Chapter 246 The Last Obstacle
It is said that while some rejoice, others lament.
As Louis Philippe's death and Count of Chambord's "open letter" plunged the Orléans and Orthodox factions into chaos and despair, Jerome Bonaparte, inspecting the troops in faraway Strasbourg, was extraordinarily excited.
Staying at the independent camp, Jerome Bonaparte's face showed a joyful expression. After pacing back and forth, he excitedly tapped a newspaper on the desk and said to Valerovsky, "I told you those guys couldn't succeed!"
Valerovsky's face also showed a smile. In his view, with the appearance of the Count of Chambord's "open letter," the Order Party was inevitably facing internal collapse.
Valerovsky once again recalled how more than a month ago, the president had spoken to him with certainty, saying, "The Orléans and Orthodox factions will inevitably break." There was a hint of awe in his eyes.
To follow such a president, one wonders whether it's a blessing or a curse.
"Your Excellency, what should we do now?" Valerovsky asked Jerome Bonaparte in a submissive tone.
"We don't need to do anything!" Jerome Bonaparte sat back in his chair and, with an air of confidence, said to Valerovsky, "Trust me! In just a few days, some among them will come to us!"
"This..." Valerovsky hesitated for a moment. He still had some disbelief regarding Jerome Bonaparte.
In the following days, Jerome Bonaparte slowly inspected Strasbourg's troops and had private conversations with local mine owners, promising them an additional batch of railway stocks, without mentioning the situation in Paris.
It wasn't until Valerovsky placed a telegram from Paris on Jerome Bonaparte's desk that he opened the telegram to see the latest word from Paris.
The telegram was personally sent from the Elysee Palace in Paris by the head of the office, stating that recently, a batch of Orthodox and Orléans faction members hoped to join the Elysee Palace. Their numbers were large, and Mokar was hesitant to agree or refuse. He could only send a telegram to Strasbourg to inquire about Jerome Bonaparte's attitude.
"Tell Mokar, the Elysee Palace welcomes those members who wish to join the Bonaparte Faction!" Jerome Bonaparte immediately said to Valerovsky.
"Yes!" Valerovsky immediately went to the telegraph office to send a message to the Elysee Palace.
Since the telegraph was not far from the barracks, Valerovsky quickly sent the telegram to Paris.
Upon returning to Jerome Bonaparte's room, Jerome Bonaparte immediately issued a new order to Valerovsky: "It's time to return to Paris."
"So soon! But our trip…" Valerovsky inquired of Jerome Bonaparte.
"It must be quick; this is an opportunity we must seize," Jerome Bonaparte declared decisively.
Valerovsky obeyed Jerome Bonaparte's order, and the two set out for Paris on the 24th.
Upon hearing the news of Jerome Bonaparte's imminent departure, the Strasbourg commander and deputy commander both expressed their wishes for him to stay.
Unfortunately, Jerome Bonaparte was resolute in leaving, and the Strasbourg commander could only bid him farewell.
Under the gaze of the Strasbourg commander, deputy commander, and numerous division leaders, Jerome Bonaparte boarded the train from Strasbourg to Paris.
This train had just been completed two months ago, a small contribution Jerome Bonaparte had made to France.
To hasten the railway's completion, the Ministry of Railways worked tirelessly day and night, managing to finish ahead of schedule, though not without significant expense.
The initial funding and maintenance costs for the entire railway amounted to nearly 80 million francs, once again burdening the French people with the invisible foreign debt of Jerome Bonaparte's railway empire.
After a journey of two days and nights, the train finally arrived in Paris on September 26.
Since Jerome Bonaparte and Valerovsky had secretly slipped into Paris (publicly claiming they were heading to Nancy), there were no soldiers guarding the platform upon arrival.
When Jerome Bonaparte and Valerovsky quietly approached the gates of the Elysee Palace, the "Guard Army" responsible for its watch was surprised to see Jerome Bonaparte.
"Hello, Mr. President!" The "Guard Army" hurriedly saluted Jerome Bonaparte.
"Hello!" Jerome Bonaparte similarly returned their salute.
Returning to the study he had been away from for nearly two months, Jerome Bonaparte had a fleeting sense of being in another world. Glancing at the study's decor and furnishings, he muttered to himself, "It's almost time to leave!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a knock on the door rang out. Jerome Bonaparte quickly adjusted his posture and called out, "Come in!"
