After President Louis-Bonaparte delivered a personal speech, the banquet reached its climax, and everyone was jubilant and celebrated the birth of a new era. It's not lively. The Tréville siblings were in the middle of the period, so they naturally became infected and completely indulged in it.

Charles led Fran to a corner of the hall, where he greeted people he didn't know, and drank a lot of wine, but Fran didn't drink, but because he was dressed too flamboyant tonight, he attracted a lot of attention.

"Miss Treville, I'm afraid you've become the focus of attention tonight......" Charles' face was slightly red because of the alcohol, and his courage became even bigger, "Maybe someone will come and invite you to his house in the future, but don't just promise people, pick ...... well"

In front of his joke, Fran glared at him with extreme displeasure, and the sharp gaze made Charleston sober up a lot, "I'm more worried about you than myself, sir, and no girl has come to greet you yet......"

"That's just because there weren't many girls in the first place tonight." Charles replied with a smile.

"yes?" Fran laughed mockingly, as if she felt pity for the unpopular Charles.

"Really," Charles said earnestly, looking at his sister, "your brother is a sought-after commodity now, don't believe it." ”

"Humph!" Fran snorted disdainfully, as if she had no interest in chatting with him anymore.

As the two siblings taunted each other, Charles felt his sleeve be pulled off. He looked back. It turned out to be an old acquaintance of his.

"Oh, Charles, I've finally found you! How did you get here? Carrion shouted with a smile. Then, he consciously lowered his voice, "Mr. President is looking for you now." ”

"Mr. President?" Charles was a little confused at first, but it took him a moment to realize who he was referring to—he had not yet gotten used to the new name of Louis Bonaparte.

"He's coming for me?"

"Yes, that's right." Carrion nodded, "He's waiting for you now, come with me." How's the wine? Do you want to take a break first? ”

After hearing that it was the boss's call. Where did Charles dare to slack off, he casually picked up a glass of juice from the side and drank it, "Hmm." It's okay with me, I'll go with you. ”

Then, he turned his head and patted his sister on the shoulder. whispered. "You wait to go to Grandpa, he should be chatting with old friends now, don't drink, go home early!"

Fran nodded obediently, indicating that she was following her brother's orders.

Then, Charles followed Carrion out of the bustling hall and slowly walked along the winding corridors of the Élysée Palace. The guards along the way ignored the two men. After Louis Bonaparte became president. Carrion, who was originally a close confidant of Louis Bonaparte, also naturally became one of the president's cronies.

Because the two of them had a good relationship. So Charles and he chatted on the road, teasing each other from time to time. A moment later, Charles asked in passing what the meeting was all about.

He didn't ask, but when he did, Carrion patted Charles on the shoulder exaggeratedly.

"Boy, you're in luck!"

"What's wrong?" Charles was a little confused.

"Mr. President is not the only one who wants to see you tonight," Carrion's eyes flickered, "and there are other ......"

"Anyone else?"

"Yes, and they're all big shots." Carrion laughed as he spoke, "Your Excellency, Monsieur Thiers, Baron de Beauvan, all of them are here!" ”

"Ahh After hearing this, Charles's heart was stirred, and the original residual alcohol was instantly gone. "Where are they? For what? ”

After looking around cautiously to make sure no one was listening, Carrion leaned over to Charles' side and spoke softly. "It seems to be for the railway......

"I see!"

Charles finally understood.

No wonder there is such a big battle today.

"The people here today are all big shots, and Mr. President needs someone to help him suppress the formation now, so you have to behave better later!" Carrion whispered to him again, "Don't let everyone down! ”

"Of course I do." Charles replied calmly.

The two of them walked down the hallway and stairs all the way to the second floor.

"The boys of the Party of Order are very difficult, you have to be careful, don't suffer their losses." Carrion suddenly spoke again.

"Xie Lu Xie reminds."

"Hmph, there's no way, who told them to be still in power now?" Carrion snorted coldly, "But sooner or later, we're going to crush them to slag!" ”

"It's only a matter of time." Charles chimed in. "We still need them now, so we can only offer them first with a good voice......"

