"But what?"
Dico’s face showed a joyful expression. Before receiving Jero Bonaparte’s affirmative response, he never imagined he could obtain two battalions of "Zouaf" troops at once. The most ideal situation was rely to gain the authority to cooperate with a "Zouaf" battalion. He hurriedly asked Jero Bonaparte.
The reason for Dico’s intense emotional fluctuation was fundantally due to the "discrimination" against the navy by a traditional army power.
For traditional land power France, the navy was only an existence that added luster to their victories.
The face-to-face confrontation on the European battlefield had always relied on the army, and the value of the navy was negligible.
Not to ntion during the Napoleonic Wars, a series of operations by the French navy completely deprived France of the opportunity to land in Britain, subsequently giving Britain the chance to defeat France. With the frenzied financial backing of Britain, France suffered attacks by an "ard to the teeth" alliance.
If it weren’t for the invasion of Algeria in 1830, and the Orleans Kingdom’s distrust in the army post-1830, the situation of the navy would have been even more awkward than it is now.
In any country, there is a subtle opposition between the navy and the army. Although the sea-land opposition is not as extre as Showa Japan’s navy building tanks and the army building fleets, it’s still very difficult to get the army to transfer its elite forces to the navy.
Even in the alternate world line of France, only after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 did the navy and army "work together," with the governnt leading the focus shift to temporarily let the people fade the fact of the ceding of Alsace-Lorraine and wholeheartedly engage in colonial expansion.
Of course, this thod of shifting attention only lasted for a few short years.
After the colonial cabinet governnt collapsed, the people once again rembered the humiliation France suffered back then...
"I will order the Ministry of War to dispatch two battalions of ’Zouaf’ troops for you. However, the navy must guarantee to ! Establish a qualified force in the Far East! This force will belong to the Foreign Legion!" Jero Bonaparte calmly demanded from Dico.
"This..." Dico glanced at Jero Bonaparte, showing hesitation on his face.
Frankly speaking, the conditions proposed by Jero Bonaparte were indeed tempting, but having the navy train troops for the army was sowhat... how should I say it! Unpleasant!
"How about it, Minister Dico!" Jero Bonaparte deliberately urged Dico to make a decision quickly.
"I agree with you!" Dico ultimately consented to Jero Bonaparte’s request.
"By the way! When forming the Foreign Legion in the Far East, it’s best to recruit so people who can teach them to read and write! They may be hardworking, but their discipline..." Thinking of how a certain Sichuan army in the Republic later taught soldiers to stand in formation using the slogans of "straw shoes" and "cloth shoes," Jero Bonaparte felt a headache.
He simply left this troubleso matter to the Ministry of the Navy, believing that Dico would surely train excellent soldiers for him.
At this mont, Dico did not realize how despairing a task he was taking on.
When the fleet arrived at the Pudong French Concession in the Far East, it began planning the Far East Foreign Legion under the instructions of the Minister of the Navy.
With the help of missionaries in Pudong, nearly 3,000 mbers of the Far East Foreign Legion were established.
Just when everyone thought they would soon train a qualified team, this team, built on the Siris people as the foundation, showed them what it ant to be a scattered mob.
Forced by helplessness, the Fleet Commander had to use the Zouaf Battalion soldiers ready to attack Hawaii as instructors for training, and then use the "White Translators" for cramming training of the Foreign Legion.
Amidst the officers of the "Zouaf" battalion and the complaints of the Foreign Legion soldiers, the Far East Foreign Legion barely ford after three months.
After that, this force beca the first Foreign Legion established by France in the Far East, fighting for France’s expansion in the Far East.
But that is all future matters...
"By the way, who are you planning to appoint as the Fleet Commander going to the Far East?" Jero Bonaparte sat in Dico’s ministerial chair, crossed his legs, and asked Dico.
"I plan to appoint Marquis Alet for this position!" Dico said to Jero Bonaparte.
"Hmm?" Jero Bonaparte looked at Dico in surprise and asked confusedly, "As far as I know, Marquis Alet’s rank before resignation was Colonel, right!"
"That’s correct!" Dico nodded in response.
"The current Fleet Commander rank in the Far East is Quasi-General! Are you planning to let a Colonel command a Quasi-General? Moreover, this Colonel has just returned to the army!" Jero Bonaparte licked his dry lips and smiled.
"Governor, I believe Marquis Alet’s ability is sufficient to assu the position of Quasi-General!" Dico responded firmly to Jero Bonaparte.
"And the previous Quasi-General?" Jero Bonaparte once again asked about the current ’Exalted One’ of the Far East Fleet, Tutelang.
"I have decided that once Marquis Alet arrives, Quasi-General To Lang will imdiately step down and return ho!" When speaking of To Lang, Dico’s tone carried a hint of resentnt.
