With the approval of the commanders-in-chief, the British and French fleets formed a mobile detachment, and then launched an artillery bombardment of the port of Odessa, and after a fierce artillery bombardment, they did not have much effort to suppress the batteries on the side of the port, and then, under the leadership of Eugène, the combined fleet sailed into the port of Odessa, and a large amount of artillery fire poured into the port without mercy, and the artillery fire turned the prosperous port of Odessa into a fire field, and it was not until after night that the combined fleet left a large area of ruins and left. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

In this shelling, the British and French navies once again asserted their unquestionable supremacy at sea, and put all cities along the Russian coastline under the threat of shelling.

However, it was not all good news for them, and during the reconnaissance of this artillery bombardment, the combined fleet found that a large number of Russian soldiers were indeed stationed near Odessa, and they used shore defense artillery and field artillery to return fire without stopping.

In other words, the tsar and his advisers were well aware of the importance of Odessa and strengthened the defense of the region.

When they returned, the information reached the desks of the two commanders, and although it did not surprise them, it still made them feel a little disappointed.

In that case, then there is only one way to act according to another plan. After the two commanders deliberated again, they issued an order to the whole army - in the next step the coalition forces would seek to land at the Bulgarian port of Varna, and then go north to meet the Russian troops who had already entered Romanian territory, and if the Russians retreated before engagement, then they would land directly in Crimea, defend their largest military port and fortress on the Black Sea, and force the Russian army to fight a decisive battle with the coalition forces.

With a consensus reached at the top of the coalition forces, the vast military machine began to work in an orderly manner, and the officers and men of both armies were in high spirits, bent on defeating the enemy and dedicating victory to the country and the king.

While the front line is in the heat of battle, the rear of the two countries is also engaged in fierce fighting, although this kind of war seems to be free of gunpowder smoke and blood, but its intensity and consequences are no less than a large-scale battle on the front battlefield.

At this time, a battle was taking place in the royal hall of the Tuileries Palace, a lavishly furnished and heavily guarded hall, with the palace guards standing straight outside the door, not allowing anyone to come near or anyone else, and no one could take the news out of here.

In the center of the hall, His Majesty Emperor Napoleon III sits on a throne, and at the conference table in front of him is a large group of imperial ministers and financial magnates, a small group of people who are in charge of the political, economic, military and diplomatic affairs of the entire empire, and who themselves are the heart and brain of the empire.

In the front row of government officials, the Reich Chancellor of the Exchequer, His Excellency Jean-Martial Binot, the son of an old soldier of the Imperial era, became an engineer in his early years, and began to advocate the development of industry and the construction of a national railway network in the name of the British, before plunging into political life, serving as a member of parliament during the July Dynasty.

After the February Revolution, Louis Bonaparte began to rise to prominence, and he saw the political potential of the nephew of the Napoleonic Emperor, so he joined the other side as a pawn and strongly supported the restoration of the Bonapartists.

It was because of his strong support for the Restoration, and because of his ideological unity with His Majesty the Emperor, that he rose through the ranks of the Imperial Court, and after the departure of the great financier and the first Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Fuld, he succeeded him as Chancellor of the Exchequer, becoming a prominent courtier.

Being able to be so proud in middle age, His Excellency the Minister was naturally radiant, but today he frowned and looked uneasy, as if he had encountered some huge problem.

Next to him, there were also a number of important imperial ministers, including Shire, who was the Minister of Transportation.

On the other side of these ministers are some of the most prestigious and powerful people in the financial world, including the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Fuld, the financial giant, the big banker Baron de Beauwon, and the head of the Paris branch of the Rothchild family, Baron James de Rotheschild, most of whom are directors of the Banque de France, all of whom have their finger on the pulse of the country's money.

At the head of these people is His Excellency Count Argoo, the current president of the Banque de France.

The Count of Argoo, who was already in his seventies, was a tall and thin old man, and as was usual custom, he was dressed very conservatively and formally, with a red ribbon on his chest, and a graying beard, and he looked old and personable.

