I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 507: The Art of Pouring from Left Hand to Right Hand
After collecting clues, the police promised Lemire that they would find the murderer as soon as possible and left two police officers to protect the tax bureau.

Lemaire's original plan was to have his men go to the market or factory to familiarize themselves with the business, but after several attacks, he had to order everyone not to leave the police station while working, and to go home in groups of three.

Even so, people from the tax bureau were still attacked for a period of time afterwards, and even more than a dozen thugs ran to the police station and threw stones and burning objects into the office, almost burning down the tax bureau building. It was not until the police stationed at the tax bureau opened fire that the group of people were dispersed.

Afterwards, after investigation by the police, they could only confirm that the people who attacked the tax bureau were not gang members, and that they acted in a covert and professional manner. However, they were unable to find the attackers in a short period of time.

For a time, people in the tax bureau were in a panic, and some tax officials even submitted their resignations to Lemaire.

Lemaire had no choice but to submit a report to Paris, requesting that the tax bureau be equipped with guards.

……

Paris.

In the office of the French Tax Administration, the newly appointed Inspector General Robespierre frowned as he looked at the pile of reports on his desk, his face ashen.

These reports are basically from tax bureaus in various places reporting attacks. In the past ten days, two tax officials have been killed and more than 2 people have been injured. Although the police system has tried its best to track down the murderers, only three or four people have been caught so far. The situation is very serious.

Most of the heads of the tax bureau requested additional guards for them, while some simply asked to resign.

Robespierre knew very well that the tax bureau's funds were barely enough to provide compensation for the injured, let alone provide any guards.

He suddenly felt a huge pressure on his shoulders - Count Fulco, the director of the tax bureau, was mainly responsible for tax matters, and he was responsible for other matters. If this matter was not handled well, it would affect the tax revenue of the entire country.

He thought for a long time and wrote an impassioned speech to boost morale, or at least reduce the number of resignations of tax officials.

As for safety, he really couldn't think of any good way, so he stood up and told the servant: "Please prepare the carriage, I want to go to the Tuileries Palace."

Yes, for now he could only apply for some funds from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to increase the security force for the Tax Bureau.

Second floor of the Tuileries Palace.

Joseph carefully looked over the document in his hand, confirmed that the amount was correct, then signed and stamped his seal on the back.

Standing opposite him, the president of the French Reserve Bank, Mathieu de Lefebvre, took the document respectfully and asked again: "Your Highness, the current capital flow seems to be a little faster, and I am worried that it will arouse suspicion.

"Do you think we need to split the two transactions that went through Poitou and Burgundy and wait until next week to 'recycle' them?"

Joseph thought for a moment and nodded, "Your suggestion is very reasonable. Let's do as you say. By the way, we must keep it confidential. All the people who handle it must be verified by the Intelligence Bureau before they can use it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

If anyone saw the document in Baron Lefebvre's hand, they would most likely be shocked by the amount of money on it - it was an application for the transfer of several funds, involving a total amount of up to 1 million francs!

In fact, the French treasury currently does not have hundreds of millions of francs in its balance of payments, let alone tens of millions in revenue each week.

Joseph had previously only raised a total of 5 million francs through channels such as insurance, financial management and real estate.

Besides the income from real estate, the rest of the funds belong to the insurance company. Although he can temporarily use them, he can never really spend them as a fiscal budget. Therefore, if the tax farmer system is abolished, Brian will only be able to use 2 million francs of fiscal expenditure next year. In a month at most, the salaries of French officials, government operations, and infrastructure projects will all come to a halt.

In order to stabilize the situation, Joseph had to get a loan from the tax farmers.

At least 1 million francs.

But he knew that the tax farmers relied on the fact that the government had no money and that they could only maintain their business by paying the tax. In this case, they would definitely stick to their guns and continue to farm taxes.

Therefore, he must first create the illusion that the government's finances are abundant in order to disrupt the layout of the tax farmers.

So Joseph used the 5 million francs in his hand as "props" and created a set of sleight of hand.

He knew very well that the tax farmers had spies in all the banks and would certainly be able to find out the amount of funds in the government's accounts.

He first had the money deposited in a foreign bank, and then openly lent it to the French Savings Bank in the name of a loan.

The French Reserve Bank then allocated the funds to local banks, mostly its branches, in batches in the form of grants to each province.

Because this money is part of next year's budget, the governors of the provinces can only watch and not touch it.

Next comes the covert operation.

Local banks privately lent money from provincial government accounts in the form of short-term loans, and then immediately transferred it back to the headquarters of the French Reserve Bank in Paris. After seeing the funds arrive, local governments basically will not check the accounts again - no one would have thought that the finance minister and the "central bank" would embezzle local funds privately.

All these loans were handled by people appointed by Joseph himself. After the loan agreement was signed, it was taken back to Paris by the senior officials of the French Reserve Bank, locked in the safe of the president of the French Reserve Bank, and guarded by the intelligence agency 24 hours a day.

Subsequently, the money borrowed from local finances will be redeposited in foreign banks and flow into the accounts of the French Reserve Bank again.

This is the truth that was discovered by the General Association of Tax Farmers: "More than 1 million francs have flowed into the French government's account, and large sums of money continue to flow in every week."

In fact, this is the result of repeated operations of 5 million francs.

In order to keep the operation of transferring money from one hand to the other secret, Joseph specially appointed more than a dozen presidents and assistant presidents of various branches of the French Reserve Bank. All funds related to the "reverse loan" must be handled by them.

What is playing is psychological warfare.

If the tax farmers always saw that the government had raised enough funds and remained patient, there would be nothing Joseph could do.

But he was very confident that as he continued to use his subsequent methods, those profit-seeking guys would definitely surrender.

After Baron Lefebvre left, Emand knocked on the door and entered with Robespierre, who looked anxious.

The latter had a look of shame on his face. After saluting, he stammered, "Your Highness, I have to report something to you... Tax offices in various places have encountered a large number of attacks. So far, two tax officials have been murdered and dozens of people have been injured..."

(End of this chapter)