Napoleon in 1812

Chapter 34

6. Paris, City of Light – 4

“Well… Your Majesty! Your Majesty’s heart for the soldiers who are loyal to the Empire is surely holy. However, if we return to the conscription law of 1808, many of the imperial soldiers will either be discharged from the army, or will be forced out of age.”

“…We just calculated that at least 250,000 soldiers would be able to take off their uniforms in accordance with the standards Your Majesty requires. How are we going to fill the gap in military power that will definitely not be small?”

There was such a backlash that members of the Imperial Council, who had only served as rubber stamp, said so with embarrassed expressions. Though the expedition to the East was over, in their opinion, France still needed a ‘huge army’. First of all, the war had not yet ended on the Iberian Peninsula, and Prussia and Austria were showing signs of rebellion. Even the seemingly loyal satellite countries would be a little nervous if France were to cut its troops.

In other words, the French Great Army was putting a pressure to prevent these reactions. Their remarks seemed reasonable at first glance.

But not for Napoleon.

“Now that the war with Russia is over, I wonder if it is necessary to strictly maintain the Grande Armée (Great Army) with 400,000 or 500,000 soldiers. You’re worried about France if its big army disappears? Why are you so anxious when I am sitting as Emperor of this Empire?”

Napoleon showed a frenzied degree of confidence, and the members of the Council unconsciously nodded and found themselves accepting. He ended up in wars and battles with numerous nations and eventually put the flag of victory in the enemy camp. Napoleon, the Emperor who returned from the peak of his military achievements at the Battle of Hrodna against Russia, deserved to say such wild words.

“I rather think that many armies are destabilizing the Empire. It’s an idea that includes both economic and political reasons.”

Napoleon’s ideal form of state and army was one in which a proper number of well-trained standing forces were maintained. If the number of troops was large, there were many cards available in the war. There were times when it could help in international diplomatic battles.

However, it was a problem that it caused huge maintenance and social costs.

If disarmament was achieved, the young French people who had been liberated from military service would start a new life and job. Their youth and dynamism would breathe new life into France’s economy. In fact, this was the policy intended and pursued.

“A hundred wild dogs can’t stand ten lions. We don’t need a large army. We just need soldiers who have the will to fight with the heart of warriors on the cold battlefield, and who are united with passionate patriotism to protect the Empire. It’s time for us to re-select and recruit the ‘suitable’ soldiers over the many.”

At the Emperor’s words, the lawmakers remembered the French army in the early days of the French Republic and Empire. The first soldiers were also forced to serve under the state conscription laws, but they were braver, stronger and more dedicated than anyone else on the battlefield. Such an army was born because the military selected those who had the right physical conditions and spirit as soldiers.

On the other hand, how about now?

The valiant troops of the past had all been consumed by the war, and those with bodies and spirits who were not fit to serve as soldiers were sent to fill their numbers. The quality of the army had naturally declined, and the invincible French army, which had been on the winning path, had had to taste the bitterness of defeat in various battlefields.

“We have put Russia to sleep, the greatest enemy of the Empire. Prussia and Austria are weighed down by our dignity. The war on the peninsula remains, but there is no need for a large army in that harsh land. Don’t be nervous. Even if the number of troops decreases, there is no enemy country that would threaten to change France.”

After Napoleon’s words, the Council of the Empire fell in silence. But then applause began to be heard one by one, and before they knew it, it filled the interior of the parliament hall. It was clearly a hotter and more enthusiastic procession of applause than Napoleon received when he first entered here.

Some lawmakers looked at Napoleon and did not hide their surprised looks.

They looked like they did not expect the Emperor to persuade them by showing his sincerity in this way. Napoleon, of course, was able to turn them into rubber stamps like the previous Nabot. But he was well aware that power, which was not checked and advised, decayed, decreased, and eventually self-destructed.

Napoleon hoped that the Imperial Council would play such a role.

Discussions and specific measures on disarmament were complicated inside the parliament hall.

A fair, legitimate, yet realistic system had to be established to apply to the corps within the Empire, the corps dispatched outside, the reservists, the trainees at the army training camps, and the reservists scheduled to be conscripted. For example, the troops in Iberia could not be immediately dimissed because they were currently fighting with Britain, Spain, and Portugal. It was a problem for Napoleon because it also had a lot of complicated interests involved.

However, the discussion ended much earlier than Napoleon expected.

When the Emperor recognized their status and authority, the excited lawmakers mobilized all their knowledge and abilities to help establish a reasonable system. They surprised Napoleon by pouring out creative and efficient measures that he had not thought of.

‘The Council wasn’t incompetent either. The man handling the Council (Nabot) was incompetent.’

