French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 7: Using Famine as a pretext to improve treatment, subsidies, and empty promises.

If the government has no money and the people have no money, the money won't just disappear into thin air, so it will naturally end up in the pockets of capitalists.

The 120 million francs and the 10 million francs he borrowed in his own name were all received in just two days, on the 22nd.

Looking at his assets of 1.33 million francs, and thinking about how to pour all of this money into the Paris military and political system within a little over a month, Eugène Napoleon had a happy dilemma: he couldn't spend it all, he simply couldn't spend it all.

Eugène Napoleon did not immediately go to the 13th Army to reward the troops, nor did he immediately distribute bread to the people.

With a fortune at his disposal, Eugène Napoleon set his sights first on the Paris police headquarters on Rue Jerusalem in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.

In 1870, the Paris police were directly under the central government. As the Governor of Paris, he had the right to interfere with the 13th Army's movements, but theoretically he did not have the right to interfere with the police force, which was not under the jurisdiction of the Paris city government.

However, this also depends on who the highest-ranking official in the Paris police department is: Joseph Marie Pietry, a core bureaucrat of the Bonaparte faction and a proponent of war in the Franco-Prussian War.

His cheap father ordered him to suppress the Republican movement, and he did so without hesitation. In Paris and even France, Pietre was known as a cruel official, and his reputation among the people could only be described as infamous.

"Pietri, how many police officers do you have under your command right now?"

"Your Highness, including the police patrols, criminal police, secret political police, and traffic/municipal police, we have a total of 1.2 police officers in the 20 districts of Paris."

After Eugène appeared at the police headquarters north of the Palace of Justice, Pietree wisely received the Crown Prince.

This "notorious" police commissioner knew that his power came entirely from His Majesty the Emperor. Although he was under the direct control of the central government, the government bureaucrats, led by Olivier, did not like him.

Now that Napoleon III has gone to the front lines to command the battle, Pietry, who controls the resources of the secret political police, is the first to sense the undercurrents surging beneath Paris.

Therefore, he urgently needed a new patron, and His Highness the Crown Prince and Governor of Paris, Eugène Napoleon, fit the criteria for such a patron.

What is the current salary situation for police officers?

"Not bad, Your Highness, but..."

"Just say what you have to say."

"Some lower-ranking police officers are somewhat dissatisfied that the military's wartime allowances have doubled since the outbreak of war, while their original salaries have remained unchanged."

The salaries of Paris police officers are not low; they are considered stable and high-paying jobs in the city, with a daily wage of over 3 francs.

Before the war, one franc could buy two kilograms of bread, and even a low-ranking policeman in Paris earned almost half as much as an ordinary worker.

However, Paris police officers do not receive room and board, while regular army soldiers do, so their living standards cannot be judged solely by their salaries.

"…Pietri, I've decided to step in on behalf of the city government to provide a stipend for the police. Do you remember if this is an acceptable practice?"

"Your Highness, I will be extremely strict...?"

Pietre, who thought Eugène Napoleon would be angry that the police were paid so much yet still dissatisfied with their salaries, was already prepared to retract his statement.

Before he could finish speaking, Pietre realized that His Highness actually intended to provide subsidies and allowances to the Paris police.

"That would be wonderful, Your Highness. I doubt anyone would stand in your way of securing benefits for the Paris police."

"Then each person will receive an additional wartime monthly allowance of 15 francs, and the police stations in all 20 districts will be required to provide lunches for the police."

"Your Highness, this...this is very expensive..."

"I'll give you 100 million francs first, Pietre. 50 francs are for improving police salaries, and I hope you'll use the remaining 50 to purchase a batch of Chassepot 1866 rifles. I'll follow up on the procurement later, and I hope there won't be any large-scale corruption."

Eugene stared intently at the middle-aged man with a mustache in front of him. Corruption was rampant in France at the moment; even his own father, after going to the front lines, had discovered large-scale cases of people receiving salaries without working.

If even the frontline troops are like this, Eugène Napoleon could easily imagine how bad the social atmosphere must be in bustling Paris.

With just over a month to spare, Eugene didn't have time to fight corruption. He could only exhaust himself first and try to eliminate some of the most corrupt practices by following up on them himself.

If 100 of those 80 million francs were actually used, Eugène Napoleon would be quite pleased.

If too much money is given, the treatment of the Paris police will improve, but then the gendarmes and privates will be dissatisfied with their treatment. Eugène Napoleon had to find a balance among the various military forces.

Rather, a 15-franc increase per person is already a significant improvement, considering that the monthly allowance for an army soldier is only around 2-3 francs.

As for his monthly salary, Eugène Napoleon didn't dare to make any grand promises. After all, once he had secured his rule, he would have to continue paying the increased francs in salary, while providing more wartime allowances wouldn't be too much of a burden.

"This period is like wartime. Please strengthen control and patrols. If you notice anything unusual, please contact me immediately."

With such substantial subsidies, plus a million francs to skim off the top, Pietre, loyal to Bonaparte but not deterred from his own greed, was brimming with motivation. He stood up and respectfully saluted Eugène Napoleon.

"Thank you for your generous donation, Your Highness. Would you like to stay and say a few words?"

"...Alright, I'll say a few words to everyone at headquarters at noon."

Noon arrived quickly. Eugène Napoleon arrived at the police headquarters at 10:05 a.m., and by noon, the police had finished their work, returned to headquarters to rest, and ate the bread they had bought themselves, which was only a little over an hour later.

"Your Highness." x783

There are indeed a lot of people at headquarters. Even at noon, when not everyone was present, there were already 783 people moving around in the five-story police headquarters.

When Eugène Napoleon appeared at headquarters, shouts of encouragement made all the police officers busy with their own affairs look up and focus their attention on him.

"Gentlemen, I just spoke with the director about your current expectations. He told me that with the current unrest in wartime Paris, your jobs have changed, but you don't receive a separate monthly allowance like soldiers."

Making sure everyone's attention was on him, Eugène Napoleon cleared his throat and began to speak. He had spent money; he needed to let everyone know who was working for their benefit.

"I am outraged by this. It is clear that the government has not done its job properly. As the Governor of Paris and the Crown Prince of France, I will, in the name of the Paris City Government, distribute a wartime allowance of 15 francs to everyone... Later, if I take charge of the government or when my father returns, I will have the government distribute an additional monthly salary of no less than 5 francs to everyone."

Amid the cheers of the general public, Eugène Napoleon did not forget to make a grand promise: whether he took control of the government or his father returned, either way, it meant that the Bonaparte family could not fall.

If they fall, they will lose this extra monthly salary of 5 francs or more. With the guarantee that the allowance will be actually paid, the police, having learned their lesson, will likely be more willing to support the Bonaparte family, who are giving them money, during the subsequent unrest in Paris.