Make France Great Again-Chapter 194: Showing Off Their Skills

"Clemency? My God! You want me to forgive someone who tried to assassinate me? A villain seeking to disrupt France?"

Jerome Bonaparte responded to Baron Hubert with an exaggerated tone, but there was not a trace of desire in his heart to kill James Rothschild and his son.

Even the so-called shooter was a play directed and acted out by Jerome Bonaparte himself.

Just as Baron James Rothschild speculated after his imprisonment, Jerome Bonaparte had no interest in killing Baron James Rothschild, nor in annexing his assets and breaking up his bank. What he wanted was a stable banker.

As it is said, the economic base determines the superstructure. In a capitalist country with lingering feudal remnants, eliminating a historically significant bank is bound to lead to secondary turmoil in the financial market and panic in Paris’s banking sector.

Although Jerome Bonaparte had already instructed Achille Fuld to strengthen control over the financial market, the oversight intensity in the 19th century was, after all, not as robust as in the 21st century. Even in the post-capitalist era of the 21st century, France still has many wealthy individuals who, unwilling to bear high progressive taxes and a variety of direct taxes, chose to flee, resulting in a significant outflow of funds from France to other regions in Europe.

Not to mention that the control over the financial market in the 19th century was evidently not as stringent as in the 20th century. Once the banking industry sensed fear, they would inevitably choose to flee with their capital.

At that time, it would probably become a situation where the Third Republic faced a massive outflow of funds again. After all, capital only flows towards areas they find profitable.

Without completely dedicating the Bank of France to government regulation, Jerome Bonaparte had no choice but to feign a friendly relationship with them.

To make the Bank of France obedient, merely being President Jerome Bonaparte was not enough.

Unless he could go a step further...

Coming back to the point, what Jerome Bonaparte needed was for James Rothschild to be obedient. As long as he didn’t oppose Jerome Bonaparte’s policies and actively cooperated with the government, the President could naturally allow him to return home.

According to the Constitution of the French Republic, the President possesses the power of pardon.

No matter the severity of your crime, if the President wishes, he can grant you a pardon.

This was something unimaginable during the Orléans Dynasty under Louis Philippe.

"What! Assassinate you! My God!" Baron Hubert exclaimed upon hearing the "truth" from Jerome Bonaparte’s mouth. He was certain that without interests involved, the President would never let James Rothschild go.

Once the news of James Rothschild being imprisoned reached Vienna, then the Vienna Stock Exchange would also face large-scale upheaval.

As a mere ambassador, he had no power to stop this tide.

After weighing the pros and cons, Baron Hubert decided to plead for James Rothschild. He gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. President, to maintain world financial market stability, I think you should continue to show tolerance towards James Rothschild."

"Hmph!" Jerome Bonaparte snorted coldly and threatened with a sneer: "Mr. Ambassador, your current behavior is equivalent to openly intervening in our country’s internal affairs! I have the right to let my Ministry of Foreign Affairs protest against your actions!"

In response to Jerome Bonaparte’s "threat", Baron Hubert could only play the "Germany" card again: "Mr. President! If you do not wish to forgive Baron James Rothschild, then Austria’s finances will inevitably face exhaustion. Financial exhaustion will lead to a decline in military combat capabilities, and thus our struggle with Prussia will also fail."

"You mean to say that the finances of the Austrian Empire are tied to the Rothschild Clan!" Jerome Bonaparte questioned Count Hubert.

Count Hubert responded with a wry smile: "Although we are reluctant to admit it, since Prince (Metternich) took power, the imperial bonds have been sold on behalf of by the Rothschild Clan."

Baron Hubert wryly "confessed" the financial plight of the Austrian Empire to Jerome Bonaparte, believing that even if he did not inform him, he would know Austria’s situation.

Or perhaps, no country in all of Europe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unaware of Austria’s bond issues.

Baron Hubert paused and then wryly said: "All Austrian bonds on the Paris Stock Exchange are sold by Baron James Rothschild on our behalf!"

"Baron, surely you don’t expect me to help stabilize your Austrian bonds!" Jerome Bonaparte "shocked" looked at Baron Hubert, finding it incredible that even Austria’s ambassador didn’t trust their own bonds.

Baron Hubert wryly smiled without speaking. If the Austrian Empire’s bonds were truly strong, he would not disgrace himself in seeking out Jerome Bonaparte. He could only tactfully say: "The Austrian Empire is undergoing an economic transition..."

