CHAPTER 346: CHAPTER 341: THE CANDIDATE FOR CHIEF OF STAFF

"Oh? How are Bazan and Troche doing?"

Jerome Bonaparte’s lips curled into an intrigued smile. Ever since the coup d’état on December 2nd, the busy Jerome Bonaparte hadn’t seen Troche and Bazan for a long time. Hearing about them today suddenly felt somewhat 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 Regiment of the Paris Second Brigade!" Leboeuf replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"I see!" Jerome Bonaparte gently tapped the table, contemplated for a moment, and then asked Brigadier General Leboeuf for his opinion: "Which of these two plans do you lean towards more?"

"Your Majesty, as for me, I am more inclined towards the second plan!" Leboeuf cautiously replied to Jerome Bonaparte: "The mountainous terrain in the Near East is complex and unfavorable for large-scale military deployments! 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 Jerome Bonaparte had in mind. In his plan, once the Crimea campaign started, it had to be an inspiring war; otherwise, the fervent patriotism of the Parisians would become numb due to the prolonged war, or even lead to resentment against Jerome Bonaparte.

The soldiers sent to the Near East, living through daily skirmishes, would similarly harbor resentment towards Jerome Bonaparte.

By that time, let alone gaining prestige through the Crimea, Jerome 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 government’s actions on impulse, but once the fervor waned, they would start to retreat, become numb, or even oppose the war.

Jerome Bonaparte had to deliver a series of victories to make them believe the war would soon end.

Only in this way could Jerome Bonaparte gain enough prestige through the war, rather than causing the public to lose patience with the existing regime.

"Very good!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded approvingly: "You already have the basic strategic vision to become a Chief of Staff!"

Jerome 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 become 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 become 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 Jerome Bonaparte, then quickly shifted his gaze back to the map.

"Let’s proceed according to the second plan for the Secretariat!" Jerome Bonaparte decisively declared.

"Understood!" Leboeuf immediately responded.

Afterward, Jerome Bonaparte posed one challenging question after another, making it increasingly difficult for Leboeuf to respond.

Seeing Leboeuf’s somewhat anxious expression, Jerome Bonaparte finally stopped. He waved to Leboeuf and said, "Alright! Allow me some space for independent thinking!"

"Yes!" Leboeuf stood straight in front of Jerome Bonaparte and saluted him before leaving,

As Jerome 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, Jerome Bonaparte was contemplating whether the Secretariat should become completely independent and transformed into an institution equal to the Ministry of War.

This institution, established and supported by Jerome 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.

Jerome Bonaparte was resolved to continue on this path, while he also considered candidates for Chief of Staff in his mind.

Commander Reniao?

Jerome 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, Jerome 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?

Jerome Bonaparte thought of Conrobel again. His investment of effort and hope in Conrobel surpassed even that with Renio; he personally orchestrated Conrobel’s appointment to Major General at the age of 42.

Because Conrobel was only 42 years old, he was also excluded from Jerome Bonaparte’s Chief of Staff system; having a 42-year-old as the highest military commander was indeed somewhat 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 time, Jerome Bonaparte could only consider leaving Conrobel idle at home.

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, Jerome Bonaparte decisively rejected Montebon, for the time 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, Jerome 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, Jerome Bonaparte began to consider candidates for the position of Minister of War.

This time, Kuzan Montbanto became Jerome 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 Department, serve as his deputy.

Having completed his reflections, Jerome Bonaparte called Mokar once again and instructed him to immediately go to the Ministry of War and have the Minister of War come over.

After Mokar took his leave, Jerome 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 documents awaited Jerome Bonaparte’s review, numerous meetings 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 Jerome Bonaparte could easily complete all tasks.

Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte couldn’t help but sigh and murmur softly, "I really don’t know how my cousin managed back then!"

How could Jerome Bonaparte know that in alternate history, Napoleon III spent most of his energy attracting women 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 government, with deception and data falsification becoming commonplace.

The collapse of government credibility due to corruption rolled like a snowball quickly, even nearly facing overthrow several times!

While the government Jerome 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, Jerome 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, Jerome 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 some members needing Jerome Bonaparte’s support.

There really wasn’t much money Jerome Bonaparte could count on for himself.

Jerome 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 income of 3 to 4 million francs, which were not listed in the government budget.

Besides Jerome Bonaparte himself and people like Adolphe Schneider, not many others knew about this.

Thus, the public’s trust in the government 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 Jerome Bonaparte but were indeed transforming all of France.