As the situation in Paris became increasingly tense, so did the atmosphere in the Fürth Manor.
In the garden, Maxim Sidorov said with a serious look, "Tom, take your brother and sister to London for a holiday. We'll leave tomorrow. I've already arranged the boat."
Although he was ruthless to outsiders, Maxim Sidorov was a loving father to his own children. Seeing that there was going to be chaos in France, he had already arranged an escape route for them in advance.
The young man asked doubtfully, "What about you? Aren't you going together?"
There was never a shortage of smart people in this world. The strange atmosphere in Paris had already revealed a bit of the smell of an impending storm, but those with a little bit of brains were looking for an escape route.
The rich found ways to escape abroad, and the middle class with a little bit of wealth were ready to escape to the countryside. Except for a few people who had to stay, the rest were either poor or muddle-headed.
There was no doubt that Maxim Sidorov was one of those who had to stay.
After hesitating for a moment, Maxim Sidorov said insincerely, "No, you go first. I can't leave the bank's affairs. When I'm done, I'll come back with my mother. "
It was not easy to be the boss. While sharing the biggest piece of the cake, he also had to bear the corresponding responsibility.
Now was a critical moment, and Maxim Sidorov had to stay to preside over the overall situation. There were too many people watching him. If he left at this time, he would probably be finished before he left France.
Neither the capitalists nor the government would let him leave.
The consortiums could wrestle with the government because they relied on alliances. If the boss ran away, the hearts of the people would be broken, and the divided consortiums would be meat on the chopping board.
If the government wanted to attack the consortiums, it would first have to get rid of the leader. It had nothing to do with right or wrong, it was all political needs. After all, he was the most famous one. Only by attacking him, the boss, could they really intimidate the people.
The most important thing was that Maxim Sidorov himself was not willing to run away with his tail between his legs. Because once he retreated, the industry he had worked hard for all his life would be gone.
It was not that Maxim Sidorov had not thought of transferring assets and sharing risks. In fact, every consortium wanted to diversify their investments and share risks.
However, the reality was cruel. All the major consortiums were trying to diversify their investments, but no one had really succeeded so far.
Naturally, there were many reasons. The core reason was that the era of capital globalization had not yet arrived, and local protectionism was prevalent. This was not something that could be solved with money.
It was okay to make small investments, but it was not okay to put down roots in the local area. The local tyrants could accept the influx of capital, but they would not welcome a dragon crossing the river.
He couldn't do it normally, let alone now. Without the support of the country, it would be much more difficult to develop overseas.
Tom asked, "Why? We already have a lot of money. There's no need to continue taking risks."
Maxim Sidorov was about to become the richest man in the world just by looking at his wealth on paper. Of course, this had to be calculated using pre-war values.
If France won the war, the consortium led by Maxim Sidorov would be the biggest winner of the war.
Taking advantage of the war, they successfully controlled nearly one-third of the factories in France, half of the mines, and an incalculable amount of land and real estate. It was no exaggeration to say that the whole of France was working for them.
The consortium had a great harvest, and as the leader, Maxim Sidorov naturally had the best meat. His personal wealth exceeded 100 billion francs, which was something he had never dreamed of.
However, this money only existed in theory. Assets were assets, but there was no way to liquidate them, because there was no buyer in the whole of France.
Seeing that the anti-French alliance was about to attack, the more assets they held, the more risk they held. Recently, all the French capitalists, including Maxim Sidorov, had been frantically selling their assets.
Even the most sought-after houses in Paris were now being sold at a discount, and the people had no money in their hands.
The excessive concentration of wealth had led to intensified social conflicts, and at the same time, the billions of francs in Maxim Sidorov's hands were like waste paper.
Things that could be bought with francs were not needed, and things that could be bought with francs couldn't be bought with francs.
Looking closely at the bank outlets in Paris, an interesting thing was discovered. Foreign currencies and gold could be exchanged for francs, but francs couldn't be exchanged for foreign currencies.
Before the war, one pound could be exchanged for 25 francs, but now one pound could be exchanged for 100 francs, and the exchange rate could still be negotiated.
If Maxim Sidorov had a choice, he would rather exchange his assets of 100 billion francs for 100 million pounds, or even 10 or 20 million pounds.
Unfortunately, no one was willing to take over his assets. There seemed to be a lot of high-quality assets, but in fact, it was unknown how much could be kept after the war.
For example, the mines and land in Belgium and the Rhineland region, as well as the factories and real estate in the Regions of Italy, seemed to belong to Maxim Sidorov, but in fact, they would have nothing to do with him in the future.
These losses alone were enough to reduce Maxim Sidorov's assets by half. The remaining half was also not safe, and the war was the biggest asset killer.
There was no doubt that Maxim Sidorov didn't want to hold so many assets. He was a banker, not an industrialist, so he was naturally not interested in factories and mines with low returns.
