Chapter 567: The Flaws of Capitalism
“Viscount Plummer,” also known as Mesmer, subsequently appeared prominently at various high-society gatherings in Vienna. In just a few days, he became a celebrity in Vienna's business circles—a feat made easy by his exquisite "skill," certainly simpler than when he'd first conned the entire nobility of Versailles.
Many Viennese merchants sought out this 'wealthy,' 'extravagant,' and 'friendly' newcomer for business. Mesmer's residence was bustling with visitors, and Baron Waldner's wife even actively threw herself at him, becoming his mistress.
Viscount Plummer, however, seemed only interested in French goods, speaking to everyone about how popular French goods were across Europe. At the same time, he disdained petty transactions; he wouldn't even bother listening to a deal unless it involved hundreds of thousands of florins.
Since pro-French sentiment in Austria was not uncommon, no one found it surprising.
Soon, newly acquainted Viennese friends eagerly introduced him to sources for French goods, such as Baron Graz's Manhartz Trading Company, Erwin Lenner's caravan, and Stock Borasnia's caravan, among others.
A week later.
Inside Viscount Plummer's lavish mansion, Calonne reviewed the recently gathered intelligence, a smile playing on his lips. "Everyone who could produce 100,000 florins' worth of French goods had only started ordering them within the past two months. Aside from them, even the Mockbruno Caravan, which previously had the closest ties with French trade, held less than 40,000 florins' worth of goods."
"This indicates that French goods don't have such astonishing sales or exciting prospects in Austria. Otherwise, a company like the Mockbruno Caravan wouldn't remain indifferent."
Beside him, Mesmer, adorned with eight dazzling gemstone rings and dressed in the season's latest Parisian fashion, immediately raised an approving eyebrow, then nodded and declared loudly, "Your wisdom truly impresses me, my Lord Viscount. You always grasp the crux of the matter at a glance, and I..."
He let out a dry chuckle, his demeanor considerably humbler now. "And I've noticed something from the conversations among the Viennese nobility. Namely, that these individuals who have been ordering large quantities of goods from France lately are, in one way or another, connected to a man named Krestil."
"Graz is his butler's brother-in-law, Lenner worked in his caravan for over a decade, and Borasnia is his agent for business in Serbia."
Through their interactions, Calonne was quite astonished by the capabilities of this trickster before him. The latter simply spent his days boasting to nobles, and those very people would then reveal many secrets to him.
Mind you, the Intelligence Bureau had investigated for a long time without uncovering any connections between these individuals.
"This is indeed suspicious," Calonne remarked, looking at the Intelligence Bureau officer beside him. "Captain De Charette, it seems you should investigate the relationship between other order placers and this Krestil."
"I will, Viscount Calonne."
Mesmer continued, "Furthermore, these individuals have all refused my requests for transactions, even when acquaintances introduced me."
"Oh, I even asked Baron Waldner to negotiate with Erwin Lenner on my behalf. Lenner, for his part, said he could sell some goods, but full payment would be required upfront, and he refused to provide his bank account details."
Calonne scoffed, "Just a clumsy trick to deceive newcomers."
Mesmer nodded. "That is indeed very strange. They advertise in newspapers, yet they don't seem eager to sell their goods at all."
"I've inquired, and it's not just us; no one has made a deal with these individuals yet."
Soon after, Captain De Charette rose to his feet and stated gravely, "I believe we can now submit our report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Mesmer immediately recalled Baroness Waldner's various charms in the bedroom. He clicked his tongue with a hint of regret.
...
Notre-Dame de Paris.
Joseph, seated in the front row, held his hands in a prayerful gesture. But he wasn't listening to Archbishop Beaumont, who was proclaiming the holy word from the altar. Instead, he leaned his head back and whispered to Mirabeau behind him, "There shouldn't be much of a problem with alcohol, as it can be stored for a long time. But the Steel Technology Association should be able to do something, right?"
Today was Pentecost. He had been 'dragged' by Queen Mary to attend the grand Mass, so he had temporarily moved his office here.
