Chapter 1092: Finally, the sword is unsheathed against the Rothschild family

After listening to David Rothschild's account, the faces of everyone present became very solemn.

The situation of the Rothschild family in France has indeed reached the most dangerous point!

At this point, Guy de Rothschild suddenly spoke slowly in an old man's voice, 'We haven't lost our last chance to fight back. We still have some time. Although we will definitely suffer heavy losses this time, we still have to try to preserve our strength as much as possible until the last moment, even if it's just to preserve a spark!'

'Our family has survived even greater crises before. Now there's just a problem in France, and I'm sure we can get through this crisis!'

The people present nodded, and the tense atmosphere in the hall eased slightly.

'If, as David says, the Bourbon, Orleans and Bonaparte families have temporarily set aside their rivalry and reached an agreement to deal with our family's problems, then our allies in France will definitely not be able to stop us.'

'Our influence and connections are not in France, so even if we ask people from other countries for help, it won't be very effective, and the cost will definitely not be low, not to mention the huge secondary risks.'

'I think our only way out is to start at the French government level, especially President François Mitterrand!'

'He was the driving force behind the policy of nationalising businesses, and if he was able to convince the Bourbons and other families, he can certainly open up a way out for us!'

Lister Rothschild pushed his glasses up his nose and narrowed his eyes as he analysed the situation.

David Rothschild sighed and shook his head, saying, 'We've already tried, but François Mitterrand is being evasive and doesn't want to fall out with the Bourbons, Bonapartes and other families again because of our family.'

'His Socialist Party now has a strong grip on French politics, and no other party poses a threat to him, so the bargaining chips we can offer now won't impress him!'

'Even if we agree to nationalisation, he won't agree to just wanting to keep the name of Edmond de Rothschild Bank and get a banking licence again!'

Sidney Rothschild frowned for a moment and then suggested, 'Money doesn't work either?'

David Rothschild shook his head and said, 'He won't even talk to us about money. He should understand that the Bourbons, the Bonapartes and other political parties are all watching him, so he's worried about the huge political risk.'

...

As the group continued to make suggestions and analyses, the opinions of the nine people finally converged.

First, the more minor Thomson Group and part of the Rhone-Poulenc chemical group would definitely not be able to keep their shares. These two giant industrial companies would definitely be nationalised by the French government.

But we could not just stand by and do nothing, so two options were discussed.

The first was to see if the shares could be transferred to someone else at short notice.

The second was to supplement this by ensuring that, if no one was found, the best possible compensation would be obtained from the French government.

Then there was the Edmond de Rothschild Bank, the family's mainstay in France, which had to be saved at all costs.

If that was not possible, the bottom line was to retain ownership of the name and also to keep a banking licence.

After World War II, it took a huge price to let Rothschild Bank re-enter France. If it is driven out this time, it will have to re-enter the next time, and it will be difficult and costly.

Now being able to retain the ownership of the name and the banking license is a huge strategic victory and will also preserve a piece of dignity for the family.

Otherwise, if it is completely swept out, it will bring the Rothschild family's authority to naught, and other families in Europe will have some unwarranted thoughts!

At that time, the family will face trouble one after another!

'Uncle Guy, David, you will still need to be the main people fighting for the family in France. I will coordinate and mobilise the family's resources to give you full support!'

After Jacob Rothschild finished speaking, he looked at the others, his expression becoming solemn, and said, 'Everyone, after you go back, you must be on high alert and increase your infiltration of the political sphere.'

'Although all countries are on their guard against us, this is no reason for us to give up our political influence. What is happening in France is a wake-up call!'

'The UK is currently undergoing privatisation reforms, which is a good sign, but France is taking the lead in nationalisation reforms. The rest of Europe is watching on, and we must absolutely prevent other countries from following France's lead. This is the biggest political risk!'

After hearing this, everyone nodded with a heavy heart.

...

After the meeting, everyone hurried back to their respective territories.

Guy and David Locher in particular immediately convened a meeting with family members and their think tank in France after returning.

Then on 23 January, they paid another private visit to François Mitterrand, but the result of the visit was disappointing.

After Guy Locher and the others had left, François Mitterrand picked up the secure phone and called Xia Yu, who was at home reading a book. He told Xia Yu that the time was ripe and that there was very little time left to act, with a decision to be made in exactly half a month!