Seventeen years have passed since this old man was appointed President of the Banque de France in 1836 by His Majesty King Louis-Philippe I, and in the course of these years there have been a succession of terrible accidents, the fall of a dynasty and a republic, and the change of government and cabinet for more than a dozen times, but he has remained unmoved, and has steered the ship of the Banque de France through the storm with poise.

Relying on the privilege of the Banque de France, he basically completed the bank's control over other local financial institutions, expanded the issuance of bank notes, and even reached out into the political circles - it was thanks to the tens of millions of francs that he had secretly borrowed that His Majesty was able to organize his forces so quickly and rebuild the empire in a coup d'état.

The group of people around this conference table are the rulers of the empire.

Normally, when they gathered in the palace, it was a grand feast, they were dressed in fine clothes, talking and laughing, enjoying all the glory that the empire had brought them, but today the situation was very different, everyone had serious faces, and it was clear that they were facing a serious state of affairs.

"At present, the panic in the exchange has eased, but it is still ongoing......," the Chancellor of the Exchequer said calmly, "and the government has tried to salvage investors' confidence, but the results are somewhat regrettable as bonds of all kinds, including the previously highly sought-after indefinite bonds, and the sale of new bonds is also quite unsettling." ”

At this point, he paused, then looked up and glanced at the financiers opposite.

"We've done everything we can to save the market, and it's because we've invested a lot of money in the market that these bonds haven't had a panic crash." Baron Rothchild spoke, trying to clear himself of his responsibilities before His Majesty the Emperor, "but I think that in such an uneasy situation, investors will certainly have reservations, and we will not be able to fill the market with confidence at once - unless we win a big battle at once." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, people's eyes were focused on Field Marshal San Arnault, the Minister of War, who was stared at so much at the Imperial Council that even this battle-hardened soldier could not bear it, he frowned slightly, and then replied in a helpless tone.

"We desperately hope that we will be able to crush the enemy as soon as possible, but it takes time to transport troops to pass, it takes time to prepare, and it takes time to defeat the Russians...... None of this can be done overnight, our officers and men have worked hard enough, and they have done their job well. Marshal Saint-Arnault, knowing that the war was never 100 per cent winn, had to make a promise, "But, although the situation is still a little dark, I think in two or three months we will be able to make a clear outline, because we have a very well-equipped army, and we have the help of the British, and we are confident in that." ”

"Two months is a century for the market, Your Excellency, the panic in the market needs to be eased as soon as possible." Mr. Fulder, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, said displeasedly, "Besides, what if the Russians are more difficult to defeat than you think?" Maybe the war will be prolonged, and the price we pay will be even higher than expected today, when the market will definitely be more pessimistic, and maybe the government's credit will be on the verge of bankruptcy! ”

As a prudent economist, he had always had reservations about the war, believing that it was too far from home, and that the enemy was a powerful European country, which would overwhelm the country's finances, which was why he so unceremoniously questioned the Minister of War - which was a secret accusation against His Majesty the Emperor.

Fulder's words provoked a whisper from his side, and it was evident that many of them secretly agreed with him that the war was futile.

"Marshal Saint-Arnault has been in the army for many years, and I think we can trust his professional judgment, and that the current situation is not his responsibility alone, he has done his best." Charles spoke for the Secretary of War to relieve the siege, and then dragged the topic back, "What the empire needs now is unreserved determination, while the problem has not yet reached the most serious point, solve it in one go, and boost market confidence with decisive measures!" ”

"Your words look beautiful, but they don't help." Fuld was obviously still a little angry, and almost sarcastically asked Charles, "Then what do you say should be taken drastically?" Send troops into the exchange and order investors not to sell? ”

"If necessary, I support it." "Sometimes we need a little bit of coercion, of course we don't have to use guns, but a short break may be preferable......

