Chapter 571: Everyone Plays Disappearing Act
Clestiel had just informed him that French goods seemed very popular, with many merchants and companies expressing their willingness to take over the shipments immediately, promising to publicly announce that the original buyer had still paid for them.
The only catch was that the price needed to be discounted.
The Duke of Leeds looked at Clestiel and asked, "So, how much more do we need to pay in total?"
"Seven orders, totaling 1.8 million Florins, Your Grace," the latter replied, pulling out a stack of agreement copies. He quickly added, "These buyers are very reliable. For instance, Viscount Plummer is very well-known in Vienna and financially robust. My people have signed agreements with them, with clear terms, and they've even paid a portion of the payment to the French companies."
The Duke of Leeds frowned again.
1.8 million Florins amounted to 180,000 Pound Sterling.
For this operation to cripple French industry, Parliament had allocated him a total of 500,000 Pound Sterling.
He had previously only used 300,000 for the actual operation; the remaining amount was originally intended to 'reward' himself and grease the palms of officials involved.
But now, if he didn't invest this 180,000 Pound Sterling, the entire plan could fail, and the 300,000 he had already put in would all go down the drain.
'Damn it!' He clenched his fists in frustration, reassuring himself, 'Paying just 480,000 Pound Sterling to make the French lose at least 1.3 million Pound Sterling and their industrial system is worth it!'
Once the plan was complete, he would be able to return to London's political inner circle thanks to this achievement. He decided to consider this money an investment in his future.
The Duke of Leeds repeatedly confirmed with Clestiel that there were no issues with these transactions—and naturally, there were none; the individuals and companies who signed the agreements had already begun paying for the goods. What could possibly go wrong with real money changing hands?
He finally nodded. "Alright, I'll allocate the funds to you as soon as possible. I don't want to see any more surprises."
"I guarantee it, Your Grace."
In the period that followed, Clestiel distributed the 180,000 Pound Sterling—or over 4.5 million Francs—among his subordinates, instructing them to pass it on to the French companies as a "discount."
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and began to envision the delightful scene of enjoying life in Manchester after receiving his payment from the British, his butler reported that Graz urgently needed to see him.
"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?!" Clestiel exclaimed, frowning at Graz.
"W-well," the latter stammered, "Viscount Plummer hasn't attended any social events for several days. When I went to his villa, I found it completely emptied. I sent people to his hometown, Ödenburg, to inquire, and they said Viscount Plummer died early this year..."
A terrible premonition welled up in Clestiel's heart. He hastily asked, "What about the payments for the French companies? How much did he pay?"
"Only... only the initial 50,000 Florins..."
Clestiel felt a sudden wave of dizziness, slumping into his chair, then abruptly springing back to his feet. He roared at his butler, "Quick! Send someone to search! You must find that scoundrel!"
However, no sooner had the butler turned to leave than he returned, accompanied by Borasnia.ŘąṅοBĚѕ
Borasnia, looking grim, told Clestiel, "Sir, the Homslar Investment Company has suddenly declared bankruptcy, and their directors seem to have fled abroad..."
Over the next three days, Clestiel received continuous news of the disappearance of individuals and companies that had signed agreements to take over the French goods at a discount.
In reality, they had all "vanished" on the same day; it simply took time for the news to arrive from Italy.
Even Clestiel, no matter how foolish, understood at this point that he had been deceived.
Subsequently, the French companies intensified their demands for payment, began publicizing the matter, and even escorted businessmen and dignitaries to warehouses piled high with goods, bitterly denouncing the defaulting companies.
Graz was the first to flee.
After failing to contact him, Clestiel also hastily gathered his family and fled Vienna overnight, heading toward Russia.
However, his carriage had barely reached the eastern outskirts of the city when it was forced to stop by fallen trees on the road. Then, several men dressed in black, illuminated by the fading twilight, slaughtered his entire family, including the servants.
...
Paris.
Over the past few days, headlines in mainstream newspapers like the Paris Business Journal screamed titles such as "Outrage! Austria, Tuscany, and Other Nations Systematically Engage in Contract Fraud!" and "Contract Fraud Affects Numerous French Factories, Totaling Over 30 Million Francs!"
While executives from major French factories cursed the fraudsters for their depravity, they also secretly rejoiced that the scam was exposed early. They had only produced less than a third of the orders, and after deducting the deposits, their losses weren't too severe.
At a salon in Lyon, several textile factory owners huddled together, conversing furiously. "I have less than 20,000 Francs left in capital," one fretted. "If we had discovered the problem with the orders a month later, I would've had to declare bankruptcy!"
"Indeed," another chimed in. "I took out a loan of 150,000 Francs from the bank for these orders and almost spent it all on cotton..."
"These damned Austrians!"
Someone else, looking more relaxed, remarked, "The Crown Prince ordered us to control production a month and a half ago. Perhaps he had already spotted some clues back then."
His factory was 40% owned by the Industrial Development Fund, so he had to drastically reduce production as per the fund committee's requirements. As a result, his losses turned out to be the smallest.
A senior official from the Lyon Textile Guild next to him lowered his voice. "You're right. I heard that the shipment from Thiérrycelin Company to Tuscany was actually gathered by the Crown Prince himself from Nantes and other parts of Lyon. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly have completed the order so quickly."
Someone immediately exclaimed in surprise, "It was precisely those goods that exposed the fraudsters' tricks!"
"This must be His Highness's foresight. Oh, my God, he truly is a Son of Divine Favor..."
The factory owners who had survived the ordeal immediately looked shocked, exclaiming, "Thank the Crown Prince!"
"His Highness saved my factory!"
"To the Crown Prince!"
Just as everyone raised their glasses in unison, an official from the Lyon Textile Guild rushed in, motioned for the orchestra to quiet down, and then, completely disregarding decorum, jumped onto a table. He announced loudly, "Versailles has just sent out a notice! All factories that suffered losses in this order scam will receive 12% compensation based on the order amount! Everyone, hurry to the town hall to register! Oh, and remember to bring your order agreements!"
A burst of cheers immediately erupted in the salon. People, ignoring the exasperated gaze of Baroness Leo, the salon hostess, rushed out the doors and headed home to retrieve their order agreements.
This money, of course, was the 4.5 million Francs that Mesmer and his associates had "extracted" from the Duke of Leeds using the "discounted takeover" scheme.
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