He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 154

(154) Copying Money with Aluminum Electrolysis

Today, the Palazzo Pitti in Florence is bustling as usual.

“Oh my gosh, do you know we’ve only seen each other for three months in total? And before that, we didn’t see each other for almost half a year! And now you’re leaving again?”

It’s not the cries of newborn Florence, nor Napoleon venting his frustration, nor Josephine being her usual irritable self.

It’s Marie Therese, a girl who always smiles and suppresses her anger.

With her face flushed red, she was shouting at Eugene.

Eugene, who was hurriedly putting on his military uniform, stopped and scratched his head.

“Well, I only came to Florence temporarily because of the Tuscan Republic issue. I have to go back soon now.”

“Why! You could stay here longer! Florence was just born, and Mother is here too! And Hortense!”

“That’s why I need to work harder, isn’t it?”

Eugene held Marie’s shoulders and said plainly.

“To take responsibility for Mother, Hortense, Florence, and you, Marie.”

Marie’s face turned red with a different meaning.

Pauline’s name wasn’t mentioned.

This meant that Eugene was drawing a line with his ‘aunt’ for now.

Furthermore, it might mean that Marie, unlike Pauline, was within Eugene’s circle.

Eugene actually meant something slightly different.

‘I have a responsibility. To Marie and her family.’

The responsibility for causing the death of King Louis XVI of France.

It was unavoidable to save Marie, Antoinette, and the former Crown Prince Louis.

However, that responsibility was always on Eugene’s mind.

That’s why Eugene intends to take responsibility for Marie’s life in some form.

“Besides, Marie, you have to come with me. I need our princess.”

Marie’s eyes widened.

The reason she was angry when she heard that Eugene was leaving was simple.

She thought he was abandoning her.

But now that he was saying she would return with him, she was so embarrassed that her face turned red.

But what does it mean for a girl to be needed by a boy who has just come of age?

Blushing for the third time with a different meaning, Marie stammered.

“Wh-why, why, why? Wh-where do you need me?”

“What are you imagining? Did you forget? You are the [Patronne] (female patron or protector) of the Beauharnais Cartel. In a symbolic sense.”

“Huh?”

Eugene smiled and handed Marie a piece of paper.

“What is this?”

“It’s a list of people you need to meet when you go to Genoa. We could meet them in Florence, but Genoa is more convenient for me.”

“Grimaldi, Doria, Fieschi. Aren’t these all Genoese nobles?”

The fact that she knows those names is why Marie is special.

There isn’t anyone among Eugene’s associates or Napoleon’s inner circle who knows the old Genoese nobles.

Of course, since they hold military power, Napoleon’s generals and Eugene will be respected.

However, it’s a bit difficult to open their hearts and talk business.

Princess Marie Therese of the former Bourbon royal family is very useful when communicating with these nobles.

“Now they are former nobles. I need our princess to meet with such people.”

Marie looked at Eugene quietly and smiled brightly.

She’s happier to have a role than just being liked.

Because she will be able to overcome the things Eugene will do in the future together.

However, she couldn’t help but let the words come out with a slight pout.

“Hmph, you’re just using me, aren’t you? You’re such a bad man.”

“In return, I’ll give you 1% of the profits every time a business meeting is successful.”

“What, not even 10%? You made a lot of money from the war, didn’t you, General Eugene?”

There was a gaze watching that scene.

“Heh, aren’t you going to follow him to Genoa? Pauline?”

Lorre Perment, a witty girl, whispered from behind the palace corridor.

She seems to find Eugene and Marie’s giggling amusing, her eyes sparkling.

Of course, Pauline, who was watching with her, wasn’t very happy.

Pauline scoffed as she looked at Marie and Eugene.

“Hmph, that’s something I can’t help with. Oh well.”

“Then? Are you giving up like this?”

“No.”

Pauline straightened her back and turned her body.

“But our brother’s army officers can’t communicate with Marie.”

If Marie found usefulness in helping Eugene’s business, Pauline couldn’t lose.

Napoleon’s close aides and officers are all captivated by Pauline’s charm.

Pauline will take this side first.

Until Eugene returns to the military.

***

However, the Palazzo San Giorgio in Genoa is not quiet either.

“Unfortunately, our entire cartel may go bankrupt soon. Patronne.”

