Flowers, Swords and France

"Mr. Treville, you also know that I am very busy with official duties, and I only have time to deal with the army's affairs in my spare time, so Mr. President transferred you to assist me. Frankly speaking, you did me a big favor. Yours I’ve heard about your reputation and it’s a pleasure to work with you.”

In the office of the Ministry of War building, Count Opul, the current Prime Minister and Minister of War of the French Republic, extended his hand to Charles who was standing in front of him in a friendly manner.

Even sitting upright in the chair, Ciel could still see that the other party's figure was very strong, and the eyes staring at him were extremely sharp. Although he was already in his sixties, he still looked full of energy. He had a beard on his lips and chin, which was shiny and well-maintained. Although he was wearing civilian clothes, he still sat upright, and his movements always showed a kind of vigor unique to those who have been in the army for many years.

Although it was noon, the thick velvet curtains covered the windows, cutting off most of the light from the outside world, so that the room became somewhat dim, giving people an inexplicable sense of pressure.

The man in front of me has been in the army for decades and has experienced the imperial era? top? point? He rose step by step through the novels, the Restoration Era and the July Monarchy, and finally became a count. He is now one of the representatives of the French military aristocracy.

No matter what, he was the kind of person Ciel had to brace himself for.

"I am also honored to serve you, Your Excellency." He bowed slightly.

Then, he also stretched out his hand and held it tightly with the other party.

Today is his first day at the Army Department. And he was cordially received by the minister. It seemed to be relatively smooth, but he did not take it lightly at all.

After the handshake is over. The count made a gesture to him to sit opposite him.

Perhaps because he was satisfied with Charles's respectful attitude, his expression was a little warmer than before, "Mr. Treville, you don't need to feel too restrained here. Although the Army's tradition is to obey your superiors, you don't need to With all due respect... yes, you didn't serve in the military, but there are a lot of employees here who have served their country well, so what's there to be embarrassed about? You are considered one of our own..."

After a deliberate pause, the Earl smiled kindly at Charles.

"I knew your grandfather...although of course he didn't know me. In the imperial era, I had just become a captain, and he was already a general. And he was a hero known to everyone. Although I later went to Spain to fight , I didn’t have the opportunity to work with him, but his glorious past was so vivid that I didn’t expect that after decades, he would be able to go out to fight for the country again, which is really admirable!”

"I want to thank you for your compliment on his behalf." Although the Prime Minister said not to be restrained, Charles certainly didn't dare to be restrained, so he still looked at the other person calmly. "My grandfather also appreciates your previous achievements very much."

"Ha! No need to say more polite words like this!" Count Opple suddenly laughed, "How could the famous Marquis de Treville know about a nobody like me at that time? It became even more so later. I chose to serve as Bourbon and Orleans serve, he won't have anything nice to say about me?"

This joke made Charles feel slightly embarrassed, but beyond the embarrassment, he had an inexplicable feeling.

Today's French Prime Minister actually wants to speak to him in such a tone, as if he is an equal. Such a "glorious" scene, even a few years ago, he could not imagine - it only took a few years. , he did this by finding the right way. Political speculation is really a business with amazing returns!

However, even so, he remained strangely calm.

"However, Mr. Treville, there is no partisanship here. I have no special opinion against you because you are a Bonapartist." While looking at Charles, the count continued. , "As long as it can maintain the stability and dignity of the country, the Army is not particular about one person. Regardless of the Party of Order or Bonaparte, we should support whoever can make the people safe and prosperous, right?"

The earl's words made Charles's heart move slightly.

Is this testing me?

"I am not here to bring political troubles into the army. The army should remain united in this changing political situation and maintain the stability of the country, and should not get involved in politics - this is Mr. President and I share the same view." He said something that he didn't even believe with a sincere face.

