CHAPTER 343: CHAPTER 338 DISPLAYING BOTH KINDNESS AND AUTHORITY

Whenever Jerome Bonaparte thought of "Ossai Pier," he felt a bit at a loss.

To be honest, he was not averse to adopting a tough stance towards the Ottoman Empire to make it submit to France’s leadership.

This had been France’s strategic goal throughout the 19th century: to limit the power of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan region while preventing it from collapsing like an avalanche.

If the Ottoman Empire were to collapse, the Near East and Middle East would become a complete mess; this ancient and decaying empire could be considered a bulwark.

However, the Ossai Pier group always wanted to bind the fate of the Holy Land to France; this irked Jerome Bonaparte greatly. So, France’s strategic goal must now serve the priests, right?

If that were the case, how could he, as Emperor, continue his work in the future?

The Holy Land wasn’t just France’s concern; the Russian Empire was also involved.

France and Russia would eventually reconcile due to geopolitical reasons; they couldn’t go down the path of enmity like the Austrian Empire without a resolution.

Jerome Bonaparte would absolutely not allow religious issues to wreak havoc on France’s diplomacy.

Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte summoned Mokar again.

"Call over Commissioner Montalambert!" Jerome Bonaparte ordered Mokar.

Upon receiving Jerome Bonaparte’s order, Mokar quickly headed to Montalambert’s residence.

Fortunately, the rain didn’t last long before it stopped, and the carriage sped along Champs-Élysées, splashing low-lying rainwater into little waves under the wheels.

Given Montalambert’s residence wasn’t far from the Tuileries Palace, and there were few pedestrians along the way, Mokar’s speed more than doubled.

The journey that originally required 8 minutes took Mokar less than 5 minutes to reach Montalambert’s residence, stopping him just as he was preparing to go out.

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s summons, Montalambert showed a slight expression of surprise.

Jerome Bonaparte had not specifically sought him out in quite some time.

"Let’s go!" Montalambert, tidying the creased corners of his coat, replied to Mokar.

Mokar and Montalambert both shared a carriage to the gates of the Tuileries Palace.

Mokar stayed behind to attend to the carriage, while Montalambert went alone to Jerome Bonaparte’s office.

Entering the study, Montalambert saw Jerome Bonaparte standing with his head up and hands behind his back under the portrait of Napoleon. He hurriedly saluted Jerome Bonaparte, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"Count of Montalambert!" Jerome Bonaparte turned around to face Montalambert, his words devoid of warmth.

"Here I am!" Montalambert immediately replied.

"Can you tell me!" Jerome Bonaparte stared intently into Montalambert’s eyes, lowering and drawing out his voice, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

"We..." Montalambert couldn’t help but swallow, fully understanding why Jerome Bonaparte was angry.

Though he was not with those from the Ossai Pier group, his clique had some understanding of the actions taken by Ossai Pier.

"Do you want to hold the entire country hostage to serve your needs?" Jerome Bonaparte sharply reprimanded Montalambert.

"No! We don’t!" Montalambert tried to protest, realizing he had no viable excuse.

"I know that you have a group lobbying within the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! I let it go for the sake of maintaining harmony among the ranks. If you leverage my inclination towards peaceful coexistence to hold the Empire hostage, I doubt I would consent, nor would Paris! Paris has already bled enough!" Jerome Bonaparte sternly admonished Montalambert, following with a meaningful smile, "I do not wish for bloodshed! Unless it’s necessary."

Jerome Bonaparte’s smile sent a chilling sensation down Montalambert’s spine.

The implied reluctance for bloodshed likely meant he didn’t want priests to ascend the gallows.

However, if necessary, he would also not hesitate to send them to join Napoleon.

"Your Majesty, the Ossai Pier belongs to the extremist faction... whereas I..." Montalambert stood firm and resolutely told Jerome Bonaparte, "I advocate for handling things in a moderate manner!"

Indeed, contrasted with the radical lobbying groups from the Ossai Pier, the extreme Catholic political party, Montalambert became the moderate faction, which was somewhat absurd.

This was akin to if you’re left enough, everyone appears right to you.

"I understand! Count of Montalambert, please convey to certain people in the Church not to overestimate their strength! Otherwise, they won’t even know how they met their end!" Jerome Bonaparte coldly responded to Montalambert.

"I understand!" The Count of Montalambert nodded like a pecking chick.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Having basically cleared Montalambert of being the main perpetrator, Jerome Bonaparte shifted to a more amiable demeanor.

After Montalambert’s departure, Jerome Bonaparte called for both De Luy and Vallette separately.

After learning that De Luy advocated uniting public opinion (recently, the extreme Catholics’ calls for the Holy Land have intensified, with some Republican Faction members also joining in the nationalist rhetoric), Jerome Bonaparte considered whether Vallette should follow "public opinion" and serve as the Constantinople Envoy.

After all, since the establishment of the Second Empire, Jerome Bonaparte’s prestige has been in a position of neither high nor low.

