Under a sunny sunny sky, the waves crash against the piers all over the port of Calais, seemingly endlessly. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoThe huge harbor is like a giant sea crab, it spreads its pincers open, and is ready to welcome the ships that come from all over the world. After the waves reced, the golden sand sparkled with golden specks against the deep blue sea. Standing in the blue sky, the lighthouse is both well-defined and majestic.

Merchant ships sailed into the harbor with their sails outstretched, and countless ships left at the same time. From time to time, dock workers shuttle between the trestle and the moored ships, unloading or loading batches of goods, so that the veins of economy and trade can be unblocked, and wealth can continue to flow in the world.

As one of the largest and busiest ports in France, the Port of Calais is one of the largest in Europe, generating huge volumes of trade between France and its various European neighbors and colonies, allowing French businesses and governments to reap huge profits from it.

Just around the harbor, there is a beautiful little villa, from the second floor of the villa, you can have the best view of the harbor, in the distance, in the slightly misty sea breeze, the water surface of the harbor is like a neon shining light, and the white sails of fishing boats and merchant ships are like seagulls.

At this time, however, the occupants of the room did not have time to enjoy the stunning view of the sea outside their windows, for they had been specially summoned by the Imperial Chancellor, Monsieur de Treville, to give them a lecture.

They were all merchants of some fame and power in the shipbuilding and shipping industry, some of them natives of Calais, others he had called from elsewhere, and thanks to the telegraph and the first few railway lines, it would not have been easy to summon them to such a conference at short time.

After receiving the invitation from His Excellency the Minister, these merchants did not dare to slack off, and rushed over from all over the country. As the new Minister of Transportation, in addition to the Empire's railroad business, maritime and maritime affairs will also be in charge of him, the Minister of Empire.

After Louis Bonaparte formally abolished the republic and transformed himself from president of the republic to emperor, he carried out major reforms in the political structure of the entire country in order to centralize the power of the state.

He imitated Napoleon I in setting up the Senate and limiting the legislative power and budget review power of the National Assembly, so that the institution, which had been the enemy of successive governments and any politicism since 1815, was at last no longer so formidable, and allowed his own government to govern without restriction in order to realize his original ideas.

At the same time, he took care to strengthen the authority of the government apparatus and to concentrate power in the hands of his trusted cronies, which not only strengthened the authority of these ministers, but also allowed them to find ways to extract benefits and wealth from the state budget to compensate them for their years of following him.

As Minister of Communications, and having the trust of His Majesty the Emperor, Charles was naturally so powerful that in addition to managing the country's transportation undertakings, he could sometimes even overstep his authority -- and all the other government departments knew that he was deeply favored, so they gave him three points.

It is for this reason that Chancellor de Treville is free to act as he pleases within his sphere of influence, that no audit or inspection department can question him or hinder him, and that it is best to cooperate if everyone knows what he wants to do.

This villa was temporarily rented by Shire's subordinates and selected as a meeting venue, firstly, in line with the principle of solving maritime matters by the sea, it is very fitting to hold such a meeting by the harbor; Secondly, the port of Calais, as the closest to England, France's largest trading partner, was also very convenient for the Charles to carry out other activities.

When the merchants gathered in the villa, either excitedly or apprehensively, they were received by the renovated villa in an unfaultable state, not only with all the facilities, but also with cold drinks in the early autumn season, so that they could quickly recover from the drowsiness of the long journey.

However, the only thing that made them a little regretful was that the minister was late.

These businessmen are considered to have families and businesses, and their time is quite precious, but when they arrive here, they can only wait for the visit of His Excellency, although they know that His Excellency the Minister is putting on a show, but they can only wait here without complaint.

Because the wait was really boring, they began to talk around, but they also took this opportunity to meet a lot of peers, which can be regarded as an unexpected gain.

It was close to noon, and just as they were starting to get a little tired from talking, a large group of people walked into the living room.

