CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 314: CHANGE THE MINDSET OR CHANGE THE PERSON

Faced with Minister Saint Arno’s explanation, Jerome Bonaparte didn’t know how to refute his "lack of progress" statement for a moment.

From a historical perspective, this kind of thinking is undoubtedly wrong, as it would lead the French Army into an abyss. However, from the viewpoint of that time, avoiding reforms could indeed prevent a lot of trouble, as not every reform brought success.

Successful reforms can be remembered, while failed reforms are swept away as the garbage of history.

Adhering to the principle of doing more means more mistakes, and doing less means fewer mistakes, the reform drive of the French Army was not as urgent as Jerome Bonaparte imagined, and there might even be resistance to reform.

Except for Jerome Bonaparte, no one would know the future fate of France.

Generals and marshals would only see that France won more victories with a small number of troops, and as long as victory was assured, all defects could be buried.

"Minister, I still remember the first time we met, you weren’t like this!" Although Jerome Bonaparte understood Saint Arno’s choice, he still expressed his dissatisfaction: "Back then, you were so full of energy, as if no problem could make you retreat!

Look at you now, how did you become like this? Could it be that the position of Minister of War truly changes a person’s original intention?"

Jerome Bonaparte’s words brought a hint of panic to Minister Saint Arno’s face, as for Jerome Bonaparte, who established a dictatorship, dismissing Saint Arno as Minister of War was a simple matter.

Even having helped him complete the coup, what of Saint Arno!

It is a quality that every monarch should possess to drink from a golden cup together, yet show no mercy with the sharp blade, and power struggles tolerate no leniency.

"Your Majesty, it really is..." Minister Saint Arno tried hard to explain something but was interrupted by Jerome Bonaparte raising his hand: "Now, immediately have all members of the Ministry of War meet in the conference hall. I want to see how many people want to rest on their laurels unwilling to move!"

Minister Saint Arno, wanting to regain some favor in front of Jerome Bonaparte, personally went to the subordinate departments to gather the bureau and section chiefs of the Ministry of War to the conference hall for discussion.

Watching the back of the departing Minister Saint Arno, Major General Niel showed a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth. He knew he had not only offended Minister Saint Arno but would also offend the majority of his colleagues in the Ministry of War.

Now, to survive in the army, he could not do without relying on the trust of the Governor.

From a certain perspective, Major General Niel would be more loyal than Saint Arno and others.

After all, after the coup ended, Minister Saint Arno consciously planted his own small circle.

In this regard, Jerome Bonaparte still upheld the stance of fighting but not breaking, cultivating a force completely belonging to himself was the most important thing.

With Minister Saint Arno’s personal summons, the leaders of the various subordinate departments of the Ministry of War were more proactive than usual.

Time quickly reached 10 am.

The Logistics Department, Personnel Department, Military Supply Department, Military Equipment Department, Algeria Affairs Department, Military Affairs Department (with the departments of Military History and Surveying having been assigned to the Secretariat), Ministry of Finance, as well as the Secretariat, Infantry and Artillery Personnel Committee, Fortress Military Committee, Medical Committee, and other key members were all present.

Before the meeting began, the officials of the Ministry of War, seated in chairs, whispered and discussed among themselves, with many speculating that the President was likely to criticize them for the recent flaws in the military exercises.

At a quarter past ten, Jerome Bonaparte and Minister Saint Arno, Major General Niel, and Secretary of State Benjamin together entered the conference hall.

An unexpected scene occurred, with Minister Saint Arno of the Ministry of War sitting to Jerome Bonaparte’s left, while Major General Niel sat to his right.

The seating arrangement to some extent represented the monarch’s favor, perhaps suggesting that Minister Saint Arno had lost the favor of the Governor.

The faces of several confidants of Saint Arno, brought from Africa, showed unease, while several generals who had opposed Saint Arno had a smile appear at the corners of their mouths.

Everyone was waiting for Jerome Bonaparte to speak.

"Defenders of the Republic, today I am here to discuss a serious matter with you!" Jerome Bonaparte paused, scanning the division chiefs and section chiefs seated below as he said: "Some time ago, a military exercise jointly formulated by the Ministry of War, Ministry of Railways, and Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce... to be honest, I was very dissatisfied with that military exercise!

I never thought that within just thirty years, our army would become like this... Our army encountered so many issues after reaching the designated location..."

