Chapter 877

Because of the international situation, food prices in France have risen sharply, and the announcement issued by the Government of Paris at this time added fuel to the fire.

Everyone knew that France had a food supply problem. Although the Government of France repeatedly assured that domestic food supply would not be affected, the people still broke out to grab food.

In order to make huge profits, the capitalists deliberately exaggerated the food crisis, and all kinds of rumors were flying.

Stabilizing food prices could not be done by talking. Others could be fooled, but it was an indisputable fact that the flow of food into France was decreasing.

Affected by the fluctuation of food prices, Lafayette's life was not easy. In order to stabilize domestic food prices, Napoleon Iv ordered the state-owned farms to immediately transport the autumn crops back home after the harvest.

As the person in charge of the farm plan, Lafayette was very clear about the operation of overseas farms. The output on the books and the actual output of the farm were two completely different concepts.

Because of natural conditions and bureaucratic management factors, the production cost of food in overseas farms was high, far higher than the international food price.

Because of the tariff barrier, the inflow of foreign food had to bear high tariffs, and food prices in France had always been high.

It was more profitable to import food than to grow it themselves. The bureaucrats would not say no to money, so they naturally knew what to choose.

Napoleon Iv cleaned up once, but it was just a facade project. Most of the farms were still shoddy.

The central government was not a fool. If the farm produced 100,000 tons of wheat, but sent 110,000 tons of wheat to China, they would definitely be found out.

The stupid bureaucrats were eliminated, and those who could stay to make money were the smart ones. In order to make huge profits, everyone became the model of wasteland reclamation.

On the books, the farm would reclaim a large amount of land every year, and the food production was rising, artificially creating a prosperous situation.

Everyone took the fabricated data to defraud financial subsidies from the government, and engaged in food smuggling to make huge profits.

Now it was no longer possible. International food prices had skyrocketed, and the original profitable business had now become a loss-making business. Bureaucrats who realized the crisis began to find a way out.

Recently, Rafael had been receiving a bunch of resignation letters every day, many of which were the kind that were sealed and sent away.

After Napoleon Iv's grain shipment order, before Lafayette could react, the farm officials were reduced by a third.

All the big shots had run away, and the rest were small fries who could not escape. The mess fell into Lafayette's hands.

With a bang, Lafayette threw away the thick stack of resignation letters in his hand and said fiercely, "Cole, tell these damn guys that if they want to resign, they can solve this problem first.

Otherwise, everyone will be finished together. No matter who is behind them, I will send them to hell before they go to prison.

By the way, of those who ran away, if they don't return within a week, their names will appear on the wanted list as spies. "

He had no choice but to be ruthless. This mess was enough to crush anyone to death. Rafael had not lived long enough and could not afford to be the scapegoat.

Although the crisis was serious, there was still a chance. In theory, as long as they could find a way to fill the food hole, they would be able to survive this crisis.

Everyone had made a lot of money over the past years. From a purely economic point of view, taking out a portion of the money to make up for the difference was still affordable.

Cole replied bitterly, "Your Excellency, once this order is issued, I am afraid that the rest of the people will run away.

The problem now is not money. If it was just a loss, they would not run so fast.

After all, the positions on the farm were lucrative. The money they had to pay now could be doubled in the future.

The key was that there was no place to buy enough food even if they had the money!

After the Government of Austria bought the goods in advance, they set up a monopoly in the international market and prohibited the flow of food into France.

Even smuggling would not work. Even the best smuggler could not smuggle millions of tons of food in a short period of time without being discovered.

The most we can do is to sell a small part of the food from other countries at a high price. It is impossible for us to complete the task of the government. "

After listening to Cole's explanation, Lafayette finally understood why so many officials ran away.

It was because this matter was too big, and it happened at such a critical time. Once it was exposed, the society would not forgive them.

If they did not run away now, they would not have the chance later. Anyway, it was easy to run away these days. As long as they had money, they could hide in any country overseas and come back after the storm had passed.

Count Lafayette scolded angrily, "A bunch of idiots! Idiots! If we can't buy it abroad, why can't we buy it at home?

As long as we transport enough food back to our country according to the government's requirements, who cares where the food comes from!

If it doesn't work, we can borrow a batch of food from the grain wholesalers we cooperate with. Anyway, the farm's food has to be sold to them. "

Deep down, Lafayette despised the bureaucrats who ran away in a hurry. They did not have the ability to adapt at all.

After a pause, Lafayette added, "Order each farm to compile a report on the locust plague. The information should be detailed, and the photos prepared in advance should also be attached. Submit it to the government together.

Remember, as long as the farms in Algeria and Morocco reduce their production, don't touch Egypt. If you do it too deliberately, you will be discovered.

Temporarily, the reduction and loss of harvest will add up to about 25%. Tell the people below not to think they are smart.

Let's find a way together. Borrow, buy, or cheat. I don't care. After the autumn harvest, each farm must transport back at least 30% of the stipulated share of food.

The rest is to find an excuse to delay me. When the war breaks out, find a way to blame it on the Austrians. "

It was impossible to completely lose the harvest. If that was the case, it was estimated that Napoleon Iv would kill someone.

Lafayette had not lived long enough and did not want to challenge the emperor's bottom line. A reduction of a quarter would be enough.

False reporting of political achievements was the norm in the Government of France. Everyone was bragging. Otherwise, how could France keep pace with Austria and England?

However, there was a limit to false reporting. If it was magnified by ten or twenty percent, everyone could accept it. If it was several times or dozens of times, it would be unbearable.

There was no doubt that the farm plan of France was exaggerated by several times or dozens of times. The specific amount of exaggeration depended on the moral integrity of the specific responsible bureaucrats.

In a sense, Rafael's distribution was also based on the principle of fairness.

The bureaucrats would get less benefits for the farms with small amounts of water. Their own production capacity might be enough, so there was no need to bleed now.

The farms that were seriously watered down or simply existed on paper had their money swallowed by the responsible bureaucrats. Now it was time for them to bleed.

Moreover, it was not a complete loss. The government also had to pay for the food that was turned in. The bureaucrats only lost the difference in the price.

It was acceptable for most bureaucrats to bleed, but it wouldn't hurt them too much.

After all, everyone was holding a golden rice bowl. The losses now could be doubled in the future. There was no need to ruin their reputation for such a small profit.

"Yes, Count!"

Now Cole admired Count Lafayette from the bottom of his heart. Such a big problem was solved with a few words.

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