Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Great Offensive and Defensive Battle
Somiare bowed to Queen Mary, “Your Majesty, I have also received word from the Duke of Seville, Count Seyrelier, Marquis de Saint-Veran…”
He listed over ten names in one breath, all of which belonged to very influential nobility.
“…to convey their suggestion that Archbishop Brian resign from his position.”
Vilran glanced at Brian and said, “Nowadays, all over Paris, discussions are rife about issues such as Archbishop Brian lacking knowledge in finance and his financial policies being outdated.”
Queen Mary had not expected so many people to want Brian to step down and hesitated, saying,
“The tax bill matters are very complicated, perhaps we should give Archbishop Brian more time…”
The Duke of Orleans had long been plotting to topple Brian and certainly wouldn’t give him the opportunity to catch his breath.
He cleared his throat, stood up, and said, “Your Majesty, the Queen, some friends in the banking industry have told me that due to the Finance Minister’s assistant abruptly disrupting the loan cooperation with two banks not long ago, it caused the banks to suffer serious losses.
“Lately, the entire banking industry has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the national financial policies.”
He deliberately blamed the actions of Joseph on Brian to target him. However, this was somewhat acceptable since Brian was the highest responsible person in the financial system and should be responsible for any finance-related issues.
Somiare cooperated by displaying a shocked expression, saying, “This situation sounds very serious.”
“It is indeed,” pretended the Duke of Orleans with a worried look, “My friends have revealed that the Banking Guild might boycott Archbishop Brian, which would severely impact the government’s ability to obtain loans.”
He looked at Queen Mary, “Your Majesty, as you know, without the support of bank loans, we will not be able to pay the government debt, meaning a default on national bonds.”
In fact, this was entirely an exaggeration. For banking capital, lending to the government was the best deal; not only was the interest high, but also there was hardly any concern about not being able to collect the loans. Ravel Bank and Labod Bank had lost the business of lending to the government, causing their revenues to plummet, and they were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
However, Queen Mary started to feel uneasy, and with a frown, she asked, “What can be done about this? Is there any room for recovery?”
“Perhaps…” The Duke of Orleans “thought hard” for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said, “There is one person who can deal with the current situation.”
The Queen eagerly asked, “Who is he?”
“You know him too, Mr. Necker,” said the Duke of Orleans, “He has always been well-connected with the banking industry and possesses extensive experience in financial management. I believe that he is the most suitable candidate for Finance Minister at the moment.”
Vilran and Somiare immediately nodded in a mimicry of agreement, “Mr. Necker indeed has the capability to solve these problems.”
“I too think he is the only one fit to be Finance Minister.”
Queen Mary watched the three of them, all feigning concern for the nation and its people, and waxing lyrical with great passion, and she too sighed inwardly.
In fact, she was quite dissatisfied with Brian’s handling of the financial system after taking over—there was no reduction in the huge national debt. The tax bill had been underway for over half a year with no progress. Now, to make matters worse, the banking industry had been offended…
Initially, she wanted Brian for Finance Minister because he was the speaker of the “Assembly of Notables”, which represented large nobility at the time, and by drawing him in, it was beneficial for the Assembly to support the new tax bill.
Unfortunately, no sooner had Brian shown an attitude of support for the Royal Family than he was abandoned by the Assembly of Notables. It could be said that politically, he was almost without value.
If replacing him could facilitate the advancement of the tax bill and also obtain the support of the banking industry, it would indeed be worth considering.
Moreover, Mr. Necker had once served as Finance Minister. Although he was dismissed for unilaterally disclosing the expenditures of the Royal Family, he was indeed very professional in financial management.
Thinking of this, Queen Mary looked up at the other ministers, “Then, what are your opinions on this matter?”
Joseph had been caught off guard by the sudden attack from the Justice Minister and Duke of Orleans, among others, but he finally understood—they were trying to get rid of Brian to elevate Necker.
Historically, Necker did replace Brian as Finance Minister, just a few months later than now. It can be said that it was precisely by using this man as Finance Minister that Louis XVI’s last hope of survival was buried.
Simply put, Necker represented the interests of capitalists, more specifically the interests of banking capital!
How could he possibly serve the Royal Family with wholehearted sincerity?
It was during his tenure as Finance Minister that the French Government’s scale of borrowing from banks rapidly expanded by several times.
Even though the subsequent Finance Minister, Carolina, tried to avoid high-interest loans, by then France’s finances had already become dependent on borrowing, a situation that was beyond salvation.
In addition, he had made public the Royal Family’s expenditures, provoking fierce criticism from all over France over the Royal Family’s enormous spending. In reality, a large part of this was government expenditure on repurchasing noble lands and the like.
The actual expenses of the Royal Family were essentially covered by the King’s own estates and industries, and the King often had to use his private wealth to fill gaps in the treasury.
Joseph’s eyes narrowed slightly; he absolutely could not allow the Duke of Orleans to have his way!
His own taxation legislation was just beginning to take shape, and he needed Brian’s cooperation at this time. He had to protect him, which was also a strike against Necker.
He immediately stood up and said, “In fact, Archbishop Brienne has been very effective in advancing the tax legislation.
“One can go to Paris and see, many people believe that the nobility should pay land tax and the like, and they are very supportive of the new tax legislation.”
Although he was somewhat exaggerating, similar public opinion had indeed begun to appear in large numbers.
Somiare looked over at him, “Crown Prince, as far as I am aware, there are still many who are skeptical about the tax legislation.”
Joseph laughed dismissively, “But that number will continue to decrease.”
As the circulation of his two newspapers continued to rise, public opinion would inevitably lean towards supporting the bill. Moreover, the content of the bill did not affect most people and could improve government finances, giving them no reason not to support it.
“No, Your Highness, the tax legislation has been opposed for a long time, people will not just suddenly…”
Joseph did not want to get entangled in these minor issues with him. The other party was clearly prepared, and if he got into a discussion of the details, that would fall into their pace.
Joseph immediately raised his hand to interrupt him, turning to Queen Mary, “Your Majesty, the Archbishop Brienne has long had a detailed plan in place to promote the tax legislation and has already begun implementing it.
“Here, I can assure everyone very confidently that within at most two months, the tax legislation will certainly pass through registration at the High Court.”
All present were taken aback, not expecting Brian to be so confident.
Brian was also completely bewildered, as he didn’t know about this plan himself, but he quickly realized the Crown Prince was helping him.