Holy Roman Empire

The snowflakes drifted down, pure white like jade, as if messengers sent by God spreading blessings to the faithful.

The Parisians, confined to their homes, came out one by one and joined the children in the snow to play, enjoying this wonderful time to the fullest.

"Snow" was a rarity for the Parisians. Medici recalled that the last time it snowed in Paris was many years ago.

How many years exactly, Medici could no longer remember. To those who were starving and cold, "snow" wasn’t anything good, and there was no need to specifically commemorate it.

This year was an exception, as the benefits from the Prusso-Russian War were not only enjoyed by Austria; France also reaped substantial benefits.

Against the backdrop of a booming economy, social tensions in France eased, and the most apparent indicator was the improved daily life of Parisians.

In this regard, Medici felt it the most. As the owner of a small newsstand, he had his unique way of judging. Discover hidden tales at empire

The French public was keen on politics and, as long as their financial conditions allowed, would subscribe to several newspapers. The sale of newspapers, to some extent, also reflected the economy of France.

This was something the Parisians could be proud of. France’s newspaper circulation consistently topped the global charts, with Parisians contributing half of that figure.

Should there be a ranking of global newspaper circulation, an interesting conclusion would emerge: France > Austria > Britannia > Paris.

This was not a joke; it really happened.

The political sensitivity of Parisians could be said to be the highest in the world. The difference between a Parisian and a countryman could be discerned by whether they commented on political news.

"Medici, I’m here for my newspapers."

A familiar voice sounded, drawing Medici, who was engrossed in reading, back to the present.

Business had come to the door, and naturally, had to be attended to. Medici put down the newspaper in his hands and smiled slightly, "Ruers, the usual?"

As he spoke, Medici had already taken out a stack of newspapers he had prepared earlier and placed them on top.

The middle-aged man frowned and said irritably, "Of course. Medici, don’t you know me by now?"

Medici was not annoyed and continued to speak with a smile, "Ruers, be patient. With your temper, even at your age, can’t you change a little?"

Ruers shook his head, "Forget it, I’m already old, what’s there to change?"

In terms of the average life expectancy in France, the over forty-year-old Ruers indeed qualified as an elderly man. However, averages often skewed the most towards certain individuals.

The real shortening of life expectancy was mostly among the laborers at the bottom. The lifespan of the nobility and the wealthy was not short at all.

Medici shook his head, no longer trying to persuade. He pointed casually at the newspapers and said, "All right, Ruers. Here are your newspapers, take them."

As if he remembered something, Medici added, "By the way, today’s international edition of the Paris News is pretty good; you should find it interesting."

Glancing at the headline, it starkly read, "The England, France, and Austria Alliance is about to disintegrate."

Ruers’ complexion changed drastically. As a qualified Parisian, he was well aware of the significance of the Triple Alliance. He asked anxiously, "What happened?"

Medici replied calmly, "Don’t make a fuss, it’s not that serious. It’s just a little friction in South America; I believe the government can handle it."

Brief but definitive, he deliberately avoided discussing the specifics. This was an experience Medici had summarized over his years of selling newspapers: if he explained everything, why would people still buy newspapers?

Ruers rolled his eyes, "Give me one, and we’ll settle up on the weekend."

There was no choice, ever since Napoleon III introduced the pension system, the avant-garde Ruers had become a paycheck-to-paycheck man.

Aside from necessary family expenses, the rest of his money was spent early on, and with it being Saturday already, naturally, he had no money left.

Regardless of the merits of this consumption pattern, it did stimulate economic development for a fact.

Even with slightly lower income, French citizens were able to maintain consumption levels not inferior to Austrians, which also played a significant role in stimulating the economy.

Of course, in this era, there were no credit cards, and overspending was not yet popular. Even in the most avant-garde Paris, people only spent within their means.

"As you wish!" Having said that, and glancing at the snow outside, Medici added, "However, I think you might need another coffee now, perhaps with a slice of bread, to wrap up dinner as well."

"That’s a fantastic suggestion. But really, Medici, you’re squandering your talents with a newsstand. If you did something else, with your business acumen, you’d have made a fortune by now," Ruers remarked.

The combination of "newsstand + café + bakery" was hard to overlook, and many believed that Medici was indeed wasting his talents in running the small shop.

Clearly, Medici was a smart man and knew his own capabilities.

"Newsstand + Café + Bakery" seemed like a creative idea, but actually, such a combination with no technical depth relied solely on being "cheap."