If you take a ship from Livorno Port, the outer harbor of Florence, you can arrive in Genoa in a day.

However, the first thing Marie heard as soon as she unpacked her luggage at the Palazzo San Giorgio was like a bolt from the blue.

Of course, the new head of Banca d’Italia, Collo, came to report to Eugene.

But there is no woman who would not be surprised to hear that her lover is going bankrupt.

Hastily, Marie asked Collo.

“What do you mean, Collo?”

“So far, the Beauharnais Cartel has poured a total of 35 million francs into the war. Of that, 15 million francs in advance payments were recovered after the occupation of Milan, and 5 million francs were covered by money received from the Vatican. The remaining 15 million francs have not yet been recovered.”

“You’ve made that much so far? My goodness.”

In the office of the Bank of Saint George, Marie looked back at Eugene again.

Come to think of it, Eugene’s height already seems to be more than a hand taller than Marie’s.

When she first saw him, he was clearly a small child, but now he has become a boy who can no longer be called a child.

Of course, what is bigger than his height is the size of the [power] that Eugene wields.

The fact that he can handle 35 million francs shows that Eugene has become a tycoon even by the standards of the old royal family.

However, Marie had no time to be proud.

“The important thing is not that you made a lot of money. The important thing is that you have not recovered 15 million francs. In that situation, we invested another 10 million livres [an old French currency], almost 30 million francs at the current price, to establish the Italian Bank.”

Suddenly, the faded decorations in the office looked expensive.

This bank is worth a whopping 30 million francs.

Marie doesn’t know prices very well, but she knows that about 30 francs is enough for a commoner family to live on for a month.

Marie shuddered as she briefly counted the enormous amount of money.

“Oh my gosh, aren’t we already bankrupt then?”

At that time, Eugene, who was looking at the documents Collo brought, snorted.

“Collo, don’t exaggerate. Strictly speaking, we haven’t actually invested the actual payment amount into the Italian Bank yet. It’s a promise to invest 10 million livres.”

“It’s the same thing, Patron.”

“It’s different. Also, the Marseille factory signed a long-term weapons supply contract with the Italian garrison, right? The Milan canning company signed a food supply contract with the entire French army. In addition, we can use the funds of the Milanese wealthy deposited in the Milan Bank for urgent money.”

It’s complicated, but to summarize.

Eugene’s Beauharnais Cartel is currently engaged in finance, military supplies, and trade.

Among these, uncollected payments occurred in the military supply business.

This is because Napoleon has not yet paid all the outstanding payments.

In this situation, Eugene decided to spend 10 million livres to establish the Italian Bank.

However, he has not actually paid that much silver yet, and has written a kind of guarantee.

This is why the previous banking corporation, the Bank of Saint George, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, was able to avoid bankruptcy.

However, if the money is not actually invested within a certain period, the bank will naturally go bankrupt.

In this situation, the Eugene Cartel is successfully conducting military supply operations for the Italian garrison.

In addition, there is money that has come in as deposits from the Milan Bank established in Milan during the expedition.

Of course, it’s the customer’s money.

The loyal banker Collo frowned.

“That’s embezzlement, Patron.”

“Not at all, banks are originally allowed to use deposits except for the reserve fund. You just have to keep your promise to return the deposits and interest in case of emergency.”

“It’s extremely dangerous. If the suppression of the Venetian rebellion and the occupation of Naples are not carried out at the exact timing, our cartel will go bankrupt.”

Venetian rebellion and the occupation of the Kingdom of Naples.

Marie had also heard about it in Florence.

Currently, a rebellion has broken out in Venice against the French army attempting to abolish the republic, and the Laharpe Division has been dispatched to the Kingdom of Naples, Marie’s distant relatives who are still fighting with France.

But what does this rebellion suppression or kingdom occupation have to do with the Eugene Cartel?

“Why is that?”

In response to Marie’s question, Collo explained with a simple calculation.

“Because Commander Bonaparte has decided to settle the 15 million francs in outstanding payments after the expedition. With the reparations to be received from the Veneto Republic, and the reparations to be extorted after the occupation of the Kingdom of Naples.”

For a moment, Marie nodded and then startled.

He says it very casually, but rebellion and occupation are ultimately military actions.

Civilians are likely to die, and even if they fight peacefully, soldiers will die.

