Expanding the Army
The economic crisis is getting worse. In Paris, although people with green cards (legal France residency) can receive some food supplies, the number of illegal immigrants is increasing, and the social order in Paris is deteriorating.
Just three days earlier, a group of foreign thugs attacked a bread distribution station, stealing bread intended for distribution in a certain neighborhood and killing a staff member. This incident, once reported, immediately sparked widespread anger among Paris towards "foreigners." Although Fouché worked diligently, apprehending the entire "criminal gang" in just one day—some members' last act before arrest wasn't resisting, but rather quickly eating the stolen bread—the court delivered its verdict with remarkable efficiency: two ringleaders were sentenced to hanging, and twenty accomplices to hard labor. However, the people of Paris were not satisfied with the verdict, feeling that anyone who stole their bread at this time should be beheaded (although the guillotine had been abolished due to its political significance). Consequently, incidents of locals attacking foreigners continued to occur on the streets of Paris.
The newspapers controlled by the Ministry of Truth continued to play the role of "the conscience of France," urging citizens not to "look at foreigners with prejudice" and to demonstrate "the tolerance and friendliness of the people of Paris." But everyone responded with, "To hell with your friendliness!"
The Ministry of Truth's newspapers were all talk and no action. The Ministry of Police of Public Security, however, took real action, firmly siding with the citizens of Paris. If Paris beat illegal immigrants, well, the police didn't see it; if Paris injured illegal immigrants, well, the illegal immigrants must have hurt themselves; (tell me, are you trying to extort France citizens?) If Paris killed illegal immigrants, oh, such a thing happens! Well, we'll definitely catch the murderer in our lifetime!
But if an illegal immigrant dares to fight back, it's a different story. If one illegal immigrant wins, it's considered attempted robbery, punishable by hard labor; if a group of illegal immigrants wins, it's considered an organized crime group, to be dealt with swiftly and severely. If they lose—well, if one person loses, it's considered attempted crime; if a group loses, it's considered the people of the Saint-Antoine District stopping organized crime!
The discrimination against illegal immigrants by the Ministry of Police and the Ministry of Justice is almost blatant, and there's a reason for this: it comes from higher-ups.
It is said that the First Consul General said the following to Minister Fouché: "The people are living poorly, and it is impossible for them not to feel resentful. They must be allowed to vent their resentment. If they are not allowed to vent it on foreigners, how can they be allowed to vent their dissatisfaction on us?"
So, the whole economic crisis was caused by foreigners, and now these foreigners are stealing from us and robbing us. The France, and even those with residency status who are "prospective France citizens," are filled with anger towards those illegal immigrants.
Under these circumstances, the Consulate began to announce an expansion of conscription in order to protect France's borders and defend the France people.
The France army has always been well-treated. One of Napoleon's major tenets was. "No one should be poorer than the soldiers, no one should suffer more than the army." While the France army did indeed prioritize economic development during periods of weapon upgrades and other reforms, since Napoleon became First Consul, the France's pay has never been prioritized over anyone else's. This is because Napoleon knew that without the army's support, the Senate of the Republic would be filled with nothing but Brutus.
Therefore, in France, joining the military is a very lucrative career path. Although it's no longer like during wartime when military service automatically granted land upon discharge, military pay has increased, and there are many other benefits. In fact, in France, joining the military sometimes requires connections and favors.
France's large-scale military recruitment has sparked a surge of patriotic fervor. Although some argue that this massive recruitment drive might indicate a failure to address the domestic economic crisis and a need for foreign aggression, the France people, especially those queuing for medical examinations at military registration offices, seem unconcerned.
This was probably because, in the later stages of previous wars, Napoleon's army was always able to defeat the enemy with very few losses, and each victory was followed by very generous victory bonuses. Especially some veterans, after retiring from the army, would often say in conversations, "Military pay? That's only a small part; the victory bonuses are the real money. Let me tell you, once you're in a war and the combat bonuses are issued, you forget how much your monthly military pay was; once you win, once the victory bonuses are issued, you forget how much your combat bonuses were, hahahaha..."
Furthermore, veterans have their own organizations and banks that these organizations connect them with. Their deposits are generally first collected by the Veterans' Union and then deposited into the Roman Bank as structured deposits. The interest rates are higher than regular deposits, and they were unaffected by the recent turmoil. So, while skilled workers were left penniless as the economic tide receded, veterans' lives were largely unaffected, which fueled the France people's enthusiasm for joining the military.
The France people's enthusiastic enlistment startled the surrounding countries. The Spain ambassador approached Talleyrand, subtly inquiring whether Spain had done something wrong to displease the France. He repeatedly emphasized that the two countries were allies who had been friends for generations and shared the same faith, and that their traditional friendship was higher than the Pyrenees and deeper than the Atlantic Ocean.
Of course, after receiving a consultation fee, Talleyrand also told them that France has always valued its traditional friendship with Spain and is willing to work together with Spain to overcome this crisis.
The Austria were the next to approach Talleyrand. Metternich, who was about to return to Vienna, suddenly received a message from home: do not return yet, find out the details of France's recent military expansion before making any moves.
So Metternich, using the excuse that he was about to leave Paris and return home and wanted to have a get-together with his friends, invited Talleyrand to the Moulin Rouge for one night. During this time, after successfully bribing him, Metternich bluntly asked who the France were targeting, and whether Austria could join in the fun if the target wasn't Austria.
In response, Talleyrand stated that the friendship between France and Austria is unbreakable. Austria has no need for unnecessary worries. France's military expansion is primarily due to domestic needs, and if military action were required, it certainly wouldn't be in Europe.
Although Talleyrand's words might not be entirely reliable, they were at least a consolation for Austria. Metternich then inquired about the France's direction, but Talleyrand refused to say anything more.
A month later, it was New Year's Day. During that month, the France expanded their army by 500,000, sending shivers down the spines of all of Europe. It was also time for the France government to deliver its State of the Nation Address and announce the new year's budget. All of Europe was waiting and watching, trying to glean something from France new address and budget.