() Not long after returning to Constantinople, the United Front Department meeting came again, and the cheap daddy called me to join him for the meeting.

Most of the meeting was about the Russian war. At noon, the meeting was almost coming to an end. At this moment, a guard opened the door with a sealed letter and came to the cheap daddy.

"Urgent note, from Castile."

Everyone craned their necks the moment Cheap Daddy opened the letter, but everyone knew they saw Cheap Daddy’s calm eyes. After dozens of seconds, Cheap Daddy closed his eyes and handed the letter to

Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"I want to know what's going on! Why, I'm just getting the news now!"

Everyone had a bad premonition.

The Foreign Minister took the letter and looked at it anxiously, and then his expression changed drastically: "Prince Jebili of Habsburg has passed away!"

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and all the ministers present could not sit still!

"The one sitting in Aragon?"

"It couldn't be murder?"

"I don't think so. If it was murder, the old ghost would die before the next war, not now."

"The Kingdom of Aragon is the biggest jewel in the Austrian Habsburg crown. Now the old man stationed there by the Austrian Habsburg has died. Without that old man, his sons and local dignitaries, there are still

Don’t you want to make trouble in heaven?”

"It's really bad news one after another! We have received the news now, and there is no reason why Versailles will not be later than the news we received! By the time we make arrangements, I am afraid that France has successfully bribed those Aragonese dignitaries.

!”

"Where is Aragorn? I've never heard of it." My cousin grabbed the person next to him and asked quietly...

All discussions now point to one conclusion, how should the empire respond?!

"Caesar!"

"Caesar!!!"

The humming hall fell silent when I opened my mouth, because normally we would not speak while watching, but this time I made an exception and naturally attracted everyone's attention.

"One thing, I must say, France is expanding its military! In the future, we may not face 200,000 French troops, but 300,000, or even 400,000!" I can't stop talking today, it's not surprising, 400,000

The army, do you think it is a peasant uprising in China, or the million-strong army of the Song Dynasty? The numbers are beautiful, but in fact there are not only three-year-old children and eighty-year-old women, but also pregnant women. But now, it is indeed possible!

"Your Highness, are you kidding?" the Minister of Agriculture said with twitching eyes, "four hundred thousand troops, that is a huge number."

Finance Minister Erics also didn't believe it. He seconded: "France has been fighting for years, and its expenditure has exceeded its annual income. If the number of people triples from the current 200,000, then the entire country will go bankrupt!"

The cheap dad still looked unfazed by honor and disgrace: "Tell me why you judged that France is expanding its military."

"The death of Prince Billy of Aragon of Habsburg is one reason, the other is, has Caesar heard of the French Mississippi Company?" I said slowly.

Looking at the confused look in Cheap Daddy's eyes, Foreign Minister Leo reminded: "That is a company that has monopolized the trade rights of the Mississippi River Basin in the New World for 35 years. It has a royal background. I remember that the company has assets of 12 million francs, that is,

That livre silver coin."

"I learned the news yesterday that the company's 240-franc stock issued soared to 1,880 francs a month ago! And this company owns 50,000 stocks!" Looking at the ministers, they all frowned.

Looking thoughtful, I said, "The royal family has a royal background and monopolizes the development of the New World.

Do you need to invest so much money at once to develop the land there? So I am convinced that France is raising funds for the war that their king is passionate about! I think the stock can still rise. If all are sold, France will be able to start from

The entire country, of all classes, has siphoned off more than one hundred million, no, two hundred million livres of wealth!”

"Two hundred million!!! Your Highness is telling me that just by selling a few scraps of paper, you can get 200 million?!" The finance minister was very excited. I could understand his mood. My cheap dad worked so hard.

After more than ten years of preparation, the national treasury did not exceed one billion solidus.

"Obviously, that's the truth!"

"Two hundred million livres. Four hundred thousand French troops? No, France will not be able to bear it. But three hundred and fifty thousand is possible." After the cheap dad calmly analyzed it, he suddenly asked, "My son, what about

You, what will you do now?"

"Others cannot see the huge power of this wealth, but when the French army expands to more than 300,000 or 350,000, everyone will tremble under such a huge military strength! Therefore, we must stabilize the Austrian Habu

Fort! We cannot let the death of Prince Jebili turn into a trigger for Austrian Aragon

The fuse of the collapse of the Habsburgs, there is no other choice! Otherwise it will trigger a domino effect and a herd effect, evolving from local decadence to global weakness! In other words!" I said every word!

He suddenly said, "Rome must also expand its army! Increase the confidence of our allies!"

"I object! Expanding the army will definitely increase the burden on the shoulders of the imperial people. For the nobles, this is nothing. They can just buy one or two less clothes. But ordinary people are different! Even if we suppress the surge in food prices, this year's

Food prices are still much more expensive than usual!" As soon as the finance minister said this, he immediately received support from many people.

