Make France Great Again

The constitution of the Second Republic stipulates that the President possesses the undisputed supreme military command of all of France, and no one would question this power, which even the Legislative Assembly cannot shake.

However, the Permanent Committee did not anticipate that Jerome Bonaparte would disregard decorum so much as to choose to act in the Legislative Assembly.

This means that the President's executive power is not affected by the recess of the Legislative Assembly, while the legislative power held by the Legislative Assembly and the power to dissolve the Cabinet are stalled during recess. Naturally, the President's order for the Ministry of War to dismiss Changarnier comes as no surprise.

Not to mention that the Order Party is now facing a split, because the foolish statements of the Count of Chambord in France have led the Orthodox Faction and the Church Faction within the Order Party to begin following Chambord's lead, diverging towards the Elysee Palace and the Republican Faction.

Overall, in this confrontation with the Order Party, the President has decisively won.

The persuasion that took place in the Elysee Palace was just a routine probe by the Order Party.

Jerome Bonaparte used the pretext of "the Republic grants the President power" to silence Audion Barrot and Montalambert.

At this point, Audion Barrot could only sigh, revealing his final card.

"If you are really determined to dismiss General Changarnier, we will have to re-evaluate whether your Cabinet is still capable of leading France once the Assembly resumes," Audion Barrot hinted with a tone of threat.

However, the threat from Audion Barrot was far less severe than Jerome Bonaparte had imagined. He had thought the Legislative Assembly would cast a vote of no confidence against him, but who would have thought the Assembly didn't even have the courage to fight back and merely targeted his Cabinet.

A trace of contempt flashed in Jerome Bonaparte's eyes, and his words were laced with disdain: "Mr. Barrow, do as you please. I believe the eyes of all French people are bright! If things really become irreparable, then let all French citizens vote and decide for themselves."

Audion Barrot and the Order Party members behind him turned pale, as the threat of a referendum wielded by Jerome Bonaparte was like a sharp blade to them. They had worked so hard to keep the mob at bay and couldn't allow Jerome Bonaparte to bring them in.

"Mr. President, I trust the Legislative Assembly will make a fair judgment. Overusing the power of the mob could backfire!" Montalambert said to Jerome Bonaparte with a compromising stance.

"I also trust that the sacred Legislative Assembly will make a fair and strict judgment!" Though inwardly disdainful of the Legislative Assembly, Jerome Bonaparte still posed as if he respected it, maintaining a compromising demeanor to give those members the illusion of wanting to resolve issues within the framework.

After some discussion, Jerome Bonaparte and the Order Party members did not reach any substantial compromise.

Jerome Bonaparte, with his tough stance, did not make any concessions regarding the issue of Changarnier.

Audion Barrot and Montalambert, along with other members, could only return without success. When they returned to Puevert Street, they were met by Thiers, who had been waiting for some time.

"How did the talks go?" Thiers, who had little hope for the negotiations, routinely asked.

Sitting on the couch, Audion Barrot brewed a cup of coffee for himself, took a sip, and replied, "It was useless! The President no longer listens to any of our ideas, and he even ignores our threats!"

Montalambert shrugged as well: "What can we do now? File a lawsuit against the President? Or support Changarnier as the Speaker? We can't achieve either in a short time!"

Montalambert's words once again dampened the spirits of the members in the room, and many were already considering whether to look for a new patron to rely on in advance.

Thiers looked at Montalambert with a meaningfully faint smile and said, "Indeed, we have no more options!"

Thiers' "surrender" was undoubtedly a further blow to the team, and everyone glanced at Thiers in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that!" Thiers shrugged, sat next to Audion Barrot, and smilingly raised his coffee cup towards Audion Barrot: "Am I right, Mr. Barrow!"

Then, he glanced at Montalambert: "Right, Mr. Montalambert!"

Audion Barrot and Montalambert also smiled.

These three "old foxes" in politics already knew each other's schemes well.

"Alas!" Thiers sighed, speaking to himself: "I wonder if we can get together like this next time."

After finishing this, Thiers downed his coffee and left.

Audion Barrot and Montalambert sat facing each other in silence for a while, not saying a word.

Then the two left Puevert Street one after the other.

Puevert Street, which once carried the "dreams" of the Order Party, has gradually become just an ordinary room now.