Although there was no roll call, looking at this pomp, everyone also understood that His Excellency the Minister had already arrived in person, so they quickly stopped their respective conversations and looked at His Excellency the Minister in unison.

"Good afternoon, everyone, I'm sorry I was late because I had something to do." Charles smiled and waved his hand to the group of merchants, with the demeanor of a national leader, "I hope it doesn't bore you." ”

Of course, he would not have received an affirmative reply, and the merchants said that they had not waited at all, and thanked His Excellency the Minister for giving them such an opportunity to meet.

"It's best if you're not angry." Charles smiled, "Actually, I called everyone here today, just so that everyone can get to know each other, because with the development of the country's economy, the development model of everyone working independently in the past has become outdated, and the future will definitely be the unification and coordination of the national market...... It is very beneficial for everyone to understand this trend at an early stage. ”

His words soon silenced the audience, and everyone was chewing on the deep meaning of His Excellency's words, trying to figure out the original intention of His Excellency the Minister to summon them here today.

Before calling them over, His Excellency the Minister had mentioned some things in the telegram, such as "strengthening the management of the industry, building a new industrial order, and rectifying the unhealthy competitive environment", but I do not know whether it was because of the limited space of the telegram or the deliberate vagueness, these words were not clearly stated, and everyone did not understand how His Excellency the Minister intended to rectify the situation.

But Charles didn't give them room to think deeply, and he waved his hand again. "Okay, let's not talk here, let's go upstairs together, there is a good view, and this will also save you the time to introduce yourself to me one by one, there are name tags in front of the seats there, please take your seats."

With that, he went upstairs first, but unlike the one who had been hugging him before, he was followed by only one person—his secretary, Mademoiselle de l'Éorent. She was wearing a black dress today, and she looked very serious, completely different from her usual lively appearance in front of Charles and the others.

The merchants were immediately awe-struck, and then followed the Minister upstairs. The lobby on the second floor is equally spacious and carefully arranged in the style of a conference room, with long oval tables in the center of the room, and name tags written on each seat for easy seating.

After taking their seats, the merchants did not dare to speak, and looked at His Excellency the Minister and waited for him to speak.

Charles was not in a hurry, but glanced at Mary first, and Mary understood, got up and closed the door, and then picked up the notebook and sat silently next to him.

"I'm sure you're still struggling with my intentions for summoning you today." Charles first said to them openly and honestly, "I'm sorry, I didn't make it clear enough in the telegram before, of course, this is not because I mean to make everyone distressed, but there are many things, and I can't and shouldn't bother everyone with a telegram, but we should get together and solve the problem in the most efficient way." I hope that this recollection will also help us to form a fixed mechanism, because I think it will be necessary for everyone to hold some form of gathering in a certain period of time in the future, so that the relevant industries of the empire can develop in an orderly manner and contribute to the prosperity of the economy and the well-being of the people. ”

His previous opening remarks were official terms, covering all aspects but not involving anything specific, so none of these businessmen spoke up, but waited for His Excellency the Minister to play the meat below.

"There is no doubt that transportation is the lifeblood of a country's economy, and whether it is successful and efficient directly determines the success or failure of a country's economy. Since Your Majesty has entrusted me with the post of Minister, I must contribute my own strength to its progress, and I will do my best to fulfill the duties entrusted to me by Your Majesty. "Since I took office, I have given priority to the railway industry of the Empire, but I don't think you know what I've done, and I don't want to say more about other things that have nothing to do with you, so I'll just say something related to today--I have ordered the establishment of an unofficial railway federation, with the participation of the railway industry with special qualifications, and everyone will cooperate with the government and cooperate with each other, share resources and information with each other, exchange technology, and at the same time distribute government contracts on their own, in order to achieve common prosperity...... Now that I have begun to reform the railways, I have set my sights on the shipping of the Empire. ”

After looking around with a bold gaze, Charles nodded slightly. "Yes, for the sake of the prosperity of the whole industry, I think that the shipping industry, whether it is domestic canals or foreign shipping, must also set up similar organizations to manage and cooperate, so as to promote the prosperity of the industry to a greater extent. I would like you to note that the government is going to make a lot of investment in the shipping industry, and it needs to make sure that there is a return on those investments. ”

With all that said, Charles was deliberately silent, waiting for their feedback.