So on the morning of 24 January, Xia Yu asked Léo Martin to send a letter of invitation to the Edmond de Rothschild Bank in the name of the Bright Foundation, and the visitor would be none other than Guy de Rothschild!

When he received the Bright Foundation's letter of invitation, Guy de Rothschild was very surprised, but he also knew that Xia Yu was behind the Bright Foundation, and that the Bright Foundation had made big news in France during this period of time.

Although he did not know the reason for the visit, Guy Locher replied to the Bright Foundation in a serious manner and set the meeting place at the Locher family residence in Paris, France, to show his respect.

At 3:00 p.m. on January 25, Xia Yu arrived at the Locher family's luxurious manor in Paris on time with bodyguards Li Wuming and others!

'Mr. Xia, welcome!'

'I am David Locher, pleased to meet you,'

Xia Yu smiled and shook hands with David Rothschild on his behalf, politely saying, 'Hello, Mr. David Rothschild!'

'Mr. Xia, my uncle is getting old and has difficulty moving around, so he is waiting for you in the living room. Please forgive him!'

After hearing David Rothschild's "explanation," Xia Yu sneered inwardly, but kept his face expressionless. Smiling, he said, "I understand," and followed David Rothschild inside.

Sure enough, on the sofa in the middle of the magnificent living room, there was an old man with age spots all over his face and grey hair. Xia Yu recognised him at first glance as Guy Locher.

'Mr Xia, I'm Guy Locher. I heard Jacob talk about you...'

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xia Yu sat on the sofa on the left-hand side at Guy Locher's invitation.

Guy Loesche sat on the sofa on the left with his nephew David Loesche on the right.

'Mr Xia, this month, the Bright Foundation is the focus of attention throughout France. Congratulations on owning another company with great potential!'

Guy Loesche said with a kind face.

If Xia Yu didn't know how ruthless Guy Loesche had been in the past, he would definitely think he was a kind old man just by looking at his appearance.

'Thank you!'

Xia Yu said with a faint smile, 'Mr Guy de Rothschild, I also feel that Bright Foundation has been in France for so long, and it still doesn't have a single company that is worth mentioning, so I'm trying to find a way to make Bright Foundation famous, so that it can catch up with your family's reputation in the financial sector.'

'As for whether this company has great potential, I can't say for sure. Who in the world can be 100% sure about the future of a company?'

Guy Rothil laughed, and said something meaningful: 'Maybe you can, Mr Xia.'

'Judging from your rise to power, you seem to have magic hands. No company you have your eye on has ever lost money!'

Xia Yu hurriedly shook his head and denied it: 'Mr Guy Rothil, you are overestimating me, this is too exaggerated. I have also experienced a lot of failures, but I am a person with a relatively strong sense of vanity, so I deliberately hide it.'

Guy L'Oreal smiled and did not argue with Xia Yu again.

He asked softly, 'Mr. Xia, do you have any business for us this time?'

Facing Guy L'Oreal's pair of cloudy eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, Xia Yu gradually stopped smiling and slowly shook his head and said, 'There is no business yet, but I have come this time because I think there is the possibility of reaching a cooperation with your family.'

'After all, your family has helped me a lot in the past, and I have always remembered it.'

'We Chinese have an old saying, which goes, 'A drop of water on the day of a favour or a grudge should be repaid with ten springs of water.'

'I have always held this as a guiding principle in life.'

'So even though your family did not find me, when I learned that I might be able to help your family, I took the initiative to come.'

'Even if I can't help in the end, I'll have done my best, and I won't feel guilty!'

Xia Yu's words were lofty and grand, and his face was full of sincerity, as if he really had come to help.

But Guy de Rothschild, who knew what was going on, didn't take him seriously. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a warm smile, 'Mr Xia, thank you for your enthusiasm.'

'In what way do you want to cooperate with us?'

Facing the burning gaze of Guy and David Rothschild, Xia Yu remained calm and composed, and said softly, 'I heard that the French government seems to intend to nationalise the Bank of Edmond Rothschild? Is that true?'

As soon as Xia Yu said this, the faces of both Guy and David Rothschild turned cold. Guy Rothschild even looked at Xia Yu with cold eyes for a moment, although he hid it immediately, but Xia Yu still noticed.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room gradually became tense.

Li Wuming, who was sitting next to Xia Yu, looked normal, but all the muscles under his clothes were tensing up.