Medici never considered himself a genius; he was just better at observing than others and chose the right location to set up shop.

Otherwise, why wouldn’t this simple business model, which anyone could replicate, flood every street and alley?

If he had ventured into other industries, a common man like him would have probably been devoured to the bone long ago.

With a smile, Medici answered, "Thank you for the compliment, but I think running a newsstand is quite enough for me; I really couldn’t manage anything else."

Ruers did not pursue the topic further. Their relationship hadn’t reached that point yet; joking was fine, but actually persuading Medici to switch trades was not something Ruers wanted to do himself.

Even in Paris, such convenient, inexpensive places were scarce. If Medici switched trades, Ruers would have to travel much farther every day.

Taking the newspaper from Medici, Ruers went straight into the backyard, found an empty seat, and quietly began reading.

The situation in South America was volatile and couldn’t be fully understood by just one newspaper agency. The content was naturally an analysis based on limited information, with a lot of speculation to reach conclusions.

What was originally a diplomatic battle among Chile, Bolivia, and Peru had escalated to a diplomatic war between Britannia and France and Austria, as if the three countries were about to become enemies with the British.

No, that’s not right; England and France were already arch-enemies; they didn’t need to become estranged.

In these times, newspapers still had some integrity; if they dared to publish something, they had some basis for it and wouldn’t joke about their own credibility.

Having read the newspaper in one go, Ruers gasped in astonishment.

The paper listed in detail the conflicting interests of England, France, and Austria in South America, explicitly pointing out that in the "Guano War," the British supported Chile, while France and Austria supported Peru and Bolivia.

With so much evidence at hand, it was easy to conclude that the relationship among England, France, and Austria was troubled. Against such a backdrop, the dissolution of the alliance among the three nations seemed not entirely impossible.

"Damn those greedy Brits, daring to disregard our interests!"

Someone started the insults, and it immediately incited others to join in; hurling abuse at the British was one of the Parisians’ daily entertainments.

"What’s so surprising about that? The Brits have always been shamelessly unscrupulous. Being their ally is like dancing with the devil..."

"Exactly, all those damned John Bulls should go straight to hell..."

...

Seeing everyone chatting avidly, Ruers also joined in to comment, "Peru is such a wreck, an embarrassment to us, losing even to the Chileans."

A young man responded, "It’s not just Peru that’s rubbish, but Bolivia, supported by Austria, is a pig-headed ally; they even had soldiers going to battle with bows and arrows. My God! Do they think they’re in the Middle Ages?

It’s unimaginable. Could the Vienna Government be a bunch of idiots not willing to equip them with even rifles? Having such fools as allies is a real disaster."

"There’s worse. Supposedly, after the battle, the Chileans captured two regiments’ worth of army equipment from the Bolivian army, which has been here for over a month without the officers distributing it to the soldiers..."

...

Rumors were flying everywhere, and it was inevitable that topics would veer off course. In an era devoid of entertainment, gathering in groups to shoot the breeze had become a unique scene.

...

In the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon IV casually tossed aside the newspaper. "The collapse of the England, France, Austria alliance," when did such a thing happen? How come he, a party concerned, was unaware—was this a joke?

The alliance hadn’t collapsed yet, but the situation in South America still gave Napoleon IV a headache. The British had too great an advantage; even with France and Austria on the same front, they could barely compete.

Replacing the British and gaining dominance in South America was almost an impossibility.

Unless in this South American war, Peru and Bolivia could miraculously outfight Chile and knock down the British flag controlling South America.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dumbledore: "Your Majesty, the Austrians have made their position very clear; they hope we can work together to keep Colombia neutral, preserving the last lifeline of the Peru-Bolivia Alliance."

There was no question about it; to win the war for the Peru-Bolivia Alliance, they had to preserve this lifeline.

Without hesitation, Napoleon IV nodded immediately, "That’s not a problem. Securing Colombia’s stability is one of our tasks anyway. However, this alone probably won’t be enough.

The Chileans have already taken the upper hand on the South American battlefield, and both Peru and Bolivia are idiots; I shouldn’t hold any confidence in them at all."

Napoleon IV’s pessimism was not unwarranted, as there were just too many jokes on the battlefield. Many times, the Peru-Bolivia Alliance had the upper hand and a very real chance of winning the war, only to end in failure.

Besides the poor combat strength of the Peruvian and Bolivian militaries, the intelligence of the government officials also caused urgency. Neighboring countries were being wooed by the enemy, and yet they were completely unaware beforehand.

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