Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 952: Chapter 215: Professional Montenegro Hand

Ever since the French Army had faced defeat at the front, internal conflicts within the nation had gradually come to light. The rising cost of living and meager incomes of the common folk had become irreconcilable social issues.

Stabilizing prices was impossible. Beyond capitalists hoarding resources, global price increases also played a significant role in the inflation within France.

After the outbreak of the land war, industrial and agricultural production in France had significantly declined, and it had become necessary to import a vast amount of resources to meet the basic needs of the people.

With prices rising and wages remaining stagnant, tensions arose. Regardless of the justifications for the price hikes, it was problematic if people couldn’t afford to fill their stomachs.

According to incomplete statistics, in just the first half of 1891, the French working class had launched 126 strikes, three of which involved more than a hundred thousand participants. As the Revolutionary Holy Land, Paris nearly erupted in protests and demonstrations every week.

Given it had become a powder keg, it was natural that revolutions would burst forth. In the past month alone, the French government had quelled four riots.

It was clear to any discerning observer that France was bound to face serious troubles. The French government had attempted to intervene multiple times, but while recognizing the problem was easy, solving it proved difficult.

There was no alternative, as interests swayed the hearts of men. For the government to forcefully stabilize prices, it would inevitably have to cut into the profits of interest groups.

One might see the flyers from Austria blaming the capitalists and syndicates and think it was all the fault of the bourgeoisie. If the nobility and bureaucracy hadn’t been involved, the capitalists alone wouldn’t have been able to manipulate the system without being taken out and shot.

The number of people involved in this was unknown to anyone. In any case, the collusive interest groups between officials and merchants had become a chronic ailment in France.

To address these issues, the French government had made numerous efforts. Under Napoleon III, the power of the bourgeois syndicates had been limited, earning him the title of the “Socialist Emperor.”

Unfortunately, the previous great revolution had destroyed the government’s efforts. In making concessions to the syndicates, their influence had permeated every corner of France.

Today, every sector in France was filled with the shadow of syndicates, and France had surpassed other European nations, entering an era of major monopolies first.

No monarch liked uncontrollable forces, and Napoleon IV was no exception. The seeds of discord had been planted from the beginning, just waiting to take root and grow.

The flyers that fell from the sky merely brought the various internal conflicts in France into the open and conveniently proposed a terrible idea to solve these issues.

By evening, Filt Manor was brightly lit. Under the guise of a banquet, the financial emperors of France were holding a secret meeting.

As the leading figure in finance, Maxim Sidolov was the undeniable chair of the meeting. Dispensing with lengthy speeches, he got straight to the point,

“I’m sure everyone has felt it—since the outbreak of the war, our domestic economic situation has drastically worsened, and doing business has become increasingly difficult.

War bonds are not selling, and the British have refused to give us loans. The government is already penniless.

Even the most profitable arms trade has now become worthless. No one can guarantee whether the francs in our hands, in the future, will be currency or just a pile of scrap paper.

From the current situation, our chances of winning the war seem slim. Should France be defeated, we will also not be able to save ourselves.

I invited everyone here today to discuss strategies. We need to find a way out for France and for ourselves.”

People had no money left in their pockets, so business difficulties were inevitable. Behind hoarding resources, there was also a goal of preserving capital value, especially considering how rapidly the franc was depreciating.

Out of necessity, to raise enough funds for the war, the French government had to over-issue currency.

In fact, not only France but also Austria, as the enemy, was over-issuing currency.

The capital market is most sensitive and possesses its own judgmental power.

Austria had sufficient gold reserves and was the largest gold producer in the world. After the war broke out, it did not make large-scale foreign purchases of resources, and the money spent by the government was still circulating within its own economy.

Additionally, with continuous military victories, Austria was about to become the dominant power in Europe. With the Vienna Government also preparing to annex French African and the German Federation, these series of positive news was enough to offset the adverse effects of over-issuing currency.

Without significant loss of wealth and an increasing market for the Divine Shield, the current currency surplus was only temporary. Once the new markets were integrated, these problems would no longer exist.

The market had confidence, so the value of Divine Shield currency was naturally not going to fall much. In contrast, the franc was utterly disastrous.

Everyone knew that once France was defeated, the Italian Area would become independent, and overseas colonies would change rulers, which would naturally lead the franc to exit these areas.

