The result is that almost all countries that understand what happened in France are not optimistic about this mixed regime, especially Austria, who believe that France may be trapped in a civil war because of this high national debt, and that at that time it will be Austria's opportunity.

Even Li Zhaoyu was cautious about the changes in the situation in France. For example, after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, all the expeditionary forces returned to Ceuta. Not only did they not disband, but the Marines were still gathering. This was to be ready to intervene in the situation in France at any time. Although it was unlikely that it would completely interrupt France's bourgeois process, it would be beneficial to the empire if France was trapped in the same way as the British civil war in the past.

There was a long debate on the issue of French government debt. At the third level, there was even a conflict between the third level and some more radical people among the nobles, but there was no good result.

The French nobles represented by Louis XV tended to increase taxes first, sell up the government bonds, and fight the war first with funds, at least they had to be clear with Austria. At the same time, they hoped that the National Self-Defense Army would be "***". In the era of Louis XIV, when France was in financial difficulties, a large number of militias brought their own equipment to the war, and there was no salary. Now France is a constitutional monarchy, and the third level can be decided, so it should be more patriotic.

But all these suggestions were rejected by the Third Level Meeting. It is impossible to increase taxes, because the Third Level believes that the tax paid by the First and Second Levels can restore the French finance to a state of about 1700, which is enough to cope with the pressure of national debt and daily expenses after the war.

As for the new sale of treasury bonds, the third level requires that the nobles must set an example, purchase most of them, and priority should be given to the repayment of old treasury bonds. This is to pass on the war funds to the aristocratic class and let them bear the risk of overdue treasury bonds in the future.

However, in dealing with the aggressive third-level issue, the nobles and the church quickly reached an agreement, and the church proposed to temporarily repay the government debt for ten years, or to change all existing short-term government debts into long-term government debts. When both the church and the nobles pay taxes, they can maintain a good financial situation and achieve a fiscal surplus.

On this basis, you can borrow or issue national bonds in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to obtain war funds.

But this was directly rejected by the third level because most of the old national debts were held by the third level, and those that did not belong to the third level were also the second level, that is, the nobles in robe. These nobles in robe were actually the bankers and merchants who spent money to buy officials in the era of Louis XIV. Although they enjoyed the nobles' non-tax privileges at that time, they were not allowed to enter the Palace of Versailles and were not real nobles.

For example, in this third-level conference reform, among the seventy-five representatives of the nobles, there was no one wearing robe-wearing nobles. When the nobles also paid taxes, there was no difference between the nobles and the ordinary third-level.

Because the third-level representative is the spokesperson for the interests of these nobles.

However, the heated discussion between the nobles and the third level unexpectedly came up with a new solution: Since the third level and the nobles are unwilling to avoid it, why don’t we attack the first level church?

France has a national debt of 2.5 billion livres, and the church owns assets no less than this number. In this war on the succession of the Spanish throne, the church performed the worst among the three major ranks.

The third level of defending Paris is the decisive factor that has led to the withdrawal of most countries of the Great Alliance. As for the nobles, even the great Sun King, died on the battlefield. Who can say that the nobles have not made any contribution? Why are the nobles always quarreling with the civilians, but the church can hide behind?

The most important thing is that before the French Revolution, all taxes were paid at the third level. They not only paid taxes to the state, but also had to pay tithes to the church and pay taxes to the state. Although some of them were squandered by the king, most of them became war funds. Where did the money given to the church go?

In the Palace of Versailles, the third level held a round of secret consultations on Louis XV. The next day, on the grounds of improper words and deeds, eleven deputies of the third level conference, including Baron Montesquieu, were expelled from the third level conference.

This group of people had representatives of nobles and civilians. Most of them were civil servants such as journalists, writers, and clerks. They were eloquent and were also the most radical in the third level. This group of people was also part of the pioneers of enlightenment that France later called them.

They were the first people to propose liquidation of the church. Of course, the most radical one wanted to liquidate the feudal aristocracy. And the overall demand of the third level, or the compromise reached with the aristocratic class, is that as long as the church’s money is, the church’s life is, as long as the church’s money is, the church’s life is not.

The church was reformed and the priests turned into wage-paid civil servants, while the church still enjoyed its original power at the third-level meeting.