Napoleon, who lightly badmouthed Nabot today, was able to quickly move on to the next agenda. This, too, was as great as the massive disarmament.

“From now on, we will abolish censorship of all media and culture in the Empire. People are free to express and post their thoughts, ideals and opinions in writing, plays, music, and art, without penalty.”

“I understand that it can cause great social disruption right now. But we have to look at it from a long-term perspective. What can citizens learn and think about in a rigid and uniform society? We are in the 19th century, not the feudal era.”

Napoleon said so with a straight face.

The person who had led the censorship of the cultural and media communities was the Nabot of this world, not him, so he said it in a few words.

Anyway, it was clear that Napoleon’s grasp of this world was too snobbish and secular, and at the same time unable to withstand criticism, caricatures, and satire about himself. He thoroughly censored and suppressed civilian expressions and communication and made no one in the Empire voice negative opinions against him.

On the other hand, Napoleon now knew how important the diversity of perspective and expression was.

No human being, however brilliant, could be superior in every way. There would be times when wrong choices and decisions would be made. At this time, if there are no criticisms about them, the political system would soon become stagnant and rotten. Even more so in this tyrannical dictatorship, where power is concentrated on one person.

It was not enough to raise an Empire’s Council and get positive support and checks from them. Opinions outside the court should also be heard. Napoleon, who had overcome difficulties by taking hints from various cultures and media in his time as a president, did not forget this.

‘First of all, I have no intention of maintaining imperial rule on this land for long.’

This was because, before being a believer in the republican regime, the current French Empire system, led by a despotic monarch on his own, had clear limits. Regardless of how Napoleon himself was successful, the Empire would easily collapse if the monarch who succeeded him was ordinary.

The Bonaparte family, which had no legitimacy such as the Bourbon, Habsburg, and Hohenzollern families, could never last long because of its inherent limitations. Maintaining imperial rule was nothing but asking for a second revolution.

On the other hand, a society that was free to express diverse opinions would prevent such a revolution. No, to be exact, it made it impossible to maintain the despotism itself. Nabot did not control the media and culture for nothing. A increased sense of citizenship, free will, and progressive ideas required time. It would be the transfer of power from the Emperor to the citizens.

Napoleon was painting a picture of the demand coming down, him acknowledging it and slowly transferring power when it reached some degree. Wouldn’t this really be a peaceful and beautiful revolution? Of course, it was still a long way off.

“We will actively make and improve cotton weaving machines, spinning machines, and cotton ginning machines. In particular, copy and produce all of the models brought from Britain. You don’t have to worry about patent infringement. However, there is no need to show it openly and we need to be discreet about this.”

The third announcement was also sufficient to create a huge stir in the parliament chamber. In particular, the Emperor’s demand for something that would be greatly criticized by the international community made lawmakers very absurd. But Napoleon was confident.

‘Now, practicality comes before authority. I should save France’s economy even if I need to shame my face.’

The mechanical revolution in Britain had set the backdrop for the already wealthy Britain to achieve a huge amount of money worth more than every country in Europe. Cheap and quality goods produced by them had exploded into the continent. This had resulted in the elimination of most European craftsmen. A few pieces of machinery had reduced the huge continent of Europe to a market for British commodity sales. The continental blockade had only slowed this flow slightly, and was not an essential measure.

Napoleon was quick to see through the innovation and added value of the mechanical revolution in Britain when he was in the other world. He imitated the British mechanical revolution in France and gradually changed the constitution of national industry. Thanks to this, France’s economy grew day by day, and by the end of its term, it was able to surpass the mainstream of Britain. But now it was much later than then. However, the advantage of experienced people was that they do not have to go through a lot of trials and errors. Napoleon already had a history of transforming France, a dairy country, into Europe’s best industrial country.

‘In order to continue the mechanical revolution, developing and producing coal, iron ore and coke across France must also be preceded. And related laws, regulations, and administrative affairs agencies should be established, because in the other world there was a lot of confusion because they couldn’t prepare for it in advance.

In particular, the establishment of the workers’ law was the most important. If the mechanical revolution was achieved, many factories would be built, and the common people who made up the domestic handicraft industry would surely fall. They did not have the money to build a factory, so they would work under the factory owners. But moneycrazed factory owners would not give the workers the right treatment. In this case, the state should step up and establish proper legalism and market order.

“Unlike Britain, France can be a huge market in itself. If workers get the right wages and treatment and have the purchasing power, the domestic market alone could maintain its growth. I didn’t think of this in the other world, so I had to go back a long way.’

His accumulated knowledge did not disappear even if the world changed.

In Napoleon’s mind, the right path for France after achieving the mechanical revolution was open.