"Your Majesty, you really hurt me!"

Jérôme. As soon as Bonaparte and Chancellor Diko met, Chancellor Diko turned a bitter face to Jérôme. Bonaparte complained.

"Oh?" Jérôme. With a smile on his lips, Bonaparte asked with interest, "The distance between the two of us is nearly 6 or 70 fathoma, so how can I influence you, the "father of the Imperial Navy"? ”

"Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?" Chancellor Diko asked.

"Say it!" Jérôme. Bonaparte asked, leaning his hand on the seat of his chair.

"Is my wife following your orders Marseille!" Chancellor Diko was unhurried to Jérôme. Bonaparte said.

"That's right! It really is me! "Jérôme. Bonaparte nodded and admitted, "Didn't I send her here to take care of you?" ”

"But, a few days ago she stopped all my work!" Chancellor Diko's tone was slightly complaining to Jérôme. Bonaparte replied, "And she says she did it according to your instructions!" ”

After listening to Minister Dicko's "grievances", Jérôme. Bonaparte's expression also became extraordinarily serious, as Jérôme. Bonaparte for a long time together the Chancellor Dico saw Jérôme. Bonaparte's expression immediately realized that Jérôme. Bonaparte's next words are most likely to be criticisms of his own remarks.

Otherwise, the Emperor would not have spoken to him with such an expression.

"Chancellor Dico, do you remember what you promised me before I left Marseille?" Jérôme. Bonaparte said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, are you looking for an order for the Toulon shipyard?" Chancellor Diko tentatively questioned Jérôme. Bonaparte said.

"Nope! No! "Jérôme. Bonaparte shook his head in response to Chancellor Dico.

"Or maybe it's a cut in the Navy budget?" Minister Diko guessed again.

"Not either!" Jérôme. Bonaparte shook his head again and replied to Chancellor Dico.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't remember what I promised! Thank you for your understanding! "Minister Diko to Jérôme. Bonaparte apologized.

"You can't remember, I still remember clearly!" Jérôme. Bonaparte said coldly to Chancellor Dicoux: "When I was in Marseille, you promised me that I must cherish my body!"

As a result, you cherish it in this way! Theodore. Dick, you're not too young, you still think you're a young man in your 20s and 30s!

I haven't slept for three or four days in a row, you are really not afraid of sudden death! ”

Jérôme. Bonaparte's slapping reprimand did not make Chancellor Dicoe feel any humiliation, but rather made Chancellor Dicoe feel a sense of warmth.

After all, the fact that leaders care about your life proves that they treat you as one of their own.

If you are not your own person, who will care about the routine of a stranger.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry for not keeping what I agreed with you!" Minister Diko was sincere in his attitude towards Jérôme. Bonaparte said.

"Theodore. Dico, I'm warning you once! If you want to spoil your body, then please let me know after I leave the Navy! I don't want to see a newspaper one day that the Imperial Admiralty Chancellor died suddenly in his office because he stayed up too late!

When the time comes, the opposition lurking in the shadows may not know how to orchestrate us! "Jérôme. Bonaparte continued to reprimand the Minister Dico.

"Yes! Your Majesty, from now on I will definitely abide by the agreement! "Chancellor Diko hurried to Jérôme. Bonaparte reassured, and then asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, will you please let my wife not return to Marseille with me!" ”

"Impossible!" Jérôme. Bonaparte decisively rejected Minister Dico, saying, "Your lady will continue to supervise your daily life on my behalf in the future, and I hope you will be prepared!" ”

"Yes!" Can't beat Jérôme. Bonaparte's Dico had no choice but to obey.

"Really! Not only do I have to deal with a lot of files every day, but I also have to ask you all that! "Jérôme. Bonaparte grumbled again.

"Your Majesty, you have worked hard!" Minister Diko to Jérôme. Bonaparte replied with a bow.

"By the way, how are your Admiralty materials prepared! There's a pre-imperial meeting coming up next Monday, so don't drop the chain for me!

"Jérôme. Bonaparte again told Chancellor Dico to prepare the materials in advance.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured! I'll be sure to list all of my expenses for the past year! "Minister Diko to Jérôme. Bonaparte responded: "I assure you that every penny you put into the navy is worth it!" ”

"I hope so!" Jérôme. Bonaparte said in a rambling voice, and then asked, "Yes! How do you see the progress of the ships of the latest models? ”

"It is expected that it will take more than half a year to complete! However, if you want to get into the water, you have to wait until the end of this year! "Minister Diko to Jérôme. Bonaparte replied.

Then he paused, and then turned to Jérôme. Bonaparte responded: "However, I already have data on new ships here!"

