French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 8: Distributing Bread, "The Deep Bond Between the Army and the People"

Suppressing grain prices? Not even a little bit. How could Eugène Napoleon possibly have the resources to suppress the grain prices set by capitalists?

Besides, what good would suppressing him do? Few people would remember any of Eugène Napoleon's good deeds. He, Eugène Napoleon, was unwilling to do something so thankless and arduous.

However, Haikou has already made that promise, and there are only 4 days left in the 7-day period. They can't just not make any changes at all.

The little trust that some people had painstakingly regained has collapsed again, and it will be difficult to restore it.

Therefore, Eugène Napoleon chose the most cost-effective approach, setting up bread distribution points directly in the 20 arrondissements of Paris.

Rather than issuing orders from above, risking offending neutral capitalists, and causing the public to forget their good deeds, it is better to suppress food prices.

Eugène Napoleon chose to go directly to the grassroots and into the community. All told, the Bonaparte family's rule would end on September 4th.

In Paris today, even with the price increase, a kilogram of dark bread would only cost 0.35 francs, while ordinary white bread would only cost 0.5 francs per kilogram.

If the distribution starts on July 24th, it will last for a total of 43 days. Even if 100,000 kilograms of black bread are distributed every day, it will only amount to 1.5 million francs.

At that time, capitalists will take the opportunity to drive up grain prices, with the expenditure limited to a maximum of 200 million francs.

The daily production of 10 kilograms of dark bread was not enough to meet the needs of Paris, a city of 200 million people, but it was enough to show the common people how much Eugène Napoleon cherished his people.

Then, by comparing his daily bread distribution with the ever-increasing grain prices in Paris, and with a little guidance from Eugène Napoleon, the blame would fall entirely on the capitalists.

That's the idea, but when it comes to putting it into practice, it's obviously not that easy.

Eugène Napoleon was very afraid of death. On the first day of distributing bread, the 24th, he personally participated in the event and chose to launch the black bread distribution on the streets of Jerusalem, right below the police headquarters.

"Each person can receive one kilogram of bread upon presentation of their civil registration document!"

If he wants the public to remember his good deeds, he must always be present at the scene. Euren has made up his mind that he will go to the distribution point in each district at least 3 times, and visit at least 2 distribution points a day.

On the first day of distributing bread, many people came to watch out of curiosity; the people of Paris had never seen such a scene of free bread being given out before.

"Is this free?"

"Yes, as long as you have a birth certificate, you can receive one kilogram of bread, one kilogram per person."

When approached by the public with cautious inquiries, Eugène Napoleon, dressed in a white chef's uniform from the bakery and standing behind a cart, responded with a bright smile.

The cart was piled high with stacks of black bread, and next to it was a royal carriage bearing the Bonaparte family crest, with Royal Guard soldiers maintaining order all around.

Eugène Napoleon wasn't so low as to shout to everyone that he was the Crown Prince of France. He didn't need to say anything; the royal carriage, the guards, and the accompanying police commissioner would speak for him.

"Your Highness, let me distribute the bread."

"No need, I'll do it myself."

Pietree did not lower his voice, but the words "Your Highness" were clearly heard by the surrounding crowd.

Upon hearing those two words, the already somewhat skeptical crowd immediately erupted in excitement. What they saw was the Crown Prince of France distributing free bread to them.

"Your Highness, can we really get bread?"

"Of course I can. I promised before that I would lower grain prices within 7 days, but... I'm sorry, I couldn't do it. It seems that my ability is not enough to accomplish this."

However! I have already made a promise to everyone, and I cannot break my word. I know that everyone is struggling financially because of the war, so I have purchased a batch of bread to distribute a little each day, to help everyone as much as possible. Rest assured, the Royal Family will stand with you through this difficult time.”

If someone in their twenties or thirties makes a promise and then fails to keep it.

The people of Paris, being a revolutionary old district, wouldn't tolerate him. They were perfectly capable of taking the bread and then secretly cursing him as a good-for-nothing.

