The Bait

In the afternoon, as previously arranged, Charles left the city of Paris to visit the secret country villa of Monsieur du Thiers.

However, any acquaintance who saw him now would likely not have recognized him. He was dressed in black clothes with a cravat, wearing slightly tinted glasses to hide the color of his eyes. On his head, he wore a brown wig, and a mustache was glued to his upper lip. In his hand, he carried a thin rattan cane. He looked just like a young university lecturer.

When the rented carriage stopped at the villa's gate, Charles, as agreed, tapped the carriage three times with his cane. The iron gate was opened immediately. Charles instructed the coachman to drive in at once, stopping directly at the entrance to the house. After Charles alighted, the carriage left immediately. Before getting out, Charles checked his pocket watch. He was right on time.

Monsieur du Thiers was already waiting for Charles at the door. His bald head and round face gave him a simple and honest appearance. This face had deceived many people, driving them to bankruptcy.

"Monsieur, you've finally arrived..." Monsieur du Thiers said, nervously touching his forehead. "I was just getting worried about you...唉 (āi), I've been feeling that things are a bit tense lately. I'm always on edge..."

"Don't worry. I observed the surroundings for a while before coming. It's safe enough; I didn't spot any spies. Rest assured, I am more concerned about my own safety than you are," Charles replied, his tone somewhat cool. He then deliberately prodded the other man. "Also, I suggest you don't display your nervousness so openly. It serves no purpose other than to make you appear more suspicious. If you wish to be like Laffitte, it takes more than just pretty words. Please, compose yourself, Monsieur."

Hearing Charles's words, Monsieur du Thiers's face first went pale, then he slowly relaxed a little, letting his hand fall to his side.

Yes, as a banker, Monsieur du Thiers's greatest aspiration in life was to emulate the great Jacques Laffitte. To this end, he had chosen to imitate the man and had become one of the behind-the-scenes financial backers of the Bonapartist faction. Without the help of such patrons, no political party in France could operate.

Historical Note: Jacques Laffitte was a major French banker in the first half of the 19th century and once served as the governor of the Bank of France. After the Napoleonic era, he actively participated in politics, strongly supporting the Orléanist faction and generously funding their political activities. After the establishment of the July Monarchy, he served as Prime Minister of France in 1831, becoming the first French banker to reach the pinnacle of political power. He is a different person from the Marquis de Lafayette, who participated in the American War of Independence and became America's 'second founding father' (the first, of course, being the poor, decapitated king), and who was also an active participant in the French Revolution.

And today, this banquet hosted by Monsieur du Thiers had the potential to win the Bonapartist faction several more patrons.

If Charles performed well.

Charles followed Monsieur du Thiers into his residence. The furnishings inside were about as lavish as one would expect from a nouveau riche individual desperately trying to prove he had taste. Famous paintings hung on the walls, and the room was arranged like a café.

But what was important was not the taste, but the attendees.

The sky had already darkened, and the curtains were deliberately drawn. In the dim light, no one could see each other's faces clearly, only their general outlines—a situation with which both sides were quite satisfied.

Charles turned his head and glanced at Monsieur du Thiers, who gave a slight nod, indicating that everyone had arrived.

Charles then sat down in the seat that had been prepared for him—just to the right of the main seat.

Monsieur du Thiers sat in the host's chair and then introduced him to the seated men. "This is the Monsieur de Friedland I mentioned to you all before."

"Good evening, everyone," Charles stood up. "To thank our host for his gracious hospitality today, I suggest we all raise a glass."

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

A few men quietly echoed the sentiment, and then everyone raised their glasses and took a drink.

Everyone knew that "Monsieur de Friedland" was just a pseudonym, but no one wasted a word on it.

After drinking, Charles wasted no more time and went straight to the point.

"I imagine you are all very busy men with little time, and have no patience for beating around the bush. Coincidentally, we too are men of action. My superiors have given me the authority to explain things to you all. If you have any questions, you may ask me."

The men looked at each other. After a moment of silence, one man stood up to fire the first shot. He asked cautiously.

"Monsieur de Friedland, I've heard that you have been planning a big move recently?"

"Yes," Charles nodded. "We have studied the situation carefully and believe the time is almost ripe. France is restless right now, and dissatisfaction with Monsieur Orléans has nearly reached its peak. As you all run your own businesses and deal with many people, I'm sure you have a deep sense of this as well."

If they hadn't repeatedly sensed that the current regime was unstable, these men would likely not have come to this secret meeting.

A few men nodded lightly.

After another moment of silence, a gentleman wearing glasses spoke up.

"Monsieur, forgive my impertinence, but if we support your faction, what benefits will we receive? If it's a Legion of Honor, we are not lacking. If it's merely a title of nobility, while that has some appeal, it's not enough to make us take such a risk."

"We will, of course, remember the help you provide," Charles nodded. "However, we will also look at how much help you have given. For those who help a great deal, our rewards will naturally be greater. As for those who offer little help... well, gentlemen, our hands are tied."

"I can be frank with you," another attendee spoke. "Before you arrived, we had already discussed it. If we decide to support your cause, we will not do it halfway. We will give it our all. You can trust us on that. However, you must give us something to look forward to, to let us know what exactly we are giving our all for."

