Chapter 184: The Allied Fleet in the Mediterranean
Paris.
Second floor of the Industrial Planning Bureau.
Joseph looked at the six men before him with a faint smile. "Monsieur Boisrondal's sudden suicide at this time... you don't seem particularly grieved."
Marquis de Ludo hastily put on a mournful expression. "Your Highness, we are truly heartbroken, but to avoid affecting your mood, we refrained from showing it."
"Is that so?" Joseph nodded. "Then, what do you know about Necker's death?"
A middle-aged man with sunken eyes and a sallow complexion exclaimed anxiously, "Your Highness, that was all Boisrondal's doing. We know nothing about it."
He was Viscount Reclésian, owner of the Dauphiné Credit Bank.
"Is that so? Yet Madame Boisrondal confessed that the assassination of Necker was planned by all of you together?" Joseph said, glancing at the six panic-stricken men, then his tone shifted. "However, I don't quite believe what she said."
All six men's hearts lurched. 'They hadn't expected Boisrondal to tell his wife such a confidential matter. If they had known, they would have gotten rid of her too!'
Joseph smiled and immediately laid out his terms. "The reason I brought you here is that the French Reserve Bank will issue banknotes next month."
"I expect each of your banks to purchase 1.5 million livres."
"Oh, and one more thing. Archbishop Brienne is about to introduce the 'Banking Management Act.' The most important clause in it is the deposit reserve requirement. You are to take the lead in supporting this act."
Marquis de Ludo and the others exchanged glances, then cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what is a deposit reserve?"
"It is a portion of the deposits made into your banks—currently five percent—transferred to the French Reserve Bank as a credit guarantee for the banks."
Deposit reserves are one of the central bank's key tools for regulating the financial market. In truth, a five percent ratio was almost useless; Joseph had deliberately lowered the percentage, simply to get the banks accustomed to the regulation first.
Marquis de Ludo quickly calculated in his mind. These were clearly the conditions for letting Boisrondal take the fall alone. Currently, France's savings rate wasn't high, so five percent wouldn't amount to much money. And the 1.5 million livres in banknotes could also be used to pay clients.
So he exchanged glances with the other five, and was the first to bow and say:
"We are delighted to do something for the national treasury, Your Highness. We shall follow your instructions."
Just as Ludo and the others were leaving the Industrial Planning Bureau, a tall man with distinctly Nordic features was speaking with a teenager in the garden of Boisrondal's villa.
"So, besides your father, six other people were involved in the murder?"
The teenager nodded with a fierce expression and said deliberately, word by word, "My father told me himself. They discussed the matter at Marquis de Ludo's house that day."
The tall man nodded, then rose and departed. The face beneath the brim of his hat was none other than Necker's butler, Aaronck.
...
South of Menorca Island in the Mediterranean Sea, on the edge of the Barbary Sea.
Accompanied by the rhythmic lapping of waves, on the foredeck of the USS Constellation frigate, Charles, clean-shaven, wearing a tricorn hat and a crisp U.S. Navy uniform, held his telescope steady, anxiously observing the southwestern horizon.
Captain White walked up from behind and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well? See them yet?"
"Not yet." Charles shook his head and immediately added, "But they will come."
"God grant that smuggler wasn't lying. Otherwise, when we return, you might be held accountable for those 500 dollars."
Charles turned to White and said with certainty, "I trust Ali, Captain."
The Ali he spoke of was the Algerian man who had once been imprisoned in the cell next to his, and later successfully escaped by digging a tunnel.
More than half a month ago, Charles was finally ransomed by the Virginia State Assembly for 8,000 dollars.
To his great surprise, it wasn't a French or Spanish warship that came for him, but the USS Constellation, America's newly acquired 30-gun frigate.
As the U.S. Navy had been severely understaffed for a long time, this ship even had French and Italian sailors onboard. And Charles, having served briefly in the Continental Navy and possessing extensive seafaring experience as a first mate, was invited by Captain White to serve as a sailor on this frigate, which the French had used for over 30 years.
Since the Constellation's second mate was an inexperienced scion of an official, Charles effectively performed the duties of second mate.
Subsequently, two American frigates, along with French and Dutch warships, formed an allied fleet and began searching for pirates in the Barbary Sea.
Unfortunately, these pirates were extremely cunning, and after cruising for more than half a month, the fleet remained empty-handed.
Just then, Charles suddenly recalled Ali mentioning that his boss knew Younis, and that Younis had considerable dealings with the Algerian pirates.
So he suggested trying to obtain some pirate intelligence from Ali, and as luck would have it, the fleet was passing near Dakhla in Algiers at the time. White reported Charles's idea to the fleet commander, and after receiving permission, Charles found Ali at the address he had left.
After that, Ali quoted 1,000 dollars to sell the whereabouts of the Algerian navy. Half was paid upfront, and the other half was due upon encountering the pirates.
The fleet, acting on Ali's intelligence, had been waiting here for an entire day, but there was still no sign of the pirates.
Charles wiped the sweat from his palms. To be honest, he was already wavering. 'Why had he been so convinced by a smuggler's words then?'
If he had to pay back the 500 dollars, it would take at least six or seven years to pay it off.
Just as he was starting to despair, a blue and white flag tip suddenly appeared on the horizon.
He was instantly overjoyed and turned to shout at the captain, "They're here! They're here!"
Only then did he realize the captain had already returned to the cabin—the lookout had spotted the signaling boat a minute ago.
Immediately, the merchant ship "Seagull's Wing," acting as bait, sailed towards the predetermined course.
It would encounter pirates there and then lure them into the allied fleet's ambush.
Charles excitedly ran back to the cabin, his heart filled with a thirst for revenge.
The plan proceeded smoothly. The "Seagull's Wing" feigned panic and quickly sailed towards Menorca Island, with two pirate galleys close behind.
The allied fleet's warships emerged from behind concealed reefs. A French third-rate ship of the line, accompanied by a frigate, intercepted from the west, while the American ships and a Dutch frigate sailed out from the east, letting the merchant ship pass, and charged directly at the pirates.
On the pirates' side, the larger galley had 18 cannons, the smaller one only 12. They were no match for the allied fleet.
When they realized the situation was dire, they immediately turned and fled southwest.
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