Chapter 176 The terrifying “black hole” of funds (please vote for me)

Seeing Necker's frightened expression, Kalona squinted his eyes as if he had drank a cup of hot cocoa with a lot of sugar on a cold day, flipping through the case files: "Well, what we're going to do next is' Discuss 'Did you have an agreement with Bank of Clasonne six years ago, or with Vincent Trade Bank seven years ago..."

Necker suddenly slapped the armrest of the chair hard, stared with bloodshot eyes and shouted: "Carona, why are you interrogating me? Do you think I don't know about the things you have done? I want to expose you! Expose you伱! Even if I go to jail, I will drag you with me!"

Kalona looked at Necker relaxedly, and after he finished venting, he took out a document from his pocket, smiled and said: "You don't need to expose it, I have confessed everything to the royal family. Look, this is With a pardon issued by His Majesty the King, my exile was ended.

"And after I return all unreasonable gains, there will be no further accountability."

Necker was stunned for a moment: "This, how is this possible..."

Kalona smiled even wider: "Do you know what is the biggest mistake you have ever made in your life?

"You have seriously underestimated the capabilities of the royal family. Oh, you also privately announced the royal family's expenses, blaming all financial problems on the royal family.

"But I chose to be firmly loyal to the royal family. So, I am interrogating you now.

"Okay, let's continue..."

Over at the Royal Palace, the Duke of Orleans finally received the news he wanted.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ravière said that the person sent to poison him has shut his mouth forever, and he will not be traced. Let alone you."

After the butler Donardian finished speaking in a low voice, he glanced at the Duke of Orleans' slightly relaxed brow, and handed over a small paper roll sealed with wax: "This was just sent from the secret police."

Since Necker was captured, the Duke of Orleans' insiders have been sending reports on the situation in the Bastille every day.

The Duke of Orleans unfolded the note and found that there were a lot more words this time. He quickly read it and his face turned extremely dark.

There are already more than ten banking giants in the hall, all of whom are involved with Necker, and they are here to discuss countermeasures. At this time, they saw the expression on the Duke of Orleans' face and hurriedly gathered around.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

"What's going on over there at Necker? Any news?"

The Duke of Orleans simply threw the note to them and stared out the window without saying a word.

Earl Isaac picked up the note and said in surprise: "Why is Carlona on trial? He has returned from exile?"

He paused for a moment, then handed the note to Viscount Berenger who was standing aside.

The latter only glanced at it and then, as if his hand had been burned, he threw the note on the table - it said that the loan operation conducted by his bank and Necker could no longer be guaranteed. By this time, the police and secret police were supposed to be on their way to his home and bank.

"I, my affairs have been found out, what should I do..."

Although the others wanted to read the contents of the note, no one dared to reach out and take it, as if it was a poisonous scorpion that could sting at any time.

Belanger is finished, who knows if it will be his turn next.

Seeing everyone's silence, Earl Isaac hurriedly shouted to encourage morale: "Don't be afraid, there are so many of us, we will definitely find a way!"

As he spoke, he looked at the Duke of Orleans, who was the supporter and supporter of these people: "Do you think so, Your Majesty the Duke?"

More than a dozen pairs of eyes suddenly looked towards the Duke of Orleans.

The latter also felt nervous. He knew that as long as he took a step back at this time, it would be tantamount to declaring complete defeat in the struggle with the royal family.

No, there must be a way...

Veins were bulging on his forehead and his palms were sweaty. However, his methods had been exhausted and there was nothing he could do at this time.

Suddenly, he remembered what Isaac had just said, and murmured: "There are so many of us...there are so many people."

Suddenly there was light in his eyes again, yes, why did he forget his biggest advantage - the large number of people!

So what if the royal family uses Necker to get a handle on the big banks? As long as they have enough people and make things big enough, the royal family will not have to compromise!

The Duke of Orleans immediately turned around, pointed at Belanger and said: "You immediately publicly admit all charges, and then declare your bank bankrupt."

"No," Belanger's face turned green, "What are you going to do?"

"Set the forest on fire and make people panic." A cold look flashed across the Duke of Orleans' face, "You don't have to worry about debt and creditor's rights issues, you don't have to deal with the transfer of creditor's rights, and you just leave the mess of bankruptcy to make other people have headaches! Oh, not only do you have to Declaring bankruptcy requires publishing the bank’s accounts.”