Except for a small number of assets that were actively purchased, most of the assets were collateral for bank loans that were overdue and forced to be collected. Including the mines in Belgium and the Rhineland region, they were all mortgaged to them by the French government.
No matter how unreliable these assets were, at least they were more useful than the francs that were depreciating every day. If they couldn't be converted into foreign currencies and gold, then they could only continue to hold them.
"Okay, Tom. There's not much time left. Now you should go and say goodbye to your mother. As for other things, you will slowly understand in the future.
If something happens to me, you will have to shoulder the responsibility of the head of the family, take care of your brother and sister, and bring them up.
This is a list of our overseas assets, and now it's all yours. Basically, it's all stocks and real estate. There's not much money, so you have to use it rationally.
There's no other way, those idiots lost too quickly, and messed up all my plans. Now I can only prepare so much for you.
As for the overseas assets of the consortium, pretend that you don't know anything. I only hope that you can be safe, that's not something you can protect. "
Looking at his young son, Maxim Sidorov regretted his playfulness when he was young, so that his eldest son was only 15 years old.
At this age, it was simply unrealistic for him to play tricks with a bunch of old foxes.
As for the others, it was very regrettable. Maxim Sidorov, who was used to robbing and occupying the nest of others, could not trust anyone now.
…
The capitalists were looking for a way out, and the nobles were not idle either. Although Europe had a tradition of not killing the nobles, revolutions were an exception.
Based on past experience, every revolution would result in a massacre in Paris. Whether the nobles were nobles or not, they only had one life.
If France didn't have three royal families and only had one Bonaparte Dynasty, the nobles would stand on the emperor's side for their own interests, and Napoleon Iv would have a very good chance of winning this time.
Unfortunately, the current France not only had three royal families, but the Bonaparte Dynasty's prestige among the nobles was also the lowest among the three royal families.
If it wasn't for this European War, Napoleon Iv would have secured the throne, and when the next generation rose, the Bonaparte Dynasty would have been able to take off the title of nouveau riche and truly be accepted by the nobles.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs in reality. In the eyes of the ancient nobles, the Bonaparte Dynasty was the source of disaster, and would bring endless trouble to France, so they would not support them at all.
The atmosphere in Paris became more and more strange, and the nobles who supported the Bourbons and Orléans became more active. Many people were ready to follow Napoleon Iii's example and seize power through revolution.
Looking at the gathered intelligence in Versailles Palace, Napoleon Iv was so angry that he gnashed his teeth, but there was nothing he could do.
The risk of starting a war with the consortiums was already very high. If they also attacked the nobles, the Versailles Palace would really have to change owners.
In this world of nobles, the emperor also had to follow the rules. As long as the nobles did not raise the flag to rebel, the emperor had no reason to attack them.
Putting down the documents, Napoleon Iv said fiercely, "Take action immediately, we can't let those guys run away with the wealth of France. If anyone resists, kill them on the spot! "
It was inevitable that they would be discovered. Not everyone was as cautious as Maxim Sidorov. Not only did he attract attention in front of them, but he also arranged for his children to escape with ease.
Some daring fellows didn't forget to loot the bank's vaults while they were running away, attempting to take the gold and silver with them as well.
It was possible to run away with a few tons of gold, but those guys with hundreds of tons of silver were completely courting death.
Even if they were not discovered by the emperor, such a huge amount of wealth would also arouse the greed of the customs officials. They would either be swallowed up in France, or stolen in Britannia.
Then, naturally, there was no then. With such a big movement, if he could not find out, Napoleon Iv would have been kicked out of office long ago.
Such a scene was happening at the Paris docks. A row of luxurious motorcade was stopped by the customs before boarding the ship.
A middle-aged rich businessman roared at the staff, "Why don't you let us board the ship? I have legal procedures. Who gave you the right to detain my goods?
Get your director here, I want to complain! Do you hear me? If you're any slower, I'll skin you alive! "
In recent years, capital had been rising strongly in France, and the social status of the rich was infinitely elevated. Roaring at the staff was child's play, and they even dared to go up and slap the powerful ones.
They were rich anyway, so they were not afraid of a lawsuit. Even if they won the lawsuit, they would only lose money in such a civil dispute. Most of the time, the compensation wasn't even enough to cover the legal fees.
Under such circumstances, not to mention ordinary people, even ordinary government officials lost their deterrence in the face of capital.
The young man helplessly explained, "I'm very sorry, sir. According to the latest decree issued by the government, in order to combat the outflow of gold and silver, all gold and silver are prohibited from leaving the port from now on.
Your procedures were previously approved, and now they have lost their legal effect. If you have any doubts, you can complain to the relevant department.
But I advise you not to do anything useless. The official in charge of the approval has been suspended for investigation. It won't be long before someone comes to question you. "
Just when the middle-aged man was about to flip out, an army appeared at the dock. Under the command of the officer, the soldiers directly took over the motorcade.
Just as the middle-aged man stepped forward to argue, he was pressed to the ground by two soldiers, not giving him a chance to defend himself.
…
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