I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 349: The Dividends of War

Although Luxembourg is still nominally an Austrian territory, this does not prevent French businessmen from coming here to conduct some normal trade.

The Austrian officials in Luxembourg had already heard the news that His Majesty the Emperor was going to give Luxembourg to France as a reward for the latter sending troops to fight Prussia, so they did not interfere with these "commercial activities".

What's more, there are 20,000 French troops stationed in Luxembourg, a tiny country less than a quarter of the size of Corsica. Even if they have opinions, they can only complain to their acquaintances in the salon.

On the Place de la Toum in Luxembourg City, the Secretary General of the French Steel Technical Association smiled and handed the signed agreements to the Luxembourg mine owners sitting opposite him one by one.

The mine owners immediately grabbed their pens, signed the agreement and stamped their private seals on it, as if they were afraid that the French would go back on their word.

After the agreement was signed, the notary and the lawyer announced that it was effective. The mine owners then smiled in relief and whispered to each other:
"Now we don't have to worry about war ruining everything."

"I never thought the French would be willing to take over these iron mines..."

"Yes, although 3 livres is not much, it is enough for a family to live comfortably in Vienna."

"Oh, I'm going to Brussels, of course, after the rebellion there is quelled..."

Yes, the whole of Luxembourg is currently shrouded in the shadow of war, especially the previous lax military discipline of the Prussian soldiers, which has made the merchants here panic.

There have been rumors among the people that the Prussian and Hanoverian armies will fight a decisive battle with the French army in Luxembourg. How can such a small place withstand the destruction of 70,000 or 80,000 troops from both sides? After the war, it must be a scorched earth.

Therefore, all Luxembourgers are eager to sell their assets. The high-quality open-pit iron ore that was previously difficult to buy with hundreds of thousands of livres is now worth a zero, and buyers have to beg for it before it can be sold.

In the middle of the VIP seats in front, Joseph also had a satisfied smile on his face. He bought all of these more than ten of the best iron mines in Europe for less than 80 livres, which was a bargain.

You know, Luxembourg's steel production will almost meet the needs of the entire Western Europe in the future. With these iron mines, it will play a strong supporting role in France's industrial revolution.

If we wait until the industrial revolution in European countries enters a stage of rapid development and the demand for coal and iron surges, the value of these iron ores will probably exceed 1 million livres!
As for the war, even if half of France's military strength had to be transferred to Luxembourg, Joseph would not let this place be affected by the war.

Because he had absolute confidence in the stability of the region, he even took advantage of this wave of sales to buy a number of handicraft workshops and high-quality land.

The former can provide a large number of skilled smelting and mining workers, while the latter is used to build ironworks.

In fact, several of France's fastest-growing steel companies in recent years, including Griego Brothers Steel and Silk Steel, have already arrived in Luxembourg City, waiting to expand their new plants here.

They had long been fed up with the low-yield and mediocre quality of French iron ore, and had previously been forced to import large quantities of Russian iron ore or purchase crude iron ingots from Luxembourg, which was very costly.

At present, their smelter can be built directly next to the iron mine, and the price of ore is extremely favorable, which will greatly improve the cost, quality and output of the iron ingots they produce. In particular, they have obtained Joseph's "hot blast ironmaking" technology from the French Iron and Steel Technology Association. After half a year of exploration, they have basically mastered it and completed small-scale trial production in China. Now they can use the new technology to build a factory in Luxembourg, and the refined iron and steel produced can be sold to nearby German countries to obtain lucrative profits.

For Joseph, as long as he holds on to the core resource of iron ore, he does not have to worry about losing control of these private capitals.

After all, to develop the coal and iron industry of France, it is far from enough to rely solely on royal investment and operation. Private enterprises must be encouraged to participate to the greatest extent possible. Joseph can provide them with advanced technology and concepts, and help them open up the market through state actions, ensuring that every livre of investment can get a considerable return.

After these private companies develop, they will be able to contribute a large amount of tax revenue to support France's finances, ultimately bringing about an improvement in the country's overall national strength.

This was the first dividend brought by France after its victory in the war in Luxembourg. Moreover, Luxembourg was very small and close to France. Before the industry was developed, it would not attract too much attention from the great powers. It was definitely the best choice for France to expand its overseas influence.

After the signing ceremony, Joseph read out a congratulatory speech in the crowd, and then motioned for everyone to go to the signing banquet. However, he was planning in his mind that if he could acquire the Wallonia region of the Southern Netherlands in the future, how to combine the rich coal resources there with the iron resources of Luxembourg to become the coal and iron core of France's industrial development!

Then, Joseph thought about the safety issue in this area and couldn't help but frowned.

After all, Wallonia and Luxembourg are both located in the most marginal areas of France. Once a war breaks out, the enemy can easily attack here, causing huge damage to France's coal and iron core.

"So, it would be best to turn Wallonia and Luxembourg into inland provinces, so that we can have a certain strategic depth..." Joseph got on the carriage and looked out the window at the Luxembourg and French businessmen who were rushing into the banquet hall with smiles on their faces. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Everyone could just enjoy the results directly, but he had to worry about the whole of France.

……

Paris.

Eden Playground.

"Wow, it's like flying into the sky!"

Accompanied by childish cheers, the little girl sitting on the carousel held the handle tightly with one hand and raised the other hand high as if waving a whip, letting her goose yellow skirt and beautiful long braids fly in the wind, while her gentle big blue eyes were full of excitement and intoxication.

After the wooden horse turned another circle, she turned her chubby little face and shouted to the bored man standing outside the fence:

"Uncle Alexei, can you make it fly faster?"

"Oh, Grand Duchess Alexandra, I told you not to address me like that," Alexei lowered his voice and showed a dissatisfied expression, "There are outsiders here."

But he still winked at the guard beside him, who immediately ran to ask the employees of the amusement park, then quickly returned and whispered a few words to him.

(End of this chapter)