Chapter 348: Dividends of War
Although Luxembourg was still nominally Austrian territory, this did not prevent French merchants from engaging in regular trade there.
Austrian officials in Luxembourg had already caught wind that His Imperial Majesty planned to cede Luxembourg to France as compensation for the latter's military action against Prussia. Consequently, they refrained from interfering with these "commercial activities."
Furthermore, on this tiny speck of land that was not even a quarter the size of Corsica, two divisions of French troops were stationed. Even if the officials had objections, they would at most grumble among acquaintances in salons.
In Thum Square in Luxembourg City, the Secretary-General of the French Iron and Steel Technology Association smiled as he handed the signed agreements one by one to the Luxembourg mine owners seated opposite him.
The mine owners immediately snatched up their pens, hastily signing the agreements and pressing their private seals onto them, as if fearing the French might renege on the deal.
After the agreements were signed and declared effective by notaries and lawyers, the mine owners finally relaxed, a light smile on their faces as they began to converse in low tones:
"Now we don't have to worry about the war ruining everything."
"I truly didn't expect the French to be willing to take over these iron mines..."
"Indeed, while 30,000 livres isn't a fortune, it's certainly enough for a family to live comfortably in Vienna."
Yes, the entire region of Luxembourg was currently shrouded in the shadow of war. The lax discipline of the Prussian soldiers, in particular, had left the local merchants feeling deeply unsettled.
Rumors had persisted among the populace that the main armies of Prussia and Hanover would engage in a decisive battle with the French forces in Luxembourg. How could such a tiny place withstand the devastation of seventy or eighty thousand troops from both sides? The aftermath would surely be scorched earth.
Consequently, all Luxembourgers were eager to sell their assets. High-quality open-pit iron mines, which had previously been unobtainable even for hundreds of thousands of livres, were now selling for a tenth of that price, and sellers often had to beg buyers to even consider them.
In the center of the VIP seating area, Joseph's face bore a satisfied smile. He had acquired these dozen or so of Europe's finest iron mines for a total of less than 800,000 livres—a veritable steal.
It was a well-known fact that Luxembourg's steel production would eventually be able to meet almost the entire demand of Western Europe. With these iron mines, France's Industrial Revolution would receive robust support.
Once the Industrial Revolutions in various European countries entered their high-growth phases, and the demand for coal and iron surged, the value of these mines would likely exceed 100 million livres!
As for the ravages of war, Joseph would not allow Luxembourg to be affected, even if it meant deploying half of France's military strength there.
Due to his absolute confidence in the region's stability, he even leveraged this wave of sales to purchase numerous handicraft workshops and prime land plots.
The former could supply a large number of skilled smelting and mining workers, while the latter was intended for building ironworks.
In fact, several of France's most rapidly developing steel companies, including Gregoire Brothers Steel Company and Sirk Steel Company, had already arrived in Luxembourg City, awaiting the opportunity to expand their new plants there.
They had long been fed up with France's low-yield, mediocre-quality iron mines, previously forced to import large quantities of Russian iron ore or purchase crude iron ingots from Luxembourg, which drove costs prohibitively high.
Now, however, their smelting plants could be built directly adjacent to the iron mines, and the ore prices were exceptionally favorable. This would lead to a significant improvement in the cost-effectiveness, quality, and output of the iron ingots they produced.
In particular, they had previously acquired Joseph's Hot Blast Iron Smelting technology from the French Iron and Steel Technology Association. After half a year of experimentation, they had largely mastered it and completed small-scale pilot production domestically. Now was the perfect opportunity to utilize this new technology to build factories in Luxembourg, and the refined iron and steel produced could be sold to the German States nearby, yielding substantial profits.
For Joseph, as long as he firmly controlled the core resource of iron ore, there was no need to worry about these private enterprises spiraling out of control.
After all, developing France's entire coal and iron industry would be impossible with royal investment alone; private enterprises had to be encouraged to participate to the fullest extent. Joseph could provide them with advanced technology and concepts, and through state initiatives, help them open new markets, ensuring that every livre invested yielded a considerable return.
Once these private companies developed, they would in turn contribute significant tax revenues to support the French treasury, ultimately leading to an overall enhancement of national power.
This was indeed France's first wave of dividends reaped from its wartime victory in Luxembourg. Furthermore, Luxembourg's extremely small area and proximity to France meant it wouldn't attract much attention from the great powers before its industries fully developed, making it an ideal choice for France to expand its overseas influence.
After the signing ceremony concluded, Joseph, surrounded by the crowd, delivered a congratulatory address. He then motioned for everyone to attend the signing banquet. Yet, in his mind, he was already meticulously planning: if he could secure Wallonia in the Southern Netherlands in the future, how would he combine its abundant coal resources with Luxembourg's iron resources to form the coal and iron core of France's industrial development!
Immediately, Joseph's thoughts turned to the security of this region, and he couldn't help but frown.
After all, both Wallonia and Luxembourg were located at France's outermost fringes. In the event of war, enemy forces could easily attack these areas, causing immense damage to France's coal and iron heartland.
'So, it would be best if Wallonia and Luxembourg could be transformed into inland provinces, thereby gaining some strategic depth...' Joseph boarded his carriage, watching the smiling Luxembourgish and French merchants streaming towards the banquet hall outside the window. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'Everyone else can simply enjoy the fruits of my labor, while I must worry myself sick for the sake of all France.'
...
Paris.
Eden Amusement Park.
"Wow, it's just like flying in the sky!"
Amidst a child's gleeful cheers, the little girl on the carousel gripped a handle with one hand and raised the other high, as if cracking a whip. Her pale yellow skirt and beautiful braided pigtails fluttered in the wind, and her gentle, azure eyes brimmed with excitement and delight.
After the carousel completed another rotation, she turned her chubby, childlike face towards the bored-looking man standing beyond the fence and called out:
"Uncle Alexei, can you make it 'fly' faster?"
"Oh, Your Imperial Highness Alexandra, I've told you not to call me that," Alexei said in a lowered voice, his expression one of displeasure. "There are outsiders present here."
Still, he shot a glance at a nearby guard, who immediately scurried off to question an amusement park employee, then quickly returned and whispered a few words to him.
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