Make France Great Again

"What do you think France should do to pursue overseas wealth? There are those in the government who believe focusing too much on overseas matters is a mistake!"

Jerome Bonaparte inquired with great interest, acknowledging that this distressed nobleman indeed had some skill.

"Mr. President, if I may speak bluntly! Anyone who holds such thoughts is short-sighted, only focusing on their current interests and not considering the future of the French Nation!"

The Marquis Alet spoke with unusual excitement, using both his hands and feet as if to emphasize the authority of his words.

From his expression, it seemed he was a staunch supporter of the naval expansion doctrine.

At this moment, a maid brought over pastries and two steaming cups of coffee, carefully sidestepping the Marquis Alet to place the pastries and coffee on the table.

Jerome Bonaparte picked up the steaming coffee, gently blew away the steam, took a sip, and continued, "Mr. Marquis, part of our operations in Algeria is still in a state of sustainable loss! How are you certain they will eventually turn a profit?"

"Mr. President, science!" Marquis Alet replied to Jerome Bonaparte with a confident tone: "I do not like the Great Revolution, but I must admit that after the Great Revolution, France's development began to soar. If we set the timeline back decades, who could have predicted the development of the railroads? Nowadays, the speed of railroads has reached 15-20 French leagues per hour (1 French league = 4 kilometers), and I believe such progress will only accelerate in the future. My ships will also grow larger. The goods we export will increase dramatically. At that point, regret will come too late!"

Though there were issues with some of Count Alet's statements, Jerome Bonaparte had to admit Marquis Alet had some valid points.

Why were there two world wars in the 20th century? It was because the interests of the colonies were unevenly distributed; latecomer nations could not take over colonies, leading to an inability to dump industrial products.

When there is no space to dump excess industrial products, the domestic market falls into depression, and excessive unemployment will also lead to more unrest.

The First and Second World Wars were inevitable events within chance; latecomer nations had no choice but to seize colonies.

"You mean our exports will increase, necessitating adequate sources of raw materials and dumping space, correct?" Jerome Bonaparte also tried to use simple language to address Marquis Alet.

"Sir, you are correct! I believe France should learn from the United Kingdom and occupy as much land as possible! If France can establish a series of naval fleets, then we can go further!" Marquis Alet responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"But our navy is far inferior to Britain's navy!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Marquis Alet with a frown, "Rashly building up the navy may provoke Britain's displeasure!"

"Sir!" Marquis Alet replied frankly to Jerome Bonaparte, "Even if we do nothing, we will still incur Britain's animosity! The former Emperor made all of Europe fear us. We must arm our navy until Britain dares not underestimate us, only then will they sit down to negotiate with us! The Anglo-Saxon people are inherently bullies; their merchant mindset will not allow them to make a loss-making business."

Marquis Alet's words gave Jerome Bonaparte a sense of inexplicable familiarity, and after a moment of thinking, he suddenly realized that Marquis Alet's theory was none other than what Mahan later called the "Fleet in Being."

Jerome Bonaparte pondered carefully about historical cases of successful fleet presence and suddenly found that the fleet in being had little chance of success.

The German Second Empire squandered a massive amount of Gold Marks on creating a fleet in being that the German Emperor was proud of, only to have it blocked by Britain at their doorstep, eventually ending its life by scuttling.

Although Marquis Alet has a major misconception about naval fleets, compared to his contemporaries, he has undoubtedly taken the lead, which no doubt refreshed Jerome Bonaparte's understanding of the era.

Jerome Bonaparte's silence made Marquis Alet a bit uneasy. He decided to disclose another piece of news to the President, believing that in his busy schedule, the President would not notice this information.

"Mr. President, before I left, the navy was developing a new type of gunship! If successful, we could confront Britain with superior warships!" Marquis Alet said excitedly to Jerome Bonaparte.

"The latest gunship?" In Jerome Bonaparte's mind appeared the words "Ironclad Warship."

If he remembered correctly, France was the first country in the world to build an ironclad warship.

"Exactly! We plan to cover the exterior of the hull with heavy iron and power it with a steam engine..." Marquis Alet passionately explained to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte became more convinced that the latest model gunship Marquis Alet was referring to was indeed the future ironclad ship.