Although it is only a preliminary estimate of the designers of the design institute, it is much more than the actual data! ”

With that, Chancellor Diko took out the folded data and drawings from his pocket and handed them to Jérôme. Bonaparte's face.

Jérôme. Bonaparte spread out the drawings and data and looked at them carefully.

Ship name (tentative): Kersson, Sevastopol

Displacement: 5900-6000 tons

Length: 80.72 meters

Width: 17 meters

Draft: 7.7-8.4 m (estimated)

Speed: 13 – 14.5 knots (estimated)

Crew capacity: 570-600 people

Armament: 30 164 mm guns

"The Kerson-class ironclad is an improved product based on the ironclad ship "Friendship", and the hull as a whole adopts the design of the wooden hull laying ironclad, but compared with the Friendship, the armor thickness has been increased, so the protection performance has been improved...... "Minister Diko is Jérôme. Bonaparte explained with all his might.

Jérôme. Bonaparte looked at the Kerson-class ironclad with a few fewer guns than the "Friendship-class" guns, and asked Chancellor Dick if such a design would make the ironclad less capable of attacking.

"No, Your Majesty!" Chancellor Diko was confident in his response to Jérôme. Bonaparte responded, "We have made careful calculations and concluded that the reduction of artillery does not affect the power of the ship!" ”

"That's good!" Jérôme. Bonaparte nodded and replied to Chancellor Dico: "I am very satisfied with the design of the new ironclad ship!" I hope you can keep up the good work and keep it up! ”

"Rest assured! Our navy will definitely design more excellent warships for the empire! Minister Diko looked solemnly at Jérôme. Bonaparte saluted and said, "Strive for the Empire to snatch the Poseidon Trident from Britain sooner!" ”

"Ahem...... Ahem, the latter sentence just needs to be remembered! "Jérôme. Bonaparte cleared his throat and said to Chancellor Dicko, "The goal of our generation is to lay the foundation, to try to catch up with Britain, and to surpass Britain, and leave it to the next generation to complete it!"

There is a generation of work, and you can't rush it! ”

"Yes! Your Majesty! Minister Diko replied in a sonorous tone.

Then, Jérôme. Bonaparte consulted with Chancellor Dick for a long time.

Until noon, Jérôme. Bonaparte and Chancellor Dico just stopped.

Subsequently, Jérôme. Bonaparte summoned Basilio and ordered him to go to the residence of the Minister Dico and invite his wife to the Palazzo de Tuinlery, Jérôme. Bonaparte would like to thank the Dickovs.

After a while, the Dikovs were invited over by Basilio.

Jérôme. Mr. and Mrs. Bonaparte and Mr. and Mrs. Dico sat at a round table and enjoyed lunch.

After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Dico left the Palazzo Douilleri.

……

Time flew by, and soon it was the annual Imperial Council.

Ministers of Departments in Jérôme. Bonaparte rode in a carriage to the Palazzo Douinlery, and then led by Governor Basilio to the place of the Imperial Council.

At this time the Second Emperor of the Empire of Jérôme. Bonaparte was sitting quietly at the head of the conference table, looking at the steady stream of ministers sitting at the conference table.

When everyone was in place, Basilio represented Jérôme. Bonaparte tapped the ground a few times with his cane and said aloud: "The meeting begins!" ”

Jérôme. Bonaparte raised his hand and said to Chancellor of the Exchequer, Maneh, who was sitting in the second seat to her right: "Chancellor Mane, as Chancellor of the Exchequer of the Empire, you will start with it!" No problem! ”

Manie hurriedly got up with a serious face and looked at Jérôme. Bonaparte responded: "Your Majesty, I am ready!" ”

Jérôme. Bonaparte patted the table lightly with his hand and replied with a grim expression: "Then let's begin!" ”

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Manie first asked Jérôme to the Chancellor. Bonaparte reported on the overall financial situation of the French Empire in 1855, i.e., that by December 1855 the total income of the French Empire was about 2,380 million francs.

This figure has dropped significantly compared to the wartime period. Bonaparte immediately asked Magne why.

"Your Majesty, this year the Empire is in order to stabilize the situation! We have a lot of tax cuts, especially on luxury goods! Chancellor of the Exchequer Mane hurried to Jérôme. Bonaparte explained.

Jérôme. Bonaparte remembered that in order to stabilize employment, he had to reduce taxes on the luxury industry and the steel industry to a certain extent.

This led to a decline in the Empire's taxes compared to before the war.

"What about our spending for the whole of last year?" Jérôme. Bonaparte asked again.

"2,740,000,000 francs!" Manie again against Jérôme. Bonaparte reported.

"In this way, our government not only did not earn a penny in a year last year, but also owed more than 300 million public debts! Is that so? "Jérôme. Bonaparte asked the Minister of Mane.