Flowers, Swords and France

As the sun rises, the spring of revival is full of green, as if a giant green carpet wraps every town. In this seemingly endless field, roads and rails are laid out, like strips of khaki and black silk threads woven on a green carpet.

And on these black rails, trains roll forward with thick smoke, adding a bit of modern color to the seemingly frozen time.

As black trains roar in and out, swallowing passengers from all directions, within a few days, the Giverny station, which was originally sparsely populated, suddenly became bustling. People from all over the world gathered at this small station, bringing a rare bustle to the town.

However, these people are not tourists who come here for the reputation, nor are they artists who come to enjoy the spring scenery. They are all railway officials specially summoned by Charles. Some of them are the heads of various regions divided by the empire's railway network, as well as the heads of various important departments in the ministry.

It is precisely because of these people's coordinated and occasionally scheming daily work that the empire's railway business has been able to flourish, develop at an astonishing speed, and continue to run smoothly.

Because of the convenience of their positions, after receiving the notice from the Minister through telegram, these officials adjusted their itineraries as quickly as possible and rushed to Giverny early through their own railways, fearing that they would fall behind. They arrived in this town before the scheduled time mentioned in the Minister's telegram.

Fortunately, although this is a remote town, the Minister took everyone's difficulties into consideration, so he booked the best hotel in this town early for these officials who came from afar to stay.

Originally, everyone had no expectations for this small town hotel, but once they checked in, they found that the furnishings and layout of the hotel were very sophisticated, the service was very appropriate, and the comfort level of living was no less than that of other high-quality hotels in other big cities, which made them all marvel. Of course, what these officials didn't know was that this hotel was originally owned by the Treville family, and was specially used to entertain guests who came to Giverny, so they always strived to improve the quality of service and didn't care about losing money.

However, even if they didn't know this, these adults still had a rough estimate of the wealth and glory of the Treville family. When trains from all directions came to Giverny, they would pass through a large factory area, and some of the factories with billowing black smoke were specialized in producing rails and locomotives for the Empire's railways. They used their hard-made products to supply the Empire's railway business in the past and now.

They also devoured a large number of orders from the ministry, and also devoured countless budgets and wealth of the empire. Although no one has ever said it clearly, everyone knows that these factories are the property of the Treville family. It is precisely because of this tacit understanding that few people have been able to compete with Giverny's factories for orders. Others can only compete outside of Giverny's orders.

It was almost evening, but these officials did not rest like the previous two days. They walked out of the hotel and came to Giverny Station to wait for the arrival of the Minister.

When the sun in the sky turned red and yellow, accompanied by the roar of a steam train, the train carrying the Minister slowly stopped in front of the platform.

The people who were still chatting hurriedly held their breath and walked to the exit of the train to wait for the Minister.

After the train stopped, the passengers began to file out. However, they were not tourists going to various places. They were officials from the same ministry. When they saw their colleagues waiting outside, they smiled and nodded. Some of them even walked to their colleagues they knew and exchanged a few words in a low voice.

They were all in a good mood, because they usually had no chance to leave Paris for business by taking a special train. Today, they could be said to have benefited from the minister, and they all felt honored.

On the surface, Charles did not have a special train - only His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Queen, as well as several royal princes, had special trains. However, the actual situation was that as long as he said a word, several train stations in Paris could immediately prepare a train for him, and it could go to any station within the railway network. After all, he was the minister in charge of the imperial railway business, and his subordinates would definitely do their best to consider him.

Officials deployed in the capital always seem superior. Even small officials often act bossy in front of officials from other places. However, officials from outside are also very important. They are all local leaders. The leading director is at the same level as the director of the department. He may return to the department to be their superior at any time, so they dare not put on airs. The two groups of people talked happily and stood together harmoniously.

After a while, the minister and his entourage also appeared at the door. When he just appeared, these well-dressed officials stopped their greetings, stood respectfully at the same time, and then took off their hats to Charles, as if they were courtiers worshiping the monarch.

"Good afternoon, your Excellency!"

"Everyone, the weather is really nice today." Compared to their seriousness, Charles was relaxed and happy. He waved to everyone, then looked up at the sunset and clouds, "Sure enough, this kind of weather is suitable for everyone to gather together. Together."

The officials laughed in response and echoed his words.

