Chapter 698 Sad Louis Philippe

Philippe

Paris, Tuileries Palace.

At this time, France was suffering from potato blight and cholera, and the news of the great rebellion in the colonies reached Paris.

Louis Philippe didn't understand why anyone was dissatisfied with him. His life was so simple, and he only had eight servants to serve him in the morning. You know, Louis XVI had sixteen servants.

(The legend about sixteen servants was more discredited because the finances of the French royal family were very tight at that time.)

Why didn't the French people commemorate his great achievements in expanding the territory? Why not be proud of the obelisk and statues standing on the Place de la Concorde?

(The Place de la Concorde was originally named the Place Louis XV. It was renamed the Place de la Revolution during the French Revolution, also known as the "Execution Ground".

Louis XVI, Danton, and Robespierre, three people who once controlled the fate of France, died at the hands of the same executioner and on the same square.

Later, the Bourbon dynasty was restored and it was renamed the "Place de la Concorde".)

The obelisk on the Place de la Concorde was given by the Egyptian Governor Muhammad Ali, and the giant statue was given by the former Governor of Texas (currently still in Arkham Prison).

Although Louis Philippe tried his best to show himself as more "bourgeois", he actually liked to name some land and buildings after himself.

For example, the newly built ballroom in the Palace of Fontainebleau was named "Louis Philippe Gallery". However, due to its poor taste, it was often ridiculed by the upper class as the "Wild Boar Gallery", and it even became a hot topic in major salons in Paris.

Although Louis Philippe forbade his wife and daughter to wear jewelry in public, every time the family appeared in public, it was described as a luxurious exhibition.

"Since the birth of Jesus, no royal trip has been so grand and luxurious."

--"Paris Daily"

The French colony of New Louisiana took advantage of the Mexican-American War to annex nearly 600,000 square kilometers of New Mexico's land south of 37° north latitude.

But what troubled Louis Philippe was that the tax revenue in the entire New Louisiana region not only did not increase, but began to decline.

At the same time, the Texans who had presented him with the statue began to raise the flag of rebellion against France. For Louis Philippe, these people were just as capricious as the Egyptians.

The most disgusting thing was that the invincible French army also rebelled with those farmers. Louis Philippe and his Orleans faction hated soldiers very much, but they lacked enough courage and courage.

So there was a very strange phenomenon, that is, no matter what happened, it had nothing to do with the top military officials.

Therefore, the Bonapartists turned a deaf ear to what was happening in New Louisiana (Texas) at this time, and the Minister of War, Alexandre Morin, only knew how to ask for military expenses.

The reason of this Minister of War was very simple. France had suffered losses in the previous conflicts. What did this prove?

Of course, the military investment was not enough! Let's not talk about other things. First, we should form a standing army of one million people. I don't believe that the German Confederation can still win.

Alexandre Morin's imaginary enemy has always been the whole of Germany. At this time, all the member states of the entire German Confederation can only gather an army of one million people.

It is true that Louis Philippe does not understand military affairs, but a standing army of one million is really beyond common sense. He wanted Prime Minister Soult to deal with the Minister of War who was making trouble, but the old Prime Minister just wanted to retire gloriously and turned a blind eye to the hint of His Majesty the King.

In addition to the army, the navy is also a gold-eating beast. Navy Minister Ange de Macao asked that all the old sailing battleships of the French Navy be replaced with new steam battleships.

Admiral Ange de Macaud is a typical technical bureaucrat. He is a very good engineer who has realized the superiority of steam battleships.

According to Admiral Ange de Macaud's estimate, as long as the French Navy can complete the replacement, it will be able to gain absolute maritime advantage in the Mediterranean region, and even break the British blockade of Gibraltar with internal and external cooperation.

A strong navy will help France to travel around the world, gain trade advantages, and occupy more colonies.

However, not to mention the sky-high cost of transformation, five years alone is enough for the British Navy to update another batch of equipment.

The most important thing is that the British are not stupid. In order to maintain their maritime hegemony, their naval strength has always remained at a level that no one can beat.

At this time, Austria and France's crazy shipbuilding plans had an impact on the former. At this time, the number of battleships in the British Navy was nearly thirty more than in history.

What is the concept of thirty battleships? The Austrian Empire has worked hard for so many years, but it has only manufactured twenty battleships on its own.

Moreover, warships are different from merchant ships. Building these things will lose money. Even if they are left in the dock and not used, they will depreciate in a few years and even be scrapped.

At this time, the scale of France's Grand Orient Fleet and Grand Western Fleet was larger than that of the Austrian Imperial Navy.

So in Louis Philippe's eyes, this was a complete waste of money, especially in the absence of war, building so many warships was like burning money.

Louis Philippe looked at the old Prime Minister Soult again. The latter had his eyes dull. He just took out a small medicine bottle, poured out a few pills, asked the servant to bring a glass of water, swallowed the pills, and drank the water in the glass.

Louis Philippe could only sigh at Admiral Ange de Macao, who was full of expectations. Now there are rebellions everywhere in France and abroad. The army cannot afford to offend them. After all, it depends on this group of people to quell the rebellion.

But this has put great pressure on France's finances. In order to maintain huge military expenditures, the government needs to levy more taxes and occupy more colonies.

And more taxes and more colonies often mean more wars

Of course, if France can keep winning and keep growing stronger, then this nesting doll game can continue.

But unfortunately, natural disasters and man-made disasters continue, giving the country no chance to breathe.

Similarly, the Minister of Transport did not give Louis Philippe a chance to breathe. The newly appointed Minister of Transport is 81 years old and was once a devout ascetic.

(The kind who whips himself with a whip every day. In history, this person died of infection.)

Because the bribery scandal of the previous Minister of Transport brought shame to the entire government, the "Incorruptible" was replaced this time.

Ecot de Durelle had no children or lovers, and was a highly respected person.

Louis Philippe originally thought he had found a mascot, but even an outsider could recognize the importance of railways.

After taking office, Ecot de Durelle inspected the national railways and waterways of France at the age of 81.

The conclusion he came to was that France would not prosper without the construction of railways. He swore to heaven that he would build 10,000 kilometers of railways in France, and Louis Philippe would naturally have to find a way to pay for it.

The overwhelming bad news even made Louis Philippe feel that some disaster might be about to happen.