"Your Excellency, in essence, I do not object to your concept...... Because I also feel that the industry must be further integrated in order to face the current business situation......" After a long silence, a local businessman from the port of Calais asked with some trepidation, "but I would like to ask, in what form do you want to accomplish this reform?" ”

"That's where I need to rely on you." Charles spread his hands, "You are all very respected people in the relevant industry, so this kind of association would not have been possible without your help. I hope that you can all contribute to it, and as for me and the government, we will only play a role of spectator or support, and of course, we will also provide necessary guidance. ”

Charles did intend to form a semi-official federation of enterprises in the shipping business, but unlike the monopolistic and xenophobic federations of railways, he intended to turn such associations into guild business alliances.

Because, unlike the new railroad, shipping is an industry that has been going on for hundreds of years, and the number of employees is very large, and if a radical monopoly process is forced into it, it will definitely cause great repercussions, which is very unfavorable and meaningless for the Shire. He wants to gradually centralize the shipping industry through state support and not cause fierce social problems.

With the Union of Railways, he had enough money to amass, and there was no need to amass it by all kinds of drastic means, but all he had to do now was to strengthen the management of the trade, which was good for him to expand his power, and good for the prosperity of commerce.

Moreover, in the future, the shipping industry will also be inseparable from heavy industry, and in this way he can bring practical benefits to his own prosperity through its prosperity.

"What is the necessary guidance?" The businessman pressed again.

"According to our plan, all enterprises that join the federation need to submit a fixed proportion of their income as membership dues every year, so that they can raise a fund for the operation and management of the federation, which will not be taken away by anyone, but will be used to fight risks, after all, business has boom and bust cycles, and everyone needs to deal with unexpected needs." Charles patiently followed them along, while Mary next to her also wrote in a serpentine manner, "At the same time, the government will also provide subsidies to you to promote technological innovation and speed up the process of replacing sailboats with steamboats." ”

"Steamboat?" His Excellency's words immediately caused a commotion.

Steamships are nothing new to these people.

As early as 1807, the American inventor Fulton built the first paddle-wheel-propelled steam engine ship "Clermont", with a speed of about 8 km/h. The first pater-steamer to carry mail was the British mail ship "Rob Roy", which carried mail between Grenok and Belfast in 1818 and transferred to the Dover-Calais port mail route in 1820.

As a ship that does not depend on the sky for food, the superiority of steamships over sailing ships is of course self-evident, and the technology is gradually improving, but now in French inland waterways and overseas transportation, sailing ships still dominate - after all, sailing ships in this era are already very mature technology, speed and stability have reached a very high degree, steamships are superior but not to the point of being able to completely replace them, and because of the huge stock, the owners do not want to let them be retired before they are completely old.

This situation was certainly not so satisfactory for Charles, who wanted to speed up the process of technological innovation, so he also wanted to speed up the construction and improvement of steamships through joint and government investment, so as to increase France's shipbuilding capacity by one or two steps. At the same time, it can also provide the country with the need to expand employment.

In addition, there is a concern that cannot be spoken.

In times of war, or whenever necessary, the government may, by means of strengthened regulation, requisition the ships of these shipping enterprises, whether paid or unpaid, for the purpose of carrying out any act of war. Being able to sail on inland rivers and windless seas is always more handy for steamships than sailboats.

"We wouldn't mind ordering some steamships to replace the current ones if there was help from the state's investment...... However, Your Excellency, it is still a bit of trouble for steamships to replace ocean-going sailing ships. A businessman reminded.

