French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 121 A New Government of Mixed Bags (Seeking first subscription, collection and follow-up reading)

"That's absolutely right, Camondo, but we can't let our guard down. That little prince actually dared to add the condition of 'an interest-free loan after Prussia's defeat,' ha~ he's already thinking about the post-war situation."

"So, do you think he can defeat the Prussians?"

Camondo was very respectful towards Alphonse, who had significantly more capital than him.

If Eugène saw this scene, he wouldn't be angry; he would just silently complain about his cheap father again.

Look at what you've protected—no, what you've won over. You've spent so much time currying favor with the financial elites, but not a single one of them has shown any firm support for the Bonaparte royal family.

Back to the present, after hearing Camondo's question, Rothschild paused for a moment, then laughed.

Although he was very tempted by Eugène's promises, especially the promise of establishing a nation, the facts were clear: he didn't believe Eugène could win the war.

"I don't know. From a military perspective, I think it's almost impossible. The Prussian army has proven itself to be the strongest in Europe in previous wars, while our army is a disorganized mess."

However...politics is sometimes not something that can be judged by common sense. Napoleon I also rose from adversity; who can guarantee that this young man won't be the next Napoleon? Who knows?

"So what should we do?"

Compared to Camondo, who was unsure of the future and how to place his bets, Alphonse seemed more relaxed.

The Rothschild family has already passed that stage of development and has become a behemoth in Europe. They will not collapse simply because of a wrong bet.

"At worst, we can bet on both sides. We can lend money to this young prince to help him stabilize the situation, and on the other hand, we can send someone to contact the Prussians and tell them that we are willing to cooperate no matter who wins."

Just like in history, after the political situation in the Republic stabilized, the Rothschild family continued to do business and made a fortune in France.

The conversation between the two bankers was, in the end, just a conversation.

The next morning, without stopping and having only slept for 4 or 5 hours, Eugène convened the first cabinet meeting of the new government at the Prime Minister's Office.

Those attending the meeting included Prime Minister Olivier, Interior Minister Thiers, Education Minister Simon, Chairman of the Officers' Committee Schneider, Army Minister Prince Masséna, Navy Minister Genoily, Foreign Minister Favre...

Prince Masséna was a hereditary Bonapartist nobleman, and his status was high enough that he had served as a senior officer in the Imperial Guard for a long time.

With this prince appointed as Minister of the Army, Eugène was quite relaxed. As for the Minister of the Navy, there were no changes in the cabinet, because there was no room for change.

In this time of war, the navy's power has become somewhat excessive, and its autonomy has become too great. It seems to comply with, but only partially complies with, the demands made by Nathan.

Having no interest in causing trouble at this time, and to prevent accidentally hurting the Navy's sensitive feelings, Eugène and Olivier discussed the matter and decided not to touch the candidate for Minister of the Navy.

As for the most surprising cabinet member, it has to be Favre.

"We will never hand over an inch of territory or a single pebble on a fortress to Germany."

This is one of Favre's most classic lines; like Eugène, he was a very charismatic speaker. During the Republic era, he also served as Foreign Minister, demonstrating strong diplomatic skills.

However, it is truly surprising that Favre, one of the Empire's staunchest five opponents, would appear here and assume the position of Foreign Minister.

However, with no one else available, Eugene had no choice but to use Favre for the time being. Although Favre had many flaws, his tough stance towards Prussia and strong diplomatic skills were undeniable.

The appointment of this man as foreign minister served two purposes: firstly, to send a friendly signal to the Republicans who were intimidated and thought the empire was going to settle scores; secondly, Eugène was not worried about him causing trouble, as he was about to travel around Europe.

Eugene needs Favre to lead the team on trips to England, Spain, Austria, Russia, Denmark...

...Anyway, Favre would visit any country that might stand up or hate Prussia.

He genuinely disliked empires, but when it came to Prussia and the Empire, he chose the Empire.

Moreover, because of the problem with Troch, a scoundrel, the Republican Party's reputation has plummeted, and Favre is also willing to step forward and make some substantial contributions to reverse the Republican Party's reputation.

With a free and capable nuclear-powered donkey at their disposal, Eugène and Olivier readily agreed, and this anti-imperial member of the five became the empire's foreign minister.

Today, a mixed bag of people—neutralists, Liberals, Republicans, and Bonapartists—are all crammed into a single meeting room, and the first topic they discuss is how to deal with the wave of independence movements in the provinces.

"Gentlemen, the biggest problem we face now is not the Prussians, but ourselves. Places like Lyon and Marseille have become so radical that they have declared independence and do not recognize the authority of Paris. If this problem is not resolved quickly, France could be torn apart."

Yesterday, when they were trying to win over Thiers and others, they said some nice things, but the actual situation in France is still very bad.

Eugene needs them to come up with a clear plan before he leaves, so he can leave with peace of mind. He doesn't want the fires at home to burn out while he's fighting on the front lines, eventually catching up with him.

Entrusted with this important task and knowing he needed to deal with this difficult problem, Thiers did not shirk his responsibility. He stood up and cleared his throat in front of everyone.

"Your Highness, I thought about this all night, and I believe we should adopt a 'tailored approach for each region' strategy. The situations and demands differ from province to province, so we cannot address them all the same way."

"Oh? Tell me more about it."

Upon hearing the name "One Country, Two Systems," Eugene immediately became interested; he felt that the name itself suggested a very ambitious idea.

This made Eugène sit up straight, wanting to hear what shocking thing Thiers could say.

"Lyon is a major stronghold for the Republicans, besides Paris. Like Paris, they are divided into radicals and moderates. Our strategy should be to win over the moderates and isolate the radicals."

"The situation in Marseille is different. Marseille is a commercial city, and the city is controlled by the Chamber of Commerce. They don't care about republicanism or anything like that; they only care about their own business."

We might be able to gain their support by promising to lower tariffs at the Port of Marseille and protect their business interests.

"In other areas where Republican rebellions have occurred and are more concentrated, mediation can be initiated based on local demands."

This strategy is essentially about avoiding confrontation, but the empire has no choice but to compromise for now. The empire cannot send troops south to suppress these rebels, nor can it allow them to continue running rampant.

Offering some incentives to stabilize the situation is still quite necessary. Knowing the current circumstances and that he couldn't have it all, Eugène simply nodded in understanding, then inquired of Thiers about his preferred candidate.

"Mr. Thiers' analysis is very insightful. So, who should be sent to carry out these tasks?"