Harry Potter’s Morning Light

  Chapter 1701 The Secret Word of the Goddess (46)

  June 1815, Waterloo, 20 kilometers from Brussels, Belgium, was in the summer.

  This kind of weather is very unfriendly to the gun truck, because the slime in the swamp will cause the wheels to sink in and damage the axle.

Soldiers stopped to fix the axles every once in a while. Soldiers from peasants had to follow their father to do some handicrafts on the farm since they were young. The simple task of repairing an axle is nothing but two steps. Just one repair still makes people feel tired and frustrated.

  The sound of hammers echoed everywhere over the mud. This situation is different from the Battle of Austerlitz 10 years ago.

It was winter and the weather was very bad. There was heavy snow in the sky and the slush was about knee deep. It was as difficult as the swamp near Waterloo, but I don’t know why. Most people can still march with full energy. .

  The fluttering snowflakes looked like Russian snow, but it was not so dense and the wind was not so bitter.

  How could there be such a hell-like place on this planet?

  How many people died because of the cold on the way to retreat? How many people died of starvation? How many people died in battle?

  In fact, Napoleon Bonaparte had other options before it turned out to be like that, such as retreating earlier instead of waiting for peace talks. The Russians burned Moscow. What else is there to talk about.

  Or to expropriate the remaining unburnt food. As for what the Russian civilians should do, it is not what the French should consider.

  After remarrying and having children, Napoleon's heart seemed to soften.

  Perhaps the great comet that appeared in the sky in 1811 was not a good omen suitable for sending troops, but a warning.

   By the way, a comet also appeared that year. A soldier who loves astronomy still remembers that Nelson died a few days before the comet appeared.

Doesn’t it mean that astrology can predict the future? How did it become a report?

  The jokes of the veterans caused a lot of laughter. After the car was repaired, they continued on their way. Soon people forgot the episode.

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  "Have you heard of African francs?"

   Just as Severus stepped on a ladder conjured by transfiguration and touched the glass **** on the dome one by one, Lucius, who was sitting idle on the ground with nothing to do, asked leisurely.

  Severus ignored him, so Lucius started talking with himself.

"That is the currency issued by the Bank of France to West Africa. It is only recognized by France, which means that the goods produced in the West African colony that belonged to France can only be sold to the French until Germany and France abolished their national currencies and switched to the euro. "

   "I have no time to tell you this now." Severus said without looking back.

  Because of fear that Lucius would say something like "Monsuri" again, Severus used closed earplugs to listen to the spell. The other two Muggles in the stone room couldn't hear what they were saying.

   "Do you still remember that friend of mine told me about the American real estate crisis?" Lucius said, "In addition to silver, I have to look for other safe-haven currencies."

   "I don't think the African franc is safe." Severus said.

  "Do you know what an African franc is?" Lucius asked again.

  Severus looked back at him.

   "No." Severus said coldly.

   "It seems that you not only don't listen to people, but you also don't like to read books." Lu Xiusto said with a long tone, pretentiously.

  Severus shook his head and turned to touch the glass balls. Each of them was about the size of a snow globe. Not only was there a white mist inside, but there seemed to be something else in the mist.

"The Germans want to cover the whole of Europe with the euro, and then replace the U.S. dollar. However, after France canceled its own currency, the African franc can no longer be used. However, although the African franc is no longer exchangeable with the franc in a fixed proportion, it can be exchanged with the euro instead. Exchange at a fixed ratio."

   "Wait, so other euro zone countries can exchange CFA francs?" Severus asked.

"This is a rule that has not been put on the table. Other colonies cannot be touched. Anyway, I heard the British Finance Minister said that it would not exchange Euros with African francs. And you also know that currency is not safe in the war situation there. If the African franc can be exchanged with the euro at a fixed ratio, it is very important for those countries that rebuild order from wars and coups. However, the African franc is indeed a legacy of the colonial era, especially after the decolonization of France, most of West Africa Foreign exchange is in the hands of the French, which restricts the colonies and trade with other trading areas. Every time the French economy declines, the countries in the CFA franc zone will suffer, and the economic downturn will cause a coup, so the CFA franc The district countries want to get rid of the control of France, the suzerain country. Have you heard of Niger?"

