Make France Great Again

After the other ministers left one after another, only Minister Reniao and Jerome Bonaparte were left in the reception room.

"Minister Reniao, actually..." Jerome Bonaparte smiled with relief and said in a slightly cordial tone, "You really didn't have to do this!"

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War must ensure consistent orders!" Minister Reniao, with a slightly weathered face, showed a soldier's decisiveness, "If I continue to stay in the position at the Ministry of War, it would be a trouble for you, me, and General Saint Arno, especially at this critical moment!"

Minister Reniao knew his own issues and decisively chose to withdraw now, merely to allow Saint Arno and the President to appreciate it.

After all, Saint Arno, like him, held the rank of Major General, and serving as Secretary of State was already a demotion.

Reniao himself also understood that Saint Arno's arrival was to one day take his place. Although he had some resentment in his heart about this, he did not delay the President's established policies because of it.

Through cooperation with General Saint Arno, Minister Reniao gradually understood the President's reason for letting General Saint Arno replace him.

General Saint Arno, coming from North Africa, indeed had a more decisive attitude and a determination never to give up until the task was completed, more so than him.

Minister Reniao, who had stayed in the headquarters for many years, only wanted to seek cooperation through mutual compromise. Saint Arno mercilessly expelled those who did not yield to them from the army.

This kind of character could only be honed in life and death situations in Algeria, and Minister Reniao gradually came to agree with Saint Arno becoming his deputy.

A soldier's instinct told him that after he helped the President deal with Changarnier, it would be his time to leave.

"Your Majesty, I have thought about this matter for a long time!" Minister Reniao showed what he considered an open-minded smile to Jerome Bonaparte, "At the beginning, I didn't want to leave either! But as time went by, I found many areas where I fell short, so I requested a transfer to a local position..."

"Since Minister Reniao you have already made up your mind, then I won't dissuade you!" Jerome Bonaparte shrugged and said to Minister Reniao, "How about going to Strasbourg as a commander?"

"I am willing to follow your order!" Reniao responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Once you are in Strasbourg, you must closely monitor the movements of Germany and report to Paris immediately if there is any issue!" Jerome Bonaparte solemnly instructed Minister Reniao, "I suspect a major war might break out between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire!"

In Jerome Bonaparte's memory, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire would commence the first round of probing attacks on November 6 at Aumitz. However, at that time, the King of Prussia backed down quickly, and there was no war, ending hastily between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire.

The Kingdom of Prussia was not punished after backing down, partly because of Felix Schwarzenberg's strategic considerations, and also due to the support of France and Russia, especially his cousin's almost sycophantic backing.

However, his cousin's backing did not receive the goodwill of Frederick William IV; instead, it earned Frederick William IV's hostility.

Historically, his cousin had supported the Kingdom of Prussia through the Legislative Assembly remotely one day, moving a large number of troops to the border, only to be confronted the next day by Frederick William IV of the Kingdom of Prussia forming a Conservative coalition to intervene in France.

When Jerome Bonaparte saw this section in his past life, he felt a sense of absurdity.

What reason led his cousin to stubbornly align with Prussia? Was it an obsession with Germany?

After truly experiencing the domination of Conservatism in Europe, Jerome Bonaparte suddenly understood Louis Napoleon's thoughts.

Without God's perspective, Bonaparte's notoriety after the Vienna Congress far surpassed that of the Russian Empire, and even the Austrian Empire, which loathed the Russian Empire, had to express even more dislike for France.

From the historical perspective then, Louis Napoleon could not completely tear through the principles of legitimacy relying solely on his own strength. He needed a collaborator, a challenger, and both the Kingdom of Prussia and the Sardinian Kingdom fit the role of challengers perfectly.

At that time, it seemed the Kingdom of Prussia was far from matching the Austrian Empire, and supporting the weak against the strong was France's strategy toward Germany.

If a powerful nation wanted to annex the weak, France would transform into a warrior of justice, striking it with a strong fist.

Seeing this, Jerome Bonaparte's cousin chose to support Prussia in resisting the Austrian Empire to achieve his goals, only he both overestimated and underestimated.

He overestimated Frederick William IV's integrity and underestimated the strength of the Kingdom of Prussia.

This cost him dearly in the subsequent Franco-Prussian War; one could say the Battle of Austerlitz directly affected the judgments of Russia, Austria, and France regarding Prussia.

If the Kingdom of Prussia's retreating technology weren't so swift, perhaps the later unification wars of Prussia would have been more perilous.