But in this place, these people’s deaths are being calculated as [silver coins] (currency).

The moment Marie turned her gaze, Eugene shrugged and answered as if to reassure her.

“Well, the suppression and occupation will be carried out on schedule. There’s nothing to worry about too much.”

Marie stared at Eugene and parted her lips.

“You’ve really become a soldier now, Eugene.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll try to minimize the number of people who die.”

“I’m only going to worry about you.”

Marie smiled sadly and shook her head.

“It’s too much to worry about other people.”

Eugene stared at Marie and smiled back.

“Okay. First, why don’t you change your clothes? Business needs to be more successful to reduce the war.”

“Huh? Is there someone to meet?”

“You saw the list, right? We need to meet the influential figures of Genoa.”

The list Marie received in Florence.

Soon, the old ruling group of Genoa.

The oligarchical nobles, including the Grimaldi family.

“Now we need to attract funds needed for the Italian Bank in the short term as deposits.”

Getting money from them was also a short-term survival task for the Italian Bank.

***

Of course, there are also guests who come for the opposite reason.

“Hahaha! I am Marquis Honoré de Grimaldi. Princess, I have met you before in Versailles. Hahaha!”

Honoré de Goyon Grimaldi.

Originally, it is a clan that inherited the Grimaldi family, one of the ruling families of Genoa, through the maternal line.

In fact, these people are closer to French nobles than Genoese nobles.

In particular, Eugene knows these people for another reason.

The Principality of Monaco (Prince).

This is because it is the so-called ruling family of Monaco that continues to this day in modern original history.

The problem is that these people have nothing to give Eugene.

“I called them Grimaldi, but what is this? Collo?”

Eugene whispered to Collo next to him as if urging him.

The Goyon-Grimaldi family lost all of the Principality of Monaco immediately after the French Revolution.

The same goes for the Goyon family’s territory that they previously owned.

In other words, all property was taken away by the French government.

It is far from the old nobles of Genoa who own private property.

“I’m sorry. It seems there was a mistake in managing the guest list.”

“Kick him out.”

“Yes.”

At that time, Marie, who was chatting with Goyon Grimaldi, laughed and tilted her head.

“Oh my, but what is that?”

“Ah, I brought it as a kind of collateral. As you know, my family is currently having some difficulties. So I need a lot of funds to regain my territory, so I need to borrow money from the Italian Bank. Isn’t a bank originally a place that lends money?”

“But wouldn’t this not be collateral? What do you think, Eugene?”

Eugene indifferently looked at the stone that Marquis Goyon Grimaldi took out in the reception room and widened his eyes.

Eugene is not particularly a rock expert.

However, the reddish-brown stone had something captivating about it.

One of the records of this era that remains in the memories of his past life.

Grimaldi, reddish-brown rock, and the metal inside.

Suddenly, Marquis Grimaldi, or rather the former Marquis, said while showing the stone.

“There is a region called [Bo] (Les Baux-de-Provence, a village in southern France) in my old territory, and it is a specialty rock of that place. I still own the mine there. I suspect that this rock contains iron.”

“I see, Marquis.”

“How about it? Using that mine as collateral, would you lend me some money?”

Eugene immediately ran over and grabbed the rock.

“I’ll buy it.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to buy that mine. I’ll give you 3 million francs.”

Amidst everyone’s surprise, Marquis Grimaldi quickly stepped forward.

“I’ll sign right away. I even brought the transfer certificate!”

It seems he brought it just in case.

While Collo was busy processing the documents, Marie approached with a bewildered face.

For some reason, Eugene had a strange thought.

Could Marie be a goddess of luck to Eugene?

Just like Josephine was to Napoleon.

Conversely, Eugene would look strange from Marie’s point of view.

He was making a fuss about not having enough money, but he spent 3 million francs on an unidentified reddish-brown rock.

“Why are you buying that stone?”

“That’s bauxite.”

“Baux, what?”

A stone first discovered in the Bo region of southern France.

Basically, the Marquis Grimaldi’s statement that it is iron ore because it is iron oxide is not wrong.

However, there is a special other metal hidden in this stone.

“You can extract [aluminum] from it. In large quantities, if you have electricity.”

Right now, it is a metal that is more expensive than silver only in the 19th century.

The moment aluminum, called the ‘rice’ of modern original history society, came into Eugene’s hands.