"It's good that you understand, I'm worried that you'll treat them badly later," Carrion secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Charles so well-behaved, "Remember, boy, a man cannot be both honest and a politician. ”

"You can't be smart and tell the truth at the same time." Charles replied in a low voice.

Then the two of them looked at each other for a moment, and laughed at the same time, feeling like confidants.

The two men walked to the door of a room.

Carrion reached out and patted Charles on the shoulder again. "Boy, don't forget us after you soar! When the time comes, don't do any good and don't share profits with us, old brothers! ”

Then, without waiting for Charles to answer, he reached out and knocked softly on the door.

"Come in!" Louis Bonaparte's voice came from within.

With the sound of the door gently opening, Charles stepped into the room.

It is this soft sound that represents the first time he has become a so-called "national dignitary", and it is this soft sound that represents that he has become a person who can influence the direction of this country!

Strangely enough, however, he remained calm. Even he couldn't believe it could be so peaceful. Perhaps, in the eyes of this young man, this is not a very exciting thing, right?

There is a long table in the room. Louis Bonaparte sat on one side of it, and on the other sat several men, and Charles glanced at them without moving. There were two people he knew, an old man who was now the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Mr. Odilon Barrow; A middle-aged man was the big banker, Baron de Beauwon. And another middle-aged man who is short but well-dressed, his identity is naturally unknown.

Although he was known for this man for two lifetimes, this was the first time he had seen this man with his own eyes. However, he was neither shocked nor indignant. He just nodded calmly at everyone.

When he saw him come in, Louis Bonaparte made a gesture for him to sit next to him.

"That's the young man I told you about......," he said, pretending to be mysterious.

Monsieur Thiers glanced at Charles curiously.

"It's really so young!" He sighed softly. "It's unbelievable."

"We have to admit that there are some geniuses in this world." Baron de Beauwin smiled and quipped, "Monsieur de Treville is young, but his mind is very strong, and you will be able to know the Tao in the future." ”

"Really? Even you dealt with him? Thiers smiled. His eyes were full of curiosity. "When you say that, I feel even more curious."

Then, he nodded at Charles.

"Young man, is this idea of establishing a Ministry of Railways really your idea?"

Charles remained completely composure.

"Yes, it does."

"He has already shown me the book you wrote to Monsieur Bonaparte......" Thiers still looked at Charles, not hiding his curiosity. To be honest, I really can't imagine that the person who wrote this was only nineteen years old at the time. ”

"Thank you for your compliment." Charles smiled and thanked him, then asked without humility or arrogance, "But I would prefer you to give a substantive opinion." ”

"Substantive observations?" Thiers smiled again, "To be honest, I haven't been able to come to a complete conclusion yet, I just think it's a big idea. ”

"Yes, to add a new ministry to the cabinet, and to give it so many powers!" His Excellency the Prime Minister also helped out in a timely manner, "This matter is very complicated at first glance. ”

"What is not created by God by nature, and has it not been added by people later?" Louis Bonaparte, of course, would not let his subordinates suffer, and directly began to help, "Besides, as long as it is good for the country and the individual, then what if it is complicated? ”

"First of all, we need to make sure it's good or not." Thiers replied.

"Don't worry," replied Charles, "in the long run it will be a great source of profit for the country, and if you think about it, a well-formed railway network can monopolize all long-distance transportation, whether it is passenger or freight, as long as the lines are not particularly deserted, after all."

After all, Thiers is also a former prime minister, and he certainly won't be fooled so easily.

"Before it produces a huge output for the country, it will put the country in a huge debt, sir, I am also in charge of politics, I know what this thing is." He replied rather coldly. "So, in order to achieve this goal, we have to borrow a lot of money from the outside world, or issue bonds, or even trade management rights for private investment. The result...... The right to operate the railways was in the hands of the private sector. ”

Then, he looked at Charles again, his eyes becoming a little fierce, "So, young man, I am not against your suggestion to vigorously build the railway, but why should we set up a separate department to manage it?" This, in turn, will affect the enthusiasm of enterprises to devote themselves to the railway. ”

Charles felt a pang in his heart, and this was the problem he was most afraid of facing. Because no one would oppose the construction of railways at this time, but they would not necessarily support the proposal to create a special state control department. Therefore, he first had to prove that the establishment of a special Ministry of Railways was justified.