However, Eugène Napoleon was only 14 years old, which made all the difference.

Eugène Napoleon, who was more charming and handsome than Napoleon I and Napoleon III, apologized openly to the crowd, expressing his regret and saying that he had done his best. He even clenched his fist in front of the crowd as if to encourage them.

The Parisians who witnessed all of this felt their hearts melt.

"Your Highness, you did nothing wrong. You have done very well!"

"That's right, Your Highness, we won't blame you!"

"You are the true sun of France!"

........

After hearing Napoleon's words, the people were somewhat shocked, and with the help of the shills that Eugène Napoleon had planted among the people, they began to exert their influence.

Immediately, Eugène Napoleon's reputation among the people soared to the point that it seemed the next second the people would support him to kick Napoleon III aside and put him on the throne.

Eugène Napoleon simply waved his hands shyly, but the Parisian public, who valued appearance and aesthetics, was won over, and their clamor grew even louder.

After the commotion subsided, the crowd gradually lined up under the guidance of the guards to receive their share of the free one-kilogram bread.

"Next~ Next~"

Although mechanically picking up a loaf of bread and handing it out looks easy, repeating this action hundreds of times is quite tiring, especially since Eugène Napoleon was not fully developed.

However, because Jerusalem Street is located in the heart of Paris, the publicity effect is the strongest, and Eugène is gritting his teeth and persevering.

Fortunately, as the crowd grew larger, the riot soon broke out uncontrollably.

"Why won't you let me stand in line?!"

"Sir, you have already collected your bread once."

Did you say that it could only be claimed once?

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a middle-aged man dressed in a long formal coat and trousers—a style that ordinary Parisians couldn't afford.

Right now, the man is pressing a guard soldier closer and closer, constantly questioning him.

Before his arrival, Eugène Napoleon was worried that the Imperial Guard would repeat the same tactics his father used to suppress the rebellion, thus ruining his reputation. Therefore, he repeatedly instructed the Imperial Guards who were in charge of maintaining order not to use violence indiscriminately.

Now, Eugène's instructions clearly bound the guard, forcing him to retreat step by step as the middle-aged man pressed closer.

Relations between the French military and the public have always been tense, and in confrontations, the armed military holds the advantage.

Now, with Eugène Napoleon in control, and middle-aged men in a dominant position, they felt like saviors under the gaze of the masses.

He was so brave, he was such a hero. Without thinking too much, Eugene knew that his mind must be filled with a lot of self-satisfaction.

"Hey, sir."

"Your Highness."

"Judging from your attire, you are a respectable person."

"Of course, I am..."

"But what the gentleman did doesn't seem respectable."

Upon seeing Eugène Napoleon approaching, the man froze, then heard the Crown Prince say that he was a respectable man.

The man immediately straightened his back, looked around at the people who were not as well-off as him, and was about to reveal his profession when he felt a sense of superiority.

He was interrupted by Eugène Napoleon, who looked at the middle-aged man with a serious expression and began to elaborate on the principles, thus adding to his own persona.

"I don't welcome people like you here, sir. I'm distributing bread because of the war; some Parisians, even royalty, are starving. I witnessed heartbreaking scenes while traveling through old Paris, and I made a promise to those 'forgotten' Parisians. However, I don't think I've ever made any promise to you, sir."

The middle-aged man, who had been ordered to leave by Eugène Napoleon, turned red, then white, then green under the gaze of the surrounding crowd.

Ultimately, he dared not challenge the Crown Prince, and could only turn and slink away. Upon seeing His Highness the Crown Prince, he publicly upheld justice, and his words were deeply moving.

The Parisians, who love gossip, love to speak out, and have a strong capacity for empathy, didn't need any prompting this time; they spontaneously cheered for Eugène Napoleon.

"Britain had Victoria, we have Napoleon IV!"

"We need the rule of Napoleon IV; it's urgent!"

........