CHAPTER 563: CHAPTER 554: I, EUROPE’S NUMBER 1 LAND ARMY, PAY UP!

"General Nier, what do you think about hosting a nationwide parade on June 24th?"

Just as General Nier was speculating about Jerome Bonaparte’s thoughts, Jerome Bonaparte asked Nier.

"This..." General Nier hesitated for a moment, then cautiously replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, is it not a bit too hasty to host a parade on June 24th?"

Nier knew that June 24th was an important day (the day Emperor Napoleon declared the attack on the Russian Empire), and holding a parade on this day would certainly inspire the morale and enthusiasm of the French people.

However, there were less than two weeks (to be exact, 12 days) until June 24th, and in such a short time, organizing a nationwide parade was indeed too hasty.

They would need to select a location in advance, set up the venue, rehearse, and coordinate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prevent unexpected events...

In short, it was indeed not an easy task to accomplish flawlessly!

"As long as the mindset doesn’t slip, there are always more solutions than difficulties!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to Nier, "The General Staff and the Ministry of War might have to work a bit harder for a while. My requirements are not high; just one division participating in the parade will do!"

Hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s requirements, Nier breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Nier thought those were all of Jerome Bonaparte’s requirements, his next words sent Nier from heaven to hell.

"However, there must be Russian prisoners in the parade!" Jerome Bonaparte explained to Nier, "I mean the ones we captured at Sevastopol... you understand? As for the location, let’s set it at the Arc de Triomphe!"

"Your Majesty, this might lead to a situation where the French Imperial Army and the Russian Imperial Army face a deadly confrontation!" Nier said to Jerome Bonaparte with difficulty.

Jerome Bonaparte’s demand for Russian war prisoners at the Arc de Triomphe was not about reviewing the army; it was simply a slap on Nicholas I’s face.

Nier could even imagine how the Tsar residing in Tsarskoye Selo would react upon receiving this news.

He would certainly order an attack on Sevastopol at all costs until the Allied Forces entrenched in the Sevastopol Fortress were eliminated.

"A deadly battle? I want them to spare no effort in fiercely attacking Sevastopol!" Jerome Bonaparte confidently gestured to Nier, "As long as we can build Sevastopol into a giant fortress, we can slowly wear down the elite troops of the Russian Empire by utilizing the strategic advantage of the fortress.

The Russian Empire is simply too vast. We cannot repeat the mistakes my uncle made back then, so allowing the Russian Empire to take the initiative to attack is the best choice!"

"Yes!" Nier could only nod in response to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Alright! I’ll leave this matter to you! Do not disappoint me!" Jerome Bonaparte said sincerely, patting General Nier on the shoulder.

This time, Nier dared not say things like "I find this difficult" or "I fear I might not be able to do it," because he knew the Emperor had laid out his entire plan so that he had no room to refuse; leadership’s tolerance for subordinates is not unlimited. The treatment Nier received in the General Staff was all based on the Emperor’s trust in him. If he refused the Emperor’s request, what awaited him would likely be the Emperor’s alienation.

After all, there were simply too many people who wanted to sit in this position.

"Your Majesty, rest assured! As your most loyal servant, I will complete the task you have given me with all my strength. I will treat it as seriously as my own life!" General Nier solemnly said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Very good!" Jerome Bonaparte was satisfied with Nier’s reply.

After all, no leader likes a subordinate who constantly opposes them.

However, even if Nier had just refused him, he would not have reassigned Nier.

But Nier himself would have been lowered in Jerome Bonaparte’s esteem, and his future career would face some turbulence.

"Your Majesty, I will go back to prepare now!" Nier stood up, straightened his body, and saluted Jerome Bonaparte.

"Go ahead!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded slightly.

Nier turned to leave, but before he could exit the study, Jerome Bonaparte’s voice called from behind him, "Wait a moment!"

Nier stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"

"When you return to the General Staff, immediately send a telegram to Constantinople and have them draft a list of honorees as soon as possible. That way, I can prepare for my trip to Sevastopol!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Nier.

Nier showed an expression of surprise and hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to award the honors personally?"