"I understand..." Jerome Bonaparte decisively interrupted Hubert’s diplomatic tone, then turned around, facing away from Baron Hubert and pretended to ponder for a moment: "I will consider your suggestion, Ambassador, you may first return and wait for my news!"

"Thank you very much!" Baron Hubert expressed his gratitude to Jerome Bonaparte.

Escorted by Percy, Baron Hubert left the Elysee Palace, as Jerome Bonaparte returned to the study.

Half an hour later, Percy reported to Jerome Bonaparte the news of the audience with Count Algou, the president of the Bank of France.

"He came so quickly? I was even prepared to seek him out personally!" Jerome Bonaparte muttered to himself.

It was obvious without guessing that Count Algou was also pleading for James Rothschild.

"Let him in!" Jerome Bonaparte commanded Percy.

Count Algou was brought into the study.

"Please sit!" Jerome Bonaparte gestured to Count Algou to take a seat.

Count Algou removed his hat and bowed before sitting down.

"Count Algou, I wonder if there’s any urgent matter that brings you here today?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired, pretending not to know.

"Your Majesty, I heard that you have detained James Rothschild in custody! I wonder if this news is true!" The sly old Count Algou also pretended to question Jerome Bonaparte as if unsure of the accuracy of the information.

"That’s right! Since James Rothschild committed the crime of attempting to murder the president, I have detained him in prison. How should one be sentenced for attempting to assassinate the president according to the French constitution?" Jerome Bonaparte asserted righteously.

Count Algou clearly understood that attempting to assassinate the president should be punishable by death, but he felt there was something fishy about the matter. Based on his knowledge of James Rothschild, he shouldn’t be foolish enough to believe he could assassinate the president and succeed!

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask! Is there any conclusive evidence showing that Baron James Rothschild ordered his men to assassinate you!" Count Algou decided to attempt to rescue James Rothschild.

This wasn’t just to maintain the unity of the Bank of France, but also because he valued the Rothschild Clan’s branches spread across Europe.

The Bank of France, heavily impacted by the 1848 Great Revolution, had lost a lot of gold and needed substantial reserves to.

Besides the Bank of England, no other bank could meet the Bank of France’s gold demand, and the English branch of Rothschild had significant influence within the Bank of England.

The Bank of France could purchase a batch of gold from the Rothschild Bank’s hand.

[During the Crimean War and the Franco-Austrian War, the Bank of France, to stabilize bank discount rates and prevent malicious fluctuations in stock exchange bonds, specifically purchased part of the gold from the British Rothschild Bank. The transaction was overseen by Lionel Rothschild, during a time when business interactions between the English and French branches had gradually decreased.]

"This... not yet..." Jerome Bonaparte, willing to spare James Rothschild, hesitated for a moment before responding: "However, it’s certain that the assassin came from the Orleans Gang, and their leader was once funded by the Rothschild steward!"

"Is it possible that the steward acted on his own!" Seeing a turn in events, Count Algou decisively "betrayed" the Baron’s steward, believing the steward’s role was to serve his master.

"This..." Jerome Bonaparte hesitated and said: "It’s not impossible!"

"Your Majesty, it must be the steward acting on his own that led to this situation!" Count Algou asserted confidently, as if he had witnessed the collusion between the steward and the assassin himself.

"I see..." Jerome Bonaparte lightly tapped the table and slowly said: "When a servant commits a crime, shouldn’t the master show some gesture!"

Count Algou understood Jerome Bonaparte’s implication; the president was longing for James Rothschild’s wealth.

"Mr. President, how much money do you need!" Count Algou asked Jerome Bonaparte straightforwardly.

Jerome Bonaparte raised two fingers and said, "Thirty million francs!"

Jerome Bonaparte’s asking price stunned Count Algou. Bankers could indeed gather tens of millions or even billions of francs in a short time, but most of that money wasn’t theirs. People trusted them to deposit money in their banks, and they had to toil to ensure the money appreciated, risking a shortfall with just one misstep.

Jerome Bonaparte’s demand of thirty million francs was a quarter of James Rothschild branch’s principal, a hard blow to the body of the Rothschild Bank.

Of course, Count Algou was also happy to see his "good friend" bleed.

Count Algou and the directors of the Bank of France did not wish to have an overly powerful financial family overshadowing them, which is why they repeatedly acquiesced to Jerome Bonaparte’s actions.

Some members of the Legislative Assembly were even bribed by them.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel