Novels online

Chapter 561: Preparing for War

As for manpower, Joseph had the least concern.

He had previously invested immense effort, overcoming significant resistance to implement land reform, and now it was time to reap the benefits.

The numerous French farmers who had received land—even if they hadn't yet paid off the redemption fees, everyone knew the land was undeniably theirs—now held unprecedentedly high support for the French monarchy and government. This, combined with the recent elimination of many deeply detested tax farmers, had them cheering with joy.

Joseph was confident that if he issued conscription notices at the beginning of the month, he could recruit over a hundred thousand soldiers by the end of it.

Of course, the Guards Corps' generous benefits and formidable reputation also drew young men to join the army.

Even the lowest-ranking private in the current Guards Corps earned 27 francs a month. After serving for a year or two, with diligent and rigorous training, they could be promoted to corporal, and their salary would immediately rise to 35 francs.

This was already comparable to a government employee's salary, but considering the army provided food, clothing, and lodging, the actual disposable income was considerably higher than that of a government employee.

Such generous pay was enough to entice any young person from an ordinary family.

Furthermore, with the Guards Corps' impressive return from the Southern Netherlands and the Ministry of Military Affairs' tireless propaganda, being a soldier was no longer considered a "disreputable" profession as it once was. This, of course, specifically referred to soldiers of the Guards Corps; old-style armies were still looked down upon.

Consequently, the Paris Police Academy experienced astonishing popularity every enrollment season. After its expansion, the academy admitted over 5,000 students for various soldier specializations and several hundred for officer specializations annually. Even so, the application rejection rate reached an impressive 70%!

Joseph mused, writing down his plan to 'continue expanding the Paris Police Academy's scale.'

This was no easy task, however. The Paris Police Academy had previously merged with numerous military schools, leaving few remaining that could be used for further expansion. Especially around Paris, apart from the Royal Military University, there were no other military schools left.

'It seems we'll need to establish branch campuses in other regions.'

As Joseph considered this, it suddenly struck him that the name "Paris Police Academy" also needed changing. Initially, it had served as a smokescreen, using the guise of a police academy for strategic concealment, but now it felt imprecise and lacked grandeur.

Moreover, the Paris Police Academy had become an amalgam of too many functions, encompassing not only police and military academies but also a military equipment institute, and even training tax personnel.

This made it seem overly complex and bloated. It was the perfect opportunity to streamline the academy's functions.

So he continued writing:

'Splitting the Paris Police Academy into—the French Royal Police University, the French University of Economics and Taxation, the French Royal Military University, the Royal University of Mechanics and Chemistry, the Paris Army Officer Academy, the Paris Military Technology School, the Lyon Military Technology School, the Toulouse Military Technology School...'

After some deliberation and organization, he first separated the police and taxation specialties, establishing them as independent institutions.

Next came the military domain: a university for mechanical and chemical engineering, specifically for developing equipment. His father would undoubtedly be its president, and its campus could even be located near Versailles. The Royal Armory would be directly allocated to this university as an affiliated factory.

Additionally, there would be a university for training senior officers, with a three-to-four-year program. Graduates would start as junior officers and follow a command and staff career path.

An officer academy, with a two-to-three-year program, would train specialized troops and junior officers, such as cavalry, artillery, and cartographers.

Following these would be three schools for training regular soldiers, with a maximum one-year program. Outstanding graduates could be awarded non-commissioned officer ranks.

In later eras, the training of regular soldiers would typically take place directly in military barracks. However, the population quality back then was higher, with at least a primary education, so direct training sufficed.

But in the late 18th century, acquiring high-quality recruits necessitated starting professional training from scratch.

The former Paris Police Academy had, in fact, followed this very path. And it had proven to be far more effective than direct training in barracks, also minimizing the risk of new recruits being corrupted by cynical veteran soldiers.

The military schools established in Lyon and Toulouse could rapidly achieve scale by integrating local military academies and also draw upon local manpower, thereby ensuring the goal of expanding the army by 50,000 new soldiers within two years.

"Sigh..."

Joseph couldn't help but let out a long sigh as he finished writing that part.

'Establishing so many military academies seems appealing, but each one will require millions of francs to build. I estimate at least several million will need to be invested.'

'It seems I'll have to "persuade" the Church for more funds again. After all, these military academies are also part of the education system...'

After roughly completing his plans for the military academies and army expansion, Joseph had his manuscript sent to the General Staff Headquarters for discussion and refinement. Meanwhile, he immediately turned his thoughts to the diplomatic preparations required.

Historically, Emperor Napoleon, despite his immense military prowess, possessed utterly disastrous diplomatic skills. He successfully alienated almost every continental European nation, including Spain, which had always maintained friendly relations with France.

Of course, this was also a testament to Britain's exceptional talent for stirring up trouble.

Joseph, however, was acutely aware that no matter how powerful France became, it was unrealistic to confront Britain and its numerous allies alone.

Even if he miraculously managed to win, France would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow, taking decades to recover, or perhaps never fully recovering, much like Britain after World War II.

What was most critical was Britain's firm control over the seas, allowing it to cut off France's trade routes at any moment, further diminishing France's capacity for prolonged warfare.

Therefore, France also needed to rally its own network of allies. The correct strategy was to have its "vassals" wear down Britain's "vassals."

During this process, benefits would certainly have to be shared with these allies, but as long as victory in war was achieved, this was acceptable. Emperor Napoleon had attempted to claim all the spoils for himself, only to eventually lose everything he had gained.

On the diplomatic front, Joseph's first thought was of France's natural ally, Spain, also a member of the House of Bourbon.

Thanks to the good relationship he had cultivated with Carlos IV and the secret treaty they had forged concerning Gibraltar and Portugal, Joseph was confident that Spain would firmly side with France should a major war erupt.