Chapter 1010: Universal Conscription
An hour later.
Scharnhorst, his left arm suspended in a sling against his chest, addressed William III. "Your Majesty, while we promote commoner officers, we must simultaneously prune the ranks of noble officers who lack competence."
"Throughout the battles I have experienced firsthand, I have seen countless instances where local sectors of the battlefield collapsed due to the sheer ineptitude of junior and mid-level officers."
"What the nation requires are officers with command ability, bravery, and literacy—ideally, those who understand mathematics as well. We do not need mediocrities who do nothing but flaunt their lineage while spending their days lashing their soldiers..."
Scharnhorst had broken his wrist during the retreat from Glogau and had been forced back to Potsdam to recuperate. It was this very circumstance that granted him the opportunity to present his ideas for military reform to Prince Heinrich.
The Prince, having served under Frederick the Great, immediately realized that this was exactly what the Prussian army needed most at this moment.
In fact, it was the only way to save Prussia.
William III, however, shook his head silently upon hearing this.
"The nobility is the foundation of the army. They have shed blood and given their lives for this country. How can we dismiss them simply because they cannot read?"
The young staff officer responded immediately, "Your Majesty's wisdom is beyond doubt. We certainly cannot arbitrarily dismiss noble officers who have made contributions. However, illiteracy is indeed a severe hindrance to commanding operations—they cannot even comprehend written orders."
"Therefore, we should provide these underqualified nobles with a path for improvement. Let them enter military academies to study. They must pass a graduation assessment to retain their commissions."
William III frowned slightly. "We have many military schools, but they aren't meant for teaching officers how to read."
"That is true, Your Majesty," Scharnhorst said with a slight bow. "Which is why we can adopt the French model. Their military education is divided into three tiers: the Royal Military University, the Army Officer Academy, and Military Technical Schools. These are used to train senior officers, junior officers, and regular soldiers, respectively."
"In reality, many of our officers would only qualify for their lowest-tier technical schools—where one of the primary courses is basic literacy."
"Yes, even the common French soldiers are literate."
William III muttered, "What use is literacy in the middle of a battle?"
Before Scharnhorst could speak, Prince Heinrich intervened. "Your Majesty, it truly does enhance combat effectiveness."
"A literate soldier can grasp an officer's tactical intent more thoroughly. They can independently consult drill manuals and understand road signs or weapon markings."
"In fact, soldiers who can read even tend to stand in a straighter line."
William III waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, we can discuss the establishment of military academies later. What interests me more right now is this 'Universal Conscription System' you mentioned, Major."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the young staff officer said quickly. "We will provide basic military training to all adult males across the country and incorporate them into a 'National Army' framework."
"From there, we will draw a percentage to serve as the 'Reserve,' providing them with intensive training to supplement the standing army whenever necessary."
"Regular soldiers in the standing army would serve for three years before being discharged, at which point they would be replaced by members of the Reserve."
"These discharged veterans could then be mobilized immediately for the battlefield in the event of an emergency."
"This model would grant our country an almost inexhaustible pool of manpower. So long as our finances permit, we could maintain a standing army of 200,000 to 300,000 men."
His vision was indeed brilliant, already containing the seeds of the modern conscription system.
Napoleon would later employ a similar mobilization model to muster an army of over 600,000 for France, which served as the military foundation for his conquest of Europe.
However, Scharnhorst overlooked one critical issue: a universal conscription system was fundamentally impossible to implement in a nation built on serfdom.
Serfs belonged to the nobility. If the government conscripted them, who would till the nobles' land? Would the government compensate the nobility for their losses?
The state certainly couldn't afford such compensation, and without it, the nobles would never agree. At best, they would hide the true number of their serfs; at worst, they would be driven to open revolt.
In a sense, the price of freedom for the serfs was the requirement to take on greater national obligations.
Yet, none of the three men in the room were looking that far ahead.
William III nodded with satisfaction. "Your idea is excellent. I will handle the funding issues; you are to begin implementing this recruitment system immediately."
He already had a preliminary plan—he would sell off some royal assets to provide Scharnhorst with the initial startup funds, then wait for the British subsidies to arrive.
He looked at the young staff officer. "I need you to recruit at least 30,000 soldiers within a month."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
...
Constantinople.
The French secret envoy, Baron Dalson, walked out of Khalil Bey's residence looking dejected.
Before setting out, he had imagined this would be a simple task. He never expected that the Janissaries' stubbornness, cowardice, and stagnation would be so staggering.
Indeed, he had offered incredibly enticing terms, yet the Janissary leadership didn't dare risk provoking Austria.
Even though doing so would have dealt a crushing blow to the influence of the New Army—their greatest rival—which had recently been wiped out in Wallachia. If the Janissaries succeeded where the New Army failed, it would prove that the vast sums of gold spent on the modern force had been a waste.
And yet, the decadent Janissaries still refused Dalson's proposal to go to war.
The French envoy returned to his quarters, so anxious he couldn't even stomach his meal. There were only three days left before the deadline set by Archbishop Talleyrand.
He set down his utensils, preparing to try his luck with Yunus Bey one more time, when an aide entered, leading a tall, slightly stout officer. "Sir, a man named Muhammad Ali Agha wishes to see you. He says he is a friend of Baron Memarc."
Dalson narrowed his eyes. He knew Baron Memarc was the head of Ottoman maritime trade, which meant this Agha was likely one of their own.
He hurriedly gestured for the aide to bring Muhammad Ali in and ordered his servants to serve the finest coffee.
After exchanging pleasantries in French for a while, Muhammad Ali suddenly smiled. "Baron, I heard you have been lobbying several officials to launch another offensive into Wallachia?"
Dalson nodded. "As you know, Austria is currently locked in a fierce struggle with Prussia in Silesia. They have no resources to spare for Wallachia. If you can persuade an official to advise the Sultan to deploy troops, I will ensure you are handsomely rewarded."
Muhammad Ali chuckled and pointed to himself. "Why bother with those other officials? I can help you harass Bucharest myself."
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