I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1329 Rapid Development
The final of this World Cup is being held at the Paris New Territories Stadium, between France and AC Milan.

The stadium, which could originally accommodate 20,000 spectators, was crammed with more than 27,000 people, and the deafening shouts could be faintly heard in the city 1.5 kilometers away.

In the front row of the VIP section on the south side, Joseph held a small iris flag, intently watching the players fiercely vying for the ball. Although the tactics and techniques of modern football are quite primitive, the intensity of the games far surpasses that of later generations, always keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Yes, the players on the field were full of passion.

As France's number 10 executed a brilliant dribble and then lobbed the ball into the net, the stands erupted in cheers once again.

The scoreboards, each over 10 meters tall, at the four corners of the field immediately changed to 5:0.

With only four minutes remaining in the match, the French team had essentially secured the title of the first truly global football tournament.

Soon, the referee's whistle blew.

The French players immediately embraced each other in celebration, and then lined up in a row on the south side of the stands, bowing respectfully—their Crown Prince was sitting there.

Joseph smiled and waved to them, then glanced at the golden Hercules Trophy behind him, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside him.

He will personally present the trophy to the French team players in a moment.

Well, as for the footballs and jerseys signed by the entire championship team, they're no longer rare items for him, and it seems like he's lost some of the original fun.

Charles first arrived at the wooden platform in front of the court with great enthusiasm, gave the usual opening remarks, and then announced loudly:

The team that won the 'Fair Play Award' for this World Cup is Santo Domingo!

Poor Santo Domingo, with most of its players being Black, didn't dare to attack the white European teams on the field, resulting in the fewest cards among all the teams. Their reputation for fair play is truly well-deserved.

"The winner of the 'Best Player Award' is—Baron Brasser, number ten of the French team!"

"The winner of the 'Golden Boot Award' is..."

Broad, sitting on the west side of the stands, listened to the awards being announced one by one, but his face remained long.

He bet 100 francs that the Netherlands would win the World Cup, but they were eliminated in the second round. He also bet wrong on other awards such as Best Player, Golden Boot, and Golden Ball, losing nearly 300 francs in total.

After Prince Charles finished announcing the last "Golden Glove Award," Brod began to wail in anguish: "Truly, 'a young gambler becomes an old beggar'..."

Of course, a smile never disappears; it simply moves from one person's face to another.

For example, Joseph is very happy right now. Last night, the French Ministry of Civil Affairs submitted a report stating that the betting revenue for this World Cup has reached 270 million francs – the World Cup Committee has granted the French Ministry of Civil Affairs official betting authorization.

In other words, this alone, after deducting all investments in hosting the World Cup, would generate a net profit of 160 million francs. Revenue from tickets, advertising, and other sources hasn't even been tallied yet, but the surplus is certainly substantial.

Just then, Walsh's servant squeezed in with a copy of the still-smelling Sports Daily: "Sir, the 'Other Awards' have been announced."

Brod snatched the newspaper and found "Best Courage Award - Ricardo Vitti of Parma" and "Golden Shovel Award - Henrik Hožištov of Poland" at the bottom of the front page.

He instantly "recharged," hugged his cousin tightly, and exclaimed excitedly, "Haha, I knew it! That big Polish guy was something else! It really was him!"
"Look, I won a full 40 francs! France is truly my lucky place!"

The so-called "Best Courage Award" is for the most "brave and fearless" player in all matches—specifically in terms of fighting. The "Golden Shovel Award," on the other hand, is for the most spectacular flying tackle—the one with the greatest destructive power.

Well, these less prestigious awards are only announced in the newspapers, but the betting odds are higher than for awards like "Best Player".

On the other side, Joseph, having just returned to Versailles Palace after presenting the World Cup with great satisfaction, saw Transport Minister Tresage waiting outside his room.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince return, the latter hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, congratulations! I hear the French team won the championship."

“Yes, an overwhelming victory.” Joseph smiled and nodded, then asked with some surprise, “You didn’t go to watch the game?”

Tresaga said, "You know, there's a lot to it about the 'Foreign Railway Investment Plan,' and besides, I don't know much about football."

Once inside, he immediately took out a document and handed it to Joseph: "Your Highness, many countries have applied to build railways... Which line should we choose first?"

This World Cup has made political leaders from all countries realize the power of railways. Currently, only Britain and France in Europe have the technology to build railways on a large scale, but Britain does not have trains, and no one can guarantee whether its railway technology is compatible with French trains.

Therefore, there is actually only one option—to have France help build the railway.

During this period, Teresa's door was practically being pounded by high-ranking officials from various countries, which put him, a mere Minister of Transport, in an extremely difficult position.

Whether it was the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, Ludovico, the Prince of Parma, or Theodore, the King of Bavaria, a powerful German nation, or Menotti, the president of Milan, a major financial backer, he couldn't refuse any of them.

So they had no choice but to ask the Crown Prince for a decision.

Joseph flipped through the Ministry of Transportation's railway plans.

The western route runs north from Namur to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The advantage of this route is that it connects to wealthy Holland.

The central route passes through the already completed Trier line, via Cologne, and leads to Nassau and Paderborn. Its advantage is that it connects to the coal-producing region of Westphalia, and can be extended further north to Prussia in the future.

The Eastern Route ran from Baden to Württemberg, Bavaria, and all the way to Saxony. Its advantage was that it traversed the heart of Germany, greatly enhancing France's strategic control over the region. However, this route was also the longest, and the countries along the way were not particularly wealthy.

The southern route runs from Nice to northern Italy, passing through Milan or Parma, and eventually connecting to the Mantua fortress. The Italian countries along this route are relatively wealthy, and it could be extended further north, directly threatening southern Austria.

Tresagae said from the side, "Your Highness, Milan and Genoa have indicated that they can invest 1200 million francs in the railway and raise another 700 million within 5 years."

Nassau and Hesse are willing to invest 1 million francs...

"Although Bavaria only has 400 million francs, it can provide 1000 workers..."

Joseph was also hesitant and asked, "How much money can we invest now?"

"The Ministry of Finance can allocate 2300 million francs, Your Highness."

Joseph sighed. This amount of money could only build one line, and not even the furthest eastern line.

(End of this chapter)