"Oh? How are Bazan and Troche doing?"
Jero Bonaparte’s lips curled into an intrigued smile. Ever since the coup d’état on December 2nd, the busy Jero Bonaparte hadn’t seen Troche and Bazan for a long ti. Hearing about them today suddenly felt sowhat unfamiliar.
"Colonel Troche is now serving as Chief of Staff of the Paris First Division, and Colonel Bazan is now the commander of the Second Regint of the Paris Second Brigade!" Leboeuf replied to Jero Bonaparte.
"I see!" Jero Bonaparte gently tapped the table, contemplated for a mont, and then asked Brigadier General Leboeuf for his opinion: "Which of these two plans do you lean towards more?"
"Your Majesty, as for , I am more inclined towards the second plan!" Leboeuf cautiously replied to Jero Bonaparte: "The mountainous terrain in the Near East is complex and unfavorable for large-scale military deploynts! We can only rely on small units to engage and annihilate limited enemies. Prolonged attrition warfare would not only dampen the soldiers’ enthusiasm for the war but also pose significant logistical challenges for us!"
Leboeuf’s answer was exactly what Jero Bonaparte had in mind. In his plan, once the Cria campaign started, it had to be an inspiring war; otherwise, the fervent patriotism of the Parisians would beco numb due to the prolonged war, or even lead to resentnt against Jero Bonaparte.
The soldiers sent to the Near East, living through daily skirmishes, would similarly harbor resentnt towards Jero Bonaparte.
By that ti, let alone gaining prestige through the Cria, Jero Bonaparte might consider finding an auspicious day to flee to Britain instead.
History had repeatedly shown that the Parisians’ patience for war was limited. They could support the governnt’s actions on impulse, but once the fervor waned, they would start to retreat, beco numb, or even oppose the war.
Jero Bonaparte had to deliver a series of victories to make them believe the war would soon end.
Only in this way could Jero Bonaparte gain enough prestige through the war, rather than causing the public to lose patience with the existing regi.
"Very good!" Jero Bonaparte nodded approvingly: "You already have the basic strategic vision to beco a Chief of Staff!"
Jero Bonaparte’s praise filled Leboeuf with a sense of joy, as he had not misjudged the Emperor’s thoughts, implying that Leboeuf was one step closer to becoming Chief of Staff.
Everyone in the Secretariat now hoped that it would truly beco independent from the Ministry of War and stand on equal footing, rather than being a subordinate unit as it currently was.
Similarly, from Conrobel to Saint Arno, to Leboeuf, every head of the Secretariat hoped to beco the first Chief of Staff.
Even though Leboeuf knew he would not make it on the list to be the first Chief of Staff, people always need dreams, just in case the Emperor made an exceptional promotion...
Thinking of this, Leboeuf instinctively glanced at Jero Bonaparte, then quickly shifted his gaze back to the map.
"Let’s proceed according to the second plan for the Secretariat!" Jero Bonaparte decisively declared.
"Understood!" Leboeuf imdiately responded.
Afterward, Jero Bonaparte posed one challenging question after another, making it increasingly difficult for Leboeuf to respond.
Seeing Leboeuf’s sowhat anxious expression, Jero Bonaparte finally stopped. He waved to Leboeuf and said, "Alright! Allow so space for independent thinking!"
"Yes!" Leboeuf stood straight in front of Jero Bonaparte and saluted him before leaving,
As Jero Bonaparte sat alone in his office, looking at the setting sun outside the window, it was a reflection of his lost youth...
Pfft pfft pfft!
In reality, after Leboeuf left, Jero Bonaparte was contemplating whether the Secretariat should beco completely independent and transford into an institution equal to the Ministry of War.
This institution, established and supported by Jero Bonaparte himself, carried all his effort and dedication. He must personally elevate it to its rightful position.
The issue of overlapping powers between the Ministry of War and the General Staff must no longer exist.
Jero Bonaparte was resolved to continue on this path, while he also considered candidates for Chief of Staff in his mind.
Commander Reniao?
Jero Bonaparte recalled Commander Reniao, who was still in Strasbourg. As the first General he "personally" nurtured into the role of Major General and then appointed as Minister of War, Jero Bonaparte’s trust in him was self-evident.
