"Are you suggesting that for the military to return to its forr state, a large-scale military engagent is essential!"
Major General Niel was startled by Jero Bonaparte’s sudden war rhetoric. Heaven help him, his original intention was rely to advise Jero Bonaparte not to rush too much on the path of military reform.
After all, military reform is not sothing that happens overnight, especially peaceti reforms, which require balancing various interests to find a compromise point to complete the military reforms.
Reforms that seek quick success and instant benefits will only et resistance from all sides, decreasing the military’s combat effectiveness rather than increasing it.
Of course, using war to indirectly promote reform is not an unworthy thod.
"Your Majesty, actually the reform of the barracks involves all aspects of interests... and these issues are far beyond what a single war can resolve. Our military has also engaged in wars in Spain and Belgium..." Major General Niel explained solemnly to Jero Bonaparte, attempting to persuade Jero Bonaparte to abandon the idea of quickly resolving the barracks issue.
"Major General Niel! If you were in charge of reorganizing the barracks, how long would it take you to restore it to its original functions!" After listening to Major General Niel’s explanation, Jero Bonaparte imdiately smiled and asked Major General Niel, believing that Niel should already have a solution in mind.
As Jero Bonaparte expected, Major General Niel raised three fingers in response to Jero Bonaparte: "Three years! Your Excellency, please give three years, and I can restore the recruitnt function of the barracks!"
"What about the material function?" Jero Bonaparte keenly detected Major General Niel’s "flaw".
"I’m afraid it will take another two years!" Major General Niel explained to Jero Bonaparte: "Your Excellency, we must ensure the location of the barracks connects with the railway, which ans existing barracks must be torn down and rebuilt, taking at least three years to establish a brand-new barracks system!"
Niel’s explanation convinced Jero Bonaparte that Niel had the capability to drive military reform, and he imdiately promised, "Alright! I can give you three years!"
"In addition, you also have to agree to a few conditions of mine!" Niel proceeded to state his conditions.
"Hmm?" Jero Bonaparte responded with an intrigued smile, "Let’s hear them, what are the conditions!"
"The first condition is that I hope the number of recruits can be increased from next year!" Niel stated his first condition.
"Are you saying that the reserves of the French Army are already exhausted?" Jero Bonaparte curiously asked.
"Yes and no!" Major General Niel awkwardly voiced a "major" issue the military was currently facing, which is an "aging" army, "Our army has too many seasoned veterans, most of them have served for more than ten, even twenty years, with a large number of soldiers aged forty to fifty staying in the army! Such soldiers often beco a cancer within the army, entirely corrupting the whole force! Therefore, we must clear these people from the army."
Major General Niel intended to rectify the existing conscription system of the French Republic by reorganizing the barracks.
"Major General Niel, have you considered how those eliminated from the military should live in this society!" Jero Bonaparte imdiately countered with a question, "So joined the army in their teens and have stayed for over twenty years! They are virtually isolated from the world, only knowing how to kill and drink! If you suddenly kick them out of the army, how are they supposed to survive thereafter!"
Jero Bonaparte’s question indeed made Major General Niel realize a problem he had never considered before, which is the settlent of retired veterans, "I had not thought of that!"
After carefully considering a solution adopted by a major country in the future, Jero Bonaparte replied, "Here’s what we will do! For any soldier who reaches a certain service period, the military will issue a subsidy, which will be based on circumstances. For those who have served over twelve years, the nation has the obligation to find them positions, while the governnt will also send docunts to each major region, province, and city-level state-owned enterprises and private businesses, to ensure the proper settlent of these veterans! At the very least, they could also serve as security personnel in factories! We must ensure these n leaving the military do not beco an unstable factor in society!"
Jero Bonaparte’s solution is neither entirely good nor bad. Although a large influx of unemployed soldiers into state-owned and private enterprises could cause financial losses, from the perspective of maintaining stability, re-employnt of soldiers benefits the stability between the military and society.
At least soldiers won’t beco social "scum" as before, despised by all.
After finishing, Jero Bonaparte once again asked Niel how many additional soldiers should be recruited each year.
"Your Excellency, I believe there should be an additional 20,000 every year, aning from the original 80,000 to 100,000!" Major General Niel told Jero Bonaparte.
Hearing Major General Niel’s words, Jero Bonaparte couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh, "Do you know what it ans to increase by 20,000?"
"It ans a significant increase in military expenditure!" Major General Niel answered with firm resolve, standing straight in front of Jero Bonaparte.
