Chapter 235: Opportunity in Crisis
Joseph left the "White Maple Forest" estate with a newfound confidence.
The archbishops from the Paris region, along with those from three other districts like Valois, had all reached an agreement with him for "shares in exchange for grain." Adding Archbishop Talleyrand from the Autun District and Archbishop Brienne from Toulouse to the fold, nearly half of France's most influential high-ranking clergy would now be involved in this matter.
The rest was up to them to negotiate interests with the archbishops of the southern dioceses.
From the information Archbishop Beaumont had just revealed, the Church's "private grain reserves" were quite substantial, enough to even partially cover France's food deficit.
If this were the case, the Church's cellars couldn't be relied upon for the historical 1792 frost disaster. However, Joseph believed that with Tunisia's continuous development, the increased grain production in two years would be sufficient to cope with a brief spring famine.
After all, Tunisia alone had one-third of France's current arable land but only needed to support 1.8 million people.
Furthermore, to ensure Beaumont and the others would perform with maximum efficiency, Joseph had dangled the "Papal Throne" as a tantalizing prospect before them.
Although the Holy See was currently governed by Italians, in the 14th century, it had been located in Avignon, France!
It was only nearly a century later that Gregory XI moved it back to Rome.
While the French Catholic Church currently operated independently, it was impossible to claim that high-ranking clergy had no aspirations for the papacy.
Thus, Joseph revealed his "grand blueprint" to relocate the Holy See back to Avignon to the archbishops at "White Maple Forest."
If the Holy See returned to France, the Pope would undoubtedly be chosen from among them and Brienne.
Beaumont and the others were thrilled. The Crown Prince himself had spoken these words, which likely represented the will of the Royal Family—that the French monarchy harbored ambitions to command Catholicism.
Of course, Joseph currently had no such strategic plan; it was purely a speculative promise.
However, if his troops ever truly reached Rome, he wouldn't mind leveraging the Holy See's political resources—using the Pope to command the faithful. For France, any conflict could then be branded as a "Crusade," which would be incredibly advantageous.
He would never operate like Emperor Napoleon in history, turning against the entire Holy See for the meager gains of the Papal States and forfeiting immense political advantages.
Meanwhile, the archbishops secretly resolved to perform exceptionally well in this grain distribution effort, earning points for themselves in the future race for the papacy.
Before heading to Montmartre, Joseph had already laid out his subsequent general plans. Upon returning to Paris, he immediately went to the Police Intelligence Bureau headquarters.
After hearing Joseph's scheme, Fouché immediately displayed a wild, excited expression:
"Your Highness, I can barely express my admiration for you! You manage to find opportunity even in such a dire situation!"
Just imagining the grand scenario the Crown Prince had envisioned sent a rush of adrenaline through him.
Joseph cut off his effusive praise, then offered him a tempting prospect:
"The Police Intelligence Bureau's performance in North Africa last time was excellent. If you can successfully complete this mission as well, I believe it should be upgraded to a ministry. Oh, 'National Intelligence Department' seems a more fitting name."
'Indeed, dangling a reward in front of them would make his subordinates more motivated.'
As expected, Fouché and the others' eyes lit up at his words. If it became a full Ministry of Intelligence, its head would likely enter the cabinet as the Minister of Intelligence. And all the lower-ranking administrators would surely rise with it.
The Police Intelligence Bureau staff immediately began rubbing their hands together, eager to fly to the southern provinces at once.
With all this accomplished, Joseph immediately hastened to the Paris Police Academy without delay.
All other schemes hinged on the military as their foundation to succeed.
Berthier's Legion and the Moulins Legion had already received their orders and were assembling at the police academy's new campus.
The new campus was the estate Louis XVI and the Queen had gifted to Joseph, covering over ten hectares. If it wasn't used for farming, it could easily accommodate thirty to fifty thousand soldiers.
The pre-war mobilization offered nothing new; it was merely Joseph delivering a speech, telling the soldiers they would bear the historic responsibility of leading France through a turning point and achieve unparalleled glory. This was followed by the routine parade and formation display.
A more practical operation was re-equipping the Moulins Legion with Auguste Pattern Percussion Rifles. The Moulins Legion's performance in Tunisia had been decent, but most importantly, they had demonstrated absolute loyalty to the Crown Prince, which earned them the latest weaponry.
Joseph, with immense generosity, instructed André that every soldier was to practice firing 20 rounds of ammunition daily until the troops marched out.