Jerome Bonaparte commented on some of the current shortcomings of the French Army: "Our logistics stations cannot guarantee the basic needs of the army; our Grain Collection Team is a group of bandits and scoundrels, and our soldiers are similarly a ragtag bunch..."

Jerome Bonaparte harshly criticized France’s lax style of freedom and the related issues of logistics not being able to fulfill their functions. The generals, getting so many professional terms from Jerome Bonaparte’s mouth, knew that there must be a "traitor" in the army. They immediately turned their gaze towards Major General Niel, convinced that it was Major General Niel who leaked the information.

Major General Niel once again showed a wry smile. From the moment Jerome Bonaparte found him, he feared that his "popularity" in the Ministry of War would mostly vanish.

Despite losing the "kindness" of his colleagues in the Ministry of War, Niel gained the friendship of the Monarch.

As long as he could learn to cling to power, he would be invincible.

After chastising for half the day, Jerome Bonaparte felt parched. He swallowed and pointed at Niel beside him, saying, "Director Niel, tell them about the problems existing in the army now!"

"Yes!" Niel responded to Jerome Bonaparte, conveying the known deficiencies with a tone full of passion.

After Major General Niel finished speaking, Minister of War Saint Arno immediately applauded and said, "Well said!"

Then, Saint Arno, with a stern face, scolded the officials below the stage, saying, "I told you long ago to pay more attention to everything you encounter! Major General Niel does a great job in this aspect, directing us and the Ministry of War..."

Next, Saint Arno rhapsodically praised Jerome Bonaparte’s "foresight" to the members of the Ministry of War below, without mentioning Major General Niel’s contributions, which seemed insignificant.

Major General Niel showed a hint of sadness, and instinctively glanced at Jerome Bonaparte.

Feeling Niel’s side glance, Jerome Bonaparte immediately said, "All credit goes to Major General Niel!"

"That’s right! Major General Niel indeed contributed greatly!" Minister Saint Arno echoed.

Then, in front of all the military bureaucrats present, Jerome Bonaparte announced that Major General Niel would be responsible for reorganizing logistics in the upcoming years.

To make it easier for Niel, Jerome Bonaparte transferred parts of the Military Supply Department, Recruitment Committee, and Personnel Department under Niel’s command.

At the same time, he announced to everyone present that the number of recruits in the future would increase from 80,000 to 100,000 annually, meaning that the standing army of France would rise from the original 400,000 to about 500,000-600,000.

The exemption fee required for conscription was also raised from 2,400 francs to 4,000 francs.

[PS: Considering different annual recruit numbers, under the conscription system, army numbers fluctuate.]

Ultimately, all members of the Ministry of War agreed to Jerome Bonaparte’s plan.

September 15, 1851.

The Ministry of War submitted plans to Jerome Bonaparte regarding logistics rectification and adjustments in recruitment and service systems, with the army’s budget presented on a five-year basis. This meant the army would not have to present annual military expenses to the Legislative Corps.

After reviewing the proposal, Jerome Bonaparte immediately approved it and submitted the Ministry of War’s proposal to the Legislative Corps.

After some haggling in the Legislative Corps (mainly regarding the ratio of urban to rural service populations, as Legislative members knew the so-called urban service was just extracting money from cities), the proposal was passed by majority vote.

Subsequently, the proposal was handed over to the "Second Institute". After procedural approval by the Second Institute, the Ministry of War’s proposal passed.

On September 20, Valerovsky, who had stayed in Britain for nearly three months, finally returned to Paris.

The carriage brought Valerovsky to the door of the Tuileries Palace. As he stepped off, he saw Jerome Bonaparte approaching with most of the members of the Tuileries Palace.

"Welcome back!" Jerome Bonaparte warmly gave Valerovsky a hug.

Valerovsky nodded, moved.

After the welcoming ceremony, Jerome Bonaparte led Valerovsky to a side room in the Tuileries Palace and eagerly asked, "How was it?"

"Britain agreed to maintain unity with us on the Russian Empire issue and showed understanding for our colonial aspirations, as long as it does not affect Britain’s interests..." Valerovsky delivered all the content of the talks with Britain in one breath to Jerome Bonaparte, including joint efforts against Russia, colonial expansion, and France’s influence on the Apennine Peninsula.