Make France Great Again-Chapter 794 - 785 Establishment of the European Currency Union
That evening, representatives from all countries except the Kingdom of Greece were warmly received by Jerome Bonaparte and Empress Augusta at the Tuileries Palace.
Not only that, after the banquet concluded, the representatives were individually summoned to a room by the Royal Chief Steward, Mokar.
Just as the representatives were puzzled about why Mokar was calling them individually, Mokar placed in their hands the "gifts" Jerome Bonaparte had prepared in advance.
Because each representative had distinct personality traits, the gifts Jerome Bonaparte prepared for them were also quite different.
For example, the representative of the Kingdom of Württemberg received a diamond-encrusted saber, the representative of the Swiss Kingdom received a small piece of pale green jade, and the Swiss representative, known as a Pro-French Faction member, received a gold-crafted Imperial Medal...
The representatives who received the gifts generally displayed expressions of astonishment and then regretted not having prepared return gifts.
For them, not being asked for gifts by the French Empire was already fortunate enough; how could they accept gifts from France?
"Accept them! They are just a token of His Majesty’s goodwill!" Mokar told each representative he summoned into the room.
The representatives gratefully accepted the gifts from the Tuileries Palace and assured that they would bring gifts of equal value to the Tuileries Palace next time. (This statement could essentially be considered a routine response)
After all the representatives had left the Tuileries Palace, Jerome Bonaparte summoned Mokar again and inquired about the gifts.
"Your Majesty, all the representatives have accepted the gifts!" Mokar respectfully replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "I believe they will certainly do their utmost for you!"
"Why say it’s for me?" Jerome Bonaparte smiled faintly, "The reason I established the European Currency Union is to unite all of Europe!
Joining the Currency Union is nothing but beneficial for them, with no drawbacks!"
"I misspoke just now!" Mokar hastily apologized to Jerome Bonaparte.
"By the way, did you ask about what I told you to?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired of Mokar again.
Mokar was initially bemused, then suddenly remembered: His Majesty seemed to have instructed him to inquire after meeting with the representative of Belgium about any differing opinions the Kingdom of Belgium might have regarding the Coal and Steel Community.
After all, almost half a year had passed.
There had been no response from Belgium to Jerome Bonaparte, and Jerome Bonaparte suspected that Leopold II might be avoiding him.
"Your Majesty, I..." Mokar’s face showed a slightly awkward expression.
Seeing Mokar’s expression, Jerome Bonaparte immediately understood that Mokar had definitely forgotten to inquire.
Jerome Bonaparte’s eyes held a hint of disappointment; Mokar had served him for about six or seven years, yet he didn’t expect Mokar to forget even such a trivial matter.
Perhaps I should consider replacing the Chief Steward!
The thought of replacing the Chief Steward passed through Jerome Bonaparte’s mind.
"Your Majesty, I’ll go right away!"
In an effort to restore his image in Jerome Bonaparte’s mind, Mokar quickly replied.
"Forget it!" Jerome Bonaparte waved his hand expressionlessly at Mokar, "I’ll personally inquire about this matter!"
"Yes!" Mokar nodded to Jerome Bonaparte.
...
Early the next morning, newspapers inside Paris published reports on the progress of the Currency Union and the attitudes of the participating countries towards the Currency Union.
The Bonaparte Newspaper stated: The convening of the Currency Union signifies that more and more European countries are beginning to recognize the French Empire; they aspire to join a new system constructed by the French Empire, and contribute to the peace and development of the whole of Europe with their efforts.
The reason those countries aspiring to join the French Empire’s system have such confidence in France is entirely due to the French Empire having a competent helmsman - Emperor Jerome Bonaparte.
Under the leadership of Emperor Jerome Bonaparte, the French people have not only swept away the humiliation brought by two generations of the Bourbon Dynasty but can also proudly declare themselves as honorable Frenchmen to the outside world.
Therefore, France cannot do without Emperor Jerome Bonaparte.
At the end of the article, the Bonaparte Newspaper also called on all French citizens to silently bless the Emperor.
...
On the other hand, the National Newspaper’s stance on the Currency Union was relatively neutral.
The National Newspaper initially acknowledged that after signing the Currency Union, it would bring convenience to the French Empire in trade and tourism, promoting the development of France.
Meanwhile, it had some mild criticisms regarding the French Empire endorsing other countries with its gold reserves.