"Why, why?"

Earl Isaac rolled his eyes and immediately figured out the key: "The funds on the accounts of Belanger Bank are definitely not enough to pay the depositors and the nobles who invested. After declaring bankruptcy, they will definitely be eager to get their money back." money!"

Marquis Ludo was also impressed: "But most of the bank's money has been used for loans, and most of them are government loans. They can't be gotten back in a short time. And people who can't get their money back will definitely go crazy."

The Duke of Orleans nodded proudly: "More than half of the great nobles in the Palace of Versailles have invested money in your bank. If you tell them, the royal family will investigate more banks, and they will all go bankrupt like Belanger Bank. Their Don't even think about getting all your money back.

"What do you think those nobles will do?"

Isaac sneered: "They will definitely keep the king and queen awake!"

"That's right!"

Belanger looked at everyone's excitement and said tremblingly: "Then, what should I do..."

The Duke of Orleans stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him: "Don't worry, after the incident is over, I will try to get you out of prison and give you a sum of money. Maybe you can return to your old business at that time." .”

…

Early the next morning, while Fouche's people and the secret police were still inspecting the accounts of Belanger Bank, Viscount Belanger led a group of bank executives and admitted in front of countless reporters that the bank and the insider were involved. All illegal activities of Kerr, and voluntarily turned over part of the illegal proceeds - so that there was not a penny left on the bank's books.

Then Belanger Bank declared bankruptcy. After the confused police seized the bank, they arrested Belanger and the bank executives.

The sudden news spread quickly in the Palace of Versailles with the help of thoughtful people. For a while, the nobles were all anxious. When they met each other, they would nervously ask: "Did you invest money in that bank?"

Immediately afterwards, the inside story of the bankruptcy of Belanger Bank was revealed - Necker had made many illegal transactions with the bank. Now that Necker was arrested, these things were also found out.

Then, a "well-informed" person brought even more terrifying news - the banks that had transactions with Necker were far more than just the Berenger family. With Necker being tried in the Bastille, it was not known what happened later. How many banks will have trouble?

That night, dozens of anxious nobles gathered in the hall of the Royal Palace, looking eagerly at the Duke of Orleans who was helping them make suggestions.

"These banks are involved in bribery, illegal transactions, etc., and will face high fines." The Duke of Orleans said with a worried look, "So no one will be willing to acquire these banks, because no one is willing to bear the additional fines."

A nobleman said with a grimace: "Then how should I get back the money I invested in the bank...I heard that the Krasenne Bank will also be in trouble."

"Yes, please help us think of a solution! It is said that more than ten banks have been deceived by that guy Necker."

"God, that's half of my fortune!"

"If the bank goes bankrupt, all the money I have saved for more than ten years will be lost..."

Seeing that the incitement was almost over, the Duke of Orleans pretended to be serious: "Actually, I also invested a lot of money in the bank.

“Right now, if Necker’s interrogation continues, a dozen banks will surely be ruined one after another.

"So, no one can keep our money unless the trial is discontinued."

"Yes!" Someone immediately echoed loudly, "The interrogation of Necker must stop."

"The royal family should be advised to exile him directly!"

"However, it is said that the evidence is solid this time, and the royal family may not agree..."

The Duke of Orleans immediately pointed to the person who spoke: "Viscount Prodom is right. We must unite and put some pressure on the royal family to stop Necker's interrogation."

"How can we put pressure on the royal family? Now even the High Court listens to the royal family."

The Duke of Orleans smiled: "You all just need to listen to me. This is what we want..."

…

Paris.

In the Industrial Planning Bureau office, Joseph looked at the report in his hand, his face full of joy.

Belanger actually confessed directly, and his bank declared bankruptcy.

Joseph originally thought he would struggle, such as negotiating terms such as pleading guilty or re-signing a loan agreement, in exchange for a reduced sentence or even a pardon.

And Joseph was also planning to use this to "kill" the bank, but he didn't expect that the other party would invest directly.

Bélange Bank went bankrupt without even handling its debts and claims, and no other bank was willing to take over. All debts became bad debts. In other words, the French government did not have to repay the money it borrowed from it.

