Chapter 200: Rothschild

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten about the navy? Initially, to catch up with the British Navy, you ordered the construction of three Dunkerque-class battleships simultaneously. Your Majesty, you should know that one Dunkerque-class battleship costs 7 million francs, so three of them total 21 million francs! Under such circumstances, even if the treasury were wealthy, it wouldn't be able to sustain it!" Adrian responded.

The navy is something only great powers can afford, mainly due to its high cost. Each battleship was worth 7 million francs, which is not something an ordinary person could afford.

"Have the reparations been exhausted?" Napoleon said incredulously. After all, that amounted to tens of millions of francs! He hadn't even met with them yet, and it was all gone.

"There's very little left," Adrian said helplessly.

"Damn, I never thought that a rich country like France would one day worry about money because of a lack of it," Napoleon said helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

"Raoland, you come up with a solution for me." Then, as Napoleon pondered, he noticed Raoland, so he decisively handed the problem over to him.

"Huh? Me?" Upon hearing Napoleon's words, Raoland looked bewildered, pointing at himself. He thought he had misheard. Normally, issues regarding money should be directed to the Minister of Finance! Why was it suddenly his concern?

"Yes, you. You've always been resourceful since you were young. I believe you can come up with a solution," Napoleon said, pointing at Raoland. After spending so much time together, he had been impressed by Raoland's almost boundless imagination. Subconsciously, he felt that Raoland could come up with something to solve the financial problem for him.

Just like when Raoland asked to borrow money to manufacture the new rifles, Napoleon initially thought it was absurd. But as it turned out, Raoland was right.

"Raoland, I believe you can find a way. This is a great opportunity to prove yourself. Don't worry, I'll make sure Adrian cooperates with you," Napoleon said, patting Raoland on the shoulder, not giving him a chance to object.

Napoleon had made up his mind; he was determined to let Raoland come up with a solution for him.

"Uncle Napoleon, in that case, the best solution now is to focus on iron and copper." Raoland spoke up.

"Iron and copper!" Napoleon repeated.

"Yes, Uncle Napoleon. Whenever, iron and copper are essential strategic resources. They're needed for making guns and cannons. And as the domestic economy develops in the future, the demand for iron will only increase. If we can control some mineral resources, not only can we reduce the cost of weapon production, but we can also stockpile and sell them," Raoland suggested after pondering for a moment.

"Your Majesty, I believe His Highness Raoland's suggestion is very reasonable. Minerals are always crucial for a nation, serving as its economic lifeline. If we can control mineral resources, not only can we use them for weapons, but we can also reduce costs in steelmaking and iron smelting, thus reaping huge benefits," Adrian immediately chimed in. It was evident that Raoland's suggestion struck a chord deep within him. 

In fact, when he first came to power, he had considered nationalizing mineral resources, but he faced resistance. Now, Raoland's proposal coincided perfectly with his own thoughts. Perhaps he could leverage Raoland's abilities to realize his vision.

"Raoland, your idea is excellent. Mineral resources are precious national assets; we cannot allow those despicable merchants to trade them recklessly," Napoleon said.

"Notify Rothschild. Have him investigate which merchants are trading mineral resources and report back to me," Napoleon ordered his guard behind him.

Seeing this, Jobs wanted to say something, but after a moment of internal struggle, he remained silent.

"All right, I've seen your cannons, and they're impressive. Once the funds are in place, we'll start mass production immediately and deploy them to the army as soon as possible," Napoleon said, admiring the giant cannon in front of him. It was exactly the powerful artillery he desired.

"Does this cannon have a name?" Napoleon asked.

"Yes, I plan to name this cannon the 50mm Caliber Field Gun, and the rifle will be named the 04 Model Rifle," Raoland said.

"I've introduced the term 'caliber' to replace the word 'pound' used to refer to cannons. As technology advances, it will prove that breech-loading guns will be the future of artillery. Caliber will also replace pounds as the new measure for cannons," Raoland explained.

"Good! Naturally, the strong are destined to replace the weak, just like firearms replaced bows and arrows. This is the choice of history, and no one can change it."

Far from showing any displeasure, Napoleon was exceptionally excited about Raoland's decision. He was always one to advocate for military strength, and Raoland's caliber theory was evidently a new evolutionary theory for artillery, which naturally delighted him.

"Raoland, this arsenal is excellent. You've managed it efficiently, and I'm very pleased," Napoleon said.

The new rifles and cannons presented by Raoland today left Napoleon quite satisfied. Later, under Raoland's guidance, Napoleon toured other areas of the arsenal.

The final outcome left Napoleon very satisfied. He directly ordered the Minister of Finance, Adrian, to raise fifty million francs by any means necessary for the research and mass production of new weapons.

After that, Napoleon left with the inspection team. France is a vast country with many matters to attend to; he couldn't stay here indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Raoland stayed behind because he had many tasks to handle. Napoleon was too impatient; he wanted to deploy these new weapons in the army right away, but such things take time.

So Raoland continued laboring in the factory until the sun set, then he made his way home.

"Home," Raoland said wearily as he settled into the carriage. He hadn't had a moment's rest all day.

"Raoland! Wait a moment, I need to talk to you." Just as Raoland's coachman was about to set off, Jobs suddenly ran up and stopped Raoland in his tracks.

"What's wrong, Jobs? Do you need something?" Raoland asked, puzzled by Jobs's sudden appearance.

"Raoland, do you have a moment? My... my uncle wants to see you," Jobs said, hesitating as he watched Raoland slowly walk away from the carriage.

"Your uncle?" Raoland asked, puzzled. He didn't understand why Jobs's uncle would want to see him when they hadn't even met before.

"Raoland, my uncle's name is Otto von Rothschild. I think you may have heard of him," Jobs said, his tone resolute.

"Otto von Rothschild!" Raoland's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the name. It was a name he had indeed heard before.

Raoland first learned about this person because of the surname "Rothschild"! It was a name almost everyone knew. There were rumors that he was the financial emperor of Europe, a ruler of the dark side of Europe. Some even said he was the puppeteer behind the scenes of the European War. 

As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. The Rothschilds had made such a big name for themselves that their legend persisted through the ages. This proved that this family was definitely not ordinary.

But how could such a family come looking for him? And just now, Jobs said this was his uncle. Could it be?

Thinking of this, Raoland looked at Jobs, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"I haven't told you my full name yet, have I? My full name is Jobs-Bastet-Rothschild." Feeling Raoland's gaze, Jobs said with a lowered head, clearly embarrassed by the deception.

"No wonder! How could there be such a strange surname as Bastet in this world? So your prefix is Rothschild," Raoland remarked.