Make France Great Again-Chapter 147: Public Opinion Control and Western Development
Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Public Opinion Control and Western Development
"Mr. President, I am a reporter from the Tours Daily."
The reporter from the Tours Daily, sitting at the far left opposite Jerome Bonaparte, introduced himself to Jerome Bonaparte while placing his hard cardboard notebook on his lap and unscrewing his fountain pen.
The urgency of the Tours Daily reporter’s introduction caused the remaining reporters to scramble to introduce their newspaper names to Jerome Bonaparte, resulting in a moment of chaos.
Jerome Bonaparte had to intervene personally to bring order to the chaotic scene. He cleared his throat and said loudly, "My friends from the press, I understand your current feelings! I assure you that everyone will have the opportunity to ask me some questions! I will respond accordingly to the questions you raise."
He then pointed to the reporter from the Tours Daily and said, "Do you have any questions, sir?"
The reporter from the Tours Daily looked pleasantly surprised. He did not expect to be the first to conduct an interview.
"Mr. President, may I have a moment to organize my thoughts?" the reporter from the Tours Daily pleaded to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Of course!" Jerome Bonaparte responded graciously to the Tours Daily reporter. Then he glanced at the remaining reporters and reminded them, "But please be quick; otherwise, the other journalists may not be pleased!"
"Yes!" After thinking for a moment, the Tours Daily reporter carefully said, "Mr. President, how do you view the rumors after July 1st?"
The first interview by the Tours Daily reporter left the other reporters with a slight sense of disappointment.
After all, the question the Tours Daily reporter wanted to ask was also the question they wanted to inquire about.
"You mean the rumors about me and the members of parliament attempting to stage a coup to amend the constitution, right!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to the Tours Daily reporter with an honest expression.
"That’s correct!" The Tours Daily reporter nodded.
"Nonsense!" Jerome Bonaparte said firmly, "I don’t know where this wave of rumors is coming from, but it’s clearly trying to drive a wedge between us and the French people! Let me assure you, I am loyal to the constitution and oppose any unjustified coup (a way for Jerome Bonaparte to leave room). The constitution, created by thirty million French people, grants me the power of the presidency.
If the constitution is overthrown, it would mean that I, as the president, would also lose my power due to the overthrow. No one loves the constitution more than I do! Even though the constitution may have some flaws, we still have to believe in it! Our constitution is not even a year old, how can we expect an infant constitution to solve all our problems? Believe in the wisdom of future generations, believe in the future!"
Jerome Bonaparte’s unwavering response made the journalists present feel a sense of goodwill. For journalists with somewhat left-leaning ideas, maintaining the current order of the Republic is undoubtedly more important than disrupting it.
The Tours Daily reporter quickly noted down everything Jerome Bonaparte said.
He then wanted to ask Jerome Bonaparte some more questions: "Mr. President, regarding your view on..."
"My reporter friend, I just mentioned that each journalist could ask me one question!" Jerome Bonaparte raised his hand to stop the Tours Daily from continuing his questions and pointed to another journalist among the remaining.
"Mr. President, I am a reporter from the Havas News Agency!" The appointed journalist introduced himself to Jerome Bonaparte again.
"Havas News Agency?" Jerome Bonaparte looked surprised, as he didn’t expect Charles Havas to open a branch in Tours. What was more surprising was that the Havas News Agency, having lost its overseas income, could still maintain a branch.
Jerome Bonaparte glanced at Percy, standing at the door, who nodded, indicating there were no problems.
"Mr. President, I would like to ask you what your opinion is on the city of Tours?" The Havas News Agency reporter posed a standard question.
"Tours is a city with a long history, dating back to the Frankish period..." Jerome Bonaparte recounted De Reina’s description of Tours to the Havas Newspaper reporter, his words brimming with affection for the city of Tours.
All the journalists present had joyful smiles on their faces, as living in Tours, they also felt proud of the long history of the city.
"Will Tours become the western transfer hub for the French Railways?" The Havas Newspaper reporter also forgot about the agreement of one question per person.
Jerome Bonaparte had to reiterate the agreement with the journalists and pointed out the next reporter to ask a question.
The next journalist repeated the Havas News Agency reporter’s question without hesitation.
"This question needs to be judged by professionals; I am just an ignorant president." Jerome Bonaparte humbly remarked, "However, I personally hope that Tours can become the central hub for the western railway!"
The subsequent topics gradually shifted toward slightly gossip and current affairs.
Jerome Bonaparte lightly tackled some questions, avoiding serious discussion, and offered perfunctory responses (new-century bureaucratic deflection template: we are considering solutions).