Although Charles left for a period of time in the middle, the superior-subordinate relationship for several years has cultivated a solid interpersonal relationship between them. Most of these officials were promoted under this young minister, and They have always been executing his plans and obeying his orders, so they have formed the habit of obeying him and regard His Excellency the Minister's admonitions as a matter of course. No one has ever thought that His Excellency the Minister might no longer lead them.

Amidst their greetings, Charles walked to the platform, and then walked along the long passage to the outside of the station. These officials gathered around him, tacitly determining the ministers and ministers according to their administrative levels and position powers. Your Majesty's distance, while the entourage behind them followed this group of people with suitcases.

Among these entourage, there were several people wearing military uniforms, but these officials ignored them intentionally or unintentionally and did not interact with them in any way. They also had serious expressions, unsmiling words, and did not exchange greetings with others.

When the Ministry of Transport was still the Ministry of Railways, Shire decided to have the Army send an executive agency to be stationed in the Ministry of Railways to serve as a representative of the army, responsible for communication between the two ministries, and at the same time supervise the normal operation of the railway system when necessary. , since then there has been a group of soldiers working in the office of the ministry. Even if the Republic later became an empire and Charles became an imperial minister, this structure has not changed. The military dispatching agency is still preserved in the ministry and has become A communication bridge between the railway system and the Army.

Because of their status differences, and more importantly to avoid suspicion, these stationed officers rarely interacted with the Ministry of Railways officials and rarely interacted in public. Therefore, even though the atmosphere was so warm when welcoming the ministers, these officers were still left out in the cold. aside, and they didn't take it seriously.

Surrounded by the officials, the minister sat on the carriage that had been prepared, and then the group of people took the carriage to the hotel where they were staying.

Because the entire hotel had been booked, it was very quiet here. Under the hospitality of the waiters, the minister and the officials came to the restaurant and prepared to have dinner together.

"Since I took office last year, we haven't been together like this for a long time. It's a good thing to have the opportunity to get together today." During the interval before the meal, Charles sat down and said to the officials next to him with a smile, " Whether you are in the capital or in the local area, your work is very hard. Of course I can do it too. You are considerate enough, so take this opportunity to take a good rest. Giverny is a small city with few residents. Resting here will not surprise anyone. I think you will soon be able to wipe away the accumulation of long-term hard work. I am exhausted, regain as much energy as possible, and continue to serve the Empire and His Majesty..."

"Thank you, Your Excellency, Minister!" Charles' explanation surprised and delighted these officials.

Of course they could hear that Ciel meant that they could relax in this small town without any interruption.

"However, it doesn't make sense to call everyone here just for fun. I think it's best for us to finish things and take a reasonable rest." After arousing everyone's emotions, Ciel said A twist, "After all, as public servants, we have to work first and then we can talk about enjoyment."

"Your Excellency, the Minister, is absolutely right. We must put our career first. After all, His Majesty has entrusted us with such an important task, which cannot be ignored." A middle-aged official sitting next to Charles immediately replied, agreeing with Charles's words. , and seemed to be instructing his colleagues, "We must serve the country first, and then talk about personal enjoyment."

After Charles just became the State Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, in order to develop the railway industry and facilitate the management of railway traffic in various places, he decided to set up several railway bureaus to be responsible for the operation of the future railway system in different regions, with Paris in the north and South in the west. Specially, large regions were established centered around Metz in the east, Valence in the south, Toulouse and other cities in the southwest, and then sent personnel to supervise the construction and operation of local railways. These regions also became the later railway bureaus. Although several new railway bureaus were set up in the back, because these bureaus were established earliest, they have become senior officials in the ministry, and their status is slightly higher than that of their colleagues at the same level.

The person who echoed His Excellency the Minister was Angers Menech, the director of the Nantes Railway Bureau. He had served in the government in his early years and participated in the management of the earliest railways in France. Over the decades, he had been promoted and held many positions. He holds an important position, so he is considered a senior official in the ministry. He has always regarded himself as a "veteran" and often likes to give instructions in front of his colleagues.

His attitude was certainly not accepted by other colleagues. Some chose to remain silent while sneering, while others who considered themselves as qualified and powerful as him could not sit still.

"Your Excellency, Minister, please give us clear instructions. What do you need us to do? We will definitely complete your order without hesitation." A middle-aged official with a beard took the lead from Meinecke. , asked Ciel directly, "We always only act according to your orders."

The person who said this is called Victor Lecamius. He is also the head of a railway bureau. He was previously in Valence. Compared to Meineke, he has less seniority, but he is very energetic and has always been He carried out the orders of his superiors very conscientiously, so he did things vigorously and resolutely, so he was also trusted and reused by Charles. After being promoted all the way, he finally became the head of a local bureau.