Prince Monfort entered, looking at Jerome Bonaparte in surprise as he asked, "Didn't you say you were going to Nancy? How did you return so quickly!"
"It's just to make an external announcement!" Jerome Bonaparte pleaded to Prince Monfort: "Father, could you please go and call General Saint Arno and Minister Renio over?"
"What do you plan to do?" Prince Monfort looked nervously at Jerome Bonaparte, thinking it might not be very wise to resort to absolute measures at this time.
"It's a secret!" Jerome Bonaparte said mysteriously.
Prince Monfort obeyed Jerome's order and took a carriage to the Ministry of War.
He found Minister Renio in the minister's office and then General Saint Arno, who was supervising the Secretariat's drafting of maps of the Near East, in the Secretariat/Staff Department.
After more than a year of concerted effort, the maps of the Near East and parts of the German Region were finally not the vague 1:32,000 scale used during the Franco-Prussian War.
"Marshal, Minister!" The arrival of Prince Monfort prompted the entire Secretariat staff to salute him.
Prince Monfort also returned the salute to everyone present and then called General Saint Arno into the minister's office.
"The President has returned!" Prince Monfort whispered to Saint Arno and Renio in the minister's office.
Minister Renio and Saint Arno displayed the same expression as Prince Monfort had before,
"What does the President want us to do?" General Saint Arno immediately responded.
Prince Monfort shook his head and said to the two of them, "He didn't say, just that you should meet with him!"
Prince Monfort, Minister Renio, and General Saint Arno left the Ministry of War together, taking a single carriage to the Elysee Palace to meet with Jerome Bonaparte.
"Your Majesty!" Minister Renio and General Saint Arno said in unison.
"Excellent! You finally arrived!" Jerome Bonaparte invited the two to sit down and said to them, "I want to dismiss Changarnier!"
"Hmm?" Minister Renio and Saint Arno looked somewhat puzzled at Jerome Bonaparte.
"The reason I hadn't forcibly dismissed Changarnier before was because I was worried he might use the Order Party's power to restrict us! Now..." Jerome Bonaparte said in a gloating tone, "They have already fallen into division. We must seize this opportunity to completely expel Changarnier from the ranks of the military!"
Minister Renio and General Saint Arno both smiled, finally able to kick the damned Changarnier out of the military.
As long as they uprooted the last nail planted by the Order Party in the military, they could completely control the army.
"Mr. President, after Changarnier's dismissal, who will take his position?" Minister Renio asked Jerome Bonaparte.
"After Changarnier, Charles Kuzan Montebon will be appointed Commander of the Regular Army. As for the National Guard, I have my own plans!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to Renio.
[Charles Kuzan Montebon (June 24, 1796 – January 8, 1878), historically known as the Count of Baili Bridge, in the timeline of Napoleon III, was discovered to become a general only in 1855. When Jerome Bonaparte purged the Ministry of War, he discovered the 'hero' who captured the Algerian national hero Abdul Kadir; at that time, his rank was still a colonel. Jerome Bonaparte promoted him one rank higher to brigadier general, and then during the state of martial law period, promoted him to major general, currently idle in Paris.]
"Yes!" Minister Renio understood that the President was particularly fond of appointing 'newcomers' to important positions, and he did not oppose this behavior.
After all, Renio himself was once elevated by Jerome Bonaparte back in the day.
"Alright! You can take action now!" After giving the order, Jerome Bonaparte reminded them again: "Remember to act quickly! You must take down Changarnier before they can react!"
"Yes!" Minister Renio and Saint Arno responded in unison.
Upon returning to the Ministry of War from the Elysee Palace, Minister Renio and Saint Arno quickly convened a brief meeting with all members of the Ministry of War.
"From now on, the Ministry of War must always be prepared for emergencies!" Minister Renio said with a serious and pressing demeanor.
The members of the Ministry of War, unaware of the true situation, sensed an impending storm from Minister Renio's words. They wanted to ask what was going to happen but dared not speak up.
Early the next morning, an order from the Elysee Palace reached the Ministry of War, and only then did the Ministry of War understand Minister Renio's words from the previous day.
"I, Jerome Bonaparte, President of the French Republic, by order of the highest military commander of France, hereby decide to dismiss Changarnie as National Guard Commander, Commander of the Seine Province Garrison, effective immediately."
The notice bore the date September 27, 1850.