Four days after the parade ended, major mainstream newspapers in Paris, under the instruction of Jero Bonaparte, raced to report on the Paris parade ceremony and the incident where the Minister of Foreign Affairs rebuked the envoy of the Russian Empire.
Many newspapers, adhering to the spirit of exaggerating as much as possible, lavishly praised, claiming that the French Army was the best in Europe and that the Gauls were the most hard-working and enduring people in the world, with so even going so far as to call the Gauls a "herbivore nation."
The articles emphasized, "The Gauls have been the most outstanding nation on the European Continent since ancient tis. Our culture existed before the Roman Republic was even established. Over these thousands of years, we Gauls have battled countless nations on this land, all of whom were defeated and beca a part of us... God created the Gauls to lead Europe to prosperity and strength... We are the sole inheritors of the Roman Empire!"
At first glance of the article, Jero Bonaparte felt the overwhelming Gaul nationalism perating every word.
Despite the author’s belonging to the "official writing" group, Jero Bonaparte, having grown up in the era of globalization, still found it hard to tolerate this kind of nationalist inventor.
What does it an for Gaul culture to have existed since the Roman Republic? At that ti, the so-called Gauls were still dwelling in the deep mountains and forests, and this nationalism invented after the Great Revolution is still claiming "since ancient tis."
As uncomfortable as Jero Bonaparte was, he had to admit that such fervent nationalist articles were still very popular in the 19th century.
Not to ntion ordinary French people, even literary figures like Victor Hugo, when advocating for the United States of Europa, often emphasized that it should be led by France, as the cultural heritage of France is stronger than that of other countries.
In an era of nationalist fervor, apart from people like Jero Bonaparte who are knowledgeable about history, and individuals like Dr. Karl Marx who see through the essence, the vast majority of scientists and writers cannot avoid being swept up by nationalist fervor and becoming its proponents.
Getting a bit carried away, after reading the entire article, Jero Bonaparte felt a strong sense of discomfort, sowhat doubting whether he had gone a bit overboard with this enthusiasm.
When his eyes swept to the top right corner of the newspaper, the four printed words "Truth Daily" ca into view.
Jero Bonaparte’s mouth twitched slightly, muttering under his breath, "Great! Now it’s a truth!"
Then, Jero Bonaparte took out a notebook with a hard paper cover wrapped in leather, grabbed the quill pen from the pen stand, dipped it in ink, and wrote, "Truth Daily, utter nonsense!"
Afterward, he set down the quill pen, glanced at the slightly ssy notes, revealed a mischievous smile, closed the notebook, and placed it in the drawer.
The next few newspapers without exception all zealously propagated nationalism, with "The Observer" being the most fervent.
The Observer first expressed its opinion on the confrontation between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the envoy of the Russian Empire at the diplomatic occasion from a "fair" standpoint, stating that both the Russian Empire and the French Republic were significant nations on the European Continent, and only through mutual cooperation could Europe be in a state of peace. It then protested against the Russian Empire envoy’s act of insulting France in public.
The article proclaid, "Every French person should have enough patriotic fervor to stand up when their nation is humiliated by a foreign country. Here, we affirm Minister Luyis’s courage in rebuking the Russian Empire envoy. If the Russian Empire and the French Republic were to sever ties over this matter, the entire responsibility lies with the Russian Empire!"
The Observer’s remarks reminded Jero Bonaparte of that sa xxx website from his previous life, as if changing the na could produce such a significant effect.
"Such a resemblance?" Jero Bonaparte muttered quietly.
After reading the two articles, Jero Bonaparte felt his blood pressure rising slightly.
To prevent his health from being affected, Jero Bonaparte decided to invite his new "friend" Eugénie de Montijo to join him for a hunting trip in Buny Forest near Paris.
Indeed, this Eugénie de Montijo was the future Empress of France in the original tiline. Jero Bonaparte had t Eugénie just a month ago during a party, introduced by the well-known literary matchmaker Mérimée. Jero Bonaparte had invited her to dance.
After the dance party, Jero Bonaparte and Eugénie beca friends, and Mérimée, due to his matchmaking efforts, smoothly beca a writer for the Bonaparte Group.
Thinking of Eugénie’s alluring figure and captivating eyes, an unexplainable fla ignited in Jero Bonaparte’s heart. He rose from his seat and swiftly left the study, spotting Percy in the corridor.
