Flowers, Swords and France

After hearing Charles' request, the originally enthusiastic Minister of the Navy suddenly turned cold and said that he was very embarrassed about this request.

If he was just an ordinary stupid person, he would not feel embarrassed. He was just a captain. It was more important to make friends with the Treville family. But he was not such a person. Although he was a person favored by His Majesty the Emperor and pursued fame and fortune, he was also a minister who sincerely wanted to develop the Empire's navy and regarded it as his career goal. Because he was such a person, he was unwilling to privately disrupt the normal personnel order of the navy and affect the unity within the navy.

It was precisely because of this that he immediately chose to decline after hearing Charles' request.

However, his refusal did not exceed Charles' expectations, and Charles did not intend to give up.

"What do you think is inappropriate? As far as I know, Eugene is a very hard-working young man. He has devoted his enthusiasm and energy to the Imperial Navy. I think he deserves your promotion..." Charles continued to persuade the Minister.

Seeing that he could no longer avoid the polite refusal, the Minister had to sigh.

"Charles, you are right. Eugene is a good young man. Many people have told me about this, and I can see that he is really hardworking and can endure hardships. He is not a playboy. And I can tell you that I really want to promote him in the future...but..." In order to take care of Charles's feelings, he laid the groundwork first, "But appreciating him is one thing, and letting him be the captain now is another. He is still young and has only been in service for a short time? If I promote him hastily, how will others view him? I am afraid it will be difficult for him to convince others, right?"

After a pause, he said again He emphasized, "Besides, there are many young and promising people who are willing to endure hardships in the navy. I can't make others uncomfortable just because I take care of one person. This will destroy the unity and competition within the navy... Let's do this. You can tell Eugene that I already know his idea. Please ask him to continue to work hard and stay in the navy for a few more years. I will definitely promote him then."

In fact, in the past, the navies of European countries have always been the territory of the nobles. The officers were basically the sons of nobles from the upper class, whether in Britain or France.

These noble officers were promoted quickly, while those sailors and gunners could basically only serve as their subordinates in obscurity for their entire lives. It can be said that the class barriers in the navy are no worse than those in other corners of society.

For example, Charles's distant relative, Count Louis de Lagache-Treville, a famous French naval commander during the Great Revolution, joined the navy at the age of 13, and then served beside his uncle, a naval commander. He became a captain in his early 20s and a naval admiral in his early 30s. It was for this reason that it was normal for Eugene, a member of the Treville family, to want to become a captain at this age.

However, this rule is not so easy to use in the hands of the current Minister of the Navy. The minister himself is not a nobleman, so he does not care so much about his background. On the contrary, he is ambitious and has always wanted to revive the prestige of the French Navy, so he attaches great importance to selecting people based on their talents. In the past few years, many incompetent aristocratic officers have been idled or even forced to retire by him, and many civilian officers who have been frustrated have been promoted. This is also one of the reasons why the minister's reputation within the navy is so high.

In this context, the Minister did not want to promote Eugene de Treville, who had a privileged family background, because of his personal problems, which would destroy the atmosphere within the navy and affect the enthusiasm of others.

The Minister said this, which essentially meant no, but Charles still did not give up.

"To be honest with you, Your Excellency, Eugene actually asked for help not from me, but from my wife. You know, sisters usually love their brothers. If I go back without getting anything, how can I face Charlotte?" He looked at the minister eagerly, "Charlotte usually talks to you so happily. You are a friend she relies on quite a lot. Although this favor is a bit embarrassing for you, I still ask you to be flexible for Charlotte's sake..."

Charlotte has always liked to be lively. After marrying Charles, she likes to expand her husband's influence by entertaining guests and show off her family's status. Because of her good relationship with Charles and Eugene's affairs, the Minister of the Navy has become Charlotte's deliberate target. She has entertained him several times, and the minister is also very tactful and very supportive of Charlotte, so the relationship between the two sides has become more harmonious.

Given Charles' status, it was indeed a bit servile to say this, not to mention that he had brought up his wife, so the Minister of the Navy, Mr. Dicko, did not dare to be too blunt, so he hesitated and pondered for a while, and finally shook his head.

"I'm really sorry, Charles, but this is really not a matter of a few words from me. We still have to follow the rules, and I set these rules myself, how can I break them without authorization? I really appreciate your kindness, and I am willing to help you, but it's better for ladies not to interfere in military affairs..."

He usually has a sharp style, and it was rare for him to speak so tactfully to Charles. He thought that after saying this, the Treville family would not insist on it no matter what.

But he still underestimated Charles' will and determination.

"Is there really no way?" Charles asked again.

The minister did not answer, but looked at Charles in confusion, because according to the rules of the political circle, since he had already said this, the other party should know that there was nothing to say about the matter. If he changed the subject, everyone could save face, but he still asked questions now, which was a loss of dignity for the minister.

Looking at the minister with doubts on his face, Charles' smile became even stronger.

"Even if I do something for you in exchange?"

"Huh?" Because of some surprise, the minister couldn't help but open his eyes wide.

But soon he regained his composure, then looked around, and finally turned back.

In addition to being a minister, he was still a politician after all. Even if he wanted to refuse in his heart, he wanted to find out what the other party's conditions were.

"Then what are you going to do?" He asked in a low voice.

"Actually... you are worried about some things now, right?" Charles asked calmly, "such as the production of ships? For example, transportation guarantee? For example, labor force?"