"I'm not in a hurry, but I think that with the innovation of technology, the transformation of ocean-going sailing ships into steamships will also be a prospect that will emerge, and it will be soon." Charles nodded, agreeing with the other party's opinion, "So in general, I hope you can complete this replacement as soon as possible." ”

"If there is financial support from the state, I would like to ...... We can build as many good ships as we can. At this time, a businessman in the shipbuilding industry suddenly spoke, "We have long wanted to expand production, but we are afraid of the risk of the market, after all, financing is too difficult......

"With me here, it's not difficult." Charles smiled, "I will pursue my policy with my strong will, and I can guarantee that whoever succeeds me, I will do everything in my power to keep them on the same track." ”

"But the problem of fuel is difficult to solve...... at this time, another merchant spoke cautiously, "a merchant ship with sails can travel the world with the help of the wind, but a steamship cannot do without coal." ”

This concern is actually very normal, for the long-distance ships, it is really difficult to replenish the coal now, so many ships are now equipped with steam engines and sails, so that there is still power available when there is no fuel.

"Of course, we've taken that into account." Charles spread his hand again, "There is no doubt that France is not a big coal producer, but fortunately, there is a country next to her that is rich in high-quality coal, and we have now signed a long-term agreement with the British to import a lot of coal from them in the future, high-quality fuel coal." Of course, it will be a significant expense, but I believe that the cost is not too much compared to the benefits it can bring. ”

In this era, Western countries have not yet laid out a network of ports and coaling stations in Europe and the whole world, as they did later, but it will not take a few decades for them to do so.

Britain was fortunate to have a rich coal supply, and it was very high-quality coal that could be used on steamships, so relying on the empire's network of colonies around the world, the British were the first to establish a network of ports in the following era, and also sent their refined coal to all corners of the world, even as far away as Shanghai, on the other side of the world.

Little did Charles know that he had already been involved in the process as a pioneer.

His words caused a commotion in the arena, and everyone was very surprised. They did not expect that His Excellency the Minister had already taken such measures that he seemed to have made up his mind, and that he could not refuse; Secondly, he did not expect that he had already extended his hand to the affairs of trade between the two countries, which should not have been handled by the Minister of Transport.

"Closer economic and trade ties and a larger scale of trade will undoubtedly benefit both of our countries, and it will also make the relationship between the two countries much closer than before." In the eyes of the onlookers, Charles calmly explained, "This is Your Majesty's will, and it is also my will." ”

However, this was also done by Charles in accordance with the will of Louis Bonaparte, who saw the promotion of French trade as necessary for a prosperous economy, and if necessary, to break the shackles of mercantilism and increase imports from foreign countries; Trade with Britain was of great importance and had a different significance.

So, although it was not feasible to abolish France's traditionally high tariffs altogether, he was very much in favor of an agreement with the British to increase coal imports.

With the support of His Majesty the Emperor himself, Charles began to deal with the British government and merchants, and soon reached an agreement to import large quantities of coal, which far exceeded the existing French demand.

In Charles's view, since countries have begun to innovate the technology of steamships to replace sailboats, the demand for coal will definitely increase exponentially in the future, and it is wise for France to be able to import large quantities of coal from Britain at a lower price, even if it is not used up for the time being.

Although France is now small and has few trading partners, in the future, shipping and merchant ships will certainly be the main means of foreign trade for a country, and every country will rely on international trade to a greater or lesser extent to maintain the stability of its economy and wealth - even France, which has always practiced mercantilism.

"The basic situation, now that I have explained it to you, you can see that the government has summoned you here, not on a whim alone, but after careful weighing and preparation, and has made up its mind to implement its own policies." Charles looked around at the merchants, and then laughed, "There is no doubt that you may not listen to my advice, but I can also tell you that everything on the French sea is now under my control, except for the water demons, and if anyone does not do what the government wants, I can make your ship, their factory ship, or your merchant ship, never enter the ports of France, and I can give complete assurance of this." You can make suggestions for improvement, but the general direction must be done according to the will of the Empire - and that is it. (To be continued.) )