After all, the contract was signed with Belanger Bank, and there are no bankruptcy laws or liquidation laws at the moment. If one party to the contract "dies", the contract can be terminated.

That's a loan of 35.2 million livres!

That's it.

This kind of refreshment is far stronger than Joseph's hard-earned more than 35 million yuan to repay the loan.

It was like picking up money while walking.

He counted on his fingers. Carlona once said that there were 13 banks that had illegal transactions with Necker. Even if they were all Bélanger Bank's loan amount, after all of them were dealt with, the government debt would be reduced. A direct reduction of 500 million livres! !

Faster than robbing money!

Moreover, Bélange Bank is only a small bank. For a large bank like Clasonne Bank, one person's loans may be hundreds of millions of livres!

Although France's debt crisis will not be resolved, overall it will be much easier, and the dawn of a complete solution to the debt problem will appear.

After feeling comfortable about the debt for a while, Joseph put the document down, but felt vaguely that something was wrong.

What went wrong?

Seeing the bright sunshine outside the window, he planned to take a walk in the yard while thinking about the problem.

However, as soon as Joseph walked to the door of the Planning Bureau, he vaguely heard a woman's sobs coming from the corner office, and another voice comforting her.

"Fortunately you withdrew the money last month to buy those two skirts, otherwise you would have lost more."

The woman choked and said, "But there are still 80 livres in the bank...why did it suddenly close down?"

"I heard it was those damn banks who were caught doing deals with corrupt bureaucrats for a little dirty money."

"What should I do? That's my money to repair the house..."

"Well, what can be done? My neighbor has lost more than you, a hundred livres, it seems."

Joseph was stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood what was wrong.

The bank’s money is not all its own, but also comes from depositors and investors!

When a bank goes bankrupt, the government does not have to repay the loan, and it is they who bear the loss in the end.

Although since John Law's Mississippi Company incident led to the massive default of the Royal Bank, the French people's trust in banks has dropped to a freezing point, resulting in a very low savings rate.

For example, it took his French Reserve Bank more than four months to attract less than 200,000 livres in deposits. But this amount of money would cause huge problems in ordinary people's lives.

And the amount of money invested by the nobles in the bank is much larger.

There are even some banks where more than half of their assets come from wealthy aristocrats, and they then help them lend money to the government to earn interest.

Although they will not find it difficult to live due to investment losses, what they take out is legal and clean money.

The government debt has indeed dropped by four to five billion, but the sudden emergence of such a large financial black hole in France will inevitably lead to social chaos.

Thinking of this, Joseph couldn't help but frowned.

It seems that this huge debt must "evaporate" slowly, rather than die suddenly.

But how to do it?

Just as he was thinking about how to minimize the impact of the bank's bankruptcy, he suddenly saw two carriages driving into the yard of the Planning Bureau.

The car door opened, and Brian's entourage got out of the car first and arranged the steps.

Before he could open the door, Brian eagerly opened the door and walked out. He happened to see Joseph in front of him. He anxiously stepped forward to salute, and then said: "Your Highness, I'm afraid something is going to happen!"

Joseph frowned and asked tentatively: "Is it related to the bankruptcy of the bank?"

Brian nodded: "Have you heard about it too? Yes, the Berenger Bank collapsed too suddenly, causing many nobles to suffer heavy losses. It is said that some people lost millions of livres as a result."

He took a deep breath and said: "More nobles, worried that other banks would suddenly collapse, gathered in the Little Trianon Palace and asked Her Majesty the Queen to issue an edict to terminate the interrogation of Necker."

Joseph sneered: "I originally planned to help them reduce their losses, but if they want to blackmail Your Majesty for this, don't blame me for being rude!"

Brian wiped the sweat from his head and said anxiously: "Your Highness, I'm afraid this matter will be very troublesome.

"I heard news that the nobles are planning to form an alliance, saying that if the interrogation of Necker is not stopped, they will not lend a penny to the government in the future!"

Thanks to: Under the Mirage City, Sitting and Watching a Hundred Thousand Years of Wind and Frost, and Book Friends 20210621185415959 for their generous rewards for this book! The young author is so grateful, hmm!