Mirabeau replied with a sigh of helplessness, "You know, competition among ironworks is fierce."
"All factory owners worry that if they slow down production, others will snatch their market share. So, even though they might face penalties from the Steel Technology Association, they continue to act as they please."
Joseph frowned.
Mirabeau had just reported to him that apart from the factories entirely controlled by the Industrial Development Fund, other factory owners completely disregarded his request for them to slow down order production.
Even if the Development Fund didn't provide financial support, they would rather mortgage their factories and take out bank loans to desperately vie for orders from Germany or Italy.
This was the inherent nature etched into the souls of capitalists: the pursuit of profit at any cost, even if the devil himself awaited them.
Joseph sighed and asked, "What is the current order completion rate?"
Mirabeau had clearly done his research and promptly replied, "Most factories have completed about a quarter, and some highly efficient ones are already close to a third."
Joseph began to ponder whether he should forcibly cool down the production sector through administrative or tax measures.
According to Mirabeau's previous statistics, in just the past two and a half months, the value of foreign orders had reached 30 to 40 million francs. This already exceeded the Industrial Development Fund's maximum capacity.
If these orders ran into trouble, it would directly destroy the Development Fund and numerous factories.
However, resorting to administrative or tax measures would also severely disrupt France's market order, and at the very least, would deter investors from industrial production.
Just then, Fouché crept over, handed a report to Joseph, and whispered, "Your Highness, just arrived from Vienna."
He then hastily returned to his seat under Archbishop Beaumont's piercing gaze.
Joseph offered Beaumont an apologetic smile, then carefully unfolded the intelligence report. He saw Captain De Charette's report on their operations in Vienna, along with Calonne's conclusion: 'The orders were highly likely to be problematic, and the buyers probably wouldn't pay the final installment.'
"Just as I thought."
Joseph, his face grim, handed the report to Mirabeau. The latter quickly scanned it, and his expression also grew serious. "Your Highness, if I may be frank, even if we show this report to the factory owners, I doubt they'll agree to halt production."
Chapter 568: Deceiving the DeceiversJoseph clenched his fist, exasperated."These idiots!"Archbishop Beaumont's face was a mask of utter embarrassment. Just moments ago, the Crown Prince had been speaking in hushed tones; now, he was practically shouting. And this was within the sacred walls of the cathedral itself...He had no choice but to desperately raise his voice, trying to drown out the Prince's sacrilegious outburst.Mirabeau, meanwhile, was frowning deeply."Your Royal Highness, this report contains no concrete evidence that the orders are fraudulent; it is merely Viscount Calonne's conjecture."Based solely on this, it will be difficult to convince the factory owners. After all, they are all eager to profit handsomely from these deals..."Furthermore, as it stands, the transaction procedures and orders all appear perfectly legitimate. What I mean is, it's hard for us to identify which orders are problematic and which are genuine."Forcing factories to reduce production would likely affect a large number of legitimate orders as well."Joseph froze at these words, realizing he had indeed overlooked this issue.No one could sift out all the fake orders. If they were to halt production through forceful means, even if only one out of ten orders was legitimate, it would severely damage the credibility of French factories and interrupt the rapid upward momentum of French industry.Yet, doing nothing would lead to catastrophic consequences.This was clearly an open scheme.Regardless of who devised this plan, Joseph had to admit, that person was truly clever and vicious.So, how could he mitigate the damage from the fake orders without harming the real ones?From the back row, Mirabeau listened to Archbishop Beaumont's hoarse voice loudly reciting prayers. He involuntarily crossed himself and muttered,"Almighty God, please help France overcome this crisis."He then shook his head with a sigh. "At this point, unless the fraudsters themselves cancel their orders, there's nothing we can do..."Joseph was deep in thought, searching for a countermeasure, when Mirabeau's complaint sparked an idea in his mind.'That's right, what if the people who placed the fake orders just withdrew them themselves?'But how to make them back down?Their companies, qualifications, procedures, and even deposits were all genuine; only