In practice, percussion rifles were not very different from flintlock muskets; they simply reduced a few steps in loading the propellant. A little practice was enough to master them. Not to mention the proficiency gained from firing hundreds of rounds.
Bear in mind, many veterans in the old French army had never even fired 100 shots.
Additionally, the Guards Corps was re-equipped with 12-pounder cannons this time. Primarily, after the Tunisian campaign, Joseph found that the previously heaviest 8-pounder cannons lacked sufficient suppressive power. He decided to standardize the entire army's artillery with 12-pounder and 6-pounder cannons, following the later Emperor Napoleon's organizational model.
The former would be used for firepower suppression, while the latter would be deployed in battlefield environments requiring flexible mobility.
Since mounted artillery hadn't yet been established, the unwieldiness of the 12-pounder cannons wasn't a major issue; they simply required a few more horses to pull them.
After arranging the hardware aspects, Joseph gathered officers like Berthier and Friant to issue a series of orders aimed at improving the soldiers' morale.
Once Joseph finished speaking, Berthier said with a pained expression:
"Your Highness, this 'Department of Military Affairs' you speak of involves so many matters, it might be difficult to get it operational in a short time."
André nodded in agreement from the side:
"Your Highness, the staffing alone is currently insurmountable. According to your requirements, at least 200 people would be needed just to barely manage the work within Paris. As for the soldiers' families in the outer provinces, even more personnel would be required..."
Joseph smiled and nodded, "You don't need to worry about that. The necessary personnel can be directly allocated from Les Invalides. We only need to send a few civilian officials to supervise. Oh, and the expenses should also be borne by Les Invalides as much as possible."
Les Invalides in France was no longer the department that cared for wounded and disabled soldiers, as it had been during the Sun King's era. It had become purely a convalescent home for retired officers, with common soldiers receiving no benefits whatsoever.
Keeping such a department, aside from providing weapons to rebellious citizens during the "Great Revolution," genuinely served no significant purpose. It was better to simply gut it while the military high command was absent from Paris.
Berthier and the others exchanged glances, a knowing smile appearing on each of their faces.
Immediately after, Joseph went among the soldiers of the Guards Corps, doing his best to personally encourage each one. It wasn't until noon the next day that he returned to Versailles Palace, dragging his weary body.
All preparations were complete; it was time to reap the rewards!
...
Rue Auray, Saint-Antoine district, Paris.
A melodious bugle call, accompanied by a brisk drumbeat, drifted from the south side of the street, drawing the curious gazes of residents on both sides.
Soon, they saw a contingent of about twenty people, dressed in splendid ceremonial military uniforms, marching in two straight columns with synchronized steps toward them.
An old fishmonger frowned and whispered to the middle-aged man beside him:
"What's happened? Sending so many soldiers to make an arrest!"
The middle-aged man, however, shook his head:
"Why make such a commotion to arrest someone? Wouldn't that just make the person they're trying to catch flee?"
A young reporter behind them craned his neck, peering, and explained to the two: "That's the newly established Department of Military Affairs. I hear it serves Berthier's Legion and the 'Operational Police' forces."
The old fishmonger asked, puzzled:
"We don't have any high-ranking officers around here, do we?"
In his habitual way of thinking, a department supposedly "serving the troops" was equivalent to serving the officers.
The Department of Military Affairs contingent stopped in front of an unassuming private residence. Their formation shifted horizontally, positioning them on either side of the entrance.
A few soldiers stepped out of the formation, first confirming the address, then began hanging red and blue ribbons on the door and placing several baskets of flowers in front of the ribbon-adorned entrance.
As the commanding officer gave the order, two soldiers unfurled a banner half a meter wide, which read: "The Light of France's Glory! Congratulations to Corporal Adrian on receiving the Medal of Courage!"
Below, in smaller print, was another line: "Valor's Reputation Endures. One's Merit, a Family's Glory."
According to the Guards Corps' commendation hierarchy, the Medal of Courage was a "fourth-class merit," ranking below the Bronze Iris Medal. A total of 23 individuals received the Medal of Courage during the Tunisian campaign.
Citizens immediately swarmed Adrian's house, surrounding it completely, and began discussing the banner animatedly:
"Didn't Adrian go to the police academy? How did he get a medal?"
"I heard he went to North Africa; looks like he distinguished himself there."
"Such a grand display! Adrian is certainly getting a lot of attention!"
"He's just a corporal, so why is the military celebrating at his home with such pomp?"