Advocating France’s ecclesiastical authority in the Near East could indeed make him more beloved by the French populace, or more accurately, by the priestly class. Currently, the vast priestly class still holds grassroots power in France, and winning their affection is akin to winning the people’s affection.

Therefore, regarding the priestly class, Jerome Bonaparte has consistently advocated using a combination of benevolence and authority to rally them.

Previously, using Montalambert to pass words to the priestly class to keep them in line was an exertion of authority; supporting Vallette’s appointment as the Constantinople Envoy to safeguard the Latin Church’s interests was an act of benevolence.

After an explanation, De Luy repeatedly assured Jerome Bonaparte that he would personally oversee the Near East diplomacy, preventing Vallette from taking any extreme actions. Jerome Bonaparte decided to change his approach.

However, he planned to first issue a warning to Vallette.

Under Jerome Bonaparte’s orders, the secretary Vilnius escorted De Luy out of the Tuileries Palace and then informed Vallette, who was waiting in the palace guestroom, to come to the study.

After being invited into the study, Jerome Bonaparte engaged Vallette in a detailed discussion regarding the Near East, emphasizing applying pressure on the Ottoman Empire to lean towards France while avoiding provoking the Russian Empire excessively.

If hostilities break out while he serves as envoy, he will take full responsibility.

Seeing this, Vallette could only agree with Jerome Bonaparte, and the simmering fervor for war within him was also successfully extinguished by Jerome Bonaparte.

"Your Majesty, could we send a fleet to Constantinople?" Vallette cautiously probed Jerome Bonaparte, saying, "Only cannon fire can make them completely obey our command!"

"You can try, but you’ll need to wait a while! Regarding the navy, I’ll need to discuss with Minister Dico! Go back and wait for notification!" Jerome Bonaparte waved his hand to dismiss him.

After Vallette left, Jerome Bonaparte took a carriage to the office of the Minister of the Navy, Dico.

Upon entering the office, Jerome Bonaparte was surprised to find that, unbeknownst to him, a simple army cot had appeared in Dico’s office.

"Your Majesty!" Dico quickly rose to greet Jerome Bonaparte.

"Are you planning to make the minister’s office your second home? To take a warship as your second wife?" Jerome Bonaparte teased with a smile.

Dico also responded with hearty laughter.

After the teasing, Jerome Bonaparte continued speaking to Minister Dico, "Come with me, I have a gift for your Ministry of the Navy!"

Under Dico’s puzzled gaze, Jerome Bonaparte led him out of the Ministry of the Navy to an unpainted building nearby.

"What’s this..." Dico looked at the building before him in bewilderment.

"Go inside!" Jerome Bonaparte tossed the keys to Dico.

Dico caught the keys and opened the door of the building, discovering that the interior, which appeared like a rough shell from the outside, was a hidden gem. It was a leisure club, meticulously decorated and arranged, with candlelit chandeliers and gold-laced curtains adorning the windows, all showcasing significant financial power. It contained a library, lounge area, dining room, and entertainment zone, all featuring 19th-century amenities.

"From today, this will be yours, the Ministry of the Navy!" Jerome Bonaparte explained to Dico.

"Ah!" Dico looked on in amazement at all this.

"To be precise, not just you, each department will have one!" Jerome Bonaparte told Dico as he walked over to the billiards table and asked, "Care for a game?"

"I would be honored!" Dico replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte picked up two billiard cues, handing one to Dico, who fondled the cue.

The ivory white ball was placed in position by Jerome Bonaparte, who then forcefully struck the ball with a display of power and skill.

The white ball hurtled into the cluster of balls like an arrow shot from a bow, scattering the triangle formation.

A few balls, driven by strong inertia, fell into the pockets, and Jerome Bonaparte continued to pocket other colored balls with precision and technique.

"How is the navy’s situation? When will your new warships be completed?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Dico while aiming at the balls.

"The steam gunships are almost finished, expected to complete next month! There are still some issues with the ironclad warships, but we hope to have a breakthrough by the end of the year!" Dico reported the navy’s current progress to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Good!" Jerome Bonaparte slowly lifted his head, smiling, "You all have done very well!"

"It’s our duty!" Dico humbly smiled, "Nice shot!"

Another billiard ball was hit by Jerome Bonaparte’s white ball and rolled into a pocket, prompting him to ask, "What about over in the Pacific? Any new news? It’s been nearly a year, they should’ve arrived by now!"

"No news yet! But, I think they should’ve arrived if they hadn’t encountered any issues!" Dico replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Has the logistics issue in the Near East been resolved?" Jerome Bonaparte raised the cue to survey the position of the balls.

"In the event of hostilities, the navy is fully capable of supporting the logistics for 150,000 troops in the Balkan Region!" Dico responded confidently.

"Very good! You haven’t let me down!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded approvingly and then continued, "One more thing, the newly appointed envoy to Constantinople is about to depart, I hope the navy can use warships to escort him to Constantinople!"