Flowers, Swords and France

On this ordinary afternoon, Charles was in the Toulon military port, watching the advance troops of the expeditionary force leave France, and also bid farewell to his grandfather at this time.

The number of the advance troops was not large, only a few thousand. It was obviously impossible for this number of people to land directly to fight the Russians. They were just sent to Turkey first, and then assembled little by little until the number reached the number that the commander-in-chief believed was possible. Only when they launch a direct battle will they cross the sea from Turkey and attack the predetermined battlefield.

As the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Marshal Treville decided to go to Turkey with the advance troops, personally direct the deployment of the troops, control the specific situation of each unit, and lay a solid foundation for the next campaign.

And Charles was determined to use all his efforts to create the most advantageous conditions for him. He knew deeply that at this time, this war was no longer just a few cold pages in a history book, but would be his grandfather's personal life. The final culmination is also a glorious page in the history of the Treville family.

With the patience and reserve he had developed over the years, he hid the attachment and excitement in his heart very well. Grandpa has left, everything has been on the final track, and now he is completing the plan with a calm and realistic attitude. It’s time, and no emotional interference is allowed.

After bidding farewell to the expeditionary force, His Excellency the Lord Admiralty invited Ciel to have lunch, and Ciel readily agreed.

Because Marshal Treville is a veteran soldier with outstanding merits, and Charles has a very good attitude towards the navy, the Lord Admiralty has a very good impression of Treville's grandfather and grandson. He is respectful in front of the marshal and makes every effort at the same time. To ensure the marshal's living conditions at sea.

As a military port, Toulon is actually the territory of the navy, so the minister is like a local emperor here, and Charles himself has an important background. No one will question the two ministers.

There was originally a club for naval officers in the naval port, with all the furnishings and food. However, the Lord of the Navy did not want to dine with Charles there. He invited Charles to have dinner on a cruise ship moored in the harbor. Of course, Charles followed him. We got on the cruise ship together.

After the advance troops of the expeditionary force left, the sea returned to its previous calm. Although there was still some noise in the military port, after the yacht left the coast, everything fell into silence, except for the neighing of seabirds in the sky. All that was left was the soft sea breeze blowing on people. Looking around, the blue sea and sky are connected together, and the boundary is blurred and indistinguishable.

Ciel stood on the deck holding a wine glass, admiring the beautiful scenery of the south. He spent his previous life inland, and in this life he has been active around Paris. He knows almost nothing about the ocean and has little love for it, but he does not refuse to enjoy the ocean and sunshine in the south.

The sea breeze mixed with a bit of fishy and salty smell made him slightly dislike it, but the aroma of delicious food covered this up. Next to him, a musician played the violin to accompany the two ministers' meal. The soft music made Charles feel even more Feeling relaxed and happy.

After the continuous tension, he suddenly became so relaxed, which made him feel a little strange. If it weren't for watching his grandfather and the expeditionary force leave just now, he might have thought he was on vacation.

"Ah, after staying in Paris for so long, I almost forgot that I was a child who grew up by the sea." Jean-Dicot, Minister of the Navy, "I finally came here once. What if I stay on land forever?" It’s not a pity! Do you think it’s more comfortable to eat like this?”

"I also think this is a good enjoyment." Charles smiled, then picked up the wine glass and drank the wine. "However, fortunately the wind is not strong today, otherwise I would be afraid of getting seasick if it shook..."

Among the people in the distance, Charles could see the vague silhouettes of several small navy warships, but they seemed to intentionally create a quiet space for the two ministers to talk, and they always maintained enough space. distance.

It seemed obvious that the Admiral wanted to create a private space to have a good talk with Charles.

What on earth did he want to talk about? Charles couldn't help but feel a little curious, but he still didn't ask anything. He enjoyed the meal politely and waited for the other party to take the initiative to speak.

"I forgot that you are from the mainland! But you are young and strong, so you won't get seasick even if you shake a little, right?" Jean-Dicot, the Admiralty Minister, laughed, "Don't you find it interesting? We are in a In this blue desert, we are suddenly isolated from the world. The government, budget, army, and war all seem to have lost their meaning... We can get along with each other as individuals rather than ministers - and this is because I am not here The reason why you are entertained by the always talkative Officers Club..."

Couldn't you bear it anymore... Ciel secretly laughed in his heart.

"So, what do you want to say to me in a private capacity?" He put down his glass and asked calmly.

"Actually, I have a favor to ask you to do." Now the Admiralty stopped beating around the bush and looked at him directly, "Charle, we have a big favor and I'm afraid we have to ask you to help us." …”

Charles felt a little confused. As a minister, the other party was of high authority. It must be a big deal that he had to ask for help because he couldn't solve it himself. The problem he solved after that was conceivable and made him feel... Tricky.