"Since you know, why do you still want to increase!" Jero Bonaparte said to Brigadier General Niel, "Now there’s only us two here..."
Jero Bonaparte looked at Mokar and imdiately corrected himself, "Only the three of us, I’ll be frank with you, every facet of France needs money, I don’t have extra funds to allocate to the military! Increasing recruits by 20,000 annually ans nearly an additional hundred million francs each year!"
"Your Excellency, I believe it is entirely worthwhile!" Major General Niel showed no sign of backing down, "We can mobilize an additional 100,000 to 150,000 troops!"
Niel’s words struck a chord with Jero Bonaparte, who was always eager to build up a large force and didn’t care about the so-called issue of military expenses.
Even if France ends up with an additional billion in military spending each year, so what? The extra 20 billion in military expenditure between now and the Franco-Prussian War is truly insignificant compared to the compensation after the war.
"I can agree to your terms!" Jero Bonaparte responded to Major General Niel.
"The second condition, I hope to increase the amount for conscription avoidance!" Major General Niel once again put forward a condition to Jero Bonaparte.
Compared to the first "harsh" condition, the second condition appeared much more lenient, "How much do you want to raise it to?"
"4000 francs per person!" Major General Niel said to Jero Bonaparte.
"4000 francs! (Approximately 12,000 US dollars)" Jero Bonaparte looked at Major General Niel in surprise: "Gathering this money is not going to be easy!"
A French farr’s annual inco is roughly between 900-1200 francs, and acquiring the right to avoid military service for 4000 francs would equate to an ordinary farr’s family working without food or drink for four years to save up the money.
Of course, for a bourgeois family, this money is practically not an issue.
"That’s right!" Major General Niel’s purpose was to ensure that French farrs who wanted to avoid conscription simply couldn’t afford it.
The army must have a portion of "children from good families" to maintain its discipline.
"I have a suggestion: when the Ministry of War conducts conscription, could it focus more on urban areas?" Jero Bonaparte suddenly realized why he should seize this opportunity to shave the bourgeois.
Every year, transfer the money paid by the bourgeois class to avoid military service to the countryside in the form of subsidies, thus reducing the reluctance of rural France to join the army.
Major General Niel said nothing; the specific conscription was resolved by the conscription office (and the recruitnt committee) under the Military Supply Departnt. He was rely a "simple" logistics departnt director.
"Apart from these two conditions, do you have any other conditions!" Jero Bonaparte continued to ask Major General Niel.
"No more!" Major General Niel shook his head, "As long as these two conditions are t, then I am confident that within three years the military station will restore its original functions!"
"Rember what you said!" Jero Bonaparte stood up from the sofa again and said to Major General Niel: "Let’s go!"
"Ah?" Major General Niel looked at Jero Bonaparte in confusion.
Jero Bonaparte pointed at the standing clock and said to Major General Niel: "It’s almost eight o’clock, you should be going to work!"
Only then did Major General Niel realize that his work at the Ministry of War was not yet finished.
"Let’s go! Take my carriage!" Jero Bonaparte invited Major General Niel onto the carriage.
The carriage carried Jero Bonaparte and Major General Niel to the front of the Ministry of War building.
Entering the hall of the Ministry of War, Jero Bonaparte, led by Secretary of State Benjamin Clenceau, entered the office of Minister of War Saint Arno.
"Your Majesty!" Saint Arno felt sowhat surprised at Jero Bonaparte and Niel entering his office together.
"Major General Niel has already reported the specific situation to !" Jero Bonaparte imdiately said to Saint Arno: "I understand your difficulties, you fear speaking ill of the Emperor and incurring my displeasure!"
Since Jero Bonaparte has already broken the unspoken rule, Saint Arno no longer needed to feign ignorance.
"There are so factors..." Saint Arno responded to Jero Bonaparte: "But there are also no small issues with the military itself..."
"Since you’ve identified the problems, then why not change them?" Jero Bonaparte’s tone grew sowhat aggressive.
"Your Majesty, the army is a massive whole, to rashly..." Saint Arno feared that sweeping reforms might adversely affect the Bonaparte Faction. In his view, France’s current system still maintained the top army in Europe, and even after reforms, France would remain the first in Europe.
Before reform, it’s Europe’s best; post-reform, it’s still Europe’s best. So why take the significant political risk to reform?
Holding such thoughts was not only Saint Arno but also the majority of military bureaucrats at the Ministry of War who shared Saint Arno’s views.
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