He certainly wouldn't be unprepared for the question.

"Sir, you are right, I have to say that your eyes are like torches." He opened with a compliment.

No one else in the room spoke, and everyone was waiting for the young man's next words, the president. Prime minister, politician, chaebol. They're all waiting, what does it feel like? At least Charles felt very comfortable, too comfortable.

"That's right, building a railroad requires a lot of investment, and we can't afford to let a government that is already stretched thin bear the cost on its own, and there's no way Congress can accept such a huge budget." He continued to explain, and then the conversation changed abruptly. "But is it enough to just encourage private capital to participate in construction? I don't think that's going to work, the British have taught us a big lesson. As soon as everyone saw that it was profitable, they rushed to build a railway, and the result? When the economic situation is not good, everyone is done playing! ”

As soon as Charles heard the lessons of England, the others fell into deep thought. Because the island nation on the other side is really providing lessons and lessons.

From the end of 1845. Rail speculation in Britain is also beginning to break down. In the course of a few months, the prices of several railroad-related stocks fell by as much as 30%-40%, and many companies collapsed. As the government required joint-stock companies to deposit part of their funds in the state treasury as a margin to prove their reliability, many underfunded companies went bankrupt. At the same time, at a time when prices in other sectors are also falling due to the economic downturn, there is a lack of corresponding transportation volume after the opening of the railway, and the income is much lower than expected; Opposite. However, the cost of building the railway ballooned rapidly. In the autumn of 1847, British railway speculation finally went bankrupt. Many lines were halted, and the progress of the mainline railway project was greatly slowed down.

"So, you're looking for a dedicated department to review the qualifications of participants?" Thiers asked tentatively.

"Yes, so my suggestion is that when a private company issues railway shares after it has acquired the right to build and operate, the Ministry of Railways will review its qualifications and guarantee these shares, so that we can avoid the panic among the people when speculation suddenly collapses."

"So isn't the government's obligation a little too big? That's not a small number! Prime Minister Barrow asked with some trepidation.

"Of course, the government can't just take obligations for nothing, it has to collect a deposit, and ......," Charles lowered his voice, "as long as the railway construction is planned well and the construction of the railway is carried out in an orderly manner according to the schedule, the risk to the government will not be particularly great, it is better than everyone rushing into a mess and ending up in a mess......" Charles said that he would not say any more, he believed that others would certainly be able to figure out the implication of his words.

"In other words, do you want to use the government's power to check the gates, and use government planning to limit the people who will participate in the construction of the railway?" After only a moment's thought, Monsieur Thiers asked Charles directly.

"That's right." Charles nodded.

It's all in plain sight. Prime Minister Barrow's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's a good idea......," he muttered, apparently estimating what he and his close people could gain from it.

It was a perfect excuse to say to the people that "the Ministry of Railways was established to ensure the safety and reduce the risk of purchasing railway investment bonds and shares of railway companies." But for a few of you, it's a lucrative prospect.

"That may not be enough." Thiers thought about it for a moment, then replied in a low voice. "It's hard to convince Congress to agree to a reform of this magnitude."

What a difficult person, Charles muttered to himself. However, the more this happened, the more he felt a certain excitement in his heart.

"Of course it won't be for that purpose...... Charles replied with a smile.

Everyone waited for his next words again, and Charles found himself enjoying the feeling more and more.

After a deliberate moment of silence, he raised his head and looked at Baron de Beauwon, who had been sitting in his seat in silence, and the other man gave him a bright smile in return.

Charles held out his hand and made a friendly gesture to the big banker.

"The next topic has a lot to do with our dear Baron de Beauwon."

"I've been listening, young man, it's funny, go on." Baron de Beauvang pretended to be naïve, as if he really didn't know what Charles was going to say, "You almost convinced me, don't be discouraged, and work harder!" ”

"Thank you for your encouragement." Charles nodded, then looked at Thiers with a smile again, "Sir, let's go back to what you said earlier, you just said that large-scale and continuous railway construction will bring a large amount of debt to the country......

