The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 780: Chapter 368 The Final Ultimatum_3

The small shops selling goods on the streets naturally closed down, and although a man in the tavern was selling newspapers, he was immediately arrested. However, very soon, some boys and ordinary citizens promptly took over his role, but within minutes, everything seemed to return to calm.

The Royal Palace Hotel and all the shops closed their doors, which wasn’t unusual for Paris, but if it had happened in London, it would have been big news. The houses of all the ministers also filled with armed personnel, prompting widespread discussion among the people.

After the parliamentary meeting concluded, they declared themselves the sole and true representatives of the people, stating that without their approval, everything was illegal. This meant that after January 1, all actions taken by the ministers were illegal, and the people no longer needed to pay taxes to the king.

Of course, these were only the views of the opposition. They believed that they would again witness a very severe situation, but in the king’s camp, government supporters fully controlled the military. They believed that with armed force, anything was feasible.

The difference in opinions naturally led to fighting on the streets of Paris, where in two days, over 800 protesters and more than 200 soldiers died. Subsequently, the white flag symbolizing the Bourbon Dynasty fell, and the tricolor began to fly over every public building in Paris.

Regarding this revolution, Uncle James and I felt relieved that the outcome was much better than anticipated without triggering a large-scale civil war, otherwise the French public debt would not have stayed at 79 points but would have plummeted to 39 points.

To prove he was truly pleased, Uncle James immediately expressed his support for the revolution. He not only dressed my three-year-old cousin Alphonse in a miniature uniform of the National Guard but also generously donated 15,000 Francs at once to aid innocent civilians injured in the street battles.

“Speaking of which,” Lionel smiled, “Arthur, if you don’t believe what I’m saying, you can perfectly well write a letter to Paris and ask that annoying Heinrich Heine. He has been closely watching every move of Rothschild in Paris. He describes the relationship between Uncle James and the King of France, Louis Philippe, as if they were lovers, inseparable. Rothschild wouldn’t oppose the government; we only support the government, no matter what government it is, as long as they hold power, we support them. As for civil war, the cost is simply too great for us.”

Arthur nodded slightly, “And it’s not just civil war. I suppose in the Financial City there are quite a few who oppose even foreign wars?”

Lionel looked into Arthur’s eyes, rather apologetically, “Arthur, although I am more informed than most, I’m not omnipotent like God. Your experiences in Liverpool are extremely complex, but I assure you, Rothschild wasn’t involved, we have no stake in import-export trade.”

“Of course, Lionel, I absolutely trust you on that. Otherwise, I would not have discussed the funding sources of the protest groups so openly with you.”

Arthur asked, “I just want to understand, if it wasn’t the bankers, how then did the money flow out of the Financial City?”

Lionel put down his coffee cup, “I only meant, bankers like Rothschild of this magnitude are unlikely to engage in extremes, but that doesn’t mean smaller players won’t take risks. We’re satisfied with our current position, but not everyone is content with theirs. For some, civil war might be seen as an opportunity, a chance for them to replace Rothschild, to replace Barings. There’s no shortage of ambitious people in any era.”

Arthur asked, “If Scotland Yard were to send an official document to the Financial City Corporation asking the Financial City police to arrest these individuals, is there a chance of success?”

“Minuscule.”

Lionel sighed, “Arthur, you surely understand that it’s not just about individuals, but a group. They also hold seats within the Financial City Corporation, even more so than Rothschild and Barings combined. Perhaps singled out, they are nothing, but now, these people are united under the banner of parliamentary reform. And as your friend, I advise you to drop this idea quickly. You work in the government, so you should understand that if the Cabinet really wanted to eradicate them, why would Scotland Yard be prompted to act against the Financial City? The Financial City has its own police, and their resources are even more abundant than those of Scotland Yard’s jurisdiction. If there were a real intention to act, they would have done it themselves.”

“Arthur, although London is not Liverpool, in some aspects, London is just an enlarged Liverpool. We all can only operate within the small circles God has drawn for us, no one can overstep those boundaries. You might manage to arrest those who conspired to assassinate Duke Wellington and bring them to justice, but beyond that, you can’t do much more.”