Yet, General Reniao himself was not a resolute and decisive person, and the position of Chief of Staff required a resolute and determined General.
Conrobel?
Jero Bonaparte thought of Conrobel again. His investnt of effort and hope in Conrobel surpassed even that with Renio; he personally orchestrated Conrobel’s appointnt to Major General at the age of 42.
Because Conrobel was only 42 years old, he was also excluded from Jero Bonaparte’s Chief of Staff system; having a 42-year-old as the highest military commander was indeed sowhat shocking.
In colloquial terms, if Conrobel were appointed Chief of Staff, he would face a situation where there was no further promotion possible.
At that ti, Jero Bonaparte could only consider leaving Conrobel idle at ho.
Moreover, Conrobel’s abilities still needed further honing.
Especially in terms of judging wars and timing the opportunities on the battlefield.
Kuzen Montebon? No, that absolutely won’t do!
Just recalling this Count of Baili Bridge, Jero Bonaparte decisively rejected Montebon, for the ti this Count of Baili Bridge joined Bonaparte’s camp and his contributions during the coup really couldn’t compare with either Renio or Conrobel.
Hasty promotions would only affect the harmony within the camp; based on the Count of Baili Bridge’s actions during the Franco-Prussian War, he was more suited to an administrative role.
After much deliberation, Jero Bonaparte found that among those qualified and capable, only Minister of War Saint Arno remained.
The key issue was that Saint Arno was currently serving as Minister of War, and if he were reassigned as Chief of Staff, who would manage the Ministry of War?
Subsequently, Jero Bonaparte began to consider candidates for the position of Minister of War.
This ti, Kuzan Montbanto beca Jero Bonaparte’s first choice, with Conrobel appointed as the leader of the First Division under his command.
The Second Brigade would be taken over by Brigadier General Leboeuf, who would have Edgar Ney, the current head of the Special Investigation Departnt, serve as his deputy.
Having completed his reflections, Jero Bonaparte called Mokar once again and instructed him to imdiately go to the Ministry of War and have the Minister of War co over.
After Mokar took his leave, Jero Bonaparte rose and left the study, walking down the quiet corridor, gazing at the corridor’s end, suddenly feeling like a prisoner of power, bound tightly by it.
Particularly during his reign as Emperor, his visits outside the Tuileries Palace were indeed scarcely more than a handful.
Every day, countless docunts awaited Jero Bonaparte’s review, nurous etings awaited his convening at the Tuileries Palace, and there were also various ministers who needed a private audience with him.
At present, he wished he could split himself into eight parts, each handling work independently, so that Jero Bonaparte could easily complete all tasks.
Thinking of this, Jero Bonaparte couldn’t help but sigh and murmur softly, "I really don’t know how my cousin managed back then!"
How could Jero Bonaparte know that in alternate history, Napoleon III spent most of his energy attracting won upon becoming Emperor, leaving all the work to ministers and his close "comrades" Percy and Mornay.
This delegation of power led directly to serious corruption within the entire Bonaparte governnt, with deception and data falsification becoming commonplace.
The collapse of governnt credibility due to corruption rolled like a snowball quickly, even nearly facing overthrow several tis!
While the governnt Jero Bonaparte led also faced corruption problems, its corruption was not as rampant as during the historical Second Empire.
To prevent local officials from following suit, once crowned Emperor, Jero Bonaparte’s annual salary was only 6.5 million francs.
Compared to his uncle Napoleon’s 13 million francs, Louis XVI’s 25 million francs, and Louis Philippe’s 14 million francs, Jero Bonaparte’s imperial salary was clearly much less.
And most of these 6 million francs served as rewards, paid to the generals who had pledged loyalty and so mbers needing Jero Bonaparte’s support.
There really wasn’t much money Jero Bonaparte could count on for himself.
Jero Bonaparte’s daily expenses were entirely supported by his Northern Industrial Group, Schneider Steel Industry, and California gold mines.
These three industries brought him an additional annual inco of 3 to 4 million francs, which were not listed in the governnt budget.
Besides Jero Bonaparte himself and people like Adolphe Schneider, not many others knew about this.
Thus, the public’s trust in the governnt was far higher than in the alternate history.
Officials were slightly more honest compared to the historical Second Empire; these subtle changes were unknown to Jero Bonaparte but were indeed transforming all of France.
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