Make France Great Again-Chapter 731 - 722: The Predicament of Toulon’s Shipbuilding Industry
Watching the child gradually fade into the distance, Jerome Bonaparte’s smile slowly disappeared. He rose slowly and continued to walk forward.
Standing on either side behind Jerome Bonaparte, Minister Deco and Mayor Jacob felt a little uneasy seeing this scene.
Although Jerome Bonaparte didn’t say anything, they knew in their hearts that he was very dissatisfied with the program just now.
As for why the Emperor was dissatisfied, only he knew in his heart.
Walking from the dock to the vicinity of the main urban area of Toulon Port, Jerome Bonaparte looked at the imperial citizens in front of him, who were holding banners reading "Long live Bonaparte, long live the Empire" and were divided by soldiers on either side of the main road, and his face bloomed into a radiant smile again.
He took off the wreath on his head and tossed it gently into the crowd, then said solemnly, "Citizens of the Empire, your Emperor has returned!"
Instantly, the citizens on both sides of the street erupted, "spontaneously" shouting the slogans "Long live Napoleon III, long live the Empire!"
Jerome Bonaparte quietly watched this fervent group of citizens, and his lips couldn’t help but curl slightly.
Back then, why did he insist on going to the Crimea Peninsula to command despite the Empire not being stable yet?
It was precisely for this scene before him; as the nephew of Emperor Napoleon, he could not live forever under his uncle’s credit.
He had to write his own legend before all of Napoleon’s protection was completely exhausted.
Only this way could he truly break free from the shadow of Emperor Napoleon and become a true legend in his own right.
Now, having defeated the Russian Imperial Army and forced the Russian Empire to sign a humiliating treaty, he has already taken the first step on this legendary path.
"Long live Napoleon III" is the best response from the imperial citizens to him.
As the whole atmosphere transitioned from a climax to a lull, the officers surrounding the residents also shouted hysterically, "Salute!"
Almost all the soldiers presented arms at the same time, and the gleaming bayonets were particularly dazzling under the sunlight.
Looking at these spirited and high-spirited soldiers in front of him, Jerome Bonaparte showed a proud smile on his face.
It was with the help of tens of thousands of soldiers like them that Jerome Bonaparte could defeat the Russian Empire in a short time.
If it weren’t for the continuous victories of the French Empire on the Crimea Battlefield, reducing the Tsar’s prestige in the Russian Empire, Duke Golitsyn in the heart of St. Petersburg would not have initiated a successful rebellion.
Perhaps he would have faded into obscurity as history records, or perhaps he would have died silently on any street in St. Petersburg.
Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte gently waved his hand, "Soldiers of the Empire, thank you for your hard work! I personally appreciate you for maintaining order here! It is truly because of you that our country, our nation, can live safely on this land.
Peace in Europe requires not only flowers and salutes but also spears and shields."
Faced with this sudden praise, almost all the soldiers passionately cheered the slogan "Long live the Emperor."
The previously subdued atmosphere once again reached a new climax amid the soldiers’ continuous cheers.
As Jerome Bonaparte continued walking forward, the cheers he received grew increasingly louder, and a small group of fervent citizens even began to push against the human wall formed by the army, just to see Jerome Bonaparte face to face.
Fortunately, every soldier was able to adhere to his duty and did not allow them to break through the human wall.
When Jerome Bonaparte arrived at the Toulon City Hall, the bureaucrats of the City Hall stood uniformly in front of him.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded slightly to the City Hall officials.
Led by the City Hall officials, Jerome Bonaparte once again toured various offices.
And the ceremony concluded as Jerome Bonaparte entered the City Hall, after which he settled temporarily in a heavily guarded castle on the edge of the Toulon urban area under the arrangements of Minister Deco.
"Deco!" Jerome Bonaparte spoke to Minister Deco.
"Your Majesty!" Minister Deco hurriedly responded to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Convey a message to the commercial giants of Toulon for me!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Minister Deco.
"Your Majesty, please speak!" Minister Deco immediately said to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Just say that tonight I will invite them to dine at the best hotel in Toulon, and hopefully, they will not let down my kind intentions!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Minister Deco.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Deco nodded, then asked Jerome Bonaparte whether he needed to go to the hotel to make a reservation.
"There’s no need to trouble you with that!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head in response to Deco, then turned his gaze to Valerovsky, saying, "I believe Valerovsky can arrange it properly!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Deco immediately took his leave from Jerome Bonaparte.
Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte dispatched Valerovsky to the hotel to reserve the banquet in advance.
