Make France Great Again

"Brigadier General Norman, why have you come!"

Conrobel showed a surprised expression, as if completely unaware of Brigadier General Norman's arrival.

Whew!

Brigadier General Norman let out a breath of relief, sensing another layer of meaning from Major General Conrobel's response; it showed that Major General Conrobel did not want to completely break ties with Commander Shangjia Ren.

Imagine how any commander could tolerate the humiliation of being directly sidelined, especially when Commander Shangjia Ren and Conrobel's supporter, the President, were political adversaries.

Since Conrobel did not choose to reveal the matter immediately, it meant that the army could still tolerate each other.

The purpose of Conrobel sounding the bugle was mainly to demonstrate their control over the army to him and Commander Shangjia Ren.

Now Brigadier General Norman was indeed frightened by Conrobel's command over the army.

As soon as the bugle sounded, the soldiers in the tents, lofts, and homesteads immediately assembled into formations under their commanders' leadership, each soldier radiant, their bayonets like a forest reflecting deadly intent in the sunset that chilled their enemies to the bone.

Perhaps to reinforce the intimidation towards Brigadier General Norman and Commander Shangjia Ren, the dark blue small (6-pound) field cannons were also brought out by Conrobel.

Brigadier General Norman said nothing, standing quietly, waiting for the complete assembly of the troops.

Nearly a thousand troops quickly assembled in Conrobel's headquarters, an officer approached Conrobel, saluted, and said: "Report to the Deputy Commander, the Paris Second Brigade's First Regiment, First Battalion has gathered completely!"

"Good!" Conrobel nodded with satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the stunned Brigadier General Norman and asked again, "Brigadier General Norman, why do you want to come to my military camp?"

This time Conrobel's tone changed from just now, speaking to Brigadier General Norman with severity.

In an instant, all the soldiers looked at Brigadier General Norman, the hostile glares further convinced Brigadier General Norman of his complete inability to seize control of this army.

Fortunately, Norman himself had no plans to seize the army, which undoubtedly provided him with more room for maneuver.

"Deputy Commander, I have been ordered by Commander Shangjia Ren to invite you and General Pello to the commander's residence for a meeting!" Brigadier General Norman tried his best to cover up for his superior Shangjia Ren's error.

"Really?" Conrobel pretended to question Brigadier General Norman.

"Really!" Brigadier General Norman swore firmly to Conrobel, "Commander Shangjia Ren specifically ordered me to find you!"

"Since it's Commander Shangjia Ren's orders, then I have no choice but to temporarily postpone the live ammunition firing!" Conrobel sighed and issued an order to disband the assembled troops.

Brigadier General Norman well understood that Conrobel's talk of live ammunition firing was essentially a threat to Norman's Paris First Brigade.

If the armies clashed, it was not just the bullets but even the artillery brought into play.

This was precisely the scenario Brigadier General Norman did not wish to see; a brigade against two brigades was virtually an impossible task.

"Commander, please come with me!" Brigadier General Norman gestured invitingly to Conrobel.

"Well then!" Conrobel walked slowly towards Brigadier General Norman.

"Deputy Commander, you cannot go!" A figure blocked Conrobel, it was the Chief of Staff of the Second Brigade and Conrobel's aide.

In the usual absence of Conrobel from the camp, the Chief of Staff was tasked with managing all affairs.

"Move aside! The commander invited me to discuss military matters, what are you blocking!" Conrobel rebuked harshly, criticizing his chief of staff.

"Deputy Commander, you cannot go!" The Chief of Staff stood firm, refusing to let Conrobel leave, the "straightforward boy" bluntly exposed Norman's "lie": "I heard Commander Shangjia Ren had Brigadier General Norman come to take over the Second Brigade, attempting to sideline you!"

Never expecting the face-off, Brigadier General Norman's expression changed swiftly, but before he could speak, Conrobel quickly retorted: "Where did you hear such nonsense! Commander Shangjia Ren is the highest military officer in the Seine Province, how could he be so insidious as to prison his subordinates! Am I right!"

"That's right!" Brigadier General Norman could only plaster a smile, aware that this was the red-and-white tactic playing before him.

"Deputy Commander, you cannot go!" The Chief of Staff continued to block Conrobel's way.

Conrobel finally "grew angry": "Someone! Take him away, lock him in the confinement room, and don't open the door without my orders!"

Two soldiers lifted the Chief of Staff of the Second Brigade and carried him away.

"Deputy Commander, you cannot go! Deputy Commander!" The Chief of Staff shouted while performing.

