The human heart is complicated. "Treat yourself leniently and be strict with others" is the social norm.Even though they were planning a coup, everyone was still very angry at the emperor's behavior of overturning the table.

There is nothing to say, the arrow is on the string, and I have to send it.With the actions of the government forces, the capitalists who had been hiding behind the remote control are now forced to come to the fore.

"My fellow citizens, take up arms in your hands, overthrow the corrupt Bonapartist dynasty, end this wrong war, and establish a..."

Maxim Sidorov, who was lucky enough to escape, is now biting the bullet and preaching revolutionary theory to the workers, encouraging everyone to participate in the rebellion.

It can be seen that this is a pseudo-revolutionary party, and its propaganda is only to overthrow the Bonaparte dynasty, lacking the theory of overthrowing the bourgeoisie.

There is no way, the capitalists can't be expected to stand up and kill themselves, can they?Even if you just talk about it casually, it's easy to go wrong!

Maxim Sidorov deeply felt, what is "a scholar meets a soldier, it is hard to explain".No matter how extravagantly he spoke on stage, the mood of the crowd below was not high.

The idea of ​​"revolution" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, but it is limited to intellectuals.Ordinary people are working hard for three meals a day, and there is no time to think about these issues.

The point is that the Bonaparte dynasty has not reached the point of anger and resentment. Although there are constant bad news on the front line, most of the wars are fought abroad, and the people of Paris don't feel deeply.

The soaring domestic prices have indeed caused everyone's dissatisfaction.However, in order to stabilize the hearts of the people, the Paris government has distributed relief food many times.Although I still can't get enough to eat, at least I won't starve to death!

Many people are nostalgic for the good life in the era of Napoleon III, and the "revolution" left a bad impression on the people of Paris.The most typical example is that after the last great revolution, everyone's living standards dropped significantly.

Seeing that the Spiritual Encouragement Act had no effect on the engulfed rebel army, Maxim Sidorov announced helplessly: "For the capture of the opposite police station, each person will be rewarded with [-] francs. The reward for the first one to rush in Fifty thousand francs..."

Great principles will never work with real money. Although the franc has depreciated significantly, five thousand francs is still an astronomical sum for ordinary people.

Looking at the revived rebel army, Maxim Sidorov no longer has confidence in the prospects of this revolution.In essence, he didn't even want a revolution, but just wanted to change to an obedient government through a coup.

However, the plan did not change quickly, and Napoleon IV's sudden action disrupted their plan.The flags who were originally lurking in the government were now reduced to prisoners, and even they ran away in a hurry.

If it was not impossible, Maxim Sidorov would never go into battle in person and lead a bunch of rabble to make a revolution.

Chaos, the whole of Paris is in chaos.Faced with the butcher knife raised by the government, the capitalists and the revolutionary party fought back, kicking off the prelude to the revolution.

The sounds of guns, shouts, and cries sounded together, resounding through the city of Paris.The sky gradually dimmed, night fell, and the battle continued.

At midnight, maybe everyone was tired from fighting, or maybe it was too dark to see, the fighting gradually eased.

"Mr. Maxim, the car is ready and ready to go at any time."

Maxim Sidorov nodded: "Well! Two hours after I left, I notified the Revolutionary Party to come and take over the troops. After completing the task, you can freely decide whether to continue participating in the follow-up battle."

It is impossible to lead the revolution. Maxim Sidorov is not so lofty and great, and he has to do it today.

The government has already taken action, and he can't get out at all without disturbing Paris.Once it falls into the hands of the government, the fate of other people is unknown. Anyway, Maxim Sidorov is dead.

As for the great cause of overthrowing the Bonaparte dynasty, it was naturally left to the revolutionaries.It's good that his identity is not exposed now. If everyone knows that he is the boss of the capital vampire, he won't be torn apart.

You know, since the birth of the bourgeoisie, it has been linked to "unscrupulous".Especially those who are engaged in finance are among the best.

The world does not revolve around individuals, and without a Maxim Sidorov, the civil war in Paris continues.

It's not that the revolutionary army is so powerful, it's that the government army has a lot of worries.Many times it looks like a war is actually just shooting into the sky.

No way, the French soldiers were always sympathetic to the revolution.It is okay to let them arrest unscrupulous capitalists, but it is too embarrassing to ask them to shoot ordinary people.

Although most of the soldiers don't work hard, there are still some soldiers loyal to the royal family who work hard, so in general, the government army is still suppressing the rebels.

……

In the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon IV was not happy with the government army's victories.

In the middle of the night, Napoleon IV sat quietly in the garden alone, looking at the sky full of stars, as if he heard the heart-piercing cry of the ancient city of Paris in the midst of the raging flames of war.

The plan has not changed quickly. Judging from the current situation, Napoleon IV's purge plan has obviously failed.

Although he has arrested many important figures in the consortium, seized a large amount of property and materials, and physically injured the bourgeoisie, it is a pity that a civil war has made these gains dull.

The civil war in Paris is just the beginning, and it is conceivable that in the days to come, the remnants of the consortium will definitely launch a counterattack.

If it was a normal period, Napoleon IV would not care about a little backlash, he had enough confidence to settle these troubles.

However, it is different now. France is facing the attack of the Anti-French Alliance.The outbreak of internal and external troubles at the same time will make France, which is already at a disadvantage on the battlefield, even more difficult to sustain.

"It's not cruel enough!"

"It would have been better to have done this earlier!"

Napoleon IV muttered to himself.He knew that he was deceiving himself and others, and that violence could not solve the problem.Don't look at the fact that the power of the consortium has been suppressed now, in fact it will not be long before it will revive again.

In essence, a consortium is a combination of interests, as long as there are interests, this group will exist.Unless the government is strong enough to cut off their collusion from the source.

