As 1891 began, the carefree days were over for the people of Paris. On one hand, material life was becoming increasingly meager, while on the other, soaring prices made life unbearable for ordinary citizens. If the front lines had been continuously victorious, people would have accepted a short period of hardship. Unfortunately, it seemed the French army’s luck had run out the previous year, as bad news had been pouring in since the start of the new year. With the loss of air superiority, Paris had also become unsafe. Especially after August, the Austrian air force would come for a ‘stroll’ almost every day. High-altitude bombing accuracy was entirely a matter of luck, and the direct damage from these enemy air raids was not significant. The military threat to France was limited, but the negative impact had the French government in a state of distress. The more uncertain something is, the more likely it is to cause panic. No matter how low the enemy air force’s hit rate was, if you were unlucky enough to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, you would still die. For the sake of their lives, besides the politicians who couldn’t escape, any Parisian with a bit of wealth fled to their country estates for refuge. With all the wealthy people gone, Paris’s economy naturally went into a depression. If the war hadn’t occupied a large amount of the labor force, the French government would probably have been worrying about unemployment as well. At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon IV had already moved out of the basement and resumed working in his normal office. There was no other reason, he just wasn’t afraid of death anymore. Well, the truth was that after a long period of observation, Napoleon IV had discovered the enemy’s air force was intentionally avoiding bombing the palace. Even if they did raid the palace, it was mostly for intimidation. It made sense. On the European continent, unless there was a deep-seated hatred, people rarely went out of their way to kill a monarch. Although the Bonaparte and Habsburg dynasties had some grievances, it wasn’t to the point of a life-and-death struggle. The reputation-conscious Franz naturally didn’t want to shoulder the notorious reputation of regicide for this. Without authorization from above, the combat units below naturally wouldn’t dare to act recklessly. Neither the officers nor the soldiers could bear the crime of regicide. Protected by Napoleon IV’s presence, the Palace of Versailles and its surrounding areas had luckily become a safe zone. Even if they were under an air raid, no one dared to drop a bomb. Just then, hearing the “wooooo…’ of the air raid siren, Napoleon IV casually walked outside and gazed at the sky. Staring at the leaflets falling from the sky, he sighed. Sometimes he even wished the enemy would drop a bomb and send him to meet his maker early. There was no other way since being emperor was just too exhausting. Yet, his family responsibilities made it impossible for him to retreat. No matter how great the pressure, he could only stubbornly endure it. If he were to truly die in an enemy air raid, it wouldn’t be a bad form of liberation. Putting everything else aside, at least the Bonaparte dynasty would be able to retreat with their dignity intact. A dead person is the easiest to win sympathy points for, especially if the death is tragic and heroic. No matter how much others tried to shift the blame, it would be impossible to make a young crown prince take responsibility. Furthermore, out of political necessity, Austria would even support the Bonaparte dynasty in stabilizing the situation. He casually caught a small piece of paper falling from the sky. The title was prominently the “Proclamation to the French People.” As he read the contents, which accused capitalists and financial groups, Napoleon IV was deeply moved. If it weren’t for the instigation of these interest groups, this European war would not have broken out at all. At the very least, Napoleon IV himself was initially against this war. It was just that an individual could not go against the great tide, and France was forced to be tied to the war machine of capitalists, embarking on a path of no return. Instigating the war was one thing, but the key was that these guys dropped the ball halfway through. To gain huge profits, they would stop at nothing, not only affecting the front lines but also causing the domestic populace to complain bitterly. If it weren’t for these people dragging their feet, even if France was going to lose, it wouldn’t have lost so quickly. “Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and the others have arrived.” The maid’s voice pulled Napoleon IV back from his reverie. People who hinder progress exist in every country, this wasn’t an isolated case for France. It was just that now, because France was on the verge of defeat, the problem had become prominent. “Bring them in.” Napoleon IV said calmly. Ever since it was determined that the palace area was a safe zone, the French government’s offices had all moved there. This also made communication between departments more convenient, saving on even telephone fees. … Foreign Minister Émile Flourens said, “Your Majesty, the British have rejected our loan application and, at the same time, have announced that all future transactions must be paid for in advance.” Allies? There’s no such thing. If they weren’t considering that the post-war international landscape would still need France, the British would probably have kicked them while they were down a long time ago. They didn’t kick them before, but it was not too late for them to act now. The war has progressed to this point, and France’s foreign exchange reserves have long been exhausted. Even the reserves for the national currency have been mortgaged to the British and are currently being held in London. By cutting off loans and demanding payment before delivery, it was clearly a move intended to force France’s demise. “What do the British want?” Napoleon IV asked coldly, as if all of this was expected, causing not the slightest ripple of emotion. Foreign Minister Émile Flourens said, “The British have set their sights on our overseas colonies, primarily the Indochinese Peninsula. They are concerned that these territories will fall into Austrian hands after the war, threatening the security of India.” In politics, there is no love or hate without reason, only eternal interests. Seeing that France’s defeat was imminent, the British couldn’t resist taking advantage of the situation. Although Austria’s power had not yet extended deep into the Indochinese Peninsula, the German Federation had