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Chapter 1402: The House of Representatives

The Suez Canal was a vital link between the two largest markets in human history, East and West.

Once completed, Marseille wouldn't just be a French seaport; it would instantly become the maritime trade hub for most of Europe!

The short-term risks and long-term benefits led Joseph to his final decision.

He looked at Godan and stated, "I've decided to place the Bank for European Settlements in Marseille."

"Marseille?"

Baron Breti and Godan both looked astonished. "Your Highness, wouldn't that be a bit too far?"

"Your Highness, Marseille's economic and financial scale isn't sufficient to..."

Joseph, however, dropped an even more shocking announcement: "Not only the settlement bank, but the Paris Stock Exchange and the futures market will also relocate to Marseille.

"Large banks will also be mandated to establish branches in Marseille.

The two ministers exchanged glances and hastily advised, "Your Highness, this could have unpredictable effects on the entire financial sector..."

Joseph nodded. "I understand your concerns, but Paris has become too bloated. In the future, it's best for it to serve solely as a political and cultural center."

"Of course, I'm only proposing a broad outline. As for the specifics of how to separate the financial departments and manage the relocation, the Senate will need to organize all involved banks and exchanges to develop a plan."

He then turned to Baron Breti. "You will be fully in charge of this matter. I only require the final results."

His recent energy had been focused on his mother's health, so he decided to use this opportunity to give the Senate some practice.

In fact, the French cabinet had already established a healthy operational mechanism, so he only needed to oversee the strategic direction.

Joseph's dream, after all, was to have six days off a week.

That afternoon, Joseph led his parents and Charles towards the Hall of Asclepius.

During the preliminary medical examination that morning, Louis XVI's blood pressure, blood sugar, uric acid, and white blood cell counts all received normal assessments, which allowed Joseph to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

He figured his father's frequent tinkering with parts in the workshop had provided a certain level of exercise.

To his surprise, the most advanced microscopes of that era could already clearly distinguish different cells in the blood.

After he explained the significance of white blood cell count to Bisha and the others, these "mad" doctors actually spent over a dozen hours manually counting the white blood cells in 0.5 cubic millimeters of blood.

Of course, the results were certainly not precise, and Joseph couldn't recall what a normal white blood cell count was.

However, Bisha also collected blood from two other very healthy middle-aged men and counted their white blood cells. Comparing these to the King's, the difference was found to be insignificant.

Recently, Joseph had been acting as his parents' health consultant.

His focus was on his mother's diet and supervising both of them through physical exercise.

Soon, Louis XVI, with Joseph's assistance, began his bench press exercises.

His Majesty the King's arm strength was quite good; he lifted the 65-kilogram barbell five times in a row and still had energy to spare.

Queen Mary, on the other hand, was having a tougher time. Seated at the lat pulldown machine, she was breathless with exertion, barely managing to pull 20 kilograms, and constantly asking Countess of Debeninac to lighten the weight further.

Joseph himself wasn't sure what the appropriate training volume was, so he could only let them judge based on their own stamina. In any case, they needed to perform at least 25 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes of aerobic exercise like running each day.

He and Charles each picked up a pair of dumbbells and started their own workouts, while Joseph's mind wandered, considering that beyond the financial center, other specialized centers could also be established.

For instance, Lyon, with its large number of industrial workers and mature factory operation experience, could fully develop into a light industry center.

The Namur-Luxembourg line, rich in coal and iron resources, was the optimal choice for establishing a steel industry center.

The fertile land of the Paris Basin in north-central France, with its experienced and diligent farmers, could become an agricultural hub in the future.

Lorraine's steam engine companies had already reached a considerable scale, boasting the nation's earliest industrial zones and decent coal reserves, making it suitable to become a mechanical processing center...

By leveraging the industrial advantages of each region, supported by policy, these areas could all become new economic engines.

However, all these initiatives would require significant funding and accompanying railway construction, which couldn't be achieved overnight.

For now, the focus should remain on advancing the Marseille financial city; these other plans could serve as medium-to-long-term strategies.

If they could be realized within three or four decades, they would lay the foundation for centuries of national development to come.

As Joseph outlined his development strategies, France's first House of Representatives election entered its final sprint.

Although this election was quite rushed in terms of timing—with only a little over three months for preparation—people were not unfamiliar with elections, as France's Estates-General had a very long history, with regions like Brittany and Lorraine always having the Estates-General involved in their governance.

After the cabinet completed the formation of the election committee, the entire electoral process quickly unfolded nationwide.

In a noblewoman's villa in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, dozens of business elites were attending a salon.

Brode frowned, looking at Walsh, and whispered, "Are you mad? Giving that journalist 50,000 francs for free!"

The latter, however, waved his hand dismissively. "While Mr. Nestor doesn't appear much in public, his prestige is actually very high. With my sponsorship, he's almost certain to be elected as a Member of Parliament."

Brode pursed his lips. "So what? He's a damned 'restricted free marketeer.' According to his theories, none of us would get the right to build the railway to Mons."

"People change," Walsh said with a faint smile. "You must consider that he's running this time as a 'Trade Faction' candidate. This means that once he enters the House of Representatives, he'll have to align with other 'Trade Faction' members on policy."

Brode continued to complain, "I think it would be better to support a 'Liberal' candidate. At least they don't demand much."

"But they only ever spout slogans. The 'Physiocrats' and 'Radicals' are both more effective than them. Trust me, Nestor is the most suitable."

In just over two months, the candidates in Paris had quickly banded together, forming seven or eight factions, ranging from the 'Trade Faction' and 'Physiocrats' to the 'Taxation Faction,' in order to maximize support and win votes against their competitors.