Holy Roman Empire

Originally, due to tense international situations, the price of food in France had soared, and the announcement released by the Paris Government had only fanned the flames.

Everyone was aware that there was a problem with France's food supply. Despite repeated assurances from the French government that the domestic food supply would not be affected, a frenzy of hoarding erupted among the populace.

To reap huge profits, capitalists deliberately exaggerated the food crisis, leading to rumors flying everywhere.

Stabilizing food prices was not something that could be done with just talk—as much as one could cheat, the indisputable fact was that the flow of food into France was gradually decreasing.

Impacted by the fluctuations in food prices, Rafael's days were becoming difficult. To stabilize domestic food prices, Napoleon IV ordered state-owned farms to transport the harvested autumn crops back to the country immediately.

As the person in charge of the farm plan, Rafael was well aware of the operating situation of the overseas farms. The output on the books and the actual production of the farms were entirely different concepts.

Due to natural conditions and bureaucratic management factors, the cost of food production at overseas farms remained high, far exceeding international food prices.

Because of tariff barriers, imported food had to bear high tariffs, keeping domestic food prices in France consistently high.

Importing food was more profitable than growing it; bureaucrats would not conflict with money, naturally understanding which option to choose.

Napoleon IV had cleaned house once, but it was mostly a cosmetic project—most farms were still ineffective.

The entire act had to be complete—the Central Government was not foolish. If a farm produced 100,000 tons of wheat but supplied 110,000 tons to the country, it would definitely be discovered that there was a problem.

The stupid bureaucrats had been eliminated; those who remained to make money were the clever ones. To reap huge profits, everyone had become a model of pioneering work.

On paper, the farm expanded a large area of land each year, and its food production capacity climbed higher and higher, artificially creating a prosperous situation.

Armed with fabricated data, they swindled financial aid from the government while engaging in food smuggling to reap huge profits.

It was no longer feasible; with international food prices soaring, what was once a profitable business had now turned into a losing venture. Bureaucrats, realizing the crisis had arrived, all began to look for ways out.

Lately, Rafael was receiving a heap of resignation letters every day, many of which were the kind where officials left their posts.

After Napoleon IV's order to transport grain, before Rafael could respond appropriately, a third of the farm officials had disappeared.

The big fish had escaped, leaving behind the small fry who could not escape; the mess had fallen into Rafael's hands.

With a "bang," Rafael threw away the thick stack of resignation letters in his hand, saying fiercely, "Tell those damn guys, Cole, they can resign, but first let's solve this problem.

Otherwise, we all go to hell together, no matter who their backers are, I will handle it impartially.

Also, get in touch with those who fled. If they do not return within a week, their names will appear on the wanted list as spies."

He had to take strong measures. The mess erupting at this time could crush anyone, and Rafael was not ready to die and could not bear this burden.

Although the crisis was severe, it was not entirely without a ray of hope. Theoretically, as long as a way to fill in the food shortfall was found, this crisis could be overcome.

Over the years, everyone had made quite a bit of money. Purely economically speaking, it was feasible to use a portion of that to make up the difference.

With a bitter expression, Cole replied to the Count, "Once this order is issued, Your Excellacy, I fear the rest might flee as well.

The issue now is not money—if it were just about losing a sum, they wouldn't have fled so quickly.

After all, the positions at the farms are lucrative, and the money paid now could be doubled in returns in the future.

The key issue is that even with money, there's nowhere to buy enough food!

After the Austrian Government had swept up the goods in advance, they started monopolizing the international market, prohibiting food from entering France.

Even smuggling wouldn't work—no matter how capable the smuggler, smuggling millions of tons of food in short order without anyone noticing was impossible.

At most, we could only buy a small portion of food from other countries at high prices, it was simply impossible to complete the government's task."

Having heard Cole's explanation, Rafael finally understood why so many officials had fled.
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The issue was too significant and had come at such a critical moment; once exposed, no one in society would spare them.

If they didn't escape now, there would be no chance later. Nowadays, escaping was easy as long as you had money; just hide in some foreign country and return once the storm had passed.

Count Rafael cursed: "They are all idiots! If we can't buy it abroad, can't we buy it domestically?

As long as we meet the requirements and stock the full amount of food, who cares where it came from!

If really necessary, first borrow a batch of food from our cooperative food wholesalers for emergency, since the farm's food is to be sold to them anyway."

Deep inside, Rafael deeply despised those bureaucrats who hastily fled, lacking adaptability.

"Order each farm to compile a locust infestation report, make a note with detailed data, and attach the prepared photos as well, then report it all to the government.

Remember, just reduce production in Algeria and Morocco's farms, don't touch Egypt yet; being too deliberate will get us caught.

Cumulative reduction and crop failure should temporarily be set around twenty-five percent, and ensure people don't try to be too clever."

"Let's all figure out something; whether it's borrowing, buying, or cheating, I don't care, each farm must bring back at least thirty percent of the stipulated portion of the food after the autumn harvest.

The rest can be delayed with excuses and, after the outbreak of war, find a way to blame the Austrians."

Complete crop failure was impossible; if that were the case, Napoleon IV would likely start killing people.

Rafael hadn't lived enough, he didn't want to challenge the Emperor's limits. A reduction by a quarter should suffice.

Exaggerating achievements was normal in the French government; everyone was bluffing, otherwise, how could France compete with Anglo-Austria?

However, exaggeration also had its limits; inflating figures by ten to twenty percent was acceptable, but several times or dozens of times that would be intolerable.

Undoubtedly, the magnitude of water in France's farm projects was the kind that was multiple times, even dozens of times affected, but the exact amount depended on the bureaucrats' integrity.

In a way, Rafael's distribution also considered the principle of fairness.

Farms with less water had fewer benefits for the bureaucrats, and their own production might just be enough. They didn't need to bleed too much now.

For farms that were severely watered-down, or simply on paper, the money had been swallowed by the responsible bureaucrats, and now it was their turn to bleed.

Moreover, it wasn't a complete loss. The government was to pay for the food handed over; the bureaucrats only lost the difference.

The bleeding wasn't so severe as to touch the bone; for most bureaucrats, it was acceptable.

After all, everyone held a golden rice bowl, and any losses now could be recouped many times over in the future. There was no need to ruin their reputation over such small benefits.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Now Cole was utterly admiring of Count Rafael; such a significant issue was resolved in just a few words.

…