the final payment would certainly be fake. Otherwise, they wouldn't be fake orders.Therefore, they had to target the final payment relentlessly.Just then, it was time for Holy Communion, and silence fell across the hall. Joseph's mind raced in the quiet. Before long, a slight smile touched his lips.'Since they want to pull off such a grand deception, they can't blame me for deceiving them right back!'He took the Holy Communion bread and wine from the altar boy, hastily made the sign of the cross, recited a short prayer, and then turned to signal Mirabeau to lean closer. He whispered in his ear:"Please immediately have someone filter out all foreign orders exceeding 50,000 francs, then instruct the factory owners to do this, and then that..."Mirabeau's eyes widened instantly. "Your Royal Highness, this... while it might be feasible, what if the factory owners are worried about their reputation and are unwilling to cooperate?""It doesn't matter. As long as one-tenth of the factories are willing to do it, the others will immediately understand once they see the results."Mirabeau bowed promptly. "Yes, Your Royal Highness. I will attend to it immediately after Mass."Joseph pondered for a moment, then asked, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that most of the deposits for those orders have already arrived?""Yes, Your Royal Highness. If this is a scam, they clearly intend to lure the factory owners into their trap this way."Joseph nodded. "But the goods we are producing have already far exceeded the deposit amount, so we must try to recoup as much as possible.""Your Royal Highness means?"Joseph directly beckoned Fouché, who was sitting further back. The latter, seeing that Archbishop Beaumont wasn't paying attention, quickly slipped over."Your Royal Highness, what are your orders?""That swindler, what was his name again... Mes something...""It's Mesmer, Your Royal Highness.""Oh, right. I recall Viscount Calonne's report mentioned that he is now a well-known merchant in Vienna?""That is correct, Your Royal Highness.""Good. Instruct him to do this in Austria... and find a few factory owners willing to cooperate, and send them to Vienna...""Yes, Your Royal Highness," the intelligence chief nodded, quickly jotting it down in his notebook.Joseph continued, "Also, focus on investigating that fellow named Krestil; he might be the key to all these problems!"...More than ten days later.Vienna.In the general manager's office of Manhartz Trading Company, Baron Graz looked at the letter delivered by the trade supervisor, his expression one of disbelief."How is this possible? Did you confirm it?""Yes, Baron," the trade supervisor nodded. "It was personally delivered by the assistant manager of Gregoire Brothers Steel Company. I met him when we signed the order contract.""But, this..." Graz frowned, looking at the notification letter. "They produced goods worth over 720,000 florins in less than three months?!"720,000 florins was equivalent to 1.8 million francs. If used to purchase iron products, it would form a small mountain.Just this morning, Gregoire Brothers Steel Company informed him that all orders placed by Manhartz Trading Company were completed.Graz was instantly flustered. According to Krestil's previous instructions, he was supposed to keep up appearances in Vienna until October. He could only withdraw once the production funds invested by the French factories were absolutely irrecoverable.But it was only mid-May, and Gregoire Brothers Steel Company was already demanding delivery. What was he supposed to do?He had already prepared his escape route to America, but leaving Vienna now would risk exposing all the fake orders—He had set up six shell companies and, through other merchant caravans, placed a total of eleven orders with France, amounting to 3.5 million florins. That was over 8.7 million francs.If he ran to America now, the remaining orders might be interrupted, and Mr. Krestil's mission would be incomplete, significantly reducing his commission...'No! If I run now, the mission isn't even one-third complete. Forget the commission, Krestil will likely come after me for retribution.'But if he didn't run, how could he deal with Gregoire Brothers Steel Company? Where would he get the money to pay the final balance?Graz was anxiously scratching his head when he heard the trade supervisor say:"Baron, according to the purchase agreement, we must pay half, that is, 360,000 florins, by the end of the month, and the other half by July...""I know, now get out!" Graz roared.In his initial intent to incentivize French factories to invest as much as possible in expanding production, he had even included a clause in the purchase agreement offering "a 3% bonus on the order amount for early delivery."
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