Chapter 302: Chapter 298 Kill the Chicken to Scare the Monkey
To Prime Minister Felix Schwarzenberg of the Austrian Empire:
On December 2, 1850, a military coup occurred in Paris. French Republic President Jerome Bonaparte, leading the First Corps stationed in Paris, dissolved the National Assembly and the Second French Republic. On December 6, he announced the establishment of the Third French Republic outside the Bourbon Palace. Now, the entire Paris is completely under the control of Jerome Bonaparte and his associates, with their influence gradually spreading to the outer provinces.
However, according to the intelligence I have, the outer provinces are not fully under the control of the Bonaparte Faction. The Republicans and Mountain Faction have already launched an armed rebellion involving nearly ten thousand people in the outer provinces. The situation in France remains unclear, and we do not yet know how long Jerome Bonaparte and his regime can sustain themselves.
Please advise on the direction Austrian diplomacy should take next!
December 12, 1850
Austrian Ambassador to France, Baron Hubert.
In the study of the Austrian Embassy in France, Baron Hubert penned his understanding of the recent situation in France with a quill dipped in ink, hoping to enlighten the Austrian Empire about the circumstances. A lack of clarity in diplomatic thinking could lead to significant missteps.
This letter, written by Baron Hubert, was handed to the embassy’s military attendant. Baron Hubert instructed the attendant to deliver the letter back to Austria promptly, also giving him a pass reserved for diplomats.
During the martial law in Paris, anyone without a pass would be considered a rebel and arrested.
The military attendant acknowledged the instructions and departed into the snowy night.
Within the embassy, Baron Hubert gently lifted a curtain, observing the footprints in the snow and the fluttering snowflakes, sighing involuntarily.
This winter is colder than previous ones, hoping for a bountiful harvest next year.
If not, the Austrian Empire’s finances...
At this thought, Baron Hubert sighed again for Austria’s finances.
Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched from the shadows outside the door.
The eyes vanished into the darkness once again.
At 8 PM, Director Marcel Yale of the French National Intelligence Bureau arrived at the Tuileries Palace.
Wrapped in a black cloak, he unfastened it after entering Jerome Bonaparte’s study.
"What’s the news? Is there another rebellion somewhere?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired of Marcel Yale.
Since announcing the dissolution of the National Assembly on December 5 and the dissolution of the Second Republic on December 6, resistance against Paris from the outer provinces had never ceased.
Small-scale uprisings occurred in southern Lyon and the southwestern Bordeaux region, with many openly opposing Jerome Bonaparte under the banners of the Republican Faction and Mountain Faction.
Luckily, such uprisings were quickly suppressed by the joint efforts of the local governor’s National Guard and stationed troops, resulting in minimal damage.
Meanwhile, news spread from Paris that Prince Juaneville was set to land in France from Calais and then lead the stationed troops in Calais to overthrow Jerome Bonaparte.
Jerome Bonaparte was forced to order the garrison in the Calais region to monitor closely, and upon detecting any trace of Prince Juaneville, immediately escort him to Paris.
He also ordered Marcel Yale to dispatch personnel to watch over Calais to prevent the local garrison from joining forces with the possibly landing Prince Juaneville.
With successive pieces of intelligence piling up, Jerome Bonaparte’s workload increased abruptly. He had to make judgments amidst a torrent of misinformation.
"Your Majesty, the military attendant of the Austrian Embassy left Paris tonight!" Marcel Yale reported to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Left Paris? Why would they leave at this time?" Jerome Bonaparte furrowed his brow, muttering to himself.
Marcel Yale stood silently in place.
After pondering for a moment, Jerome Bonaparte ceased to dwell on it. After all, according to the Rothschild Clan’s intelligence, the Austrian Empire had spent nearly 300 million florins between 1848 and 1850, with a massive fiscal deficit weighing heavily on this colossal empire.
If it weren’t for the abolition of tariffs in Hungary, the Kingdom of Hungary being divided into provinces, and the empire’s administrative system extending to Hungary—meaning Hungarian nobles also bore the duty of land tax payments—the Austrian Empire might have gone bankrupt due to complete incapacity to repay debts.
Even so, Austria’s finances remain urgent, and any new military conflicts would only accelerate bankruptcy.
However, all efforts made by Felix Schwarzenberg in the period of 1849 to 1850, including gritting his teeth to wage attacks in the Fulda Region against Prussia, earned nothing but leniency from the Tsar’s three-toasts punishment.
On December 1, 1851, Regent King William I, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, and Emperor Joseph Franz of Austria, along with their foreign ministers, met in Warsaw.
