1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 674 He Wants to Improve

"God save the Emperor!"

"Long live my emperor!"

"Long live France!"

The French expatriates who spontaneously came to the train station saw their emperor in person and cheered with tears in their eyes.

Although Napoleon III was an emperor, he was not a hereditary emperor in the strict sense. Instead, he was legally elected by French citizens within the framework of the republican system.

Before the Battle of Sedan, Napoleon III had an extremely high reputation among the French.

Especially since Napoleon III was not new to the throne, but had already defeated Tsarist Russia in the Crimean War, shattered the Vienna system, restored France to its rightful place, and completed his revenge on Tsarist Russia.

Moreover, Napoleon III had now successfully conquered Mexico and re-planted the French tricolor flag on the North American continent.

All this made the French at home and abroad feel that this emperor was very much like his uncle, and they also believed that France could return to the top of the world under the leadership of this emperor.

Perhaps infected by the enthusiasm of the French expatriates, or perhaps just wanting to join in the fun, many locals followed suit, shouting in broken French like parrots.

"You weren't this excited when the King of Hawaii came to visit." Someone in the crowd began to whisper.

"How can a king of a small country be compared with a monarch of a big country?"

"He is the ruler of a great country after all. His bearing and demeanor are beyond the reach of rulers of small countries."

The American Republic is an immigrant country. The main ethnic group is Chinese who immigrated from the Qing Dynasty. To be honest, their cultural level is not very high.

But thanks to the developed newspaper industry and freedom of speech in the American Republic, they have become very different from the ignorant people of the Qing Dynasty.

At least they were not completely ignorant of the outside world; they had heard of the major countries on the European continent because these countries often appeared in newspapers.

After meeting with the main dignitaries of the American Republic and personally comforting the expatriates who came to greet him, Napoleon III took a carriage to tour the City of San Francisco as per custom. The first community he visited was the French expatriate community next to the Avenue de la République.

Thanks to the local government's relatively open and tolerant immigration policy, California attracted tens of thousands of French people to settle down and form its own French community over the past decade of the Gold Rush.

The French community in Jinshan is the largest French community in the entire West Coast region, with more than 30,000 French-speaking expatriates. About a quarter of them have become naturalized citizens, while the rest still retain their French nationality.

French Ambassador Le Goff was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ride in a carriage with Napoleon III. Le Goff was extremely excited. This was an affirmation of his work by His Majesty the Emperor, and it was also a rare opportunity for him to perform in front of His Majesty the Emperor.

"You have been doing business here as a representative of the Bank of France since 1851. I have read your reports and you have done a good job." Napoleon III first affirmed Le Goff's sincerity over the years, but he immediately changed the subject and said something meaningful.

"For ten years, ten whole years, the business of the Bank of France and our influence have been confined to a small mountain of gold. This is far from enough."

The Bank of France and the Bank of Barings in the UK are both pioneers of the overseas capital expansion of these old capitalist countries, rather than simple banks. In the 19th century, banks that could be opened abroad were basically backed by their own governments. There were pure multinational commercial banks, but they were few and far between, and they were basically concentrated in a corner of the European continent where the capital market was the most mature.

France was not late in its overseas colonial expansion, but as a relatively traditional land power, it did not do as well as Britain on the other side of the strait in this regard.

In addition, under the constraints of the Vienna system, France was suppressed for more than 30 years. The results of France's overseas expansion can be said to be a little early and late.

French banks like the Jinshan Branch of the Bank of France are rare, as they do not rely on local transfusions and can instead provide real money back to the local market every year.

Of course, the insignificant effect of France's colonial expansion was also relative to Britain. Compared with the rising powers such as Prussia and Italy, which did not even have the qualifications to fight for land under the sun at that time, France's colonial expansion was undoubtedly very successful.

"Your Majesty is wise. Although the profits from gold mining and industrial mining are lucrative, they cannot be compared with the chemical industry. Times have changed. In the past, the West Coast was developing smoothly. Not to mention foreign capital, even capital from the eastern United States could not get involved in the petrochemical industry."

Le Goff has been working in California for ten years. He is the Frenchman who knows the west coast of North America best. He knows very well that as early as five years ago, the petrochemical industry in Los Angeles had replaced the gold rush industry to become the pillar industry that the west coast authorities rely on most.

The gold mines in California are rapidly depleting at a speed visible to the naked eye due to high-intensity mining, while the oil in Los Angeles seems to be inexhaustible. Even now, Los Angeles' petrochemical industry is still expanding rapidly.

"During the North American Civil War, the British are now thinking about retaking Hong Kong Island and expelling Umbrella from Australia. Even the Russians have extended their hands to Ezo and other places.

Given the current situation of the American Republic, with a little manipulation, it would not be difficult for our French investors to enter the Los Angeles petrochemical industry you mentioned. The key point is how much return on investment we can get from Los Angeles.

And I want more than just financial returns, Le Goff, you are not a banker now, but our French ambassador, you can't just weigh the economic gains and losses." Napoleon III said slowly.

"In addition to Los Angeles, they have also been mining for oil in North Borneo and Texas in recent years. I think there must be oil in other parts of the world. Maybe there has always been oil buried under the ground in France and its colonies, but we have never discovered it."

Napoleon III firmly believed that there was oil in other parts of the world, even in France. However, the technology to explore for oil was currently only mastered by these petrochemical companies on the west coast.

Rather than investing in Los Angeles and enjoying dividends, Napoleon III was more interested in oil exploration technology and supporting refining and processing technology.

"Remember your majesty's teachings."

Le Goff lowered his head and replied that he was eager to show himself in front of Napoleon III and promote deeper cooperation between France and the American Republic. This was not only because the local politicians treated him very well, but also for his own future. He did not want to be an ambassador forever, he wanted to make progress.

"From the perspective of political investment, Liang Yao is a rare and high-quality investment target."

Having said this, Le Goff paused and looked up cautiously to observe Napoleon III's reaction.

"Go on." Napoleon III had no extra expression, and his face was so calm that it was difficult to understand.

(End of this chapter)