The entire interview lasted nearly an hour and a half, and the journalists got the answers they wanted, leaving Jerome Bonaparte in satisfaction.
Jerome Bonaparte ordered Percy to courteously see all the reporters out, and as soon as the reporters left the hotel, they received a "small gift" from Percy, each a 200 franc French note.
Bonds can be exchanged at the Bank of France.
Journalists are immensely grateful to the generous President, and they assured Percy that they would capture the most authentic President.
After seeing off the journalists, Percy returned to the room where Jerome Bonaparte was.
"Have they all been sent off?" Jerome Bonaparte asked indifferently with his back to Percy.
"Yes!" Percy nodded and said.
"What’s the situation with Havas News Agency?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Percy again.
"Your Majesty, Charles Havas has agreed to our investment request, so they are now in our hands!" Percy explained to Jerome Bonaparte.
"What about the newspapers behind those journalists?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired Percy once more.
"All of them are backed by investments from Havas News Agency, so we don’t have to worry about them talking nonsense!" Percy replied to Jerome Bonaparte.
"That’s good! We must seize the time to gain control over the newspaper circles in Paris and even France. Whether it’s through a stock exchange or investment, I only want to hear one voice in Paris, and that’s ours!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Percy with undeniable authority.
Percy’s ability to quickly control the Havas News Agency and some small and medium newspapers in Paris was not only due to Achille Fuld’s help but also thanks to Audion Barrot’s newspaper martial law. As soon as the martial law was enacted, many small and medium-sized newspapers either declared bankruptcy or accepted investment from certain mysterious individuals, gradually leading to the Bonaparte Faction controlling what seemed like a chaotic and diverse Paris newspaper scene.
Due to the interlocking equities among newspapers, the Bonaparte Faction remained hidden behind the scenes. Anyone attempting to unravel the truth would become dizzy from the complex and overlapping equity holdings.
A conglomerate in the newspaper industry is slowly rising.
...
Early the next morning, many children selling newspapers appeared on the streets of Tours.
"Selling newspapers! Selling newspapers! The latest ’Tours Daily’, ’Tours Economic Daily’... all for just 7 centimes each!" newspaper boys strolled along the streets selling newspapers to the gentlemen.
The gentlemen, who usually had the habit of subscribing, bought newspapers from the newspaper boys.
Upon reading in the newspapers that the President would not launch a coup, the gentlemen couldn’t help but feel favorable towards the President, as a wave of coup-related public opinion was quietly dissolved by the newspapers.
For a time, the focus of the people of Tours shifted from whether a coup would occur in Paris to whether Tours would become the central hub of the western cities.
Meanwhile, guided by De Reina, Jerome Bonaparte arrived at the meeting hall of the Tours City Hall, where the renowned aristocrats and Bourgeoisie of Tours gathered at De Reina’s call, waiting for Jerome Bonaparte’s speech.
In the midst of silence, Jerome Bonaparte ascended the stage and began to speak eloquently.
"Since the Frankish Kingdom, Tours has been a dazzling jewel in the French crown... During the Great Revolution, Tours became a logistic support base contributing to Vendée’s victory..."
Jerome Bonaparte began with exceptionally long diplomatic rhetoric praising Tours’s globally remarkable achievements, resulting in bored expressions from the aristocrats and Bourgeoisie present, clearly uninterested in the so-called history of Tours.
"Precisely because Tours has such high historical achievements, our government must not let its brilliance be buried in all of France!" Jerome Bonaparte threw a heavy bomb at the aristocrats and Bourgeoisie: "The government plans to establish a western railway network adopting Tours as a central hub!"
The Bourgeoisie in attendance instantly sensed a massive business opportunity, and they applauded Jerome Bonaparte’s slightly awkward speech.
"The Ministry of Public Works will decide to issue a second phase of project bonds, which will be devoted to the development of railways in the mid-western region of France. We also welcome some capable railway companies to bid actively!" Jerome Bonaparte dropped the second heavy bomb.
This time, even the aristocrats couldn’t remain seated, and they cheered and applauded Jerome Bonaparte.
In their view, bonds issued by the French Government were always a risk-free profit-making venture.
Amid the applause from the Bourgeoisie and aristocrats, Jerome Bonaparte stepped down from the stage.
The next day, local newspapers in Tours published Jerome Bonaparte’s speech again in the City Hall meeting room.
This time, even the petite Bourgeoisie of Tours couldn’t sit still. Having missed the chance to purchase the first phase of bonds from the Ministry of Public Works, they were eager and ready to enter during the second phase of public bonds.
Jerome Bonaparte’s reputation rose in Tours, and the coup-related public opinion was completely resolved by Jerome Bonaparte’s series of moves.
Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l
