Chapter 954

After entering 1891, the people of Paris had no comfortable life. On the one hand, the material life is becoming increasingly poor, and on the other hand, the rising prices make ordinary people miserable.

If the front line can continue to win and suffer a few days of hardship in a short period of time, everyone will recognize it. Unfortunately, the luck of the French army seems to have been exhausted in the last year, and there has been bad news since the beginning of the year.

With the loss of air supremacy, Paris also became unsafe. Especially after entering August, the Austrian Air Force came to walk around almost every day.

The hit rate of high-altitude bombing depends entirely on luck. The direct losses caused by the enemy's air strikes are not large, and the military threat to France is limited, but the bad effects brought about by the Paris government are miserable.

The more uncertain something is, the more likely it is to cause panic. No matter how low the enemy air force's hit rate is, once it is caught up, it will still kill people.

For the sake of their lives, apart from the politicians who couldn't escape, the Parisians with a little wealth all took refuge in the country manor.

The rich ran away, and the economy of Paris naturally slumped. If it weren't for the war taking up a lot of labor, it is estimated that the French government would have to worry about unemployment.

In Versailles, Napoleon IV has moved out of the basement and resumed normal office. For no other reason than being afraid of dying.

Well, the truth is that after a long period of observation, Napoleon IV discovered that the enemy air force was deliberately avoiding the bombing of the palace. Even the air raid on the palace was mostly intimidating.

Think about it, if there is no deep hatred in the European continent, generally few people will kill the monarch.

Although the Bonaparte Dynasty had some grudges with the Habsburg Dynasty, it was not to the point of life and death. Franz, who cherished feathers, naturally did not want to carry the notoriety of killing the king.

Without the instructions from above, the combat troops below naturally did not dare to mess around. Neither officers nor soldiers could afford to be charged with murdering the king.

Under the patronage of Napoleon IV, the Palace of Versailles and the surrounding area were lucky to be a safe zone. No one dared to drop bombs even under air strikes.

I didn't hear the air defense alarm of "woo woo woo...", and Napoleon IV walked out leisurely and looked up at the sky.

Looking at the flyers that fell from the sky, Napoleon IV sighed. Sometimes he even wanted the enemy to drop bombs and send him to see God in advance.

There is no way, the emperor is too tired. But the family responsibility made him unable to back down, and no matter how great the pressure was, he could only bear it. If he really died in the enemy's air attack, it would not be a relief.

If nothing else, at least the Bonaparte dynasty retreated. The dead are the easiest to gain sympathy points, especially those who die tragically and miserably.

No matter how the people below throw the blame, it is impossible for the old crown prince to take responsibility. Even out of political necessity, Austria would support the Bonaparte dynasty to stabilize the situation.

He caught a small piece of paper that fell from the sky. The title was "A Letter to the French People." Napoleon IV was deeply touched by the content of the accusation against the capitalists and consortiums.

Without the impetus of these interest groups, this continental war would not have broken out at all, at least Napoleon IV himself initially opposed the war.

It was just that individuals could not go against the general trend, and France was forced to be tied to the chariot of capital and embarked on a road of no return.

It doesn't matter if you start a war, the key is that these guys drop the chain in the middle. In order to make huge profits, he did everything he could, which not only affected the frontline operations, but also caused complaints from the domestic people.

If it weren't for these retards, France would not have lost so quickly, even if they were going to lose.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, here they come."

The voice of the maid pulled Napoleon IV back from his fantasy. The scumbags exist in every country, not just France. Now the problem only becomes apparent because France is about to lose the war.

"Bring them here!"

Napoleon IV said indifferently.

Since it was determined that the surrounding area of ​​the Royal Palace is a safe area, the offices of the French government have moved here. It also facilitates communication between various departments, and even telephone charges can be saved.

...

Foreign Secretary Karel Cadleitz: "Your Majesty, the British have rejected our loan application and announced that future transactions must be paid first."

Allies do not exist. If it weren't for the fact that the post-war international situation still needed France, it is estimated that the British would have fallen to the ground long ago.

There is no downfall ahead, and it is not too late to start now.

By the time the war was going on, France's foreign exchange reserves had long since bottomed out. Even the reserves of the issued currency have been mortgaged to the British and are currently sitting in London.

Cut off the loan, and demanded payment before delivery, which is clearly the rhythm of killing France.

"What do the British want?"

Napoleon IV asked coldly. As if all this was expected, without causing the slightest disturbance.

Foreign Secretary Karel Cadlec: "The British are eyeing our overseas colonies, mainly the Indochina peninsula, which they fear will fall into Austrian hands after the war, threatening the security of the Indian region."

There is no love or hate in politics for no reason, only eternal interests. Seeing the imminent defeat of France, the British couldn't help but want to take advantage of the fire.