   "I know," Severus said.

"This country produces oil. Niger does not have an oil refinery. After the crude oil is sold to the French at a low price, they will use the exchanged African francs to buy agricultural products from the French. The French did not build infrastructure or repair irrigation facilities there. This year, Niger was due to drought There was a famine."

   "I haven't heard of gasoline price increase." Severus said.

   "But diesel has increased tax." Lucius said, "Do you believe it is really for environmental protection?"

   "Of course I believe." Severus said hypocritically.

   "The disruptors have appeared." Lucius said with emotion, "The infrastructure madman wants to build an oil refinery in Niger."

   "Africa is so far from Asia." Severus said.

   "I told you that they are infrastructure madmen. The French are really too lazy now. I remember Napoleon did a lot of infrastructure construction when he was in Egypt."

  Severus's face sank.

   "If the Niger refinery is successfully built, they can directly exchange oil for food and other materials without African francs, and France's crude oil resources will be affected." Lucius said, "This summer will be very uneasy."

   "There is no other refinery in France?" Severus asked.

"Of course, they voted against the Iraq War, but once the domestic crude oil crisis breaks out, they will probably enter the Middle East like the United Kingdom and the United States. The only way for oil tankers is the Suez Canal. Risk. The United States has always hoped to pull France into NATO because of Gaullism and the French are unwilling to hand over military power to the Americans. It has been unsuccessful."

  "Who are they going to transfer the responsibility to?" Severus asked.

"Who else can be, of course, the'culprit'." Lucius said with a smile. "If Niger no longer sells crude oil to the French at low prices, and then buys French food at high prices, then the interests of French farmers and French exports, There will be problems with tariffs. To obtain stable taxes and reduce fuel consumption, the diesel tax must be increased. I remember that France used to promote the benefits of diesel vehicles, but now it has begun to promote gasoline, and some roads have speed limits. It means that people who drive to work need to spend more time on the road, reducing their rest and spending time with their families. Worse still, the subway will go on strike. So I fully believe that you said that there will be riots in France this fall and they will spread. As far as Europe is concerned, there may be other pushers behind this. For example, our friends across the ocean will postpone the promotion of the euro through this event, but other people do not believe me."

   "Undersea tunnels are not so easy to close." Severus said coldly, "I still have to thank you for your support, Lucius."

"France hasn't suffered a famine for a long time." Lucius said lightly. "But sometimes the cause of famine is not natural disasters, but man-made. In the past, the French smuggled food in exchange for gold. Now they can exchange food for oil. You can get cheap, tax-free diesel."

   "They don't have an oil refinery." Severus said.

   "That's why I told you that the disruptors have appeared. Once the refineries and power stations in Niger are built, the entire CFA franc region will shake. Do you know how much tax and resources this will cost France?" Lucius said.

  Severus thoughtfully.

  Just as Lucius was about to speak, a glass ball suddenly fell from the dome.

  It crashed to the ground.

  With a puff of white smoke slowly dissipating, a silver scorpion raised its tail.

  This is obviously not a living creature, it looks like a product of alchemy, Baldwin and Arlette backed away quickly.

  Lucius used flying sand and gravel on it, but it had no effect. Severus used it to split it up, and it was just as ineffective.

   "It seems difficult to deal with," Severus said.

  "Would you like to use a fiery curse?" Lucius asked.

   "Do you want this place to be the same as the responsive house?" Severus said dryly, using another spell.

  A piece of slimy sputum stuck the silver scorpion.

  Severus raised his head and looked at the glass **** on the dome.

  At the moment they look like worm eggs, if they all hatch...

   "Are you going to touch them one by one?" Lucius asked.

   "Let's talk to Muggles." Severus said, canceling the earplug listening spell.

  　 I heard that Lv President has become the richest man again

  　　Before you are anxious to get angry, think about the current rabbits are not Manchurian rabbits. Of course, the lost foreign exchange will be earned back.

  (End of this chapter)