Make France Great Again

"As soon as the 'notification' was issued, the entire Ministry of War was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. The entire department fell silent, whether it was the academic military bureaucrats or the practical soldiers, all understood that a conflict was imminent in Paris and that the whole city might fall into chaos.

Fortunately, thanks to the reorganization by Minister Renio and General Saint Arno, the Ministry of War did not descend into the state of panic from a month ago due to this notification, and the whole department continued to operate in an orderly fashion.

At 8:30 in the morning, the heads and deputy heads of departments and above within the Ministry of War received a notice from Minister Renio that a meeting would be held at 9:30, and all departments were instructed to restrain their members to prevent leaks.

Everyone in the department knew that this was probably the pre-war mobilization of the Ministry of War.

Thus, the mid-level bureaucrats in the various departments of the Ministry of War first warned their subordinates not to cause trouble, and some heads even implemented a system of mutual supervision among their officials to ensure that no one leaked information, which could implicate themselves.

Around 8:50, officials of department and deputy department level successively arrived at the meeting location, finding their seats according to their rank and the names placed on the table.

By 9:10, all directors and deputy directors were in their places, and the bureau chiefs and deputy chiefs began to arrive at their corresponding seats one after another.

At 9:20, Secretariat members, represented by Bazan and Trocch, arrived at the venue and sat down.

Minister Renio and General Saint Arno arrived at 9:25, but surprisingly, they did not sit in the host positions, instead sitting to the left and right of the host seat.

At 9:30, an unexpected person appeared in the Ministry of War.

"Hello, everyone!" Jerome Bonaparte, who was supposed to be at the Elysee Palace, appeared in the Ministry of War, and judging by his appearance, he was meant to host this meeting.

Indeed, Jerome Bonaparte smiled and sat in the seat that was supposed to belong to Minister Renio.

"I didn't originally intend to come!!" Jerome Bonaparte cleared his throat and spoke in a calm tone: "However, since this operation is extremely important, I had no choice but to come in person!"

After saying this, Jerome Bonaparte's eyes turned sharp, and his tone became aggressive: "Gentlemen, I assume you all understand the significance of this morning's announcement!"

He paused, seemingly talking to himself: "That's right, I am removing Commander Shang Jia'ngnie from his post! For two years — two whole years, Shang Jia'ngnie has been ineffective in this position! I absolutely will not allow such idle loafers to exist in the army. His existence is the greatest desecration to us, to this pure army!"

"Exactly! We must eradicate incompetent generals like Shang Jia'ngnie!" Minister Renio chimed in supportively.

"We will not tolerate Shang Jia'ngnie's conduct, and for individuals like him, we must maintain a zero-tolerance attitude! I require you all to maintain a state of unofficial martial law, ready to deal with emergencies at any time. If any problem arises, it must be dealt with immediately!" Jerome Bonaparte's stern expression, combined with his face resembling that of his uncle, exerted an invisible pressure on the bureaucrats of the Ministry of War: "For us, it is now an extremely critical time, and we cannot afford to be complacent! Anyone who dares to neglect their duties or leak information at this time is a traitor to the entire country and nation, and the military tribunal will be their final destination, understood?"

"Understood!" Faced with Jerome Bonaparte's blatant threat, the already tamed bureaucrats and the soldiers inclined towards Bonaparte had no possibility of resistance. They responded loudly, demonstrating their loyalty with a firm attitude.

"Of course, there is nothing for you to fear!" After the harsh words, Jerome Bonaparte shared some good news: "The Paris Second Brigade and Third Brigade, as well as most of the National Guard brigadiers, lean towards us! They will all loyally execute the Ministry of War's orders! You only need to suppress those members who are unwilling to obey orders!"

"Yes!" The Ministry of War's officials visibly breathed a sigh of relief. With two brigades willing to follow their command, they were confident they could suppress the single brigade under Shang Jia'ngnie.

"Alright! I've said what I needed to say; the rest is up to your minister and secretary of state!" Jerome Bonaparte said calmly as he bid farewell to the Ministry of War members.

Before leaving the meeting place, Jerome Bonaparte did not forget to give the Ministry of War members a bit of a boost: "Please rest assured! Your efforts are seen by God! God will reward them with everything they desire!"