"Oh, if that's the case, that's great!" The Earl nodded seemingly convinced, "Yes, the army should indeed stay out of politics and should not interfere in political issues. Although the Orleans royal family made me a noble, Even now, I am still grateful. But even so, as Prime Minister and Minister of War, I must protect this country and should not let personal feelings affect my judgment..."

He drawled the last sentence, then stopped talking.

What did he mean by this? Ciel was suddenly filled with doubts.

He must have known the purpose of Charles coming to the War Department at this time. Why did he make a confession that "I have no interest in politics at all"?

One explanation is that Count Haut-Pour is a noble man, a man who is completely free from vulgarity. This explanation is too absurd and can be ignored.

Then, the only explanation that follows should be that he has other deep meanings.

Could it be that he wants to make his political stance more ambiguous, wash off the coat of the Orleansists, so that he can get closer to Louis-Bonaparte? A guess flashed through Charles' mind.

"I think Mr. President will definitely thank you for your loyalty to the country, sir." In order to verify his guess, Charles deliberately threw out a hint, "Any soldier who is loyal to his duty, the president admires and respects him very much."

"Oh! After all, he is the nephew of His Majesty the Emperor!" The Count smiled and nodded, ", our army officers and soldiers have always been eager to have a national leader who understands and helps us. I think we will not be disappointed."

After hearing this, Charles suddenly felt relieved.

Judging from the other side's answer, this count, this general, and this prime minister did not seem to have much intention to confront Louis Bonaparte, which saved him a lot of trouble. At least he could get into work from the beginning.

Against the backdrop of this joy, Charles' expression became more and more excited, his voice trembled slightly, and he spoke emotionally.

"You don't have to doubt this at all. As we have always said, we Bonapartists are friends of the army. Mr. President is the nephew of the great commander; I am the grandson of a general. In our party, there are many people with similar backgrounds. We all have a love for the army. Because of this, we are eager to seek power, sweep away the old haze of the country, and use the sword of France to win glory for the country... and also win honor for the officers and soldiers of the army."

Charles certainly did not expect this slogan-like thing to impress the general. He just needed the other party to understand one thing-we do not intend to infringe on your interests, but on the contrary, we intend to help you, as long as you don't get in the way.

The original text is available at 6 # 9 @shu/bar!

After he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes, and the room fell into a brief silence.

"That's great!" Count Oppel sighed softly, "This country really needs a strong leader to lead the country forward! We have finally waited for a party that dares to make a difference. God bless us. In this way, we can rest assured."

After a pause, he continued.

"In fact, I think it is too difficult for someone like me who has little political experience to serve as prime minister. It is only because the country recruited me in a critical moment that I had to reluctantly take this position. I have always believed that as long as the time is right, I should leave politics and put on my military uniform again, return to the army, and let professionals take charge of professional things..."

Then, he stopped talking and looked at Charles meaningfully.

Both of them knew that the words had been very clear at this point - as long as they did not get in each other's way, they could get what they needed. The Count did not want to go into politics. He knew that he had no chance to serve as Prime Minister for a long time, and he did not want to be involved in the struggle between the two political factions. He just wanted to use this experience to get promoted in the army and take a higher position. And his reward was to cooperate with Louis-Bonaparte and Charles and others, at least not to get in the way.

Very good, it couldn't be better.

"I admire your indifference to fame and fortune, and I think Mr. President will do the same." Charles replied immediately. "You only need to complete the tasks assigned to you by the country, and as for us, of course we have to fulfill our obligations..."

He made this promise immediately, because this was indeed what Louis-Bonaparte meant.

The Count nodded again, and it was obvious that Charles' answer made him very satisfied.

You are not required to get involved, you just need to watch from the side, do not interfere with our actions, and you can wait for promotion.

For the Count, there is really no better result.

"Well, Mr. Treville, let's not waste any more time..." The Count smiled and spread his hands, "I wish you all the best in your future work."

Charles, also smiling, stood up slowly and shook the hand opposite again.

"I also wish you all the best, sir." (To be continued...)