"What? Is that not allowed?" Jerome Bonaparte retorted.

"It’s possible, but..." Nier hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, "I thought that Your Majesty only needed to stay in Paris. There’s no real need to risk yourself!"

"What do you mean by risking myself!" Jerome Bonaparte questioned Nier, "When my uncle personally led the army to attack Italy, was that considered a risk? How about when he attacked Moscow?"

"Of course not!" Nier responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Since my uncle personally taking the military command can’t be considered a risky endeavor, then why is it a risky endeavor for me to go to Sevastopol to award the brave French soldiers? Do you think, in your heart, that I’m just a coward who can only cower in the rear?" Jerome Bonaparte asked with a displeased tone.

"Of course not!" Nier was taken aback and hastily denied, "I am just worried that Your Majesty might not adapt to the environment of the Near East!"

Nier’s reply awakened Jerome Bonaparte, as the environment of the Near East is quite different from France.

However, considering that historically Jerome Bonaparte personally led the Third Division in Crimea without any major issues, he thought he couldn’t be that unlucky.

"Don’t worry too much about the Near East environment! I’ll only be staying there for a short time and don’t need to stay for a long period!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Nier.

As he couldn’t dissuade him, Nier could only comply with His Majesty’s command.

Shortly after Nier left, Jerome Bonaparte called Mokar in.

"First, summon Minister of the Seal Mornay, and then deliver this telegram to the newspaper under our control!" Jerome Bonaparte said as he handed the telegram to Mokar, adding, "By the way, ask them to slightly mention the facts from back then!"

Mokar took the telegram and assured Jerome Bonaparte that he would follow his instructions.

"Also, let those loyal factions release rumors saying that something big will happen on June 24th!" Jerome Bonaparte continued to instruct Mokar.

Then, Mokar left the study.

Time passed for another 15 minutes, and Minister of the Seal Mornay appeared in Jerome Bonaparte’s room.

"Your Majesty, you summoned me, what are your orders!" Mornay respectfully inquired of Jerome Bonaparte.

"Your office should quickly draft a speech for me to use at tomorrow’s Legislative Corps meeting!" Jerome Bonaparte closed the document, raised his head, and said to Mornay.

"What is the main theme of the speech?" Mornay asked.

"The army’s budget is about to run out!" Jerome Bonaparte shrugged as he replied.

"How can it be so soon!" Mornay was slightly astonished, as he remembered it was only about a year since the last appropriation, and logically, nearly two hundred million francs of extra military funding shouldn’t be depleted so quickly.

"The military funds are not only used in Crimea; significant expenditures are also needed domestically!" Jerome Bonaparte explained to Mornay.

If the 200 million franc military budget was solely for overseas use, it could definitely last a long time, but these funds are not exclusively used abroad. Domestic military training and expansion also require a considerable amount of money.

Moreover, in recent years, the widespread establishment of military academies and crash courses has also consumed a significant part of the military budget.

Under such circumstances, how can the military budget be sufficient?

"I understand!" Mornay nodded in response.

"When can it be delivered to me?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Mornay.

"It will be completed by tonight!" Mornay said.

"Very well!"

That night at 8 PM, Mornay handed Jerome Bonaparte the speech he would deliver the next day at the Bourbon Palace.

Looking at the densely packed writing before him, Jerome Bonaparte gritted his teeth, going over the speech again and again until he could read it fluently and recite it by heart.

By the time Jerome Bonaparte had memorized the speech, it was already 1 AM.

"Yawn!" Jerome Bonaparte yawned, dragging his tired body back to his room to sleep.

[PS: Because Empress Augusta is still pregnant, to not disturb her rest, the Emperor sleeps alone.

However, when the Emperor truly couldn’t bear the solitude, the Empress would still permit him to rest at Lady Eugenie’s residence.]

June 13th, Sunny.

Britain and France, like two "partners" with a tacit understanding, had newspapers in both countries simultaneously publish the report of the Allied Forces’ occupation of Sevastopol on this day, which immediately sparked a wave of celebration in both countries’ media and public spheres.