"I am very moved that you have all reached this consensus. On behalf of all of us, I would like to express our gratitude," Charles stood up again and nodded. "Likewise, if you can give your all, we will also give our all in rewarding you."

"For instance?"

"In our era, things like titles, honors, prestige, or medals, while they may look fancy, are not as useful or as beautiful as cold, hard francs. Do you all agree?" Charles asked, his face impassive, first whetting their appetites.

These words struck a chord in their hearts.

"Yes!" everyone nodded frequently.

Good, now it's time.

Charles picked up his wine glass, quietly watching the wine swirling inside. "We have reached a conclusion. After we seize power, we will greatly develop the railways and, at the same time, issue railway bonds. We will issue as many as are needed, and even when they are not needed, we will issue them. We will draw up a list. Whichever industrialist helps us, we will give the construction contracts to that industrialist. Whichever financier helps us, we will let them issue these bonds and be responsible for the financing!"

Everyone was silent, listening intently.

"You are all practical men. You know how useful the railway is, what a huge source of profit it is. As long as it is operated well, its ability to repay debt is not a concern. And within this, how many business opportunities lie hidden?" Charles slowly raised his voice. "Gentlemen, do not forget, we are not talking about three hundred kilometers of railway, nor three thousand kilometers. We are talking about thirty thousand kilometers, and more, and more, and more!"

"Oh," a collective, soft gasp.

"For such a long railway, how much track will be needed? How many carriages? How many stations will need to be built? And how much financing?! Gentlemen, we will not rest until every single village in France is connected by rail!" Charles was practically shouting now. "One day, we will lay tracks to Baghdad, to Delhi, to Beijing! (No typos here~~~)"

The railway. Yes, the railway! This was one of a nation's most important assets.

In the original timeline, from the Bourbon Restoration in 1815 to the end of the July Monarchy in 1848, the two dynasties had built less than five thousand kilometers of railway in a total of 33 years. In contrast, the French Second Empire built more than twenty thousand kilometers in less than 20 years.

Why? Was it because the great men in court at the time didn't know the railway was a good thing?

Not at all.

This situation arose because the large and small landowners in France at the time did not like railways passing through their properties, nor did they like agricultural products transported from afar competing with those from their own land. The Bourbon dynasty and the July Monarchy, which was born from it, no matter how much they touted themselves as enlightened, could not, in essence, escape the shadow of the landed aristocracy.

But the Bonapartist faction was different. From the very beginning, they had no intention of surviving on the goodwill of the landed aristocracy. Their pillars of rule were the industrialists and financiers. And the bourgeoisie valued the circulation of capital and goods; they did not rely on income from land. They needed the railway to realize their own interests.

It was for this reason that a Bonapartist dynasty could implement far stricter land appropriation policies than the original dynasties, without being particularly afraid of a backlash from the old nobles. This was what he would use to buy the support of the bourgeoisie.

Although Napoleon III made many mistakes, many unforgivable mistakes for France, the construction of a preliminary railway network was one of his two great achievements that would be celebrated for generations—the other being the renovation of Paris, turning it into a truly famous city.

Of course, just having railways was not enough. The state and government's control over the railways was also a crucial part of tapping into the nation's potential—even more so during wartime.

Germany's railway had always been a strategic national asset. From the very beginning, the planning of the railway network served military purposes. The railway bureau was directly under the jurisdiction of the General Staff, and every important railway hub and junction had a military officer in charge. This efficient transport system laid an excellent foundation for the outstanding performance of the German army in the Franco-Prussian War and the two World Wars.

France, however, was vastly different. The French railway department had never had direct control over the national railway network, nor was there a dedicated government Ministry of Railways. The French railway administration was just a subordinate department of the Ministry of Transport, with little real power, only able to use administrative means to indirectly influence the transport plans of the railway companies. It wasn't until 1938 (just two years before Germany would invade France again!) that France nationalized the five major railway companies, established the French National Railway Corporation (SNCF), and finally achieved state control over its strategic railway network!

The tragedy of 1870 stemmed from France's slowness in mobilizing its armed forces and logistical resources. And the government's insufficient control over the railway network was one of the main reasons for this slowness.

It was for this reason that from the moment Charles joined the Bonapartist party, he had loudly called for the development of railways and the expansion of government control over them. His proposal, after several considerations and extensive discussions among the Bonapartists, had finally won widespread approval. (Mainly because of the idea of using contracts to buy off industrialists and construction financing to buy off financiers, as well as the convenience of transporting troops to suppress potential rebellions in various regions.)

And since the railway was so important, establishing a dedicated railway department to manage it was a logical step. Of course, their consideration was to keep the opportunities to buy off others in their own hands.

After saying all this, Charles fell silent, letting the attendees whisper among themselves.

After a while, the volume of the attendees' voices lowered; they had clearly reached a consensus.

The gentleman with the glasses who had spoken earlier asked again.

"Monsieur, what you've said is indeed very attractive, but if it's just words..."

"Our promise, of course, is not limited to words," Charles smiled, then picked up his wine glass and drained it in one gulp. "I forgot to mention to you all. Once our plan succeeds, France will establish a Ministry of Railways, specifically responsible for all railway affairs. And I will be the Ministry's Political Secretary, and the Minister will certainly be one of our own. In that case, surely you won't still doubt our power to fulfill our promises?"

"Oh..."