As the footsteps of autumn linger on the land, the weather becomes cooler, the once verdant forests are dyed orange and yellow, and the incessant chirping of cicadas and frogs in the fields has also become silent, silently heralding the arrival of winter in the near future. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

However, unlike the cold weather, the fierce war that was raging in the easternmost corner of the European continent was in full swing, and the scale of the war was getting bigger and bigger, and more and more lives were sacrificed to the wasteland of Crimea forever.

Although the battlefield took place in a corner on the edge of the continent, because the identities of the participants were so unusual, they were three of the most powerful countries in the world at this time, so it was destined to gather the attention of the whole world, and it had almost become the overwhelming issue of European countries, and was destined to change the course of the whole world.

After fierce fighting, this war, which had been going on for half a year, began to show its initial future direction, and more and more people began to believe that Russia's defeat would only be a matter of time, and Britain and France would unite to use the wealth and technology they had accumulated over the centuries to squeeze Russia's living space little by little with their superior navy and army, forcing him to surrender and admit defeat.

The Russian Empire, once in power when it defeated Napoleon's French Empire in 1812, saw itself as the savior of Europe, and in the back, the Tsars saw themselves as the leaders of the Holy Alliance, the protectors of the European monarchs, and the power of Russia seemed unstoppable...... Now, however, it has lost its reputation due to repeated defeats, and it is no longer the European gendarme who trembles with fear and trembling for all.

"Bang!"

Thousands of miles from the shelled Crimean Peninsula, in the mountains of the French province of Lorraine, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out.

However, these gunshots were not intended to take people's lives, but to take the lives of other living beings.

It was not accompanied by the noisy trumpets and hoarse shouts of the battlefield, but the enthusiastic and deliberate cheers of a group of well-dressed people.

It was not the soldiers who fired the shots, but the Imperial Chancellor, His Excellency Charles de Treville.

At this time, the young minister was riding his horse in high spirits, and from time to time raised his gun to fire at all kinds of prey, and surrounded by a crowd of people who either shot at the same prey as he did, or simply gathered around him, applauding and flattering his Excellency with every shot.

This forest, dense and stout, can be seen inaccessible, the trees block the sun, making the temperature here cooler than outside, and the breeze floats in the fragrance of the fragrance, which makes everyone feel relaxed, and in the distance, the towering Vosges Mountains magnificently stay in the distance, and the murmuring stream that flows slowly down from the mountain makes the water more whispering here, and also makes the place a little more soft.

His Excellency had come to Strasbourg the day before yesterday to inspect the railway works and facilities there, and after completing his official duties, he went south with his retinue to the woods to relax himself by hunting.

Because of the minister's wayward behavior, his entourage and some other people he had gathered had to follow his Excellency here, and participate in the hunt as well as he did.

Some people were so excited about it, while others were not interested in it, so they just pretended to deal with it, but whatever they thought, they were well received and did not feel neglected.

"Bang!"

After another shot rang out, a fawn was thrown to the ground, and the Chancellor, who seemed to be feeling a little tired at last, handed his gun to his attendant, and then tightened the reins of his horse.

The prey he hunts down will be collected by a special person, and in the evening it will be served as an ingredient on the table, so he will not bother.

"Are you tired, sir?" Mademoiselle Marie-de Léoland, a close confidant who had also come with Her Excellency on horseback and accompanied Her Excellency, thoughtfully handed him her handkerchief, "Take a break. ”

"Thank you, Mary." Charles took the handkerchief and wiped his forehead, then turned to look at the people next to him, "Thank you, for staying with me on the hunt for so long...... Let's go for lunch! ”

"Yes, Your Excellency!" His words, as always, were echoed by everyone.

Soon, they were walking through the path through the woods and came to a house. This secluded country house occupies a large area, and although it is not luxuriously furnished, it is very exquisitely furnished and has all kinds of facilities. On the second floor of the house there was a large platform, on which a table had been set up, and the table was already filled with all kinds of game and fruits, and just beside the table, a small band was playing soft music to accompany the people's meal.

From the platform, you can see the forests and valleys in the distance, and the green and orange leaves paint a wonderful picture in front of everyone, and the mountains in the distance are even more majestic, and it is a great pleasure to listen to melodious and soothing music and enjoy these carefully cooked game in this quiet environment.

Seeing this situation, who would have thought that at this time, there are many young French people who are suffering on the battlefield, not enough to eat and clothe, and even have to shed blood and sacrifice?

The magnates of the newly fledgling Second Empire, gradually by extracting capital from the state budget, soon got rid of their original predicament and accumulated a large amount of wealth, and like all the people who got rich, they did not value the wealth they had obtained, and each of them had the courage to spend money, compared to the pomp and circumstance of the princes of the royal family in Paris, the pomp of His Excellency Chancellor Tréville was not amazing, but it was still something that ordinary people could not feel. It is even more unimaginable to those young people who are fighting on the front line.

In the midst of everyone's attention, Chancellor Trevier picked up his glass and looked at everyone with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's first toast to the victory of the Imperial Army! Long live the Empire! ”

"Long live the Empire!" Others also raised their glasses and celebrated the recent victory of the Imperial Army on the Crimean Peninsula.