But the two of them are now friends, and Charles now needs to be on good terms with this minister, so it is indeed difficult to refuse him.

"Please tell me, as long as I can help, I will definitely try my best." After hesitating for a moment, Ciel had no choice but to agree vaguely. "Of course, my abilities are also limited, and I cannot guarantee that your wishes will come true..."

"You are the most young and promising talent in our country. Now you are famous in Europe. There are really not many things in the world that you are helpless about." After Charles agreed, the minister was obviously in a good mood, so he took the initiative to compliment He asked Ciel, "And I'm afraid you are the most advantageous candidate for this matter..."

Ciel stopped talking and waited for the other party to reveal the answer to the mystery.

"When you were at the Ministry of the Army, you urged the Army to establish its own new command system, and then urged His Majesty to establish the Army Staff Department so that the Army would have a specialized organization to study and direct future wars. This was indeed a wise move. , we have all felt the benefits now.” Your Excellency started with Charles's deeds and continued slowly, "After these years of practice and discussion, we believe that the Navy also needs to establish such an organization internally, so that our Navy can also be more active and efficient. posture to achieve a precise and scientific command system..."

"Oh?" Although the minister said it very implicitly, Charles immediately understood what he meant. "Does that mean you plan to establish a staff-like organization within the navy?"

"Yes, that's what we want to do." The minister nodded, "And we think the sooner the better."

Charles thought about it and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, it was indeed a military necessity, and he had no reason to stop it.

"If you want to do it, of course you can try it, I won't have any objection."

"I'm very grateful for your support, but... if we just have an empty staff department, it won't make much sense to us. We need to select capable and smart young officers for relevant training, but the most important thing is Yes, we want to expand this opportunity "This is what I want to ask you for help - didn't you let the army stationed in your ministry before?" The minister continued. I think...our navy also needs to do the same."

No wonder he entertained him so diligently... Ciel sneered inwardly.

"Don't worry, we have the same reason as the Army, to better complete the tasks of our department. They need railways, and we also need merchant ships. After all, we need to recruit merchant ships at any time to serve the navy's strategy... Seeing that Charles didn't answer, the minister was afraid that he would be angry, so he immediately explained, "Of course, please don't worry, we will never interfere with your daily work."

Ciel still didn't answer immediately, but he was thinking about it in his mind.

From his point of view, of course he hopes to be as undisturbed as possible. This requirement is naturally not in line with his preferences. However, since the Army has already set a precedent, there really are not many good reasons to refute the Navy's request. Besides, this may indeed be necessary, after all, the Ministry of Transportation in his hands now claims to be responsible for everything running at sea.

"If you want to send some young officers to train and become familiar with the empire's shipping conditions, I have no objection..." After a moment of silence, he finally agreed to the other party, "But they'd better talk less and do more. Don’t bring in the maritime style.”

"It's great that you can put the country first!" Seeing that Charles was so easy to talk to, Minister Jean-Dico was overjoyed. "Don't worry, these boys will never interfere with the normal work of you and your subordinates. They are just assisting you, or observing and recording."

Establishing a naval staff and bringing the empire's maritime undertakings under the jurisdiction and supervision of this staff has been a long-standing voice within the navy. Of course, soldiers hope that their power groups will grow bigger and bigger, and as the minister of the navy , he also has enough motivation to work hard for the voices of his subordinates.

But he also knew that Minister Treville held a high position and had always been highly trusted by His Majesty. If he didn't nod, this idea would not be realized, so he had to lower his profile and beg Charles. He was still a little uneasy just now, but fortunately the other party was so reasonable and agreed after just a little hesitation, which made the minister full of gratitude.

In this case, it was time for him to reciprocate the favor. He looked up at the blue sky, leaned back comfortably on the chair, and then lowered his voice.

"Charle, I know that you are a practical person. My verbal gratitude may not be taken seriously by you. I happen to be such a person, and I don't like to fool others with empty words - you will see Real gratitude to the Navy.”

Then, he continued talking to himself, "As you know, His Majesty plans to massively expand the navy and build a second-to-none fleet for us, and this means that we will greatly expand the manufacturing of warships. We have already planned it, Taking advantage of the wars in the past two years, we will build several national shipyards at once, making them the best in the world! This means that we will be completely different from the past... It can even be said that our navy has become the largest in the empire! One of the companies.”

