As soon as Jérôme Bonaparte and Minister Dicko met, Minister Dicko complained to Jérôme Bonaparte with a grimace.
"Oh?" Jerome Bonaparte asked with interest, with a smile on his face, "The distance between the two of us is nearly 6 or 70 leagues. How can I influence you, the "Father of the Imperial Navy"?
?”
"Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?" Minister Dicko asked.
"Tell me!" Jérôme Bonaparte asked, hanging his hands on the seat of his chair.
"Did my wife follow your orders to Marseille?" Minister Dick said to Jérôme Bonaparte slowly.
"That's right! It's indeed me!" Jérôme Bonaparte nodded and admitted, "Isn't the purpose of sending her there also to take care of you!"
"However, she stopped all my work a few days ago!" Minister Dico replied to Jérôme Bonaparte with a hint of complaint in his tone: "And she also said that she was following your instructions.
Made it!"
After listening to Minister Dick's "complaints", Jérôme Bonaparte's expression also became extremely serious. Minister Dick, who had been with Jérôme Bonaparte for a long time, saw Jérôme
After Bonaparte's expression, he immediately realized that Jérôme Bonaparte's next words were most likely to criticize him.
Otherwise, the emperor would not talk to him with such an expression.
"Minister Dicko, do you still remember what you promised me before I left Marseille?" Jerome Bonaparte said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, are you looking for orders for Toulon Shipyard?" Minister Dick asked Jérôme Bonaparte tentatively.
"No! No!" Jérôme Bonaparte responded to Minister Dicko, shaking his head.
"Or is it cutting the navy budget?" Minister Dicko speculated again.
"No!" Jérôme Bonaparte shook his head again and responded to Minister Dicko.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't remember what I promised at the beginning! Please forgive me!" Minister Dico apologized to Jérôme Bonaparte.
"You can't remember clearly, but I still remember it clearly!" Jérôme Bonaparte said coldly to Minister Dick: "When we were in Marseille, you promised me that you must cherish your body!
As a result, you cherish it in this way! Theodore Dicko, you are not young anymore, you still think you are a young man between 20 and 30 years old!
You haven't slept for three or four days in a row, you are really not afraid of sudden death!"
Jérôme Bonaparte's scowling reprimand did not make Minister Dicko feel any humiliation, but instead made him feel a sense of warmth.
After all, leaders caring about your life proves that they treat you as one of their own.
If you are not one of your own, who would care about the daily routine of a stranger?
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry for not abiding by what I agreed with you!" Minister Dick said to Jérôme Bonaparte sincerely.
"Theodore Dicko, I'm warning you once! If you want to ruin your body, please do it after I leave the navy! I don't want to see an article "Office of Sudden Death of the Imperial Navy Minister" published in the newspaper one day
, the reason was actually staying up too late" news!
When the time comes, the opposition lurking in the dark may decide how to organize us!" Jérôme Bonaparte, still angry, scolded Minister Dicko.
"Yes! Your Majesty, I will definitely abide by the agreement from now on!" Minister Dico quickly assured Jérôme Bonaparte, and then asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, can you please let my wife not follow me?
Let’s go back to Marseille together!”
"Impossible!" Jérôme Bonaparte decisively refused and said to Minister Dico, "Your wife will continue to supervise your daily life on my behalf in the future. I hope you can be prepared!"
"Yes!" Dicko, who couldn't resist Jérôme Bonaparte, had no choice but to obey.
"Really! Not only do I have to deal with a lot of documents every day, but I also have to ask you all those stupid things!" Jérôme Bonaparte complained again.
"Your Majesty, you have so many things to do, thank you for your hard work!" Minister Dico bowed to Jérôme Bonaparte and replied.
"By the way, how are you preparing the materials for the Navy Department? There will be a royal meeting next Monday, so don't let me down!
"Jérôme Bonaparte once again told Minister Dicko to prepare materials in advance.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will definitely list all the expenditures last year!" Minister Dico responded to Jérôme Bonaparte: "I assure you that every dollar you invested in the navy
All great value for money!”
"I hope so!" Jerome Bonaparte said indifferently, and then asked: "By the way! How do you check the progress of the latest model of ship?"
"It is expected to take more than half a year to complete! However, if you want to go into the water, you have to wait until the end of this year!" Minister Dico replied to Jérôme Bonaparte.
Then he paused, and then responded to Jerome Bonaparte: "However, I already have the data of the new type of ship!
Although it is only a preliminary estimate by the designers of the design institute, it is much closer to the actual data!"