The Department of Military Affairs officer was about to knock when Adrian's parents and sister, looking astonished, pushed open the door and stepped out.
Old Mr. Adrian nervously glanced around, then approached the officer, bowed, and whispered:
"Sir, are you here for..."
The officer quickly steadied him, saluted by raising his hat, and announced loudly:
"Good morning! You must be Mr. Adrian, correct? Your son displayed exceptional bravery in the battle to prevent the Algerians from invading Tunisia and has been awarded the Medal of Courage. I am here on behalf of the Paris Police Academy to deliver this joyous news to you."
The entire Adrian family stood rooted to the spot, taking a long moment to process the information.
The officer stepped forward and, with great enthusiasm, pressed a "Medal of Honor Certificate" and 200 livres in silver coins into Old Mr. Adrian's hand, saying:
"This is Corporal Adrian's certificate and bonus. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wishes me to thank your family for your support; you too have contributed to France's great victory. Oh, please sign here so I can report back."
The Adrian family felt as if they were dreaming, as if their son had, perhaps, done something truly remarkable.
Not only had an officer brought men to congratulate them, but there was also a bonus of 200 livres!
Old Mr. Adrian finally snapped back to reality and urged his wife to quickly prepare water and food to entertain the congratulating soldiers. Then, he turned and invited the Department of Military Affairs personnel into their home.
The officer, however, first stood at the doorway and loudly recounted Adrian's heroic deeds to the onlookers. The script was clearly meticulously prepared; the crowd listened with bated breath, as if they were personally witnessing the thrilling moment when Adrian desperately plugged the gap torn open by the Algerian cavalry at a critical juncture, preserving the French formation's integrity.
Next, the officer detailed the various benefits enjoyed by the families of commended soldiers, including: priority assistance from the police in case of an accident; family members being eligible for military-related employment; and direct access to the Department of Military Affairs for resolving issues.
In short, from now on, Adrian's family would undoubtedly be among the most respected on this street.
The onlookers were all filled with envy, discussing loudly:
"Who knew attending the police academy could lead to such success!"
"My God! That's a 200-livre bonus!"
"Did you hear that? If his family has any trouble, they can go directly to this officer for help."
"Alas, my third son originally wanted to go to the police academy, but I didn't let him. I truly regret it now!"
There was even a young man who had previously rejected Adrian's sister's affections who shamelessly approached the girl right then and there...
For a time, the busy figures of the Department of Military Affairs were seen all over Paris. The meritorious soldiers of the Guards Corps immediately became the focus of public attention—led by the Paris Business Journal, various newspapers devoted extensive coverage to their heroic deeds. Even news of the riots in the southern provinces was overshadowed by their stories.
The families and friends of the commended soldiers quickly wrote to them about the recognition, with every letter encouraging them to fight bravely and strive to earn more medals.
Raising the prestige of the Guards Corps soldiers and enhancing their sense of honor and belonging was something Joseph had long wanted to do.
Previously, not wanting to overly provoke the military nobility, such operations could only be conducted within the army itself.
Now that the military nobility had made it clear they intended to oppose the Royal Family, there was no longer any need to conceal these efforts.
Soldiers in the old army were merely common laborers and low-ranking individuals, but in the Guards Corps, they were esteemed military men, the glory of France.
If these two factions were to clash, even disregarding the disparity in combat power, the Guards Corps could utterly crush their opponents in terms of morale alone!
However, Joseph's initiative caused considerable trouble for the Paris Police Academy and Berthier's Legion, who had to deal with citizens coming to enroll in the police academy or enlist in the army almost all day long...
Less than five minutes after Joseph returned to Versailles Palace, Archbishop Brienne found him, looking anxious.
The Archbishop hastily bowed, shaking the documents in his hand, and declared:
"Your Highness, you're finally back! The riots are spreading further, and the Queen has repeatedly asked about your strategy..."
Joseph smiled, invited him to sit, and said unhurriedly:
"I was just about to come find you. Archbishop, please issue a directive in the King's name to the armies in the southern provinces, ordering all mid- and high-ranking officers to immediately report to Versailles Palace. Anyone who fails to arrive within a week will be tried for treason!"
Brienne's face drained of color, and he sprang to his feet with a gasp:
"Your Highness, how can this be? If all the officers are recalled to Paris, who will command the troops to quell the riots?"
Joseph smiled:
"Rest assured, the Church will help me resolve the issue of the riots."
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