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

The country itself has become the biggest entrepreneur. This is nothing new for a modern country - since the Middle Ages, wars in Europe have almost never stopped. In order to win the war or at least prevent itself from being conquered by foreign enemies, , they each established an army and supply system directly under the state.

Especially after entering the gunpowder age, all countries have developed large standing armies. In order to equip such an army and participate in various wars on the European continent, each country has developed a huge military-industrial system for itself, and only the system The funds required are huge, so in many cases they can only be invested and operated by the country itself. Most of France's muskets, artillery and even warships are manufactured by state-owned enterprises.

And when His Majesty the Emperor is determined to build his own naval fleet on an unprecedented scale, it is conceivable that this will allow the navy to control huge resources and turn it into a huge interest body.

"Congratulations." Charles smiled and congratulated the other party.

"We should say congratulations." The minister laughed again, "In these new naval enterprises, we need a group of commercial talents to help us operate, and we need to work more closely with the Maritime Federation you created. , so, if possible, I would like you to designate some people as managers and directors of these companies. I think the talents you send will definitely help us achieve the smooth expansion of the navy..."

Charles was even more surprised now. You know, this is really extremely generous.

Although the Minister is only talking about a part of the management personnel, and the leadership is definitely still in the hands of the Navy, it also means that Charles can penetrate into the Navy's system. Judging from the cherishment of the Navy by the Minister, this is really not a Easily give conditions to others.

Regardless, the generosity is amazing.

"You...what else do you need me to do?" Charles didn't want to pretend to refuse. He asked bluntly, "I just said, if I can do it, I will do my best."

"Don't be so nervous, Charles, we are friends, we can't just talk about interests." The minister still had a smile on his face, then stood up and stretched on the bow of the cruise ship in the gentle sea breeze, "Actually, This is just a matter of public and private matters. After all, your subordinates There are many people in industry who are the ones who can best help us realize our plans. This is not purely to please you... We also hope that you can become a strong ally of our navy and fight for the status of our navy. Make some effort..."

Just now, he said that friends should not talk about interests, but now he immediately said that he would help with things... Ciel secretly laughed in his heart.

But it doesn't matter. Since the other party has shown sincerity, he should be more active. "Tell me, what else do you want me to do?"

"This matter must be handled by you." Your Excellency the Minister walked up to Charles and patted him on the shoulder. "Out of the need to clarify powers and responsibilities, and also out of the need for command efficiency, we hope that We can place more senior naval officers around your grandfather to help him command the navy. We are happy to accept the command of your grandfather, Marshal Treville, but we only regard his orders. As an order conveyed by the commander-in-chief through a naval officer, rather than an order from a field marshal, we want the Naval Staff to achieve overall command of the navy. We do not allow or need other forces to intervene. The army and we are equal. We do not accept their rule. Only in this way can we maximize the power of the navy and cooperate with all the actions of the commander-in-chief, right?"

Although the words of your Excellency the Minister are vague, the core is very clear, that is, it clearly states that the command power of the navy cannot be interfered by the army's command system and must reflect the independence of the navy. In other words, the minister believes that the navy he established The General Staff is the only effective command organization of the Navy.

Although this request may not seem surprising, it is not common on the European continent today. European countries are essentially army countries. Although each country has a navy, its scale is extremely small. It cannot be compared with the army in terms of establishment and budget. In the command system, it is often under the control of army generals, not to mention France. A country that has always been deeply affected by the army.

From this, we can also see the ambition within the navy. They want to take the opportunity to become an independent military collective in one fell swoop and compete with the army.

"This question... is a bit strange... I'm afraid such a professional issue will take a long time to discuss. Let's leave it to the experts, right?" Charles felt that he should not interfere with this kind of strife between the military services, so he gave a conservative answer. "If there is a conclusion, then I can express my support."

"Time waits for no one! Sir!" The minister diligently picked up the wine bottle and poured a glass of wine into the wine glass in front of Charles. "If we want a great navy, we should be like the British. Build a fleet as good as theirs, and use the navy as they do. The navy will be the strongest support of His Majesty the Emperor and the entire Empire. Paris is changeable, but the sea is eternal. The British only have a Royal Navy, but no Royal Army. , isn’t it...?”

In other words, he will take advantage of this opportunity to directly make the navy an independent force in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor, without any further constraints from the army.

Ciel had completely understood what the minister meant.

This system of separation of the army and navy and then mutual restraint was reflected in the original history of the German Empire and the Japanese Empire. Especially in the German Empire, the entire navy was independent of the military system of the empire and could almost be regarded as the private army of Emperor William.

I didn't expect that I would see this scene in advance.

For the interests and status of the navy, this minister really spared no effort and spared no expense. He smiled bitterly in his heart.