After speaking, Minister Dico took out the folded data and drawings from his pocket and handed them to Jérôme Bonaparte.
Jérôme Bonaparte spread out the drawings and data and observed them carefully.
Ship name (tentative): Kirson, Sevastopol
Displacement: 5900-6000 tons
Captain: 80.72 meters
Ship width: 17 meters
Draft: 7.7-8.4 meters (estimated)
Speed: 13-14.5 knots (estimated)
Capable crew: 570-600 people
Arms: 30 164mm guns
The "Kerson-class ironclad" is an improved product based on the "Friendship" ironclad. The entire hull adopts a wooden hull with iron armor laid on it. However, compared to the Friendship, the armor thickness is increased, so the protective performance is improved.
..." Minister Dicko tried his best to explain to Jerome Bonaparte.
After Jérôme Bonaparte looked at the fact that the single-row guns of the Curzon-class ironclads were a few fewer than those of the "Friendship-class", he asked Minister Dick whether such a design would weaken the attack capabilities of the ironclads.
"No, Your Majesty!" Minister Dico responded to Jérôme Bonaparte confidently, "We have made precise calculations and finally concluded that the reduction of artillery will not affect the power of the ship!"
"That's good!" Jérôme Bonaparte nodded and responded to Minister Dick: "I am very satisfied with the design of the new ironclad ship! I hope you can continue to work hard and continue!"
"Please rest assured! Our navy will definitely design better warships for the empire!" Minister Dicko saluted Jérôme Bonaparte with a solemn look on his face and said, "Let the empire seize Poseidon from Britain as soon as possible.
Trident!"
"Ahem... cough, just keep the following words in mind!" Jérôme Bonaparte cleared his throat and said to Minister Dicko, "The goal of our generation is to lay a solid foundation and work hard to catch up.
The footsteps of Britain and the task of surpassing Britain will be left to the next generation!
Each generation has its own work, so we can’t rush it!”
"Yes! Your Majesty!" Minister Dico responded with a sonorous tone.
Then, Jérôme Bonaparte discussed with Minister Duco for a long time.
It was not until noon that Jérôme Bonaparte and Minister Dicko stopped.
Later, Jérôme Bonaparte called Basilio over and ordered him to go to the residence of Minister Dicko and invite his wife to the Palace of Tuilleries. Jérôme Bonaparte wanted to thank Dicko properly.
lady.
After a while, Mrs. Dicko was invited by Basilio.
Mr. and Mrs. Jérôme Bonaparte and Mr. and Mrs. Dicko were sitting at a round table enjoying lunch.
After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Dicko left the Tuileries Palace.
…
Time passed in a hurry, and soon came the annual imperial meeting.
Under the order of Jérôme Bonaparte, the ministers of various departments arrived at the Tuileries Palace in carriages, and then led by Steward Basilio to the venue of the royal meeting.
At this time, Jerome Bonaparte, Emperor of the Second Empire, was sitting quietly at the head of the conference table, looking at the steady stream of ministers sitting on the conference table.
After everyone was in place, Basilio, on behalf of Jérôme Bonaparte, tapped the ground several times with his cane and said loudly: "The meeting begins!"
Jerome Bonaparte raised his hand and said calmly to Minister of Finance Magnet, who was sitting in the second seat to her right: "Minister Magnet, as the Minister of Finance of the empire, it is up to you to
Let’s get started! No problem!”
Magnet quickly stood up and responded to Jérôme Bonaparte with a serious face: "Your Majesty, I am ready!"
Jérôme Bonaparte patted the table gently with his hand and responded with a stern expression: "Then let's get started!"
As Minister of Finance, Magne first reported to Jerome Bonaparte the comprehensive financial situation of the French Empire in 1855: as of December 1855, the total revenue of the French Empire was approximately 2.38 billion francs.
This number dropped significantly compared to the war period, and Jérôme Bonaparte immediately asked Magnet the reason.
"Your Majesty, in order to stabilize the situation in the empire this year! We have reduced a lot of taxes, especially on luxury goods!" Finance Minister Magnet hurriedly explained to Jérôme Bonaparte.
Only then did Jérôme Bonaparte remember that in order to stabilize the employment rate, he had to reduce taxes to a certain extent in the luxury goods industry and the steel industry.
This resulted in the empire's tax revenue falling from before the war.
"What was our expenditure last year?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked again.
"2.74 billion francs!" Magnet reported to Jérôme Bonaparte again.
"So, not only did our government not make a penny last year, but it also owed more than 300 million in public debt! Is that true?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Minister Magne.
