After 1891, the people of Paris didn't have a comfortable life. On one hand, the material life was increasingly poor, and on the other hand, the rising prices made the ordinary people miserable.
If the frontline could win continuously, they would be able to endure a few days of hardship for a short period of time. Unfortunately, the French army's luck seemed to have run out last year. Since the beginning of the year, there had been bad news.
With the loss of air supremacy, Paris became unsafe. Especially in August, the Austrian Air Force would come over for a stroll almost every day.
The accuracy of high-altitude bombing depended on luck. The direct loss caused by the enemy's air attack was not great, and the military threat to France was limited. However, the negative impact made the Government of Paris miserable.
The more uncertain something was, the easier it was to cause panic. No matter how low the enemy's air force hit, once caught up, people would still die.
For the sake of their lives, except for the politicians who couldn't run away, the Parisians with a little bit of wealth ran to the countryside to take refuge.
With the rich people running away, the economy of Paris naturally became depressed. If it weren't for the war that took up a lot of labor, the Government of France would probably be worried about unemployment.
In the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon Iv had moved out of the basement and returned to his normal office. There was no other reason than he was not afraid of death.
Well, the truth was that after a long period of observation, Napoleon Iv found that the enemy's air force deliberately avoided the bombing of the palace. Even if it was an air raid on the palace, it was mostly intimidation.
It made sense. In Europe, if there was no deep hatred, few people would kill the monarch.
Although the Bonaparte Dynasty had some grievances with the House of Habsburg, it was not to the point of life and death. Franz, who cherished his reputation, naturally didn't want to bear the infamy of regicide.
Without the permission from above, the combat troops naturally didn't dare to act recklessly. Whether it was officers or soldiers, they couldn't bear the crime of regicide.
With the protection of Napoleon Iv, the Palace of Versailles and the surrounding area were lucky to become a safe zone. Even if there was an air raid, no one dared to drop bombs.
At this moment, Napoleon IV walked out leisurely and looked up at the sky when he heard the air defense siren "Woo woo woo …"
Looking at the leaflets falling from the sky, Napoleon Iv sighed. Sometimes he even wanted the enemy to drop bombs and send him to God in advance.
It couldn't be helped. Being an emperor was too tiring. However, the responsibility of the family made it impossible for him to retreat. No matter how great the pressure was, he could only bear it. If he really died in the enemy's air raid, it might be a kind of relief.
At the very least, the Bonaparte dynasty had managed to escape unscathed. Dead people were the easiest to gain sympathy, especially those who died tragically and tragically.
No matter how his subordinates tried to shift the blame, it was impossible for the crown prince to bear the responsibility. Out of political necessity, Austria would even support the Bonaparte dynasty to stabilize the situation.
Casually catching a small piece of paper falling from the sky, the title was "A Letter to the People of France". Looking at the content of the accusation against the capitalists and consortiums, Napoleon Iv was deeply moved.
If it weren't for these interest groups, the European war wouldn't have broken out. At least, Napoleon Iv himself was against the war.
However, an individual could not go against the general trend. France was forced to be tied to the chariot of capital and embarked on a road of no return.
Not only did they start a war, but the key was that these guys dropped the ball halfway. In order to seek huge profits, they did everything. Not only did it affect the frontline battle, but it also caused the people in the country to complain.
If it weren't for these guys, even if France was going to lose, it wouldn't have lost so quickly.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is here."
The maid's voice pulled Napoleon Iv back from his reverie. Guys who were holding back existed in every country, and France wasn't the only one. Now it was only because France was about to lose that the problem became prominent.
"Bring them here!"
Napoleon Iv said lightly.
Since it was determined that the area around the palace was a safe zone, the offices of the Government of France had been moved here. It also made it easier for the various departments to communicate, and even the phone bill could be saved.
…
Karel Kadlec, the Foreign Minister, said, "Your Majesty, the British rejected our loan application and announced that future transactions must be paid in advance."
Allies didn't exist. If it weren't for the fact that the post-war international situation still needed France, it was estimated that the British would have hit them when they were down.
Since they didn't hit them when they were down, it wasn't too late to make a move now.
Up until now, France's foreign exchange reserves had long been bottomed out. Even the reserve for issuing currency was mortgaged to the British and was currently in London.
Cutting off the loan and demanding payment in advance before delivery, it was clearly the rhythm of forcing France to its death.
"What do the British want?"
Napoleon Iv asked coldly. As if all of this was expected, it didn't cause the slightest ripple.
Karel Kadlec, the Foreign Minister, said, "The British are eyeing our overseas colonies, mainly the Indo-China region. They are worried that these areas will fall into the hands of Austria after the war and threaten the security of the Indian region."
There was no love or hate for no reason in politics, only eternal interests. Seeing that France was about to be defeated, the British couldn't help but take advantage of the situation.
Although Austria's power didn't penetrate deep into the Indo-China Peninsula, the German Confederation occupied the Malay Peninsula. After the war, Germany and Austria merged, and it was inevitable that their power would extend to the Indo-China Peninsula.