"You're used to coups...... Fuld couldn't help but laugh in anger. You can't maintain the market with only knives and guns! ”

"I think that's a good solution." While the two men were arguing, Baron de Beauvang suddenly expressed his support for the Charles, "If the market is extremely volatile at some point, we should simply close the market and not allow the panic to spread, and this coercive measure may be necessary." ”

Isn't this equivalent to self-deception, what problems can be solved? The market is likely to be even more uneasy. Seeing that someone on his side actually supported the motion, Fuld was even more dissatisfied.

"Of course, it doesn't solve the underlying problem, but it does give us time to solve it." Baron de Beauvan replied unhurriedly, "Since war has broken out, and there is no hope of a solution in sight anytime soon, then we should face reality and discuss how to deal with it, and there is no point in pointing fingers and complaining, sir." ”

"Coercive measures may be necessary." The Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed with the Baron. "At certain moments, like when a couple of important bonds and stocks are falling sharply, I think we should be closed."

There was silence, and no one objected. As a result, this sudden motion that seemed like a joke was already considered a resolution.

"I'm looking forward to your solution." After reluctantly agreeing, Fuld sneered at Baron de Beauwon.

"It's clear that I'm not God, and there's no magic way to solve all problems dramatically and suddenly." The baron was still calm, and he didn't see any joy or anger, "But I think one of the main problems we face is the shrinking of credit, because the current war with the Russians has made people uneasy, so investors have chosen to wait and see, and the financial situation of companies will naturally deteriorate." In this case, we need to expand credit, increase the injection of credit, and revitalize the market. ”

His words touched the hearts of almost everyone present, and even ministers with little economic knowledge naturally felt right for this positive attitude.

"If all the conditions are right, I think your suggestion is very good." Another participant asked, confused. "But where does the money come from? I'm afraid it will take a lot of money, and now ...... I'm afraid it's hard for us to come up with that much money. ”

"So we need to stop the outflow of gold and silver and create better market conditions." Baron de Beauvang raised his head and looked at Count Argoo, who had been silent and composed, with a slightly challenging gaze, "In addition, the Bank of France must lend money to support the market. ”

In this day and age, French financiers with huge wealth are becoming investors throughout Europe, not only providing more and more capital support for those enterprises at home to help the country carry out a new industrial revolution, but also the absorption of French capital by foreign companies at this time is also increasing, French financiers have made large investments in Spain, Italy, Austria and Germany, and the phenomenon of gold and silver outflow is of course everywhere.

And if you want to curb it, I'm afraid you can only go through the Banque de France.

With his words, Count Argoo, who was as silent as a statue, suddenly became the center of attention, and everyone understood that it was probably the ambitious Baron who was challenging the authority of the president.

And under the baron's aggressive gaze, the count's expression finally loosened a little.

"I'm not opposed to restricting the outflow of gold and silver and stabilizing the market's anxiety, but in the current situation, it is not wise for me to blindly expand the supply of credit. There are a lot of companies that are not in good shape, and if we leave them alone, it may lead to a large number of bad debts and eventually bring down our banking system, but I think that now we should shrink fiscal spending, and the government should also cut spending other than military spending, and only in this way can we fundamentally stabilize the market, and I think stability is the premise of everything. ”

"I think Count Argou is right when he says that the most important thing for us now is to stabilize the market and at the same time reduce the uncertainty caused by the war." As soon as the Earl had spoken, Monsieur Fuld echoed his opinion, and several others followed, and it was evident that this position had been agreed upon by some of the Earl's colleagues.

And the ministers, who did not know how to judge under such a dispute, looked at His Majesty the Emperor and found that His Majesty's expression was still calm and unpredictable, and he was not able to give any hints.

"Shrinkage? No way! To shrink is to die! To everyone's surprise, Baron de Beauvan, who had always been very kind, suddenly shouted, "The Banque de France is the source of life for France, and it should not be the murderer of France!" We can't be sinners either! Now if we shrink, it will be a catastrophe, when the time comes, when the enterprises go bankrupt en masse, will the Banque de France, and even the French Empire, be able to stand alone? It's impossible! We have to throw money out! ”