On October 1, 1850, it was the last day for Changarnier to be relieved of his duties and leave Tuileries Palace.

Under the proud sun of October, a carriage sped out from the Elysee Palace and quickly arrived at the entrance of the Ministry of War.

Early in the morning, General Saint Arno and others who were waiting at the entrance of the Ministry of War hurriedly jogged to the door of the carriage upon seeing the carriage emblazoned with the Bonaparte Family Emblem.

The carriage door slowly opened, and the joy on General Saint Arno's face turned to astonishment. He never expected that the person inside the carriage would be the President himself. This is the kind of matter that the President's secretary should handle; why should the President personally be troubled?

"Your Majesty?" General Saint Arno looked at Jerome with some confusion.

"Come on up!" Jerome Bonaparte said indifferently.

"Yes!" General Saint Arno stepped onto the lowered steps and entered the carriage.

The carriage door closed again, and the carriage once more galloped.

Seated opposite Jerome Bonaparte, General Saint Arno sat upright and said nothing, bringing the carriage into a temporary silence.

When the carriage sped to the banks of the Seine River, seeing the carriage amidst the busy workers on both sides of the bustling Seine, Jerome Bonaparte spoke, "General Saint Arno!"

"Yes!" General Saint Arno promptly responded.

"After a while, you will serve as the Minister of War!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Saint Arno.

"Alright!" Saint Arno instinctively replied, only to realize a few seconds later and uttered an "Ah."

"Very surprised?" Jerome Bonaparte turned to ask Saint Arno.

"No..." Saint Arno hastily denied, cautiously asking, "Minister Reniao, he..."

"General Reniao will go to Strasbourg to serve as the Commander of the Strasbourg Frontier Army!" Jerome Bonaparte straightforwardly told Saint Arno.

"Yes!" General Saint Arno immediately responded.

"General Saint Arno, don't you want to ask why I arranged things this way?" Jerome Bonaparte asked with a meaningful smile.

"A soldier's duty is to obey orders!" Saint Arno responded to Jerome Bonaparte resolutely.

"Very good!" Jerome Bonaparte showed a satisfied smile to Saint Arno, as he didn't like soldiers who questioned too much – such soldiers tended to become red elements.

To placate any feelings of unease his subordinate might have, Jerome Bonaparte explained to General Saint Arno, "The parliament will pass a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet after it reopens. This is the price we pay for removing Changarnier! General Reniao is likely to be dismissed when the Cabinet falls; I hope you can succeed him after General Reniao's dismissal. When the separation of power is complete, you will take over as Chief of Staff.

Moreover, General Reniao's character isn't suitable for the upcoming actions. He has been excessively lenient towards the enemy."

Jerome Bonaparte's words dispelled General Saint Arno's internal suspicions that Jerome Bonaparte intended to discard and destroy, and regarding the latter part of Jerome Bonaparte's words, General Saint Arno felt somewhat empathetic.

Minister Reniao had always been too "kind" to those "enemies" within the Ministry of War, always leaving a way out for some that could have been purged by more severe means.

According to Saint Arno's own perspective, retirement was the best option for some die-hard elements.

Though agreeing inwardly with the President's remarks, Saint Arno outwardly maintained an attitude of protecting his superior.

After all, the President merely asked Minister Reniao to temporarily leave the decision-making center. Whether he could return was entirely up to the President.

"The Minister, he's too trusting of others!" Saint Arno apparently blamed, but in fact, it was a roundabout way of calling the Minister "honest."

"I hope when you serve as Minister of War, you ensure command orders are implemented smoothly," Jerome Bonaparte instructed Saint Arno, then added, "By the way, after you become Minister of War, I will appoint someone for your current position. However, the next person will not simultaneously hold multiple positions like you. Do you have any recommendations?"

Moved by Jerome Bonaparte's trust, Saint Arno, cautiously suggested to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, I believe Brigadier General Leboeuf's capability is sufficient to assist you in leading the Ministry of War, while a civilian would be best suited to be Secretary of State!"

"Alright! I understand!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded in response to Saint Arno.

The carriage passed by the banks of the Seine River, passed through the streets of Revolution Square, and eventually arrived at their final destination, the outer gardens of Tuileries Palace.