Chapter 521: The Tax Farmers' Desperate Gamble
Half an hour later, Joseph departed from the Count of Artois's residence.
The Count of Artois had capitulated, stating he would inform Queen Mary that he had previously been inconsiderate, and that the case against the Tax Farmers' General Assembly was gravely serious, absolutely not to be tolerated.
Joseph, for his part, wasn't at all worried that this influential royal would hold a grudge.
He now commanded the military and police forces, wielded significant influence over the High Court, and even held the Count of Artois's economic lifeline. He wasn't even afraid of the Count rallying other nobles to cause trouble—the emerging nobles largely obeyed him, and the Old Nobility, weakened by successive setbacks, could no longer stir up any significant unrest. Furthermore, the Old Nobility still hoped to restore their families' glory through war, and to make a name for themselves in the military, they would need his personal approval.
Joseph boarded his carriage and glanced back at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Count of Artois's residence. A sense of reflection settled over him. He had been in this world for nearly three years. Compared to those initial days, when he constantly walked on eggshells, fearing for his very life, now he could completely subdue even the most influential and highest-ranking nobles of the royal family.
'Finally, he was beginning to resemble a true Crown Prince!'
In the future, he would lead France to the pinnacle of Europe, forging a glory that would forever be etched in history!
...
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris.
Van Kiewicz smiled, looking at those beside him, a triumphant expression on his face.
"That old geezer Archbishop Brienne actually dared to threaten me into buying tens of millions in National Debt? Hmph, he must be dreaming!"
Bolloré nodded. "I heard that the Count of Artois has already presented the gift to the Queen, and Queen Mary has agreed not to pursue the matter of the forged documents."
Everyone present showed expressions of delight.
"Mr. Hope's plan truly worked; it saved us from enormous losses."
"Those greedy individuals at Versailles—just give them a bit of money, and they'll do anything."
"Once the High Court drops the lawsuit, I'm heading straight to Britain. There are plenty of investment opportunities there recently."
"I plan to go to the Far East..."
Previously, following Hope's advice, each of them had contributed 400,000 Francs, pooling over five million Francs in total. A small portion was used to bribe the Count of Artois and the Countess of Debeninac, while the bulk purchased a Diamond Tiara for the Queen.
And just as Hope had predicted, the matter of the forged documents seemed to have been suppressed. They no longer harbored hopes of continuing their tax farming operations; each now only wished to withdraw as soon as possible and began discussing new investment directions.
Bolloré remembered the police finding the tax documents and said, annoyed:
"Monsieur Fould, have you still not discovered who leaked the information?"
Fould frowned and shook his head. "None of my subordinates knew that tax documents were hidden there. Even if they had intended to inform, it wouldn't have garnered police attention.
"Therefore, I suspect there's a traitor among us."
Goldsmid immediately roared, looking as if he could devour someone, "Who is it? I'll slaughter that scoundrel!"
"It's not clear yet. Perhaps Charles, but he shouldn't know where we stored the documents."
Everyone immediately exchanged suspicious glances, each feeling that anyone could be the culprit.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the tennis hall. It sounded as if hundreds of people were running down the adjacent street, shouting something as they quickly moved away.
"What's going on?"
Fould looked towards his butler, who stood not far away. The latter immediately bowed slightly, then turned and went to investigate.
A moment later, the butler rushed back, holding a newspaper, and whispered to Fould:
"Master, the General Tax Bureau has issued an announcement stating that everyone can go to their local Tax Bureau to file appeals regarding taxes from previous years. If any illegal tax collection is discovered, the unreasonable taxes will be refunded, and compensation will be provided.
"Now Paris is filled with people rushing to the Tax Bureau! I heard thousands have already gathered on Corps Street..."
The prominent Tax Farmer leaders present immediately blanched in dismay.
They knew perfectly well what they had done; the illegally collected taxes amounted to at least tens of millions of Livres annually. As for the exact sum, they didn't even know it themselves—at the end of each year, they only calculated total revenue, and no one bothered to scrutinize which parts were legal and which were not.
Baron Morrel was the first to exclaim in alarm, "Archbishop Brienne is actually letting people file their own appeals!"
"This is much faster than the Tax Bureau auditing accounts themselves. How did he ever come up with such a plan?"
"If problems with our tax accounts are discovered, we'll be in deep trouble..."
Hope's brow furrowed deeply. "Everyone, calm down. Auditing accounts always takes some time. We must use this window to stop the Tax Bureau from continuing their investigation."
"Do you have a plan?" The Tax Farmers immediately turned their gazes to him, their collective strategist.
Hope pondered briefly, then told Fould, "Go back to the Count of Artois and the Countess of Debeninac. Double their benefits, and try to get Queen Mary to intervene and stop this.
"Furthermore, we must mobilize our resources to make the government understand the consequences of provoking us!"
Meeting their puzzled gazes, he continued, "If I'm not mistaken, over 30% of the merchant caravans across France are under our control. If we include those in which we hold shares, it should exceed 50%."
These tax farmer magnates possessed astonishing assets and their industries were incredibly diverse. While largely focused on banking and usury, families like Bolloré, Ballaux, and De Contre also owned numerous merchant caravans or collaborated extensively with them, forming the primary force behind France's trade.
Indeed, trade in this era was primarily carried out by merchant caravans, large and small. Due to high transportation costs, ordinary shops lacked the ability to source goods from distant locations; these caravans acted as the crucial link between suppliers and merchants. Occasionally, the caravans would even engage in local retail.
Hope's voice turned icy. "For now, we cannot concern ourselves with losses. If the Tax Bureau doesn't cease its audit, we will have our merchant caravans halt all transactions. In less than a month, all of France will plunge into chaos.
"Of course, I estimate Archbishop Brienne wouldn't dare let such a situation occur. So, as long as our stance is firm, he will certainly back down."
Fould nodded. "This is indeed the most potent weapon in our arsenal. Furthermore, Mr. Pélier and I hold significant shares in the Port of Marseille. If necessary, we can bring that to a standstill as well."
Hope immediately replied, "Excellent! Then let's arrange for a little 'accident' at the Port of Marseille.
"The more leverage we have, the less the government will dare to move against us!"
The Port of Marseille handled over 80% of France's Mediterranean Sea trade volume, and Mediterranean Sea trade, in turn, accounted for over a third of France's total foreign trade. If the Port of Marseille were to shut down, the impact on France's economy and trade would undoubtedly be catastrophic.
Comments