After declining the escort request from Minister Renio and Minister Saint Arno, Jerome Bonaparte departed alone from the back door, leaving the Ministry of War in an unremarkable black carriage. His next destination was the headquarters of the Havas News Agency. He intended to use this time to stir up something for Commander Shang Jia'ngnie.

After Jerome Bonaparte's departure, Minister Renio took Jerome Bonaparte's seat, and with his distinctive gruff voice, he sternly said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you now understand what you are about to face! So let me remind you that we are facing a war that absolutely cannot be lost. I know some of you may become complacent due to the president's earlier remarks, so we must remain even more vigilant..."

General Saint Arno also took over from Minister Reniao and continued, "In any case, the world is always a mix of challenges and opportunities. Whatever you want, you must strive to obtain it. As the President just mentioned, the dangers we face are insignificant compared to the rewards! I sincerely hope you will strive for your careers!"

Next, Minister Reniao began strategic deployment.

Thanks to the decree a month ago, the Ministry of War gained absolute control over the army.

Minister Reniao swiftly ordered members of the Ministry of War to head to the stations of the National Guard and the army to deliver Jerome Bonaparte's notifications to each unit commander. If necessary, they could also appropriately threaten the commanders to make them too afraid to disobey orders.

"Once Shang Jia'nie is relieved from his position, Major General Charles Kuzen Montebon will succeed him as the regular army commander, while General Balagie Delie will take over as the National Guard commander!" Minister Reniao proceeded to explain to the Ministry of War bureaucrats about Shang Jia'nie's position arrangement: "After all, the dual role as both the regular army commander and the National Guard commander was a temporary expedient from the beginning! The National Guard, established by those big shots, is no match for our loyal army... they always cause us a series of troubles!"

The bureaucrats present at the Ministry of War understood Minister Reniao's meaning; compared to the "honest" army, the National Guard was indeed too troublesome.

From 1815, 1830, to 1848, from the First Empire to the Orleans Kingdom, the army formed by these petite bourgeoisie always played a role in fueling the flames.

Whether it was Jerome Bonaparte or historically Louis Napoleon, they both did not like these troublemakers.

Moreover, the cost of utilizing the National Guard was several times greater than that of the regular army, yet the efficiency presented was far inferior to the regular army.

"Alright! The meeting is adjourned! You should all perform your respective duties!" Minister Reniao and General Saint Arno stood up and left.

The Ministry of War officials followed Minister Reniao and General Saint Arno as they left.

A large net was encircling Shang Jia'nie, and at the end of the net was the image of Jerome Bonaparte's gang poised for a coup.

...

That afternoon, a newspaper affiliated with the Elysee Palace published a command that seemed to be directed at the First Division in May (during May 1848, Shang Jia'nie was the head of the First Division, so the command could only have been issued by him. This command was found by Jerome Bonaparte after sifting through the Ministry of Internal Affairs' files.), advising officers not to be lenient with the traitors within their ranks during a rebellion and to deploy troops following the National Assembly's guidelines.

Once this news was released, Shang Jia'nie once again became the most prominent figure in Paris.

Although Shang Jia'nie repeatedly denied issuing this command at the time, claiming that it was all slander by the Elysee Palace's subsidiary newspapers, given the dubious nature of his role in May 1848, it was possible that Shang Jia'nie proposed this command.

Under the insinuation of Jerome Bonaparte, the Cabinet raised questions on the issue, and Minister of Internal Affairs Barroso and Minister of Justice Rue even pointed the suspicion towards the Legislative Assembly.

The Permanent Committee had to intervene during recess to defend Shang Jia'nie.

On September 29, Rue appeared in the Bourbon Palace, standing at the podium and shouting at General Shang Jia'nie below, "I hope that General Shang Jia'nie can provide a detailed explanation regarding the events of May 1848! Why did you issue such a command at that time?"

"I did not issue such a command!"

Facing Rue's baseless accusations, Shang Jia'nie firmly responded.

"Then what about the documents in my hand?" Rue slammed the podium's documents forcefully and rebuked loudly.

"Who knows where you got your bogus materials from!" Shang Jia'nie looked towards the members of the Permanent Committee and candidly stated, "Gentlemen, you can completely trust me! I am currently with you all!"

"We demand that Shang Jia'nie prove his innocence within twenty-four hours, or we will proceed with judicial prosecution against General Shang Jia'nie!"