The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 698 Sad Louis Philippe
Paris, Tuileries Palace.

At this time, France was dying of potato blight and cholera, and news of the colonial rebellion reached Paris.

Louis-Philippe did not understand why anyone would be dissatisfied with him, since his life was so simple, with only eight servants serving in the morning, and Louis XVI had sixteen servants.

(The legend about the sixteen servants is more smearing, because the French royal family was very tight financially at the time.)
Why don't the French people commemorate his great achievements in opening up territories?Why not be proud of the obelisks and statues that tower over Place de la Concorde?
(The Place de la Concorde was formerly known as the Place Louis XV, but it was renamed the Place de la Revolution during the French Revolution, also known as the "Execution Ground".

Louis XVI, Danton, and Robespierre, the three men who once controlled the fate of France, died by the same executioner and died on the same square.

Later, the restoration of the Bourbon Dynasty changed its name to "Concord Square". )
The obelisk on the Concorde Square was sent by the Governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, and the giant statue was sent by the former Governor of Texas (it is still locked in Arkham Prison).

Although Louis-Philippe tried his best to present himself as more "bourgeois", he actually liked to use his own name to name some land and buildings.

For example, the newly built ballroom in Fontainebleau Palace was named "Louis Philippe Promenade" by it.However, due to its poor taste, it is often called "the boar gallery" by the upper class, and it even became a hot topic in the major salons in Paris.

Although Louis-Philippe forbade his wife and daughter from wearing jewelry in public, every public appearance of the family was described as an extravagant exhibition.

"Since the birth of Jesus, there has never been such a grand and extravagant royal travel in ancient and modern times."

——"Paris Journal"

The French colony of New Louisiana took advantage of the Mexican-American War to annex nearly 37 square kilometers of New Mexico in the area south of 60° north latitude.

But what gave Louis Philippe a headache was that instead of rising taxes throughout New Louisiana, they began to decline.

At the same time, the Texans who had presented him with statues began to raise their flags against France.For Louis-Philippe, these people were as capricious as the Egyptians had been.

The most disgusting thing is that the invincible army of France also rebelled with those farmers. Both Louis Philippe and his Orleans faction hated soldiers very much, 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.

Therefore, the Bonapartists turned a deaf ear to what happened in New Louisiana (Texas) at this time, and the Secretary of War Alexander Moran only knew to keep asking for military expenses.

The reason of the Minister of War is very simple. France has suffered losses in the previous conflicts. What does this prove?
Of course, the military investment is not enough!Not to mention forming a standing army of 100 million people first, I don't believe that the German Confederation can win.

Alexander Moran's imaginary enemy has always been the whole of Germany. At this time, all the member countries of the entire German Confederation can get together an army of 100 million people.

It is true that Louis-Philippe does not understand military affairs, but a standing army of 100 million is really beyond common sense.He wanted Prime Minister Sirte to deal with the troublesome Minister of War, but the old prime minister just wanted to retire honorably and turned a blind eye to His Majesty's hints.

In addition to the army, the navy is also a behemoth swallowing gold.The Minister of the Navy, Ange de Marcao, requested that all the old-fashioned sailing battleships of the French Navy be replaced with new-style steam battleships.

Admiral Ange de Marcao is a typical technocrat, a very good engineer who has recognized the superiority of steam warships.

According to Admiral Ange de Marcao's estimation, as long as the French navy can complete the refitting, it will be able to grasp absolute maritime superiority in the Mediterranean region, and may even break the British blockade of Gibraltar under the cooperation of internal and external cooperation.

A powerful navy will help France navigate all over the world, gain trade advantages, and occupy more colonies.

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

The most important thing is that the British are not stupid. 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 plans of Austria and France had an impact on the former. At this time, the number of battleships in the British Navy was nearly thirty more than in history.

What is the concept of thirty battleships?The Austrian Empire has worked hard for so many years, but only twenty battleships were built by itself.

Moreover, warships are different from merchant ships. This thing loses money when it is built. Even if it is left in the dock and cannot be opened, it will depreciate in a few years, or even be scrapped.

At this time, both the French Great Eastern Fleet and the Great Western Fleet were larger than the Austrian Imperial Navy.

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

Louis-Philippe looked at the old Prime Minister Soult again. The latter had lost his eyesight. He just took out a small medicine bottle, poured out a few pills, asked the servant to bring a glass of water, swallowed the pills, and drank the water in the glass.

Louis-Philippe could only look at the expectant Admiral Ange de Marcaux and sigh.Now that there are rebellions everywhere in France and abroad, the army cannot afford to be offended, after all, it depends on these people to quell the chaos.

But this has put huge pressure on France's finances. In order to maintain huge military expenditures, the government needs to levy more taxes and occupy more colonies.

And more taxes, more colonies often means more wars
Of course, if France can continue to win and remain strong, then this matryoshka game can continue to be played.

But unfortunately, natural disasters and man-made disasters continue, and there is no respite for this country at all.

Nor did the minister of transport give Louis-Philippe a respite, the new 81-year-old former pious ascetic.

(The kind that beats himself with a leather whip every day. Historically, this person died of infection.)
Because the bribery scandal of the former Transport Secretary brought shame to the entire government, the "Incorruptible" was replaced this time.

Ecourt de Durelle had no children, no lovers, and was a man of great morals.

Louis-Philippe thought he had found a mascot, but even an outsider could recognize the importance of the railway.

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

The conclusion is that if the railway is not repaired, France will not thrive.He swore to God that he would build [-] kilometers of railways in France, and the money would naturally have to be found by Louis-Philippe.

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

(End of this chapter)