"That's what I said." Thiers nodded. Patiently await Charles' next steps.

"So who will be responsible for managing these debts?" Charles continued, "It's all the responsibility of the state." Or is it a private commitment? Or are you going to do it another way? ”

"Of course, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for it, and whoever issues it is responsible......" Thiers blurted out, and after a moment he seemed to understand something, and he looked at Charles in amazement, as if he couldn't understand what the young man had in his head, "Wait, what do you mean...... It is necessary to use this department to issue bonds on its own. to raise funds? And then it manages those debts on its own? ”

"Isn't that a good idea?" Charles nodded, indicating that the other party's guess was not wrong, "Think about it. If everything has to go through a complicated budget-making process and then be submitted to the National Assembly for approval, what else can be done smoothly? Of course, I'm not saying that Congress is not allowed to audit the department's accounts......"

Debt issued. Audited, of course. As for the candidates for the audit...... Isn't that up to these people themselves? Thiers and Barrow saw the benefits of being able to issue bonds on their own in the name of the Ministry of Railways, and at the same time using them without the scrutiny of the National Assembly and the clamor of the opposition, as was the case with the state budget. It can be said that during their projected reign of several years, even if they get a little out of it, it is a huge amount.

In the face of such huge benefits. Both Mr. Thiers and Prime Minister Barrow were lost in thought.

This also means that Charles's persuasion work is more than half complete.

Seeing how smoothly the situation is. The charr continued to take advantage of the victory.

"I've heard people say that for the country, debt is actually an asset, and although this sentence is a bit extreme, there is actually some truth to it. As long as the country can maintain its credit and maintain stable repayments, what about even if it is in debt? I am confident that, under the wise governance of the Cabinet of the Party of Order, France will enter a period of unprecedented prosperity and that there will be no problem in achieving the country's financial health. ”

After hearing Charles's deliberate compliment, a smile appeared on Prime Minister Barrow's face.

"Of course, we can't just put these debts on the books of the state for no reason, we have to find trustworthy and reliable bankers who are willing to serve the country to underwrite them for the state," and then, looking at Baron de Beauvan, "I think our Monsieur de Beauvang must be such a righteous man who is willing to serve the country." ”

"You read me right." Baron de Beauwin smiled and nodded, "I'm a man who likes to do something for the country the most." ”

Because the country is the richest, and the mood is the most stable after being squeezed a lot of money, it is not specific who is damaged anyway. Charles mentally added to the big banker.

Thiers also looked at Baron Beauvain, as if he understood something, he knew that Baron Beauvain must have cooperated with Louis Bonaparte and others to form an offensive and defensive alliance, and now Louis Bonaparte intends to repay him.

But he certainly won't want to be left behind.

"You're not the only one willing to serve your country, Baron."

"Oh, it doesn't matter, when the time comes, just say it, I welcome anyone who wants to serve the country." The baron replied with a smile still on his face.

"So, you mean, agree with me?" Charles looked at Thiers expectantly.

"Yes, young man, your idea is very interesting," he nodded dryly, and then added, "also very useful." ”

"It's a good idea." Prime Minister Barrow echoed the words.

Even though Charles remained calm on the surface, he kept shouting and screaming inside.

I've come this far! Haha No one could see his ecstasy.

"By the way, who do you think should be the best minister?" Thiers suddenly turned his head to look at the president, "This department has a lot of power, we can't find a ...... who is too strong"

"I think Viscount Delier is good," replied Louis Bonaparte calmly, "he is a man of all sorts, who can not be offended, and who has no ability to satisfy his appetite." ”

Then, he reached out and pointed at Charles, "Of course, such a person needs someone to help him well, and I think Charles is very good." ”

Thiers frowned slightly, and after a moment of silence, he also nodded.

"I also think it's a good arrangement." (To be continued......)

PS: I've been thinking about the future plot all day today, and I feel like my brain juice is about to be drained...... It's so painful!

Hey, it's a stupid thing to write seriously......

Especially when there is no return at all.

Forget it, who called me stupid?