Because of this kind of favor, he has always regarded himself as the minister's confidant, and believed that he was the most suitable person in the ministry to be promoted to assist the minister. Of course, he could not understand Meinecke's attitude.

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"I'm very satisfied that you have such a positive attitude." After these people expressed their opinions, Charles nodded, gave himself a sip of wine with a cheerful face, and then continued, "As long as you maintain your previous attitude, If we continue to work, I believe that the important tasks entrusted to us by His Majesty will be fulfilled.”

He had long noticed the private intrigues and mutual contempt among his subordinates, but he did not resent this. The more subordinates dislike each other, the more they will try their best to fulfill their boss's orders, because they are afraid of being stabbed in front of their boss by their colleagues. If the subordinates are monolithic, the boss's work will be very troublesome. .

Of course, this mutual suspicion must be controlled and cannot be allowed to turn into open fights and quarrels, otherwise normal work will not be able to continue.

Then, with everyone watching, Charles said his purpose of summoning them here, "I'm sorry, although I sent an urgent call to summon you all before, I never told you my purpose, so I called you here without any reason. I've wasted your time, but I think you'll forgive me, because it's confidential and I can't tell you much in the telegram."

As soon as they heard that "it's a matter of confidentiality", these officials couldn't sit still and sat upright, fearing that they would be reprimanded by the minister.

"Now, we are all our own people here, and they are all spread by word of mouth, so I will no longer hide anything, and just tell you the truth -" Charles slowly put down the wine glass, and then looked at it seriously them. "Before, you assisted me in running the empire's railway system well, and the results were very good, and you also received the rewards you deserved; however... you achieved this achievement during peacetime before, but the situation is different now, because The situation in the empire has put forward new requirements for us. His Majesty needs us to run the empire's railway industry well in an emergency state of war. Or, it can even be said that he wants us to use the empire's railway industry to assist him in fighting a better war. war!"

The word "war?" immediately wiped out the good atmosphere of the officials. Some even turned pale, obviously unprepared for this. "Is this... is this true?"

"Of course this is true, but you don't have to worry. This is not a war against our border countries, so you will not face the risk of being attacked by enemy forces." Charles seemed much more relaxed, still smiling.

As soon as Charles said this, officials in the east and south breathed a sigh of relief. They were indeed afraid of border fighting.

However, Sharma immediately changed the topic, "But, gentlemen, this also means that we have to face greater difficulties! Because we have to cooperate with an expedition, we need to plan the operation of all railways well, and at the same time, we have to cooperate with The military communicates closely to meet all their transportation needs. Only by doing this can we complete His Majesty's mission. I think you should understand how important and arduous this mission is."

At this time, the officials who came back to their senses immediately looked at the several officers in military uniforms who were sitting in the corner. Only then did they understand why the minister specially brought these officers to attend the internal affairs of the ministry. Meeting.

After feeling their gaze, these officers smiled and nodded to the officials. They all looked complacent, obviously looking forward to the future war.

These officers were specially selected from the army. They have always prided themselves on being elites. However, since they were posted to the Ministry of Railways, they have been trapped in daily paperwork that is difficult to get rid of, and their passion has been worn away in these tasks. Seeing their colleagues being promoted in the corps or the Army Department in various places, they began to feel anxious and even suspected that they were in the wrong place.

Now, they have finally shown their importance, which also means that the opportunity for promotion has come - of course, the premise is that they must perform well enough to satisfy the army's top brass.

In their silence, Ciel continued to speak.

"I'm very sorry that I can't tell you much about the war arrangements here, but I can tell you that this will be an expedition of unprecedented scale. This scale will bring us insurmountable difficulties. This kind of difficulty It must be very big and continuous, and it will hurt every one of us. God! What is even more regrettable is that no matter how hard we work, we will not get praise. Instead, the soldiers on the front line and the public at the rear will blame us for not doing everything well! In the eyes, it is our duty to do well, and it is absolutely unforgivable to fail to do anything well..."

He looked around at the officials, "But even so, we still have to fulfill our obligations to the Empire and His Majesty, and fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to us by the Empire! Let me say this in advance, if anyone's performance later does not satisfy me, or affects the war, then no matter how much I like you before, he will be doomed! Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Under Charles's questioning, the officials shuddered and stood up to answer at the same time.