An Ning's acceptance of five hundred ounces of gold investment was like a bombshell dropped in Paris.
For a time, all the young and old men in Paris were talking about it.
Suddenly, the balance of power in Paris has undergone subtle changes.
One of the most significant changes was the sudden popularity of the balls and salons at the Chateau Malmaison.
In the past, only people familiar to Josephine would come to the salon in Malmaison, but now it was better. When Josephine entered the hall where the salon was held, she saw all the people she didn't know.
Josephine enjoyed this feeling of being in the spotlight very much. She was busy at salons and balls every day, and she suddenly became the number one socialite in Paris.
In addition to these "current affairs" guys, many people in Paris criticized Frost, saying that he was accepting bribes.
But someone immediately retorted: The great General Frost saved France, what’s the point of taking some gold bars? Besides, who is Paul Barras? He has collected so much ill-gotten wealth, so why not leave it with him?
Why don't you give it to General Frost?
The two groups spent the whole day doing oral gymnastics in the streets and alleys of Paris and in bars everywhere, and the melee continued.
Sometimes the bickering will develop into a duel or a brawl, which can be very lively for a while.
As for the "steam revolution" proposed by Anning in several articles, no one cared about it at all - that's not right. It should be said that the people in Paris who would care about these things were all rescued from Paris by Frost.
For example, Lavoisier, who has been away from Paris for almost a year, is currently studying smokeless gunpowder in Marseille in the south.
But gentlemen who are not in Paris are not completely unaffected. There is one person who is very concerned about this matter.
**
Fouche was far away in Lyon and was not as sensitive to news about Paris as Barras. This old and cunning guy deliberately showed that he was not interested in Paris. He neither entrusted someone to bring newspapers from Paris nor arranged for someone to write regular letters introducing Paris.
The situation will be sent immediately.
Fouche seems to be a parliamentary commissioner who is really not interested in anything in Paris and just wants to do his job well in Lyon.
But this doesn't mean that he doesn't collect news about Paris anymore, it's just that his collection method is relatively secretive.
For every person who came from Paris, Fouche would try to find a reason to invite him to dinner. During the dinner, this old fox would calmly memorize everything about Paris, and then make some insinuations to draw out some things that interested him but that others were not interested in.
Things not mentioned.
Of course, Fouche also knew how to read the Paris newspaper, but he would only read it much later.
That day, Fouche was reading the Paris newspaper, which was late for many days, and suddenly saw an article criticizing Frost.
The article is titled "Is France's Savior Really So Great and Honest?" and is signed by Camille Desmoulins.
In this article, Desmoulins angrily complained that Andy Frost claimed to have accepted Ballas' investment of 500 ounces of gold and promised to pay Ballas dividends. This behavior was actually accepting a bribe, and then lamented that
Even Frost was corrupted, only Robespierre, the incorruptible, remained strong.
But at the end of the article, Desmoulins asked: "Is Robespierre really incorruptible? I wonder when this man who is in charge of life and death in Paris will reveal his true colors?"...
Fouche read the article, confirmed his signature again, and then laughed.
Opposite him, the gentleman from Paris who brought him the newspaper asked in confusion: "Why is the commissioner laughing?"
Fouche: "Look at the signature of this article. This is the man who encouraged the patriots to storm the Bastille with Frost, and he has known Frost for a long time at the Jacobin Club.
"This shows that the monolithic Jacobin Club has begun to split."
The visitor from Paris immediately showed a knowing smile: "You mean, your opportunity has come?"
Fouche: "If General Frost was a wise man, he would know that in this situation, people like me are more worthy of trust than those who are united by the same ideal.
"Because my actions are based on my judgment and interests of the future situation, I am predictable and controllable. I will not turn against each other because of differences in route or cognition."
The visitor from Paris nodded understandingly, and then asked: "So you are ready to return to Paris?"
"No, there's no need for it yet. It's best to go back before Frost gets married. If we go back now and get involved in something, it will be more of a loss than a gain."
The visitor from Paris asked again: "So, Mr. Fouche, what do you think of the steam revolution that Frost mentioned?"
Fouche: "Talleyrand should know better. He is in the UK now. Ever since the British began to use steam engines to dig coal and drive spinning machines in large quantities, their economic competitiveness has immediately become much stronger.
"Unlike us who are extremely poor, the British government is extremely rich. This was not achieved simply by relying on blood transfusions from the colonies. The steam engine played a huge role in this.
"So don't ask me what I think of Frost's vision of the steam revolution. You should ask me what I think of Britain, and my answer is that Frost did it all right. Just look at Britain and you will know that this is the future trend.
"I really admire Frost's foresight."
Fouche seemed to have forgotten that Frost could not hear him at this time, and said this with very full and full emotion.
**
The great debate that unfolded in the streets of Paris had an additional effect: Andy's new bank was overcrowded, and this bank now had "double insurance", one was Frost's huge reputation, and the other was the five-dollar sum just given by Barras.
One hundred ounces of gold.
An Ning also organized a big job, asking the troops to escort a carriage filled with gold bars through most of Paris and put the gold bars into the bank's vault.
The bright gold blinded many people's eyes, and the publicity effect was great.
Of course, putting all the gold in the vault makes An Ning a little worried. After all, he has also watched John Khan Jr.'s "Hardcore" series. He knows how outrageous thieves can be.
So An Ning arranged for soldiers to guard the treasury in shifts, and the number of gold bars had to be counted before each change of guard.
The strict rules and regulations soon spread by word of mouth from the soldiers guarding the gold bars, which only strengthened the desire of Parisians to deposit money.
When the bank first opened, there were not so many people depositing gold. At that time, An Ning arranged dozens of trustees, but in the end, only one real depositor deposited the gold.
At that time, everyone in the audience wanted to applaud together.
But now, An Ning's bank is crowded with people, and people have to queue up to deposit gold.
When gold and silver began to gather in An Ning's hands, An Ning decided to take the next step.
He plans to issue a new banknote to replace the banknotes.