Chapter 625 Contracting Agreement
After a while, the smile finally reappeared on Camelia's face.
She took Perna's arm affectionately and left the small prayer room together. The two of them had become the most trustworthy sisters.
Joseph raised his head carefully and made sure that the two girls' backs had disappeared. Then he stood up and secretly thought that it was no wonder that they both took leave yesterday. It turned out that they were here to participate in the "religious activities" of Valentine's Day.
He rubbed his numb thighs, and the conversation between the two just flashed through his mind, which was quite happy. Perna is gentle and intellectual, Camelia is sweet and lovely... but with her current status, she will definitely not be able to marry any of them. Do you really want them to be your mistresses? Alas, it is still difficult to integrate into the concepts of the 18th century. Forget it, let’s pretend not to know...
While he was thinking about it, the priest before bowed at the door and said:
"Your Highness, the ceremony outside has ended. Do you want me to invite Archbishop Beaumont here?"
"Oh, thank you for your hard work."
More than ten minutes later, in the reception room on the second floor of Notre Dame de Paris, Beaumont and several senior priests respectfully saluted Joseph and said with a smile:
"Your Highness, are you also here to participate in the Valentine's Day celebration?"
Joseph thought to himself that I was the one who came up with this business plan. Why would I come here to give you money? But he still nodded and said:
"Ah, yes, this is also an opportunity to be watched by God. Of course I will not miss it."
"You are so pious!" Beaumont immediately crossed himself and said, "May God bless you."
Joseph sat down on the chair and started talking directly: "Archbishop Beaumont, I have a very good business opportunity and hope to cooperate with the church."
Beaumont immediately showed interest and leaned forward: "Your Highness is always thinking about the church so much. You have the most pious soul in the world... Oh, what business opportunities are you talking about?"
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The last time the Crown Prince instructed the church to sell "improved indulgences", it has now become one of the core incomes of the French church. He is fully looking forward to a similar "good business" again.
Joseph smiled and nodded: "Archbishop, you should be familiar with beets, right?"
The church is also involved in this promotion of sugar beet cultivation, so Beaumont naturally needs to understand sugar beets.
"Yes, Your Highness, I have also grown Mr. Archard's beets with my own hands."
Joseph also leaned forward: "So have you heard about the situation in the Caribbean?"
"You mean, those black people's riots?"
"That's right. It can be foreseen that it won't be long before Santo Domingo can hardly provide us with enough sugar." Joseph said, "Beets will be the most important source of sugar in the future. I hope that the church can help me expand Sugar beet acreage ”
Beaumont nodded vigorously: "Your Highness, the church has indeed been trying to persuade farmers to switch to sugar beets."
Joseph looked at him and said: "No, I mean, use the church's farmland to grow sugar beets."
Beaumont was stunned for a moment, then immediately showed a honest smile: "Your Highness, you know that the church's expenditures for your military academy, mechanical and chemical engineering university, and taxation university have become very large recently. If the land revenue drops further, I'm afraid... …”
"No, I'm afraid you have misunderstood. Growing sugar beets can be very profitable."
Beaumont shook his head secretly. With such a small harvest of sugar beet, the government needs to provide large subsidies to sugar beet farmers to barely keep their income at the same level as when they grew wheat.
Just as he was about to show his embarrassment, Joseph immediately said: "Currently, sugar beets are indeed unprofitable, but after the sugar cane production in Saint-Domingue is reduced, the price of sugar will immediately rise sharply. You have to take a longer-term view."< br>
Beaumont said: "Your Highness, when the time comes, sugar from Jamaica and the West Indies will flood in. In terms of price, I'm afraid..." He took a breath and smiled again: "Do you think this will work? The church will spend 100 hectares to replant Beet?”
Joseph said that the sugar cane plantations in Jamaica and the West Indies would soon run out of black slaves. Where would the sugar cane come from and pour into France?
But the matter involved too much, and he couldn't tell Beaumont.
“I hope the church can use 30,000 hectares of arable land to grow sugar beets.”
Beaumont's eyes almost popped out: "You mean...30,000 hectares?! This, how can this be..."
Although the income from growing sugar beets is acceptable with subsidies, he is not willing to put all his money on the subsidies. Given the financial situation of the French government, there is no guarantee that subsidies will no longer be paid out.
When the time comes to switch to wheat, you will have to go back and forth with farm tools, seeds, sales channels, etc., and it will all be money.
Joseph persuaded for a while, but Beaumont only increased the planting area to 800 hectares and refused to let go.
Joseph shook his head helplessly. You really don't know how to seize the opportunity to make money.
He could only say: "Archbishop, let's do this. I can sign a 'contract agreement' with the church."
"Ah, what is that?"
"The church will hand over 40,000 hectares of land to the Minister of Agriculture for management, and the government will increase the tenant farmers' rent by 5% and pay it to the church every year. Of course, the church must assist the government in requiring the annual tribute farmers to plant designated crops."
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At present, although France has carried out land reform, it does not involve the church. Therefore, the church's land is basically still under the annual tribute farming model, and the church's influence on the tenant farmers on its own land is still relatively large.
Beaumont still looked extremely reluctant. Dealing with tenant farmers is always much easier than dealing with the French government. After all, if the government defaults on contract fees, it will be very difficult for the church to collect them.
"Your Highness, can you see if it can be less, such as 5,000 hectares..."
Joseph's face suddenly darkened.
To be honest, the power of the royal family now is no longer comparable to the time when I borrowed food from the church. The country's politics, economy, military, justice, and propaganda are all in his own hands. If he had not considered the need for the church to maintain the stability of French society, even if he forcibly confiscated the church's land, these priests would have no choice but to obey orders.
"Archbishop Beaumont, I have another thing to do today." Joseph suddenly changed his calm tone and said loudly, "The Saint-Domingue Expedition just suffered a failure, and the General Staff decided to send an additional 8,000 expeditionary troops. Heading to the Caribbean would require a considerable military expense.
"The church has an unshirkable responsibility for the future of France. His Majesty the King needs the church to provide 8 million francs for the expeditionary force."
Beaumont suddenly became anxious: "Your Highness, where does the church have so much money? And military expenses have never been the responsibility of the church..."
Joseph pretended to get up and leave: "I believe in the financial resources of the church. Please inform other archbishops about this. I hope that the money will be available before the expedition sets off."
Beaumont had turned into a bitter-faced person and hurriedly stopped Joseph and said: "Your Highness, maybe we can discuss the 'contracting agreement' again..."
(End of chapter)