Before, his proposal might have stemmed from a sense of guilt and offered some form of compensation, but now he couldn't help but admire the distressed Marquis's talent.

In the "open and inclusive" France, there has never been a so-called grudge over losing one's wife. Conversely, being excessively obsessed with one's wife without mistresses was considered a sign of weakness.

In the eyes of the "rebellious" Parisians, marriage was merely a union of advantages, while a lover represented emotional fulfillment.

"Mr. President? Sir?"

Marquis Alet's voice echoed in Jerome Bonaparte's ears, and coming to his senses, Jerome Bonaparte offered an apologetic smile to Marquis Alet, saying, "I am truly sorry!"

"No... it's nothing!" Marquis Alet replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Thank you for taking the time to listen to me!"

"Mr. Marquis! I have a suggestion!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Marquis Alet.

"Please speak!" Marquis Alet made a gesture of keen attention.

"Mr. Marquis, I wonder if you have any interest in returning to the navy!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Marquis Alet, "I personally think a person like you should not be confined here!"

Jerome Bonaparte's words left Marquis Alet's mind in a blank.

If it hadn't been for forced retirement, he certainly would not have wanted to leave the navy.

"Pres... Mr. President, thank you very much..." Count Alet's lips trembled, and his body shook slightly with excitement.

"It's nothing! It's just a small gesture!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Marquis Alet.

Then he glanced at his pocket watch; it was already 7:30 in the morning, and a ray of sunshine shone through the window lattice of the mansion, lighting up Jerome Bonaparte's face.

In Marquis Alet's eyes, Jerome Bonaparte appeared like an angel descending to save his soul.

"It's not early! I must return to the Elysee Palace!" Jerome Bonaparte rose to bid farewell to Marquis Alet.

"Allow me to see you off!" Marquis Alet hurriedly got up to see Jerome Bonaparte off.

The originally planned escort of the President by Marquis Alet himself was interrupted when he saw the carriage and the palace guards waiting outside the castle for some time.

"Mr. Marquis, please stay!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to Marquis Alet.

Under Marquis Alet's gaze, Jerome Bonaparte left the Marquis's residence by carriage.

Returning to the residence, Marquis Alet quickly went upstairs and stopped in front of the Marchioness's door, gently knocking.

"Come in!" came the Marchioness's voice.

Marquis Alet quickly entered and saw the Marchioness gazing out the window.

"Did you..." Marquis Alet couldn't help but want to ask.

"What's the matter?" the Marchioness turned and smiled at Marquis Alet.

"Nothing!" Marquis Alet shook his head and turned to leave.

After all, they were just a marriage of convenience; he had no right to interfere with her.

Thinking of this, Marquis Alet's lips curled into a faint, bitter smile.

On the other hand, Jerome Bonaparte did not immediately return to the Elysee Palace as he said, but instead attempted to try his luck at the Ministry of the Navy Building.

[The Minister of the Navy appointed by Jerome Bonaparte was a diligent person, often inspecting warships at various ports, spending very little time at the Ministry. Yet, he could always complete tasks brilliantly.]

When Jerome Bonaparte entered the Ministry of the Navy Building, almost all members of the ministry looked towards him.

"Is your minister here?" Jerome Bonaparte asked kindly.

"Yes! Yes!" The ministry's attendant nodded eagerly.

"Please take me to see him!" Jerome Bonaparte summoned the Secretary of State at the Ministry to lead him to the minister's office.

When Jerome Bonaparte gently pushed open the door of the Minister of the Navy's office, he was somewhat surprised by the scene before him.

Piles of documents were stacked like mountains on the minister's desk, leaving only narrow gaps between them. Through these gaps, Jerome Bonaparte saw the minister he had appointed.

He was using both hands as a pillow, lying on the desk, seemingly in a deep sleep. The chandelier candles hanging from the ceiling of the minister's office had burned out, leaving only wisps of white smoke.

All signs suggested the Minister of the Navy probably hadn't rested all night.

The Secretary of State shook his head, intending to wake their minister, but was stopped by Jerome Bonaparte.

"Has your minister been here all night?"