Although the power of Austria did not penetrate into the Indo-China Peninsula, the German Federation occupied the Malay Peninsula.

If the French Indo-China Peninsula falls into the hands of Austria again, the Southeast Asia region will become Austria

A single family. At that time, India will be strategically surrounded by the Russian-Austrian alliance on three sides, and the military pressure to be faced is too great.

Napoleon IV sneered: "Now that I know what I'm worried about, why did I go earlier? If it wasn't for the British, we would have broken through the Rhine River long ago, and it would not be the current situation."

Everyone bowed their heads, and no one wanted to argue with the emperor on this issue. Even everyone knows that Napoleon IV's words are biased.

The British's hindrance did affect the French army's operations, but that was not the fundamental reason why the French army could not win. In essence, it was the disparity between the strengths of the two sides.

If they had crossed the Rhine, the French might have suffered even worse defeats. At least now there are no guerrillas, the occupation area is stable.

After a pause, Napoleon IV added: "Well, it is useless to say so much. What price are the British going to bid?"

The European Continental War is different from the Franco-Prussian War in the original time and space. Austria has a strong enough navy, which is doomed to post-war France unable to keep its overseas colonies.

In this context, Napoleon IV did not mind selling to the British, but what made him unhappy was that the British were in trouble at this time.

Foreign Secretary Karel Cardlets: "Deduct some of our previous debt, plus a batch of material assistance. Converted, the total value is about 6 million pounds."

Hearing this number, Napoleon IV immediately slapped the table and asked, "Why don't they go grab it?"

The French Indo-China Peninsula covers an area of ​​nearly 740,000 square kilometers. The local land is fertile and rich in products. It is a rare treasure and can bring a lot of wealth to France every year.

This high-quality asset, usually, not to mention the mere 6 million pounds, even if it is 60 million pounds, there are people rushing to take over.

Now the situation is special. Few dare to take food from the mouth of Austria, but it will not be sold for 6 million pounds. You must know that the cost of the French government to open up French Indochina is more than 6 million pounds.

However, even the 6 million pounds, the British are not prepared to pay cash, but to deduct.

At current prices, 6 million pounds can buy up to 3 million pounds of supplies before the war, which is a blood loss for France.

Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin reminded: "Your Majesty, we have no choice now. Knowing that the British are blackmailing, we cannot refuse.

After all, these areas were better in the hands of the British than in the hands of the Austrians. Moreover, we still need the support of the British in the follow-up negotiations. "

The most tragic thing in the world is knowing that someone is robbing it, so I can only deliver it obediently.

Fortunately, after a series of social beatings, Napoleon IV's heart has been smoothed out. If it was put on hold ten years ago, he could have turned against the British directly.

"Tell the British to show enough sincerity if you want to get these areas. Otherwise, we would rather leave Indochina to Austria than let them succeed."

Threatening allies with enemies, Napoleon IV is also suffering. In less than 20 years, the French Empire, which had inherited the Nuoda from his father, actually fell into such a field. This kind of psychological gap is not something that ordinary people can bear.

Going back to the source is simply because the wrong war was waged at the wrong time. In general, Napoleon IV was still a qualified emperor, but unfortunately he lost everything with one mistake.

The Italian region is destined to be unstoppable; French Africa is also cool, and the defenders in Algeria alone cannot support it for long; seeing that French Indochina is also changing hands, the territory of France has returned to 70 years ago overnight. .

This is not all. From the perspective of the anti-French alliance, it is difficult for the French mainland to remain intact, and the final result may be even worse than in 1815.

Prime Minister Terence Burkin: "Your Majesty, there have been rumors in Paris in recent days that the guys who are hiding underground are starting to feel lonely again.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, there may even be a rebellion. The cabinet suggested strengthening the control of public opinion and cracking down on those who spread rumors. "

It is not the first time to strengthen the control of public opinion, but the government can control the newspapers, but can not control the gossip;

Without any hesitation, Napoleon IV directly handed over the small piece of paper in his hand: "Look, this is a letter of persuasion from the Austrians. What are you going to do?

There is also a cartoon on the back, rich people are big fish, ordinary people bleed and sacrifice on the front line, and they have to suffer from hunger.

The above contents are basically facts, which can easily resonate with ordinary people. Once it is taken advantage of by people with intentions, a turmoil is imminent. "

The truth is often the most poignant. You can still pretend to be confused if you don’t lift the lid. Once you expose things to the sun, the situation will be completely different.

People's patience is limited, especially when they are hungry, a Martian text can cause a disturbance.

There are only two paths in front of everyone. Either stand with the capital consortium and share the anger from the people; or move forward decisively, take the opportunity to eradicate the domestic consortium power, and then use their wealth to appease the people.