Chapter 425 Currency Reform
Western Bavaria.
On the outskirts of Nordlingen, a row of knights holding dolphin and fleur-de-lis flags passed by on a dirt road. Behind them was the French Crown Prince's motorcade surrounded by a large number of guards.
On the carriage, Joseph rubbed his sore shoulders and turned to look out the window at the ancient town. This was the battlefield of the famous Battle of Nordlingen during the Thirty Years' War, but after the erosion of time, tranquility and peace have returned.
The blond girl sitting opposite saw his actions, stood up quickly, and whispered:
"Your Highness, let me give you a massage."
Joseph was slightly startled, mainly because he had never received such attentive service in his previous long journeys, but he quickly nodded and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's my honor to serve you." Camelia bowed and turned to his side from the low carriage. Slender fingers pressed on Joseph's shoulders. The force was neither light nor heavy, and it immediately made him feel so comfortable that he narrowed his eyes.
After a while, Joseph's fatigue disappeared.
The girl noticed that his coffee cup was empty, and immediately picked up the coffee pot and helped him fill up half the cup - it was not advisable to refill the cup on a bumpy car, as it would easily spill out.
Yes, after leaving Vienna, Camelia took on almost all the work of Joseph's servants, and was more meticulous and thoughtful than the previous three servants. Mrs. Delvaux had taught her these things - to be a wet nurse for an Austrian princess, it would take a while, and she was even better at it.
Originally, Camelia was very hesitant about Mr. Barzel's suggestion, but in France the Crown Prince taught the bastard who had threatened and harassed her for more than a year a lesson and handed her the 150,000 florin compensation. After that, she completely made up her mind.
The teacher is right! No, to be more precise, she was deeply attracted by His Highness's temperament, charm, and the sense of security he brought.
Joseph nodded to her and took a sip of coffee, which was delicious. He couldn't help but nodded slightly again - this girl's coffee making skills were also first-rate - and then picked up the pen and began to continue writing the investment and development plan for the Walloon District.
The agreement with Austria stipulates that both parties can invest in the "Wallonia Special Trade Zone". Joseph hoped to complete the layout of Wallonia as soon as possible while Austria was busy with the Silesian War.
For example: promoting preferential immigration policies to allow more French people to invest and live in Wallonia.
In addition, there is the construction of the police force. The first batch of Walloon police planned to recruit 4,000 people, half of whom will be sent to France for training and then rotated. The top management of the police department are all French. After a large number of immigrants, no one can tell whether they are Walloon natives or immigrants soon. From language to living habits, the two sides are completely seamless.
After French investors control almost all the coal mines in Wallonia, as long as the above two points are achieved, France will actually control this place.
At dusk, the convoy stopped east of Stuttgart.
Joseph looked at the investment and development plan in his hand and couldn't help but sigh. After two years of operation, a good situation has been created for France.
In addition to the Southern Netherlands, the situation in Tunisia has also stabilized and the second round of immigration has begun.
In terms of domestic industry, coal, iron, textiles, chemicals, etc. have all entered the fast lane, and are only waiting for the cumulative change to explode.
But, all of this requires money. Whether it is investment in Wallonia, development in Tunisia, training the army (police), and promoting the industrial revolution, a large amount of money is required.
According to Joseph's plan, tax reform and navy expansion will be carried out in the future. These are all gold-swallowing behemoths.
At present, France's finances are still carrying a huge deficit of more than 2 billion livres. In the past six months, they have fought many wars and spent a lot of military expenditures. Right now, trying to squeeze out some money to accomplish the above-mentioned things is harder than squeezing water from a rock.
Joseph followed Kesoud into the manor where he was staying, thinking in his mind that with the army's series of victories in the Southern Netherlands and North Africa, the royal family's prestige was now at its peak, and perhaps it was time to make a decision to carry out currency reform.
Throughout France, paper currency is used to replace gold and silver coins, coupled with the two huge markets in Wallonia and Tunisia, the coinage dividend alone can alleviate the current financial situation.
At the current rate of industrial and agricultural development in France, it is entirely possible to raise inflation a little more - which is even beneficial to economic development. Before the country's overall supplies continue to increase, printing the currency corresponding to the supplies can effectively avoid the impact of currency shortages on trade. At the same time, the moderate depreciation caused by inflation can also encourage people to invest more instead of hoarding all their money.
The extra money printed is controlled by the French Reserve Bank, which can be quickly invested in the areas where it is most needed, minimizing the time spent waiting for investment in the past.
In addition, as France continued to trade with other countries, French banknotes were bound to flow into other countries.
In this era, countries have a weak awareness of the protection of monetary sovereignty - this is due to the transaction habits brought about by the long-term use of gold and silver coins. Most currencies of other countries can be circulated in their own countries - at least in a short period of time, French banknotes are It can be circulated in small quantities in surrounding countries.
Although each country may not hold many French banknotes, because most merchants will tend to exchange them for gold and silver coins, even if the banknotes only stay in their hands for a month or two, all countries combined will still have a large amount of French banknotes. huge sum of money.
It is equivalent to France exchanging pieces of paper for their goods.
After a brief dinner, when Joseph entered the bedroom tiredly, his nose smelled the faint smell of incense, and then he saw that Camelia had made the bed neatly, well, she even placed the pillows. Place it in the most comfortable position.
When the girl heard the noise, she seemed startled, turned around hurriedly, and bowed slightly to the crown prince. Under the candlelight, a blush suddenly appeared on her cheeks.
Joseph noticed that the atmosphere was a little subtle and looked at her in surprise: "What's the matter with you?"
"No, no, it's nothing..." Camelia suddenly lowered her head and ran towards the bedroom door, "Please, please go to bed..."
The two servants at the door were stunned when they saw this. Why didn't this new lady finish her work? The two hurriedly entered the room again and helped His Royal Highness the Crown Prince change into his nightgown.
In fact, Joseph didn't like others to help him change his clothes, but in the Palace of Versailles, it was a necessary etiquette for others to change his nightgown - usually it had to be done by a distinguished nobleman - so he could only Just let it be.
Camelia returned to her room, closed the door and covered her cheeks, her heart pounding, and muttering to herself: "This, this is too difficult... What should I do..."
(End of chapter)