After entering 1891, the people of Paris did not have a comfortable life. On the one hand, there is the increasing scarcity of material life, and on the other hand, the rising prices, which make ordinary people miserable.

If the front line can continue to win and live a hard life for a few days in a short time, everyone will admit it. Unfortunately, the luck of the French army seems to have run out in the previous year, and there has been bad news since the beginning of the year.

With the loss of air supremacy, Paris has also become unsafe. Especially since August, the Austrian Air Force has to come and walk around almost every day.

The high-altitude bombardment hit rate was a matter of luck, and the direct losses caused by the enemy's air raids were not large, and the military threat to France was limited, but the bad effects brought by them made the Paris government miserable.

The more uncertain something is, the more likely it is to cause panic. No matter how low the hit rate of the enemy's air force is, once it is caught up, it will still die.

For the sake of their lives, except for politicians who couldn't run, the Parisian people who had a little wealth ran to the country estates for refuge.

The rich people ran away, and the economy of Paris naturally fell into depression. If it weren't for the fact that the war had taken up a lot of labor, it is estimated that the French government would still be troubled by unemployment.

At Versailles, Napoleon IV has moved out of the basement and resumed normal work. For no other reason, I'm not afraid of death.

Well, the truth is that after a long period of observation, Napoleon IV found out that the enemy air force deliberately avoided the bombing of the palace. Even if it was an air raid on the Imperial Palace, there was a lot of intimidation.

It's right to think that if there is no deep hatred on the European continent, there are generally few people who kill the monarch.

Although the Bonaparte dynasty had some grievances with the Habsburgs, it was not to the point of life and death, and Franz, who cherished feathers, naturally did not want to bear the notoriety of killing kings for this.

Without the instructions from above, the combat troops below naturally did not dare to mess around. Neither an officer nor a soldier can afford to be charged with killing a king.

Under the patronage of Napoleon IV, the Palace of Versailles and its surroundings were fortunate enough to be a safe zone. Even if it was hit by an air raid, no one dared to drop bombs down.

Hearing the "woo-woo-woo......" air raid siren, Napoleon IV walked out leisurely and looked up at the sky.

Looking at the leaflets falling from the sky, Napoleon IV sighed. Sometimes he even wants the enemy to throw bombs down and send him to God in advance.

There is no way, the emperor is too tired to do it. But the family responsibility made him unable to retreat, and no matter how much pressure he had, he could only bear it. If you really die in an enemy air raid, it will be a relief.

If nothing else, at least the Bonaparte dynasty retreated. The dead are the easiest to win sympathy, especially those who die tragically and miserably.

No matter how much the people below shake the pot, it is impossible to make the eldest crown prince responsible. Even out of political necessity, Austria would have supported the Bonaparte dynasty to stabilize the situation.

Grabbed a small piece of paper that fell from the sky, the title was "Letter to the French People", looking at the content of the accusation against capitalists and consortia, Napoleon IV was deeply touched.

Without the impetus of these interest groups, the European War would not have broken out at all, at least Napoleon IV himself was initially against it.

It's just that individuals can't go against the general trend, and France is forced to be tied to the chariot of capital and embark on a road of no return.

It's okay to provoke a war, the key is that these guys return the chain halfway. In order to seek huge profits, everything is done, which not only affects the front-line operations, but also makes the domestic people complain.

If it weren't for these dragging, France wouldn't have lost so quickly, even if they were to lose.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, they're here."

The voice of the maid pulled Napoleon IV back from his fantasy. The guy who pulls the hind legs, which exists in every country, is not an isolated case in France. Now it is only because France is about to lose that the problem becomes prominent.

"Bring them here!"

Napoleon IV said lightly.

Since it was determined that the area around the palace was a safe zone, the offices of the French government were moved. It also facilitates communication between various departments, and even phone bills can be saved.

……

Karel Kadlec, Foreign Secretary: "Your Majesty, the British have rejected our loan application, and have announced that future transactions must be paid upfront. ”

Allies, non-existent. If it weren't for the fact that France was needed in the post-war international landscape, it is estimated that the British would have fallen into the trap long ago.

There is no stone in front of me, and it is not too late to do it now.

By the time the war had been going on, France's foreign exchange reserves had long since bottomed out. Even the reserves of the hairstyle currency, which were pledged to the British, are currently sitting in London.

Cutting off the loan, and demanding payment before delivery, is clearly the rhythm of France.

"What do the British want?"

Napoleon IV asked coldly. It was as if all this was expected and did not cause the slightest wave.

Foreign Secretary Karel Kadlec: "The British have their eye on our overseas colonies, mainly the Indochina region, which they fear will fall into Austrian hands after the war and threaten the security of the Indian region. ”

There is no love and hate in politics for no reason, only eternal interests. Seeing that the defeat of France was imminent, the British couldn't help but take advantage of the fire to loot.

