Flowers, Swords and France

Charles's sudden question made Mr. Henry Delageche Treville slightly startled.

However, after living in the world for so long, Henry certainly has the awareness that "there is no free lunch in the world." Since he has benefited from this distant relative, it is natural to give some rewards. Therefore, he quickly adjusted his mood and looked at Ciel seriously.

"Just ask, sir, and I will go through fire and water for you."

"Ah ha ha ha... don't worry, don't worry, it's nothing important." Charles was amused by this provincial simplicity, but after a moment he regained his composure and looked at the other party with a smile, "I just I would like to ask, what do you think of Mr. President?”

"Mr. President?" The young man didn't react for a moment.

"Yes, Mr. President. I would like to ask about your political views. Do you support the Bonaparte family?" Charles asked directly, "You also know that my family is different from my own. We have always been Bonapartists. Of course my friend does too, so I want to know if you are willing to cooperate with a group of Bonapartists?"

After hearing Ciel's explanation, Henry finally understood.

Of course, political opinions can be changed at will when necessary. He thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

, a French nobleman who has been a naval officer for generations. He joined the Navy when he was 13 years old, participated in the American Revolutionary War, and made many military exploits.

At the beginning of the Revolution, he was imprisoned because of his noble birth, and was not released until the end of Jacobin rule. During the Napoleon era, he was appointed admiral and commander of the Toulon fleet. In the battle near Boulogne in August 1801, he severely damaged the British fleet under Nelson's personal command with inferior force.

However, the earl died in 1804 due to a relapse of an old illness and was unable to participate in the subsequent naval battle between Britain and France. 】

"It's great that you can think so!" Charles clapped his hands, looking very happy, "What Mr. President admires most is a young officer with achievements and courage like you. As long as you can support Bonaparte Ba family, what do you have to worry about in the future? Don’t you know if you look at me? Don’t worry, I will put in a good word for you in front of Mr. President..."

Under Charles's attentive reception, the young man was flattered and felt as if he and Charles had hit it off.

"Aren't we relatives? We should take care of each other." Charles replied with a smile, as if he really thought so.

Then, he walked to the window and looked at the sky outside the window, "You also know that the navy is an important part of our country's military, and the president is also very concerned about it. Henry, let me tell you straight, can you serve Mr. President in the navy? Have you found enough supporters inside? You also know that Mr. President is in urgent need of military support..."

"Of course we are honored to be valued by Mr. President." Henry nodded, but with a somewhat embarrassed look on his face, "However, you must also know that because of Prince Jourville, in the current Navy, Orleans The family has many supporters.”

"Oh, of course we know." Ciel shrugged easily.

...Of course, his heart is not as calm as it seems.

Since the French government determined to build a navy during the Bourbon dynasty, the French navy has been one of the most powerful navies in Europe, and has repeatedly been able to compete with the British navy. Such a powerful armed force is of course a crucial factor for Louis Bonaparte and his party's ideal of usurping the country.

To be honest, today's French Navy is able to reach its current status precisely because of the strong support of the Orleans royal family.

In 1778, in order to avenge his grandfather's defeat in the Seven Years' War, King Louis XVI of France recognized the independence of the United States, declared war on Britain, and sent a navy and an expeditionary force to the Americas. The following year, the Kingdom of Spain under the House of Bourbon also joined the war, joining France in declaring war on Britain.

After several years of war, the combined navies of France and Spain defeated the British navy many times and effectively supported the land war in North America. The French briefly won control of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, but only received help from the United States. The independent effect is indeed dumbfounding.

Finally, in the decisive Battle of Yorktown, the armies led by Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, with the help of the French navy led by the Count de Rochambeau, achieved an unprecedented victory, defeating the main force of the British army and forcing the Eighth Route Army to surrender. Thousands of British troops surrendered, finally forcing Britain to recognize the independence of the United States. From this point of view, Louis XVI is fully worthy of the name of the Father of the United States.

The most glorious moment of the French Navy was also at this moment. From then on, it began to go downhill - Louis XVI and the Bourbon Dynasty were soon torn apart by the revolutionary craze, and the Great Revolution almost destroyed the navy. It fell into chaos and only stabilized again after Napoleon came to power.

However, in the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, the combined fleets of France and Spain were completely defeated by the British navy. Napoleon's ambition to conquer Britain was completely crushed. In the end, he could only wander around on the mainland. France The Navy has also reached its lowest point.

Until the July Monarchy, in order to consolidate France's expanding colonial interests, the Orleans royal family was determined to expand its navy, and it was the king's second son, Prince Jourville, who played a decisive role.

