Paris, Tuileries Palace.

At this time, France was suffering from potato late blight and cholera, and news of the great colonial rebellion reached Paris.

Louis Philippe did not understand why anyone was dissatisfied with him, because he lived a simple life, and only eight servants served in the morning, but Louis XVI had sixteen servants.

(The legend of the Sixteen Servants was more discredited, given the financial constraints of the French royal family at the time.) ）

Why don't the French people commemorate his pioneering achievements? Why not be proud of the obelisks and statues that tower over the Place de la Concorde?

(The Place de la Concorde, formerly known as Place Louis XV, was renamed Place de la Revolucio during the French Revolution, also known as the "Execution Ground.")

Louis XVI, Danton, Robespierre, the three men who had held the fate of France in their hands, died at the hands of the same executioner, in the same square.

Later, the Bourbon Restoration renamed it "Place de la Concorde". ）

The obelisk on the Place de la Concorde was given to the Governor of Egypt, Mohamed Ali, and the giant statue was sent by the former Governor of Texas (still in Arkham Prison).

Louis Philippe, though he tried his best to present himself as more "bourgeois", was actually very fond of naming land and buildings after himself.

For example, the new ballroom in the Château de Fontainebleau was named the "Louis Philippe Gallery". However, due to its poor taste, it was often ridiculed by the upper class as the "Wild Boar Corridor", and even became a hot topic in the major salons in Paris for a time.

Although Louis Philippe forbade his wife and daughter to wear jewelry in public, the family's public appearance was described as an extravagant exhibition.

"Since the birth of Jesus, there has never been such a grandeur and luxury in royal travel throughout the ages."

- Journal de Paris

France's New Louisiana colony took advantage of the Mexican-American War to annex nearly 600,000 square kilometers of New Mexico's land south of 37°N.

But to Louis Philip's bother, taxes across New Louisiana began to fall instead of rising.

At the same time, the Texans, who had given him a statue, began to raise the anti-flag against France. For Louis Philippe, these men were as capricious villains as the Egyptians of the past.

The most disgusting thing was that the invincible army of France also rebelled against the peasants, and Louis Philippe and his Orleanists hated the soldiers, but they lacked enough courage and courage.

So there is a very strange phenomenon, that is, whatever happens has nothing to do with the top of the army.

So the Bonapartist faction turned a deaf ear to what was happening in New Louisiana (Texas) at this time, and the Secretary of War Alexander Moran only knew how to ask for military spending.

The reason for this war minister is simple, what does this prove that France has suffered in several previous conflicts?

Of course, there is not enough military investment! If nothing else, if you first form a standing army of one million people, you don't believe that the German Confederation can win.

Alexander Moran's imaginary enemy had always been the whole of Germany, and at this time, all the member states of the entire German Confederation could have raised an army of one million men when they were fully armed.

It is true that Louis Philippe did not understand military affairs, but a standing army of one million is too much of a common sense. He wanted Prime Minister Sirte to deal with the troublesome War Minister, but the old Prime Minister only wanted to retire honorably and ignored His Majesty's hints.

In addition to the army, the navy is also a gold-eating behemoth. The Minister of the Navy, Anger de Macau, demanded that all the old sail battleships of the French Navy be replaced with new steam warships.

Admiral Ange de Marcau was a typical technocrat, a very good engineer who had recognized the superiority of the steam warship.

According to Admiral Ange de Macau's estimates, as long as the French navy can complete the rearmament, it will have absolute maritime superiority in the Mediterranean, and it may even break the British blockade of Gibraltar with the cooperation of the inside and outside.

A strong navy would help France to dominate the seas, gain trade advantages, and capture more colonies.

But let's not talk about the sky-high cost of transformation, just five years is enough for the British Navy to update another batch of equipment.

The main thing is that the British are not stupid, and in order to maintain their maritime supremacy, the strength of their navy has always been maintained at a level that no one can beat.

At this time, the frantic shipbuilding programs of Austria and France had an impact on the former, and the British Navy at this time had nearly thirty more battleships than in history.

What is the concept of thirty battleships? After so many years of hard work, the Austrian Empire built only twenty battleships on its own.

Moreover, warships are different from merchant ships, and this thing will lose money when it is built, even if it is not opened in the dock, it will depreciate in value in a few years, and even be scrapped.

At this time, the size of both the Great Eastern Fleet and the Great Western Fleet in France was larger than that of the Austrian Imperial Navy.

So in the eyes of Louis Philippe, it was a complete waste of money, especially in the absence of war, building so many warships was like burning money.

Louis Philippe looked again at the old Prime Minister Sirte, who was already blind, but took out a small medicine bottle, poured out a few pills, and asked the servant to bring him a glass of water, swallow the pills, and drink the water from the glass.

Louis Philippe could only look at Admiral Ange de Macau, who was full of anticipation, and sighed. Now there are rebellions everywhere in and around France, and the army cannot afford to offend, after all, it is necessary to rely on this group of people to quell the chaos.

But this put a huge strain on France's finances, and in order to maintain its huge military spending, the government had to collect more taxes and occupy more colonies.

And more taxes, more colonies often mean more wars

Of course, if France can keep winning and being strong, then this matryoshka game can be played forever.

But unfortunately, natural and man-made disasters continue to give the country no respite.

Similarly, the Minister of Transport, an 81-year-old former devout ascetic, did not give a respite to Louis Philippe.

(Whipping himself with a leather whip every day, this person has historically died of infection.) ）

Because the bribery scandal of the former Minister of Transport disgraced the entire government, this time the "incorruptible" was replaced.

Ecourt de Douler had no children, no lovers, and was a man of great virtue.

Louis Philippe thought he had found a mascot, but even outsiders could recognize the importance of railways.

After taking office, at the age of 81, Ecourt de Tourier inspected the railways and waterways of France.

It was concluded that if the railway was not repaired, it would be difficult for France to prosper. He vowed to God to build 10,000 kilometers of railways in France, and Louis Philippe had to find a way to pay for it.

The overwhelming news even made Louis Philippe think that some catastrophe might be about to happen.

(End of chapter)