Although Austria's influence did not penetrate deep into Indochina, the German Confederation occupied the Malay Peninsula, and it was inevitable that Germany would unite after the war, and its influence would extend to Indochina.

If the French Indochina Peninsula were to fall into Austrian hands, the South Seas would become Austria's monopoly. At that time, India will be strategically surrounded by the Russian-Austrian alliance on three sides, and the military pressure it will face will be great.

Napoleon IV sneered: "Now that I know that I am worried, why did I go earlier?" If it weren't for the British, we would have broken through the Rhine a long time ago, and we wouldn't be in the current situation. ”

Everyone bowed their heads, and no one wanted to argue with the emperor on this issue. Even everyone knows that Napoleon IV's words are biased.

The British did affect the French army's battle, but that was not the fundamental reason why the French army could not win, in essence, it was still a huge disparity in strength between the two sides.

If they had crossed the Rhine, the French army might have suffered an even worse defeat. At least for now, there are no guerrillas encountered, and the occupied areas are stable.

After a pause, Napoleon IV added: "That's it, it's useless to say more. What offer are the British ready to make? ”

The European War was different from the Franco-Prussian War in that Austria had a strong enough navy to doom France to be unable to keep its overseas colonies after the war.

Against this background, Napoleon IV did not mind selling to the British, who were unhappy at this time.

Foreign Secretary Karel Kadlec: "Offset some of our previous debts, plus a batch of material aid. When converted, the total value is around £6 million. ”

Hearing this number, Napoleon IV immediately slapped the table and asked, "Why didn't they rob it?" ”

With an area of nearly 740,000 square kilometers, the French Indochina Peninsula is a rare treasure land with fertile land and abundant products, which can bring a lot of wealth to France every year.

This kind of high-quality asset, in the past, Mo said that it was only 6 million pounds, even if it was 60 million pounds, there were people rushing to take over.

Now the situation is special, and there are few companies that dare to snatch food from Austria, but it will not be sold for 6 million pounds. You must know that the cost of the French government to open up French Indochina is more than 6 million pounds.

However, even the 6 million pounds, the British are not prepared to pay cash, but to deduct it.

At current prices, 6 million pounds to buy up to 3 million pounds of pre-war supplies is a bloody loss for France.

Prime Minister Terrence Bulkin reminded: "Your Majesty, we have no choice now. Knowing that the British were blackmailing, we couldn't refuse.

After all, it was better for these areas to fall into the hands of the British than in the hands of Austria. Moreover, we also need the support of the British in the next negotiations on the aftermath. ”

The saddest thing in the world is to know that people are robbing, and you can only send it obediently.

Fortunately, after a series of social beatings, Napoleon IV's morale has been smoothed out, and if he had been left for ten years ago, he could have directly turned against the British.

"Tell the British that if they want to get their hands on these areas, they must show enough sincerity. Otherwise, we would rather leave Indochina to Austria than let them succeed. ”

The enemy threatened the allies, and Napoleon IV also had words of suffering. The French Empire, which inherited from his father, has fallen into such a field in less than twenty years, and this kind of gap in his heart is not something that ordinary people can bear.

It's just that the wrong war was waged at the wrong time. On the whole, Napoleon IV was still a qualified emperor, but it was a pity that one mistake paid everything.

The Italian region is destined to be unpreservable; French Africa was also cool, and the defenders of Algeria alone could not hold it for long; Seeing that French Indochina was about to change hands, the territory of France returned to 70 years ago overnight.

And that's not all, judging by the battle of the anti-French alliance, it is difficult for France itself to remain intact, and the final result may be even worse than in 1815.

Prime Minister Terence Burkin: "Your Majesty, rumors have been raging in Paris in recent days, and those guys who are hiding underground are starting to be lonely again.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, there is even the possibility of a rebellion. The cabinet proposes to tighten the control of public opinion and crack down on those who spread rumors. ”

It is not the first time that the control of public opinion has been strengthened, but the government can control the newspaper, but it cannot control the gossip; It controls the spread of news, but it can't stop the leaflets falling from the sky.

Without the slightest hesitation, Napoleon IV directly handed over the small piece of paper in his hand: "Look at it, this is a letter of persuasion from the Austrians." What are you going to do?

There is also a cartoon on the back, in which the rich are big fish and meat, and ordinary people are bleeding and dying on the front line, and they have to go hungry.

The above content is basically the truth, and it is easy to resonate with the general public. Once it is used by someone with a heart, a turmoil is just around the corner. ”

The truth is often the most heart-wrenching, and everyone can pretend to be confused without lifting the lid, but once things are exposed to the sun, the situation is completely different.

There is a limit to the patience of the people, especially when they are hungry, and a single Martian can cause a riot.

There are only two ways in front of everyone, either to stand with the capital consortium and share the anger from the people; Either push the boat down the river and decisively shake the pot, take the opportunity to eradicate the domestic business forces, and then use their wealth to appease the people.