The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 184

Chapter 184: The United Fleet in the Mediterranean

Paris.

Second floor of the Royal Industrial Planning Bureau.

Joseph gazed at the six men before him with a faint smirk. “Mr. Boislandal suddenly committing suicide at this time—none of you seem particularly distressed.”

The Marquis Ludo quickly adopted a sorrowful expression. “Your Highness, we are deeply saddened, but we refrained from expressing it openly so as not to disturb Your Highness’s mood.”

“Is that so?” Joseph nodded. “Then, regarding Necker’s death—what do you know?”

A middle-aged man with sunken eyes and a sallow complexion hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, that was all Boislandal’s doing. We know nothing of it.”

This was Viscount Berenger, owner of the Paris Discount Bank.

“Is that so? But Mrs. Boislandal has confessed that the assassination of Necker was something the six of you conspired to plan together. However...” Joseph glanced at the six men, whose expressions had turned panicked, and changed his tone. “I don’t particularly believe what she said.”

The six men’s hearts sank. Who could have guessed that Boislandal would reveal such a confidential matter to his wife? Had they known, they would have silenced her as well!

“Your Highness, she’s attempting to blackmail us,” said the Marquis Ludo, clutching his chest. “I swear to God, we truly had nothing to do with it!”

Joseph smiled and directly presented his terms. “The reason I summoned you here is because the French Reserve Bank is issuing banknotes next month.

“I hope each of your banks can purchase 1.5 million livres.

“Oh, and one more thing: Bishop Brienne is about to introduce the Bank Management Act, the most crucial provision of which is the deposit reserve requirement. You must lead in supporting this legislation.”

The Marquis Ludo and the others exchanged glances. One cautiously asked, “Your Highness, what is the deposit reserve requirement?”

“It means transferring a portion of the deposits in your banks—currently set at 5%—to the French Reserve Bank as a guarantee of your bank’s credibility.”

The deposit reserve requirement was one of the central bank’s key tools for regulating the financial market. In truth, the 5% ratio was hardly impactful. Joseph had deliberately set a low threshold to help banks acclimate to the new regulation.

The Marquis Ludo quickly calculated in his mind. These were clearly terms to make Boislandal the scapegoat. Given France’s low savings rate, 5% was not a significant amount. Moreover, the 1.5 million livres in banknotes could be used to pay clients.

Thus, he signaled the others with his eyes before bowing deeply and saying, “It is an honor to contribute to the nation’s finances, Your Highness. We shall follow your orders.”

...

As Marquis Ludo and the others left the Royal Industrial Planning Bureau, a tall man with distinct Nordic features stood by the garden of the Boislandal villa, speaking to a teenage boy.

“So, apart from your father, there were six others involved in the murder?”

The boy nodded grimly, his voice firm. “My father said so himself. That day, they discussed it at the Marquis Ludo’s residence.”

The tall man nodded and rose to leave. Beneath the brim of his hat was the face of Aironc, Necker’s steward.

...

The southern side of Menorca Island, on the fringes of the Barbary Coast.

Accompanied by the gentle rhythm of waves, Charles, clean-shaven, wearing a tricorn hat and the pristine uniform of the U.S. Navy, anxiously scanned the southwestern horizon from the foredeck of the frigate USS Constellation with his telescope.

Captain White approached from behind and patted his shoulder. “Well? Do you see them?”

“Not yet.” Charles shook his head but immediately added, “But they will come.”

“God help us if that smuggler wasn’t lying. Otherwise, you might have to answer for those 500 dollars when we return.”

Charles turned to White, his tone resolute. “I trust Ali, Captain.”

The “Ali” he referred to was an Algerian man once imprisoned in the cell adjacent to his own, who had escaped successfully by digging a tunnel.

Charles had been ransomed for 8,000 dollars by the Virginia Assembly just over a month ago.

To his surprise, it wasn’t a French or Spanish warship that came to retrieve him but the newly purchased 30-gun frigate USS Constellation.

Due to the prolonged lapse in the U.S. Navy’s operations, this ship even had French and Italian sailors aboard. Having briefly served in the Continental Navy and with his rich sailing experience as a first mate, Charles had been invited by Captain White to serve as a crew member aboard the French-made frigate, which had been in service for over 30 years.

Given the inexperience of the ship’s official second mate, who was the scion of a prominent family, Charles had effectively taken over the role.

Subsequently, two American frigates joined forces with French and Dutch warships to form a fleet and began searching for pirates in the Barbary Sea.

However, the pirates proved cunning. The fleet had spent over half a month searching to no avail.

Charles then recalled that Ali had mentioned his former employer knew Younes, who had ties to the Algerian pirates.

He proposed obtaining pirate intelligence from Ali. Conveniently, the fleet was passing near Dahra, close to Algiers. After reporting his idea to the fleet commander and receiving permission, Charles found Ali using the address he had left behind.

Ali demanded $1,000 for the Algerian navy’s movements—half upfront, half upon sighting the pirates.

The fleet had been waiting at the designated spot for an entire day, but no pirates had appeared.

Wiping the sweat from his palms, Charles began to doubt why he had trusted the smuggler so firmly. If the $500 fell on him to repay, it would take six or seven years to clear the debt.

Just as despair began to creep in, a blue-and-white flagtip suddenly appeared on the horizon.

He shouted in joy, “They’re here! They’ve arrived!”

Only then did he realize that the captain had already returned to the cabin—the lookout had spotted the messenger boat a minute earlier.

The merchant ship Seagull Wing then proceeded to its designated course, where it would encounter the pirates and lure them into the fleet’s ambush.

Charles rushed back to the cabin, his heart burning with the desire for revenge.

The plan unfolded perfectly. The Seagull Wing feigned panic and quickly sailed toward Menorca Island, with two pirate galleys in pursuit.

The fleet’s warships emerged from behind hidden reefs. The French Navy’s 60-gun fourth-rate ship of the line, along with a frigate, intercepted from the west. The American frigate and a Dutch warship sailed out from the east, letting the merchant ship pass and heading directly toward the pirates.

The pirates’ larger galley, armed with 18 cannons, and the smaller one, with just 12, were no match for the combined fleet.

Realizing the dire situation, they immediately turned to flee toward the southwest.

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