Crown Prince's Personal Guard Corps
The more than two thousand officers and soldiers on the Mars Training Field were all somewhat dizzy. 💀☺ 🎃☝
Just a few days ago, they thought they were the unluckiest people in the world, inexplicably caught up in the Crown Prince's attack, and subsequently subjected to investigation, even believing they were going to be exiled.
Now, they felt like the luckiest people in the world, having inexplicably joined a new legion and been inspected by the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince also announced a large number of new regulations, giving them a hopeful future.
If they weren't currently standing in a queue, they would have loved to have someone kick them to see if this was just a dream.
After a long while, Joseph signaled the soldiers to be quiet, and then announced several regulations regarding military merit, pensions, retirement allowances, and even preferential treatment for soldiers' families.
Having learned from their previous experience, the officers and soldiers, though still extremely excited, forced themselves to remain calm and maintain discipline on site.
After Joseph finished explaining the military reform projects that were directly related to the soldiers' interests, he took two Pamphlets from Berthier, held them up, and said, "Your regimental commander will distribute the other military regulations and systems to each of you later, so I won't repeat them here."
He put away the booklet, looked around at all the soldiers on the Training Field, and said loudly, "Regardless of your past background or your current unit designation, from now on, within the legion, you can all call yourselves— the Crown Prince Guard Legion!"
"Of course, you must also prove with your actual performance that you deserve this title."
"The training from now on will be even more rigorous, and the demands on you will be higher, but all of this will bring you greater glory. Anyone who feels they can't accept it can apply to leave later and return to France Guard... Oh, what's it called now?"
Berthier quickly whispered from the side, "It's the Marit Corps, Your Highness."
Joseph nodded. "You can return to the Marit Corps at any time."
All the officers and soldiers present automatically ignored this option.
Are you kidding me? Giving up a smooth path to promotion, a paycheck that officers wouldn't embezzle, and a generous Pension, to go back to that rotten Marit Corps?
"Crown Prince Guard Legion"—that title sounds impressive, perhaps indicating a direct promotion to the Royal House Guard.
Anyone who still can't choose this must be stupid.
So what if there's more training and stricter requirements? Who hasn't suffered before joining the army? Whether you were a farmer or a Craftsman, life was much harder than this.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince declared loudly, "The first test you will face is to prove that you are at least stronger and better at fighting than the Police. Oh, no, not the Police, but Police Academy cadets who haven't graduated yet."
The officers and soldiers on the Training Field chuckled inwardly. After all, they used to be the elite troops of France, capable of rivaling even the King's Guard.
And what are the Police? They're just thugs recruited and managed by the government. At most, they've undergone a Police Reform; what makes them think they're above everyone else? If we can't even compare to these guys, isn't that a joke?
However, they will soon realize just how wrong they were.
Finally, Joseph gestured to the two officers beside him. "These are your Paymaster. From now on, they will bring people to distribute your pay directly to you every month. If you have any problems with your pay, you can even write to me to complain."
"Now, the Paymaster will make your first paycheck."
Thus, the first inspection of the Crown Prince Guard Legion came to an end amidst a pleasant pay distribution process.
The soldiers counted the Silver Coin in their hands, their faces beaming with joy.
The lowest pay tier was raised from 13 Livre to 15 Livre, while the Sergeant was raised from 17 Livre to 20 Livre.
The salary may not seem high, but the soldiers are provided with food, lodging, and clothing. They can send all of this money home and support a family of four or five without any problem.
Joseph left the Mars Training Field and immediately went to the Paris Police Academy.
He had only traveled about half a Carriage when he saw a Military Camp under construction, which was the new Camp for his Royal Guard Legion.
From the beginning, he had no intention of sending the corps back to Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne. He had bought a piece of land there two weeks ago and started building Camp. As for issues such as being far from the garrison, he had Berthier apply to the Minister of War for "long-term training away from home," and after making arrangements with the Paris Legion currently stationed in Paris, no one would question it too much.
On the Playground of the Paris Police Academy, Principal Joseph gave a pep talk to the cadets in preparation for the Joint Exercise a few days later.
After the mobilization meeting, he went to the Dean of Academic Affairs' office to inquire about the recent enrollment situation.
"Currently, the school has over 1,300 students?" Joseph looked at Friant with some surprise.
The latter nodded respectfully. "Your Highness, due to the Police Department's assistance to the Axel couple, the number of people enrolling at the Police Academy has surged recently. If it weren't for the shortage of School Buildings, the number might have already exceeded 1,500."
Joseph remained silent. He had originally intended to instruct the Police Academy to increase enrollment, but now it seemed unnecessary.
He then instructed Friant: "From now on, the trainees can choose to become ' Combat Police ' after graduation, or join the army. Lieutenant Colonel Berthier will have someone send you information about the military's system and benefits."
"Those who pass the Elite Class assessment can be directly appointed as officers."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Friant had previously heard the Crown Prince mention the idea of establishing Combat Police force.
Roughly speaking, it was a team dressed in Police uniforms, equipped with Infantry weapons, and even some warhorses. They claimed to be there to deal with vicious gangs, such as the Blood Blade Gang, which dared to attack the Royal House family.
Two days later, the Crown Prince Guard Legion welcomed more than 500 cadets from the Paris Police Academy at the Mars Training Field.
The two sides will conduct a Joint Exercise, which is essentially a competition of military skills.
The moment the Police Academy cadets entered, the officers and soldiers of the Royal Guard Legion were taken aback—their crisp uniforms, orderly ranks, and imposing presence. Were these really just a group of Police who hadn't even graduated yet?!
What they found most unacceptable was that the Police Academy cadets were equipped with the latest Charleville 1776 Flintlock Gun!
It's worth noting that even the French Guard only began to switch to this type of rifle three years ago, and a third of them are still using the old model from the Seven Years' War —the Model 1763 Flintlock Gun.
At the very back of the Police Academy cadets' ranks, there were more than 30 cavalrymen... oh, they should be called mounted police officers.
(End of this chapter)
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