Recently, the Empire's successes on the Crimean peninsula have been reported frequently, and the suspicion and war-weariness that had begun in the country have slowly subsided, and the initial national fervor has returned to the mainstream, encouraged by the Imperial media.

There is no doubt that the victory on the battlefield strengthened the position of the Empire, and with the defeat of the once invincible Russian Empire in the face of France, it is natural that people no longer have to question the solidity of the Empire's foundations.

Thus, one of the purposes of Emperor Napoleon III in waging this war had been achieved, his empire was finally recognized by the French people, and perhaps in the future, the fickle French would question his throne again, but at least for now, he was recognized as the master of the empire.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is no doubt that the Empire now has the upper hand in the war, and although the chattering opponents, doubting our ability and doubting our strength, we are finally defeating the Russians and making them retreat, showing the spirit of France." In his usual oratorical tone, Charles said to the group, "Although we have to admit that we cannot bring the Russians to a quick defeat, His Majesty the Emperor, and the ministers of the Empire, are convinced that sooner or later the Russians will be unable to hold on to such attrition and seek peace with us, and that day will come soon!" ”

As usual, Charles's words echoed again, and the guests whispered about every advance of the Empire on the battlefield and toasted victory after victory.

However, for them, the war is just a game far away, it will not bring them much disaster, it will only bring them glory, and they watch the war as if they were watching a drama.

Summoned personally by His Excellency the Chancellor, these guests were of course extraordinary, as they were the largest and most representative group of mine owners in Alsace and Lorraine.

In the eastern provinces, the iron ore reserves are very rich, from ancient times has been a famous iron ore area, and in this era, because of the industrialization process, so the demand for iron ore in various countries is more and more huge, so these iron ore is becoming more and more important.

At this time, Giverny, which had become the largest center of industrial production and the center of steelmaking enterprises, was very dependent on a large and continuous supply of iron ore.

However, in this day and age, these mine owners have not yet formed the huge factories and mines of the future, and the way of operation is still very primitive, and because most of them are working in silos, there is not enough capital to intervene, so they have exhausted all their strength just to run their own iron mines, and let them spontaneously expand production, which is really a bit inadequate.

It was to solve these problems that Minister Tréville brought them together.

When lunch was almost over and everyone was in high spirits, Charles finally stopped chatting with others and stood up directly. "Ladies and gentlemen, before the formal conversation begins, allow me, on behalf of the Government and His Majesty the Emperor, to thank you for your contributions to the country over the years."

As soon as these words came out, they immediately caused some nervousness and panic in the crowd, after all, everyone knew very well the way of the upper echelons of the empire today, and it was a little suspicious that such a minister, and such a favored minister, would say such a thing.

"Your Excellency, you said it too politely, we are just a group of small businessmen from other provinces, how dare we say anything contribution? Your Majesty and you are contributing to France. A large mine owner quickly stood up and bowed to Charles, "Of course, if the Imperial Government needs our help, we are willing to do what we can to help the country......

As the local mine owners, they are most afraid of the impulse of the imperial government or the magnates to force some extortion donations, after all, they are rich in wealth, and all of them are stained with the blood of the miners, and they are the favorite and easiest objects of the government to extort.

What's even more troublesome is that because their assets are all mining areas that are difficult to transfer, it is difficult to even refuse extortion. Therefore, traditionally, every time they encounter trouble, they will first choose to resist, and when they have no choice, they would rather break the bank to eliminate the disaster, so as not to be directly brought down by others.

And now that the empire is so strict, and Minister de Treville is even more famous, they didn't even dare to have the idea of resisting at first, preferring to break the fortune and eliminate the disaster, so when they were summoned by His Excellency, they were ready to be slaughtered, how dare they be arrogant in front of His Excellency.

For them, it is heart-wrenching to be blackmailed by the minister, but if they can take this opportunity to get the support of such an umbrella, it is a very cost-effective business for them.

It is precisely for this reason that they all came here enthusiastically to meet His Excellency the Minister and flattered him desperately.

"Don't get me wrong, the Imperial Government doesn't intend for you to donate, at least not yet, the Government respects and protects your personal wealth." When everyone was hurried and humble, Charles couldn't help but laugh again, and then raised his hand to stop the group of people, "I'm not kidding, I'm telling the truth...... Gentlemen, steel is the grain of industry, and iron ore is naturally the grain of steel, and without enough steel, we cannot lay enough railways, build enough buildings, and even defend the empire with enough guns...... Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that you hold the lifeblood of the empire. It is because I realize your importance that I have brought you together. ”

Charles's words were so gentle that these mine owners were a little relieved, but they still looked at each other, not understanding the deep meaning of the minister's words, so no one directly agreed, everyone just looked at the minister's honor, quietly waiting for his announcement.

"Now, I think you understand the importance of iron ore to the Empire, then, in such a situation, in order to meet the growing needs of the industrial community, the Imperial Government must increase the production of iron ore, and as a relevant professional, the government needs your help." Under the gaze of everyone, Charles first took another sip of wine, and then said leisurely, "I hope you can expand the production of iron ore in an orderly manner in the next time." The money you need can be financed by the state. ”

Then, after a pause, he added, "Of course, in consideration of the security of the funds, the Imperial Government has had to make some structural adjustments while funding you...... In general, the government wants you to be able to run your iron ore mines in a more modern way and serve the country in a unified way. ”