At that mont, Percy was hurrying towards Jero Bonaparte’s location with a docunt in hand.
"Your Majesty!" Percy quickly slowed down to salute Jero Bonaparte.
"Percy, what’s that docunt in your hand?" Jero Bonaparte pointed to the docunt in Percy’s hand and inquired.
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? This is the list of personnel promotions drafted by the Ministry of War. The Minister of War specifically sent it over for your review!" Percy responded to Jero Bonaparte.
Only then did Jero Bonaparte rember the issue of military promotions. He patted his forehead and muttered quietly in Chinese, "Look at my mory!"
"Your Majesty???" Percy, who had no understanding of Chinese, couldn’t comprehend what Jero Bonaparte said. From Jero Bonaparte’s expression, Percy guessed the President was perhaps talking about this docunt?
"Nothing?" Jero Bonaparte smiled and replied in French. He extended his hand and said, "Hand it over! Let see who needs to be promoted this ti?"
"Yes!" Percy hurriedly handed over the list of promotions drafted by the Ministry of War to Jero Bonaparte.
As Jero Bonaparte flipped through the personnel promotion docunts, he turned around and returned to the study.
"Let see... quite a lot of people are being promoted this ti!" Jero Bonaparte remarked as he glanced at the densely packed nas on the list.
"Your Majesty, this list was drafted by Brigadier General Rendel and approved by Minister Reniao. They are absolutely trustworthy officers!" Percy explained softly.
"I understand! I trust Minister Reniao and the others!" Jero Bonaparte nodded and said to Percy.
Those promoted included personnel from the Ministry of War, the army, and the Secretariat. So military commanders were transferred to the Southern Army under the guise of promotion, while so Secretariat personnel were reassigned to the Near Paris army.
Overall, the Ministry of War was systematically weakening Commander Changarnier’s control over the military.
"Hmm?" Jero Bonaparte pointed to the "assigned to the Ministry of Railways" section in the transfer column and inquired of Percy, "Did the military establish contact with the Ministry of Railways so soon? Was there any issue during the integration of the two sides?"
"Indeed, all thanks to General Saint Arno!" Percy explained to Jero Bonaparte the entire story, including how Saint Arno forcibly ordered Secretariat personnel to go to the Ministry of Railways and how he coerced the engineering corps to accept military personnel stationed there.
"As expected, only tough asures can intimidate those people!" Jero Bonaparte nodded and remarked.
With that, he picked up a pen and signed his na on the last page of the promotion list.
When handing the docunt back to Percy, Jero Bonaparte said, "Percy, would you be interested in serving as the Minister of Public Works?"
Percy’s face showed a hint of astonishnt. He did not understand why Jero Bonaparte suddenly made this remark.
Since Mornay took over as Minister of Railways, the position of Minister of Public Works has been vacant. It was reasonable for Jero Bonaparte to suggest Percy assu the role.
"I feel that your talents are sowhat underutilized staying by my side. The position of Minister of Public Works is more suitable for you!" Jero Bonaparte encouraged Percy to take up the role of Minister of Public Works.
Jero Bonaparte’s words were like a bolt from the blue to Percy. On the surface, the position of Minister of Public Works was indeed higher than his current role as Secretary General, but so things cannot be judged just by appearances. The authority of the Secretary General stems from the President, making it a position often held by those closest to the President.
As an affiliated office of the President, its power fluctuates with the President’s power. A strong President undoubtedly elevates the Secretariat’s power above all Cabinet departnts, just as Percy, the current Secretary General, can leverage the President’s authority to issue orders to major departnts.
The Minister of Public Works, on the other hand, is rely the head of a departnt. His jurisdiction is limited to his own domain.
This is akin to Jero Bonaparte indirectly diluting Percy’s power.
What exactly does the President an?
In his heart, Percy felt a tinge of trepidation. He didn’t know in what way he had offended the President, warranting his reassignnt to the Ministry of Public Works.
"Your Majesty, as you know... before you ntioned the position of Minister of Public Works, I had no experience in it. I’m very afraid I will make a huge ss... But, if it’s your order, then I will definitely carry it out faithfully!" Percy replied to Jero Bonaparte with a sense of apprehension.
"Percy, I understand your abilities!" Jero Bonaparte patted Percy’s shoulder reassuringly and said, "I know you are capable of leading a departnt! Consider this matter. I need soone who can stand on their own, not just a secretary who follows around!"
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