The market would shrink dramatically, and the francs issued would not decrease. When the time came, this currency would all flow back to the French homeland, triggering even greater inflation.

International capital might choose not to hold francs, but domestic capital could not avoid it. Everyone present couldn’t save themselves on their own.

In the face of escalating inflation, everyone had to hold more tangible assets, and those who originally played with finance were now becoming industrial magnates.

Everyone was aware of the crisis. Holding a large amount of tangible industries did increase their paper wealth, but correspondingly, their risks also increased.

Not to mention, the difficulty of fleeing had increased manifold. People could leave, but industries could not be taken along. Even liquidating at a discount was futile, as holding a pile of Francs was basically useless for exchange when going abroad.

Even if some were prepared in advance and had an escape plan, who would complain about having too much money?

Moreover, everyone had previously believed that France would win. Plans for an escape route started only in recent months, leaving no time to transfer large amounts of assets abroad.

In a sense, everyone present had inevitably become bound together with France. Should the Allied Forces breakthrough, everyone would suffer heavy losses.

A middle-aged man sighed and said, “Mr. Maxim, at this stage, even if we lend all our money to the government, we cannot win this war.

Since it’s destined that we cannot win the war, to minimize unnecessary losses, we must cut our losses in time.

There’s a rumor within the Anti-French Alliance that someone proposed: after the war, they would confiscate all our assets to serve as war reparations.

With the Austrians distributing flyers and considering the consistent behavior of the Vienna Government, I think it is very likely that this could happen.

If we don’t want the worst-case scenario to occur, then we must end this war through negotiations before we lose all our chips.”

People know their own affairs; the more they know, the more desperate they feel about this war. Sure, the French government is short of money, but not Francs.

Foreign exchange and gold, everyone surely has them, but these are the most precious treasures at the moment, and nobody would want to part with them.

Unable to win, negotiating has become the European norm, so everyone feels no psychological pressure. The only headache for everyone is the rumor about “asset confiscation.”

The Austrians are professionals at this. When suppressing rebellions in the past, the Vienna Government confiscated the assets of all involved, even those slightly implicated couldn’t escape this fate.

Latter, when they wiped out the Ottoman Empire, this tactic was even more magnified, with assets from all levels of the Ottoman Empire completely confiscated.

Given the friction between France and Austria, no one can guarantee that Austria wouldn’t repeat its old tricks, letting the old fate of the Ottoman Empire recur in France. After all, France had applied the same tactics in Prussia and Germany, so retaliation from the Anti-French Alliance was not out of the question.

Maxim Sidolov nodded, “Mr. Roman is correct; it is better to believe it could happen and not be caught off guard. Otherwise, it will be too late to regret it if it truly happens.

However, ending the war is not just up to us. Those parasites in the government are still daydreaming about turning defeat into victory, truly trying to push France into the abyss.”

Maxim Sidolov did not mention Austria’s instigation and attempts to incite internal strife in France from beginning to end.

This is an open plot; even knowing it’s an enemy’s scheme, everyone is helpless to refuse it.

Failure in war always requires someone to take responsibility. Either let the Emperor and government take the blame, or bear the brunt of public anger ourselves.

If we don’t want to be that unfortunate person, we must come forward and compete for leadership. And we must act quickly, or we will only be left to feed the grass at our graves.

“Mr. Maxim, the current situation is very unfavorable for us. Had it not been for our continuous efforts to suppress public opinion, we might already have become targets for everyone.

Without public support, relying solely on our strength, once it starts…”

Before the older man finished speaking, Maxim Sidolov interrupted, “Your Excellency Siss, you are mistaken. This isn’t our forte; directly getting involved would be irresponsible towards our own lives.

The public detesting us doesn’t mean they can’t be used. Paris is now a powder keg, just waiting for a spark to ignite.

All we need to do is provide that spark, detonate this powder keg, and let the Revolutionary Party handle the rest.

By the way, we can also talk to people from the Bourbon and Orleans Dynasties, I believe we will have common ground.”

Starting a rebellion lacks sophistication; such high-risk endeavors are not suitable for these distinguished gentlemen. Operating behind the scenes is what they should be doing.

Clearly, Maxim Sidolov is well versed in this craft. Gathering everyone was merely to have them contribute money and effort.

He had no plans to lead a revolt with a group of capitalists but instead delegated this task to the more professional Revolutionary Party. To ensure a foolproof plan, he also prepared to incite the other two royal families.