The Fox of France

Chapter 428: Expanding the Military

The economic crisis worsened, and in Paris, although those with valid French residency permits could still receive a certain amount of food supply, the number of illegal immigrants was increasing, leading to a continuous deterioration of social order in Paris.

Just three days ago, a group of foreign thugs attacked a bread distribution station, stealing the bread intended for a certain district and even killing a staff member. After this incident was reported, it immediately sparked widespread anger among Parisians towards "foreigners." Although Fouché worked hard and managed to apprehend the "criminal gang" in just one day, some of the "criminals" in this gang, before being arrested, did not resist arrest. Instead, their final act was to quickly devour the stolen bread. The court, with remarkable efficiency, rendered a judgment: two main culprits were sentenced to death by hanging, and twenty accomplices were sentenced to hard labor. However, the Parisian people were not satisfied with this judgment because they felt that all the scoundrels who dared to steal their bread at this time should be beheaded (although the guillotine had been abolished due to its political significance). Consequently, attacks by locals against foreigners on the streets of Paris continued to occur.

The newspapers controlled by the Ministry of Truth continued to play the role of "France's conscience," urging citizens not to "view foreigners through colored glasses" and calling on them to demonstrate the "tolerance and kindness of the people of Paris." However, many responded with disdain, saying, "To hell with your kindness!"

While the newspapers of the Ministry of Truth merely made noise without taking any real action, the Ministry of Public Security, capable of taking action, firmly stood on the side of the Parisian citizens. If Parisians assaulted illegal immigrants, well, the police didn't see it; if Parisians injured illegal immigrants, well, then it must have been the illegal immigrants who injured themselves; (say, are you trying to extort French citizens?) If Parisians killed illegal immigrants, oh, such things happen, well, we will definitely catch the culprit within our lifetime!

However, if illegal immigrants dared to fight back, it was a different story. If an illegal immigrant won a fight, it was attempted robbery and they would be sentenced to hard labor; if a group of illegal immigrants won a fight, it was an organized criminal group and they would be dealt with swiftly and severely. If they lost a fight, well, if one person lost, it was attempted crime; if a group lost, it was the Saint-Antoine district residents preventing group crime!

The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice (the judiciary) almost openly discriminated against illegal immigrants, and there was a reason for this. It was said that the First Consul said to Minister Fouché, "The people are living in difficult times, and they are bound to have grievances. These grievances must be allowed to vent. If they don't vent against foreigners, do you think they will vent their dissatisfaction against us?"

Thus, the entire economic crisis was caused by foreigners, and now these foreigners were stealing from us and robbing us. The French people, including those with residency rights, were filled with anger towards these illegal immigrants.

In this situation, the government began to announce the expansion of conscription to protect France's borders and defend the French people.

The treatment of the French army had always been very good. One of Napoleon's main principles was: "No soldier should be poor, no army should suffer." Although the French army had made concessions for economic development during weapons upgrades, since Napoleon became the First Consul, the army's pay had never been compromised. Because Napoleon knew that without the support of the army, the Senate of the Republic would be filled with brutes.

Therefore, in France, being a soldier was a very promising career. Although it was not like during wartime when soldiers could directly receive land upon retirement, the military pay had been further increased, and there were many other benefits as well. So in France, being a soldier was even a matter of pulling strings.

Now that France was expanding its recruitment, it immediately sparked a wave of patriotism. Although some people said that large-scale recruitment at this time might be to settle domestic economic crises and required external aggression, the French people, especially those queuing at the military registration medical examination centers, expressed their indifference.

This was probably because during the late stages of previous wars, Napoleon's army always managed to defeat the enemy with minimal losses, and after each victory, there were very generous victory bonuses. Especially for some veterans, after retiring from the army, when chatting with others, they would always say, "Military pay? That's just a little bit. The real money is in victory bonuses. Let me tell you, as soon as the fighting starts, once the combat bonus is issued, you won't remember how much the military pay is every month; once you win, once the victory bonus is issued, you won't remember how much the combat bonus is, hahaha…"

Moreover, retired soldiers also had their own organizations and banks they were linked to. Their savings were basically pooled into the Retired Soldiers' Association and then deposited into the Roman Bank as structured deposits. The interest rate was higher than ordinary deposits, and they were unaffected by the current turmoil. So, while the technical workers were left with nothing as the economic tide receded, the lives of retired soldiers were hardly affected, which also fueled the enthusiasm of the French people for joining the army.

The French people eagerly joined the army, frightening the surrounding countries. The Spanish Ambassador Barbard sought out Talleyrand, inquiring subtly whether Spain had done something to upset the French and emphasizing the longstanding friendship between the two countries, as well as their shared faith and tradition. Talleyrand, after receiving a certain consultation fee, assured them that France attached great importance to the traditional friendship with Spain and was willing to cooperate with Spain to overcome this crisis together.

Next, it was the Austrians who approached Talleyrand. Metternich, who was supposed to return to Vienna immediately, suddenly received a notice from his homeland: do not return yet; first find out the details of France's recent military expansion.

Thus, with the pretext of soon leaving Paris to return home and wanting to enjoy a night out with friends, Metternich invited Talleyrand to the Moulin Rouge for an evening. During this time, after successfully bribing him, Metternich bluntly asked about the French's intentions and whether Austria could join in for mutual enrichment.

In response, Talleyrand stated that the friendship between France and Austria had stood the test of time. Austria had no need for unnecessary worries. France's military expansion was mainly due to domestic needs, and if military action was needed, it would definitely not be in Europe.

Although Talleyrand's words might not be entirely reliable, they were at least comforting for Austria. Metternich continued to inquire about the direction of the French, but Talleyrand refused to say more.

One month later, it was New Year's Day, and during this month, France expanded its military by five hundred thousand, causing tremors throughout Europe. At this time, it was also when the French government issued the State of the Nation address and announced the new year's budget, and the whole of Europe was waiting, paying attention, trying to discern something from France's new State of the Nation address and budget.