Now, even if the commander imprisons Canrobert, it will be to no avail; his aide will "escape" immediately and then lead the Second Brigade to start a civil war.

Brigadier General Norman can only hope Commander Changarnier won't let anger cloud his judgment; otherwise, even capturing Canrobert and Pello won't stop the Second Brigade and Third Brigade from rebelling.

Commander Changarnier's orders cannot surpass the directives of the Ministry of War.

"Brigadier General Norman, I apologize for the inconvenience. Let's go!" Canrobert said to Brigadier General Norman.

"Canrobert (Vice) Commander, I'm not sure if you have time to accompany me to the Third Brigade; General Pello has also been summoned by the commander!" Brigadier General Norman replied to Canrobert with a smile.

The two arrived together at the Third Brigade's camp, and the display of the Third Brigade was even more intimidating than the Second Brigade. Under General Pello's command, a troop of two thousand assembled in the wilderness around the camp, with several M1842 cannons positioned at the rear.

This convinced Brigadier General Norman that the commander likely could not compete with the President. After arriving in front of Pello, Norman repeated to Pello the words he had just spoken in Canrobert's military camp.

Pello also showed a skeptical expression after hearing this. The two argued a bit before Pello dismissed the troops and, along with Norman, headed to Changarnier's operations meeting place.

However, Pello did not take the core members of the Third Brigade with him.

As the three were riding towards Changarnier's meeting place, they encountered Norman's aide Ados halfway.

The three shared a knowing smile, after which Brigadier General Norman introduced his aide to Canrobert and Pello.

From atop their horses, Canrobert and Pello each shook hands with Ados.

If it weren't for Ados coming to "inform," they might have been in big trouble.

As the last rays of the setting sun bathed the earth with light and heat, the four finally arrived at Changarnier's operational meeting place.

Excluding Ados, the other three entered, and candles in the gold-gilded chandelier hanging from the ceiling were lit, illuminating the room.

Canrobert and Pello simultaneously saw Commander Changarnier's grim face and the somewhat weary expressions of the National Guard corps leaders.

"You're back!" Changarnier spoke with an unusually calm tone, seemingly difficult to equate with the person who had been demanding to strip Canrobert and Pello of their military command just hours prior.

"Yes! Due to the many trivial matters of the army, I couldn't arrive on time; I hope you'll forgive me, Commander!" Canrobert casually fabricated a reason.

Everyone present knew perfectly well where Canrobert and Pello actually went; now they could only pretend ignorance.

The operations meeting room was shrouded in deceit from this moment on.

"In that case, you two sit down!" Changarnier gestured for Canrobert and the others to sit in his place.

Once Canrobert and Pello were seated, Changarnier began to speak: "Ladies and gentlemen, the reason I've asked you here today is simple—it's to discuss something!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to Changarnier's words.

Changarnier paused, then continued: "In recent days, our army has been too entangled with politics, which affects the army's judgment and leads to a decline in combat effectiveness. We are soldiers, born to be loyal to the country! The army belongs to the nation, not to any individual or group privately!"

Saying this, Changarnier glanced at Canrobert and Pello, his meaning was clear without words: "I hope the army does not get too close to certain political figures; we should uphold a neutral attitude. I hope the Seine Province's army can avoid participating in too many political gatherings and focus on training to make France a top-tier strong army!"

Upon hearing this, Canrobert and Pello's expressions changed dramatically; they understood clearly what Changarnier meant.

The army should not overly associate with political figures? Wasn't this implying that they shouldn't be in contact with the President? Keeping the army neutral—this idea is laughable! When has an army ever truly been neutral? And those that claimed neutrality were disbanded long ago.

It's obvious Changarnier is targeting them!

"Commander, I don't understand what you mean by excessive entanglement with political figures! What exactly do you mean by political figures?" Canrobert stood up immediately, smiling, and questioned Commander Changarnier, his tone becoming increasingly aggressive.

"I believe I've made myself clear; it's all political figures!" Changarnier emphasized each word.

"Then may I ask Commander Changarnier, does this apply to the President as well?" Canrobert set a linguistic trap for Changarnier.

The President is a political figure, yet also the highest military officer in France, possessing both administrative and military power. Is this person considered a political figure?

"That will depend on your own judgment!" Changarnier cleverly avoided Canrobert's linguistic trap.

"Then may I conclude that we can attend the President's banquets but should avoid excessive contact with the parliament?" Canrobert pressed on.

"General Canrobert..."