French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 120 Both sides have their own thoughts (Seeking first subscription, collection and follow-up reading)

He personally went down to the first floor to give the highly honored Eugène a visit. After seeing off the two bankers, he returned to his office and saw that Pietre, the police chief who should have left, had reappeared there and was waiting for him.

"Your Highness, are you really planning to grant Rothschild such great power?"

We had discussed some ideas before, and also learned some details from the secretary at the door.

It's easy to guess that Pietri, who had reached some agreements with the other side, was very worried about it.

"The power to recommend the governor of the Bank of France is practically equivalent to handing over the economic lifeline of France to them. I don't think it's a good thing to entrust such a thing to a greedy banker."

"Relax, Pietre, this is just a temporary measure."

After sitting down, Eugene, who was drinking his second cup of black tea that night, even started brewing his third cup himself.

This action allowed Eugène to relax his tense mind and begin to respond to Pietri's question.

"Rothschild thought that because he controlled the Bank of France, he could control me, but he was wrong."

You mean...?

""

"I have already sent people to contact the minority shareholders of the Bank of France."

To nationalize a bank, one needs a sufficient number of shares. In a market economy, it's not something the government can simply do with a single word to transform France's largest private bank into a state-owned enterprise.

Eugene, who started planning ahead early on, is already taking steps to delist.

With the war going against them, the bank whose stock price is most affected is undoubtedly the Bank of France, which is tied to the government. Although many in the upper echelons know that Prussia cannot swallow France.

However, the public was unaware of the situation, and the large number of panicked citizens caused the Bank of France's stock price to plummet several times over.

Eugène's desire to borrow money from Rothschild Bank was partly motivated by the idea of ​​using the funds to repurchase shares of the Bank of France.

Of course, the funds should primarily serve the front lines. If conditions permit, allocating a portion for share buybacks would be quite good.

"Nominally, the decision-making power of the Bank of France is held by its 200 major shareholders, but in practice, only those with 51% control..."

With the support of shares, one can control the board of directors.

The government holds approximately 28% of the shares, the Rothschild family holds 11%, and the Camondo family holds approximately 7%. Combined, this amounts to 18%, far less than 51%.

Moreover, Camondo himself would not listen to the Rothschilds, and at present, the Rothschilds would find it difficult to offer more substantial resources than Eugène to win them over.

Meanwhile, the royalists, who held a significant share of the party, were under the control of both of their leaders, Eugène.

The Orleans faction didn't care; Europe was all about legal rights. If the Count of Paris died at Eugène's hands, so be it.

Anyway, the position will just go to the next person in line, while Eugène will be remembered for his infamy. But the Orleans faction can think that way, while the Bourbon orthodox faction can't, because they only have this one legitimate heir.

If the Count of Chambeau were to die, they would have no choice but to side with the Orleans faction.

This is a situation they don't want to see unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, with Eugène holding something against them, they are unlikely to easily act in concert with the Rothschild family.

Moreover, it's impossible for the Rothschild family to immediately turn to the royalists and risk alienating Eugène again right after signing the agreement.

"Those small and medium-sized shareholders may not dare to offend the Rothschild family."

"They need a powerful backer, and that backer is me. As long as I win this war, my prestige will soar. At that time, those minority shareholders will naturally stand on my side."

The nationalization of the Bank of France was such a huge undertaking that Eugène dared not confide his thoughts to Pietre, a subordinate with whom he had fought side by side.

On the surface, Eugène only said that he would unite with minority shareholders to check and balance the other side, but this statement was obviously unconvincing and unbelievable.

Therefore, Pietree looked at Eugène and cautiously offered his opinion, wanting Eugène to realize that his ideas were too idealistic.

"But what if we can't win?"

If you can't win, you just die. What else can you do?

He mentally scoffed, realizing that as a time traveler, Euren had absolutely no concept of failure.

If he fails, he'll lose his seat and be reborn as a rich man. Eugene can't stand that.

This is also why Eugène was quite radical in his approach to things during the Franco-Prussian War.

After all, the fact that Eugène hired someone to assassinate him shows that he still values ​​his life.

"If we can't win, then everything will be over. France will become a vassal state of Prussia, and I might be exiled or even executed. At that point, it won't matter how the Rothschild family treats my debts."

There's no need to hide this matter; speaking it out directly might even inspire the generals' fighting spirit.

When Eugène said this, his tone was very calm, but looking at this prince who was so calm it was unsettling, Pietre knew that the prince was not joking.

It's unimaginable that a 14-year-old child could face death so calmly. A pang of sympathy struck Pietri, but a fighting spirit secretly ignited within him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Paris, at the Rothschild family mansion, Alphonse Rothschild, who had returned home, was having another conversation with Camondo.

The two, who left together, did not go their separate ways. Instead, they gathered together and talked about what had happened that night.

"Baron, do you think this young prince is reliable?"

"unreliable."

Alphonse picked up a glass of brandy, took a leisurely sip, and looked quite relaxed.

"But he has no choice now; as long as he needs our money, he has to listen to us."

"What if he doesn't need it anymore? I mean, what if he can get the money from somewhere else?"

Camondo's words clearly did not fit his status as someone associated with the Bonaparte family. It was evident that this banker valued his identity as a banker more than loyalty to any particular faction.

Alphonse Rothschild, with his international capital background, seemed particularly confident about Camondo's concerns.

"Impossible, relax, Camondo. I've already contacted my counterparts in London and Vienna, and they've both pledged not to provide loans to the French government."

Oh right, and there's the United States too. As for the United States, American money isn't so easy to get. As far as I know, they'll demand railroads and mines as collateral, and the interest rate will be at least 8%. That little prince won't accept those conditions.

""

"Therefore, we are his only choice."

",