He joined the Navy in 1831 and became a captain in 1836. He was sent to Veracruz in 1838 and was promoted to captain in 1839 for his bravery in combat. In 1840, it was he who went to St. Helena to transport Napoleon's remains back to France. In 1844, he became rear admiral.

At that time, he strongly advocated the construction of a navy for France comparable to that of Britain, and won a large amount of funding for the French navy. In order to make up for the imbalance in naval strength between the two countries, he urged France to build more steamships. At the same time, he also sponsored Dupuy Delorme to build the world's earliest steam propeller ship.

It has to be said that the members of the Orleans royal family are indeed much more accomplished than the Bourbon royal family.

After the outbreak of the February Revolution, the Royal Family of Orleans was expelled from France, and the old King Louis-Philippe was no longer a director because of his old age. The leader of the Royal Family of Orleans was his second son, Prince Jourville.

Precisely because Prince Jourville has such a high prestige in the navy, the navy is now full of Orleans factions, and it has never been easy to deal with the Bonapartists. Fortunately, Paris is deeply inland and is not easily affected by the attitude of the navy like the island countries. Otherwise, it is difficult to say what the outcome of the February ** will be.

"It is precisely because a bunch of old men are entrenched among the top brass of the Navy that Mr. President wants to reform the Navy and let those energetic young people step up to shoulder the important responsibilities of the country. Henry, I believe you are a smart man. You will Know that we will eventually hold this country in our hands." Charles stretched out his hand, "You came to me today. To be honest, this is a very good opportunity for you, as long as you can tell the president. Mr. expressed his If you are loyal, then the president will never treat you badly... Moreover, you must understand that in France, the navy is just a toy of the government, and everything can only rely on government funding. As long as the government falls into our hands, the navy will sooner or later. Just obey, you will still have to be loyal to the Bonaparte family. If that's the case, then why didn't you join the Bonaparte family earlier? Being one step ahead will bring you many benefits. I don't need to remind you of this. Bundle?"

...Henry didn't think about anything anymore this time, but nodded heavily.

"You are right, I understand. After I returned, I found some like-minded people among my colleagues in the Navy, and everyone has been coming to support Mr. President."

"That's great!" Charles nodded happily, praising the other party's shrewdness, "I know the relatives of the Treville family, and of course I'm not ignorant of current affairs. Don't worry, this is definitely your One of the best decisions of my life.”

"I believe so too." Henry replied quickly.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

To be honest, he still doubts that he is dreaming.

A depressed young naval officer, after running to the capital to find relatives, was able to turn his fortune around so quickly. To be honest, it was hard for him to imagine that he would have such good luck until a few days ago.

No wonder everyone is running to Paris! Although this place is bizarre, there are indeed mountains of gold everywhere.

The young noble officer from the province thought to himself.

When he thought of this, he became more determined to have a good relationship with "his relatives".

After reaching this important consensus, the two young people chatted happily and forgot the time for a while.

"Since you have served in the Navy for so long, do you have your own views on the future development of the Navy?" Charles asked casually after chatting for a while.

"Oh, of course I've thought about this," Henry replied immediately. At this time, he was no longer as restrained as before, "You also know that today's battleships already have steam engines to drive them. With the advancement of technology, As we develop, steam engines will become more and more powerful, and eventually, I think we will be able to coat battleships with a layer of iron armor, or even use steel instead of wood to build battleships.”

"Oh?" Charles glanced at him in surprise.

Henry thought that Charles didn't understand this problem, so he explained, "Don't believe it, since the steam engine can change the face of industry, it can also change the face of the navy. Judging from the current development trend, we will soon be It is possible to develop a fast battleship with iron armor, yes, you heard it right, a battleship that is both armored and fast, and can even abolish useless sails... Even, in the not-too-distant future, we can see To a large battleship with a displacement of over 10,000 tons!”

"That's a good idea." Charles nodded without comment, but was a little surprised at the other party's foresight.

However, in this era, with the advancement of science, people's horizons have become wider and wider. Therefore, it is not unusual for a naval officer to predict the future development trend of the navy. What matters is who takes that step first. .

"To be honest, sir, this is not a new idea. This idea exists in the navies of European countries, and they are all moving in this direction," Henry frowned slightly when he said this. "But because of the war, the funding for the navy has been delayed again and again in the past two years. How can we talk about updating warships when even salaries are difficult to guarantee? I am afraid that France will fall behind in the imminent warship war. By that time, our country will no longer be qualified to say that it wants to build a navy that is on par with Britain..."

"Don't worry..." Charles replied with a smile, "Once Mr. President has complete control of the situation, everything will be easy."

"I hope so." The future Count de Lagache-Treville sighed secretly for the confused navy. RS