Several merchants from the Confederation had already gone to the Paris region to do business...... The European continent of this period can never be ignored there.

However, the merchants also carried a secret order from the Governor of the Second Governor to gather as much information as possible about Philip IV...... They also brought a photographer and two other assistants.

Photography, that's the most intuitive technical means of transmitting information.

There is no need to take a candid photo at all, just rent a shop in the most lively place in the city of Paris and advertise it...... Of course, it's all written in French.

In fact, the largest number of Caucasian slaves that King Zhang Anguo bought at the beginning were from France...... Far surpassed the kingdom of England and the German region of God against the Roman Empire.

The public situation of Philip IV is clear to the Viceroy of the Lesser Er.

He was born in 1268 in Fontainebleau, near Paris.

It was at the end of the reign of his grandfather, Louis IX. At this time, the royal realm was expanded, and the royal power was strengthened compared to before. However, Louis IX's enthusiasm for the Crusades not only cost a lot of money, but he also died in the North African battlefield.

Of course, a large number of French accompanied him as prisoners of war, and were eventually bought as slaves from the East.

Philip IV's father, "bold" Philip III, was corrupt and incompetent, and challenged the Kingdom of Aragon in Spain because King Pedro III of Aragon had supported the Sicilians in a coup d'état in 1282 that overthrew Charles I of Anjou under Philip III.

The result was unfavorable, and Philip III was defeated and killed three years later.

Philip IV, the second son of Philip III, lost his mother at the age of 3 and married his stepmother's father, who did not care much about him.

He grew up in complex court struggles, becoming heir to the throne after the death of his eldest brother in 1276, succeeding to the throne in October 1285.

Philip IV was tall and well-groomed, earning him the nickname "The Pretty Man".

But his personality is deep and subtle, and he pays attention to reality.

Unlike his grandfather and father, he had no interest in fighting far from the Kingdom of France itself, and from the moment he ascended the throne he did his best to get rid of it, and devoted himself to the unification of France itself and the strong consolidation of royal power.

At the time of Philip IV's accession to the throne, the territories of Poato and Toulouz in southwestern France had been annexed to the crown because they had no heirs.

He married Queen Juana I of Navarre, giving the Capetian dynasty the crown of the Kingdom of Navarre.

Since the royal family of Navarre was the hereditary lord of the Champagne region, this move also led to the fall of Champagne, an important feudal territory, into the hands of the royal family.

The incorporation of the wealthy regions of Champagne, Pouatu and Touloz greatly strengthened Philip IV.

Therefore, he was at a time when he was full of ambition to unify France...... But what exactly is he doing and what are his plans for the future...... And what is the overall strength of the Kingdom of France...... These are all first-hand materials that the Governor of the Second Junior wants to master.

Less than three months after the merchants of the Confederation set up shop in Paris, the second viceroy received a great deal of information about the real Philip IV.

Philip IV was now recruiting a large number of troops, targeting the wealthy Flanders of Europe...... This young guy is really ambitious.

Philip IV now openly supported the aristocratic oligarchs in the cities there who were close to the Kingdom of France, while smaller guilds and workers vied to support Count Guy in maintaining his independence......

In the eyes of the low-level commoners, Count Guy was a lord close to the people, and he never arbitrarily increased the taxes of the commoners, and for many years it had been a few simple taxes.

Count Guy added the main taxes to the nobility of the realm and to the new large owners of industry and commerce, and instead reduced the taxes on the small owners of handicrafts and the circulation and sale of goods.

Even the merchants who had settled in the city of Paris advised the Governor of the Second Lieutenant to help Count Guy not to make Philip IV arrogant, let alone to occupy Flanders' territory.

Philip IV now had a huge tax on an unprecedented scale because of the huge cost of recruiting soldiers.

He borrowed and created many tax items, such as the "stove tax" levied on land and household registration, and the "special tax" on all goods transferred to the hand was more than three times the value of Flanders' territory!

He also imposed special additional taxes on necessities such as salt, wine, and wheat...... Let the civilians out of thin air twice the burden of Flanders' territory!

He also stipulated that everyone had the obligation to defend the country, and those who did not join the army were required to pay a "substitute payment...... Even foreign businessmen who come to do business have to pay a substitute fee!

Of course, the merchants of the Federal Empire had to pay this joyful tax.

Another way of exploitation was currency depreciation and over-issuance, which the merchants hated the most......

At this time, there were great differences in the minting of silver coins among the kingdoms and regions of Western Europe, but these currencies were not regional at all, and the issuance and circulation were two categories after all.

Few rulers can put an end to the outflow of their own good money, or prevent the infiltration of bad money from outside, and of course, they will not refuse to sell their bad money and buy good money from foreign countries.

As a result, the mixed circulation of foreign currency and domestic currency is a common law in all European countries.

Just as the banknotes and gold, silver, and copper coins of the Federal Empire were also in circulation in the Great Song Dynasty, Goryeo, and Japan, and even in the territory ruled by the Tatars.

At present, at least nearly 200 currencies are in use at the same time in the Kingdom of France, which was founded by Philip II, and there are more than 400 currencies in prosperous regions such as the Netherlands and Italy!

These silver coins, of varying weights and confusing values, as well as small bronze coins that had no widespread credibility and were limited to local use, combined with bartering more generally, constituted the means of payment for the lives of ordinary people in Europe.

The influx of the currency of the Federal Empire was not rejected at all, but was welcomed by the masses!

However, the merchants hated the rulers most of all for seizing the wealth of the merchants by deliberately devaluation and over-issuance of currency, which was simply hated by all men and gods!

Those who deliberately depreciate and over-issue currency, what is the aftermath?!

During this period, the Dniere silver coins in circulation in the Kingdom of France originally contained only a few grams of silver, and Philip IV also ordered that they be overissued by secretly adding red copper to them...... This is simply an insult to the wisdom of the merchants!

What merchant isn't sensitive to the silver content of a silver coin?!

And the Flanders region is doing much better...... Not to mention that Count Guy was able to reduce his business tax, and the silver content of the silver coins he issued was always stable, which was comparable to the silver coins issued by Edward I.

During this period, the Kingdom of England issued some of the most famous silver coins.

Of course, this was before the influx of silver coins from the Federal Empire.

Philip IV also dealt a fatal blow to the Jews and Lombards who operated money lending and banking in the Kingdom of France.

They were first extorted from huge taxes and loans, then arrested for ransom, and finally confiscated their property and deported from the country.

This in turn brought Philip IV a huge income, but it completely plunged the weak financial industry of the Kingdom of France into a situation of policy chaos.

Those Jews can now run to Liberty Island with their bare hands to escape for their lives...... Whether they can make a comeback can only depend on their luck.

However, the chaos in the city of Paris has made it impossible for several businessmen of the Indien Group to operate normally!

There is even a danger of losing money!!

If it weren't for the secret order of the Governor of the Second Lieutenant, they would not have continued to operate in the city of Paris...... You can go to Flanders.

So, the merchants' disgust with Philip IV overflowed the page.

When the Governor of the Second Junior saw the suggestions of the managers of the Yindian Group Company, he wanted to laugh in his heart...... The way a businessman evaluates a person is not the same as a soldier.

Colonel Wang Ding suggested that he should cooperate with Philip IV, and he thought that he could make full use of the opportunity of that guy's attempt to unify the large and small principalities around the Kingdom of France and expand the influence of the Federal Empire here!

War will bring untold labor and sell the arms of the Federal Empire.