The National Newspaper believes that the specified 1:15 exchange ratio of gold to silver in the Currency Union will sooner or later cause France to suffer losses.
In case other countries deliberately sell off their silver when the gold-to-silver ratio rises (without reaching a certain threshold, France’s 1:15 ratio remains stable), to exchange for gold coins, France’s gold reserves would face the risk of being maliciously shorted.
...
In short, the entire French press has given a positive evaluation of the Currency Union.
At 1 PM, delegates from various countries once again arrived at the entrance of the Louvre.
This time, they did not encounter the same phenomenon of being surrounded and blocked by reporters as last time.
And this time, they were received by General Vayan, deputy of Jerome Bonaparte.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me!" said General Vayan to the delegates present.
The delegates followed General Vayan to the meeting hall.
Upon reaching the meeting hall, they were surprised to find that Count Algou and Jerome Bonaparte were already waiting inside.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please have a seat!" Count Algou said with a smile to those present.
The delegates each took their seats as arranged the previous day, and then the meeting officially began.
This time, Count Algou did not deliver an opening speech as he did last time but went straight to the point, asking if the delegates present were willing to join the European Currency Union.
"The Kingdom of Württemberg agrees to join!" The representative from the Kingdom of Württemberg was the first to raise his hand.
Following this, the representative from the Swiss Confederation said, "The Swiss Confederation agrees to join the European Currency Union!"
Seeing that both Württemberg and Switzerland agreed to join the European Currency Union, the delegate from Sardinia also raised his hand and said to Count Algou, "The Kingdom of Sardinia is willing to join!"
The statements from these three countries made the remaining countries less hesitant.
"The Kingdom of Belgium is willing to join the European Currency Union! To contribute to the European economy with its own strength!"
"The Pope State is willing to join the European Currency Union!"
"The Kingdom of Two Silesias is willing to join the Currency Union!"
"The Kingdom of Denmark is willing to join the Currency Union."
...
"The Kingdom of Greece is willing to join the Currency Union!"
The representative of the Kingdom of Greece, who hesitated yesterday, also raised his hand to agree after experiencing a cold reception at the Tuileries Palace.
Count Algou looked at the Greek representative and smiled slightly, "Since everyone is willing to join the Currency Union, please sign your country’s name under the agreement!"
With that, Count Algou clapped his hands gently, and a servant entered the room with a solemn step, carrying an aluminum tray with the documents of the Currency Union agreement on it.
The servant passed Count Algou and came to Jerome Bonaparte, presenting the tray with both hands.
Jerome Bonaparte solemnly stood up, took the Currency Union agreement from the tray, and went to the round table.
"This is the Currency Union agreement drafted by the Imperial Government. Each clause in this document has been carefully weighed for its pros and cons before being written. This agreement serves as the foundation for mutual benefit and win-win between France and you!
After reading the documents, please review each clause carefully. If there is anything wrong, you can point it out immediately!
The French Empire will consider amending it if necessary!" Jerome Bonaparte said with a slight sternness to the delegates present.
Then, Jerome Bonaparte handed out the agreements to each delegate.
Each delegate, upon receiving the agreement, immediately began to look through its contents to see how they compared to what Count Algou described.
Soon, the sound of turning pages echoed throughout the meeting hall, as Jerome Bonaparte and Count Algou quietly waited for everyone to finish reading.
About three minutes later, the representative from the Kingdom of Württemberg asked Count Algou for a quill pen to sign.
Count Algou immediately ordered someone to bring a quill pen and ink. In the time it took for the quill pen and ink to arrive, Count Algou explained the effective period of the Currency Union to the Württemberg ambassador.
"The Currency Union will take effect starting from September 11, 1855, and will automatically dissolve on January 1, 1870. If by January 1, 1870, no country has announced its withdrawal, then the treaty will be automatically extended for another 15 years, until January 1, 1885!
Representative from Württemberg, what do you think?"
"It’s acceptable!" The representative from the Kingdom of Württemberg responded flatly, then picked up the quill pen, dipped it into the ink twice, and wrote his country’s name at the end of the agreement.
Four minutes later, the delegates from the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Swiss Confederation also finished reading the agreement and signed it.
Next were Belgium, Sweden, Naples (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies), Denmark, and Greece.
After everyone had signed the agreement, Count Algou also signed it.