Jerome Bonaparte believed Felix Schwarzenberg, supported by France and Russia, would never be satisfied with just a superficial punishment of Prussia. As long as the Austrian Empire oppressed the Kingdom of Prussia harshly enough, the Kingdom of Prussia would certainly resist.

Once Prussia mobilized, its strength of 550,000 troops would surely shock the whole of Europe.

If the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire, then Jerome Bonaparte could advocate for the Kingdom of Prussia's revenge theory to expand the army.

If the Austrian Empire defeats the Kingdom of Prussia, Jerome Bonaparte can demand Saar from Felix Schwarzenberg.

If Felix Schwarzenberg chooses not to fulfill his promise, Jerome Bonaparte can also continue to promote the theory of revenge domestically to expand the military.

Reduce reserve time, increase the number of recruits annually, and establish a mobile guard.

These actions need to be driven by nationalistic fervor.

No matter the outcome, France wins!

Commonly known as a win-win!

Jerome Bonaparte's advice made Minister Reniao realize the significant burden he carried, and he hurriedly assured Jerome Bonaparte: "I will always keep an eye on the movements of the Kingdom of Prussia!"

"Minister Reniao, you should go back and prepare! I'm afraid time might be running out!" Jerome Bonaparte patted Minister Reniao's shoulder and sighed.

"Yes!" Minister Reniao nodded in understanding and then left the reception room.

October 31, 1850.

On this day, less than a day before the opening of the Legislative Assembly, Minister of War General Reniao submitted his resignation letter to Jerome Bonaparte.

Minister Reniao's actions puzzled Montalambert and others, as in their impression, Reniao had always been a trusted aide of the President. Why would he submit his resignation at this critical moment?

Could it be that the President is no longer able to control the military?

A nervously Montalambert quickly headed to the Elysee Palace, and under the guidance of Valerovsky, met with Jerome Bonaparte.

"Mr. President!" Montalambert slightly bowed to Jerome Bonaparte, showing respect.

"Please have a seat!" Jerome Bonaparte invited Montalambert to sit down. He put down his quill and smiled as he asked, "Mr. Montalambert, I wonder what brings you here?"

"Mr. President, my friends and I are very worried about you!" Montalambert said indirectly to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte looked at Montalambert with a slight smile and said, "Mr. Montalambert, you're wondering about the situation with the army, aren't you?"

"Exactly!" Montalambert decided to be straightforward: "My friends and I are very concerned about your control over the army."

"Don't worry! This is just a routine adjustment!" Jerome Bonaparte quickly explained to Montalambert: "Prussia and Austria are currently engaged in an unprecedented battle, and we must stay vigilant, so I appointed General Reniao as the commander of Strasbourg to prevent France from being dragged into the conflict."

"In that case, we're relieved!" Since Jerome Bonaparte's faction hadn't changed, Montalambert and others chose not to break away. He exhaled a sigh of relief and said to Jerome Bonaparte in a relaxed tone: "Mr. President, the Legislative Assembly is about to begin!"

"Indeed! I should also prepare the speech for the meeting!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled and issued a polite dismissal to Montalambert.

After Montalambert left the Elysee Palace, Jerome Bonaparte's mouth curled into a contemptuous smile, and he quietly muttered, "No wonder they belong to the Order Party!"

The opportunistic behavior of the Order Party members made Jerome Bonaparte feel disdain.

Compared to them, the members of the Bonaparte Faction were truly a "refreshing stream."

However, their daring behavior was directly proportional to their corruption. From Marcel Yale's report, it showed that in the recent period, the Bonaparte Faction had embezzled nearly seventy million francs in total.

Among them, Minister of Railways Mornay and Minister of Public Works Percy had amassed the most, leveraging public resources to acquire funds legally.

Jerome Bonaparte once considered whether to distance Mornay and Percy from their positions. After careful consideration, Jerome Bonaparte found that the corruption of Percy and Mornay had not delayed project progress; instead, it had accelerated it, so he chose to turn a blind eye.

As long as France's industrial growth far exceeded the money they embezzled, Jerome Bonaparte could tolerate them.

Otherwise, they would have to face Jerome Bonaparte's sanctions at any time.

That afternoon, a new appointment letter was issued, appointing General Saint Arno as the new Minister of War.

At the same time, Brigadier General Leboeuf was appointed as the President's Aide, concurrently serving as Head of the Secretariat, and the previously unknown Benjamin Clemenceau was appointed as Secretary of State.