#880 - The Crown Prince and the Little Intelligence Officer

Chapter 876: The Crown Prince and the Little Intelligence Officer

Paris, Western District.

In the former royal hunting lodge, now the headquarters of the Intelligence Bureau, Fouché calmly scanned his subordinates:

"So, no one has brought me good news today, have they?"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave him a week to find out the mastermind behind shorting the franc, and today is already the third day, but there are still no clues.

Brun, the head of Action Team Three, stammered:

"Director, the people who applied to exchange gold have very clean backgrounds… We did arrest a few guys who incited citizens to exchange gold, but we couldn't get anything out of them. You know, those lawyers are a nuisance…"

Fouché's eyes turned cold as he looked at the financial advisor: "Mr. Scott, what is the total amount of gold being applied for now?"

"14 million francs, Director. This is the data from the Bank of France. Other banks should have three to four million as well."

Fouché suddenly grabbed Brun's collar and roared:

"18 million francs! Enough to buy three Louvres with money to spare! So much money, did it grow out of the ground?!"

Prosper of Action Team One said in a low voice: "Director, we started by investigating the source of the funds. But the initial money didn't go through any banks, and it didn't come from factories or big investors…"

Such a huge flow of funds could not possibly leave no trace. The Intelligence Bureau had already recorded all the people or companies in France with more than one million francs. If their money moved, we would soon be able to find out.

Fouché punched the table, and his knuckles immediately bled: "Or do you want to tell me that a magician conjured up 18 million?

"Investigate illegal organizations for me! Also, contact the Notary Investigation Bureau to see if anyone is embezzling or misappropriating funds!"

The financial advisor Scott suddenly thought of something and said carefully: "Director, speaking of huge amounts of banknotes, I do recall one possibility."

"Speak!"

"During the second phase of negotiations for the Seine-Rhine Agreement, our country provided large loans to some South German states."

Fouché's eyes lit up: "How much?"

"The exact amount would probably have to be asked of the Minister of Finance…"

Two days later.

Stuttgart, the capital of Württemberg, a German state adjacent to the middle reaches of the Rhine.

In the spacious hall of the Royal Palace, Crown Prince Ludwig Eugen of Württemberg stammered to the French military officer in front of him:

"Captain Pélissier, I assure you that I can explain the use of the loan…"

"But you know, the accounts are very complicated, and it will take some time to sort them out. Perhaps, in a month, no, 20 days, you can come again?"

Pélissier smiled indifferently, his demeanor suggesting that he was the royalty, and the sixty-year-old Crown Prince in front of him was just an ordinary merchant: "No need to trouble you, I will bring my own people to check the accounts."

"No, no, this will interfere with the normal operation of the bank," Ludwig Eugen said anxiously, "I guarantee that I will give you a satisfactory answer in a week."

"My time is limited." Captain Pélissier stood up, put on his hat, "You have two choices now. Either give me authorization to inspect your country's financial accounts. Or, let General Masséna's army handle this matter. They are about, um, less than a hundred kilometers away from here."

Cold sweat immediately broke out on the Württemberg Crown Prince's forehead.

Masséna's defeat of hundreds of thousands of allied troops in Luxembourg had long been the nightmare of all the German states.

Although the French government has repeatedly reiterated that Masséna's army is to punish the "evil Austrian invaders and their accomplice Bavaria" and will not threaten the "German states coerced by Austria."

But who would dare to guarantee such a thing?

After the French army crossed the Rhine, they only needed to make a slight turn north, and they could reach Stuttgart in two days.

Ludwig Eugen swallowed and said to the French Intelligence Bureau officer: "Okay, I understand, I will have Mr. Arnold come over now. He is responsible for the loan."

Two hours later, Arnold, Württemberg's special financial advisor, handed a stack of documents to Pélissier, nervously explaining:

"These 2.2 million francs were used to purchase French fertilizers, cane sugar, and other commodities… These are 150,000 francs invested in the quarry… Finally, these two are agreements for a Mr. Banks to borrow 7 million francs from the Stuttgart Bank. He, he specifically requested banknotes…"

Pélissier glanced at him, pulled out the bottom agreement document, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

Loan amount: 7 million francs, term: six months, interest: 12.5%. Prepayment can reduce interest.

"What is his background?" Pélissier shook the document in his hand.

"I, I only know that he is a timber merchant."

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The French agent sneered: "Do you think I'm a fool? Would the Frankfurt Bank dare to lend 7 million to a merchant with an unknown origin? Or, would you like General Masséna to come and talk to you?"

Ludwig Eugen on the side said with difficulty: "Captain Pélissier, he was recommended by the British Consul in Stuttgart…"

Versailles Palace.

Joseph glanced at Fouché, his face gloomy: "You actually sent people to the royal palaces of Württemberg, Augsburg, and other countries to threaten them!

"Do you know how much diplomatic trouble this will cause?"

He picked up the report in front of him and slammed it heavily on the table again.

Stabilizing the German states and making them alienate Austria as much as possible was his established strategy.

Fouché sent agents to scare them, saying that Masséna's army would march into their capitals, just to investigate that loan.

Fouché lowered his head deeply and said: "I am really very sorry, Your Highness. But they really have problems, and I am worried that a secret investigation will be too late…"

Joseph took a breath and picked up the report again: "Please tell me about your gains."

"Yes, Your Highness." Fouché quickly said, "All the clues point to England. They obtained a total of 28 million francs in banknotes from Württemberg, Augsburg, Upper Hesse, and other countries through high interest rates.

"You know, when our country and the Holy Roman Empire were at war before, these countries believed that the war would last for a long time, so they all accepted the British transaction."

Joseph frowned slightly. Previously, France provided a total of 33 million francs in loans to the Seine-Rhine Agreement countries in two batches, all in banknotes. He didn't expect that more than 80% of them had become the British's "ammunition" for shorting the franc.

He looked at the investigation report.

The British promised Württemberg an interest rate of 12.5%, Augsburg 13%, and Hesse as high as 16%.

You know, this is the interest rate for 6 months, and if converted into an annual interest rate, it is as high as 25% to 36%!