At the Warsaw Conference, Emperor Nicholas I affirmed the Kingdom of Prussia’s dissolution of the two houses and the abolition of the 1848 Constitution, subtly indicating to Franz Joseph to stop there.
Under Nicholas I’s "mediation", the war between Prussia and Austria ended.
The Kingdom of Prussia abandoned the Elphos Alliance and rejoined the old German Confederation, while compensating the Austrian Empire with 30 million florins.
This treaty is even milder than Austria’s punishment of the Sardinian Dynasty.
The former secret agreement was deliberately set aside by Nicholas I.
Compared to the expenses of Felix Schwarzenberg, this situation is a complete financial loss.
Even so, Felix Schwarzenberg still agreed to the opponent’s terms, albeit reluctantly.
On December 4th, Regent King William, who returned home with peace, announced the dissolution of the Elphos Alliance, and the Kingdom of Prussia rejoined the German "family".
The "humiliated" Felix Schwarzenberg understood more clearly the limitations imposed by Nicholas I and the Russian Empire on the Austrian Empire, and the relationship with the Russian Empire became slightly estranged.
[The above intelligence was "amicably" provided by the Rothschild Clan, it is not ruled out that Felix Schwarzenberg deliberately leaked information to the Rothschild Clan, who then informed Jerome Bonaparte.]
Overall, the Austrian Empire and the French Republic have tentatively approached each other.
Jerome Bonaparte believed that the letters from Baron Hubert were generally assessments of the recent situation in France.
"Continue to closely monitor the news from various embassies! Report to me immediately if there is any situation!" Jerome Bonaparte ordered Marcel Yale.
"Yes!" Marcel Yale stood up straight and responded firmly: "Loyalty!"
Jerome Bonaparte also responded to Marcel Yale.
After the report was over, Marcel Yale put on his cloak again and left, while Jerome Bonaparte continued to handle the corresponding documents.
When his eyes fell on the dossier about the Orleans Clan handed to him by Minister of Internal Affairs Barroso, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he said: "It’s time to make an example!"
On December 13th, a shocking news came from Tuileries Palace.
President of the French Republic Jerome Bonaparte announced an investigation into the "illicit gains" sought by the Austrian family during their tenure as kings.
The rumor spread, causing unrest among the Parisian bureaucracy and some ministers, who had more or less received favors from the Orleans Clan.
Now that the President wanted to investigate the "illicit gains" of the Orleans Clan, they thought they should advise Jerome Bonaparte both emotionally and rationally.
Among these people was Jerome Bonaparte’s confidant, the Minister of Finance, Achille Fuld.
"Do you also think I shouldn’t initiate an investigation against them?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Achille Fuld.
"Your Majesty, doing so will cause panic among the Parisians!" Achille Fuld gently advised Jerome Bonaparte.
"Panic?" Jerome Bonaparte sneered: "I wish they would all come out, so I could catch them all in one net!"
Faced with Jerome Bonaparte’s almost rogue remarks, Achille Fuld could only express to Jerome Bonaparte: if the President insists on the investigation, then please allow him to resign!
Jerome Bonaparte understood that Achille Fuld wanted to avoid suspicion, so he approved Achille Fuld’s resignation.
That afternoon, Jerome Bonaparte appointed Mane to replace Achille Fuld as the Minister of Finance.
Under Jerome Bonaparte’s approach of replacing people instead of changing ideas, Paris stopped testing Jerome Bonaparte’s bottom line.
Under the joint investigation and supervision of Minister of Internal Affairs Barroso and Minister of Police Mopa, the legacy left by the Orleans Clan in Paris was inventoried.
Including real estate and antiques, the total value was around 2.5 billion francs, equivalent to one-fifth of France’s annual fiscal revenue.
Under such a huge number, the Orleans Clan was facing bankruptcy in France.
[The Orleans Clan’s total assets were accumulated over several generations. Despite some losses during the Great Revolution, during the Restoration Dynasty, Louis XVII still tried his best to make up for the Orleans family.
During his tenure as king, Louis Philips’ annual salary was 18 million francs, added to his own miserly nature, the Orleans Clan’s entire wealth made them the richest in France.]
The majority of the houses were auctioned, and most of the proceeds were used to build the "Workers’ House", with a few houses being rewarded to close associates at very low prices.
In this confiscation, Jerome Bonaparte received only about 2 million francs, equivalent to his annual salary as President.
Compared to his confidants, Jerome Bonaparte’s integrity was almost terrifying.