During the banquet reservation process, Valerovsky also encountered some trouble.
Since Jerome Bonaparte was about to invite the entire commercial elite of Toulon, the entire hotel needed to be booked.
However, that evening, there were also some nobles inviting friends for dinner, and several guests were already staying at the hotel.
Therefore, the hotel refused Valerovsky’s request. If Valerovsky hadn’t revealed his identity as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and discreetly informed the hotel owner that the person responsible for booking the hotel was Emperor Jerome Bonaparte, they wouldn’t have made up their minds to evict all the guests.
After all, anyone who could enter the hotel was a prominent figure, and evicting any one of them could cause significant negative repercussions for the hotel.
As expected, the evicted guests, full of indignation, sought out the hotel manager to argue, forcing the manager to smile apologetically while refunding them ten times their lodging fees.
When a small number of guests insisted on demanding an explanation, the hotel brandished Minister Valerovsky’s authority.
Those relentless guests had to leave reluctantly, and the hotel staff put all their efforts into preparing the food needed for the banquet.
As time passed, it soon approached 6 PM. By this time, the sky had gradually darkened, with stars appearing in the heavens.
Under the starry sky, a carriage pulled up at the hotel’s entrance.
From the carriage alighted a couple resembling lovers, hand in hand, entering the hotel.
The hotel manager, seeing this couple, subconsciously wanted to evict them.
When he took a closer look at the appearance of the male in the couple, he quickly ran over, bowed, and greeted, "Your Majesty, welcome!"
Indeed, this couple was none other than Emperor Jerome Bonaparte and Vilnius.
"Hmm!" Jerome Bonaparte glanced at the hotel manager and remarked with a smile, "It’s been half a year since we last met, and you’ve gained quite a bit of weight!"
"That’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s blessings!" the hotel manager fawningly replied.
"This is all due to your own efforts!" Jerome Bonaparte waved his hand and said, then seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, don’t send this bill to the Tuileries Palace like last time! Do you hear me?"
"Your Majesty, it’s already our honor to host someone as esteemed as you!" The hotel manager quickly said to Jerome Bonaparte, unwilling to send the bill to the Tuileries Palace.
"I can’t just eat and drink for free!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to the hotel manager.
"Your Majesty, your mere presence brings enough popularity to our hotel!" The hotel manager explained to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Oh? Tell me, how do you do it?" Jerome Bonaparte curiously asked.
The hotel manager told Jerome Bonaparte that after his first invitation to the Toulon Port tycoons for dinner, the hotel capitalized on Jerome Bonaparte’s name to launch an Emperor’s set meal, attracting many nobles and big businessmen (the bourgeoisie) to come and taste it.
Upon hearing the hotel manager’s words, Jerome Bonaparte realized they were using the "celebrity effect" technique.
Although information exchange was exceedingly underdeveloped at the time, it didn’t prevent Jerome Bonaparte from becoming a "national celebrity."
His dining at this hotel functioned similarly to how some later influencers "promote products."
Jerome Bonaparte, understanding this, cursed with a smile, "Serves you right for making money!"
The hotel manager bowed with a smile, then accompanied Jerome Bonaparte into the room to await the invited commercial and industrial giants’ arrival.
As carriages one after another stopped at the hotel’s entrance, numerous commercial and industrial giants of Toulon Port gathered once more, engaging in conversations.
Those entrepreneurial giants who hadn’t halted complained about the war ending too quickly; however, those who had halted began contemplating mergers.
At 8 PM, the banquet officially began.
Under the gaze of everyone, Jerome Bonaparte and Vilnius appeared before them.
As the host, Jerome Bonaparte warmly welcomed their arrival and then commenced the discussion on potential issues arising from the ceasefire.
"The reason I called you here this time is to see how many of your factories are still expanding!" Jerome Bonaparte asked the commercial and industrial giants present.
Several of the commercial and industrial giants slowly raised their hands, and soon more and more of them began to raise their hands.
In detail, about 70% of the entire hall had not stopped expanding.
If industrial subsidies were abruptly stopped for these individuals, many of their factories would end up in a state of suspension and unemployment.
Furthermore, the shipbuilding industry of the entire Toulon Port would suffer certain degrees of damage due to their suspension.
"Alright! I understand! You can put them down now!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and waved to everyone present.
Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte joined everyone in toasting and enjoying themselves.
The entire banquet lasted until the early morning before ending. After everyone had left, Jerome Bonaparte, with a somber face, ordered Valvesky to summon Deco.