When the minister heard Charles say this, his face changed slightly.

"These things are indeed troublesome. Do you... do you want to help me solve them?"

Since he came to power, the minister has always claimed that he would expand the navy and build a powerful fleet for the empire. He has also worked hard for a long time and strived for an unprecedented huge budget.

However, if you want to expand the fleet, it is not enough to have money, but also to have enough workers and engineers to build warships. Considering the future war, transport ships to ensure logistics are also very important. All the problems are entangled together, which also made the minister worried for a long time.

He was originally a ship owner in Bordeaux. After he came to power, in addition to the state-owned warship docks continuing to work, he also spread a large number of orders to the shipyards of himself and his relatives and friends. However, even if they are running at full capacity, it is still difficult to meet the needs of the navy.

However, since the establishment of the empire, various construction projects have been in full swing, and the labor force has suddenly become tight. There is no way to expand production in large quantities. What worries the minister even more is that because of Charles, the Minister of Transportation, shipyards and shipping companies in various places have set up a shipping union. Suddenly, he can't intervene in it. He can't use the resources in these people's hands to contribute to his naval plan. He can only worry.

Privately, the minister has thought several times that he wants to bring these people under his management by some means, but he dare not say it because of Charles's power, so he has to let the status quo continue.

But when Charles said this, he saw some hope again--

"You mean..."

"To be honest with you, recently due to the financial problems of the empire and the problem of preparing for war, the construction of railways will be temporarily slowed down for a while. During this period, a large number of laborers and engineers will be idle, and I am now thinking about how to find a place for them to make a living-considering the upcoming war, the state's arsenal and private military supply factories will be given priority to replenishment, but... the interests of the navy cannot be ignored." Charles said slowly. "If you need it, I will try to meet your requirements."

Although Charles' tone was very calm, it sounded like a gospel sermon to the minister.

"Of course we need it! If that's the case, that's great!"

"It seems that you really need it. Well, I know. I will arrange it. The placement of workers is now on the agenda of our department. If I give my permission, I believe that a preliminary plan can be reached soon." Seeing that the Minister of the Navy was as excited as expected, Charles couldn't help laughing, "Time waits for no one now. We have to do it as soon as possible."

The original text is available at Liu # 9 @Shu/Bar!

"Yes, it should be as soon as possible, preferably right away!" The Minister of the Navy immediately agreed, "Charles, thank you!"

Originally, one of the main reasons for the labor shortage was that the railway construction in various places absorbed a large number of workers. If the Minister of Transportation of the Empire was willing to give in, then these workers would be able to meet the needs of the Navy very well - although their previous industries were different from shipbuilding, these people were experienced workers. As long as they received a short period of training, they should be able to be put into the production of Navy orders soon, greatly speeding up his plan.

Obviously, the flow of these workers is within the jurisdiction of this minister. It is up to him to help or not. If he is really willing to do so, then it seems that even if he agrees to his exchange conditions, he will not lose anything.

No, not only will he not lose anything, he will make a lot of money.

However, the Minister of the Navy did not expect that Charles' preferential conditions were more than just this. "In addition, there is one more thing... Considering the upcoming war, the combat mission and transportation mission of the Imperial Navy are very important, and this requires the cooperation of the business community. Therefore, I personally think that the Maritime Federation can be supervised and managed by the Navy during this period. What do you think?"

The Minister of the Navy did not expect that this young man would make so many concessions at once, and was a little stunned.

He knew the details. The Maritime Federation that Charles set up was the same as the Railway Federation. They both managed the money bags of the entire industry, and the members of the Federation kept in touch with each other and had very close ties. He did not expect that the other party would be willing to take out all at once.

"Charles..." He couldn't help but sigh. "You don't have to do so much..."

"Then, do I think you have decided to let Eugene become the captain?" Charles asked with a smile.

"Of course, you had expected it before you told me these words." The minister shrugged, and then couldn't help laughing, "I think your request is too low now! Handing over so many things just to let my cousin go through life and death..."

"Eugene asked to take the risk himself, I can only agree to him." Charles smiled and shook his head, "Of course, these two things are temporary. The railway will have to be fully restarted sooner or later, and the navy can't always manage a commercial organization, don't you think?"

"Well, temporary, I know, that's enough." The minister nodded simply, and then stretched out his hand to Charles, "Let's do it, Charles."

Charles also stretched out his hand and shook it with the other party.

The reason why he made such a straightforward concession was not just to make his cousin and his wife happy, but he thought it was really necessary to do so now, and it was necessary to fully cooperate with the navy's actions.

Moreover, to some extent, he admired the Minister of the Navy.

Although he was also greedy, scheming, and seeking power, he also had goals and ambitions, and was willing to fight for the career he chose, and he really persisted. Unlike some of his colleagues, he regarded power as a tool and means to realize his ambitions rather than the purpose itself - in a sense, he was what Charles thought he was.

It was precisely because of this secret mutual appreciation that he was so generous to make so many concessions to the Minister of the Navy - even if there was no Eugene, he would have been ready to do these things, and Eugene's matter was just a side job.

In addition, he was not completely without other arrangements.

"By the way, Your Excellency, I have to introduce someone to you today, please take good care of him."

"Who else?" Although a little surprised, the Minister was in a good mood now, "Let him come out."

"He's here." Charles pointed to Philip standing next to him. "Please allow me to introduce him to you..." (~^~)