Chapter 259: Royal Guard Legion
Joseph remembered that historically, the Duke of Orleans had been sent to the guillotine by the Jacobins.
He hadn't expected that a prominent figure among the Jacobins was now helping the Duke's son with a lawsuit; it felt incredibly incongruous.
Desmoulins again exclaimed, "Y-you truly are renowned in the legal world! T-they're all coming to you for such important cases!"
Robespierre's success rate in court had been remarkably high over the years. Especially a few years prior, he had successfully defended Mr. Vercel, who faced a lawsuit for installing a lightning rod, overturning a series of previous precedents and making him famous throughout France. Historically, this had also led to his election as a representative to the Estates-General.
Robespierre smiled faintly, "I am merely one of the Duke of Chartres' lawyers."
Joseph pondered for a moment, then interjected, "Mr. Robespierre, do you believe the Duke of Chartres should inherit the Duke of Orleans' estate?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Robespierre nodded. "The Duke of Orleans died in a riot, and his legitimate heir is rightfully entitled to the inheritance."
"Haven't you heard about his treasonous activities?"
Robespierre replied gravely, "Your Highness, you know that Versailles often has similar political conspiracy theories. I believe the Duke of Orleans would not..."
"Certainly, Your Highness."
An hour later, in the High Court's archives, Robespierre flipped through the thick stack of evidence. His face turned ashen, and his teeth ground together audibly.
As a seasoned lawyer, he could easily discern that the evidence was likely not fabricated. The Crown Prince had mentioned a vast amount of additional exhibits in the evidence room, but Robespierre felt there was no longer any need to see them.
Setting aside the Duke of Orleans' collusion with the British, his orchestration of massive French Bank investments into British industries, or his incitement of nobles to refuse loans to the government—just that final act alone, ordering the Maletout brothers to commit murder to maliciously force the Minister of the Interior to reallocate strategic grain reserves, leading to widespread riots across half of France due to food shortages—that alone should send him straight to hell!
Robespierre felt dizzy. He had been duped like a fool by a schemer for so many years! And now, he was even on the verge of helping the man's son claim his inheritance...
When he emerged from the High Court, his face crestfallen, and saw the Crown Prince still waiting for him, he immediately declared in a low voice, "Your Highness, I know what I must do!"
"Oh?" Joseph remarked. "You should join the Notary Investigation Bureau and bring people like the Duke of Orleans to justice as soon as possible."
Desmoulins nodded vigorously beside them. "I-I also hope y-you can j-join the Bureau."
"Thank you for your trust. I will give it serious consideration." Robespierre, still somewhat dazed, bowed and prepared to take his leave.
Joseph suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "By the way, have you seen the Duke of Chartres' records?"
Since it was a lawsuit for inheritance, the lawyer would naturally need to know what assets were involved.
Robespierre nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, I have."
"Then could you disclose the total value of the estate involved?"
Robespierre hesitated for a couple of seconds, then whispered, "Excluding villas and real estate, it's roughly 60 million livres."
Joseph's eyes instantly lit up. 'This is a goldmine!'
After deducting the Police Reform expenses, there would still be 50 million remaining. And counting the fixed assets... 'Hm, that fellow owns a considerable amount of property. There's enough capital now for tax reform and industrial development.'
Robespierre then added, "Your Highness, I will absolutely not allow someone who preys on the poor to get their way."
With that, he took his leave.
Noticing his friend's troubled expression, Desmoulins hastily bowed to Joseph, bid his farewell, and then hurried after him.
Joseph re-entered his carriage and headed towards the Paris Police Academy.
An hour and a half later, the carriage stopped in front of the academy's administration building. This time, Joseph avoided disturbing the cadets who were undergoing drills. He first attended a tactical command lecture, then summoned Berthier, Friant, and other officers for a meeting.
"I believe you've all heard the news," Joseph said, looking at the officers seated on either side of the long table. "According to the military reform plan, we are establishing the General Staff Headquarters."
"Once the General Staff Headquarters is officially operational, it will supersede the Minister of War in overall war planning and deployment. The Minister of War will then only be responsible for the final signing and approval."
The officers were all somewhat surprised to hear this. They had previously assumed the General Staff Headquarters would merely assist the Minister of War in decision-making, similar to staff officers within a legion, and had not expected it to be an operational command department.
Joseph continued, "General Berthier has already compiled the duties and requirements of the General Staff Headquarters into a booklet. He will now explain them in detail to everyone. Afterward, I ask that you carefully study this new mode of operation under the General Staff's command."
Of course, while Berthier was credited with the compilation, the main framework was actually provided by Joseph. Berthier, the historical architect of the General Staff concept, brought this department into existence six years ahead of schedule with Joseph's assistance, and in a far more refined state.
Berthier bowed slightly to Joseph, then gestured to an orderly to distribute "The Functions and Requirements of the General Staff Headquarters" to everyone. "The General Staff Headquarters is primarily responsible for researching all aspects of warfare and formulating troop maneuvers and operational plans."
"This also includes plans for mobilization and battle execution."
"As per the Crown Prince's request, logistical supply, map planning, daily training, and exercises will all fall under the General Staff Headquarters' purview."
It was important to understand that in this era, the outcome of wars heavily relied on a commander's personal experience, and often even intuition. This introduced a significant degree of uncertainty.
Even a formidable "god of war" like Frederick II had moments of confusion or carelessness. A single mistake by a commander could result in heavy casualties at best, and outright strategic failure at worst.
The General Staff system, however, utilized the professional and technical expertise of numerous staff officers to collectively formulate operational plans, minimizing the potential for commander error to the greatest extent possible. It was a sophisticated combat command model that far surpassed its era.
This model originated with Berthier and fully demonstrated its power during the Franco-Prussian War. It could be said that the greatest contributor to Prussia's victory over France at that time was Chief of the General Staff Moltke.
After Berthier concluded his introduction, Joseph gestured to the assembled officers and stated, "The cabinet meeting will soon approve the proposal to establish the General Staff Headquarters."
"General Berthier will provisionally assume the role of Deputy Chief of the General Staff."
Historically, Berthier served as Emperor Napoleon's Chief of the General Staff, a role he excelled at far more than commanding troops.
However, his current military rank was only Brigadier General, so he could only provisionally act as "Deputy Chief of the General Staff." But with no Chief of the General Staff currently appointed, he was effectively in charge of the department.
Joseph continued, "Furthermore, Her Majesty the Queen has agreed that Berthier's Legion will officially be named the 'Royal Guard First Legion,' and the police academy cadets will become the 'Royal Guard Second Legion.'"
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