"Your Excellency, please listen to what I have to say. Considering our financial situation and the interests of the people of the empire, we do not need to massively expand our military at the moment, but we will make a show of massively expanding our military!

"What should we do specifically?" asked the cheap daddy.

"filter!"

"filter?"

"Yes, we gather together the citizens of the empire who are suitable for joining the army, and then recruit them into the army through strict selection, and keep the number of newly created legions secret. We have only recruited a very small number of teams, but in the eyes of outsiders, it is not

In this way, our conscription was a tit-for-tat response to the French."

"Very good. I will announce the quota for the expansion of the army later. In this way, we will send the Imperial Rhode Island Third Fleet and the First Black Sea Fleet to cruise in the Western Mediterranean. We will replenish supplies in the Italian states along the way and return after arriving in Aragon.

.The battleships of the Rhode Island Third Fleet, the Sea Monarch and the Ocean King, each have ninety doors.

There are three first-level battleships, three second-level main battleships, and thirteen third-level main battleships. Counting the First Black Sea Fleet, this imperial fleet has a total of two first-level battleships, four second-level battleships, and third-level battleships.

Twenty ships, a total of twenty-six sea monsters, with such a lineup, even if it encounters France's Toulon fleet, it will be able to fight."

The finance minister said with a sad face: "But in this case, the departing fleet will have to increase military expenditures."

The Under-Secretary of State for Military Affairs immediately seconded the proposal, which aroused dissatisfaction from the Admiralty Minister.

Cheap Daddy waved his hand and signaled not to argue about this matter, because the money was worth it.

There is nothing more shocking than a huge army figure. The huge sea monster entering the port is obviously the first choice. Those battleships and black cannons are the real hard power of the empire! As expected of a cheap dad, wait until this one

After the Imperial Navy, which is not inferior to France's Toulon fleet, showed off its might in the Western Mediterranean, news of the expansion of the Imperial Army came, which can lay the foundation for our next plan.

After that, Cheap Daddy left behind the Admiralty Minister, the Finance Minister, the Parliamentary Secretary, and the Under-Secretary of State for Military Affairs.

Walking down the smooth marble corridor, the sound of heavy footsteps made me almost think that Morris was coming.

"Cousin, wait!"

When I looked back, I saw that a fat man in his fifties and weighing over 200 was rushing over panting. It took me a few seconds to realize that this guy was really my cousin! Alexander mentioned him last year.

name.

"Cousin Marcus," I have no favorable impressions of this guy sitting in the postmaster's seat. If our family didn't rely on loyalty to judge a person's official position, he would never have been able to sit on it.

That position. "What's the matter?"

"Well, you see, cousin, we are all relatives, so it happens that the weather outside is clear, the sky is clear, and the wind is beautiful. I want to go to a place with you to enhance the intimacy between our royal family." Ma Ma.

Kus came closer and said with a smile.

Since I had nothing to do, I asked casually: "Where does my cousin want to take me to connect and enhance the family ties between the royal family?"

Marcus smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into a straight line. He rubbed his hands and said excitedly: "Of course I'm going to have fun! The best one in Constantinople, on the banks of the Daphne River! It is said that the old man Justinian lived there.

There he finds his true love, Queen Theodora!"

The eyes of the two guards guarding the door were twitching wildly. I didn’t need to look at their eyes to know what their expressions meant. “I’ve heard that the royal family is having trouble. I didn’t expect that my cousin would actually take him to the hospital to enhance our relationship. Who knows what will happen next.”

Will they attack from the front and back, or from the top and bottom?"

"My cousin is hinting to me that I will marry a [ji] girl from [ji] courtyard to be my princess?" I asked slowly with a smile.

"Ah? No, no, no!!!!" Marcus pointed in a panic, "I mean, the courtesans there are very beautiful! Very beautiful ones, a few red cards, cost five thousand solidus a night!"

"Five thousand solidus. The meat sold by those people is really expensive. Since it is to enhance our relationship, we will not go to that place and save tens of thousands of solidus for my cousin. Now my cousin is

Not very happy? Do you feel that our cousins ​​are getting closer?" I teased.

"Yes, yes, I suddenly felt that my cousin is so considerate!"

"Okay, if there is anything that my cousin wants to discuss or solve with me, let's go outside and talk."

In the empty courtyard outside, Marcus explained his purpose. As a royal family, as an ambitious and idealistic royal family, as a purple-clothed royal family who is close to the Theophano family and is extremely noble by blood, he felt a lot of pressure.

He no longer wanted to sit in the position of Postmaster General and wait to die.
Chapter completed!