This is what Napoleon IV envied Franz the most. The Austrian bourgeoisie started late, and before they had time to grow, they encountered a powerful emperor, which directly extinguished the possibility of the birth of a large consortium.

Energy and transportation are either in the hands of the government or the royal family. Capitalists who dare to make trouble have been taught to be human.

The financial world and the real industry have been two parallel lines from the beginning, but anyone who plays cross-border or newspaper groups will immediately encounter dimensionality reduction.

Not to mention the most stringent inspection, there will definitely be one.Water and electricity cuts every now and then are just routine operations; when transporting goods, there must be no train skins; buying...

In fact, not only Austria, but almost all European countries are restricting the power of consortiums, but Austria has done the most vigorously, and France has failed the most.

Chapter 219 The Last Chip

"The European war is coming to an end, and the Bonaparte dynasty is over!" After receiving the news of the outbreak of civil unrest in Paris, Prime Minister Gladstone immediately came to this conclusion.

Even if Napoleon IV put out the rebellion immediately, as long as there are fish that slip through the net and escape, the French Empire will be over.

The power of the bourgeoisie has been hit hard. If they want to make a comeback, they must first remove the mountain of Napoleon IV.

Relying on the Revolutionary Party not only has a low chance of success, but also has a very high risk. The best way is to let the Anti-French Alliance in and reshuffle the cards.

The power of the consortium may not be able to control the army, but it is still possible to influence individual officers. After all, the power of money cannot be underestimated anywhere.

Originally, the French army was at an absolute disadvantage on the battlefield, and with a few more twenty-five boys, the collapse of the front line would be a matter of minutes.

There is always a price to be paid for the failure of a war, and ordinary people don't care so much about the cause and effect.An extremely harsh cessation treaty can bury the Bonaparte dynasty.

Show mercy?This is obviously impossible, and it is impossible for anyone to give up the benefits they have obtained in order to keep the Bonaparte dynasty on the throne.

In a sense, the current French government is already a huge political pit. Whoever jumps into it will be buried by the post-war armistice treaty.

Putting down the information in his hands, Prime Minister Gladstone sighed: "The most worrying thing has happened. From now on, our European balance strategy is officially bankrupt.

France is about to be defeated, and Austria has lost its checks and balances.We are about to face an unprecedentedly dire situation for the Empire.

Although Napoleon was rampant back then, we still had an anti-French alliance to rely on; but now, we cannot find allies to form an anti-Austrian alliance. "

Although he had been prepared for a long time, Gladstone still couldn't let go when that day really came.

Britain can cope with a powerful military enemy alone; but it is beyond their limits to face a powerful military, political, and diplomatic enemy.

In order to maintain the balance of the European continent, in the middle and late stages of the European continental war, the London government almost blatantly supported France.Except for not sending troops to participate in the war, they did everything they could and could not do.

Before the carefully planned multi-country joint intervention strategy could be implemented, the color of the European continent changed.Looking around, they are all the flags of the Anti-French Alliance.

Looking at it, even the world is gone, so how can we talk about interference?

Not to mention international mediation, even if Britain went into battle shirtless, it would not change the fact that France was defeated.

Foreign Minister George took out a document and said slowly: "Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs should bear the main responsibility for the failure of the European balance policy. As the Foreign Minister, I cannot absolve myself of the responsibility. This is my resignation."

No matter how well-founded the reason is, someone will always be responsible for the collapse of the international situation.Others may be able to find a way to escape, and George, as the foreign secretary, must bear the brunt.

It is better to resign than to be kicked out.Anyway, there are only so many responsibilities that politicians need to bear.As for the mess left behind, it has nothing to do with George who will deal with the aftermath in the end.

Upon hearing the "resignation", Gladstone's face changed.If it weren't for the fact that the timing was wrong now, Gladstone himself would have wanted to resign and leave this mess to the next one.

But there is no way, the current situation does not allow him to back down.Whether it is the Congress, the Queen, or a competitor, they will not let him choose at this time.

After receiving the documents, without even looking at them, George's resignation letter turned into scraps of paper in Gladstone's hands.

"Sir, being a deserter at this time is not a good choice. The defeat of the French is the result of their own perverse actions. What is it to do with us? Why should we be responsible for their defeat?

As for the Continental Balancing Policy, aren't we working on it?There are no French, there are Russians, Spaniards, there are always people to check and balance Austria.

Although they are allies now, this is only based on the fact that they have a common enemy.The French fell, and allies became enemies. "

No doubt Gladstone was about to play dumb.The Continental Balance Policy seems serious, but in fact it is only limited to high-level officials. Ordinary people do not pay attention to these issues.

Although the Gladstone cabinet is often scolded bloody in Congress, their reputation among the people is not low at all.

"The government was incompetent and sat back and watched the French lose, causing the balance of the European continent to be broken." This is what their competitors labeled them.It's fine to talk about it in Congress, but it's a joke if it gets to the people.

The century-old feud between Britain and France is not just talking, but it is really reflected in the lives of the people.In the minds of the British people, "sit back and watch France's defeat" is not a crime. If the government is shameless, it can be used as a meritorious service and publicized among the people.

As for whether Austria, which defeated France, would threaten Britain's supremacy?Wait, isn't defeating France an anti-French alliance?

Russia, Austria, West, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Black... almost all European countries besieged France together, how could they all be counted on the head of Austria?

Conceptual cognition cannot be changed in a short while.It will not be possible in a short time for ordinary British people to realize the threat of Austria.

Gladstone is now trying to take advantage of the public's cognitive errors to overpower the government's achievements in using the anti-French alliance to kill France, and to cover up the fact that the European balance has been broken.

After hearing Gladstone's explanation, George said with some embarrassment: "Prime Minister, can't you do this? If you don't contain Austria..."