If the French Indo-China Peninsula fell into the hands of Austria, Austria would dominate Southeast Asia. At that time, India would be strategically surrounded on three sides by the Russo-Austrian Alliance, and the military pressure it would face would be great.
Napoleon Iv sneered, "Now you know what to worry about. What were you doing before? If it weren't for the British, we would have broken through the Rhine River a long time ago, and we wouldn't be in this situation now. "
Everyone lowered their heads, and no one wanted to argue with the Emperor on this issue. Even though everyone knew that Napoleon IV's words were biased, Napoleon IV was right.
The British did affect the French army's battle, but that wasn't the root cause of the French army's failure to win. In essence, it was the disparity in strength between the two sides.
If they had really crossed the Rhine River, the French army might have been defeated even more miserably. At least for now, they didn't encounter any guerrillas, and the occupied area was stable.
After a pause, Napoleon Iv added, "Forget it, it's useless to say more. What price is the British going to offer? "
The European War was different from the Franco-Prussian War of the original time and space. Austria had a strong enough navy, which doomed France to be unable to protect its overseas colonies after the war.
In this context, Napoleon Iv didn't mind selling to the British. What made him unhappy was that the British were hitting him when he was down at this time.
Karel Kadlec, the Foreign Affairs Minister, said, "Deduct part of our previous debt, plus a batch of material aid. After conversion, the total value is about 6 million pounds. "
Hearing this number, Napoleon Iv immediately slammed the table and asked, "Why don't they just rob us?"
The French Indochina Peninsula covered an area of nearly 740,000 square kilometers. The local land was fertile and rich in products. It was a rare treasure land that could bring a lot of wealth to France every year.
In the past, this kind of high-quality asset, not to mention a mere 6 million pounds, even if it was 60 million pounds, there would be people rushing to buy it.
But now the situation was special, and there were only a few who dared to snatch food from the Austrian tiger's mouth, but they wouldn't sell it for 6 million pounds. One had to know that the cost of the Government of France to open up French Indochina was more than 6 million pounds.
However, even this 6 million pounds, the British were not prepared to pay in cash, but wanted to deduct it.
With the current prices, 6 million pounds could at most buy 3 million pounds worth of pre-war materials, which could be said to be a huge loss for France.
Prime Minister Terence Burkin reminded, "Your Majesty, we have no choice now. We know that the British are blackmailing us, and we can't refuse.
After all, these areas falling into the hands of the British is better than falling into the hands of Austria. Moreover, we still need the support of the British for the following negotiations. "
The saddest thing in the world was to know that someone was robbing you, but you could only obediently give it up.
Fortunately, after a series of beatings by society, Napoleon Iv's heart had been polished. If it were ten years ago, he would directly fall out with the British.
"Tell the British that if they want to get these areas, they have to show enough sincerity. Otherwise, we would rather leave Indochina to Austria than let them succeed. "
Using the enemy to threaten an ally, Napoleon Iv was also bitter. He inherited the huge France Empire from his father, but in less than 20 years, he actually fell to such a state. This kind of psychological fall was not something an ordinary person could bear.
The root of the problem was that a wrong war was launched at the wrong time. On the whole, Napoleon IV was a qualified emperor, but it was a pity that he lost everything because of one mistake.
The Regions of Italy were destined to be lost; French Africa was also cold, and the garrison in the Algerian region alone would not be able to hold on for long; French Indochina was also about to change hands, and the territory of France returned to 70 years ago overnight.
This was not all. Judging from the formation of the anti-French alliance, it would be difficult for France to maintain its integrity, and the final result might be worse than in 1815.
Prime Minister Terence Burkin said, "Your Majesty, there have been rumors in Paris in the past few days. Those guys hiding underground are beginning to be unwilling to be left out again.
If the situation continues to deteriorate, there may even be a rebellion. The cabinet suggested to strengthen the control of public opinion and crack down on those who spread rumors. "
It was not the first time to strengthen the control of public opinion. The government could control the newspaper, but they could not control the rumors; they could control the dissemination of news, but they could not stop the leaflets from falling from the sky.
Without the slightest hesitation, Napoleon Iv directly handed over the small piece of paper in his hand, "Look, this is a letter from the Austrians to persuade them to surrender. What are you going to do?
There is also a cartoon on the back. The rich eat fish and meat, while the ordinary people bleed and sacrifice on the front line, and they have to endure hunger.
The content is basically the truth, and it will easily resonate with the ordinary people. Once it is used by people with ulterior motives, a turmoil will be in front of us. "
The truth was often the most hurtful. Before the cover was opened, people could still pretend to be ignorant, but once the truth was exposed to the light, the situation was completely different.
There was a limit to the people's patience, especially when they were hungry. A spark could cause a turmoil.
There were only two paths in front of everyone. One was to stand with the financial groups and share the anger from the people; the other was to push the boat with the current and decisively push the blame, take the opportunity to eradicate the financial groups in the country, and then use their wealth to appease the people.
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