But Montesquieu and others did not think so. They believed that institutional reform was just the appearance of this French Revolution. What France needed was ideological reform, equality, freedom and democracy. The essence of it was to fight feudalism and theology.

But in the eyes of most third levels, these are too radical. What they want is interests and the power to protect their own interests. Now they have obtained it. There is no need to really approach France's civil war for these radical demands.

Among the three major levels, the third level and the aristocratic class have both real power and military power. When they join forces to attack the first level church, the church has no resistance. In the end, the most important thing is to sell the church's land and real estate on a large scale, which in fact has obtained the first pot of gold accumulated by the French bourgeoisie and bourgeois aristocrats.

When the proposal for church reform was passed at the third level meeting, the matter in France was basically settled, and the land and assets owned by the church were simply estimated to be more than 3 billion livres, which means not only the old debt can be repaid, but also the remaining money to fight.

Therefore, in the second half of the 41st year of the empire and the first half of the 42nd year of the empire, France and Austria fought one round after another, with most of the battlefields in Bavaria and Savoy. The Spaniards also took advantage of the weak Austrian navy to send troops to the Italian region it occupied on a large scale.

Austria, which was unwilling to fail, was filled with misfortune. In the second half of the 41st year of the empire, a rebellion broke out in Hungary and quickly formed an alliance with France. The Austrian backyard caught fire. After losing Dutch support, the finances became tense. The size of the army under Prince Eugen shrank again and again. Even though he was wise and decisive, he was not an opponent of Marshal Veral and was defeated in the Bavarian battlefield.

"This time I caught it well, there are mothers and young ones." Several Marines ran over and shouted excitedly.

Seeing them so excited, Li Zhaoyu asked, "What are you doing?"

"Who are you and why are you here?" asked the young Marine warrior vigilantly.

"Bold, this is the eldest son of His Highness Yu's family." Shaojie walked up and shouted. He was now the commander of the garrison for the Rock Fortress, and all the soldiers of the Marine Corps knew him.

Shaojie ordered: "You guys go and do your own things, don't disturb the eldest son's interest."

"What are they doing to catch monkeys? Do they want to eat them?" Li Zhaoyu asked. He was a delicious master since childhood, but he was not interested in too bloody and cruel dishes like Monkey Brain. He also did not think that the Marine Corps food was so bad that soldiers needed to catch monkeys.

"No, they want to raise these monkeys," said Shaojie.

Li Zhaoyu was puzzled and suddenly remembered the common pets on naval warships, such as roosters, cats, and dogs. He even saw a black bear who could carry shells as a pet on a cruiser, so he said, "Have these monkeys on a warship?"

Shaojie smiled and said, "Not it."

He took Li Zhaoyu into a slightly clean room, Shaojie said, "Young Master, this is the case. Pieno said that there is a local legend that the macaques in Gibraltar are the soul of Gibraltar. When the macaques disappear, Gibraltar will change hands. It also said that this happened hundreds of years ago when the Moors captured Gibraltar and the Spaniards recovered Gibraltar."

Li Zhaoyu smiled: "It's just legends. When you led the Caucasus group to occupy this place, did the macaque suddenly disappear?"

"That's not, but Pieno said that there were indeed many fewer monkeys on the mountain during that time."

Li Zhaoyu shook his head: "This is normal, that's a monkey. When he heard the guns and fired, he had to hide it."

"Maybe, but as the commander of the garrison of the Rock Fortress, I have to pay attention to this matter for the sake of military morale." Shaojie introduced: "The prince ordered us to build the Yongbei Fortress, to make the Rock Fortress indestructible and forever squeezing the throat of the Strait of Gibraltar for the empire.

But you have also seen that the project progress is very slow. We have to dig a lot of tunnels and clean up some rocks and mounds that block the shooting. People from the engineering group said that it is best to use blasting, otherwise the project will not know that it will be until the year of the Monkey. I am worried that once the monkeys are fired, the monkeys will run away, so I will order people to catch a batch and raise them first, and then release them after the project is completed."

Although Li Zhaoyu still believes that this is superstition, he recognizes military morale. Li Zhaoyu asked: "Do you think there will be countries in Europe challenging the empire and attacking Gibraltar?"
Chapter completed!