Chapter 48: Today is a Good Day
Joseph's eyes lit up, but to be safe, he pressed on, "Do you know anything else about him?"
Dubois felt a little peeved. 'I'm the one being commended today, aren't I? Why is His Highness constantly asking about Alexander...'
Nevertheless, he patiently replied, "Your Highness, he comes from a military family. He's skilled at drafting, quick-witted, and very resilient. He also fought in America with Count Rochambeau, and he was the one who drew up the battle plans for the Battle of Yorktown."
Hearing "skilled at drafting" and "participated in the American War of Independence," Joseph was now certain that this was the famous Marshal Berthier, Emperor Napoleon's "personal nanny" and Chief of the Army General Staff, who accompanied Emperor Napoleon from Italy to Tsarist Russia, achieving countless merits.
Of course, the future Marshal was currently just an ordinary Major, making a living under some mediocre military noble.
Joseph knew that to revitalize France, the army had to be firmly in his own hands!
However, it was the grand aristocratic class that currently held military power in France.
France was still in a transitional period from a feudal military system to a modern one. The army was somewhat like the private armies loyal to regional magnates in the late Ming Dynasty – garrison troops in each province were funded and trained by the provincial treasury and local grand nobles.
The quality of the army's equipment and combat effectiveness entirely depended on local investment. Naturally, based on the principle of "whoever pays the piper calls the tune," only the local military nobles could command these troops.
Therefore, if the King wanted to mobilize troops, he had to consider the military nobles' preferences. During times of peace, the nobles would naturally cooperate, but if the situation became unstable, that would be a different story.
For instance, at present, relations between France's grand aristocracy and the King were not very harmonious.
During the historical French Revolution, Louis XVI purportedly amassed 20 regiments to defend the crown, yet not a single soldier entered Paris until his execution.
During this period, only the Swiss mercenary regiment, funded by Louis XVI's private coffers, and a small number of personal guards remained fully loyal to the King. Beyond that, he couldn't even command the French Guards stationed right under his nose.
One must remember that although the Parisian citizens who attacked the Bastille at the time had guns, facing a sturdy fortress over ten meters tall, they could only sigh in despair. In the end, it was precisely because the French Guards brought cannons to assist that Governor Launay was forced to surrender.Found on Ʀοε.
So, while the monarchy outwardly seemed to hold great power and boundless glory, in reality, the grand aristocratic class had long since united with emerging capitalist groups, gradually seizing control of military, judicial, economic, and public opinion.
Among these, royal power in the military and economic spheres was most severely undermined.
Currently, the grand aristocrats and capitalist groups had not yet fully coordinated their interests, and the residual prestige of the monarchy still lingered, maintaining a superficial calm. However, once an opportunity like the Estates-General arose, these factions would immediately stir up trouble.
Therefore, controlling military power had always been Joseph's top priority.
However, his political foundation was still too weak, and he was powerless to meddle in the military nobles' affairs. Seizing military power was destined to be a long and arduous process.
Of course, Joseph had his own complete plan for this; in fact, the Paris Police Academy was his initial foothold in military power.
In the minds of people of this era, the police were basically a group of ruffians hired by the government, utterly incapable of achieving anything significant. This gave Joseph the space to gain influence over a violent institution.
With the Police Academy as a starting point, he could use it as a base to begin building personal loyal forces that would obey him absolutely.
This was easy to say in a single sentence, but the execution involved a myriad of complexities.
First, there had to be money; an army was a gold-devouring beast. Fortunately, he now had the Paris Angel Company. Although it was far from enough to fully feed the beast, he could at least provide the initial startup capital.
Next were armaments: advanced weapons that could overwhelm all opponents. On this point, Joseph was most confident; the weapons technology in his mind could absolutely crush this era's, he just needed to figure out how to produce them.
Finally, and most crucially, there were people: military talent. This included highly skilled soldiers and excellent commanders, especially the latter. A good general could even determine the outcome of a battle!
And Berthier was just such an excellent officer. It could be said that without his assistance, Emperor Napoleon's achievements might have been considerably dimmer.
An excellent opportunity to connect with Berthier was right before him, and Joseph certainly couldn't miss it!
He was about to glean more information about the Chief of Staff from Dubois when he heard someone clear their throat twice. He turned to see Eman giving him constant meaningful glances, only then remembering that the commendation ceremony was still underway.
He reluctantly walked over to Lieutenant Foucault, offered words of encouragement to the artillery captain, and then moved on to the next officer.
The young cavalry captain immediately straightened his back even more forcefully. Ever since he learned some of the hidden secrets behind the situation in the Netherlands, his admiration for the young Crown Prince had grown immensely.
Joseph offered him a knowing smile. He had harbored a hint of expectation ever since he heard the officer's surname was "Davout."
Following custom, he first praised Davout's heroic command of the cavalry, then eagerly asked, "Lieutenant Davout, has anyone in your family served in the Imperial Guard?"
Davout nodded in surprise. "Yes, Your Highness. My father served as a captain in the Royal Cavalry Regiment."
Joseph's eyes brightened further. "Do you have a relative named 'Nicolas'?"
Davout was even more astonished. "Your Highness, do you know my younger brother?"
"Nicolas is your brother?"
"Yes, Your Highness, Louis-Nicolas de Davout is my younger brother."
Joseph's heart swelled with delight. 'What a good day this is! I've hit the jackpot twice in a row!'
Nicolas Davout!
The Steel Marshal!
One of Emperor Napoleon's three strongest "Tiger Generals," a prodigious military genius.
Winning against overwhelming odds was a common occurrence for him; he had single-handedly turned the tide of battle on multiple occasions.
The man Emperor Napoleon declared "France's purest glory"!
'If I missed this chance, I'd never forgive myself!'
Joseph stepped half a pace forward and asked, "Where is your brother serving now?"
"Your Highness, Nicolas is still attending military academy. He graduates next year."
'Still hasn't graduated yet...' Joseph felt a pang of regret, but on second thought, this was actually better. If he could secure his brother's allegiance now, then after Nicolas graduated, bringing him directly into his own service would make it easier to build trust.
When the entire commendation ceremony concluded, the meritorious officers bid farewell to the King and Queen. As they approached Joseph, he suddenly took hold of Dubois and André Davout, using the excuse that he wanted to "hear their accounts of the intense battles in the Netherlands," and led the two of them to the square outside Versailles.
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