If To Lang succeeded in the mission in the Hawaii Kingdom, Dico could rely resent him internally for not playing by "rules." However, To Lang’s sneak attack on the Hawaii Kingdom was unsuccessful, instead earning a ’disgraceful’ failure.
Although To Lang boasted in his letter that he had caused the Hawaii Kingdom to lose hundreds of thousands of US Dollars and had seized the private vehicle of the Hawaiian King, a failure is still a failure, and no excuse can make up for this failure.
As the "Senior Sovereign" of the Far East, he could only taste the bitterness of failure alone, and To Lang, in his quasi-general fate ahead, would likely remain on the sidelines.
Unless Dico dies suddenly one day in the office.
Jero Bonaparte showed no interest in holding To Lang accountable because the person responsible for this task was Dico.
After a brief understanding of Dico’s strategy and personnel selections for the expedition fleet to Hawaii, Jero Bonaparte did not continue to inquire further.
"Alright! I should leave now!" Jero Bonaparte took out a pocket watch from his chest, opened it, and glanced down at the ti.
It was already 11 PM, and he quickly stood up, with Dico escorting Jero Bonaparte out of the Ministry of the Navy Building.
As he was about to board his carriage, Jero Bonaparte continued to urge Dico to take good care of himself and rest.
Dico agreed wholeheartedly to Jero Bonaparte’s exhortations and watched as Jero Bonaparte’s carriage disappeared into the night. Ignoring the Secretary of State’s advice, he resolutely returned to the ministerial office to handle docunts.
Sleep? Only lazy people sleep; diligent ones have long begun work.
...
In the following months, the rebellions of the Republican Faction and the Mountain Faction gradually subsided, and the rumors of Prince Juaneville landing in Calais were unfounded.
After Jero Bonaparte had a "heart-to-heart" exchange with the Minister of War, the Minister of War agreed to assign two battalions of Zouaves to the Ministry of the Navy.
After that, the originally reduced 7-battalion Zouaf Battalion was expanded again to 14 battalions.
anwhile, the 3000-strong Far East Foreign Legion quietly ca under the War Departnt’s Colony Affairs Bureau.
At the end of March, the Minister of the Navy, Dico, appointed Marquis Alet as the Fleet Commander of the expedition and promoted him to a quasi-general rank.
In early April, a fleet of five third-class battleships and a steam escort ship departed from the Calais Strait, prompting the neurotic Kingdom of Britain on the other side of the ocean to take swift action as well.
That night, British Ambassador Cowley went to the Tuileries Palace to inquire about the whereabouts of the French Fleet from Jero Bonaparte.
Upon learning that Jero Bonaparte’s fleet was heading to the Far East for duty, Ambassador Cowley’s anxious deanor started to ease, and he then casually asked if the French Fleet needed assistance from the British coastal base.
Following the principle of not missing opportunities, Jero Bonaparte decisively expressed the need.
This would also facilitate closer cooperation between Britain and France.
Of course, Jero Bonaparte did not disclose that the fleet’s real purpose was to punish the Hawaii Kingdom, instead vaguely stating it was to protect citizens in the Far East.
Like any tactful response, Ambassador Cowley did not fully trust Jero Bonaparte’s vague statents.
The next day, Ambassador Cowley sent a warning to Britain, alerting them to continuously monitor the actions of the fleet heading to the Far East.
Upon receiving Ambassador Cowley’s letter, Britain was equally anxious about the fleet heading to the Far East.
If not for the intervention of Foreign Minister Palrston, the Cabinet nearly designated the French Fleet as "enemies" for surveillance.
Under Palrston’s influence, Britain eventually avoided falling into a state of panic.
The shadow of Napoleon’s wars brought severe trauma to Britain’s heart.
Even so, throughout April, the relations between Britain and France remained subtly distant, giving Nicholas I an opportunity to extend an olive branch to Britain.
As the anti-Russian faction held the position of Foreign Minister in Britain, Britain did not accept the olive branch extended by the Russian Empire.
Britain’s blatant disregard for the attitude of the Russian Empire displeased Nicholas I, and consequently, the relations between Russia and England started to drift apart.
On April 15, 1851, the once tense and vigilant Paris lifted its state of ergency, and the Paris First Division returned to the Paris suburbs.
The National Guard’s twelve regints within Paris, under the orders of Jero Bonaparte, began to be phased out, leaving only six regints loyal to the Bonaparte Faction and the Empire.
On April 20, the World Expo, hosted by Prince Albert, was set to open on May 1.
Leaders of dozens of countries including France, Russia, Austria, Prussia, and the United States received a personal invitation from Queen Victoria, inviting them to bring their country’s "achievents" to Britain.
Reviews
All reviews (0)