already occupied the Malay Peninsula. With Germany set to unify after the war, it was inevitable that its influence would extend to the Indochinese Peninsula. If French Indochina were to fall into Austrian hands as well, the Southeast Asian region would become Austria’s exclusive sphere of influence. At that point, India would be strategically surrounded on three sides by the Austro-Russian alliance, and the military pressure it would face would be immense. Napoleon IV sneered, “Now they’re worried? What were they doing before? If the British hadn’t played tricks, we would have broken through the Rhine long ago, and this wouldn’t be the situation we’re in now.” Everyone bowed their heads. No one was willing to argue with the emperor on this matter even though everyone knew that Napoleon IV’s words were biased. The British dragging their feet did indeed affect the French army’s operations, but that wasn’t the fundamental reason the French army couldn’t win. Fundamentally, the vast disparity in power between the two sides was the real issue. If they had truly crossed the Rhine, the French army might have been defeated even more miserably. At the very least, they haven’t encountered any guerrillas yet, and the occupied territory is stable. After a pause, Napoleon IV added, “Enough. It’s useless to talk more about what’s done. What price are the British prepared to offer?” The European war was different from the Franco-Prussian War of the original timeline, as Austria possessed a powerful enough navy. This meant that post-war France was destined to be unable to hold on to its overseas colonies. Against this backdrop, Napoleon IV didn’t mind selling them to the British. What displeased him was the British kicking them while they were down at this moment. Foreign Minister Émile Flourens said, “They are offering to deduct a portion of our previous debts, plus a batch of material aid. Calculated together, the total value is approximately 6 million pounds.” Hearing this figure, Napoleon IV immediately slammed the table and questioned, “Why don’t they just rob us?” French Indochina has an area of nearly 740,000 square kilometers. The land is fertile and rich in resources, making it a rare and precious territory that brings in a vast amount of wealth for France every year. For such high-quality assets, in normal times, let alone a mere 6 million pounds, there would be people scrambling to take it for 60 million pounds. Now, the situation is special. There are few who would dare to take a prize from the tiger’s mouth (Austria), but it shouldn’t be sold for such a ridiculously low price as 6 million pounds. It should be noted that the French government’s cost of developing French Indochina was more than 6 million pounds alone. However, even for this 6 million pounds, the British weren’t prepared to pay in cash; they wanted to use it as a deduction. With current prices, 6 million pounds could at most buy goods worth 3 million pounds from before the war. For France, this would be a devastating loss. Prime Minister Terence Bourquin reminded him, “Your Majesty, we have no choice now. Even though we know the British are extorting us, we cannot refuse. After all, it is better for these territories to fall into British hands than into Austrian hands. Furthermore, we will need British support for the subsequent post-war negotiations.” The most tragic thing in the world is to know you’re being robbed but still have to obediently hand over the goods. Fortunately, after a series of hard lessons from society, Napoleon IV’s fighting spirit had been worn down. If this were ten years ago, he would have directly fallen out with the British. “Tell the British that if they want to get their hands on these territories, they need to show sufficient sincerity,” he said. “Otherwise, we would rather leave Indochina for the Austrians than let them succeed.” Using an enemy to threaten an ally, Napoleon IV also found himself in an unspeakable predicament. Inheriting a massive French Empire from his father, and seeing it fall to such a state in less than twenty years, was a disparity that an ordinary person could not bear. Tracing it back, it was only because a wrong war was launched at a wrong time, which cost him everything. Overall, Napoleon IV was still a competent emperor, but unfortunately, one mistake cost him everything. The Italian territories were destined to be lost. French Africa was also a lost cause; the garrison in Algeria alone couldn’t hold on for long. With French Indochina also about to change hands, France’s territory had, overnight, returned to what it was 70 years ago. This wasn’t all. Judging from the scale of the Anti-French Coalition, it would be difficult for mainland France to remain intact. The final result might be even worse than in 1815. Prime Minister Terence Bourquin said, “Your Majesty, rumors have been running wild in Paris these past few days. Those fellows hiding underground are once again unwilling to be quiet. If the situation continues to deteriorate, there could even be a rebellion. The cabinet suggests we strengthen media control and crack down on those who spread rumors.” This wasn’t the first time there were suggestions over strengthening media control. The government could control newspapers, but not gossip and rumors. It could control the spread of news, but not the leaflets falling from the sky. Without a moment’s hesitation, Napoleon IV directly handed over the small piece of paper in his hand. “Take a look. This is the Austrians’ letter urging for surrender. What are you going to do? On the back there is a cartoon: the rich eat and drink lavishly while ordinary people bleed and sacrifice on the front line and endure hunger. The content on it is basically all factual and can easily resonate with the common people. Once this is exploited by someone with an agenda, an uprising is right before our eyes.” The truth is often the most painful. Without the lid being lifted, everyone could still pretend to be confused, but once the matter is exposed to the light, the situation becomes completely different. The public’s patience is limited, especially when their stomachs are empty. A single spark can ignite a riot. There are only two paths before everyone: either stand with the capitalist financial groups and share the public’s anger, or go with the flow, decisively shift the blame, seize the opportunity to eliminate the domestic financial groups, and use their wealth to appease the public.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH) Support the translation and read more chapters at https://ko-fi.com/dragonlegion
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